Better Than Me

The week had passed much more quickly than Andy had ever expected it to. He’d talked to Riley every night on the phone, and hearing her voice had started the familiar ache inside him--the ache of being separated from her. Before now, the longest they'd ever been apart was for about five days, when Black Veil Brides went to Europe to play a few shows before starting work on their latest album. Six months was a long time...

Andy remembered when they had first begun dating. If he was completely honest with himself, he’d never expected it to go anywhere. She’d just been a sexy, fun, flirty girl that Andy considered a momentary distraction, a new form of entertainment for the months at home. He’d met her playing a game of pool. He’d been shooting by himself for practice and she sashayed to the table, picked up an extra stick, and said “You break.”

She’d known who he was, of course, but at the time, he hadn’t been so sure. She’d played it so cool. They had played two games--she won the first and he won the second--then she set down her stick and said, “I’ll see you around.”

Andy had considered this brief meeting a challenge, one that he was more than happy to accept. So he’d returned to the bar the next weekend and there she was.

He’d assumed she was a sure thing, so he didn’t try too hard. At the end of the night, he automatically tugged her to the door, figuring they would go to her place and spend the night fucking. However, she’d turned him down.

It had wounded his pride more than he liked to admit; yet, it also piqued his curiosity. And so he’d gone to the bar again for a third weekend in a row. This time, he worked a bit. He teased a little and used a few of the tricks that had succeeded in persuading reluctant girls to give him what he wanted. It still didn’t work. Again, she refused his advances.

The fourth weekend, Andy met her at the bar and asked her if she would like to go do something else. They went to a movie, then he went home, alone, after getting her phone number.

He figured once they were dating, and she considered them a couple, she’d give it up. No dice. Oh, they had some serious make-out sessions and grope fests, but she always stopped. And every time, Andy would get pissed off. He’d see that look in her blue-green eyes, that resign that said clearly, “This is the last time. This is the time that he’s going to leave.”

Despite his frustration, Andy didn’t quit seeing her. He couldn’t. At the time, he didn’t examine the reasons too closely. Now, though, he knew exactly why. He had fallen for her. A mere six months into their relationship, and Andy was so tangled up in her that he couldn’t get out. And he didn’t want to. Even without sex, he enjoyed every second spent with her. Part of him, a part that is strictly male, hung around waiting for that day, sure that it would come and determined to see that initial challenge through and conquer her. The rest of him, what he liked to call his “intellectual” self, refused to give up any time that he could be around her, no matter what they were doing.

It was roughly a year into the relationship that she gave in. She could’ve kept him waiting longer and he wouldn’t have ended their relationship. He was in love with her. He didn’t say the words to coax her into bed; he said them afterwards with complete and utter sincerity. Her eyes had glittered with tears when she said it back.

Andy smiled to himself. Riley was the most precious thing in the world to him. She had been worth the wait and he was so glad he hadn’t given in to his raging hormones and dumped her for immediate gratification.

“Yo, Biersack, twenty miles to San Diego!” Jeremy yelled from the front of the bus.

Andy’s heart leapt. In less than an hour, she would be back in his arms. He couldn’t wait to feel her against him, touch her soft skin, taste her lips…

“I just got a text from Vi,” Trevor Hammond, one of the BVB stage techs, announced. “She says all the girls bought new outfits for the show tonight and that you guys had better brace yourselves.”

“Tell her thanks for the warning,” Christian said. “The last thing I need is to bust a nut in public.”

Jake, Jeremy, Ashley, and Trevor all chuckled. Andy wandered to the front of the bus. The other guys looked as anxious as he felt. He was surprised someone wasn’t demanding “Are we there yet?” every five seconds.

Trevor's cell buzzed with another text. “Violet says ’tell CC no problem. I just didn’t want the guys to make asses of themselves in front of their fans. I know how much they want to maintain their bad boy appearance and slobbering on themselves would kinda ruin that.’”

Andy plopped down on the sofa next to Trevor. “Give me a cigarette.”

Trevor glared. “You could ask. I’m not your servant.”

“Uh, yeah, you kinda are,” Ashley interjected.

“Ash, I love you, man, but suck it," Trevor retorted. "I'm not a subservient bitch."

“Whoa!" Jeremy's eyes widened in feigned surprise. "Trevor just used a college word. ’Subservient’?”

“He probably heard Riley say it,” Jake stated matter-of-factly. “That girl is so damn smart.”

“Or Cori,” Ashley offered fairly.

“All of the girls are smart,” Christian said.

“Yeah, but Riley being the English major puts her as the main guess for where we learn big words,” Jake said.

“Andy, how does it feel to be dating a genius?” Trevor queried, only partly joking.

“About as good as she feels knowing she’s dating a rock god,” Andy replied cockily.

“Poor Sally,” Ashley sighed with mock remorse, referring to Trevor's girlfriend. “She’ll never know that feeling.”

“Ash, I swear to God, I am going to come over there and kick your ass,” Trevor threatened.

“You can’t kill the bass player,” Ashley said smugly. “The guys won't let you. They need me.”

“Bassists are a dime a dozen,” Jeremy said, waving a dismissive hand. “You’re free to murder this particular bassist if you want, Trevor.”

Trevor cracked his knuckles and attempted to look threatening. This attempt was ruined by the fact that the corners of his mouth kept twitching, as though he was fighting back laughter. Ashley was giving him a wide-eyed look and pretending to hide behind Christian. Finally, Trevor gave up and chuckled. “Ash, you’re such a retard.”

Andy poked Trevor. “Damn it, Tee, give me a cigarette!”

“Get your own.”

“Suit yourself.” Andy reached over and shoved his hand into the front pocket of Trevor's jeans.

Jake raised his eyebrows. “Wow, the atmosphere in here just became horribly homoerotic.”

Andy and Trevor simultaneously flipped Jake off. “Aha!” Andy exclaimed in triumph, somehow managing to dig the crushed pack of cigarettes out of Trevor's too-tight pants. He took out a cigarette and stuck it between his lips. “Um, I’m so not going in after a lighter. CC, you wanna help me out?”

Christian, who, for reasons best known only to him, always had a lighter, tossed a BIC to him. Andy lit his cigarette and inhaled deeply. He closed his eyes, thoroughly enjoying his first cigarette of the day.

“Oh, my God!” Jake said. “Are we there yet?”

“We’re about two miles from the exit that will take us to the venue,” Jeremy informed him. “So shut the fuck up.”

“You don’t drive fast enough,” Jake complained.

“It’s a goddamn tour bus,” Jeremy shot back. “If I drive too fast, I’ll kill us all!”

Trevor raised his hand. “I vote for staying alive.”

“Right on!” Andy slapped Trevor a high five.

Fifteen minutes later, they were turning onto the street on which the venue was located. When Jeremy pulled into the fenced-in back lot, the other four were lined up like school children eager to get off the bus. Andy was the second one off. The sun hit his face and then he heard the excited squeal that meant home to him.

She threw herself into his arms, bringing with her the scent of cotton candy. He didn’t hesitate to cover her mouth with his own, tasting her strawberry lipgloss and cinnamon gum.

“I missed you,” she murmured against his lips.

“I missed you, too.” He buried his face in her silky hair, hugging her body as close to his as possible.

“Ugh!” Ashley's voice broke in to the couples’ reunions. “All this mushy, romantic shit is making me nauseous!”

“Aww, poor Ashley doesn’t have a woman,” Jeremy pouted mockingly.

“You know, instead of staying out here and minding our business, you can go inside and help the roadies,” Jake suggested.

Ashley gave a dramatic sniffle. “Fine. I know when I’m not wanted.” He hung his head dejectedly and trudged towards the back entrance to the venue.

Before he was even halfway there, the girls had tackled him and were hugging and kissing him.

“We love you, Ashley!” Piper yelled.

“I love you crazy bitches, too.” He stood up and dusted off his jeans. “Okay. Enjoy however it is you're going to celebrate being reunited. I’m going inside to earn my paycheck.” He disappeared through the back door.

Riley bounced back to Andy, eyes alight with happiness. “How do you want to celebrate?”

Andy put his hands on her hips and pressed her lower body against his. “I’ll give you three guesses, and the first two don’t count.”

She pretended to think about it. “Hmm…you want to rent a movie?”

“Strike one.”

“You want to have a stimulating conversation over a cup of coffee?”

“Strike two, though my idea does involve stimulation.”

“Oh, I think I know what it is!” She leaned very close, one hand toying with his belt buckle. “You want to take me to the nearest private location we can find and give me what I need.”

“And what does Riley need?”

“Sex.”

The way she said the word sent shivers down Andy’s spine. “And what a coincidence! Our private location is right here.” He grabbed her hand and led her to the tour bus, amazed that it hadn’t yet been appropriated by one of the other couples.

He let Riley climb on first and glanced back at his band mates. They were all looking at him and a moment of understanding passed between them. The tour bus was off limits, even though there was room enough on it for three couples to have sex with relative privacy.

Andy shut the door and joined Riley in the back room.

**********

Riley kissed Andy long and hard.

He broke the kiss, keeping his hands tangled in her hair. “Violet said something about you girls buying new outfits? I know this isn‘t it.” He glanced down at her tight Dope Stars Inc. tee and even tighter black hiphuggers.

“No, this isn’t it. And that was supposed to be a surprise,” Riley grumbled.

“She didn’t describe them to us.” Andy feigned a stern look. “You’re not going to give me a heart attack, are you?”

Riley grinned. “Not intentionally.”

“I feel like this is going to be very very good. You’d better come back early so that if the outfit gives me any…urges…I have time to fuck you senseless.”

“Or I could stay here and we can have round two right now.”

Andy traced her lips with his thumb. “As much as I love that idea, I have to rehearse.”

Riley gave him the kittenish pout he only said no to in extreme circumstances. “Fine.”

Andy growled softly. “Rile, don’t do this to me.”

She smirked and kissed him on the cheek. “Okay. I love you. Bye-bye.”

Chuckling, he smacked her ass as she turned to walk away. She sauntered to Christian's SUV and got in the back with Sammi. The girls drove to the hotel where the boys had made reservations and checked in. Each couple had its own room, but the girls all crammed into one room to get ready for the show.

Each girl took a shower, then Corinne did everyone’s makeup (she was going to school to become a makeup artist).

“The boys are going to love these outfits,” Sammi stated.

“We might cause them to forget how to play their instruments.” Piper giggled.

“Thank God Andy only has to sing,” Riley said.

“When he sees you, he’s going to forget all the words,” Corinne said.

Riley grinned. “We may want to take our own bodyguards. If we fuck up the show, there are going to be a lot of pissed-off fans out for blood.”

“Okay, everybody in front of the mirror!” Sammi ordered.

The girls lined up to scrutinize their own appearances.

Corinne’s jet-black hair was loose. She was wearing a dark blue, sequin-covered bikini top and matching bottoms that barely deserved the description “shorts.” Sammi’s white-blond hair was also loose. Her outfit was almost identical to Corinne's, only red. Piper’s deep red hair was in a bun. She wore a black corset and black bikini bottoms emblazoned with a lime green skull and crossbones. Riley’s pink and purple hair was piled on top of her head, two tendrils framing her face. She was dressed in a vest that laced up in the front. It was meant to be worn over another shirt, but Riley wasn’t wearing anything beneath it. Black boyshorts with “Sinful” across the ass completed her ensemble.

“Wow,” Piper said. “I’d do us.”

“Alright.” Sammi picked up a tiny container. “Prepare yourselves for the final touch.” She removed the lid and coated the girls in glitter.

“Yay!” Riley jumped up and down in the cloud of sparkles. “Stripper dust!”

“Are we ready?” Corinne inquired, sticking her key card in her purse.

The other girls nodded, all retrieving their own key cards. They received quite a few stares on their way down to the parking lot. They piled into the SUV and sped back to the venue.

“Holy. Shit.” Trevor, who was waiting by the back door, almost choked on his water at the sight of the girls.

The girls all jokingly struck poses. “Good?” Piper questioned.

“Fucking great!” Trevor enthused. “I seriously think I came.”

Holding hands, the girls filed into the venue and found the dressing room. Corinne knocked and they all stepped back so the guys could get a full view as soon as they opened the door.

Ashley answered the door. His jaw dropped at the sight of the girls.

“Who is it?” Christian called from inside the room.

“You guys have got to see this!” Ashley managed, still gaping at the girls.

Jake, Andy, Jeremy, and Christian crowded around the doorway. All four of them fell silent, eyes fixed on the girls.

“Fuck me,” Jake breathed finally, breaking the silence.

Andy shoved Ashley out of his way and approached Riley. “Remember those urges I mentioned?”

Riley licked her lips. “Yeah.”

“You’ve given them to me.” His hand closed around her wrist and he dragged her down the hallway, out the back door, and to the tour bus.