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“Let’s not split hairs. I’m trying to tell you that I located you and when the guys were still panicking this morning, I might’ve told them I found you and that you were probably still sleeping.” He laughed awkwardly. “They were very convincing and you have to take into consideration the power dynamic before you murder me. They demanded the location and I cracked. I think they’re into you. Normal bosses don’t act this way.”
“Sonofabitch.” I glanced up and saw a giant white demon bus speeding down the road in my direction. “They’re coming. Thank you for this. Truly, Jagger. Thank yousomuch for selling me out.”
“Hey! You scared them, Layla. Go kiss and makeup with them or whatever it is you do. They didn’t want the naked girl. They wanted you. Good luck with being in trouble.” He hung up on me just as the bus stopped next to me on the road.
I put my hands on my hips and tilted my head back to let the morning sun soak into my tired body while I waited for the door to open and the guys to come out and do whatever they felt the need to do. Shout at me, I assumed.
Instead, I found myself engulfed in a tight embrace that took my breath away. Xavier picked me up and, while still hugging me tight, carried me onto the bus. “You scared the shit out of us. Fuck, honey. Don’t ever do that again. You never blow Nick off again. Do you understand?”
Mack pulled me into his arms next and he breathed in the scent of my hair while holding me tight. “You don’t even smell like yourself. I don’t like it. I don’t fucking like any of this.”
Then, I was standing in front of Jones. He didn’t try to hug me. His face was strained as he looked me over and nodded. “We owe you an apology. None of us knew that woman would sneak onto the bus last night. That was bad enough, but her cutting your shirt… I’m fucking sorry, Layla.”
“What’s her name?”
He frowned. “I don’t know. I didn’t think to get it. I don’t know if you sue for-”
“She’s been sneaking on the bus to surprise y’all when you play at this venue for years. Besides what she did to my parents’ shirt, she was really nice. Nervous and excited about seeing the men who make her scream like no other once a year. She was even worried about me having to listen to her. Or walk out and see her spread all over the kitchen counter, like y’all seem to enjoy doing to all of your women.” I looked away and swallowed. “As stupid as this is going to sound, I’m offended for her that you don’t even know her name.”
Xavier sank onto the couch and rubbed his temples. “Fuck.”
“Do you know any of their names? Do you even ask?” I dropped my purse on the couch next to me and sat next to it, fully exhausted.
Mack sat across from me. “Maybe we knew their names at some point, Layla, but it was never more than one night of sex with them.”
“Or a repeated date each year.” I pulled my hair up in a bun and sighed. “Have any of them ever mattered?”
“No.” Jones shrugged. “It sounds harsh, but it’s the truth. Not a single woman who crossed paths with us has mattered. Before you. You’re different, whether you believe it or not.”
“You’ll have to forgive me if I don’t believe that out of the hundred, if not thousands, of women who y’all have fucked, I’m somehow this magical unicorn that changed the game. There have been far better and far prettier. Naked girl last night was a great example. She was stunning.” I rolled my lips inward and then blew out a heavy sigh. “Not a single woman has ever mattered and somehow I’m supposed to put my career on the line on the belief that I’m different.”
“We can’t make you believe something if you don’t want to believe it.” Jones crossed his arms over his chest. “You’re not a fucking unicorn, Layla, but youarespecial to us. Maybe to someone else, there are better or prettier, but not to us.”
“He’s right.” Mack held my gaze. “You’re different. But Jones is right about us not being able to make you believe it, too. Our actions sure as hell aren’t doing anything to show you.”
“None of us would touch your career. You’re talented and we’ve been getting the benefits of that talent.” Xavier rubbed his hands down his thighs and then stared down at his palms. “Maybe it’s more than that, though. Maybe you just don’t want us.”
I opened my mouth to argue with him and realized that I couldn’t. It didn’t matter that I wanted them or that the idea of them finding me special made my heart race. I had to stay professional or I risked losing my chance to ever work in the industry again. Mr. Bingham’s threat played over and over again in my head.
Jones grunted. “Perfect.”
“It’s my entire career. If I mess up, I’ll be blacklisted. Mr. Bingham didn’t seem like he was in a joking mood when he made that threat. It’s the career that I’ve wanted since I was five-years-old, watching my parents set up stage lights and shout at drunks to fuck off. I left everything back home to give it a shot in LA.” I stood up and moved towards the hallway. “What I feel doesn’t matter. I’m sorry I scared y’all last night. I just needed a break.”
Xavier looked like he was going to say something else, but Mack put his hand on his friend’s shoulder. “Let’s take a walk to find food. It’s early enough that not many people will be out.”
“Do you want anything?” Jones looked at me and it sucked to see his face go back to looking annoyed.
I shook my head. “I think I’m going to sleep. Thank you, though.”
He turned to leave and then stopped and turned back to me. “Don’t run away again. You scared the hell out of us and you scared the hell out of your brother. You’re fucking lucky we didn’t wake your grandma up in the middle of the night. I can’t imagine your career going all that well if you get yourself kidnapped and murdered. And when Nick gets back from his suspension, you owe him an apology, too. There’s a lot of people that care about you, Layla. Even if you don’t seem to understand that.”
“Nick got suspended?” My stomach sank through the floor.
“Yeah, Layla, he did. He had one job and he didn’t do it. He’ll be back in two weeks.” Running his hand through his hair, Jones stared at me for a few seconds more and then just shook his head and left.
I sagged against the kitchen counter and just stood there for a few minutes. I was so tangled up inside that all I could think was that maybe I’d made a mistake, not in accepting the job, but in sleeping with them in the first place.
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