HERO (The Complete Series)

by Bella Love-Wins

  She sped past ornamental trees and framed black and white photographs of past and present icons, remembering absently her picture was somewhere along one of these walls, too. All she wanted was to get to the oasis of studio 7A where she could lock out the rest of the world until the track was finished. That was all she wanted for the next few hours, but Wilkes skipped along behind her.

  “Everything is going well, but I—”

  “Excellent, excellent!” She took a page from Rick’s playbook and sped up her speech, throwing around some empty words as she kept walking. “I can’t wait to hear it. Listen, call the office if you need anything, anything at all. I probably won’t be available for the rest of the day, but they’ll take good care of you. See you later, Wilkes.”

  “Lexxi, hang on a second,” he said, laughing and oblivious to every hint she had dropped. “I want to talk to you. Since when do we breeze past each other?”

  Wilkes grabbed her wrist, and she quirked a brow in displeasure at the commandeering move. Bryce’s eyes bounced from Wilkes to Alexandra, and back to Wilkes. Her cynical brain wished she had brought along a bodyguard today. Unfortunately, there was no way to channel that idea and make her six-foot-six brick wall of a personal security consultant appear right now.

  “Three minutes. If it’s any longer, you’ll need to make an appointment.”

  He nodded excitedly. Frustrated, she waved Bryce along, and he left them in the poppy orange section of the hallway, made brighter under a skylight.

  “Yes, Wilkes? What is it?” she asked tersely. Wilkes’ smile wavered at the gruffness of her question, but he managed to keep it in place.

  He’s a better actor than me.

  She was sure there was a scowl on her face right this second.

  He shuffled nervously from one leg to the other. “I wanted to tell you how proud I am of your ambition. You’re taking everybody by storm with Purple Blaze. I mean, wow! Did you get your groove back while you were on vacation or what? New job title, new you, huh? I have to admit, the new look might take some time to grow on me, but—man, I’m just…well, I’m happy for you, Lex.” He chuckled and canted his head to the side, studying her.

  Eh, decent actor.

  Sincerity was not his strong suit. She crossed her arms and looked squarely up at him to get it over and done with.

  “Two minutes left, Wilkes.”

  “Come on, Lex. It’s me here.”

  “Wilkes, you’ve already congratulated me. You brought in over a hundred roses worth of congratulations. We have history, and maybe we can be friends, but please stop downplaying the change in our positions at the label. I don’t want to hold my seniority over your head, but I’ve taken on a heck of a lot of responsibilities, and what I need right now is the space and time to make it work for everyone, including me. You’ve got an album coming out, and so do I, on top of everything else. So can you either get to the point or let me get my work done?”

  He took a step back with hands raised apologetically, almost pouting. “Of course. I understand. Stay out of your way.”

  Groaning, she rolled her eyes, dropping the crossed arms stance. “Christ! You know it’s not like that, Wilkes. Look, I just want to be able to do my job without wondering if you’re kissing up to me for special favors or whatever. People see you doing that, and it’ll cause resentment. Or, they’ll start thinking they can get away with the same thing. I don’t need that right now. So stop schmoozing and, maybe that energy can go into putting out the best record you can.”

  “Lexxi, what happened to us?” Wilkes murmured, his tone suddenly different. He tentatively placed a hand on her shoulder and stared intensely into her eyes. When he leaned in closer, she read his intentions loud and clear.

  “Don’t,” she said, turning her face from his incoming kiss. “Did you even hear a word I just said?”

  He straightened up and nodded almost imperceptibly. “Right. Business. Just so you know, I wasn’t trying to undermine your authority. To tell you the truth, it didn’t even occur to me folks would think like that. I guess I’m still a simple country boy at heart. I’m sorry.”

  She shook her head in disbelief, but did not acknowledge anything he said. “Did you wait around to try and kiss me in the hallway, or did you really need something?”

  “Don’t fault me for trying, Lex. Yes, there is something more. I need you to hear something.”

  “I don’t have time, Wilkes.”

  “I promise. No more than five more minutes.”

  Wilkes grabbed her by the hand and pulled her into the studio where he had been recording. Alexandra trudged behind, regretful she hadn’t told Rick to get that severance offer lined up for Wilkes like they had discussed. She entered the studio, and was welcomed by soft lighting and a crowded room filled with a team of writers, engineers, producers, and a few others peering at monitors and mix boards. Extricating her hand from Wilkes’ possessive grasp, she nodded her head to greet the three or four who looked up. Everyone seemed highly involved in what they were doing, as they should be. Only Wilkes appeared perfectly okay with losing recording time just to hunt her down.

  She gazed around the room. It was fairly similar to the one next door to the one she used, and she had to wonder if Wilkes caught wind of that and had purposely chose this one. Red oak walls boasted speakers and soundproof acoustic paneling for the ultimate recording experience. A countertop covered in studio equipment overlooked the actual sound booth where comfy barstools were placed before two microphones. It was an unassuming place, but this was where the magic happened.

  Wilkes grabbed a stack of papers and waved them at her to reel in her fading attention. “I have a song I want you to take a listen to, Lex. Do you want to see the sheet music?”

  She took what he handed over to her, and scanned through the lyrics as Wilkes continued, animatedly explaining why he had dragged her in here.

  “Now, these guys—the new writers you paired me with—tell me this song will be a definite chart topper. I have no doubt about their writing skills. They’re responsible for three of the current top ten country songs, but I have a gut feeling this one’s missing something.”

  Both of the writers present muttered agreement with him. “It could be improved. Wilkes has some ideas for it,” said one.

  “All right.” Fixing her gaze on Wilkes, she asked, “How do you feel I can help?”

  “I was in the middle of recording it when I had this wild idea. Wouldn’t it be great if we mixed a little country and a little rock n’ roll? Who better to sing a tear-in-your-beer song about screw-ups with, than my talented ex?”

  Everyone else snickered at the joke.

  “Seriously, Wilkes?” she said, ready to turn and leave.

  He threw up his hands in surrender. “No, I’m kidding. Don’t frown so much. You’ll get wrinkles. That’s what my mom used to say. But seriously, I have a hunch. If you lay the track with me, it’s a guaranteed platinum.”

  Alexandra placed a hand on the back of a nearby chair and took a closer look at the sheet music. The lyrics seemed memorable enough. Her intuitive answer to Wilkes suggestion was a flat-out no, but now that she owned Blaze, she needed to look at things from the perspective of what was best for the label. Her label. Wilkes worked for her now. His success meant her success, and she was certain the fans would enjoy something like this, even if it did turn her stomach to think of it.

  Ironically, their very public breakup would make it even more of a hit.

  God, I’m starting to sound like Rita.

  Well, not quite. Rita was suggesting they fake a relationship to make their album sales soar. This was different. This was business.

  If I go through with this, I just hope Bash never hears it on the radio.

  Wilkes looked at her, eager to speak. “Lex, just give me three minutes of your time and listen to this track. If you don’t like it, no harm, no foul. I’ll finish it up and let the producers do their thing.”

  She stepped out of 7B t
o peek into 7A and alert Bryce of the change in plans. “Be patient with me. I might be a little while.”

  “No problem. I’m tinkering around with the beat right now, anyway. Take your time.”

  They both knew time was a commodity. She hurried back to 7B to see about the duet. Wilkes ushered her into the sound booth and passed her a set of headphones. She was not a huge fan of country music, but there was no denying it was a catchy tune. She played with the melody in her head and experimented with it by singing a few notes. Within seconds of listening, she already had ideas for how to orchestrate this blending of musical styles. Dammit, she had to admit, the idea sounded better and better, the longer she toyed with the lyrics.

  “Damn, you sound amazing.” Wilkes whooped excitedly and smacked his hands together. “So, you like it?”

  “I like it, Wilkes. As it is, I don’t hear much of the rock-country fusion, but we can fix that. Let’s see what I can do with this. Hold on a moment.” She went next door again and retuned with the electric guitar they had set up for her to use. That instrument would add the right touch. The first strum clashed discordantly with Wilkes’ setup. After a few tries, she played the chords of the song to match and, with barely a tweak to the sheet music, she reworked the riffs to add a harder edge. When she looked up next, the guys behind the glass handling the soundboard flashed their thumbs up.

  “So? Are we making music together?” Wilkes asked. He took a sip of water and looked her up and down with a hungry expression. Rolling her eyes, she ignored the innuendo and agreed to record the duet.

  It’s good for business.

  Nothing else.

  I hope he gets that part loud and clear.

  About thirty minutes later, Alexandra’s verse and ad lib over the hook were finished, and she could finally go about the business of recording her own music.

  Wilkes pulled her into a grateful hug, which she uneasily wriggled out of. “Turn the mic off, Reg,” he called out. The engineer nodded. Alexandra eyed Wilkes warily, wondering what he had up his sleeves now. He grinned, and added in an intimate tone, “I’m not going to bite. It’s just us in here, and I have one more request of you.”

  She hung up her headphones and shouldered the guitar to take it with her. “Need I remind you I’m already behind schedule, thanks to you?”

  “It’s not about me. It’s Emma-Jane. She misses you and wants you to come to dinner.”

  Alexandra winced. This would be harder to turn down. Wilkes’ youngest sister was fourteen and under his care. She had taken a liking to Alexandra during the time they were together. This would be the first time since that dirty breakup that Alexandra would have seen her. The first time in over two months. Shaking her head, she moved toward the door anyway.

  “I don’t think it’s a good idea anymore, Wilkes. You and I are not together.”

  “She really wants to see you, Lex. She misses you a lot.”

  Alexandra let go of the door knob and turned to him. “And whose fault do you think that is? Maybe you should have thought all of this through when you went and slept with Lydia. As a matter of fact, take Lydia to see her.”

  “She’s never met Lydia.”

  “So how the heck do you think Emma-Jane felt when she saw you and Lydia all over the airwaves and on the internet?”

  “It hurt her a lot. She kind of hates me now.”

  “That’s no surprise.” She needed this craziness off her mind to get her song out the way she wanted. She took a breath and turned to leave the sound booth. None of this was Wilkes’ sister’s fault. “Look. Tell Emma-Jane I miss her too. Maybe you can drop her off at my place on the weekend for lunch or something…just her. Not you.”

  “She’ll want me there.”

  “I thought she kinda hates you?”

  “Come on, Lex. Just come to dinner tonight at my house, spend some time with her, then leave whenever you want.”

  “I’m busy,” she added.

  “Tomorrow, then.” He was not letting this go.

  “I’m pretty sure I’m all booked up. Jeez, Wilkes.”

  “Lexxi Rock, Emma-Jane really looks up to you. Come on. Do this for her.”

  She paused at the door and looked over her shoulder at him. Wilkes took two strides towards her, jeans hugging his body, cowboy boots making no sound on the carpet. He tucked his cowboy hat on his head and hooked his fingers into his belt loops. With his wide shoulders filling out a red Henley shirt, he looked the picture of the American dream. Alexandra didn’t even think he’d ever ridden a horse, but something about the get-up added a ruggedness he wouldn’t otherwise possess. She scanned his face.

  He kept a respectful distance between them, thankfully. She took a glance in the direction of the sound proof glass. Everyone back there studiously avoided staring. “A friendly dinner,” Wilkes added.

  “Christ. Okay, but only because it’s Emma-Jane. Put me down tentatively for tomorrow night. If anything comes up, I’ll call and let you know.”

  “You just made me the happiest man in the building.”

  “Don’t you mean Emma-Jane, cowboy?”

  “Yes, she’ll be tickled.”

  Chapter 9

  SEBASTIAN looked over at Clint.

  “I think I’m going ask her to move in with me. Check.”

  Clint blew out a breath and made his next chess move, putting himself closer to losing the match. Sebastian chuckled as Clint kept his hand on the piece and rethought the play. He whistled in surprise at Sebastian’s announcement. “Ask who? Lexxi Rock?”

  He nodded. “What do you think?”

  The television played quietly in the background. Clint’s cozy living room offered a break from being home all the time, especially since Alexandra was back in Los Angeles again. Beth was in the kitchen cooking dinner. It was getting close to five o’clock in the evening, far later than they usually hung out. If Sebastian weren’t there, the happy couple would probably be sitting down to start dinner right now. Clint didn’t mention it, and he didn’t seem ready for Sebastian to leave when they started their third game of chess. It had been a long day.

  “What the heck do you think I think? It’s a great idea. Make sure you remember an invite whenever the wedding comes around. When are you going to ask her?”

  “I’m not sure yet. Probably when she comes into town again.”

  “Make sure you wear something nice. You have to smell good for something that big. Oh, and comb your hair…or gel it down or something.”

  “I got it under control.”

  “Not that hair, you don’t. What did that barber think he was doing this last time?” He looked up at the front of Sebastian’s head. “Maybe he forgot that part. That thing’s long enough to put in its own man-bun.”

  “No it’s not. I haven’t been to the barber for a couple of weeks.”

  “Why the hell not?”

  “Hey, even coming over here means arranging with my aunt to give me a lift. Doc wants me to wait one more week before I start driving again.”

  “See, that’s messed up. You’re fine to drive, if you ask me.”

  “One more week of following orders.”

  “Yeah whatever…So, what’s up with your physical therapy sessions? Does that end in a week too?” Clint asked after a while.

  “Roughly.”

  “And the fit test, when is that?”

  “The week after that.”

  “Damn. I hope you make it, bud.”

  “You and me both. This Kennedy chick is a pain to work with.”

  “She’s still on your ass for a date, isn’t she?”

  Sebastian nodded. “What’s up with that anyway?”

  “Don’t ask me. She got a taste of the Bash and now she wants another one. Didn’t you hear that line?” He grinned. “Once you go Bash, you’ll only come back.”

  “Cut it out. This is serious,” Bash admonished, although he was starting to laugh himself. “Let’s drop it. I don’t even remember what she was like. I just want
the sessions to be over and done with so I don’t have to see her again.”

  He kept right on chuckling. “With your track record, she’ll be at your door any day now…or night, I should say.”

  “Maybe I should move.”

  “Or put up a sign. The love shack is closed, effective immediately. Hey, you could even put a few numbers up on there, to refer them along. Nate’s, for starters.”

  “Not gonna happen. You know we don’t recycle women. It’s the firefighter’s code. Anyhow, let’s drop it.”

  Clint shook his head and put his chess piece down. “Ladykiller.”

  He was not dropping it, so Sebastian did what he had been holding off for two or three turns. “Checkmate. Game over.”

  “Well shit, Bash.” Clint ran a hand down his face and clucked at the chessboard, trying to figure out how he lost so quickly. “You know, you’re the only person who beats me every time.”

  “The secret is distraction, my friend. The minute I get you talking, it’s over and done with. Distract and conquer.” He smiled broadly.

  Clint crowed with laughter. Sebastian stretched and kept his eyes off the TV. Clint had changed it to his celebrity news shows, and Sebastian did not want to chance seeing Lexxi, with Wilkes, and possibly his own face up on the screen, with some heading that might read Lexxi’s Tucson Love Triangle. He had not heard from Aileen or her husband, so he imagined anything was possible.

  On the bright side, his aunt dropped by almost every other day now. With Sebastian holed up on the first floor to avoid having to take the stairs, his aunt made a point of coming by with meals, dropping him to and from his appointments, and even made him dinner a few evenings. He owed her tons. She didn’t hover or coddle him too much. She was often out of the house within an hour or two of coming by. Mostly, she made the process of relearning how to walk on the operated knee a lot easier.

  “Have you heard from any of the guys from work?” Clint changed the subject.

  Sebastian nodded. “Every few days. They used to call more, back when I first took leave. Lately the calls have been fewer and further between…”