by Nikki Wild
I needed outside of my head for a while.
A few hours passed effortlessly.
I was on my way from the bathroom when I heard Aiden’s voice. I followed it into a storage room, where he had seemed to be examining a few stray guitars.
“What’s up?” I asked politely.
“Do you have a minute?”
“Yeah,” I nodded apprehensively.
“How are you enjoying yourself so far?” He asked curiously, setting the guitar down. “I haven’t had the chance to get you alone and… pick your brains.” He spoke in a low, hungry voice.
The predator was smirking in his eyes. But I was already buzzed, and now I was alone with him…
“I’m loving it so far,” I replied. “I mean, it’s great to finally meet people you admire, and you’ve all been so welcoming…”
“Of course,” he slyly murmured.
I saw the fire in his eyes and they held my gaze. Hypnotized by his passion, I barely noticed him stepping closer, only until I realized my back was to a wall.
His palms slid up on either side.
“Let us not keep kidding ourselves here, Phoenix,” Aidan whispered huskily with his forehead pressing to mine. “I want you. You want me. There’s no reason to fight this.”
“Aidan,” I murmured, uncertain. “We’ve only just met a few days ago…”
“That’s how powerful this is.” Confidence coated his words with a dull, aching burn. “You can feel it. I know you can. Tugging and pulling, drawing us together.”
“That’s not true,” I lied.
“Yes it is,” he whispered urgently. “It’s in your eyes. It’s calling to me right now. I know you want me to listen. I’ll follow you down this rabbit hole, wherever it goes…”
I scoffed.
I tried to turn my head.
“What are we doing?” I murmured. “I’m just a temporary fill-in for your band. I can’t get attached to you… and your brother–”
“Not another word about my goddamn brother,” Aidan quietly snarled, his finger to my lips. “He can adore you from afar all he fucking wants, but if you let your walls down… I’m ready to take what I need.”
“What do you need?” I gasped.
His voice was a sinister hiss. “You. More than anything I’ve ever needed in my fucking life.”
The silence hung between us.
I knew that I needed him too, or at least I thought that I did. But the question lingered: was it him or Dylan I needed?
Or neither of them?
My brain wasn’t so sure.
My wet panties certainly thought so.
And I could see in his eyes, past that veneer of arrogance, that he meant what he said – or believed it, at any rate. For once, one fleeting moment, I saw that Aidan Carpenter was capable of being real. He was invested.
I wondered how long he had been.
“I am not my brother,” he growled again, the finger gone from my lips. His hand was clasped around the nape of my neck. “And he will never be me. I am my own man, and I will make you see that.”
His mouth was so tantalizingly close to mine. I knew that he’d kiss me if I gave in. I wondered what his lips would taste like.
Were they like crumbled ash?
Or where they like a burning blaze?
“Aidan,” I whispered.
There was only one way to find out, and I was willing to toss out every goddamn rule that I had to do it…
Phoenix
With a jarring crash, the door suddenly slammed open. Trevor pushed into the room, a drunken smile plastered across his face. I brushed away from Aiden, staring at our bandmate with wide eyes.
Dylan was right behind him. His face grew stern when he saw Aiden and me alone in here. It didn’t seem to fail to register how close we had been standing together.
A shiver went down my spine.
What the hell had I been about to do?
“Guys! Guys!” Trevor laughed, oblivious to the sudden tension in the room. “Have you heard the news?!”
Aidan cast our guitarist a sinister glower that could burn sand into glass.
“Trevor,” I shook my head, “what are you talking about?”
“Come quick! Get your asses out here!”
Before I knew what was happening, our bandmate had grabbed me by the hand and was dragging me out the room.
He laughed over to the twins.
“You too, guys!”
I tried to throw a glance back at the doorway as we went down the hall, but it stayed empty. I could practically sense them burning with anger in there.
I hoped they wouldn’t kill each other.
“Wh-what’s this all about?” I stammered.
Trevor just laughed. Instead of dragging me back to the party, he quickly pushed me through another door in the hallways.
Is this a fucking prank?
I was coming this close to slapping the shit out of him for drunkenly dragging me off to who knew where. But before I could, I realized that Jeremy and Carter were both in this room he’d led me to.
“There you are, champ! Been lookin’ for you!” Their tour manager happily chuckled, glancing over my shoulder. “Wait, where are the boys? I need you all for this.”
I yanked my arm free from Trevor’s grip. “Not sure that they’re–“
“I’m here,” a low growl came from the doorway as Aiden quietly stepped into view. His gaze lowered down angrily onto Trevor.
“Me too,” Dylan brushed past him into the room. He folded his arms with his back to the wall.
“Great!” Jeremy clasped his hands together, ignorant to the anger brewing between them. “Well, I’ve got some news. Turns out, this party’s celebrating more than just a good night…”
I tilted my head curiously.
“What do you mean?”
“So, big news. I didn’t want to say anything to scare you guys before you went out onstage tonight…”
Apprehension rose in the room.
“But I managed to talk that Snow Leopard Records guy, Steven Stone, into sticking around in town for the show. While you guys were railing shots and dancing, I’ve been on the phone with this guy… and let me tell you, he’s star-struck.”
“Wait, what?” Trevor practically jumped with excitement. “He was here? Does he want us to sign with him?”
“Kid, he wants a whole fucking lot more than that,” Jeremy beamed with total pride. “Whatever siren song you folks played up there, this man is hooked. He’s talking record deal, serious promo, and a goddamn national tour…”
The sheer weight of it gave me tunnel vision for a moment. I could very distantly hear Trevor and Carter cheering in the room.
Hell, I think even I was cheering.
“He wants you kids back in the goddamn van in a week. Says another band on his label fell apart, and the spots are all for the taking. If you want them, that is.”
I could barely believe it.
Decadent Desires made it.
They were finally gonna hit the big time.
“Can’t,” Carter grumbled.
I stared at him with wide eyes. “What do you mean, can’t? Carter, don’t you see what this is gonna do for you guys?!”
He glanced up mirthlessly. “Don’t forget, we’re already on a tour. We’ve still got two weeks of dates to play, remember? What are we supposed to do, just cancel them all on last-minute notice?”
“You let me take care of that,” our tour manager smiled. “These are small venues from this point out. Besides, you guys weren’t headlining the rest of the dates. If you were, that might have been a slightly different story. But you won’t be throwing anyone under the bus. Hell, you kids will probably be doing their local bands some favors by freeing up the spots!”
I still felt a little guilty, but I trusted their manager, and they seemed to as well. If he said he could make it happen…
“I’m so happy for you guys,” I quietly said. “Really. You deserve this. It was a
dream come true that I got to play with you these couple of shows.”
They looked at me curiously.
Jeremy, in particular, looked confused. “Wait. What’s the matter, Phoenix?”
I shook my head sadly. “I knew this wasn’t going to last, and that’s okay. Get your old bassist back and do this thing right.”
The others glanced at each other. Even Aiden and Dylan weren’t angry at each other anymore, just dead silent.
“But here’s the thing,” Jeremy quickly added. “Steven knows what really happened with Alex: the collapse, the rehab, all of it. He made it crystal clear that even if you could drag him out of rehab early, if you put your old bassist back in the band… the offer goes, and he’s gonna walk.”
Carter darkly replied: “He said that?”
Jeremy nodded. “What he saw tonight, he loved – and he thinks it’s lightning in a bottle. That little lick you play when Aiden introduces you to the audience? He says that’s the best thirty seconds of his goddamned year. Steven Stone wants you in the lineup Phoenix. As far as he’s concerned, that’s totally non-negotiable.”
Things went very quiet in the room.
Everyone was looking at me now with a renewed mixture of confusion and irritation.
I couldn’t blame them.
What the fuck did I know about being in a touring band? Nothing. This was the closest I’d gotten, and we’d only played two shows, locally. Doing the national circuit was an entirely different beast…
But it wasn’t just that.
This wasn’t my band, and I knew it.
Alex had put in the work. Hell, Alex was a founding goddamn member. Losing his cool, screwing them over… it had been a mistake. He’d put in the blood, sweat, tears, and time.
Doesn’t he deserve a second chance?
“Problem is, whatever happens, you’ve gotta decide on this thing quick,” Jeremy noted. “He’s not giving me a big window here. This guy is obviously trying to make it impossible to wait for Alex to come back.”
Carter thoughtfully piped up. “How long do we have to decide?”
Scratching the back of his neck, Jeremy hit us with the bad news. “He expects signatures in under twenty-four hours.”
“Tw-twenty-four hours?” I stammered.
“Couldn’t get him to budge,” our tour manager shook his head. “He wants to see how committed you are to seeing this thing through. Without the bassist who went down with track marks in his arm...”
Carter and Trevor were still studying me intently. I tried to ignore their gaze, but the only other places to turn were to Jeremy’s smiling, expectant grin, Dylan’s curious gaze, or Aiden…
Aiden’s stare looked like it weighed a ton. His eyes were locked onto the wall, a stoic expression across his face. I could almost feel him bristling on the inside.
I swallowed. “Guys?”
His gaze snapped onto me.
“What do you want me to do?” I asked.
His look turned sour for a moment. I imagined he was deeply angry that the mistake we almost made was over.
Because it was a mistake.
I’d almost broken my rule about keeping feelings out of the band… and that was when we were on the tail end of a local tour.
But this was different.
Way different.
If this came through for us, we’d be back in the van soon – possibly hitting the open road for months.
That meant months trapped with the two brothers, living on top of them and the rest of the band. There wouldn’t be a moment’s peace.
The road was already tense enough.
And that was while we stayed local.
But this… this was national.
There was no way that tempers wouldn’t flare on the nationwide circuit. As a band, we’d have our fights, but I was confident that the five of us could probably keep things civil and always pull back together – especially if I stayed on my best behavior and went out of my way to be good to them.
Once you throw feelings into that…
No.
It couldn’t happen.
And to think, I’d been this close to actually kissing those fiery, burning lips…
I realized that Aiden was watching me. He looked disappointed as his gaze snapped to Dylan, who similarly glanced my way.
Can they read my goddamn mind now?
“Looks like my brother and I were right about our new bassist,” Aiden spoke up. “And you guys were on the fence? My instincts have never let us down yet.”
Dylan chuckled, glancing around our bandmates. “Oh ye of little faith.”
Trevor grinned and Carter scowled.
Aiden perked up again. “We know what’s on the line, and dammit, I’m not letting a few little hang-ups stop this train once it’s finally leaving the station. I’m going all in on this shit, right here and right now. All in favor, say aye.”
“Aye,” Dylan immediately replied.
“Aye,” Aiden nodded to himself.
“Hell yeah, let’s do this!” Trevor laughed.
Carter hesitated briefly, his curious, brooding eyes carefully watching me. When he finally spoke, it was with total reluctance.
“Alright.”
The four of them turned to me.
“Well, Princess?” Aiden tilted his head. “You gonna join us on this little ride, or are you bucking out and running away?”
A stupidly large grin crossed my face.
This was the shit that dreams were made of. Whatever I’d done to deserve this, I wasn’t sure. Maybe it was just being in the right place at the right time…
“Fuck yeah,” I blurted out.
“Well, that settles that,” Jeremy noted with a pleased grin while the others cheered. “I’ll have the paperwork down tomorrow afternoon for everyone to sign…” He turned to me, prouder than ever.
“One last thing,” he added quickly. “Phoenix Flynn… welcome to the band.”
It was the happiest moment of my life.
And as I turned my face to take in the reactions of my official bandmates, my gaze fell upon the hungry, twin smiles of Aiden and Dylan Carpenter.
They clearly weren’t giving up the hunt.
Taking in the way that they looked at me, like a pair of twin wolves savoring a fresh piece of wild meat, I knew in that instant that I was in way over my head.
Phoenix
We didn’t actually meet Steven Stone. He had already headed back to Snow Leopard headquarters and left us to make our decision. A local lawyer went over the paperwork and, once we’d signed on the dotted lines, scanned it all in for their financial team.
Jeremy cancelled the remaining shows and told us that Steven’s team was putting together a few small events for us. We were to hold tight in town until we heard back.
It wasn’t long before we were scheduled a promotional photo shoot to highlight the newest addition to the Snow Leopard label. It was all moving fast, and we didn’t know the details, but they’d apparently had someone local organize it all for us.
And I was in for a big surprise…
“Nicole?!”
I threw my arms around my best friend as we walked into the shoot, stunned that she was involved. As a hot and rising promoter in the entertainment industry, I should have known she was behind this.
“Surprise!” She laughed, planting a quick peck on my cheek before turning to the rest of us. “Great to finally meet you guys!”
“Who is this?” Aiden asked.
“My best friend,” I told them proudly. “Nicole Fisher is progeny and protégé of some of the best names in band promotion. She’s also the miracle worker who put me in touch with Jeremy.”
“Is that so?” Dylan asked, looking at her curiously. “You’re the person we have to thank for bringing Phoenix to us?”
“Just call me your fairy godmother,” Nicole smirked slyly at him, sizing him up with a raised eyebrow. “Because the shit I can do is borderline magic.”
“I r
emember Cinderella,” Aiden crossed his arms. “If memory serves, the magic came with a deadline. What happens when the clock strikes twelve on you?”
“Real barrel of laughs, you,” she shook her head with a wide grin, clearly checking the other twin out as well. “Remind me to invite you to my next birthday. With that winning attitude, you’ll liven the shit out of it.”
Dylan cut her a warm smirk.
The grumpier of the Carpenter Twins looked less than pleased, but quieted down.
Nicole turned to me quickly. “Sorry that I couldn’t be there for your audition, but I knew you’d nail it. Welcome to the band.”
“Can’t thank you enough for everything,” I told her. “I’ll make it up to you sometime.”
A cough came out from behind. That’s when I realized that the photographer had been waiting on us.
“Oh, right,” Nicole said. “Sorry, Stefan!”
We met with the effeminate, middle-aged photographer and his pair of younger assistants. They casually interviewed us all, together and individually, over the course of about ten minutes. All the while, the three of them were scribbling notes and eying us with interest.
“Kind of informal for an interview,” Carter acknowledged.
“Oh, this isn’t an interview,” Stefan smiled cheerily from behind his horn-rimmed glasses. “This is your first time doing this, right? Then you don’t know how to model. In order to do this the correct way, I need to know what I’m working with, how to present all of you. Trust me, I’ve done this dozens of times.”
That made sense.
“Now, as I was saying…”
This continued for another brisk couple of minutes before we were hustled over to the backdrop. The environment for our first ever photo shoot was a heavily industrial setting with brick walls – it was rented space from an otherwise abandoned factory.
Rugged, mechanical, and overtly metal, it was the perfect environment for the five of us to showcase our personalities.
The photographer and his assistants moved quickly, positioning us on some heavy crates against the brick wall for a centerpiece photo. While his pair of buzzing little bees scrutinized the equipment and adjusted the lighting, Stefan scrutinized us, moving us apart, together, advising us on our posing...
