Sipping on Fire

Chapter 8

My stomach turned nervously as Tyler laced his hand through mine, pulling me towards the private jet on the runway. Today was the day we flew to Nashville for his show. I ripped my hand from his when the Flight Attendant and Captain came into view. Trying to date a celebrity in private was proving to be more difficult than I had thought. Anyone at any point could spill the beans about us - something I was desperate to keep quiet.

Tyler and I have seen each other almost every day for the past week and it was getting harder and harder to resist him. We had developed our own little language for when we were around other people, specifically for when he came to visit me during my shift. Tyler would say, 'Fireball, please' when he thought I was 'lookin' smokin' hot'. 'It's a really nice night tonight' meant 'Can I see you after work?' The hardest part was when a fan would come up to him and I would have to ignore the flirting.

"Welcome aboard!" The captain tipped his hat at me as I walked by and to one of the six seats on the jet. "We'll have you to Nashville in about 45 minutes." Tyler thanked the Captain and made his way back to the seat next to mine. The butterflies in my stomach got worse with every passing moment.

I jumped when the Flight Attendant came up behind us asking if we'd like something to drink. "Whiskey." Was all I could muster out. Tyler held up a finger signaling that he would take one too.

"Relax baby, everything will be fine." He squeezed my thigh and placed a kiss on my temple in a reassuring way. "You look hot today." he whispered in my ear causing me to blush.

"What's the plan today?" I asked nervously.

He smirked. "The 'plan' is to have fun. Now just relax." Relax? Was he crazy? Before I had a chance to change my mind and bail, the door to the jet shut and the wheels began turning. 'Here goes nothing' I thought to myself. "You can hang out with me for as long as you want before and after the show, but when I'm out there you'll be with Brittney." I nodded while taking a sip of the drink the Flight Attendant just brought me. "Just follow Brittney's lead. She's a Pro."

We landed in Nashville way too fast for my liking. I was hoping to have enough time to muster up the courage to survive this surreal day. I briefly remember him asking if I was ready before getting up and walking off the plane to the blacked out Escalade waiting for us. "How far are we from the venue?"

Tyler shrugged. "About 15 minutes." I felt as if my breathing stopped. Sensing something was wrong, Tyler caressed my hand softly. "Are you ok?"

"I need air." Was all I said, rolling down the window. I laid my head on his shoulder and tried to close my eyes to calm my nerves.

Tyler's arms pulled me close, "Trust me. Everything will be fine. No one will know about us seeing each other unless you want them to."

"Can't we just go hide out in my little apartment?" I whined.

He chuckled and placed a kiss on my forehead. "Look at me," he forced me to look at him. "My tour bus will be there. The second you start feeling overwhelmed, we'll go unwind in there. I have a meet & greet for about an hour or so, sound check, and then showtime...but other than that, I'm all yours." I could see in his eyes that he was dying to kiss all my worries away, but like a gentleman he held back - respecting my wishes of moving slow.

The ride to the venue was silent, mostly because I didn't really know how to act. Do I hold his hand? Do I keep my distance? Do I flirt back when he uses his Southern Charm on me? My mind was reeling. "Stay close behind me." Tyler ordered before stepping out of the car and making a beeline for his bus. I followed behind him, but not too close. I looked around cautiously - this place was a zoo. There were fans everywhere. Almost as if there was no security holding them back. Tyler stopped every so often for a picture or an autograph. The closer we got to his bus, the more Security tightened. "She's with me." I heard Tyler mutter to a Security guard. The guard nodded at me while I passed before steering away any fans. The second my foot stepped into the bus, I felt as if I could breathe again. "You ok?"