"You know someone so young needs someone to help her navigate--"
"Donna, let me put this in the simplest way I can for you. Kat is off the tour and Black Dog will never work with you ever again. If you show up anywhere around Lucky, there will be hell to pay."
"But Uncle Richard, how could you? We're family!"
"I could care less that we're related, you've taken advantage of that for far too long and it ends now. You don't care about the artists, you just want their money."
"But--"
"Leave," he growled. "And take that poor excuse of a keyboardist with you."
Donna looked defeated. Jude had never seen her look so lost and vulnerable before. He wanted so badly to feel sorry for her, but he couldn't. He had no compassion for her. She had done nothing but ruin his life since he first met her. Looking at Donna's face, her expertly applied makeup and perfect outfit, he wondered what he ever saw in her. She was proof that he fell in love too easily.
He thought about Lucky and his feelings for her. But were they true? Maybe he blindly loved her just as he did Donna. Regardless, he had too much baggage. Lucky deserved much better than him. Just as Donna deserved whatever she got from Richard.
Richard waited for Donna to walk away before turning to Jude and patting his back.
"You're a good man, Jude," Richard said. "Thanks for taking care of Lucky for me. I knew she couldn't handle the paparazzi just yet. Especially not when they smell fresh blood."
"Yeah well, it wasn't that long ago I had my first run-in with them," Jude said. "They can be brutal when they don't get what they want."
Richard led Jude towards the island-themed bar where they sat on two wicker stools. Tapping the glossy wood of the bar, he got the bartender's attention and ordered two beers.
"You know the paparazzi can dig up anything, right?" Richard asked.
Jude wondered what he was talking about and started thinking about his wild days and all the skeletons in his closet. Richard could be talking about anything.
"What are you getting at, Dick?"
Richard laughed. "Seems your marriage to Donna finally got some attention today when one overzealous reporter wondered where you'd been the past few years. Anyway, it ends up that reporter had a run-in with Donna years ago, and let's just say she'd been waiting for a way to get back at her."
"Spill it already, will you?"
"It seems our Donna tied the knot before you."
"So? I know about that. Some drunken Vegas thing. She said it was annulled."
"It wasn't."
"What? Wait, that means--"
"That your marriage was never legal," Richard said. "It seems she has no idea based on what I heard."
"So…I'm free?"
"Free to do whatever you'd like. And I'd like to talk to you about a little business venture I think you'll be interested in."
After his impromptu meeting with Richard, Jude rode the elevator to the floor the band's rooms were on. As he got off the elevator, he passed Donna, who walked ahead of a tear-stained Kat. He didn't even bother to acknowledge them. He needed to check on Lucky.
As he knocked on Lucky's door, he heard voices coming from inside her room. Jordan opened the door and slipped out, moving the lock hinge so it held the door open.
"She doesn't want to talk to you and frankly, I don't blame her," Jordan said.
"I need to explain. It's not what it looks like."
"You know you say that a lot, Jude, but sometimes if it walks and talks like a duck, it really is a duck."
He had no argument. Wasting his time arguing with Jordan was low on his list. Lucky would have to talk to him eventually. He'd make sure of it.
18
Jordan
There was a knock on the door and Jordan heard Lucky groan before wiping at her teary eyes with the backs of her hands. She couldn't believe Jude's nerve. Jordan just told him to leave and he was back already? Lucky stood up to head to the door, but Jordan stopped her and answered the door instead.
"I already told you to go away," Jordan said as she opened the door and saw Richard. "Oh, sorry. I thought you were someone else," she said before turning back towards the room. "Lucky, it's that label guy."
"Let him in," Lucky said.
As Jordan opened the door, Richard stepped inside and unbuttoned his suit jacket.
"Did you hear from Ian?" he asked.
"Huh? How do you know about that?" Jordan said, keeping her voice low.
"Jordan, I take my job very seriously. When Lucky said she was bringing a friend on tour, I needed to make sure you wouldn't become a liability. I had my people dig up what little they could find about you."
"So?"
"So I take care of my people. You can learn a lot from him. Ian has an uncanny ability to see things in people others don't. I know Ian and based on what I learned about you, I thought it was a perfect fit."
"Oh. Well then, thank you. I don't know why you did that though."
"Have you told Lucky?"
"No. I didn't want to take anything away from her. She needs this. I know she'll be excited for me, but all of that can wait until after the tour."
"Okay then, it's our secret," Richard said. "I need to talk to her about the tour. Some things have changed."
Curled up on the couch wearing her pajamas, Lucky looked suspiciously at Richard. She wiped her nose with a tissue and breathed in as she tried to brace herself.
"Let me guess," Lucky said. "The show must go on. You want me to perform in an hour."
"No. You have a few days. I cancelled the Phoenix show like I said, but based on feedback I've been getting, I also cancelled the San Diego and Chicago shows."
"Is it that bad?"
"Nothing's bad," he said with a smile. "The rest of your tour will only be two shows, one in LA and the other in New York. And not at the little clubs and theaters you've been playing at. We're going big."
"Big?"
"My sources told me the photo is going viral, which is what we suspected. What we didn't expect is that people love you. They're clamoring for more. All the interviews you did weeks ago are being pushed up for publication, too."
"Why? I don't understand."
"Because you're normal, Lucky. People identify with you. That picture of you and Jude kissing is every woman's dream come true. They're noticing you because you're not some twig thin model, you're the girl next door. You're pretty, you have meat on your bones, you're talented, and you got to kiss the one guy who has always been out of reach."
"That's crazy," she said, shaking her head.
"But it's true. Here's the deal though. Bigger shows mean longer shows. Your music is selling like wildfire now. We need to show them you're not some one-trick pony. You need to add a few new songs to the tour, then get back into the studio and cut a new album. Take advantage of your momentum."
"But I don't have any songs ready," she said, looking worried.
"You have two days to get them ready. Once you're in LA, the band will be going to SIR Studios to learn those new songs. Jude can help you."
"No, he's the last person I want help from."
"You don't have a choice. You need him. He's been through this before, and he's a songwriter. Use him."
"There has to be someone else. What about Kat?"
"She's off the tour. Listen, Lucky, I know you're hurt. I know you don't want to listen, but it's not what you think. Jude's a good guy. I don't normally get involved in the love affairs of my clients, but let me say that just this one time, you need to forgive him. At least talk to him. Let him tell you the truth."
"The truth is he's married."
"He's not," Richard said. "And it's been over for a long time. That's all I'm saying. If you want to know more, you'll have to talk to Jude. Even if you don't want to know more, you still have to talk to Jude. I need more music, Lucky. You don't have a choice."
As he walked out, Jordan closed the door behind him. She saw the confusion on Lucky's face and sat do
wn beside her. Lucky didn't need to tell her what was going through her mind.
"You know you can do this," Jordan said.
"I'm just so angry right now," Lucky said as she grabbed a throw pillow and punched it. "Why didn't he tell me he was married? And what did Richard mean? How can Jude not be married when I met his wife?"
"I don't know, but he's right, you have to talk to Jude. I'm sure there's an easy explanation for all of this."
"How am I supposed to write with someone who made me feel so bad?"
"Think about how good he made you feel too, Lucky. You have to remember that."
"I can't forget it, that's the problem," Lucky said as she got up and picked up her notebook. "Do you know what's in here? New songs. And every single one is about him. How can I share them with him? My songs mean everything to me. I can't work with someone who has hurt me like this. I can't."
Lucky sank into the seat beside Jordan and hid her face behind the pillow.
"I'm sorry, Lucky," she said. "I really think he's a good guy. I know what he did was a dick move, but I can't help but wonder if there's more to it than we know, especially after what Richard said. I've seen the way Jude looks at you. Lucky, he's not pretending."
Lucky pulled the pillow down and looked at her then sighed deeply.
"I'm so tired, Jordan. I'm tired of everything. I just want to be left alone and I definitely do not want to see him. I get it, I know I don't have a choice. But the way I'm feeling right now, I can't do it. I can't write and no way in hell am I going to share my new songs with him. I've embarrassed myself enough."
CITY OF ANGELS
19
Lucky
The bus jerked as it switched lanes. Lucky alternated between trying to work on new songs and looking out the window. Jude's footsteps thudded towards her.
"Talk to me," Jude said.
Lucky kept her head buried in her new notebook, hoping he'd go away. She knew it wasn't very mature, but she couldn't bring herself to tell him to leave her alone, so operation 'I Can't Hear You' began. It seemed to be working too because he kept walking away. Granted, he always came back.
"This is ridiculous, Olivia. You have to talk to me. I know you need my help with the songs."
He walked away again. She knew he'd be back. Each time he left, he came back sooner. Wishing he'd leave her alone, she returned her focus to her notebook. She really needed to write, but her mind was as blank as the page.
Since she met Jude, all her songs had been about him. She only had two days to come up with new songs and she knew she needed his help, but there was no way she was going to let him see those lyrics, let alone share them with the world. She had to write something new.
She heard his boots thudding back down the aisle and wrote "Boomerang Man" at the top of the page. It figured the first somewhat creative thing she thought of would be because of him anyway.
This time he didn't say anything. He stood beside her seat, looking sexy as always, but this time his burning gaze penetrated her. Jude didn't need to say anything to get her attention.
"Fine, what?" she asked.
"Ignore what happened between us if you want, but we do need to work together. I think I know part of your problem."
"You're a big part of my problem," she said, hoping she sounded more convincing than she felt.
He pulled out his folded notebook from his back pocket.
"Read this," he said. "Especially what's dated during the tour. Maybe it'll help you feel better about what you've written. I know you have a lot of stuff. You're wasting time trying to write new lyrics. I mean really, ‘Boomerang Man?’"
He tapped the words she wrote earlier on her notebook, dropped his notebook in her lap, and walked back to his seat. She held his notebook, waiting to see if he would come back. When he didn't, she flipped through it looking at the mess of lyrics and poetry, some first drafts, others edited. She couldn't bring herself to read anything though, it was too personal.
Looking around her seat to the back of the bus, she expected to see him, but he was out of her view. She grabbed her bag and his notebook and brought it back to him.
"I can't read this," she said.
"Why not?"
"Because these are your songs. Your babies. These are personal," she said as she handed his notebook back to him.
"And that's exactly why you should read them."
Jude's eyes were locked on hers. She knew by reading his lyrics she would get to know more about him than anyone else. His soul was on those pages. Offering his words to her was his way of talking to her when she didn't want to hear it.
She wanted to read his lyrics more than anything, but it didn't seem fair to her. Sitting beside him, she opened her bag and looked at her old notebook for a moment while she thought. Pulling out her old notebook that had stapled pages held together by a rubber band, she handed it to him.
"I'll show you mine if you show me yours," she said.
"I've played that game before," he said with a grin.
"Yeah, I've heard about that, from a friend of a friend."
They spent the next couple of hours reading each other's lyrics. Lucky blushed when she read some of the lyrics about her and caught Jude looking at her several times as he read hers.
"Tell me how you write songs," he asked.
"What do you mean? Like my process?"
"Yeah. You have these lyrics. Do you know what each song sounds like?"
"Sometimes. Most of the time it's just the words though. They just come to me. I sleep with a notepad nearby because some of my best stuff comes when I'm half asleep."
"The muse is funny when she strikes."
"Other times I get a melody in my head and I build on that. Most of the songs on my album were like that."
"Then let’s choose some deeper songs. Show them you've got a lot of depth and emotion. Do you have any favorites?"
"I really can't choose a favorite. I do like some of the word play in "At Your Feet." What do you think?"
"Yeah, that's a good one. I also like "Tainted" and "Wounded Love." I noticed you wrote that yesterday."
Lucky groaned. Until he mentioned "Wounded Love," she had forgotten about his whole marriage situation. She folded her arms over her chest and thought about returning to her seat, but she needed to get the songs done.
"Fine. Explain to me how you forgot to mention you were married," she said angrily.
"The entire Donna thing was a mistake. We separated six months after getting married. I kept trying to make it work, but she wasn't interested. Ends up she was only after my money."
"That's how you ended up in the contract with Richard?"
"Richard and I go way back. He discovered me when he was putting Silverlight together. He warned me about his niece, but I didn't listen. Luckily, Cade pushed me to get a prenup." Jude shook his head sheepishly.
"Do you love her?"
"No, but at the time I thought I did," he said as he looked down. "I never thought she was the one. I just wanted to settle down and plant some roots somewhere. I think I was still getting over someone else."
"Who?" Lucky asked.
"It's not important. Five years ago it was, but I'm a different person now and she…well, things would've never worked out anyway."
Lucky took in everything he said. Part of her wanted to not believe him, but deep down she knew he was telling the truth. It was in the past and didn't matter anymore. She could accept that and move on. She had more important things to do now anyway, like write some new songs.
After two days of rehearsals in LA, Lucky added the three new songs to the set list. With Kat gone, the band meshed better than before and they hoped to do an extended jam between two of the new songs.
Dressed in a crimson maxi dress, her hair in loose waves, Lucky stood by the stage curtain looking out at the open space with people making their way to their seats. Through her shoes, she felt the tap of Jude's boots hitting against the floorboards as he walked towards her
.
"You okay? You look a bit pale," Jude said.
"Look at the size of this place. Look at all those people out there."
"Yup, all here to see you."
"Talk about pressure. What if I mess up?"
"You'll be fine. It's no different than playing to a smaller crowd."
"It's completely different," Lucky said. "Look how many people are here already. We don't even go on for another hour. What if they don't like how I sound? Or I mess up? Everyone will realize I'm just a fraud."
"Listen to me, Olivia Saldano," he said as he spun Lucky around to face him, keeping his hands on her upper arms and locking his eyes to hers. "You have a gift. You're talented and beautiful, you're not a fraud. You're the real deal and you can do this. Just get out of your head."
"You're right. I can do this. This is what I always wanted, always dreamed about."
"And you're not alone out there. You know I'll be out there with you. Just turn around and I'll be right there keeping an eye on you."
Richard told her how well everything was going once the photo went viral, but she found it hard to believe. After all, it was just a stupid photo of her first kiss. She still felt her stomach drop whenever she thought about it being out there, and she knew it was responsible for her pre-show jitters.
"You're right. I can do this," Lucky repeated to herself. Knowing he would be there made her feel better, stronger.
The roar of the crowd surprised her when they came on stage, but she immediately looked over at Jude and settled down. Once they started playing, Lucky felt herself go into another world. The place she went to whenever she played. Nothing else mattered except the music.
Lucky: A Rockstar Romance Two Book Boxed Set Page 13
