Write Your Own Song

Chapter 14

There was whiskey in his glass and a woman on his lap. Jack was finally feeling like himself for the first time in a long time.

He shifted in his seat; his leg banged against the table and he tried unsuccessfully to hide his wince as pain shot through his knee. A worried expression flashed across the face of the girl who had claimed that his lap was the only place left to sit, despite the fact that there were only maybe half a dozen people in the whole bar and chairs everywhere. He wasn't about to argue with her, shot up leg or not. "I'm not hurting you, am I?" she asked.

He grinned despite the pain. "Not at all," he promised and she flashed a blinding smile that made her look really cute. She was a tiny little thing who claimed to be named Muffin. He tried not to laugh at that but almost lost it when her friend and dance partner introduced herself as Cupcake. They were both dressed in a sort of mod fashion that fit with their strange Charlie's Angels routine that ended with that guy named Curly awkwardly clearing his throat and calling for the next act. The lone person clapping in the back corner was like the last nail being hammered into the coffin of their stripping careers.

The third member of their group, this one with bright pink hair and a more delicate air about her, approached the table, carrying three drinks that matched her hair almost perfectly. He wasn't surprised to see the umbrellas dangling off the rim of the glasses, but he was surprised when Cupcake pushed her drink away. "Sorry, sweetie, I'm driving. Remember?"

"Right, I forgot," the new one said and Jack wasn't expecting to hear that clipped, British accent when she spoke. The whole day was getting weirder by the second.

"So," Jack said, "we've got Muffin and Cupcake. Let me guess - Cornbread?"

She rolled her eyes dramatically. "It's Lizzy."

"Just Lizzy?" he asked.

"Just Lizzy," she assured him as she pulled a chair over to the table and sat down, letting her gaze blatantly roam over him. She turned her attention to her friends and raised an eyebrow.

"His name is Jack," Cupcake explained, brushing her pin straight bangs out of her eyes.

"He's cute," Lizzy said, eyeing him over the rim of her glass as she took a sip.

"He's a singer." Muffin practically sighed as she ran her fingers through his hair.

"Um, guitarist actually," he said, clearing his throat. "Though I do sing on a couple …" he trailed off when he realized no one was really listening.

"A rock star," Lizzy grinned, leaning in closer, the paper umbrella from her drink twirling lazily her fingers.

"An injured rock star," Muffin supplied with a pout and Jack picked up his drink to take a sip, trying to stifle a laugh. He wasn't really lying to Bobby when he bragged about all the women he'd been with - he may have exaggerated it a little, but it wasn't a lie. Shit, it wasn't hard - just flash a grin and mention music and the chicks were all over him. He'd kind of forgotten what it was like after being holed up on his mother's couch for what felt like forever, recuperating and bored out of his mind.

"Aw, you poor thing," Lizzy reached out and touched his arm, dragging her nails back and forth over his leather jacket.

He had a hard time believing these girls were actually strippers, especially after watching their routine. They seemed too innocent and too soft for the life they were trying to break into. He'd been around plenty of strippers when his band played in some of the seedier parts of New York. They had a toughness to them that Muffin and Cupcake seemed to lack. Lizzy's hand was suddenly on his knee and he locked eyes with her and decided she might be a different story.