by Dee J. Adams
“Ditto that.” Brendan took the opportunity to wrap his hands around Casey’s waist and help lift her forward out of the back seat. She scampered out of the car and didn’t stop. Brendan hauled himself out and stayed on her heels, reveling in the cool air and hoping he made it to one of the two bathrooms.
Casey found the first one and slammed the door, leaving Brendan to rush past the rest of the rooms until he found—thank God—the other bathroom. A few minutes later, they met in the living room. With the urgency past, they just watched each other. They couldn’t say what they wanted to say, not blatantly, not without risking their spots on the show. If anyone thought they knew each other beforehand, it might end their chances of staying.
“Want to look around the place?” Casey asked, heading toward the luggage near the front door. “We may as well take dibs on the bedrooms as long as they’re sitting in the car.” She rolled a bright pink suitcase away from the wall.
“Sure. Sounds like a plan.” Brendan passed her as he went for his duffel bag. He inhaled her subtle flowery fresh scent, which made his dick perk back up again. “I don’t even know how many rooms this place has.”
“I think just two. Girls in one, boys in the other.”
He watched her and thought about the last room they were in together. His hotel room. “Wonder if the beds are as soft as the one I was in last week on my vacation.”
A flush stained her cheeks and Brendan knew exactly what she had racing through her mind. The same thing running through his. Bare, slick skin, erotic touches and wreck-the-sheets sex.
“Guess there’s only one way to find out.” Casey turned and Brendan followed, still not sure how he felt about having to set aside the conversation he wanted for who knows how many weeks.
The frustration killed him.
The crowded bar shifted and moved around him like a living animal. He caught the bartender’s eye and signaled for another whiskey. Anything to dull the raging anger boiling in his blood.
Casey.
Just hearing her name made him angry. He wanted to hurt her, hurt her so badly that she’d never get over it. She’d ruined everything. No one was going to look at him the same way again. She’d ensured that after tonight. No one watching would ever forget it.
The thought of it made his skin tight. Made his palms itch and his fists clench. She wasn’t going to get away with it. He just hated having to wait for the damn show to finish before he got his revenge.
But then an idea came to him. A great idea.
He had connections. A lot of connections. So why wait until the show ended? Why couldn’t he give the American public something to talk about?
He downed the rest of his drink as the bartender brought another. Yeah, watching Casey become the victim of a terrible accident on the set would be a reality show moment no one would forget. He couldn’t wait to make that happen.
The whiskey burned going down and it was just what he needed to dull the pain. He picked up his phone and scrolled through his contacts then punched the number he wanted. “Hey, it’s me,” he said, when a voice answered the call.
“Hey, man. How are you? I saw what happened. You okay?”
He took another sip of whiskey as he caught the eye of a pretty blonde from the mirror behind the bar. He wasn’t in the mood. Shifting on the stool, he leaned on an elbow. “I’d be better if you helped me get rid of a problem.”
His friend laughed. “You know me. Always up for a little challenge if the price is right. What’d you have in mind?”
“Not sure.” He scanned the bar, watching the well-dressed people hoping to get lucky. “Maybe a little accident on set if you know what I mean?”
There was the tiniest of pauses. “Anything’s possible. Show business can be a very brutal industry. Lots of accidents happen on set.”
He liked that answer. “I’m hoping so. I’m sure hoping so.”
“I’m guessing we’re talking about the pretty girl that did you wrong. It’s a waste of a beautiful face, have to admit.”
“Lots of pretty faces, my friend. She’s just another one in the crowd and she’s going to regret dicking with me.” He took another drink as his buddy laughed.
“I love it when you go all psycho. It’s creepy shit, bro.”
He took offense at the words, but it wouldn’t do him any good to lose this opportunity. He wasn’t psycho. Hardly. He was just pissed. Pissed enough to go to the trouble of ridding the world of Casey Turner. “So can you make an accident happen on that particular set?”
“Like I said, anything’s possible if the price is right.”
It paid to have people in the right places.
Chapter Eleven
“Rihanna. Shit. It took me all week to wrap my head around the fact that Brendan actually met her. I still can’t believe that lucky little prick got to work with her.” Danny shook his head while he stuffed his ID back in his wallet and rolled up the window as the RAV4 went through the gate.
Eric couldn’t believe it either. They’d all fantasized about her at one point or another growing up. He pulled into a parking spot at the studio lot, cut the engine and replaced his ID as well. “I’m waiting to see if he gets paired up with Seger. I guarantee that neither one of them knew the other was going to be there.”
Danny snorted. He put the visor down, opened up the mirror and ran a hand through his hair. “What were the chances? Seriously? It’s crazy. I can’t believe Bren didn’t just give his songs to Seger to begin with.” Next, he pulled off his shades and cleaned one of the lenses with the bottom of his button up shirt. At lease this time, he’d worn something other than a ratty T.
“He said one of the roadies already tried and Seger shot him down cold. Bren didn’t want to take the chance.”
“I know, but…” Danny shook his head. “He must be good if he made it this far.”
“Yeah… I don’t think he realizes that.” Their little family band usually performed covers for their own enjoyment. None of them had realized Brendan created original music until he told them about trying out for the show. Eric opened his door. “C’mon, let’s get this over with. I’d like to say we won’t have to do it again, but if Bren keeps writing songs like the one Rihanna performed last night, then we might be here for the duration.”
Danny grinned. “That would be the shit, you know, little brother making it with a big time contract.” His smile dimmed. “He sure deserves it after everything he’s been through.”
Danny deserved it too, but Eric didn’t bring up. They’d all dealt with the same issues of being kidnapped, beaten and held hostage. Brendan and Danny had suffered the worst, but Danny always denied it, always gave props to his youngest brother for surviving.
Still, Eric agreed. Brendan deserved as much success as he could handle. “Gonna be a sad day when little bro has to give us a job.” Eric had worked his ass off in school and had followed in their dad’s footsteps as a lawyer. Too bad he hated it. The pressure to be like his dad weighed on him like a two thousand pound gorilla. Pressure to be as good a lawyer, pressure to be a good role model for his little brothers. Pressure to be as successful in his chosen field as his sister was in hers. So far, he had zip to show for it. Though he didn’t begrudge any of his siblings’ success, he couldn’t help but think he’d taken a wrong path in his life. He just didn’t know how the hell to get on the right road at this point.
A white BMW pulled into an empty spot by the door as the guys got closer. Two women got out, a brunette and a strawberry blond. Eric felt the light jab Danny gave his shoulder blade as the four of them neared the door of the building. Yeah…like he hadn’t spotted them already.
Taking a few quick steps to reach the door first, Eric held it open for both women. One word described them both. Hot, hot, hot.
He was glad he still had his suit on from work. Women liked power suits. Okay, so maybe his suit was just a regular suit, but it said something about him. Hopefully something good.
The brunette
had curves for days and they outlined the tiniest fucking waist he’d ever seen…the ultimate hourglass. She glanced at him as she breezed by, her vanilla perfume climbing up his nostrils and making his gut clench. “Thanks.” Wearing a slinky form-fitting lavender dress with a slit up the side, her body said party, but her demeanor screamed all business.
Danny stood on the other side of the door as the ladies filed in before them.
“Thank you,” the strawberry blond murmured as she passed. Though Eric held the door, she gave Danny a once over, hot enough to melt iron. Her teal dress fit just as snuggly as her friend’s and showcased the perfection of her round, tight ass.
“My pleasure,” Danny replied, giving her his patented wink. Eric lost count how many women that wink had reeled in. Sometimes he wished for the same free spirit that inhabited his little brother. Danny never stressed about the future. He lived one day at a time and took whatever random job came his way. Whether it was stunt, modeling or courier work, he did enough to get by and seemed damn happy with his life.
Eric followed everyone inside and enjoyed the scenery as the two women strode ahead in their stilettos.
It didn’t take a genius to figure out they were probably here for the same reason. Eric just wanted to know which contestant belonged to them. As the four of them walked down the long hallway to the production office of Write Your Ticket, Danny slid him a wide-eyed glance that said how’s that for a nice view?
Once at the production office, the brunette opened up the office door and gestured for them to go first. “Fair is fair,” she said, a sexy smile playing about her beautiful lips.
Eric held the top of the door, coming into close contact with the most amazing blue-gray eyes he’d ever seen. “I wouldn’t dream of it,” he murmured. “Ladies first.”
A blush stained her cheeks. “Well…” She glanced at her friend, the strawberry blond with porcelain features. “That’s very…gentlemanly of you.”
“He’s nothing if not a gentleman,” Danny added, his gaze totally focused on the very toned beauty standing next to him. The four of them created a bottleneck at the door and the brunette ducked forward into the office.
“Thank you.” This time she sounded a little less business and little more party.
Her friend followed her with another full once over at Danny and a smile. “Thanks again.”
“My pleasure,” Danny said.
Eric smacked his arm after both ladies had stepped away. “I opened the doors, dipshit.”
“Same difference,” Danny said, taking the spot behind the strawberry blond. He glanced over his shoulder and waggled his eyebrows. “Thanks, man.”
Shaking his head, Eric couldn’t hold back a grin. His brother was an admitted hound dog, but he did have a good sense of humor and a heart of gold. As aggravating as Danny could be sometimes, it was hard not to love the guy. “Anytime, bro, anytime.”
The same lady from last week waited at the desk and smiled as they approached. Eric couldn’t come up with her name then spotted it on the plate at her desk. Olivia. “Zoe and Victoria.” She looked down at a list. “And Eric and Danny, right?”
“That’s us,” the strawberry blond said.
“Yep,” Danny agreed.
So they had a name for the women, they just didn’t know who was who.
“You can all have a seat right over here,” she said. “I’ll let our producers know you’re here.” Olivia walked through a maze of desks and disappeared around a corner leaving the four of them together.
“Which contestant is yours?” Danny asked, always ready to jump into the fray.
The woman looked at each other before the brunette met Danny’s gaze. “My sister. Casey.”
Danny’s brows pulled together. “Casey. She’s the tall one, right, with the long hair. Second place finisher last night.”
“That’s her. What about you? Wait. Let me guess.” She glanced between the two of them. “You belong to last night’s big winner, Brendan.”
Eric and Danny both nodded. “Is it that obvious?” Eric asked.
She fluffed her thick, dark hair and those loose curls bounced around her shoulders. Eric wanted to feel those curls between his fingertips. “The hair and eye color is a dead giveaway,” she said. “The family resemblance is very striking.”
“It’s a curse,” Danny said with a familiar grin. Eric called it his hunting grin. Little brother was on the prowl for some action and by the way his gaze kept going to the strawberry blond, it was very clear which lady he preferred.
Olivia returned. “Eric, Danny, we’re ready for you now.”
“We’ll be right there.” Danny stepped in front of the strawberry blond. “I’m Danny. And you are?”
“Victoria. My friends call me Vic.” Which meant Casey’s sister was Zoe.
“Well, I sincerely hope that you consider me a friend.”
“Hard to say.” She gave him a sexy smile and Danny ate it up. “I mean I don’t know you so that makes it hard to be friends.” She gave Eric a once over that brought heat to his face. Shit, she was man-eater.
Danny didn’t seem fazed. His brother was the polar opposite of the rest of the men in the family. Four out of five St. Johns liked monogamy. One woman at a time. Hell, their parents had been together since high school and their dad had never so much as looked at another woman. Danny seemed to juggle a handful at any given period. “True, very true,” he conceded. “I say we rectify that. Dinner? Tomorrow night? You and me? How about it?”
Bingo. It never took him long to pounce when he found something he liked.
“Oh. Uh. Wow.” She shook her head in a little confused bob, a victim of the steamroller that was his brother. “I…”
“Here,” Danny said, pressing his case. He grabbed a notepad and pen from the desk and scribbled his name and number down before ripping it off and handing it to her. “Call me when you decide.” He gave her another one of his patented winks. “We’ll have fun.”
Eric grabbed Danny’s arm and led him from total destruction. “Nice meeting you, ladies,” he said. Although technically he hadn’t met either.
“Same here,” the brunette, Zoe, said at their backs.
Chuckling at the forlorn expression on Danny’s face, Eric shoved him forward good-naturedly. “Down boy,” he murmured. He followed Danny into the same room they’d been in a week ago when they’d dropped off Brendan for the opening of the show.
“Hello, guys. Nice to see you again. I’m Karen. We met last week. Thanks for shifting times. We had a little scheduling glitch so we had to double up the interviews this week.”
“Is that why we ran into those other two outside?” Danny asked.
Karen nodded. “Correct. Why don’t you have a seat and we’ll get started so you two can get out of here.”
Eric grabbed a chair and Danny sat next to him. It took a second to get used to the bright lights glaring into their eyes. Karen sat next to a cameraman and after a nod he pressed a button and a red light flashed on the camera.
“So, guys, what did you think of your brother’s first song last night?”
Eric jumped in first. “I thought it kicked all kinds of ass. Not only did it suit Rihanna’s voice perfectly, but it had lyrics that said something valuable.” Truthfully, he’d been completely blown away by the song. He knew he had a talented brother, but shit…Brendan had set the bar amazingly high last night.
“Danny, what about you? What’d you think?”
“Well, first, Rihanna is hot. I gotta say that.”
Eric shook his head and elbowed him in the arm. “The song, man, she’s talking about the song.”
“I’m getting there. Don’t get your panties in a twist.” He wiped a hand down his jaw. “Let’s be honest, Bren’s song beat the others by a landslide. I know I speak for Eric and for our whole family when I say we’re really proud of him.”
“Do either of you have any predictions about his closest competition?”
“Casey�
�s song was really good,” Eric admitted. She’d come in second by a tiny margin. Seger knew his way around a song that was for damn sure. “I think if Bren has anyone to worry about it might be her.”
“What did you guys think of the sparks flying between your brother and Casey all week?”
Eric was afraid they’d go there. The show wanted as much drama as possible. Although he couldn’t say for certain that something was cooking between Brendan and Casey, he didn’t want to fan the flames. It was nobody’s business what happened between them. “I guess I didn’t see it. Brendan didn’t do or say anything out of the ordinary with her. Danny, did you notice anything?” They’d already discussed the possibility of this topic and agreed on their approach.
Danny shook his head. “Not really. I was too busy watching Casey, April, Lisa and Courtney.”
Karen lifted tired eyebrows as if she’d dealt with Danny’s kind of smooth talk for years.
“One last question for you both before we bring Brendan in. We’ll give you a few minutes to decide on your clues for Broadway week. What’s the one thing you’d like our audience to know about Brendan? Something that might sway votes his way in the coming week.”
Eric glanced at Danny and knew exactly what his brother was thinking, because the same thing was running through his head too. They could play the sympathy card, but they’d never share the once in a lifetime event that had shaped all their lives. Brendan worked hard to put the incident behind him and the whole family respected it. He never brought it up, never used it as an excuse for anything. Eric still couldn’t believe Brendan had finally taken the plunge with a prosthetic ear, but he understood his brother’s need for privacy, especially since he had the same issues.
“Brendan is a very low profile kind of guy. He probably wouldn’t want us to tell you that doing this show is way out of his comfort zone. He’s risking his privacy to be here because he’s a songwriter at heart. Sometimes a person has to do things they don’t want to do to live their dream.”