"Me too!" Meg said with a giggle.
Pia laughed, surprised. "Have you always been a songwriter? What made you want to add that talent to this album?"
Meg blushed. "For our first album, I think that Zoey and I quickly realized that Billie and Domino are forces to be reckoned with when it came to creativity. We kind of let them push the ship off the shore, so to speak, because they're so talented. And I think that for this album, we had that solid foundation to give us the confidence to lean into different roles."
Pia smiled. "I can't imagine a group of more confident women," she said, and the audience burst into applause.
Zoey watched as Meg, Billie, and Domino lit up with smiles.
Why was she so off her game?
"And Zoey, we knew you were good with your hands," Pia started, but then paused, her eyes widening.
"Oh?" Zoey answered quickly, her eyebrows raising.
Domino burst into loud laughter, Meg quickly following suit.
Pia laughed, holding a hand over her eyes. "Oh my gosh, I can't believe I just said that." She threw herself back in the chair as laughter shook her shoulders.
The audience laughed along with her as one of the producers sat on the edge of the stage, shaking her head, but she had an amused expression on her face, at least.
"Holy shit," Domino said, laughing, holding her stomach.
Even Billie was trying to suppress a grin.
Zoey tried to maintain her cool and casual air by leaning back and grinning mischievously, giving a small shrug of her shoulders. Her cheeks warmed with a blush she hoped wasn’t too obvious.
"Okay, Kell, we're going to cut that, right?" Pia said, turning to the producer.
The producer shrugged. "Guess we'll have to, P-Dogg,” she said dryly.
Pia shook her head. "Ugh, I'm sorry," she said, still laughing and wiping at her eyes.
"It's okay," Zoey said, and then she comically winked at Pia. Winked! Like some saucy minx!
Pia laughed again.
Domino looked between Pia and Zoey as if recognizing something — her eyes squinted just slightly, and her brow dipped, as if she was concentrating.
"Okay, let's back up," Pia said. She straightened her posture on the chair. "Oh my gosh, what were we even talking about?" She asked, turning back to the producer.
Fifteen minutes later, they were on the side stage, performing.
Zoey felt at home behind a keyboard. She had chosen really cute boots to wear under flared velvet pants as though her usual aesthetic was "Mick Jagger and Stevie Nicks had a love child."
"And I ain't some girl in your DMs," Billie sang, shaking her head. "You can spy my heart through a prism."
It was a fun, upbeat, sassy song that really set the tone for the new album. Where Heart's Content was an album that lay bare the emotions of the Rush sisters, Kaleidoscope was a chance to delve deeper into the ever-changing and ever-emerging thoughts and emotions and psyches of all of the band members.
Zoey made the slight mistake of glancing over to see Pia watching her intensely as she played the last few notes of the song. She had no smile on her face. She simply watched with the stare that made Zoey feel as though she was her prey. Zoey swallowed, trying to focus. She was usually so zen when performing, as though she was in a trance. But it was just like Pia to throw her right off.
She finished the last note of the song relatively unscathed, and the audience stood, cheering and clapping.
Zoey's face split into a smile of sheer relief.
"That was The Shrikes. Their album is out everywhere on June 29th," Pia announced as the producers signaled a commercial break.
Pia joined the group on stage, shaking their hands.
"That was so good," Pia said enthusiastically, patting Domino on the shoulder. Pia pulled Billie into a warm hug.
Even Meg was all smiles as she shook Pia's hand.
Zoey was the last to join the group, walking slowly in her heeled boots. Pia took her hand, holding it firmly. Then, as if holding the woman's hand wasn't bad enough, Pia reached and put her arm on Zoey's shoulder.
"Gorgeous," Pia said, her expression unreadable while her eyes felt as though they were seeing straight through Zoey’s body and into her soul. "See you tonight, then?"
Zoey balked. "What?"
"At the ranch. For dinner?" Pia said, leaning in close to be heard.
Zoey blinked, nodding mutely.
"See you then," Pia said, turning to walk off the stage.
Back in the green room, Zoey reached for a bottle of cold water and began chugging it.
"So, care to fill in the group?" Sabrina said, crossing her arms.
Zoey turned to see all of the women in the room watching her.
"What?" She asked, as though she had no idea what Sabrina could be talking about.
"Why was I getting Pia and Zoey vibes out there?" Meg asked.
"No way," Vero said, shaking her head. "Pia's just affectionate."
Zoey nearly laughed, but took a deep breath through her nose to avoid it.
"Yeah, I was getting a strange signal on my gaydar out there," Domino said, wrapping an arm around Sabrina's waist.
"Well, your gaydar needs to be recalibrated," Zoey said, forcing herself to stay calm and not rise to the occasion. The last thing she needed was to be taunted about having a crush on a woman. And they would taunt her, relentlessly. They were bad enough when it was a guy she was dating, but if they had even the tiniest inkling of her feelings...
She straightened her posture. "Projecting much?" She asked Meg with a wink.
Meg laughed. "In my dreams!" She said.
"Same," Vero said, and when Billie's jaw dropped, Vero shrugged. "What? I have eyes, Wilhelmina."
Chapter Four
Pia
Pia watched as her housekeeper, Jenny, opened the door to a large group. She was standing in the sunken living room of her home, which she affectionately called The Ranch. It was a sprawling 70s estate tucked into the Malibu hills.
After Elle died, she was desperate to move into a new home. It felt wrong to be in the home they had shared together, where she had found Elle dead. It was the style of home that Elle would have despised, and so, in a way, it was the perfect place to mourn her. No room for her ghost in a home she wouldn't have liked in the first place.
She had been looking forward to that night ever since seeing Zoey in the green room that morning.
Jesus, that woman was undeniably gorgeous. It was actually unfair how beautiful Zoey McCarren was. Her amber skin and glowing brown eyes... It wasn't Pia's fault that when Zoey was around, she was completely absorbed in whatever magic surrounded Zoey.
It was her fault that she was unashamedly choosing to act on it, though.
Zoey McCarren was a straight woman.
But that never stopped Pia before.
She almost laughed at the thought. It had come to her like she was some great seductress.
Dream big, Marino.
The women filtered in, Billie and Vero, Domino and Sabrina, Meg and a woman she didn't recognize but who had a New Zealand accent, and Zoey with Micah.
Pia gave them all hugs now that they were in her home — which was definitely not just an excuse to touch Zoey again. The lesbian world was a small one, but it wasn't so small that she couldn't make new friends. She didn't know why she hadn't thought of it before, really.