Page 83 of Never To Suffer (The Hollywoodland #4)

EVE

BOYFRIEND

Theo and I are the last in the group to get to the venue, but we’re still an hour early.

The line stretches for several blocks, and the people have started getting anxious.

The tickets are either VIP, meaning you get a booth, or general admission, so some of these people have been camped out here for hours to guarantee they’ll be close to the stage.

I try to count the number of LA Proper shirts I spot, but I lose count. I'm floored at the outpouring.

Win or lose tonight, my girl has done it. She’s famous, and no one can take that away from her. No one.

They beefed up the security detail and aren’t letting people in early unless they’ve got a pass, which we do.

As we flash them to the giant of a door guy, and he grunts his approval.

The people waiting hiss with envy. I straighten my tie, and spin a few of my rings as we walk through the dark hallway that opens up to familiar faces.

“There you are!” If it wasn’t enough that Dani could pull an A-lister like her best friend Chase Cooper, he’s brought half the cast of the next film with him.

That explains the tight security—they probably work for these rich pricks.

Chase winks and waves at us and so does his wife, Dani’s sister.

“It’s about damn time. Come on, we’ve already started drinking! You gotta catch up!”

I shake hands with a few of the stars until Jamie pulls me in for a tight hug. “You look good, man.” He beams at me when we part, his eyes bloodshot and half open. “Like, really good. All of you. I’m so proud of you and Dani.”

“Come on, Jamie,” his wife says with a smile and a hand on his arm. “You’re now going to high cry on his fancy ass suit at a concert.”

“Yeah, bro, what’s with that? A suit to a rock show?” Steve asks, draped over his husband’s shoulders. “Dude, look over there! Ethan brought the whole damn team!”

I glance across the way and sure enough, there sits the Pasadena Fighting Parrots hockey team, all sporting jerseys with LA Proper’s logo emblazoned on their chest.

“They’re gonna sign the jerseys and raffle them off to raise money for charity.

” Ethan explains before shrugging Steve off.

He steps over to me and holds out a hand, but when I go to shake it, he also pulls me into a hug.

“Talk to me later, when Steve’s wasted. We’ll pitch your website to him and we’ll absolutely invest in that shit. ”

I pull away and can’t mistake that sheepish grin. “You’ve watched me, haven’t you?” The grin becomes a smirk as he nods. “You sick fucks. I love you guys. Glad you ended up with that meathead instead of me that night.”

“Same!” Steve yells over the drumbeat of the band warming up.

There’s a weight against my back before the arms encircle me. “Hey, Baby. Looks like she’s brought one hell of a crowd.”

“Yeah, she’s probably losing her mind back there. Glad Sky’s with her.”

He presses closer and I notice how excited he is. Or maybe it’s me in this suit that has him all worked up. I turn to face him and before I can lay a single word of snarky wisdom on him, he’s got his hands on my face and his mouth slotted over mine.

“Mmm,” I hum as our noses brush against each other. “Daddy’s hungry, isn’t he?”

“I told you not to call me that,” he growls loud enough to be heard over the music. “Guess I’ll have to keep that mouth busy since Dani’s band isn’t on for a while.”

I glance down toward the stage and wonder what she’s doing down there.

Probably Skylar. Which gives me an idea.

I tell the group we’ll be back, take Theo’s hand, and we head down the side stairs toward the stage.

There’s something electric about being let backstage when Hollywood elite and pro athletes have to sit up in the stands and aren’t allowed back here.

Theo and I meander the halls until we find someone to direct us to the right door.

I poke my head in and find Connor and Noah playing video games, pointing to a door in the back when they spot us but not stopping their game.

“I knew it!” I whisper to Theo as we head for the door, debating on knocking or barging right in. “Fuck it!”

I barely have the door open when two hands reach out, the small one grabbing me, and the larger one reaching for Theo and pulling us into the small bathroom.

“Oh, fuck me. Please!” Skylar’s shit-eating grin grows as they eye Theo and me. “You put one ring on it and all of a sudden, they stroll in here like the high dollar porn remake of Men In Black.”

“Oooo, I like it!” Dani laughs, her makeup already a mess and panties on the floor. “Does that mean we get to play with tentacles later?”

“What? Three cocks aren’t enough? You greedy little slut!” Skylar spins Dani around to face me, squeezing her tits in their large hands. “What are we gonna do about that, guys?”

Dani squeals. “There’s no shower in here and I am not going out there covered in, well, the three of you.”

I step in front of her, brushing my knuckles down her perfect face.

“Don’t worry, Beetle. I promised you we’d take care of you, and we will.

You’ll stand on that stage with Skylar dripping down your legs, and I’ll have Theo all over me.

” Without missing a beat, Theo’s arms come around me again, but this time, they’re undoing my belt.

Dani’s mouth crashes into mine as my pants are yanked down and her skirt flips up.

We’re pushed even closer together when Theo grabs Skylar by the hair and pulls them in for a rough, feral kiss, neither one slowing their thrusts.

God, I can’t wait to watch the two of them together after the show, while Dani and I cuddle together, ruined beyond recognition.

Our family might not be up to society’s standards, but it’s ours, and it’s perfect.

There’s a knock on the door and Theo pulls it open while Dani adjusts my tie, and I fix her hair to look like we didn’t both just get a solid dicking down. Our people will spot it a mile away, but maybe the crowd won’t. If they do, maybe that’s to her benefit, too. Gotta love punk rock.

“You, uh, about done in here, Dani? You’re on in five,” the stage manager asks, fully aware of what he almost interrupted.

“Awww. Were you worried we’d miss the curtain? We’re professionals, baby.” Dani says as she walks past him, patting him on the chest. Skylar gives him a head bob as they follow her out.

It takes some pushing and shoving, but Theo and I make it back to our seats as their set starts. The tour started almost a year ago, and looking back, I don’t recognize the lives we all lived before. Megan, the mice, and us trying to scrape by, no Skylar or Theo in sight.

“Damn, where the hell did you guys go? I want a pass to the sex room!” Steve teases as Chase hands us a beer.

Theo catches me spinning the ring he gave me on my finger as I sing along, taking my hand and threading his fingers into mine.

They knock it out of the park, not missing a beat.

The crowd loses their collective minds when Dani climbs on Skylar’s shoulders for a song, and again for all the crazy shit Skylar and Connor do for the views and attention.

When the set ends, I lean over to Jamie. “How were the other bands?”

“The crowd wasn’t as into their sets as they were LA Proper’s.” He points to the hockey team across the way. “Not one of them cheered for the first band. Honestly, I almost felt bad, but people need to learn what happens when they take on storm Dani, right?”

“Hell yeah.”

The last band of the night goes on next, and we’ve already gotten word from Dani that we should stay up here and watch since they aren’t letting people backstage anymore. It makes sense to not overcrowd the area before the big announcement.

All of us nervously watch as the competition comes on strong and doesn’t let up no matter how hard we all begged for a string to snap or an amp to blow.

Dani would have hated that, though. She wants to win, but she’s all about winning fair.

If their tour bus broke down, she’d be finding room on their own to cram everyone in to make sure they all got to the show, that’s how she is.

She knew this was the band to beat, and she wants to beat them the LA Proper way.

This will be close.

To make matters worse, they’re letting the crowd vote.

Not by cheers or interaction, but with actual votes in these cheesy booths.

It’s a great tactic, they get to shut down the stage and set up for a big, streaming announcement while keeping the crowd entertained.

Meanwhile, we’re kept entertained by Ethan’s continual shutdown of Steve’s ideas for voting more than once.

An hour passes, the last of the crowd votes have been called for, and now, we’re all too nervous to talk or joke around.

Beetle

They’re saying they want us all on stage in two minutes.

They’re totally going to try to drag this out even more.

Yeah, I got that vibe from out here. How are you four doing?

Beetle

Noah’s got no nails left to bite. Connor and Sky are plotting what to do when the winner gets announced, and it will probably get them both arrested.

I’m…weirdly zen.

No matter what happens, we love you. Both of you. I may come shank people if you don’t win.

Beetle

Vacation after this?

The only thing close to a vacation we’ve ever taken was for Ethan and Steve’s wedding, when they flew us out to Italy for a week.

I think we’ve earned it, babe

I’m proud of you, Dani.

Beetle

I’m proud of you, too, Xander. We finally fucking did it!

And we’re still together!

Beetle

Always!

Oh shit, gotta go. See you soon-ish.

When the curtain pulls back, NotOkay Records has a huge stage production setup. Dani and Sky look up toward the booth and wave at us, even though I’m sure they can’t see us. They’re holding hands so tight, I swear I can make out the white knuckles from here.

“Okay, we’re going to get right into this, folks!

” The guy who introduces himself as the CEO of NotOkay Records yells into the mic.

“We’ve got a ton of shit to go through, but as a thank you for getting your votes in, following the concerts, and being generally awesome, we’re going to bring it down to two bands. ”

A mixture of cheers and boos comes from the crowd, although I'm not sure why they’re booing.

“I know, I know! But we have a definitive gap between votes for third and second place. So, without any more stalling…”

When they announce the two bands leaving, a collective sigh of relief carries from our section and through much of the crowd.

We’re still in this. Dani should find that encouraging if she notices it.

LA Proper has the advantage of this being their home turf.

But will the hometown crowd carry them through?

Another hour of tour date announcements, upcoming bands and releases, videos of random people from the crowd filmed after they voted, and the anticipated but still cheered reveal that next year’s contest will be filmed and streaming on some big service goes by.

We thought the pre-show sex would help with the nervous energy, but that didn’t last. The bands have come on and off the stage at least five times.

Each time, I notice the combined worry and excitement on Dani and Sky’s faces.

“Relax, baby. There’s nothing we can do now, and especially not from up here,” Theo reminds me, his hand on my knee.

I’m not sure how he’s keeping it all inside as he sits back and looks cooler than any of us.

Meanwhile, everyone else in our box sits on the literal edge of our seats.

If they make us wait much longer, these seats won’t ever fold up properly again.

The head guy comes out again, blabbering on and bragging about their company and how great it is.

“If they don’t win, I’m starting my own damn label.”

“You could. As much as you hate to admit it, you’ve got a great mind for business hiding up in that brain of yours.

” Theo holds his hands up to stop me from arguing.

“Not like your parents, Xander. Nothing like that. You’re young, smart, and capable.

Someday, if you allow yourself, you’ll be so big you could buy their company just to turn around and sell it back to them. ”

I lean over, kissing him softly. “Thanks, Doc. That means a lot coming from you. It does.”

“Okay, so,” Theo and I watch the stage. The bands are both back out there again and I swear if this isn’t the announcement, I’m going down there and smashing people’s faces in. “Time for what you’ve all been waiting for!”

We’re all on our feet, crowding the edge of the box. Theo’s hand finds mine as we hold on tight to see where this wild ride will take us next.

“The winner of the first, and best, Battle of the Bands Nation is…”