HERO (The Complete Series)

by Bella Love-Wins

  Alexandra smiled at Bryce. He was the youthful music genius of a production lead, someone the label felt had a pulse on what songs had the potential to be top singles. She watched as he ran pudgy fingers through the thick black hair that swooped to the right above his twenty-something-year-old face. He looked over at his engineer. The man was vehemently shaking his head, clearly of the same mindset as Bryce—that they had a hit on their hands.

  “Listen, you’ve done a few takes, and all of them were great. I used to think there’s no such thing as perfect in the studio, Lex, but that shit was perfect.”

  “I think it was a little flat,” she said with uncertainty.

  Bryce had the engineer play it back for her. She closed her eyes and listened, nodding her head to the beat of the song. It was strangely different from everything she had written before. Lexxi Rock was known for fast-paced, vibrant, thrilling rock anthems that played up teenage rebellion, matters of the heart, and frustration. This song was nothing like the others. It was a seductive ballad that felt…mature. She had written it for Wilkes, the undeserving bastard. Her eyebrows knitted together as she heard the ebb and flow of her voice through the headphones. She liked it. It could be a great song.

  The lyrics replayed.

  We are stuck up in our ways

  Self-assured and saving face

  Without innocence enough

  To trust our hearts to fall in love

  But there it goes

  Without reason

  We are falling to believing

  It could be

  It could be…

  As she listened, she wished it could be true. She began to mouth the words of the next part, and the music transitioned faster. The drumbeat picked up, adding the characteristic rock layer of sound to build behind the guitar and drum.

  And, if anybody has a shot

  It could be you

  But what do I know?

  We are children make believing

  It could be.

  Well, at least it sounded good.

  She looked up when Bryce shut off the sound and waved his hands to get her attention in the recording booth. He made a face, and Alexandra burst out laughing at his pointed ‘I told you so’ look. She stepped out of the booth to hear what he was trying to tell her.

  “You see what I’m saying? This is like batting a thousand, Lex! Seriously, I think you might be getting too bogged down with perfection. So much that you miss perfection when it’s right in front of you.”

  “Yeah, yeah,” she replied. “You’re probably right. Maybe I need to take a step back too.”

  As she left the studio, she began to make plans. Before she could kick off her escape, she needed to tie up some loose ends. It included canceling some appearances, rescheduling a few interviews and photo shoots, and getting out from under so many other commitments. Doing that could easily take months to complete. There was a simpler way. She decided to bypass the red tape with her label, and have her manager meet with her briefly the next day. If anyone could help her disappear for a while, it was the gregarious Rick Lowenstein.

  * * *

  Rick showed up at Alexandra’s house around midmorning. He was dressed in his signature pinstriped, charcoal business suit, a white shirt, and a flamboyant, canary yellow tie.

  “Lexxi, baby. How’s my favorite rock star!” He greeted her at the door with a tight hug, and strolled inside.

  “Thanks for coming over, Rick. I can’t believe you had a free minute for me!”

  It was so good to see him. She wondered why it was that all the people in her inner circle were the most difficult to see regularly.

  Oh yeah, our busy-ass schedules.

  She pulled back and got a good look at the man who was like an uncle to her. Rick and her father had gone to college together at some point in the early eighties. The middle-aged manager had handled Hollywood talent for years.

  When her father hired him to manage her music career, Alexandra had initially worried the soft-faced gentleman with thinning red hair would be too out of touch with her generation to make the magic happen. In the end, however, Rick surprised her with his invaluable savvy for networking and foresight when it came to changing trends. He was instrumental to her accelerated rock star success.

  Rick was outgoing and charismatic. He was something of a chameleon, in a way some may have found insincere. To Alexandra, he was trustworthy and loyal to those he considered family. And to Rick Lowenstein, she was family.

  “Aww, dear. You know how it is. I have a hundred meetings a day, trying to keep people doing what they’re supposed to do, and showing up where they’re supposed to be. You, my dear, I don’t have to worry about. You’re always on top of your game. So you know you have me curious, don’t you? When you called me late last night telling me we needed to talk, I had to show up.” He laughed for a moment, and then got ghostly serious. “Am I in trouble or something?”

  “What? Of course not!” she told him. “You’re a saint, Rick. I don’t know what I’d do without you.”

  She had to lay it on thick for what she knew would be a battle to get her way.

  “Right.” A peal of melodious laughter erupted from him. He knew her too well, and saw right through her act.

  “Let’s go up to my office, Rick. This shouldn’t take too long.”

  They made their way from the foyer, through the marble hallway, and up the winding white staircase to her home office on the second floor. Alexandra pushed open the heavy oak door to reveal an orderly room of walls lined with bookshelves of rare first edition books and elegant knickknacks. She got her taste for interior decorating from her mother. Two pistachio green suede armchairs were at the farthest end of the room, positioned beside a picture window that overlooked the backyard flower garden.

  They passed under the arches on one wall to a smaller room, and she sat in the white leather chair at her desk. Lilly had already placed a vibrant bouquet of pink roses beside the desk lamp. She did that almost daily, and more often whenever she felt Alexandra needed cheering up.

  Rick sat across from her in an armchair. “You know, I was so proud of the way you handled that Wilkes situation the other night. Kyle was completely out of line for playing that clip unannounced.”

  “Thanks. Wilkes had me convinced he wasn’t an asshole or a player all that time. I can’t believe I fell for it, but goodbye and good riddance to him. I’m not that hard-up for a man.”

  “Good. So what can I do for you, cupcake?”

  She pictured his reaction before making the move to tell him. There was plenty of work left in Los Angeles that required her presence. Before she could talk herself out of going, she shored up her resolve.

  “I called you over here because I have a favor to ask,” she said, looking him in the eye.

  “Anything, Lex. Anything at all, I’m at your service,” Rick answered, adjusting his suit coat and crossing his legs as he straightened up.

  She braced herself, positive he would change his tune when he heard what she wanted. Avoiding eye contact this time, she blurted out, “I need a break.”

  Rick leaned forward and shook his head. “Honey, you know people like us don’t take breaks. I’ve got you booked up for the next six months—interviews, guest appearances, endorsement events, all that jazz. What kind of break are you talking about? A weekend off? I think I can swing that.” He dug into the inner pocket of his suit jacket and pulled out his smartphone. “Let me see. Where’s that calendar? Yeah, we can do a weekend, I guess. You’re busting my balls, but I can work it out.”

  “No, Rick. That won’t work. I really need about a month. Maybe two.”

  Rick’s handsome face fell stricken before her eyes. His sparse reddish eyebrows shot up and his mouth fell open. It was such a contrast, she started to laugh.

  “Wait, Rick. Before you say it’s impossible, let me tell you why you’re going to want to do this for me. If I don’t get this break, the remaining songs on this album are going to sound l
ike shit. I’m overworked. The headlines will read ‘Lexxi Rock collapses from exhaustion’. They’re already having a field day with this Wilkes crap. Now, you don’t want an album that bombs and bad press for me, do you?”

  “Of course I don’t. Tell me something. Where were you planning on going? Because it sounds like you must have a new boy toy.”

  “No. There’s no one. I’m going home, Rick,” she corrected him. “I need to have family around me. I miss Dad. But if you can help me do this, I want the public to think I’m somewhere else. Have them believe I’m living it up on an island or something. I don’t care what you make up. Just make sure it sounds fun enough that the paparazzi don’t end up camping on Dad’s front yard.”

  He sighed out a defeated agreement, and began moving around appointments on his smartphone with his stylus.

  He’s making it happen!

  It was more than a small triumph.

  “Okay,” he finally answered. “You make sure those songs are kickass, Lex, because I’m putting a lot on the line for you. I’ll make some calls and get your schedule cleared. You had better come back with new songs and a new attitude. I don’t want to see you moping around the studio when you get back. Enough of the ballads. We need more up-tempo tracks for this album, and I know you can deliver.”

  “Thank you, thank you, thank you!” she all but squealed and danced in her chair.

  Alexandra was surprised by how easy it was to convince him. The two of them continued to negotiate as Rick went through her crowded calendar. They figured out what could be postponed, what they could cancel entirely, and tasks that were too important to wait. By the time they were done, she had a clear picture of what was expected of her before leaving. She could get home to Tucson before the month was out. That was an exciting prospect.

  “Come on, Rick. Let’s go downstairs to celebrate. Lilly made you your favorite for lunch.”

  Chapter 5

  ALEXANDRA nodded when Rick finished his plate and said he had to leave. Her plan had gone well, and now she could regroup when she returned to Tucson.

  “You’ve piled my plate with new work, Lex,” Rick said as he stood up. “I now have a ton of soon-to-be-disappointed promoters to contact, so they get early notice you won’t be coming any time soon.”

  She dragged him into another hug before he turned to go. “Thank you so much, Rick. You’re a godsend.”

  “Yeah, yeah. Butter me up. Promise me… no more rush relationships. Deal? They’re bad for you. I have a hunch this little trip is about you running away from the Wilkes fallout. I don’t entirely approve, but I understand. I only want the best for you. Okay, doll?”

  She took an extra moment to rest her head on his shoulder as he patted her back. “I’m so grateful for that. You won’t regret it. I promise.”

  Rick pulled away reluctantly, and as he made his way to her front door, he said over his shoulder, “Give Max my best when you get home.”

  * * *

  “Maybe I should call him,” Alexandra said to herself.

  She stared at the pile of designer luggage in the corner of her walk-in closet. Her father would be happy to see her, but did not like surprises. Her private jet was prepped and ready to fly out to Tucson the next evening. Travel arrangements were in place. She had only been putting off contacting her dad just in case plans fell through. Now that everything had been firmed up, she needed to let him know.

  She attended a full-day meeting with her team at the label. It was productive. Together, they finalized the upcoming album cover. Normally the process could stretch out for weeks, if not months. It was good to check it off the list. And there was still a lot to do. Single cover shots had to be set up. The song list was also incomplete, and there were a few more recording sessions to be done when she returned. Still, they were making progress. The music video for the title track was already in the works. A director had been hired, and the shooting dates were set.

  Alexandra also needed to figure out which direction she wanted to go when it came to her image. She was outgrowing her skater-chick-meets-Goth-revolution style, including the heavy eyeliner and canvas loafers. Even after all the mind-numbing, shoot-me-now brainstorming with a team of stylists she sat through for almost half the day, she had no idea how to reinvent herself.

  Finally home, she went to the kitchen for some water. There was a package with her name on it sitting on the counter. She was not expecting anything, but packages arrived for her all the time. Usually Alexandra would get her personal assistant to handle things like this, but the woman quit three months ago. She had a baby and decided to stay home to be with the little one. Alexandra couldn’t blame her one bit.

  When her PA left, Alexandra couldn’t find the time to replace her right away. The world didn’t fall apart, so she tried to make do without one. One down side of not having an assistant now was whenever she got packages like this—with sender information she didn’t recognize—they would go into a box in the garage. She picked it up to carry it outside, and noticed an envelope stuck to the bottom. The note inside was from Evangeline.

  Good thing I checked.

  Evaienne’s note said, ‘Enjoy the little things you CAN control, Lexxi. And by the way, you’re welcome. Love, Eva.’

  With her curiosity now piqued, Alexandra opened the box and…

  Oh hell. Eva sent me an erotic massage care package?

  She laughed out loud and hurried to take the box up to her bedroom. Something like this had to be checked out in a more private space. She threw the box on her bed and sat beside it to open the hot pink mini-trunk inside. It opened like a large jewelry box. Inside were some things she recognized, and others that confused her. She never used this kind of stuff. There was a feather, a bottle of all-over body massage oil, a pink mask with eyeholes.

  Oh shit.

  There was a pair of handcuffs too, and a small vibrator. She caught sight of some weird alien-sex gadget too. She ended up having to look online to find out it was a waterproof, u-shape, two-person, vibrating body massager.

  Waterproof.

  What was Eva thinking?

  Alexandra sent her a text to tell her thanks, and at the end of the short message, she added rows and rows of question marks. Evangeline phoned back right away.

  “You’re welcome, honey,” Eva said before saying hi.

  “Eva! Thanks for the gift, but what the hell?”

  “Come on, Lex. You’re human. You have needs. And you have no man right now, remember? Try it. It’ll take the stress off…and it feels so good…You’ve got to try that we-massager. I came so hard with mine a few nights ago. My legs shook for a whole hour afterward.”

  “Way too much information,” Alexandra said, giggling.

  “Try it. You’ll be calling to tell me the same thing afterward. Anyhow, love. I have a string of promo interviews to prep for. Let’s chat on the weekend if you get some time.”

  “Take care, Eva. Will do.”

  Alexandra hung up and strolled into the master bathroom. It was a welcome routine to fill the tub with hot, steamy water and Japanese bath salts for a hint of jasmine scent. While waiting for the bath to run, she remembered Evaienne’s massage set and thought, what the hell. She brought it in to try out one or two of them.

  After undressing, she wrapped herself in an Egyptian cotton bath robe, and went into the attached sitting room where she often sat to think. On the one hand, she couldn’t wait to leave. On the other, the closer it got to her flight date, the more she wondered if Rick was right. Am I running away from my problems, or is something different at play? Deep down, she was secretly tired of some aspects of the business, as well as her screwed-up love life. She had been jaded and disheartened, and now, she wasn’t sure whether going home would energize her or make her more reluctant to return. She grabbed the cordless phone on the end table to call home. It rang, but no one answered. She checked the time. Dad was usually home by now. She put down the cordless phone and walked over to the filled bathtub.
She would try phoning again in the morning to let him know her plans to come home.

  Peeling back the robe, she let it drop to the floor, and stepped into the tub. She lowered herself in, allowing the bubbles, hot water and jasmine aroma to transport her away from all worry. She sank deeper still to get her tense neck down in the steamy heat. All that was left above water was her face and the top of her head. She relaxed for a few minutes, and when the tingling burn of the water started to subside, she took her bath sponge and started scrubbing her legs.

  God, my feet are so sore from running around all day.

  She would give anything for Izumi, her regular masseuse, to massage her feet and back right now. Too bad she didn’t live nearby.

  She lifted one leg out of the water and placed it to hang on the edge of the bathtub. She wanted to get the edge off, and found her mind returning to the erotic massage kit. She reached over to the small counter and took the waterproof we-massager from the kit. It was time she indulged in a bit of battery-operated self-love. She turned on the massager—thank goodness she looked that up online earlier—and placed it on her neck. The thing was pure heaven, the way it kneaded out those knots that had been annoying her all week.

  Aww hell. Why not?

  When her neck felt sufficiently relaxed, she slid it down between her breasts, over her stomach, and let it stop on her mound. The sensation aroused her quickly, and soon she was panting. The sensitive flesh between her legs began to throb with need. She began to imagine it was a man’s tongue devouring her as she bucked and screamed. She nearly came apart when she moved it lower, right over her folds. It was so intense, her legs trembled and buckled as she quickly reached her first peak.

  It took her a few minutes to recover, but now she was into it. She bent the massager into more of an L shape, and positioned it so one end slowly entered her, while the other continued to massage her folds. Images of a gorgeously handsome, buff fantasy man surfaced. She pictured him taking over, teasing her hardened bud with his finger while he slid inside her.