ROCK F*CK CLUB (Girls Ranking the Rock Stars Book 6)

by Michelle Mankin

  Grunting, I took us both there. Fast. Her climax burned through her as mine blistered through me.

  Hard. Deep. Explosive.

  Josephine

  “WHAT ARE YOU DOING?” I came up behind Gale, sliding my arms around his waist and laying my cheek against the slightly damp skin of his muscular back.

  “Trimming my beard.” He paused with the scissors near his handsome face and grinned at me. Well, his reflection in the mirror grinned. “What are you up to?” he asked, his tone teasing and his crystal-gray gaze light.

  “Watching you.” I kissed his back and lifted my head to gaze at him in the mirror.

  “I certainly enjoyed watching you in the chair.” His eyes flared. “Sexy as hell, Jo.”

  “You make me feel that way.”

  “Because you are.” His lips curved. “A sexy, serious badass. My rock ’n’ roll queen.”

  “Right, so I am. It has been proclaimed by the rock legend.” I smoothed my fingertips over his abdomen. “One with serious rock-hard abs.”

  His eyes heated. “Proclaimed by the man who loves you.”

  My heart swooned. “Dolly said hi, by the way.”

  “I thought I heard you talking to someone in the other room.”

  “She said she spoke to you several times last night.”

  “You were out of it.” He shrugged. “She was worried about you.”

  “She’s a big fan of yours.”

  “She loves you and knows I’m good for you.” His gaze dipped as I skated my fingers downward, following the line of hair that disappeared into his boxers. He shook his head. “Don’t, babe.”

  “Why not?” I said with a frown.

  “Because . . .” He trailed off as my cell rang in the other room. “Whose ringtone is that?”

  “I don’t know.”

  “You going to answer it?”

  “I’m thinking no.” After talking to my mom, I was leery of rushing to answer a call from an unknown number.

  “Might be important.” He tipped his chin toward the adjoining room.

  “It stopped.” My lips formed a relieved smile.

  Then it started ringing again.

  “Shit.” I huffed out a sigh.

  Gale set his scissors on the counter as my cell continued to ring. “Sounds like someone really wants to get ahold of you.”

  “Yeah. Apparently.”

  “Want me to answer it for you?”

  “No. I’ll get it.” I kissed his shoulder and returned to the other room.

  Scooping my cell up off the bed, I scanned the display, which listed a Vancouver number. I glanced up to see Gale in the bathroom doorway, his shoulders so wide, they nearly touched the frame on either side. He gave me a chin dip, showing his support.

  We were a team. I got it.

  Pulling in a breath, being his badass rock ’n’ roll queen, I swiped open the call, but a woman on the other end of the line spoke before I could.

  “Miss Poet?”

  “Yes, who is this?” I asked.

  “Beth Tate. I’m VP of marketing here at Black Cat Records.”

  I gulped in air. “Yes, how can I help you?”

  “It’s more how I can help you, I’m afraid.”

  Shit. “What’s going on?”

  “Mary Timmons wanted me to touch base with you right away. We’re in a code red situation regarding you.”

  “Which means what, exactly?” My eyes wide, I watched Gale come closer.

  “For you, it means absolutely no talking to anyone in the media. If you’re approached, tell them you can’t comment and refer them to me.”

  I bobbed my head, even though she couldn’t see it. Gale moved behind me and placed his hands on my shoulders.

  “Are you there, Miss Poet?” Beth asked.

  “Yes. I’m here.” I placed a hand over my stomach as it churned.

  “Are you clear on my instructions?”

  “Yes.” I swallowed. “But I’m not clear on what’s happened.”

  “Your mother taped an appearance on Carter Besille’s show, and your background has been uncovered. I’m sorry to say there’s nothing I can do to prevent it from airing.”

  “Oh no.” My head spun. Glad Gale was with me, I leaned into him. “Are you, I mean, does Black Cat still intend to sign my band?”

  “I wouldn’t be speaking to you if we weren’t.”

  “That’s good.” I let out a shaky exhale. Maybe this wouldn’t be a complete and utter disaster for Dolly and the twins.

  The twins. My heart raced. I needed to talk to them immediately.

  “Very little about the current situation is good. But Mr. Lafleur and his timely call last night is definitely a silver lining.”

  “Gale called you?” My eyes rounding, I registered his sure grip on my shoulders.

  “Mr. Lafleur spoke confidentially with Ms. Timmons late last night. He caught her just before she boarded her flight, and she called me after she landed in Dallas. I spoke with a former intern who now works for Carter Besille. The bottom line is your story is going to break soon. The opposition has a head start on us, which gives them a slight edge. But we’re poised to hit the ground running.”

  “What does that mean?” I didn’t understand a lot of this. But it did stick out that she was using plural pronouns a lot.

  “It means you’re not alone.”

  “That’s nice.” Actually, that was really nice. “But that doesn’t change the facts. Right?”

  “You being out of pocket is going to make things difficult, but in a way it also makes it easier.”

  “How so?” I asked.

  “The media can’t find you to harass you. I wouldn’t know your exact whereabouts beyond Vegas except that Mr. Lafleur called.”

  “Yes, you mentioned that.”

  “We have some time for damage-control measures.” She sounded a little short of breath. “But which ones we use are up to you.”

  I frowned. “What kind of damage-control measures?”

  “I suggest you tell the truth about what happened.”

  “Isn’t the truth going to come out on the talk show?”

  “It will. But from your mother’s point of view, and I’ve seen and read the transcript of her interview. Her words don’t paint you in a favorable light, but they paint her in a worse one.”

  “I don’t see how that’s possible.”

  “The thing about being in front of the camera is that the lens magnifies everything. You know that from being on a reality show, I’m sure. Bullshit is a hard sell unless you have an expert director or actress in front of the camera. Your mother is not an expert actress.”

  “You want me to do an interview of my own. Get in front of a camera.”

  “Yes, I do. Definitely.”

  I turned around, reaching for Gale with one arm, and dropped my forehead onto his solid shoulder. Without hesitation, his arms came around me.

  “Okay. I’ll do it.” Tears pricked my eyes. I’d known this day was coming. I couldn’t hide what I had done forever. I wasn’t ready, but I had to be.

  “Good. That’s the first step, the hardest one. I’m emailing you some talking points, things to consider. But I advise you to use your own words when you tell your story.”

  “When? Where?” Now I was short of breath.

  “In a couple of hours. An up-and-coming LA talk show host, Sasha Davina, is filming on location at the Grand Canyon. Mr. Lafleur has her address. I texted it to him before I called you. Good luck, Miss Poet. We’ll talk more about contingencies going forward when I see you.”

  “In Dallas?” I asked, making an educated guess.

  “Yes. Ms. Timmons wants me on the scene since so many of our Black Cat artists will be at the service, paying their respects to Mr. Winslow and showing their support for the remaining members of the band. With you, the RFC, and now this breaking story in the mix, we’ll have our hands full with the media.”

  “I’ll see you then,” I said, trying to so
und confident.

  “In the interim, call me on this number if you have any questions or concerns.”

  “I will.”

  “Good-bye, Miss Poet.”

  “Safe travels, Miss Tate.” As soon as the call disconnected, I lifted my head and aimed an accusatory glare at Gale. “You knew.”

  “I know you.” He slid his hands into my hair. Underneath the long fall of it, he cradled my head at the nape. “Know how brave you are, Jo. Knew you wouldn’t run from what needs to be done.”

  Josephine

  “HEY, LIN.”

  Cell to my ear, I leaned against Gale’s motorcycle, watching him talk to Sasha. He was getting the lay of the land with the talk show host while I talked to the twins. Even from the parking lot, I could see that this was a pretty location for the interview. The cameras were set up under a tarp by a majestic overlook. But my stomach was in too many knots to fully appreciate the view.

  “Hey, Jo. What’s going on with you?” Lin asked.

  “Not a whole lot.” Not true, but I needed to ease into this. “How’s Lark?”

  “She’s good. She’s right here with me. Trying to talk me out of a felony.”

  “What?” I shrieked.

  “I’m exaggerating. But I’m mad, frustrated with Nicholas’s parents. They won’t let anyone but Jag attend the graveside service.”

  “That’s crazy,” I said. “He needs you with him, and the guys in the band too. What are they thinking?”

  “They’re grieving. Emotional. Angry. Looking for someone to blame, to lash out at. Their son’s bandmates are a convenient target.”

  “I guess I can understand that. But it still sucks.” I let out a breath. “How are you holding up?”

  “I’m okay. I have Lark. Dolly too, of course.”

  “How’s Jag?” I asked.

  “He’s not so good.”

  “Oh no.”

  “It’s hard to get him to talk to me. The guys in the band, he’s almost completely shut out. It’s pretty tense.”

  “I feel terrible. I should be there.”

  “It’s nice that you want to be, but really, what would you do?”

  “I don’t know exactly. Support you, Lark, and Dolly, so you could support the Enthusiasts guys, I guess.”

  “I’m okay. I have to be strong for Jag, but I worry about Dolly.”

  “What’s wrong with Dolly?” My grip tightened around my cell.

  “Let me put you on speaker mode, so Lark can tell you.”

  Lark’s melodic voice, slightly lower than Lin’s, drifted into my ear and went straight to my heart, piercing it like an arrow. I missed my family and worried about them.

  “Hey, Jo. How’s it going with Gale?”

  “Gale’s great,” I said, looking right at him.

  He wore a navy shirt and indigo jeans. His beard was neatly trimmed, and his hair perfectly styled. Catching me watching him, he crooked his fingers, mouthing for me to come on.

  I shook my head and pointed to my phone. “Is Dolly okay?”

  “She says she is,” Lark said. “But she’s in too deep with Tyler.”

  “What do you mean?”

  “She hasn’t used the L-word, but you know Dolly. She only knows one way to be with anyone she sleeps with.”

  “And that’s bad with Ty, because why?” I asked.

  “Because he doesn’t feel the same way she does.”

  “How can you be so certain?”

  “I know, all right,” Lark snapped, using the same intractable tone she’d used when she advised me not to hook up with a guy because Dolly had confided that she had a crush on that guy too.

  “Okay. I believe you. I’ll talk to her. Feel things out when I get there.”

  “We miss you,” Lark and Lin said in unison.

  “I miss you both. So much.” Hearing their voices made my chest ache, and I rubbed it.

  “Are you coming here soon?” Lin asked.

  “Yes.”

  “How soon?” Lark asked.

  “We’re heading straight there, after . . . today.”

  “No more sightseeing stops?” Lark asked, referring to the pictures I’d texted them from Vegas and the Hoover Dam.

  “No more.”

  “Why not?” they asked in unison, their harmony seamless.

  “Because.” I pulled in a breath and slowly let it out. “Because of something bad that’s come out. Something I kept from you.”

  “What is it?” Lin asked, sounding nervous.

  “I’m sure you had your reasons,” Lark said confidently.

  “I did. More than one reason. I wanted a fresh start. I wanted us to have a chance to make it as a band without my past screwing things up. But it was more that I didn’t want you to feel sorry for me, or worse, hate me.”

  “Does Dolly know what this is?” Lin asked softly.

  “Yes.” I swiped the tears that had slipped from my eyes. “When I applied for the job at the hair salon, I had to disclose that I had a record.”

  “You have a what?” Lin’s voice trilled with shock.

  “What kind of record?” Lark asked.

  “Let me just get out the whole story,” I said. “Then you can ask questions.”

  “Okay,” they replied.

  “Everything I told you about my past is the truth. It just wasn’t all of it. You know how it was for Joey and me growing up. I told you about my mother doing drugs, and ignoring Joey and me unless my father was around.” I pulled in a deep breath and let out a shaky exhale.

  “Yeah, unfortunately you know we understand about that.” Lark’s tone was flat and matter-of-fact, but I knew she and Lin carried emotional wounds from their past like mine.

  “What I didn’t say was that my father is Peter Belle from Reverb, and that the night Joey died, it was me driving the car that crashed.”

  “Oh no.”

  I didn’t know which twin had exclaimed, so I just kept going. “Joey had been drinking heavily at the club where his band was performing. I’d only had the one glass of wine my boyfriend gave me, but I shouldn’t have gotten behind the wheel.”

  More tears slid down my face. Every time I recounted the details, I wished with every fiber of my being that I’d made a different choice.

  Suddenly, Gale was there, right in front of me. He pulled me into him and wrapped his arms around me.

  Pulling in a shuddering breath, I filled in the shocked silence on the other end of the line with the rest of the horrible truth. “One choice. I made one terrible choice, but it cost me everything. I lost my brother. I lost everything that meant anything.”

  I could smell the burning rubber, feel the rip in my flesh from the guardrail, and the emptiness in my heart that would never fill again without my brother. Though that emptiness hurt much less acutely now because of the man holding me.

  “That’s why you’re so militant about alcohol,” Lark said.

  “Yes,” I said with a sniff. “Exactly.”

  “You went to prison?” Lin sounded incredulous. “For a car accident?”

  “Is that where you were sexually assaulted?” Lark asked.

  “Yes.”

  “That’s terrible,” Lin said. “You were just a teenager.”

  “I was tried as an adult for vehicular manslaughter. The judge made an example of me. My parents turned their backs on me. My boyfriend too, the one who gave me the alcohol. But that’s all of it. That’s why I’m the way I am. Why I think it’s a miracle that you guys love me. Hope you can still love me,” I whispered.

  “Of course we love you,” Lin said firmly.

  “Wish you would have told us all this before,” Lark said. “But I’m glad you told us now. Not because it would have kept us from loving you, but so we could have loved you better.”

  “You forgive me?” I asked, then held my breath.

  “Yes,” they replied together.

  Exhaling, I sagged into Gale.

  “I’m so sorry all that happened to you.�
�� Lin sniffed, obviously crying.

  “You lost your brother.” Lark’s tone was implacable. “We’re going to need some time to process this new information. Being a family, what hurts one, hurts all of us.”

  “Yes, I understand,” I said.

  “We’ll always be a family no matter what,” Lin said, echoing her sister’s sentiment, though stating it in her own sweet way.

  “I have to publicly share the truth that I just told you. I’m getting ready to do an interview in a few minutes. My mother already did one with Carter Besille. That one will probably air before mine.”

  What I didn’t say was that my father would probably come out of the woodwork and do one of his own if he thought it would be advantageous to him.

  “Wish we could be with you.” Lin sounded concerned. “But Gale is there, right?”

  “Yes. He’s holding me right now.”

  “Good. Glad you have him, Jo,” Lin said. “But he’s not all you have.”

  “No?”

  “You lost a brother,” Lin said, her voice soft, and Lark continued where her twin left off.

  “Nothing can remove that pain or replace him in your heart. But don’t forget you also have three sisters.”

  Josephine

  I THOUGHT ABOUT MY conversation with Lark and Lin while I answered the questions that were asked in the interview, which was thorough.

  Sasha touched on my childhood. My relationship with my brother. My first sexual encounter when I was too young. The accident and trial. The sexual assaults in prison. The residual medical problems since the car accident, like my migraines.

  And Gale.

  Only the RFC was off-limits for detailed questioning due to contractual restrictions I hadn’t even been aware of. My interviewer was aware. Black Cat Records had contacted WMO on my behalf, and WMO had contacted the talk show’s producer. I hadn’t heard from Suzanne or WMO since I sent her my solo sex video. But I knew with everything going on, it was only a matter of time before I would.

  “You okay?” Gale asked, squeezing my fingers.

  “I’m okay because of you.” I gave him a soft smile. There was no way I could have done the interview without him.

  “You seem a million miles away.” He remained by my side now, like he had during all the questions, though he’d been just off camera until Sasha had asked the questions about him.