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“Hey,” Flynn said, holding out a hand for me to shake. I shook it and nodded toward my bandmate.
“Strings tells me you’re interested in our band for the next US tour?”
“Yeah, someone mentioned DisKord to my wife as being a potentially good fit for us. Lee recommended you after he went to one of your gigs in Iowa. Valerie researched you guys and liked what she saw. We’re heading to Europe next week for a month then taking a break, but the US tour starts mid-February next year. I figured if we were going to match up Valerie’s people should get with you now.”
For a moment I thought Strings was going to dry-hump the guy, but I gave him a look and he reined in his gratitude and adopted a far more appropriate response.
“I’m sure we can shuffle some stuff around, I mean I don’t think we’ve scheduled much for next year yet, right, Sawyer?”
I nodded, and knew we hadn’t planned anything yet, with Wiggy’s fuckup and rehab vacation, but I played it ice cool. “Excuse me, sorry, darlin’,” I said, moving Billie in front of me. “This is Billie. Both my beautiful wife and I share a birthday on Valentine’s Day, so I usually try to keep February clear, but I’m sure we can make an exception for you guys.”
Watching Strings’s eyes widen like I’d just disrespected his favorite band almost made me laugh, but I held it together. Flynn grinned widely like he liked the fact I hadn’t appeared desperate for the gig.
“Then that’s settled. Valerie, will you make sure all the details get sent over to the guys?”
Valerie pulled out her phone and took my contact details, introduced herself to Billie, and began chatting with her. I could see her warm welcome had put Billie at ease when I saw her shoulders slump as they spoke, and I knew she felt relaxed.
After a few minutes I realized we were monopolizing Flynn’s time and nudged Strings, saying we should find Hammer and Wiggy and tell them our news. In truth, I was anxious to know neither of them had drank anything. Hammer I hadn’t worried about in a while, but Wiggy was a ticking time bomb based on the previous times he’d left rehab.
We hadn’t gotten far when a petite girl with dark blonde hair approached me, and I recognized her immediately. She was affectionately known among the bands we hung around with as Band-Aid. “Sawyer?” she asked, bending cutely like she was amazed to see me, her palm resting on her chest like she could hardly believe she’d ran into me.
“Yes?” I replied, like it was a question and I had no recognition of her. Band-Aid was one of the most prolific groupies on the West Coast, and as her nickname suggested, she was happy to offer her body to any band member at a loose end, to help them feel better. Throughout my career I’d made it a point never to hook up with a circuit groupie so I’d never personally gone there, but I knew two of my other bandmates had.
“Why are you acting like you don’t remember me? I find this insulting,” she snapped, her eyes flashing wide when she looked at Billie before glancing back toward me.
“Who’s this?” she hissed the S out like she was a snake impersonator.
“I’m sorry? What does it have to do with you?” I asked, not wanting to deviluge Billie’s name, concerned it would make her a target for Band-Aid.
“Isn’t he a bad liar,” she said through a chuckle, glancing at Billie then raking her eyes up and down her body.
“Excuse us, if you don’t mind, I have someone I need to see,” I said, sharply.
“Let me think, from what I can see it’s an eye doctor, you need to visit, right?” she spat, still staring at Billie and I felt her arm go stiff as her hand tightened on mine again.
“Maybe so, but I bet he’d rather see an eye doctor than a urologist like he’d need after being near you.” My eyes swung to Billie, a look of shock on my face before I let out a belly laugh. “Darlin’, that takedown was worthy of the best WWF match ever fought.”
Security had obviously had eyes on the groupie and moved in as soon as they saw she was targeting me and stepped between us as I moved Billie away. “Horrible side effect of loose morals,” I muttered, and glanced down at my wife who had continued to look over her shoulder at the girl who had tried to cause trouble.
“Tell me you didn’t—”
“I wouldn’t dare,” I shot back, my hands held up at my chest in surrender.
“Thought not, you have more taste than that,” she replied with smug conviction.
“Talking about taste, I’m wondering how quickly we can get out of here.”
Checking her watch, she glanced back up toward me and smirked. “We’ve only been here twenty-five minutes.”
“Twenty minutes too long if you ask me. Let me call a car and get us out of here. I’m not wasting another minute since I’ve achieved what we came here for.” Pulling out my cell, I hit the car app for the company I’d used earlier in the day and made my way back toward Flynn and his wife, with mine in tow.
“Thanks for the invitation, Flynn, we appreciate you considering us for the touring gig, but if you don’t mind, my wife has only got the weekend, and I’m sure you understand as attractive as you are I’d much rather be elsewhere,” I informed him with a grin and lifted Billie’s hand to my lips.
“Fuck, dude, trust me if this wasn’t my party, my wife and I would be joining you. It’s too fucking hot in here.” I raised an eyebrow and Flynn recognized his mistake and chuckled. “I can see we’re going to get on just fine when we hit the road.”
After saying our goodbyes to the man of the moment, we slid quietly out of the ballroom and headed back to the privacy of the little home-away-from-home I’d found us for one more night before Billie had to go home.
The moment I got her into the car I kissed her, and she looked stunned. “What was that for?”
“Flynn used the word hot, but I figured he was right. It was too hot and crowded in there, and I prefer any heat we have should be generated between us and for our kisses to be uninterrupted when Colby isn’t around.
