Stripped Love (Guys Next Door #1) - Baylin Crow Page 0,61

bands. My eyes popped wide. "You do his tattoos?"

He guffawed. "Fuck, no. That guy's a prick. But, ready? Drumroll, please!" He laughed to himself, and my brow furrowed as he beat against the wall with his free hand. "His drummer is my client."

Oh, ha. Drumroll. I got it—but I wondered if my uncle was attempting to work on Dylan's jokes as well. "Wow, I didn't know that."

"Yeah, I got that." His lips twitched at my expense. "Anyway, you know how these guys get talking in the chairs—their mouths run and they overshare. Well, when I was giving him his…sixth tattoo?" He shook his head and frowned. "Seventh, I think."

"Dylan," I said impatiently.

He snapped out of the fog clearly clouding his brain. "Right. So, Gage told me Drake had dried up and isn’t writing new material. He's going through a rough patch, or something, but he’s been stubborn about bringing in outside songwriters. Gage said the whole band is frustrated." He shrugged. "But you never know. I don't mind giving him a call and seeing if they are interested in at least looking at it."

The offer was more than tempting. It could be the biggest break Phoenix could hope for in the industry, but that song was written for me. It was private. Or at least it was before Dylan stole it. I chewed on my lip as I weighed the situation. "I don't know."

"Does Phoenix still want to do this?" Dylan asked as he flicked the paper, and I flinched as if I'd felt the sting.

"Of course he does, but—"

"No buts," he rudely interrupted. "You should let me give it a shot."

As if it was that simple. I was torn. If sharing Phoenix's song that was meant for me had even the slightest possibility of giving him the career break he'd once wanted so badly he'd lived and breathed it… I sighed. The indecision was giving me a rare case of anxiety.

Dylan examined me closely. "I'll make this easy for you, okay?" He set the paper on the counter and pulled out his phone, angling it to take a picture. I didn't stop him. My shoulders slumped as I gave in, accepting Phoenix might hate me for this. "Listen, Arch. No one is going to see this other than my nosy ass and the band if Gage says they're interested. These lyrics don't fit Drake's brand, but he might be intrigued because honestly, they flow similarly to how he writes. If he can get off his high horse and consider outside talent…" One shoulder lifted. "If not, the words end there. Drake, Gage…none of them will even know who you and Phoenix are."

"You swear it goes no further?" I peered at him, searching for any trace of a lie.

"Yep, that's how it works. Yes or no, and then it's over." I snatched back the paper when he held it out to me. Quickly refolding it, I slid it in my pocket. "Besides, there is a ninety-nine-point-nine percent chance nothing comes of this. Like I said, Drake's a stubborn dick. But best case scenario, he's interested, and Phoenix gets to work with one of the biggest bands in the world."

My phone buzzed on top of the counter, and I leaned over to check the screen. My heart sped up when I saw it was from Phoenix. Sometimes, I was convinced he had a direct line to the butterflies swarming in my stomach.

"Fine," I relented, and Dylan grinned.

I wasn't sure I was making the right call and knew I should ask Phoenix first. Maybe I was afraid he'd say no, and a big break would slip through his fingers. And I didn't want to get his hopes up when the odds of anything happening were so low.

"Awesome." Dylan stuffed his phone back in his pocket. "I'll let you know what they say."

I nodded just as the door chimed and a guy oozing emo vibes walked into the shop.

"Come on back, PJ. I'm ready for you." Dylan waved the guy back. They disappeared behind the curtain, leaving me wondering which piercing the guy was getting. An involuntary shudder ran through me as an unwelcome mental image flashed of a large needle stabbing through the tip of my dick.

Remembering the text from Phoenix, I grabbed my phone with shaking hands and swiped the screen.

Phoenix: Can you pick me up? I'm getting out of here early and my car is giving me problems.

My brow furrowed. Phoenix was working his boss's birthday event tonight and shouldn't