She butts in again despite the fact that I’ve clearly addressed my question to her father. “It’s too moody. Too sulky. It’s not commercial enough.” Her tone is acidic. “Coal, half the time you sound like an emotional 13-year-old girl on her period. We’d never be able to sell it.”
“Bullocks!” Kid grunts. “We’re giving the fans exactly what they want.”
I shoot him a glare, warning him to keep his temper in check. Tasha’s trying to get a reaction out of me. She always is.
“And what do you think, Mr. Warren?” Claudie pushes.
He grunts. “Whatever Natasha says.” The old man is the CEO of the goddamned record label but he lets his daughter run amuck. I think it’s some sort of self-imposed retribution for the fact that he’s cheated on Tasha’s mother and he now feels guilty about stepping on his daughter’s toes. He has handed the record label over to her like a toy and now he doesn’t want to force her to play nice.
I feel like screaming. I’m not Natasha Warren’s plaything. This band is not her plaything. This is our career we’re talking about here.
“How about we work on a few new songs – some more commercial songs – and we mix them in with the songs that are already recorded,” Claudie suggests in her most diplomatic voice although I know that she’s as pissed as I am.
“Nope,” Tasha says sounding like a stubborn child. “All new songs. Eight weeks.”
I open my mouth to give her a piece of my mind but, the ear-piercing dial tone lets me know that she hung up the phone.
“She can’t do that!” Joaquin groans, brushing his limp brown hair out of his face. “We worked our arses off for four months on that album. We flew three producers in from New York. Plus, we start our cross-country tour in less than two weeks. We can’t record a new album now.”
I hear Claudie push a weighted sigh. “Look – I’ll try to figure something out. In the meantime, start working on some fresh material.”
The guys start whining.
“Claudie will figure something out,” I jump to my sister’s defense. I trust her completely. She can get it done. She always pulls through for us. That’s why she’s been our manager since day one.
She’ll find a way. She has to.
Chapter 6
Mackenzie
“How are you liking the place?” Michael asks as I curl up on the couch in the living room with a glossy fashion magazine in one hand and a glass of iced tea in the other at 11:45 in the morning. My chicken salad sits on the side table next to the couch.
“It’s great,” I say as I glance out the window and see Shirtless Neighbor sitting on a chair, his guitar perched on his knees while he jots down notes on a small sheet of paper. I think back to the way he’d stared at me yesterday. The way my stomach fluttered when he waved. “The neighbors are nice.”
Michael laughs throatily. “Have you met Everson yet?”
“Everson?”
“The guy next door. Tattooed…British…Not a big fan of clothing.”
Everson. That’s his name?
“Oh, that guy,” I say nonchalantly despite the wild churning in the pit of my stomach.
Everson…That name suits him.
“Yeah – he’s a good kid. You haven’t heard of his band? The White Hot Coals? They’re all over the place these days. Think their record label discovered them on YouTube or something. And now, they have the number one song in the country. Pretty, wild thing…la-la la la…Your heart’s full of music, la-la-la full of fears…I’m not too sure what the lyrics are but the melody’s pretty catchy.”
Huh? Shirtless Neighbour – I mean, Everson – is famous?
And his music’s got to be pretty good if it can get my strait-laced, slightly rigid attorney brother to sing.
I grab my laptop from the couch next to me and type ‘White Hot Coals’ into Google. And wow. Apparently, I’m not the only one with an appreciation for Everson’s rugged handsomeness. Google turns up over 65 million results for his band. And the fan-sites are insane – there’s a Facebook page dedicated solely to posting pictures of his abs. The account has over 4 million followers.
Good for him. It’d be a shame to let those good looks and that hot body go unworshiped.
I vaguely register the sound of my brother singing horribly off-key. “Kenzie – did you hear what I just said?” I totally zoned out for a minute there while staring at a particularly sexy photo of him. He’s on stage, tearing into his guitar. He’s shirtless – surprise, surprise – with sweat glistening down that perfectly-sculpted, inked up torso. His pants hang dangerously low on his narrow hips. The intensity on his face is enough to provoke a sharp throb between my thighs.
Anyway, that’s when the chime of the doorbell resonates throughout the house.
“Hold on, Michael – I think I just heard the doorbell.” I set down my magazine on the coffee table before I jump off of the couch and trot to the front door.
“Are you expecting anyone?” Michael asks, a protective tone seeping into his voice.
“Nope,” I say feeling a tiny bit on edge as I balance the phone between my ear and my shoulder. The bell rings again, twice. My uninvited guest is awfully impatient. “I’m coming, I’m coming,” I mumble.
I swing the door open, my hand flying to my hip. Julia is standing there in a short yellow sundress, an arm draped around Willow’s shoulder. She yanks an orange lollipop out of the corner of her mouth and grins at me. “Surprise bitch – you’ve got company!”
Chapter 7
Mackenzie
I push through the patio door with a tray of lemonade and three glasses in hand. Willow and Julia are in their tiny bikinis sprawled out in lounge chairs, lapping up the sun. I set the tray down on the small glass table between them.
“I am absolutely dying of jealousy,” Willow sighs, rubbing sunscreen onto her legs.
Julia produces a bottle of tequila out of nowhere. She cracks it open and empties half of its contents into the pitcher of lemonade. “I know right. The beach is literally your backyard.” She pours herself a tall glass of liquored-up juice.
I push a puff of air out of my lungs as I plop down onto an empty patio chair. I check the time on my smartphone. 3:27. I should be at the dance studio rehearsing right now.
“Yeah – it’s nice out here. I really needed to get away from the bustle of New York City. Just for the summer so that I can focus on training and come back in fall, totally refreshed and ready to tackle the Joffrey application process again.” I say it with an edge, hoping that my friends will get the hint.
I love them to death, but I really wasn’t expecting them to just pop up unnanounced.
Julia shakes her head, her eyebrows pinched as she slides her massive sunglasses into her face. “I still can’t believe that they turned you down, Mac-Mac. You are literally the most passionate dancer in our troupe. I’m still in shock.”
I shrug as I reach for a glass of lemonade. “I’m trying not to let it get me down. I’m still looking for the proverbial silver lining.” I take a sip of the juice and almost choke. It tastes like gasoline with a hint of citrus. Thanks, Julia.
“Well, if you’d gotten into Joffrey, you probably wouldn’t be sitting here, in sunny California with the ocean at your feet for the summer,” Willow says with a small smile. “This break can be good for you, Mac. Use it to decompress.”
I shake my head sharply. “I don’t plan on lounging on the beach and kicking up my feet, though. I’ve got to be disciplined. One hundred percent. I have to make this work. I have to get into Joffrey. My dad’s been silent about the whole thing but my mom – she’s so disappointed in me and she’s not even trying to hide it or to be supportive. As far as she’s concerned, when I get home in fall, I’m sending out applications for a pre-law program so that I can start law school as soon as possible. But that’s not for me. I’d die. So, I have to get into Joffrey. I have no other option. Becoming a professional dancer is the only career option for me.” I brush back the tear tha
t slides down my face.
“Don’t cry, Mackenzie,” Julia says leaping out of her seat and climbing into my chair next to me. “My wild, crazy, spontaneous Mackenzie doesn’t cry. When life gives her lemons, she makes a wicked lemon margarita.” She pokes me in the ribs.
Willow climbs in on the other side, pulling my head to her chest. “Come ‘ere, lil one.” She puts on a southern drawl as she ruffles my hair. She and Julia wrap their arms around me, squeezing me and fussing over me until we all erupt into a fit of uncontrollable giggles.
“Stop it! Stop it!” I squeal as I struggle to break free of their hold. But I’ve got to admit, it feels good to laugh. I haven’t done much of that over the past few weeks.
“Whoa!” Julia exclaims suddenly bouncing to her feet and raking her long, blond hair into place. “Who the heck is that?” she asks as she pads over to the railing of the balcony, pulling off her sunglasses on the way.
My gaze follows hers, and yes – it’s Shirtless Neighbor, I mean Everson Coal. And yes – his gloriously-sculpted bare chest is on display yet again.
I’m convinced that this guy doesn’t own a single shirt. Maybe he can’t afford one? Now, I feel kind of bad for him. I make a mental note to buy him a t-shirt next time I run down to Target.
Willow slides off of the chair and joins Julia in ogling my gorgeous neighbor, as if his ego needs any more stroking. “Would you guys get away from there?” I whisper loudly.
They ignore me.
“Wait – he looks like that guy. The guy from that band that sings the song about kaleidoscope tears,” Willow screeches. Then she starts singing. “Pretty, wild thing, you cry kaleidoscope tears…Your heart’s full of music, but your mind’s full of fears…”
Am I the only person alive who hasn’t heard that damn song?
Julia squints, shading her eyes with her hand. “The White Hot Coals?...The White Hot Coals!?!”
“Guys – it’s really impolite to stare.” My cheeks must be crimson red right now.
“Get the fuck out of here!” Julia spins towards me, her eyes are big, blue orbs bulging out of her head. She and Willow grab onto each other and start yelling like damned lunatics. Julia pretends to swoon and Willow fans her dramatically with her hand.
I glance over at Everson and he’s looking straight at them, an amused smirk on his face as he basks in the attention. And then, he lifts his hand to his forehead and gives them a sort of playful salute.
And they go wild.
“Willow – grab me the smelling salts,” Julia says fanning herself dramatically. Willow makes a big show of catching Julia as she pretends to faint again.
My eyes roll up to the heavens. Help me.
I’ve spent the past few days trying to play it cool with him, and then my friends show up and suddenly all that effort goes to waste. Now, in his mind, he’s probably lumped us in together with all of his groupies.
He flashes a blinding grin before slinking out of his chair and sauntering inside, closing the door behind him.
“Nnnnoooo...don’t go…” Julia groans theatrically as she clutches her heart.
Thank god! I thought that humiliating moment would never end.
“You guys are so, so, so embarrassing,” I say to my friends with a deep frown.
Julia shoos me away with a flick of the wrist. “Since when are you so…well-behaved? Cut it out – it’s boring!” she scolds wagging a finger at me. “I want my old, fun Mackenzie back!”
“What I want to know is how you could be living next to the hottest musician on the planet and you didn’t tell us,” Willow whines.
Julia folds her arms tightly across her chest. “She didn’t want to have to share him with us,” she jokes, staring at me, waiting for me to join in with her silly laughter.
Hey, Julia and Willow – overreact much? If I had even casually mention that the hot rock star next door waved at me the other day, they’ll be milling around here preparing the guest list and choosing a venue for our wedding.
When I blush deeply instead of cracking a smile, Julia’s expression goes serious. “Wow – you must really like this guy, Mac.”
“You guys are seriously over-the-top,” I say with a dramatic eye roll. “Thank god he didn’t stick around so you guys could stroke his oversized ego all afternoon. And no – I don’t like him. I don’t even know him.”
Just then, the doorbell rings.
All three of us exchange a glance.
“Ohmygod! It’s him! He’s here!” Julia yells right before she and Willow streak off to answer the door.
Chapter 8
Everson
“Hi…” The bright-eyed blond hugs her body against the wooden doorframe and looks up at me from under her lashes.
“Hi,” I say with a smile. “I’m Everson.” I extend my hand to her.
“We know,” the wavy-haired, timid one pipes in. She hangs back a little bit, her eyes shy but eager.
The blond flashes her friend a dirty look as if to say, Be quiet – you’re messing up my game. I suppress a chuckle. She turns back to me. “I’m Julia,” she takes my hand and shakes it, holding it for much longer than necessary. Then, she glances back at the timid one. “That’s Willow.”
“Hey,” Willow says softly as she gives my hand a quick, weak shake, her cheeks crimson red. “Love your music,” she beams. “Pretty, Wild Thing is my favorite song this summer.”
I grin. “Glad you like it, Willow. That’s awesome.”
“Please, come in,” Julia says, pulling the door wider. I accept her invitation, giving her a quick nod. She’s hot on my heels as I step into the sleek foyer, peering around for their dark-haired friend. “Can I get you anything? Water? Lemonade? Tea?” Julia drops her voice to a whisper. “Contraband tequila?”
Willow snorts, her fingers covering her mouth.
I glance back at Julia. “Huh? What did you say?”
“Uh, I offered you some tea…‘cause you’re British and all.” She winks at Willow, a mischievous look on her face.
“No – I don’t need a drink, thanks.” One side of my mouth lifts into a crooked smile. “I’m not staying long. I really just came over to introduce myself. I noticed that your friend’s been staying here for a few days – long, dark hair, dancer’s physique, eternal pout – I haven’t been by to say ‘hello’.” I distractedly run my hand down my bare chest. Julia’s eyes follow my fingers, spellbound, as they travel across my skin.
Ooops! I shove my hands into my front pockets.
“You haven’t met Mac yet?” Willow asks, her eyebrow quirking to the ceiling.
“No – I’ve seen her around, but we haven’t been officially introduced.”
“Let’s see if we can get her down here.” Julia turns towards the staircase. “Mackenzie! Mackenzie! Get your butt down here!”
“I’ll go get her,” Willow offers, jogging up the stairs two by two.
Julia and I hang around and make small talk but in the back of my mind all I can think of is her long-legged, brunette friend.
Mackenzie. Pretty name.
After an eternity, Willow appears on the landing, and proceeds to pull a reluctant Mackenzie down the stairs.
And my eyes are riveted to the dark-haired beauty. Her every step is graceful and fluid. She wears a pink-lipped pout on her gorgeous face and I just want to lean forward and kiss it right off.
“Hey,” she says reservedly as she approaches. She’s even more beautiful up close. Big, round blue eyes. Silky dark hair. Smooth skin kissed by the sun.
A big, dopey smile pulls across my face. “Hey.” I take a step towards her and hold out my hand. “I’m Everson. Next door neighbor.” I offer her my hand.
“Mackenzie.” Her eyes meet mine as our hands touch. And right behind her apprehension, I see a flicker of interest. Or at least that’s what I hope it is.
She slides her hand out of mine and wraps her arms tightly around her middle. And yes, I did notice the subtle tremor that raced along her body when
she pulled back.
My smile grows wider.
“I was just telling your friends that we haven’t officially met yet.”
“Oh, I’ve seen you. You have a tendency to stare at me when I’m trying to rehearse. It’s quite rude.” I hear an edge of annoyance in her voice.
“Ah! Sorry, didn’t mean to make you uncomfortable. Just can’t help but appreciate your talent…” I say, “and your beauty.”
Groupie Love (A Rock Star Romance) (Love in Shades) Page 3