Dex (Kinky Shine #1)

by Stephanie Witter

  “Floyd, we need to talk. The guys and I have something to tell you.’’

  “We have a few minutes before you go up.’’

  I glanced up and Dex’s hard eyes were not wavering from my father’s face. It was like I wasn’t even there. I should be pissed off after the way he treated me at his place, but the pain shooting through me overtook most of my other feelings and didn’t erase the lust he never failed to awaken in me.

  “No, not here.’’ He glanced around and made sure to not gaze my way. “Somewhere private. Either your office or my place.’’

  I cringed when I realized what it was about. I fidgeted some more and made a move to walk away, but one look from my father kept me where I was.

  “My office is closer.’’ He checked his phone and quickly typed something. “Let’s go there right after you’re finished here.’’

  Dex nodded and turned back around to go to the room where the rest of the band probably was. I kept my eyes on him, watching the way his black jeans molded his ass, the way his powerful legs ate the ground and how his large shoulders and big tattooed arms seemed tense. But this time it wasn’t because I aroused him and he didn’t know what to make of his reaction to me. The tension in him had everything to do with Maxen.

  “You know what they want to tell me.’’

  I glanced at my father and offered him my sweetest smile. “It’s none of my business.’’

  He shook his head and kissed my temple before walking away to do his job. And I was still standing in the hall, unsure if I could meet the band or not. I should for my job alone, but with Dex and Maxen…

  My phone buzzed in my pocket. I fished it out and glanced at the new Twitter notification.

  Dex Bowers (@TheDexMystery)

  Hanging out with the guys before recording for a talk show. Turn your TV on Friday night. #KinkyShine

  I smiled wistfully, favorited and retweeted him before I walked down the hall toward the band. I had a job to do and it’s not because I messed up with Dex that I should throw away my work ethic. I soldiered on and marched to the yellow door with the Kinky Shine logo stuck on. The door wasn’t completely closed so I quickly knocked and walked in.

  There was tension in the room, but the guys tried to ignore it. Otis and Beckett pushed Maxen to talk about something, but he wasn’t participating much other than grunting here and there. Dex was looking down at his phone, sprawled on the armchair while glancing at Maxen and the guys every few seconds.

  As soon as I walked in, Otis, Beckett, and Maxen looked at me. I was taken aback when the three men on the couch offered me a little smile. I tentatively smiled back and Maxen nodded to the small space beside him on the couch for me to sit. I sighed and sat next to him.

  He elbowed me playfully and I squeezed his big biceps. He was trembling a bit, but he looked good. Maybe he was still taking the coke, but at least now his secret was out in the open. Looking at Otis, Beckett and knowing how Dex is Maxen’s oldest friend, I knew they would support and help him.

  I finally glanced at Dex, but he made sure his attention was riveted to his phone. I couldn’t look away. My eyes landed first on his knees where his jeans was frayed, showing some skin. Then, my eyes went to his belt, the same one I opened the other night at the Dragonfly. I kept on drinking him in. His t-shirt with some old 90’s rock band logo was stretching over his pecs and shoulders and his arms, full of tattoos I now knew I would never trace with my fingers and tongue and beyond the disappointment I felt, the pain in my chest since my fight with him intensified.

  I sighed and turned back to Maxen, Otis and Beckett who were already looking at me. “I should take your picture to post on Twitter. You in?’’

  “Yeah, no prob,’’ Otis agreed right away. “Hey, Dex. Come here.’’

  I stood up and got ready to snap a quick pic, but Dex wasn’t moving from his armchair.

  “Go ahead. There’s no need to tweet my face.’’

  I bit down on my lower lip, both annoyed that we were back to this and uneasy.

  “Don’t be an ass,’’ Maxen said, frowning.

  “If you’re not on the pic, some rumors could pop,’’ I supplied with a voice I hoped sounded professional.

  He finally looked at me, but I regretted it right away. His glare was chilling. He slowly stood up and towered over me, his eyes unwavering. “Right. Let’s play pretend.’’

  He sat where I had been sitting next to Maxen and all guys looked at me. Otis, Beckett and Maxen’s smiles were forced, but Dex didn’t bother with it. He was glaring at me and even on the screen of my phone it was hard to miss. I snapped the pic without a word and quickly tweeted it along with some generic sentence to catch the fans’ attention.

  I put my phone back in my black jean shorts and forced a smile. “Thanks, guys. See you later,’’ I mumbled and turned back around, needing to leave now. I would take some pics of the studio for my article and then go back to my hotel room and away from this. At this point, I just hoped the tension would ease off soon. Actually, I had first intended to follow the band during the first leg of their summer tour, but now I was rethinking my decision. After all, my contract with the label could be terminated now if I negotiated with them and proved them that the guys were now doing well with Twitter. It wasn’t like the PR wouldn’t be insane once they’d be on tour. The fans would do most of the work.

  I walked a few steps away from the break room when a hand on my shoulder startled me. I turned around, my breath caught in my throat. Dex was standing in front of me, tall and impressive. His eyes weren’t any softer than earlier, but his hand was still on my shoulder, sending a shiver down my spine. My eyes widened.

  “The guys know about Maxen and we’re going to tell your father later.’’

  I nodded. “That’s what I thought. I’m sure you’ll come up with something to help him.’’

  He withdrew his hand and I missed the contact. “We will have to cancel the tour this summer. I don’t know how the PR team will manage the consequences.’’

  “They will probably use the new album angle. They’re going to say that you guys need to focus on the album if you don’t want to burn out and record something that won’t suck.’’ I shrugged and focused on this work-related chat. Maybe we would be able to work a bit longer together without too much hanging between us if we were able to talk shop. “It’s basic stuff. You need to prepare yourself for the rumors, though.’’

  “I don’t want them to use Maxen to sell their gossip rags.’’ He rubbed at his forehead and his lips formed a straight line.

  “You can’t do anything. You’re public faces, Dex. That’s part of the deal.’’ I glanced down the hall when a door crashed and a pissed off looking suit walked away. “And if you cancel the summer tour I don’t think I’m going to hang around much longer. That’s a good thing, right?’’

  “Right.’’

  I clenched my jaw and nodded stiffly before walking briskly away from him and his cold voice and his dark eyes. I didn’t turn back around, but I craved it when the back of my head burnt from his eyes still on me.

  DEX

  I glared at the woman approaching me. She was a small brunette and while Maxen seemed to like what he saw, my skin crawled. When she put the mic on me earlier her hands strayed from what I thought was professional behavior. As predicted, my cock didn’t stir.

  I quickly took off the mic and extended it to her. Her smile fell and she mumbled a thank you before walking away.

  “You’re a real gentleman,’’ Beckett observed with a shake of his head as he thanked the guy who gave us the green light to leave after thanking us again and again.

  I rolled my eyes at the obvious display of ass kissing. That was something I hated but was part of the job since we climbed the charts and stayed at the top.

  “Don’t start, Beck.’’

  “Hey, you fucked up with Harley. Don’t take it out on anyone else,’’ Otis butted in and patted my back with more strength than necessary
. “Let’s go meet Floyd.’’

  “I hate that shit,’’ Maxen muttered and followed Otis and Beckett while shaking some hands on the way out.

  I looked around one last time, but there weren’t any trace of Harley. She must have fled as soon as she had enough material for her next article. The guys gave me hell for how I behaved with her, but I…Fuck, I didn’t know anymore.

  I followed the guys to the parking lot and put on my aviator sunglasses as soon as I spotted some people gathered there. They probably worked in one studio here, but I didn’t exclude them from being fans considering how they seemed to be gaping, taking pictures of us as we climbed in our cars. Maxen waved at them and followed me in my car. As soon as his door was closed I pulled away, following Otis’s gray SUV. In the mirror, I saw Beckett tailing me.

  “They’re everywhere,’’ Maxen muttered as he crossed his arms over his chest, probably in order to hide his shaky hands.

  For the talk show we had to play two songs and the rhythm while still good as only Maxen knew how to make it perfect, was a bit less enthusiastic than usual and shakier. For anyone else, it was the same, but I knew it and Otis and Beckett knew it too. We had been playing together for way too long not to pick up on the smallest thing.

  “You eat up that shit,’’ I pointed out, cringing when we came closer to the large group of fans standing outside of the studio area. Some police officers had been called to contain them apparently. The screams and yells made my ears ring. I shook my head and floored the accelerator when a path was secured for us. I glanced briefly to the fans amassed there for who knew how long. Some seemed too young to listen to our type of music, some were holding signs claiming their love for us. Still now it could be overwhelming.

  When we were out of that mess, we both relaxed some.

  “How are we going to hide where I am, Dex?’’ Maxen sighed heavily and leaned his head against the window. “They’re everywhere and they scrutinize our every move. They’ll know I’m not around after a couple of weeks.’’

  “We’ll say you’re away on a vacation. Something tropical. I don’t know.’’

  “It won’t work. If we say we canceled the summer tour to focus on our next album, then I can’t say I’m going away on some fucking vacation.’’

  I tightened my grip on the steering wheel. “Don’t think about going back on your word. You promised me you’d go to rehab. Actually, you promised me, Otis and Beckett. I bet ya Floyd will ask it too.’’

  “It’s going to be a PR nightmare when my addiction comes out.’’

  “So what? I don’t give a fuck about it, Maxen. Shit, even Beckett said that the summer tour wasn’t important in comparison and you know how much of a freak he can be with the band.’’

  He nodded, but I knew him enough to know he was trying to find some loophole to get out of going to rehab. As if I’d let him.

  A few minutes later we parked in the underground parking lot of the label. Otis, Beckett, Maxen and I looked at each other without a word and we finally nodded at each other. We were in this together. I clasped Maxen’s shoulder and we walked to the elevator.

  “Wanna bet Floyd is going to lecture us?’’ Otis asked with a smile.

  Beckett chuckled softly and I smirked.

  “Nah, it’s a sure thing,’’ I answered.

  The elevator door opened and we walked past the front desk without much more than a nod. While the interns were often gaping at us upon seeing us, the employees were used to seeing us. Whenever we were in LA we could be spotted at least once a week here.

  Down the hall, we stopped at Floyd’s door. None of us made a move to knock. That was fucked up. Four grown men standing in front of a door, reluctant to knock and face the person on the other side.

  “It’s almost worse than when I faced my father to tell him I was dropping out of college to make music,’’ Beckett said ruefully. “But at least, I know Floyd will not have the same reaction.’’

  I cringed, remembering all too well what had happened. I glanced at Beckett on my left. He was looking at the floor, eyes lost in time. Shit, it wasn’t the time to reminisce all our shitty pasts here. We needed to support Maxen and make good plans for the future.

  I took a step toward the door and moved to knock when the door opened with Floyd facing us. I stepped back immediately.

  “It must be bad if you’re all standing like this.’’ Floyd fixed a look at each of us in turn and waved us in.

  As soon as he turned around I spotted Harley on the couch. She was frowning at her father. My heart lurched in my chest at seeing her and I froze on the threshold. Maxen bumped into me, cursing me under his breath until he had a look over my shoulder and spotted Harley.

  “Fuck, Dex. Walk,’’ Maxen whispered and I unfroze.

  I walked in and for once we didn’t sprawl on the couch. We lined up in front of Floyd’s desk, as if ready to get killed. But it’s funny because I suddenly couldn’t focus on the reason why we were in this office. All I wanted was to turn around and look at Harley. Yet, I was still fucking pissed at her. But, I was also craving her again. That anger I had felt seemed diluted by my need for her. Already my cock was growing in my pants which was both uncomfortable and made me uneasy considering her father was in front of me.

  “I’ve tried questioning my daughter because it’s obvious she knows the reason for this meeting, but she didn’t say anything.’’

  We all turned around to stare at her. She tensed under our scrutiny and she stood up slowly as if her legs were barely holding her up.

  “Maybe I should go now. It’s not my business.’’ Her voice sounded small and sad. And she kept on avoiding me, looking everywhere but at me.

  I clenched my hands into fists and shook my head. “You can stay.’’

  “I really shouldn’t.’’ She turned her head toward me, but her eyes didn’t lock on mine. She was probably looking over my shoulder or at my chest instead. She shouldered her purse, ready to bail out.

  “Stay.’’ One word. At this point my throat was closing up and I couldn’t mutter anything else. This one word came out gruff and gravely already.

  Her eyes finally reached mine and I shivered. Her eyes were sad and I could have sworn there was anger in them too. She was too fucking beautiful for me to resist her. Even when pissed at her, feeling betrayed I wanted her. I didn’t understand what she did to me other than fucking with my head.

  She turned away to probably check with Maxen if it was okay, but I knew he wouldn’t throw her out. She nodded and sat back on the couch, but kept her purse on her shoulder, probably to make sure she could make a quick exit.

  “We need to cancel the summer tour,’’ Beckett said, breaking the ice with the news. His voice was professional as usual and didn’t give any room for an argument.

  Floyd’s eyes widened briefly before he leaned back in his chair. He stared at each of us in turn, probably to make sure we weren’t fucking with him and then he rubbed at his temples. The lines around his eyes started to get more pronounced. “Why?’’ He then went back to fix on me. “Do you need more time to compose?’’

  I shook my head. “Nah. I already have a third song in progress.’’

  He put his elbows on his desk and laced his fingers in front of him. “Then why? The summer tour is going to be a huge hit and will tie your fans up until your next album.’’

  I scratched my jaw, uneasy. I didn’t know if Maxen wanted to tell Floyd himself or if I should. And with Harley’s eyes weighing on us it didn’t help. I kept on wanting to face her and at the same time face her father to support my best friend.

  “It’s because of me,’’ Maxen said, his voice way more sure than I expected. One glance at Otis and Beckett told me they were too.

  Floyd’s frown deepened. “What do you mean?’’

  I clasped Maxen’s shoulder and squeezed. We were there for him. Always.

  “I’m going to rehab.’’

  Floyd gaped at him and shook his head. He th
en turned to his daughter, maybe to check if it was true and I didn’t know what face she made, but Floyd lost his colors. “What are you on? Painkillers? Heroin? Coke?’’

  “Coke.’’

  Floyd cursed loudly and punched the top of his desk. I didn’t remember the last time I’d seen him so pissed. “I didn’t see anything.’’

  “Me neither, Floyd,’’ I butted in. “Without Harley we still wouldn’t know. Apparently Maxen can be secretive when he wants to.’’

  He elbowed me, but I chuckled.

  “It’s not a laughing matter, Dex!’’ Floyd said, his voice hard.

  “Dad…’’ Harley started, her voice soothing.

  “Not now, Harley. One, you weren’t supposed to ever see that part of the scene and two, you should have told me right away. I’m their manager.’’

  I held up a hand, frowning at him too. “She went to me as she should have. You’re our manager, but he’s my best friend.’’

  “Listen,’’ Maxen spoke up, his voice less booming than usual, but the assurance was there. “I fucked up, but I’m going to straighten myself out. I’ll be gone for a few months and I swear I’ll never use again.’’

  “That’s what they all say,’’ Floyd said with a sigh. “I’ve seen that same pattern too many times to count since I’ve started working in the business.’’

  “What then? You’re going to bail on us because one of us is going through a tough time?’’ Beckett asked. He leaned over the desk, his hands flat on the surface of the desk.

  Maxen turned around and went to sit on the couch. I turned around and saw Harley squeeze his arm. Her face was worried and sad. Just like my best friend’s.

  “Do you know many bands that are so tight knit and supportive of each other?’’ I asked Floyd. “Shit, even when I couldn’t write Beckett didn’t write me off and yet he wanted to.’’