Rock Chick Reborn (Rock Chick #9)(42)

“I need three,” Tod declared, also throwing himself on my bed. “Who’s manning the cocktail shaker?”

“Shirleen, you got some chips?” Ava asked.

Did I have some chips?

I was raising teenage boys.

I had more chips then the Lays factory.

“Yeah, hey,” Annette could be heard. She was on her phone. Alarmingly. “I wanna order some pizzas.” Yep. Shirleen was alarmed. “You ready? Right. One large veggie. That’s for me,” she said this last to the room before going back to her phone. “One large pepperoni. One large sausage. We’re gonna need some of that cheesy bread. Two orders. And maybe a salad.” She got some looks. “Okay, no salad and three orders of that cheesy bread. Right. You got my account from my number? Right. Cool. Charge it on the card on file. But it’s a new address.” Her gaze came to me. “What’s the address here again?”

Ten voices told her the address.

I’ll note, none of those voices was mine.

Annette strolled to the door after giving my address, stating, “Right, thanks. Laterzzzzz.” She took the phone from her ear, opened the door and shouted, “Pizza in thirty!”

“Right on!” Sniff shouted back.

Roam had no reply.

“Oh my God! I need to borrow these shoes!” Ava wandered out of my walk-in holding my Gucci crystal embellished sandals that I’d bought on a whim because they were fancy and I had nowhere to wear them but they were just so hot I couldn’t pass them up. “Luke would love these.”

Damn.

Now I just had to give them to her.

This was because I held the knowledge that Luke Stark liked his woman in sexy shoes, and just how he liked to work things out with those sexy shoes and their heels digging in certain areas of his flesh. And now I couldn’t wear those shoes without thinking of those heels digging in Luke Stark’s flesh.

Shit.

“Bring those to me,” Tod ordered, already twisting his body in a knot to take off his own shoes. “I’m feeling those sandals. I’m feeling ‘Born This Way.’ I’m feeling ‘You Make Me Feel Mighty Real.’ I’m feeling wig number three, dress number seventeen. No. I’m feeling shopping.”

Tod, when he was not being a flight attendant, dad to a chow dog called Chowleena, partner to Stevie or the unofficially official Rock Chick wedding planner, was a drag queen called Burgundy Rose.

Ava walked the Guccis over to Tod.

I felt something touch the back of my hand.

I looked to my side.

Jules was there.

“You knew it would happen,” she said quietly.

I did.

I sighed.

“They just love you,” she continued.

They did.

I sighed again.

Jules smiled.

“I’m on cocktails,” Stella announced on her way to the door. “Who wants what?”

“I’ll help,” Sadie said, following her.

“Cosmo,” Roxie ordered.

“Surprise me,” Tod put in, bent over the side of my bed, strapping on my Gucci.

“I’m in for a cosmo, but I gotta call Eddie. Tell him he’s on his own for dinner,” Jet shared.

“He can come over,” Annette invited Jet’s husband to my house. “I’ll just call and order more pizza.”

“Tell him to go to Lincoln’s. Lee’s having a team meeting. He can meet the guys there,” Indy told Jet.

“Tell him to tell Hank,” Roxie added.

“I better call Blanca and let her know she’s got Alex for dinner,” Jet muttered.

“And I better call Nick and see if he’s down with watching Max and Sam for the foreseeable future,” Jules said, disengaging from me.

Eddie and Jet, and Jules and Vance had started their broods.

The rest would follow.

And as evidenced with what was right then happening in my bedroom, it wouldn’t slow any of them down.

I went to the closet to take off my heels and put on my slippers.

What could I say?

The Rock Chicks were in the house.

And as I’ve said, I was relatively badass, and the fact remained, I had been ticked at them.

But still.

The truth of it was . . .

I wouldn’t have it any other way.





Holding It Tight

Shirleen

“WHEN THE TIME comes, sweetheart, you won’t have to worry about condoms. That’s the man’s domain.”

It was later that night.

The Rock Chicks had gone.

The boys were down in their space.

And I’d repoofed my duvet so I could unpoof it my own damned self by lying on it to talk to Moses.

Obviously, I’d told him about the Rock Chick visit.

Yes.

Even the uncomfortable parts about it.

“Great,” I murmured.

“Though it would be funny to find out how Lee Nightingale or Kai Mason would react to being asked to buy you condoms,” he went on, sounding like he thought it was funny just to think about it.

And hearing that in his voice, it got funny instead of being mortifying.

“Yeah,” I replied.

“We’re out to your girls.”

His tone was entirely different when he said that.