Page 4 of Revelry

Ash hesitates. “Yeah, I’m in,” he says, and then looks over at Levi.

He shakes his head. “Whatever, man. You’re supplying the booze, though.”

“Book the studio till Friday and we’ll give you three of the best motherfucking songs ever written.”

“Now that’s what I like to hear,” Guidelli says.

“There’s just one more thing.” Vanessa gives me a look that says I’m not going to like a single second of this. “We’ve been discussing the name, and we feel The Glorious Daddies isn’t the right angle for us. We’re strongly suggesting a name change.”

“Oh, hell no,” Ash says quietly.

Levi shakes his head. “That’s rock suicide.”

“It’s not negotiable,” Vanessa says.

“We’ve already sold out shows throughout the US. You don’t think it’s going to get a little confusing for people when they show up to a Glorious Daddies concert and find they’re seeing someone else?” I say.

Vanessa smiles at me as if I’m a child she only just tolerates. I don’t know why, but I find I like pushing her buttons. “We would re-launch the band beforehand.”

“Of course you would,” I mutter.

“What does a re-launch entail, exactly?” Levi asks,

“We’d throw a party, roll out a new line of merchandise and give everyone a first taste of the new album. Throw in a couple of press junkets before you leave on tour. We’ll be in touch with your road manager, too. We want the tour to reflect the new image.”

I run my fingers through my hair, trying like hell to ease some of the pressure of the massive hangover I’m currently enduring. There are moments in your life that define you. The first time you accomplish something you can be proud of; the first time a person pushes you too far and you make the decision to fight or to walk away; the first time you learn you’re going to be a parent. By comparison, this moment is insignificant. But to my band-mates, this is the equivalent of a blowtorch to the balls.

Vanessa looks to me, as if I need to get my shit together and pull rank on my guys.

“Fine,” I say. “Boys, how does Taint sound?”

Zed makes a show of mulling it over. He knows why I suggested it, because everything touched by a seven-figure deal becomes tainted in one way or another. He’s really much smarter than people give him credit for. “I like it.”

“You’re actually on board with this?” Levi asks him.

Zed shrugs. “It does have a ring to it.”

“Fine. Whatever,” Levi says, and prowls the room like a caged tiger. He’s barely keeping his shit contained, but no matter how unhappy he is he’s not going to walk away from everything we’ve dreamed of for the last eight years.

Ash shakes his head and gives me an impatient glare. “Yeah, whatever.”

“Great,” Vanessa says. “We’ll have some papers drawn up. We’ll need all of your signatures again; I’ll just have it sent to the studio this afternoon.”

“You’re putting us in there today?” Levi asks, folding his arms over his chest.

“Time is money, gentlemen. You understand.” Guidelli pushes his chair back and makes to leave as Vanessa presses a button on the intercom. I stand up too, because I’m ready to go fucking crazy from the pounding in my head.

“Ali, I need a coffee. Would you mind?”

A quiet female voice floods through the crackling speaker. “Not at all, Miss Robinson.”

It strikes me as odd that Vanessa is sitting on her ample arse, not three feet from the table with everything she needs to fix her own cup, and yet she still requires her lackey to come and do it for her.

I really hate this bitch. I know deals are a dime a dozen to people like her, but I hate being fucking railroaded.

“Wait,” I say, before Guidelli and his team of lawyers can leave. “We have a few demands of our own.”

“Demands?” Guidelli asks with a laugh. His eyes tell me he’s not really amused though. “Well, let’s hear them, gentlemen.”