The Fiery Boys (A Sample)

This time, I really laughed. "Let me guess-you've been reading Inferna's site. That woman is full of lies. Sorry, no tattoo, no sex with Chuck, and definitely not in love." I turned to face her. "Did they used to say that about you? Did they report that you had 'Buck' tattooed on your breast?"

"No, but if I'd gotten such a tattoo, it wouldn't have said 'Buck.' Hell, that's not even his name. I call him Charlie, like his family does. All his friends called him Chuck back in high school. Of course, Lord Jason made him change that."

Everyone knew that Buck and Chuck were both named Charles. I'd always assumed that Buck had taken that name for artistic reasons. But now I could see that, like so much else in this band, it all came down to Jason's dictatorial control. As I suspected, Danielle was definitely worth meeting.

Curious to know more, I waded carefully into the sea of Buck. "Has he always been so closed-off and angry?"

She tightened her mouth. "He wasn't back then. I think it's mostly my fault these days. Divorce is touchy business. I feel bad about it."

"Do you miss him?"

"No more than I have for the last seven or eight years." I was sad that she and Buck hadn't been close. It had to be hard being with a famous rocker.

I nodded. "I'm sorry to hear that. I don't know how you handled all the abuse. I've been roasted alive, and it's been less than a week. How did you put up with it for years?"

"I didn't. I couldn't stand it. It didn't bother me that Charlie spent so much time writing music and practicing. But the parties were nauseating. Drunk half-dressed women everywhere. And every one of them hated me for taking away their precious Buck. The male fans wouldn't get close either, since I was taken. If it weren't for Gabe, I wouldn't have had anyone to talk to back then. I'm telling you, I was a band widow. I spent most of my time either on the road and hating it, or home and lonely. It sucked."

"So what brings you to the tour bus?"

She shrugged. "I travel a lot these days, and I was in Denver to meet with a client. Thought I'd check up on the boy. He might be pissed at me, but I don't hate him anymore. It's time for both of us to move on with our lives, so I came to wish him well. We'll be officially divorced soon, you know. So go ahead and have sex with him if you want."