"So, Annalisa." River grinned. "How did you end up sneaking into our suite and beating off while we made love?" An unusual but entirely reasonable question.
I blew out a loud breath. "Chuck's been much nicer to me lately, so I let him take me to the bedroom." I looked over at Gabe. "You were there, you saw what happened."
Gabe nodded. "I wondered what would happen between just the two of you. Did you actually get any?"
My eyes widened. "So you know that Chuck can't get it up unless he has multiple women with him?"
Gabe practically giggled. "Of course I know that. Why do you think I keep fetching groupies for him? Like so many lead singers, he's always on stage, even in the bedroom. And it's simple enough to find fans who'll share him. Also, I love it when the paps take pictures of me with those women. Makes people think I'm straight." He shot me a big smile. "Fooled you."
"Lots of things fooled me. My naked romp with Chuck certainly did. It left me frustrated and seriously turned on." I let out a pathetic laugh. "I couldn't sit around on the bus with a sorry-eyed Chuck, so I came here to get a motel room. Unfortunately, the clerk recognized me and gave me your room key."
I apologized for my shameless activity in the suite, but also pointed out that they were thrilling to watch. To my relief, they weren't upset. River even told me about a masquerade party they'd once attended that turned into an orgy. The costumes were pretty good, and you couldn't always tell who any two people having sex really were. So River and Gabe found a quiet corner and made love right there, while all across the room a dozen other straight and gay couples did the same.
River tilted his head. "What we want to know is, can you keep this a secret?"
Tonight definitely seemed to be band-secret night. I felt bad for these two closeted Fiery Boys, and I needed to apologize for intruding on them. I let my smile grow in warmth. "Yes, of course I can. Do Chuck and Buck know?"
River relaxed some more. "Yeah, they know. So does Jason. But that's about it. Oh, except now you know."
I was truly happy for them and wanted them to feel comfortable, so I gave them my warmest smile. "Did you come here to hide from me, or do you always go to motels?"
"We always leave the bus. Too many strangers show up when you least expect it."
It all made sense, and much of my confusion about the band evaporated like the morning fog. Knowing their secret brought me closer to them in a different way. A way that made me happy. These were the two band members who had been the nicest to me, and I understood that it was because they felt no sexual tension. Now that I knew their secret, I felt none, either. We were friends.