“Love you, Donny.” The nick-name was already growing on me.
“Love you too.” We hung up, but now I was the one sitting here with a hard-on.
Chapter seven
Kay
My suitcase was open on my bed as I sorted through what I wanted to bring. There were a few months on the road before getting a break to go home, so I needed to bring a lot. I had jeans, T-shirts, and my shit-kicker boots, plus some soft clothes to change into after shows. I needed to get all of this into one suitcase because Donny had me flying out to his place before ourfirst show at Rocktoberfest, and I hated taking more than one checked bag. I needed a carry-on, but that would be packed with stuff to meet more immediate needs on the plane. Thankfully, I didn’t have to worry about equipment since guitars, amps, and all of that shit were packed and loaded by the roadies and techs.
I was excited for the tour, since Pierce was with us this time, but I was also nervous about it, and about our record dropping. Which was already happening, while I distracted myself with packing. Nearly everything I wanted was in there, except boxers and socks, because I wanted to buy a few new packs. There was something I liked about starting this tour with fresh, brand-new undies.
My cell chimed with Jinx’s ringtone. I immediately went into panic mode. Something had to be wrong. I grabbed the phone and answered quickly, despite wanting to hide. “Jinx? What’s up, man?”
“Hey, are you sitting down?”
“No, but I can be.” I sat on the edge of the bed. “What is it?” I was expecting the worst.
“I’m not sure why, maybe it was Pierce, but…”
I put my hand over my mouth to hold back the whimper, or whatever else might come out.
“The album forAlcohol and Carsdebuted really high on the charts. It’s already at Gold, man.”
“What?”
“And the single is climbing. It’s a fucking hit.”
That was the first song that sold everyone on Pierce. We’d worked on it together and knocked it out the first day. “Fucking A.” Our lineup was already working with Pierce as the new frontman. He’d already been popular after recordingDip and Grindwith Hunt. But I was seriously stoked about this one and proud of the music. For sure, the title song was fantastic and fun, but Pierce’sScapegoatcame out great, too. Well, after wereworked the lyrics again. But when Pierce brought it back to us, his attitude about fixing it was so much better, and we got a solid tune out of it. We’d also re-recordedHouse and Home, which had been our best song, but with Pierce’s vocals, it was even better.
“Fucking A is right, man. I’m so fucking stoked. Come over to the house tonight. We’re celebrating!”
“Sure. I’ll be there. I’ve gotta call Donny.”
“Right on. See you there.”
Tapping recent calls on my cell, I immediately called Donny. When he answered, I blurted it out. “Alcohol and Carsdropped at Gold. We’re fucking Gold.”
“Holy shit. That’s fantastic. I told you it was great.”
“I never thought I’d ever have a Gold record, never. Fucking Gold! Jinx and Miami are having all of us over to the house tonight.”
“Great. I have some news for you, too. Not sure it’s as exciting, but I need to tell you sooner rather than later, I guess.”
“What. Is this the surprise?” I bounced on the bed. I loved surprises. Well, I loved good surprises. And Donny’s sounded good. What a great day.
Chapter eight
Donavan
“I’ve scored an invite to a special party.” I wasn’t sure how he’d feel about this. “It’s two days before the show, when you’ll be here.”
“Party? What kind of party?”
“It’s, uh, it’s a kink party. Super-secret.”
“Oh.” That didn’t sound as excited as I wanted him to be.
“It’s completely discreet. Every guest has been thoroughly vetted.” I didn’t want him to worry about being exposed to the general public. “What do you think?”
