"Now you pull this lever like this--" Momoko reached up and leaned on the lever "--and open the steam valve like this--" the loft filled with the screeching sound of milk steaming in the gleaming container, "--and a minute later, voilà! Foamed milk and espresso for lattés or cappuccinos, whichever you want." She lined up five cups on the counter, poured the right amount of espresso, then added the milk, holding the foam back with a spoon. She expertly poured each in the pattern of a heart, drawing a line up the middle with a toothpick after. She presented each with a flourish and a smile, getting a smile back from each guy in turn. Even Jude had agreed to forego his morning tea to try the " the best latté he'd ever had," prepared by Momoko's own hand.

They each took a sip and looked around, nodding in agreement.

"This is pretty good," Sully said to Momoko.

"Pretty good?" Momoko repeated, offended.

"I'm kidding, I'm kidding, it's actually pretty fan-fucking-tastic," he replied, taking another sip. "Especially when you consider I'm having it in my own home for, like one third the cost of my neighborhood coffee shop."

"So for a cappuccino you just put some foam on top?" Dane asked.

Momoko nodded, gesturing toward the container.

Dane held his cup out, and Momoko scooped a dollop of foam on top, adding a dash of cocoa.

Dane took another sip, giving himself a foam mustache, which Momoko wiped away with her thumb.

"This is delicious," Tommy said. "I vote that Momoko is in charge of making us coffee every day for the rest of our lives."

"I second that," Sully said, finishing his latté and pouring himself another without asking.

"I vote that I show you guys how to run the machine and we can take turns," Momoko offered. "What do you say?"

"I like Sully's idea better, If I'm being honest," Jude said with a smile. "Though I'll probably stick to tea most mornings, so it doesn't really affect me as much."

They all poured themselves seconds and took their drinks into the living area to sit.

"So today we're going to rehearse?" Momoko asked, looking around.

"The gig at Polo is five days away, and we need to make sure we're good on all the songs," Sully told her. "Most of the work will fall on you, Peaches. You have twenty-five songs to learn. You up to that?"

Momoko swallowed and nodded. "I'll make recordings of what we do today, and just listen to them all the time. I can do it, I promise."

"Just what we want to hear," Jude said approvingly.

"Great, so let's eat, and get going," Tommy said.

"Hold on, guys," Dane said, looking around.

Everyone looked at him.

"Are we not going to talk about what happened last night?" he asked. He looked at Momoko. "I mean, it almost seems like it was a dream, but I know it wasn't."

There was a long silence as everyone looked at each other. Finally, Momoko spoke. "I feel like sometimes things are ruined with a lot of talk, but okay, if you want, we can talk about it." She looked down at her lap, tracing a pattern on her thigh with her thumbnail.

"I guess I only have one question," she finally said, looking around at each of the guys. "I really enjoyed what happened last night, and I have no problem with things continuing that way. It would be something new for me, something new and really great, I think. Would you guys mind it? Would you be waiting around for me to choose one of you, or would you be cool with things just kind of going on in that direction? A kind of four on one situation?"

Another long silence ensued, as, presumably, everyone considered her question.

Sully was the first to speak. "I'd be okay with it. I never would've thought I would be, but with you guys, I think it would work. I wouldn't mind trying it. I mean, it would work until it didn't, at which point we'd stop, right?"

Momoko nodded.

Jude said, "As long as it didn't affect the music in a bad way, I'd be willing to try. We've always shared everything, so this would be one more thing. But when it starts to affect the band, it has to stop." He looked at Momoko. "You're obviously a very unusual woman, a very hot and unusual woman." He grinned. "Let's see how it goes, yeah?"

"I'm willing to try anything once," Dane said with his beautiful smile. "I'm in."

Everyone looked at Tommy. "So we're saying we do it until one of us doesn't want to anymore?" He crossed his arms, looking dubious. "And then what? We just amicably end it?"

Momoko nodded. "I think we could do that."

"I don't know. I'm not very good at sharing," Tommy continued.

"It wouldn't really up to you, though, would it?" Momoko pointed out. "I'd kind of be running things."

"You're into all of us?" Tommy asked skeptically.

"I am," she answered, nodding. "I've never felt this way before, but I'm attracted to all of you, I think all of you are totally gorgeous."

Tommy rocked his head back and forth in a considering motion. "Aww, what the hell," he finally said. "Let's give it a whirl. It'll be interesting to see what kind of music we make, anyway."

"Well, okay, then," Momoko said, smiling. She rose and held her arms out for a group hug, during which she held her face up to kiss each one again. This time there was no surprise, no shock, just closeness and intimacy.

"You all taste like coffee," Momoko declared. "Yum.

"Let's go rehearse," she said.

They went to the corner of the loft where their instruments were set up, and Dane handed Momoko a binder with all their songs contained therein. She set it on a music stand and moved the stand in front of the mic.

She flipped through the binder, nodding. "I know a lot of these already," she told the boys. "I told you, I'm a fan of your music, I got some of it off Spotify, and I've seen some live performances on YouTube."

"Thanks," Sully said, touched.

So they began, and as before, the guys were blown away by her voice.

"Sorry, I always sound a little raspy first thing in the morning," she apologized after the first run through.

"Dude, don't apologize," Tommy said. "You sound amazing."

"And we can't rehearse you non-stop, every day between now and the gig," Dane pointed out. "You won't have a voice left. Your idea about recording the songs and playing them over in your head is the best way to do it."

"Agreed," Jude said with a nod. "What we should do is get through each song once, so you have a recording of it, then you should listen to them as much as you can, and just rehearse the parts you're unsure of with us when you must, yeah?"

Momoko nodded. "Sounds good. So we should run through that one from the bridge, then right? That's where I kind of fucked up the rhythm?"

They picked it up from the bridge, where Momoko got the rhythm right on the second try. They got it recorded on the third time through and moved on to the second song.

"I don't think this is going to take very long," Sully said with a pleased smile, strumming a chord on his guitar. "She's a fast learner." He set his guitar aside and picked Momoko up, spinning her around as he planted a happy kiss on her mouth.

She kissed him back with enthusiasm, wrapping her legs around his hips so she wouldn't fall. He set her down carefully, but she was a little wobbly, and backed into Jude and his bass.

He reached out a hand, saying "Steady on, steady on," and laughing, not letting go until he was sure she wasn't going to fall.

"Hey, Tommy?" she called. "I know the next one, "Like a Painting," pretty well, and I really like the beat. Can I sit behind the kit? The mic swings over, right?"

"Sure." Tommy rose and handed her his sticks, taking a seat off to the side so he could watch.

She counted off the beat with her sticks and started playing the kit with great energy, ponytail and body bouncing, and began singing into the mic, leaning forward a little to reach.

I sit there next to the wall, quietly waiting, waiting
Feeling like if I can't meet you, I'll be fainting, fainting
You ignore me with your friends, like you do
Looking beautiful, like a painting, like painting,

Tommy filled his eyes with the sight of Momoko, all of her in perfect sync with the song, singing as she drummed, eyes closed, sticks a blur. Her breasts bobbed in rhythm with her playing, and she was sexy as fuck to him. He noticed that she was wearing pink converse to hit the base, and for some reason these turned him on immensely.

Dane, too, was enchanted by the sight of Momoko drumming as she sang. She was so obviously more than competent at drumming, completely at home behind the kit, keeping the rhythm effortlessly as she sang the beautiful words, written by Jude this time.

Jude and Sullivan turned around to watch the wonderful girl play and sing the song she clearly loved and knew very well, understanding the implied compliment of it. Their eyes met, and a look of approval passed between them.

Look at our girl. Isn't she amazing?

Tommy had an idea, looking at the set of bells in front of him. He picked up the tiny mallets and began playing the harmony to her vocal line, emphasizing the melody. It made the line more emphatic, and much prettier. Everyone looked over at him with approval.

When the song was over, all four boys put their instruments down and clapped as Momoko, slightly out of breath, gave the sticks back to Tommy and stepped out from behind the drums.

"I think you should drum for that song," Tommy said. "And that we should go ahead and add in the bells? What do you think?" He looked around at the rest of the band.

Everyone nodded, and Dane, who had the official charts, made the notations.

They worked steadily through the morning, not even breaking for lunch, until, in the late afternoon, Momoko's voice began to get raspy again, this time from use, and they had to break.

"You're amazing," Tommy said to her as they sat in the living room, pulling her onto his lap.

"You guys are, too," she answered, leaning comfortably back onto his chest. "God, what a high to work with a band, so totally different from singing in a musical theatre situation. This was a great, great day."

"Well, get used to it, love," Jude said, leaning forward to put a hand on her knee. "Because basically the next four days are going to be mix and repeat of today, okay?"

Momoko nodded, eyes closed, still leaning against Tommy's chest, her arm over his as it crossed over her waist. "I'm fine with that. But now I really need some tacos or something, I think."

"You heard the lady," Sully said as he emerged from the bathroom, freshly showered. "Let's get her some tacos!"

Dane, coming out of the other bathroom, nodded his agreement. "You three hurry up and shower, too, and we can head over to El Dorado's for dinner, okay?"

"Three ten minute showers, coming up," Tommy said, nudging Momoko to get off his lap. "You go first, Peaches."

Momoko nodded and vacated Tommy's lap, heading off to the shower.