Beverly Hills Dragons- The Complete Collection

by Meg Ripley

  “Take a chill pill, Cathy; this is just an audition. Maybe the band won’t like me. Maybe I’ll get so nervous that I won’t be able to sing at all. Or maybe Mr. Van Buren will realize that I wasn’t as good of a singer as he thought, he’ll fire me, and I’ll come back home with my tail between my legs.” The thought had crossed her mind, although she hoped she was wrong.

  “Stop talking like that. You’re going to do great. And you said this was your boss who got you this audition? Sounds to me like you’ve got it in the bag.”

  “I don’t know about that.” Damien had been sure to tell her that it was still a gamble. She hoped he wouldn’t do this as any sort of favor to her, but because she really deserved it. “He’s a great guy, though. He’s wonderful to work for, so even if I don’t nail the audition, I won’t mind coming back home to be a nanny.”

  “Oh? Tell me more about this boss of yours. Is he hot?”

  “Cathy…” She didn’t want to say anything like that about Mr. Van Buren, especially not when she was speaking on his telephone line.

  “Grow up! There’s nothing wrong with a little bit of gossip. Besides, I think I hear a little something in your voice. You like him. I’m sure. I’m so sure.”

  “Quit it! He’s my boss! I think you’ve let this whole thing go to your head. It’s not like that. He’s kind, and the job is good, but we’re purely professional. Nothing more.”

  “If you say so...”

  “I do, and I’d better let you go before I rack up a phone bill so big that he decides to cancel the audition. But I’ll call you as soon as I hear anything, okay?” They hung up and Brianna lay on her bed for a little while longer, just trying to catch her breath from the day. Was this really happening? Was she really getting her shot at a recording contract?

  And better yet, what did she think of Damien? She thought of him by his first name in her head, but she had only ever addressed him as Mr. Van Buren. He’d never indicated they could be on a first-name basis, and other than the night when they sat together eating ice cream, the two of them hadn’t spent any time together unless Stephanie was involved.

  But she couldn’t deny her attraction to him, nor the spark she’d felt the other day when she’d hugged him. A shiver of pleasure ran down her spine as she thought about him, and it made the sharp teeth of her dragon form threaten to descend. He might spend his time behind the scenes, pointing his finger for the record label, but he could just as easily have been a movie star. She’d never seen anyone quite like him, and it was hard not to stare. The dark umber of his eyes was hypnotizing, and while she was usually quite confident, the alpha energy he radiated made her weak in the knees. Most of the time, she saw him in suits or business casual attire. But then there had been those occasions when she had spotted him in a polo and khaki shorts, or that one morning when he had come through the kitchen in his bathrobe for a cup of coffee. It made him seem more like a real person—and it only showed her just how tempting his body was.

  She sighed. If she had to tell the truth, she was most definitely attracted to him. To her boss. Not only that, he was the man who was giving her a chance at a big break. Everything else would just have to be forced to the back burner for now. She had a career to work on.

  Getting up, she slid the tape Damien had given her into her boombox and pressed the play button.

  Chapter Seven

  “Just relax. I promise, nobody there is going to bite you.” Damien was navigating traffic to get to Rising Star, but it was impossible to ignore the tension that had taken over Brianna. It made her a completely different person compared to who she was when she was playing with Stephanie, and he was worried for her.

  “I’m sorry, I’m just a little anxious. I’ve never done anything like this before.” She rubbed her fingers nervously across her lips.

  Damien forced his eyes away, finding the gesture far too seductive. “Don’t worry. This band has been playing together for a bit, but they’re barely professionals themselves. You listened to all the songs?” He wondered if Brianna realized what an advantage she had in having access to the songs ahead of time. Some artists were forced to learn on-the-go. Maybe he wasn’t being fair by doing her that favor, but he really wanted this to work.

  “More times than I can count.”

  “Good. Then you’ll be fine.” Damien switched lanes to get around a semi. Since his mom had Stephanie, he’d decided he would drive Brianna to the studio in the Porsche. It was fast and smooth, and he enjoyed the ride, but he realized it probably looked like he was showing off. Brianna, however, was too nervous to notice.

  “I hope so.”

  Deciding this was the best time to bring up something that had been weighing on his mind, Damien turned down the volume on The Psychedelic Furs’ new track emanating from the speakers, “The Ghost In You.”

  “I want you to know that I’m excited for you, but I also don’t know what I’m going to do if you get this gig. I’m not looking forward to hiring a new au pair.”

  Brianna blushed, and he once again had to make sure he kept his focus on the road. “I’m sure you won’t have anything to worry about, but I would never leave Stephanie until I knew you had someone else lined up for her.”

  How had he managed to find someone who was so kind and considerate? There just wasn’t anyone else in Los Angeles county like her. “I appreciate that. Really. But don’t sell yourself short; there’s a chance this could all work out for you. Today, you’ll meet a few people who will be working on the recording. They’re all very cool, very relaxed, and they won’t be the ones judging you. It’s their job to make sure you and the band sound as good as possible. You’ll meet the band, and you guys will go in the booth. Just relax and do what you do naturally.”

  She pulled in a deep breath through her nose and let it out slowly through her mouth. She must have been even more nervous than he had anticipated. “I know I shouldn’t be asking this, but how long will it be until we know something?”

  He tapped his finger against the steering wheel. Technically, a lot of this decision was riding on his shoulders. No one would really say anything if he made the call on his own, but he wanted to get the president involved. He had to make sure that he was being objective, since he had been living with Brianna for the last few weeks. “It shouldn’t take too long. The tape will be ready in a couple of days, and then the executives will need some time to listen to it. I’d guess a week or two.”

  “That’s not very long, but it feels like it.”

  “It’ll fly by,” Damien assured her. He pulled into the parking garage attached to the studio and came around the side of the car to let her out. At his suggestion, she had gone shopping for a new outfit. It wasn’t because he didn’t like the way she dressed, but he knew that having new clothes always made someone feel more confident. She stepped out in black miniskirt and a royal blue belted blouse that made her look like she was anything but a nanny. Brianna had spent a little more time on her hair that morning, crimping a few pieces and teasing even more volume into it than usual. With her heels and a vivid swoop of blue eyeshadow, it was hard to tell that she wasn’t already a rock star.

  Once inside, Brianna’s pleasant nature took over. She smiled as she shook hands with everyone, and the band instantly seemed impressed with both her look and her attitude. Damien knew it would take a lot more than that to get her this job, but they were off to a great start.

  Mitch, the drummer, waved toward the booth as he spoke to Damien. “Hey, do you care if we just jam a little before we actually start?”

  “Sounds like a good idea to me. We’ll keep the mics off on our side while you get to know each other. Just let us know when you’re ready.” He watched her go into the sound booth with the band, and he stepped into the production booth with Mike.

  With his curly black hair and a pair of sunglasses perched at the end of his nose, Mike looked like a complete slacker. He usually sat behind the mixing board with his feet propped up, looking through a m
agazine or doodling song lyrics on a notepad like he had nothing better to do. But Damien knew that, even though he was human, he was one of the best in the business. He could take a mediocre band and make them sound like they had been pros for years. “So this is her, huh?” He was looking through the glass with more interest than Damien had seen in his eyes before.

  Damien had phoned ahead to let Mike know what they’d be doing. “I hope so. She’s got a great voice. We’ll just have to see.”

  “Are you okay? You look a little rattled.” Mike squinted at him with bloodshot eyes.

  “Hmm?” He had been watching Brianna closely as she chatted with the band, smiling and gesturing with her hands. “Oh, I’m fine. I think I just had too much coffee today.”

  “Not possible, man.” He found a chair and parked himself while he waited. He understood why the band would want to have a little practice time, but he was anxious for this to get started.

  When it looked like they had run through a couple of songs together and Brianna was smiling at the microphone, the guitarist gave them the signal to start. Mike turned up the volume, and they started playing.

  Damien was glad he was sitting down. He had a good ear for music, as he should with his heightened shifter senses, but also because he had been in the industry for so long. But even he couldn’t have predicted just how good they would sound together. Brianna bopped along to the beat of the music, looking so natural as she belted out the lyrics. The band members were grinning, too, and Damien knew they were hearing the same thing. Their former singer had been okay, but the combination of their talent and Brianna’s was unmatched.

  In his mind’s eye, he could already see what their future album cover could look like. It wouldn’t take anything to get a music video made, since they just looked so natural together as they played. Once the president had a chance to hear the tape, he knew there would be no question of signing them, no matter who any of them were. Brianna was about to become a star, and his house was about to become a much lonelier place. He didn’t even want to think about how he would break the news to Stephanie.

  “Wow, your girlfriend really has a set of pipes,” Mike remarked. His fingers were on the mixing board, but they weren’t moving. “I won’t have much work to do on this one.”

  “Yeah, she really does.” Damien smiled, completely blown away. “But she’s not my girlfriend.”

  Mike twisted a small green knob on the board, but only by a fraction of an inch. “What do you mean?”

  Damien tore his eyes away from Brianna and the band to look at him. “What do you mean, what do I mean? She’s not my girlfriend.”

  “Ooookay,” Mike replied, dragging the word out so that it was dripping with doubt. “Then what is she to you? It’s obvious that she knows you.”

  “How’s that?” Damien instantly felt defensive. He hoped Mike wasn’t trying to pull the same bullshit that Gordon had, feeling him out for his relationship with Brianna just so he could get a chance with her. His scales were getting ruffled, and nothing had really happened.

  Mike shrugged and gave Damien a quick smirk. “I’ve seen the way she looks at you. There’s some sort of connection there. You didn’t just find her on the street or in the nightclub.”

  Damien looked through the window, ready to argue. He was her boss, and that was all. But as she sang, he could see exactly what Mike was talking about. Brianna’s eyes were lit like stars, and every time she looked at him there was a softness that he couldn’t deny. He wondered why he hadn’t known it before, but the makeup she wore that day must have accentuated it. “She’s just having fun in there singing. Look at her, she’s a natural.”

  “Oh, I’ve looked at her. And so has everyone else in this building, I’m sure. Hey, don’t look at me like that! She’s hot, okay?”

  Damien relaxed the curled fist that had come naturally to his hand, even though he had kept it at his side. “I’m sorry. I guess I’m a little protective of her. She’s new in this country, and she doesn’t know anyone yet. And I’m her boss, if you must know. She watches my daughter.”

  “Oh, okay. Cool.” Mike still didn’t sound like he believed him, but he was content to leave it at that for the moment.

  Damien was grateful. He would hate to think that someone he worked so closely with was as much of a sleaze as Gordon. If Mike had tried to move in on Brianna, he would have had a problem on his hands.

  The band wrapped up the song, and Mike flipped a switch. “That was great, guys. Go ahead and do the next one. I’m ready whenever you are.”

  The guitarist and the drummer gave the thumbs up while the keyboardist made a few adjustments to his instrument. Brianna beamed at Damien, looking like she might explode.

  And he thought he might do the same. Shit. He couldn’t feel this way about her. So what if she was talented, kind—and breathtaking? She was his nanny, and he had barely lost the tan line where his wedding ring used to be.

  His phone rang, jarring him out of his thoughts. He’d almost left the damn thing at home, since he didn’t really like being tied down by his mobile phone, but he wanted to be available in case his mother had any issues with Stephanie. He pulled his giant Motorola DynaTac 8000S out of his briefcase and stepped out of the booth. “Hello?”

  “Damien!” The yell that came through the phone was ear-splitting.

  “Linda, how nice to hear from you.”

  “Do you know how hard you are to track down?” she barked. “I called your house and your office, and you weren’t there. Where the fuck are you?”

  He closed his eyes and leaned against the wall of the hallway. Across from him, several platinum records sparkled in the lights. It was no wonder he had been able to get so many of them from the company when his alternative was going home to the hateful woman on the other end of the line. “I don’t think that’s really any of your business.”

  “It is when you have my daughter! Is she there with you?”

  “No, I’m working.” He glanced at the light above the door. They were still recording. Good. He didn’t want to be doing this when Brianna came out of the booth.

  “Then where is she?” Linda screeched. “Is she with that little hussy you hired?”

  “She’s with my mother,” he countered, “and what are you talking about?”

  “Right. I guess you didn’t think I would find out. But I know all about that bimbo you’ve got living with you. You’re sick, Damien. You get me out of the house and hire yourself a whore? I guess she plays with Stephanie during the day and then plays with you at night, right?”

  He rubbed one hand over his eyes. He wasn’t going to dignify the question with a real answer. “Brianna is an excellent caregiver. And seriously, how do you even know about her? Are you stalking me or something?”

  “I don’t have to stalk you to find out about anything. I saw the bitch on Rodeo Drive. You should have seen her.” Linda descended into a fit of giggles. “Poor little thing was terrified of me—as she should be. I’m going to tear that little bitch apart.”

  “You’re not going to do anything,” Damien corrected. “It’s none of your business where Stephanie is, anyway, since you don’t have custody of her.”

  “Something which you just love to wave in my face.”

  “I might as well, considering you didn’t even show up for your last scheduled visitation.” Damien had chosen to meet Linda at the park instead of in his own home. The idea of his ex coming over had given him a gnawing feeling in the pit of the stomach that he couldn’t ignore. But after waiting for a solid hour without a sign of Linda, he had let Stephanie finish playing on the slide and brought her home. Fortunately, he hadn’t told his little girl that she would be seeing her mother that day, so she didn’t have the chance to be disappointed.

  “It’s my business because I’m taking you back to court.”

  The blow was a low one. He didn’t really think Linda could win, but he didn’t want to go through all of that again. “The judge already made h
is decision.”

  “Maybe so, but I’ve got a much better lawyer this time. One whose dick is at least twice the size of yours, by the way. You can’t keep Stephanie away from me just because I cheated on you. Lots of people do that, and I won’t let you punish me for it any longer. You’ll be getting the papers in the mail soon.”

  She was right about the cheating part, but of course she wasn’t about to bring up her drug use, erratic behavior, or the fact that Damien didn’t trust her to properly take care of Stephanie. In fact, she was probably high right then and there.

  “You know what? That’s fine. You bring your lawyer and his dick, and I’ll see you in court.”

  He hung up and shoved the phone back in his briefcase, all the excitement from Brianna’s audition drained out of him. He’d made plenty of mistakes in his life, and most of them, he had been able to move past, but having a child with Linda was probably the biggest.

  He stepped back into the booth just as they wrapped up their song. “That’s it for now, guys. Great job,” Mike said over the intercom.

  Brianna turned to the band. Damien couldn’t hear her, since Mike had flipped the switch again, but it looked like she was thanking the band. They shook her hands, clapped her on the shoulders, and the drummer even hugged her. It was obvious she had their approval.

  Chapter Eight

  Brianna’s blood was rushing through her body so fast, she thought she might pass out, but only in a good way. She’d been terrified on the way to the recording studio, certain that Damien had made a mistake. Boy, had she been wrong.

  “Thank you so much, guys. That was killer,” she said once Mike had given them the all-clear.

  “No, thank you,” replied Mitch as he tucked his drumsticks through his belt loop. “We thought we were shit out of luck when our vocalist quit, but you’re ten times better than she ever was. And you’re a dragon? How sweet is that?!”