Alvin shakes his head and mouths “ignore him” behind Garrett’s back. “You look lovely.”
“Thank you, Alvin.”
“Yes, she’s coming with us.” Chaser’s warning tone can’t be mistaken. He strides into the room, shirtless and still buckling his belt. “What’s your problem, Garrett?”
“Nothing, we’ve been waiting. You said you’d be right down.”
Chaser’s mouth quirks as he catches my eye. “Yeah, had to take care of something first.”
My cheeks heat up, but I can’t tear my gaze away from him.
“We know,” Jacob shouts, strolling through the doorway. He nods at me. “Could hear her shrieking like a banshee a block away.”
The heat from my face spreads down my neck. “W-what?”
Garrett doubles over laughing, while Alvin just shakes his head.
“We thought it was an earthquake at first.” Jacob points at the ceiling. “Except all the noises and shaking were coming from above.”
Chaser’s expression darkens, but he casually slips on his shirt and moves closer to me, curling his arm around my waist. “I know you’re unfamiliar with the concept, but those are the sounds a satisfied woman makes.”
Frowning, I shift my gaze Chaser’s way. How is that helpful?
Jacob doesn’t seem to detect the threat in Chaser’s tone. I’ve always assumed Jacob was the kind of kid who needed to be electrocuted a few times before he’d stop sticking his fingers in the electrical socket.
“Well, maybe next time, you should invite us up for a little education.” Jacob smirks.
Garrett and Alvin fall silent.
“What did you say?” Chaser’s low, threatening tone wipes the smile off Jacob’s face.
“I’m just fucking with you.” Jacob lifts his chin at me. “Mal knows I’m kidding, right?”
Sure, this is the face of a person who’s in on the joke.
“Stop being a dick, Jacob.” Alvin moves between Chaser and Jacob. “Are we going or not?”
“Yeah, let’s go.” Jacob jerks his head toward the door. “Although Garrett and I talked about checking out Seven Sins instead of The Palace.”
Chaser stops moving. “I thought you wanted to have a laugh at Wishing Well?”
“I don’t mind,” I whisper to Chaser. “It’s fine.” Sure, Seven Sins is a strip club. And more than one person has suggested I apply for a job there since I arrived in Hollywood. According to Vickie, the girls are stunning, and it’s where most of the local bands find their future wives.
“Worried Bongo will offer Mallory a job?” Jacob punctuates his obnoxious question with a laugh.
“Let’s just go to The Palace like we planned,” Alvin pleads. “Rich is always asking us to stop by. You know he’ll set us up with a private table, free food, and drinks. Seven Sins ain’t giving us shit for free.”
“Good point,” Garrett says. “Free gets my vote.”
While Alvin diffused the situation for now, I’m still not reassured as we head out into the night.
Chapter Twelve
Mallory
By the time we make it to The Palace, my feet are killing me. The line to get inside runs down the block. I glance down at my sleek silver heels and say a quick prayer for my pinched toes.
“I can’t believe anyone lines up to see these poseurs,” Jacob grumbles.
The hunk of muscle manning the door scans the crowd. He stops on our party of five and waves us up front.
“Good to see you.” He high-fives Chaser. “Wish you guys were on stage tonight,” he adds in a lower voice.
“When it’s time to hire a bodyguard, the job is yours, Robbie.” Garrett slaps the bouncer on the back.
“Fuck that. I’ll do it for free right now. You going on tour soon?”
The guys glance at each other. “We have a few things lined up.”
“You know where to find me.” He tips his head and nods. “Evening, Miss Mallory. You’re lovely as always.”
“Thank you, Robbie.”
He raises his hand and whistles, sending hand signals to someone inside. “Go on. They’ll set up a table for you.”
Jacob and Garrett head straight for the bar.
“Don’t let them get too fucked up,” Chaser says to Alvin.
“Mallory!”
I search the crowd for whoever called my name. My gaze lands on the girl I’d met at the audition the other day.
Thankfully, the club’s too loud for anyone to overhear my groan.
“Hey, Pamela!” I raise my hand and wave back.
She struts over, wearing what appears to be a painted-on silver mini-dress that barely covers her crotch. A tall, shirtless, tattooed man is glued to her side. She drops the man’s hand to lean in and air kiss both of my cheeks. “I thought that was you.”
I paste on a fake smile and force some polite enthusiasm into my voice. “Good to see you again.”
Pamela runs what I can only describe as a predatory gaze over Chaser, then tugs the man at her side forward. “This is my boyfriend—”
“Andrew Lane,” Chaser sticks out his hand. “Big fan. Vicious Vandals at the Troubadour was the first show my buddy and I saw when we moved out here. You’re a beast on the drums.”
“Chaser Adams.” Andrew shakes Chaser’s hand with violent enthusiasm. “Been watching the rise of Kickstart. I dig your style, man. You’re like one of the last genuine bands on the strip these days. You have some amazing riffs.”
I’ve never witnessed Chaser tongue-tied or starstruck before, but it takes him a few seconds to mutter a quick, “Thank you.”
Obviously, this guy’s band is a big enough deal to make Chaser drop his usual air of cool.
“Mallory Dove.” Andrew’s gaze slides over my body. “‘The Candy Jar’ girl.” His deep, silky voice can easily be heard above all the noise. “You could be Pammy’s little sister.” He rubs his hand over his chin while he continues his slow eye-fondle.
I really wish I’d worn a sweater like Chaser first suggested. “Uh…
Her raises one suggestive eyebrow. “Have you been to one of our shows?”
I cast a nervous glance Chaser’s way. I don’t want to insult this guy I just met who Chaser seems to have a lot of respect for. While I’ve heard of Vicious Vandals, it’s not like I’d go out of my way to see them live or anything. Or be able to pick their drummer out of a crowd.
Andrew’s eyes linger on my face. “Nah, I definitely would’ve remembered you.”
“Not yet,” I answer lamely. “Sorry. I haven’t been out here long.”
“That’s cool.” Andrew waves his hand in the air, like it’s no big deal, which at least helps me feel less stupid.
Truthfully, as handsome as he is, Andrew’s personality reminds me of a goofy puppy. Although, as I run my gaze over his tall, lean, muscled, heavily inked frame, which he clearly enjoys showing off, I can’t stop thinking about what Pamela said about other parts of his anatomy.
“We definitely need to catch Kickstart’s next show.” Pamela smiles up at her boyfriend sweetly. “Since they’re basically the new and improved Vicious Vandals.”