In Tune

by JN Welsh

  She left the giddy duo and found Luke talking with the sound crew. She fell into place next to him as they went through the normal routine.

  Sara and Sebastian sprinted toward them. Leona hoped their excitement was a sign of good news.

  Sara halted just short of Leona and jumped up and down. “The show is sold out.”

  Leona’s entire body relaxed from a week’s worth of anxiety.

  Luke pumped a fist. “Yes.”

  “We were supposed to tell them together,” Sebastian grumbled.

  “Oh damn. Sorry, Sebz.” Sara bit her lip.

  Sebastian shook his head in disbelief.

  Leona knew the accomplishment meant more to Luke than just selling out the venue. “You made history. That’s something to be very proud of.”

  “We made history,” Luke corrected.

  “Not only is it sold out,” Sebastian rushed on, “but we were able to activate the jumbo screen outside because of a permit Leona made us acquire during planning a few months ago. So, the fans that couldn’t get tickets can see some portions of the concert outside. With vending that’s almost two million in revenue at this location alone.”

  Luke faced her. “Very cool.”

  Leona’s job was to go above and beyond for her clients, but the way Luke beamed at her made her even more proud of her work. She sent a message to both Tommy and Abe with the news. “One down, two to go. Nice work, guys. We’ll make sure to celebrate with the crew. Let’s deliver a great show and then get ready for Vegas.”

  “And in classic Leo form, she’s on to the next goal,” Sara declared.

  Sebastian tilted his head. “Did you expect any less?”

  Sara half-smiled. “Never.”

  Leona studied Luke. “How are you feeling?”

  Luke scratched his chin. “I’m good. Just like I was an hour ago.”

  Leona chewed the inside of her lip. “I know I keep asking, but your work ethic is sick. I’m not sure you’d tell me if you weren’t feeling well.”

  “I’m fine, bab... Leona. Stop worrying.” Luke poked her with his elbow.

  Sara and Sebastian grinned like sentimental cartoon characters at their exchange.

  “Thanks, guys. I’ll catch up with you in a bit.” Leona again focused on finalizing everything for his set. “Let’s get back to work.”

  * * *

  When Luke got onstage that night, the roar of the crowd was deafening. Leona was glad he wore earplugs without complaint. The crowd’s love was overflowing and as true disciples of The Musical Prophet, Luke’s fans would follow him anywhere.

  Luke was energized, but by the later part of his show, his movements got smaller. Diesel was close by, as was extra security. Luke spoke to the crowd more, which they loved, and when he mentioned the fans outside, the fans roared so loud Leona thought the building would come down.

  At the end of the show Luke did his ceremonial front row pass, shaking as many outreached hands as possible. The fans screamed, cried, and tried to jump over the partition to get to him. Luke had crossed over, with solid footing, into full-on celebrity status. His life, here on out, would never be the same.

  Backstage, Luke changed and prepared to meet the press. Leona huddled on the sidelines but kept a close eye on Luke. With the recent surfacing of her picture with Paul she didn’t want the focus to be drawn away from Luke so she did what she did best and kept a low profile. Luckily, Luke’s fall was still the hot topic. She limited Luke’s time with the press so that he could “take it easy some more,” which put them ahead of schedule for their Las Vegas departure. Diesel carted Luke off to his bus and things were getting back to normal.

  Leona rode with her team to Las Vegas and though she worked on strategy for the Xcelsior meeting, she wanted to let her team leads know about the plans she had for the Epic Stadium in New York. Epic was the largest venue and Leona wanted to not only sell out the stadium but to also shut down the city. She wanted everyone talking about The Musical Prophet.

  Creative planning took up most of the trip to Las Vegas, and they were soon pulling into their hotel. The trio was on their way to their rooms when all three of their phones buzzed.

  “Interesting.” Sebastian noted the synchronicity and reached for his phone. “Must be a media alert.”

  Leona, too, reached for her phone as hers buzzed a second time. Both messages were from Tracy. Her heartbeat frequency increased. What has Paul done now?

  Tracy: We’re working on damage control. Let’s talk to discuss suggested legal action.

  Leona opened the attached image and didn’t see Paul, but Luke. Specifically, her and Luke outside of The Naked Café when she’d had her anxiety attack as Luke comforted her.

  The headline read: The Musical Prophet Scheduled to Cancel Upcoming Tour to Comfort Wounded Manager Leona Sable.

  * * *

  Leona had to call Luke but she was too busy trying to Zen-out, because her world was over. She didn’t have a Wiffle ball bat, so she used her arms to beat the shit out of the mattress in her room until she was exhausted and crying. She had been the biggest fool on the planet to believe that she could somehow have Luke in her life without any messy renderings.

  It was bad enough that she had to deal with Paul’s media nonsense but now she had to address the intimate photo of her and Luke, as well as damage-control the effect the headline could have on his tour sales, performances, and the goals in the contract. The avalanche just wouldn’t quit.

  She rubbed her left ear and sniffled. Breathe. Center. She tried her mantra. She should go to his room. She inquired with reception to see if Luke had checked in but his bus hadn’t arrived yet. Just call him. “I’m such a chicken shit.”

  She was about to call when her phone buzzed. Luke.

  She took a steadying breath and picked up.

  “You okay?” Luke asked before she could get any words out.

  “You saw the photo of us,” she said, her question more a confirming statement.

  “Yeah. Tommy called. Are you all right?” he asked again.

  “Yes,” she lied, and her small talk deflection was on point. “Is your bus here yet?”

  “We’re almost there.”

  “I’m so sorry, Luke. That time was...our time together was special and... This is because of the gallery, Paul thing.”

  “I’ll come by your room.”

  “No.” She wanted nothing more than Luke’s strong and warm arms but the exposure of their relationship was causing them pain. “We have to get ready for the Xcelsior meeting. You have to focus on that and be ready to divert any questions. We can’t afford to lose this deal.”

  “Let me come see you, Leona.”

  “So they can take more pictures?” Her facade cracked. “We’ll meet at the atrium outside the conference room as planned.”

  Luke was quiet and she wasn’t sure she wanted to be in his head and privy to his current thoughts. He’d asked her how she was doing but the headline kept floating through her head like a news ticker. The Musical Prophet to Cancel Tour...

  “We’ll talk,” she offered. “Please, Luke. Just get ready for the meeting.”

  “Okay,” he said at last.

  Leona prepared herself for the meeting and headed downstairs to the atrium. She was nervous to see Luke but when she saw Abraham Wallace she did her best to appear normal.

  “Whose bright idea was it to come to the desert in the middle of summer? Jeez! It’s like a rotisserie and I’m the chicken.”

  Leona kissed his sweaty cheek. She was relieved to see he still had some humor given the circumstances.

  “Honestly, Abe. I can’t believe you have on a full suit. It’s summer. In Vegas.” She tried to sound lighthearted but her head hurt like hell from the adrenaline and a rock sat in her chest.

  Abe continued to loosen buttons and take o
ff layers. “How are you holding up?”

  “You saw the media stuff?” She shifted from foot to foot and kept pulling her hand away from her left ear.

  “Of you and Paul, and of you and Luke? Yes. I gave Tracy the okay to give the team a heads-up.”

  Leona cringed. Abe reminded her that her colleagues had seen her and Luke and the exposure made her feel like she’d just streaked the lobby nude.

  “But we have bigger problems.”

  “More?”

  “Inside information has it that Christian and Paul are having production issues. If that doesn’t pan out, that agreement Paul made to offer us good press? Out the window. Paul’s been inferring that Luke has some influence on Christian. No doubt part of how the media became interested in Luke, and how this headline about you and Luke came about.”

  “When did this happen?”

  “The rumors have been percolating over the past day or so but when your headline hit...”

  Leona rubbed her left ear and her right. It had taken a half hour for her to get herself together enough to show up for the meeting. Now it all resurfaced again with more added on.

  Luke and Tommy approached from a side entrance and Leona couldn’t help but watch the handsome duo. Sucks that they’d both probably hate her by the time this headline ran its course.

  Luke got close, and Leona’s eyes widened in horror when he tried to embrace her. She backed up and Luke’s hands fisted at his sides.

  Tommy broke the awkward silence that hung between the four of them. “Good to see you, Abe.” The two men shook hands.

  “You, too, Tommy.” Abe turned to Luke. “Congratulations on selling out LA. I see things are...on schedule. How are you, Luke?”

  “Apparently, I’m cancelling all my shows,” Luke responded.

  The bitterness in his words strangled her heart.

  “Our team is working on having that headline retracted. We’ll take legal action, if necessary. Don’t worry, Luke,” Abe offered when she didn’t do her job as manager and put her client’s mind at ease.

  Tommy cleared his throat. “We should head inside.”

  Leona slowed Luke down to her pace. “Look, it’s obvious you’re upset.”

  “Upset? This media bullshit is threatening to ruin everything—”

  “I’ll fix it,” was all she could get past the constriction in her larynx.

  “Leona, I didn’t mean—”

  “No, it’s okay.” She plowed through for fear that she’d lose her shit right when she needed to keep it together the most. She summoned all her prowess as manager “We’re about to go into this meeting. I need you with me. We have to do this as a team. You ready?”

  His face reddened and he straightened. “I’m ready.”

  She was hurt, but she had to push her emotions aside. She turned “on,” determined to get Luke his residency at the Xcelsior Hotel.

  * * *

  He was losing her and there wasn’t a damn thing he could do about it. He’d seen how any mention of the media had shut her down. With the most recent headline broadcasting such an intimate moment, she would hide from him, even though she needed him the way he needed her.

  Despite the recent incident, they handled the bid meeting well. His success on the tour and the Los Angeles sellout was enough to have the owners seeing dollar signs. His team did their best to snuff the rumors, and Luke assured the owners that there was “no way in hell I’m cancelling my tour.” His popularity would pull in international crowds to the hotel. The Xcelsior owners would inform the team whether or not they got the bid in a few weeks.

  “I’m starving. Let’s get some lunch.” Tommy rubbed his stomach. “I hear the hotel has an excellent restaurant.”

  Luke started to withdraw. He wanted to talk to Leona and no temptation of food would deter him. Under the circumstances, he didn’t call her out directly. “I should get some rest and go over my set for tonight.”

  Tommy’s hangry gaze burned a hole through him. “Luke, it’s an hour. Abe’s in town. Plus, we should strategize given the recent activity. Let’s have lunch.”

  “He’s right,” came Leona’s solemn agreement, which further irritated him. He reluctantly agreed and stepped in line with Abe toward the restaurant.

  Luke vaguely heard the conversation over lunch. Abe and Tommy discussed some legal options and talked about scheduling time with their legal teams to coordinate strategies. All the while he focused on Leona, who, though sporting a tough exterior, was drowning inside.

  “Are we in breach of the addendum, given Luke and Leona’s rendezvous?”

  Luke glared hard at the man. “No.”

  “I’m just trying to cover all the bases, Luke,” Abe clarified.

  “For this matter, all anyone needs to know is that the last condition in the addendum doesn’t always apply.” Luke relaxed his grip on his napkin.

  “Ahh. Well, that’s a plus. We’ll get this train back on the right track. You have my word.” Abe forked a sliver of filet mignon into his mouth and Luke hoped it would shut the man up for a few seconds.

  “The train has always been on the right track. It’s the media that’s trying to derail us,” Luke said to Leona.

  Abe continued through his meal. “And we’ll do our best to rein them in. We’ve learned a lot since our last big media scandal.”

  Leona winced.

  Luke had had enough. He was wrapping this shit up. “Check please.”

  On their way back to their complimentary rooms at the hotel, Tommy and Abe split from them and he and Leona shared an elevator ride.

  “We have to talk about this.” Luke observed her and his heart was sore from the sadness she’d inadvertently allowed through. Her chest heaved. If she cried, he didn’t know if he could take that.

  “Yes, we do.” She didn’t complain when he bypassed her room and took her to his, which stressed him out.

  “Something to drink?” he asked.

  She shook her head.

  His heart cantered with uncertainty. “Please sit down, Leona.”

  “No, this won’t take long.” She leaned her butt against the desk by the far wall, creating even more distance. “This is what I feared would happen. They found us, exploited us, and on the same front Paul is attacking. Now your tour is coming into question and if we don’t stop the bleeding it will impact your ticket sales and your Xcelsior deal.”

  “Leona—”

  “Let me finish, Luke. You don’t understand. This will only get worse and you’ll hate me. I’m ruining your life.” She rubbed her ear. “I have already ruined your life.”

  He was getting more uncomfortable with this line of conversation with each second that passed. “What are you talking about?”

  “Paul.”

  He fumed. “It always seems to come back to Paul. The only thing I care about is that what he does hurts you.”

  “Everything that has happened between you and Ivy and your sound is because I didn’t speak up sooner.” She let out an even shakier breath than the one before. “People often wonder why Paul hasn’t had a hit in over a year.” She made the statement and waited for it to settle on Luke.

  “That’s when you left him. You were, what? His muse?”

  The corners of Leona’s mouth twitched.

  He could feel the intrigue wrinkling his forehead. “Leona? Did you give Paul your ideas?”

  Leona’s eyes glistened and she shook her head. “I wrote those songs.”

  A few seconds passed before the information processed. “You? You were the one?”

  She nodded. “In the beginning I thought I was helping him. If he needed money, I funded his projects. If he couldn’t find his creativity, then I did it for him. In the end, he just used me.”

  Luke squinted his eyes in disbelief. “Who else knew about this?”

/>   “Izzy, my brother, and more recently Tracy. The only reason I never told Abe was because Paul was on contract with Wallace Entertainment and I didn’t want him caught in the middle.”

  “Leona—”

  “Paul knew I was going to leave and had a lot to lose, so he humiliated and ruined me into silence. It worked. Because of my secrecy, you worked with Paul and he messed up your album, and then he stole your fiancée, and she fucked things up for your tour and your finances. If you’d never worked together then maybe things would be different for you. If only I’d said something. I’m so sorry, Luke.”

  Anger coursed through him and lit his whole body.

  “You deserved to know,” she whispered.

  “You said that most recently, you told Ruiz. Why?”

  “Because I wanted to see if I had enough evidence to sue Paul for writing credit and back royalties. She’s looking into it.”

  His palm rested on his hot forehead and he was still trying to digest what she was telling him. Leona had been the hit-maker that he, Christian, and many other artists had been seeking. His mind flew back to how upset she got being in his studio when he was recording Ariel. “Oh, Leona.”

  “I hope you understand now why we can’t be together.”

  “What? Wait. No, I don’t. Things feel supercharged right now because it’s fresh.” He stared at her like he was meeting a celebrity for the first time but this was his manager, his lover, and even if she didn’t know she was, a famous producer. “Leona, what we have—”

  “What we have, and this drama right here, will destroy us, Luke. It’s destroying us now. When Paul lied and bad-mouthed me throughout our networking circles and my reputation was called into question, my work and career suffered. While he relished in the media circus, my family suffered. My mother almost got into an accident ducking from the paparazzi and my father scrounged the entertainment shows searching for fake news about his daughter. When I was so scared that I couldn’t breathe, I suffered, Luke. It’s happening again and I can’t risk it all to—” Her voice broke. She gulped in air and her shoulders shook in silent sobs.

  He moved to caress her shoulders. “You can’t risk it all to love me.” The words were heavy in his mouth. She had been through more than he could ever fathom, and though they weren’t visible, her scars were deep. He squeezed her in his arms. Being with him was hurting her too much and he weighed which was worse—hurting her or being without her. Both killed him.