Aftershock (16 page)

Macey aside, he had the distinct feeling something was bugging Sydney, and he was pretty sure it wasn’t him. This thing with Sydney was so strange to him and new, he hadn’t yet figured out how to read her emotions. She had said one of these times they’d have to tell each other their life stories but he wondered if she’d let out all her hidden secrets. Give him a clue as to what drove her in this business and what made her so uncertain about relationships.

Maybe Emma had an idea what it was. She and Sydney had hit it off. Marc had even mentioned at rehearsal he’d urged Emma to call her, maybe have coffee with her.

Wound up in his own thoughts, he forgot to watch where he walked and bumped into Marc, standing just inside the doorway.

“Whoa!” Marc chuckled. “Didn’t your mother tell you to pay attention to where you put your feet?”

Rick held up his hands. “Sorry. Just…thinking about stuff.”

“Yeah?” Marc studied his face. “Should I take a guess at what this ‘stuff’ is?”

“No. Don’t worry. Everything’s fine.”

“Yeah? Then how come—”

“Hey. Sorry I took so long.” Butch hustled into the room, interrupting whatever Marc planned to say.

For which Rick was grateful.

“Hey, Butch.” He managed a smile. “What’s your real take on how it went in there today?”

“Better than I hoped.” The manager grinned at everyone. “Tomorrow you’ll wake up to a lot of buzz about the band. I mean
a lot
. Even more than I expected.” He looked at each of them in turn. “You did good up there today. Every one of you. You guys have sharpened your sound and you handle yourselves well. I don’t like to make promises I can’t keep, but I have a very good feeling about this tour.”

“We won’t let you down,” Rick told him. “We appreciate the faith you have in us and the commitment you’ve made. All the work that’s gone into this.”

“I think a lot of the credit has to go to Sydney Alexander.” Again he looked at each of them. “Syd’s been with Full Moon for eight years, cut her teeth with some of their toughest clients. She’s making this happen for you. Don’t ever forget that.”

“But if you hadn’t signed us, none of this would be going on,” Danny put in.

“And I signed you because I know you have what it takes.” Butch shoved his hands in his pockets. “I know you’ve done all your own equipment handling and relied on the clubs where you play to handle the sound for you. That changes now.”

“Because we’re not in a club anymore.” Danny nodded.

“Right. The tour starts in ten days. The song will hit the airwaves and be up for downloads two days before that. I want one more session at the theater then we’ll change the rehearsal site.” He turned to Rick again. “Tomorrow I’m sending a couple of guys to your rehearsal. Mickey Farentino and Gordo Herman. Mickey will be your road manager. He’s one of the best in the business.” He grinned. “I stole him back from another band. A story for some late night chatter. Ditto for Gordo, for your sound. I assume you all know how having a road crew works?”

Rick nodded. “Yeah, of course we do. Not that we’ve ever been able to afford one.”

“These guys know what they’re doing,” Butch assured him. “They’ll come to the rehearsal, listen to you, get camera shots of all your equipment, and make up a list. You’ll use Deep Blue River’s sound equipment at the concerts, but Gordo is assigned exclusively to you.”

“If he hasn’t worked with us before, how will he know the best way to mix us?” Marc wanted to know.

“That’s why we’ll change the location. Tomorrow, Gordo will listen to you at the theater and make notes while Mickey familiarizes himself with your equipment. The day after that, he’ll show up with a crew to move everything to where Deep Blue River is practicing. They’ll get you set up and you’ll have a week for him to work with you before we break it down.”

“Do we need to get a truck?” Garrett asked.

Butch grinned. “That’s what your road manager does. He’ll take care of everything. He’s got the tour dates, so he’ll handle all your hotel reservations, too. You just have to show up where he tells you to.”

Danny grinned. “Like having our own personal assistant.”

“He’s a lot more than that,” Rick pointed out. “He can make or break the tour so we better be sure to treat him good. And pay attention.”

Butch scrolled through some notes on his phone. “I thought about a bus for this tour, but we’ll go with a luxury van. Comfortable for traveling and, with a fairly short tour, I think it will work the best. So one of the guys will drive the van and another one will drive the truck. Mickey will probably ride with you. Listen to everything he says and you won’t go wrong.”

Rick cleared his throat. “I want you to know how much we appreciate all this.”

“You’ll earn it.” Butch nodded solemnly. “Let’s talk about merchandise. The same crew that handles sales at concerts for Deep Blue River will handle yours. But I always give the band an accounting after each stop. The numbers help me analyze the impact on the crowd. Plus you get a percentage of gross.”

Rick had been surprised to see that in the contract. He’d figured they’d have to prove themselves before they got to that point.

“Mickey will schedule your soundchecks,” Butch continued, “so you and the River don’t conflict. You need anything, he’s your go-to guy.” He made another note then put his phone away. “Sydney Alexander will travel with us to handle the media at every stop.”

Rick stiffened and didn’t realize he’d made some strange sound until Butch looked up from his phone.

“That a problem, Rick? I thought the two of you fixed whatever needed fixin’.”

“Yes. We’re fine. No problem.” The problem belonged to him and his dick. And an emotion that he had yet to put a name to. Working with her every day would put a strain on his self-discipline—on hers, too, he was sure—but somehow they’d manage. They had to. Because it was clear to him now he didn’t plan to give up either her or the band.

“Good. Okay. She’ll be by tomorrow to go over the rest of her plan with you. Other than that, we’re good. Oh.” He snapped his fingers. “One more thing. Mickey’s got cash for you so you guys will have some pocket money. Rooms and meals will be paid for with a credit card or billed to me, but you should have walking-around money. And don’t worry.” He grinned. “It comes out of your income. I may be kind, but not stupid.”

He shook hands with each of them then left.

“Wow!” Emma looked at them wide-eyed from the from the now-cleared lunch table where she sat. “It’s really happening, guys.”

“You coming along for the ride, Emma?” Danny wanted to know. “We can make room for you in the van, right, Rick?”

“I wish.”

“She can’t give up her day job just yet,” Marc told them.

Everyone knew how meeting Marc had turned Emma’s life around for her. She was still working for a textbook publisher editing manuscripts, but her real dream was to be a published romance author. Marc encouraged her to move forward with it. Now her first completed and polished manuscript was with an editor and they were waiting for a yes or no. Even if she was contracted, she’d need a few under her belt before quitting.

“We hope our share of the income from the tour, the record sales, and the merchandise will be enough to offset the loss of her salary,” he added. “We’ll see how it goes.”

“But I’ll be there for the weekend dates,” she assured them. “We’ve been saving for plane fare.”

Rick hated to admit how envious he was when he looked at the two of them. Marc was his best friend. Had been for years. He was delighted the two had found each other and wished them happiness. It was just…. That’s what he wanted with Sydney. God, could It really happen for them?

All the other women he’d met had been easy to walk away from, some more so than others. Not that he just tossed them aside. He was better than that. His mother and sister had taught him respect for women. But they knew the score from the beginning and they were fine with a temporary situation that had no future.

But if he looked at the truth, he’d never had the depth of feeling for any of them that he had for Sydney Alexander. He still had no idea where the hell it came from, out of the blue, when he was so determined not to let stuff like this complicate his life. One minute they were at each other’s throats, the next tearing their clothes off and burning up the sheets. And imprinting themselves on each other.

He’d have to hold his shit together. He had a responsibility to the band, as he reminded himself one more time. But Jesus! How did he stop wanting her? Needing her? And not let anyone know about it.

“I can’t believe how the media ate it up today,” Danny said. “I mean, they weren’t just being polite.”

Rick laughed. “Don’t get too full of yourself yet, Danny Boy. We haven’t even heard the starter’s gun yet.”

“The T-shirts really were killer,” Garrett commented. “Super smart of Sydney to have us wear them.”

“It was a good idea,” he agreed. “I know in the beginning I gave her a hard time about some of the stuff she wanted. But things have turned out well, and we’ve found common ground.”

Marc lifted an eyebrow. A grin teased one corner of his mouth. “Yeah?”

“Yeah. We’ve figured out an easy give and take here. She worked her ass off to make today a success and we need to recognize that. Give her credit, you know?”

“Oh, yeah.” Marc had a devilish glint in his eyes. “We sure do. Common ground.”

Rick just shook his head. He’d talk to Marc later.

“Okay,” he told the band. “Tomorrow, same time as usual. If you’ve got any questions for the road manager or sound guy, write them down so we look organized. We don’t want anything to slip through the cracks. Meanwhile, we rocked it, so go home or go out and enjoy the day.”

They all walked out to the parking lot together. Rick lagged behind the others. He knew he should leave but for some reason his feet wouldn’t take him to his car. Was he waiting to see if Sydney was still here? How dumb was that?

Get out of here, idiot. She’s long gone.

But maybe we can wait until everyone’s left and then—

And then nothing. Be smart. Go home. Call her
.

He was a mass of conflicting emotions. A relationship bordering on deep was so new to him, especially one that had raced full tilt out of the gate. But Jesus! She just did it to him. Inside and out. On the one hand he wanted everyone to know this smart sexy woman was his. Had chosen to be with him. On the other he could appreciate her point of view, especially after the episode with Macey Whatever.

Meanwhile, he couldn’t spend the rest of the day standing in the parking lot.

He unlocked his pickup and climbed into the cab, shoved the key into the ignition. Then he leaned back in his seat and drew in a long breath. Stupid jerk that he was, he hadn’t washed the truck since the night Sydney rode in it and it still held faint traces of her scent.

He closed his eyes and visualized her as she was today, the cool professional. So smart. So sharp. Herding the chicks, as it were, so they all got fed, and doing it so well. In the midst of the controlled chaos he’d had to admire how smoothly she handled everything. Even that hungry bitch Macey Whoever.
Thank you, Sydney, for taking care of that.
No way was he going to be alone with that female.

Sydney was the first woman he’d ever met who could get both his cock and his heart in a twist. He wanted to call her and ask if he could come over. Celebrate with her. Have some awesome sex! But he had promised his family a blow by blow and he knew they hoped he’d come by for dinner.

But later, afterward, he’d give her a call and listen to her warm voice. And imagine her naked in his arms. At least they could have that.

***

Sydney leaned back in her chair and stretched out her arms, twisting to work the kinks out of her neck and back. A smart woman would be out celebrating today’s success with friends at a familiar bar, toasting the event and praising the band. Of course, Sydney had no friends—pause to allow one short pity party—because she’d spent her entire adult life, from her freshman year in college, focused on only one thing—success. Achievement, to show her aunt she could rise to the top of her chosen profession, one Janine scorned as a “puff job.” There hadn’t been time to make friends. She had to learn everything she could, be the very best at each step of the way. That’s how she got the internship and then earned agent status.

Since she seldom saw her aunt, she needed to find some way to pass along the news of her rise in the industry.

So, okay, no celebration with friends. She had gone home with plans to take a hot bath and open a bottle of wine. Toast herself and relive the high points of the afternoon.

She’d gone home, all right, but only to change into jeans and a shirt and get back to the office. Sydney was scheduled to meet with the band again tomorrow, to go over the results from today and discuss the next phase of the campaign. She hoped for a lot of coverage. Some of it would take a few days to emerge, but the blogs would be pretty responsive and there would be some local television coverage plus the area papers. Now she needed to make notes on the next stage of the campaign.

As she sat at her desk with her notes in front of her, she heard footsteps in the hall outside her office. She managed to sweep everything into a folder as Linc stepped into her office.

“Don’t you have a home, Syd?” He shook his head. “And I thought
I
was the workaholic around here. Get out of here. Better yet, go out and celebrate with your friends. You did an all-star job today.”

“Thanks.” She smiled. “It felt really good.”

“Have you checked your messages? My voice mail is full of people who think they can go directly to me to get some face time with the band. I forwarded them all to Renee. She’ll send them a mass e-mail to let them know them you’re the point person. Period.”

“Good.” Renee would see that everything got to its proper place and would keep tabs to make sure nothing fell through the cracks. “Thank you. And no, I hadn’t checked. I guess I didn’t think anyone would be calling the office this soon.”