The next two weeks were also mine for the taking, and I knew I wanted to spend them at home. It had been a grueling three months with long hours spent in the studio recording, but I was proud of the album. I was excited for it, but in all that time…I hadn’t forgottenBecky.
Images of her bathed in the hotel light constantly played in my mind’s eye. I couldn’t wait to gethome.
I didn’t know what would come of this visit, but I knew I had to see heragain.
Placing my trusted guitar back in its case, I prepared to leave. My personal assistant, Barbara, was waiting for me in thehallway.
Barbara was a pure southern belle with strawberry blonde hair, brown eyes and her debutant beauty. There was a time when I lusted over her double Ds, but now…the only woman I thought about was back home, constantly on mymind.
“Your flight leaves in an hour,” Barbara told me before relaying a few messages and going over the upcoming week’s schedule. “Your return flight leaves two weeks from today, and you’ll hit Nashville just in time to board the bus. I’ve emailed you theitinerary.”
“Thanks,” I said, flashing her a flirty grin. Even if I wasn’t feeling like my usual self, it was still easy to flirt. I wore my charm like amask.
“Your bags are in the trunk of the car and Rob is waiting for you out front,” Barbara added, her eyes raking over my chest and arms. She drew in her bottom lip, gently biting down on it. A couple months ago, I’d be having a hard time keeping my dick from jumping at the sight of her looking at me like that, but no lust stirred within me. It was all reserved for that dark haired, blue eyedbeauty.
Besides, I’d learned a very hard lesson after sleeping with my last personal assistant. Don’t mix work withpleasure.
“Thanks,” I said before walking aroundher.
I slept for most of the two hour flight, pulling my baseball cap down over my eyes. There weren’t many people on the plane, but the airport was jammed with travelers. I made it through customs and was waiting for my baggage when an eager fan spottedme.
“Oh my God, it’s Travis Channing!” she squealed, practically diving at me. My bodyguard, Rob, stepped in front of her before she could make contact withme.
“That’s close enough, Miss,” he warned, keeping his voice respectful yet assertive. Rob looked like a guy even I wouldn’t want to fuck with, but the girl was young—maybesixteen.
She flushed a deep shade of crimson, stuttering her apology out with wide eyes. I stepped around Rob and held my hand out, flashing her a smile that I knew would dazzle her. “What’s yourname?”
“Natalie,” she practically whispered, her eyes widening. “I didn’t mean to run at you like a maniac, but my sister is your number one fan and she would be so happy if she got to meetyou.”
“Take me to her,” I said, grinning. Rob frowned and made a move to follow us. I held my hand up to stop him. “Grab my bag when it comes around, ehman?”
The girl, Natalie, lead me over to where the rest of her family was waiting. “This is my mom, my dad, and that’s Alexis. She’s your biggest fan, her entire room is like a Travis Channing shrine. She has a 6 foot cardboard cut-out ofyou!”
Alexis grinned up at me from her purple wheelchair with an ecstatic smile and reached out to me with shaky hands. She looked to be about fourteen or fifteen years old. “Travis Channing!” she said, working hard to pronounce each syllable in my name through herexcitement.
“Hello darling,” I grinned at her, reaching out to grasp her hand in a gentle shake. “It’s a pleasure to meet my biggestfan!”
Alexis screeched with excitement, putting her hands to her cheeks inawe.
“Maybe we could get a picture of you two together?” Natalie asked timidly, holding her cellphoneup.
“Sure!” I crouched so that I was level with Alexis and smiled like an idiot while Natalie took a few pictures. Alexis’s happiness was contagious, and I couldn’t help but feel humbled that I had brought so much joy to this girl’s day, simply by being at the same airport as her at the sametime.
“It was really great meeting you Alexis,” I told her, smilingwarmly.
“Nice to meet you too!” Alexis responded slowly, her eyes sparkling. I stood up and fished a card from my wallet, turning to offer it to the girls’ parents. Their father was holding their mother in his arms, and both of them were looking on with expressions full of love for their daughters and this moment. “Call this number and I’ll hook you up with free backstage passes for any concert on my upcomingtour.”
“Thank you,” the mother said, a tear escaping down her cheek. “You have no idea how much this means to Alexis. She’s been a fan of your music for years now, it’s helped her through some hardtimes.”
“My pleasure! Your daughters are wonderful,” I replied honestly, watching as Natalie showed the photos she’d taken to Alexis with an indulgent, loving smile on her face. Giving this family VIP passes was the least I coulddo.
I said goodbye to Alexis and Natalie and started walking toward the parking lot, pausing only to send a quick text message to Barbara about the family and the backstage passes. “You know, you don’t have to follow me everywhere all the time,” I pointed out to Rob, catching him in my peripheral intimidating folks left right and centre. “Isn’t there somewhere else you’d ratherbe?”
“I love coming out to rural Northern Ontario,” Rob replied dryly, arching his bushy brow at me. Born and raised in Arizona, Rob found weather in Canada to be too humid. The man’s dry sense of humour about it always made me chuckle. He was close to twenty years older than me, but he didn’t look a day overthirty.
He’d been on my security team for five years, but Rob still wasn’t forthcoming about himself. It wouldn’t have surprised me if he had been a Navy SEAL at one point. He was intimidating as all hell and he could cut a man down with one steely look. Even the paparazzi would give him a wide berth when he was by myside.
“Well you don’t have to come to Parry Sound with me,” I reminded him. “You could rent a hotel room and spend your days in the strip club. Or borrow a boat and go fishing on the lake. Do you know how to drive a boat? You probably do. Necessary knowledge for a SEAL, right?” Iquipped.
