“No, it’s the number of women he’s fucked or will fuck,” Phoenix reiterates. He throws his head back in laughter. “Asher, stop trying to sugar coat shit for your sister. She is a grown-ass woman. She should know what a body count is. Stop going all Pride and Prejudice on us, Mr. Darcy.”
“I don’t care to know that tidbit anyway,” I assure. “Just eww.”
A smile breaks across my lips. Phoenix’s reference to the classic book written by Jane Austen is pretty clever. I don’t remember if she used words like bedded in the book, but it’s funny as shit all the same. I can’t hold it in anymore. I double over in laughter. Soon everyone is in hysterics. Lily walks in with a puzzled look on her face. I guess our loudness woke her up.
“Morning, everyone. Hmm, something smells heavenly,” she says, walking toward the kitchen.
“Phoenix made omelets for everyone,” I say as I get up to join her. I think I’ll eat now. And make that coffee I was initially going to make. I fill Lily in on my book idea while I look through the K-cups. I find the last Starbucks Vanilla Blonde one while making a mental note to get more the next time we stop at a store.
“That’s a brilliant idea, Harlow. Way to go, girl,” Lily says, congratulating me. “If you’re staying, maybe I’ll stick around a bit, too.” Lily is also taking a couple of classes online. Thank goodness for advancing technology and that you can pay for your own Wi-Fi through your cell phone. Not sure if they have Wi-Fi on this bus, but it seems to have everything else. It would be sweet if it did.
“Thank you.” I smile. “And it would be great to have a female here with me if you could stay,” I add
“I don’t see why not. My parents think I’m still in the dorms anyway,” Lily admits. “But don’t tell Asher. I don’t want him to feel bad. My parents are just a little uptight when it comes to these types of things.”
“Your secret is safe will me. What parent would want to hear that their precious daughter has left school to travel with a rock band?” I laugh.
“True,” she states and joins in on my laughter. Lily is a pretty cool girl. She could never take Irelyn’s place, but it’s nice that I don’t have to do all this without any female company. We joke about strict parents, but truthfully, I wish my mother were still here. I wish I knew who my father was. I’m sure my mother wouldn’t have been too keen on the idea of me being on the road with a band either, but then again, I have Asher.
Lily and I get lost in our own conversation, electing to just eat our breakfast here. We compare classes, goals, and what we think this tour will be like. We should be pulling into Los Angeles by later tonight. The tour starts on the West Coast with travel toward the east over the next four months. The guys will perform ten concerts a month with two to three concerts a week. I still can’t believe the whole tour is sold out already.
After breakfast, the guys head toward the bedroom to rehearse. There is a spot on the bus for them to work on their music that is a bit more formal, but they choose the bedroom anyway. Lily and I shooed them off and let them know we’d get the dishes. So far, so good. Phoenix and I seem to have mended some of our wounds and the overall atmosphere is relaxed. I suspect things will change once the concerts start, but I’ll enjoy the reprieve for now.
Two days on this bus, and I’m ready to get off for a while. We’re all getting ready for dinner with the other band, Wild Silence. Those guys are huge. I love their sound. They’re more metal than rock, and they are fucking fantastic. No bias, but I do think our guys are better. Their sound is a mixture of different genres albeit, with a cool ass rock vibe. I don’t know what I’m going to wear. I’m trying not to think about the Ivy chick.
She is so gorgeous—any man’s wet dream. Hell, some women’s too. I fumble through my suitcase, trying to find something adequate to wear. Lily comes in wearing a simple white strapless tube dress with purple stilettos. Nice.
“Having a bit of trouble?” she asks.
“That obvious, huh?” I joke. “I guess you can say that. My friend Irelyn took me shopping before I left. Most of this is not what I would have picked for myself, so I’m at odds on what to choose.”
“Here, let me have a look,” Lily offers. She pulls my suitcase to her before going through my things. “Girl, you have some awesome shit in here. I’m jealous. Your friend has awesome taste.”
“I’ll make sure to tell her that,” I reply, but I’m not so sure. It reminds me I need to give her a ring. It’s been two days. She’s going to kill me for making her wait this long to find out how everything is working out so far. I admit that Irelyn has great style, it’s just not my style, so I’ll have to do some adjusting.
“What about this beauty?” Lily pulls out an olive-colored bandage dress. “This is fucking sexy. You can pair it with these,” she says, pulling out a pair of black stilettos. I haven’t broken them in yet, but it wouldn’t matter. I don’t think those shoes are meant to walk in for very long anyway. Thank God, it’s only dinner, and we’ll be sitting for the most part.
“I guess so,” I say, taking the dress from her hands. “Thanks for helping me find something. I’d still be sitting here lost, and I know the guys are almost ready to go.”
The nerves are starting to kick in now. It was one thing when it was just us. Now we’re going to be traveling alongside the other band. I don’t want our vibe to change. Trying to remain positive and not worry too much, I change into the dress and work to hide my bra straps. There is no way I could get away with going braless, so at least this dress has straps. The girls need all the support they can get. I pull the dress down a little more, willing it to stay put. I have never worn this out, so I pray there are no wardrobe malfunctions. Again, at least I’ll be sitting.
It was easy to be bold with the gym shorts in front of Phoenix. I admit I was being a tease. It was a brazen moment that wasn’t planned. I just went with it. I don’t want to make an ass out of myself. Shit never looks as good on me as it does on the mannequin.
“Stop fussing with your dress, girl. You look fabulous.” Lily smacks my ass, and I’m stunned. “Sorry. Your ass just looks nice in that dress. I wish I had a little more to work with,” she says as she looks back at her own ass.
“You’re hilarious. And maybe you’re not the goody two shoes I may have assumed you to be,” I confess.
“Looks are deceiving,” Lily warns. “Don’t let this innocent face fool you.” She grabs my hand to pull me out the door. I snag my clutch purse on the way out.
Chapter Four
Phoenix
The restaurant has arranged a private room for us away from the public. I’m at the opposite end of the table from Harlow, and it’s a freaking good thing. The dress she’s wearing tonight accentuates every curve of her body that needs to be worshiped. It bugs the shit out of me that I can’t stick to the original plan of not even giving her a second thought. I’m not supposed to be thinking of all the ways that I want to fuck her every time I lay eyes on her. I try to give my attention to my menu and figuring out what the hell I want to order, but each time I hear her voice across the room, I sneak little peeks at her. She is absolutely stunning.