Aftershock (29 page)

“Oh, the concert. Definitely. What’s up?”

“Just wanted to let you know you guys are already registered at the hotel again. I’ll text one of the security guards Butch hired when we leave the airport in Tampa and he’ll meet us at the back door with the key cards. We won’t go through the lobby at all.”

Rick shook his head. “I feel as if I’m dreaming this. Any minute I expect someone to punch me and wake me up. Or tell me it’s all a mistake and we need to go home.”

“Nah. Not happening. Butch wouldn’t have signed you if he didn’t think you had this kind of potential. Everything worked just right.” He laughed again. “Gordo and I are really going to enjoy this tour.”

Rick liked to think he didn’t impress easily but driving up to a private area of the terminal sure beat standing in long lines for commercial flights. Not to mention the aircraft itself, which about knocked everyone sideways.

“Holy shit!” Danny stopped partway into the cabin, blocking the doorway.

“Get moving, idiot.” Rick nudged him forward. “You can gawk all you want when everyone’s seated.”

But he had to admit being wide-eyed himself at the luxury of the cabin, the padded seats with tables, the flight attendant waiting in a small galley to serve them. Deep Blue River arrived seconds later so Rick moved his guys to the rear to make room for them. The members of the River grinned at Lightnin’ as they piled into the plane, congratulating them again on another successful performance.

There were groups of plush leather seats in various configurations. Rick headed for one in the very back that faced the one opposite.

“Syd and I will have stuff to discuss,” he told the band, “so I’ll hold this for her. You okay with that?”

They were so excited to be flying to their next gig on a multimillion-dollar plane they didn’t care where he sat. Nor did anyone make suggestive remarks about he and Sydney sitting together. It would be natural for them to be together and discuss business, right? He tried to relax as he kept his eyes glued to the doorway and smiled when he heard quick footsteps on the stairs. In another moment, Sydney popped breathlessly into the cabin.

“Sorry, everyone. Whew.”

“You’re fine,” the flight attendant told her and took her luggage. “I’ll put this up here with ours. Remind me to get it out when we land. Go ahead and take a seat and buckle up.”

Sydney spotted Rick waving to her and grinned as she made her way to her seat.

“I left about the same time all of you did but we hit a snag on the interstate. Hope I didn’t hold you guys up. As soon as I get myself together, I’ll pull up all the coverage from last night’s show. Butch sent me the figures on the merchandise sales, which again were through the roof. And wait until you see what’s happening with Twitter and Facebook.”

“Hey, Sydney,” one of the River guys called. “Will you get all your followers to Like us, too?”

She laughed. “I don’t think you’re hurting for any, but thanks for the thought.”

Rick was doing his best to keep his face expressionless but, damn, it took more effort now than he could have imagined. His eyes drank in the sight of her as she settled opposite him. He wished she’d quit pulling that gorgeous hair back in a clip but then decided it was better when it hung like a loose silk curtain around them only in the privacy of the dark. Just for the two of them.

She set her briefcase down and buckled in before she looked at him. The naked emotion in her eyes nearly knocked him sideways. He scanned the cabin with a casual glance to make sure no one paid attention to them. Then he mouthed,
I love you.

Her eyes widened.

Jesus, Trajean. Way to find a romantic setting to say it the first time. This is as bad as the stupid note you left on the vanity this morning
.

The engines turned over and the sound filled the cabin as the plane moved onto the taxiway and headed for the runway. With everyone focused on the takeoff, Sydney nudged him with her toe. When he looked up she mouthed,
I love you, too.

Okay, then
.

Somehow he would get through the rest of the day, even the interview with that shark Macey Schreiner. Tonight, after Sydney took care of whatever she had to, he’d make sure to go to her room. In the proper mood setting, he would say the words again and again. The thought made him smile. It also made his cock swell and harden. He shifted uncomfortably in his seat, adjusting his jeans as best he could. He looked at Sydney again and noted her small, knowing grin.

Great
.

Again he checked the cabin to see if anyone caught the little byplay, but his guys were too busy looking out the windows and Deep Blue River was chatting in their seats at the front. So he grinned at Sydney and winked.

As soon as the plane reached cruising altitude and the word came they could turn on electronics, Sydney pulled out her iPad. He watched excitement light up her eyes.

“The reviews?”

“Look!” She leaned forward, holding her iPad so Rick could see it. “The second night got you guys even better reviews than the first. Every single one of these blogs and columns raves about last night. And a lot of them picked up that deejay’s line,
Lightnin’ has struck
.” She turned her head toward the rest of the band. “Guys? That list I gave you to check each day? You should start going through it. Right now!”

Elation shimmered in the air as they pulled up each Web site and devoured the words.

Alex Molina, Deep Blue River’s drummer, looked back at them and chuckled. He had his own tablet out, probably surfing for the River’s coverage but no one could ignore the enthusiasm Lightnin’ generated.

“You rocked it,” he called out to them. “Good job, guys.”

“You hit Number Two on the iTunes rock chart this morning,” their bass player added. “Hey. No fair. You’re about to knock us off our perch.”

There was a lot of good-natured ribbing, but Rick appreciated the support from one of the country’s top rock bands. He’d heard horror stories of tours where jealousy ruled and the two acts barely even spoke to each other. Right this moment, excitement surged though the plane and, for the first time, he allowed himself to believe the entire tour would be successful.

“You should move over there with the other guys,” Sydney whispered to him.

“Why?”

“Because they want to share this with you. You’re their leader. Go on.” She grinned. “I’m not going anywhere. Anyway, we have an agreement, right? Just between us.”

He didn’t like it but he knew she was right. They could only spend so much time together going over this stuff. The band would expect him to celebrate with them, and so would everyone else.

“Tonight,” he mouthed at her. Then he unbuckled his seat belt and moved over to where the rest of the guys were seated.

The Internet provided more than enough to keep them all busy. From the corner of his eye, he watched Sydney pull up the Twitter feed and start posting. Then he turned to look over Danny’s shoulder with everyone else. It was amazing to him how there could be so much chatter out there on the Internet for Lightnin’. He’d had big dreams from the moment Butch asked for a video of them and came to see them at Aftershock. They all had. But none of them had expected an explosion of this dimension.

Butch had touched base with him that morning to remind him of the four-o’clock meeting with Macey Schreiner. He also said he’d have information on when they’d be going into the studio to cut “Take the High Road.” He would discuss it with both Rick and Sydney after the meeting so Full Moon could begin the prerelease publicity.

“Damn good job,” the manager told him.

Rick was sure very little in his life had meant as much to him as those words.

It hardly seemed possible more than two hours had passed when the flight attendant asked them all to buckle up for the approach to Tampa International Airport. As he took his seat again, his legs bumped with Sydney’s. She looked up at him and he thought it a miracle the air between them didn’t explode with visible heat. Oh, yeah. Keeping this on the down low would take some major discipline on their part. No doubt about it.

***

Today’s ride to the hotel mirrored the day before. Rick swallowed a laugh at the realization the band had become so hot, so fast, they had to sneak in and out of hotels.

Who’d a thunk it?

Mickey worked his magic again, getting them into the hotel through the delivery entrance. Deep Blue river’s van was right behind them. A security guard met both bands with their key cards.

“I have one here for you, too, Miss Alexander.” The man reached over two people to hand it to her. “Mr. Meredith thought you might like to make a quiet entrance. It’s a mob scene out front again. He said it’s just like yesterday.”

Rick stared at him. “You’re kidding.”

The guard shook his head and grinned. “We’ve gotten used to it for Deep Blue River, but two bands creating this kind of response at the same time? It’s nuts out there. I’m glad I get to work back here.”

Service elevators delivered them to their assigned floors. Rick tried not to be too obvious about who had which room. He breathed a small sigh of relief, however, when he saw once again Sydney had the room next to his.

“What do I wear to this interview today?” he asked.

“A Lightnin’ T-shirt and jeans will do it. It’s very casual. Order some lunch from room service. I’ll knock on your door about quarter to four, okay?”

He looked up and down the hallway but everyone else had disappeared. “How about lunch together?”

She laughed. “We wouldn’t get much eating done, and we need our strength. Anyway, I’ve got work to do. See you at quarter till.”

He’d count every minute.

***

Sydney and Rick were already in Butch’s suite when Macey knocked on the door. Butch had made sure to give Sydney a heads-up on what to watch for.

“She’s a schemer, a shark, and a bitch in heat,” he said, “but she’s put herself in a position of power. Don’t worry, though. That’s why I’m here, to deflect her if necessary.”

“Thank you,” Sydney breathed. She’d be happy when this damn interview was over.

Butch had the minibar open and room service had delivered coffee and pastries. Despite Sydney’s efforts to nudge Macey toward one of the big armchairs, the woman linked her arm with Rick’s and managed to maneuver him so they sat on the couch together. The woman’s eyes flashed anger when Rick slid to the opposite end of the sofa, a silent but unmistakable definition of a personal barrier between them.

Butch served drinks for everyone, including bourbon for himself he barely sipped. Sydney and Rick went for diet sodas, but Macey opted for wine. She drank thirstily from the white zinfandel he poured and held the glass out for another one. As the wine flowed through her system, an avaricious look blossomed in her eyes. She tried to move closer to Rick, then apparently thought better of it and settled for a heated look.

“I always like to get intimate for these one-on-one interviews, don’t you?” She gave him a knowing wink. “Too bad it couldn’t be just the two of us.”

“I think this little group is just the right size.” Sydney made her voice as saccharine as possible but delivered the underlying message. Macey got it but it didn’t make her happy.

“We’ll just have to make it work. Right, Rick?”

Sydney could have kissed him when he said, “All of this is so new to us, but you already know that. And I feel much more comfortable having Sydney and Butch along for the ride. They can keep me from putting my foot in my mouth.”

“Trust me to make sure that doesn’t happen.” Another wink, a millimeter closer, and Macey finally pulled out her voice-activated tape recorder. At last she opened her iPad and went to the list of questions she wanted to ask.

Sydney did her best to maintain a calm appearance. She took all her cues from Butch, noting the smooth way he deflected some of Macey’s questions and requests, and fleshed out some of Rick’s answers to others. He also appeared to keep a close eye on Sydney’s interaction with Rick. Little signals. Any indication of something Macey would sink her vicious little teeth into.

Before tomorrow night, Rick and I need to give Butch a heads-up on our situation. And assure him we won’t act like goofy teenagers or let whatever this is interfere in any way with the tour
.

“You know, Butch,” Macey said for what seemed like the umpteenth time, “I think Rick and I have got it covered. You and Sydney must have a zillion things to do before tomorrow night.”

Butch just continued to lounge in his chair, his posture casual, a smile on his face. “We’ll get them done. The two of us have a meeting right after this so it makes sense for us to hang around. Right, Syd?”

“Absolutely,” she agreed. God, he did that so smoothly. She hoped one day she’d get to that point.

She expected Butch to send her some kind of signal when it was time to wrap things up, but it looked like he expected her to do it. Okay, then. Enough was enough. She watched Macey lean over toward Rick now and give him suggestive looks, not to mention a peek at her cleavage. She’d found a dozen reasons to reach over and touch him. Rick, God bless him, did his best to avoid anything Macey could misconstrue as suggestive without pissing the woman off. Either she didn’t get the clues, or she deliberately ignored them. Sydney would need all the help she could get to control this situation.

She drained her glass.

“Think you’ve got enough now for a good interview, Macey? We’re sure glad you wanted to do this piece.”

“Yeah, thanks,” Rick added. “Appreciate it.”

“And,” Sydney went on, before Macey could object, “we’ve got a few little things for you.” She picked up the tote she’d left on the side bar. “A Lightnin’ tote, one of the first. We wanted you to have it because you are special to us.”

Sydney didn’t know who gave off more hostile vibes, her or Macey, but she didn’t care.

How long before the woman took the hint?

If she trashed Sydney in her blog, well, she’d figure out how to deal with it. Something else to talk to Butch about when she and Rick did the true confessions bit.