Page 33 of I Am Sin

Teddy’s loft isn’t huge, which is why her parties often end up on the roof. But although the music is loud, only about eight people are here.

“Let me introduce you guys to everybody.” Teddy turns to a man standing by her stereo. “Turn down the music, will you, Bud?”

Once the music goes down and we can hear ourselves think, Teddy grabs Dragon. “Most of you guys know Diana,” she says, “except for Bud and Tracy. This is my great friend Diana Steel. But this is so exciting. Not that you aren’t exciting, Dee, but we have a bona fide rock star here!”

Everyone gushes.

“This is Dragon.TheDragon of Dragonlock.”

“The drummer?” a young woman dressed in shorts—yes, shorts and fishnet hose—asks.

She must be Tracy, since I don’t recognize her.

“Yeah,” Teddy says. “The band that opened for Emerald Phoenix on their European tour earlier this year.”

Except Dragon wasn’t there. He was at one concert before he came home and went into rehab. He’s not correcting her, though, so I figure it’s not my place to do it either.

Tracy—or so I assume—flits over to him. “Can I get you anything? A drink?”

“Just water,” Dragon says in his low voice.

“But I brought this delicious craft IPA. You’ve got to try it.”

“No, thank you.”

“Pretty please?” She turns her lips into a flirty pout.

I’m about to open my mouth to tell her to shut up, that he’s an addict, but he actually gives her a smile.

It’s a small smile, but it’s a smile. More than he’s ever given me.

“I’m an addict,” he says. “So no, thank you.”

She drops her jaw. “Oh my God, I’m so sorry.”

“You didn’t know.” That’s all he says.

She’s still holding on to his arm. “Let’s get you that water, and then I want to talk to you all about your career.”

I sigh and turn to Teddy. “Guess I don’t have to worry about him having a good time.”

“Tracy’s such a groupie. I doubt she even knows much about Dragonlock. She’ll screw anything that even slightly exudes rock and roll.”

“Oh?”

“Oh, yeah.” She smirks. “I mean, she’s one of my closest friends, but she’s a total…you know. We went to college together.”

“So she and Bud aren’t together?”

Teddy cracks a sly smile and narrows her eyes. “Depends on what you mean bytogether. They’re friends with benefits, but they both screw whoever they want. Sometimes together.”

I try to cover my surprise.

But Teddy just laughs. “You’re such an innocent, Diana.”

“Growing up on a secluded ranch on the western slope will do that.”

Except I’m not an innocent. Maybe when it comes to things like sex. And that, you know, I like it to be with one other person max.

---