Rock Hard

Chapter 3

They weren’t fit to perform now.

“I’ve had enough ass whippings for one day, thank you very much,” Trey said. “You call him.”

Myrna removed Brian’s sunglasses and looked up at him. He avoided her gaze. “You’ve been fighting?”

“Wait, wait. I can explain.”

She shoved him hard in the shoulder. “Am I marrying a seventh grader? I can’t believe this.”

She spun on her heel and stalked toward the bedroom at the back of the bus.

“Myrna.” Brian started after her.

“Do not talk to me.” She pushed Sed aside. “You were supposed to make sure he got home safely,” she spat at Sed.

“Myrna,” Sed said, but she brushed past him and entered the bedroom. The slam of the door echoed through the entire bus.

Brian rushed down the hallway and knocked. “Myrna? Sweetheart…”

“You should let her cool down,” Sed advised.

“Go away!” she yelled from inside the bedroom.

There was a thunk as something hit the other side of the door.

Brian opened it, sidestepped an airborne high-heeled shoe, and closed himself in the room with the angry tigress. There was a whole lot of high-pitched yelling for several minutes, and Brian’s lower pitched voice, calm and consoling. The rest of the band sat quietly nursing their injuries.

“What are we going to do about the concert tomorrow?” Eric asked. “Can you sing, Sed?”

He shrugged. “I don’t know. My throat is bothering me. I can call Dare if you want, Trey.”

“They won’t have time to find a replacement to open for them. We might as well wait until morning and see how we feel,” Trey said. “God, my head hurts. Do we have any aspirin?”

One of the bouncers had whacked Trey in the back of the head with an aluminum bat. By the time Sed had entered the fray, it had been over. He hadn’t even gotten to throw a punch.

“Do you need to see a doctor? You blacked out for a couple of minutes.”

“My head’s harder than a bat. I don’t think it’s even bleeding.” Trey fingered the goose egg on the back of his head and examined his fingertips for signs of blood. “I do need an aspirin though.”

Sed retrieved a bottle from the tiny bathroom near the bedroom. The sound of Myrna calling Brian’s name in ecstasy had already replaced the angry yelling.

Sed grinned and nodded toward the thin bedroom door as he handed a bottle of aspirin to Trey. “I guess they made up.”

Trey chuckled. “Who can stay mad at Brian?” He swallowed several pills and passed the bottle to Eric.

“I’m glad they made up,” Eric said, holding the dish towel to the gash above his eyebrow. “I’d have felt terrible if she called off the wedding.”

“You should feel terrible,” Jace said, his voice quiet, his brown-eyed gaze focused downward. “You started the whole thing.”

“Well, I didn’t ask for your help, little man, now did I?” Eric said.

Jace pursed his lips and nodded slightly. He left the bus without a word. Outside his Harley roared to life and the motorcycle’s rumble faded into the distance.

“Why do you always torment him, Eric?” Sed asked.

Eric shrugged.

“He didn’t hesitate to jump into your fight when you were outnumbered.”

Eric rubbed a hand over his pursed lips and then squeezed his cleft chin between his thumb and forefinger. “Yeah, I know. It’s just… He’s not Jon, you know?”

Thank God for small favors. Sed knew that Eric and their previous bassist, Jon, had been close friends, but the guy had been bad news. They were much better off with Jace in the band.

Trey licked at the blood at the corner of his mouth. “Did you see the way Jace fought? I’ve never seen him fight before. I was like, holy s**t. He pounded the crap out of three bouncers all by himself. I’m pretty sure little man could kick your ass if he wanted to, Eric.”

“Shut up, Trey.” Eric scowled.

Trey shrugged and glanced up at Sed, who stood leaning against the back of the booth. “So, what are you going to do about Jessica?”

Sed’s heart skipped a beat at the mention of her name. “Nothing. Obviously.”

“Obviously?” Trey turned over his towel of ice, pressed it to the back of his head, and winced. “You pulled her offstage at a strip club. There’s no obviously about that.”

“I was just… surprised. I don’t give a s**t what she does with her life.”

“Uh-huh.” Trey sounded almost as convinced as Sed felt.

Jessica’s heart sank. “Fired? You can’t fire me over this. I didn’t do anything wrong.”

Roy, the club owner, cleared his throat, refusing to look at her. He reminded Jessica of a bloated Elvis, minus The King’s good looks. Men should not wear white spandex or sequins—separately or in combination. Especially not hairy, overweight men. “Have you seen the condition of my bouncers? Your friends—”

“They aren’t my friends.”

“Then why are you protecting them?”

Jessica shook her head, her eyes wide with feigned innocence. “I’m not.”

“By the time the cops got here last night, they were long gone. If you’re not protecting them, tell me their names and where to find them, so I can press charges.”

“I don’t know them.”

“I don’t believe you.” He considered her for a long moment. “Clear out your dressing table, Feather. I don’t want to see you in my club again.”

“But I need this job.” She’d only been working for three weeks. She didn’t have enough saved up for school yet. Not by a long shot. “It’s just for the summer.”

“Sorry, babe. I don’t need your kind of trouble. You’re beautiful and sexy, but I’ve got a long line of applicants who want your job, and they don’t bring their thugs into my club.”

“They’re not thugs.”

“I thought you didn’t know them.”

“I don’t.”

He slid an envelope across his desk toward her. “Your pay.”

She snatched the envelope off the desk and stormed from Roy’s office.

Sed never ceased to f**k up her life.

Jessica burst into the dressing room and tossed all of her crap into a bag. She almost ran into Aggie on her way out. The black-haired beauty grabbed her by both arms to steady her.

“Hey, kitten, what’s the rush?”

“Roy just fired me.” She needed to get out of the place. Her throat ached with unshed tears, and she didn’t want anyone to know how upset she was. It was just a stupid job. Just another failure.

“What? How could he fire you? You’re already a local favorite.”

“This is all Sed’s fault,” she said. “When I see him, I’m going to rip him a new asshole.”

“I think he’s already got a corner on the asshole market, sugar.”

Jessica tried not to smile. Failed at that, too.

“You said he was in the band Sinners, right?” Aggie asked.

“Yeah, so?”

“So, they’re opening for Exodus End tonight at Mandalay Bay.”

“How do you know that?”

Aggie shrugged. “I saw a flyer tacked up somewhere.”

“Perfect,” Jessica said, starting to feel marginally better. “Now I can tell him where he can stuff his money. Better yet, I can show him where he can stuff his money.”

“If you happen to run into that blond guy who was with them last night… the fine-looking one with the tight little ass… and the hard bod… and that face… and those…” Aggie’s hands clenched, and she shuddered in undisguised delight.

Blond? Jessica’s brow furrowed. “Do you mean Jace Seymour?”

“Jace.” Aggie smiled, her ruby red lips parting to reveal a perfect set of teeth. “Tell him I still owe him a dance. He paid but ran off to fight bouncers before I could treat him to my special brand of pain.”

Jessica chuckled. “Soft spot for him, Aggie? It’s not like you to worry about pocketing some easy cash.”

Aggie winked. “Maybe.”

“I’ll try to remember to give him your message when I go kick Sed’s ass.” Her hands clenched into fists. Sedric Lionheart would regret getting her fired. Oh yes, he would.

Sed took a long draw from his beer and gazed down at the picture in the palm of his hand. Jessica had given it to him a couple of years ago. He remembered that smile. Doubted she’d ever share it with him again. She fuckin’ hated his guts. So why was he sitting in the dark, staring at her picture, and drinking by himself again? Tradition, he supposed.

He set her picture beside his beer can and opened the journal he used to write songs. He couldn’t concentrate well enough to write actual lyrics, but words kept popping into his head. He pictured them, but mostly he felt them. He scrawled words on separate lines with blank spaces between so he could add phrases later.

Eyes of jade. A heart betrayed.

Anguish. Languish.

Pain. Insane.

Heart of stone. Alone.

Alone.

He took a ragged breath.

Alone.

The song would come later. He didn’t want to forget the feelings, though. He closed the journal, stuck it back in its hiding place under the bench seat cushion and picked up Jessica’s picture, fingering its worn edges.

The bedroom door at the back of the tour bus opened, and then the bathroom door slid shut. Sed tossed the picture on the table and took another sip of his beer. A few minutes later, a gentle hand touched his shoulder.

“Are you out here by yourself again?” Myrna asked.

Sed glanced up at her. “I couldn’t sleep.”

“Can I sit?”

When he shrugged, she slid into the bench across the table from him.

“I’m sorry I didn’t take better care of Brian last night,” he said.

“He told me what happened, and I don’t blame you. He’s the i***t who got involved.” Myrna picked up Jessica’s picture and examined it. “She’s stunning, Sed. Is this Jessica?”

She glanced up at him and he nodded.

“How are you doing?” she asked.

She handed the picture to him, and he slid it into his pocket with the crummy engagement ring Jessica had flung at him one devastating afternoon two years before.

“Me?” He shrugged. “By the time I got out there, everyone was fleeing the scene. I didn’t even get to throw a punch. I just grabbed Trey off the sidewalk, stuffed him in the car with Brian, and we took off.”

“I meant how are you doing after seeing Jessica?”

His heart stuttered every time her name was mentioned. This time was no exception. He shrugged. “It’s no big deal. She still hates me. I still hate her.”

Myrna ducked her head, but not before he saw her knowing grin. “I see. So, you aren’t going to go back to see her?”

“Why would I?”

Myrna shrugged. “Because you’re a glutton for punishment. And… you still love her.”

“No, I—”

“Has she always been an exotic dancer?”

“What?”

“Well, I assumed since you went ballistic when you saw her stripping—”

“I didn’t go ballistic. I lost my cool.” He pinched his thumb and forefinger together. “A little.”

“Uh huh. But you reacted. So, was it because you didn’t expect to see her, or because you didn’t expect to see her dancing nude for strangers?”

Sed chuckled. Dr. Myrna Evans, human sexuality professor, always tried to get in everyone’s psychology. “That’s the last place on Earth I’d ever expect to see Jessica. She’s the independent feminist type. The way you are, I guess you’d say. So yeah, I was stunned. That’s why I pulled her off the stage. Not because I actually cared that she was shaking her t**s at dozens of sleazy jackasses.”

His beer can crinkled in his fist.

“There’s nothing wrong with having these feelings, Sed.”

“You sound like a shrink.”

She cringed. “I thought it might help to talk about it.”

“No, it doesn’t help. I was finally over her and then… this.”

“You’re over her?” She laughed at him. “I don’t think so, Sed. Who do you think you’re talking to here?”

A busybody who is too smart for her own good. But he couldn’t say that aloud, so he changed the subject. “You’re still marrying Brian tomorrow, aren’t you?”

Her brow furrowed. “Of course, why wouldn’t I?”

“You were pissed when you found out he’d been fighting.”

“Just because you’re mad at someone doesn’t mean you stop loving them.”

Sed nodded. “I guess.” He reached across the table and squeezed her hand. “Myr, I’m glad Brian found you. You’re exactly what he needs, but if he ever mistreats you, he’ll be answering to me.”

“And me!” Eric called from his bunk.

“No f*****g privacy around here,” Sed grumbled.

“If you want to have one last legal affair before you’re permanently saddled with Master Sinclair, there’s room in my bunk,” Eric called.

“Do you want me to hit him for you, Myr?” Sed stood up from the table.

“I got it,” Trey said. He leaned off the top bunk and there was a loud thunk in the bunk beneath.

“Ow!” Eric yelled.

Myrna climbed from the bench and gave Sed a warm hug. “Good night, Sed.”

He hugged her back. It felt wonderful to hold a woman without any s****l expectations.

She released him and returned to the bedroom.

Myrna was a good woman. Sed envied Brian.

It used to be the other way around.

Back before Jessica hated him.

Maybe he should go see her.

Nah. She’d probably kick him in the nuts.

How was it possible for two people to look that happy getting married by an Elvis impersonator in a drive-through? Brian had pulled into the first chapel they’d found. There wasn’t time for a long ceremony. They all had to be onstage in a couple of hours.

Sed grinned as Myrna and Brian recited their vows and exchanged rings. The size of Myrna’s rock put Jessica’s cheap piece of s**t to shame, but Sed was very conscious of the discarded ring’s weight in his hip pocket as Brian slid a platinum band on Myrna’s finger.

They’d put the top down on Myrna’s pink convertible ’57 Thunderbird coupe. Brian sat on the back of the front seat with Myrna on his lap. Trey, the best man, sat in the middle beside the happy couple. Sed sat on the passenger side as their second witness. He supposed that made him the maid of honor. Always a bridesmaid…

“I now pronounce you husband and, uh, wife,” the Elvis justice of the peace said. “I say, uh, you may kiss your beautiful bride.”

Brian kissed Myrna deeply. She clung to his shoulders, the Vegas sunshine making her auburn hair glow like fire. She looked absolutely stunning in her white gown. Sed wondered if they’d even make it back to the tour bus before Brian had it off her.

Eric, who sat behind Jace on the motorcycle next to the car, cheered.

“Congratulations.” Sed reached behind Trey to pat Brian on the shoulder.

The couple continued to kiss. And kiss. And kiss. Tug at each other’s clothes. Kiss some more.

“You guys,” Trey protested. “You’re making Jace blush.”

The newlyweds drew apart and stared into each other’s eyes, both of Brian’s surrounded by dark purple bruises. “God, I love you,” Brian murmured. He kissed her again, before drawing away to stare at her with the stupidest grin on his face. She smiled just as stupidly, love shining in her eyes.

Sed had had that. Once.

But no longer.

Stupid Jessica. Sed crossed his arms over his chest, trying his damnedest to be happy for Brian, no matter how miserable the occasion made him feel.

“Are we going to sit here all day?” Trey asked.

“You act like we’re ordering burgers and fries,” Brian said, glaring at Trey.

“Well, what do you expect? We are in a drive-through. Hey, Elvis!” Trey called at the window. “Can we get ketchup with that?’

“One marriage license is all you shall receive from The King. Move along, folks,” Elvis said, his accent evaporating. “We’ve got a line today.”

They slid down into the white leather bench seat and Myrna shifted to sit on Trey’s lap so Brian could drive back to the tour bus.

As they peeled out of the lot, Myrna toyed with Trey’s hair. “How’s your head, sweetie?”

“Hurts like a sonuvabitch.”

“You need to go to the hospital and get checked out,” Myrna said. “You look pale.” Using her fingertips, she tested his forehead for fever.

“That’s how the best man always looks when his best friend gets shackled with a ball and chain.”

“Ball and chain?” She poked him in the ribs and scooted over to Sed’s lap. Sed wrapped an arm around her back. “Sed doesn’t insult me.”

“Not to your face,” Trey murmured. He leaned back and closed his eyes.

Myrna was right. Trey didn’t look well. At all.

Myrna’s mouth dropped open and she turned her head to glare at Sed. “What did you say about me?”

“I’d never say anything bad about you, Myrna.” He shrugged. “Well, except you have bad taste in men.”

She grabbed his chin between her thumb and forefinger. “Don’t be insulting my husband.”

“Yeah,” Brian said, an ear-to-ear grin plastered to his face, “don’t be insulting her husband.” He wrapped his right hand around her ankle beneath her plain white wedding gown. At the top of the steering wheel, the wide platinum band on his left ring finger caught the afternoon sunshine. Sed stared at it. That symbol of together forever.

Forever.

“Eh, I’m just jealous,” Sed said quietly. He hugged Myrna affectionately and she placed a kiss on his temple.

“I hope you find happiness, Sed,” she said. “I really do.”

Only one woman could make him happy. And it just so happened that she despised him.

But he could never despise her. He hoped the money he’d given her at the club had been enough to help her out. If only Sinners’ third album had gone platinum a few months earlier. He could have afforded to buy her a nice ring and put her through law school. Then she’d have never left him in the first place.

Outside Mandalay Bay’s Events Center, Jessica tapped a security guard on the shoulder. “Excuse me, can you tell me where I can find Sed Lionheart?”

The gigantic, bearded man turned to look at her, but didn’t answer her question.

“He’s the lead singer of Sinners. Sedric Lionheart,” she said, enunciating the syllables of his name slowly. “They’re playing here tonight.”

“Stay behind the barrier.” The security guard pushed his sunglasses further up his nose with an index finger.

“I need to give him something. It’s important.”

“Stay behind the barrier.”

“I am behind the barrier. Does he come out this way after the show?”

“Look, lady, I have no clue. My instructions were to make all the fans stay behind the barrier.”

“I’m not a fan. I’m a friend.”

“Sure.”

An attractive thirty-something woman appeared beside the security guard. She wore a well-tailored navy skirt suit and held a clipboard. With her hair twisted into a conservative knot, she looked more out of place than a professional wrestler in a ballet.

“Are you Jessica?” the woman asked.

Jessica’s brow furrowed. “How do you know my name?”

“I saw a picture of you once. I’m Myrna Evans, I mean, Sinclair. Myrna Sinclair. Brian’s… wife.” Her expression wavered between disbelief and elation as she dropped this bombshell.

Jessica’s eyes widened in surprise. “Brian’s wife? When did Brian get married?”

The woman checked her watch. The ginormous diamond on her left ring finger sparkled in the streetlights. “About five hours ago. So, why are you here? I’m pretty sure Sed doesn’t want to see you.”

Jessica got a mother hen-ish vibe from this Myrna woman. Sed’s protector? Why would Sed need protection? The jackass could take care of himself just fine.

“He gave me a big chunk of cash yesterday. I came to return it.”

“Why are you returning it?”

“I don’t want his money. He’s always doing this to me. Screwing up my life and then trying to fix everything. I don’t need him to fix everything. I can take care of myself, you know?” Jessica’s eyebrows shot up. When Myrna didn’t reply, her face fell. “You don’t know, do you?”

“Sed is a protector type personality,” Myrna said. “That’s who he is. He tries to fix everything for everyone.” She smiled. “He’s really sweet, actually.”

“I don’t think we’re talking about the same Sed. Sedric Lionheart. Tall guy. Broad shoulders. Blue eyes. Short black hair. Body befitting a Greek god. Sings. La la la la.”

Myrna chuckled. “You don’t think Sed is sweet?”

“No. He’s a pompous ass who can’t keep his nose out of people’s business.”

“Because if someone he cares about gets hurt, he feels personally responsible. It’s his way of showing he cares.”

The congregating crowd outside the barrier cheered unexpectedly. The members of the band Exodus End emerged from their tour bus and headed for the building. Amongst them, Jessica recognized Trey’s older brother, Dare Mills. She hadn’t seen Dare for ages. She doubted if he’d even remember who she was.

“It’s noisy out here,” Myrna shouted. “Do you want to go talk on the bus?” Myrna pointed to the black and silver tour bus parked behind her.

Jessica’s stomach plummeted to her feet at the idea of seeing Sed again. Of being trapped in the bus where she couldn’t easily flee. “How about I just give the money to you, and you give it to him?” She reached into her purse.

“I think you should tell him why you don’t want it. I don’t think he understands you were insulted by his gift. It would be a good lesson for him.”

Jessica gaped at Myrna. How did this woman know Sed’s money insulted her?

“Yeah, I get it. Independent woman meets protector-type man and personalities clash. I bet your love affair is smoking hot, though.” Myrna laughed.

Jessica blushed. They had once had a smoking hot love affair. And it had never fizzled out. Just exploded.

“Charlie, can you help Jessica over the barrier?”

The security guard grabbed Jessica around the waist and hauled her over the metal barrier fence.

“I’m a mess.” Jessica rubbed her hands over her hair. She knew she looked like crap. It was fitting. She’d had a craptacular day. As if getting fired wasn’t bad enough, she hadn’t had enough money to pay for her rented room. Roy had deducted bouncer medical expenses from her wages, the jackass. Since there was no way in hell, she’d ever use Sed’s money to pay her rent, she’d spent most of the day packing her belongings into her piece of s**t Nissan Sentra. Apparently, her landlord preferred to rent her room to someone with actual money. As for sleep… What was that? When she’d tried to catch a nap in her car, some bicycle cop had pounded on her window and lectured her on how quickly the temperature inside a car could rise to deadly levels. Like she was an i***t or something.

Why did she care how she looked anyway? She didn’t have anyone to impress, and she was in a foul mood.

Jessica tucked her long, wavy hair behind her ears and followed Myrna to the tour bus.

“Jessica? Is that you?”

She paused and glanced up at Darren Mills, Exodus End’s lead guitarist. He was even better looking than his younger brother, Trey, if that was possible. They both had the same dreamy green eyes but Dare had a stronger jaw that was covered with a sexy shadow of beard growth. Dare’s long black hair, straight and shiny, was the envy of shampoo models the world over.

Jessica smiled at him, blushing slightly. It was hard to be inconspicuous when people kept recognizing her. Her plan to drop the loot and get the hell out of Dodge was not going as anticipated. “Hey, Dare. Yeah, it’s me.”

“I thought you dumped Sed. Are you guys back together?”

Jessica shook her head vigorously. “No chance.”

“Yo, Dare, get a move on! We’re on in thirty minutes,” Exodus End’s drummer, Steve Aimes, called from the back door of the venue.

Dare tossed his head in acknowledgement and then glanced down at Jessica. “I’ve got to go get warmed up for our set,” he said. “It was good to see you.”

“Yeah, I’m glad you stopped to say hi. Break a leg,” she said, and punched him gently in the arm.

“Thanks.” He turned and jogged toward the venue.

Jessica glanced at Myrna, who was following Dare’s perfect leather-clad ass with her eyes. “You know him?”

“That’s Dare,” Jessica said. “Trey’s older brother.”

“So that’s Dare. Mmmmm. And I thought Trey was sexy.”

Jessica chuckled. “What about Brian? Weren’t you recently married to him?”

“He’ll have my undivided attention soon enough.” Myrna turned to enter the bus. “Besides, getting married didn’t make me blind.”

Jessica followed Myrna up the bus stairs and entered the main room behind the driver’s seat.