“I promise to kick you out at six.”

“In three hours, Tales?”

“If you drive back to your place, it’ll give you even less time to sleep,” she argues, batting her lashes at me.

I stand up then lean down to kiss her. “I can’t fuck this up, Tales.”

“Fine,” she says, her lips popping out right before she rolls over.

Stake to the heart.

I walk around the bed and grab a quarter off the nightstand. “Flip for it?”

She opens her eyes and smiles. “Tails, you stay?”

“Sure.”

“Heads, I use my mouth as an alarm clock?”

“Shit, Tales.” I smile. “When did you get so naughty?” I say as I flip the coin.

“That time I stayed with a bunch of rock stars in Miami.” She smiles.

“I see.” I look down at the coin. “Ha, heads, I win.”

She giggles and scoots over. “Go to sleep.”

I lie down, and then I think about what just happened.

“Tales?”

“Yeah?”

“You just manipulated that coin toss to your benefit. Either way, I was gonna end up staying.”

She yawns and turns off the light. “It was mutually beneficial.”

I wake up to her hand on my cock and glance over. Five forty-five in the morning. I pretend to be asleep because I hate getting woken up, fucking hate it. Then her lips wrap around me, and suddenly I’m a morning person.

***

It’s two days before the show when I walk into Forever Four and realize I’m the only person here. I look at my phone to check the time. I’m an hour early.

Fuck.

I grab my phone and call Tallia. She answers, and I know damn well she went back to bed.

“Tales, you up?”

“Yeah, of course.”

“I call bullshit.”

She giggles.

“Not funny, sweet cheeks. You did that shit on purpose, didn’t you?”

“Did what?”

“Woke me up early.”

“No, actually it wasn’t on purpose.”

“No? Then what was it?”

“A craving, I guess?”

“You guess?”

She yawns. “Uh-huh.”

“You know what they say about payback, right?”

“Yep, that if someone loves you, there is no such thing as—”

“No, it’s a bitch, Tales. That’s what they say. Payback is a bitch.”

“Be nice.”

“We’ll see.”

“Okay, well, you have a good day. I love you.”

“I love you, too.”

I hang up the phone and toss it on the couch then flop down beside it. I can’t sleep, though. My head is high on daily fuck sessions, a lot of overnights with Tales, and the high of two days from now when I’ll be standing on the stage. Just three months ago, we were an opening act, and now we are going to be the main fucking attraction.

I stand up and pace the floor for what must be an hour before the guys walk in behind Xavier.

“All right.” He claps his hands and rubs them together. “We have an announcement. Change in plans. Our opening act shit the bed, which caused a big fucking headache last night, but we pulled off one hell of a hat trick. You all remember Stevie Danielle? Kick ass rocker chick who didn’t get shit for attention she deserved because of her old man’s fucked-up career?”

“Yeah, her old man was a douchebag. Talented as fuck, but didn’t know how to take no for an answer,” River says, cracking open a Red Bull. “Four women came forward, claiming rape, and everyone rallied around him until she stepped up with missing security footage from their Beverly Hills house. Yeah, who the hell doesn’t know the story? She got shunned by the industry as a whole.”

“Well, she’s gonna open for STD, and—”

“X-man, I don’t think that’s a good idea,” I say, feeling my head start to spin.

“I disagree.” Taelyn walks in, throwing a file on the table. “Your band’s name pegs you as a bunch of irresponsible hot boys in tight pants who want to ‘spread around your disease’.” She air quotes the hell out of it. “She has a huge following in the women’s liberation community, and if they will rally behind you, you’ll sell more tickets so we can get the rest of this year booked up.”

“I still don’t like it,” Finn says nervously.

“No? If we sell out ten more stadiums, you’ll each walk away with about seven hundred fifty thousand dollars in income. If we sell out twenty, everyone’s gonna follow suit, and you double that.”

“I think it’s a terrific idea.” River laughs. “Millionaires, can you imagine what—”

“Now it’s an even worse idea,” Finn grumbles. “You’ll end up so fucked up—”

“He’ll be fine,” Billy says then gives Finn a nasty-ass glare.

“X, you should know something about Stevie Danielle.”

He gives me a look like spill it.

“I fucked her,” Finn confesses. “Seven years ago, I fucked the chick, and I wasn’t even legal. I don’t want that bitch around.”

“She violated you?” Taelyn gasped.

“Fuck no. I violated the hell out of her and her ass, but—”

“All right!” Xavier yells, pointing a finger at Finn. “Watch your tone with my wife.”

“Xavier Steel.” Taelyn laughs loudly. “You are all about violating—”

“Irish, don’t you even go there,” he warns her

Finn stands up and walks to the door. “She’s a fucking cunt.”

River gasps and looks at Taelyn, and she starts laughing and throws her hands in the air. “Did I lose my honorary brass balls over night? Stop acting like I’m made of glass, guys.”

“I’m gonna have to say I am on Finn’s side here,” I say louder this time because my opinion doesn’t seem to matter right now.

“Why? Because she’s a cunt?” Taelyn laughs.

“Irish, you shouldn’t say shit like that.” Xavier looks at her sternly.

She smirks.

“Okay, remember when I went to the woodshed in Tampa?” I say a little too loudly, and they all look at me. “I came back with “Bang Bang”?”

Finn walks back in, leans against the door jamb, and crosses his arms over his chest. “You fucked her, too?”

“I didn’t just fuck her; I violated every orifice that woman had. I don’t trust this one fucking bit. She’s fucked two of us.”

“Every orifice?” River asks inquisitively. Finn and I both nod. “Well, hell, I say keep her. I’d like to test those waters, too.”

“Keep your dicks in your pants, and it’ll be fine.” He hits a few keys on the keyboard. “Her assistant, Sonya, is driving sales.” He turns the monitors to face us. “Social media marketing at its finest. We do the show, and you four behave. We are respectful, and we walk away after it’s all done with. I’m not one to ever cry boss, but today I am. Suck it up, and fuck it up, and then it’s off to Texas.” Xavier smirks.

I get in the Escalade, and Finn, River, and Billy jump in. Then I send Tales a message.

Gonna need some down time for a couple days to get prepped for the concert. You good with that?

As long as I get you after the show. <3

I stand in front of the mirror, wearing the tightest tank top known to man, all leopard print and sequins, paired with black silk, boy shorts and thigh-high, six-inch, black leather boots. My makeup is stage-ready times a million, and my hair is blown out, resembling an afro.

I look like a freaking stripper—no, a hooker. I turn and look at my butt. POW! should have a for sale sign on it. Right now, I wish I had on ballet pink. I look awful, and worse yet, I feel awful.

When I found out Stevie Danielle’s band was opening for STD, I was nervous and excited. I couldn’t wait to surprise Memphis, but then Stevie started acting like a diva and changing everything up that we had perfected, and when I say perfected, I mean it. I’m self-critical about everything.

My phone rings, and it’s Memphis, so I answer immediately.

“Tales, are you coming tonight?”

“Of course I am. Wouldn’t miss it for the world,” I say, hoping he doesn’t catch the hint of sadness in my voice.