Let the Music Say I Do-4
687 Words
Joey may suck as a human being, but he was a musical genius. Hail The Dead Marys always drew a huge, enthusiastic crowd. He was a hell of a performer, and the band was topnotch. The way he played his guitar was so sensual, I was hard the entire time. The audience ate up his larger-than-life antics and fed off his s****l aura.
By the end of the third set, I was sweaty and exhausted, yet strangely exhilarated. I always enjoyed performing, whether in front of a big crowd or in the background at an event. All of us gathered together at the front of the stage and took a bow to the appreciative applause after doing two encores.
We broke down the equipment as quickly as we could to make way for the DJ. My sweat cooled as I packed up my stuff and carried it out the back door to the trunk of my car. There was a chill in the air, typical fall weather, but it felt good.
I waved to the other guys in the band as they left, one by one. Before I could get into my car, however, Joey walked up and slapped me on the back.
“Goddamn, dude! We brought the house down. Thanks again for stepping in at the last minute.”
He handed over my share of the earnings for the night. I’d totally forgotten about getting paid. Joey stood there for a second, scratching the back of his neck.
“I still haven’t heard from Grady,” he said. “No texts, nothing.” A sheepish expression settled on his face.
Uh-oh, there’s more to this story.
I pocketed the money and leaned against my car. “The truth, Joey. What didn’t you tell me?”
He sighed dramatically. “I don’t see why it’s so…” He looked at me and realized I wasn’t buying into his antics. “Jesus. Look, I lied, okay? Grady always refused to have s*x with me from the start because he knew my reputation. I sleep around a lot. I mean, who doesn’t?”
Most of the planet.
“But I really wanted to get a crack at that ass, so I kind of pretended to feel something for him. He didn’t believe me at first, but I kept after him until finally, two months ago, he agreed to sleep with me. It was great for about a week, but then Grady started making noises about a relationship, and my d**k decided it wanted more than just his ass. I slept with someone else, and he caught me.” History repeats itself. “It’s been ‘atmosphere’ with him ever since then.” He shrugged like it was no big deal.
Joey was such a cretin.
“You’re an asshole.”
“Not news, hon. Still, I’d hate to lose such a great member of the band. I mean, it was just sex.”
“Maybe to you. But to most people, it’s gonna be more. At least, it was to me, and apparently to Grady, too. You’re beyond shallow, you know that?”
“I don’t see what’s wrong about having a good time with whomever I want if I feel like it. Why does it always have to lead to something serious? I don’t get it.”
“And until you do, you’ll keep hurting people. You can’t see past your own ego long enough to let someone else in. All that sleeping around is a shield against a true connection. Grow up and act like an adult already.” I unlocked the car and sat in the driver’s seat.
“Wait, you’re leaving?”
“Yeah, genius.” I closed the door and started the engine. The heater came on, though it was blowing cold air at the moment. Joey knocked on the window. I rolled it down. “What?”
He gave me a sultry look. “I was hoping, you know, for a nightcap?”
Joey was always wired and in need of release after a gig. Some of the best s*x we’d ever had—and it was all good—happened right after a show. He gave me the smile that had prompted hundreds of men and women to spread their legs. I steeled myself and talked my d**k down.
Not this time.
“You’re kidding, right?” He appeared confused, so I clarified. “You might want to call Tim Hugo again just in case Grady decides to quit for good. It would be no less than you deserve, by the way. In fact, don’t call me anymore to help out with the band. I’m sick of the sight of you.” With that, I drove off.
- Writer
