“Am not,” I returned, sounding like a six year old and also not caring. He was freaking me out!

Hector leaned in again. “You are and I’l want f**kin’

backstage passes when you’re on your first world tour.”

“Right,” I muttered dismissively but feeling the panic and thril slice through me again.

“Right,” Hector replied firmly.

The door opened and I was saved from further discourse with Hot Hector by my loud band storming in, led by Mace.

It took Mace a mil isecond to notice Hector and I in a close squeeze in the kitchen and it took another mil isecond for his temper to flare.

“What the f**k?” he asked.

“I was making coffee,” I explained immediately, sounding stupid.

“Thank God. Coffee!” Leo exclaimed, making a beeline toward the kitchen.

“Be cool, hombre. We were just havin’ a chat,” Hector put in, exiting the kitchen as Leo entered.

“I hope that f**kin’ coffee’s strong,” Hugo grumbled.

“A chat?” Mace asked.

“Yeah, nothin’ to get excited about,” Hector replied but I watched and Mace didn’t look like he believed Hector.

“Is there gonna be enough coffee for everyone?” Buzz asked.

“It’s not even finished brewing yet!” Pong shouted like the coffee was going to take three years to brew and that was the only sustenance he was al owed.

Juno shifted her big dog body out of the smal space as the male, human, Blue Moon Gypsy bodies pressed toward the coffeepot. I took my opportunity and fol owed her.

I was done.

D-o-n-e, done.

I stomped straight to the bed, Juno leading the way, and when we made it there, she jumped up on the bed and I looked at her.

“Why me?” I asked my dog.

Juno woofed.

“Why can’t I be a lesbian?” I continued.

Juno sat down, her tail sweeping the bedclothes in a wide arc, her tongue lol ing out the side of her mouth, her inability to speak English hindering our counseling session.

“Why couldn’t I form an al -girl band like The Go-Gos?” I went on.

“The Go-Gos! Surfer-girl music? Shee-it. You crazy?” Hugo cal ed from behind me.

I turned so my back was to the bed and flopped down, threw my arm over my eyes and tried to pretend I was on a beach. A deserted beach. A deserted beach thousands of miles away from civilization.

Juno got down on her bel y and snuffled my neck with her big, wet nose.

Wel , okay, a deserted beach thousands of miles away from civilization but with Juno with me.

I dug my fingers in the fur of her head, scratching behind her ears.

Juno licked my face.

I felt something on either side of my knees, which were bent at the edge of the bed. Then the bed depressed and I took my hand from Juno’s fur and lifted my arm from my face.

Mace was in push up position, his body looming over mine, bent at the waist, his hands in the bed on either side of my body.

I could see the bunched-up muscles in his upper arms and I felt a warm rush between my legs.

Down Mace Slut! My brain cautioned.

What was the matter with me?

“Babe, I gotta go,” Mace said softly.

“Okay,” I replied.

“Remember, no comment.”

I sighed then said, “I remember.”

“When I get home tonight, we’l have dinner and talk.” Mace referring to my place as “home” caused that panicky feeling to emerge again, right along with the thril .

“Fine,” I said.

“Use the alarm,” he went on.

“Gotcha.”

“I’l cal sometime today.”

“Mace, are you gonna go or what?” I was losing patience and my ability to hold back the panic, thril and the warm rush at his proximity.

He grinned, bent his elbows until his chest was brushing mine, kissed me hard but closed-mouthed then did a push up and he was gone.

I closed my eyes and wondered what to do next.

I didn’t get a chance to form a plan, something big hit the bed and both Juno and I bounced with it.

I opened my eyes as I heard the door open. Pong had jumped on the head of the bed, flat on his back. I looked toward the door and saw Mace and Hector were leaving.

“Later, Hector,” I cal ed and watched him casual y lift a hand in response, total cool.

“Is the coffee ready yet?” Pong yel ed to Leo who was standing in my kitchen staring at the nearly ful pot.

“We’re close,” Leo answered.

There was more movement on the bed when Floyd sat down.

I looked at him.

He looked concerned.

He also looked something else. Something frightening.

Something I sensed had to do with Mace’s demons.

Something that was somewhere I did not want to go.

“You okay?” he asked softly.

“No,” I replied honestly.

“Is anyone gonna ask me if I’m okay? It was my f**kin’

head that nearly got blown off,” Pong demanded.

“They were aimin’ at Stel a Bel a,” Buzz commented, throwing himself on his side lengthwise at the foot of the bed.

“So?” Pong snapped.

My eyes moved to Pong. “Are you okay?”

Pong looked at me, lost his annoyance and grinned.

“Sure. Bitches were al over me last night. Bein’ in mortal danger appears to be an aphrodisiac.”

I rol ed my eyes back in my head.

“You’re a f**kin’ idiot,” Buzz said to Pong.

“A f**kin’ idiot who had a foursome last night,” Pong shot back.

Oh lordy.

“I’m too old for this shit,” Floyd muttered.

The phone rang and I got up on my elbows and watched Hugo move toward it.

“No comment, Hugo,” I reminded him.

“I speak English not Swahili, mama. I heard Mace. I hear you. Jesus,” he paused, beeped on the phone and greeted,

“Yeah?”

I flopped back down on the bed re-thinking my career path. Then re-thinking my romantic path. Then my careening thoughts conjured up a sketch of a woman who would be sil y enough to shut Hector down. Then the look in Mace’s unguarded eyes flashed before mine and I got a ful body shiver.

Then I heard Hugo say from above me, “Stel a, it’s Monk.”

I opened my eyes to see Hugo standing at the side of the bed.