Strings by Kendall Grey Read Free Book Online Page B

obviously win, no beans about it. I just
want to know what I’ll be rubbing in Killer Dixon’s
faces.
    Rax leans forward. “A wallow in the loser’s
pit of failure. A public humiliation of the viral kind.”
    “ You mean like a YouTube
video of you guys dressed in drag, giving us lap dances?” I twist a
red lock around my finger and flap my lashes. I’d fucking kill to see Shades in a
bikini and on a pole.
    Rax smiles. “You’re on.”
    “ Uh—” Jinx raises her hand
like the class geek. I pat her knee to hush her.
    “ I’m gonna love watching
you in a G-string banana hammock and pasties, grinding your big
cock in my face,” Kate says to Rax. “I’ll be sure to stock up on
dollar bills. And wipe my ass on them for you ahead of
time.”
    The grin cracks his face wide open, and he
rests his arms on his knees. “Dream on, sister. We’re bigger and
better than you. Got way more fans already. Everyone in this room
knows it’s gonna be three hot bitches skidding down the pole into
our waiting laps.”
    He turns his head thoughtfully to the
window. “I think I’ll write an extra-special riff for you to
solo-strip by, Kate. Or maybe I’ll use the one from the song you
tried to steal from me.”
    Kate bounds out of her seat, shoots across
the room, and stops in front of Rax. Her hands ball, weight shifts,
and shoulders heave. He lurches up, furious fire burning his eyes,
and plants his nose an inch from her face.
    Oh shit.
    I stand. Shades stands.
    “ You stole that song
from me .” Kate’s
lips miss Rax’s by a hair.
    “ Bullshit. You were so
stoned that night, you could barely hold your head up, let alone
writing a fucking song.”
    “ Chill out, guys.” Jillian
darts over to referee. She burrows in and pushes the two of them
apart. “Cut this shit out now . Both of you.”
    Kate huffs. “Make me.”
    “ Okay, get out.” Jillian
points at the door. “Get the hell out of my house, and don’t come
back until you can pretend to be an adult.”
    “ Fuck you. I don’t need
you or your fucking tour. Shove it up your ass.” Red-faced, Kate
grabs her coat, flips off the room on her way out, and slams the
door hard enough to rattle the jamb behind her.
    Great.
    There’s no way Kate’s getting on that bus
now. Biting my tongue, I scowl at Rax.
    Jillian takes a deep breath, sits, and
lights another cigarette. She combs her fingers through her hair.
“Kate will come back once she has time to think about it. She
always does.”
    I’m not so sure. She’s pretty pissed.
    Rax shrugs and rubs his hands together like
nothing ever happened. “Well, our work here is done. Gotta be off.
We have a headlining tour to get ready for.”
    Toombs stands and stretches. Shades follows.
The smug dickweeds.
    “ Nice to meet you,
ladies,” Shades says. His smartass tone and total disregard for our
situation crawl under my skin. He’s blowing me off? What the fuck?
    Toombs licks his lips and surveys Jinx like
a slab of meat in a butcher’s window. “Jinx.”
    A blush slides down her face, and she looks
away fast, gnawing on her already cut-to-the-quick fingernails.
    The trio of male bodies with egos big enough
to fill a museum marches out, all smiles and attitude.
    I can’t think of a single insult to hurl at
them. I must be in shock. I turn to Jillian. “What the hell just
happened here?”
    She looks after the guys and shakes her
head. “Don’t worry about it. Stick to the original plan. It’ll work
out.”
    “ I’m not touring without
Kate.”
    Jinx pipes up, “Me neither.” I’m glad she’s
with me on this.
    “ I know she’s a bitch and
hard to get along with, but we can’t replace her.” I resume my
seat. Dread sinks into my gut, weighing it down. Maybe it wasn’t
meant to be.
    I stare blankly at the wall. Another dream
shattered, just when the Technicolor was about to kick in.
    I’m going to be a fucking waitress for the
rest of my life.
    Gulp.
    My brain doesn’t know what to settle