Book 2: Nothing Seems to Please Me (Duff McKagan FanFic)

Ch. 18: Back In Business

"Alright. You guys took me somewhere fun today, so if you'd like, I'm gonna take you guys with me on tonight's search for more money," I said with a mischievous smirk.

"Sweet!" Steven jumped up from the couch. "I'm game!"

"Whoa, hold up. Where to?" Izzy asked, remaining seated on the couch. Probably hesitant to leave after hearing about the beach and the karaoke bar. The man really hated going out to certain spots, but I was sure he'd enjoy this one.

"You'll see," I replied with a wink.

"I trust her," Steven said, shrugging. "Besides, anywhere is better than sitting around in this dump."

"I beg to differ..." Izzy mumbled.

"What the hell? Can't be too bad," Duff sighed, peeling himself from the couch. "Besides, we forced her to go swimming and singing, it's only fair if we allow her to take us somewhere too."

"I'm always up for fun, as long as it doesn't involve climbing up fucking pipes again," Slash chuckled, walking towards the front door.

Axl grinned and nudged me lightly as he walked by. "Lead the way, sister. We're all yours."

I smiled back and made my way to the front of the group, opening the door and leading them outside. We walked down the apartment stairs and onto the sidewalk. I glanced back to see all of the guys lined up behind me, like ducklings following their mother, and I giggled lightly. Duff caught my eye and gave me a wink. I rolled my eyes and kept walking, feeling my face grow hot.

Why am I blushing? Duff winks at me all the damn time.

I took a deep breath and exhaled the strange feelings so that they no longer could sit in my chest, poking at me to realize something that I wasn't ready to admit yet. I wasn't even close.

As we walked, the sun began to set, casting an orange hue over our bodies. It set my hair ablaze and I was reminded of when Duff had been so fascinated by the color of my hair.

When we reached the dingy part of the downtown area, I took the guys down an alleyway and towards a back door.

"Max," Steven's voice was uneasy. "Where are you taking us?"

I didn't answer, just began opening the door with a loud creak.

"I don't like this, man," I heard Izzy state. "This is some weird rape scenario."

"You would know, you little creep," Axl teased.

I ignored them and made my way through the door. I heard them beginning to argue over whether or not to follow me, so I just left them there and continued walking until I got through the darkness and reached another door. This one slung open with ease and the light nearly blinded me.

"Hey, it's Max!" I heard some girl squeal.

As my eyes adjusted, I took in the room full of girls standing before me. All of them were standing in various forms of undress. Some were completely nude. They all smiled and waved at me.

"Holy shit!" I heard Slash croak from behind me.

"Is she giving us our own harem?" Steven cried out excitedly.

The girls all giggled and I rolled my eyes.

"You idiot. We're in the back of a strip club," I clarified. "I stop by here every couple of months because these girls really like to party."

"I'm in heaven," Izzy whispered.

I turned to them and saw their eyes practically popping out of their sockets. Slash's cigarette hung loosely from his open mouth, Steven's pants had a bulge in them, Izzy had taken off his sunglasses to get a better look, Axl was beaming from ear to ear, and Duff was just staring off into the distance, his eyes as big around as dinner plates.

"Well, you guys try to find something to do," I said sarcastically, "and I'm gonna' get to work."

I left them standing there, dumbfounded, as I descended into the army of skanks. To be brutally honest, I didn't care much for these girls, but I couldn't attack their way of life. It was similar to mine, it's not like I was a saint or anything. Besides, this lifestyle gave them a shit ton of money, which was more than enough to help me pay for my rent and even buy something extra for myself.

"Hey, Candy," I said, waving as I strolled up to the gorgeous blond who was in the middle of putting on make up.

She glanced at me in her mirror and gave me a tiny smile so she wouldn't disrupt her lipstick application.

"Hey, hey, Maxi!" She breathed in her airy voice. "Who are those guys you brought along with you?"

"They're in some new band called Guns N Roses."

She paused in the middle of putting on mascara and gawked at me. "That's them?"

I nodded slowly.

"Oh my god, Max! They've been so huge lately!" She screeched. She looked over her shoulder at them and I followed her gaze. Slash and Steven were showing off their muscles for the girls and Axl had a girl hooked onto each arm. Izzy was relaxing on a couch in the corner, girls draped across the cushions and listening intently to some story he was telling them. I felt my heart leap when I saw Duff, leaning against the wall and casually chatting with some hot blond with huge tits.

At least she has the decency to wear pasties over her nipples, I thought bitterly before turning back to Candy.

"You think I don't know?" I said with a snort.

She face palmed herself and shook her head, letting out a light chuckle. "How could I forget? You're the queen of the music scene, am I right?"

I nodded. "And don't you forget it."

"Anyway, what's up? Why are they tailing you?" At first, her eye brows were scrunched with confusion, but then her eyes flew open and she squealed. "Are you dating one? Which one? I'll bet it's tall, dark, and handsome over there, right?"

She pointed at Izzy and winked at me.

"No way, dude," I shook my head.

"Oh! Then maybe it's the loud, blond one? Opposites attract, after all," she giggled, pointing to Steven this time.

I rolled my eyes. "Candy. I don't do dating."

"Well you should," she said with a smile, going back to her make up. "What else could be better than sharing your happiness with someone else?"

I raised my eye brows when I realized she had just said something really profound. But still, it wasn't enough to convince me otherwise. What happiness did I have in my life that I could give? I couldn't think of much, and I didn't want to get into anything serious if I wasn't even happy. I couldn't throw all of my life's joy onto one guy and expect everything to be alright. No one should.

You can't rely on others to make you happy, and that was a cold hard fact of life. You needed to be happy with your own life and love yourself first, and I was far from that point in my life.

"Cocaine," I answered. "You want some?"

She shrugged. "Sure. How much?"

I smiled. Looks like I was back in business.