Billy Jeffers: Rockers of Steel (23 page)

“I will,” Memphis says.

“No, you all have work to do. Me and my broken ass will be fine,” I tell them, slapping away my stupid tears.

“I’ll take you,” Tales says.

“No,” I reply quickly.

“Yes,” Memphis interjects. “You two haven’t had shit for girl time. Tales was saying she missed you the other day. It’s perfect. We’ll grab the vehicle.”

Tales and Memphis leave, and everyone is still looking at me.

“Go! Shoo! You’re all making my ass hurt worse.”

They all leave, and I whimper as I try to bend and take off my shoes.

“Let me help.” Billy kneels down.

“Don’t you think you’ve done enough?”

“I didn’t actually start it, but if you wanna blame me—”

“Oh, so you’re totally going to use the I-didn’t-actually-start-it card?” I put my hand on his shoulder as he unbuckles the shoe.

He looks, up. “Since it’s true, yes.”

“Don’t be funny with me.”

“I wasn’t trying.” He looks up. “You okay?”

“No, I think I have a broken ass, and if it’s bruised, it’s going to look horrible in the photos.”

He stands up and looks down at me. “Well, then they don’t get the ass. The rest of you will look perfect.”

“So you’ll do it?”

He shakes his head. “It’s not my thing.”

“Fine, then I guess you leave me no choice.”

I watch her from the window as she climbs into the back of Tales’s little SUV with her bottom lip sticking out. Her head goes down, her ass goes up, and my mind is in the gutter. If nothing else, she is a distraction to all the bullshit going on around me.

I turn around, and Xavier nods to the conference room. I follow him in.

“What’s up?”

“Do you think Memphis will be more upset about you banging his sister or breaking her ass?”

I have to stop my jaw from falling. “What?”

“Seriously? You’re moaning, she’s whimpering, and I’m thinking about when I finger-banged Taelyn in that restaurant when you were in the bathroom, wanting to do it again, but she shot me—”

“What?” I gasp.

“
It’s ‘unprofessional’
,” he says in his best Taelyn voice as he air quotes unprofessional.

“No, when? Never mind. I have no idea what you’re talking about.”

“Stick with that, but figure it out.” He pats my back then walks out, shoves two fingers in his mouth, and whistles. “Half-time show is over. Let’s go.”

I sit, looking at the video presentation of performance after performance, and all I can think about is her: her ass, her being a pain in the ass, the vehicle pulling out and seeing her ass sticking up in the back seat, tapping that ass, and the great possibility that Memphis is going to want to kick my ass.

I shoot Angel a text, telling her I will let her know the plan by week’s end, and then I thank her for the help.

When I hear the name Penelope, I look up, and my chest tightens as I watch her play piano and sing. Emotion starts boiling up inside me, and I am afraid I won’t be able to contain it.

It’s Penelope, and she is phenomenal. She plays like she is trying to escape, yet wanting desperately to be heard. I know that feeling all too well.

“In.”

“In.”

“Hell yes!”

“She’s phenomenal!”

“In!”

The words spin around me, and I push back in my chair and stand up.

“Excuse me for just a minute.” I walk out and into the bathroom as I try my damnedest not to flip out.

Penelope Ashley tried out for
The Shores Talent Scores
. Not only will I see her again, but she may be someone I am forced to tour with.

I pace around the apartment with my phone in hand. I don’t know if I should text Madison or call her. I don’t know if Memphis or Tales or both of them are there with her or if she is alone.

My phone rings, and I stop pacing to answer it immediately.

“Hello?”

Fuck, it’s not Madison. It’s the asshole realtor. I listen to him ramble on and on and on about how he can’t believe I’m selling this place and asking so little. All I can think is why didn’t I use someone else, blah, fucking blah, Madison’s ass, blah, blah, blah.

“The new owner would like to know if you’d be interested in leasing the apartment for six months until she is ready to relocate.”

“Wait...what?”

“Your apartment sold. Would you like to lease it for six months?”

“Yeah, yeah, sure.”

“Closing fast. The owner is pre-qualified, so it could take two weeks; you good with that?” He is cliff-noting me, and I appreciate it.

“Yep.”

“Good chat.”

“Thanks, man, I appreciate it a—”

And...He hangs up on me.

I grab my laptop and transfer the funds from my investment fund into my bank account. Hitting accept transfer fucking burns, really fucking burns.

I open up the file with the investors’ information.

Matt Jansen is owed $134,000.

Boris Whitman owed $133,000.

Daniel Donning is owed $133,000.

Memphis Black is owed $200,000.

Finn Beckett is owed $200,000.

River James is owed $200,000.

I need to pay off the guys first, especially now. Memphis for sure is going to flip his shit.

Fucking Xavier.
Xavier knows!

I look at the clock, seeing it’s seven at night. Seven … Fuck it.

Billy: How’s your ass?

And send.

And received.

Madison:
Fine.

Billy: Company?

And send.

And received.

Madison: Not tonight. Tired.

Shit, she thinks I’m saying
I
want to be her company.

Billy: I was asking if you have company.

And send.

And received.

Madison: Oh, sorry, no. All alone. I’m working on my campaign.

Billy: I kind of need some help.

And send.

And received.

Madison: I need to work.

She’s fucking with me because I haven’t said yes to showing my bulge to the world. I don’t want those guys near her. I don’t want them touching her or breathing on her. Fuck, I don’t want them breathing period.

I need her. No, okay, need is a strong word. I need her help. I need her advice.

Billy: I need you.

And send.

I sit, bouncing, biting my damn nails like I did during tests at college, and wait, and wait and…

Fuck it.

I park beside her car and look in the mirror, running my fingers through my hair. It’s still damp from the shower.

At her door, I knock and get no answer. I bang a little harder and still nothing, so I turn the knob, and it opens.

I walk in and look around. There are hardwood floors, brightly colored walls, pictures on every surface of Memphis, Madison, and both their parents.

I call out her name and hear no response.

I turn around, shut and lock the door, and walk around.

I stand at the bottom of the stairs and hear music playing. I follow the noise up the stairs and down the hallway.

The first door on the right is open and is the source of the music. I peek in to find her sleeping in a gray tank top and gray panties that are pulled down, face down on a folded, lime green with white polka dot blanket at the foot of her distressed lime green four-poster bed covered in a white quilt.

There is an ice pack of some sort wrapped in a towel on her bare ass, her hair is braided in pigtails, toenails painted hot pink with cotton balls between them, and her fingernails are freshly painted the same color.

She is stunning and quiet. God, she is so quiet right now. I can’t help pushing the lock of hair that hangs in her eyes so I can look at her eyelashes resting on her face.

She stirs a bit and moans then is motionless, quiet, and peaceful again.

Barely touching her skin, I let my finger trace down her backbone, and she squirms then rests again.

I need her to wake up. I need to talk to her, but fuck if I can do that when she is quiet.

She inhales a deep breath and releases it. Her nose twitches slightly, and she inhales again, her eyes shifting under her lids. Very slowly, she opens one then the other and looks at me.

I squat down until I am eye-to-eye with her. “Hi.”

“What are you doing here?”

I shrug and shake my head. “I needed someone to talk to.”

“And you wanted to talk to me?” She stretches and tries to sit up. “Ouch.”

“Your ass still hurts?”

“Yes.” She rolls her eyes. “How did you get in?”

“The door was unlocked.” And then it hits me that the fucking door was unlocked. “Not safe, Madison.”

“That would be Memphis’s fault.” She rolls to her side. “I smelled you.”

I nod once. “Is that why your nose did the little dance?”

She smiles, and I swear she blushes. “How long have you been here?”

“A couple hours,” I joke.

“That’s kind of creepy, you know.”

“Well, at least I didn’t break into your house.”

“I didn’t break in. I had a key made.” She smiles. “Much less creepy, huh?” She looks around then asks, “I think my phone’s on the floor; could you grab it?”

“Yeah.” I hand her the phone, and she smiles.

“You need me, huh?”

I nod.

“You do know I have a broken ass, and that’s probably not going to happen, right?”

“Yeah, well, I needed a friend’s advice and not my fuck buddy tonight, so consider your ass safe.”

“Billy Jeffers needs
my
advice?” she gasps then smiles.

“Yeah, well, Madison Black is kind of a shrewd business woman and has become a very trusted friend. And, well … A lot of things I need to talk to you about directly affect you.”

“You’re going to do it, aren’t you?”

“What?”

“Be the His to my Hers for the launch?”

I nod. “I suppose.”

“Okay. I want you to know I totally know you’re worth way more than two hundred fifty K. If I had a million hanging around, I would give it to you, because you’re totally worth it.”

“No, I feel like an ass for even doing this, but my apartment sold today. It will take two weeks to close. I transferred my investment money into my bank account.”

“You were busy after you broke my ass.”

“I am truly sorry that happened. I promise to make it up to you when you feel better and after you call that”—I stop and take in a deep breath—“those assholes and tell them forget it.”

“Oh, I don’t have to do that,” she says, looking up at the ceiling, a telltale sign that she is hiding something.

“Care to explain?”

“No.”

“Madison …”

“I heard you come in, and I was pissed, so I kind of pretended to make that call.”

“You did what?” I can’t believe she faked that phone conversation.

“Do you really think I want anything more to do with them? Ew, gag, yuck,” she says, shaking her head.

“Right, because once you’ve had the best, no more thinking of the rest.” I smile.

She nods then frowns a little.

“What?” I ask.

“Nothing. I was … Nothing.”

I wait, knowing she has more to say, but she doesn’t continue.

“All right then.” I stand up.

“Are you leaving?”