Aftershock (13 page)

No, he hadn’t called her after Saturday night because the power of what he felt for her scared the shit out of him. But five days without seeing her or hearing her voice and five nights of the most erotic dreams he’d ever had, taught him that he couldn’t just walk away from this. All the way to the meeting today he’d argued with himself, trying to talk himself out of what he wanted to do. And sitting with her, working, pretending there was nothing between them, was one of the hardest things he’d ever done.

It made him realize, however, he couldn’t turn his back on what was happening with Sydney, the feelings growing between them no matter how scary it seemed. He felt better, though, at the knowledge she was as insecure about it as he was. Who knew Sydney Attitude Alexander shared his self-doubts.

He’d played by all the rules to get this far, worked his ass off, and given all of himself to the band. Stayed away from the groupies, or any kind of possible relationship that could knock him off course. Then, just when he least expected it, here it came, turning his life upside down.

Okay, they’d keep their situation under wraps like she wanted. The more he thought about it, the more he realized how smart that was. They could do it. They were both adults. Neither of them wanted to detract from the launch of the band. If anyone noticed what was cooking between them it would be Marc, and he could handle his friend.

Right?

As he sat there sorting through his feelings, his cell phone rang. The readout showed Butch Meredith’s name.

Great. He better get his head together before he answered.

“Hey, Butch!”

“I just wanted to touch base with you,” Butch said. “You met with Sydney Alexander again?”

“Yes, just now.” He was careful not to let his voice give anything away.

“How are things going? She taking good care of you?”

More than you can begin to imagine
.

“Yes. We had a great meeting. We reviewed the stuff for the media event. I signed off on the revised logo so we’re good to go with merchandise.”

“Excellent.” Butch’s voice was warm with satisfaction. “And the prep for the media?”

“We went over it a little but we’ll meet a few more times before the big day.”

“Okay.” Butch paused. “I know this is her first solo gig, but Linc Forrester and I discussed it at length. She’s been a great second for the past few years. I know he wouldn’t let her fly alone if he didn’t think she was ready.”

Rick hesitated before making his next comment. It was the one thing that had plagued him from the beginning, the one thing that could interfere with his personal feelings for her. “Maybe he thinks if she makes a mistake it won’t have as much effect with an unknown like Lightnin’.”

“Linc knows better, so get that out of your head.” The words had a hard edge to them. “Full Moon handles the public relations for my other clients. They’ve done a damn good job, but they know if they screw up, I’ll move my entire client list to someone else.”

A weight lifted from Rick’s chest. All right, then. Good to go. She had the backing of the agency and Butch’s confidence. And she had him, even if they wanted to keep it to themselves.

“Sorry,” he said. “I had to get it out there.”

“And I understand.” Butch’s voice sounded more relaxed. “But I’ve got it covered. Trust me. Now, how are the rehearsals coming? You guys ready to hit the studio yet?”

Rick felt a thread of excitement curl in his stomach. “For real?”

“It’s time. The tour kicks off in three weeks, and we want to get the single out ahead of it. I’d like to do ‘Music Lady,’ if that works for you
.
I know it’s not one you yourself wrote—”

“No, that’s fine,” Rick broke in. “Marc will be thrilled.” And Emma, too.

“I’d like you to talk to him and Emma and ask them if they mind including their story in the promo stuff. It’s a real hook and the fans will eat it up.”

“I’m pretty sure they’ll be fine with that. Great, even.” He let out a breath. “Wow! So it’s really happening.”

Butch chuckled. “I’ll have Linc pass the word to Sydney. I’d like her to interview the two of them and maybe rehearse them a little for the questions they’ll get.” He paused. “I don’t typically like to put someone’s personal life on display like that. It’s not my style.”

“They don’t mind sharing,” Rick assured him. “I’ll talk to them first.”

“Good. Then if you think you’ve got the song down pat I’ll schedule the studio time.”

“Oh, we’re set.” He grinned, even though Butch couldn’t see him. “Absolutely.”

“I’ll get back to you with the info. Hopefully later today.”

After disconnecting, Rick just sat there holding his cell. The dream was here. At last. They’d be in a top studio with engineers used to recording hit songs. People who would know what to do with Lightnin’s sound. And “Music Lady” had such a good backstory. Butch was right.

He grinned as he punched Sydney’s number into his cell phone.

“Am I overstepping if I say you must miss me already?” He could hear the smile in her voice. “I’m not even home yet and here you are.”

“Because I’ve got great news and you’re the first one I wanted to share it with.”

“No kidding? Tell me, tell me.”

“Butch called. We’re going into the studio to record ‘Music Lady.’ He’s setting it up even as we speak.”

“Ohmigod!” she screamed. “Let me pull over before I have an accident.”

“Definitely don’t wreck yourself,” he told her.

“Okay, I’m set. Now give me all the details.”

He repeated everything Butch had said then promised he’d keep her in the loop. “But I’m sure you’ll get the word as soon as the date is set. You’ll include it in your media plan, right?”

“Oh, of course.” Excitement crackled in her voice. “Oh, Rick. This is great. The record can release before the tour. What great timing.”

“Thank Butch for that. The man obviously knows what he’s doing.”

“What did the guys say?”

He laughed again. “I haven’t told them yet.”

“You called me first?” There was a pause. “You have no idea how much that means to me.”

“Yeah, I think I do.” A warm sensation crept through his own body. “Listen, we’ll probably get together for pizza and something to celebrate. Want to join us?”

Another pause. “Um, I’d really love to, but I think maybe that’s not the best move.”

“Sydney, people will see us together. Hell, we’re working together.”

“But this is a little more personal. I’ll pass this time.”

“Okay,” he agreed at last. “But I’ll call you afterward.”

“Absolutely.”

He disconnected the call, her soft words echoing in his brain. Just the sound of her voice did funny things to him. He sat for a long moment, running everything through his brain. She was probably right. Marc and Emma would give them the eagle eye and everything they did would elicit some kind of comment. He wanted to wait until this thing between him and Sydney was more settled, not quite so new. When they could control it better around other people.

Time to make his calls. The band, first and foremost. Then his family. He needed to talk to Marc and Emma about their part in the upcoming media blitz so they could be prepared. Then he had to fill in Danny and Garrett Sydney’s timetable. But first things first. Studio time. Swallowing the last of his coffee, he hit the button for Marc’s number.

Sydney rose before the sun on the day of the big event. She’d had a restless night, tossed and turned, dozing in brief snatches. At five o’clock, she gave up and got out of bed.

She dressed with great care, determined to present just the right image. Part of the scene, but businesslike, yet not too uptight. She didn’t think jeans and a Lightnin’ T-shirt would have been appropriate, although later in the tour it might serve a good purpose. Instead she chose black slacks and a magenta silk T-shirt that brought out the color in her cheeks. Her hair was pulled back in a wide gold clip as usual and earrings resembling tiny lightning bolts dangled from her ears. Okay, so that part was hokey. She was allowed a little, right? And she’d been so excited when she found them, she’d also bought a pair for Emma. The woman had thanked her profusely, excitement shining in her eyes.

At seven she was at the office to check the boxes headed for the restaurant and go over her list yet again.

“Music Lady” was in the can, and everyone felt pretty damn good about it, especially Butch. The previous week, she’d taken time for a long visit with Marc and Emma, making sure they understood what a media feast the story would be, but they were cool with it. And everyone saw it as a chance to “personalize” the band. Take it into the public’s homes and hearts, so to speak. They’d find out today if they were right.

Renee Fischer, Linc’s administrative assistant, laughed when they met in the break room.

“I thought Linc was the only one who slept here.” She chuckled. “Took me years to break him of the habit.”

“I just want to make sure today goes off without a hitch,” Sydney told her as she took a sip of the hot brew.

“It will, sweetie.” Renee gave her a hug. “Everyone is rooting for you, Syd. You’ve been with us longer than some of the senior agents. You’re a member of the family. And we know you’ll knock ’em dead today.”

“Oh, God, Renee. Thank you so much.” The confidence they had in her was overwhelming. She had to take a deep breath to compose herself.

“Hey, don’t start crying.” Renee chuckled. “It ruins the mascara.”

Sydney hiccupped. “I’ll keep that in mind.”

Of course, that wasn’t the only reason she hadn’t slept well. Since the night she and Rick were together, her dreams had been filled with erotic fantasies about him. About the two of them. Dreams that had her waking up breathing hard and covered with perspiration, often with her hand between her thighs to ease the aching need.

That one night had been nothing short of combustible, the attraction a living thing between them. She hadn’t been able to say no to him about anything, nor had she wanted to. She could still feel the touch of his hands on her body, his mouth on her skin everyplace. The orgasm that rocked her world.

His touch was still imprinted on her skin and even though she’d changed her sheets, she could swear his very male scent still lingered in her bedroom. No amount of discipline managed to erase him from her brain.

Not that she wanted to. Not after their talk at Coffee and More. A week of insecurity had almost made her walk away from him so it shocked her to find out he had self-doubts just like hers.

Since then they’d spoken every day, even if just for a few minutes. And every night he texted her
Good Night.

She was pretty sure no one in the band caught any vibes from the two of them. Oh, maybe Marc. They’d been friends since they were fourteen. But he wouldn’t say anything unless he thought the situation was somehow harming the band. And Sydney wasn’t about to let that happen. This was too important to them.

She was more worried about providing fodder for the gossip sheets. The industry was rife with it and too often lies and truth blended together. She didn’t want that for Lightnin’ or herself.

This was her big shot at the top as well as theirs. Her chance to satisfy the need of that scared little girl battered by Janine’s constant vitriolic tirades.

She swallowed a sigh, hoping she’d made the right decision as far as Rick was concerned. She had to work hard to block out Janine’s bitter voice that always lurked in the back of her mind, like some vicious counterpoint, telling her she’d made a huge mistake. That he’d disappoint her. Meet some other woman on the tour and she’d be history. She managed to forcefully squelch that voice most of the time. Talking to Rick every day and seeing him now and then always reinforced her feelings.

Today, especially, she’d have to be very careful not to give anything away. The sharks and hyenas would be looking for anything they could use to feed the rumor mill. The night before, she and Rick had talked at length on the phone about being on guard regarding their own situation. They would both be vigilant today. She hoped it worked.

Linc stopped by her office to brief her on some of the people who’d be at the event. Those who were key to the success of her plan. The ones she’d have a hard time with. And who to be on guard about. He made mention of a couple she should pay careful attention to, but she already had them on her “watch” list.

“Be careful of Macey Shreiner,” he told her. “She had some lucky breaks when she started her blog and wrote her first columns. Now the industry thinks she’s a kingmaker.”

Sydney shrugged. “She’s no worse than some of the others we talked about.”

“Yes, she is. Macey’s a man-eater. If you rub her the wrong way, she can make a lot of trouble for you, all in the guise of reporting the entertainment news. Be careful, Sydney.”

“I’ll remember that.”

“Good, because I have big plans for you.”

Macey Shreiner. The woman was no stranger to the scene. Sydney had seen her at many other media meets. She wielded a lot of power, not just as a columnist for
Make Mine Music
magazine but also with a blog whose followers numbered in the millions. Every newspaper of note followed it to pick up morsels she scattered and to take the temperature of the scene. She could make or break a performer. She was also one of the most predatory females Sydney had ever seen. Her exploits were legendary, only tolerated because of the power she held.

She put a star next to the woman’s name so she wouldn’t forget to be on guard. Linc was right about the man-eater part. Stories of Macey’s affairs with musicians were scattered over a lot of landscapes, as well as tidbits about the people who got in her way who she destroyed.

Sydney knew there was a reason she’d disliked the woman on sight.

No problem, though. She didn’t plan to do anything to piss her off.

Now she took one last look around Le Bistro’s large banquet room, the one she’d reserved for today. Another half hour and it would be full. She’d place placed a folder embossed with the Lightnin’ logo on each chair in the long rows set up for the occasion. Inside was the bio sheet on the band she’d put together as well as the list of tour dates and the background on “Music Lady.”