Page 79 of Rock God

I really liked it, too.

26

Devyn

We were greeted by a cold, blustery New York City afternoon when we arrived. I was in a good mood despite the weather, excited to see Jesse and perform tomorrow. I’d brought one of my favorite stage outfits with me, one I hadn’t worn in years. A black velvet dress that fell to mid-calf. It laced up the sides and was low-cut in the front. I’d probably have to wear my long leather coat with it because it was supposed to be below freezing, but with my red Doc Martens, and a red velvet hat, I felt like I’d be channeling my inner Slash. Not to mention my more feminine side.

“Dev!” Jesse came running through the lobby as we walked in en masse and we immediately wrapped our arms around each other, talking excitedly.

“You look great!” I whispered, hugging her tightly. “God, I’ve missed you.”

“Me too.” She pulled away long enough to grin at me before hugging me again.

“Jess, this is Kingston, Z, Tommy, Kellan, and Ross. Ross is our tour manager.”

Ross waved before taking off toward the front desk, ostensibly to check us in.

“Nice to meet you.” Tommy nodded politely.

“Heard a lot about you!” Z grinned at her.

“You girls going to get into some trouble this weekend?” Kingston asked her with a wink.

“Maybe.” Jesse pretended to be considering the option. “Anything can happen when we’re together.”

“Well, hello.” Kellan took her hand as if he was going to shake it but then brought it to his lips, kissing the back. “Where have you been hiding your gorgeous friend?” he asked me.

I laughed. “Easy, tiger. She’s my bestie. No shenanigans.”

Jesse waved a hand in front of my face. “Don’t listen to her. I am All. About. Shenanigans.”

Kellan grinned and looped an arm around her shoulders. “You sound like my kind of girl.”

I playfully rolled my eyes.

Jesse was always the life of the party, but she guarded her heart pretty tightly. She’d been single for about a year after her last relationship fell apart, but I’d never known her to be into bad boys. Not after Roscoe.

It seemed like the repercussions from my association with Lace and Venom were never-ending.

“Here are your keys.” Ross came over to us, handing us room keys. You’re all in suites on the twenty-fifth floor. No one can go up to the top two floors without a key for those floors so you should be relatively safe from fans. The doors to the stairs lock from the inside but people are crafty, so keep your eyes peeled. I see a handful of ladies already lying in wait, which means we need to get out of the lobby.”

We moved toward the elevator banks with Ross in tow and Grim trailing behind us. He’d come for the gig since it was just one day, and I always felt safer when he was around.

“I’ll be on the same floor,” Grim told us, giving us his room number. “You all have my number so you can text, and of course, you can knock on my door for any reason. Now that there’s a lady in the mix—I know that’s misogynistic but it’s reality—men could be coming around, and in my experience, they’re harder to get rid of. Devyn and Jesse, be on alert. I’m telling you, this is a different dynamic now.”

I nodded. “We will. Believe me, I already got the talk from Sasha, my great-grandmother, and the band.”

Everyone chuckled.

“You haven’t gotten it from me yet, and now I don’t have to.” Ross grinned. He was good looking in a silver-fox kind of way. Probably in his late forties or early fifties, with salt and pepper hair, a cropped beard, and the one time I’d seen him without a shirt, I’d been shocked at his ripped abs. He was also single, so there were always women sniffing around. I’d seen him take off with two after the Whiskey gig.

“What are you guys doing tonight?” Kellan asked, his arm still around Jesse’s shoulders.

“Probably an early night,” I told him. “A bottle of wine, face masks, and a movie. Some of us have to work in the morning.”

“Pffft.” Kellan laughed. “I have to work in the morning, but I can party all night and go straight to the gig.”

“That sounds like fun.” Jesse giggled, and I almost nudged her.

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