Good Stepbrother (Love #2) (9 page)

I pushed the button and hurried to sit on the stool. Logan closed the door as I pulled on my headphones.

“Ready?” he asked me and I nodded.

The music started around me and my throat tightened in panic. I sang. Like I’d never sang before. I closed my eyes and the words flowed out of me and into the microphone. I truly listened to the lyrics and tears prickled my lashes.
Dammit, Carter…

As the song came to a close, Tock muttered. “Well, shit.”

“Was it bad?” I asked, whirling around on the stool to look at the guys who gaped at me.

“Hell no. It was…wow.” Wrench blinked a few times. “Wow.”

I looked at them. “Well?”

“That’s…you’ll make it.” Logan whispered.

I paled slightly. “What?”

“Your voice is great. No auto tuning necessary. Hold on, listen.” He darted out of the room and pressed a button. My mouth fell open as my voice came through the speakers.

“That’s not me.”

“That’s you. You sound really good,” Tock insisted. “I’m impressed.”

“Here.” Logan handed me a CD in a sleeve. “This is your demo.”

“I…I can’t do this.”

“Sure you can. We don’t really have any connections in the big times. We prefer being indie. The pace is slower. But you can make copies of that and send it everywhere. Someone will pick you up. I guarantee it.” Logan pushed it into my hands and I cradled the CD like a lover.

“Wow.” I breathed. “That’s amazing.”

“I usually hear that for other reasons, but I’ll take it over a demo, I guess.” Logan chuckled and the rest of the guys snickered.

I flushed and chewed my bottom lip. “Thank you.”

“Sure. Want to hang out a little longer?”

I checked my watch and my shoulders slumped. “I want to, I do. But I have work at four AM.”

“Bummer. Well, next time?” he asked hopefully and I nodded.

“Next time, for sure. It was nice to meet you guys.” I threw the guys my brightest and best smile.

“You’re all right,” Wrench smirked.

“She’s good, Wrench,” Diesel corrected him.

“She’s not half bad. Hey Logan, if we ever want to replace you…” Tock laughed.

“Fuck off,” Logan snapped. “See y’all later. I’m going to give her a ride home.”

“Make sure you give her another ride too, yeah?” Slash hooted with laughter and my cheeks burned in embarrassment.

“Ah she’s too young for all that,” Logan slung an arm around my shoulders. “I gotta keep her innocent.”

I bit my bottom lip harder and grimaced slightly. If he really knew me, he’d know I was far, far from innocent. I was a bitch. I was a slut. But even as sexy as he was, I didn’t want to have sex with him. I wanted Carter Travis, this sweet, geeky small town boy from Marysville, Nebraska.

“That’s me,” I squeaked out. “Innocent.”

“For now…” Slash smirked.

“Come on, Brielle the beautiful, let’s get you home so you can go kill yourself at the greasy spoon. Seriously though, send that demo out.”

“I don’t even know where I’d find addresses…”

“Uh, ever heard of the internet?” he teased me as we stepped out of the studio and into the night.

“Yeah, of course.”

“Well, I’ll put some feelers out, we’re not real crazy about the mainstream stuff, but I bet I could find someone for you to send it to.” He unlocked his car and I settled into my seat before I responded.

“That would be great, but why are you doing all of this for me? I mean you don’t know me from Adam, and you just helped me record a demo.”

He shrugged as he started the car. “I’ve been where you are. Call it my good deed. Plus you’re hot as hell.”

I laughed. “Thank you.”

“Please, it’s not the first time you’ve heard that.”

I sobered and nodded. “It’s not.”

“So, where do you live?” he asked. I rattled off my address and he plugged it into his GPS. “No problem.”

We rode along in silence for a few moments and I blew out a breath. “Thank you again for this.”

“It’s no problem. Really. So stop thanking me.”

“Do you take every pretty girl to your studio who says she can sing?”

“No, not usually. Just you.”

My heart thumped and I smiled. Logan was charming and I really loved his tattoos. He was a bad boy and the complete opposite of Carter. Just thinking of Carter’s name left a pit of dread in my stomach. I turned away and looked out the window.

“What’s wrong?” Logan asked softly as he pulled up in front of my apartment building.

“Nothing, don’t be silly.” I unbuckled my seatbelt and moved to open the door.

“He’s a lucky bastard, you know,” he said abruptly and I froze.

“What?”

“The guy you’re in love with. It’s okay, I’m not taking offense. We’ll be friends, Brielle the beautiful. I’ll just hate the bastard that gets the privilege to love you.”

I looked back at him and shrugged sadly. “I don’t think he loves me anymore.”

“I doubt that seriously. Now, I’ll see you soon. I know where you live.”

“Yeah?” I giggled. “I know where you live.”

“So drop by sometime. Come jam with us again.”

“I will. Thanks, Logan. I had fun.”

He smiled softly. “Me too. Now go so you can get some sleep.”

“I’m too excited to sleep!” I climbed out of the car and leaned over to stare inside. “Night.”

“Night, Brielle the beautiful.” He winked at me and I couldn’t stop myself from smiling. I liked him. I did. He just wasn’t…

I closed the door and hurried up the stairs to the door of the building. He honked the horn as he drove away. I smiled and rushed inside. I floated along to our door and unlocked it. Aunt Janelle sat in the same spot she had been in earlier on the couch, eating ice cream and watching crappy reality TV.

“Hey,” I said softly as I closed the door and hung up my purse.

“Hey yourself. Have fun?” She looked at me for a second before turning back to the TV.

“I did…I hung out with this guy in a band…and they helped me record a demo tape.”

She paused the TV and gaped at me. “A demo? I mean I knew you liked to sing, and you’re good at it. You want to be a singer?”

“I do! I don’t want to work two shitty minimum wage jobs the rest of my life.”

“Where’s the tape?”

“Here.” I pulled it from my purse and walked to the couch to hand it to her.

She put down her ice cream and took the CD, turning it over and over in her hands. “Wow. You know, I know someone in the recording business.”

“What!” I screeched. “Seriously?”

“Seriously. He works at Aurora. We went to school together. Let’s listen to this.” She jumped up and ambled to her CD player.

“I-I’m not sure…”

“Kid, all you do is sing. I know what you sound like.” She popped the CD in and pressed play.

My voice flowed through the apartment, backed by Skid423’s instruments. It sounded amazing. As the song came to a close, she looked at me in awe. “Wow.”

“It’s okay?”

“It’s more than okay. I’m gonna make a copy of this and I’ll send an email to my friend to get his address. We’ll send it to him and see what he thinks. But that sounded amazing, kid. Your mom would be proud.” She hugged me and tears filled my eyes.

I pushed away and whispered, “She was so disappointed in me.”

“You are a teenager. Teenagers are a pain in the ass. She was the same way growing up, Bri.”

“I didn’t mean for us to crash.” My chest ached and I shoved the feelings down deep.

“I know that. She knows that. Accidents happen. Cheer up, kiddo. Your life is about to change and your mama is looking down on you with pride.”

Chapter Ten

I should’ve been over the moon. I just recorded a demo. I had two jobs. I had a place to live. But I was miserable. All I could think of was my mom and Carter. My mom was dead. I’d never see her again. I’d never get to share my life with her. Not that I shared much of anything with her in the last few years, but now I’d never get the chance.

I lay in my bed, sobbing. I wept for the life my mom didn’t get to lead because of me. I sobbed for the man I loved and left. I cried for myself. I never slept a wink that night, and at three in the morning, I pulled myself from between my sheets and showered. The water beat at my muscles and mingled with my tears.

I had ruined not only my life, but the lives of so many other people. Now I had a shot at making it big. I didn’t deserve it. I didn’t. I still wanted it, though. I would’ve been stupid to pass it up. That was one thing I wasn’t. I wasn’t stupid, even though I pretended to be.

I turned off the water and dried myself slowly. My mind was elsewhere as I dressed and applied makeup. I could’ve looked like a clown and I would’ve never known. I just couldn’t focus. Once I was ready, I walked the few blocks to the diner and let myself inside. Greg, the line cook for the overnight shift, let out a low whistle as I walked in.

“Damn, kiddo, you look like shit. Have some coffee,” he suggested and I nodded, grabbing a cup of black coffee and plopping down on a stool at the counter. The diner was empty for the moment, but soon it would fill up with all the old timers wanting to talk with me about the good old days and sneak a squeeze of my butt cheeks. I hated them but I couldn’t say a word about it. I had to deal with the groping.

“Rough night?” he asked, wiggling his brows and thrusting his hips.

“Not in that way,” I smiled tiredly.

“Aww, what’s wrong? Did a boy break your heart, princess?”

“No. I don’t really want to talk about it.”

“Well excuse me! Drink your coffee and get it together before the breakfast crowd rolls in, yeah? Let’s try to be friendly to the customers.” He turned back to the grill and scraped it with a spatula while he muttered under his breath.

I finished my coffee and took a deep breath as some of my first customers came in at precisely five AM. “Bri!” one old geezer called. “You know what I want!”

“Sure thing, Peter,” I smiled tightly, hopping off the stool. I got him a fresh cup of coffee, two over easy eggs and two slices of rye toast with apple jelly. He had the same thing every morning I’d been working there.

Slowly but surely, the diner filled up. Kelli, the other morning waitress, meandered in at six AM and I pointed at two plates of food under the warmer. “Table four, please.”

“On it, chica.” Kelli smiled, slicking back her dark hair into a bun. “Busy morning!”

“Too busy.” I grumbled and she patted my shoulder as I passed with two armloads of food.

“Good tips?”

“Yes, thank God.”

“Awesome.”

We worked the rest of the morning shift in silence, then as the lunch crowd poured in, I developed a migraine. I was running on fumes and needed sleep. I downed a quick cup of coffee and pasted on a smile. I just had to make it to one in the afternoon. I watched the clock and ushered my last two lunch tables out so I could collect my tips.

“All done,” I called to my boss, Jessica, who gave me a thumbs up.

“See you tomorrow. Go get some sleep.”

Sleep? What was that creature? I ran home long enough to catch a shower and go to my second job. When it was over, I slept and did it over and over again for days. I didn’t think about the demo still sitting on my aunt’s computer desk. It would still be there. I didn’t have time to worry about Logan or Carter. I worked hard so I could forget.

I did great with forgetting until I walked in from my bookstore job just after ten PM a few weeks later. Aunt Janelle jumped on me the second I walked through the door. “Brielle! You did it!”

“I did what?” I yawned sleepily.

“Remember my friend at Aurora?” she asked, and I perked up instantly.

“Sure, why? I still need to get that demo out to him. I’ve just been busy…” I tried to move past her to find my bed, and she gripped my arms and shook me slightly.

“Pay attention, kid! I sent it to him. He likes it. He wants to offer you a contract.”

I wavered on my feet. “What?”

“He got it about a week ago, and he wants to fly you down to LA to talk to him about a contract.”

I passed out.

“Bri!” she woke me from my vantage point on the floor with a sharp smack to the cheek.

“Ow.”

“Are you okay?”

“I-I…I think so.” I sat up slowly and rubbed the back of my head, where a goose egg formed. “Did I just imagine you saying he wants to fly me to LA?”

“No, he wants to fly you out as soon as possible. Tell work you need a day or two off.” She held out her hand and I took it. She pulled me up from the floor and I swayed slightly.

“Shit, my head hurts.”

“No doubt. Go sit down. I can call Patrick and let him know if you’re interested. Are you?”

I shuffled to the couch and flopped down. “Am I interested?” I whispered.

“Did you hit your head hard?”

“No, I’m okay.” I covered my mouth with my hand as bile raced up my throat. Swallowing it down, I took in some slow breaths and nodded. “I’m interested.”

“Holy shit, kid. Okay, let’s go to LA.” She picked up the phone receiver and dialed a number.

“We’re gonna go?” I asked.

“Yeah. I can’t let you go alone.” She held up her finger and smiled brightly. “Patrick, darling! She wants to meet with you! When can we come?” She paused and listened. “Oh sure, Friday would be perfect. Great, yes, e-mail me the tickets. Oh my, first class and a limo?” She waggled her eyebrows at me. “You are too much. I can’t wait to see you either. We definitely need to catch up. Drinks and dinner sounds like fun. See you Friday.” She hung up and squealed loudly.

“I take it that it went well?”

She flopped back on the couch and smiled. “Bri, it went amazing. We’re flying out Friday. First freakin’ class with a limo picking us up at the airport to take us to the Aurora offices. Then they’ll be talking with you about a contract! Afterwards, Patrick and I will be going out to dinner.”

“Do you like Patrick?” I asked with a nervous giggle.

“Girl, he was the popular guy in school when we were growing up. He had the hots for Lisa, but now that she’s gone…” She froze and her smile fell. “Ah shit. Lisa.” Her eyes filled with tears and she whispered, “I’m sorry.”

I nodded and looked away, blinking away my own tears. “It’s okay.”

“She’d be damn proud of you, Bri.”

“Thanks.” I pushed myself off the couch. “I better go to bed. I have work tomorrow.”

“Of course. Tell them you need the weekend off.”

“I will,” I promised her as I hurried to my bedroom. Closing the door, I leaned against it and wept silently. It felt wrong. All of it. My mother was dead and now I had a shot at a real future in show biz because I’d left.

I needed Carter. His steady, soft way would’ve soothed my frazzled nerves, but I couldn’t call him. Not after I made love to him and left. I couldn’t do that. I couldn’t call Charlie either. There was only one person I could call and that was my father.

I pulled my cell phone from my pocket and dialed his number. It was the middle of the night in Nebraska, but I knew he’d answer.

“Hello?” he muttered sleepily.

“Father?” I whispered.

“What is it, Brielle? I swear to God, it’s one in the morning.”

“I need to talk, Dad.” I chewed my bottom lip and wiped at my eyes.

“About what? Isn’t Janelle taking care of you?” I heard him put his hand over the receiver. “Don’t worry about it, Jo,” he mumbled. “It’s just Brielle. I’ll go to the library.”

“Sorry, I didn’t mean to wake everyone up.”

“Right. So what do you want?” he snapped and I flinched as I sat down on the edge of the bed.

“You know I like to sing, right?”

He sighed loudly. “Is this a social call?”

“No.”

“Then yes, I know you like to sing. What of it? It’s a waste of time and you’ll never make a living at it.”

“Really?” I whispered. “Are you sure?”

“Of course I am. Your mother thought she was going to be famous and ended up stripping every night at a horrible club in Omaha. That’s where we met.”

I froze. “What?”

“Yes. She wanted to be a singer. Such a ridiculous dream. It’s almost impossible to get anyone to listen to you in LA.”

I squeezed my eyes shut. “I am flying to LA on Friday.”

“For what? With what money?” he roared.

“Not yours. You know I have two jobs.”

“Right. Why are you going?”

“Aurora is interested in signing me,” I choked out. The line went silent and I waited for him to respond. “Father?”

“What did you just say?”

“I said, Aurora, the music label, is interested in signing me.” I nibbled my thumbnail in my nervousness.

“And you called me, why?”

“I wanted you to go over my contract.” I needed his support and guidance. I didn’t know what a contract entailed. I was a kid!

“So you can rub it in my face?”

“What?” I gasped.

“You ruined my life, you made it so I couldn’t be a lawyer in California, and now you want to rub it in my face that you’ve got a shot. You’re such a bitch. Just like your mother.”

“Leave my mother out of this, you asshole,” I hissed angrily. “You have no right.”

“Good luck, Brielle. Don’t call this number again.” He hung up on me and I sat in shock for a few moments, staring down at my phone in disbelief.

Mom wanted to sing? She was a stripper? Wow, he’s bitter. So much for that support I was looking for. He never gave it to me anyway.
I lay back on the bed and squeezed my eyes shut. My life was about to change. I could feel it. I should’ve been excited. Instead? I’d never felt more alone.

***

“How was the flight?” Patrick asked me with a smile.

“It was nice,” Janelle jumped in, fluttering her lashes.

“It was good,” I told him.

“Great. Come on into the conference room. We will get some of the other executives in there and we’ll have a chat.”

“Okay, sounds good.” I followed behind him and my aunt grinned at me excitedly. She hadn’t shut up the whole plane ride.

“You’ve gotta look your best. Be respectful and charming. Smile. Show cleavage,” she’d told me. I looked like a slut. She’d poured makeup on me and squeezed me into a skin tight black corset and jeans with ankle boots. My hair was teased to heaven and I looked like I belonged under a streetlight, not in a conference room.

Patrick and the other executives seemed to approve of my look, though; I had several approving stares as the middle aged men walked into the room.

“Brielle Harper,” one man started, reaching across the table to shake my hand. “It’s a pleasure.”

“Nice to meet you.” I smiled charmingly and shook his clammy hand. After I released it, I surreptitiously wiped my hand on my jeans.
Gross.

“Now that everyone’s here,” Patrick looked around the room with a wide grin. “We’d like to talk to you about your future with Aurora.”

“Sure,” I nodded. “Did you like my demo?”

“Like it? We loved it! You’ve got a nice voice, and we don’t need to alter it much, if at all. However, we wanted to talk with you about your genre. The song you sent us we don’t think will fit what Aurora has in mind for you.”

“Okay.”

“What do you think Aurora has in mind for her?” Janelle asked.

“Well, we are always looking for the next great pop princess. Brielle has the look. She’s gorgeous. Designers would angle to have her in their clothes. Magazines would clamor for her to be on the cover. She’s an all-American beauty.” Patrick explained.

“I wanted to sing something meaningful,” I started.

“You would be doing something more than that. You’d make so much money singing what the masses want that you can donate it to meaningful charities and take a tax deduction. It’s a win-win situation. People who want to better the world don’t make it far without some money, my dear girl.”

“Can we take a look at the contract?” Janelle asked in excitement.

Dread filled my stomach as he slid the pages across the table. “Sure. We’d like to put out a record a year and we want to sign a ten year contract. You’ll have touring obligations, of course.”

“Of course!” Janelle agreed.

“Can I have someone look this over?” I murmured and Patrick’s eyes narrowed.

“Unfortunately, this offer is good for today only.”

I was stuck and he knew it. If I signed, I could have everything any girl had ever wanted. If I walked away, I’d never get another opportunity. “I’ll sign.”