Page 27 of Show biz

“What about your beauty sleep?” Tyler teases me. People don’t typically joke around with me. I’m too much of a scary asshole usually.

“Eh, I’ll figure it out.” I shrug.

“What’s going on?” Layla asks softly, peeking up from her cocoon. Her eyes blink away the sleep, trying to catch up to why I might be standing here.

“It’s too damn cold up here, chick. Time to come back downstairs,” I inform her.

“No,” she says simply, eyes starting to close again. Tyler merely smirks, pushing her hair back from her face. “I’m comfortable, and there are assholes downstairs.”

“Am I an asshole?” I ask, raising my brow. I don’t usually care what other people think either, yet here I am. Annoyed that I asked at all, I cross my arms over my chest, glaring at her.

“My brothers-in-law kill people for a living. You really don’t scare me,” Layla says before starting to fall asleep again.

“Chickie has this odd obsession with death,” I grumble. “You can’t sleep up here. I will carry you over my shoulder.”

The impious snort as she waves me away with her fingers before tucking them back under the blanket, infuriates me. Layla is out of Tyler’s arms, still wrapped in the blanket and tossed over my shoulder before I fully grasp the movement. Damn, I really am tired.

Tyler gasps, scrambling up and grabbing the notebook and pen. “So, we’re moving apparently,” he mutters.

“You may want to snag that pillow for the brat too. She may need something to sit on later,” I rumble before spanking her ass. Layla squeals, her trapped arms slapping down to hit my ass. “Careful with the goods, Chickie. I happen to like a bit of pain.”

“Put me down… you asshole!” she yells. Well, I can’t win them all. As long as she’s not sleeping outside in this fucking frigid weather.

Tyler follows me across the expanse of the roof, hitting the button to open the elevator doors. It’s still patiently waiting for us, as no one else needs it.

“Yeah, yeah. Nothing you have to say will change you sleeping in my bed, Chickie. Atlas and Mav couldn’t have done anything that terrible to your spoiled ass,” I grunt. She makes me a damn caveman. Tyler is suspiciously quiet as he hits the first floor button. “Could they have?” I ask before I can bite back the words.

Layla simply thumps her arms down on my backside, so I widen my stance. I’ll spank her again if she hits my dick. I know my friends, while they have been circumspect about why they left their last band, I doubt it’s for any nefarious reason.

“Mav and Atlas remind me of the past,” Layla says softly. “They made me think they wanted me and then threw me away when things got too hot and heavy. They fucked each other instead of me in the back room and I had to hear it all. I left the tour early and refused to share a bus with them after that.”

While that is a dick move on their part, I remember the haunted look I caught in her eyes, and I realize it meant more to her. She thought they had something real.

“Is that why they left their last band?” I ask.

“It hurt too much to see them. It sounds silly, but their bandmates Turner and Roark agreed Mav and Atlas should leave the band,” Layla says. She’s still hanging upside down, her voice different as she tries to talk to me. “I had feelings for them, but my age clouded everything. I didn’t expect to see them again. I just need to suck it up, but listening to them fucking threw me.”

“You looked like you had demons chasing you when you left,” I tell her as the elevator rides us down to our floor. “I don’t typically fuck children, but— Fuck!”

Layla punches me in the dick and I almost drop her. Tyler’s eyes widen, ready to catch her.

“Don't drop her. Damn!” Tyler barks.

“Jesus, Mary, and my cock,” I groan. “Are you going to suck my dick to make it feel better too?”

“No!” Layla yells, twisting in my arms. Swatting her ass, I band my arm around her legs so I won’t drop her.

Limping off the elevator as the doors open, I wince as I walk. “Damn, your aim is almost too good, Chickie.”

“Stop calling me that,” she growls. “Just put me down.”

“No, no. It’s much too late for that. You’ve made yourself entirely too interesting now,” I admit. “So do you not take rejection well, is that it? You’re obviously with Tyler now… so why does this bother you?”

“They found out she was a virgin that night,” Tyler sighs, picking up the thread of conversation now that she started. “Mav dropped her as if she was on fire on the couch, and they went into the bedroom to fuck each other, so they could ignore her. Imagine feeling like you aren’t good enough to be around because of your innocence when your age has already been a source of contention.”

“Huh,” I mutter. “Why didn’t you just leave?”

“The tour bus was moving,” she responds. “Throwing myself off of it seemed a bit dramatic.”

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