In a couple of jerky strides, we arrived at the men’s restroom. He shoved me inside, following right behind me.
Pissed, I wheeled around. No one got away with manhandling me.
We squared off in the middle of the black-and-white checkered floor between a bunch of urinals and sinks. The couple of guys we’d interrupted wisely zipped up their flies and got the fuck out of there.
Arms stiff, his hands in fists, Dizzy lowered his chin and glared at me. “You are not brokering a deal on the group’s behalf that excludes my sister.”
“You’re right. I’m not.” My eyes were as bright as his, a ball of fury burning inside me. I could see my reflection in the mirror over his shoulder. How dare he question me about my group?
“Huh?” He shook his head. “I think I misheard you.”
“You only heard what Vanessa said. You missed my part. I’m in the process of negotiating with her and the rest of those arrogant fuckers out there.”
“All three major labels want us?” he asked, his expression changing from anger to incredulousness so fast, it was almost comical.
“They want us, but not Lace.” When he frowned in response to my explanation, I said, “Before you get all huffy, you should know that’s not what I want.”
Dizzy studied me a long moment. Seeing the truth as well as hearing it, he relaxed his frown. “Good.”
“Not exactly. But I’m working on it.”
The higher their offers rose, the twitchier I got about refusing them. After all, wasn’t money in hand better than none?
I could take a deal and keep Lace with me. We could live large on the money they were already offering. The problem as I saw it wasn’t really them anymore, but Lace.
Would she agree to stay with me if she wasn’t in the band?
• • •
Lace
War was acting weird, and so was my brother. The A&R reps were nice, though. Staying this time after the show, I played my role, supporting my boyfriend and discovering that schmoozing with the music reps wasn’t so bad. They paid for our food and drinks. But the later it got, the less supportive I felt.
“You okay?” Bryan slipped into the empty space beside me at the bar.
“Yeah, why do you ask?” I shifted on my bar stool to face him. Well, as much as I could. War was on the other side of me, his hand clamped on my thigh as he talked to the rep from RCA.
“I dunno. I guess I got worried because of what you said earlier.”
“Just feeling the stress,” I said, downplaying my mood.
“Test is tomorrow?” he asked, but I think he knew.
“Yes,” I said, my stomach knotting.
“Morning or afternoon?”
“Eight a.m.” I made a face.
“You should go home. Get some sleep.”
“Yeah, but . . .” I shrugged. Truthfully, I didn’t want to leave and risk a repeat of the argument I had with War the last time reps were interested in the band.
Nodding knowingly, Bryan reached past me, his chest a compelling wall of hardness as he thumped War’s bicep to get his attention.
“What?” War frowned at him, but Bryan took it in stride.
“I’m gonna take off. Get Lace to her place. She’s got the SAT in the morning, remember?”
“Okay.” War shifted and laid a heavy one on me.
Taking what he gave, I placed my hands on his chest, feeling his whipcord muscles flex as he tongued my mouth deep. I got into it. Even with Bryan and the rep probably watching, I was disappointed when War abruptly ended it.
“Good luck.” Lifting his head, War gave me a slow grin.
“Huh?” I blinked at him, my mind completely scrambled.
“Good luck on the test tomorrow.” War extracted my hands from his T-shirt. “I’ll meet you after. Take you out. You’ll kick ass on the SAT, and if this loser from RCA ups Black Cat’s offer, we might have more than just your test-taking prowess to celebrate.” He hooked a thumb over his shoulder where the rep was sitting.
The guy from RCA smiled at me, but I didn’t return it. Something was off about him and his smile. Not that I would share. War hadn’t asked for my opinion.
“Ready?” Bryan held out his hand.
Nodding, I placed my hand in his and wobbled when I hopped off the bar stool. Not because of the kiss from War, or from my stiletto boot heels slipping on the stamped concrete floor, but because of the electrical current shooting up my arm and through the rest of me,