Aftershock (3 page)

I’m imagining it. I have to be. I can’t afford one misstep here
.

Her mouth lost all moisture, so she forced down a swallow of cold coffee.

Crap! I’ve got to get control of myself. Right now.

Okay, Sydney, take a breath and reload
.

She managed to smile at him, doing her best to relax. “Look, I’m sorry we got off on the wrong foot. I’m just so focused on making you guys a success, I tend to forget what’s going on outside my bubble. Sometimes even my manners.”

“Okay, me too.” One corner of his mouth crooked up in a semblance of a smile. “Shall we start over?”

She let out a breath. “Sounds good to me. I’m sure we can work things out so I don’t interrupt your rehearsal time. It’s just that all of this is so important.”

“Believe me, it is to us, too.” He leaned forward. “Now, how about you let me see what you’ve got in mind.”

Showtime, Sydney. And make it good
.

“One of the things Full Moon is tasked with, is the creation of a presence for the band even before the tour starts. My job is to build the excitement—the buzz. You know, the online gossip, the tease on the entertainment programs, the chatter about an emerging entity.

“I have a number of media appearances planned for you to get your faces out there. We have the kickoff all set, but I’ll need to prep you a lot.”

“Prep us.” A statement, not a question.

“So you’ll know what to say. You don’t want to make a verbal misstep with the media.” When he remained silent, she showed him the calendar. “We’ll need to do a photo shoot with the band before then for the promo packets.”

She went on to detail the other items on her list. Interviews with him as the leader. Meetings with some of the radio deejays in the different cities who would be key to getting their songs on the playlist. The type of questions they might be asked.

“Butch has okayed the order for merchandise to sell at the tour stops. We don’t know how big the customer base will be, so we’ll use the kickoff tours for other new bands as a guideline. The first two stops will give us a better feel for it.”

Rick nodded, his gaze locked on her. “I understand. Butch did talk to us about it. You’ll tell people what we’re all about and pitch us to them for exposure.”

“Right. But it encompasses more than the interviews. It’s about the visuals, too.” Sydney took a slow breath and pulled out an artist’s sketch of their logo. She hadn’t even talked to Butch or Linc about this but she knew it would work. If the band bought into it, she’d be halfway there.

“I’d like to jazz this up, give it some pop. Do the lightning bolt in silver and add some glitter to it.”

She nibbled her lower lip while he studied the full color drawings. His expression gave nothing away.

Linc Forrester’s warning when he assigned her to the band popped into her head.

 
“I’m giving you this because I believe you’re ready, Sydney. But be very careful. These aren’t kids with stars in their eyes. They’ve been in the business a long time. Rick Trajean’s got a good head on his shoulders. Use it. And yours, too.”

“You really think jazzy T-shirts will make a difference?”

Sydney wet her lips. “I think they’ll stand out on stage, draw the eye of the audience to you. Plus, it will make the shirts a lot more appealing to your fans. A lightning bolt represents massive light and power,” she explained. “That’s what I want people to think of when they see this band. I want the image to consume them.” She paused. “If it works, I have some other ideas.”

Rick leaned back in his seat, his dark eyes studied her.

“How do you really see the band, Sydney?” His tone of voice was uninflected. “How do you see us? I mean, if it’s up to you to sell us, what is it you’re selling?”

Sydney wrapped her hands around her coffee so he couldn’t see how nervous she was. She’d been so sure when she put this together he’d—what? Nod his head and agree? Hand over the band to her to do with as she wished?

“I’m not sure what you mean?”

“I didn’t say I disagree with any of this but, let me ask you a question. Did you ever see us at Aftershock, any of the club dates we did there? Or anywhere? Like any of the small concerts where we performed? Have you heard us live? Seen the reaction of an audience? It’s not as if you popped onto the scene yesterday. And I’m sure there was a lot of chatter when Butch signed us.

Again there was a tense pause while he studied her. Had the conversation ended before it started? She tried to look away from him but it was impossible. At last, almost unable to breathe with the erotic tension, she forced herself to break the connection. Swallowed hard.

“I’ve seen the videos Butch has of you. Several times.”

“But you’ve never seen us perform live, right?”

“No,” she confirmed, reluctant to admit it. “Not live.”

When Butch first signed the contracts for them, Linc told her she needed to see them before they finished their club dates. But one thing then another interfered so she’d depended on the videos to give her a feel for them. And listened to their music for hours. Another huge lapse in judgment on her part.

“Don’t you think it would have been a good move before you started to lay out an image plan for us? Or interview questions?” He cocked his head and gave her a slow, careful look. She couldn’t tell whether he tried to read her or undressed her with his eyes. Either way, a tiny shiver skated over the surface of her skin. “Answer a question for me, Sydney Alexander. Is this your first solo gig with Full Moon?”

Oh, God. Oh, God
.

“I’ve been with the agency for eight years.” She folded her hands and sat up as straight as she could, striving for a totally professional look. “I have a lot of experience, and I’ve made a study of the rock bands who’ve succeeded and why.”

She’d lost her authority and scrabbled to get it back. If she just didn’t feel the unwanted pull of sexual magnetism, the stream almost visible across the table. Or feel a sexual desire lodged deep inside her, so strong it wouldn’t let go.

Rick leaned forward again, almost crowding her.

“Let me tell you something.” His voice grew low, urgent, and hard-edged. “Lightnin’ has a unique sound, a unique type of music, and a unique blend of voices and instruments. We’ve worked our asses off to develop it. The music we write reflects it and it’s what’s gotten us this far. We’re working to make that better. I expect we have to clean up our wardrobe a little, but our music will brand us.”

She felt skewered by his look and didn’t like it. “But—”

Rick held up a hand. “So, if we’re supposed to work together, don’t get the idea you can call all the shots and dictate to us, because we’ll have more trouble than either of us wants. We’ve been in the business a long time, too.”

Yes, they had, and she reminded herself not to forget that. These guys were all in their early thirties. They’d more than paid their dues.

He sat back a little but when he spoke, his voice still carried an edge. “So if you’re not willing to learn what it is you’re selling, maybe we need to ask for another agent to handle this band.”

A stunned looked flashed across Sydney’s face, as if she’d been blindsided. Along with it, he’d seen another emotion. Panic? No, it couldn’t be. Not Miss Attitude.

If the situation weren’t so serious Rick would have laughed, but he could tell by looking at her she’d paid her dues to have this chance, just as he and the guys had. He knew exactly what it was like to try and make someone understand you knew what the fuck you were talking about, and they should forget about arguing with you. He still needed that, in an industry that could eat him alive if he let it.

He hadn’t meant those exact words to pop out of his mouth, but he found himself torn between the excitement of standing at the edge of the big time and worrying that he was dealing with someone who misrepresented herself or overstated who she was. He didn’t want to blow the deal with Butch, but he didn’t want to destroy what made the band great, either.

His biggest problem at the moment, though, involved more than Sydney Alexander knowing the real details of what she sold out there. He’d be more than happy to go along with whatever she and the agency wanted for them as long as she didn’t screw with the core personality of the band. What made them unique. As leader, he had the responsibility to set the rules for this, to protect the band from changes that would remake who they were. To keep their integrity intact.

His biggest challenge was telling his dick to stop paying so much attention to the woman sitting across from him. And to try to figure out the tornado of emotion that had hit him the second their gazes locked. The impact of first seeing her still sizzled through his body, despite her attitude.

He’d certainly had his share of women although he was more selective than a lot of musicians were. He wasn’t a groupie guy like Danny and Garrett. Groupies could be a disaster. One almost derailed Marc and Emma’s romance. No, the women he connected with might be band followers, but they didn’t have the lack of discipline found in groupies. They were women who loved the music as much as he did. They didn’t collect musicians like bottle caps and he could engage them in conversation when they weren’t in the middle of hot sex.

Not that he’d ever wanted to develop more than a casual relationship. Next to his family, the band occupied the top spot in his life. Period. Now it seemed as if all the gods he might have offended were having a big laugh at his expense. Because he couldn’t remember ever having such a strong urge to rip off a woman’s clothes and plunge his cock so deep inside her he couldn’t tell where he left off and she began.

If the situation wasn’t so serious to him, he might even laugh at himself. He should be trying to make sure this woman understood what she was selling. Instead he wanted to capture Sydney Alexander’s face between his hands, tease her lips with his tongue before plunging it into her mouth, and crush her body to his so she could feel just how she aroused him. He wanted to release the clip and let her hair tumble around her face while she whispered erotic suggestions to him. No, he wanted more. He wanted to undress her piece by piece and feast on the lush body that made his mouth water and his cock throb.

Rub his scent all over her like some animal in heat. Claim her.

Great, asshole. Just what the moment calls for. Get your big head in the game instead of your little one
.

With an effort, he banished the image from his mind. His coffee had cooled, but he took a swallow to distract himself and get back on track. He shifted in his seat and surreptitiously adjusted his jeans so his balls weren’t crushed. Remembering what was at stake, he forced himself to wait for Sydney’s response. He half expected her to pick up the remains of her coffee and dump it over his head. He watched, keeping his face impassive, as she pulled herself together.

“I’m the agency rep Linc Forrester assigned to you.” She cleared her throat. “When Butch Meredith signed your contract with us, he accepted me as the agent who would handle your band, and that won’t change. You could have the best music in the world, but if you don’t have some gimmick to make you stand out from the crowd, you’ll be part of it instead of ahead of it.” She glared as if daring him to disagree.

Rick ground his teeth. He didn’t want to fuck up this chance for Lightnin’. The band was his life. They’d all worked so hard for this big break. When they signed with Butch, they knew they would give up a lot of control in exchange for the opportunity presented to them. And they trusted Butch. Rick realized he’d have to back off a little so he didn’t damage the situation with Butch or put the band in a bad position. But maintaining their core essence was of key importance to him. And whoever sold their brand, needed to be tuned into that.

“Listen, I’m not trying to be a hardass. But it’s important for you to take the time to find out who we are. So when you pitch us to the media you know in detail what your product is.”

“Of course.” She lifted her chin in a defensive gesture. “I’ve been
learning
for a long time.

Rick swallowed a sigh.

But you haven’t been learning about
us.

In spite of his good intentions he reached across the table and took one of her hands in his. Big mistake! Her skin was so soft, he wanted to rub his face against it. “Let’s forget about the stuff in your folder for today. Come to a rehearsal, okay? A planned visit,” he added. “Take the time to listen to us. Then we’ll talk. Fair enough?”

He could almost see her battle between compromise and control. At last, she smiled and the brilliance of it speared through his body.

Holy shit!

“When?”

He frowned, running through their schedule in his head. “Day after tomorrow. Make it late in the afternoon and if we knock your socks off with who and what we are, I’ll buy you coffee afterward. Or a drink. Whatever the situation calls for.”

She blew out a soft breath. “Sounds good. As long as you’re also willing to listen to my ideas after that.”

“Done.” He squeezed her hand before he realized it and dropped it at once. “Day after tomorrow at five o’clock.”

He waited until she slid from the booth before pushing himself out. Following her out of the coffee bar he couldn’t help focusing on the sway of her hips and her scent—a light floral fragrance—that had been driving him nuts. He took a deep breath to steady himself before opening the door for her to precede him outside.

Her car, a bright red little sports toy—and didn’t that suit her to a tee—was parked near the building. He waited next to it while she unlocked the door and tossed her briefcase inside. When she turned to face him, he had to clench his hands into fists to keep from grabbing her.

Jesus, Trajean! Get your shit together
.

“Well.” She wet her lower lip with her tongue.

Rick thanked the gods he wore a T-shirt long enough to cover the bulge growing behind his fly. “So. See you in two days.”