His hands caress his abs. He makes sure that his shirt raises just enough to give us a peek at his V-cut muscles, which disappear into his jeans, now riding low on his hips.
Even from this distance, my eyes hone in on a vein that lies along that muscle. I don’t know why I find it uber sexy. As a matter of fact, I don’t know why I’m turned on at all. I’ve been holding on to my celibacy for the past two years. It’s my superpower. I use it, in addition to my fuck-off appearance, to repel men and their one-track mind.
“I could fuck you all the time,” Phoenix reaches the chorus, and the screams from the women reach another octave.
“You can fuck me, Phoenix,” a thirsty redhead yells over the crowd. I watch in disbelief as she flashes her perfectly round, sizable breasts—purchased, I’m sure. He winks at her, and a devious smile forms on his lips. He grabs his crotch as an acknowledgment and continues the suggestive lyrics. Witnessing all of this is like cold water being doused on my libido. Ugh, what a manwhore. I make my way back to the bar to get another drink. I’m happy to plant my butt in this chair until the guys are done. I don’t need a front row seat to the sex-crazed freak show. I can follow their journey without being in the midst of it all. I can observe from a distance. It is more than apparent that these guys are beyond talented. It is equally apparent all of the pussy they must have thrown at them.
The band plays a number of songs, but I have lost count. I watched as they each flirt with the crowd in a game of seduction, but Phoenix was definitely the worst by far. He has a sex appeal that is incomparable, and he knows it. Asher seems to be the tamest of them all, but that may be just for my benefit. The guys wrap up the last of their set and head toward the back, which I’m guessing doubles as a dressing room. I take my time finishing my mojito before I get up to go join them. I have already been introduced to the bar’s security, so they know that I’m Asher’s stepsister as well.
The security guy on for tonight is named Albert. He gives me a puzzled look as if he is wondering if he should just let me through, but then he moves aside and lets me pass. The hallway is narrow, and there are only a few rooms back here. I can hear the music behind one of the doors, so I’m guessing that is where the guys are. I knock a few times, but there is no answer. I hear laughter from one of the guys, so I know they’re in there. The music blaring is keeping them from hearing me. I turn the knob, the door is unlocked, so I push the door open. It takes them a moment to see that I just walked in. The sight before me is shocking, to put it lightly.
My eyes zero in on Phoenix first. He has a blonde on her knees, sucking him off. He gives me a small smirk while the hand he has tangled in her hair pushes her mouth farther down on his cock to take him deeper. The girl doesn’t seem fazed by the intrusion. Ren and Killian both have their own groupie whores on their laps wearing clothes so skimpy they’re laughable. Judging by their position, they’re well on their way to their own sex act, and I’m interrupting. The guys look at me and then at each other before Killian finally speaks up.
“Asher is out back with a few friends, putting our gear in the truck if you want to join him,” he suggests. I’m not stupid. It is his nice way of saying we’re trying to get our fuck on, and you’re in the way. The two women’s glacial stares clue me in that they ready for me to hurry the hell up because I’m taking the attention away from them.
“Oh, okay,” I say, playing along. I refuse to look over at Phoenix again. The groans coming from him are sickening. This is definitely not my scene. I wouldn’t be surprised if they plan on swapping. All of this while Asher puts all of their shit away. I turn to get the hell out of this room before I lose it. Asher needs to put his foot down.
Chapter Four
Harlow
I find Asher out back, putting the last of their equipment in the Escalade as Killian said.
He’s deep in conversation with a guy he introduces as Nick. Nick is a lanky-looking kid with hair that he keeps wiping from his eyes. His need for a haircut is evident. Apparently, he is the son of the owner, Steve. He helps the guys set up and take down when they come to play.
“Asher, why do you let them make you do all the work?” I question when Nick disappears back into the bar.
“They don’t make me do anything. I make myself scarce. I have someone I’m seeing in San Diego, so I’m trying to stay away from the extracurricular that goes on after the shows,” he admits. “I could wait until they finish with the groupies to pack up, but this helps to pass the time, and I have Nick to help, so I just get it over with.” I get what he’s saying, and it makes sense, but it still seems like they get to play while he works.
“Well, if I’m going to be going to these gigs with you guys, I can help you pack up. Those women are deplorable and lack even the slightest hint of morals,” I offer.
“Why? What did you see?” Asher pauses and looks at me intently. I have stuck my foot in my mouth. I don’t want to be labeled as the tattletale.
“I saw how those women behaved while you guys were playing. That one woman flashed her tits, ugh.” Asher breathes a sigh of relief and chuckles.
Somehow, his reaction makes me believe what I witnessed, just now, is only the tip of the iceberg of shenanigans they get into.
“You don’t have to, but I won’t turn down the company,” he says as he opens the truck door for me.
“Good. Now tell me about this woman you’re seeing.” Asher’s whole face lights up. It must be pretty serious.
“Her name is Lily, and she is an amazing woman,” he begins. He tells me how they met after another one of his gigs, and she was sitting in a hotel lobby, waiting for her whorish friends to finish hooking up with the other band members. Asher waited with her, so she wouldn’t have to be a part of that scene, and they hit it off. That was three months ago, and they’ve kept in contact ever since. She is supposed to fly out for a visit in a couple of weeks, so I’ll get a chance to meet her.
“I’m glad you’re not like the others,” I confess to Asher.
“Don’t give me too much credit. Before Lily, I’d participated in my share of sexcapades. It just gets old, you know?” He shakes his head as he recalls the memories. “Those guys are still young and single. As long as the women are willing and don’t have any expectations of more than one night of sex, I don’t have any problems with it. The guys aren’t into drugs—we have a strict policy against that. Everything else is small potatoes.”
Asher proceeds to tell me a little about each of the band members and how they all met. I was shocked to learn he met Phoenix through Killian. Phoenix and Killian used to work together as bartenders. Asher and Killian had been working on music and the plan to start a band for a couple of years before Killian discovered that Phoenix could sing late one night at the bar. He told him about their band idea and asked if he would be interested in joining as their lead singer. Phoenix was hesitant at first but was quickly swayed once he heard the guys play a few cover songs. Phoenix knew a guy from school who could play bass guitar, and from there, the band was formed. Unlike I previously thought, the band’s name was derived from their collective plans to rise from the ashes—from the cards they were dealt.