by Nikki Ashton
“So you asked Freddie,” she stated.
Hendrix nodded. “Yeah, I did and he was really cool about it and didn’t take the piss or say anything to embarrass me.”
“He really helped you?”
“Oh yeah.” Hendrix closed his eyes for a second and then his gorgeous face broke into a grin. “He gave me some great tips. So great that I can promise you sis, you will not be disappointed by that guy.”
“Shit,” Eliza groaned and buried her face in her hands. “How embarrassing is this, my little brother sorting out my bloody love life?”
“Maybe, but you’ll thank me in the long run,” Hendrix said. “I wouldn’t steer you wrong, I love you too much.”
“I know,” she sighed. “But it’s still embarrassing.”
“No, it’s not,” Hendrix replied. “But I tell you what is embarrassing.”
“What’s that?” she asked, wearily.
“The fact that you left your vibrator out and Dad found it when he went into your room to get his Fender back.”
Hendrix looked at his sister and let out a huge belly laugh.
“You’re joking, right? Please tell me you’re joking.”
Eliza put a hand to her mouth as nausea swirled around her stomach. Hendrix, still laughing, shook his head.
“Oh fuck, what did he say?”
“Oh God, it was pretty funny.”
“Hendrix, tell me!”
Hendrix bit his lip and wiped at the tears of laughter at his eyes. “He screamed for Mum and told her to get rid of it.”
“That’s it—he didn’t say anything else?” Eliza didn’t dare think what their wonderfully, crazy dad might have done. She just knew it would be bad.
Hendrix shook his head. “He didn’t say anything else.”
“Oh shit, what did he do?” she asked with trepidation.
“He shouted, ‘Freckles, I’ll be gone some time. I’m off to London to complain in person to that disgusting company that sold my princess that piece of filth.’”
Eliz shook her head slowly. “Please tell me he didn’t.”
Hendrix started to say something and then stopped, noticing the car headlights coming up the drive.
“Oh yes he did, and it looks like he’s back.”
As Hendrix nodded towards the window, Eliza groaned and, not for the first time, wished that her dad wasn’t so insane—but then he wouldn’t be the great Jake Hughes and she really would hate that.
Chapter 9
“I cannot believe you are only seventeen,” Drayton Carmichael drawled, as he picked up a lock of Gigi’s long, dark hair and ran it through his fingers. “You act so much older.”
“Well, when you’ve got an elder brother that needs to be kept in check all the time, you tend to act older.”
Gigi swallowed and gazed up at Drayton’s staring blue eyes. They were the colour of sapphires and even though she’d read they were contacts – his actual eye colour was hazel – she still thought they were the most beautiful eyes that she’d ever seen.
Once Alchemy Dream had started rehearsing, Gigi made it her business to pop in and ask if they had everything they needed – as a representative of Musica Records, of course. That had been almost a week ago, and she’d ‘popped’ in every day since. Of course, Rocco had not been amused, seeing as it left him as Dirty Riches’ lackey for the majority of the time; he’d been right, his Uncle Jake was working him like a dog. He’d even been sent across Manchester to a back-street music shop who, Jake insisted, sold the only guitar strings he could use. Needless to say, after a forty-five-minute walk in the hot summer sun, as he’d been given no money for transport, Rocco found the shop closed down. When he called to tell him, Jake suddenly remembered they’d moved to a different location, another thirty minutes away. Rocco was not happy at all, particularly as when he eventually got back to the studio, Jake told him that Gigi had found some of his preferred strings in the supply room.
“I heard he was a bit of a tool,” Drayton said with a smirk.
Gigi stiffened and took a half pace back. “He’s not a tool,” she replied. “He’s a pain in my arse, but he’s not a tool.”
Drayton’s face morphed into an apologetic expression. “Sorry, sweetness, that was rude of me. I don’t know your brother, it’s just what I heard.”
“You shouldn’t believe everything you hear.”
Gigi felt deeply affronted on her brother’s behalf, but when Drayton drew in a deep breath and gave her shoulder a gentle squeeze, her insides turned to mush. He was simply beautiful and how could she possibly stay mad at him. He was after all, only repeating what he’d heard – it wasn’t his opinion of Rocco.
“I’m so very sorry, Gigi,” he said softly. “It was rude of me, especially as I’ve never met your brother. Please forgive me.”
Drayton pouted and Gigi thought he was totally adorable.
“It’s fine,” she gushed. “People that don’t know him, always misunderstand him. It’s the persona he likes to portray. Apparently, even as a small child he liked to play up to the cameras – according to my papa.”
“How is your dad—sorry your papa?” Drayton asked with a smile. “I’ve not seen much of him this last week.”
“Oh, he’s great. They’re working really hard rehearsing.”
“Oi, dickface.”
Gigi looked in the direction of Jonas Pearce, Alchemy Dream’s drummer, who was standing with thick arms crossed over his broad chest.
“What?” Drayton snarled, without even looking at his bandmate.
“We’re supposed to be rehearsing, not fucking chatting up the boss’s daughter.”
Jonas’ tone was hard and uncompromising, and with his top lip curled, Gigi got the feeling she really should let them get back to work. She didn’t want there to be a full-scale row and her papa to find out that she was the cause of it.
“I’d better go,” she said, smiling up at Drayton, who at six feet three, towered above her. “Let you get to work.”
“Yeah, I guess I shouldn’t keep Mr Happy waiting. After all, we don’t want him to be late for his flea injections at the vets now, do we?” Drayton looked over his shoulder as he spat out the last part of the sentence, causing Jonas to double flip him.
“Okay then,” Gigi said, backing away. “I’ll be off, but don’t forget, anything you need just call me.” She waggled her phone at Drayton.
“Sure will, sweetness.”
As Gigi pushed open the door, she heard Jonas growl. “Don’t you fucking dare mess this up for us again, dickhead.”
Gigi sighed and shook her head. “Musicians,” she muttered to herself. “Always so bloody temperamental.”
When she went into the Dirty Riches’ rehearsal room, things were a lot more relaxed. Luke was reading out the set list, while the other members of the band chipped in with comments.
“Passionate Liaison needs to be before Forever Love,” Jake commented as he strummed on his guitar. “It’s slower so can be a little breather before we bring out the big guns.”
Luke looked up from the list. “Yeah, you’re probably right. We all agree?”
Everyone nodded and Luke turned back to the sheet of paper and started writing on it.
“I take it that we’re ending on Shattered Lives, as usual?” Skins asked, deftly twirling a drumstick around.
“Never change a winning formula, my man.” Tom leaned forward and snagged a sandwich from the plate on the table in front of him. “Hey, Rocco.”
Gigi turned to see her brother sitting in a chair, his head propped up on his hand.
“Rocco,” Tom shouted.
Rocco stirred and sat upright, rubbing a hand across his mouth where he’d been drooling. “Yeah.”
“We need some more food, buddy. Any chance you can sort it? These are all a bit dry now.”
Rocco groaned inwardly and heaved himself out of the chair. “And it starts again,” he muttered under his breath. “Yeah, what do you want?”
E
veryone started shouting out their order at the same time, leaving poor Rocco confused.
“Hang on,” Gigi shouted, moving further into the room pulling a small pad and pen from the back pocket of her jeans. “One at a time so I can write it down.”
Luke looked at his daughter and grinned. He loved Rocco with all his heart, but sometimes he had no idea how someone so stupid got through the day without the help of an army of people.
After getting their final requests, Gigi ripped out the page from her pad and passed it to Rocco. “There you go.”
“Why do I have to go?” Rocco asked, looking at the paper as if the words were written in some ancient language.
“Because I set up this morning while you were servicing that Maddy girl again,” Gigi hissed quietly. “That’s the third time this week, you better hope Papa doesn’t find out. Although,” she said with a grin, “the same girl, three times—you’re practically engaged.”
Rocco’s eyes darted over to their father, who luckily was listening to a new chord change Tom was suggesting.
“Don’t even joke about it,” he hissed. “If he finds out, I’ll never see the inside of a nightclub until I’m sixty. And as for Maddy, she’s the one who is doing all the running. She practically jumps on me and has my jeans undone before I’ve even said good morning.”
“Please,” Gigi groaned. “I don’t want to know, but you could actually say no.”
She widened her eyes, waiting for his response.
“Would you turn a sure thing down?” Rocco didn’t wait for his sister’s response. “No, you fucking wouldn’t, and she gives amazing blowies. Best I’ve ever had.”
Rolling her eyes in disgust, Gigi sighed. “Just go and get the food, Rocco.”
Rocco grinned as he walked out into the hall. He glanced down at the list, not noticing Maddy careering towards him.
“Oof,” Rocco groaned, as he wobbled on his feet, dropping the list to the floor. “Careful.”
“God, I’m sorry,” Maddy cried. “I didn’t see you. I was looking at my phone.”
“Shit, I think you’ve cracked a rib.” Rocco held a hand to his chest and winced.
“I didn’t hit you that hard.”
“Excuse me, but I think I’ll be the judge of that.” Rocco grinned up at Maddy. “But I’ll forgive you.”
“You will, will you?” Maddy fluttered her eyelashes at him as she slowly ran the tip of her tongue along her top lip.
Rocco wanted to burst out laughing at Maddy’s generic sexy come-on. He’d seen it a million times before and she really hadn’t needed to. She could have simply said ‘fancy a quickie, dude’ and he’d have been up for it.
“I don’t have much time,” Rocco said, quickly glancing behind him at the door to the rehearsal studio. “I have something I have to do.”
“I’m sure you have time to do me first.”
Maddy nodded towards the door to the VIP bathroom, where they’d had their first encounter – the other times they’d mixed it up, using an empty recording studio and earlier that day, a storage room. Rocco took hold of Maddy’s hand, gave one last glance over his shoulder and then pulled her towards the bathroom.
Eliza couldn’t help but smile widely, as she walked through the corridors of Musica. She’d gone out and got herself a job and couldn’t wait to tell her dad. When she’d told her mum, she’d given Eliza a smile so beautiful and so full of pride, Eliza had felt herself get emotional. When Amber had told her to ring Jake and give him the good news, Eliza decided that she was going to jump on the train for the half-hour journey into Manchester and tell him herself. She wanted to see the look on his face, first-hand.
He’d always tried to give his kids as normal a life as possible and Eliza going out and getting a job, rather than ask him for more money would make him proud that he’d succeeded in doing just that.
As she approached the rehearsal room which Rachel, on reception, had told her the band was in, Eliza noticed a sheet of paper on the floor. It looked like a list. Wondering if it was important, Eliza bent to pick it up. She noticed a list of names followed by sandwich fillings and crisp flavours. It was obviously their lunch order and either Rocco or Gigi must have dropped it, seeing as they were the band’s gophers. Eliza picked it up and moved on to the rehearsal room, opened up the door and walked in.
“Hey, Princess,” Jake cried, looking up from his guitar and seeing his daughter. “What you doing here?”
Everyone turned and called hello, while Gigi, listening to something on a huge pair of studio headphones, grinned at her friend and waved.
“I came to give you my news,” Eliza said, gleaming at her dad.
“Shit,” Luke said. “You’ve just missed Rocco; he’s gone to get some lunch. If we’d known you were coming, we could have ordered you something.”
“I’m surprised you didn’t pass him,” Skins added. “He’s only just gone. You want us to call him on his mobile and ask him to get you something?”
Eliza felt her cheeks get hot at the mention of Rocco. “I’m fine, Uncle Skins. He must have run there, because I didn’t pass him and I came down George Street, past the deli.”
Luke frowned. “Maybe he’s gone to the bathroom first, because he’s literally only been gone about five minutes, if that.”
Eliza held up the list that she’d found. “Well, he might be calling you soon – I found his list on the floor.”
“Call him, Luke,” Tom cried. “Because if he gets me tuna by mistake again, I might puke. I damn well hate it.”
“Why don’t you want lunch?” Jake asked Eliza, looking concerned. “You’re not on a stupid diet, are you?”
“No, dad,” Eliza replied with a laugh. “Mum made me a sandwich before I left to come and see you. I ate it on the train.”
“You sure?”
“Yes, dad. Honestly.”
Jake visibly relaxed and put his guitar in its stand. “Okay. So, what did you want to tell me?”
He moved over to Eliza and dropped an arm around her shoulder, and she looked up at him with a huge smile on her face.
“I got myself a job for the summer.”
“You did!” Jake’s eyes widened in surprise. “I didn’t even know you were looking for one.”
“Well, the thing is,” Eliza sighed. “I spent all my money on a new guitar and as it’s a few weeks until I get my allowance, I thought I should do something about it.”
“Okay, but before I go mad at you for spending all your money, tell me what you bought.”
Eliza grinned and told Jake about her beautiful, blue guitar that she was picking up in a few days.
“Don’t tell your mother I said this,” Jake whispered. “Good choice, Princess. How much did you pay, you didn’t get ripped off, did you?”
“No, I’m not your daughter for nothing. I checked it on various websites, called a few dealers and other music shops and knocked him down by fifty pounds.”
“Good girl.” Jake pulled Eliza to him and kissed the top of her blonde curls. “Now tell me about this job of yours.”
As Eliza opened her mouth to tell him, the rehearsal room door flung open and Rocco burst in.
“I lost the list,” he moaned, smoothing down his abnormally dishevelled hair. “I can’t remember what everyone wants.”
Eliza turned and held it out to him. “Here, I found it on the floor in the corridor.”
“Oh shit, thanks, El.”
Giving her a cursory glance, Rocco reached for the list, pulled it from her fingers and ran from the room.
Everyone started to laugh and moved back to their instruments, and Luke to the microphone.
“You staying and getting a lift home with me, Princess?” Jake called over his shoulder.
“Yes, okay.”
Eliza smiled at Gigi as she sidled up next to her.
“Hey, Gee,” she said as the band started to tune up. “How’s it going?”
“Operation seduce Drayton Carmichael is on track.” Gigi
grinned and gave Eliza a double thumbs up.
Eliza rolled her eyes and grabbed Gigi’s hand. “Just be careful, please.”
“It’s not me that needs to be careful,” Gigi whispered, glancing over her shoulder. “It’s bloody Rocco, if Papa finds out what he’s been doing.”
“What do you mean?” Eliza’s heart thudded and her stomach churned, knowing deep down what Gigi was going to say.
“He’s been having some sort of…shit, what the hell would you call it, not a damn relationship…a shagfest, I guess, with the sister of Max Kolarov from Alchemy Dream.”
“H-how do you know?” Eliza asked, clearing her throat. “Have you caught him at it?”
“Oh God, no,” Gigi exclaimed. “I’d be projectile vomiting if I had.”
“So how can you be sure?”
“Well, let’s just say he didn’t have that hickey when he went out for sandwiches.”
Suddenly, Eliza didn’t want to stay and watch the band, she wanted to go home and cry. Any joy she’d felt about her new job had disappeared.
Fuck you, Rocco Mahoney
Chapter 10
Rocco looked closely at the palm of his hand and cursed as he kicked at the floor.
“Problem?”
He turned to see his nonna watching him carefully, a puzzle book in her hand.
“Sorry, Nonna. Just a little skint that’s all.” He held out his hand to show her the sum total of two pounds and twenty-five pence. Gigi hadn’t been paid yet for her work at the studio, so he hadn’t had his cut and was getting desperate for some money.
“Oh dear,” Lucia sighed, giving him an indulgent smile. “That is a shame.”
Rocco pouted and looked up at her through his heavy lashes, knowing it was the look that usually got him what he wanted, especially with his grandmother.
“You need some money?” she asked.
Rocco nodded. “Well, I could do with some, it wouldn’t need to be much.”
Thoughts of what he could do with the cash Nonna gave him sprang to Rocco’s mind. Definitely he and Ethan should sneak out one night and go to Ziggy’s, and he was running out of condoms. If Maddy kept up her sexual onslaught he’d need to replenish his stock.
