"Saving People, Hunting Things - The Band's Business, Y'Know?"
James Diamond had just finished another night on tour, and he had never felt better – it felt good to be performing again. A few years prior, Big Time Rush had broken up, for reasons most fans didn't understand or just refused to come to terms with. Fact was, the boys had grown into men, and had grown out of the boyband image and lifestyle. Well, the other three had – James immediately began a solo career, and had and album mastered and released just nine months shy of the year anniversary of the break. Two months later he was on the road promoting it, and here he was in the teen-something night of said tour, which was to last about a month and a half.
Deciding to walk the block around the hotel he was staying at, he shrugged off the old memories of pillow fights and midnight vending machine runs when he and the boys were still together, shutting the door to his room behind him. It was late April, but for some reason the air still was a tad chilled, perhaps because the city was on the lake and a river ran through the business and tourist district, where the main shopping was. And even though it wasn't Minnesota, it almost made him miss it, almost. Chicago was above all a hockey town; its Blackhawks had claimed the Stanley Cup for their own twice in the past four years now. And asides from the sports and shopping, there was the music scene to consider – the venues and bars alone offered a unique look into the nightlife and sound of the city. Wanting to check out one of these bars (or atleast the House of Blues), James made his way down State Street, noticing it was lined with college students enjoying their last nights of freedom before exams.
Settling on a smaller locally-ran coffee shop with music handbills in the window, he smiled at the sound of the acoustic guitar from just inside. It would be a nice change from the pop and dance orientated music he'd been so used to as of late. From the moment he stepped inside, however, a strange feeling came over him – almost as though he'd been in this exact spot already, years earlier. He couldn't explain it, and didn't want to think about it.
Taking one of the lounge chairs beside the window, he turned to look at the stage – three guitar stands, and various high profile name guitars were on them, paired with a folder he assumed held chord sheets and lyrics. By the time his gaze broke from looking over said setup, a soft voice had met his ears.
"Can I get your order, sir? If I can recommend anything, I'd go with the gingersnap chai – it's a chai base with mocha and caramel syrup, and chocolate chips and chocolate whip cream."
He's momentarily taken aback by the sheer contrast between her hair and eye color, for deep maraschino cherry-red hair was offset by icy blue eyes that just seemed to immediately know him, as if he'd seen her before.
What was with all the déjà vu all of a sudden?
"Yeah, that sounds fine; make it a large, thanks."
"I'm on it."
Three minutes later she'd returned with a mug topped with chocolate whip cream and what looked like nutmeg and caramel drizzle. For it being almost quarter after ten, the girl seemed to be wide awake and energetic, then again, that could've just been due to the fact she worked in a coffee shop.
Looking around, James noticed the shop was empty – except for himself and the girl.
"I'm really sorry, am I keeping you? I didn't bother looking to see how late you were open, if you want to close you can kick me out, I've got a hotel room, I'll be fine." He apologized, running a hand through his hair, surprised when the girl pulled up a chair from one of the other tables and retrieved her own drink to set it on the table beside his.
"It's fine, I'm open until 11 unless it's killer slower, I'm not a Starbucks. People just don't seem to notice I'm here, that's all. My sister and I run it, she'll come in at ten AM and take over, I take the night shifts. It's nice, I guess. Gives me time to relax and play guitar, those are mine."
"How long have you played for? If you wouldn't mind, can I hear? I'm a singer myself, though I'm not used to having acoustic accompaniment anymore." He told the girl, noticing how her eyes had widened once he'd said singer.
"Forgive me; I totally forgot to introduce myself! I'm Riley Jameson, and you are?"
"James Diamond, nice to meet you. "
"Wait, didn't you used to be in Big Time R-"
"Big Time Rush? Yeah, that was my old band, I'm solo now. You don't have to feel bad about the break up, we've all moved on."
"I don't feel bad about it, it's just – it's hard to listen to some of the songs now, y'know? I can't really listen to- well, you know, I could just play them for you, you'd know them."
"If you want," he shrugged, taking another sip of the far-too-hot chai the girl had made.
Getting up, the girl tucked a few stray strands of hair behind her ear and adjusted her bangs, walking to the little stage, grabbing the takamine nearest her.
Her fingers fell into position easily, she'd played this song more times than she could count, recounting how she'd only seen it played live once, on Big Time Rush's first tour.
"There were so many things That I never ever got to say
'Cause I'm always tongue tied With my words getting in the way
If you could read my mind Then all your doubts would be left behind
And every little thing Would be falling into place, yeah
And I would scream to the world They would see, you're my girl But I just..."
And before James can stop himself he's chimed in, he still knows the words, and this causes the girl to look up from her guitar and smile, he's who he's said he is.
"Keep gettin' stuck, stuck But I'm never givin' up, up In the middle of a perfect day,
I'm tripping over words to say 'Cause I don't want to keep you guessing
But I always end up gettin' stuck, stuck But I'm never giving up, up," he finishes the chorus, feeling his cheeks flame.
He hasn't sung anything he'd done with guys in a year or two now, and he's embarrassed by the fact the lyrics can still roll off his tongue. Putting her guitar back down, Riley stands and stretches, wincing when the both of them hear her back crack.
Laughing it off, she walks back to the chair and downs the rest of her drink, explaining afterwards, "I've been on my feet for almost four hours now, that's the first time I've sat down all day. So I guess I'm not sad anymore, if you guys are all doing well that's great. You're doing pretty well yourself, with that new album and all – how's the tour been?"
He almost laughed – this was the first girl he'd come across that wasn't swooning, not even in the slightest – she was completely calm and starting a casual conversation over coffee, at least, variants thereof.
"Alright. It's weird not arguing over silly stuff with the guys here and there, but seeing all the different cities is still just as fun as it used to be."
"I'd think it would be, I actually closed shop for a few hours today to come see your show earlier, it was a good time. I saw BTR several times when you guys were still together; I used to go up to Milwaukee for some of them."
He nodded, "You managed to close shop? Aren't you worried about losing business?"
"It's nothing big, my flat's upstairs, so when I wake up I can open and close right before I go to bed, even though I don't really need to close because my sister covers dayside."
"You'd said that, yeah. I'm just curious as to how you're so collected – usually girls like yourself are all caught up in-"
"Your image? The fact you're a successful performer? Try to get you to sign their bra like you're Jack Barakat? I'm used to that around here, every so often the Fall Out Boy boys come in here for coffee on their hunting trips, so I see them around."
"Hunting trips? Like Supernatural?" James asks; his hazel eyes wide with wonder.
Riley grins, rolling her eyes, "See, that's what most people assume, and quite frankly, if you're seen their video for A Little Less Sixteen Candles, that's this entire town really is. Vampires left and right, if you're not careful after dark here, you could be one of them soon enough."
"So why do you keep the shop open practically all night if there's vampires around? And come on, they can't be real, there's no way."
His mind drifted, back to the one time Carlos had insisted the Palm Woods was haunted by a ghost and then it turned out to be the new girl working on a low budget horror film without anyone knowing.
She shook her head.
"I've got- well okay, I took advice from Supernatural – there's salt on the windows and door entries to keep anything bad from getting in, and I've got a hunting kit with stakes and garlic under the bar by the syrups if I really need it. So I'm protected if anything happens. And I live just upstairs, so really I don't need to leave this building ever."
"I thought the salt was only demons?"
"It works wonders for all sorts of creatures, werewolves too, I've heard. So…oh boy, it's late – shouldn't you be getting back to your hotel?"
"But you just said that this town was – and you keep stressing you live upstairs. I'm not exactly inclined to leave a pretty girl like you alone and risk getting myself killed when I could just as easily crash with you tonight. Hate to ask, but you're of age, right? Don't want to get myself arrested if something happens." Wanting to add a wink at the end of that, James thought better of it and instead sighed.
"You can take the couch, I'll stay in my room, it's no problem. I'm turning 20 in two weeks, so it's fine if even something went down I guess. When you finish your drink, just set it on the counter and walk towards the bathrooms, there's a 'employees only' door, if you got through that it'll lead into a hallway that has another little door for a staircase, that leads up into my flat. I'll leave it unlocked for you, but I'm gonna go lock up here just in case some friends decide to visit."
"So you don't serve vampires?"
"Not their kind, no, do I look like Bella Swan?" she teased, and James just about choked, dropped the mug as he went to set it down, but just as it was going to hit the floor, to his surprise, Riley caught it.
"Again, used to this stuff."
And with a smile she'd walked off, leaving James slightly stunned at how quickly she'd reacted.
Twenty minutes later he'd walked back to where Riley had told him, and then upstairs, finding it unlocked just as she'd said. It seemed like a quiet, comfy place if you could excuse the lingering aroma from the coffee shop downstairs.
"Hey Riley? Where are-"
"I'm changing, I'll be out in two," she called from somewhere down the hall, so James walked into what served as the living room and sat down on the couch – it was pretty comfy, not something he'd mind sleeping on for the night, not that he really thought she'd object to sharing her bed if it came down to it.
When she finally joined him, her shoulder length dark red hair was pulled back into a loose French braid, and he could see a little more skin then the corduroys and long-sleeved white v-neck allowed before thanks to the pajamas she was wearing.
A Fall Out Boy tanktop with their latest logo was pulled back and ducktailed just so that it exposed a bit of her stomach, enough that she'd made a makeshift crop top out of it, and then she'd paired that with black booty shorts that had the same logo on the bottom corner on the front on them. If she turned around, he figured, they're be writing on the back, there always was with those things.
"Uh." Jesus, Diamond pull yourself together. "Hey there. Haven't seen you around much," he tried and she instantly reacted, giggling and putting a hand on her hip.
"Hm…think I can fix that, James."
Two steps and a twirl later she's in his arms, legs swung over the arm of the couch, her head resting on his shoulder.
"Did you really just-"
She lifted her head, looked at him and gave him a lopsided grin before she leaned in and kissed him, pulling away a few seconds later only to get up and walk back down the hall. Stopping halfway and turning to look at the 6'1 singer, she nodded, "It's only a start, it's been forever since a guy of your level's been up here. And uh, did I mention I don't lock my doors around here? There's no need, except the shop entrance." And then she ducked her head slightly and gave him the best bedroom eyes she could manage, knowing her bangs might ruin the effect.
Watching the realization cross James' face without her having to say anything else is what made her take off for her bedroom, already knowing exactly how the rest of the night was going to play out.
Ten minutes later the door to her bedroom slams shut as James finds himself pressed against it, for as short as the girl is she's consumed with lust, which can sometimes make people do things that are beyond their normal range.
She's on her tiptoes leaning into him, lips against his neck, hands frantically pulling at his shirt, trying to get the buttons undone so she can flip it over his head. A few more minutes like this and she'll let him take over, this isn't the first time she's done this, she just knows what it does to guys when she starts it. Giving up on trying to get his shirt off, she instead slides a hand up under it, racking it back down his chest, her other hand going into his hair as she brings her lips back to his. Although, she's surprised when his hand grabs her wrist to stop her from clawing her way back down his form again – she's felt strong sculpted abs on him and heaven knows she wants more. And with that grab, she knows the tables are turning – and soon enough she's the one against the door, one of his knees between her legs, one hand trying to undo her braid, the other on her side with subtle moans leaving her lips.
When he finally manages to allow her to breath, she's looking up at him, eyes completely clouded over.
"I have a bed you know."
"If you want to stop, you tell me, okay? I don't want anything to-"
She rolled her eyes, putting her hands out against his chest, forcing him to walk backwards until they both tumbled onto her bed, he crawling up to lay down and stretch out, she once against surprising him when she moved to straddle him, rotating her hips against his own as she leaned down and began kissing at his neck again, this time nipping here and there.
"This isn't the first time I've done this, hun, I know how it goes."
If he hadn't picked up the whisper between the kisses he would have thought she had only been mumbling lyrics again, something to spin her own BTR fanfics later on. But no, that was nowhere near her intent.
"But you're just shy of twen- ah – Riley," he groaned, she'd flattened herself against him, one hand at his jeans and bit down slightly harder than she'd been at the same time, inevitably driving James even crazier with lust than the door session had made him.
It had been a long time since he'd be put in this position – Lucy had broken up with him the same day the BTR news broke, and since then he'd just focused on music, really.
"I can't believe a big popstar like you was stupid enough to take my invitation to come up here." She continued, yelping in protest when James scooted her off him so he could actually get his jeans off, realizing she had no intent of stopping with the way things were getting, not noticing she'd pulled off her own shorts at the same time to reveal some form of lacy underwear that clung to her skin in just the way that made James want to shred it to make sure she'd couldn't taunt another guy this way.
"You're pretty, you implied danger outside, and it was free coffee – free alcohol's usually code for 'have sex with me' how am I supposed to say no?" He asked, pulling his shirt off, trying to watch where it landed so he wouldn't be scrambling to find his clothes before she woke up in the morning.
"Hollywood's taught you a lot, hasn't it? I learned some things from Chicago, too. Lay back down and I can show you," she offered, half expecting the noise of approval from the pop star. As soon as he'd laid back down, she'd straddled him again, and this time he too was bent on feeling her - his hands reached for the duck tail, snapping the thin elastic band with ease before he flipped the tank top over her head, revealing a bra that matched in color and lace, another padding had him thinking she was used to seducing guys like she'd implied.
Hell, the lingerie she had on alone probably was worth more than some of his hockey gear.
His hands go up and down her sides, her skin was smooth, and in the darkness of the room he knows she can't have much of a tan thanks to being in the city she's in. A sudden pang of sheer want overcomes him, and his hands slip to her hips, not being careful of his nails, which dig in; in turn causing her to tilt her head back and whine, not expecting him to have gotten sort of rough. Before she can say anything however, one hand is running across her stomach, just allowing his pinkie to drift beneath the lace shielding whatever innocence remains.
"What kind of stuff, hm, Riley?" he teases, voice laced with impatience.
A few shaky breaths and a giggle as she closes her eyes and changes the sway of her hips only slightly, liking the feel of where a few of his fingers are heading a little too much as she answers, "Just things that'll keep me safe; that's all."
"What's that?"
She smiled at this, tilting her hips up and pushing herself a little bit more forward against him so that his ring finger brushed between the lace and her skin, causing a shudder to pass through her.
Leaning down so her lips were next to his ear, she gasped softly as she felt him finally make a move, but regained her train of thought in the next second or so.
"You have to promise to do what I say if I tell you this, okay? It could save your life one day."
"I have to do what you say? That's not fair!"
"Do you want to –mhm- live or –nya- not?"
"Alright, alright, I promise. Happy?"
Her eyes lit up, and James could see there was something different about her now, though he couldn't tell what.
"Good boy, James…alright – so. First thing – yes, the vampires exist. Second – You already know you're hot, and you're my exact type. Third – that stuff I said about salt working on vampires and other creatures? You're right – it's for demons only. And fourth – I've never told any other guy this, but I want you to know."
She titled her head and leaned down to kiss him, once again having one hand go to his hair and the other raining scratches down his chest, smiling through this kiss at the second groan this earned her. Coming up for air, she only offered him a smug half smile.
"Damn it, just tell me. Riley, please…you're killing me, just let me flip you over-"
"Ah ah ah….I don't do bottom, at least until the first part is complete."
"What first part?" he asked; that strange feeling back in the pit of his stomach.
Blinking those icy blue eyes, she leaned in to nuzzle her head into the crook of his neck, laughing softly.
"Oh, Jamesy – those vampires I warned you that were out there? You should left when you had the chance. Because sweetheart – you've let one seduce you."
And before James had time to make sense of anything she had just said, Riley opened her mouth and bit into his neck with half inch fangs, absolutely loving the scream that had left the singer's lips.
