Page 21 of Syncopation
Of course he’d said yes. Now he surged out thoserhythms and Domino replied. Mish fell in, complementing perfectly. Glorious. Achingly wonderful. The song was missing one thing.
Ray.
Then he was there, leaping out onto the stage, mic in hand, and his voice soared over them all. Every word, every note like a firework of sound that went on and on andonover the crowd. The air changed, the vibe shifted. Zavier couldn’t see much beyondthe edge of the stage, but energy charged the air and when they finished, the eruption of noise ripped through him like a standing ovation at the end of a concert. Only they’d just started.
Fuck, if he’d knownthiswas how it felt, he’d have said yes to Ray all those years ago. The thrill in his body as the music poured through him, the sheer joy of watching Ray sing.
“Hey, Syracuse! Howyou doing tonight?” Ray’s voice boomed out across the amphitheater, and the crowd responded. “Well, we’re glad to be here, too. Wanna hear something else?”
More yelling.Holy shit, this was wild. Zavier’d been on the other side, but being the focus? His heart slammed against his chest. He grabbed a sip of water from a bottle he’d stashed near his stool. Gotta stay in control.
“I can’thear you!”
They screamed louder.
“All right. Here’s a song from our first album...” Ray turned and nodded, a cue to start.
Zavier counted out the beats, this time tapping his sticks so Mish and Domino could hear—and they were off again. The songs seemed to go on and on, some bleeding into one another, some ending on a fucking high that had Zavier panting.
He’d ripped off his shirtafter the third song, as had Ray and Domino. Mish was down to a sports bra. Even though the evening was cool, the lights blazed down like fire, and the energy of the crowd... He’d never felt anything like it. Not in the symphony. Not even at the kink parties or clubs. Not when he was wielding a flogger.
Nothingfelt better than playing with Twisted Wishes. His back burned and his heart crackedapart from joy. Domino was insane. Mish, an avenging goddess.
Ray wasperfection. Hips that moved like sin, a voice that never quit, and thatbody.
They were nearing the end of their list. They’d saved two songs for encores: “Dark Dreams” and “White Hot Midnight.” So they ended on another fan favorite, “River of Pain.” By the time the notes died down and they exited the stage, night haddescended fully, and the crowd was stomping and cheering and screaming.
Off to the side of the stage stood Gregor Daye, the lead guitarist and front man for Five Asylum. “You guys are killing it out there. Going to be a hard act to follow.”
Ray took a long drag of water and smiled like he was high—which he likely was. They all were. Adrenaline. Joy. Fatigue. “They’re here to see you, notus.”
Gregor laughed. “Maybe before. But right now?” He paused, and the stomping and cheering vibrated across the stage. “They want you guys.” He nodded. “Go give ’em what they want.”
When they headed back on stage, the screaming was physically palpable, shearing through the air. Zavier climbed back behind the kit. Ray spoke while Mish and Domino claimed their instruments. “Thank you guysso much. You know we haven’t played in a while, and you’ve been amazing tonight.” Whoops and clapping. Over it, Mish started playing out a deep and throbbing line. “On bass, we have the ever-amazing Mish Sullivan. And on guitar, Domino Grinder.” Dom played out a riff that was somehow both over the top and utterly him. Cheers and shouts followed. “I’m Ray Van Zeller.” Screams this time, going onand on. Ray laughed and held up his hands. “Wait, I’m not done. I want to introduce our drummer!”
Zavier tapped out a simple beat, his heart in his throat. They hadn’t talked at all about intros, but he knew that was pretty normal for bands to do.
“You like him?” More shouts and applause. “Yeah, he’s pretty fucking awesome. Zavier Demos!” Ray pointed, the pavilion thundered with cheers,and Zavier hit the skins. He had no idea what he was going to play, hadn’t planned on a drum solo, but it came as effortlessly as breathing or sex or—drumming. Took the kit, made each piece his, and threw it out into the audience—and to Ray, who danced and shouted and worked the crowd until they were all on their feet.
Slowly, Zavier reined the solo in, Domino and Mish picked up the beat,and they slid into the opening of “Dark Dreams,” to the utter delight of the crowd.
Despite all that happened, the reception they’d gotten, Zavier was entirely unprepared for the explosion of screams when they segued into “White Hot Midnight.”
He nearly lost it when Ray started singing. That audition, those practices had been nothing compared to now. The words wrapped themselves aroundZavier, each verse a reminder of their past, each somehow imbued with a new layer of desire and passion. On the musical bridge, Ray jumped up on the edge of the drum platform and danced and twirled and leveled a stare at Zavier that set off every nerve.
Tease. Fucking sultry little... God, he wanted to kiss that grin off Ray’s face and turn those lovely notes into moans. Zavier kept playing,embellishing where he could, adding twists and turns under Domino and Mish’s playing until Ray’s voice took over again.
When the song ended, Zavier threw back his head and drank in the pounding cheers and screams. He grabbed the sticks he’d used and headed down to join the band. Ray clapped him on the back. “A little payback for your song choice at the audition.”
Oh, so that’s what ithad been about? Heat shot through Zavier—he didn’t think it was possible given how much his body burned already. Rather than grab Ray and kiss him to wipe that smirk off, Zavier stepped forward and tossed a drumstick to a girl screaming at him in the front row. Another went a few rows back. The last two he flung as far out as he could manage.
None of that helped quell his desire. When he turnedaround, Ray still had that devilish grin, so Zavier gave in to half his need and cupped the back of Ray’s neck, drawing him close enough to speak into his ear. His thumb pressed gently against Ray’s throat, enough to feel him swallow. “You did exactly what I told you to do. I’m very pleased.” He pulled away and gave Ray his own evil smile.
Ray’s expression was glorious and Zavier’s every wetdream. Lust and joy and elation. Ray licked his lips, waved to the crowd, and brought the mic back up. “We’re Twisted Wishes. Thank you, Syracuse, and good night!”
They strutted off stage into a pile of high fives from the crew, a ton of water, and the event staff hurrying them out of the way as the lights went up. A moment later, crews streamed onto the stage to tear down their equipmentand set up for Five Asylum.
Back in the green room, Zavier finished his water and shoved a hand through his hair. “Is it always like that?”
