“Xavier’s an uncle again,” Taelyn teases.

“The hell I am.” He laughs, squeezing her hand.

“Fugly is your nephew, so that means—” she begins.

“Fugly is your nephew.” He chuckles.

“Fine, I’m okay with it.” She smirks and then looks at us. “Cyrus’s dog had puppies, twelve to be exact. They didn’t know she was pregnant.”

“Or that something that ugly would even have a chance at getting laid.” Xavier laughs, and she smacks his stomach playfully.

“The pups ugly?” Memphis asks.

“God only knows, man. No evidence yet.” Xavier sits down and looks at Memphis. “How you doing?”

“Real damn good.” He grins like a teenage boy who just got his first blow job.

“Everything healing up?” X asks like it’s no big deal that they are discussing Memphis’s dick in front of us.

I look at Taelyn, who is unaffected as well. What the hell?

“Everyone in the room have a dick piercing?” River asks.

“I don’t.” Taelyn laughs, and Xavier shoots her a look that says I can’t believe you just said that. “What, Xavier? I don’t.”

“Good damn thing,” he huffs.

“If you wanted one, you could get one of those pink strap-on things and crown that bitch, Taelyn. Then you could make X your bit—”

“Watch it, River,” X growls at him, teeth bared and all.

Taelyn giggles, and X looks at her. “Shit’s not funny.”

“Actually, it’s hysterical, but”—she pauses and winks at him—“it’s not why we are here.”

She grabs a pile of folders from the desk and passes them out. “Tour schedule, press obligations, opening act auditions, hotel, and flight information are all enclosed. Any questions with travel, Madison is the girl to call. Press is Sonya”—she looks at me as if testing my ability to deal—“or me.” Apparently, she doesn’t think I can. Can’t say I blame her. I did snap at her, literally.

The door opens and Sonya walks in. She’s wearing pants today, some sort of cargo army green things, instead of a skirt. Her hair is down as an alternative to her usual uptight bun, and she has on a Forever Four T-shirt … covered by a Mr. Rogers ‘won’t you be my neighbor’ looking sweater.

“You got the memo that we’re more casual here?” Nickie D gives her a wink, and I don’t like it. I especially don’t like the blush it produces on her face.

“Yes,” she says as she sits down in the only available chair that’s not next to me.

She’s avoiding me. Good.

I cross my arms and sit back.

“You two need to be able to get along,” Xavier says, and I look up to find he’s looking at me.

I point my thumb to my chest. “Me?”

“Yes, Finn, you,” Xavier says with a nod.

I throw my hands in the air. “What the fuck did I do now?”

“You growled,” Billy answers.

“Did fucking not,” I retort.

Memphis smirks. “You did.”

“Moving along,” Taelyn says, refocusing the attention on business.

I look over at Sonya to see her face is blazing red now, and I take satisfaction in that. I made that shit happen, not Nickie D’s casual comment.

“Are you okay with that?” Taelyn asks, and I glance up again.

“Me?”

“Yes, Finn. Da’ fuck’s your deal?” Memphis laughs. “Still feeling the effects of last night?”

“No happenings last night.” River points to Billy. “Buzz kill Bill made sure of that.”

“I broke up a fight,” Billy snaps at him.

“Shouldn’t have,” I snarl. “Preppy fucking pushers deserved that shit.”

“But seriously, that ganja was fucking epic. A couple hits and my hand became Rhianna.”

“Thought it was Beyoncé?” I remind his ass.

“Rhianna first. Then I needed darker, thicker, sexier, so I switched hands. From then on, my hand was called Beyoncé.”

Memphis laughs. “You are so fucked up.”

“I’m fucked up? Finn camped out on the patio. It was cold as a hairless lion out there.”

“Finn would sleep outside in February.” Billy nods, looking at me. “Insane, but I did read up on the health benefits.”

I shake my head. “Me, too.”

“Really?” River asks.

“Fuck no.” I chuckle.

“Okay, focus,” Xavier laughingly interrupts. “Go ahead, Irish.”

She smiles at his endearment. “Sonya, Tally, and Memphis have agreed to do the auditions, but we want to make sure the rest of you are there when you can be. I know Billy is finishing up some classes, and it may be hard for him—”

“So he gets to skate?” I ask.

“I never wanted this life to begin with,” Billy says, then looks at Xavier. Xavier’s eyebrow rises slowly, and Taelyn smacks his shoulder.

“And that’s why we only want you to do it when your class demands aren’t as high.” She looks at the rest of us. “Tomorrow, you all leave for Texas—Houston on the eighth and Dallas on the ninth. So you have three days to find two bands. Over twenty acts are coming to auditions tomorrow night. A local radio station Nick reached out to is setting it all up. You just show up, smile, give constructive feedback, and pick two groups.”

I sigh. “The first two sound perfect to me.”

“I’d like to interject something if I might,” Sonya chimes in.

Taelyn smiles at her. “The floor is yours.”

“I am compiling data on the reach and fan base of those bands who will be auditioning. I am not saying I encourage picking someone who already has a following, but it wouldn’t hurt.”

“Good.” Xavier nods, then looks back at us. “Take it under consideration, but remember you were them once.”

“Finn, you’re the only one who is strongly opposed to this; will you remember it won’t hurt us one damn bit?” Xavier stands and bends down behind his desk. When he stands again, he holds two bottles of champagne in his hands.

“Congratulations, Steel Total Destruction, you have nine sold out venues.”

“No shit?” Memphis claps his hands together.

“None.” X winks then looks at me. “We’re a fucking family here. We take care of each other, we work together, and we win.”

Nick takes the bottles, pops one cork then another, pours us all a glass, and hands them out.

“To the four of you,” Nick says, raising his glass.

“Lame,” Xavier says and steps forward. “To guys who strum, to guys who drum, to the guys whose voices make women dumb.” He winks at Memphis, then me.

“To girls who make us fucking come.” River laughs.

“Forever Steel.” Taelyn raises her glass.

I watch Sonya out of the corner of my eye. She smiles in a polite manner, but doesn’t take a drink, only sets the glass down.

My phone vibrates in my pocket, and I pull it out.

A message from my old man.

I hold my thumb over the home key, but it doesn’t open. I try the last password I remember, and it’s wrong.

I look up to see Sonya staring at me.

“Fuck,” I say in a low tone.

“I have some things to do. Taelyn, I will be at the hotel if you need me.” Then she skates out the door.

I am just about to my car when I hear his voice boom, “Stop, dammit.”

“I’m in a hurry,” I call over my shoulder and quickly slide inside my car. I can’t take being in the same room as him. How will—

The door opens, and I lose all train of thought as he reaches in then takes my hand. My body comes to life again¸ remembering what his hands did to me less than twelve hours ago.

“Finn, please—”

He pulls my hand toward him, holds out his phone, and holds my thumb against the home button. Then he lets go and starts to turn around.

“Wait!”

When he stops and doesn’t turn around, I get out and walk around him.

“You can’t just do things like that. You can’t play games with me. Last night, I was drunk and—”

“Last night?” He lets out a maniacal laugh. “This has nothing to do with last night.” His jaw muscles flex, and for a moment, I am reminded of his mouth and all the ways it brought me pleasure like I never experienced before, like I am sure I never will again.