CHAPTER SIX

So he did 'or something'. He grabbed Paige, spun her into the nearest empty seat before straddling her lap. Then he kissed her.

Paige had absolutely no time to react as Walter tossed her into an empty seat, then positioned himself on her lap. His lips on hers stunned her to her core. He was tentative at first, and when she didn't resist, grew more bold. Passion exploded inside her and she slid her arms around his neck, entwining her fingers into his dark curls as he entwined his tongue with hers.

"Hey! Who are you? What you doing?"

Darby's agitated voice rang out in the closed confines of the bus, brought her back to her senses. Walter kept kissing her, seemingly unaware they had company. She moved her hands to his shoulders, giving him a little push. His startled dark eyes stared down at her, and she almost forgot why she had broken off their kiss.

"Hey you!"

Walter spun around, blocking her view of the manager. "Uh. . ."

"Oh, it you. Walter, right?" Darby laughed. "You with girl?"

She watched as Walter rubbed the back of his neck, a sign she had learned meant he was nervous. . .and embarrassed.

"Uh, y-yeah," he replied to the other man's question. "I, um. . . I-It's okay, isn't it? I-I d-didn't. . ."

"No, no, it okay." The manager clapped his hands together. "I just win bet. Five hundred dollars." He chuckled again. "Just be done by six-thirty. And remember, clean off seat."

Paige's face grew hot as the bus swayed when Darby stepped out and shut the doors. Walter remained facing away from her, no doubt as mortified as she was.

"I-I'm sorry," he muttered, hanging his head. "I-I, uh, thought it w-wouldn't seem sus-suspicious if I, um. . ."

"It's okay, Walter." She placed her hand on his back. "It was. . .just a little unexpected, that's all."

"I d-don't think he saw you." He sat down next to her, still not meeting her eyes. "I d-didn't know what else to do. I didn't w-want to blow our cover. It m-meant noth. . ."

"Walter, stop." He glanced over at her then, for just a second, before staring at the back of the seat in front of them again. Saying their kiss meant nothing was the last thing she wanted to hear. Plus she knew it was a lie. He'd poured his heart and soul into that kiss, leaving her flustered and achy and longing for more. The fact he was still trembling told her he'd been affected as well.

"Should we keep searching?" she asked with a calmness she didn't feel.

"Yes." He rose to his feet, returning to the bag he'd been looking through before they'd been interrupted.

They worked in silence for a few minutes before Walter spoke. "He said he won a bet."

"Who?" Paige was thrown off by the random comment. "Darby?"

"Yes. He said he won five hundred dollars." He looked at her, a frown on his face. "Why would he tell me that?"

Paige reran the conversation with the manager through her head. Oh, God, the band and crew must have had a bet concerning either Walter's sexual experience or his sexuality. She couldn't possibly tell him that.

Casually shrugging her shoulders, she said, "Who knows? Maybe he's telling everyone? He doesn't have the best grasp of the English language, does he?"

She couldn't tell by his expression whether Walter believed her or not. Giving him what she hoped was a reassuring smile, she powered up a tablet she'd found in a backpack.

"No, I guess not," he replied.

Hoping he'd drop the subject, she glanced at the device in her hand. "Oh, it's in Russian."

"Let me see." Walter came over and she handed him the tablet.

"You can read Russian?" Although she didn't know why she was surprised. He had a 197 IQ after all.

"Some. I'd like to be more proficient but there never seems to be enough time to study." She watched as his eyes scanned the screen as he opened and closed files. "Nothing about weapons," he declared as his face turned red again. "Just the, uh, usual stuff."

Paige bit her lip to stop herself from smiling. She loved how embarrassed he got about things other men wouldn't give a second thought. There was something so sweet about his naivety.

She glanced over at him and he must have felt her eyes on him as he looked up. Giving her a shy smile, he ducked his head and refocused on the bag he was searching through.

For the third time that day, his unwitting sexiness left her breathless. Soon it wasn't going to be a matter of her making the first move (as Ray suggested). It was going to be a matter of her not being able to resist him any longer.

ooooo

"Hey, noob, when you get done loading all the sound equipment, there's party in Yuri's suite at the hotel."

Walter turned around to see Akim and Mikhail, another one of the roadies, standing behind him. "Uh, okay." He tapped the amplifier on the hand cart. "This is the last amp."

"Really? Well, shit, noob," said Akim, "you just might not get fired." He elbowed the man next to him. "Hey, yeah, bring your girl."

"My girl?" Walter wondered where they got the idea he had a girl.

"The one you were fucking on the bus," said Mikhail. "Or was that just a one off?"

His face instantly went up in flames. "Uh, oh, yeah," he managed to say. "Just a, um, one off." Oh, damn, the manager must have told everyone what he'd seen earlier that afternoon. Darby must not have realized it was Paige, or that rumor would have no doubt spread like wildfire as well.

"Lucky dog," said Akim. He patted his friend on the shoulder. "Come on, maybe Yuri will leave a few chicks for us."

The two men walked off, leaving Walter alone with the equipment and his brooding thoughts. Paige would be at that party. Happy, too. He recalled Cabe's parting words, to keep an eye on the two women. He now knew why the older man had been concerned. These men, both the band members and the crew, were like animals. They treated women as playthings, indiscriminately used drugs, and were in general just loathsome human beings.

They'd given him all the grunt work to do during the concert, just to see if he'd break. He'd done all the lifting and toting while they stood around and ordered him about. He'd taken it all in stride, not giving them the satisfaction of hearing him complain or seeing him falter. His muscles were aching and his head was pounding from listening to two hours' worth of the loud screeching music and the screaming of the crowd.

With a frustrated sigh, he wheeled the heavy amp toward the waiting van. The sooner he finished, the sooner he could go to their stupid party to make sure Paige and Happy were okay.

ooooo

The air was thick with smoke when Walter opened the door to the lead singer's hotel room. Immediately his eyes sought out Paige, who was sitting in a corner, holding a bottle of beer and talking to the woman who took care of the band's costumes. Relieved she was all right, he switched the focus of his search to the other member of his team.

Oh, shit. His gaze came to rest upon Happy, who was sitting on one of Akim's legs while taking a puff off a joint. The black haired backup singer. . .Anya, he thought Paige said her name was. . .was sitting on the man's other leg. Happy passed her the marijuana but before the other woman could take a hit, the two women kissed each other. A long lingering kiss involving teeth and tongue he had to glance away from as it grew more intimate

He'd been worried something like this would happen. Happy had been acting recklessly since she had to turn down Toby's proposal. Smoking, drinking, going off on wild motorcycle rides. . . And now she was doing drugs and cheating. . . Frantically he glanced over at Paige, catching her eye this time. She smiled at him for a moment before frowning as his gaze darted to the mechanic and her new friend. The liaison gave her head a small shake, which he understood meant not to interfere.

"Hey, noob," said a voice behind him. Walter turned to see Nazar, the other roadie he'd overheard on the bus, holding out an unopened bottle of beer. "Here."

He'd been about to tell the other man he didn't drink but he knew that would be the wrong thing to say. "Thanks," he said instead, taking the offered beverage. He glanced around for an opener, since not opening the bottle would look suspicious. Peering at it closer, he twisted off the cap and pretended to take a drink.

Glancing around, his eyes widened as his brain registered the near orgy going around him. Couples in various states of undress were making out everywhere he looked. Yuri had a girl, who appeared to be in her late teens, on his lap. Her top was gone and the lead singer had a hand up her skirt.

He took a deep breath, which was a huge mistake, as he inhaled a large quantity of smoke, both cigarette and marijuana. Choking a little, he took an actual sip of his beer to clear his throat. Once he had recovered, he noticed Paige had stood up and was making her way toward him through the crowded room.

"Ahh!" The girl on Yuri's lap cried out as the singer tossed her to the floor. Getting to his feet, he blocked Paige's path.

"Hey, baby," he purred as he slid his arms around her and grabbed her ass. Walter's beer fell from his grasp as his hands clenched into fists. Paige's horrified expression appeared over Yuri's shoulder, causing him to take a step forward, ready to knock the bastard on his ass for touching her.

She mouthed the word "No" at him, pleading silently for him not to intervene. He came to a halt a few feet away, realizing he would blow their cover if he confronted the other man.

"So, you like singing with band?" asked Yuri as his hands began roaming up and down her back.

"It's a lot of fun." Walter knew her smile was false as she kept her eyes locked on his while she endured the other man's groping.

"If you're nice to me, I can be very nice to you." The lead singer brought his mouth very close to hers. "If you not so nice, maybe Yuri not so nice either."

"Oh, I don't know," Paige said breathlessly in a ditzy voice. "Uh, excuse me, I need to go to the bathroom."

"Don't make me wait too long, sweet cheeks." He slapped her butt. "Hurry back."

"Sure." Paige hustled away from the lead singer as fast as she could. Staring at Walter, she tipped her head toward the door leading out of the room. Giving her a nod, he spun around and pushed his way through the crowd.

Walter was waiting in the hallway when she stumbled through the door. "Oh, God." She fell into his arms, trembling violently. "I don't think I can do this," she murmured. "Being up on stage, singing. . ."

Drawing her closer, he awkwardly patted her back as she started to sob on his shoulder. "You were great," he said.

She shook her head. "No, I was terrified. And now. . ." Pausing to hiccup, she continued, "and now I think he expects me to sleep with him to keep my job."

"Maybe we can talk to Cabe, get someone else. . ." Walter tried to calm her, even though he was far from feeling calm himself. Seeing the other man with his hands all over Paige. . . Well, it made him want to hit things. Yuri's stupid face in particular.

"No, I said I would do it," she said as she put some distance between them and wiped at her damp cheeks and his damp shirt. "I'm sorry. Let's get out of here. There's a diner across the street. Maybe we can get something non-alcoholic to drink?"

"Okay." Walter's heart skipped a beat as she reached for his hand and led him to the elevator.

ooooo

"Make sure to seal it nice and tight," instructed Toby. "You need to keep that air trapped inside. Just like this."

"Okay." Ralph made the necessary adjustment.

"Perfect." The shrink smiled. "Ready?"

"Ready."

"Now bring down your arm."

The youngster and the doctor both quickly lowered their bent arms. Loud fart-like noises trumpeted throughout the loft.

"I did it!" Ralph jumped up and down excitedly.

"You sure did." Toby ruffled the boy's hair. "Okay, now time to get ready for bed before Sly starts pecking at us like an old mother hen."

"Okay." The boy genius rolled his eyes before running off toward the bathroom.

"You are disgusting." The human calculator stopped in the middle of an equation he was writing on the dry erase board to address Toby.

"What? The kid is sadly lacking in all of the manly arts," declared the psychiatrist. "Burping, armpit farts, spitting for distance. . . Someone has to teach him. And since his real dad is a loser. . ."

"It's not hurting anyone and he's having fun." Cabe glanced up from where he was sitting on the couch, reading a Zane Grey novel.

"It's still gross. And it's almost midnight. He should have gone to bed hours ago."

"It's summer and the weekend," Toby declared. "It's not going to kill him to stay up late once in a while."

"Well if it does, it's all your fault." With a dramatic sigh, Sylvester turned his attention back to his work.

A buzzing vibrating sound came from Toby's jeans pocket. "Hey, it's a text from Happy," he said. "'Having fun and wishing you were here.' Aw, she misses me. Now she's sending a picture."

His excitement drained away as he stared at the selfie of her sitting on a man's lap smoking a joint. "What the hell?"

"What's wrong?" Sly hurried over to take a look. "Oh, my. . . I didn't know she. . ."

"She doesn't," said Toby. "Well, not as long as I've known her anyway."

Another picture popped up onto the screen. "Oh, God." Sylvester's eyes were huge. "Is that what I think it is?"

"Is what what you think it is?" asked the Homeland agent as he ambled over to take a peek. "Good Lord."

"Yep," Toby replied, staring down at his cell. "That's Happy's butt."