The Boys in the Band (Reverse Harem)

Prologue

"What?"

Marshall had the good grace to look a little sorry as he sat on the sofa. He sucked on the dregs of his soda, making the ice cubes rattle, and Jude knew that this was just so he'd have something to do. Marshall always needed to have something in his mouth, whether it was a sucker, a straw, a piece of gum, or a cigarette. The classic orally fixated person, Jude thought grimly.

They'd all gathered in the apartment at Marshall's behest, because Marshall said he had some news to share with them. Even though they lived together, it was hard to find time to all be together in the apartment during the day, since their piecemeal part time jobs kept them pretty busy.

"Everyone" included Dane, who was presently staring at Marshall in quiet disbelief, brown eyes wide; Sullivan, who looked like a defensive tackle for the Giants, but who was in fact their guitarist; Tommy, who had just jumped up to sit on the bookcase for the conversation, and Jude, the person who'd asked the question all of them were thinking in their heads.

"Look, I'm sorry," Marshall said again, setting his cup down next to him. "I just can't pass this up. Mangled asked for me specifically, did you know that? And they're this close to getting signed."

Sullivan, who was sitting across from Marshall, leaned forward, his bulky frame making the rattan chair squeak in protest. "But you already have a full-time gig as a singer, bro. With us, remember? With Peppermint Silk?"

"Did you audition for them? For Mangled?" Tommy asked suddenly from his perch atop the bookcase. He twirled his drumsticks as he asked.

Everyone looked at Marshall questioningly. This hadn't occurred to any of them before, but if the answer was yes, somehow it just made everything that much worse. Him leaving their band for another was bad enough, but if he'd already sung with them, then it was like the cheating had already happened.

Marshall nodded, biting his lips together.

"Well, yeah. I mean, they'd heard me sing, but they had to know if we'd really work together, you know? If the chemistry was there?" He looked up at his bandmates, his features miserable. "Come on, guys, don't make this harder than it already is, okay?"

Dane, who up to now had been quiet, spoke for the first time. "Sorry, Marshall, did our backs get in the way of your knife?"

Marshall looked at Dane, defeated. "Ever the poet, right, Dane?"

Jude shook his blond hair back impatiently. "Okay, so I don't know what we're even still talking about. Sounds like it's a done deal, right, Marshall? You didn't ask us here in the middle of the day to discuss this with you, did you?"

Rather unwillingly, Marshall shook his head.

Tommy jumped down from the bookcase, still twirling his drumsticks. "Right, I guess we're finished. Get the fuck out, then, Marshall. Been nice knowing you. Adios, amigo." He waved as he walked to the kitchen. "We got anything to eat?" he called.

"Wait a sec, though," Marshall said plaintively. "I thought we could go and get a drink or something, you know? Like a good bye, nice working together kind of thing? And you're not really making me move out? You know how hard it is to find a place to live in the city!"

Dane, Sullivan, and Jude turned disbelieving eyes on him, and Tommy even returned from the kitchen area to stare, having heard his words.

"Dude, are you shitting me? You've just gutted the band! We might not even have a band anymore because of you!" Sullivan's voice was getting dangerously loud.

"No, don't say that!" Marshall pleaded.

"Maybe someone from Mangled will let you stay with them," Tommy said. "Why don't you ask one of them?"

"We have a gig at Polo in two weeks, you do remember that?" Jude asked rhetorically. "Who do you think's going to sing? We're all bollocks at singing, you know that!"

"Dane's okay," Marshall replied in a soft voice. "With a little autotuning he could do it, I think. Look, I could work with him, I have a little time in between rehearsing with Mangled, I could—"

"No." Dane's quiet voice pierced the room. "First of all, I'm a terrible singer, we all know that. You were the only decent singer in the band, Marshall. Second of all, autotune? Really?" His tone said it all.

Sullivan rose, crossing his arms, looking a bit like a pissed off linebacker. "Anyway, Marshall, I don't think any of us are in the mood for a farewell drink or whatever the fuck you were thinking of, so I think you can piss right off, okay? You'd better go and gather your stuff."

"Fine, I just wanted to end things on a positive note, that's all," Marshall said sullenly, rising to go. "See you around, guys. I'll be in my room packing."

After he'd left, the four young men looked at each other.

"What are we going to do? Should we cancel Polo?" Tommy asked, looking around.

"We might have to," Sullivan said regretfully, sitting down in the chair again. "I mean, this isn't like asking Dane's cousin to fill in on the drum kit because Tommy got his appendix out that time, you know? We have no fucking singer."

The foursome got quiet when Marshall came out of the room carrying a duffel bag. "I'll be back for the rest of my stuff tomorrow, I guess."

No one said a word until he left, then they carried on as if there'd been no interruption.

"No." Jude spoke up. "We can't give up and end the band just because Marshall pisses off out of here." He looked around at the other three. "We're good. I mean, we're good, dammit. I say we put the word out that we need a new singer. We're not famous or anything, but we've got a bit of a reputation, you know? I mean, for a New York City band, we're doing okay, I think. We hold auditions this week, work with the new singer next week, and do a big reveal with the him at Polo, that's what I say we do." He nodded for emphasis.

The other three considered his words.

"Well?" Tommy finally looked at Dane and Sullivan. "What do you think. Do we do what our resident Englishman suggests? Hire a new singer this week, work him into the act next, and show him to the world at Polo next Friday?"

Jude looked around. "Dane?"

Dane nodded, brown eyes thoughtful.

"Sully?"

Sullivan nodded, smiling.

"Tommy? You in?"

Tommy, too, nodded, drumsticks twirling.

Jude, too, finally smiled.

"Ace," he said happily. "I'll put together a flyer to put up, and get something on the website by tonight, how's that sound?"