Memphis Black

“Keep Steel, then.” Nick throws his hands up. “Just make it different.”

“Better,” Fi

Nick looks at his watch. “I have a meeting to get to. You guys put your creative minds together and come up with something. But don’t take too long. This tour is go

River grabs his junk through his torn up jeans. “Deeper.”

“Much deeper.” Fi

“Balls deep,” I join in, making it a three-way fist bump explosion.

Nick shakes his head, rolling his eyes. “Yeah, but ‘Balls Deep’ isn’t go

“Do we get a cut of that?” River asks.

“River, the money is used to help cover the band’s expenses.” With that, Nick walks out the door without a backward glance.

Once he’s out of earshot, we all look at each other.

“We’re sticking with Steel,” I declare.

“Hell yes, we are,” Fi

“Steel Rocks?” Fi

“Lame.” Even as I say it, I know River agrees.

“Steel Destruction,” I try, and we all look at each other, speculating. “Bad ass, right?”

“Yeah, but it needs to be totally bad ass, without question, man. Has to be totally fucking us, totally fucking hard, and hot. Just like our music.”

I laugh. “Steel Total Destruction?”

No one says a word; we all just stare at each other.

After a while, River nods. “That’s right. We’ll go so hard, we’ll make anything else look like shit.”

“Ruin it for all the other fucks out there,” Fi

I like where this is headed.

“So, we’re set. We are now ‘Steel Total Destruction’?” I wait for the vote to carry.

“Fuck yes, we are.”

“I’m sending Nick a text.”

I chuckle evilly to myself as I type: WE WILL BE ‘STEEL TOTAL DESTRUCTION,’ THE BADDEST ASSES OUT THERE, GIVING RESPECT TO THE MAN WHO FOUND US.

Not even five seconds later, Nick messages back that he loves it.

“He’s in.” I laugh out loud.

“What’s so fu

“Not a damn thing.” I shake my head, laughing inside. Killer fucking name.

***

I wake up to my phone squawking with last night’s audition grumbling, lying bare-assed next to me. Still half asleep, I grab my phone, read the message, and push her off me.

First things first. I stumble out of my room in search of some ibuprofen and a gallon of water to get rid of the hellish hangover I’m sporting. Fi

“You get a text, too?” I ask Fi

“Yes.” He doesn’t even bother to look up. “I just need ten more minutes. This is coming together perfectly.” He reaches for the bottle of Firewater sitting next to him and takes a swig.

“Fi

There’s no damn way I could do that shit: drink all night, get no sleep, eat no food, score no pussy, and still be awake in the morning, writing. He’s crazy.

***

Saturday morning, we walk into Forever Four, our label’s headquarters, for an impromptu meeting. None of us are feeling it. The whole way over, Fi

As soon as the door opens and I hear Xavier Steel’s voice booming from the conference lounge, and I know what is up. But fuck if I’m go

“He sounds pissed, man.” River’s eyebrows are sky high. “His wife is probably not giving it up since I’m sure she is just waiting to tell him she’s in love with me. She’s going to leave his ass for mine. Of course, I’d try to talk her out of it. Out of respect and shit.”

I chuckle. “You’d cream yourself if she ever gave you the time of day.” Taelyn Steel is hot, red-haired, tall, thin, and totally in love with her husband, exactly like he is with her. We just allow River this little, indulgent fantasy. It’s not hurting a damn thing… and it pisses X-man off, which is always fu

“I would have brought her on board, let her feel my beat.” River cringes. “But she has a kid now.”

Whatever. Fucker loves that woman. I know damn well he would hit it and try to keep it.

“They’re kids,” Nick is saying. It sounds like he’s trying to calm the X-man down.

“That’s just stupid shit, Nick!” X sounds pissed, more pissed than I have ever heard him and I’ve heard him pissed. “Between you and Rico, neither of you thought I should know? How many thousands were spent on these fucking shirts and hats and—”

“Slow the fuck down, X. One damn question at a time.” Nick’s laugh is awkwardly placed. “First, you are the one who said the name needed more.”

“More, yes. But this shit?”

“Rico’s design is sick, man.” Nick’s tone is calm now. “And you got my text and said ‘sounds good,’ so your stamp of approval is on this shit, too. No time to change it. This starts tomorrow if they agree.”

“They’d better fucking agree. They’d better also realize that the way this company works is shit gets paid back before the royalties start getting doled out. Assuming they get a huge cut, they just completely fucked us all with this stunt.”

“I disagree.” I walk in, wearing my business face.

“What the hell is he talking about?” River follows me in and grabs one of the T-shirts off the table. “This is sick.”

He holds it up against himself as Fi

“Sick is right!” Xavier doesn’t look or sound impressed. “You tell me, River, how well do you think you’re go

“I always do well with the ladies.” River drops the shirt and plops down next to Fi

“Are you high?” Xavier scowls at him.

“Just a few hits this morning.” He shrugs. “Just pot, though. Not the other stuff.”

This is good considering River was shooting up when Xavier found him and then he had a coke habit for a while after that.

Exasperated, Xavier throws his hands up. “Nick, we aren’t ready for this shit in three days.” He points at the three of us. “You guys want this about as much as anyone wants”—he holds up the shirt—“a fucking STD.”

“People love rock, X.” River picks up the shirt again and looks at it, paying attention to the details for the first time, and his smile disappears. “That shit’s not fu

“So, there we have it.” X scowls. “The fucking ‘normal’ one is behind the name?”

Fi

“Nothing fu

“River obviously had no idea.” Xavier looks between Fi

“River knew,” Fi

“Bullshit,” River sputters. “I haven’t smoked in three days… until this morning.”

Xavier is now pacing and sputtering under his breath.

“We promote safe sex,” I speak up, trying to put a spin on it.