Page 9

"I like her," River says. "And I love him. And he wants her here."

He?Does she mean Luca? Is that why I'm here? She found me for him?

"And she ate our blood shots," Brady says. He puts his arm around Rhett and starts rubbing the back of his neck.

"How was that?" Rhett asks me.

"Um…coppery," I tell him.

"It's not a good mix," he says. "The Bloody Marys are better."

"I'll remember that." I turn to River. "Is he joking?"

"Oh, no. The Bloody Marys do have blood in them. And they do taste better than the jello. I'm happy to get you one."

Fuck that. "I'm good for now. Thanks, though."

"Okay," she says. She taps me on the nose, then turns back to Hazel, and I just sit there, processing that for a second before I begin scanning the space again.

Luca has almost made it over to this side of the room. A couple of booths away, he's signing girls' bare tits and taking photos. I try not to let him see me staring, but I catch his eye anyway. Iquickly turn my attention back to River and Hazel. Hazel strokes the sad girl's hair, appearing to comfort her. I wish I could hear what was happening, but I can't. The other girl, Alana, appears to be Facetiming with someone or taking a video. Rhett is slouched in the booth, his head thrown back and his eyes closed. I realize his hand is in Brady's hair, who is on his knees under the table.

Again, I try not to stare but can't help it. He's sucking him off feet away from me. Am I not supposed to look?

Rhett lets out a long moan, and I finally force myself to look away, squeezing my thighs together.

"Go ahead and watch," River says. "They don't mind…obviously."

Before I can reply, Luca slides into the booth next to me. "I was looking for you," he says.

"Hi, Luca," River says, flashing him a shit-eating grin. He reaches over and pats her on the head. Satisfied, she turns back to Hazel and Layla.

"Did you enjoy the show?" he asks.

"I did," I tell him. I don't mean to, but my voice raises an octave when I say it. He notices and raises an eyebrow.

"And did that surprise you?"

"No," I say a little too quickly. "I didn't mean it like that. I just mean…most bands aren't better in person. You guys were even better in person. That's what surprised me."

"It's the energy," he says. "That's what makes us better in person. The room was alive; couldn't you feel it?"

He brings that same vodka bottle from earlier to his mouth and takes a swig. All I can do is nod, staring at his tattooed hands wrapped around the bottle's neck, his mouth and the muscles in his throat when he swallows.

The energy of all of this is sex. As the thought crosses my mind, Rhett groans across from me.

"Oh, fuck," he says. "Yes. Take it all."

I fight the urge to turn and look. Luca sets the bottle down and adds, "You can't get energy like that inside a recording studio. I mean, you can try, but it's not the same."

"Yeah, no. I know what you mean."

He lifts the bottle from the table again and holds it out in front of me. "See that?" he says, pointing to the faded lipstick stain around the rim.

"Uh-huh."

"That's you," he says. He brings the bottle to my mouth again, and I wrap my lips around it, taking a long, hard pull.

I need to be careful. I can't get drunk here—not tonight.