Cocktails, Rock Tales & Betrayals

by Archer, Julie

  Chapter Twenty-Nine

  Alik had been delighted when Edie had pulled a few strings with the owners and arranged for Blood Stone Riot to record at Newcomen Farm Studios. Sometimes it really did pay to have friends in high places.

  Newcomen Farm, once a working farm, had been converted in the late nineties into a stunning recording studio with luxurious accommodation onsite. Nestled in the beautiful South West countryside, not far from Westbourne Deane, it had played host to the creation of more than one seminal album. Frequented by established and up-and-coming artists alike, it consisted of a rambling house with seven ensuite bedrooms, a games room, a home cinema, a swimming pool and jacuzzi, as well as a large, welcoming, kitchen and dining room. The house itself was run by Mike and Mary James, a local couple hired by the owner to try and keep the bands in check and ensure that their every need was catered to. Well, almost every need. They had their own annex in one of the many outbuildings to escape to if things got too debauched in the main house.

  Which, on more than one occasion, they had.

  The recording studio was housed in what had once been a set of stables; a long outbuilding leading off from the home cinema. Set up with state of the art recording equipment, Blood Stone Riot were excited to get started on the creation of their first real EP. Parker had secured the services of Dion Robson; a producer who had worked with a number of the major players, but preferred to be involved in breaking new bands. The majority of bands he worked with then went on to critical acclaim or commercial success, sometimes both, and Blood Stone Riot were hoping to get at least one of those things from their first EP.

  The band were taking a lunch break, sitting around the long antique oak table in the massive kitchen of the main house. They tucked into soup, hot crusty baguettes, and salad, all homemade by Mary. Billy had been chatting quietly to someone on his mobile for the past five minutes, his hand cupping the speaker so no-one could hear what he was saying, while the others ate.

  Alik watched Mary bustling around, refilling their glasses and ensuring that none of them had empty plates for very long. She had confided to him that she thought that these boys were lovely, always complimenting her on her meals, and one of them even volunteered to wash up. It showed how appearances could be deceiving.

  “You're an amazing cook, Mary,” said Nate, as she whisked another freshly-baked quiche from the oven and put it on the table. “If I stay here too long, I'm going to end up the size of a house!”

  “Thanks, love.” She beamed. “Not all the bands that come here eat as much as you do though, so much waste. They don't seem to have any appetites... probably too many drugs.”

  Alik almost choked on his piece of quiche at Mary's matter-of-fact delivery. “Well, I'm sure we can help finish this lot off.” He cast a nervous glance in Billy's direction.

  Billy finished his call and turned to Alik. “Leo's going to deliver tonight. Well, one of his connections down here is.”

  After Mary's comment, Alik couldn't believe Billy was being so open about it. “What the hell are you thinking?” he said. “Edie's done us a massive favour in getting us into this place and you're prepared to risk it with a drugs bust?”

  “It's not as if your Chelsea girl hasn't dabbled in a bit of champagne and charlie is it? How do you think Leo knew where this place was?” Billy smirked.

  Alik fell silent. He knew what went on at Edie's parties, and it wasn't always about the Bollinger and the Tattinger.

  He wanted studio time to be clean; he was much more creative when he was sober. He would need to stay strong and not bow to Billy's persuasion tactics. He wondered whether it was a mistake to have invited the girls along, but Edie had been adamant that they wouldn't get in the way after all, there was an amazing designer outlet nearby as well as a spa; they would have plenty to do whilst the band were in the studio. Sometimes Alik wondered if Edie realised that being in a band wasn't exactly a nine to five job and if it took them ten hours to get a decent take or if creativity struck at two in the morning, he'd need to do something about it.

  But he was also extremely grateful to her for getting them into Newcomen Farm, after all it wasn't every day they opened their doors to a new band with such a small track record.

  * * *

  Several hours later, Alik wondered whether it had all been a horrible mistake. Dion had been working them hard all day, making them play ‘The Imperial Kill’ over and over again, determined that it would be perfect. By the end each member of the band loathed the track. Even the production guys were beginning to get bored, having heard the same thing so many times.

  They needed a break.

  Alik noticed that Billy had already snuck out to meet Leo's connection as soon as they had finished the final session of the day and was definitely ready for an evening off. As the weather was decidedly inclement, the original plan for a barbecue had been discarded in favour of giving Mary the night off, ordering in pizza, and spending the night by the indoor pool.

  The atmosphere in the pool house was distinctly steamy and heady, being several degrees warmer than outside. Ripe for a good evening.

  Edie and Poppy had arrived earlier that afternoon and had already been in the sauna by the time the others came down to the pool. They were lying side by side on the loungers, large cocktails in between them as they chatted quietly.

  Edie sat up as Alik and the others entered the pool house. “Hey, babe, had a good session?”

  “He's been a slave driver,” Billy said. “Doesn't know when to stop.”

  “I just want it to be right,” Alik said. “We don't want to look sloppy, and Dion agrees that we're doing a great job so far.”

  “But you don't have to work any more today, do you?” Edie pouted. “I wanted to have some fun this evening.”

  “No, we're all done for tonight. Well, except Dev, he wants to try out some new beats for one of the songs.” Alik gestured to the drummer, who had settled himself in one corner, headphones on, in his own little world, tapping away on an iPad.

  Edie smiled back at him, taking a large sip of her cocktail as he sat on the lounger next to her.

  Nate dive-bombed into the pool and was starting to splash Poppy with water. “Come on in, the water's lovely. You know you want to.”

  Poppy laughed and lifted her lithe frame from the lounger, twisting her long hair into a ponytail, before diving cleanly into the pool, surfacing with what looked like Nate's shorts in her hand. “And you didn't even notice!” She crowed.

  Nate started chasing her around the pool, water splashing everywhere, as he tried to get his shorts back to cover his modesty.

  Alik watched them messing around, not imagining for one second that Edie would take part is such silliness. He wished that Caro was there, because he was sure she would. Stealthily, Billy lifted Edie up and gently threw her into the pool. She grabbed him by the ankle and he toppled in after her. Alik watched as the two of them raced up and down, each challenging the other to do sillier or more extreme strokes or seeing who could go the longest underwater. Nate found a Hello Kitty ball lying behind one of the loungers and the four of them began an energetic game of water volleyball. As the game began to get more competitive, Alik noticed that Billy was lifting Edie up to enable her to reach some of the shots, his hands firmly around her waist, moulded to her hips or lingering too close to her breasts.

  And he didn't like it.

  The ball rolled to his feet after a particularly enthusiastic over hit by Poppy. He picked it up and slammed it back towards Billy, where it hit him squarely on the head. Hard.

  “What the fuck...” spluttered Billy.

  “I should be saying the same to you, mate. What do you think you're doing?”

  Edie, Nate, and Poppy started treading water, quietly watching what was going on.

  “What do you mean?”

  “I mean, why have you got your hands all over my girlfriend?”

  “Mate, we're just messing around...”

  “Alik, it'
s fine,” Edie said. “It's not as if he was trying anything on. We were just playing a game.”

  “See, it's not like Edie wasn't enjoying it,” Billy said. “Like she said, we were playing a game.”

  Alik looked at the pair, Edie staring at him with her clear blue eyes and Billy imploring him to believe what he was saying. His thoughts turned briefly to Caro and their stolen moments, which put him in the exact same position, and he doubted that Edie would be as understanding. “Whatever,” he said finally, diving into the pool himself to try and clear his head.

  Chapter Thirty

  The next day Alik holed up in the study just after breakfast with Josh O'Brien. The director had arrived at Newcomen Farm late the previous evening with a missive from Parker Roberts for Alik's ears only, stating that some of the original video footage for ‘Bleed Like Cyanide’ needed to be reshot. The rest of the band had been told to concentrate on laying down the tracks for the EP while Alik and Josh worked on some new video ideas. Alik had been bawled out by Parker about his behaviour at the festival and what that could mean for the band’s reputation, not least putting future bookings in doubt. He was prepared to do whatever it took to make up for that mistake, even if it meant working twenty-four hours a day.

  It was close to five o'clock when they emerged, both wired on coffee, and ravenous.

  Mary was pottering around the kitchen, preparing for dinner when they came in.

  “Hello, Mary,” said Alik. “Is there anything left over from lunch?”

  She tutted. “I'm sure I can rustle up some soup and bread, if that will do you for now?”

  “That would be amazing.” Alik gave her a big kiss on the cheek. “This is Josh, by the way. We're going to be doing a shoot later and need all the sustenance we can get.”

  “No-one told us about that.” Billy wandered into the room. “I might have plans.”

  “You may not need to worry about changing them,” said Josh, ripping into a piece of french bread that Mary had just put on the table. “The scenes we've been working on focus on Alik.”

  “No change there, then.” Billy snorted.

  Alik threw a bread roll at his head. “Josh thought of something that would work better than some of the original stuff we shot in the club and he's hoping that Edie will agree to be in it as well.”

  “Edie?” Billy frowned. “What's the story idea then?”

  Josh sat down, pushing the storyboard towards Billy, with the rough sketches of what he envisaged. “You're more than welcome to come along and see how it works out.”

  Billy chewed thoughtfully on the bread roll Alik had thrown at him. “Might just do that. Has Edie agreed to do it yet?”

  “Have I agreed to do what?” Edie wandered into the kitchen.

  “We need a female lead for part of the video. Would you like to do it?” asked Josh. He pushed the storyboard towards her, briefly outlining that they were going to the beach for the shoot and she would be reacting to Alik.

  Alik thought that it added gravitas to the request if it came from the director rather than her boyfriend, which was why Josh was asking her, not him.

  “Really?” She squealed. “I'd get to be in a music video?” She twirled around the kitchen, hugging Alik, Billy, and Josh in turn.

  “Can I take it that you're happy to do it?” Josh asked.

  She nodded, smiling broadly. “What do I need to wear?”

  “As little as possible,” said Billy, with a wink.

  Edie blushed “I mean; what sort of mood are you going for? I've got some options.”

  “Yeah, for once bringing practically your whole wardrobe on holiday with you might actually be of benefit,” said Alik.

  Josh stood up and ushered Edie out of the room. “Let's go and take a look, I don't want to miss out on the sunset.”

  Chapter Thirty-One

  “I need your help!”

  Poppy's plea had come at somewhat of a bad time for Caro. The distraught bride-to-be had called Caro from Newcomen Farm practically in tears; there was no dress, she was too fat, Edie was driving her mental, and she needed her maid of honour. Now. Caro's initial refusal had brought about more tears and a slight tantrum, despite how many times she explained she couldn't just drop everything and head off down to Westbourne Deane.

  “Poppy, I'm busy this morning with meetings, can we talk later?”

  “Can you call me back as soon as you're free? I need you here!”

  Caro rolled her eyes. Her friend had been great at not being Bridezilla, but it seemed there was some sort of imminent meltdown on the cards and she probably would have to go and pick up the pieces. She desperately wished that the morning would bring some success.

  Caro and Nic were in the final throes of interviewing for their executive assistant, which had been a bit of a last-minute addition to The Indigo Lounge's staff list. They had realised that their original plans to try to do everything themselves - work rotas, paying staff, the HR elements of the business, finding bands to play, promotions, marketing, publicity, liaising with suppliers and so on - were likely to be beyond their capabilities. Caro's approach was more cash-in-hand and worry about the taxes later, based on her Mallorcan experiences, which wouldn't sit well with the UK tax office. They had decided to get in someone who could take on some of that more back office stuff, leaving them free to concentrate on the things they excelled in - like getting the punters in.

  Whoever was selected had to be right. They would have a lot to deal with.

  Caro was sitting in the VIP area on the balcony, listening to the builders banging about. Since the Blood Stone Riot video shoot, it seemed they had found "a few more things that need rectifying" as the foreman kept telling her, even though she thought things looked fine. She took a sip of the coffee that was in front of her and grimaced. It was cold, and she didn't have time to get another one before her next appointment. As she picked up the CV of the next candidate to come in, she heard footsteps on the stairs and got a waft of freshly-brewed coffee. Glancing up and expecting to see Nic, she was surprised to see that it looked like one of the candidates; a Starbucks cup in one hand and an expensive-looking handbag in the other. She was dressed smartly in a navy blue pencil skirt with matching heels and an eggshell blue satin blouse, making Caro feel distinctly underdressed in her black skinny jeans and cream blouse.

  Caro's first though was that she was incredibly arrogant to bring her own refreshments to an interview.

  The woman handed her the cup. “Nic thought you might need this,” she said. “Americano, black, extra shot?”

  Caro gave a reluctant smile. “Thanks, he knows me too well.” She stood up and took the cup from her, realising she may have been a little hasty with her first impressions. “I'm Caro Flynn, and Nic Santino should be joining us shortly.”

  “He said he'd be up just as soon as he'd finished speaking with Danny. He was hoping to get a definite date from him.”

  Danny was the builders’ foreman, and Caro had suggested that Nic have a word with him to see if he could get a different answer as to when they might actually have a finished club.

  “I'm Amy Gold,” the woman said. “Lovely to meet you.”

  They made polite conversation and Caro pointed out the bar and stage from the balcony and how their vision would work, until Nic appeared with a pile of paperwork. “Just a few things for us to go over afterwards, Caro. And this is one of the reasons why we need an assistant!”

  “Okay, shall we start?” said Caro, taking a seat on the sofa and gesturing for Amy to sit opposite as Nic settled down beside her. “Why don't you start by telling me a bit about why working at The Indigo Lounge appeals to you?” She settled back, her pencil poised over Amy's CV. “And specifically working for Nic and I?”

  There was a pause while Amy considered her answer. “I've been working as an executive assistant to the director of a successful PR company, so I know a little about working in a high-pressure environment. We work long hours and late nights and entertain
a lot of clients. The Indigo Lounge would appear to offer a similar level of pressure, being in the entertainment sector. With it being a new venture, it would hopefully be both challenging and successful, something you can really see the results of.” She paused to take a breath. “And as for working for you and Nic, well, I've done a little bit of research about you and know you worked together running a club abroad, meaning you already have an established partnership and in theory, there wouldn't be the same level of tantrums I've had to deal with.”

  “Don't be too sure,” said Nic. “We can be quite difficult.”

  “I'm used to diva-like behaviour.”

  “Sounds as if you have already worked with Caro!”

  They continued talking, questioning Amy about some of the difficult situations she had dealt with in the past and asking about her aspirations. She asked them intelligent, practical questions about the business and how they were doing in getting it up and running. Unlike a number of the other applicants they had seen, she didn't mention anything about the bands she might meet or the celebrities she might come into contact with. Caro was concerned that she didn't really understand the North Ridge scene and wanted to know more.

  “Amy, everything you've gone through so far seems to be impressive, but we're a rock club, what do you know about that?”

  Nic gave her a sideways glance, Caro's question was pretty direct, but it made sense to ask it. After all, if Amy preferred bubblegum pop, it may not work out.

  “I like a lot of things, but I'm not the biggest rock fan. I know the importance of that market to The Indigo Lounge and I wouldn't be professional if I didn't realise that. I understand that Blood Stone Riot shot some of a video here and that can only be good publicity for you.”