Savory agrees. "Totally. She shouldn't be working for someone like him." He pauses a beat, then ads, "Should she, Drax?"

My gaze bounces between the two men as they have a silent conversation with their eyes. I'm not liking this one teensy bit. My spidey-senses are tingling, and not in the fun way.

After an eternity of meaningful looks, an evil grin forms on Drax's perfect lips. "I couldn't agree more. And isn't it convenient that we find ourselves without a manager? Lauren, how would you like to join our team?"

What on earth is he talking about? "I think the roofies made you loopy. I don't know the first thing about managing a band."

"It would just be temporary, till we find a permanent replacement. Besides, you didn't know anything about producing a rock show this morning."

"And look how well that turned out!" Then something clicks in my head. "Wait, how did you know that?"

His evil grin turns even more evil. "I have my sources. Now whaddaya say? We gotta get on the road if we're gonna make the Vegas show, and we need to make that show. You in or are you out?"

I'm floored. One of the hottest bands on the west coast is asking me to be their manager. Anyone else in my position would jump at the chance, but I'm not so sure. I can't just hop on the bus and leave town without saying goodbye to my dads, can I? Papi would probably wail for a week. Pepper would understand, probably encourage it, but still...

Drax's smile softens. Taking my hand in his, he pulls me into his arms. Right there in front of God, the band and every roadie in town! The weirdest part is that it feels like coming home. I sigh and rest my cheek on his chest.

"Come on, Lola," he whispers into the top of my head, just loud enough for me to hear. "What do you have to lose?"

Oh, maybe just a little thing called my heart, but how can I say no? Especially when every cell in my body is screaming DO IT!

At my nod, he squeezes me tighter and buries his face in my hair.

"Lola?"

"Hmm?" I reply, deliriously happy.

"Why do you smell like peanut butter?"

Rock With You

What the hell am I doing? This isn't like me. I'm the girl who started preparing my college applications when I was a freshman, not the one who went to wild parties and made out with the star quarterback. I'm the dependable one. The one who thinks everything through before committing. So how in the world did I end up on Roadkill's tour bus headed for Vegas and why am I so excited about it?

Holy crap, I still can't believe this is happening to me. It's like a whirlwind picked me up from my dads' record store and plopped me down in the lap of a scorching hot rocker. Tough life, right?

Okay, so I'm not really in his lap, but Draymond 'Drax' Maxwell is without a doubt the sexiest man I've ever met in real life, probably the sexiest man that ever walked the planet, and I'm cuddled up next to him on the band's bus and he has his arm draped over my shoulders. I need to say that again just to make sure it's real: He has his arm draped over my shoulders!

Sigh...

I suddenly have a newfound appreciation for those girls who made out with the quarterback.

"You're gonna love Vegas, Lola," Drax says, his fingers tracing tiny circles on my arm that make all my bits tighten. "I plan on showing you a very good time."

My skin heats up at the insinuation, especially since he says it right in front of his bandmates, but it doesn't make me want him any less. I hardly know the man but the attraction between us is an inferno. The one kiss we've shared was the most intense experience of my life -- sexual or otherwise -- and I'm desperate to discover what making love to him is like.

Of course, it's been so long I'm a little worried I'll forget where everything goes. When I called Pepper just before boarding Roadkill's bus, she laughed at my fears.

"Lo, you'll be fine, trust me. Just take notes for me, m'kay?"

I hope she's right. Not about the notes part, but the other thing.

"Drax, why do you call her Lola?" asks Savory, the bass player and, from what I can tell, Drax's best friend. "You know her name is Lauren, right?"

Jake, the guitar player, bursts out into drunken laughter, his red-tipped spikes bobbing merrily. He started drinking beer way early and really doubled down after the concert was cancelled.

"Yeah, like dat time in Shheattle. Man, dat chick was piiiiished!"

I don't know these guys very well, but even for for metal-head rockers, that kind of comment seems crass. I'm probably just being a delicate flower or something. But then Drax leans across the tiny aisle and snatches Jake's half-empty bottle from his lax fingers, so maybe it wasn't just me being sensitive.

"I think that's enough for you, my friend. We've got a show tomorrow, remember?"

Jake looks like he's going to argue but then leans back into the black leather couch and drifts off into oblivion. Frank has a beer, too, but he's not wasted like Jake. He looks pretty surly, though. More surly than usual, that is. Boy, I need to get a handle on these guys if I'm going to be their manager, temporary though it might be.

"Her dads call her Lola," Drax explains to Savory. "I think it suits her, don't you?"

Frank spits out a mouthful of beer. "Her dads?"

I can feel Drax's body stiffening and I can't deny that the 'knight in shining armor' thing is mighty attractive, but I've been fighting this battle my entire life. No need for anyone to get mad.

"Yup, I have two fantastic dads who are married and live in the gayest part of San Francisco. Like, they could not be any gayer if they tried. I love them for it, and for raising me to be a smart, caring and strong woman."

Frank looks thoughtful for a second, then nods in acceptance. "Cool. Where's your mom?"

Dammit. I should have known that was coming next, but I've spent so much of my life trying to not think about her, that it always takes me off-guard. "Um, she wasn't really a part of my life."

"Oh, was she a surrogate? Cuz I've heard that's a thing."

I smile uneasily, not at all comfortable with the direction the conversation is taking but I also don't want to make a big deal of it. "Nope, I happened the old-fashioned way. But no one wants to talk about their parents having sex, am I right? Besides, she's dead. Now tell me about this gig in Las Vegas."

Savory, bless his heart, takes the hint and pulls out his iPad, rattling off the details of tomorrow night's -- actually, it's closing in on two in the morning, so that should be tonight's -- concert. It's at one of the most popular concert venues in town and will be quite a feather in the band's cap. It's not a casino, but a 4,500-seat hot spot on The Strip is nothing to sneeze at.

"Wow, that's quite a coup to get booked there," I say. "I'm no expert, but doesn't that place mainly book big names?"