Page 41 of Strum Me

Chapter Sixteen

Emily

There are women everywhere. Just everywhere.

Crowding around the signing table, filling the aisles, jammed into the entrance, and spilling out into the mall.

“Fucking hell,” I mumble under my breath, as I watch the band charm their fans from our spot behind the counter.

Dennis had set up a meet and greet for fans at the local music store owned by an old friend of his. I’m not really sure who was doing whom the favor. The store was definitely getting their fair share of sales of the band’s albums.

“Oh, Jez! You’re so bad!” We hear a high-pitched voice dipped in syrup float toward us and I see Hailey grit her teeth. I turn and see the voice’s owner move down the line and reach over and pat Sebastian on the arm. He just grins at her and hands her the autographed CD liner notes.

“Ugh, how do you stand it?” I ask Cadence.

“Stand what?” she replies, eyes still fixed on her fiancé.

Hailey stares straight ahead but squeals, mimicking the fans, “Oh! Sebbywebbypebbyboo! You are like soooo my soulmate!”

I have to laugh at the spot-on impression. I guess she’s been around it enough to have it down pat.

Cadence just grins and says, “Hailey, stop hitting on my fiancé, you know we’ve talked about that!”

“Bitch!” Hailey splutters and reaches over and pinches Cadence on the arm.

“Wha?” I ask, sure there’s a story in there somewhere.

“Long story—I used to think Hailey was after my man, but I chased her off,” Cadence explains.

“Not to mention he doesn’t have what I like!” Hailey cryptically adds.

“What’s that?” I ask.

“A pussy,” Hailey answers.

I choke on my breath. “Wha?”

“Never mind that. Back to me being the best girlfriend ever,” Cadence cuts in.

I try to swallow my surprise at Hailey’s revelation and return to questioning Cadence. “Yeah, how are you not over there just glaring at every woman flirting with him right now?”

The three of us focus our attention on the guys again. Just at that moment Sebastian winks at Cadence and wiggles four fingers at her.

She giggles and wiggles four fingers back at him before he grins and then goes back to signing his autograph.

“I dunno, because of stuff like that, I guess,” she says, her cheeks a soft pink glow from the attention from Sebastian.

“What was that?” I ask, not sure if I want to know the answer.

“That was a reminder of last night and what’s coming tonight,” Cadence says, wiggling the four fingers at the two of us.

Hailey looks at me and shrugs, before her face makes it clear it’s dawned on her.

“Four..? Oh. Ew! You guys are sex addicts,” Hailey exclaims, but her eyes widen almost in admiration.

“Yes,” Cadence sighs, “that helps, too. But seriously, the flirting, it’s just a part of his job. I thought it was going to be hard, but since we’ve gotten together, I’ve never felt I needed to question the trust I have in him staying monogamous at all.”

“Even after everything they’ve done?” I say, referencing the very well-documented lifestyles of the guys in the band.