secret service. I’ll never get laid.”
She whirled around and walked out the door.
“ I’ll have Mike follow you around,” I said to the closed door.
7
Sean was stressed out enough. So I told Mike about Bell’s crazy plan, but kept Sean out of it. I also gave Baby a piece of mind when I got her alone.
“Are you crazy, talking her into being so reckless.”
“First of all,” Baby said vehemently. “I didn’t talk her into anything. It was her idea. Secondly, she’s an adult Henry, not a child. And just because someone is a woman, it doesn’t mean they can’t make their own sexual decisions.”
“Don’t pull that card on me, Baby. This has nothing to do with gender.”
“Bullshit! You’re treating her like she’s some sort of future victim. You wouldn’t act this way if she was a guy.”
“I might if it was Mike.”
“You’re not really helping your case here, Henry.”
“Why Mike?” I continued. “Because he, too, is a trusting soul that is always looking for deeper relationships and when he fucks around with a player, he gets hurt. Bell is the same way, times a thousand.”
Baby paused. “Maybe, but she’s a big girl and she’s made this decision.”
“You’re supposed to be her friend. Aren’t you the least bit worried?”
“I’m totally worried about it. But you have to let people make their own mistakes. And it’s not like she’s going to end up with some sexual predator. We’re all here, watching out for her. She’ll screw a band member and get over it.”
“A band member?”
“Yeah, I hear Alonso’s on the potentials list.”
“What?”
“Yeah, in fact, I think they have a ‘date’ tonight.”
I could hear Baby calling after me as I left the room and marched down the hall. I found Alonso on the loading dock, smoking a cigarette.
“A word,” I said harshly.
“Sure, man.”
Alonso is my bass player. And he’s good at his job. He’s been playing for me for about six years. On stage, I wouldn’t trade him for the world. But this guy was almost as bad with women as me. And right then, I didn’t give a shit about his talent with a guitar.
“Join me for a walk.” I jumped off the loading dock and headed for a dark path around the back of the building. Alonso followed.
“What’s up, Hank?” He pulled up beside me.
“You got a hook-up planned with Bell?”
He stopped in his tracks. I stopped too. He looked up at me and took a final drag on his cigarette, before tossing it into the grass. “Yeah, is that a problem, boss?”
I hated it when he called me boss. He was the only one of my three band members that did. And he did it to piss me off.
“Yeah, it’s a problem. She’s a lamb man. She can’t handle you.”
“She sure didn’t act that way when she propositioned me.” He hooked a thumb in the waistband of his jeans.
“Well she is. She’s a sheltered little girl with no experience with guys like you.”
“You mean guys like us?”
“Whatever, just break the date, okay?”
“I will if you tell me the truth.”
“What?”
Alonso leaned toward me and sneered. “You have a thing for her, don’t you? This is like some kind of Sean and Baby thing, bad boy falls for sweet little good girl.”
“Fuck you.”
“Come on, Hank.”
“I’m just trying to protect her. She’s Baby’s friend.” I turned away from him and started walking back toward the loading dock.
“You’re lying,” he called after me. “But I’ll break the date anyway.”
****
“You are a complete ass!”
I had been sitting on the bus, drinking a particularly good cup of joe and discussing our next stop with Mike. Now I was being confronted by an angry Tinker Bell. Her slim body was leaned over me, her tiny finger was pressing into my chest.
“I’ve heard that before.”
She jammed her finger into me, pumping with each word. “You told Alonso to break our date last night.”
Jesus, the dumbass didn’t have the brains to make up a better
She whirled around and walked out the door.
“ I’ll have Mike follow you around,” I said to the closed door.
7
Sean was stressed out enough. So I told Mike about Bell’s crazy plan, but kept Sean out of it. I also gave Baby a piece of mind when I got her alone.
“Are you crazy, talking her into being so reckless.”
“First of all,” Baby said vehemently. “I didn’t talk her into anything. It was her idea. Secondly, she’s an adult Henry, not a child. And just because someone is a woman, it doesn’t mean they can’t make their own sexual decisions.”
“Don’t pull that card on me, Baby. This has nothing to do with gender.”
“Bullshit! You’re treating her like she’s some sort of future victim. You wouldn’t act this way if she was a guy.”
“I might if it was Mike.”
“You’re not really helping your case here, Henry.”
“Why Mike?” I continued. “Because he, too, is a trusting soul that is always looking for deeper relationships and when he fucks around with a player, he gets hurt. Bell is the same way, times a thousand.”
Baby paused. “Maybe, but she’s a big girl and she’s made this decision.”
“You’re supposed to be her friend. Aren’t you the least bit worried?”
“I’m totally worried about it. But you have to let people make their own mistakes. And it’s not like she’s going to end up with some sexual predator. We’re all here, watching out for her. She’ll screw a band member and get over it.”
“A band member?”
“Yeah, I hear Alonso’s on the potentials list.”
“What?”
“Yeah, in fact, I think they have a ‘date’ tonight.”
I could hear Baby calling after me as I left the room and marched down the hall. I found Alonso on the loading dock, smoking a cigarette.
“A word,” I said harshly.
“Sure, man.”
Alonso is my bass player. And he’s good at his job. He’s been playing for me for about six years. On stage, I wouldn’t trade him for the world. But this guy was almost as bad with women as me. And right then, I didn’t give a shit about his talent with a guitar.
“Join me for a walk.” I jumped off the loading dock and headed for a dark path around the back of the building. Alonso followed.
“What’s up, Hank?” He pulled up beside me.
“You got a hook-up planned with Bell?”
He stopped in his tracks. I stopped too. He looked up at me and took a final drag on his cigarette, before tossing it into the grass. “Yeah, is that a problem, boss?”
I hated it when he called me boss. He was the only one of my three band members that did. And he did it to piss me off.
“Yeah, it’s a problem. She’s a lamb man. She can’t handle you.”
“She sure didn’t act that way when she propositioned me.” He hooked a thumb in the waistband of his jeans.
“Well she is. She’s a sheltered little girl with no experience with guys like you.”
“You mean guys like us?”
“Whatever, just break the date, okay?”
“I will if you tell me the truth.”
“What?”
Alonso leaned toward me and sneered. “You have a thing for her, don’t you? This is like some kind of Sean and Baby thing, bad boy falls for sweet little good girl.”
“Fuck you.”
“Come on, Hank.”
“I’m just trying to protect her. She’s Baby’s friend.” I turned away from him and started walking back toward the loading dock.
“You’re lying,” he called after me. “But I’ll break the date anyway.”
****
“You are a complete ass!”
I had been sitting on the bus, drinking a particularly good cup of joe and discussing our next stop with Mike. Now I was being confronted by an angry Tinker Bell. Her slim body was leaned over me, her tiny finger was pressing into my chest.
“I’ve heard that before.”
She jammed her finger into me, pumping with each word. “You told Alonso to break our date last night.”
Jesus, the dumbass didn’t have the brains to make up a better
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