© 2014 Elise Carter No Curtain Call All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, without express permission by the author. All rights for the book cover image go to the rightful owner.
I know there are a lot of 'rock star' romances out there, usually consisting of cocky assholes and all that stuff. So, that makes this story kind of cliche, but I have always wanted to create a rock star story, so I'm going to do it. Thank you guys for all of your support.
No Curtain Call features an extremely annoying, using lead singer to a band called the "Lady Killers." I'm going to do my best to make him really, really rude and annoying. I always end up softening my main male characters to mold to the female's dream, so I'm going to do my best to change that now. Here you go! I hope you like their... dysfunctional... love affair. ;)
P.P.S. I'm sorry for the errors in this chapter. It is unedited, though I first wrote it in 3rd person POV, then I didn't like it, so I rewrote it in 1st person POV. Sorry for the mistakes! ;)
***
Just to let you know, her name is pronounced On-ya.
***
Chapter 1
I stumbled through the suburb, my heels catching on small potholes in the road. I giggled hysterically, glancing at the huge houses for no reason. Through my eyes, everything was blurry. The world seemed to sway beneath me, and I burped, wincing as I smelled a bitter scent in the air. It was the alcohol I had consumed earlier that evening.
I bit my lip, glancing around. Fear settled in the pit of my stomach, noticing that the houses had an ominous glow that offset the dark evening sky in the background. I furrowed my eyebrows, and tried to remember why I was here in the first place.
I giggled again when I realized why I was alone. My friends, Gene and Holli, ditched me at the bar earlier that evening. They found a hot pair of twin brothers, and left me for their newest conquest. They had barely glanced at me and told me where they were going before the left me to fend for myself.
Some friends they are, I thought, but the words seemed to drift away into the darkest corner of my mind and I couldn't remember any more. When they left, I sat at the bar, and spilled my guts to the grungy bartender while downing shots of alcohol. I even told him the reason we had come out to the bar in the first place. It's a fucking sad story, if you asked me.
Earlier that day, at work, I had gone into my boyfriend's office to give him a little taste of his birthday present. I was really excited about it, and I really wanted to surprise him. I had dated Sean for the last five years, and I was finally going to give in to one of his fantasies he had begged her to fulfill. I was reluctant when he mentioned it, but I was ready to do whatever it took to make him happy.
I walked into his office earlier that day, but my eyes widened as I opened the door and looked inside. I found my boyfriend with his hands tangled in a coworker's platinum blonde hair, and she was kneeling before him as he sat in his cushy office chair. She was sucking his dick.
I covered my mouth in horror, trying not to make a sound, as I watched the woman work on him, her head bobbing up and down as he thrust into her mouth. Sean threw his head back in ecstasy, showcasing a face reserved for me. Or, so I thought was reserved for me.
The words he said next echoed in my mind for hours afterwards. "Suck it harder, Willa. You know how I like it," he groaned as she deep throated him. The slurping sounds coming from her mouth soon became too much to handle, and it became painfully clear to me what was happening. My boyfriend was cheating on me, and judging by his words, had cheated numerous times, with God knows how many sluts. And now, I was watching this whore give him a blowjob, and I was too shocked to make a sound.
My eyes widened and my mouth opened to speak, and I forced voice to work. "How could you?" were the only words I could get out at the moment. It came out soft, and I shook myself to continue in a louder voice. "You bastard," I bit out, louder.
Willa stopped bobbing her head and unwrapped her mouth from Sean's dick, her mouth making a popping sound, which sent a knife through my gut. I felt my gut sinking, my heart breaking, and a headache forming all at once. I had loved him and he was doing this. Willa turned to face me with a smug sneer on her sickeningly pretty face, and Sean's gaze soon followed hers.
"How could you?" I asked again in a harsh, unforgiving tone. My hands clenched at my sides and I felt the tears form at the back of my eyes. I blinked them away, shaking my head in anger so he wouldn't see how much this affected me. I didn't want to seem weak, though I definitely was. "Never mind," I said slowly, and the world seemed to move around me in slow motion. "I don't even want to fucking know," I swore.
Sean stumbled out of his chair, pulling up the black slacks that had bunched up around his hairy ankles. "Anya, wait," he called out to me, buttoning up his pants in a flurry.
I closed my eyes, already scarred enough, and I turned to walk out of the office. I silently dared Sean to follow me.
"An, wait," he said, running to catch up to me.
My gut twisted painfully as he used my nickname. I never should have allowed him to use it. "What should I wait for?" I turned back to him, seething in anger. "Wait for you to spew lies, and somehow tell me that what I saw was a mistake? That it wasn't what it looked like? Because I think you know that won't work on me," I growled. Where was the man I fell in love with? "I've got all the proof I need." I wanted to punch and yell and kick him, but I froze as Willa strolled up behind him, pressing her breasts against his right arm as she trailed her fingers down his chest, which was left bare from the unbuttoned shirt he wore.
"I love you," Sean called out to me. I scoffed as he continued. "Please come back, Anya, baby, we can work things out."
"Love me?" I bit out the words, rolling my eyes. "You obviously don't know the meaning of those words. Maybe you slut can help you figure it out." I continued, "But I highly fucking doubt it." I spun around to walk away.
Sean reached out to roughly grab my upper arm. I bit back a cry as his meaningless words rushed out of his mouth. "I. Love. You," he enunciated each word desperately.
I knew that he didn't mean the words. I could not, would not, be his doormat any longer. "Stay away from me, Sean," I growled, glaring at him. "If I ever see your face again, I swear to God, I will castrate you where you stand," I threatened.
Sean let go of my arm, seeming to remember that I always made good on my threats. For the past five years, I had made threats when I was angry, and I always kept them. Now, I wanted nothing to do with him, and it was all his fault. He brought his on himself, and I couldn't care less about what he chose to do after I left, as long as he never talked to me again.
"Come back," he called after me as Willa pressed her breasts against his arm even harder, obviously trying to entice him back into his office where she could finish sucking him off.
I turned around, and I didn't bother looking back.
At the end of the day, I handed in my resignation at the company where I worked. That was probably stupid, I know, but I could easily find a job somewhere else. I could no longer bear to be in the same building as my ex, and I know that was childish, but... it just hurt too much to look at him. I cleaned out my office immediately, ignoring the incredulous stares of the people who worked near my cubicle. While I walked out of the building for the last time, I got a glimpse of Sean standing outside his office door, watching me leave, and Willa, with her manicured hands wrapped around his waist, hooking into the loops of his pants.
Once I got out of there and packed my old, beaten truck, I immediately drove to the small bakery where my best friends worked. I tried to be strong, but as soon as I saw their worried faces, I burst into tears. "H-he cheated," I cried out, my hands flying up to cover my face to hide my shame. How could I be so stupid to not see what was in front of me? All those nights when Sean called me to let me know he would be working late, or whenever he went out and he came back with a gift, like flowers or chocolates. It was to cover up the fact he was actually cheating behind my back.
Gene furrowed her eyebrows and rushed to my side to pull me into her arms and comfort me, and Holli rushed over to the door of the shop, twisting the sign around to say "Closed". They gathered around me as I stuffed my face with pastries from their shop, and listened as I spilled my guts, telling them everything about what I saw.
They tried to cheer me up, saying that they would take me to their favorite bar so I could find a hot guy to have some rebound sex with. I was hesitant, knowing that I wouldn't be able to have sex with just anybody. I felt like I had to know them on a personal level, like I had with Sean, but I gave in anyway. When Sean and I had sex, I found that I wasn't really ever turned on, not like what women supposedly felt like in the harlequin novels I read when I was alone. But Sean was my first, and I hadn't been with anyone else. Maybe a one night stand would do me good?
Now here I was, stumbling through a neighborhood of houses, completely intoxicated. I came across a familiar house, and after recognizing it, I stumbled my way up to the doorway, hoping to find another person to help me and tell me what I did wrong to deserve Sean's adultery. I rang the bell, "Knock knock," I called out drunkenly, barely recognizing myself. When no one came, I started ringing the bell to the beat of a song that was suddenly stuck in my head.
"I dug my key into the side of his pretty little souped up four wheel drive," I sang, my ears ringing and my voice slurring. "Carved my name into his leather seats." In reality, I would never have the nerve to do something so rebellious, though Sean deserved that and more. "But he don't know," I called out, sinking to the floor with my back pressed up against the large, white door of the house. I couldn't remember the words beyond 'leather seats', so I kept on repeating myself over and over. "I dug my-"
My drunken solo was interrupted by the sound of the door being unlatched and opened. I cried out as my back had no support and I fell back against the hard floor. "Ouch," I hissed, wanting to get up but I was too weak to even move anymore.
"Anya?" An familiar, authorative voice called from up above my head. I glanced up, seeing his worried face, and grinned for no reason. I vaguely remembered his face, but I couldn't put a name to it right away. "Aw shit," the man at the door cursed, and bent down to pull me into his arms.
His warm, familiar scent engulfed my senses and I recognized him immediately. "Nicky?" I slurred, and felt him sigh in relief. "Nicky, I think I'm drunk," I giggled, my head tilting back from my laughter.
"Anya, why are you drunk?" He growled in frustration. I sensed the confusion in his voice, and I turned to face him, tears welling up in the back of my eyes at his harsh tone. When he saw my reaction, his eyes softened. "Anya," he whispered in worry, "What the fuck happened to you?" He asked the question with horror evident in his tone, and I furrowed my eyebrows in confusion. The pain had gradually dissipated with each sip of alcohol I took, and now I was almost completely numb. It was comforting. I didn't want him to ban me from the alcohol.
"I'm fine," I said harshly, though I obviously wasn't. I moved to scramble out of his arms, though my limbs were heavy, and I tried to stand on my own. I couldn't stand for even a second before the world spun around her and I felt myself falling.
I heard Nick curse under his breath and he caught me before my head hit the floor. He lifted my small body into his arms and hauled me up the stairs. I bit my lip, glancing at him worriedly. "I broke up with Sean," I slurred, my eyes shutting on their own accord. A tear slipped out of my eye and ran down my cheek. "Nicky, why am I so stupid?" I opened my eyes again, looking for his reaction.
Nick narrowed his eyes on me, looking at me in confusion. "An, you're one of the smartest people I know," he said, kicking open a bedroom door with his foot.
"Then why did I not see it?" I cried out as he sat me down on the bed. I curled up, pulling my knees to my chest and pulling the covers up around me. "How did I not see what was in front of me?" My heart was broken, the ache spreading through my body, and I wanted it to stop. The alcohol seemed to help, but I seemed to be sobering up to the real world again, and the pain intensified.
Nick sat on the edge of the bed, rubbing my back as the tears streamed from my face as I thought about Sean. "See what?" He asked cautiously, not wanting me to continue crying.
"He cheated on me," I cried out. "I caught him with his dick in her mouth, in the office!" I rubbed my eyes, my hands coming away blackened from my mascara. "I'm such an idiot," I hissed.
Nick shook his head, lifting his hand to tuck stray strands of hair behind my ears. "No, baby," he murmured as I continued to cry.
"She had her mouth wrapped around him," I repeated myself, slurring my words. "The bastard."
"Want me to go out and kill him? You know I will," Nick murmured, and I heard the hate blatantly coming out in his tone.
"No," I chuckled softly, amid my tears. "I already threatened to castrate him." I looked out of the corner of my eye, not meeting my brother's worried gaze. "I gave him everything I had," I continued sullenly as another lone tear crept down my cheek. "He was my first. I loved him."
A small smile formed on my face as I felt Nick cringe beside me. I knew he wanted to hear about my romantic affairs just about as much as I did, which was virtually nonexistent. I continued though, knowing that Nick would listen, and I needed to get my feelings out. "He wasn't even that good looking," I stated, staring off into space, picturing the bastard's face in my mind.
Nick nodded beside me. Sean had scars on his face from bad acne in his adolescent years, and a large, bulbous nose, and squinty, cunning eyes. I couldn't even remember what I saw in him. But I had known him for five years and loved him. It was easy to look past his flaws if he looked past mine, I guessed.
"He wasn't even that big," I continued, thinking about the sex. "And he wasn't even gentle my first time. It hurt a lot, not like I thought it would be, and I can't see what the big deal about sex is. It was so painful," I said, tears forming at the back of my eyes again. He said he would take care of me, but he was still rough, and I didn't even get off. Our first time, I wasn't even turned on. But Sean had shoved himself inside me anyway, leaving me to cry out in pain. When he finished, and pulled out of me, he was actually disgusted by the trace of blood I left on the white sheets. But I loved him, so I stayed. Now, I wish I hadn't.
Trying to get my mind off the bad memory, I glanced over at Nick with a devilish gleam in my eye. "He wasn't as big as you."
Nick choked on air and blushed furiously, remembering that I had seen him one evening. About a month ago, I had forgotten to knock on his bedroom door and I caught him changing after a shower. I haven't let it go, and Nick is always embarrassed by it.
"Don't be like that," I murmured, reaching up to ruffle his head in a sisterly way. I rested my head against his bare shoulder. He was obviously sleeping before I came. He had just thrown on a pair of jeans over his boxers, and even left the top button unbuttoned in his haste. "It was cute. You were so embarrassed," I joked. "I would have thought you wouldn't be so... shy, now that you're a big shot."
Nick just rolled his eyes at me, wrapping an arm around me to pull me closer to him. It was true, though, about his ego. It was a bit blown now that he was the newest member of a famous rock band, called the Ladykillers. Genius title, I know, but they had a worldwide fan base, and I have to admit, they were pretty damn good. Next week, Nick is going on tour with them and he has to leave me here, in Brooklyn, all by myself.
"Wait, what about work?" Nick asked me, and I sighed.
"I... um... quit," I answered him in a timid voice. I knew Nick was going to blow about this.
"You quit?" Nick asked incredulously. "Over your ex-boyfriend? Anya, our parents raised us better than that," he lowered his tone. "They wouldn't want you to run away like that."
I furrowed my eyebrows. "I know, Nicky. But... I can't stand to see his face anymore." I closed my eyes and willed my tears away. "He hurt me so bad," I continued. "My heart literally hurts to think about it."
Nick sighed, pulling me into his arms. "I'm sorry he did that to you, sis." Nick pressed a kiss to my forehead and held me tight. "Hey, I have an idea."
I looked up at him hopefully. "What?"
"Well, I happen to know that the band has an extra bunk on the tour bus. I could ask them if you could tag along. Although, you would have to pull your weight," he warned me.
I gently pushed him away. "Nicky, you can't do that. You're the new guy, you don't have that much authority. You could get fired or something," I tried to reason with him.
"It wouldn't hurt to ask," Nick tried to persuade me.
I shook my head. "I know, but I don't want to impose or something."
"I'll tell you what. In the morning, I'll contact the guys and tell them I want them to meet you. Tomorrow night, we're doing a couple of sets at a nightclub. You can meet them then, and if they agree, you can come on the tour."
I bit my lip. I had to admit, the offer was tempting, but I didn't want to be a burden and I sure as hell didn't want Nick to lose his job. He had worked so hard to finally get a gig with a band, and he got extremely lucky with the Lady Killers. I would hate myself if I was the reason he lost his job.
"You like it, I can tell," Nick stated, looking at me hopefully.
"Okay. I've decided," I said. "If they want to, I would be delighted to meet them. It is completely up to them, and I don't want you to dwell on it for too long. I don't want them to be annoyed."
Nick's face broke out into a smile. "Awesome. I'll give the guys a call in the morning."
"Don't ruin this for yourself, Nick," I warned. "Don't worry about me."
"It'll work out," Nick assured me.
I could only hope.
***
I woke up the next morning with a pounding headache. "Aw, fuck," I cursed, clutching my stomach and running to the bathroom. I heard Nick come in behind me, and he held my hair back as I emptied my gut into the porcelain throne.
"And my sister does the walk of shame. Is it bad that I'm actually feeling pride at this moment?" He teased, but I sensed actual pride in his voice.
"Are you serious? I have a pounding headache and an upset stomach and you're proud?" I rasped, wrinkling my nose at the bad taste on my tongue. "Some brother you are," I muttered under my breath, then turned back to the toilet as my stomach heaved again.
"Yeah, some brother I am," Nick said, wetting a washcloth with one hand while holding back my hair. He wiped my forehead and I groaned at the cool water on my heated skin.
"Some brother who endures the stench of your drunken vomit," he said as I heaved again.
"Holds back your hair," he said and I grabbed the washcloth from him to wipe my mouth. I was feeling a little bit better now that the alcohol was out of my stomach. I stood up, clutching the counter of the sink for support. Nick left me after seeing the worst part was over, coming back a minute later with a glass of cool water and Advil.
"Gives you pills and water for a migraine," he continued, handing me the items. "Small sips," he warned as I took the pills. Once I set the glass back down, I turned to him. Nick looked at me and gently grasped my shoulders, massaging them.
"Yeah, some brother I am. I'm just some brother who gets you a chance to go on tour with the Lady Killers," he smirked, unable to hide his happiness.
"What?" I asked in excitement. "Are you serious?"
Nick nodded, his grin widening. "You're meeting the guys tonight at the Devil's Lair."
"Awesome!" I said, resisting the urge to jump up and down like a little girl. Too late, I did. I jumped up and down, clapping my hands.
Nick got a worried look on his face, and I realized why. The water I had swallowed threatened to come back up, and I immediately turned to heave into the toilet again. Behind me, I heard Nick swear and open the door. "I'll go get more pills."
I raised my eyebrows, before realizing that I had heaved up the pills along with the water. I groaned, swearing that I would never drink again.
***
I held onto Nick's hand as he led me through the nightclub. The title certainly was fitting, "The Devil's Lair". The place entirely decorated in black leather, with the pillows and carpets colored red. It certainly looked like a sexy version of hell. Towards the back wall of the club was a large stage, where a band was setting up. I looked closely, noticing it was the Ladykillers. I recognized on band member, Vance, setting up his bass. The club wasn't open yet, it would open in about half an hour, but Nick brought me early to meet the band in person.
"That's Vance Beale," I murmured in Nick's ear.
"I think I know that, sis," he grinned at me. I wanted to smack myself. Of course he knew who he was, he worked with the band full time. It was just my nerves. I wasn't used to meeting famous people.
Nick led me up to the stage, where he proceeded to call out to Vance. "Hey, Vance!"
I cringed, tightening my grip on his hand. I was starting to think this was a bad idea. I looked up on the stage, where Vance had set down what he was doing to come meet us on the edge. "Hey guys," he smiled genuinely. He was tall, or at least he seemed tall from our standpoint. His dark colored skin contrasted with a plain white t-shirt he wore, and I saw his muscles buldge underneath. He was massive, and even though he looked intimidating, one look of his face assured me that we would get along just fine. He seemed like a kind person.
Vance offered out a large, calloused hand to me, and I took it, letting go of Nick's hand. Vance hoisted me up onstage, catching me as I started to fall off balance. "Careful there," he winked, then reached out to help Nate get up there.
Seeing them stand next to each other, my eyes widened as I saw how much they were different in appearances. Vance was almost twice the size of Nick, and had a good six inches on him. Nick's hair was dirty blonde, like mine, and his eyes were green and glittered like emeralds under the stage lights. Vance, on the other hand, had a close buzz cut that left a little bit of black hair on his head, and his eyes were like black orbs.
Vance led us backstage, where there were two more members. I recognized them as Colton Beale and Ren Hanna. They were lounging on two couches, watching... oh, goodness. Moans quickly filled the room, coming from the TV, and I closed my eyes to prevent myself from watching any more. "Beale?" Vance asked as we came into the room. I glanced at Nick, who was just as stunned as I was.
Colton jumped off the couch, reaching for the remote to flip it off. But he stumbled it, accidentally turning up the volume of the station he and Ren were watching. Even louder moans filled the room, along with a young, desperate voice. "Please, daddy," her voice sounded throughout the room, "I want to come so bad!"
Colton quickly found the right button and turned the damn TV off. "Sorry, V," he answered, flushed, glancing up at us. His pale eyes widened in embarrassment when he saw I was there. "I'm so, so sorry," he said, more to me than anybody. He ran a hand through his white blonde hair, clearly distressed. "Damn," he cursed under his breath, looking down at himself. We all looked at him, and the remains of an erection in his pants. He blushed furiously and held a pillow over himself to cover it up.
A wolf whistle from the opposite side of the room distracted us. We turned to face it, and I saw Ren walking up to me, not bothering to cover up the hardness in his pants. "I'm not sorry," he said with a devilish grin on his face. Now it was my turn to blush, as he took my hand in his and raised it to his lips to kiss it. "I'm Ren. May I ask what the lady's name is?"
"My sister." Nick said sternly, and Ren raised his eyebrows at me. "Anya."
"Oh, so you're the sister we've heard so much about," Ren continued, ignoring the warning in Nick's tone. Looking closer at Ren, I could see that he was tall, about six feet, and he had a glorious tan that glowed on his body. His hair was a dark brown, along with his eyes, and it wasn't hard to guess that he had Indian heritage. All of the members of the band were extremely good looking.
"Good things, I hope," I said politely, gently pulling my hand back from his grasp. It wasn't hard to guess that he was flirting with me, but I wasn't ready for that. And plus, seeing that he was watching porn when we walked in, I don't think that he was great relationship material.
"Of course," Colton answered behind me. I whipped around to face him, now almost completely surrounded by handsome men. Excluding my brother, or course, though even I had to admit, he was easy on the eyes. "Smart, beautiful, talented," he said, raising my hand to press his lips to it.
"Single?" Ren asked from behind me.
I took a step back, away from both of them. I didn't want to make them angry, but I just... didn't want to get into this again. "Uh, yes," I answered. I didn't see the point in lying.
"Guys, lay off," Vance said in my defense.
"She's not one of your groupies," Nick said, grasping my shoulders from behind.
"Ah, whatever man," Ren answered, turning around to walk back to the couch. "I know, I know. You already warned us this morning. 'She's not to be touched', and all that shit."
I turned around in Nick's arms, shocked. "Nick! I told you not to do something stupid."
"Does that mean you want to be touched?" Colton said, placing his hand on the small of my back.
Though I was covered, wearing a plain black v-neck t-shirt and black skinny jeans with black converse, I still shivered at his touch. What can I say, I like black. I turned to face him, realizing that I was going to get dizzy if they kept spinning me in circles like this. "Well," I said, unsure of how to answer that. "Of course I do," I decided to say. I heard Nick choking behind me, as well as Vance patting his back, trying to get him through it.
"Don't give him ideas, An," he rasped, still coughing.
"An?" Ren asked, cocking an eyebrow.
"My name is An-ya." I stated, raising my eyebrows at him, wondering how he couldn't understand that.
"Catchy," Ren smirked, showing off his dimples.
"Where's Acton?" I asked suddenly, and all four men around me groaned in pain. Ren slapped is forehead with his hand and Colton buried his face in the pillow he had held in front of his erection. "What did I say?" I asked curiously. Did they hate Acton or something?
"Dammit!" Colton yelled into the pillow, and Nick came up behind me and grasped my shoulder, patting it to assure me.
"We thought you were different!" Ren groaned, pinching the bridge of his nose.
Vance came out from behind us to face me. "Guys, stop your moping in groaning. Maybe she is different from the others."
"Aw, whatever man," Ren said like a small child. In fact, the only grown-ups in the room seemed to be Vance, Nick, and me.
"Would someone tell me what's going on here?" I asked. It was a simple question!
Colton lifted his head from the pillow. "You're interested in Acton. Well, I can tell you this, you should back away very, very slowly. He's a player, and he breaks all the girl's hearts."
"Interested in Acton?" I asked. This was so confusing. I never said I was interested in him. "I'm not interested in Acton," I stated, furrowing my eyebrows in confusion.
"You're not?" Even Vance looked at me questioningly.
"Of course not!" I felt like yelling at them to get it through their heads. "Nick told me I was going to meet the whole band. So, I'm just wondering, where's Acton?" Ren and Colton's shoulders slumped in relief, and Nick and Vance left me to take their seats on the couches. "You guys were that worried?"
Vance looked up at me to explain. "We're sorry, Anya. It's just that, whenever we have a woman come on tour with us, regardless if she works for us or not, she ends up sleeping with Acton and messing things up. They usually have a secret agenda to sleep with the world's most famous Lady Killer. Literally," he held his hands out as if to say, What can you do?
"Well, I can assure you that I don't have a secret agenda to fuck your lead singer," I swore, ignoring the men's shocked stares as they watched me use harsher language. "But where is he, anyway?"
Ren pushed himself off the couch, motioning for me to sit wherever I'd like. "Let me go check the tour bus. He might be holed up with a woman already, so don't be disappointed if he doesn't come out."
I sat on one of the chairs, narrowing my eyes on the men. They immediately started conversing with each other, betting on whether or not Acton would come.
"I've got a hundred that he completely ignores Acton," Vance bets, slamming a Benjamin on the table.
"Fifty that he comes," Nate bets. He looks at me apologetically. "Sorry, sis, but if he's with a woman, he doesn't come out for anything."
"Two hundred that he doesn't come," Colton bets, slamming two hundred on the table. We all raised our eyebrows at him, and Colton just shrugged arrogantly. "I know my best friend, alright? No matter how charming this lady is," he gestured toward me, "he isn't gonna come out even if you offered him a million fuckin' bucks."
"We all know he can finish up within a matter of seconds," Nick protested in his defense.
"But will he?" Vance questioned, looking between the two of them. I had now become almost invisible as they got into a heated argument about Acton. Soon, the conversation shifted.
"One-fifty that she has fake tits," Colton tossed the money on another pile. He had a smirk on his face, as though he already won the bet.
"Hundred that she comes out in a bra and thong," Nick bet, throwing a Benjamin onto that pile. I glared at him, angry that he would throw away money like that over something so petty and unimportant, but he didn't notice my heated gaze. I cringed as he said the words crudely, as though he didn't care that she would look like a whore if she came out like that.
"Fifty dollars she's a blonde," Vance bet, throwing it onto the stack. He relaxed against the couch, stretching out his long legs and crossing them at the ankles.
I furrowed my eyebrows, wondering how they could be so crude about Acton's love affairs. "You guys are horrible," I said in Acton's defense.
All three men turned to me with their eyebrows raised. "Don't bother defending that man-whore," Colton tried to assure me. "It's hopeless, and you haven't even met the guy yet. You don't know him like we do. And we aren't horrible," Colton mocked me and winked at me suggestively. "We're incorrigible."
"You haven't seen all of the girls that come out running and crying from his room in the evenings," Vance told me.
"I was kind of angry about it at first," Nick told me, looking at me with sympathy. "But I soon accepted that the asshole would never change. Now, we just try to entertain ourselves with the games he plays with people's heads. Just don't let him mess with yours," He finished in warning.
And so, within the first twenty minutes of meeting the band, it became crystal clear that they all revolved around Acton Black, the lead singer and head of the Lady Killers. Thank goodness I didn't have a thing for bad boys.