Bunny�s party was interesting for Isabella, to say the least. She was having a great time meeting people and dancing with Thomas, but one small thing bothered her. Any time that Parker even got close to them, Thomas would pull Isabella in the opposite direction, saying he saw someone she had to meet. And of course, there would always be someone to introduce her to, but Isabella knew the truth behind it all. Thomas would do anything to keep her and Parker apart.
After a few too many glasses of champagne, Isabella went in the direction of the powder room, with a promise to Thomas that she would be okay on her own, and that she would be right back. She rolled her eyes after leaving him, hating the over protectiveness. The line at the rest room was a mile long, and Bella didn�t think she could wait that long. Luckily, Bunny and Parker were standing near by.
Walking over, she gave Parker a shy smile before talking to Bunny. �I really hate to ask this, but do you have another restroom that I could use? I don�t think I can wait it out through that line.� She asked, almost timidly.
�Of course dear. Just go down that hall right there, and up the stairs. There is a bathroom at the end of the hall�� Bunny counted mentally. �Fourth door on the right.�
�Excuse me, please.� Parker interrupted. �I see someone that needs my assistance.�
Bunny smiled at him, then turned her attention back to Isabella. �Do you need an escort there, or do you think you can find it?�
�I think I�ll be all right. Thank you so much.� She air-kissed Bunny�s cheeks, then set off in search of the other bathroom.
At the top of the stairs, she slowed, looking at all of the paintings adorning the walls. She�d never have the money to have paintings as nice as the ones she saw. One looked like a Van Gogh, and knowing Bunny, it was the real thing. She was so lost in her admiration of the artwork, that she was surprised when a door opened and she was yanked through the opening into a dark room.
Before she could scream, a hand covered her mouth, and a dim light lit the room. Parker stood there smirking, seeing the shock register on Bella�s face. When her hand lashed out and smacked him on the arm, hard, he started to laugh. �Calm down, it�s just me.�
�You ass! You scared the shit out of me. I thought I was going to wet myself.� She told him, then cringed for letting out too much information.
Parker just laughed at her. �Sorry, but I figured it would be the only time I�d get to talk to you tonight since Thomas seems to have tightened his leash on you.�
Isabella was about to protest, but then realized that Parker was right. �It is getting a little annoying.� She agreed. �So what was so important, and please don�t ask how I�m feeling.� She didn�t need him bringing up the subject of the baby they lost.
�Actually, I was just going to tell you that tomorrow will be my last night in town, and I was hoping you�d come to my concert. I�ve got two front row tickets and two back stage passes for you, but there�s a catch.� He told her and waited for her reaction. Her eyebrow raised, wondering what the catch was. �The only condition on these tickets is that you don�t bring Thomas.�
Isabella laughed. �I think I can handle that. I do have other friends you know.�
Parker laughed, pulling the tickets out of the inner pocket in his suit jacket, then handed them to her. �I hope you like it. I don�t even know what kind of music you like.�
�I like a little of everything.� She told him, putting the tickets in her small evening bag. �Thanks, I�m sure it�ll be great.� She had a question for him, and while she was trying to figure out how to ask it, there was a brief silence. She didn�t want to seem over eager, but at the same time, she didn�t want to look uncaring. �How long does the tour last?�
�I�ll be gone for at least two months, maybe more if it goes over well and we have to add more dates. There�s also talk of an international tour, but I�d prefer to wait on that, not that my opinion matters much.� He told her.
�Wow, two whole months.� She gave a quick chuckle. �I�ve kind of gotten used to you being around. It�ll be weird without seeing or hearing from you for so long.�
He smiled. �I do have a phone you know.�
�Yeah, but you�ll be so busy being Mr. Rock Star that us little folk will long be forgotten.� She teased.
His eyes grew serious. �I could never forget you.� He leaned in to give her a kiss on the cheek, but she turned her head to ask what he was doing. Instead of his lips touching her cheek, they landed on her lips. Before either knew what was happening, the kiss deepened, and hands started to roam.
�Isabella?� A deep voice called out from down the hall, breaking the two apart.
Isabella�s hand flew to her mouth, touching her lips, the lips that had just been connected to Parker in such a divine kiss. �Oh, shit.�
Parker laughed softly. �It�s okay, just tell him that you got lost and went into the wrong room.� Bella nodded, leaving so much unsaid between the two of them. �I�ll see you at the concert tomorrow night.�
Isabella stood there, and watched him disappear through a door at the other side of the room. She was torn�follow after Parker, or go to Thomas. In the end, fear took over and she went to Thomas.
�There you are! I�ve been looking all over for you. Bunny said you went to the bathroom and was worried that you�d gotten lost.� Thomas said, reaching out for her.
�I did. I thought she said second door on the right, but she must have said fourth door.� She continued down the hall toward the fourth door. �Excuse me.� She said, slipping inside.
Thomas waited outside the bathroom for her to finish, then escorted her back to the party, to make sure she didn�t get lost again. And for the rest of the night, he didn�t leave her side or let her anywhere near Parker. But what Thomas didn�t know was that even though he kept her away from Parker physically, after that kiss, Bella�s mind was on Parker for the rest of the night.
OoOoOoOo
The next day, Isabella called Jason as soon as she woke up. �Hey bitch, you have plans for tonight?� She asked him when he answered the phone.
�No, but I�m not helping you clean your bathrooms. That�s what tonight is, isn�t it? I know it�s not laundry night or kitchen night.� He said, somewhat distracted.
�Well, you�re right, it�s bathroom night, but I wasn�t going to ask you to help me with it. I was going to ask you to go to a concert with me. But if that�s how you�re going to be�� She told him, teasing.
�Concert? What concert? The one of the stud you�re constantly drooling over now? And how much will it cost me?� He asked, now fully interested.
�It�s Parker�s concert, and I haven�t been drooling over him. We�re friends now, that�s it. He gave me two free tickets, and who better to take than my best friend?� She replied.
�What about Tommy Boy? You two have been rather cozy lately.� He questioned, rolling his eyes. He still fully believed that Thomas was a �closet queen�.
�Um, no, I�d rather have you there with me. So are you going to just say yes, or are you going to make me beg?� She asked, starting to lose her patience.
�As much as I love hearing you beg, I love seeing hot, sweaty guys up on stage even more. So, I�ll go.� He told her with a big smile. He was glad that she was getting out a little more lately. It had definitely improved her mood.
�Great. I�ll pick you up at 7:00 then. Be ready and waiting.� She warned before hanging up the phone. She looked at her watch and tried to plan out the rest of her day. Maybe she could squeeze in a quick bathroom cleaning before getting ready for work, but then she�d have to leave work early too, so that she could get ready and go to the concert. She sighed. Another crazy day.
OoOoOoOoOo
Isabella and Jason made their way into the huge auditorium, already packed with thousands and thousands of screaming fans. As they made their way to the very front row, she noticed a lot of women giving them dirty looks, envious that she had better seats than they did. She just smiled. If only they knew�
Jason scanned the crowd, looking to see if anyone peaked his interest. His eyes locked on a man, and immediately he elbowed Isabella in the ribs.
�Ow!� She yelled. �What the hell was that for?�
�I�m going to go talk to him. He�s going to be my new boyfriend.� Jason told her, pointing to a man, who in Isabella�s eyes looked very straight.
�Jase, what makes you think he�s even gay?� She asked, not wanting her friend to make an ass of himself, or even worse, get pummeled if the guy wasn�t gay.
�Look at his hat. It has a rainbow on it. Hello!� He yelled to her and rolled his eyes, as if it was the most obvious thing in the world.
Isabella looked more closely at the guy�s hat and nearly died laughing. �Jase, have you ever heard of Pink Floyd?� She asked him.
�They�re a band, right?� He asked and when Bella only nodded her head, he continued, not enjoying all of her laughter. �What the hell do they have to do with this?�
�Oh, honey.� Isabella tried to get herself under control. �That may be a rainbow, but it�s not a �gay rainbow�.� She told him. �That was a symbol on the cover of one of their albums. It means the guy likes Pink Floyd, not that he�s gay.�
Jason narrowed his eyes, not really understanding, then his eye brows shot up in surprise when he finally comprehended. �No shit! I almost made a big mistake then, huh?�
Isabella nodded and laughed again, just as the lights dimmed and the opening band came onto the stage to play. They were pretty good, no one she had ever heard of before, but they had promise. She was starting to get antsy by the end of their set, impatient for Parker to get started. She�d never seen him perform before, but had heard his songs and couldn�t wait to hear him live.
Finally, he took the stage. It was like nothing she had ever seen before. He was always full of energy and confidence, but when he was on stage, it was so much more raw and intense. He had such a magnetism when he performed, it was no wonder he was so popular and successful.
Isabella looked around the crowd and noticed that most of the women were singing along, and a lot were crying. The guys were jumping around to the music, pumping their fists and singing too. Everyone looked like they were enjoying the show, and it was no mystery why. She turned her attention back to the stage, and allowed herself to be captivated by Parker�s presence.
After the show, Bella and Jason showed the VIP passes to the security guards and were led back to a large room with a bar and buffet set up. The room had a lot of people in it already, and more filtered through after Bella and Jason got there. But there was only one person she was intent on seeing, the one person who had managed to capture her full attention not too long ago.
But she hadn�t found him yet. The room was full of half naked women, and a lot of questionable looking men. It was a completely different crowd than Bella was used to, and she was beginning to feel a little uncomfortable. She knew that there would be a lot of groupies, but she wasn�t prepared for exactly how many there would be.
Making their way further into the room, Isabella finally found the one that she was looking for. He was the center of attention, all eyes were on him. He was laughing at something that someone had said, looking truly happy. He had a beer in one hand, and what looked like a cigarette or joint in his other hand. She hesitated for a moment, not sure if she should approach him. Just when she was close enough to be able to say something and get his attention, someone, a woman, pushed her out of the way from behind and went up to Parker. The tall blonde, with mile long legs to die for, walked right up to Parker and shoved her tongue down his throat. Bella watched as Parker pulled her onto his lap, and rested one hand on her ass, and one on her cheek.
She�d seen enough. She didn�t belong there, she didn�t belong in this life of Parker�s at all. That was very clear to her now. Isabella turned, grabbed Jason�s hand, and left the room. Before long, she was at her apartment, in her bathroom, scrubbing the hell out of the toilet and cursing herself for being so na�ve.