“Dude! These groupies are totally ready to go!” My dreadlocked bastard of a bohemian guitarist laughed, splashing his bottle of beer in an arc.

The two hot young girls wrapped around him cooed a chorus of flirtatious giggles. They must have been just barely eighteen, clad in tight, low-cut shirts that made their silky, angelic breasts practically burst out of the seams.

Despite my lack of interest, I wasn’t about to rain on his parade. I lightly raised my own bottle of music festival beer to him, shaking my head.

“You go on ahead, man. Not feelin’ it tonight.”

No matter where we went, fans were throwing themselves at us – and my band-mates were always eager to take the free, willing pussy back to the bus for a fresh bang.

In fact, my bassist and drummer were already back there now, getting their freak on with a few nameless groupies now.

“Serious?” Waylon asked drunkenly.

His limber playing hand slid under a skirt and along a tanned, tender ass, drawing a blush from the groupie’s cheeks. The sight made my cock almost twitch.

Almost.

“You sure you don’t want to try a piece of this Alabama ‘tang?” He pressed on. “Plenty to go around. I’m not greedy.”

The groupie twosome puffed their chests and wiggled provocatively for me, giving me the deepest pair of sultry, lustful looks that they could muster.

They looked cute.

Cute, and too young to be acting like this.

“Think I’m just gonna relax and ride the vibe,” I reaffirmed. “Go get your dick wet.”

“If you say so!”

“And ladies,” I continued, turning towards the girls, who settled down and looked at me almost fearfully. “Don’t keep him up all night. This guy needs to be shredding licks same time tomorrow.”

They nodded respectfully, but Waylon jumped up to his feet, his dreads scattering around his face briefly.

“Ain’t gonna happen. This train rides ‘til sunrise! Ain’t that right, ladies?”

They chuckled with big, goofy hero-worshipping grins on their faces. He scooped them up against his sides, and soon they stumbled off towards the back of the after-party, heading for our bus.

Joke’s on them, I thought to myself. Waylon’s a two-pump chump on a GOOD day.

Truth of the matter was that I’d been in a funk. For the last few weeks, I had turned down sex left, right, and center from even the most flexible little minxes.

A constant stream of the hottest goddamn chicks around went fucking wild for us on the regular.

And why shouldn’t they?

We weren’t just anybody.

We were Trent Masters and the Whiplash, the hottest fucking rock band in America.

On national radiowaves dominated by DJs making music off of laptops, mainstream child stars glammed up and given backing bands, and egotistical personalities lacking substance and spitting shit…we brought something better.

Something harder.

Something real.

Something apparently sorely missed.

Our latest album, Twelve Machines, was flying off the shelves across the country. The last two singles went platinum. Hell, talks of a Grammy nomination were already in the pipeline.

I was on top of the fucking world.

Or I should have felt like I was.

But all I felt was empty inside, and even the quick fix of endless sex didn’t quell the tension.

It was hard to think I was taking advantage of these girls when they grinded up against me at after-parties like this, always seeming so desperate to give my cock the old spit-shine.

It just didn’t feel right.

But… I couldn’t tell what I wanted instead.

What I needed.

I drank another swig from my bottle of beer, watching the other bands delight in the attention. We were in town for this badass music festival called the RipFest, and we’d shared the stage with some serious rock legends and decent upcoming talent.

They were having fun. Even the older, crustier guys looked like they were having a blast, likely filled with enough drugs to bring down a Bull Rhino in its prime.

It’s not like I wasn’t grateful… I was just… Lost.

The constant attention was overwhelming – too much of a great fucking thing. I had to be careful about the shit I said, because rock stars were even closer to scandal in this day and age.

Everything constantly recorded, rumors spread with the speed of a tweet and the snap of a camera on some girl’s iPhone.

It was all about being careful and avoiding the wrong kind of spotlight. Blogs are eager for clicks, and the whole world is ready to tear you down to build an audience.

I’d paid my dues.

No more practicing in oily garages and filthy bars. No more struggling in hard labor and backbreaking jobs to make ends meet. I wasn’t going to let some little misstep tear me down.

Despite the bullshit, the throne on this rising fucking star felt grand.

But as the light grew brighter…the shadows only grew filthier. Despite all the fame, all the success, all the money and women and the fancy toys. I knew the truth.

The world is a filthy place.

And I am the reigning king of the filth.