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“And cards. We can play poker.” Jones did an impressive bridge shuffle and winked. “We might even let you win a few hands.”
I snatched Mack’s water and downed it. I was sure I looked a little wild when I finished and wiped my mouth with my hand. “Fine. I’ll stay, but only because you have water.”
Mack grinned down at me and reached out to run his thumb over the corner of my mouth. I sucked in a sharp breath and licked my lips, barely containing the urge to chase his thumb. He moved closer and his lips tipped up in a slow smile. “Your lipstick smeared.”
I grunted and spun away from him. “Thanks… Am I really staying here?”
Xavier raised his eyebrows at me. “Were we not clear?”
I pointed at him and wagged my finger. “I’m starting to think the three of you are all very bossy. If I’m staying here, I’m going to change into my pajamas. You may all be rockstars but not even y’all are worth wearing this corset for a moment longer.”
In the bathroom I changed into one of my parents’ vintage band t-shirts that I wore nightly. The cotton was worn and soft, with enough holes in it to make it impossible to wear in public. My sleep shorts were too short to wear around strangers, but I wasn’t putting my jeans back on. I washed my face and put my hair up in a better bun before brushing my teeth. Then, I just stared at myself in the mirror and laughed.
“What’s so funny?” One of the guys called from the front of the bus.
I walked out of the bathroom still laughing. “It’s just ridiculous. I just did my nighttime routine on a tour bus. I didn’t even think about it. I just did it. Weird.”
The three of them had moved one of the couches away from the wall of the bus and had it set up with a table and another couch to make a place to play cards. They were all sitting around the table, waiting for me. When none of them responded to me, I realized they were staring at my shirt and looked down at it. I hadn’t bothered with a bra and I groaned.
“Is it going to be a problem?” I climbed over the arm of the couch and settled next to Xavier. “Get it together. They’re just boobs.”
Jones grunted and shook his head. “They’re not, but okay. Is that a Poison tour shirt?”
I ran my hand over the faded graphics lovingly. “Yeah. My parents were big into the music scene. They went all over the country to see their favorite bands before Jagger and I came along. Then, they took us with them while they managed a couple of smaller bands. Jagger was already too big for their t-shirts when they passed so I got them all.”
“Who all did they manage?” Mack used the side of the table to open his beer and took a long pull from it.
I watched Jones deal us each a hand of cards and smiled. “While I was alive and old enough to remember, there were two bands. One called The Walkaways and another called The Drunk Tanks.”
“No shit? I remember The Drunk Tanks.” Jones tapped the cards on the table. “They were wild. Their shows are still pretty famous with the older guys still playing. Your parents did that?”
Pride washed over me and I nodded excitedly. “They were amazing. They would put me and Jagger in a corner backstage and then make magic happen. They were at venues that had nothing, too. Hole in the wall places that considered lighting a guy named Jimmy holding a flashlight. They would’ve been huge. Matthew doesn’t have an ounce of their talent.”
“Why were you with him?” Xavier locked his molten chocolate eyes on me. “You have passion for the business. It must’ve been hard to watch someone like O’Brian do the job with no heart.”
I sighed. “I moved to LA when I was twenty-one. I had to beg for the job I got with Matthew. I just wanted to get in somewhere and prove myself. Instead, I ended up working to prove Matthew was good enough. He kept promising me he’d put a good word in for me but it was all bullshit. I was just hoping I hadn’t hooked myself to a true loser, I guess.”
“He’s a piece of shit.” Gripping the back of my neck, Xavier’s intensity didn’t ease. “Say the word and I’ll kick his ass.”
I leaned into his side and laughed. “Let me think about it.”
8
Layla
Ididn’ttellthemthat I’d learned to play poker on the road with my parents, or that I played regularly with Jagger when we were together. I never would’ve mentioned that Grandma made us play her all the time for practice so she could take all the money from her Saturday night games. She would murder me, or Jagger, if we told that secret. Her poker buddies would never let her live it down. I let Jones explain the rules to me and smiled sweetly as I pretended to listen. I even pretended to be scandalized when Mack playfully suggested strip poker.
“I’m wearing two items of clothing! That’s not fair!” I pouted. “I’ll only agree if every two hands lost count for one piece of clothing for me.”
They foolishly nodded along, probably thinking they would easily get me out of my clothes. I could see the hunger on their faces at the realization that I wasn’t wearing anything under my shirt and shorts. I was playing a dangerous game, but I didn’t care. I was having fun.
When I won the first hand, I acted shocked and cheered for myself like an idiot. “Yay! That’s amazing! Take something off, y’all!”
They each lost their shirts and I’d be lying if I said them all being shirtless didn’t make it harder for me to win the second hand. Jones had an impressive amount of tattoos. His entire right arm was covered and most of his left, too. He also had defined muscles, nipple bars, and a happy trail that I wanted to explore for a few days. I’d already eye-fucked Mack halfway to pregnancy and back, but that didn’t stop me from looking again. Then there was Xavier. The man put off so much body heat that I wanted to crawl into his lap to play the rest of the game. He was massive, with a wide chest dusted with hair and a hard stomach that seemed like a perfect spot for me to eat breakfast, lunch, and dinner off of. Still, I won the second hand.
Jones narrowed his eyes at me as he took off his belt. “Beginner’s luck?”
I twirled a piece of hair around my finger that’d escaped my bun. “Must be.”
