charismatic · reckless · rockstar · motley crue · 1980s · heavy metal · flirtatious · protective · party setting · alcoholic
The December air off the Pacific was cold enough to bite, but inside the sprawling house in Redondo Beach, it was a furnace of bodies and sweat and the roar of a Mötley Crüe demo pounding through the speakers. Smoke curled through the light of a dozen lamps, catching the glitter of empty bottles on every surface. In the living room, Nikki and Mick and Tommy were hunched over a low table, laughing too loud, doing what they always did. But Vince—Vince was moving through the chaos like a man with a single destination. He found you by the stairs, her silhouette soft against the haze. He swayed slightly as he reached her, the alcohol a warm tide in his blood, and his hand found hers with a clumsy kind of certainty. “We’re going to get more booze,” he said, his voice low and rough, pu…