by Lydia Cole
Jack put both hands up in surrender. “Far be it from me to dictate who you fuckin’ like.”
I thought about reading into that statement, but pushed it aside and headed back to the room to finish up my own song. Just before we finished up, Johnny stuck his head in and pushed Tiffany into the room, mumbling something to her while they watched me. Hayden had wandered off earlier, heading back to the hotel to meet up with the guys before we went out.
I was listening, fiddling, and bobbing my head. As they came near the end, I started jumping around the room and singing along with the sound. Johnny chuckled and Tiffany watched me with a wide smile.
“So, you do all your own stuff,” Tiffany asked with a hint of awe in her voice as soon as we stopped.
“Well, I can’t very well record myself, but I do my band.” I was on a high from the amazing recording. “To be honest,” I leaned in closer and lowered my voice. “I don’t trust the cracker jacks Johnny hires.”
She giggled and Johnny just shook his head.
I strummed my fingers on my thigh absently, then took a deep breath. “Hey, we’re all heading out to a bar to listen to a band. You wanna join us?”
Her big doe eyes widened. “Oh, I don’t know…”
Johnny put a hand on her shoulder. “Go ahead, Tiffany. Lucy’s a fairly decent date.”
I rolled my eyes at him and grabbed her by the arm, all feelings of hatred gone. Music did that for me. “So, where are you from?”
Jack grabbed my arm and pulled me back into the room, waiting until everyone filtered out before opening his mouth. “I thought you didn’t have to like her,” he said with a small smile.
I waved my hand in front of his face. “Will you leave me alone and let me be happy, please?”
His eyes flickered, then he took a step back. “Are we still talking about Tiffany?”
I froze from the shock of him opening that can of worms. I opened my mouth a few times, but nothing came out. Finally, he shook his head and walked out of the room. He wasn’t mad. Jack didn’t do mad. But I could tell he was upset and it was only a matter of time before I finally pushed him over the edge.
Once again, I was alone. I sunk down into a chair and let my head fall back, staring at the ceiling. It wasn’t like we’d pledged to some sort of crazy forever love. We had sex. I used Jack. He knew it, I knew it. That’s all it was.
“Right?” I asked out loud.
My musings were interrupted when Ben’s face popped into the room. His blue eyes twinkled with his smile. “There you are. Have you met the new girl?”
I smiled and stood. “Honey, you’re still the new guy.”
“Yeah, yeah.” He stood in front of me and scrunched his eyebrows. “Are you all right?”
“No,” I answered honestly. “What are you doing here, anyway? I thought you guys had an off day.”
He shrugged. “I got bored. My roommate never came home last night. Any idea where he was?” He asked with a smug smile.
“That depends. Who’s your roommate?”
His smile widened and he slung an arm over my shoulder. “Don’t worry. I’m sort of liking this whole change in Hayden.”
“Change?” I asked as he directed me down the hall.
“Yeah.” He stopped at the front lobby, watching Tiffany with a wide smile. His eyes were popping out like a cartoon character. Pathetic. “She’s coming to the bar tonight, right?”
I turned and slapped his chest. “Be good. Stop perving.”
Tiffany looked up and saw us, her cheeks immediately pinking. “Oh…um…Mr. Gold said I could…um…”
“Tiff, take a breath, sweetie. I’m not going to bite.”
Ben made a noise behind me.
I turned back and narrowed my eyes at him. “You, I’ll bite.”
“Save that for Hayden,” he said with a wink.
My eyes rolled to the back of my head as I looped my arm through Tiffany’s again and led her toward Johnny’s office for my keys. “So, before I was interrupted, I believe we were talking hometowns.”
“Oh, right.” She nodded. “I’m from Tulsa.”
I cringed. “You don’t listen to country, do you?”
She laughed softly. “No.”
I pushed the door to Johnny’s office open and grabbed my keys off his desk, waved at him, and turned to leave.
“Oh, Lu-Lu. Don’t forget you have that interview tomorrow morning.”
“Shit,” I turned to him with a huge sigh. “I hate morning shows.”
“Part of the beauty of fame, I’m afraid. Now, go out and have fun, but get home at a decent hour so you don’t look like a vampire for your interview.”
I nodded in agreement. I hated looking hung over.
The bar was awesome and the band was actually minus a lead singer. I recorded them for a few minutes on my phone to let Johnny listen to later. Everyone was there and everyone was having a blast. I couldn’t help but notice that Ben gravitated to Tiffany, and I had to admit to myself that they looked really cute together. I hated excusing myself early, but I had to.
I got a couple offers to keep me company, but I told everyone to stay and make sure to get up early enough to watch my interview. When my head hit the pillow, I was out like a baby.
Chapter Seven
“So, Lucy, you must be so excited about the Grammy’s.” Gina Horton leaned over slightly, giving me her undivided attention now that the cameras were on. “Six awards! You father must be proud.”
I smiled widely. “He is. He won a couple awards, himself. I’m proud of him.”
She nodded knowingly. “What about this new album? When can we expect it?”
“Well, we’re still working through the details. There’s still a few songs to add. But, definitely before the summer tour.” I fidgeted, crossing my legs in the stool. I hated talking.
“And what about those rumors about you and Connor O’Brian? There was talk that he was at your party this past weekend.”
I groaned internally, but kept that fake smile pasted on my face. “Rumors are rumors, Gina. Connor and I are not back together. He’s still in Europe on tour.”
“What about when he gets back?” She prodded gently.
“Well, I can’t predict the future,” I said quietly.
The crowd went wild. They apparently wanted us back together. I resisted the urge to roll my eyes.
Gina turned around and pulled something out of her secret stash, holding up a magazine when she faced the camera again. “What about these fellas? This is a new band, right?”
I smiled at the picture of the guys laughing with me on the street in front of the studio. “That’s a new band Johnny signed, yes. Reluctant Angel. We’re busy putting together their first album.”
She flipped a couple pages, then held up a picture for the crowd. “And who is this?” She turned toward me. “This is one of the guys from Reluctant Angel, right?”
I couldn’t suppress the anger that boiled. It was the picture of Hayden and I making out on the back porch at my party. I tried to hide behind the mask, but I wasn’t so sure I did. “Yes,” I confirmed.
“And…” She wouldn’t stop prodding me. Me, the lioness who would bite at any given moment.
I gave the crowd a small smile and shrug, unable to look at the scheming bitch momentarily. “And?”
She gave me an almost imperceptible sigh and took the hint. “After the break,” she said when the crowd stopped hooting. “We’ll have actor Deagan Hynes talking about his new movie, Out of Commission. Stay tuned!”
As soon as the guy behind the camera waved her off, I jumped from the stool, ripped the microphone from my top and raced back to the green room. I nearly plowed down Deagan Hynes.
“Sorry,” I mumbled, eager to escape.
“No harm,” he said easily. “You’re Lucy Gold, right?”
I stopped and turned to give him a small smile. “Yeah. Sorry…”
He held a hand up. “Don’t worry. I was watc
hing. I take it you hadn’t seen that particular picture yet, huh?”
I sighed. “Damn paparazzi.”
He ran his hand through his hair nervously. “I know this might sound weird, but my sister is a huge fan of yours. Could I maybe get an autograph?”
I looked up at him, finally, feeling some of the tension fall from my shoulders. I smiled genuinely. Deagan Hynes was hot. “Sure. You have something?”
He looked around, then pulled a napkin off a table nearby. “Here.”
I grabbed a pen from someone in a headset who walked by and scribbled my name on the napkin. “What’s her name?”
“Julia.”
My heart always skipped a beat when I heard that name. I added a personal message to the top and gave it to Deagan. “It was nice meeting you. And tell your sister I said thanks for being a fan.”
I took off and headed for the car, sliding my phone out as I walked and hitting the speed dial.
“Lucy, I swear I hadn’t seen that. I hadn’t had a chance to check the tabloids yet. I’m so so sorry.” Maya’s voice was desperate.
I closed my eyes, fell into the back seat of the car, and squeezed the bridge of my nose. “This is going to turn into a mess. I can’t believe that woman had the nerve to hold that stupid magazine up on national television.”
She sighed. “Was Hayden watching?”
“I don’t know. I couldn’t very well deny it was me. It was obviously me. And I couldn’t really say it was nothing, because it wasn’t nothing. But, damn. Talk about putting me on the spot.”
“It’s going to be fine. Look, you’re supposed to do a shoot today for the CD cover. You want me to reschedule?”
“No.” I sighed. “What time? Do I have time to drop by the studio?”
“Just don’t start anything,” she teased. “I know how you get.”
“Yeah, yeah. No music. What time is the stupid photo shoot?”
She rustled with something. “Ten. You have a couple hours.”
“All right. I’ll see you there.” I took a deep breath. “Thanks, Maya. I know you do a lot for me. I just wish I’d been prepared for that.”
“It’s my job, Lucy. And I love it. And I love you. And it’s all going to be just fine.”
I wished I had her confidence. I hung up the phone and waited for the calls to come flooding in. Johnny was first. He was always good at saying what I needed to hear. Today, though, he just didn’t have it.
“It’s fine, Lu-Lu. Everyone gets embarrassing pictures plastered all over the tabloids.”
“Not everyone, Johnny.”
He chuckled. “You’re right. Only us lucky ones.”
I sighed, climbing out of the car and walking into the studio. “That’s not the point. The point is that was a private moment and now the whole world can see it. We give them so much but we need something of our own to keep…”
“I know, Lu-Lu. Look, I’m about to head over to the studio. Where are you?”
“In your office,” I answered, falling into his comfy chair. “I have something for you to listen to when you get here.”
“All right.”
I hung up and leaned back, staring at the ceiling. Johnny had the same habit when he was stressed. On the ceiling, right above his work chair, was a picture of him and mom. He’d put it there because he said it helped him relax. All it did for me was make my heart yearn for the woman I’d never known. That caused the fury to boil again, and I jumped from the chair.
“Oh!” Cindy stopped in the doorway with a coffee in her hands. “I didn’t realize you were here, Lucy.”
I waved her in and watched her put the fresh coffee on Johnny’s desk, still pacing.
“I saw your interview this morning,” she said quietly. “You looked good.”
“Thanks,” I mumbled.
She started to say something else, but stopped and just looked at me. Cindy was probably in her late thirties, with curly, blonde hair and a little extra meat on her bones. Not that she was fat, by far, she just had curves.
She’d been with us since we opened the studio years ago. Johnny used to tell me she was an old friend, but never really went into the details. Her big, hazel eyes watched me carefully, a mixture of sympathy and concern shining through. Finally, she walked over and gave me a tight hug. Little did I know, it was just what I needed. I resisted at first, then gave in and laid my head on her shoulder. Her hands rubbed my back lovingly.
“Thanks,” I mumbled into her shoulder.
She chuckled. “You looked like you needed one.”
I sighed and squeezed her, then stood back. “How’s your dad?”
Her smile widened. “He’s good. He said to thank you guys for the flowers.”
“Well, thank Maya for the flowers. You know she does all the work.”
She chuckled and grabbed my arm lovingly. “You can always talk to me, Lucy. I may not understand everything, but I’m a pretty good listener.” She gave me one last smile, then walked out.
I moved toward my guitar in the corner and lowered myself to the stool there, strumming absently while I waited for Johnny. It didn’t take long for him to wander in.
He walked straight to me and put both hands on my head. “Feeling better?”
I shrugged. “Getting there. Here.” I pulled my phone out of my pocket and played the recording of the band from the bar. “They just lost their singer,” I hinted.
Johnny’s eyes lit up as the music started. “This could work. Did you get contact information?”
I nodded, pulling a paper out of my pocket and handing it over to him. “I got it from the Terry. I never got a chance to talk to the band.”
He nodded. “Great. This is great. Let me call them.” And just like that, Johnny went from Daddy to music man.
It didn’t bother me, really. I’d done it on purpose. If I hadn’t distracted him, he would want to sit around and talk about feelings. I wasn’t good with feelings. I continued to strum on my guitar while I listened to him talk to someone. Eventually, the rest of the world woke up and the studio came to life.
I didn’t really have anything to do, but I was bored, so I wandered around. Tiffany was in a room. I could hear her voice as I walked past. I vaguely wondered who was recording her, then went back to my mindless wandering. I recognized a few faces in the kitchen, but no one worth stopping to talk to. Finally, my wandering brought me to the garden.
The sound of my cell phone ringing pulled me out of my head. I glanced at the screen, then grimaced. “Hey,” I said quietly.
“Hey,” Hayden sighed. “That was pretty shitty, huh?”
I smiled. “That was very shitty.”
“Where are you?”
“Watching the roses.” I pulled my legs up onto the bench with me. “I’m sorry.”
He was momentarily stunned. “What are you sorry for?”
“Dragging you into my mess.”
“Babe,” he chuckled. “I think I pretty much dragged myself into your mess.”
I sighed. “There won’t be any privacy,” I said quietly. “This is going to be routine.”
“I know that.”
“If you show up anywhere with me, they’ll start talking marriage and babies. They’ll see an invisible bump on my stomach. They’ll say you’re a rebound. They’ll talk about me sneaking out in the middle of the night to see someone else. They’ll say Connor tried to reconcile and I was a cold, hard bitch and I pushed him away.”
“Lucy, stop.” He took a breath. “How long are you going to be at the studio?”
I glanced at my watch. “I have a shoot at ten. So probably another hour or so. Until Maya hunts me down and drags me away.”
“Don’t move.”
“Yes sir,” I answered with a smile. I loved it when he barked orders at me like a sexy soldier.
He must have already been on the way to the studio, because he was by my side within ten minutes. He came over and straddled the bench like he had before, instantly taking my hand
and turning the ring around my middle finger.
“What are you so upset about?” he asked quietly.
“I don’t know,” I answered honestly. It was funny for me that I couldn’t talk to my own father about it, but I actually wanted to talk to Hayden about it. Maybe because it involved him.
“Babe, you’ve been in the spotlight your whole life. You knew this was going to happen.”
I nodded.
“And who cares what they say?”
“My ratings,” I said quietly. Despite the outer shell of confidence, I was just a girl. And deep down, we all have our little doubts.
He took a few breaths, still turning my ring. “What do you want to do about it?”
“There’s nothing I can do.”
“I have an idea.” He smiled wildly. “Let’s give them something to talk about.”
A small smile spread across my face at the mischief in his eyes. I was instantly turned on. “Like what?”
“They want to know what’s going on. Let’s give them something to report.” His grin widened. “Why don’t we go out tonight? Just you and me.”
My heart danced in my chest. I wanted to. I really did. But, something in the back of my head kept thinking about Connor. I was a sucker for smooth talkers. “Why?” I asked finally.
Hayden leaned back, trying to hide the disappointment. “Because I want to take you out,” he said slowly. “If you don’t want…”
I put my hand on his arm and fought back the urge to yell at myself. “No, Hayden. I do…” I took a breath and closed my eyes. “Good God, I suck at this.” I knew Hayden would be dangerous to be around. He was addictive. He was definitely not superficial material. And Jesus, the sex… I hadn’t been able to stop thinking about the mind-blowing fuck we had the other night.
With Connor it had always been amazing. But with Hayden…it was raw and wild. He made me wild. He made me want to do very bad things just by looking into those emerald eyes.
He shrugged, quickly back to his usual, confident self. “If you’d prefer to just hang out at your house until the time becomes appropriate for us to continue where we left off the other night, I’m fine with that, too.”