About the Author
Books by Michelle Mankin
Connect with Michelle
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Copyright 2017
By Michelle Mankin
Without limiting the rights under the copyright reserved above, no part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in or introduced into a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form, or by any means (electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise) without the prior permission of the above copyright owner and publisher of this book.
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, brands, media and incidents are either the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. The author acknowledges the trademarked status and trademark owners of various products, bands, and/or restaurants referenced in this work of fiction, which have been used without permission. The publication/use of these trademarks is not authorized, associated with, or sponsored by the trademark owners.
License notes
This book is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This ebook may not be resold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each recipient. If you’re reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then please return to your favorite retailer and purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.
Cover created by Michelle Preast IndieBookCovers https://www.michelle-preast.com/
Formatting and interior design by Cassy Roop Pink Ink Designs https://www.pinkinkdesigns.com/
Sign up for my bimonthly Black Cat Records’ newsletter.
There’s a giveaway each month and a chance to win an autographed paperback and swag.
Link to subscribe: http://eepurl.com/Lvgzf
Michelle Mankin is the New York Times bestselling author of the Black Cat Records series of novels.
Rock Stars & Romance. Love & Lyrical Ever Afters.
Love Evolution, Love Revolution, and Love Resolution are a BRUTAL STRENGTH centered trilogy, combining the plot underpinnings of Shakespeare with the drama, excitement, and indisputable sexiness of the rock 'n roll industry.
Things take a bit of an edgier, once upon a time turn with the TEMPEST series. These pierced, tatted, and troubled Seattle rockers are young and on the cusp of making it big, but with serious obstacles to overcome that may prevent them from ever getting there.
Rock stars, myths, and legends collide with paranormal romance in a totally mesmerizing way in the MAGIC series.
Catch the perfect wave with irresistible surfers in the ROCK STARS, SURF AND SECOND CHANCES series.
Romance and self-discovery, the FINDING ME series is a Tempest spin off with a more experienced but familiar cast of characters.
Exploring the sexual double standards for women, the ROCK F*CK CLUB series is a what-if the groupies called the shots instead of the rock stars.
When Michelle is not prowling the streets of her Texas town listening to her rock or NOLA funk music much too loud, she is putting her daydreams down on paper or traveling the world with her family and friends, sometimes for real, and sometimes just for pretend.
BRUTAL STRENGTH series:
Love Evolution
Love Revolution
Love Resolution
Love Rock’ollection
TEMPEST series (also available in audio):
Irresistible Refrain
Enticing Interlude
Captivating Bridge
Relentless Rhythm
Tempest Raging
Tempting Tempo
Scandalous Beat
The MAGIC series (also available in audio):
Strange Magic
Dream Magic
Twisted Magic
ROCK STARS, SURF AND SECOND CHANCES series (also available in audio):
Outside
Riptide
Oceanside
High Tide
Island Side
FINDING ME series (also available in audio):
Find Me
Remember Me
Keep Me
ROCK F*CK CLUB series (also available in audio):
Rock F*ck Club #1
Rock F*ck Club #2: A Postseason One Novella
Rock F*ck Club #3
Connect with Michelle Mankin on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Author-Michelle-Mankin/233503403414065
On my favorite social media, Instagram: https://instagram.com/michellemankin/
On Bookbub: https://www.bookbub.com/authors/michelle-mankin
On Twitter: https://twitter.com/MichelleMankin
On her website: http://www.michellemankin.com/
Subscribe to my bimonthly Black Cat Records Newsletter. Be the first to know. Plus, subscribers are automatically entered into a giveaway for an autographed paperback and swag each month: http://eepurl.com/Lvgzf
"SHHH,” I WHISPERED INTO my phone. “Not so loud. He’s sleeping.” I tucked my cell between my shoulder and ear and slid as quietly as I could from the middle bunk. The sleeping area on the bus was dimly lit, the thick curtains on all the other compartments drawn. The road noise hummed steadily as we rolled along to the next venue. “Give me two seconds.” Snagging my robe from the hook, I hurriedly belted it on, my naked body awash in goosebumps beneath the thin layer of silk.
Yeah, I slept in the nude now. Lucky preferred easy access that I was more than willing to provide since I usually got lucky whenever he had it.
“I'm heading to the front lounge now.” I winced as I skated down the narrow aisle between the bunks. The air conditioning was set too low. The floor felt like an ice rink beneath my bare feet.
"Alright. I’m here,” I announced breathlessly. “What’s going on?” Three a.m. phone calls that bolt you out of a deep sleep and start with the words, 'I need to talk to you right now. It's an emergency' were never good. “Are you ok?”
"I’m ok now. Now that I finally have you on the phone," my best friend Marsha West declared with dramatic flair. “I just needed to hear your voice."
"At this time of the morning?" My racing heart slowed. I narrowed my eyes. “How many drinks have you had, Mars.”
"I dunno. More than a couple. I stopped counting. That's Joey's job."
"Joey, the bartender back home?"
"Yeah, the home you used to have. I don’t know why you keep your old apartment anymore. You never use it. It’s a waste of money.”
“I keep it because it’s where I live when I’m there and where I keep all my stuff while I’m out here on the road.”
“You weren’t on the road when you had that long break in La-La Land," she grumbled. Man, she was irritable. “You never came to visit me once. Not even one single time.”
“What you call a break included a whole lot of work, Mars. In addition to all the pre-publicity interviews and stuff to promote Rock Fuck Club, Lucky and the guys had to put the finishing touches on their new album.”
“So you were busy. Fine. Whatever. I’ll give you that. But it’s been weeks since then, Raven. Weeks since I’ve heard from you. So what’s your excuse for not even picking up the phone to say hi?”
"The Dra
gons are on tour. My boyfriend..." I paused, the relational identifier still made my heart flutter, "is the lead singer."
"I know who Lucky Spencer is, and I know what you’ve been doing with him. Showing him your tits and shagging.” She mimicked his British accent. Poorly.
“I’m sorry, Mars. Things have been hectic.”
“Not that hectic. Not too hectic for a simple phone call. Not for a true friend. For a best friend. One who only knows where you are because I can see it on the Dragon’s website.”
“I…”
“Once upon a time,” she cut me off. “I was your wing woman. Back in those not that long ago days, I seem to recall my cell working just fine. On that tour bus. Yours too, now that I recollect.” Her Texas twang got more pronounced when she was worked up. “I certainly didn’t have any difficulty on my end just now getting ahold of you."
“I know the cell service works,” I huffed. “It’s a time issue. Since ‘She’s the One” became a number one hit, the Dragons are headlining their own shows. The band and I, we’re up all night, every night. We do a show, steal a couple of hours of sleep while the bus rolls along through the night. Then we wake up in a new city and we do the whole drill all over again. Interviews and promo slots first thing in the morning. Sound check in the afternoon. Concerts at night. I think about you all the time. I miss you all the time. But I never get a quiet, private moment to call you. Night time is the least busy, but it’s been so late I haven’t wanted to wake you."
"That's a lot of rambling, Raven." She sighed heavily. "You ramble when you're deflecting. Why don’t you just go ahead and tell me the real reason you haven’t called me?"
"Which is?"
"You don’t need me anymore. You have a new best friend. One I can’t compete with. One with a cock."
She might have been joking, only I knew she was not. The bus swerved. So did my stomach as I fell backward onto the leather couch behind me. An inelegant landing, my arms were strewn wide and my legs askew. I rocked back and forth sideways before the driver righted the vehicle. The bus really needed a couple of well-placed handholds. Seat belts wouldn’t be such a bad idea, either. I had hit my head once and bruised other body parts on more than one occasion. But my uneasiness right now had less to do with the hazards of bus travel and more to do with the fact that I’d hurt my best friend. Even though it had been unintentional, I’d allowed distance to develop between us. It was my fault she felt shut out and abandoned. Abandonment had been an emotional trigger for her since her mother had taken off in the middle of the night, leaving her and the rest of the family without any forwarding address or explanation. Marsha had been only fourteen at the time.
"You’re my best friend, Mars. I would be lost without you. I will always need you. That will never change. I apologize for not keeping in touch. I haven’t been a very good friend. It’s just that Lucky and I are new, and I’ve never been in a relationship that’s so intense, so consuming. Besides with everything else going on in our lives, it's stressful, too." Marsha and the Rock Fuck Club crew might not be following me around filming me anymore, but there was still tons of stuff to deal with for the show, and Lucky had his band commitments as well. Rarely did we have a moment to ourselves when a moment for ourselves was what I wanted most. "I feel like a sardine. Along with Lucky’s bandmates and his sister, we’re crammed in the same little tin. Lucky and I rarely have any privacy. Plus, we have responsibilities that send us in different directions most days. We never seem to have a moment of time for each other, much less for anyone else."
"Raven, I’m sorry.” She suddenly didn’t sound so irritable anymore. “I didn’t think about how things must be for you. I was too preoccupied feeling sorry for myself and wallowing in juvenile emotions. I should've made a point to call and check up on you sooner."
"You’re not clairvoyant, Mars. And your feelings are valid. I missed you. I should’ve at least called and let you know how things were going."
"You can tell me now."
"It might take a while."
"I’ve got time. Not a lot to do on my end. I paid off all my debt, thanks to you and World Media Organization. I sent out a bunch of resumes. I sit around waiting for nonexistent job offers to come in. The old groove back in the Big D minus you is pretty fuckin’ boring if you wanna know the truth. So spill what’s up with you."
“Boring actually sounds pretty good to me. Enviable even.” I turned my head. The sleeping section remained a dark portal, but I had left the sliding door open. I got up and closed it. "Are you somewhere you can talk? I don’t want you driving after you’ve been drinking."
"I'm inside the bar. I just left Joey’s apartment." The bartender had an apartment above the bar. He and Marsha were often at odds. They had a bizarre antagonist with benefits arrangement. I didn’t understand it. "I was going to call a car service to take me home, but I’ll just sit down for a bit and chat with you instead." I heard the sound of wood scraping against wood. I could picture her hitching up one of her sexy dresses, shimmying onto one of the tall barstools, throwing her straight blonde hair over her slim shoulder and turning her pretty baby blue eyes my way to regard me. "Pretend you're here.”
“That’s actually what I was doing,” I admitted feeling a sharp wistful pang.
“You putting yourself in your usual spot?”
“Yeah for sure. Right beside you on my favorite barstool by the neon Lone Star Beer sign.” I tried to rub that wistful burn from my chest. “I wish I really was there with you right now.”
“A couple of shots glasses. A bowl of fresh cut limes. Salt. Some Two Rows Back music playing on the jukebox."
"If only." The pang became a piercing.
"Close your eyes, honey. Use your imagination. Try harder. We’ll pretend together. Take as long as you need to get there and formulate your thoughts. I’m an excellent listener.”
“I know you are. I could really use your sympathetic ear.”
“You’ve got it. You’ve got me. The doctor is in. Dr. West, pseudo psychologist at your service.”
“Forget the shots glasses, what I need is that whole freakin’ bottle of tequila.”
“Then grab one. I know those Dragons. I’ve partied with them. Their on board bar is well stocked." She had a point. I stood and crossed to the built in kitchenette. I popped open the cabinet door above the sink. "Dammit, we’re out of tequila,” I complained. “We’re due to stock up in Atlanta. Nothing left in the cupboard but Rocky’s protein shake mix and a half bottle of Lucky juice."
"His Captain Morgan's spiced rum?"
"Yeah."
"That'll have to do."
"There’s no glasses."
"Then swig it straight from the bottle, honey, just like he does."
I didn’t need any further coaxing. I tipped it back and gulped a big swallow. My eyes watered as the seventy-proof elixir flooded my taste buds and set fire to my throat. I coughed, recapped the bottle and returned it to the cabinet. Warmth infused my limbs. My lips formed a bemused smile. My mouth now tasted like him. "Done,” I informed her. “But Dr. West, you do know you could lose your license prescribing alcohol to your patients.”
"Hey, I’m not a real doctor I only sleep with them if they’re cute. I prefer rock stars when given a choice. Just like my bestie. And don’t dis my methods. Some of the best therapy in the world happened right here in this bar with you and me and a bottle of Cuervo."
"The liquor might have loosened my tongue. But the rest was all you, Marsha. You and your friendship. Your willingness to listen. You. Just you."
"Oh, puh-lease. Stop being a motivational meme and tell me what’s going on already."
"I don’t know where to start."
"Start at the beginning. You’re gonna have to bring me up to speed.”
"When was the last time we talked?"
"When I called to let you know I got home safe from LA, remember? Our last meaningful conversation was probably way before that on the Thelma and Louise car ride
to Monument Valley before Lucky showed up.”
"That long ago?" I blew a wispy strand of black out of my eyes.
"Yeah, babe. Thus, the best friend wakeup call in the middle of the night. I’ve already got the general picture. You and Lucky, and your private Rock Fuck Club for two. Did I get that right?"
"Yes. Only you left out a bunch of adjectives. Life transforming. Out of this world amazing. Blazing hot."
"I’m not sure if those really qualify as adjectives, but I get the idea. He's great in bed. You two are smokin’ hot together, Raven. That’s the consensus on social media leading up to the debut of the series on WMO. There are some haters, sure, but for the most part everyone seems to like you two as a couple. I think that’s the main reason you escaped a severe reprimand from Suzanne Smith for violating your contact.”
"Ten different cities, ten different rock stars," I muttered defensively. I had given the senior VP in charge of new programming at WMO everything I had promised. "I didn’t violate my contract. I delivered.”
"Hmm. Maybe technically, and the way we edited the footage to feature all those hot looks and weighted glances between you and your man no one’s gonna complain too much about the head count. It’s all sexy TV-MA beginning to end. But you and I both know those last two supposed fucks were total bullshit. No kissing. Barely any touching. Both hookups bandmates of the man you denied having a relationship with when you signed on the dotted line."
"Yeah, you're right. I know." I sighed.
"So what is it? What's going on besides life transforming, amazing, blazing Lucky sex?"
"You'll find out for yourself soon enough."
"You coming to see me in Dallas?" Her tone brightened.
"No." I sighed again. "I have to go to New York tomorrow evening. Well, this evening,” I added considering the hour. “I’ve been summoned to WMO headquarters. The spin we put on the last part of Rock Fuck Club. Well, Suzanne’s not sold. And I’m betting it’s only a matter of time before you and the rest of the film crew get a call similar to mine. Your name has certainly been bandied about and not in a positive light."
A Postseason One Novella: Rock F*ck Club, #2 Page 1
