Gasoline Read online

  “Yeah, I’ll stay with her,” Dominic called to Casey. He waited until they were alone again. “About the fight? But they were smothering you long before that.”

  She stepped closer and lowered her voice. “No. About what happened to me. They weren’t there.”

  “Oh.” He felt bad he had asked and pulled her into his arms. “I only know what I read. I didn’t think it was my business.” He knew she was on meds when he started to get to know her. “I’m sorry I brought it up.”

  Crystal shut her eyes and pushed the memories away. She wouldn’t let them rule her life again. “It’s OK,” she mumbled into his chest.

  His hand held her head to his shirt tightly. “If you ever need to talk, I’m here for you. Whatever you do, please don’t blame yourself.” He was there when Jon got the call about his girlfriend, Josie, committing suicide. “Please tell us if it gets too difficult.” He had no idea how bad the attack was.

  She pulled back. “I’m fine.” Their eyes met. “Really, therapy helped me a lot.”

  “You sure?” He lifted her chin a bit. “You been acting really weird on this trip. Were you scared or nervous with the crew all around?

  She smiled and shook her head. “I’m not. I know enough of them now.” She sighed, hoping he didn’t put it all together. “I think maybe it’s the concert. We haven’t played with such big bands before. I can’t wait to meet Brandon Knight.” Knight was Wicked End’s lead guitarist.

  Relief washed over Dominic. He thought he had opened a can of worms. The last thing they needed was her freaking out. “You’ll do fine. Don’t think about it.” He put a hand on her shoulder. “Why don’t we go check this place out?”

  After Dominic and Crystal had walked around the campus, they headed to the concert hall. They had set up dressing rooms, and they were more spacious than expected. Most times when they visited military bases or other public facilities, the setup was limited. He noticed the food was already out, but covered.

  “I heard you guys got together in college, too.” Crystal sat on a soft couch as she looked up at Dominic. “Tommy was there with you?” She swore Tommy told her he never went to college.

  Dominic smiled and sat next to her. They had been talking about Gasoline’s roots. “No. We met in high school. Well, except for Dean. He came along just before I went to college.”

  “But you and Tommy are, uh...” She raked her brain for the information for a few seconds. “…three years apart, right?”

  “Yeah. He was a freshman, and I was a senior. I was friends with his brother, Patrick. He was the singer and rhythm guitarist of me and Jon’s band.”

  Crystal loved hearing about it all. “Gasoline?”

  “No. It was Demon’s Fire back then.”

  “Cool.” She had no idea. “Guess that’s where the record label name came from.”

  “Yep. I think it fits.” Dominic sat back and sank into the cushions. “I don’t know how they do it. They work so much.” Tommy and Jon spent most days at the studio.

  She agreed, but wanted to know more. “So why did you change the band’s name?”

  “We found another band with the same name, and they sucked so bad we didn’t want to be mistaken for them. Tommy came up with Gasoline.”

  A door opened, and Tommy came in the room. “You guys hiding in here?” he asked. “Only you could be alone with a girl this long and not get laid.” He sat next to Crystal and threw a leg onto her lap, wishing he had shorts on instead of jeans. Her bare legs against his would be perfect. “What you two talking about?” He pulled her legs open wider.

  “How you guys got together.” Crystal glanced at Tommy to make sure his hands were visible. “So you were friends since way back then?”

  Tommy laughed. “Hell no! He hated me.”

  “Hate’s a strong word.” Dominic frowned. “It was more like you annoyed me. You were a 14-year-old pain in the ass.” He cracked a smile. “He used to cut the power while we were practicing in his family’s garage. So jealous.”

  With a scowl, Tommy countered, “No, just couldn’t stand that noise you guys called music.” He winced. “Babe, if you heard the crap they used to play, you’d be shocked.” He put an arm over her shoulder, letting his hand rest just above her breast. “I sing better than Pat, and he can’t play guitar for shit.”

  “Yes, he can.” Dominic’s eyebrows rose. “But, you’re right about his singing. You have a much better voice.” He glanced at Tommy’s hand and moved it off Crystal’s breast. “Stop trying to cop a feel.” He paused as memories surfaced. “Crystal, I was gonna tell you about the first time Tommy played with us.”

  Crystal gave Dominic all her attention, turning slightly and making Tommy move back a little. She was eager to know the band’s true roots. “What did he do, beg to play?”

  “Nah. Klay, our bassist got the flu, and we needed a replacement quick. Patrick pleaded to give Tommy a chance. I was against it, but I was outnumbered. Sorry, man.”

  Tommy smiled. “No biggie. It all worked out. Look at us now.” He waved his hand around the room. “That day started all this happening.” He recalled Dominic fighting every one of his ideas tooth and nail, but he looked up to Dominic and wanted to impress him.

  “True. I kinda like you now.” Dominic smiled as the night he and Tommy became friends came to mind. After that, Tommy was a permanent member of the band.

  It started out as a simple gig at a local bar. They had lied to the bartender about Tommy’s age. The place was in a bad part of town and renowned for nightly fights. They were still unknown. Dives were where they started.

  When Dominic came out of the men’s room during a break, a large man confronted him. “You guys suck.”

  “So don’t listen.” Dominic had been in a bad mood because Tommy was controlling the playlist that night. “Or go somewhere else.” Then he was face down on the floor, his cheek throbbing.

  Tommy laughed when Dominic went down, but then saw the guy pull something out of his pocket. “Fuck!” He jumped off the speaker he was sitting on and rushed to Dominic.

  Dominic got to his feet in time to see the blade flash as it was thrust in his direction. He jumped back, but it cut through his shirt. “Damn it!”

  “Stay still, you fucking sissy!” the brute shouted.

  Tommy caught the man off-guard, kicking the knife from his hand. “Leave him alone!” Tommy grunted when a fist connected with his temple. Stumbling back, he shouted, “Pat!”

  Jon came back inside when he heard Tommy’s voice. He said, “Seriously?” He closed the distance to the trio in seconds, and then neutralized the aggressor. “Buddy, this ain’t your lucky day.” He had the guy’s hands behind his back and lifted them a bit higher. “Take a hike before I break ’em both.”

  “So you left med school to play in seedy bars?” Crystal touched Dominic’s arm, seeing him lost in thought.

  Dominic jumped, ripped from the memory. “Huh?”

  “Med school,” she repeated. “Did you leave to play in the band?”

  An image of Claire in class at college flashed before his eyes. He smiled, but then she disappeared. “Yeah.” His eyes closed while he fought the emotion welling up. “After our fourth album sold more copies than any other metal band ever, I gave up getting four hours of sleep every night.” He wished Claire had gotten to see that.

  Crystal grinned. She had pre-ordered Satan’s Fury and waited anxiously by the mailbox the day it was to arrive. It was riddled with scratches within a week because she played it a hundred times or more. “I love that album.” It was the one with “Devil’s Boy” on it. The theme was dark, and the songs were hard.

  “If it wasn’t for that DJ who loved ‘Devil’s Boy’ so much, it might not have happened.” Tommy was grateful. The guy promoted the shit out of it for them. He had a morning show and even asked them to write a new theme song for him, using the music to the song. That pushed them into the mainstream world, and the album sold like crazy from there on.
/>   That had been Crystal’s favorite radio station then, so she heard the show every day. “I remember him. He was so cool.” She bounced in her seat. “Oh my God, we won tickets to your concert that summer. Chad and his brother Josh thought I was gonna pass out, I screamed so much.”

  “Wish I woulda met you back then.” Tommy winked.

  Dominic laughed. “She had to be like 13. You woulda been arrested.”

  “Twelve,” Crystal corrected.

  “Damn, you were her age back then.” Dominic laughed harder.

  Tommy ignored him and stood up. “Come on. Let him laugh about being old, while I try to stay young.” He tugged Crystal to her feet. “I wanna show you something.”

  She followed him, trying not to laugh. It was true. They were 12 years apart. He was practically robbing the cradle during the time they lived together. She stopped laughing when she realized he had led her to the bathroom.

  After locking the door, Tommy pressed Crystal against it. “I don’t see the years,” he whispered. “All I see is a hot woman in need of a good fucking.” Grinding his hardening dick into her pelvis, he moaned in her ear. “Just like the first time.” He opened his jeans and quickly yanked her panties down.

  She grabbed his shoulders. “No, Tommy. I can’t.”

  He lifted her leg and shook it to make her underwear fall off. “Just a quickie.” He bit his lip while holding her thigh to his hip. “Giovanni won’t mind.”

  “Yes, he will. Stop.”

  He rubbed the head of his cock over her clit until he felt her heat up. “You want me, babe. So fucking wet.”

  “No, Tommy.”

  Groaning in frustration, he put her leg down. “How about I call him and ask if it’s OK?”

  She pushed his chest and he backed off. “He’ll get mad. Please, just let him initiate it. I hurt him enough lately.” She turned as she swiped at a lone tear. Guilt started to consume her.

  “Hey.” Tommy felt bad. He pulled her into his arms. “I’m sorry. I didn’t think sex would upset you.” He held her head to his shoulder. “I mean, we fucked a lot in the last few months. Sometimes I miss it.”

  She did too, but refused to admit it. “We need to go.” A sharp knock made them both jump.

  “If I hear a moan, I’m calling Giovanni.” Dominic folded his arms over his chest, knowing exactly what Tommy was planning to do. “Open the door.” He took a deep breath wanting to stay calm. Then he realized he forgot to find out why Crystal was acting so strangely. “Now!”

  The door opened slowly and Crystal appeared. “We didn’t do anything.” She quietly walked back to the couch and sat. “Maybe I should get changed.”

  Tommy scowled at Dominic and left the room quickly.

  Dominic sat next to Crystal. “You got a bit of time left. The party’ll be starting within the hour, I’m sure.” He paused. “I wanna ask you something.”

  “Um…” Crystal’s entire body tensed up, fearing he just knew. “OK.”

  He looked at her shaking hands and picked one up. “Something’s bothering you the last few days. Chad, too. Tell me it’s not what I think.” He waited, but she only looked down. “Are you guys, uh… having an affair?”

  “No.” That was an easy and truthful answer. “I’m just having some anxiety issues.” That was an understatement. “Chad’s just worried about me.” Another understatement.

  He knew it was more. He could just feel it. “You can go back on medication. It’s not uncommon to take a few steps back sometimes.”

  “I can’t.” She blinked her eyes a few times, forcing the tears at bay. No way was she ready for a child. “I’ll be fine.”

  Admitting defeat, Dominic sighed. Guess I’m gonna have to drag it out of Chad, then. “Let me know if you wanna talk about it.”

  “Thanks.”

  Tommy was walking the hall, trying to forget how Crystal felt against him. He heard Giovanni or Jon playing on stage. It sounded good, but didn’t help him at all. Maybe when they let the girls in, I’ll pretend one of them is her.

  His phone’s shrill tone startled him. He smiled as he pulled it from his pocket. “Damn.”

  It was Jake Thompson, lead singer of Wicked End.

  We hit some bad traffic. We’ll be later than we thought, but should make it for our set.

  He replied,

  No worries. Just get here.

  When he looked up, Chad was walking towards him, a sad look on his face. “What’s up, man? You look like hell.”

  “Hard to explain.” Chad looked past him. He had been searching around hoping to find Crystal. He had checked with Giovanni. He said she was with Casey, who told him she was with Dominic. “You seen Crystal?”

  Tommy’s dick stirred with just the mention of her name. “Yeah, Dom’s counseling her on ways to tell me no.” He laughed, but he was tired of people getting between him and Crystal. He just wanted to fuck the shit out of her; nothing more.

  Chad put a hand on the wall. His mood was zapping his energy. He hadn’t slept well, either. All night he dreamt of Giovanni punching Crystal again because she was having his kid. Accident or no accident, it still pissed him off what happened that day. He never wanted to see her bruised up again.

  “Do you know where they are?” Chad couldn’t hide the quiver in his lip. He bit it to stop it.

  Pointing at Gasoline’s dressing room, Tommy replied, “In there… alone. Think Dom can keep his hands off her?” They both cracked up. “Knew that would work.” Tommy grinned. “I know how you feel, but she’s dedicated to Giovanni now. She won’t let me fuck her no more, either.” Without her man, that is. He hid his smirk.

  “Thanks.” Chad’s shoulders slumped and he walked to the door. He really wanted to spend some time with her. Dominic would never allow it. “See you later.”

  Tommy knew he had work to do anyway. He normally liked to make sure the catering company had brought everything requested. That meant checking each room.

  Dominic looked up when the door opened. “Hey, Chad, how’s it going?” The look on Chad’s face was worse than earlier. When Chad sat, Dominic asked, “Anything I can do?”

  “Nah, I’ll be OK.” Chad sighed and leaned back, letting his body sink into the soft leather. “Nice couch. Wish I had one like this.” His eyes closed and he slowly let himself relax. “This place is huge.” He took a few breaths. “Giovanni and Jon look like they’ll be at it for a while. They seem to have a lot more in common than drums. I just heard them talking about a girl named Josie. I wonder how Giovanni knows her.”

  Crystal looked at her hands, knowing the girl had been Jon’s girlfriend—the one who had killed herself. She was glad her attack had not affected her so much she had to end her life. Taking a deep breath, she pushed the memories away.

  “You should eat something.” Dominic thought she looked sick or upset. He gently touched her forehead and felt sweat. “You feel OK?”

  Between all that was going on, she wasn’t sure how she felt. “A little nauseous.” That was true.

  “You are?” Chad was immediately concerned. He leaned towards her and reached out for her abdomen. When she blocked his hand, he realized his blunder. “Sorry,” he whispered. “Should I worry?”

  Dominic stood up and checked each item on the catering table. He grabbed a plate and put a half-sandwich and a banana on it, then grabbed a bottle of cold water. Then he handed them to Crystal. “Take this. You haven’t eaten anything all day.” He watched Chad, who seemed nervous again.

  Crystal didn’t argue. When she had finished the sandwich and half of the water, she turned to Dominic. “Do you mind going with me to get changed?”

  Dominic shrugged. “Sure, if you wanna do it now.”

  “Let me take her.” Chad’s eyes lit up, hoping he was finally getting her alone.

  Groaning internally, Dominic slapped his hands on his knees. “Unless you guys tell me what’s going on between you two, I ain’t leaving you alone.” He stood up. “You guys can talk if you want,
but I’m not letting you screw things up again.”

  Chad exhaled loudly. “There’s nothing to tell. I’m just having a hard time getting over her. Dom, please. I won’t fuck her today, I swear.”

  “No way.” Dominic turned to see both Chad and Crystal reach for each other. When their hands touched, he scowled. “Prove to me you can behave, and I’ll take the chance, but I’m going to the bus with you.”

  Dominic let them walk ahead of him, only hearing them whispering. The hallway was getting crowded with crews and random band members. He nodded at a few and said, “Hello,” to a few more.

  Crystal suddenly turned around. “Oh my God! Hell Hounds is here?” She had seen a crewmember carrying a bass drum with their logo on it. “This is so cool.”

  Smiling, Dominic replied, “Yep, I think they go on before Wicked End.”

  “Can we go say hello?” Crystal pulled on Dominic’s arm. They were a New Jersey band her and Chad followed for a while. “We opened for them twice.”

  Chad lifted her hand. “I doubt they’ll remember us.” He liked their music, too. However, their rhythm guitarist looked at Crystal as if he wanted to devour her. He couldn’t stand that. “Can’t it wait?”

  “Come on,” Crystal pleaded. “Just a quick hello.”

  Dominic wasn’t sure why Chad was protesting, but he turned around and led them down the hall. Tommy had made sure there was a sign on each door. About four rooms away was Hell Hounds’ dressing room. Before he had a chance to knock, the door opened.

  “Dominic!” Evan shouted as he appeared in the doorway. He threw an arm around his idol in a manly half-hug. “Fucking awesome setup!”

  “Hey, Evan, I brought some people with me.” Dominic looked beyond him at the band and crew inside. They must have brought girls with them. Already, there was music playing and giggling.

  Crystal bit her lip as she watched the two lead guitarists greet each other. Then she smiled when Evan turned his attention to her. “Hi, I’m Crystal. Remember me?” She put out her hand.

  Evan lifted her hand and kissed it, as he looked her over. “Hmmm. Subterranean in the East Village, right? You were that hot piece of tail that blew me off at the door, right?”