URGENT (Book 2 of the Soundcrush Series)

Chapter 1: Bad Girls Don't Believe In Love

June...the very same night of  Chapter 1 in Epic

Soundcrush plays the Fox Theatre in Atlanta

Mac

My brother Leed is one of the world's hottest rock stars, but he's a dumbass.

He's signed me up for an account on Tinder-Select. I had no idea there was an invitation-only version of Tinder for the rich and famous, but somebody told Leed about it. He had a brilliant idea for his PA to get me an account and make me a profile.

Unfortunately, Leed feels the need to personally take charge of hooking me up.

The problem is, my idiot brother doesn't even know how to use Tinder.  Why would he? He's Leed Lawson, the Lion of Soundcrush. He definitely doesn't need help getting a date.

Anyway,  I keep telling him "no" in response to celebrity profiles and he keeps swiping right at the wrong time.

"Goddammit Leed—did you just swipe right on Mayhem?"

"Shit-sorry! But maybe that's not a bad thing. He's talented as fuck, and you actually have a lot in common with Mayhem. You both have anger issues, you both mumble when you rant, you are both from the ATL..."

"Give me that," Tamara snaps, reaching across for his phone. She wraps another foil deftly in my hair and thumbs pictures. "Ooooh, Mac, how about a Rockefeller? He's cute." She shows me the picture.

"Will you both stop?" I say. "I don't need Tinder."

"Mac, you kinda do," Leed says, lounging sideways in the other stylist chair. "You don't date. You just occasionally take a lucky fan to your room."

"Hello pot, meet kettle," I snark at my brother. "You also sex strangers, when nature requires." And occasionally Tamara, but I don't say that, cause she's my friend.

"Yes, but that's not the only way I spread the love. I have a beautiful, sweet and loyal bed-buddy I can always turn to for mutual affection," Leed smiles adoringly at Tamara. My brother holds a warm, fuzzy fondness for his first, even after all these years. "Speaking of sex with you, beloved Tams, it's been a while." Leed rubs his stomach, and winks at her. "What do you say? Me and you for the weekend, like old times?"

Leed is perfectly blunt about his casual relationship with Tamara, because he's crazy. At least Adam had enough sense to keep our shit private, until I blew our shit out of the water, with an epic fuck-buddy implosion last spring.

"Mmmmmm...ask me after the show," Tamara says as she paints my hair. Tamara doesn't mind that Leed publicizes their friends-with-benefits status because she adores him, but not in the love-of-my-life kind of way. More like a girl likes her little fluffy white dog stuffed in a Louis Vuitton.

I sigh. I wish I could make the friends-with-benefits thing work with Adam. I wish I could be as open as Leed. Or that Adam could be as chill as Tamara. But Adam and I suck at friends-with-benefits, and I can never figure out why.

I mean, I like Adam.

A lot.

And I like having sex with Adam.

A lot.

So that should be the perfect friends-with-benefits situation.

We kept messing it up. We tried it three times.

The first was before the band made it. That time was good;  it lasted a long time. Then it went bad in those early months in LA. But then we tried again, on our first tour, and then again in Portland last spring. We could never figure out the right...distance.