He nodded at the beer in my hand. "You're already on your way. Have a few more with them, and they'll loosen up. Don't forget you won the contest because your photo screamed 'party girl.'"
"Don't give me that crap, Jason. You picked me because I'm ugly."
He held up his hands to ward off my anger. "I didn't pick you. Whine to your precious Fiery Boys."
"Yeah, like any of them cares about me." I shook my head in disgust. "It stinks in there. I needed some air."
"Want a motel room?"
Motel rooms would be more pleasant, but they wouldn't solve the problem of getting along with these irascible band members. "That's okay, I'll ride on the bus. I just need some space right now. I don't know if I can listen to Chuck have sex for hours."
"Oh, don't worry. He'll be done soon."
"Seriously? I think he's got four women in there."
"Four tonight? Then he should be done very soon."
I winced. "You're not making this any easier, Jason."
"I told you Chuck was a train wreck. You seem to be able to resist his charm, so just get back in there. He'll probably stop bothering you if you say 'no' enough."
"Oh? Has any woman ever gotten away with saying 'no' to him?"
He laughed. "If so, I haven't heard about it." He draped an arm across my shoulder and pulled me close. "Why not come with me, and we'll get a drink somewhere?"
Oh, great! Now I had to worry about Jason, too. I could feel the veiled sexual heat coming from him, which made me tense. At least with the Fiery Boys, the sexuality was honest: either totally in my face or completely absent. But Jason was pretending to be friendly, and I knew better.
Interestingly, his leering was exactly what I needed to face the Fiery Boys again. It reminded me why I was there, which wasn't because of the band manager. I made my excuses and returned to the bus.
As I approached my cubicle, I was surprised to see Gabe standing in the hallway, completely naked. My first reaction was to be annoyed with another Fiery Boy who was using inappropriate seduction techniques. But Gabe was not Chuck-he had already established that. Instead, I realized that the tour bus was simply a boy's locker room. And since the bathroom and bedroom were often in use, the hallways were the only place to get changed. Gabe rummaged through his clothes and started to get dressed without even noticing me. Although not my favorite band member, I couldn't deny that the boy was in good shape. Still, I waited until he was decent before I ventured down the hall.