7. Oops Again
THE CELLAR IS as busy as it always is on the Friday nights we play. Normally, the crowd packing the basement bar in downtown Memphis wouldn”t bother me, but tonight I’m in a fucking foul mood. Have been for well over a week now. All because of the dark-haired woman who’s been pretending I don’t exist all week.
”They’re wound up tonight.” Simon passes me a bottle of water before dropping down into one of the chairs they leave for us backstage. ”Stella’ll be happy. The louder they are, the more they drink.”
I like Stella, the owner of the retro style speakeasy. When Simon, Christian and I decided to cut back on how often Sinners and Saints performed, we decided to limit our engagements to the Cellar. It’s clean, well-run, and the setup suits our needs perfectly. I want the place to do well. Want Stella to rake in money hand over fist.
But more alcohol isn”t always the best thing to pour on an already rowdy crowd. ”Hopefully there”s not a brawl before the night’s over.”
Simon shrugs, looking unworried. ”Not our problem if there is. We don”t have to deal with it.”
I huff out a laugh, because nothing could be further from the truth. ”You say that, but you know Christian will lose his shit if things get out of hand while Lydia”s out in the audience.”
Simon goes still, staring down at the open water bottle in his hand for a few seconds before straightening to lean back in his chair. He stretches both his long legs out, assuming a position that might look relaxed if it wasn”t for the sudden stiffness of his spine. ”Why isn’t she staying backstage?”
I can tell by the flat tone of his voice he already knows the answer to that, and I”m no happier about Lydia”s reasons for sitting in the crowd than he is. ”She brought Piper and Myra with her tonight.”
Lydia usually comes to our gigs alone and sits out of sight, but tonight she wanted to turn this into a girls’ night, bringing along her skittish sister and her pain in the ass best friend.
Simon rakes one hand through his long hair, eyes lifting to the black industrial ceiling as he swears under his breath. ”Shit.” He shifts in his seat, leaning to peer around the heavy black curtain blocking us off from the rest of the bar. ”Where are they sitting?”
I almost pretend I don”t know. Like I didn”t make sure I knew where the threesome would be. But given what happened the last time Piper was in this bar, it”s probably better to have as many eyes on her as possible. ”They”re at a high-top table straight out from center stage.” They”d come early and been able to stake out the best seat in the house. It still put them a decent distance from us since Stella clears out the tables directly surrounding the stage, leaving room for people to crowd around us and making it possible to pack more people into the space.
Simon leans back in his seat to peer around the curtain, lips flattening into a thin line as his eyes fix on their spot in the crowd. ”Myra shouldn”t be here. This is going to be too much for her.” He pushes up from his seat and starts to pace. “She’s not ready for something like this. It’s going to set her back again.”
I get his concern. Share it, even. But I learned long ago you can’t make someone do what you want. No matter how much better their life would be because of it.
When we first rescued Myra, she was ready to move forward and put her past behind her. Excited to build a new life and live on her own terms. But then her ex-husband and father abducted her, along with Lydia and Piper. Myra hasn’t been the same since. She’s been despondent. Hesitant to leave the safety of Christian’s home.
Simon scrubs one hand down his face, looking distressed as hell over Myra’s well-being. Makes me wonder if his claim about needing a break from his job as a contracted underwater welder isn’t the full reason he’s been sticking close to home for the first time in years.
”She’ll be fine.” I slap him on the shoulder, attempting to sound reassuring even though I’m starting to have some worries of my own. I know Piper too well to think this night will go smoothly. Especially if someone does something to upset Myra. I know exactly what my front desk attendant is capable of, and it makes me hope like hell she hasn’t gotten her hands on another stun gun.
Christian strides in, cutting through the curtains, looking happy and settled and comfortable in a way he didn”t used to be. I”m happy for him. He deserves it. He”s worked hard for years to be a better man. To build a business. A home. A life he could share.
But that doesn”t mean I”m not jealous as fuck. I’ve done everything Christian has, hoping for the same thing, but I’m sitting alone in an empty house every night, staring at the walls.
”Got a good crowd.” Christian stretches his neck, rocking his head side to side before rolling his shoulders and shaking out his arms. ”Ready to start the first set?”
Normally I love these nights. Enjoy getting out of my house and playing music with the men who”ve been at my side over half my life. But as I walk out on stage, I’m not thinking about how much I love playing music or how lucky I am to have the friends I do.
I”m thinking maybe I haven”t done everything Christian has. My house sure as shit doesn”t look like his. And while I’m better in some ways than I used to be, part of me is still stuck in the past. Still angry about things I couldn’t change. I have managed to build up one hell of a business, but does that even count now that I”ve shown my moral compass is loose enough I”m willing to fuck one of my employees while she”s on the clock?
Probably not. Especially considering that same employee is glaring at me from where she sits, perfectly positioned to be in my line of sight all fucking night long.
It takes everything I have to keep my eyes off Piper while we play the first set, feeding the crowd what they came for. I can feel her eyes on me though, and by the time our break rolls around, I”m strung tight and in need of much more than the water sitting backstage. Going straight past the chairs we usually spend our fifteen minutes in, I cut from behind the curtain and down the stairs, plowing through the crowd in search of something to take the edge off before I spend the entire night miserable. There”s a waitress assigned to serve us, but I”m not waiting for her to get there. I need a drink and I need it now.
I make it to the bar, circling around the back. Knowing the owner personally provides me certain liberties, and one of those is cutting the drink line. The bartender shoots me a wide smile as she pours four drinks at once. ”What can I get you?”
”Gin and tonic. Hendrick’s if you have it.” I know they have it, but I”m trying to be nice. Trying to force myself out of this funk I”ve been stuck in. This girl at the bar is pretty. Even better, she doesn”t work for me. And it doesn”t appear she has a stun gun hidden in any of the pockets of her cutoff jean shorts.
And for some fucking reason, that disappoints me.
She walks the drink to me, standing close as she holds it between us. ”Is there anything else I can get you?”
I”ve played this game enough to know what else she”d be willing to give me. Two years ago I would have absolutely taken her up on this offer. Maybe even led her into one of the back rooms on my next break.
But watching everyone else around me find something so much better than a quick fuck, has stolen the appeal of shit like that. And I can”t make myself get even half-hard at the thought of her body against mine.
Taking the glass, I lift it in thanks. ”I”m good. Appreciate it.” I turn away, hating myself for so many things. Kicking myself for the rest.
I should”ve finished my house years ago. Should”ve made it into a home. A place Piper wouldn”t have stared at with wide eyes and confusion when she walked inside.
I tip back my drink as Piper somehow manages to corrupt my thoughts again, working her way into where she doesn”t belong. I”m barely halfway across the room when I try to take another swallow from my glass and find it”s already empty. Luckily our waitress spots me and pauses, lifting her brows in question. I set my empty glass on her tray and order another before turning toward the stage.
I nearly make it three more steps before I’m intercepted by yet another beautiful woman I would have loved to get my hands on once upon a time. She”s tall and full figured with lush tits spilling over the neckline of her low-cut top. “You’re the bass player.” Her voice is husky and low as she scoots closer to me. “You play really well.”
I almost laugh because most people couldn’t pick out the bass line even if they tried. “Thanks.” My distracted eyes drag around the crowded bar. They stop all on their own when they settle on a particular dark head of hair. I try to tell myself I”m only looking for Piper because I know there”s a high likelihood she”ll get into trouble tonight. That”s it. I”m just helping Christian keep an eye on his girl and her friends. But even I don’t believe my bullshit.
”I used to plan in a band.”
My gaze lingers on the top of Piper”s head a little longer before finally going back to the woman still standing in front of me. ”Cool. What band?”
It doesn”t seem like she was expecting me to ask that question, and her smile falters for a second. Finally she admits, ”It was actually the band.” Her head tips and a shoulder lifts. ”Marching.”
I nod my head, hoping I”m not coming off as a prick. ”Marching band is cool.” I give her a flash of a smile and start to step away, but she follows my movements, continuing to block my path.
”I played the clarinet.” She leans in closer, eyes dropping to my mouth. ”Playing it requires a lot of lip and tongue work.” She drags said tongue across her lower lip, like she”s trying to emphasize the point she”s making. The offer behind it.
There isn”t really any need. I picked up what she was putting down the minute she stepped in my path.
But, like the bartender, I can”t make myself scrounge up even the smallest bit of interest. ”I bet you were great.” I give her another quick smile, this time moving faster as I step around her. ”Thanks for coming to the show.”
Moving through the crowd, I risk another peak Piper”s way, just to make sure she’s still behaving. The second I turn my head, our eyes lock and she scowls at me. For some reason it makes me feel better. Like maybe all her ire is directed only at me tonight. That I”m the only one she”ll attempt to cross. I sure as hell hope so, because I really don”t want to have to kick anyone”s ass. Not at The Cellar. Stella would kill me.
Because I love to antagonize her, and maybe to ensure she stays pissed at me instead of anyone else, I shoot Piper a wink, smiling wider when I can almost see the steam coming out of her ears. I don”t know what the fuck I”ve done tonight to piss her off so much, but I”m pretty sure all I have to do is breathe.
For some reason, I”m feeling better as I climb the stairs, relaxing in my chair for a couple seconds before the waitress brings me my second drink. By the time I”m finished with it, our break’s over and it”s time for our second set. This time I let myself seek Piper out. Let my eyes drift her way more often than not.
It”s a mistake.
We’re only halfway through the set when a group of men find their way to the table she sits at. Lydia and Myra both might as well have ‘fuck off’ written on their foreheads. Their body language and expressions make it clear they are not interested. But Piper...
Piper is all fucking smiles and laughs for them. From the second they arrive, she doesn”t spare me a single glance. Not a frown. Not so much as a dirty fucking look. She”s too busy laughing with the clean-cut preppy boys surrounding her. When she puts her hand on one of their biceps, I nearly come unglued, taking off toward the end of the stage before Christian blocks my path, narrowing his eyes at me until he has to make his way back to the center mic.
I”m stuck and she knows it. Forced to watch every flick of her hair. Every curl of her lips. Every tilt of her head.
When the set’s finally over, I practically drop my bass into its stand and walk right off the end of the stage, jumping to the floor instead of disappearing behind the curtain. A handful of women try to block my path, but I ignore them. I know I should try to be nice—these are our fans—but I don”t give a flying fuck.
I march straight up to the table, eyes locked on where Piper is still openly flirting with some random guy. Her gaze slides my way, smile dropping and eyes widening when she sees me coming for her. She”s barely on her feet, scooting her high-top chair back, before I”m on her, hand curling around her arm. ”Tell your new friends goodbye.”
Piper scoffs, trying to get her footing enough she can shake off my hold, but the brace on her foot offers little traction on the smooth floor. ”What are you doing?”
I glance over at the guy she”s been talking to the longest, and to his credit he seems ready to defend her honor. Prepared to get between us and protect her. Too bad that”s not his fucking job.
”Hey, man.” He holds one hand out, but his voice stays calm. ”She doesn”t want to go anywhere with you.”
He seems like he might be a nice guy so I really hope I don’t have to put my fist through his face. ”It only seems that way because you don”t know her.” I lower my voice, stepping between his body and Piper’s. ”But I can promise you she very much enjoys the places I take her.”
I hear Lydia gasp at my back and see Myra”s eyes open wide from the corner of my eye. I’ve taken this too far, but it”s too late to turn back now.
I’m not sure I would anyway.
The guy seems almost as shocked by my declaration as everyone else, his brows lifting. He leans around me, getting his eyes on Piper. ”Who the fuck is this guy?”
A smile curls my lips, because I know what I”m about to say is going to piss Piper off to no end. ”Her husband.”
I take full advantage of the man”s shock to turn and grip my supposed wife around the hips, hefting her up and over my shoulder like the caveman she accused me of being. I carry her, kicking and screaming, through the bar, but no one else tries to stop me. Maybe it”s because I”m part of the band they’re here to see. Maybe some of them are familiar with the reputation I once had and don’t want to risk my wrath. Whatever it is, I”m grateful, because I”m not sure how I would handle it if someone got between me and the swinging door leading to the back hallway.
I shove my way through, strides long as I go down the narrow passage, carrying her to one of the storage rooms lining the backside of the bar. I smack her on the ass before setting her down, being careful about her braced ankle.
She snarls up at me, one hand rubbing the ass cheek I slapped. ”What the fuck was that for?”
I lean down, bringing our eyes level. ”You know what that was for.” I move in closer and she backs away. ”You aren’t really interested in that guy and we both know it.” She keeps backing away. “You were just fucking with me.” The sight of her here in front of me heats my blood in a way no other woman in this bar could. “You were trying to piss me off, and you succeeded, Sugar.” I pull in a slow breath, making one last-ditch effort to rein myself back in, but the air between us carries her cherry vanilla scent, the reminder of how it permeated my clothes the last time I touched her making me groan at the memory of how fucking right she feels against me.
Around me.
When Piper’s lips part and her cheeks flush, I know it’s over. Know I’m about to fuck up. Again.