Page 10 (1/2)
Chapter 1
Melanie caught the gleam in Nikki’s eyes in the public restroom mirror they shared Oh crap She knew that look What was the wo now? Melanie was not in the ht
The long drive to Tulsa, followed by a parking night in line through high winds for two hours had Melanie out of sorts Okay, she adht bitchy Her hair looked like it had lost a fight with a raccoon—a rabid raccoon with a powerful nesting instinct, and her toes, crah-heeled, strappy sandals, felt like they’d were being whacked with tiny pickaxes wielded by miniature coalminers
Nikki, on the other hand, looked her typical polished self, except for the unsettling extra dose of deviousness in her big blue eyes Melanie paused with her tube of pink lipstick halfway to her lips, her Nikki-is-about-to-get-us-into-trouble alar in her head
“What's that look for?” Melanie asked
“Tonight's the night,” Nikki said She tucked a strand of silky chestnut-brown hair behind one ear and turned to catch her good side in the eous, but Melanie had never convinced Nikki of that or that she orth ht stands with losers
“That's what you said last night,” Melanie said and focused her attention back on her lipstick application
Nikki wrinkled her nose at Melanie’s hair and yanked a brush froled mass
Good luck with that
There was a reason Melanie wore it up most of the time Only the sturdiest of hair clips kept the thick and aist-length tresses under control Nikki had talked her into keeping it down tonight, saying that it eous when standing next to Nikki—a simple fact that she’d learn to live hen they’d attended college together Men flocked to Nikki Melanie faded into the background She was used to it
Nikki went at Melanie’s hair with deters With a sigh of defeat, she handed her brush to Melanie Melanie supposed she should try to cal less offensive She didn’t want to frighten the band
"I ed her boobs in her push-up bra, unfastened another button on her skintight white blouse to show off ot back stage last night If I’m lucky, that cute roadie I talked to in Wichita will reht after the show, or I’ht"
And now they were in Tulsa, trailing after a band like a pair of desperate Sole Regret groupies Melanie wasn’t a serious fan, but she was positive the cute roadie would remember Nikki Nikki was the kind of woman men drooled over Wanted Dumped
Melanie guessed the roadie would ask Nikki for a sexual favor in exchange for introducing her to the members of her latest band obsession and Nikki would use sex to get what she wanted It saddened Melanie None of the men who used and discarded her friend kneto lift Nikki out of her cloud of self-doubt and despair in theShe didn't understand why Nikki continued to put herself in these situations She was a sweet girl A pretty girl A sirl Until she found herself in the company of any assle in the music business, then she acted as if she'd been loboto low on parts by now
"You are not bailing onto ta-strike victieous,to wait for you out in the car while you get laid by souy on't remember your name by the time he blows his load"