Finding her choice of the word groupies interesting, I played dumb. “Really? I hadn’t noticed. It was dark in there.”
“Yet you noticed me watching.”
“It’s hard to miss your auburn hair, Red.” I shrugged nonchalantly.
“Next time I’ll wear a hat.” She dug into the messenger bag that sat on the chair beside her. “Besides your concerns, I have a lot to go over with you. I laid out the cities I think you should hit on tour, and I came up with a few ideas on PR opportunities we should start scheduling.”
“Sounds like a plan.” I shoved the last bite of sandwich into my mouth and enjoyed how her eyes watched my mouth chew it with purpose.
“Are you done stuffing your face?”
“For now.” I crumpled the paper wrapper into a ball and tossed it on the tray. “Aren’t you going to eat the banana?”
“Why don’t you go ahead and eat it?” she replied with attitude, pulling out a planner, a thick file, and a few pens from her bag of tricks. Allowing my amusement to reveal itself, she ignored my chuckles.
I watched her align everything across the center of the table in a way that said Red had a touch of OCD, something we had in common. Only after she was satisfied that her tools were in order did she look up expectantly. “What?”
“To answer your question, I’d be happy to eat your treat,” I finally said, enjoying the pink hue that blossomed on her cheeks.
Chapter 8
Lori
“Can we get started, please?”
He gripped the back of his neck with a sheepish grin. His cognac eyes bounced between the paperwork I had spread on the table and my face. And it really wasn’t fair his eyelashes were practically longer than mine.
“Would now be a good time to tell you that I forgot my stuff at home?” Leaning back in his chair, he casually laid an ankle on his knee. Those damn worn jeans accentuated how long his legs were, and the snug fit of his dark-blue T-shirt did the same for his muscled torso.
“Cannon.” The sigh that followed his name caused him to merely shrug. “You are exhausting.” I tried not to scold him like a child, but it was hard to keep the reprimanding tone from my words.
“Sorry.” That sexy half smirk of his replaced the grin, making it clear he couldn’t have been that sorry. “I did find an attorney, though.” He threw that tidbit out at me like that would gain some brownie points. “My buddy Liam hooked me up with an entertainment lawyer he knows.”
“Great. Do you want to continue this after you meet with him? There’s no sense in…”
“No, I want your opinion,” he interrupted, “on whether my concerns are valid.”
“Well, your lawyer should be able to…”
“I’d rather run them by you first,” he insisted. My pulse started to race the longer he stared into my eyes. “Why don’t we move this to my place, and we can discuss them there?” What a line. When I raised a suspicious brow, he chuckled. “You asked me to trust you. Don’t you think you need to trust me too?”
He was right. I couldn’t very well avoid circumstances where we’d be alone. This was my job, my future. First and foremost, I needed to be sure he was comfortable with the terms and his amendments before we met with Louis in a few days.
While gathering my props, I conceded, “Fine.”
A few seconds later, I hooked my messenger bag over my arm.
My heart kick-started like a traitor when he stepped closer and removed the strap off my shoulder. “I got this.” The slight skim of his fingertips across my skin sent a jolt right through me. His warm breath hitting the side of my face created the urge to twist my head and steal a kiss. In the few seconds where we held that proximity, the charge between us was undeniable. And then he went and ruined it by saying, “Don’t forget your banana,” flipping the switch from lust to irritation in one fell swoop.
As he shoved the key in the lock, I stared at a faded spot on his shoulder blade in the knit of his navy T-shirt. Maybe it was a bleach stain or plain old wear and tear. Being eye level with it, the way the top of the splotch dipped in the center as the bottom came to a cockeyed point made it look like a dilapidated heart.
Pretty apropos to how I envisioned my own heart. Weirdly shaped, possibly damaged since birth, but weakened from life. I couldn’t even say love was at fault, because looking back now, I knew I’d never really found true love.
I had spent years pining over a friend I’d known practically my whole life. At the time, Matt was an up-and-coming musician, aka my sexy, alpha rock star number one. During that time, he’d wanted nothing to do with me, which led me to sexy, alpha rock star number two in hopes of making him jealous… enter Trey Taylor.
Trey and I had a great time. It was meant to be casual, but somewhere along our short history, I fell for him. It wasn’t his fault, and neither was the fact he ended it before heading out on tour.
It was right around then when Matt finally woke the hell up and noticed me as more than a friend. Coincidentally, I began representing his band, Cliffhangers, consisting of a few other guys I’d grown up with. They were talented, but unfortunately they no longer existed, mainly because the lead singer and I no longer existed as a couple. Things hadn’t worked out for us, or his band… because of us.
I liked to compare each of those relationships to a flower that had just begun to bud. The possibilities had all been aligned for it to bloom into something so very beautiful, but unforeseen circumstances had prevented the proper elements to nourish its growth.
My love for Matt had needed a touch more water… my love for Trey had needed a few more hours of sunlight… but in both situations, sustenance had fallen short.
It very well could be that I’d never find it. I came from that kind of stock—parents who divorced, leading to a mother who refused to ever marry again and a father who couldn’t keep it in his pants.
I never harped on the past and was the type of person who could move on hours after a challenge presented itself through failure. Whether by failing a test in school or by falling for the wrong guy, life was too short to fixate on the negative… or cower away from a challenge. Leila always said things happened for a reason. My reason had landed me in Southern California with a new life and a new purpose.
That new purpose pushed open his door and moved aside. “Come on in.”
I stepped into the apartment, immediately engulfed in his scent. On him, that clean fresh smell was always faint, and I was never clear if it was his laundry detergent or his soap. Now, standing in his apartment, that intoxicating fragrance hung in the air.
When he closed the door with a firm click, I jerked and quickly covered up my nerves by saying, “It’s different than I imagined.”
“You imagined my apartment?” he asked, directly behind me. “What else about me have you thought about?”
“Don’t flatter yourself. It was just before you opened the door.” Purposely avoiding him, I walked a few steps into the perfect square space that was half living room and half kitchen.
His apartment felt homey in the earth tones of his couch and cushions paired with wood furniture. Everything was in its place, there wasn’t a speck of dust anywhere, and, what was most surprising, the plants he had scattered around the room were real.
“What did you expect?” he prodded after I didn’t say anything.
“I assumed you’d be a slob.”
“Nope. Neat freak.” He laid my messenger bag on the table and dropped his keys on the counter behind him. “It’s a product of being raised by females.”
“Mom and grandma?”
“Mom and twin older sisters.” Motioning toward the one and only photo on the end table, he said, “They wouldn’t stand for stinky socks lying around or leaving the toilet seat up.”
I lifted the picture and studied it with a smile. Cannon towered over them, with his mother on one side and his sisters on the other. There were similarities in all their smiles, but he really didn’t look like them. The quartet stoo
d before a modest beige stucco ranch. Cannon wore another pair of worn jeans, work boots, and that scuffed-up leather jacket that looked like it could tell quite a tale.
My breath hitched when his voice came from directly behind me. “That was the day I left for LA.”
“Where was this taken?”
“Surprise, Arizona.”
The bond he had with the females in his life was obvious in their smiles, in the look on his face now. I wanted to know where his father was, what made him leave his family to travel to Los Angeles. Those questions seemed too personal at this stage in our relationship. So instead I replaced the frame on the table and added some distance between us.
“Drink?” he asked, shoving his hands deep into his pockets.
“Water would be great.” I watched as he walked away before retrieving a bottle of water from a smaller-than-average fridge. As he handed it to me, he asked, “Do you have siblings?”
“No. Only child. But my two best friends are like sisters to me.”
“Are they in California?”
“Jersey.”
“I assume you’re lonely too.” I remained silent as his eyes studied my face. Admitting to that would be like opening a can of worms, and experience had me keeping a brick on that lid to avoid the possibility from occurring. “Have a seat. I’ll be right back.” The couch being only two cushions wide forced me to choose to sit at the table.
After he disappeared down a short hall, I pulled out the contract and all the typed notes I had prepared. Cannon came back a few seconds later, carrying a packet of papers, and took the chair facing me. “So where do you want to start?”
“You mentioned you had some concerns with the contract.”
“Nothing major. I was wondering why your responsibility is listed as manager/agent.”
“Well, since you’re my only client at the moment, I felt it would be best if I handled as much as possible to allow you to concentrate on your music.”
“I appreciate that. So does that mean you’ll be joining me on tour?”
I hadn’t thought that part through yet. Jen never traveled with Devil’s Lair, instead meeting them in key cities or for important press events. Louis felt it could be a great learning experience for both Cannon and me if we traveled together… but that I kept to myself.
“I think for now I’ll just plan on being at the biggest cities and any radio or television interviews you’re booked on.”
“Why?” Thrown off guard, I fumbled a bit, giving him the opportunity to keep going. “You just said you’d be acting as manager and agent. Most managers travel with their clients.”
“You’re confusing regular managers with tour managers.”
“Not necessarily,” he interjected. “Many are one and the same.”
“Because they don’t have the financial backing of a huge record label. Under LRV, you will be assigned a specific tour manager. I’ll be the person who will oversee your team of booking agent, publicist, tour manager, equipment manager, and roadies. With my direction, they’ll all be working together to achieve your goals. You’ll meet them when we travel to Texas next week.”
“Regardless, I’d feel better if you were there… on the road.”
I couldn’t be sure if he truly had anxiety over touring or if this was just him playing me. “Why?”
“You said your loyalty was to me,” he stated as a fact. “I’m asking you to consider touring with me.” This was a challenge. I could feel it in his bold expression. A dare to give him the 100 percent I claimed I would.
His eyes slid down to my mouth, and he may as well have cupped a breast with the way my body responded. Sure that he could see the press of my knees beneath the worn oak table, I crossed my legs. He flicked his gaze to my foot, and when a new wave of fluttering took hold in the pit of my stomach, he made me regret the decision to wear flip-flops.
Dammit… I needed to be blind to his sexual magnetism. Sure, that valuable ingredient would make Cannon a superstar, but as far as I was concerned, it was nothing more than a mask, a facade, an act.
As he peered at me intently, I cleared my throat, pretending not to have been affected. “We have time to discuss this. For now, let’s concentrate on the contract in its entirety. Are there any concerns with scheduling, salary, benefits, or insurance details?”
“Not that I can see. Maybe after I meet with my attorney. Depending on dates, I may have to work around a wedding. One of my sisters is getting engaged soon. Her boyfriend asked me for her hand a few months ago. He’s just waiting for the right moment to pop the question.” Knowing his sisters were older than him, that tidbit spoke volumes toward the level of his maturity. Cannon must have taken on a role as being the man of the house seriously.
“That’s not a problem. Anything else?”
“I had originally planned to call my mom and fill her in on my news, but I thought better of it and decided to make a trip home for a few days. When did you plan for us to leave for Texas?”
“I booked the corporate jet next Monday morning, returning us to LA the next day.”
“Never been on one.”
“A private jet?”
“An airplane.” And in one fell swoop, his admission revealed just how sheltered he’d been.
Chapter 9
Cannon
I hadn’t heard from her since the day we’d met at the coffee shop. Really, I wasn’t sure if that was normal or not. Until I was officially signed, there wasn’t much to discuss. That had me wondering: After our trip to Texas, would she be with me every day in the studio while I recorded? Would she accompany me to gigs, deflecting fans? I had no clue how any of this worked—or would work with Lori.
Except for gas and bathroom breaks, the almost seven-hour drive to Surprise was a blur. Sure, I’d made the trip over the last year enough times to kick my subconscious into autopilot. But it wasn’t until I had hit the center of town that I realized I had no recollection of anything along the way. The entire time all I’d thought about was my meeting with Lori and all the possibilities that dangled within my reach.
Okay, maybe that wasn’t all I’d thought about.
I also had this insane visual of her beaming at me as I accepted my first award while uttering words of thanks and adoration to the redhead who changed my life.
Seriously… what the fuck was that?
The daydreams didn’t end there. I imagined her coming on tour and living on my bus… damn, it made me fucking hard just thinking about it. Shit, I really needed to rein it in. Nothing good could come of me lusting over my agent.
While home, I needed to concentrate on the contract and how much my life was about to change. I also needed to stay rooted while keeping what was most important in my heart.
My family.
Nothing could stop the smile that spread at seeing my house as I pulled into the driveway. The moment I slammed my truck door shut, my mother came running out the front door. “Cannon!” A chuckle escaped when I watched her charge toward me at warp speed to fling herself into my arms.
“Hey, Mom,” I said as she clutched my waist in a death grip. For such a tiny person, she was freakishly strong.
“I missed you so much.”
“Me too.” After rocking our bodies back and forth, she stepped back, took my hands, and spread our arms out. This was her way of taking inventory, from the top of my hair to my work boots, something she did each time I visited. “Why do you look tired, thinner, and in need of a haircut?”
I rolled my eyes and kissed her cheek. “I’m not tired, I weigh exactly the same, and I just got it cut.”
Ignoring me, she moved on to the next predictable question. “How long are you staying?”
“A few days.” And like always, she didn’t even bother to hide her disappointment. “You know… if you moved to California…”
“I’ll never give up on Surprise,” she said, cutting me off with another expected response. Since the day we’d arrived, Mom has had a love affair going
with the town where I grew up. She felt she owed a lot to the place she’d settled us in. Surprise had allowed her to be herself, given us all a safe haven, and surrounded us with good, hard-working people… exactly the type of person my mother was.
Erica Davis was a force to be reckoned with. After my deadbeat asshole of a dad took off, it had taken a full year before she’d snapped out of her state of denial. Having been too young to know any of it, this was all retold to me years later by my sisters. Like a switch being flipped on, once clarity finally hit, Mom had our names legally changed to her maiden name. She’d then sold the house and moved us to Surprise, after having researched that it was a great place to raise a family.
By day she’d been a seamstress for a tailor in town, but by night she’d taken courses to get a degree in business. Even while she’d gone a mile a minute for a good eighteen hours a day, she’d always found time to make us wholesome meals or ensure our clothes were clean and pressed. Once they got older, my sisters had picked up some of the slack so Mom could concentrate on her studies, and I had learned quickly how to act like the man of the house.
Ten years after arriving in Surprise, she had converted the garage and opened up her own tailor shop while never looking back. Mom had landed the mayor’s daughter as a customer. That wedding dress had been the start of a booming business. Most of it came from other brides-to-be also wanting a gown customized for their special day. My mother was very talented, and customers now came from across the state to hire her.
Having her business at home meant Mom was always there for my sisters and me when we needed her. Her success had given her the ability to send us each to school, put a small extension on the back of the house for the day when grandkids would arrive, and take a weekend or two for herself at the spa she adored in Glendale.
While Mom found her calling, during my high school years I guess I’d found mine in music. My guitar and my vivid imagination had revealed a talent, one I often think might not have been unleashed were it not for my father abandoning us.
Liner Notes Page 6