I sipped the whiskey.
I looked at my bag on the floor.
“What’s wrong?” Sebastian asked.
“I had to pick something up from the lawyer,” I said. “Like I told you. I didn’t look at it yet. It looks like a letter from my mother. She had everything figured out. Kind of weird… to be so prepared and then…”
“I get it,” Sebastian said.
I looked at him. “You know, the last few times we talked we really didn’t get along.”
“You and your mother?”
I nodded. “I didn’t tell anyone this. Not even Mia. But we ended up arguing a few times. She seemed off. She seemed worried or guilty or something. I don’t know. I thought she was just having a bad day. But…”
“What do you think it was?” Sebastian asked.
“Who knows. Stress. Life. Age. I’m making something out of nothing. Last time we talked, she was on my case about quarterly taxes. Of all things. Mia and I run the business for Mia’s mother. And there’s an accountant who handles all that stuff. I guess she saw some crime show about an accountant who never paid the taxes for a few businesses and blah blah blah…”
“So she was worried about you then,” Sebastian said.
“Right. That’s your take.”
“It’s the truth,” he said. He sipped his drink. “So you’re not doing any kind of viewing or funeral?”
I shook my head. “She didn’t want that.”
“What can I do, Bree?”
I looked at him again. “You’re here. I appreciate it. But I know you don’t belong here, Sebastian. I know you have things happening in Los Angeles. So… you know… I kind of need to kick you out.”
Sebastian laughed. “Kick me out?”
“That’s right.”
“You’re going to kick the drummer of Filthy Line out of your apartment?”
“Correct.”
“And we didn’t even have sex?”
Heat flooded my cheeks. I smiled. “Correct.”
“Damn,” Sebastian said. He stood up. “Well, it was good seeing you.”
I hurried and grabbed his hand. “Wait. I didn’t mean right now.”
Sebastian looked down at me with dangerous, smoldering eyes. “I know, babe. I was just fucking around.”
“Oh. Right.”
I smiled again.
But I didn’t let his hand go.
7
SAB
I fucking hate Ricky.
He’s just some punk jock that danced his fingers in and out of girls’ panties like he’s getting paid to do so.
I get it… I’m not much better.
But he’s got his eyes on Bree.
He’s been flirting with her all night.
I’m standing near a tree, drinking some cheap, warm beer, watching the glow of the fire hitting her face as Ricky works his smooth charm on her.
When he touches her face, I want to scream.
I’m not jealous.
I’m protective.
I know what his intention is.
I don’t know if she knows what it is.
Last thing I need is Bree to fall for this guy and then get hurt.
Of course I’ll be there for her. No matter what she does.
But Ricky? Tonight?
I shake my head.
I drop the beer bottle to the ground and walk toward the fire.
Danielle pops up out of nowhere and throws her arms around my neck. She rubs her body against mine and I smell booze on her breath. Her eyes are drunk. Her body is ready.
And I’m the biggest hypocrite asshole in the world.
Because I’ve been with Danielle before.
For fun.
And there I am, ready to knock Ricky’s jaw off his face for talking to Bree.
“Kiss me, Sebastian,” Danielle slurs.
“Not tonight,” I say.
I move away from her.
Ricky brushes some hair behind Bree’s ear and that’s all I can take.
I turn and walk to my truck.
I’m not dumb enough to drive.
I’ve got sleeping bags and shit set up in the bed of the truck.
It’s the usual routine around here.
As long as we don’t get loud and act stupid, the cops leave us be.
I climb up into the truck and sit down.
I’m seething.
I’m angry.
It doesn’t make sense why though.
It’s not like…
I grit my teeth.
“Hey,” a voice says.
I look forward. “Bree?”
“Where’d you run off to?”
I don’t move. “I’m just here…”
“Are you alone?”
“Of course I’m alone.”
“Just checking. Saw Danielle dry humping you.”
“Not a chance,” I say.
“Mind if I join you?”
“Jump up,” I say.
Bree gets into the bed of the truck.
I swallow hard. I wonder what happened with Ricky. If he kissed her. If he touched her. If they…
“Are you okay?” Bree asks.
“Yeah, why?”
“You look pissed.”
“Not at all. I just… I thought you were hanging with Ricky.”
“Nope,” she says.
“Why not?”
“I know who he is,” she says. “I’m not in the mood for him anyway. Maybe he’ll go find Danielle.”
I laugh. “Good idea.”
Bree lifts my left arm and puts it around her.
I pull her close and take a deep breath.
“You sure you’re okay, Sebastian?” she asks.
I squeeze her closer to me and smile.
“Yeah, I’m pretty fucking perfect right now.”
“I swear on my life, babe,” I said with a laugh. “Jay thought we paid the woman to strip for him.”
“So what happened?” Bree asked.
We sat on the living room floor with our backs to the couch.
The lights were off.
Her phone was on the floor, playing Filthy Line songs.
And she was asking me to tell her some bad stories.
Which was fine by me.
Anything to clear her head of what was going on.
“She was there to look at the layout of the practice room,” I said. “Toby sent her to take measurements. We wanted to have it as this warehouse type vibe, but we needed to get it all soundproofed. The goal was to make the place hidden for us to practice and write new songs. Whatever. The night before we were all out at a strip club and-”
“A strip club?” Bree asked. “Really?”
“Watch yourself. Those women are artists.”
“If you say so.”
“I know around here there aren’t any strip clubs…”
“Tell you what,” Bree said. She patted my chest. “When I come to LA and crash your party, will you take me to a strip club?”
“Of course,” I said. “And, hey, the ticket to LA… whenever you want. I’ll send the private jet for you.”
“With strippers?” Bree asked.
“Yeah,” I said. “Duh.”
She rolled her eyes. “You’re such a rock star.”
“Do you want me to finish my story?”
“Please.”
“Anyway… we were breaking Jay’s balls about not getting a lap dance. Someone said we’d pay for a private one at some point. So Jay thought this woman was the stripper. He grabs a fucking chair…” I started to laugh. “He sits down in front of her and unbuttons his jeans. He starts wiggling in the chair and she’s just staring at him.”
“What happened?”
“Jay reaches up and flicks the buttons on her shirt or blouse or whatever it was,” I said. “Enough to show her bra a little.”
“Oh…”
“It gets better. She winds up and swings her clipboard so hard… when it hits Jay’s head, he falls out of the cha
ir, and the clipboard breaks.”
“No.”
“Swear on my life, babe.”
“Then what happened?”
Bree’s eyes were drunk and big.
She was smiling.
“The woman left. Jay had a nasty cut on his head. Nash called Toby. The next day Toby met the woman without us there. It all worked out though. Jay apologized to her. She got some tickets to a show. Jay even brought her backstage…”
“So after all that, he still got with her?” Bree asked.
“The power of a rock star,” I said with a wink.
“You’ll always be Sebastian to me,” she said.
“You’re the only person I know who calls me by that name,” I said.
“Would you prefer I call you Sab?” Bree teased.
“I don’t care what you call me,” I said.
“Okay, tell me more.”
I laughed. “You saw the shit with Nash, right? When he sunk a car and acted like a pirate?”
“Maybe.”
“That’s not even that good,” I said. “I don’t know, Bree. Everything is crazy in that world. There was one time when Dex got pulled over for speeding while someone was handling his business…” I pointed between my legs.
Bree looked and blushed.
“Oh. Right.”
“She was still… her mouth was busy when the cop came up to the window.”
“What?”
“So the cop did the entire stop while Dex got taken care of.”
“Who finished first? The officer writing the ticket or Dex?”
“I never asked him,” I said. “I really don’t want to know. The cop didn’t appreciate what was happening. And he didn’t appreciate when Dex offered the woman to him next. He got arrested for that one.”
“Have you ever been arrested?” Bree asked.
“Of course I have,” I said. “Bar fights. Car things. Speeding. Accidents…”
Fuck.
I swallowed hard.
Bree looked away.
Why the fuck did you just bring that up? Are you stupid, Sab? The last thing she needs to hear about is dumb rock star stories about you and the guys drunk or high, getting head or fucking women in a car…
“Sorry about that,” I said.
“It’s fine,” Bree said. “I just…”
The night fell right off the rails.
Bree stood up and walked away.
I gave her a minute before I went to find her.
She was in the kitchen, looking out the window, hugging herself.
I stepped up behind her and touched her arms.
“Does it hit you too?” she asked.
“What?”
“Your friend who died. Does it just randomly hit you?”
“Yeah, babe, it does. All day today while you were out. I’d feel okay one minute and then the next I felt like someone was digging their nails into my heart.”
“That’s exactly what it feels like,” she said. “I ruined the night, Sebastian.”
“Not even close. Let’s get some sleep. I’m going to fly out tomorrow. Go back to LA. Unless you need me here.”
Bree turned and looked up at me.
Just say the word and I’ll stay…
I had no idea what was going through me.
Bree was my best friend. Always my best friend.
But when I had a few drinks, what I started to feel…
“Tonight, will you be in the same bed as me?” Bree whispered. “I just don’t want to feel alone.”
“Sure,” I said. “We’re staying clothed, right?”
She slapped my chest. “Funny.”
Bree moved around me and went to the bedroom.
I went to the living room to get her phone.
Ironic enough, You Don’t Even Know I Miss You was playing.
One of the big Filthy Line ballads.
A song where Dex and Jay had music written and Nash couldn’t find lyrics.
So I threw down an idea and gave it to Nash.
He ran with it, changing parts where needed, and just like that, we had a monster hit.
I turned the song off and joined Bree in her bedroom.
She was under the covers, her eyes already shut.
I put her phone on the nightstand and climbed over her to get into the bed.
I stayed on top of the covers.
She reached back and pulled my hand over her.
I pulled her close and took a deep breath.
I had to go home soon… but I wanted her to come with me.
I opened my eyes and turned my head to see Bree still sleeping.
We were a mile apart in the bed, which was probably a good thing.
It wasn’t the first time we shared a bed or a night of sleep together, so it really wasn’t that big of a deal. It wasn’t like we ended up drunk and fucking.
Now that would have been crazy.
I tried to sneak out of the bed without waking Bree but her bed was old and the mattress groaned and shook like we were going through an earthquake.
“I’ve been up for way too long,” she whispered.
“What?”
“I kept waking up all night.”
“Why didn’t you wake me?”
“You were out cold.”
“Doesn’t matter. I’m here for a reason, Bree.”
“It’s fine. What time are you leaving?”
“Kicking me out before breakfast?”
“No,” she said. “Just wondering.”
“I’ll give Toby a call and get things arranged. I have to wait for the jet to arrive.”
Bree shook her head. “I can’t believe you get to say stuff like that.”
“Why?”
“You’re just… you’re rich and famous, Sebastian. I haven’t had a chance to digest that yet. I mean, we’ve been texting for years. But to see you in person. To see… Sab… it’s crazy. And the fact that you can just fly whenever you want. You just make a call and there’s a plane waiting.”
“My job has its perks,” I said.
“Private jets and strippers.”
“Look at you getting all bothered again over strippers,” I said. “That’s it… you’re going to strip for me.”
I stood up and pulled the covers off the bed.
Bree laughed. “Get out of here.”
“Let’s go, babe. Dance for me.”
I reached for her shirt and she swung her foot and kicked me in the arm.
I grabbed her leg and she turned…
Putting me right between her legs.
Her messy hair sprawled out all over the messy sheets.
She wasn’t wearing a bra, which was damn obvious.
And it also didn’t hurt that her nipples were suddenly erect, showing themselves, pressing against the inside of her shirt.
“No stripping?” I asked.
“Not before coffee,” Bree said.
She kicked me with her other foot.
I playfully fell back, then went out of the bedroom.
When I saw the flowers on the table, the reality hit me again.
What Bree was up against.
And it made me think of Mitchy.
I really had to get back to LA and be with the band to finish that up.
I made some coffee and waited for Bree to appear.
When she did, her hair was pulled back and she was wearing a bra.
Just another subtle reminder of our friendship.
Nothing more than that, Sab.
Maybe I was just a cocky rock star, thinking every woman wanted a ride on my dick. Which was generally a true statement.
Not with Bree though.
Which was for the better.
I poured her some coffee and watched her staring at the flowers.
I sent Toby a text and he replied that the plane would be waiting for me in three hours. I just had to drive the rental car back to the airport and that was it.
“Are you okay today, Bree?” I asked.
She looked back at me. “No. But I’m better than I was before you came. Thank you, Sebastian. Honestly.”
“I can stay…”
“You can’t. You have to get back. I know it. You already sent your text.”
I nodded. “I’m sorry, babe.”
“Don’t be. You showing up was amazing.”
“Is Mia around today?”
“Yeah,” Bree said. “I have to go pick up the ashes at some point. Then the funeral home is setting up a memorial. I probably need to talk to the lawyer again. He’s pissed at me for rushing everything. I just want it to be done. That sounds greedy.”
“No, it doesn’t. You’re grieving. And you respected your mother’s wishes.”
“Hey, Sebastian?”
“Yeah?”
“I don’t want to talk about it anymore,” she said.
“Neither do I,” I said.
The next few hours flew right by.
Both of us casually looking at our phones, knowing it was getting close to saying goodbye.
When I grabbed my bag and guitar then walked it outside, Bree came with me.
I stood at the car and touched her face.
“We can’t let time go by like that again,” I said. “I mean it. You should come to LA. Soon. Really soon. Take a break from all of this here.”
“And do what?” Bree asked. “Be a pain in your ass? Tell everyone stories about Sebastian?”
“If that’s what you want to do, that’s fine by me.”
“You never know,” she said. “I might call you and tell you to send that private jet my way.”
“I can’t wait,” I said.
I hugged Bree.
I took a deep breath just to smell her.
I gave her a quick kiss on the cheek and got into the car.
Driving away with her standing there felt like someone stabbing me in the heart.
I had no idea what the hell that meant.
But I was looking forward to getting back to LA, to try and clear my head a little.
8
BREE
I went back into the apartment.
Alone.
I felt empty.
Tired.
Sad.
I missed Sebastian like crazy, but not like that. I missed his company. I missed that he knew everything about me. He knew what I was feeling, when I was feeling it, and he always knew what to say or do.
It also helped that he lost someone too.
A FILTHY Friend (Filthy Line Book 5) Page 6
