Chapter 6

Kya

I had slept all night in the tour bus, which was still parked behind the venue, even though my parents only lived twenty minutes from here. Most of the out of town bands had done the same, and those who hadn’t stayed in their buses had slept in hotel rooms and partied until the sun came up.

Sadie came dragging in around eight after having spent the night with Stones Hunter and looked at me with a dopey grin as I drank my coffee.

“What?” I asked, knowing she wanted details.

“Nothing. Just can’t believe you didn’t jump at the chance to tell me all about your hookup. I came out and saw this bus a-rockin'.” She moved her hips in a twerking motion.

“You haven’t offered up any saucy stories, either, so I guess we’re even.” Normally, when we met someone new, we’d compare notes, but I didn’t feel like reliving the last moments of the night with Leo.

He had changed, and now he was nothing but a player, an egotistical asshole who I had wasted time thinking about all these years wondering if I’d done the right thing by rejecting him.

She slid into the seat across from me at our little tour bus booth and turned on the Keurig to make her own cup. “Fine, I’ll go first. Stones is incredible. We got our own hotel room, and we talked all night.”

“All night? So, you didn’t hook up with him?” I gave her a sidelong look, and she shook her head.

“Nope. If Stones wants to get with this, he’s going to have to work for it. I’m not a skank like Mona who sleeps with men she barely knows.” She met my eyes and pulled her lips in tight like she regretted her words. “Oh, I’m sorry. Did you know your guy?”

I gave a half-hearted laugh. “Yeah, I did. I slept with him before in high school.”

“Wow, an old flame. That’s hot.”

“No. More like the one who got away. He was such a good guy, a little socially awkward and a virgin, so we were at this party just before graduation, and he mentioned how he didn’t want to go to college a virgin. I had a little experience and had always had a little crush on him, so I offered to help him out.”

Sadie picked up her steaming cup and turned off the coffee maker before she took her first sip. “You popped his cherry. Jesus, Kya. So, what happened?”

“Well, he was really hung, and the sex was amazing, but then when it was over, he was so over the moon, he wanted to hook up and be a couple, which scared me to death.”

Sadie brushed her bleached hair back. “You were scared of virgin boy? He must have really been something.” She waggled her brows. “Or was it the big penis?”

I reached across the small booth and nudged her. “It was him. I’ve known him since I was six. He stopped coming over when I discovered music, and I thought he wasn’t interested. So, by then, I had made my plans around my dream and didn’t want anyone standing in my way.”

“Ouch.” She rubbed her arm to feign injury. “What did you say?”

I sank back in my seat. “I said I didn’t want to ruin our friendship, which was the same thing he said to me last night when I suggested we get reacquainted.”

Sadie’s jaw dropped. “Oh no, he revenge fucked you.”

“Right, and in a very in my face kind of way, which really sucks. I mean, I guess I didn’t think he was capable. He had always been so sweet, but yeah, I’m still bleeding a bit.” I rubbed the tender flesh over my heart.

“Damn. That sucks.” Sadie reached out and took my hand to offer comfort. “Almost as bad as what we have to do next.”

I took another sip from my warm mug. “Which is?”

Sadie gave me an apologetic look. “Fire Mona, hello? Did you forget?”

In honesty, I had forgotten after the previous night’s drama, but I couldn’t put it off any longer. “I guess I need to call a meeting.”

Sadie smiled big and held her chin up high. “Done. And for your information, they’ll all be here any minute. I told them it was important.”

I realized I needed to get my head out of my heart and pay attention to what mattered. “Where did Mona stay last night?”

“I’m not sure, but it wasn’t with Teddy. He was at the party that Stones and I went to before we got our room. Blitz asked about you, by the way. He said there was a manager asking questions about us, and he was supposed to have given them your number. The man said he’s local, so he’d be around.”

“Awesome. Did Blitz say if he’s any good?” It would help if this guy had a solid reputation in the industry. There were too many wannabes as it was. I needed someone who could work well with others to get the best for us.

“Nope, but you can ask him all of that when you call him. But don’t tell him I spent the night with his son. He’s really funny about that shit, and Stones doesn’t want his dad or the band to know.”

“And if I know Blitz, he already knows. He keeps his boys on a tight leash, from what I’d seen and heard.”

Before we could continue the conversation, Liam and Rob came into the bus. “Good morning, ladies,” said Liam. “I brought doughnuts.”

Rob sat on the makeshift couch across from the little booth. “Is Mona here?”

“No. She’s probably going to be fashionably late like that shit she pulled last night.” Liam’s tone showed his distaste for the woman.

“I guess we’re all still in agreement, which is good. It’ll make things a lot easier. I need you guys to have my back for sure.” I knew getting rid of her was the right thing to do, and though I’d never had any problems getting rid of troublesome people in the past, Mona was different. She’d given me a place to stay when I needed it and been there when shit had gone south with my parents. The only reason Sadie hadn’t been around at the time was that she’d been in a relationship, and her controlling asshole of a boyfriend wouldn’t let me stay with them. I just needed to suck it up and stick to business.

“We’re definitely in agreement. We never needed her in the band anyway. Don’t take this the wrong way, but you two are more than enough eye candy, not to mention, you guys actually have talent.” Liam took a seat and kicked his feet up, his heavy, chain-decorated boots resting at the edge of my seat.

The door to the bus opened up, and Mona strolled in carrying her spiked boots in her hand with her hair a mess and something crusty on her shirt. She smelled like a mixture of cigarettes, sweat, and booze, and the circles under her eyes were way too deep for a young woman her age.

“What’s up, bitches? Was that a fucking killer show or what?” Her excitement fell flat in the room. “What’s the problem now? Was I late for the meeting?” She leaned against a small partition. “Well, is anyone going to tell me what this is about?”

It was time I spoke up. Being my band, it was my responsibility. “It’s about you, Mona. We just can’t work with you anymore.”

“You’re shitting me, right? I make this band fun. If it wasn’t for me, you wouldn’t know half of these people.”

“Wrong. If it wasn’t for you, I’d still know them, only I wouldn’t know who they were fucking and who has the biggest dick.”

“So now you’re jealous that I get all the guys?”

Liam cleared his throat. “You’re not getting the guys, Mona. They’re getting you. You’re a fucking joke to these guys, and you’re making us look bad.”

“Shut up, Liam. Always the fucking kiss ass. We all know why, too, but Kya’s never going to like you that way.”

Liam laughed and shook his head. “You’re such a bitch.”

Liam and I had been friends forever, but the only love we had in common was music. The guy was like a brother to me, and that kind of loyalty was something people like Mona couldn’t understand.

“Right, I’m a bitch, so I’m just out, just like that?” Mona turned her attention to me. “I was such a bitch to take you in when your parents got sick of your lifestyle and kicked your ass out on the streets.”

“I appreciate you helping, but at the same time, I should have never let you talk me into putting you in the band because of that. You’re not professional, you’re making us look like a joke to the other bands, and you don’t have any respect for us.”

“Why, because I don’t sit around with you before a show? I made it to the stage.”

Rob cleared his throat. “Which you shouldn’t be on.” A hush fell across the room as his words registered. “You don’t have what it takes, Mona. You aren’t serious about your instrument, you barely know how to play it, and half the time you don’t.”

“I’m part of the show. I add flair.” She shrugged like it wasn’t a big deal. “And I do know how to play, thank you. I’ve been playing since I was a kid.”

“And you haven’t improved much. Look, I’m done arguing. You’re out. It’s time to move on.” Rob got up and moved into the back room and shut the sliding door.

“You’ll regret this.” She went to the back to gather her things.

I looked at Sadie and let out a long breath. I was glad that Rob had spoken up, but he had cut her deep and said a lot of things about her talent that I wouldn’t have. But it was time to move on.

As Mona walked through with her bag, I felt I had to say something. I got up and walked to the door behind her. “Take care, Mona. I sincerely wish you the best.”

She narrowed her eyes at me. “Fuck you, Kya.” As she threw open the door and stormed out, she nearly ran over a man who still had his hand up to knock. “Out of my way.”

“I beg your pardon, miss.” He stepped aside and watched her as she rounded the corner. “Did I come at a bad time?”

“That depends. What do you want?”

“I’m Whit White. I manage young talent like your band and would like to talk to you about representation.” The man was dressed in a suit and had a bright smile, but I’d always been taught not to trust anyone based on looks alone. But I knew in my gut that this was the man Blitz had mentioned. Had to be.

I stepped back and waved him over. “Please, come on in.”

“Thank you. I thought I better make a move on you guys before someone else did. I guess my first question would be, have you been approached by anyone else?”

We hadn’t, but I didn’t think we should tell him that. “Maybe a few.”

“A few?” He gave a smile that told me he was onto me. “Well, then, it looks like I came just in time.”

Rob came out to join us, and once we got Whit settled at the booth and offered him some coffee, we got down to business. “What is it that you can offer us?”

“Here’s a contract I’d like to offer along with some of the people I’ve worked with in the industry. It’s standard terms, but feel free to look it over. With your talent taking off, it's going to be important to have someone handling your schedule and making sure you get paid.”

Sadie nudged me. “Hell, I’d be happy to have a proper dressing room.”

We gave a collective chuckle, and Whit joined in. “That’s the easy stuff. You’ve got the talent, and I think performing is all you really should be worried about. Let someone else haggle with venues, coordinate your schedules, book your shows and interviews. You should really have a meet and greet after the shows too. You’ve built quite a fan base. Now, let’s use it to take this into the stratosphere.”

“Can we have a minute?”

“Take all the time you need.” He got to his feet and walked to the door. “I’m leaving town today, though.” He disappeared out the door, leaving us there to decide.

Sadie pointed to the door where the man had stood a moment before. “I don’t think we should let this guy get away. Blitz is the one who told me there was someone scouting us, so if there was some red flag, he’d have said so.”

“I’m good with it,” said Liam. “He’s got some impressive connections, and the numbers are spot on to what I hear the standard is. I don’t think we should be too petty. Let’s take what we can get, and after the five years, renegotiate if we need to.”

Rob leaned in, keeping his deep voice low. “Five years is a long time. I say we ask for three, cut it down a little. If we take off, and we don’t like this guy, we’re stuck for a long time.”

I had looked over the contract and hadn’t found anything about keeping our creative freedom. “I say we rock the boat a little for creative freedom. It’s the only thing Blitz really warned me was a must. I don’t want some stranger coming in and telling us what kind of image to have or what to include in our songs. Besides, that’s supposed to protect us down the road. It might not be a bad idea to have a lawyer look this over.”

Sadie nodded. “I’m with Kya. Let’s see what he says.”

We called Whit back in, and he joined us, taking his previous seat at the booth. “Did you come to an agreement?”

“We’re a little concerned about the length of the terms, and I’d like to keep creative freedom as the band’s founder.”

“Of course. I will say, the terms are standard and, in my opinion, creative freedom is a given. It’s not like I can tell you what to do when it comes to your music. I can spell it out if you want, but reworking the contracts will take time. I’ve got a couple of other prospects, too, and I’d hate to sign them before you. I mean, it only pushes you farther down my list of priorities.”

We all exchanged looks. Sadie’s eyes were pleading with me, Liam and Rob nodding in agreement. “Should we have a lawyer look over this?”

Whit let out a casual laugh. “Look, I get why you would think that, but I’m representing you, so naturally I’d have your best interest at heart. And if you want to spend money and time on a lawyer, I’ll just leave my card, and you can get back to me. But if I sign someone else, I’m going to be busy making their dreams come true by then.”

I felt so much pressure with the others looking at me. I didn’t want to disappoint them, and Whit seemed so sincere.

Sadie leaned over and squeezed my hand. “This is our big shot, Kya.” She nodded, her eyes widened, and she bounced in her seat, and even Rob and Liam were smiling like they wanted me to give the word.

I smoothed the contract out on the table and then looked across the table at Whit. “Fine, let’s do this.” I held out my hand, and Whit reached into his coat to get me a pen.