Filed To Story: Pretty Poisoned Novel by Elle Mitchell
“I did,” she says. “Her name is Teagan, and she ate our blood jello. Teagan, this is Brady. That’s Layla with the blonde hair, and the bloody girl is Alana. What do you want to drink, Teagan? We have everything.”
“Is there blood in everything?” I ask.
“There isn’t blood in any of this,” Hazel says, gesturing to the center of the table. “But there could be. If you wanted.”
She flips open a knife. I guess she didn’t have to go through the metal detector. I furrow my brow, and she smiles. I can’t tell if she’s teasing me or not, but before I can respond, the band enters the room through the back door. First is Eli, the bass player, then Rhett, the drummer, followed by the two brothers. Eli heads for the bar, throwing his arm around someone he appears to know. The brothers start moving around the room, taking pictures and signing autographs. Rhett slides into the booth next to Brady, and the group I’ve fallen in with congratulates him on the show. He thanks them, his eyes settling on methe one who doesn’t belongbefore looking at River and laughing.
“What?” River prompts.
“You know what,” Rhett says.
“I like her,” River says. “And I love him. And he wants her here.”
He? Does she mean Luca? Is that why I’m here? She found me for him?
“And she ate our blood shots,” Brady says. He puts his arm around Rhett and starts rubbing the back of his neck.
“How was that?” Rhett asks me.
“Um coppery,” I tell him.
“It’s not a good mix,” he says. “The Bloody Marys are better.”
“I’ll remember that.” I turn to River. “Is he joking?”
“Oh, no. The Bloody Marys do have blood in them. And they do taste better than the jello. I’m happy to get you one.”
Fuck that. “I’m good for now. Thanks, though.”
“Okay,” she says. She taps me on the nose, then turns back to Hazel, and I just sit there, processing that for a second before I begin scanning the space again.
Luca has almost made it over to this side of the room. A couple of booths away, he’s signing girls’ bare tits and taking photos. I try not to let him see me staring, but I catch his eye anyway. I quickly turn my attention back to River and Hazel. Hazel strokes the sad girl’s hair, appearing to comfort her. I wish I could hear what was happening, but I can’t. The other girl, Alana, appears to be Facetiming with someone or taking a video. Rhett is slouched in the booth, his head thrown back and his eyes closed. I realize his hand is in Brady’s hair, who is on his knees under the table.
Again, I try not to stare but can’t help it. He’s sucking him off feet away from me. Am I not supposed to look?
Rhett lets out a long moan, and I finally force myself to look away, squeezing my thighs together.
“Go ahead and watch,” River says. “They don’t mind obviously.”
Before I can reply, Luca slides into the booth next to me. “I was looking for you,” he says.
“Hi, Luca,” River says, flashing him a shit-eating grin. He reaches over and pats her on the head. Satisfied, she turns back to Hazel and Layla.
“Did you enjoy the show?” he asks.
“I did,” I tell him. I don’t mean to, but my voice raises an octave when I say it. He notices and raises an eyebrow.
“And did that surprise you?”
“No,” I say a little too quickly. “I didn’t mean it like that. I just mean most bands aren’t better in person. You guys were even better in person. That’s what surprised me.”
“It’s the energy,” he says. “That’s what makes us better in person. The room was alive; couldn’t you feel it?”
He brings that same vodka bottle from earlier to his mouth and takes a swig. All I can do is nod, staring at his tattooed hands wrapped around the bottle’s neck, his mouth and the muscles in his throat when he swallows.
The energy of all of this is sex. As the thought crosses my mind, Rhett groans across from me.
“Oh, fuck,” he says. “Yes. Take it all.”
I fight the urge to turn and look. Luca sets the bottle down and adds, “You can’t get energy like that inside a recording studio. I mean, you can try, but it’s not the same.”
“Yeah, no. I know what you mean.”
He lifts the bottle from the table again and holds it out in front of me. “See that?” he says, pointing to the faded lipstick stain around the rim.
“Uh-huh.”
“That’s you,” he says. He brings the bottle to my mouth again, and I wrap my lips around it, taking a long, hard pull.
I need to be careful. I can’t get drunk herenot tonight.
“Do you have a favorite song?” he asks.
“Um, yeah,” I tell him. “But you didn’t play it.”
“Which one is that?”
“‘My Favorite Ending.'”
“Really?” he says. “I wrote that song. It’s actually my favorite one, too.”
“Seriously?”
I knew that.
“Yeah. I actually write most of our lyrics, but Declan makes a lot of changes to themso they fit the vibe or whatever. I had a little more freedom on the first album. That’s one of only two songs that are entirely mine.”
“I wonder what that would feel like,” I say.
“Writing a song?” he asks.
“Being entirely yours.”
“Oh, Teagan,” he says, shaking his head. “If only you knew what you were saying.”
“Why don’t you tell me then?”
Reaching for me, he tucks my hair behind my ear and then traces my jawline with his fingertips. His eyes drop to my chest, then meet mine again. I lean into the table to give him a better look and run my hand up the inside of his thigh, stopping when I get to his rock-hard cock straining against his jeans. “Fuck, you’re beautiful. When I heard you tell off that guy at the bar, I knew I had to have a taste of you. If you come with us to San Francisco, I’ll sing you ‘My Favorite Ending,’ and I’ll make you”
Across from us, someone clears their throat loudly. Luca and I look over at Declan, who scowls at us with Alana nestled in his lap.
“No,” he says plainly. “You want to fuck? Fine. Go fuck Hazel and Riv. Or anyone else in this room, as long as you aren’t looking at them like that. And as long as you don’t fucking talk to them. You know you aren’t allowed to talk to women.”
“Declan,” Hazel says. “Come on. Let him have fun. He’s been so good lately.”
What the hell is going on here?
“And we’re going to keep it that way. Actually, we need to head out. Hey!” he calls out, waving at Eli across the room. He walks over to the table, bringing the topless girl who was grinding on his lap with him.
“Yeah?” he says.
“We’re heading out,” Declan says. “You can bring your friend.” He turns back to Luca. “Not you. No more friends for you.”
Rhett and Brady file out of the booth, and the rest follow.
New Book: Returned To Make Them Pay
On her wedding anniversary, Alicia is drugged and stumbles into the wrong room—straight into the arms of the powerful Caden Ward, a man rumored never to touch women. Their night of passion shocks even him, especially when he discovers she’s still a virgin after two years of marriage to Joshua Yates.