Her pink lips twist. “Why? Because of him?” She points at Noel.
My eyes flit up to Noel’s face, and at that second, he looks down at me while he strums his guitar. His eyes hold mine for a second before I glance back at Aubrey and nod. “I have to get out of here. This is torture.”
Aubrey’s whole body slumps like a deflated balloon. “You know we can’t do that.” She sighs. “You have to suck it up and talk to him. You won’t get a job, and I’ll lose mine. Diana doesn’t mess around.” She takes my hand and pulls me through the crowd. I glance back and watch a pile of girls shove into our spot.
The arena is so loud I can hardly hear my own thoughts. We make it to the back of the crowd as the song ends. People scream Noel’s name while they wait for the next song to begin. When it’s oddly silent, I think about taking one last look before I walk out on him again—one last look to remember him by.
“This next song goes out to the girl who shredded my heart back in high school. It’s called “Ball Busting Bitch,” and Lanie, this one’s for you.”
My entire body freezes, and my mouth goes dry. What a dick! My blood boils and my fingers shake as I resist the urge to storm the stage and punch him square in the face. On second thought, that sounds like a fantastic idea. I lunge forward, and Aubrey snags my arm.
“What the hell are you doing?” she asks.
“I’m going to kick his ass,” I snarl.
Aubrey rolls her emerald eyes. “As much as I would love to see you do that, it’s impossible, and you know it. The guy probably has ten hunky bodyguards to protect him from the likes of you. Besides, we have to be civil to that cretin, remember?”
My shoulders slump. Oh, right. I have a job riding on getting Noel to like me. The last thing I want to do is talk to him, let alone be nice to him, but what choice do I have?
“You’re right. Let’s just get through tonight, get the info we need, then get our asses back to New York where we belong.”
Aubrey wraps her slender arm around my shoulders and gives me a little squeeze. “There’s the Lanie I love. Come on. Let’s weasel our way backstage and get to work.”
My fingers rub my aching forehead. This is a bad idea, but I reluctantly tell her okay. She grabs me in a tight hug—her vanilla perfume super strong in my nose—and leads me toward the Restricted Area sign with our backstage passes tight in her hand.
CHAPTER THREE
* * *
Being backstage at a rock show isn’t as glamorous as one may think. It’s filled with dirty, sweaty men—most of whom are overweight and look as though they haven’t showered in six months. Plus, the way they leer at me is creepy, like I’m a dessert ready to be licked. I shudder at that thought and grip Aubrey’s hand tighter.
“Damn, Lanie, loosen up. You’re killin’ my hand,” she complains.
I drop her hand. “Sorry. Where the hell is the band? Their set has been over for at least fifteen minutes.”
We come to a hallway filled with people and music equipment. Something tells me we’ve come to the right spot. The sheer volume of scantily clad women milling about shocks me. Some of them are even walking around topless as though it’s no big deal. I smooth down my fitted leather halter and jean shorts, feeling like one of the only modestly dressed women around. Do these girls have no self-respect?
Aubrey runs a hand through her auburn curls. “How are we supposed to get any one-on-one time with him in this freak show? Harold is right. Rock star accounts are definitely not the usual.”
“I don’t know, but we aren’t leaving until we talk to him.” I grab her wrist and tug her forward. “We’ll check every one of these rooms if we have to.”
Aubrey giggles uncontrollably as we rush from room to room, throwing the red doors wide open in search of Noel Falcon. Somehow we end up turning it into a silly little game of shocking people as we slam open doors. A majority of the rooms are locked or empty, but I have the feeling if we keep this up much longer, we’re going to get thrown out. The last room we come to has music blasting. Aubrey twists the handle, throws open the door, and shouts, “Booyah!”, causing me to laugh so hard I double over.
“Oh, um, sorry,” Aubrey says while yanking my arm.
I stand up straight, trying to curb my giggles, and stare right into the eyes of Noel Falcon. My smile drops completely off my face. Two topless women press against him, one on each side, and his arms wrap around them. A slow, lazy grin spreads across his face, and I feel the urge to hurl.
“Well, well, well. If it isn’t my old pal Lanie,” Noel says. “Please, by all means, come in and join our little private party. I was going to take it easy tonight and settle for just these two, but you and your friend are more than welcome to join in. The more the merrier, right, ladies?”
The blondes giggle and run their hands up and down his chiseled chest while they lean in and kiss each other. He continues smiling at me, loving that he’s paying me back tenfold.
I shake my head in disgust. “You’re a real piece of shit, you know that? Come on, Aubrey.”
Aubrey grabs my shoulders, holding me in place. “Lanie, we can’t. What about our jobs? We have to talk to him.”
I shake my head and glance at Noel. “Fuck the job. I’ll pass.”
I storm away with Aubrey close on my heels. I don’t know how I’m going to explain this to Diana Swagger, but it’s just too much. It’s way more than I bargained for. No sane person could speak to such a condescending, egotistical prick of an ex-boyfriend, let alone work with him. I’ll just have to find a new dream.
Aubrey keeps up as I blast past the people in the busy hallway. I’m so angry with myself. I can’t believe I let myself think this would be easy or that I’m even capable of facing Noel. The exit door flies open as I shove through. I gulp down the thick Texas air and push my hair back from my face. I’m not even sure how to find our rental car from this area of the parking lot, but I keep trudging forward. I need distance as much as I can get from Noel Falcon.
“Damn, Lanie, would you wait up? These boots aren’t exactly made for running a marathon,” Aubrey complains.
I sigh and stop in my tracks. “Aubrey, you just don’t—”
“What?” she snaps. “Don’t understand? If you tell me that one more time after I’ve listened to you pine after him for four freakin’ years, then I’m going to murder you here and now. Capiche? I know what he meant to you and how much tonight hurt you, but now you know there’s nothing left for you with him. You can move on. Forget about Noel Falcon and focus on your career. That douche is the only thing standing between you and your dream job, so go back in there and face him. Get your answers.”
She’s right. I can’t let my emotions get in the way of the biggest career opportunity I’ll ever have. “All right. Jeesh. You don’t have to go and get all mafia on me. I’ll think about it.”
Aubrey tilts her head and pops out her bottom lip. “Please, Lanie. Please? I need you as my coworker.”
I rub my aching forehead. She’s not going to let this go. Even though I know it’s a bad idea, I reluctantly tell her okay. She squeaks and grabs me up into a tight hug.
She pulls back. “You’re doing the right thing.”
I frown. Second thoughts plague me, and my gut twists into a knot. Maybe it isn’t such a good idea after all. When we return to the building, it seems even more crowded than before. We find ourselves weaving between people as though we’re in a packed night club. The red doors in the hallway remain shut, and I cringe when I think about what’s behind the last one.
Aubrey stops me from bursting into his dressing room again. “Sure you don’t want to wait for him to come out? I can only imagine what’s going on in there now.”
I shake my head. “No. If I wait, I’ll lose my nerve. We are getting what we came for. Do me a favor, though?”
“Anything.”
“When I toss the two hookerbots out, keep them out. I can’t fight both of them and get info from Noel at the same time.�
�� I turn and shove through the door. “All right, everyone, get the—”
Noel glances up from his guitar and glares at me. “Can I help you?”
I shut the door, closing the two of us alone in the small room. “Where’d your sluts go?”
Noel’s eyes narrow. “Why? You jealous or…maybe they’re more your type now.”
“Fuck you.” It slips out before I remember I need to stay calm.
He laughs and strums his guitar. “No thanks. For some reason, I’m not in the mood anymore.”
I sigh and run my fingers through my hair. “Look, Noel, I didn’t come here to fight with you.”
Noel raises a pierced eyebrow. “Really? Tell me, Lane, why did you come here?”
“Lane.” I haven’t heard that in a long time. Noel is the only person alive who shortens my name. I shake the memories away. This isn’t the time to reminisce. It’s time to get down to business. “Well…” I clear my throat. “I’m an intern at Center Stage Marketing, and my boss, Diana Swagger, flew me down to discuss Black Falcon’s charity with you.”
“You?” He shakes his head. “Out of all the people in the entire fucking world, they send you down here to talk to me. Did they think because we’ve fucked I wouldn’t fire you?”
My hands ball into fists. “How can you say that? I’m not one of your groupie whores. What we had was real!”
He lays down his guitar and stands in front of me—his six feet two frame towers over me. “Then why did you leave me, huh? If it was so real, why did you walk away from it?”
I can’t look at him. My reasons for leaving him that night on the dock are unbelievably selfish. Noel twirls a strand of my brown hair just like he always did when we were a couple. I slap his hand away. His touch is just too soon.
The corners of his lips turn down. He tucks the loose strand behind my ear. His fingertips linger on my cheek. “Why do you always fight the inevitable? You’ve always made things so difficult.”
I step away from him, but he closes the gap even tighter—his chest against mine. “There is no inevitable with us,” I say.
“Sure, there is. Fate brought you here, didn’t it?” Noel cradles my face. I try to pull away, but he doesn’t let me go. A smile flirts along his lips. “You look exactly the same. Still the most beautiful girl I’ve ever seen.” He brings his lips toward mine. His warm breath touches my face, and all I can think about is kissing him. Would it be just like old times? “How about a kiss? Don’t you remember how hot things were between us?”
My heart thunders with anticipation, and I bite my bottom lip. He runs his nose along my jaw, and I close my eyes and inhale his spicy sent. He smells delicious. Noel’s eyes search my face while his lips hover over mine. I feel his heat against my face, and my legs tremble.
He leans in closer but stops just short of my lips. “Now you know what it’s like to want something you can’t have.” His hands drop away from my face. There’s no emotion on his face, but his eyes look pained, and knowing I have this effect on him crushes me. Noel steps back and runs his hand through his shaggy hair before stepping around me and walking out the door.
The breath I didn’t even realize I was holding expels from my chest when the door closes. I feel as though I should have said something, maybe even apologized for what I did to him four years ago, but I couldn’t. The ground holds my feet steady when I hear the door open behind me. My heart falls around my ankles, and I think about how easy it’ll be for him to stomp on it. I don’t deserve any kindness from him, but the emotional smack in the face of still hurt like hell. This is Noel’s payback—to hurt me.
A small pair of hands rest on my shoulders. “Did you get your answers?”
I nod but can’t bring myself to face Aubrey. “Everything I needed to know.”
CHAPTER FOUR
* * *
This is the first time since the start of my internship a month ago that I hate being at work. Admitting I failed will be hard. Noel didn’t tell me jack crap about his charity. The only information I have is that it’s some type of children’s charity. I pinch the bridge of my nose. He knew what the job meant to me. He’s taking this away from me on purpose, and it pisses me off. Aubrey leads us into the conference room for our meeting with Diana and the rest of the executive staff at Center Stage. My stomach rolls as I sit and scoot closer to the table. I fold my hands on top of the notepad I brought and take a deep breath.
Ms. Swagger takes her seat and looks at me before slipping on her glasses. “Ms. Vance, would you care to fill us in on how your meeting with Mr. Falcon went?”
The fingernails of my left hand dig into the skin on the back of my right. Telling her I screwed up will be like nailing my coffin shut, but what other choice do I have? I readjust myself. “Actually, Ms. Swagger, I—”
She holds up a finger before she pushes a button on the intercom in front of her. “Jillian, dear, there isn’t any water in the conference room. Could you see that some is brought in immediately?”
“Right away, Ms. Swagger,” the secretary replies. I can tell by her response that Diana always gets what she wants.
Without skipping a beat, Diana returns her attention to me. “Ms. Vance, can I just say I’ve never received a call quite like the one I got from Mr. Falcon yesterday.”
My heart leaps into my throat. Oh God. Here comes the boot. I need to do everything I can to keep my internship. “I can explain about that.”
Diana leans back. “Please do. It seems some of my account executives could learn a thing or two about reeling in a client.”
My brow furrows, and I glance over at Aubrey. She just shrugs. “I’m sorry, but I’m a little confused. What exactly did Noel, er, Mr. Falcon say?”
“We had a lengthy conversation about the long-term goals of the marketing campaign for his children’s literacy program, and Mr. Falcon is adamant that you take the lead on this project. He seems to think you are the only person on my team who understands him and his goals. Of course, I explained that you’re only an intern and that I felt it best for someone with more experience head this up, but Mr. Falcon refused. He said he wants you, and you only, or he pulls the account.”
My eyes widen. “Are you offering me a job?”
Diana smiles and removes her glasses. “Yes, with the stipulation that you are successful with the Black Falcon project. If it fails, then I’ll have no choice but to let you go.”
All of the other marketing team members focus on my reaction. Children’s literacy hits home for Noel. He has dyslexia, and reading was always a struggle. He knows that I know that. It explains why he thinks I’m the best person for his job. I rub the back of my neck as I feel the pressure push down. Even though I’ve known him forever, I don’t understand why on earth Noel would make that kind of request. He hates me; he made that perfectly clear in Houston. Why would he want me around more? To torture me, probably.
Is a job really worth all of this?
Yes. I have to grab this opportunity with both hands and do my best to keep my relationship with Noel strictly professional. I swallow hard. Those are some hefty stakes, but I’m willing to take it on. “Understood.”
She nods. “Good. Welcome to the Center Stage family. Aubrey, see that Human Resources changes Ms. Vance’s employment status to full time.”
I watch my best friend make the note in her elegant script. “Yes, Ms. Swagger.”
“Oh, and Aubrey, find this young lady a desk so she can get to work.” Diana winks at me.
After the meeting ends and everyone clears out of the room, Aubrey yanks me into a tight hug. “Oh my God, Lanie! What the hell just happened? Instead of getting the boot, you got handed a job on a platter. I thought you said Noel didn’t tell you anything.”
My head spins. All of this doesn’t seem real. “He didn’t. He seemed like he couldn’t get away from me fast enough.”
She twists her ruby-red lips into a slight grin. “Sounds like he’s doing whatever he can to keep you close.”
/>
I roll my eyes. “He wants to punish me for breaking up with him. You saw how he loved shoving those two naked skanks in my face.”
Aubrey sighs. “That was pretty gross, I’ll give you that, but it wasn’t like he meant to do that. He didn’t know we’d come busting through the door unannounced.”
“Yes, he did. He even invited us to join.” I growl in frustration. “Whose side are you on anyway?”
“Yours, always yours. You know that. All I’m saying is that he went out of his way to make sure you got this job. Would he really do that just to get back at you? Give him a chance. Maybe it was an off night. He might actually want to be friends again.”
I shrug. Damn her. Why does she have to be so rational?
Aubrey smiles. “When you meet up with him again, plaster on the biggest smile you can and win him over. He’s the key to keeping your job. Remember the old saying, ‘fake it ‘til you make it.’”
I nod. That’s exactly what I’ll do. “You’re right. I’ll do whatever it takes to keep this job.”
“Of course I am. Now let’s go pick out your shitty cubical.” Aubrey giggles and pulls me into the hallway.
An hour later, I sit at my new desk staring at Noel’s contact information. What am I going to say to him? Do I thank him for basically getting me a job, or do I play it cool and pretend his phone call didn’t pull any strings? Either way, I have to call him. Talking with Noel is the only way to get things rolling. The only thing I know about the charity he’s establishing is it’s for children’s literacy. I rub my forehead vigorously. It’s just a phone call. How hard can it be? The nerves in my hand twitch when I pick up the phone. Each number makes my stomach knot a little tighter, and when it rings, my skin grows cold and clammy.
Noel answers on the fourth ring. “Yeah?”
I tuck my hair behind my ear. “Noel? Hi. It’s Lanie Vance, and I’m—”
Rock Star Romance Ultimate Volume 2 Page 140
