Managed 3: A Rock Star Romance

by Clarissa Carlyle

  He ended up placating them when he told them Hailey had big plans to premier the song when his arm got better. The label couldn't deny him since they were the ones who picked Hailey's company to run his PR account in the first place. The band's excitement was almost visible.

  Now after a week, Jasper still hadn't told Hailey that she needed to set something up to premier the song he wrote about her. He closed his eyes, as he rubbed his forehead, and wondered if it would be best to let her hear the song while he was onstage like everyone else, or if he should sing it to her before the event she didn't even know she needed to set up so she wasn't shocked. Both plans seemed stupid to him when he ran them over in his head.

  Hailey wasn't stupid. The moment she heard the lyrics she would know the song was about her. Jasper grabbed a pillow and threw it over his head screaming his frustrations out into the cotton-filled bundle.

  He had gotten away with not seeing Hailey the whole week. She was busy trying to keep Missy June from whatever crazy ass scheme she was planning to do to ruin Dustin. They had talked on the phone at least four times a day, and Jasper checked his social media anytime he could, just so he could connect with her in some weird way.

  Every time they spoke on the phone, he would take a deep breath so he could tell her that she needed to plan an event to debut a new song. But Jasper chickened out. The conversations he had with Hailey were so easy. He had never met a girl who he could be himself with. Even if he tried to hide certain things about himself, Hailey always seemed to know, except for the fact that he had feelings for her, and to him that was the most important one.

  Jasper was playing with fire, but he couldn't stop himself every time he picked up the phone to talk to her. If only Hailey and Autumn could swap personalities. His life would be perfect. He had started to have this fantasy where he took Hailey away from her job and she was perfectly content in letting him take care of her. Jasper snorted at the thought. Hailey was too proud to let him take care of her, as if she was some kept woman. Autumn, on the other hand, would jump at the chance if he offered it to her.

  How had his life gotten so out of control?

  The comforting fact was he wasn't in Dustin's position. Missy June had been blowing up Dustin's phone almost on the half hour without fail. The band had a non-verbal agreement not to talk about why Missy June was calling while Autumn and her band of sluts were around.

  Hailey had been doing an amazing job keeping it out of the news. She was stressed when they talked, but the subject of Dustin and Missy June was never approached during their conversations. She was still mad that he had stuck up for Dustin when Hailey had called him out.

  When Dustin had asked if Jasper could talk to Hailey about Missy's harassment, Jasper vetoed that request immediately. That was the only time they had remotely mentioned anything in front of Autumn, and she’d jumped on it as soon as there had been a pause in their conversation. She had seemed very interested that Hailey represented both Jasper and Missy June and curious if Hailey represented the troublemakers. Jasper had laughed it off but there had been something weird about the gleam in Autumn's eyes.

  Jasper brushed off all his female trouble and cracked open his new notebook. He had already filled his other one since needing to escape reality more. As soon as his pen hit the lined paper, his brain shut off the troubles lurking inside.

  “Are you writing about me?” she asked as she tried to look into his notebook.

  He actually was, but it wasn’t something he wanted her to see. It wasn’t nice; it was about a girl wrapped up in herself. Sad: the way he’d portrayed her. He pulled the notebook away from her view.

  “Maybe.” He smirked, and she leaned over to press her lips to his. He kissed her back and realized too late Hailey had walked into practice and was staring at them.

  Jasper jumped up and walked toward her. “Oh hey, Hailey, how’s it going?”

  She stammered a minute. “Good, Jasper hope you’re doing well.”

  “I am, what brings you over today?” It felt wrong the way they were talking to each other like strangers. It was really weird and he couldn’t shake himself from it.

  “I’ve got a gig for you. Another charity thing. It will be for you and Autumn to do, actually.”

  She was getting her confidence back. She wore a tighter shirt. It was the first time he’d seen her in anything that wasn’t larger and hanging from her frame.

  Autumn walked over and looped her arm through his, “Me too!”

  “Yes, so there’s a carnival for Autism Awareness on Saturday. I signed Jasper up as a volunteer for the dunking booth and you’ll be taking people’s money for balls. It will be a cute couple thing for you to do.”

  “I agree, as long as I don’t have to get dunked,” Autumn said, and laughed.

  “Okay… well, I just stopped by to tell you that. I’ll be going now.” Hailey turned quickly and ran into Dustin, who followed her out.

  Jasper figured he was going to grill her about Missy. He wasn’t even going to try to stop him.

  “Man that was weird.” Autumn walked over to the table where she mixed a strong drink for herself.

  Jasper leaned back and sighed. That whole situation had been uncomfortable for him on a few different levels. Hailey had set something up for the two of them as a couple.

  Chapter Five

  A low whistle hit Hailey's ears when she stepped foot in the building that housed Big Deal. She cursed the blush rising in her cheeks as she waved at Sam while walking toward him. Hailey resisted the urge to pull at the tight shirt she was wearing. Instead, she handed Sam the lunch she had prepared him before coming into work.

  “Hailey, you look amazing,” Sam said before rifling through the lunch bag she brought him.

  Her cheeks felt as if they were on fire after hearing his whistle and now his words.

  “Thank you. It's not too much is it?” she asked in a rush.

  Hailey glanced behind her to make sure that nobody was listening to the conversation. When she and Samantha were picking the outfits, she was on a revenge streak. Matthew had pissed her off, and at the time, it seemed like a good idea. This morning when she had pulled on the tight black slacks, sheer white shirt, and racy red bra all her confidence fled. She had been reaching for something less revealing when her phone rang, flashing Samantha's name on the screen. Her friend knew her well enough to know she was going to have second thoughts. Samantha had supplied the pep talk she needed to get her out of the house and into the office.

  “Hailey, you know I love you. Ever since my wife passed away, you’ve been my shining light. Your lunches are one of the things that get me out of bed in the morning. I've seen you talk to the homeless people outside. You don't do it for yourself, you do it because that is just who you are. So, in my opinion, except for my wife, you are the most beautiful woman I’ve ever seen, inside and out. I never did care for what you wore. I felt you were hiding the light that shines from you, but I assumed you had your reasons for hiding. That being said you are absolutely stunning.”

  Hailey bristled under his compliment. She hadn't had a lot of them sent her way in her lifetime, and when she did get them, she was never sure how to act. “Thanks, Sam, I needed that today.”

  “You look like you are an executive at an entertainment PR company. Now go knock them dead and show them what I've known all along.”

  Hailey smiled and forced herself to keep eye contact. She wanted to look down at the ground, or run away and cry at the things Sam had just said. Hailey also wondered what others saw in her when she dressed the way she did before. It wasn't something she would ever ask anyone. She didn't feel that she was comfortable enough with anyone to find out that information. Well, maybe Jasper, but Hailey wasn't ready for the conversation yet. Her body heated, and it wasn't because of Sam's nice words. At that exact moment, her body decided to remind her how she felt when Jasper started to lean into her and kiss her. She shook her head, wanting to be on her top game today not daydreaming
about her client.

  “And what have you known all along?” Hailey asked, feeling brave and needing her body and mind to stop thinking of Jasper.

  “That you are a smart, witty, loving, gorgeous woman who has let people take advantage of her for too long.” Sam patted her on the shoulder.

  Hailey blinked rapidly so she wouldn't ruin the makeup she had put on this morning. “That is the nicest thing anyone has ever said to me.” She wrapped her arms around the older man.

  “Then you are hanging around the wrong gentlemen. Men should be throwing compliments at you hourly.”

  Hailey moved away from Sam and gave him a watery smile.

  “Don't let people change your self-worth. You are invaluable. Now go on up so I can sneak in my breakfast before people start coming in.” Sam motioned to the donut sitting next to a steaming cup of coffee.

  She was about to scold him on his blood sugar but he stopped her. “I know it's not the best thing for me, but I'm old and a man deserves a donut every once in a while.”

  “You're absolutely right. Just take care of yourself. I need you around to boost my confidence.” Hailey winked at him.

  “You don't need me to do that. Besides, I was serious, men should be begging you to be their girl. If I was thirty years younger,” Sam wiggled his eyebrows.

  “If you were thirty years younger, I would be begging you to marry me.”

  It was Sam's turn to blush. Hailey hugged him one last time before getting on the empty elevator. Even though Sam had boosted her ego, she still wasn't ready to face Matthew. When she stepped off the elevator, she rushed into her office and closed the door. She let out the breath she had sucked in when she scurried past his door.

  ***

  The week of dressing like a new woman went by faster than she thought it would. On Friday, Hailey denied the call from Missy June as she went into her office. All last week, including the weekend, Hailey had been fielding calls as she talked Missy down from some crazy idea she had to get Dustin.

  She was exhausted, and she hoped the double espresso she was sipping would be enough to get her through the day. Luck must have been on her side as Hailey had been able to avoid Matthew the whole week too. The only bright spot of her week had been when she was on the phone with Jasper. He had a calming effect on her and it was nice to have that little breather.

  Hailey took a drink of her coffee and sighed. It was amazing. She was careful not to spill any on her shirt. She wore the same white shirt she had worn last week, this time with a bright green bra underneath, and black jeans. Samantha had flaked on their shopping trip so Hailey had to scrounge together her outfit herself.

  She was surprised how much more attention she was getting in her new clothes. Some people at the office had even asked if she was new to the department. Hailey realized her old clothes had made her invisible, which was not what she had wanted them to do. When she wore her frumpy, mismatched clothes, she had hoped people would get to know her. See her drive and her brain, not her body. Instead, they had made her brain and everything else vanish. It was unfortunate, but a good lesson to learn.

  Hailey wasn't completely comfortable dressing in a new way just yet, but it was starting to grow on her. When she spoke, people seemed to listen and pay attention more than before. She thought of her new clothing choices as something to get people's attention in order for her to show them who she was as a person.

  As she turned on her computer to get ready for the day, Bill walked in and closed the door. Hailey's heart sank. She had been able to avoid Bill for the most part since he tried to take Jasper's account from her and give it to Matthew. She'd been keeping her head down and doing her job, hoping he would lay off her.

  Hailey figured her week-long reprieve was now over as Bill moved over and sat in one of the chairs in front of her desk. Unease washed over her as he smiled at her in a predatory way.

  “I'm not sure I like the new clothes,” he said to her bluntly. Before Hailey could say anything, he kept going. “Listen, Hailey, you knew that I didn't want to hire women into my firm, and one of the reasons I picked you is because you seemed smart and didn't care about impressing anyone with your looks. It seems that has changed. I have noticed your new wardrobe. I don't like it, but as long as you’re smart and do your job in a professional manner I won't say any more.”

  Hailey snapped her mouth shut and bit her tongue. In her head, she counted to ten before she allowed herself to speak so she wouldn't decapitate him from how sharp the words bursting to fly off her tongue were.

  “Bill, I explained when you hired me that I wouldn't do anything stupid, specifically fall for a client.” Jasper flashed through her mind but she pushed him back. It wasn't the time to think of her dreamy rock star client. “I have worked hard for this company and I will continue to do so. Now is there a reason you are in my office or did you just want to discuss my clothing?”

  Bill smiled even wider and Hailey felt even more unease.

  “There is something I want to talk to you about. I'm not going to lie, Hailey, this new…” He waved his arms around, as if to encompass her whole body. “You disturbed me. I was thinking about firing you. The change in you is very suspect.”

  “Fire me,” Hailey whispered. Her hands clenched the side of the desk in a death grip. Bill was going to have a hard time prying her from that desk if he wanted to fire her.

  Bill raised his hand to stop her and Hailey closed her mouth. “Yes, fire you, but it seems this new look has worked for women as well as men.”

  “I'm sorry I don't understand,” she said holding onto the desk tighter.

  “It seems you have landed Big Deal another client. A rather big one and she requested you by name. So I’m willing to let the clothing go, it’s none of my business, really.”

  She wanted to say of course it wasn’t his business.

  “Me?”

  The door opened before Bill could say anything more and Autumn walked in. Hailey craned her neck so she could see behind Autumn as she looked for Jasper. Her heart beat rapidly in her chest as she waited to see him. The pictures his fans had been taking of him had helped Hailey get her mind off him. There were many times in the past week she had to stop herself from making up a reason they needed to meet just so she could see him. Anytime she had that urge she would force herself to look at pictures of him and Autumn together. She would admit it was oddly satisfying to see that he never looked at her with much adoration on his face.

  When Autumn closed the door behind her without Jasper, Hailey’s unease wrapped around her throat. She had a sinking feeling what Bill was about to say and she wanted to push her fingers in her ears and sing some eighties song as loud as she could to drown him out.

  “Hailey, this is Autumn. She is wanting to rebrand her image and has requested you to be the woman to do that.” Bill motioned for Autumn to take the seat next to him.

  Hailey's ears started to ring, and she wanted to vomit. Autumn was not someone she was comfortable being around let alone represent. She already had Missy June to deal with and that was all the ego she could handle. Hailey remembered the conversation she overheard with Autumn and who she could only assume was her manager. Hell, she had even warned Jasper that Autumn wasn't who she pretended to be. In Hailey's mind Autumn requesting her to run her PR account was more than enough proof she was shady.

  Hailey squirmed in her seat as her brain went a mile a minute on how she was going to get out of this situation. But Bill had just admitted she had been on the verge of standing in the unemployment line and Autumn requesting she take over her account was her only saving grace. If she denied Autumn’s account, she might as well start packing up her desk.

  “I can't take Autumn's account,” Hailey said almost with a sigh.

  Bill's eyes went wide and his face lit up red with anger.

  “What do you mean you can't take my account?” Autumn screeched.

  Hailey winced. How was Jasper able to be around her without having damage
to his hearing?

  “Hailey, I just told you Autumn has requested you. Of course, you will take her account.”

  “I can't. Autumn is dating Jasper. Jasper was my client first and if I took on Autumn's account it would be a conflict of interest.”

  “Are you dating Jasper?” Bill asked turning toward Autumn.

  “I am, but I don't see how it would be a conflict of interest.” Autumn's voice could take the paint off a wall at how annoying it was.

  Hailey sent Jasper a silent thank you. By wanting to date the actress, he had gotten her out of a spot she would have suffered in.

  “She's right. When we take on a client, there are certain rules we have to abide by. With Hailey representing Jasper, she is unable to take on your account. But,” Bill continued when he saw Autumn open her mouth her eyes squinted anger pouring off her, “We have another representative that will do your account the justice it needs. In fact, Matthew was going to get Jasper's account, but Hailey beat him at a game I thought of when I was drunk. Believe me, Hailey was not my first choice to give Jasper's account to. She seems to be doing an ok job, and Jasper likes her, but Matthew is the best choice.”

  Hailey wanted to scream. All she did was work her ass off for this company and Bill still treated her like shit. Her inner voice quieted her before she went off on him. Reminding her she didn't want Autumn's account in the first place. Let Bill say what he wanted. Her clients liked her, and she did a good job. To her, that was all that mattered. She just hoped the promotion she was banking on after she proved she could do Jasper's account justice wasn't a figment of her imagination.

  Bill pulled out his phone and pressed a button. “Matthew, please come to Hailey's office. I have a new account I want to put you on.” Bill nodded his head at whatever Matthew had said and hung up the phone.

  Minutes later Matthew walked in. His designer cut suit was perfectly tailored and Hailey wanted to hit herself for being attracted to him. Matthew's eyes landed on Autumn and a smile stretched across his face. Hailey resisted the urge to roll her eyes.