Something didn’t feel right. Zeke should have been just as pissed about this as I was. I understood him being angry at me about last night, but this was something different.
“Whatever. We’ll talk about this later. We don’t have time to get into this, we can’t be late,” I said.
We piled into the van and made our way to the coffee shop two doors down from the theater. Café le Cerf was about as old and historic as the theater itself. We arrived a few minutes early and Lucy was already there, sitting at a table for two, busily typing on her phone.
Damn, she was gorgeous. I instantly regretted not standing my ground and meeting her alone. For some reason I didn’t want the ugly drama of my band to spill onto her. I didn’t want her to see even a glimpse of the man I was last night. I didn’t want to let her down.
There’s that feeling again. Why do I care so much about what she thinks of me?
Lucy glanced up from her phone, looking momentarily surprised and I ventured a guess it was because the entire band and our manager were moving toward her.
“Hi there, love,” Chas sang out, instantly laying on his schmoozing voice.
“Chas. Hello,” she replied pleasantly. “I didn’t realize the whole band would be here. I would have gotten a bigger table.” She stared directly at me when she said this.
Shit. I knew it. It was just supposed to be the two of us.
“But that’s great,” she continued. “Since I didn’t get the chance to meet everyone last night. How’s your eye, Bam?” she asked me sweetly, but was clearly taking a dig at me.
“It’s fine, thanks,” I said sheepishly, pulling my sunglasses a little tighter to my face. “Again, I’m really sorry about last night.”
Chas shot me a cold look.
“Mr. Nelson asked for another chance, so here we are. Let’s just move on and see if we can talk business,” Lucy said.
Chas forced his best attempt at a smile and I gave him a look that I’d hoped conveyed something along the lines of “eat a flaming bag of shit.” We moved to a slightly larger table in the corner, and crowded around it as Lucy started, “As you may have heard, RatHound has recently reformed, and is playing a six week tour this summer across the United States. Until last night, we were very interested in having Roses for Anna open for the band for the entire tour.”
“Well, we’re here to talk,” Chas said.
Lucy continued, ignoring him. “My father has seen you play and is sold on you guys. He feels like your band is the real deal and that’s very important to him.”
“It’s important to us as well, and we’re all huge RatHound fans,” Zeke said, sounding a bit too eager for my taste.
Back off you fucking animals.
Chas cut in again, “Well, we’d love to play the dates and would be happy to start reviewing the offer with our lawyers.”
“Let’s not get too ahead of ourselves, gentlemen,” she replied. “There’s an important factor to consider, and after last night, I’m not convinced you’re the right act for the bill.
“Did you see last night’s show?” Zeke asked. “Did you see the crowd’s response? Hear our music? We’re the perfect band for the bill.”
“I haven’t personally seen you play live yet, but honestly, my concerns are not about your music, or the popularity of the band,” she explained. “You guys are solid in those departments. I’m more concerned about the chaos factor.” She looked at me again. “Drugs and alcohol tore RatHound apart. The band members have each cleaned up over the years, and their shared sobriety has been the main reason they’ve reconnected. This tour will be completely dry, meaning no drugs or alcohol of any kind. This means nothing on stage, backstage, or on the RatHound busses.”
“That won’t be a problem,” Chas assured.
The other band members heads involuntarily snapped toward Chas. We were by no means the biggest “party band” in history, but we were no angels either. We were young, knew how to have a good time, and were not unfamiliar with heavy drinking and colorful women. Since the overdose death of our original guitarist, we had done a pretty good job of keeping drugs away from us, but a dry tour? I, myself, wasn’t convinced that every member of the band could or would be able to stick to those kinds of strict rules.
“After last night, I can’t be sure that your band won’t be a problem. My main role as RatHound’s new manager is to protect their well-being and guard their sobriety. I also need to make sure that whoever goes on the road with us won’t embarrass the band or bring on any bad press.”
I was starting to understand the position Lucy was in and why she had been putting on her best “business face.” Her father trusted her make decisions on behalf of a band that had been together for more than thirty years. He trusted her with their sobriety, and she did not want to let him down. She was clearly taking this new position very seriously, and for good reason. I had to get to know this woman. With every word she spoke, every moment that passed, I wanted more. More of her.
I took my glasses off in order to make eye contact with her, my hideous Rocky Balboa face be damned. “Miss Haddon,” I said as genuinely as possible. “We won’t let you down.”
“Mr. Chambers,” Lucy said to Chas, without taking her eyes off me. “I’d like to talk with Mr. Nelson alone for a moment.”
My jeans tightened uncomfortably behind my zipper. I prayed to God she wouldn’t ask me to get up and take a walk with her because my hard-on would have been fully visible. She probably already thought I was a creep, no need to confirm it.
“Alright lads, let’s take a walk and give these two ladies some privacy,” Chas said.
I hated Chas even more at that moment, but I was thankful I didn’t have to get up. I still managed to flash him a nice “fuck you, you fat sausage roll of a man” kind of smirk as he passed.
I moved over one seat, partly in order to readjust the pressure in my pants, but mostly to be closer to Lucy. I didn’t know what I was doing. I knew there was no way I could touch this woman―no way I could even go near this woman, but I also knew there was no way I could stay away from her.
“I didn’t realize you were bringing the entire band,” Lucy reiterated.
“Neither did I.”
A shadow of a smile crossed her lips and I relaxed a little.
“So you didn’t plan this,” she deduced.
“No.” I sighed. “Want to meet me for lunch later? Alone.”
“For what purpose?”
“To talk. Privately. We can hash things out without prying eyes… or ears.”
I watched her war with her emotions, transfixed. Everything she was thinking played out in the expressions on her face. Beautiful.
“I—”
“Before you say no,” I said.
“I wasn’t going to say no.”
“You weren’t?”
She shook her head. “I’ll meet you at Billy’s at one. It’s two blocks north of here.”
“I’ll be there.”
“Great.” She rose to her feet and sauntered out the door without a backward glance, leaving me sitting there, once again watching her delicious ass walk away.
Zeke stalked back to the table. “What the hell? Why did she leave?”
“She had a meeting,” I lied. “Don’t worry, we’ll see her tonight.”
“If you fuck this up―”
“I’m not gonna fuck anything up,” I hissed, and rose to my feet. “I’ll see you tonight.”
I walked out the door, uninterested in whatever else had crawled up my lead singer’s ass.
Bam
BILLY’S DINER WAS buzzing with activity. The usually pleasant sounds of clanking plates and cups, and muffled conversations were an assault on my flaming skull. I wished we were in a quieter place, not just because of my headache, but because I wanted to block out everything except the voice of Lucy Haddon. How the fuck this woman had gotten into my head was beyond me.
“Mr. Nelson.” Lucy’s voice was low and serious, but
I could hear tender nature under the surface. I swear I could taste the sweetness of her words as she spoke.
“Please call me Bam,” I rasped, looking directly into her chocolate brown eyes.
“Mr. Nelson, I’m not sure you and I should get that close―”
“That close? I’m asking you to call me by my name, not marry me,” I blurted out. Why did I say marry me? What the hell was wrong with me?
“What I mean”—she continued— “is that I’m not sure you and I will have many conversations after today. I wanted to speak with you alone because of the concerns I have about Roses for Anna.” She pinned me with a stare. “My biggest one is you.”
The way she looked at me made me feel like a little kid being scolded by a teacher. Despite this fact, I was irritatingly turned on. Then again, my eighth grade English teacher, Miss Abernathy yelled at me a lot and she was the subject of many school boy fantasies. I always thought it cruel that a bunch of horny teenage boys were asked to concentrate on the “Collected Works of Lord Percy Long Member” with Miss Abernathy’s killer tits fighting to free themselves from her tight sweaters.
“You’re a very talented musician, Mr. Nelson, and I respect the work you do, but it seems like your personal life might be interfering with your business life, which is no business of mine, of course, but I have to think about what’s best for RatHound. We can’t have your drama spilling into this tour. My father has trusted me to—”
“Miss Haddon… Lucy,” I interrupted, speaking as softly and as gently as I could. I could tell she was disappointed in having to deliver this news and I couldn’t stand to see her in pain any longer. “It’s okay, I understand. You don’t want to fail. You don’t want to let your father or his band down, and when you look at me, you see a tabloid headline waiting to happen. It’s a risk you can’t take. I’m a risk you can’t take. I get it. Thank you so much for your time.”
With that, I stood up, took her hand in mine and shook it softly, then turned to walk out. I had no idea what my next move was going to be. It was supposed to be me convincing Lucy to include the band on the tour and here I was walking out on her.
What the hell was I going to tell the band? All I knew for sure was I had no excuses for the crazy events of my recent life and didn’t want to hurt Lucy.
“Mr. Nelson, wait,” Lucy called out somewhat restrained, still seated. I continued to move toward the door, keeping her in my peripheral and smiled when she stood and said, “Bam.”
My heart stopped along with my footsteps. I spun around slowly on the heels of my boots, trying to keep my mouth from grinning in triumph. Hearing Lucy say my name, and now seeing her standing across the room, made me want to close the gap between us more than I had ever wanted anything in my life. At that moment, I didn’t care about the band, the tour, RatHound, Chas or anything else for that matter. I wanted to be with Lucy Haddon, and I wanted to hear her say my name every day.
“Yes, Lucy?” I challenged as I slowly walked toward her, trying not to appear too eager.
She waved her hand toward the seat across from her. “Please sit down.”
I did as instructed and she seemed to “reset” the conversation.
* * *
Lucy
I licked my lips and took a deep breath. Even with the nasty swelling and bruising on his face, Bam was one of the best looking men I’d ever seen.
“Mr. Nel—”
“Bam,” he interrupted.
“Bam,” I corrected. He shifted, leaning toward me and I studied him. He seemed so unbelievably sincere, but last night, he’d been a maniac.
“Lucy,” he said, his voice sending shockwaves to my nether regions.
I cleared my throat and collected my thoughts. “My father seems to think you’re the band for this tour.”
“He’s right.”
“Why is he right?” I challenged.
“Because our music is a perfect fit for RatHound’s, we bring an energy and talent that rivals theirs—”
“Conceited much?” I ground out.
“I’m stating facts, Lucy. I feel I can be honest with you.” He smiled… slowly. I swallowed… convulsively. “I feel as though you’re a straight shooter and I’m trying to be one as well.”
“Fair enough.” I mean, what else could I say? He wasn’t wrong. Roses for Anna was one of the best bands in the world. Even if you didn’t like their music (which would mean you were obviously an idiot, because they were amazing), no one ever disputed the level of talent.
“What you saw last night,” Bam continued, “wasn’t the norm. I don’t make a habit of brawling with my manager, regardless of how much I dislike him.”
This was interesting. From what I understood, Bam was very much at the helm of Roses for Anna, so I was surprised Chas was still around if he didn’t like him.
“I will personally guarantee no drama,” Bam finished.
“I’m not sure you have the power to guarantee that,” I countered.
“Fair enough,” he mimicked.
I smiled. I couldn’t help it. He was charming. “I’ll talk to Dad.”
“Yeah?”
I nodded. “Yeah,” I mimicked.
“Oh is that what I sound like?” He chuckled. “You’re funny, Lucy.”
“Thanks, Bam.” Why his compliment sent a wave of warmth through my body, I had no idea, but I needed to get a handle on his affect on me.
“Give me your phone,” he said.
“I’m sorry?”
He held his hand out. “Your phone. If you give it to me for thirty seconds, I’ll give you something in return. Sound fair?”
I slid it toward him and he texted something then handed it back. “You now have my personal cell. Text me when you talk to your dad.”
“Your number, is that all I get?” I teased.
“Actually, I have something else for you,” he said pulling a white envelope from his inside jacket pocket. “I would really like you to see us play tonight. Here’s a ticket and full-access pass. I’m sure you’d have no problem getting in, but I’d really love for you to watch us from the side of the stage.”
“Why is that? So you can show off for me?”
“No,” Bam said, in his best drop-dead-sexy tone. “So I can see you better.”
I shifted in my seat, willing my panties to stay on.
He continued, “We’re also having a very small family shindig after the show, just the band, our road crew, and our families. It’s very casual and nothing like last night. I’d love for you to join me.”
And I’d like you to take me to the nearest broom closet and do unspeakable things to my body, but perhaps neither is a great idea at this time.
“I’ll do my best to be at the show, and I’ll certainly keep you in the loop on our decision.” I tried hard to sound professional and emotionally unattached. I wondered if he could tell I wanted to crawl over the table and onto his lap.
He grinned. “Okay, Good.”
I pushed away from the table and rose to my feet. He did the same. “Thank you for your time, Mister… I mean, Bam.”
Bam leaned forward and kissed my cheek. “I’ll talk to you soon.”
I swallowed again and nodded, taking a slow, deep breath. Without another word, I left the diner and slid into the Town Car.
“Home, Miss Haddon?” Sully asked.
“No. Can you take me to Mom and Dad’s, please?”
“You bet.”
While Sully drove to my childhood home, I stared at Bam’s number now in my phone and thought about his kiss. I could still feel the scruff of his stubble as his lips touched my cheek. Gah! I needed to get a handle on this. I didn’t typically react to men like this. I’d only had a couple of boyfriends and only one serious relationship in my life. That was in college and we’d broken up two years ago. We were still friendly, but Brad had never affected me the way Bam did.
I must be stressed and probably needed more sleep. I’d deal with the tour stuff and then maybe head
to the beach for a couple of days. I’d been working nonstop for months… I needed a break. We pulled up to my parents’ home and I headed inside.
My childhood home in Medina could only be described as opulent… Bill Gates was a neighbor, after all. The ten-bedroom, twelve-bath home was over thirteen-thousand square feet and was on five acres overlooking the water. My father had his own recording studio built on the property and the home and area didn’t hide the fact we had money. The difference was, if you knew my parents, they were the most down to earth people on the planet and we were raised to respect everyone.
“Mom?” I called.
I heard her giggle and then my father’s deep laugh and I walked toward the sound. As I approached the family room, more giggles escaped and I paused. “You better not be naked!” I warned.
“It’s our house, baby girl,” Dad called back. “If I want your mom naked, she’ll be naked.”
I wrinkled my nose knowing this statement was unfortunately true.
“Rex,” she admonished. “Come in, Luce. We’re decent.”
I walked into the family room and found them sitting very close on the sofa. Mom rose to her feet and pulled me in for a hug. “How’s my girl?”
“I’m good, Mom.” I hugged her back. “Same as I was yesterday.”
Roxie MacDonald Haddon was big, blonde, and gloriously beautiful. She was bold in her personality and style, and she was adored by anyone who knew her… really knew her… which was hard to do. She was friendly, but she didn’t let a whole lot of people “in.”
She pulled away and cupped my face. “I don’t like that you moved away.”
“Ohmigod, Mom, I’m ten minutes from here.”
“I’d rather you be within shouting distance.”
Dad wrapped his arms around her waist from behind and grabbed her boobs.
“Rex!” she ground out at the same time I said, “Dad, gross, really?”
He laughed and kissed my mom’s neck, then hugged me. “How did the meeting go?”
I flopped onto the sofa and filled them in… leaving out the kiss and my attraction to Bam.
Broken Road (Limelight Series Book 1) Page 4