1 - Eruption

~Corey’s Point of View~

“Aww man fuck this, what a waste of a nice, sunny day,” I scoffed as I looked outside. 

I could be on the beach, chasing some tail, getting an eyeful of something yummy. The things I do for my band. Hard sacrifices, I swear.

“At least you got to stay in LA for auditions, Lukas got sent to fucking Texas. Trey is in Atlanta,” Simone said, making hand gestures.

I nodded in agreement, thank god for silver linings. At least I’d be in my own bed tonight.

Being the bass player in a successful hard rock band usually means I spend my days off catching up on sleep, being hungover … above all else I’m usually getting laid.

But not today, oh no. Today I’ve been sitting in this damn chair for almost eight hours listening to people audition to temporarily take our lead singer and guitarist’s place for a few months while his lady has their baby. 

We weren’t on tour right now but there was a festival circuit we always played and a few other things. There were some award shows and other BS coming up too where we would need to play. The lucky person would be playing a few dozen shows with us over the next few months.

Myself and my four best friends have always lived the bachelor life, happily. I never thought I’d see the day any of us would be tied down and now both Jude and Trey were married. Fucking … married. 

What a world. Still weird to say.

Not that I wasn’t totally happy for them both but I never, ever saw any of us as the marrying kind. Well maybe our manager Slade but he’s too jaded to be that trusting anymore. When you get royally screwed over by the love of your life that tends to happen.

“There’s literally just four more, is there a Pearl Montgomery from uhm … somewhere in BFE Pennsylvania yeah I don’t know how to pronounce that,” Simone said.

Simone was a booking agent that worked for Feisty, over about five years. She knew exactly what we were looking for and she was trying like hell to help us find it. We have a very distinct sound and our vocals can be kinda rough sometimes. Jude has a rasp to his voice especially after an hour on stage, that’s when it's the best. Not many people have that sound, the one that if you hear him just sing a few words you’d know that voice anywhere. 

You’d say that’s Jude motherfucking Stone.

“Oh! That’s me it’s uhm Schuylkill Haven, near where they make Yuengling. But Philly mostly,” a female said, stumbling on stage with her guitar. 

“Christ, is she a school teacher,” Simone said, under her breath.

We watched as this timid little sexy redhead strapped on her guitar and plugged into the sound system. You could tell she had a big, full head of thick long hair but she had it in a bun. I’d kill to tug on her hair in bed, damn it's hot.

What I could see … save the weird outfit, her body was absolutely gorgeous, and I was already half hard. I always had a secret thing for redheads but you just don’t see too many anymore. Okay maybe not out of the groupies that tended to follow my band anyhow.

This woman was literally wearing huge Coke bottle glasses with a weird sweater turtleneck and a long skirt that looked like something a grandma would wear. She had to be my age, early 30's, so the look was just pretty ridiculous. She also had on flip flops which just really made her look strange. Rolled out of bed but got dressed with someone else’s clothes? They didn’t look like they fit her either, way too big.

I eyed her guitar carefully though, a nicer Fender Strat that would easily be a couple grand. Too nice for just a casual player to have and certainly not one I’d expect her to be toting around. You had no business having a guitar like that if you didn’t know what to do with it, plain and simple.

Simone let out a laugh as the poor girl tripped over her cord and struggled. What a mess. But this is how it had been all damn day. This is LA for fuck’s sake! There had been literally two people that were worth showing to Slade. But he’d turn them down, there was no way they’d work out. 

I had to hope the other guys that were in different cities were having better luck. I had to do this in San Diego again in a couple days and I was dreading it like a root canal.

“Oh honey you know what it’s just … not gonna work for me. I’m sorry but your look is not at all what we need … thanks for coming,” Simone said, making a shoo’ing gesture with her hand. 

Okay that was kind of a dick move but yeah I mean this poor girl needs to be put in bubble wrap and given a map to the nearest library.

“What? That’s it? I don’t get to play? I missed a paying gig to come down here,” Pearl said in shock, and she looked like she was gonna cry. 

Aw hell. I’d offer her a hundred bucks just to see that hair. Hmm.

You definitely need a thick skin to hang with us, and while we talked about the possibility of finding a woman to take Jude’s place … none of us wanted that. Too much of a distraction. How would she handle our tour buses? We couldn’t possibly give her one by herself, the label would never cover that.

“I just don’t see how your look fits with Feisty, like at all … no offense hun. Nice guitar though. Next up is Cliff Anderson from Reno,” Simone said, but it sounded condescending as hell. 

We were scraping the bottom of the barrel though, even a few minor league guys we looked at for replacements had other gigs going. But come on, who would turn down Feisty? Fuckers. Seemed like a conspiracy.

When Pearl glared down at Simone and didn’t move I grinned.

“My look doesn’t fit huh? Well I might be able to better “fit in'' if I wasn’t homeless due to my fiance and boyfriend of nine years taking all our money and leaving me with no note, no nothing … four days before our wedding. 

After I quit my well paying nine to five, let him sell our house and car. If I hadn’t found out last week he went to the Caribbean and married my best friend. I might have clothes if the cheap ass airline I took to LA from Amishville hadn’t lost all three of my bags, completely leaving me with nothing but my carry-on that was full of my wedding lingerie and the only pictures I have of my family that are who knows where. 

I might better fit in if my life had actually gone the way it was supposed to, if my piece of shit fiance didn’t drain our bank account, cancel our wedding, and even our apartment lease all so he could get the money back and run off. 

Tomorrow would have been our one month anniversary.

So yeah I’m terribly sorry my borrowed clothes and old glasses don’t fit the bill, how’s this work for your judgemental ass,” she said, in a huff.

In a swift move the woman took off her guitar, set it on the floor and then whipped off her sweater. My eyes nearly exploded with what she revealed. She had on a racey red lace bra and her creamy white skin was adorned with easily thousands of dollars in bright colorful ink. She took off her glasses and put them in the middle of her boobs.

“Ohh fuck, that’s hot,” I said, now a little more than half hard. Definitely hadn’t had anyone go topless today but hey I’ll listen now. She could make armpit farts and I’d be glued.

“Does this fit your rocker look Miss High and Mighty,” Pearl said, with extreme sarcasm, and quickly picked up her guitar.

Simone sighed and threw her pen dramatically. Whew this redhead was a feisty little thing all right, she’s got that going for her. The claws are gonna come out, I might have to put jealous Simone in her place.

Pearl strummed a few notes, and I leaned forward, more than eager. She couldn’t very well play in her bra like this and not have something good to show us. I immediately wondered with all that ink if she’d taste like Skittles. Okay, okay I really wanted to know if the carpet matched the drapes.

Fuck … her bra was almost see through too, and those little pink tits were already making my mouth water. This day just got a lot fucking better. If nothing else I’d certainly take her to dinner after this.

She took an obvious deep breath then her fingers moved so fast I could barely register them, but then there was the sound … and I jumped out of my chair knocking it backward. Every single fucking hair on my body stood up as I felt the wind nearly blow out of me.

Simone cocked her head to the side, confused at the sound coming from the Fender. But I knew it, all too fucking well. At one point in my life I breathed Eddie Van Halen and dreamed about his licks every night.

I might be a bass player but I started on guitar and there are always songs every guitarist tries like all fuck to play and can’t master. 

Pearl was playing my ultimate nemesis. 

Eruption, by Van Halen. 

I could probably practice 10 hours a day until my fingers bled and not even come close to making it. Jude came pretty close, did better than me. Trey wouldn’t even try it out of fear we’d tease him to death.

I dropped my hands flat on the table and leaned forward, fully hard and not giving a damn who saw. I was free ballin’ as usual, so I didn’t have anything to hold me in, my cargo pants would show it. I watched this fierce red headed siren’s fingers fly effortlessly, as if she could play it in her sleep. 

Simone might be a booking agent but she’s younger and doesn’t always know or appreciate damn good music. She looked bored and I couldn’t waste anymore time looking at her.

When the pause in the middle hit, Simone started to speak and I cut her off, immediately throwing my arm in her face and hitting her nose. The guitar roared back to life and my eyes lit up with sheer pleasure. I had the rush you get when you walk out on stage in front of a hundred thousand people, only I wasn’t the one playing.

I closed my eyes briefly and savored the sexy melody, it was more than ingrained in my psyche. It coursed through my veins like lava. When she stopped she looked calm as a cucumber, as if she hadn’t just done a near impossible feat. Every single hair on my body was standing at attention and I was sweating. From just standing here.

Who was this female??

Practically drooling, I jumped up on the table.

“That’s what I’m fucking talking about,” I screamed, pointing at Pearl. 

“Thanks for your consideration … bitch,” Pearl said, as she dropped her cable and swiped her sweater up in the blink of an eye.

I looked down at Simone who was fuming and laughed at her. In the split second I took my eyes off the little siren, she was gone. I jumped off the table and ran toward the exit. I didn’t even see her anymore.

“She didn’t even sing,” Simone yelled after me.

Fuck that, we could carry her if she couldn’t sing, Trey and I sing decently enough. You can’t fake that kind of talent on a guitar and if she can sing, that’s a bonus.

I knew she ran because of Simone’s big mouth, she was belittled and I supposed I couldn’t blame her. That didn’t mean I wasn’t going to chase after her.

Tons of people tried to stop me on my way out and it slowed me down, next to Jude I’m one of the more recognizable guys in the band since I have full sleeve tats and over most of my body. My hair is always wild and messy, I never do anything with it. I’m also 6’3 and look like I should be a basketball player but that never took. 

I was on a mission and ready to chuck these people down the stairwell.

When I finally burst outside I saw her colorful back waiting to get on a bus down the street. How the hell did she move that fast? There was a large word tattooed across her shoulders but I couldn’t read it from here.

“Hey! Pearl wait,” I shouted, but it was so crowded there was no chance she heard me. 

When I was about thirty feet away the bus pulled off and I saw her putting on her sweater as she moved to a seat. She had her glasses back on, and now they seemed … sexy.

“Pearl come back,” I shouted, as her eyes connected with mine. 

She fell into the seat and shook her head, looking defeated. 

I wanted to be pissed that she was fleeing. How could a homeless person risk throwing away the opportunity of a lifetime? 

Well … I was probably the one person who understood her logic, but I still couldn’t let her get away.