Through The Eyes Of

No Price to Pay-They're Paying Us!

Duff
The morning after the amazing shower sex we set up our meeting with David Geffen. Slash and Steven could finally make it through the day without puking. They still looked bad but we couldn't wait forever to meet with this guy; he would lose interest.

Five sets of poker faces stare across the table of some burger joint on the far end of Sunset at this David Geffen guy. One look and I knew he was fucking gay. Not like any of us, but straight up, 'I'm the bitch' gay. He honestly reminded me of Steve Rubell, Studio 54's original owner. But he had this way about him of trying to put you at ease. But there is no ease to be had at this fucking table.

Steven is literally still wearing his hospital bracelet. Axl is slurring from Valium and drinking beer after beer. Slash is drinking heavily and trying to cover up the lingering withdrawal effects he still had. Izzy is wearing shades to hide the fact that his fucking eyes keep shutting because he's nodding off.

I'm sitting here drinking nonstop and thinking when he's going to make his move and try to get one of us alone with him. I don't trust him. Fuck I don't even trust Alan or Nikki Sixx who made it all possible. Guess I've just been through far too much to trust guys like this anymore.

I look up and catch Izzy coming to from a nod. He shifts his weight and turns his head to take in our surroundings. He's probably thinking of what a cheap bastard this David Geffen was. All the other guys fed us fucking steaks the size of pizzas. We had had so much seafood it was a wonder we didn't have iodine poisoning. But some cheap ass burger joint is where he brought us. Guess we were considered used goods now. Guess we weren't worth the red wine and origami napkins anymore. Izzy reaches for his beer, like his 12th, no fucking joke. He sighs as he listens to Axl slur out the usual blah blah bullshit that always proceeded one of us ending up face down and ass up. I can see he's wasted on smack, he has to be drunk too. I'm wondering how long it will be before he opens his mouth.

Then David Geffen smiles at Slash and starts to tell him what a wonderful guitarist he is. Slash meekly smiles and tips a beer at him. I can see the neck of the bottle shaking as he quickly lowers it back to the table. He then glances at Izzy. Izzy seemed to be staring at the bottle, most likely noticing the way Slash was shaking. Not much ever got past Izzy. I was still pretty pissed at him for doing this to my Curly Sue. I had fucking made him promise me; I should have known when he couldn't look me in the eyes and promise. I hope he was wallowing in guilt. But then with the dose of smack he had apparently taken he most likely didn't feel shit. He hadn't uttered one word or even picked up a french fry.

I'm pretty sure David Geffen knows we're all fucking smashed. I guess he doesn't care, probably just makes his plans for us that much easier. I listen as Axl hammers away at details and shit. David Geffen just smiles, nods, listens, and offers input only as needed. Finally he smiles to us all and sits up perfectly straight.

"I plan to make Geffen into a super company. I want to branch out into movies as well. I'm not signing specific genres of bands. I'm looking for variety. I have already signed several Rappers because it's getting so popular on the east coast. I also have signed Alternative bands as well as country. I want a hand in everything you see."

"Ambitious of you," Izzy smirks and gets a dirty warning look from Axl.

David looks to Izzy for a moment but says nothing. "I'm all about what kids are into today because that's where the money is."

Izzy seems to shiver at his mention of kids. I'm sure there are visions of pedophiles dancing around in his brain.Maybe he's thinking about Axl. Whatever it is has him biting his tongue pretty damn hard. Hard enough to keep him awake.

"Fucking A," Axl enthusiastically nods. Ill never understand how his switches flip so fucking easily. One minute he could be here and actually look like everything is peachy fucking keen, the next some shit smearing psycho.

"I'd like to offer you a three record deal," David says.

The five of us just take turns staring at one another. This was it. Here come his demands; now our brains run into overdrive as we reprocess and reevaluate every moment since this guy walked in. Who did he do a double take at? Who did he keep batting his eyes at? Which one of us was the flavor he wanted tonight? But he just sits there looking at all of us like we were looking at each other. I think he's waiting for one of us to say something.

Izzy ashes his cigarette and looks down at the table, "And?" He asks and I swear to god I can hear his heart beating faster from here. Fuck, maybe it was my own. I feel Slash's hand quiver as it takes mine under the table. Axl has ceased breathing all together and Steven just fiddles with his fries focusing on nothing more.

"And then we will renegotiate and possibly renew you," he nods at Izzy.

Again our five sets of eyes all meet with one another. We ask a thousand questions amongst ourselves. Where's the catch? Which one of us has to suck him off? Or maybe he's into kink and wants one of us with a red ball in our mouth and a dildo in our ass while he jerks off? Since I'm guessing he's a bottoms only kind of guy I think he's going to maybe go for the most assertive and manly of us.

"Soooo...like what do we have to do?" Izzy lightly coughs and we all sit a bit straighter waiting for an answer. There is no point in even rolling around the different shit that was playing through each of our heads. But then David leans in toward Izzy.

"Make me gold records," David looks him straight into his shaded eyes.

"That's it?" Slash double checks. He's just as dumbfounded as the rest of us. Seriously, make gold records? Was this fucking code for some shit we didn't know about yet?

David gives us a strange look and nods, "Well what else would you possibly need to do? Stay alive perhaps?"

Once again we are all looking at one another befuddled.

"You for fucking real?" Izzy asks. The way he says the words is questioning to David's motives.

David pulls a check from the inside of his suit and lays it down on the table. The number on it was 30,000. Izzy stares at the number on the check laying before him specifically.

"I'm that for fucking real and this is just an advance," He slides his hand away leaving it there for Izzy and the rest of us to stare at.

Eventually we all find one another staring silently at each other. Izzy drags from his cigarette and leans back in his seat, never once taking his eye off that check.

"This is ours?" He asks as he exhales.

"Its signed, all you have to do is pick it up."

Izzy's eyebrows can be seen raising behind his shades. "Fuck...I'm into it."