The Billionaire’s Fan (The Whispering Oaks Society)

Chapter 3

CHAPTER THREE

Jordyn

I stand to the side of the stage, my heart pounding in my chest as I watch Knights Honor on stage. The electric buzz of the crowd was palpable, a sea of faces illuminated by the flashing stage lights. I could hardly believe my eyes. Asher, the charming guy I had accidentally met and assumed was the guy from Jingle, was the frontman of one of the most popular rock bands around.

As the opening chords rang out, my breath caught in my throat. Asher, with his confident swagger and magnetic presence, stepped up to the microphone, his gaze sweeping over the crowd before turning and landing momentarily on me. The connection was instantaneous, and a shiver ran down my spine.

I couldn’t take my eyes off him. Asher’s fingers danced across the neck of the guitar with practiced ease, his voice resonating through the speakers, rich and powerful.

Just hours ago, he was the down-to-earth guy with an easy smile, making me laugh in his dressing room. I felt a surge of disbelief that this was my life at this moment. My emotions were a whirlwind as I watched him pour his soul into every note.

The energy of the stadium was electric, the fans singing along to every word, their adoration for the band clear in their ecstatic cheers. The music was swelling to a fever pitch as Asher moved across the stage with a raw, unrestrained passion that took my breath away. He owned the stage; he demanded your attention, and he sure as shit had mine.

I swayed to the music; I sang to the words, and the smile on my face was permanent at this moment as one of my favorite songs started.

I felt your heartbeat synchronize a million different ways.

Electric whispers in the dark, your touch, it calls to me.

A symphony of every spark, igniting what could be.

Your touch - it sets my soul on fire.

Burning with an endless desire.

In your arms, I come alive.

With you, I feel I can survive.

Your touch, it’s more than just a feeling.

In your eyes, I find my meaning.

Hold me close. Don’t let me go.

With your touch, we’ll steal the show.

Beneath the stars, we chase the night, a dance of shadows free.

Each moment feels so right when it’s just you and me.

The world can fade. It disappears when you’re right by my side.

In the silence, I can hear our hearts in perfect stride.

He sings for the crowd. But his gaze keeps falling on me. I have butterflies in my stomach, making my heart skip a beat each time he slides his eyes my way with each smile he gives me.

The end of the song nears and the lights go down. Asher runs off of the stage. I see him change his shirt and wipe down his face, the stagehand hands him his guitar again, and he turns and heads to me. He glances at me, our gazes locked, and a knowing smile curves his lips.

I feel a rush of warmth, my heart flutters with a mix of excitement and admiration. The band strums chords to another song, as the crowd’s cheers echo.

He’s fast to approach, and when he does, he crashes against me. The world seemed to slow down. Asher’s hand found my waist and pulled me into a fervent embrace. Our bodies collided with a soft thud, the momentum causing me to gasp.

Without hesitation, Asher’s lips crash into mine, a passionate kiss that speaks volumes. Time stands still and the surroundings blur into oblivion, with a fire igniting between us. My arms wrap around his neck as I kiss him back with equal intensity.

We pull apart just as the music starts up again. Asher’s cue to get back out on stage. He presses his forehead against mine. The shared silence filled with the echoes of our racing hearts. Asher’s eyes locked onto mine, a silent promise shimmering in the depths of his gaze. And in that instant, they both knew that this first date was just a start.

Asher grins, turns on his heel, and heads to the center of the stage, looking back as he steps back in front of the microphone, then starts the next song.

Two hours later, an encore of four additional songs. I stood there, mesmerized. Not because I was standing backstage. Not because I was watching one of my favorite bands perform, but because my body still hummed from the kiss that we shared.

The guys piled into a large room with several couches and light music playing in the background. They were amped up. They all took a seat on the couches, with Tammy and Bianca falling beside their respective boyfriends. Asher looked up at me, standing alone, unsure whether I was invited to the couch, and held his hand out to me. I release a breath and take a seat beside him. His arm moves around me and pulls me close to him. He kisses the top of my head and I fit perfectly with him.

“Did you enjoy the show?” he asks quietly.

“I did. You guys were great.”

“Thank you.” He says with a smile.

“You guys were amazing tonight. There was something about tonight’s show that was much more intense than others.” Bianca praises.

“It was almost like someone was showing off for someone else,” Tate says before Bianca playfully slaps him in the stomach.

“I mean, I had to impress someone tonight, guys. Don’t hate on that.” Asher feeds the group.

“What should we eat?” Mike asks. “I’m starving.”

“What’s good to eat around here? You’re from here, aren’t you?” Tammy asks, “Somewhere, kind of low-key?”

I grin. “I know just the place.”

“How did you get here?” Asher asks me.

“I took a rideshare,” I tell him.

“Paddy rented a van. I’ll go grab the keys.” Mikey says.

“Did Paddy get us rooms at the same place?” Tate asks.

“I think so. Text him.” Asher instructs.

Tate pulls his phone out and types something, then looks up.

“Paddy will meet us in ten minutes. We have to take him to the hotel. He’ll give us our room keys and said we can use the van with the instructions to not stay out all night.”

We hang out until it’s time and everyone piles into the van. We’re on some back road heading toward one of the extended stay hotels off of the main street of Fairhaven. Paddy gives each guy a hotel key and gives the van keys to Asher.

“Quick showers, meet back down here in ten minutes, and then we’ll go eat?”

“Dude, by the time we eat, it’s going to be midnight,” Davey whines.

“But at least we won’t stink,” Tate says.

“Exactly. I don’t want to eat with nasty-smelling boys. Go shower and come back smelling like men. The woman-folk will stay down here and make sure you guys stay on task.” Tammy instructs.

“But what if I need help washing my back?” Davey jokes.

“You can manage. Go. All of you. Ten minutes or we’re leaving without you.”

Each of them takes a bag to the hotel one at a time, as Tammy, Bianca, and I patiently wait.

“Ever think you would spend your Thursday night with this group of misfits?” Tammy asks.

“Honestly? No. I thought I was meeting a guy who worked in finance. Not some rock star and his friends.”

They laugh, and I join in.

“Quite different, right?” Bianca says.

“You have no idea.” I shake my head.

We pull up to the darkened restaurant. I grab my keys from my bag and insert them into the lock, and turn.

“Why do I feel like we’re trespassing?” Mike whispered behind me.

“It’s not trespassing when she has keys to the place. She is allowed to be here,” Tate replies.

“What is this place?” Tammy asks.

“My family owns this place. This is our Fairhaven place.”

“Cool,” Tammy says.

“Fairhaven place?” Asher asks.

“We own a string of these, up and down the state,” I explain as I turn on a few lights as we enter. “You guys just gotta promise to not trash the place.”

“We aren’t that cool. We’re pretty tidy as a group. Maybe a little OCD.” Mike says, surveying the space. “Pizza?”

“Pizza and pies,” I say.

“Ahhh, clever. I get it now, that’s why it’s called Pie Squared.”

I bring everyone into the kitchen and start giving tasks.

I roll the dough, start the ovens, and let everyone add their own toppings. While the pizzas are cooking in the wood-fired stoves, the guys joke around with one another. Yet Asher stays close to me.

“Thank you,” he says.

“For what?”

“Feeding us. We could have just gone to Denny’s or something. We were half expecting that, not some super private place.”

“That would be the opposite of discreet. You just happened to get lucky to have a date with a girl whose family owns a pie place.”

“I got pretty lucky.” His hip checks mine. “So, what did you think about the show?”

“After I got over the initial shock of, well, everything. It was far from what I was expecting.”

“What kind of guy was this… Jeff?”

“Well, he clearly wasn’t in a band. He worked in finance.”

“Yeah, that’s not me. I’m not great at math,” he jokes.

“You’re not going to hold it against me for kind of tricking you into coming to the show as a first date, but I would think it was worth it. How about you? Memorable, right?”

I laughed, “I think,” I replied as he took my hand in his and squeezed, “that I’m still in shock. But in the best possible way.”

Asher chuckles, pulling me close to him in a gentle embrace. “Well, get used to it,” he whispered, his breath warm against my ear. “Because this is just the beginning.”