Bad & Bold - A 7 Book Bad Boy Romance Collection!

by Rhodes, Ashley

  I let loose a strangled sound and gaped, mouth wide open.

  “Is that a yes?” Deena smiled.

  I was still speechless for a few more moments but tried to gather myself.

  “I would love to! Oh my god, that would be a dream come true.”

  “Glad to hear it. I wanted to get your thoughts before moving forward.”

  “Thank you, Deena!” Then I paused, thinking. “I don’t know if I want to just drop out. Getting an education is important to me.”

  “Don’t worry about it. A business degree would only make you more useful to us. We’ll work around your schedule. Our work is never nine-to-five anyway.” Deena got up from leaning on the desk and smoothed her shirt.

  “We’ll talk more about this later, Ailey. For now, just keep up the good work.”

  “I will, I promise.”

  “And keep the conversation just between the two of us, alright? We need to work out the details first.”

  As soon as Deena walked out I clasped my hand over my mouth, trying to stifle the bout of hysterical laughter that threatened to bubble up. My chest hurt with the effort, and my cheeks ached from grinning so widely.

  I’d never imagined my big break in the music industry would come so soon! I pulled out my phone to message Neil the good news.

  A pang of sadness washed through me. That’s right. Things were over between Neil and I. He was the first person I thought of when I wanted to share my good news, but that was over now.

  And Jayce. I’d be working at his record label, but he wouldn’t consider that good news. It would just make things more awkward between us. There would be no clean break after summer was over. I’d be seeing him all the time.

  I slumped back into my chair and frowned. Things couldn’t go on like this. I needed to fix things between us.

  Between all three of us.

  BEFORE THE INTERNSHIP started, I never would have imagined I’d be torn over two different men. Even more unbelievable was that, despite mutual attraction, I was unable to be with either one of them.

  It didn’t help matters that things were back to being tense between Jayce and Neil. It was fine while they were both working, things got always got awkward during down time. They tried to hide it and act professionally, but whenever the two of them were within yards of each other, their hackles came up, like two wolves fighting over a tasty hunk of dead deer.

  I didn’t know whether to be amused or exasperated. They were both jealous of the other when neither one of them had me. It was stupid.

  The tense atmosphere must have been apparent to more than just me, because Kell took me aside one day and asked me if I knew what was going on with Jayce.

  “He’s a lot more subdued than usual,” Kell said, a worried frown on his face. “But then every so often he’ll get tense and irritable.” Kell turned his gaze to me and stared me down with a keen eye. “It only seems to happen when he’s around you and that producer.”

  Either the situation was patently obvious to everyone around us or Kell was a lot more perceptive than he let on.

  “Has everyone noticed?”

  “No. I don’t think anyone’s noticed except for me. But if things don’t simmer down, I’m worried those two might end up in a fist fight sometime soon.”

  I debated whether or not to come clean. I didn’t want Kell to think I was just some groupie going after anyone who would take me. It would be nice to have someone to talk to about all this, though. My thoughts kept going around in circles. I was unsure of what to do to make things less awkward for everyone.

  “Can I tell you something if you promise not to tell anyone else?”

  “Of course.” Kell looked at me thoughtfully. “Come on, let’s go somewhere private.”

  He took me back to the tour bus and sat me down on the sofa next to him.

  “So, what’s going on with Jayce?”

  “We…sort of had a…thing,” I confessed, slowly dragging out each word.

  Kell raised an eyebrow.

  “A thing?”

  “We kissed. And some other stuff.” I tried not to blush. Kell’s lips twitched at the corner as if he couldn’t help himself from smirking. “What?” I asked. “What is it?”

  “Oh, nothing. Just glad to see my plan worked.”

  “Plan?”

  Kell shook his head, laughing. “I knew there was only one girl who could tear his attention away from his guitar.”

  “What are you talking about?”

  “Didn’t you think it was too much of a coincidence that Jayce’s internet crush got a job at his music label?”

  I frowned. “Are you tell me it wasn’t?”

  “How did you hear about this internship?”

  “One of my followers messaged me.”

  Kell grinned, silent and waiting. Then it clicked.

  “That was you?”

  “That was me.” He nodded triumphantly. “Jayce only mentioned your name a couple times because we kept on ragging on him for being a creepy stalker. We told him the girl behind the keyboard was probably a fifty-year-old man in grungy sweatpants.”

  “I did wear sweatpants while writing my reviews a lot of the time,” I joked weakly.

  “I remembered, though. When Deena told me she was looking to hire a social media person, I couldn’t think of anyone better.”

  I was dismayed. “So I only got the job because of you?”

  “No! Not at all. You got the job on your own merits, I just made you aware of the opportunity. Deena made the final call, and she had no idea about my evil scheme.”

  I couldn’t believe Kell had gone through all that trouble just to play matchmaker.

  “So Jayce knows now, huh? How long did it take him to figure it out?”

  “Not long, I guess.”

  “So, I have to ask. If you and Jayce had a thing—” he raised his fingers in air quotes, “then what’s with you and that producer guy?”

  “I know what you’re thinking, but it’s not like that at all. First of all, he kissed me. Second, Jayce and I both decided we couldn’t be together. There would just be too much trouble if people found out.”

  Kell frowned, but nodded for me to go on.

  “I’ve actually been talking to that producer online for almost a year. I know him by his online name, Neil. We’d never met in person and didn’t know who the other was when we first starting working together. Actually,” I said ruefully, “I kind of thought he was an ass at first.”

  “He is.”

  “Apparently he’s working on it.” I rolled my eyes. “I had posted something online and he realized who I was. Then he just came up to me and kissed me out of the blue.”

  “People saw you on a date with him. You went out for drinks.”

  “Yeah.” I looked down at my hands, fidgeting. I felt like I was just making excuse after excuse. “After Jayce and I decided nothing could happen between us, Neil and I decided to give it a go. Neil asked about Jayce, but I told him it was over. We went on that one date, but never managed to get together again. He was always too busy, could never make time for me. I decided to just end it with him before it got too serious. Both of us are here for work, anyway. He’s so dedicated to his job, he’s got a one-track mind. It would have been nice if we could have made it work, but—” I shrugged. “That’s the situation.”

  “So you’re with neither of them?”

  “I’m one hundred percent single. Why, you want to ask me out next?”

  “Do the both of them know that?”

  “Huh?”

  “Each of them probably thinks you’re with the other.”

  I blinked at him, taken aback.

  “I just assumed they both knew I wasn’t with anyone. That explains the tension.”

  “I think you need to sit down with both of them and explain the situation. They don’t need to be competing for your affections like this is some sort of historical romance novel.”

  “Good thing I’m not stuck in a hist
orical romance. Kissing two different guys? I’d be branded with a scarlet letter.”

  “Hey, it’s the twenty-first century. You’re free to kiss whomever you desire. In fact,” Kell wiggled his eyebrows at me in a cartoonish come-hither stare, “feel free to kiss me whenever you want.”

  I huffed out a laugh. “I’ll be sure to keep that in mind, thanks.”

  I moved to sit up, but Kell tugged on my arm.

  “Hey, listen.”

  I sat back down. He seemed to hesitate for a moment before speaking.

  “Jayce… he’s been burned by love before.”

  “What do you mean?”

  “His relationship with his last girlfriend didn’t end so well.”

  “Girlfriend? I thought you guys had to stay single.”

  Kell gave me an odd look.

  “Because of the fans,” I clarified.

  “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

  I was confused. Isn’t that what Jayce had told me? The band members were supposed to stay single, or at least put up the appearance of being single, so their fans could keep their daydreams of fantasy husbands alive and the record label could keep squeezing money out of them. Kell ignored my confusion and moved on.

  “I don’t know if you know this, but Jayce actually had a girlfriend when we first started getting big. People kept on wanting to know more about her. The more they pushed, the more she tried to hide away. She hated the limelight. She hated that her boyfriend was getting famous.”

  That was the first I’d heard of it, and I’d been following Feral Silence for a long time.

  “She couldn’t handle being in the public eye, so she dumped him?”

  “Yeah, that was part of it. The other part was, well, you know the way Jayce acts on stage is different from how he acts in person, right?”

  “I’ve noticed.”

  “It didn’t used to be like that. Jayce was always an extrovert, always seeking attention, but he also liked the quieter things in life. He was more well-rounded, I guess you could say. The more we performed, the more Jayce acted like a rock star god onstage and the more withdrawn he became offstage. I don’t think his girlfriend could handle the change. I think maybe she felt like he was two different people.” Kell leaned back against the sofa and propped his head up on his hand, looking weary and sad. I wondered whether or not Jayce had confided in him when all this happened, or if it was just Kell being perceptive. He was much more insightful than people gave him credit for.

  “I thought Jayce and I couldn’t be together because the fans would get mad.”

  Kell chuckled, bemused. “That’s stupid. I mean, I guess a few of them would, but it’s not like we care. Is that what he told you?” Kell looked exasperated. “That’s Jayce being Jayce, as always.”

  “You think he lied about why he didn’t want to be with me?”

  “Oh, he definitely wants to be with you, don’t you worry about that. He’s been following you online forever, and then you show up on tour with us? It’s too good to be true. As for why he’d lie to you—” Kell was brought up short, looking stumped. “I guess you’ll have to ask him that.”

  I was silent for a moment, processing everything Kell had told me. I needed to diffuse the tension between Jayce and Neil before things exploded between them, but first I needed to get some answers from Jayce.

  If he wanted to be with me, why had he lied?

  CHAPTER 16

  I WAITED A few days until I could corner Jayce right after a concert. I almost felt bad trying to catch him off guard, but I needed to confront him when he was at his most vulnerable. I didn’t want him to just blow me off or try to change to subject. I needed him out of his depths if we were going to have the kind of conversation I needed to have with him.

  We were in a different venue, but he’d managed to find a back entrance that led to a fire escape. I wondered if Jayce scouted out the best hiding spots at every concert venue they played.

  I found him sitting on the edge of the metal stairway, arms hanging over the railing, legs dangling off the sides. The cool air seemed to do him some good. His skin didn’t look as dull, and the whites of his eyes were clear.

  “Hey.”

  He jerked his head around and then relaxed when he saw me. “Hey.”

  “How you feeling?”

  He shrugged. “Better than usual.”

  “Did that meditation app help?”

  “Yeah, a bit.”

  “Good.” I hesitated for a moment. “Do you mind if we go inside and find somewhere private to talk?”

  “What? Why?” He looked concerned. “What’s wrong?”

  “I need to ask you something, and I don’t want it to be outside on a fire escape.”

  “There’s an artist’s lounge that none of us have been using. It’s too small for the four of us.”

  Jayce led me through the hallways, avoiding the staff and crew rushing around as always. I wondered how they always managed to be so busy. Surely there couldn’t be that much work, especially after the concert was over. Maybe they wanted to look like they were busy so no one noticed they were actually slacking off.

  “Here it is.”

  Jayce was right. The room was very small. Just a loveseat and a vanity stand with a stool and mirror.

  “What was it you wanted to ask?”

  I took in a deep breath. “Were you lying to me before?”

  “No!” He looked offended, then confused. “Wait, lying about what?”

  “You said we can’t be together because of your fans.”

  He looked even more confused. “Yes. Why?”

  “Kell told me about your ex-girlfriend.”

  Jayce went from confused to upset within seconds. “He shouldn’t have done that. That’s private.”

  “He said she left you because she didn’t like people prying into her life. She didn’t like the spotlight. Is that why you think we shouldn’t be together?”

  Jayce stayed silent.

  “You think I won’t be able to handle dating someone famous?” I pressed on. “That I wouldn’t be able to handle being in the public eye?”

  “Come on, Ailey.” He frowned. ”I already know you can’t. You never post personal details about yourself online. You never show your face. You use a pseudonym for god sakes. Your name is Aimee Lee, not Ailey, but you don’t want your followers to know that. You’d rather stay anonymous. Private. That’s exactly the opposite of what you’ll get if people find out I’m dating you. They’ll pry and pry and you’ll never get a moment of peace. You’ll get sick of it, sick of all the attention.”

  “You think I’d leave you? Just like she did?”

  Jayce didn’t say anything, just narrowed his eyes and looked away. My heart clenched. How hurt had he been when his ex-girlfriend broke up with him? Would he even take a chance with me?

  “If that’s what you think, fine.” I pulled out my phone and tapped rapidly, stabbing at the keys with both thumbs. Then I shoved my phone into Jayce’s face. He leaned back in surprise before I could smack him in the nose.

  “What are you showing me?”

  “Read it.”

  He scanned across the screen, from left to right, eyes widening with every word. I knew exactly what he was reading.

  Hey, guys! This is Ailey. I’ve got a special announcement to make. I know a lot of you have been wondering who I really am. As of today, I’m no longer going to be writing anonymously. I’ve decided to make myself public.

  I had posted a picture of myself smiling at the camera, a picture my best friend had taken months ago.

  My real name is Aimee Lee. I’m twenty-one and I go to a small private college, taking business and marketing. I hope to one day do this kind of thing for a living. I look forward to getting to know all of you as my real self.

  Jayce looked up from my phone and stared at me in wonder. I gave him my own small smirk, pleased that I’d be able to shock him.

  “Tell me again I’m not willin
g to handle the spotlight.”

  CHAPTER 17

  JAYCE REACHED OUT and tangled his fingers in my hair, pulling me toward him and giving me a blistering kiss. I threw my arms around his neck and pressed myself up against him. When we finally ran out of breath, I pulled away, but he clutched me close to his body. I ran my hands down his chest and stared into his eyes, trying to put everything I was feeling into that one look.

  Jayce pulled me against him with a hand on my hip, his grip so tight I thought it might bruise. He tangled his fingers in my hair and tilted my head up.

  “So fucking tempting.”

  He crushed his mouth to mine, prying open my lips with his tongue. I moaned and stood on my toes to meet him halfway. The hot slide of his tongue against mine caused a flood of heat to flare up between my legs, and I was instantly aroused. Jayce pulled away abruptly and narrowed his eyes at me.

  “How the fuck am I supposed to resist you?”

  “Don’t,” I breathed. “Keep going.”

  He groaned and clutched me closer. He lowered his mouth to my collarbone and placed a soft kiss there before darting his tongue to taste the skin. My muscles went limp and I moaned, letting my head fall back. He nipped at my neck lightly with his teeth and slid a hot stripe up with his tongue. I let out a sharp gasp as the hint of pain turned into exquisite pleasure.

  “There you are every day, with those goddamn tight skirts, showing off every curve of that sweet ass.” Jayce groaned and cupped the swell at my lower back, molding my body to his.

  “And here I’d thought my knee-length skirts were as conservative and unarousing as I could get.”

  Jayce sucked an earlobe into his mouth and let out a deep moan in my ear.

  “Baby, there’s nothing about you that’s unarousing.”

  He maneuvered us around until he was sitting on the leather loveseat with me straddling his hips, the same position as that first time in the stairwell. I could feel the hardness in his pants. The thought of what lay hidden beneath those layers of clothes made my mouth water.