Boys in the Band 2: Main Act

  They slid from the end of "Tobacco Road" and into the beginning of "Light Me Up", easy as pie.

  The ballad was guitar-light, so Spud leaned up against Steve, trying to get warm, hoping to grab the man's cigarette. Why the fuck were they doing a show in late October in fucking Canada? Caidon was sounding pretty good, Joe was sounding like he had a cold, and the whole band was shivering like they were in a meat locker. Goddamn.

  He got Steve's cigarette, pulling hard, the smoke making his lungs burn a little. He leaned, whispered. "How many more fucking songs? It's snowing."

  "I think three. Ask your boyfriend, man. He's got the set list." Man, someone had their shorts in a wad.

  He stepped back, playing a run, tapping his toe in time to the music. Lord, they needed to go on break before somebody's dick fell off.

  Caidon came over, bass thumping, bumping hips with him. Giving him a smile. Oh, better. He grinned back, bouncing a little. Oh, man. He was so getting laid tonight. Caidon'd been teasing all day. That would warm him right up. Hell, Caidon never even seemed to notice the cold. The man was like a furnace.

  Steve came back around, rumbling a little bit, stepping right in between him and Caidon. Weirdo. Letting it go, Caidon winked at him and moved to riff with Joe, back to back, making the girls scream. It was cool, knowing Caidon was kinda his.

  He had a solo coming up and he went for it, playing away, just jonesing on the sound and the crowd and the music. The crowd was just bouncing along, and maybe they were trying to keep warm, but they really looked into the music. He did his bit, flirting, dancing. Man, there were folks in the front row that knew all the words to all the songs.

  The set ended on a high note, all of them rocking out on “Honky Tonk Woman”. They were all sweating by then, and the sudden end to the set left them kinda blinking.

  Joe headed off to do the signing thing and they started moving equipment, trying to keep the snow off.

  "Goddamn. It's colder than a witch's tit in a brass bra." Cold hands landed on the back of his neck, Caidon tickling away.

  He bounced and squeaked, jerking in Caidon's hands. "Jesus, you're freezing." He'd never been so cold.

  "Yeah. I just hide it better than your skinny ass. Help me get this amp, and the boys say they'll get the rest."

  "Yeah? Fucking A. You sure? Everybody's real grumpy."

  "I'm sure. I think they just want us to get the heck out of their way." Caidon clapped him on the back, giving him a big grin. "Come on."

  He grabbed his side of the amp and hauled ass, whistling all the way. Man, look at the snow.

  They helped load a few more things before the road manager waved them off. "Save those guitar fingers, boys. See you back at the hotel."

  Dude. Hotel. Door with lock. Coffee. Hot shower and watching the snow. He grinned over at Caidon, winked. "You hungry?"

  "I'm starving. We could get something on the way. I don't think the La Quinta has room service." They got out of sight of the stage and Caidon goosed him.

  "There's a Denny's. Pancakes." He bounced and nodded, heading toward their little rental car. Man, he missed the big bus.

  "Oh, that works. We can have some coffee that doesn't come out of hotel packets." The heater threw cold air at them for the first mile, but soon enough they were getting toasty.

  "Hell, yeah. And sausage." He reached over, squeezed Caidon's thigh.

  "Mmm. Do you think they have regular sausage up here?" The rental slipped and slid a little, but Caidon held them on the road.

  "It's a Denny's. They have to, don't they?" He didn't know what to think about this snow and ice shit.

  Not at all.

  "I don't know. I mean, we all know they have weird bacon." They both cackled at that, because Joe had complained long and loud about Canadian bacon before they'd hit the road on this trip, not realizing there'd be breakfast bacon, too.

  The Denny's was all lit up and they slid into a parking space, both sitting a second, looking at each other. Last month they were in Florida, in swim trunks.

  Caidon patted his leg, a solid, warm touch. "Come on, honey. Food."

  "Mmmhmm. Coffee. I liked the new bridge you wrote to ‘Sliding into Home’, man. It rocked."

  "I'm not sure the guys liked it, huh?" Man, look at those long old legs. Spud watched them all the way inside, where they slid into a booth across from each other.

  "Steve didn't, but it was a little harder than he's used to. Give him a couple days so he doesn't have to think. He'll like it." Man, the pancakes smelled good.

  "He's a good fiddle player." Smiling at the waitress, who was on them like flies on poop, Caidon touched the toe of his boot with one foot. "Hey, honey. Coffee, please. You order up this cold weather?"

  "Oh, this isn't cold. Wait a few months." She grinned, shook her head. "January is cold."

  "No, thank you. I'll take something warmer. Coffee for me, please."

  "Coffee it is." She left them to get their drinks, and they looked at menus, but by now Spud knew what Caidon would get. The lumberjack thing. Man, that was sorta cool, really. Knowing that.

  He was thinking pancakes, himself. Or maybe French toast.

  "You going to have the crispy waffle?" Okay, maybe he'd like a waffle. Caidon knew him pretty good, too.

  "Yeah, I think so. An egg, too." He'd have to ask about the sausage.

  "What kind of sausage do you have, honey?" Well, there. Now he didn't have to.

  "Link, except in the Sausage Slam."

  "Can I get patty instead? I'll pay extra." He didn't really know about link ones. They didn't soak up the syrup right.

  "Sure." She flashed him a half smile, scribbling their orders. Caidon got the lumberjack thing. Go him for calling it.

  "So, what next? You going home for the break and stuff?" He was hoping someone'd have an extra room or that Joe'd let him sleep in the bus.

  "I was thinking of going somewhere, doing some writing." Those long fingers toyed with the syrup container the waitress brought, and Spud wondered idly if it was real maple, them being in Canada and all. "Wanna come?"

  "Yeah." Wait, was that too eager? Was he supposed to be all reluctant?

  "Cool." That foot moved over his, just reminding him that they were touching. "Was hoping you would."

  Oh, cool. He wasn't real good at reluctance.

  "Where's somewhere? You like the cold? The south? What?"

  "I want someplace warm. You know?" Lowering his voice, Caidon leaned in. "Someplace we can get naked."

  "Oh, hell yeah. I can... I can get behind that. In front of it. Whatever." His prick jumped and jerked, sort of waving hello and howdy in his jeans.

  "Then we'll look into it together, huh?" They got refills on their coffee, which made them break a bit, giving him time to cool down.

  The food came -- hot and solid and filling and complete with sausage. They jabbered together about all sorts of shit -- skiing (he hadn't, Caidon had), bikes for Christmas (theirs were both blue), and whether ballads were coming back (he hoped not, Caidon laughed).

  "Not much for your guitar in a ballad, huh?" They were sitting back with their coffee, just grinning like fools.

  "Well, duh. I mean, I can do that power ballad stuff like a pro, but in our line, it's all fiddle and steel guitar."

  "Uh-huh. Well, you know how I feel about guitar." Yeah. Yeah, Caidon could play.

  "Yeah. You and me, we can jam." Oh, dude. A whole break -- picking and singing, fucking.

  "We can. We can fuck like bunnies, too." Oh, someone was reading his mind.

  "You know it." He chewed on his bottom lip, toes curling in his boots. "I'm a fan."

  "Me, too. Of course, I'm kind of a big fan of just hanging with you, Jamie."
He got a wink, that smile happy and open and real.

  Damn. Damn, that made him all...

  Yeah. Yeah, it did.

  "You 'bout ready to head back to the hotel, honey? I am." Color ran high in Caidon's cheeks, and it couldn't be from the cold, because it was stuffy-warm in the diner.

  "You know it. We got a room. A lock. Hot shower." A bed that didn't move a bit.

  "We so do." Counting out some Canadian money, Caidon paid the bill and held out a hand for him, pulling him up.

  The snow was coming down harder when they headed out, the parking lot slick as snot. "Damn, this is something."

  "No kidding. I tell you what, it doesn't do this where I'm from." Caidon lifted his head, catching a snowflake on his tongue.

  "Oh, dude." He reached out, touched the tip of Caidon's tongue. "That was cool."

  "What, you never caught a snowflake? Stick your tongue out." Laughing, Caidon licked his finger, and then stuck his tongue out again, showing him how.

  "Nope. I never..." Oh, man. That rocked. He laughed and caught another one, the tiny cold wonderful.

  Chuckling right along with him, Caidon danced him around, both of them slipping and sliding in their boots. The snowflake-catching was a hoot.

  "Come on. I don't want to sleep out here. I want to watch it snow from the hotel room." From the tub. From the bed.

  "Well, I had to get you cold and wet before I took you back to warm you up." One big hand landed on his waist, Caidon steering him to their rental.

  "You going to set my ass on fire, man? 'Cause I'm all yours."

  "I could do that, if you want. I was thinking maybe some hot chocolate and a long soak in the tub..." The car seemed warm and quiet after the romping outside.

  "Yeah, I was thinking we could have a soak. Weird, huh? How that seems like a luxury deal?" He reached over, got his fingers on Caidon's leg.

  "Yeah. That whole bus thing is tough sometimes." With Caidon's long-assed legs, the bunks alone were a trial.

  "Yeah, but the music's worth it. Mostly." Especially now.

  "It is. I like the music. All the politicky shit, not so much." The drive back to the hotel went a lot slower, just creeping along in the snow.

  "Well, I'll never be more than the guy with the guitar, so I don't have to think about it. I just have to make sure I have a place in the band and on the bus."

  "Yeah." They got back okay, though, sliding into a parking space with only a tiny bit of skid.

  They headed in, both slip-sliding a little. The little guy at the desk laughed at them -- for shivering and sliding and just sort of being big dorks. Still, once they got up in the room, got the curtains open and the heater cranked, it was cool.

  "There. Snow with warmth." Laughing, Caidon grabbed him around the waist and hugged him from behind, sorta dancing to an inaudible beat.

  Caidon hummed, just pulling him around the little room, always ending back up at the window to watch the snow. It was fun, just being. Hanging out, like Caidon had said before. Damn, it was fine. Lazy. Easy as pie.

  He'd take it. "Look at it come down, man. That's like a movie or something."

  "No shit. Man, I don't want to go out in that tomorrow. Tonight, though, we got the coffeepot and some snacks, huh? Want me to run a tub?"

  "Yeah. Yeah, we can just chill." The pun struck him as funny and Spud got to chuckling.

  "Lord." Those long arms held him while Caidon waltzed him to the bathroom, spinning him around in the small space. Then Caidon got the tub filling, the thing nice and deep, the water hot.

  Caidon got in first, letting him have all those long, long legs to settle against, arms wrapping around him.

  "Mmm. Now this is the life." They didn't have bubbles, but they had pretty unlimited hot water, so they could soak a long time.

  "It is." His fingers trailed along Caidon's legs, the little hairs tickling his fingertips. "It's been good, having you on tour."

  "Yeah? I sure am glad I got to come along." Caidon's hand rested low on his belly, just above the base of his cock.

  "Mmm." He stretched a little, Caidon's hands floating some. "Yeah. You're one hell of a singer. For real." Spud thought Caidon could break out, even. Maybe.

  "Thanks, honey." Kisses fell randomly on the back of his neck, on his shoulders, warm and damp.

  He twisted his fingers with Caidon's, holding on. Man, he could feel Caidon's heart beating, strong and good against his back.

  "So, where do we want to go? I'll have a good bit saved after this trip. We could do Florida. The Gulf. Hell, we might could even swing the Bahamas."

  "I like the Gulf. We could get a place in Padre or New Orleans, maybe." He didn't much care, so long as there was good food and Caidon and guitars.

  "Oh, New Orleans has good food." He could feel Caidon against his lower back and butt, cock getting hard for him, slow but sure. Nothing urgent, just them touching.

  "It does. Lots of good music there, too. Ghost stories. Neat stuff." His eyes closed on him.

  "Mmmhmm. Lots of cheesy tourist stuff. We can buy the guys voodoo dolls at the French Market." God, Caidon was warm.

  "Yeah. Have pralines. There's a place with these amazing grits..."

  "The coffee’s something. I been there." Those long fingers started moving, stroking his belly.

  "Uh-huh." His cock started filling, balls tightening up.

  "Damn, you're pretty, Jamie." It gave him a little thrill every time Caidon said his real name. Almost like it was a special nickname.

  Fuck, that made him feel... Hell, he didn't know, but it was good. Good enough that he wanted to keep it.

  "Got a thing for your touch." A real serious thing. Caidon closed one hand around his cock, stroking gently. The other hand stayed on his belly, fingers drawing circles. "Caidon..." He stretched a little, but then let Caidon touch, let Caidon take his time. Let Caidon love on him.

  "This okay, honey?" The tip of Caidon's thumb rubbed over the head of his cock.

  "God, yeah." His toes curled. "You're all under my skin and shit."

  "I know. Kinda like it there." Reaching up with the hand not on his cock, Caidon turned his head up to take a kiss.

  Things went still, like it could be on stage, when you were in the zone, playing, the harmony spot on.

  They kissed for a long breathless while, Caidon never letting up on him, mouth moving on his until they had to run more hot water. He turned, straddling Caidon, legs around the man's waist as he focused on the kisses, on rubbing against Caidon's cock. One hand cupped his butt, just above the water line so Caidon could hold him in place. He got more kisses, more of that hard body. The steam was all around them, Caidon's hair curling at the edges. He wanted, not bad, but deep. In his bones.

  They kissed some more, Caidon getting a hand between them again to get a hold of both their cocks. He started pulling, slowly but surely. They found them a rhythm, up and down, easy as breathing. Hell, yeah.

  "Feels good. So good." Smiling up at him, Caidon started moving faster, the water sloshing a little. Just a bit.

  "Yeah. Yeah, Caidon." He gasped, staring down into those big old eyes. "Pretty bastard."

  "Me? I'm pure as driven snow. Like outside."

  Uh-huh. Because anyone so pure would do stuff like they did. A lot.

  "Pure devil, maybe." Spud needed another kiss and another and... "Oh, fuck. Right there, with your thumb. Again."

  "Right here?" The edge of Caidon's thumb hit his slit, rubbing insistently, making him do some serious splashing.

  "Right. Right. Babe." The world spun around him a little and he figured he was bruising Caidon.

  "Love how you move for me, Jamie. Like you're onstage, fucking your guitar." Caidon leaned up, sucking up a mark on his neck.

  He shot so hard his bones rattled, jittering right in his skin. Goddamn. Yes. Yes, please.

  "Oh, fuck, honey. I need... Touch me?" Caidon was moving under him, pushing up hard, gasping for air.

  He slid back, feet up in the air as
his knees bent, elbows on the bottom of the tub as he caught Caidon's ass and lifted that heavy cock to his mouth. Every time he pulled up, he breathed in.

  "Oh, Jesus fuck, honey. Spud. Jamie. I..." Caidon thrust up as much as he could, but the tub was slick, and it took a few seconds longer than he thought it would. Caidon came for him, though, giving it all up, hollering like a fool.

  Oh, yeah. Fucking go him.

  Spud chuckled, scooting up to rest his head on Caidon's chest.