Right after that, his left hand cupped my ass again.
As soon as the pictures were taken, I stepped forward and crouched down to wish Grace happy birthday again.
We hugged, then she hugged Sasha, Rae, and Jess.
“Can we do presents now?” Grace yelled.
“Yes!” Lisa said.
“You go inside,” Don said to his wife and daughter. “I’ll be right in.”
I noticed that Sasha, Rae, and Jess had worked their way down the sidewalk.
Don touched my wrist. “Hey, princess, keep the dress and wig. Lose everything else. Name your price.”
“Excuse me?” I asked.
“Don’t fuck with me,” he said. “You’re desperate for cash. Or else you wouldn’t be doing this. Give me a price. I’ll give you an address. You show up and let me do whatever I want.”
“You’re a fucking pig,” I said.
“Where the fuck are you going in life like this?” he asked. “Do your job. Take the money. Then bend over and beg the king to fuck you.”
I pulled my hand away and hurried toward the SUV.
I didn’t even take the wig or dress off.
I dove into the backseat and slammed the door.
It took everything in me not to punch Don in the face. And cry.
“You okay?” Jess asked me.
“No,” I snapped. “I need a drink. More than one.”
“I wish,” Sasha said. “I have to get home.”
“Me too,” Rae said. “Date night.”
“You mean fuck night,” Jess said.
“Same thing,” Rae said.
“Just drop me off at a bar then,” I said.
“Are you wearing that inside?” Jess asked.
She smiled.
I turned my head.
Don was gone.
What a scumbag.
Sasha started to drive.
I felt confused and dirty.
I felt disposable.
Everyone just wanted to use me and leave me.
* * *
I told them I was going home.
Which I did.
That part wasn’t a lie.
Now, staying home?
That part was kind of a lie.
I didn’t want to be home. I didn’t want to sit around or pace my bedroom.
I couldn’t get it out of my head what had happened with Reed. That was all my fault. I got drunk and felt like texting him. I got into a car and told the driver to take me to his place. I got sick right there in front of him and had no choice but to sleep in some random bedroom in his massive house.
The fact that Reed didn’t say anything to me left me way uneasy.
He was going to save it.
He was going to wait and keep that tucked to his chest and then break it out at the worst possible moment to use against me.
Between that fact and all the other questions I had about this song I was singing on, I needed some answers from the world of FILTHY LINE.
When it came to Reed, that part was a little bit easy…
I stood near my bedroom door and licked my lips.
Hey Reed. I just wanted to apologize about what happened. I went out to celebrate singing with the band and had a little too much to drink. I shouldn’t have showed up at your place like I did. If there was any property damage, please let me know so I can pay for it. That was highly unprofessional of me and I will make sure it never happens again. I hope you understand. Thanks.
I had never sent such a serious text message in my life.
With that done, I left my bedroom.
As I walked through the apartment, I heard the sound of someone gasping for a breath.
The first time I heard it, it scared the hell out of me.
But it was just Valerie working on some kind of new breathing technique. She told me it would take ten years off her skin and add ten years to her life.
My thoughts?
Just keep breathing.
“I’m headed out,” I announced to her. “Not sure when I’ll be back. Don’t wait up for me.”
“I’m in the middle of my breathing,” Valerie said in a breathless voice. “No bothering me.”
I rolled my eyes and exited the apartment.
Two steps later my phone buzzed.
It was Reed.
Wow. That was well thought out. Property damage? My driveway was poured with a rare form of blacktop. To clean it properly, it’ll be about fifty grand. I’ll take cash, please.
I hurried to get outside and waited for my ride to pick me up.
Haha Reed.
I sent the text.
A set of headlights came around the side of the building.
I made sure it was my ride, the correct driver, then I climbed into the backseat.
I was going to Ungro.
Just to have a drink or two.
Reed texted me again.
You asked. Pay up.
I ignored him.
The rage I felt inside my stomach and chest…
He texted me again.
You could just not be stubborn and say thanks.
Once again, I ignored him.
Then came another text.
Sweet honey… you must be tucked into bed.
I shook my head and curled my lip.
My fingers moved faster than my brain.
Going out for a drink. Or two. Don’t worry, I won’t need your spare bedroom tonight. I have other plans for a bed.
I sent the text and cringed.
It sounded petty. Almost jealous.
“Shit,” I whispered.
I held my phone tight in my hand for the next few minutes. My eyes staring at the screen. When the screen went black, I turned it back on.
Reed never responded to the last text I sent.
Maybe it was going to be a good night after all.
11
REED
We were all at Jay’s place.
His goddamn castle.
It was so over the top and cliché rock star, you had to love it. And Jay had no problem being over the top about it either.
There were hallways lined with guitars and awards from the band.
The hallway to his bedroom was painted a different color.
The doors to his room were black.
Like you were being summoned to a dungeon in hell.
It was just part of his attitude and style.
Outside, the pool lights gently changed color, illuminating a dozen beautiful, naked women as they lounged in the perfect temperature of the water.
The bar next to the pool was where we were hanging out.
Nash and Dex were itching to leave.
Jay invited Liv and Candice to be here.
And they would have come.
Part of the rock star lifestyle - if you dared to go near those treacherous waters - was to get used to the sex, booze, and drugs. That meant if you wanted to be around us you had to get used to seeing naked women. It took a lot of trust and self-control to be near some of these women and not enjoy their company.
Then again, I was pretty sure Liv and Candice would take a knife to anyone’s throat who tried to get too close to Nash and Dex.
I twisted a shot glass full of whiskey, my mind racing.
“You’re staring at that shot glass like it’s a virgin begging for her cherry to be popped.”
I turned my head and Jay leaned against the bar and grinned.
“Wow. How long have you been waiting to say that?”
“Three years,” he said. He spun around and put his elbows to the bar. “You want to talk about it?”
“Nothing to talk about.”
“Come on, Reed. It’s me. You were a mess in the studio. You played the part perfectly and all that bullshit. But come on… what it is? Do you hate this new song?”
“Not necessarily,” I said.
“I heard a rumor that our best friends are bashing the shit out of us over the song,” Jay said.
�
�Fuck them,” I said. I knew Jay was referring to RAUNCHY RECKS. “Neo and Ven… the others… what the fuck are they going to do? They couldn’t write a song like this one if they had help.”
Jay laughed. “They’ll just slam three power chords together and rhyme ass with grass, right?”
“And pass and class,” I said.
“Fuck Neo,” Jay said. He pushed back from the bar. He played an air guitar. “I smoked some grass before my last class, that I knew I wouldn’t pass, so I got some nice teacher ass…”
I shook my head.
Jay patted my back. With his left hand, he picked up the shot of whiskey.
“Drink this fucking thing and then get in the fucking pool and drink one of those beautiful women there. They’re all for us, Reed. The one in the middle - perfect tits - she told me she wanted to feel how deep your long, bass-player fingers can go…” Jay leaned closer to me. “I heard she loves to… spray her pleasure…”
I laughed. “Jay…”
“Meet you in the pool,” he said.
He put the shot glass into my hand.
He walked away and cupped his hands together. “Tonight is officially squirt night! If you can squirt, you can stay the night!”
I looked at the shot glass.
Then at my phone.
I told myself if I could guess one place where Abby would be right now…
I looked around.
I leaned over the bar and dumped the shot of whiskey.
I shut may eyes and asked for forgiveness from the whiskey gods and then I snuck my way around Jay’s house to my motorcycle.
What the fuck was I actually doing?
I wasn’t sure.
But Abby wasn’t going to text me some professional sounding apology for throwing up all over my driveway and leave it at that.
She didn’t come to my place to punch me in the face.
There was another reason she had been there.
I wanted to know why.
So we both could clear the air.
And then never have to talk to each other again.
* * *
I walked through the front of Ungro with my head down.
The lights were dim enough that nobody paid attention to me.
Someone was on stage singing, so that captured most of the attention.
I made a quick right and went to the opposite side of the bar.
That’s when I saw Abby sitting near the corner.
All alone.
Staring down into a glass of what looked like beer.
It made me pause for a second.
Remember running from the tour bus at like three in the morning with beer? You would take a can and drink it, with your finger hooked through the plastic dangling the other five cans over your shoulder, like a normal woman would do with a pair of shoes or something. We’d put a blanket down, sit there and drink a few beers, look at the stars and talk about life.
I chased the wasted memory away and approached the bar.
I sat down next to Abby and nodded to the bartender.
The guy pointed at me.
I put my finger to my lips.
Please, don’t blow my cover, man…
The bartender gave me a thumbs up.
I pointed to Abby’s glass and he nodded to get me a beer.
“Are you scheming of a way to come up with fifty grand, honey?”
Abby looked at me and gasped.
I’m talking a loud gasp.
She stood up and stepped back from the bar.
“What’s wrong?” I asked.
“What the fuck are you doing here, Reed?”
“Hey, keep it down,” I said. “I don’t feel like getting mobbed here.”
“So all I have to do is announce who you are and you’ll disappear?”
“Yeah,” I said.
“So all I have to yell is that Reed from-”
I lunged from my barstool and gently put my right hand to Abby’s mouth.
I towered over her and stared down at her.
“Now why would you do that, honey?” I asked.
I moved my hand from her mouth. “I’m not in the mood, okay? You see that I’m here alone, right? I came that way for a reason.”
“You going to get up on stage and sing?” I asked.
“No,” she said.
“Why are you here alone?”
“Because I want to be,” she said.
She went back to her seat.
The bartender put a beer on the bar for me.
Then he put a napkin down, along with a pen.
He leaned forward. “Fucking hell, man. I’m a huge fan. You have no fucking idea. I’ll keep the drinks flowing and this side of the bar quiet, okay?”
“I appreciate that,” I said.
“And you don’t have to pay for anything.”
“What about me?” Abby asked. “I’m with him tonight.”
The bartender looked at Abby. “Yeah, sure. You’re on the house too.”
The bartender walked away.
Abby touched my hand. “Thanks, Reed.”
I pulled my hand away. “I came here for some answers, honey.”
Abby laughed. “You want answers?”
“Yeah. Why?”
“That’s kind of ironic, right?”
“How so?” I asked.
Abby lifted one of her eyebrows and shook her head. “Never mind. It doesn’t matter. Believe me, Reed, it doesn’t fucking matter.”
“So tell me why you came to my house. The truth. Not some bullshit reason like you wanted to punch me.”
“That was the reason.”
“You were wasted, honey.”
“Exactly. I was drunk and emotional. You were the first person on my mind.”
I snapped my fingers. “There it is. You just said it. I was the first person on your mind.”
“Not like that. Trust me. Just seeing you again, Reed. You were all messed up. And you were with your whores.”
“Line Whores,” I said. “There’s a difference.”
“Right,” she said. “Whatever you say.”
“So you got drunk and wanted to hit me? What happened to the rest of your barbershop quartet?”
“Fuck you,” Abby snapped at me. “They’re my friends too.”
“How the hell am I supposed to know that?” I asked.
“You’re not. There’s no reason for us to be talking. Why did you come here?”
“To get answers,” I said. “I just told you that. What’s got you drinking alone in a bar?”
“None of your business,” she said.
Abby stood up and grabbed her glass.
She finished the rest of her beer.
She shook her head.
“What?” I asked.
“You know, I was going to talk to Toby about some stuff. But I’ll ask you. What the fuck happens with this song? Do I get paid to sing it live? Do I get paid each time it’s streamed? Huh? It’s my voice. I have the best fucking voice of the three. Without me, you have no fucking song, Reed.”
She was getting angry.
For no reason.
I slowly smiled.
I remembered when she used to get all flustered and angry over something. And she’d ramble forever over it until I would kiss her to shut her up.
No way I was going to do that now.
“Because if you’re going to just fucking use me… fuck you. Fuck you and the entire band. I’m tired of getting used and tossed aside, okay? I know my talent. Do I want to sing in a barbershop quartet thing for the rest of my life? No. But I like what I do. For the most part. I mean, today sucked. But whatever.” Abby waved her hands. “Fuck. I’m making a point here. I want to be paid for my voice. The right way. Not to be used and left and…”
She was beyond flustered.
I slowly stood up.
She looked up at me. “And I’m being serious. You’re good for the money. Don’t think I don’t know you’re rich. And you picked me. So yo
u pay up now. Got it? You… shit… isn’t this the part where you kiss me to shut me up?”
Abby gasped.
She put her hand to my chest.
“I didn’t mean that, Reed. Not like…”
I grabbed her hand from my chest. “Take a breath, honey.”
Abby took a deep breath.
“I have no fucking idea how the legal things work with the song,” I said. “But you want to get paid? Fine. You’re going to get paid. If I have to give up part of my rights to the song, I will. Sound good?”
“I didn’t ask for that, Reed,” she growled.
“Now, what the hell happened today?”
“What?”
“Something happened today. Was it the studio? I had to get in and get out of there. What the fuck did you want me to do, Abby? You showed up drunk and threw up. I kept you alive and fed you. That’s all I needed to do.”
“It wasn’t the studio,” she said.
She backed away.
“Then tell me,” I said.
“No.”
She turned and walked away.
I reached for some cash to pay the bartender.
I didn’t need to drink for free.
I spotted the napkin and pen on the bar.
I quickly scribbled my name and a thanks for the beer.
Then I went to chase after Abby like a damn idiot.
* * *
She was right out back.
Standing against the building with her arms crossed.
Damn near pouting.
I looked at her and it was a crazy mix of emotions.
Memories tried to fuck with me.
Reality was tough to breathe in.
My eyes told my heart to tell my brain that she was beautiful.
My mind responded with no fucking shit… everyone who looks at her can see that.
This wasn’t about looks.
Or the past.
Or her body…
“So something shitty happened to you today and you’re going to hold it in?” I asked.
“Why the hell would I talk to you, Reed?”
“Why not? I’ve been around for a few of your bad days.”
“And you’ve missed quite a few too,” she said, looking at me.
“You didn’t tell your friends.”
“No.”
“Why?”
“It doesn’t matter,” she said.
She pushed from the building and I touched her arm. “Look, honey, I’m not exactly sure what I’m doing here. That text message you sent… so proper, it was bullshit. You’re embarrassed you showed up the way you did. I’ve seen you puke before. I’ve seen you drunk. I’ve seen it all, okay? Right now you look hurt. You look taken back. And you’re a little freaked out over song royalties…”
A FILTHY Enemy: a filthy line novel Page 10