Maya Banks - Sweet Possession

“Oh, I like her,” Angelina said, her eyes sparkling with mischief.

“You would,” Serena said. “She’s our resident wild child,” she explained to Lyric.

Lyric’s brows went up. Sweet, angelic-looking Angelina? Beneath Angelina’s dusky skin, color bloomed and she ducked her head.

“Boy, that was a guilty look of acknowledgment if I ever saw one,” Lyric said. “I guess it’s true what they say. It’s the innocent-looking ones you have to watch out for.”

“Oh yes,” Julie chimed in. “Faith being a very close second in the heathen department.”

“Julie! Hush!”

Faith had turned bright red as a flush crept all the way up her throat and into her cheeks.

“I’m starting to feel frighteningly boring and normal,” Lyric said in bemusement. “I assure you that never happens. I’m usually the one people are looking at like I just lit my hair on fire.”

“If we’re going to do hair and whatever else we get inspiration for, I say we need wine,” Serena spoke up.

“Oh, I don’t drink,” Lyric was quick to say.

“What?” Julie scowled. “How can you be such a famous diva and not drink? Haven’t you ever gotten drunk and been arrested for indecent exposure or something?”

Lyric smirked. “Depends on which tabloid you read.”

“Seriously? You don’t drink?” Faith asked.

“Today you do,” Serena said as she turned and motioned for the driver. “Sam, can you bring us a few bottles of wine? Ask Damon for a suggestion. He’ll pick something good.”

As Sam departed, Serena turned and shrugged. “I’m pretty wine stupid. I mean, I love it, but know nothing about it. Damon, on the other hand, knows what wine you’re supposed to have with what food and what occasions, et cetera.”

“He does serve good wine,” Faith agreed.

“I’m not happy with any of you,” Angelina pouted. “I can’t have any wine, which means you all will have all the fun while I’m sitting here as big as a house.”

“I’ll make sure you get the first massage,” Julie soothed.

Two hours and six wine bottles later, Lyric couldn’t remember what her aversion to alcohol was. The wine was good. The world was good. The company was good. Everything was good.

And the room was spinning like a merry-go-round from hell.

She was sitting dutifully still as Julie worked on her hair.

“How much has she had to drink?” Lyric asked, gesturing over her shoulder to Julie.

Julie reached over Lyric’s shoulder and plucked a half-full wineglass and drained it. She set it back down with a thump. “Not nearly enough.”

“I’m watching her. She hasn’t had so much that it would impair her hair-doing skills,” Serena said in a solemn voice.

Faith giggled. “Hair doing?”

“Well, what else do you call it?” Serena asked in exasperation. “You look like an alien with all the aluminum foil, Lyric. Very impressive.”

Lyric smothered her laughter. Of any of them, Serena had drunk the most, and the girl was flying high. Although Lyric had to be close behind her because Serena kept filling her glass. And then the wine disappeared. It was the damnedest thing.

“I’m done here,” Julie announced. “Well, for the next twenty anyway. Then we’ll rinse you and dry you and voila, you’ll be Smurftastic.”

Angelina shot Julie a baleful look. “Smurftastic?”

“Yeah, you know, the Smurfs. Little blue people? Smurfette? Get it?”

Angelina’s expression was blank.

“You’re too young,” Julie grumbled. “And clearly your education is lacking.”

“Smurfette was hot,” Lyric said gravely.

Faith nodded. “Agreed. Maybe we should all get our hair blue.”

“Oh, that would be fun!” Serena exclaimed. “It would be worth it to see the looks on the guys’ faces. How long does the color last, Julie?”

Julie scowled. “Like I want Damon kicking my ass?”

Serena waved in Julie’s direction like she was an annoying insect. “Come on. We could do it in support of Lyric. Our sister from another mother.”

“Just how much have you had to drink, Serena?” Julie asked.

Serena paused to pour another glass and tipped it in the direction of the other women. “Not nearly enough!”

“I’ll do it,” Faith said slowly. “Would blue tips look good on blond?”

Julie arched an eyebrow in Faith’s direction. “Are you serious?”

“Yeah. It could be fun. We could be like Lyric’s fan club, and if Connor tries to give her shit, we could beat the crap out of him.”

“Weren’t you the good sister defending him a while ago?” Angelina asked, her eyes dancing with merriment.

“Just because I don’t think he has a stick up his ass doesn’t mean he can’t be a typical mule-headed male. Oh, I know! We could even get tickets to go see Lyric at the rodeo. We’ll be all in the know since we’d have hair just like hers.”

“Her concert is sold out,” Julie pointed out.

“Oh I could get you guys tickets if you really wanted to come,” Lyric said and then promptly hiccupped. Then she giggled. Then everyone started laughing. Lyric hiccupped some more and the room dissolved into fits of laughter. Why hiccups were so funny, Lyric wasn’t sure, but the more she hiccupped, the more she laughed.

“Okay, well, if we’re going to get this done, I need to get you girls started pronto. Otherwise Damon and Micah are going to come lurking to be nosy and then we’ll be busted. You in, Angelina?” Julie asked, looking over at her.

Angelina grinned. “Yeah. I think it will be fun.”

Connor got out of his truck and waited for Nathan and Gray to catch up to him before he went up to Damon Roche’s front door. He’d asked Nathan and Gray to sit in on his meeting with Lyric’s security team, and the two men had agreed to lend their services whenever Connor needed them. It made him feel better to have at least two men that he could trust.

Gray gazed up at the imposing stone and wooden home and then grinned over at Connor and Nathan. “The house is still standing, so that’s a good sign.”

Connor frowned. “Lyric isn’t that bad.”

Nathan chuckled. “He wasn’t referring to Lyric. Interesting things happen when our women get together.”

Gray knocked on the door and the three waited. A moment later, Sam opened the door and gave them a slightly wary look. He crossed his arms and managed to fill most of the doorway as if he was reluctant to let them past.

“The ladies are currently unavailable.”

“Oh shit,” Nathan muttered.

Gray wiped a hand over his face and just shook his head.

Connor eyed them all in confusion.

“Perhaps it would be best if you waited in the sitting room while I inform the ladies that you are here,” Sam said.

“Hell, Sam, we’re not going to beat them,” Gray grumbled.

“He’s way protective of the women,” Nathan whispered to Connor. “He spoils them shamelessly and indulges them in their every whim.”

Sam glared at Nathan. “I do not.”

“Sam, what’s going on?” Damon asked from behind Sam. “Why haven’t you invited them in?”

Sam turned and grimaced. “Have you been in to see the ladies yet, sir?”

Damon frowned and shook his head. “Micah and I have left them to their own devices.”

Sam sighed and stepped back so that Connor, Nathan and Gray could enter. “They’re having fun. Remember that.”

Micah muttered an expletive, and Damon’s forehead creased with worry.

Connor fell into step between Micah and Damon and Nathan and Gray as they headed farther inside the house. As they drew closer, peals of laughter filled the air. Then there was quiet. And suddenly another chorus of laughter.

Damon held up a finger, motioning for the men to be quiet as they rounded the corner and stood back from the doorway to the living room.

Connor blinked as he absorbed the scene in front of him. “What the ever-loving hell?”

He stared in astonishment as all five women, each holding a wineglass with the exception of Angelina, were gathered in the middle of the room dancing. Perhaps more notably, every last one of them had blue hair! Or at least partially blue. The last two inches of their hair looked like it had been dipped in blue dye, and he supposed that was what had happened given that Julie was a stylist.

Faith and Serena each had an arm around Lyric while Angelina and Julie stood across from them, and they were all singing loudly. Or trying to. They’d get a few lines out and then dissolve into laughter.

They swayed and danced, though it was obvious copious amounts of alcohol had compromised any grace they possessed. Faith nearly went down and Lyric made a grab for her. Faith held up her wineglass—it was a miracle the floors weren’t covered with wine—and the women cheered.

“It’s a sin to waste good wine,” Serena said solemnly. “Damon always says so.”

“This wasn’t exactly what I had in mind when I said that,” Damon muttered beside Connor.

“I’ll drink to that!” Faith said as she raised her glass.

Julie held up her glass with exaggerated solemnity. Lyric followed suit, then Serena. Connor gaped as they drained their glasses, then set them down with a bang.

Angelina shot them disgruntled looks and stuck out her bottom lip.

Julie patted her. “We’ll get together after Nia is born. Micah can babysit and we’ll take you out. Lyric could even fly in for the occasion. Don’t all you rock stars have private jets and the like?”

Lyric held up her empty glass and peered inside it as if wondering how it got that way. “Yeah, sure. I’ll tell my manager I want one. Should be a snap.” She tried to snap her fingers and giggled when she couldn’t get her fingers to perform right.