Take Me On (Take Me Series Book 1)
Take Me On
By
Stephanie Summers
Take Me On: The Take Me Series
by Stephanie Summers
Take Me On: The Take Me Series
© 2015, Stephanie Summers
ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. This book contains material protected under International and Federal Copyright Laws and Treaties. Any unauthorized reprint or use of this material is prohibited. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system without express written permission from the author / publisher.
This is a work of fiction. All names, characters, and settings are fictitious. Any resemblance to actual events, names, locales, organizations, or persons living or dead, is entirely coincidental.
The author acknowledges the use of some brand names which she does not own or claim the rights to, such as Christian Louboutin, Manolo Blahnik, Giuseppe Zanotti, Black Sabbath, Barney’s, and Bergdorf-Goodman.
DEDICATION:
To anyone who ever dreamed of landing a rock star, this one is for you!
PREFACE:
Take Me On has been in the works for well over two years, and it was my original intention to have the story from beginning to end be contained in one book. However, as time went on and the story and characters evolved, it became clear to me that this was a two part story. With that being said, the Take Me series was born. I’ve chosen to do things a little differently because the prologue gives you a taste of things to come in book two. Instead of including the scene as the epilogue, I felt it was a great way to set up the story as a whole so you can kind of see the mindset Lila is in presently as she and Ash both recount the events leading up to where they are now.
Take Me On is a rock star romance, but it isn’t typical, in my opinion. The story focuses on the man behind the rock star mask and the woman who sparks him back to life. There is little focus on the band aspect of the story, though it is there since that is a huge part of Ash’s life.
They don’t fall in love instantly, though there is an immediate attraction, because they both have issues they need to work through first. One of those issues I feel I should mention here (despite it being sort of a spoiler) because it could be a trigger for people who have dealt with sexual assault in their past and it is not my intention to cause them any further discomfort or harm. Though there are no graphic detailed scenes that deal with assault or rape, it is referred to as the heroine of the story comes to terms with what has happened to her in her past.
I hope you’ll enjoy the overall story of the rise and fall and rise again of the love between Ash London and Lila Stephens. Part two, Take Me Home, will be available very soon. Thanks for reading!
PROLOGUE
CHAPTER 1 – LILA STEPHENS
CHAPTER 2 – ASH LONDON
CHAPTER 3 – LILA STEPHENS
CHAPTER 4 – ASH LONDON
CHAPTER 5 – LILA STEPHENS
CHAPTER 6 – ASH LONDON
CHAPTER 7 – LILA STEPHENS
CHAPTER 8 – LILA STEPHENS
CHAPTER 9 – ASH LONDON
CHAPTER 10 – LILA STEPHENS
CHAPTER 11 – ASH LONDON
CHAPTER 12 – LILA STEPHENS
CHAPTER 13 – LILA STEPHENS
CHAPTER 14 – ASH LONDON
CHAPTER 15 – LILA STEPHENS
CHAPTER 16 – ASH LONDON
CHAPTER 17 – LILA STEPHENS
CHAPTER 18 – ASH LONDON
CHAPTER 19 – LILA STEPHENS
CHAPTER 20 – ASH LONDON
CHAPTER 21 – LILA STEPHENS
CHAPTER 22 – ASH LONDON
CHAPTER 23 – LILA STEPHENS
CHAPTER 24 – LILA STEPHENS
CHAPTER 25 – ASH LONDON
CHAPTER 26 – LILA STEPHENS
CHAPTER 27 – ASH LONDON
CHAPTER 28 – LILA STEPHENS
CHAPTER 29 – ASH LONDON
CHAPTER 30 – LILA STEPHENS
CHAPTER 31 – LILA STEPHENS
CHAPTER 32 – ASH LONDON
CHAPTER 33 – LILA STEPHENS
PROLOGUE
The deep, somber voice of the man I gave my whole heart to fills the air around me. Lyrics of the lost love of his life assault my mind, pulling me back to a time when we were inseparable. Standing frozen in place, I know undoubtedly those words are meant for no one but me as I see him for the first time in over a year. The stage where he stands is less than fifty feet away, but his presence is felt in every corner of the room.
As his lyrics wash over the chaos of the crowd, he takes control of them, bidding them to feel the emotion pouring from his voice. His gaze seeks me out though I know he can’t possibly see me. His eyes close and everything else but the two of us disappears.
His voice finds its way to me, forcing everything else to melt into the background as it wraps around me much like his arms used to. Each word escaping his lips is like a hammer smashing to bits the wall I’ve built around my heart. Try as I might to repress them, plump tears form at the corners of my eyes as I think back to what he did for me and how much he cared when no one else seemed to even notice I was broken.
I thought I would be okay seeing him from afar, but I’m not. I want to run up on that stage like a mad woman, drop to my knees, and beg him to take me home and make the pain stop for both of us. I have to get out of here now… before I do something stupid… before the man I’m here with notices my heart still belongs to Ash London.
10 days earlier...
Looking down the tracks for a glimpse of the train, like that action alone will make it appear sooner, I shift my weight back and forth impatiently. Sadly, patience is a virtue I no longer possess, though I never had much to begin with. I’ve had enough of the stench of urine and rats scurrying about on the tracks below. I’m ready to get above ground once more so I can get to a brunch date with my best friend, Tori Tabor. Just my fucking luck, the train is running late when I have somewhere important to be. Isn’t that how it always is?
Finally, the train arrives, and I push my way on, but give up my potential seat to an elderly lady who needs it more than I do. More and more people crowd on, and I’m starting to feel like a canned sardine. The guy next to me, with his unkempt hair and mouth hanging agape, leers at me with a dead-behind-the-eyes stare the entire trip. I inch away from him as best I can, but it just seems like every time I look up, he’s that much closer. Why do I always attract the attention of weirdos? I sometimes wonder if I have a sign on my forehead that says, “Hey! You there, nut job! Pay attention to me!”
As the train nears my destination, I’m ready to disembark and get to the restaurant. The train slows, grinding to a halt, as a throng of people try to exit while narrowly avoiding those cramming their way on. Chaos ensues, and I barely make it off the train in time.
I rush up the steps, making sure I have left Mr. Weirdo far behind. The warm summer air greets me as I emerge and hurry toward my destination. I have several blocks to go, and as I finally approach the home stretch, I rush down 9th Avenue and to the restaurant where I’m meeting Tori.
Glancing into the restaurant window as I get closer to the door, I spot Tori sitting just inside. Waving to her, I enter and squeeze past a small group of people crowding the aisle.
“I’m so sorry I’m late. The train was held up. Have you been here long?”
“Just got here. I was afraid I had left you waiting.”
“Oh, good, so we were both late. No harm, no foul,” I say, plopping myself down on the chair.
A tall thirty-something waiter casually strolls over
to our table. He takes our drink orders and gives us a few minutes to look over the menu.
“He was a cutie. Maybe you should give him your number,” Tori says with a twinkle in her eye.
“Yeah, and maybe a monkey will fly out of my ass. Oh, look…” I say, pointing at nothing, “there goes a pig flying by, too.”
Tori laughs, rolling her eyes at me in the process. She always tries to get me to hit on some guy, and I never do. Seriously, she’s done this since high school. Some things never change.
She glances toward the floor. “Let me see the shoes. Did you go shopping?” Tori and I have shared a major shoe addiction for years.
“No, I didn’t. I’ve had these for a year or so.” One foot adorned with a black Giuseppe Zanotti strappy sandal with a three inch heel emerges from underneath the table. I fail to remind her that I very rarely ever go shoe shopping anymore, despite the rush it used to give me. It’s just one of the many parts of myself I entangled with him that no longer gives me the joy it once did.
“They’re quite lovely, Lila,” Tori says as she admires them like the shoe junkie she is. “Did you get the invitation to the opening yet?” Her raised eyebrows and wide eyes give away her excitement. She’s been working hard for months to open up her own rock and roll nightclub.
“I did, and can I just say that it looked fabulous? It really captured the feel you’re going for.”
“Thank you! I designed it myself…” Drumming her fingers on the menu, her eyes dart to the floor and back up at me. “So?”
“So, what?” Did I miss something? She’s looking at me like I have.
“So… please, Lila? I really want you to go… It’s my grand opening and I want my best friend there by my side. It could be your last big hurrah in New York if you decide to move, too.”
“I’ll be there,” I say with a sigh. “I’d be the shittiest friend alive if I didn’t show up to support you.” God only knows, she’s been there for me more times than I can count. I owe it to her to support her on her big day.
“Not gonna lie, I was gonna say that next to guilt you into it if I had to.”
“I wouldn’t do it for anyone else,” I say as I lean closer, winking at her.
“I know.” Tori smiles brightly. “It’s because I’m awesome and you love me.”
We look over our menus in silence for a moment. I know exactly where this conversation is going, and the bad part about it is, I’m the one who’s going to steer it that way. I can’t help myself. I’m a glutton for punishment.
“I haven’t laid eyes on him in over a year, and I don’t know that I want to now.” My stomach does somersaults at the thought of running into him, much like the night we met at a very similar event organized by Tori. “I’ve moved on, and I don’t want him to think otherwise. I avoid walking by his house even though it’s the shortest way to the subway just because I can’t stand the thought of seeing him face-to-face. Shit, I even bought a car to avoid the whole thing. It just sucks that I can never find a good place to park so I end up taking the train anyway. And you know yourself that I decline invitations, even ones from you, all the time when I think he might be there.”
“I know it’ll be rough for you being in such close proximity, but why don’t you bring that guy you met the other day? Shane, was it? Maybe it won’t be so awkward for you if you’re there with a date.”
I’d met Shane through no effort of my own. I sat with an empty chair beside me in a crowded pizzeria one afternoon a few weeks back, and he asked if he could sit down. What was I supposed to do? Be a bitch and brush him off? No, my grandmother didn’t raise me like that, so I smiled and said, “Of course.” He sat down. We chatted. He asked me for my number, and here we are at that awkward are we or aren’t we dating phase.
“I thought about doing that. We’ve hung out a couple of times now, but how do you invite your potential love interest to an event featuring your larger-than-life beast of an ex-boyfriend, who might want to kill the new guy just for the hell of it, and said ex’s band?”
“Try to avoid him. It’ll be hard, but I think you can do it. I doubt he would approach you when you’re there with someone anyway, no matter how he felt about it. He still respects you. Hell, he’s still in love with you if you want my honest opinion. He wouldn’t do anything to cause you any further grief. Have you told him who your ex is?”
“No, he doesn’t know.”
“You really don’t have to tell the dude Ash is your ex if you don’t want to.”
“I know, but I feel kind of guilty if I don’t tell him. I mean we haven’t really had the whole ‘ex’ conversation. I’m just worried that someone will say something to me while I’m there that will give it away, and then I look like the asshole who is trying to flaunt the new guy in front of the old guy. I don’t want to be an asshole. And with possibly moving soon, I don’t know that there’s even a point to having that conversation anyway.” I gaze out the window at a couple passing by who seem lost in each other’s words and briefly reflect on my own romantic past to a time when I could’ve easily been part of a couple doing the same exact thing. The feeling of nostalgia quickly passes as the pain begins to settle in once again.
“That’s understandable, but I don’t think anyone would be that stupid to say anything, and you are not an asshole.”
I turn my gaze back to Tori and grin. “You’re underestimating the general stupidity running rampant at any given moment around those guys.” We share a hearty laugh over the general dumbassery of a good chunk of the band’s entourage.
“Okay, so please don’t throat punch me when I ask what I’m about to ask. You know I have to or I wouldn’t… Is there still a chance of a future for you two?”
I narrow my eyes at Tori and purse my lips together. “You’re lucky I love you or I’d so bust you right now… I’m over him. Us together just won’t work. I don’t trust him anymore, and you know once that’s gone with me, it’s gone. There’s no going back.”
Tori nods and glances away. “I’m just glad you’re going.” A wide, toothy smile overtakes her face as her gaze lands back on me. “I have worked so hard on opening this place, and it wouldn’t be the same without my best friend,” she says as she reaches across the table and places her hand on mine. “I really hope you decide to stay in New York. I know it’s selfish of me, but I really do cherish our friendship, and I will miss you tremendously if you go. I prefer meeting with my accountant face to face instead of through emails,” she says as she grins at me, pulling her hand away.
“I’ll miss you, too. If I move, I can always visit and you can come and visit me, too. It’s only an hour flight and an hour drive once you land. We can discuss your financial information then.” A smile flashes back at her despite the feeling of sadness creeping over me.
“Well, this baby is going to need an awesome aunt so you better visit us!”
Tori is just shy of five months along and her fair skin and strawberry blonde hair possess the radiant glow of pregnancy. She is just beginning to really look pregnant with the cutest little bump on her petite frame.
“I can’t wait for your ultrasound so I can start buying cute outfits! I hope it’s a girl so I can buy her shoes,” I say excitedly. Even if the feeling of glee over buying myself a pair of shoes has been ruined, I can revel in buying them for someone else.
“Yeah, she’ll have two shoe addicts in her life.”
“A little shoe junkie in training.” I laugh. It feels good to have something as positive as the birth of a child to look forward to. Being an only child, I never really thought about having a niece or nephew, but I am really excited at the possibility of hearing “Aunt Lila” come out of a small child’s mouth.
The waiter returns to take our order, and we both opt for pancakes and a side of fruit. I splurge and have a mimosa as well. I need it badly. I’ve never been much of a drinker aside from the occasional indulgence or need to escape, but sometimes you just need something to take the edge off.
“Being married to a famous musician does have its perks.”
“That it does. Oh, wait… I wouldn’t know about that one.”
“Oh, come on, hun! You claim you haven’t been hung up on him in like six months. Don’t let seeing him get you down. You could run into him at any time, ya know, and I’m actually surprised you haven’t since you live so close to each other. You’re just spazzing because it’s been so long. After it’s over with, you won’t even remember why you were worried.”
“I hope you’re right.”
I truly do hope Tori is right. I haven’t seen or spoken to Ash in almost thirteen months. Leaving him ranks pretty high on the list of hardest decisions I’ve ever had to make. He was the first and only man I absolutely loved in every sense of the word. I thought I knew what love felt like before him, but was wrong—terribly wrong. I fell for him harder and faster than I ever thought possible. He taught me what it was like to really be in love and have those feelings reciprocated.
I hate to admit it, but I miss that feeling. I miss being beside him. I miss his smell, the feel of his skin, and the deep blue of his eyes. I miss how he used to wake me up with a kiss to the forehead when we’d slept in late. I miss how safe I felt with him—like no matter what, he’d keep the vile and evil things in life at bay. I miss how he would call me in the middle of the night when he was on tour just to say goodnight and that he loved me. I miss it all… I miss him. And there it is. Will I ever be able to truly say goodbye to him in my heart?
The past year has been a roller coaster of emotions for me, and I only recently have become a bit more emotionally stable, though I still falter more than I’d like. Of course, I’ve tried hard to convince Tori, along with everyone else I know, that I got over him a long time ago. As far as he knows, I was over him immediately. I never let on otherwise.