Make Me Stay by M. E. Gordon Read Free Book Online

she’s seventeen and can’t get in on her own.”
    I turned back to the stage and noticed that the row in front of it was all women, scantily dressed. No wonder JJ flirted with the line. These girls were dressed to impress and, my guess, not legal yet.
    “I can’t believe my dad lets them in underage. Can’t he get in trouble?” I asked.
    “Your dad has an in with the sheriff. They’re allowed to come in only while ONS is playing and they have to have a chaperone. Once their set is over, everyone under eighteen is kicked out,” the man clarified for me.
    I shook my head in amazement that my father had an “in” with the sheriff.
    “How do you know all this?” I asked.
    “Because, I’m a cop and I know everything,” he said, taking another sip of his beer.
    “Oh, you don’t look like a cop,” I said, smiling over at him.
    “Thanks. If I ever decide to go undercover, I guess that’s a good thing.”
    “You must really love your sister to sit here.”
    “Pretty much. She owes me big time for this. I went to high school with these guys, and let’s just say their band’s name wasn’t a coincidence.”
    Nodding in agreement, I glanced back up on stage, where Kane was currently singing about all the different ways to catch a girl.
    He looked right at me and pointed. Our eyes locked for a brief second when he sang, “I’ll make you mine.” I shook my head and held up my middle finger proudly. It made the biggest smile spread across his face, as he placed his hand back on the strings of his guitar and continued playing.
    “I guess you met Kane already?” my neighbor asked.
    “Yes, I had the unfortunate experience of meeting him earlier today.”
    “Well, not much has changes about him. These guys have been playing together and banging anything that walks since high school.” I didn’t doubt that either. “I’m Nate, by the way,” he said, holding his hand out.
    “Caroline,” I responded, placing my hand in his.
    Downing the last of my drink, I went to stand from the stool, but swayed slightly. Three shots and a beer had me tipsy? It had been a long time since I last drank. It might have even been over a year and half ago--hell, maybe two. I had poured everything I had into the internship at J&K and what did I get in return? The boot! I put everything on hold for them, friends--which I had lost over the years, boyfriends, who lost interest because I wasn’t around, and even my gold fish Roxy died because of that stupid internship.
    “Sit down. I’ll go get us another beer,” Nate said, standing and taking the glass from my hand.
    “Thanks.” Sitting back down on the stool, I watched as he walked across the room to where the bar was. I pulled my phone out of pocket to check the time, 9:45. These guys can’t have much longer up there, can they? They had been playing for over an hour, only breaking to get sips of beer, and tease the girls who were practically crawling on stage with them.
    During the next thirty minutes, I chatted with Nate and continued to throw back at least two more beers. When the guys finally told the crowd goodnight, I watched them all jump off the stage and into the throng of women. They were swallowed whole, but I saw them all leave through the hallway that we had all come through earlier--a few extra people leaving with them, all women, of course.
    My father got up on the stage and took the microphone in his hand. “All right, another great performance from the one and only ONS! Sorry, but if you don’t have a yellow wrist band on, we’re going to have to ask you to leave.”
    A chorus of groans vibrated in the room. Two girls came up to the table that Nate and I were sitting at, and I could tell instantly that this was his sister.
    “Can’t you pull some strings, I’m going to be eighteen in two weeks. It’s ridiculous that I have to leave,” she said, pouting.
    “Caroline, this is my sister, Piper, and her friend Morgan,” Nate said, introducing