Lucky Break

by Liliana Rhodes

  “What are you getting at Dick?”

  Richard laughed. “Seems your marriage to Donna finally got some attention today when one overzealous reporter wondered where you’d been the past few years. Anyway it ends up that reporter had a run in with Donna years ago and let’s just say she’d been waiting for a way to get back at her.”

  “Spill it already, will you?”

  “It seems our Donna tied the knot before you.”

  “So? I know about that. Some drunken Vegas thing. She said it was annulled.”

  “It wasn’t.”

  “What? Wait, that means–”

  “That your marriage was never legal. It seems she has no idea based on what I heard.”

  “So…I’m free?”

  “Free to do whatever you’d like. And I’d like to talk to you about a little business venture I think you’ll be interested in.”

  ***

  After his impromptu meeting with Richard, Jude rode the elevator to the floor the band’s rooms were on. As he got off the elevator he passed Donna who walked ahead of tear-stained Kat. He didn’t even bother to acknowledge them. He needed to check on Lucky.

  As he knocked on Lucky’s door, he heard voices coming from inside her room. Jordan opened the door and slipped out, moving the lock hinge so it held the door open.

  “She doesn’t want to talk to you and frankly I don’t blame her.”

  “I need to explain. It’s not what it looks like.”

  “You know you say that a lot Jude, but sometimes if it walks and talks like a duck, it really is a duck.”

  He had no argument. Wasting his time arguing with Jordan was low on his list. Lucky would have to talk to him eventually. He’d make sure of it.

  Chapter Eighteen

  There was a knock on the door and Lucky groaned before wiping at her teary eyes with the backs of her hands. She couldn’t believe his nerve. Jordan just told him to leave and he was back already? She stood up to head to the door but Jordan stopped her.

  “I already told you to go away,” Jordan said as she opened the door and saw Richard. “Oh sorry. I thought you were someone else.” She called out to Lucky, “it’s that label guy.”

  “Let him in,” Lucky replied.

  As Jordan opened the door further, Richard stepped inside and unbuttoned his suit jacket.

  “Did you hear from Ian?” He asked.

  “Huh? How do you know about that?” Jordan kept her voice low, not wanting Lucky to hear.

  “Jordan, I take my job very seriously. When Lucky said she was bringing a friend on tour, I needed to make sure you wouldn’t become a liability. I had my people dig up what little they could find about you.”

  “So?”

  “I take care of my people. You can learn a lot from him. Ian has an uncanny ability to see things in people others don’t. I know Ian and based on what I learned about you, I thought it was a perfect fit.”

  “Oh. Well then, thank you. I don’t know why you did that though.”

  “Have you told Lucky?”

  “No. I didn’t want to take away from her time. She needs this. I know she’ll be excited for me, but all of that can wait until after the tour.”

  “Ok then, it’s our secret. I need to talk to her about the tour. Some things have changed.”

  Curled up on the couch wearing her pajamas, Lucky looked suspiciously at Richard. She wiped her nose with a tissue and breathed in as she tried to brace herself.

  “Let me guess. The show must go on. You want me to perform in an hour.”

  “No. You actually have a few days. I cancelled the Phoenix show like I said, but based on feedback I’ve been getting, I also cancelled the San Diego and Chicago shows.”

  “Is it that bad?”

  “Instead, the rest of your tour will be two shows, one in LA and the other in New York. And not at the little clubs and theaters you’ve been playing at. We’re going big.”

  “Big?”

  “The initial news is that the photo is going viral, which is what we suspected. What we didn’t expect is that people love you. They’re clamoring for more. All the interviews you did weeks ago are being pushed up for publication too.”

  “Why? I don’t understand.”

  “Because you’re normal, Lucky. People identify with you. That picture of you and Jude kissing is every woman’s dream come true. They’re noticing you because you’re not some twig thin model, you’re the girl next door. You’re pretty, you have meat on your bones, you’re talented, and you got to kiss the one guy who has always been out of reach.”

  “That’s crazy.”

  “But it’s true. Here’s the deal though. Bigger shows mean longer shows. Your music is selling like wildfire now. We need to show them you’re not some one trick pony. You need to add a few new songs to the tour, then get back into the studio and cut a new album. Take advantage of your momentum.”

  “But I don’t have any songs ready!”

  “You have two days to get them ready. Once you’re in LA, the band will be going to SIR studios to learn those new songs. Jude can help you.”

  “No, he’s the last person I want help from.”

  “You don’t have a choice. You need him. He’s been through this before and he’s a songwriter. Use him.”

  “There has to be someone else. What about Kat?”

  “She’s off the tour. Listen Lucky, I know you’re hurt. I know you don’t want to listen, but it’s not what you think. Jude’s a good guy. I don’t normally get involved in the love affairs of my clients, but let me say that for this one time, you need to forgive him. At least talk to him. Let him tell you the truth.”

  “The truth is he’s married.”

  “He’s not. And it’s been over a long time. That’s all I’m saying. If you want to know more you’ll have to talk to Jude. Even if you don’t want to know more, you still have to talk to Jude. I need more music Lucky. You don’t have a choice.”

  As he walked out, Lucky felt even more confused. At least she was past the feeling sorry for herself stage. Now she was just angry. How could he not tell her he was married? And how could he not be married when he has a wife?

  Simply thinking about having to share her private words with someone who hurt her, filled her with more anger. Her songs meant everything to her. And they were personal, especially these.

  Most of the songs she wrote on tour were about Jude. She couldn’t share them with him. She wasn’t ready to share her feelings with anyone. Grabbing a pillow she covered her head. If only it was that easy to make all her problems go away.

  CITY OF ANGELS

  Chapter Nineteen

  “Talk to me,” Jude said.

  Lucky kept her head buried in her new notebook, hoping he’d go away. She knew it wasn’t very mature, but she couldn’t bring herself to tell him to leave her alone, so operation ‘I Can’t Hear You’ began. It seemed to be working too because he kept walking away. Granted, he always came back.

  “This is ridiculous Olivia. You have to talk to me. I know you need my help with the songs.”

  He walked away again. She knew he’d be back. Each time he left, he came back sooner. Wishing he’d leave her alone she returned her focus to her notebook. She really needed to write but her mind was as blank as the page.

  Since she met Jude, all her songs had been about him. She only had two days to come up with new songs and she knew she needed his help, but there was no way she was going to let him see those lyrics. Let alone share them with the world. She had to write something new.

  She heard his boots thudding back down the aisle and wrote “Boomerang Man” at the top of the page. It figured the first somewhat creative thing she thought of would be because of him anyway.

  This time he didn’t say anything. He stood beside her seat, looking sexy as always, but this time his burning gaze penetrated her. Jude didn’t need to say anything to get attention.

  “Fine, what?” She asked.

  “Ignore what happ
ened between us if you want, but we do need to work together. I think I know part of your problem.”

  “You’re a big part of my problem,” she said hoping she sounded more convincing than she felt.

  He pulled out his folded notebook from his back pocket.

  “Read this. Especially what’s dated during the tour. Maybe it’ll help you feel better about what you’ve written. I know you have a lot of stuff. You’re wasting time trying to write new lyrics. I mean really, “boomerang man”?”

  He tapped the words she wrote earlier on her notebook, dropped his notebook in her lap, and walked back to his seat. Holding his notebook she waited to see if he would come back. When he didn’t, she flipped through it looking at the mess of lyrics and poetry, some first drafts, others edited.

  Looking around her seat to the back of the bus, she expected to see him but nothing. Without reading a word, she grabbed her bag and took his notebook back to him.

  “I can’t read this.”

  “Why not?”

  “Because these are your songs. Your babies. These are personal,” she said as she handed his notebook back to him.

  “And that’s exactly why you should read them.”

  She sat next to him and opened her bag. Pulling out her old notebook with pages stapled back in place, and a large rubber band holding it all together. She handed her notebook to him.

  “I’ll show you mine, if you show me yours,” she said.

  “I’ve played that game before.” He looked at her with a grin and raised his eyebrows at her.

  “Yeah I heard about that. From a friend of a friend.”

  They spent the next couple of hours reading each other’s lyrics. Lucky blushed reading some of the lyrics about her and caught Jude looking at her several times as he read her.

  “Tell me how you write songs,” he asked.

  “What do you mean? Like my process?”

  “Yeah. You have these lyrics, do you know what each song sounds like?”

  “Sometimes. Most of the time it’s just the words though. They just come to me. I sleep with a notepad nearby because some of my best stuff comes when I’m half asleep.”

  “The muse is funny when she strikes.”

  “Other times I get a melody in my head and I build on that. Most of the songs on my album were like that.”

  “Then lets choose some deeper songs. Show them you’ve got a lot of depth and emotion. Do you have any favorites?”

  “I really can’t choose a favorite. I do like some of the word play in “At Your Feet”. What do you think?”

  “Yeah that’s a good one. I also like “Tainted” and “Wounded Love”. I noticed you wrote that yesterday.”

  Lucky groaned. Until he mentioned “Wounded Love”, she had forgotten about his whole marriage situation. She folded her arms over her chest and thought about returning to her seat, but she needed to get the songs done.

  “Fine. Explain to me how you forgot to mention you were married.” Her voice rose as she spoke angrily.

  “The entire Donna thing was a mistake. We separated six months after getting married. I kept trying to make it work, but she wasn’t interested. Ends up she was only after my money.”

  “That’s how you ended up in the contract with Richard?”

  “Richard and I go way back. He discovered me and put Silverlight together. He warned me about his niece but I didn’t listen. Luckily I was smart enough to get a prenup.”

  “You loved her?”

  “Yes but…it’s complicated. I never thought she was the one. I just wanted to settle down. I think I was still getting over someone.”

  “Who was that?”

  “It’s not important. Five years ago it was, but now she’s just another memory.”

  After two days of rehearsals in LA, Lucky added the three new songs to the set list. With Kat gone, the band meshed better than before and they hoped to do an extended jam between two of the new songs.

  Dressed in a crimson maxi dress, her hair in loose waves, Lucky stood by the stage curtain looking out at the open space with people making their way to their seat. Through her shoes, she felt the tap of Jude’s boots hitting against the floorboards as he walked towards her.

  “You ok? You look a bit pale.”

  “Look at the size of this place. Look at all those people out there.”

  “Yup, all here to see you.”

  “Talk about pressure. What if I mess up?”

  “You’ll be fine. It’s no different than playing to a smaller crowd.”

  “Yes it is. Look how many people are here already. We don’t go on for another hour. What if they don’t like how I sound? Or I mess up? Everyone will realize I’m just a fraud.”

  “Listen to me Olivia Saldano.” He spun Lucky to face him, keeping his hands on her upper arms. “You have a gift. You’re talented and beautiful, you’re not a fraud. You’re the real deal and you can do this. Just get out of your head.”

  “You’re right. I can do this. This is what I always wanted, always dreamed about.”

  “And you’re not alone out there. You know I’ll be out there with you. Just turn around and I’ll be right there keeping an eye on you.”

  Richard told her how well everything was going once the photo went viral, but she found it hard to believe. After all, it was just a stupid photo of her first kiss. She still felt her stomach drop whenever she thought about it being out there and she knew it was responsible for her pre-show jitters.

  “You’re right. I can do this,” Lucky repeated out loud, more for herself than Jude. Knowing he would be there made her feel better, stronger.

  The roar of the crowd surprised her when they came on stage, but she immediately looked over at Jude at settled down. Once they started playing, Lucky felt herself go into another world. The place she went to whenever she played. Nothing else mattered except the music.

  Feeling good once they hit the new songs, she signaled to the band to break it down and do an impromptu jam. The rising swell of her guitar was met by Jude’s steady rhythm. Playing off each other, she kept her eyes on his, forgetting they were surrounded by thousands of strangers.

  He slowed down the beat and she interlaced notes between his playing. Showing off, he played a complicated rhythm she was sure he heard from her heart’s pounding. The music soared, with increasing intensity until she caught Dylan’s eye. When he nodded, letting her know everything sounded great, she suddenly realized where they were.

  Lucky transitioned back into the song, playing the last few bars. Jude controlled the change effortlessly as they brought the song to climax with the echo of their instruments. The crowd exploded, leaving her breathless with surprise and a longing for Jude she never felt for anyone before.

  After the show, feeling like she shared something so personal in front of so many people, Lucky escaped to the dressing room. She needed some time alone. Taking deep breaths to collect herself, she sat down as she heard a knock on the door.

  “Come in,” she called out, expecting Jordan.

  Putting her head in her hands as she brought herself down, her heart still pounded wildly.

  “I’m not sure if I should be embarrassed or not. I just totally got into playing with Jude and forgot about the crowd, everyone else. It just felt so good, so intimate. Its hard to explain. Sometimes I wish you were a musician too so you’d understand better,” she said.

  “I understand more than you know.”

  Surprised, she sat up hearing his husky voice and turned to see Jude quickly crossing the room towards her. As she stood up, he met her. Their lips colliding. In one swift movement, he picked her up and cleared the top of the vanity. His lips never leaving hers.

  Spreading her legs as she sat on the vanity, she pulled him close, feeling his hard manhood through his pants against her panties. He pressed her against the cold glass of the mirror. She could barely breathe she was so excited.

  Feeling her heart beating throughout her entire body, she gav
e herself into it. She pulled off his shirt then slid her hands over his sculpted chest, and over his tattoos as if she could feel them. His skin was slightly moist with sweat from the show and without thinking she sucked his shoulder, wanting to taste the saltiness of his skin.

  Moving his hands over her plump thighs, he pushed her dress up further as his lips sought hers again hungrily. She grasped his back firmly, surprised at how hard he felt under her hands. Feeling his strong hands move under her soft legs, her core throbbed knowing he was so close to her.

  The cold of the mirror against her back contrasting the heat of his body in front of her drove her crazy. As their tongues explored each other’s mouths, she moved her hands between their bodies and found the waist of his jeans.

  After she fumbled with the button of his pants, he undid them for her. She never did anything like this before but she wasn’t think about that. She wanted Jude so badly, nothing else mattered.

  Looking at his body, her eyes moved down to where the trail of hair under his belly button disappeared into his open jeans. Pushing his pants open more she grazed his hip bones and thought about biting them.

  He pushed his jeans down and stepped out of them and she stared at his large erection, her cheeks flushing. He stepped closer to her and moved his hands up her thighs to her hips. Wrapping his fingers around the thin band of her polka dot bikini panty, he began sliding them down her hips. She lifted her bottom from the vanity as he took them off her.

  She felt the cool air against her wetness and her breath grew more shallow. He slowly slipped his body between her legs again, his intense gaze never leaving hers. Kissing her again, he pressed her against the mirror so his body crushed hers.

  She wrapped her legs around him and could feel him against her throbbing entrance. As his mouth left hers she bit his lip, not wanting him to go. His lips moved along her jawline to her ear.

  “I’ve wanted you for so long,” he whispered.

  His fingers traveled up her inner thigh and her breath caught with anticipation as they moved closer to where her legs met. Letting her body guide her, she spread her legs a little more.

  He slid his fingers over her clit and she moaned. She felt her body immediately react, coming to life. He slowly rubbed and she closed her eyes, lost in the intense feeling.