Read On the Road: (Vagabonds Book 2) (New Adult Rock Star Romance) for Free Online

and I told her, “Hell, no.  But if you have a regular cigarette, I’ll take it.”  I needed a stimulant of some kind, no matter how mild.  Andrew was wandering around the hall and, as I walked to the back so I could smoke, I stopped him and asked if he could find me some coffee.
    “On it, pretty lady.”
    Seriously?  Was he still going to come on to me?
    I’d only smoked half the cigarette when Peter found me and told me to get my ass in the greenroom for a pre-show meeting.  I threw the cigarette on the ground and stomped on it, and then grew pissed that I hadn’t thought to save the unsmoked part.  But I followed and felt a little relieved that at least I wasn’t wobbly on my feet.  I seemed to be steady at any rate.
    When we got to the room, my other four bandmates were already there.  I glanced around the space, and I smiled, because even through the haze, I saw that we looked like a real rock band.  We looked bad ass.  All we needed were tattoos—but we wouldn’t be getting them anytime soon if Peter had his way.
    “It has come to my attention that some of you indulged a little before the show.  You can’t take everything seriously, whores.  ‘Sex, drugs, and rock and rock’ does not pertain to a bunch of horny teenagers.  Do you expect to be able to perform well if you’re not all there?  And what do you think your audience is going to think about you?  This is their very first exposure to you, and they will not be kind if they feel like you’ve wasted their time.”
    Peter might have been an asshole, but his words were ringing true with me.  I’d been thinking the very same thing.  Indulging before the concert had been a stupid mistake, one that I would not make again.  Having a beer or two before was one thing, but getting blitzed out of my mind was quite another and showed poor judgment.
    I was nodding when Andrew walked in the room, holding a Styrofoam cup of coffee.  He handed it to me and I gladly took it.  Black?   I’d have to let him know for future reference how I liked it, but meanwhile beggars couldn’t be choosers.  I looked at the liquid before tipping the cup, and it had a shiny, oily film on it.  I knew what that meant.  It had been sitting a while.  Again, though, the alternative was nothing and I had to take it.  So I sipped at it and I sensed that it was blistering my tongue, but I really couldn’t feel it.
    I just tuned in as best as I could and kept my mouth shut.  I was not going to fuck this up for my band.  Somewhere in the midst of all those words, I heard something about a meet and greet.
    “What?  Why didn’t you tell us before?”
    “You are going to have lots of these, Ms. Bennett.  Check your itinerary.  It’s on there.  In the meantime, my job is to get you here and make sure you do what you’re supposed to—since Mr. Curtis has failed to do so.”  He stared her down, daring her to say something else, but she was smart and kept her mouth shut.  Finally, he looked at us all and said, “Now, it’s entirely up to you, but I suggest you make nice with your fans.  Think first impression.  If they don’t like you or think you’re trampy little bitches, the world will know.  These are your first fans.  Don’t blow it.”
    I nodded again, hoping to sober up more.  I was actually excited to meet our fans.  They were the ones who would sing to our songs, tell other people how much they loved us, and they were the ones whose asses would fill the seats.  But…then I started to think.  “Hey, Peter, are these our fans or the other bands’ fans?”
    “They are both, but you are the only band doing a meet and greet tonight, so these people want to see you.  Bear that in mind.”
    Okay.  I had this.  I grabbed a bottle of water and Peter said Andrew would take us to the meet-and-greet room in ten minutes, so if we wanted to touch up our makeup or something, now was the time to do it.
    God.  I was nervous.  If I hadn’t