Jasper shut off the water and made his way out of the shower. If Autumn hadn't been sleeping in his bed, he would have walked around in the towel or naked, but he didn't want to see what would happen if Autumn saw him naked. He slipped on a pair of sweatpants and walked out of his room closing the door so he wouldn't disturb Autumn.
Jasper spied his phone on the table beside the couch. The blinking light filled his body with dread. He remembered most of last night. However, vague it was, he was sure he didn't do anything too out of control.
He was surprised how different Autumn was than her television personality. He knew that he couldn't judge a person on who they appeared to be, but Autumn had always taken roles where she was the wholesome girl-next-door. Last night proved that was all a show.
***
The flashing lights of the club were giving Jasper a headache. He was upset with Hailey. When he told her that she should go with Matthew, in the back of his mind he hoped she would confess her feelings for him and tell him that Matthew could go jump off a cliff. Obviously, that plan blew up right in his face. All Hailey said was “Ok.” What kind of response was that? There had to be more that she wanted to say. He was just kidding himself that wasn’t how things worked out for him.
So now he was being dragged into a club. A club he should have been avoiding. As soon as the music hit Autumn's ears, her arms were up in the air and her small, pert ass began to swing to the rhythm. She was clearly into the scene and one of those girls who lived for the party.
All the eyes of men in the club, and quite a few of the women’s, made their way to Autumn's dancing body. He watched as Autumn realized she had the attention she seemed to crave and made her movements even more pronounced. The guys in his band nudged him with big smiles, as if Jasper should be enjoying the show like everyone else. And he would have been enjoying it before he met Hailey.
He pictured Hailey in her awful clothes and her uncertainty about everything around her, unless it came to helping people or her job. Jasper wished the confidence she felt when she talked to a homeless person, or made lunch for a widowed security guard, would follow her into the other aspects of her life. Then again, if she did show the confidence she showed in the things she didn't seem comfortable in, he would have a lot more competition than just Matthew. It was dumb to think about her. He had to keep it professional with Hailey. That’s what she wanted, and it was what was best for both of them.
“Come dance with me.” Autumn breathed into his ear bringing him back to where he was and away from his thoughts of Hailey. Autumn had a sly smile on her face and her whole weight was resting on him.
He had the feeling she was using her acting skills at that exact moment. He had been with her a while and at no point had he seen her take a drink, but now that he had eyes on her, she seemed to be well past buzzed. Jasper took her arms and unwound them from his neck. Autumn pouted and stumbled when she walked a couple of steps away from him.
“Don't be boring, Jasper. I'm done with boring.” Autumn stuck out her bottom lip. She pushed her arms together in the front making her small tits stick out as far as they could.
Jasper bit the inside of his lip not wanting to say something mean to her. She was America's sweetheart and if he did anything, especially in front of all the people, it would be bad for him.
“I don't want to dance. Why don't we go into a private room for a while?” Jasper asked hoping to get away from all the cell phones pointed his way. There was a time when Jasper would have soaked all this attention up like a sponge, but seeing that he originally didn’t want to be here, all he wanted to do was keep a low profile. Partly for his sake but definitely more so for Hailey. He didn’t want to get her upset at him again.
Autumn sighed as she looked around at the busy dance floor, as if she wasn't ready to give up the spotlight just yet.
Jasper put his arm around her shoulder and whispered in her ear. “I promise to dance with you later.”
Autumn placed her hand on his chest and smiled up at him. Jasper had to close his eyes from all the flashes going off inside the club. Every one of them was pointed at them still. He palmed his phone knowing that various pictures of them were already flooding the internet.
“Ok.” She breathed into his ear.
Autumn knew how to work the crowd in her favor. Even though that’s exactly what he needed, and what Hailey was hoping would happen, he was starting to see he didn't like the ones who tried. Hailey did things without thinking that were sexier than Autumn could ever be. Hailey never tried to be sexy, which was more of a turn on than anything else. Fuck, he needed to stop thinking about Hailey.
Jasper pulled Autumn toward the private room in the back. She stumbled along, giggling louder than needed, as if making sure she had all the attention she could garner. Jasper collapsed on the couch and pulled out his phone as soon as the curtains were drawn.
“Should we order a bottle?” Liam asked, as he wrapped his arms around some tiny redhead who he was entertaining for the night.
Everyone agreed with a loud yes except Jasper. He was checking his accounts to see what type of magic Hailey was doing for him. A frown creased his face when he realized that his accounts were quiet. Hailey hadn't responded to the thousands of questions fans were sending him. Every one of his fans wanted to know what was happening between him and Autumn, but Hailey was giving all of them the silent treatment.
When the bottle arrived, Jasper was becoming upset. Hailey still hadn't made any move to connect with his fans on any of his accounts. He hoped that maybe she was just in the shower and not having passionate sex. That’s when it hit him. He wasn’t upset that his fans weren’t getting answers, but because if she was not slaving over her phone and tablet working his social media she was with him.
The shot Autumn fed him went down with an acid burn that matched his anger. He couldn't stop picturing Hailey and Matthew naked. It was a ridiculous thing to think about. She really deserved a break, and he shouldn’t begrudge her putting her phone down for one evening no matter what the reason was.
“What's wrong, baby?” Autumn asked in a grating baby voice. She took his phone away from him and pushed another shot into his hand.
This time the shot went down a lot easier. Jasper reached for the bottle and poured another one. Everyone in the private room cheered as he downed three more in a row. He would give Hailey a run for her money. It was her job to keep his reputation pristine, and he was going to make her work for it.
Jasper took Autumn's hand and pulled her out of the private room. He promised her a dance, and he felt like dancing. Autumn giggled and squealed, sobering him for a second. When guilt started to swamp his head, he grabbed the almost empty bottle and slugged back two drinks straight from the top.
Autumn bounced. She grabbed the bottle from him and poured the rest down her throat.
“We'll be back,” Jasper said to nobody in particular. Before he took a step, he grabbed his phone and shoved it in his pocket. He wanted it to be close at hand if Hailey called him to tell him to cool it.
Autumn's arms were once again up in the air as they walked out onto the packed dance floor. A couple of people stopped them and asked for pictures and autographs. Autumn must have gotten bored at Jasper's attempt to make his fans happy because she shimmied off while he was signing someone's phone case.
Communicating with his fans started to put things into perspective. Jasper kept one eye on Autumn swinging her arms around wildly as she crashed into people dancing, as if she was the only person who mattered on the dance floor.
Jasper talked to his fans, his body humming with the alcohol he consumed. It was getting harder for him to stand up straight and soon he would be slurring his words. Jasper excused himself and made his way toward Autumn. She didn't look like she was doing much better than he was. Her eyes were dilated and sweat was dripping down her face.
“Let's cool down for a minute.”
“But you didn't dance with me,” she said, follow
ing him off the dance floor.
“I need another drink,” he told her not really responding to her pouty statement.
“You are a bad boy,” she said, as they made their way to their private room.
Liam had his hand up his redhead’s skirt while another girl was sucking on his neck. Jasper turned to apologize to Autumn but her gaze was glued to where Liam's hand disappeared and was moving under the material.
Jasper watched as she licked her lips. If it had been any time before he met Hailey, Jasper would have pushed her up against the wall and given her a good time. Now he was just feeling like getting drunk. Jasper grabbed another half-full bottle from the table and started to guzzle it. He pulled his phone out of his pocket. Hailey still hadn't updated his statuses. Anger burned through him. Here he was guilty about being with Autumn and there was no telling what she was doing. Then he felt stupid for being angry over someone who wasn’t his, and made him angrier.
Jasper walked over to Autumn, took her hand, and dragged her out of the club.
“Where are we going?” she yelled.
“My place,” he told her, determined to do what his manhood should have been pressing him to do to her. She was hot and into him. He didn’t need anything else.
She passed out before Carl even made it to the hotel. Carl shook his head at Jasper, silently telling him that he did not approve of Autumn. He’d been able to get her to wake up long enough to walk inside so he didn’t have to carry her. That would be a picture the paparazzi would kill for.
Once Autumn was tucked into his bed, Jasper had continued drinking before passing out next to her.
He sat up straight when he woke, a layer of sweat covering his body. The morning had come quickly as he felt like he’d just closed his eyes.
Jasper let out a long breath. He had consumed more than he wanted, but at least he hadn’t done anything too stupid. He guzzled a whole bottle of water, ignoring his stomach as it pitched around. When he was certain the water was going to stay down, he went over to his phone to see if Hailey had logged into his accounts.
Nothing.
Hailey hadn't done anything on his social media accounts since the day before. If she hadn't been under his skin, and Bill hadn't threatened to fire her, he would have taken her off his accounts for not keeping up with it.
He was being unreasonable, but he was pissed and wasn't thinking clearly. It wasn't as if he did anything last night that Hailey needed to fix. Sure, there were pictures of him and Autumn wrapped around each other, but nothing obscene. His hands and hers were always placed in respectable areas. Well, as far as he knew.
In fact, Jasper had earned praise from his fans and some of his haters by going out and having a good time. Plus, he’d been engaging with the fans who were present. He guessed taking the time to talk to people did make a difference. So it wasn't as if Hailey needed to jump on his social media accounts and put out any fires, but still that didn't matter to him. He wanted to know why she’d stopped working. Was she still mad at him? He didn’t like the idea of her being mad at him.
“Hey, baby,” Autumn said, leaning against the wall. Her hair was a fucking mess and her makeup had now traveled further than her cheeks. She looked like hell and he wondered if she felt just as bad as he did.
“Did I wake you?” he asked not moving from his spot on the couch.
She didn't seem to catch the vibe he was giving off. She walked toward him and put her arms around him. Her hands snuck under his sweat pants and she grabbed his bare ass. Jasper willed libido to kick in so he could screw Autumn. He thought if he could just do it, he could put Hailey behind him. The leftover alcohol and the hangover weren't going to let him. He’d probably throw up if he tried, so he didn’t make a move to return her advances.
“Why don't I take a shower and we can go out and party,” Autumn told him. She grabbed a bottle of vodka that had somehow made it onto the table in front of the couch and took a large drink.
“I drank too much last night. I don't think I’m in the mood to party.”
“Don't be such a baby. I thought you were a rocker. Don't be a pussy, come party with me.” Autumn had let him go and she stomped her foot on the ground like a child throwing a tantrum.
He hated that she was calling him out. For so long Jasper had maintained the image of a bad boy rocker without actually being one. He didn't want Autumn to blow his cover, but there was no way he was going to party.
“Why don't you go take a shower and you can come with me to practice. We can't do too much since I'm in a cast, but I can sing and you can watch the band play.”
Autumn studied him for a while and Jasper held his breath hoping she would agree. After a long wait, Autumn nodded her head and kissed him on the lips before making her way toward the bathroom.
Jasper closed his eyes and sat on the couch. His phone rang and he looked down hoping to see Hailey's name. When he saw it was Dustin's, his heart dropped. He wasn't in the right mind to talk to Dustin, so with a little guilt he sent it to voicemail and he listened to Autumn sing off-tune in his shower.
Chapter Three
“What are you doing?” Matthew asked.
Hailey jumped and almost dropped her phone. She hadn't noticed that Matthew's snoring was no longer echoing through her apartment.
“I was making coffee,” she said, and took a large sip to prove that was what she was doing.
Matthew's gaze traveled down her body. She didn't feel anything. Not even a spark. Maybe his snoring had killed her sex drive. But her thoughts immediately went to Jasper, and her body ignited with lust and ruined her assumption.
Hailey frowned when she saw that his eyes stopped moving when they reached the hand that was holding her phone. He squinted, as if he was trying to read the screen that was at least ten feet away. That would be some type of super power.
As if his gaze woke up her phone, it started to buzz. Jasper's number flashed on the screen. His smiling face taking up the whole screen. Hailey smiled remembering Jasper stealing her phone so he could take a selfie and program it with his number. Matthew walked closer to her and leaned in, as if he was going to kiss her on the cheek.
None of the normal flutterings took flight in her stomach as he neared her. Hailey swiped to decline on her phone, ending the vibration in her hand. Guilt surged through her, and she wondered if it was going to become a permanent daily emotion.
She’d pined for him and dreamed of being with him. It felt like maybe she just really didn’t know him at all and it was amazing how quickly it changed for her. Hailey needed to tell Matthew that she wasn't attracted to him and that she wanted to end whatever they were doing. She couldn't even call it a relationship and she hoped that he would understand. It would be awful if he resisted and made it uncomfortable at work.
Hailey opened her mouth to start the conversation, but Matthew beat her to it.
“Hailey, I really think you need to let me take over the Jasper account. You did a pretty good job being so new into the PR firm, but this is ridiculous.”
“You haven't been there much longer than I have.”
“I understand that, but you are too naïve. You don't have the business smarts that you need.”
“I'm sorry. Did you really just say that to me?” Hailey’s face heated up, and the anger churning in her belly had an acidic burn.
“Yes, I did. You didn't even check your phone last night to see what he was up to.”
“You told me to put my phone away.” Hailey wanted to scream, but the clenching of her teeth clipped her words. Now Matthew’s unattractiveness had reached a critical level.
“See, that was naïve of you. You knew he was going out last night, and you ignored him. Hell, you just ignored his call.”
“I didn't want to talk to him while you were here. He is my client, and he deserves confidentiality and respect.”
Matthew rolled his eyes, as if he was annoyed with her. “You didn't deserve the account in the first place. All you did was pi
ck up the right beer cup. That was luck and nothing else. I was hoping Bill would have corrected the mess right away, but for some reason, he gave you the account anyway. Really, though, it was only a matter of time before you lost the account and it came to me. Where it belongs.”
“You arrogant asshole. I have done nothing but good things for the Jasper account. I may have only just picked the right cup, but you know what? I did deserve it. Bill kept giving you the good accounts and sticking me with the shit ones, but I didn't complain. I treated all of my accounts with professionalism, even the ones that didn't deserve it. I was only hired a little bit after you were. I get that we work in a male-dominated industry, but I have proven myself over and over again that I deserve the bigger accounts.” Hailey's fingernails were digging into her palms and her body shook. With getting everything off her chest, she hoped to feel better but didn’t. Her fingers twitched wanting nothing more than to claw out his eyes.
“You really are dumb about some things, Hailey. It’s okay, it isn’t your fault.”
Matthew gave her what he must have thought was a sympathetic look, and she pushed her hand behind her back so she wouldn't slap the shit out of him like she wanted.
“The only reason I'm dumb is for allowing myself to believe there was any attraction between the two of us.”
“Come on, baby. I know you can’t resist me. I’ve seen the way you’ve looked at me since you came to the company.”
Hailey’s jaw unhinged and dropped low. She had been bullied most of her life. Her grandma had helped her realize that people who bullied her weren't worth her time, but at that moment Hailey was speechless. Thankfully, her speechlessness didn't last long.
“Wow. You are a polished piece of shit, Matthew.”
Matthew threw back his head and laughed as if she said the stupidest thing he had ever heard.
“I’m going to leave right now, and I’ll be damned if you’re getting your hands on my client’s account!”
“You’re making a mistake,” Matthew said as he approached her.
Managed 3: A Rock Star Romance Page 2
