Page 35 of Kiwi

Easton beams his signature smile at Jia then gives me a wink. "Lucky for you, I have connections."

"Seriously!" my friend shrieks.

Easton laughs. "Piper is family, and family also get VIP backstage passes." Pulling out his phone, Easton starts firing off a text. "Are you two staying in this hotel?"

I nod.

"The tickets and passes will be at the front desk by tomorrow morning. The show is Thursday at eight o'clock." Then he writes his phone number down on a napkin and hands it to me. "Here's my cell. I already informed my manager you were coming but call me if you run into any trouble getting in."

I take the napkin from him as he stands. "This is great, Easton. Thank you."

"Anytime." He raps his knuckles on the table. "It was good seeing you again, Piper." He gives Jia a chin lift. "You, too, beautiful."

Once Easton has returned to his table, and out of earshot, Jia loses her shit. "You, wench. You never told me you know Easton Evans. He's like the sexiest man on the planet. Not only is your family made up of badass, alpha bikers, but you know the frontman of East of Addiction. How exactly do you know him?"

I chuckle and shake my head. "His sister is Emerson, the wife of Quinn, who is the Sergeant At Arms for The Kings Montana Chapter."

Lifting her hand, Jia signals the waiter over. "Change of plans. We're going shopping. I need a kick-ass outfit to wear to the concert."

It's dark by the time we step out of the boutique a few blocks from the hotel. Jia and I are exhausted with the day's events, but we both found something to wear for Thursday night.

* * *

The next dayJia and I return to the hotel after seeing Cirque du Soleil. I had never seen one of their shows, and have to admit it was amazing. Now we are getting ready to hit one of the clubs. Tonight, I have on a red V-neck dress with long sleeves and an open back. The hem lands about three inches above my knees, and I have paired the dress with some red and gold three-inch strappy heels. My makeup is done in a smokey eye, along with my flaming red lipstick. Lastly, I tie half of my long hair up into a ponytail, leaving the rest to hang on my back in waves.

"Damn, Piper. You look hot," Jia compliments when she steps into the bathroom.

"Thanks. You don't look so bad yourself."

Jia runs her hands down the length of her black satin dress then does a little twirl. "Thank you."

"Ready?" I ask, tossing my lipstick tube, cell phone, ID, and cash, and most importantly, my pepper spray into my clutch.

"Ready." Jia beams.

Three hours later,I'm sitting at a table, taking a break while sipping on some water while watching Jia out on the dance floor with a random guy she has been grinding against for the past forty-five minutes. The guy's friend tried dancing with me earlier, but I was able to give him the brush off. Before we came, I told Jia I was only interested in having a good time, not hooking up.

"What are you doing sitting over here by yourself?"

Peering over my shoulder, I take in the same guy from before. Does this dude not know how to take a hint? "Just taking a break," I hold up my water bottle then turn back to the dance floor, ignoring him.

"My name is Chris."

I let out a frustrated sigh when Chris sits in the vacant seat across from me.

"Are you going to tell me your name?"

Still trying to ignore him, I don't make eye contact when I answer, "Piper."

"Piper. A pretty name for a pretty girl."

I struggle not to roll my eyes at his corny pick-up line. Finally, I give him my full attention. "Look, I'm not trying to be rude, but I just came here to dance and hang with my friend."

"Well, it looks like your friend has other plans," Chris tips his head in the direction of the dance floor where Jia is hanging all over his buddy. And luckily, she happens to catch my eyes at the same time. I cock my head to the side and give her a look, one that says I am ready to get out of here. I watch as Jia leans in close and says something to her dance partner then starts making her way through the crowd toward me.

"Hey, you ready to go?" she asks when she makes it to my table.

I stand. "More than ready."