Page 97 of Dirty Like Seth
I wanted her, and when I was with her… when she had me, deep inside her… I didn’t care what it was going to cost either ofus.
Chapter Twenty-Two
Elle
“This is Summer.”I introduced my girlfriend to Seth as she strolled into the studio the next evening. I was expecting a hand shake or a hello. Instead, she walked right on over to Seth and threw out her arms for ahug.
“C’mere, you,” she said, and the two of them enfolded each other. The hug was tight and familiar, and I found myself feeling weirdlyjealous.
It was a primal,Get-your-hands-off-my-manfeeling. One I shouldn’t have been feeling towards one of my best girlfriends, whom I trusted, deeply, or towards Seth, who wasn’t exactly myman.
But there itwas.
When they released each other, Summer slipped her arm around Seth’s shoulders. She was wearing a very cool, fitted purple jumpsuit, which I could totally not pull off, her long, dark hair worn stick-straight, with thick black eyeliner and pink lipstick, kind of a girlie mod-punk look. The girl gave no shits what was currently in fashion and always managed to lookamazing.
“We’ve met,” she said, chipper in a way she only was when she was hanging off a hotdude.
“You didn’t tell me Summer was your mystery DJ friend,” Seth said, smiling an easysmile.
“I… uh… didn’t know you knew each other.” I shot her a look. She really could’ve toldme.
But Summer just waved a hand in the air and finally, let go of Seth. “Oh, you know. I know everyone. So does Seth. It’s a small world.” She circled the room, perusing Seth’s guitars. “Are we gonna make some noise, or what?” Then she looked over at me. And shewinked.
I knew what she was doing. Testing me on how much I liked theguy.
Because she could tell, already, what I wasn’t quite ready to admit to her, or to myself. That I liked Seth Brothers—a hell of alot.
Enough that I might even regret inviting her over, if she was gonna flirt with him allnight.
* * *
It wasour best sessionyet.
Summer had a ton of ideas, like she always did. The woman could add all kinds of crazy layers of sound with her set-up. I had a turntable in the studio just for her, and all kinds of state-of-the-art DJ shit and sound-enhancing shit, a whole computer network that I had an on-call IT company service and manage for me. All so Summer could come play withme.
Sometimes we just tinkered around, for the hell of it. Sometimes we came up with songs. Sometimes we recorded them. Between us, we probably had about two albums’ worth of potential music, fodder for some future collaborativeproject.
She was also going to join Dirty in the studio—for the first time—on the new album, and I couldn’t fuckingwait.
And now, Seth and I brought her into a couple of the songs we’d been working on. And she took the music to new places, just like she always did. She and Seth had never worked together, but they vibed well. Musically.Personally.
By the time she headed home, near three a.m., I didn’t know what to feel. I was kinda thrilled that maybe we had a third musician who could go the distance with us—actually record an album. I was tentatively optimistic that something serious might happen here. That maybe I could get away with putting out an album with Seth Brothers, and no one would hateme.
How could they, when they heard how good it was? They’d have to understand then,right?
“Don’t mention this to Ash?” I asked Summer as I walked her out to her car and we hugged. I felt bad asking, but I hadto.
“As if,” she said. As she started the car, she rolled down her window and told me, “You really need to hit that, though. If you don’t, I just might.” Then she smiled at me, her killer party-girl smile, and tore out of mydriveway.
I knew she was just ribbing me. Maybe she could tell I was already hitting that, and she just wanted me toconfess.
When I walked back into the house, Seth was pouring me a glass of red wine. The kitchen smelled of freshly brewingcoffee.
“How do you drink coffee at all hours of the night and still manage to sleep?” I askedhim.
“Tire me out,” he said, looking at me from under lowered eyelids, “and I’ll sleep.” He slid his hands onto my waist and pulled me tohim.
But instead of melting into his arms like I wanted to, I felt a littletense.
