I have a pretty good idea and shudder at the thought. My dads had a few friends who got tangled up with some North Beach boys and were lucky to come out of it with their lives -- even if they never walked the same again.

"Frank, I know I'm your manager in name only--"

"Girl, I think you proved yourself today," Savory says. I shrug but he's not wrong, either.

"Okay, but listen. This can't happen again. How long have you been betting with the mob?"

Frank looks lost, like a little kid who can't find his way home. I actually feel sorry for him. "I swear to God, I didn't know. I just thought he was, ya know, a bookie."

I goggle at him. "How can you not know a Vegas bookie is almost surely connected? And why on earth would you bet more than you can pay? Don't you know what these guys do to deadbeats? I do and it's not pretty."

He breaks down in sobs and crumples to the couch, his shoulders shaking with the shame he feels. The frustration I was feeling a few seconds ago vanishes.

"Frank, you're addicted to gambling, aren't you?"

His silence is all I need to continue.

"You need help. As the band's manager, I'm going to tell all four of you that you shouldn't do another thing until Frank gets his demons under control. Your entire career depends on it. If you don't believe me, just think about what you could have done with the ten grand that you're going to give away in a few hours. Or what would have happened if we didn't get it in time."

As that sinks in, I sit next to Frank and wrap a comforting arm around his still-shaking frame.

"I'm so sorry," he whispers, sniffling back tears.

"Frank, we're all here for you. It's done and we're going to move on, isn't that right, fellas?"

Agreement all around.

"Tomorrow we'll head back to San Francisco and find you a good program, okay? But tonight..." I look up at Drax and grin. "Tonight, we celebrate!"

Taking my cue, Drax whoops loudly and slaps Frank on the back. "Drinks on me, buddy!"

Jake whoops even louder in response. I can't help but think he'll be the next one to need a program.

Everyone files out in front of us, and as soon as they step off the bus, Drax pulls me back and growls in my ear.

"Not you, sexy. I've got other plans for you..."

Oh God.

The moment the door closes, Drax spins me around and devours my mouth with his. Our tongues don't just meet, they collide. We're desperate for each other and can't hold back our hunger any longer.

Heat throbs through Drax's leather pants and ragged tank, burning his name on my soul. No matter what happens after tonight, I know Pepper is right. I'll never forget what is about to go down. In fact, I'm sure I'll remember it many, many times in the coming years, when I need a little...inspiration.

Already, the pressure is building inside me. One wrong -- or should I say 'right' -- move and I'll explode standing here with my ass pressed up against the little kitchenette. From the rock hard bulge pressing into my tummy, I'd say Drax is at about the same place.

I break our liplock and gasp his name, breathless with need. His gaze bores into me and, for a moment, I think he's going to bend me over the dinette table and take me like a caveman.

Fine by me!

Instead, he takes a deep, ragged breath and pulls me toward the bedroom, never allowing the electric connection between us break. Drax sits on the edge of the bed and pulls me between his thighs, his hands holding on where my corset ends and my hips begin.

I'm vaguely surprised that I'm not trying to wriggle away so he won't feel the bulging there. But not once since I met him have I ever felt anything but sexy in front of him. How is that possible when I've spent my entire life criticizing my curves? When Drax buries his face in my overflowing cleavage, I forget about all of that nonsense and focus on him.

My fingers drag up his shoulder and get buried in his thick, dark hair. Inch by inch, he uses his tongue and occasionally some fingers to tease each of my breasts out of the confines of the corset. When they finally pop free, I almost come.

Sparks zing between my nipples and my core, and his lips are doing such wonderful things to them that I can barely stand up. Only Drax's strong grip keeps me where he wants me, in the perfect position to bob from one tip to the other, suckling and nipping me ever closer to the edge.

"God, I've wanted to do this all fucking day," he mumbles between nibbles.

His fingers tuck into the waistband of my leggings and gently tugs them down over my rump. I'm desperate to shuck off my clunky boots and finish slipping out of the leggings but he won't let me move. His mouth clamps harder onto a nipple and his hands hold me fast.

"Ahh," I cry out at the delicious combination of pleasure and pain. I spasm and pant and focus on not collapsing into a puddle of goo. I can barely catch my breath thanks to the corset, but it somehow only heightens my senses.

Softly and slowly, his hands massage my butt, rolling the leggings lower and lower until they hit the tops of my boots. I know better than to try to help, now. Besides, he's doing quite well, as far as I'm concerned.

I'm so distracted by what his lips are doing to my breasts that I don't even realize one of his hands has slipped around to my front. Only when one thick finger slicks along my opening, do I gasp and lurch into him.

"You're killing me, Drax," I breathe as I clutch onto his shoulders for support.

He shoots one of his patented evil grins up at me. "La petite mort. That's what they call an orgasm in France. Means 'the little death'. And darlin'? You ain't seen nothin' yet."

With those words, he abandons the girls and drops to his knees. Before I can so much as take a breath, his face is buried in me and all I can do is mewl like a kitten.

His tongue is like a lance, licking and stroking my throbbing nub until I'm at the precipice. "Drax," I whisper over and over, barely even able to do that much. He responds by spreading my ass cheeks and sending a fingertip in to explore the dark side of my moon.

I gasp again as lights sparkle behind my eyelids, swirling around like a galaxy. A galaxy on the verge of collapsing in on itself...or of having its own big bang.

I lose track of what he's doing and focus on the sensations. My entire body feels like a gigantic rocket, ready to be shot into space. All my synapses are firing and with one more flick of his finger, Drax has lit my fuse.

A low moan starts deep in my throat and grows louder as it claws its way out of my mouth until its a scream of ultimate release. He clutches me tighter, probably to prevent me from falling, or maybe just to lap up each drop of my desire.

As the spasms die down, Drax eases me down onto the bed and I fall back in utter bliss and exhaustion. I swear it takes several minutes for me to recover my senses, and when I do, I realize that Drax has never stopped touching me.

My boots and leggings have magically disappeared, though I'm still strapped into the corset. I reach back to begin the long process of unlacing it but Drax stays my hand.

"Leave it," he growls. God, I love his growl. I love that I make him growl.

The corset severely limits my ability to move freely, so I'm basically at his mercy. Yummy! I lay back and watch as he undresses for me.

First the tank goes flying into a corner, revealing his beautifully defined and intricately tattooed muscles. My fingers itch to pet the pretty but it would take a crane and possibly a wizard to get me upright enough to take advantage. Soon enough...