The Complete Groupie Trilogy Read online

  “I brought you cookies,” she said as she peeled away the aluminum foil. “Chocolate chocolate chip.”

  “They look great,” he said as he took one. “You spoil me, Holly.”

  She shrugged it off. “I like taking care of people,” she said. “But you have to promise me that you will be more careful. We just got to know each other. I’m not ready to lose you yet.”

  He nodded. It was a much more loving rebuke than what Leo had just delivered. “Tell the guys I’m sorry,” he said. He knew he had screwed up so much for the band, and right as her brother had signed on.

  “They just want you to get better,” she said as she adjusted the covers around his body. She bestowed him a sunny smile. “We’re not going anywhere.”

  He liked the sound of that and told her as much. She fussed over him and made sure that the nurses gave him another shot for the pain. She made a cafeteria run to get him something other than the mundane hospital food to eat and stayed with him all morning. Before she left she planted a kiss on his forehead at his hairline, right where one of the gashes over his eye ended. It lingered longer than he expected. She pulled back with slight quiver to her chin. “You’re not allowed to do this again, Mr. Carnevale,” she said.

  “Yes, ma’am,” he said with a salute and a smile.

  He was still thinking of her when Andy finally came in after lunch. She had all the legal documents he had requested and they spent the better part of the afternoon dealing with the immediate matter at hand.

  Gwen showed up around four o’clock so they could discuss how they would spin the story for the press. The best story they came up with was that he was still dealing with post traumatic shock from the shooting in Philadelphia. A crazed fan had taken things to a violent extreme, which ended up costing his boss his legs and a relationship with his significant other. Andy ended up being an official girlfriend in past tense only, confirming all the other rumors that had been swirling around since June.

  It all explained why he had gone downhill fast and taken up company with a prostitute that one fateful afternoon. He was wounded and emotionally distraught, which may help them recover his public image in the wake of these events.

  He wanted to make a comment about how awful he felt about the girl who rode in his car, a nameless girl who hadn’t even had any form of identification on her when they were found. Gwen walked him back from an inadvertent admission of any wrongdoing, especially since charges had yet to be filed.

  By the time they left that evening Holly returned, this time bringing a homemade supper that seriously trumped his hospital slop by a wide margin. She once again fussed over him and waited on him hand and foot until they kicked her out at the end of visiting hours.

  The next few days worked much the same way. It was on that Friday that Andy’s and Holly’s paths eventually crossed when Andy walked in on Holly sitting behind Vanni on his hospital bed and rubbing his neck.

  For some weird reason, though nothing had transpired at all between him and Holly, Vanni felt as though he’d been caught doing something he shouldn’t have. “Andy,” he said as he moved away from Holly. “This is Holly Neal. She’s Julian’s sister.”

  “Oh,” Andy said, as if that would explain why this girl was rubbing Vanni’s neck. “Nice to meet you,” she said formally.

  Holly scooted from the bed and rushed over to Andy, whom she greeted by shaking her hand with a big, unashamed smile. “Miss Foster. It’s so nice to finally meet you. I have heard nothing but good things about you.”

  Andy shook her hand and nodded, but then looked back at Vanni. “Thank you. Julian’s sister, you say?”

  She nodded and took the paperwork Andy was carrying so she could hand it off to Vanni. “Yes. I’ve been hanging out with the band since Julian started rehearsing with them. Vanni and I sort of hit it off and have become friends, so naturally I wanted to come by when I heard what happened.”

  “Naturally,” Andy said.

  A tense vibe filled the room. Holly, whose perennial good nature seemed to wilt a bit under the strain, was the first to speak. “Looks like you have a lot to discuss,” she said as she motioned to the paperwork. She turned to Vanni. “I’ll come back later.”

  He nodded and watched as she grabbed her purse and left the room with one last friendly wave to Andy. “Nice to meet you!”

  “You too,” Andy said. Vanni immediately detected a unnatural tone in her voice. She turned back to Vanni. “So. Julian’s sister a candy striper?”

  He could tell she was mad. “It’s not like that, Andy. She’s just a friend.”

  “Just a friend like I’m just a friend?” she wanted to know. “Or just a friend like Lourdes or Kat just a friend?”

  “Andy…” he started with a warning in his voice.

  “I mean, either way you can do what you want, I guess. I just didn’t know you had made such a close friend in such a short time. That might have been something you could have brought up over the last few days.”

  “Trust me. It’s not what you think. She’s just a friend. Her call, by the way. She doesn’t get involved with musicians.”

  Andy took a seat. “Smart girl.”

  “She’s just the kind of person who likes to take care of other people. She does it with her brother. She does it with the band. She’s just a nice girl. That’s all.”

  “You don’t owe me any explanations, Vanni,” she said. “I’m the ex, remember? And according to some sources you’re better off without my ‘gold digging ass’ anyway.” He looked confused so she handed him the first tabloid, which basically accused her of picking Graham because of his money. The next one accused her of carrying on an affair with Vanni behind Graham’s back because sources had reported she’d been at the hospital every day. It even somehow managed to uncover that she’d been made power of attorney.

  Vanni scowled as he read the headlines, which made him seem like the sympathetic victim in the scenario. “Fucking parasites,” he muttered as he threw them on the floor. “What does Graham say?”

  She was surprised by the question. They never talked about Graham after that first day. It was just accepted that she’d stay with Graham while doing everything she could to help Vanni. And Graham was loath to discuss anything after she spouted off to him the night of the accident. “We don’t talk about it,” she finally confessed. “But Maggie tells me he’s throwing significant anger into his PT these days.”

  “Maggie?”

  “His nurse.”

  Vanni nodded. Of course he has a nurse. “I guess I should think about a nurse when they finally spring me from this joint. Provided I don’t go directly to jail.”

  That remained the blade over everyone’s heads. The girl was in a coma but she was hanging in there. At this point the likely charges were the DWI and reckless endangerment, so his lawyers were trying to get him rehab and community service rather than jail time. Vanni was scared though he tried his best not to show it.

  But Andy knew.

  “We’ll cross that bridge when we come to it,” she said. “Hopefully by then you won’t need a nurse. If you need anyone to look in on you maybe your little friend would be open to it.”

  “I’ve considered that,” he told her frankly. “At least we know we can trust her.”

  Given they had been tabloid fodder for the last week she could hardly disagree. When it came to celebrities, just because you paid for someone’s services didn’t mean you earned their loyalty. “If you trust her I guess I will. But you can’t blame me for being careful.”

  He nodded. Each one of them had a target on their heads; that was part of being considered public domain. All they could do was play defense.

  In the end Vanni was released from the hospital, booked and charged with DWI and reckless endangerment. He pled no contest. After two days in the county jail he was released for a 30 day stint in a rehab facility, at the end of which he’d serve six more months of probation. The judge showed mercy mostly because it was his first o
ffense, not because he was a big rock star. He warned Vanni if he showed up in his courtroom again he’d be sitting out his sentence in a prison, singing to a whole new group of fans, for as long as was legally allowed.

  It took a while but Vanni’s ego was finally restrained. There were rules by which he had to abide, and those who couldn’t care less how much money he had or famous he was that would enforce them.

  As he was shipped off to rehab Vanni could be nothing but grateful. He had fucked up but hopefully this was a lesson he’d only have to learn once.

  Chapter Ten

  September 25, 2010. Los Angeles.

  Andy

  It had been three weeks since Vanni had gone into rehab. After the first week the paparazzi found someone else to hound thanks to rumor another notoriously troubled actress had once again fallen off the wagon. Interest in Vanni waned, as did interest in Andy and Graham, so it was easy to settle into a comfortable routine.

  At first that meant Andy running interference between the rest of DIB and Graham, but Leo’s unmistakable hostility proved instantly problematic. This didn’t inspire Graham to take back the reins. In fact Graham could not be moved out of the house. Despite the progress he was making he refused to venture outside the walls of his Malibu home.

  However the positive changes in him were undeniable to the precious few who got to witness them. He had gained some weight and his previously sinewy chest was now toned and defined. He had enough strength that he could get himself in and out of his chair, roll himself toward the bathroom and take care of some of his more personal business without the help of anyone else.

  This became an imperative for him after one of Maggie’s sponge baths when, to his mixed horror and amazement, he watched himself get an erection as she gently and thoroughly cleaned him. She touched him like she always did, but this time his body had a mind of its own. He wondered if it was how she leaned over him and practically had her chest in his face while her hands slid around his long lost friend. He could smell her perfume. He could feel her hair against his bare shoulder. It wasn’t erotic as much as it was intimate, and Mr. Happy decided to salute her hard work.

  Though they didn’t spotlight the new development, it was a big boost to his self-esteem. He no longer felt as vulnerable and at her mercy. He started to feel like a man again.

  So while he didn’t leave the house, he began to work in his home office at least four hours a day in the midst of his rigid physical therapy schedule. He could video conference with his clients and employees, which projected a strong upper body and the confidence he was slowly regaining.

  Maggie had always driven him hard but it took seeing the results of her program to get him fully on board. He didn’t complain as much, instead he converted all his anger into determination. His growing strength impressed Andy, which seemed to be an even bigger payoff for him. He wanted to make her see that he was still a man she could love, even while he was confined to a chair.

  He had learned that his SCI, or spinal cord injury, was classified as incomplete, which gave him hope for regaining function in this lower body. As he toiled hard in therapy, sensations began to make themselves known where they hadn’t been noticeable before. The first time they noticed any subtle change was when he came out onto the deck one evening. He joined Maggie and Andy where they sat sipping tea as they watched the inky black ocean with her magical hypnotic appeal.

  He helped himself to some tea without any help at all from the ladies, and then rolled up to sit in between them. After about twenty minutes of friendly conversation he happened to mention he was cold and it was making his muscles ache. It took him a full minute to realize the muscles in question were below the waist.

  The next day Maggie tested him with a needle and he distinctly felt an ever so slight prick on this upper thigh, along with pressure on one of his heels when she tested his legs.

  They both had tears in their eyes when they smiled at each other, rewarded by all their hard work and persistence.

  He was glad he never actually fired her. She was more than a miracle worker.

  She was an angel.

  That night he had flowers delivered to both of the ladies in his life.

  It was his love for Andy, though, that grew stronger by the day. No one knew how he indulged nightly fantasies about how it would be to take her into his arms and make love to her at last. His body responded to the mental stimuli and, though he didn’t feel he could admit it to Maggie, he began to experiment with masturbation. Most nights he couldn’t go from erection to ejaculation, so he knew he was not ready to take Andy into his bed just yet. But knowing that it was possible to make love to her and still father the children he knew she wanted to have someday filled him with a hope he thought long dead.

  In subtle ways he began to woo her. He even began to wait on her, bringing her a drink when she was thirsty or rubbing her feet after she and Maggie had trekked along the beach for their daily walk.

  Andy enjoyed the camaraderie the three of them shared so much that she allowed him these little victories. It felt good not to fight with anyone, to just enjoy one another, and these gestures were fairly harmless. Maggie expressed how he needed to show her his independence to reclaim some of his masculinity. She encouraged her to allow him to be the man he is learning all over again to be.

  Watching the transformation take place was nothing short of a miracle. He had gone from a surly, self-absorbed, angry self-pitying victim to the Graham she remembered fondly and missed dearly.

  She clung to it like a life raft in a hurricane.

  Andy no longer rushed off to bed at the end of the day. They resumed much of what they had had before when she’d come to stay with him. They could talk. They could bond. They could find shelter in one another.

  Night after night they’d share a cool evening out on the deck by the fireplace, chatting long after Maggie turned in. They’d sit side by side as they stared into the distance, reestablishing the relationship between them. There was no guilt or pressure.

  One particular night they listened to the radio as they drank wine. He glanced over to where she sat peacefully with a slight smile on her face. She looked so beautiful his heart filled to overflowing. He set down his glass and turned his wheelchair to face her with his hand outstretched. “Excuse me, miss. Would you care to dance?”

  She giggled. She loved it when he was silly. They needed a little more silly. “I’d love to,” she said as she rose to her feet, curtsied and took his hand.

  He rolled backward and pulled her down toward him until she sat across his lap. She wrapped her arms around his neck as he spun them in slow circles to the music. He did a bit of a wheelie while he twirled her around, and she pointed her toes and tossed back her head to laugh. His eyes danced as he looked down at her. “You ready for the dip?” he asked with a grin.

  She nodded and allowed him to lean her backward from the chair until she nearly touched the floor.

  His strength was impressive. He no longer looked like a shriveled old man who was drowning in his clothes. In fact he was more impressive than he had ever been prior to the accident. His chest was solid as he pulled her back up for a hug, which she allowed to linger.

  His lips brushed her forehead and then their eyes met. Slowly his mouth descended onto hers for a long, chaste peck. It was all he dared.

  He reached out to caress the side of her face with the back of his hand. “You’re beautiful,” he whispered.

  She smiled. “And you’re amazing,” she responded. He was so determined to walk again that he was working small miracles every day. It was impossible not to be in awe of everything he was capable of doing in such a short period of time, with a dose of healthy good humor to boot. This was the Graham she met two years ago.

  Right or wrong a piece of her heart would always belong to him. It was that part of her that reached for another kiss. She didn’t even think about it. Somehow, in that moment, it was right. He was no half-man, and he more than almost any o
ther deserved to know he could be desired.

  He groaned softly before he deepened the kiss. She didn’t fight him. In fact she cherished the fact he was alive in her arms, not just from surviving the gunshot wound but finally putting to rest the emotional torment he’d suffered facing life as a paraplegic.

  He was alive in all ways that mattered and all man in every way that counted. It was suddenly very important to her that he knew that.

  She let him drag his hungry, open mouth to her neck while his hands slipped over her generous curves. She gasped as he touched her. It felt like a lifetime since she’d been touched and kissed and loved so tenderly.

  She whispered his name as she ran her hand through his hair. He shuddered as she planted kisses along his neck and back toward his lips.

  When he claimed her mouth again she nearly jumped as she felt the unmistakable sensation of him stirring against her. It wasn’t a fluttering; he was surging to life in her arms – like Lazarus coming back from the dead. He kissed her deeper and further he stirred, pressing hard against her hip where she sat on his lap.

  She gasped as the kiss ended. Her wide eyes met his. “Why Graham Baxter,” she said with a teasing grin. “Just what exactly have you been hiding?”

  He gave her a sideways grin that mirrored hers. “I guess an old friend just wanted to say hello.”

  “And just how long have you been keeping this little secret?”

  “Not so little,” he insisted with a playful growl as he tickled her. “I mean, I’m sure you’ve probably noticed Maggie doesn’t give me sponge baths anymore. I think I may have intimidated her.”

  Andy laughed as she threw her arms around him. “That’s such great news, Graham,” she said sincerely. “You really are on your way back.”

  He couldn’t help but give her a bashful hug. He knew he had a long way yet to go. “Things are not yet working like they used to,” he clarified. “But I finally feel like they can… that they will.” He touched her face. He wanted to tell her how taking her into his arms and making love to her at last was what got him out of bed every morning, especially now that he knew it was a real possibility. But he sensed that conversation was better saved for another time. Instead he began twirling her around to another song as they “danced” under the moonlight.