Broken Melody
By Adriana Hunter
Rock Star Erotic Romance
Rock With You (#2)
Adriana Hunter
http://www.AdrianaHunter.com
Connect via Twitter @ http://twitter.com/spicytales
Join Adriana’s private mailing list at http://www.SpicyTales.com
This is a work of fiction. All names, characters, locations and places are solely the product of the author’s imagination. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, including events, areas, locations and situations is entirely coincidental.
The last place Melody Lawson wanted to be was at work. But she had responsibilities to her clients, Logan MacKenzie among them.
Logan…her heart clenched at the thought of him, the worry lines that had been a permanent fixture on her face since last night deepening. Logan… she loved him, and he loved her. Love at first sight…
Her desk was a mess, and there was a new paralegal standing in her doorway, hesitant, anxious, almost painfully eager to please. Melody looked at her, already exasperated. Ryan Marshall, exerting his control as her boss, had apparently cut Melody out of the hiring process; she’d interviewed no one—not even been given the chance—and this woman wouldn’t have been her first choice. Not that she cared. At this point she just wanted to get through the day. And to try to find Logan.
“Come in. You’ll need to get used to the chaos…and learn to help me control it.” Melody waved the woman to the chair by the desk.
“Your name is? I had your resume…” Melody shuffled the papers on her desk.
“Victoria Hull…Victoria is what I go by. It’s nice to meet you.” The woman looked at Melody, made a half-hearted attempt to extend a hand, and then withdrew it.
“Look, Victoria. I’ll be frank. I’ve got a mess here. Melissa, my…the previous paralegal, left abruptly. I’m under some pressure here, on a lot of fronts, and things have gotten a bit out of control. I’m trying to keep things—really important things—from falling through the cracks.”
She scooped up a stack of envelopes and papers. “What I’d like you to start with is this. It’s mail from the last few days. Open it, look for notices of filings, requests for information, stuff that needs my attention. Date stamp and put it back on my desk. The rest, correspondence and stuff, date stamp and save. I’ll look through it later.”
Victoria took the pile of papers from Melody, rifling through the stack. “Anything you’re looking for in particular?”
“Yes, actually, anything to do with the MacKenzie-Ashton case. Here’s the case file. It was just filed and I’m hoping for a quick reply from Ashton, or possibly a counterclaim. But anything really.”
Just saying Logan’s name sent a flood of emotions through Melody. Chief among them at the moment was the smoldering anger directed toward Ryan Marshall.
And to be honest, anger at herself, for letting things with Ryan get so far out of hand. She’d spent most of her sleepless night berating herself for what had happened, for letting Ryan manipulate her so thoroughly. She had yet to think about facing him, but it was inevitable, sooner or later, she would have to deal with Ryan. After I get the paralegal settled.
“I’m going to ask you to sit in with me on client meetings as well. We have one scheduled at ten in the conference…” Melody’s frowned deepened. Victoria was shaking her head.
“Mr. Marshall asked that I don’t do that…at least for now. He said he’d let me know when I could start sitting in.” Victoria’s finally words trailed off into a whisper.
Melody clenched her fists as the first flush of anger rose in her cheeks, and by the look on Victoria’s face, Melody was pretty certain her face radiated pure anger at the moment. She took a deep breath, held it and then let it out slowly. It’s not her fault…
Forcing a smile on her face, she relaxed her hands, folding them demurely on her desk. “Fine. We’ll work up to that. For now, take the mail and the file. If you have questions, ask me. If I’m not here, ask Lori, Mr. Marshall’s paralegal. She’s been here longer than anyone and she’ll know what to do.”
Melody rose, but Victoria remained seated, looking at Logan’s file. Melody resisted the urge to tap her foot. At the moment, she wanted to see Ryan, to ask him why he was now taking over the training of her paralegal. She took another deep breath.
“Is this Logan MacKenzie from Revival? I wanted to see them in concert for so long, but all the US dates have been sold out for months. He’s great. They’re heading back to Europe though, I think next week, so there goes my chance till the next tour.” She sighed, gathering up the files and papers, finally heading toward the door.
“Thanks, Victoria.” Melody all but pushed the woman out of her office, closing the door behind her. She was angry at Ryan for so many things, but Victoria’s comment about the tour made Melody’s heart leap.
She could find Logan by his tour schedule. It was so simple, there right in front of her, but she’d been so overwhelmed by what had happened, by Ryan’s sudden and utterly unexpected appearance at her door the night before. By his almost delusional statements about wanting her, long before she’d become involved with Logan. It all made her sick to her stomach.
And then Logan was there in the open doorway, watching as Ryan held her, kissed her…touched her. She didn’t know how much Logan saw or heard, but it was enough to make him leave. Enough to not take her calls, to check out of his hotel without a word.
Melody sat behind her desk, clicking a few keys on her computer and doing a quick search for Revival’s schedule. She quickly found the band’s website. They were playing one more show in the States, tonight, in Boston.
“Damn…” Her calendar was booked with clients through the end of the day. There was no way she could get to Boston for the concert. And, as Victoria had said, it was sold out.
She scrolled further down the page. There were concerts listed in Europe, the first in London in just a few days, also listed as sold out. But there was one in Scotland, in Inverness the day after that, at what appeared to be like a small, local place. She clicked on the link and scanned quickly through the information, her heart racing. One more click, one more link and she found what she wanted. Yes!
She had a ticket to the concert. Now, I just need a flight…and to tell Ryan I’m taking off from work.
The flight proved to be costly but doable. She booked the flight for the day after next, and leaned back in her chair. She had no real plan other than to get to Inverness, but at least she knew she’d be in the same place as Logan. For the hundredth time that day, she dialed his cell phone. It went straight to voicemail and she left the same message she’d left so many times over the past twelve hours.
“Logan, please…please call me. I can explain. Please…”
There was nothing more she could do now, except face Ryan.
* * *
Ryan’s door was open and she knocked lightly. He was sitting at his desk, reading glasses perched on his nose, a file open on his desk. Glancing up, he regarded her a moment before closing the file. With deliberation he removed his glasses, briefly pinching the bridge of his nose.
“I’ll never get used to these things, I guess.” He smiled and rose, coming around his desk. “Come in. Please, have a seat.”
She stepped into his office. “I’d rather not sit. I’m not going to be here that long.” She tried to steady her breathing, but her heart raced and her hands were shaking. Get it under control, Melody.
“I’m taking some time off, soon. Starting tomorrow afternoon. I’m…I don’t know when I’ll be back. Maybe not for a week.”
<
br /> She knew she was treading on thin ice with Ryan. Even when their working relationship had been more stable, he’d required at least a week’s notice for time off. But now, with Logan leaving for Scotland at any moment, Melody was desperate. And she was angry enough with Ryan at this point to deal with however he reacted.
“Melody, you know you can’t take leave with such short notice, unless it’s an emergency.”
He walked toward her, reaching behind her to push the door closed. The sound of the door slamming was loud and she jumped.
“What’s gotten in to you? You’re jumpy, you’re rushing off to who knows where on a whim…I bet I know where you’re going…who you’re’ going after.” Ryan watched her a moment, hands clasped behind his back, moving slowly behind her. I’m the prey and he’s the lion.
He stopped behind her and she felt his hands come down on her shoulders. “I think there’s something you’re not telling me. And I want to know where you’re going.”
“Ryan. Take your hands off of me. Now.”
The stir of his breath on her neck as he spoke made her cringe. “Or? We’ve had this conversation before. You’ll go to Human Resources, you’ll file a complaint. I know…you’ve told me this. And I’ve said go ahead. Because no one will believe you. And now you’re being an insubordinate employee, by not following protocol. You’re being willfully disobedient. I could write you up, you know.”
His lips were suddenly on her neck and she jerked out of his grip, spinning around, anger fueling her movements.
But Ryan was watching her calmly, a smug smile on his face.
“Are you going to slap me again, Melody? I enjoyed your little outburst last night.” He moved closer. “And I liked the pain.”
“You’re sick, you know that?”
“As to your leave…”
“I’m taking it. I’ll be out of the office after lunch tomorrow. You can check with the new paralegal that you hired—I forget her name—if you need anything with my cases. Or Lori can help you. And you can write me up, if you want.”
Melody could hear the rising anger in her voice, but for once did nothing to lower her voice.
“There are things in my life you cannot control, and this is one of them.”
“You’re making an unwise choice, Melody. I’m sorry to see things heading in this direction.”
Ryan walked behind his desk and sat down, opening the file in front of him, adjusted his glasses. Without looking up he spoke.
“You’re granted leave…indefinite leave. Do what you think you must. Just know there are consequences facing you when you return.”
Melody’s hands were shaking as she opened the door. Lori was at her desk, looking up briefly as Melody walked past.
“Melody, about Victoria…” Lori swiveled in her chair as Melody hurried past.
“Later, Lori. Not now.”
She pushed open the stairwell door, walking one flight down before she stopped, sinking down on the top step. The last thing she wanted to do was anger Ryan further, but there was no way that she was going to let him stand between her and any chance she might have with Logan.
When her hands had stopped shaking and her trip-hammering heart had slowed, she finished the descent back to her floor.
Victoria flagged Melody down as soon as she came into view, waving an envelope. Melody detoured to Victoria’s desk, as the woman waved an envelope in the air.
“From Ashton’s attorney. I thought you’d want to see it right away.”
“Yes, thanks.” Melody ripped open the thick envelope, pulling out the creamy sheets of paper, scanning them quickly, a scowl creasing her forehead.
“Shit…they want to file a counterclaim. I thought this might happen.”
‘What are you going to do?” Victoria’s words were left behind as she walked away, still reading through the dense legal language on the papers. She disappeared into her office, closing the door behind her.
Melody tossed the papers on her desk, pacing the room in agitation. Logan MacKenzie was her client and she had a duty to him to deal with this counterclaim from Ashton, but there wasn’t time right now. Not if she wanted Logan back in her life.
Logan was the man she loved. The man who loved her…or at least he had. Maybe still did. But if she didn’t do something to somehow try to find him quickly, to make him listen to reason, she would surely lose him forever.
But if she neglected his case, her career would be on the line. This was a big case, the kind that people in her industry would deem ‘career changing’. It was big for her but also big for the firm.
The decision was hers alone to make: choose her career, or choose her love for Logan. And as she pondered what to do she realized that it was a simple decision after all.
* * *
Melody tried to sleep on the flight, but it was no use. Anxiety and uncertainty over what exactly she would do when she reached Scotland, much less what she would do when she finally tracked down Logan, made her restless. The interminable layovers, one in Paris and another in Amsterdam, almost drove her mad. She paced the airports from end to end, too tired to enjoy the architecture of either place, too keyed up to even eat.
Inverness was cold and raining, the sky low and heavy with gray clouds. She asked the taxi driver to take her a local shopping mall so she could grab something warmer. The light jacket that had been fine in New York was little protection against the elements, and she shivered as she stood on the narrow street. She ducked into the first shop that sold women’s clothing and bought a thick, wool sweater.
After finally being warm for the first time since she’d arrived, she started the confusing search for her hotel, walking along the narrow streets, asking for directions. By the time she’d found the small hotel, tucked at the end of a dead-end street, she was absolutely exhausted. Collapsing onto the lumpy bed in the tiny damp room, she tried once more in vain to sleep, dozing fitfully for a short time. But she was almost too tired to sleep and her stomach rumbled, reminding her of the many meals she’d missed since she’d left New York.
She finally made her way to the bar downstairs, only to find she’d missed the dinner service. Dejected, she slumped onto a bar stool. The man behind the bar gave her a sympathetic smile.
“But we’ll fix ye a plate of beans and bridie, with a drink on the house.”
The man poured her a drink, making polite conversation, while she waited for whatever a ‘bridie’ was. He asked what brought her to Inverness.
“I came to see Logan MacKenzie at the Iron Works.”
Saying his name out loud made Melody’s heart flutter and the flush that crept up her cheeks could have been from thinking of Logan or from the heat of the Scotch in the glass in front of her. Even with a splash of water, it was potent, although she was more prepared for the bite of the liquid on her tongue than she might have been otherwise.
“Aye, MacKenzie’s a local lad. A good lad, at that. Come back to do a special show, just for us. Added last minute, so I hear. You’re lucky you got tickets.” He went off to see to a customer at the far end of the bar.
I am lucky…I just hope my luck holds.
* * *
The day of the show dragged interminably for Melody. She’d escaped the confines of her bare room, walking up and down the narrow streets of Inverness, looking in the shop windows, finally walking far enough to discover Inverness Castle, perched on a short hill above the River Ness. The day was again cloudy and the castle looked gloomy and imposing, its squat eight-sided tower rising above the other buildings. Melody shivered in her new sweater and headed back to her hotel.
That night she took a taxi to the Iron Works, not trusting her ability to find it by walking, even though the man behind the bar had assured her that it was a short, easy walk. The look of the building surprised her. It was low and whitewashed, as so many buildings seemed to be. But it was much smaller than any venue she’d ever been to. Once inside though, it was larger than it appeared, but still cozy and welco
ming. Quite an unconventional venue for a rock concert, she thought.
A gigantic stone hearth at one end of the room held a huge roaring fire, its warmth wiping away the chill of the night. A simple stage was at the other end of the narrow room, raised slightly above the main floor, placing the audience very close to the performers, a very intimate arrangement. There were no huge amps or sound equipment on the stage and it occurred to Melody this must be an acoustic performance.
Her heart was racing as she made her way to the front of the seating area. There were small tables scattered around the room, and she sat with a group of people who happily shifted their chairs to include her at their table.
When the house lights went down and the stage lights came up, Melody held her breath. The drummer came out, settling himself behind his kit. The other two men picked up their guitars, strumming a few chords, talking quietly. There was a moment of silence that stretched on for a long time, with just the three of them on stage, and Melody wondered if Logan was actually going to perform with the group. The thought suddenly struck her that the band may have split up over the suit, that Logan might not even be here at all. As the crowd around her started to murmur, a wave of anxiety washed over her.
Then Logan walked on stage and Melody’s heart almost stopped, her breath catching in her throat. Even in this small space, he exuded charm and charisma, totally captivating the crowd without saying a word, with just with a smile.
But the smile didn’t quite reach his eyes. There was something missing tonight, a vital spark she’d come to know…and love. He looked the same; tall, handsome, sexy. A rock star in every sense of the word. But it wasn’t Logan, the Logan she’d come to know. He was playing a part, but not feeling it. Her heart ached for him, for the missing joy she wanted to see in his face.
He’d pulled a tall stool into the center of the stage and he perched on it, looking over the crowd for a moment. His eyes skimmed over the table where she sat, but there was no change in his expression. Either he didn’t see her, or – her heart sank at the thought – he had seen her. Slowly raising the microphone, he spoke.
Broken Melody (Rock With You #2) Rock Star Romance Page 1