Beast and The Harlot

Chapter 8

"You guys, we need a change of scenery! I'm starting to hate this goddamn bus!" Zacky punched on of the miniature kitchen cabinets.

Everyone was sweating from the recent show, some with shirts on, some off.

"We do," Matt nodded his head, stroking my hair as I rested my head on his shoulder.

I'd never felt such serenity with Matt, until the episode in the laundry room.

"How much money we got, Cait?" Jimmy turned his glorious eyes on me, flickering cautiously to Matt.

"Umm..." I sat up, then grabbed the silver safe box under the sofa, then fit the key into the lock.

I picked up the wad of bills we'd gotten that day, then hurriedly skimmed over it, mentally counting it.

"40 grand," I announced.

"Fuck yeah, that's enough for a hotel!" Johnny slapped Zack a high five.

"Jason! Head this bitch to the nearest hotel!" Syn shouted.

"Aight!" Jason's muffled reply rang back to us.

"Does anybody wanna stay two nights? We don't have to be in Hampton 'til Saturday," Matt looked at the calender, which read Wednesday, April 3.

"Sure!" agreements went around the room.

"Hand me a beer," Zacky ordered Johnny, rubbing his outlined eyes.

Short Shit tossed him one, his blonde black hair fuzzed out, looking like he'd just woken up.

"You know something?" Jimmy suddenly asked out of the blue.

"What?" Zacky and Syn were guzzling their drinks, eyes on Jimmy.

"Why don't Cait have a boyfriend?"

I looked up in a panic, but I fought to keep my voice calm.

"Why are you worried about it?" I gave a nervous scoff.

"Women can't do well alone, and you're not a man. How do you do it?"

I glanced at Jimmy, pondering in my head what the fuck he was trying to get at.

"That's why I'm not in a relationship...It's better to be alone when you're gone for long lengths of time," I shrugged, sipping giant mouthfuls of Coors.

"So one night stands?" Zacky gave a loud guffaw of laughter, "Kinky Cait!"

Everyone started to laugh, and I felt uncomfortable in the lime light.

"No..That's just gross," I prayed my face wasn't as tomatoe red as I pictured it was.

"How do you guys stay with a girlfriend, or be alone?" I felt annoyance biting on my heels, like a pesty dog.

"Masturbation," Johnny simply stated.

I spit out beer, and that started a great orchestra of laughs.

"If all else fails, jerk your tail!" Syn snickered around the opening of his beer bottle.

"We get it," I smiled.

"I gotta piss," Johnny got up, and was about to walk to the bathroom when the bus stopped.

Johnny stumbled, but held onto the counter.

"If that fucking bastard doesn't learn how to drive, I swear we're taking his brother back!" Johnny snapped on his way to the bathroom.

We all laughed, but went outside.

"Yes, a nice hotel...I've been waiting forever for one of these," Matt patted my shoulder on his way past me.

The hotel front was expansive, wide with nice trees, and clean walkways.

The lights were bright, depicting a line of z's coming from the Maxem Hotel sign.

"Not too shabby," Johnny said from the top step of the stairs leading off the bus.

I giggled.

"Cait?"

I watched him walk the rest of the way down.

"Are you coming to the swimming pool? I mean, if they have one?" he wrapped his arm around my waist, and then began to walk us into the hotel lobby.

I observed the stars above us, glittering like diamonds on a black velvet sky.

"Tonight?" I gave a subtle smile, rubbing his fingers that were clutching my side.

"Yeah."

"I don't know. Maybe," I shook off his arm, then dashed into the building.

You can't keep doing this! I screamed to myself.

I waved at Zack, who was up at the front desk with the rest of the gang.

"Hurry up! Where's Johnny?" he requested, Syn's dusky eyes writhing on my face.

"Outside," I threw my thumb back behind me.

"I'm right here," Johnny caught my hand.

"'Bout time, ass goblin," Matt smirked.

"There's seven people. We'll take two rooms," Matt told the girl at the reception desk, who looked like her eyes were about to tumble out of the sockets.

"S-sure..That'll be one hundred twenty...twenty four and thirty cents, Sir," she was stuttering, scarcely taking her eyes from the guys.

Her face belonged to a fan; I'd seen plenty of those expressions.

He handed her his credit card, then grinned at us surrounding him.

When his credit card was returned, his signed Avenged Sevenfold onto a piece of paper for the girl.

We left her clucking excitedly in the lobby, room keys in hand.

"Cait, you can have a room to yourself. All of us will just camp out in mine," Matt gave me a key.

I nodded.

"I'm hitting the shower!" I heard Jason yell.

"Bull shit, we're the ones that have been sweating all day, not you!" Jimmy accused, their yells becoming muffled as their hotel room door shut halfway.

I shook my head at them, laughing.

I opened my door, then shut it behind me.

A bath would do wonders, I thought, eyeballing the bathroom.

I sat on the bed, waiting for the bell boy to knock on the door.

When he did, I dumped my bag on the bed, fishing around for pajamas.

I found my favorite black tank top, and some shorts.

Under the sink, there was some lavender bubble bath.

I ran the water, then dumped tons of the liquid in it.

I gave a contented sigh when I set myself into the steaming tub.

I laid back, propping my feet on the other end of the tub.

Within minutes, I was asleep.
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And another! xD