Distracted No More Read online

  Thia Finn

  Distracted No More

  Assured Distraction Series Book Four

  By Thia Finn

  Copyright 2016 Thia Finn

  ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. This book contains material protected under the 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.

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  Please note that this book is protected under the Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA). It has been made available for your personal use and enjoyment. No permission has been granted to upload this book onto ANY file-sharing websites. Doing so is a violation of federal laws and measures have been taken within this file to track the originator of such shared files, should it be found on piracy sites. Thank you for respecting the hard work of the author to produce this content.

  WARNING: This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, places, events, and incidents are either the products of the author’s imagination or used in a fictitious manner. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental.

  Disclaimer: The material in this book contains graphic language and sexual content and is intended for mature audiences, ages 18 and older.

  ISBN13: 978-0-9973407-4-7

  Edited by Nicki Kuzn Swish Design & Editing

  Proofreading by Kaylene Osborn Swish Design & Editing

  Book designed and formatted by Swish Design & Editing

  Cover design by Deranged Doctors Designs

  Cover photo model: Matthew Hosea

  Cover photographer: Wander Aguiar: Photography

  Cover image Copyright 2016

  Blurb

  LOVE, SEX, AND ROCK AND ROLL!

  Isn’t that what Assured Distraction is all about?

  Carter Sheridan, bass player, finds himself the final single band member. But it’s all good. No more sharing the babes, the groupies, the wild chicks. They’re ripe for his picking. He’ll take one for the band when it comes to hot women. Hell yeah, bring ‘em on.

  Can a blast from the past sneak in and become a game changer for him? When his past becomes the present, lives are altered and priorities change.

  What will this mean for the band?

  In the mind-bending conclusion to the Assured Distraction Series, learn the fates of the men and women we’ve come to love.

  Dedication

  To my faithful readers.

  Thank you for believing in me, encouraging me, and pushing me to write the stories.

  Table of Contents

  Blurb

  Dedication

  Table of Contents

  Prologue

  Chapter One

  Chapter Two

  Chapter Three

  Chapter Four

  Chapter Five

  Chapter Six

  Chapter Seven

  Chapter Eight

  Chapter Nine

  Chapter Ten

  Chapter Eleven

  Chapter Twelve

  Chapter Thirteen

  Chapter Fourteen

  Chapter Fifteen

  Chapter Sixteen

  Chapter Seventeen

  Chapter Eighteen

  Chapter Nineteen

  Chapter Twenty

  Chapter Twenty-One

  Chapter Twenty-Two

  Chapter Twenty-Three

  Chapter Twenty-Four

  Chapter Twenty-Five

  Chapter Twenty-Six

  Chapter Twenty-Seven

  Chapter Twenty-Eight

  Chapter Twenty-Nine

  Chapter Thirty

  Chapter Thirty-One

  Chapter Thirty-Two

  Chapter Thirty-Three

  Chapter Thirty-Four

  Chapter Thirty-Five

  Chapter Thirty-Six

  Chapter Thirty-Seven

  Chapter Thirty-Eight

  Chapter Thirty-Nine

  Epilogue

  Playlist

  Connect With Me Online

  About The Author – Thia Finn

  Prologue

  “Why can’t I go with you? I can do whatever the band needs.”

  “Sweets, you can’t go with us. You’re not part of the band. We’ll be doing good to feed ourselves much less one more. Besides, you don’t want to be traveling with a bunch of horny guys in a van. I’d worry about you all the time.”

  “I can do it. I know I can. I’ll even bring my guitar, and we can continue practicing together.” Her desperation came through loud and clear.

  “Halo. Stop. It would never work. You can’t quit high school to go with the band. It won’t work. You’d be the only female with all of the guys, and we won’t make enough to feed an extra person. They’re valid reasons for you to stay here. Why are you acting like this?”

  “I know you’re gonna forget me the minute you head out on tour, Carter,” Halo said between gulps of air as the tears steadily streamed down her pale cheeks. “I don’t want you to go.”

  I didn’t have the guts to tell her she was probably right but the truth was, I needed to forget her. She’s young, still has another year to go in high school, and I needed to be free to do what I wanted. I could be a decent guy when I had to and do the right thing. The other guy in me couldn’t let her go that easily.

  “Now that’s where you’re wrong, Halo. I’ll never forget you.” I meant it, too. She was my first girlfriend so how could I forget her? Hell, she was basically my first everything. We started dating when I was a senior, and the band was playing gigs at parties, weddings, and any bar that would let us through the door. We even played at open mic nights just for the experience.

  “Somehow, I feel like you really believe that, Carter, but deep down my gut tells me you’ll leave me behind for someone on the road. Do you even plan to come home anytime soon?” I hated the look she gave me with those deep violet eyes of hers, but I didn’t want to give her false hopes either.

  “I can’t say exactly when we’ll be home. We’ve booked a bunch of places KeeMac’s managed to line up, and we’ll be adding more dates along the road. He’s been working like a madman making arrangements. Hell, I don’t even think we’re getting paid half the time in anything other than drinks, but we’ve got to do this, Halo. We both knew it was coming, and now the time’s right. We have to jump on the chance when it’s offered. It’s that ‘right place at the right time’ thing. You know I’m right, sweets.” I pulled her in close and kissed the top of her brown head. Damn, she smelled so fucking good, and that’s a memory I won’t forget anytime soon. The girl bathed everything in vanilla like she was addicted to it or something. My dick was addicted to it, too.

  “Well,” she pulled away from me, standing up as straight as an arrow and brushed the tears from her cheeks. This was a side of Halo I loved. She would man up and be tough when she needed to be, and right now was definitely one of those times. “I guess this is goodbye then.” The look on her face hurt to see, but she put up a great front. My girl was strong like that. She faced things head on even if she was dying on the inside. She rarely let people see her weak side. Damn, I’d only seen it a few times.

  “Wait. We’ve got another day together. Come over while I pack all of my shit. Besides, we still have tonight.” I tried to pull her back in, but she held up her hands, palms outward, keeping me at arm’s length.

  “No, I need it to be over now. I don’t want to spend another minute more than I have to obsessing over you leaving. You’re going no matter what I say and honestly, I don
’t want to stop you from pursuing your dream. You deserve this, the band, too. Besides, it’s only dragging out the inevitable.”

  Tears streamed harder down her face again as she said the words that tore us both to pieces. “This is goodbye, Carter.” She turned around and started for the door of her house.

  “It doesn’t have to be goodbye forever, Halo. You know that, right?” I called after her. Damn, why was this so fucking hard to do? It’s the right thing, but at that minute it sure as hell didn’t feel that way.

  She stopped at the door and looked over her shoulder. “Yeah, Carter, I think it does. I’m not a sharing kinda girl.” The pain in her voice wrecked me, but I had to keep telling myself I believed it was for the best. Deep down, this hurt.

  I wanted this tour, didn’t I? I wanted the freedom. I need experiences that life on the road provided. At nineteen, I should be having the time of my life—playing music in a kickass band, living on the road with my best friends, and plundering through one-night stands like a sex god. My rep with the ladies needed to be built, one night at a time.

  “Goodbye, Halo. I’ll always love you, girl,” I said to myself as she walked through her parents’ front door and closed it without another look back. “And I’ll never forget.”

  Chapter One

  Eight Years Later

  I walked into the studio to another new face at the reception desk. Seemed like 13 Recordings went through receptionists like water.

  “Oh, Mr. Sheridan, what can I do for you?” Yeah, too much perkiness for this early in the fucking morning.

  “Cash or Peri around today?” I hadn’t checked in with either in a while, and we were preparing to head out on another damn tour. I loved the life, but shit, this was getting fucking old with me.

  “Yes sir, Cash is in his office. Just a moment, and I’ll see if he’s available.” Like hell she would. I’d come and go as I pleased.

  “Don’t bother,” I mumbled as I walked passed her to the doorway leading to the offices. “He’ll see me.”

  She jumped up and ran around the desk thinking she was going to stop me. I almost laughed hard. The pixie with her five-inch heels thought she stood a chance. “Stop, little girl, and go back to your phone and People magazine. I’m telling you, he’ll see me.”

  The crazy thing practically launched herself at me and almost took us both down before I could catch her and straighten us up. “What the fuck are you doing?”

  “I was trying to stop you to tell you that you can’t barge in there. Someone important is in there, and he asked not to be disturbed. But no, you, ‘Mr. Rock Star, and I can do what I want’, went barrelling in like you own the place or something.”

  I stood there holding all ninety-five fucking pounds of feathers, who obviously had a death wish or something, and thought is this chick for real? “So, Miss Farmer,” I read from her temporary badge, “you want to tell me who’s in his office that’s so damn important you’re willing to attack me?” I put her down on her own two feet and glared down at her.

  “Uh… well… I’m not supposed to say.” She refused to look anywhere but the toes of her fancy little size four “fuck me” heels. I stuck my index finger under her chin and slowly raised it until her gray eyes met mine.

  I growled, “Who’s in there?”

  “A woman.” She swallowed the fear. “Someone he knows.”

  The look she gave told me there must be something more going on than she wanted to reveal. “A woman?” I lost some of the growl this time.

  “Yes, and he told me he wasn’t to be disturbed unless it was an extreme emergency.” I let go of her chin, but she still held my eyes, only now the look grew challenging.

  “So, if you don’t mind, please wait until I can inform him you’re here.”

  “Well, Miss Farmer, I do mind.” I whipped around her and stomped to Cash’s door knocking on it as I reached to open the handle. Hmmm. Locked. Before I could push on it, the brave little thing wedged her minuscule hot body between Cash’s door and my six-foot-two hard body.

  “I mind, too. I do what the boss says. So, allow me to get him for you.” She turned and knocked again on the door and spoke through it. “Cash, there’s someone here to see you who refuses to wait.” The aggravation in her voice struck me as comical coming from her.

  Only a second passed before the door cracked open. “What is it Carter? I’m tied up right now with a client.”

  “Oh, really? Anyone I know?” I saw nothing and no one behind him.

  “No, actually you don’t. So what do you need that’s so important you try to bust in my office?”

  “I wanted to talk to you about some things I want to be supplied on the tour.” I tried glancing around the little space he spoke through with no luck.

  “Tell Peri. She’s the one running Assured Distraction’s tour.”

  “Peri’s too busy with her family right now.” I peered over his shoulder.

  “No, she was in this morning. Did you even bother to go to her office?”

  “No. I wanted to talk to you.” My anger grew by the second. He purposely hid this someone and now I had to know why.

  “Go talk to her, Carter. She’ll handle it.” He tried to shut the door, dismissing me.

  With a fast move of my boot in the space, I stopped him. “When can I talk to you? Do I need a fucking appointment these days?” My need to speak to him wasn’t all that necessary, but now he had me intrigued at who the hot little number was he kept me from seeing.

  “I’m going to be busy most of the afternoon. I’ll call you later and talk about your list of demands. I’m sure that’s why you’re here.” He cramped my foot more in the slot.

  It only took a hard look in his eyes to see the moderately frantic stare, so I decided to back off. “Okay. You do that. Call me today, dickwad. We need to talk.”

  “I’ll be sure to.” He slammed the door, and I heard the lock snap in place.

  Miss Farmer’s sweet little ass led us back to her desk. “I guess you’re still not going to tell me who’s in there.” She leaned over to the top of the counter, crooking her index finger in and out calling me to share a secret. I bent over so our noses almost touched. Damn, her Tinkerbell look made me want to laugh.

  “Hell no,” she whisper-yelled in my ear. What a tease. She sat and flipped open her magazine.

  “Right, little girl. I’ll remember this. We’re family here, and I’ll be sure to put in a good word with the rest of them for you.” I received a glare over the magazine before I pulled out my phone and dialed Ryan’s number as I walked toward the door.

  “Dude, you and Peri home?” I made sure to say it loud enough so Miss Farmer would hear it.

  “Me and Tuck are chilling by the pool. Come on out.”

  Tucker was swimming like a fish now. I couldn’t believe the little guy had turned five years old. Where’d the baby go that we all took turns walking around holding, feeding, rocking while on tour after his birth? Seems like yesterday. He’d quickly grown into a tall kid for his age.

  “Hey, Tuck. Cannonball!” Ryan yelled as he displaced half the water in the pool as he landed.

  “Daddy. You make big wave. All the water gone. Momma’s gonna be mad.”

  “Nah, she’ll be happy we’re having fun. She’ll come swim too when she gets home.”

  I stood watching father and son from behind a pillar on their patio. Ryan’s living the good life. Sometimes I wish I had this, but then I think no way. Tied down to one girl all the time? Not for me. I needed variety. The sole responsibility was on my shoulders for keeping the bad-boy image up with our fans. The rest of these pussies have succumbed to the picket-fence syndrome. Not me. No way. Not anytime soon, anyway.

  “Hey Carter, why ya hiding back there?” Ryan called.

  “Just watching Tuck playing like we used to do when we were kiddos.”

  Ryan pulled himself up out of the water just as Tuck did his own version of a cannonball off the board.

  “
Yeah, it’s happened so fast. Just yesterday we were bringing him home from the hospital and now look at him. Thinks he’s a damn teenager. Hell, he’ll be texting the women next thing you know.” We both laughed knowing this was true.

  “By the time he’s that age, kids won’t be texting, they’ll have something better. We had pagers back in the day, remember?”

  “Yeah, we did. Kept that thing constantly beeping in junior high with those hot little babes.”

  “Some of us did anyway. Gunner, not so much. Remember how jealous he would get? We’d have to call his number just to make him feel better.” We laughed loud and hard. Gunner was such a geek in junior high, and now he had his sweet little cherry pie, as he liked to call her.

  “Poor Gunner. Such a smart, dumbass back then. So glad we weren’t like that.” I knew deep down the joke was really on us because we were such pricks back then. Ryan liked the long-term girl where I was still the same now, love ‘em and leave ‘em.

  “Beer?” Ryan held a cold brew out.

  “Hell yeah. If we’re sitting out here, I’ll need one.” I popped the cap and took a long pull.

  “What’s up, dude? You sounded pissed on the phone.” Ryan did the same and said all of this without ever taking his eyes off of Tucker. He had this dad thing down.

  “I was over by the studio today and stopped to talk to Cash, but he was holed up in his fucking office with someone. That feisty new receptionist, Miss Farmer, tried to stop me. You met her? She goes about a full buck of nothing but sass.” I raised my hand to indicate her diminutive height.

  “No, but Peri likes her. Says she’s a ‘take no shit’ kinda girl. So, who do you think he was hiding in there?”

  “No damn clue. He didn’t say, and Tinkerbell wouldn’t spill. Just when I thought she was gonna come through, she blew me off like a speck of dust.”