The Treble With Men (Scorned Women's Society #2) - Piper Sheldon Page 0,64

I’m going to represent you.”

“Represent me?” I managed to ask as I gripped the chair to keep from spinning.

“Yes. You need to go solo. You’re bigger than this place.”

“How so?”

“Touring. Albums. You have the look. You’re sort of ethnically ambiguous but still gorgeous. You’ll be huge. Just imagine being on stage.” He held up his thumb and pointer finger from both hands to create a box around me he looked through. “Your hair down would be amazing—maybe streaks of wild colors, add some curl and volume. Your clothes could be updated, maybe some short skirts, hate to say it, but that’s what sells. You could even get one of those chic electric cellos. I have ideas.”

“Wow. Yes, you do.”

I blinked and the world spun. I couldn’t wear a skirt with a cello. I literally spread my legs and straddled wood. I didn’t like the sound of an electric cello, not for my style. And I couldn’t play with my hair down; it gets caught in the fingerboard and tugs.

He’d clearly put thought into this and he was so excited, but this was all a lot and very fast. Why was it so easy for me to share my feelings with Devlin, while I worried about offending Roddy? “Maybe we can talk about it more later?” I settled on. Maybe I could talk things through with the SWS.

“Let me tell you what I’m thinking for your solo tour.” He pulled out his phone and pulled up a map to show me.

“I don’t know if I’m ready for a tour.”

“When you’re ready. But I’ve already talked to several concert hall managers. My parents have big connections, you know. I say we start there. Stops all around the southeast. Then we start promoting you on social media as we go. You could be huge on YouTube and Instagram. Really sell your image.”

“Wow. This is a lot. I need to think about it,” I said firmly.

“Of course, of course.” He put his phone back in his pocket. “I will take care of you, Yo-Yo, forever. Let me take care of everything.”

“That sounds nice.” And it did.

Chapter 25

Find your influences in all the genres.

KIM

“Yeah but why do the rumors make me so angry?” I asked the group of women around me.

The SWS was at Genie’s for an unscheduled, emergency meeting at my request. The girls were happy to meet up. Country music blared all around us. My voice was hoarse from talking so much all at once. There was so much to tell them. Genie’s was decently packed for a Thursday night. There weren’t a ton of bars in Green Valley that weren’t overrun by bikers. Genie’s was the place to be. Their fried pickles and wings were fuhgeddaboutit.

“It makes you angry because it’s bullshit,” Gretchen shouted back. “Women are told that they only have value if they’re screwable and then when people want to screw them, they get judged for it and labeled things like whore. GAH!” She threw up her arms.

Blithe nodded. “It’s true. Damn if you do, damned if you don’t.”

“Damned if you do it, damned if you don’t do it,” Gretchen said.

“Beauty is totally subjective and superfluous anyway,” Roxy added. Her eyeliner was extra dark tonight, even for her. I made a mental note to make sure she was okay. “Everything is a construct of the patriarchy.”

“True that,” I said.

“And I won’t feel guilty for wanting to be sexy either!” Suzie said with emotion. “I can wear sweatpants, or I can hooch it up. But it’s for me … okay, sometimes for Ford … but anyway.”

Just being here with my girls and venting had already improved my mood.

“Also, it’s a creepy double standard. If it was Barry chosen for the solo, nobody would bat an eye. But because I’m young and objectively not ugly, they assume I’ve used sex to get ahead,” I said, feeling empowered around my girls.

“Not ugly?” Gretchen dramatically clutched a hand to her chest. “Watch out now, Kim’s getting a big head.”

I stuck out my tongue at her. “It just sucks because there’s nothing I can do.”

“So cluck ‘em,” Suzie chimed in. “Listen, as a stripper, I’ve been on both sides. People hate no matter what. Who cares? The people who really care about you won’t judge you.”

“Cheers to that,” Blithe held up her glass and we toasted for at least tenth time that night. Mine was just water, but the feeling was there.

“I know it’s easier said than done though. When you’re the one living it