Untamed

A

I took a long swig of my beer. It was my favorite microbrew, one that we’d discovered while barhopping last year. Awesome. “The day I say please to a roadie is the day I stop touring. Being on the D-Bags crew is bragging rights for those guys, and if I don’t continually knock them down, they’ll get big heads. It’s my duty to be a jerk,” I said, completely serious.

A

With my beer, I gestured to the fans loitering around backstage. “These fans…none of them really give a shit about me. Sure, they usually recognize me as being in the band, but they don’t know what I play, what I do. And sometimes they don’t even know my freaking name. How the fuck is that even possible? All they care about is Kellan. Kellan this, Kellan that, it’s all I hear anymore, and it’s bullshit. If they love the band, then they should love all of us. Equally. It is a group effort after all.”

A

I did remember that group, how could I not? They were all armed with green dildos that they’d wanted me to sign. But even they had asked about Kellan. Where does he sleep? Can we steal a T-shirt? Does he really fart rainbows and moonbeams, ’cause he’s so super awesome like that. Ugh. I was getting sick of it. “Well, if they are going to call themselves D-Bag fans, then they should do a better job of learning about the entire band. We’re more than just Kellan, and the rest of us deserve some sort of acknowledgment too.”

Seeing through my statement to the heart of what was really bugging me, A

At first, her words sent a zing of pride through me. My wife thinks I’m awesome. But the lift to my spirits was quickly darkened by a confusing mixture of frustration and hope. When will everyone else think that? I sucked at patience, especially now that I was getting so close to what I wanted. And so far too. “I don’t know how much longer I can wait, A

An expression passed over A

Not wanting to see that expression on her again, I said something that I thought would appease her. “Nah, don’t listen to me. I’m just talking shit again. All I need is to finish my beer, then everything will be right as rain.”

A glorious smile lit up her face, and any worry that may or may not have passed over her was gone. “Well then, drink up.”

I held the bottle up to her in a salute, then started downing it. Yeah, a beer would solve everything. For now.

Chapter 5

Meet the Awesomes

They say that all good things come to those who wait. Well fuck whoever said that, because I had waited as patiently as a person could be expected to wait, and nothing fucking changed. The entire tour went by and all I heard was the same old line—Not tonight, maybe tomorrow. I heard it so often I was considering getting it tattooed on my forehead.

My mood was foul when I got back home to my same old boring-ass routine. A

“Not tonight, maybe tomorrow,” I said in a high-pitched, mocking voice. I was in our pool, floating in an inflatable chair, a beer in each cup holder and a third one in my hand. Smacking my fist against the water, I muttered, “They can kiss my ass tomorrow, is what they can do. All I’ve ever wanted, since this fucking band formed, was one tiny second in the spotlight, but none of those assholes will give me a chance. Fame whores.”

A

Examining her looking all swollen and uncomfortable, yet still the sexiest thing on earth in her two-piece, I sympathized; her feet did look like overdone sausages about to burst. I was kind of scared to touch them for fear they would explode on me. “At least your hell will be over soon. Mine is perpetual. So long as Kellan and Matt are ru

A couple of droplets landed on A

Because I was in a shitty mood, I scowled at her, but I supposed she did have a point. If I could prove to the guys that I wouldn’t embarrass them, maybe they’d cave on their ridiculous stance that I couldn’t be trusted with anything more important than mixing their drinks. I was so much more than a bartender, and it was time those fuckers realized it.

A

Yeah, and even more were on my cell phone. I fully expected him to show up at my door any moment. But I was irritated and didn’t want to deal with him yet. Besides, what he wanted to do was preposterous. “Did you listen to the message? He wants to start working on the third album. We just finished the last one. How about we let our brains rest for a sec before we cram more stuff in there? Just saying.”

She looked about to comment on that suggestion, but the doorbell rang. A