Levi: Casanova Club #9 Read online

  “Your girl?” I asked.

  Levi winked at me. I let it roll off my back while in unison rolling my eyes.

  Jake smiled and shook his head. I saw the sadness in the corners of his eyes. Levi did not. “No, man. Just popped in to say hi. And make sure Piper here wasn’t losing her mind.”

  “She’s doing just fine,” Levi said. “Right, Piper?”

  “Just fine,” I agreed.

  Levi pushed himself off the counter and stood on the other side of the island from Jake and me. He leaned forward, bracing his forearms on the counter, his hands wrapped around his mug. I wondered, if he didn’t have something to hold, if his hands would be shaking. “Piper, how do you feel about going to a rock show tonight? A mind-blowing, one of a kind, sing your lungs out rock show?”

  “Whose?” I asked.

  Levi chuckled and narrowed his eyes at me. “Mine, of course.”

  Feeling silly for not putting two and two together, I felt my cheeks burn as I giggled. “Oh. Right. Yes. Count me in.”

  Levi pushed himself back upright. “Awesome.”

  I could feel Jake’s eyes on me. When Levi put his back to us and went to the fridge, his little brother and I exchanged a look.

  I read everything in Jake’s eyes, but the most prominent thing I felt was a warning.

  Be careful.

  CHAPTER 9

  LEVI

  We arrived at the Hollywood Bowl outdoor amphitheater in Hollywood Hills three hours before I was scheduled to be on stage. Piper was tucked under my arm as we sauntered through the back entrance and into the first narrow brick-walled corridor.

  Inside, we were greeted by several familiar faces. My management team. My agent, Ashton. The sound crew. The amphitheater employees. And a few others whose names I didn’t know.

  Ashton jogged after me down the hallway as I made my way to my dressing room to steal some time alone with Piper before the show started. I also needed to get some drinks in me. I hadn’t been sober on stage in years, and I had no intention of starting now.

  I turned when Ashton closed a hand on my shoulder. My agent pulled at the front of his T-shirt, fanning himself. It was hot back here in the first week of August. “Glad you’re here, Levi. Who’s this?”

  Piper held out her hand. “Piper James.”

  “Ah.” Ashton grinned. It was a sheepish sort of smile that suited his narrow, handsome face. “Nice to meet you, Piper. Levi told me you’d be with him this month. Forgive me. I have a lot of things going on right now, and it completely slipped my mind.”

  Piper shifted under the weight of my arm over her shoulders, so I let my hand fall down to her lower back. She smiled at Ashton. “No worries at all.”

  “Ever been to a rock show?”

  She shook her head. “No, I haven’t. I’m looking forward to tonight.”

  Ashton chuckled and met my gaze briefly. “Well, you have your night cut out for you. That’s for sure. I’ll catch up with you two later. Save me a drink, will you, Levi? Today has been a fucking nightmare.”

  Ashton slipped away down the hall, already yelling something at someone down the corridor. I steered Piper away and to my green room. When we got to the door, she ran her fingers over the plaque on the door, which had my name slid into it. She shot me a sideways glance. “So prestigious.”

  I chuckled and pushed the door open, revealing a small but comfortable air-conditioned room with one wall of mirrors, some white leather sofas, and a mini-fridge full of snacks.

  Piper went to one of the sofas and fell into it.

  Before joining her, I fetched a drink from the minibar. I held a second up for Piper, but she shook her head.

  Drinking alone, it was.

  I popped the tab on my beer can and sat down beside her. “I have to admit, I’m pretty pleased I get to be your first rock show.”

  “Should I be nervous?”

  I grinned. “No, not at all. You’ll have the best seat in the house backstage, and if you need something, Ashton will make it happen for you. You only have to ask.”

  She licked her lips and nodded. “Maybe I will have one drink. Just to calm the nerves.”

  I fetched her one. After bringing it to her, I went to the mirrored wall where there was a table with my change of clothes on it. I wasn’t eager to put them on. I already had my ripped-up black jeans and black sneakers on, and, of course, a black T-shirt. All that was missing was my leather jacket to complete my signature look. I sifted through the pile of clothes and found the jacket I had in mind. My assistants were good at what they did.

  I shrugged into it, combed my fingers through my hair, and checked my reflection. Then I turned toward Piper with my arms spread. “What do you think?”

  She was mid-sip in her beer. “Hot.”

  “Good answer.”

  She watched me pace across the room, finish my drink, and go back to the mini-fridge for something stronger. When I went to sit back down beside her, she was twirling a strand of her hair around one finger. “Do you get nervous before shows?” she asked.

  “Used to. But then, I don’t know. It became second nature, I guess.”

  “Are you at least excited?”

  “Hell yes.” I grinned, leaning back against the sofa cushions and draping one arm over the back. If she leaned back, I’d have my arm wrapped around her. I willed her to move. She didn’t. “The stage is my favorite place to be. I feel untouchable up there. It doesn’t matter what shit is going on in my life. When I’m in front of the crowd and the music is playing, I’m totally present.”

  “I’m excited to see you perform.”

  “Have you ever seen one of my shows?”

  She shook her head, and her cheeks turned pink.

  I chuckled and put a hand on her shoulder. “Don’t worry. I’m not offended. Truth be told, I’m glad. This way, I can control how you first see one of my shows.”

  Piper crossed one leg over the other. “There’s no doubt in my mind I’ll love it.”

  The door to my dressing room flew open as I was about to tell her I was going to rock her world tonight. My other band members rolled in with raucous laughter and foul language, oblivious to Piper sitting on the couch.

  Price, the long-haired, gold-toothed, tattoo-covered drummer.

  Viktor, the reckless piercing-addled guitarist, back-up singer, and madman.

  And Benny, the innocent baby-faced jack of all trades who could sing, dance, and play just about any musical instrument you set down in front of him. For the most part, he spent his time at the piano.

  I grinned. “Boys.”

  They met me with outstretched arms.

  “Tell me that mini-fridge is stocked,” Viktor said.

  “Pass me something stiff,” Price called as Viktor went to the fridge and retrieved a tall bottle of vodka. He proceeded to pass it around the room, and we all drank from the bottle.

  Benny crammed his hand in his pocket and pulled out a little plastic baggie filled with white powder. “I brought the good stuff, boys. Let’s sit.”

  Then, for the first time since coming in, the band noticed Piper.

  She’d gotten to her feet and was patiently waiting for me to make the introductions.

  “Piper, this is my band, the Levi Project. This here is Viktor. And this is Price. And last but not least is Benny.”

  Piper nodded her head at each of them. “Nice to meet you.”

  Viktor waggled his eyebrows at her. “Don’t you want an autograph, sweetheart?”

  “No thank you,” Piper said, a pleasant smile plastered on her perfect lips.

  Viktor blinked and looked back and forth between me and her. “What sort of fangirl is she? She doesn’t want an autograph? That’s an abomination.”

  “You’re an abomination,” I said, falling down into the couch and kicking my heels up on the coffee table.

  The boys sat down in the seats around us, and Piper settled back down beside me, shifting in to sit close as Benny took up the spot on
her other side.

  He wasted little time pouring the baggie into four lines, which he straightened out with his credit card. He paused and twisted around to look at Piper, his dark blond hair falling in his eyes. “You want a bump, doll?”

  Piper shook her head. “No thank you.”

  “You sure? This shit is the best. Unlike anything you have ever had. It’ll have you feeling better than you did on your sixteenth birthday.”

  “Like a damn fairy,” Viktor said, pulling out a hundred-dollar bill and rolling it into a thin cone.

  Piper’s brow creased. “I’m good.”

  “Suit yourself.” Price shrugged. “Don’t be a pussy, Levi. This big one here’s for you.”

  I kicked my heels down and leaned forward, bracing myself with my elbows on my knees. “Don’t use that,” I said to Viktor, who was running a finger up and down the length of his rolled bill.

  “Why the fuck not?” Viktor barked.

  “Bacteria,” I said flatly. Then I reached over to the table beside the sofa and plucked four straws out of a glass cup. I handed one out to each of my band members. “There’s a reason I ask for straws in my dressing rooms. Come on, boys. We’ve been at this too long to make stupid mistakes like that.”

  We moved in on the lines, dropped our heads, plugged one nostril, lined the straw up with the other, and inhaled.

  “Oh, fuck yeah,” I breathed, leaning into the back of the sofa.

  “That shit’s the tits right there,” Price said appreciatively.

  The ceiling momentarily spun above me, but then things settled back into order, and I was left feeling alive. Ready. Energetic. Satisfied. Fulfilled.

  Whole.

  “Bottom’s up.” Benny picked up the bottle of vodka and took three effortless gulps. The bottle moved around the four of us, pausing at Piper, who shook her head and didn’t even touch the bottle. She let Benny pass it over her lap to me.

  I tilted my head back and chugged until liquid beaded at the corners of my mouth and trickled down my chin.

  Then I smacked my lips, passed the bottle along, and clapped my hands together. “Let’s fucking do this thing.”

  I stood up. The boys crowded toward the door.

  Piper caught my wrist.

  I looked down at her. There seemed to be a halo of warm light glowing around her, all fuzzy and sparkly around the edges. I imagined it was her aura. Beautiful and bright and wondrous.

  “Levi,” she said, her voice tinged with unease.

  I sat back down beside her and motioned for the boys to go. I’d catch up with them backstage. “What’s up?”

  She bit her bottom lip. “I haven’t been around drugs that much. Or at all.”

  A rookie. Right.

  I hadn’t been in the company of someone as unfamiliar with coke as Piper, and it dawned on me that she was uncomfortable. Very uncomfortable.

  I put a hand on her knee. “Hey. I’m all right. This is top-grade, quality cocaine.”

  Her brow furrowed.

  I smiled easily. “I know that still sounds daunting to someone who has no experience with it. But you trust me, right? This stuff helps me perform. It gives me energy. Like an energy drink for the brain, so to speak. You’ll see when the show starts. The boys and I know what we’re doing. We do this all the time.”

  She swallowed.

  I squeezed her knee. “Do I look like someone who doesn’t know what he’s doing?”

  She searched my eyes for a long time. “No.”

  “Exactly.” I stood up and offered her my hand. She took it and stood with me. Then we moved toward the door. “Now, prepare to have your mind blown. You’re about to see a fucking show and a half.”

  She followed behind me.

  The opening band had just finished their last song when we arrived backstage, and they were coming off to thunderous applause. Then the lights died.

  The crowd roared.

  I gave Piper a cocky grin and guided her to a spot right behind the curtain where she would have a view of the whole stage but not be seen by the crowd. “Enjoy the show. Have fun. If you need something, just ask anyone backstage, and they’ll hook you up. Okay?”

  “Okay.” She smiled. “Knock ‘em dead.”

  “I intend to.” I winked.

  My boys walked out across the black stage. The crowd thrummed with anticipation.

  I moved to the edge of the stage and soaked in the rumble of the fans. I breathed in the fresh air and the smell of fog machines and scorched air. The quiet moments before the show were my solitude, and I relished the dying seconds before they were gone.

  Then I stepped onto the stage.

  I was blanketed in shadow as I went to the microphone.

  But the crowd knew who I was. They always did. It started with screaming. Soon, the screams gave way to chants, and the whole amphitheater swelled with the chorus of my name.

  “Levi!”

  “Levi!”

  “Levi!”

  I seized the microphone. Price struck the drums. The chant broke apart, and the screaming came again. The stage shook beneath my feet like the ground itself was cheering for me.

  Viktor strummed his electric guitar.

  Then the beat came, and the band synchronized. The song started, and the lights went up, and I met my fans with a wicked smile before I came in with the intro.

  There was a hot pink bra on the stage at my feet before I even made it to the chorus.

  CHAPTER 10

  PIPER

  The stadium lights snuffed out, plunging the stage into darkness. The only lights that remained were the lighters and flashlights of cell phones out in the crowd that winked on like fireflies. A gentle hush fell over the amphitheater and gathered inside me. The thousands of little lights stretched out beyond made me feel like I was part of something big.

  Something powerful.

  Then Levi’s voice filled the speakers, but the melody was soft and slow and sweet, and his voice reminded me of honey and iced tea and the cherry blossoms that lined the New York City streets for one week every summer.

  It was beautiful.

  The crowd seemed to think so too because not a soul muttered a word. The lighters and flashlights swayed in a calm wave as every pair of ears soaked up the lovely song Levi purred into the microphone. As he sang, the house lights came up only on the stage, shedding pale yellow light across Levi and the others. His band played along with him, and I found myself inching closer to the edge of the stage, wishing I could get closer.

  When the song ended, Levi raised a closed fist over his head. The lights in the crowd lifted as everyone copied him, and the moment was frozen like a picture in my brain. Levi facing his fans. Levi living and breathing his music and sweating and grinning out at the people who made him. Levi happy.

  Then his hand fell to his side. The house lights snuffed out, and the crowd roared with applause. I clapped too, breathlessly, excitedly, and watched as the dark figures of Levi and his band crossed the stage to slip behind the curtain and out of view of the crowd.

  Levi came right to me.

  His dark hair was matted to his brow with sweat, and he raked his fingers through it, slicking it back. “What did you think?”

  “It was awesome,” I said, still clapping.

  He closed his hands over mine with a soft chuckle. “I’m glad you liked it.”

  “The last song was my favorite.”

  “It’s definitely a crowd-pleaser,” he mused.

  It was hard to hear him over the thundering roar of the crowd, who had not relented with their standing ovation. They wanted him to come back out. The steady chant of “encore” had already begun.

  I pointed my chin to the stage. “Are you going back out there?”

  He nodded, but his attention was caught by something else. He reached over my shoulder to accept the bottle of alcohol one of his band members held out to him. More vodka. Levi drank it like it was water and passed the bottle back. Then he dragged the back of
his hand across his mouth. “Sure am. Sit tight, Piper. After this, I’m going to show you a wild night unlike anything you’ve ever seen.”

  I blinked and opened my mouth to ask what he was implying, but he was gone, spinning back to the stage where he rushed out with renewed energy. The lights came back on, dazzling the stage in dozens of colors. The fans went wild. The ground trembled beneath my foot.

  And the band started to play.

  The Levi Project played three songs for their encore, each one more lively than the last. By the time they wrapped up the show, the crowd was screaming. Women of all ages in the front row stretched their arms out across the stage, as if touching the toe of Levi’s shoes would somehow complete their evening. There was no way to tell, but I suspected he kept his feet just out of reach by a few mere inches deliberately.

  The show ended shortly before eleven o’clock.

  As the amphitheater emptied out, Levi got changed, and I hung outside in the hallway while employees and assistants bustled around erasing every trace of their even being here. I pressed myself up against the wall, trying to be as small and out of the way as possible.

  Levi came out of his dressing room, took my hand, and nodded down the hall. “Come. There’s a party at a buddy’s house. And you’ve got to see this shit, Piper.”

  “I’m not really a big party person.”

  He smirked. “You don’t have to party. Just soak it in.”

  * * *

  Levi was right.

  The party was out of this world.

  The hosts, a husband and wife by the names of Penny and Stewart, who only responded to being called Art, had a lavish home in Beverly Hills. It was a sprawling estate with fourteen bedrooms, sixteen bathrooms, an indoor and outdoor pool, three lounges complete with full-service bars, not including the one at the outdoor pool, and a fully catered entourage of appetizers carried around on silver platters by attractive servers dressed in all black.

  “What do you think?” Levi asked as we stood at the top of the stairs in the front foyer, looking down at the level half a flight below us where celebrities milled around, sipping cocktails and making small talk.