by Raine Thomas
“If you say so,” he mumbled around the candy.
He chewed thoughtfully, his expression easing from borderline disgust to interest and then enjoyment by the time he had swallowed it. She grinned and held the box towards him again. He held out his hand to accept more.
“I can’t believe you’ve never heard of Sour Patch Kids,” she said. “They’re a movie theater staple. Don’t you ever go to the movies?”
“Not really. My father always got early release copies of the movies we wanted to see when I was younger. He knows a lot of people in the entertainment industry.”
“He does? What does he do?”
She saw the moment he decided he’d rather return to his room than continue their conversation. It was like a switch flipped in his eyes, making him more reserved. Her ability to read people came to her rescue before he could make an excuse to leave.
“What I meant to ask was what movie you saw last,” she amended. “I need to gauge just how out of touch with today’s culture you are. I mean, failure to know about Sour Patch Kids is just appalling.”
One corner of his mouth lifted, telling her she had successfully turned the conversation around. “This from the woman with a playlist filled with songs from two decades ago on her phone,” he countered.
“How did...?” She trailed off and followed his gaze to her phone, which was lit and paused on a Foo Fighters song. “Busted. What can I say? I love the music of the nineties.”
He shook his head like she was hopeless. “Let me see that playlist.”
She handed him her phone, wondering what he would think of her taste in music. Her favorite playlist had songs ranging from Our Lady Peace to Tracy Chapman, quite the departure from the modern popular music he was used to recording. Although his opinion shouldn’t matter, it did.
“Hmm,” he said as he scrolled through the list. “New Radicals, The Offspring, Sublime, Cake, Fuel, Weezer, Third-Eye Blind, Green Day, blink-182.” His eyes lifted to hers. “This is quite the list.”
“Let me guess. You expected the Backstreet Boys?”
“No.” He grinned and tossed another candy into his mouth. “NSYNC.”
She held out her hand. “Give the phone back. You’re unworthy of holding it.”
He twisted so she couldn’t take it from him, settling back in his lounger and crossing his legs at the ankles. “Nope. We’re going to listen to some tunes. It’s refreshing to meet a woman who doesn’t have The Void’s music in her playlist in an attempt to impress me or someone else in the band.”
She couldn’t bear to tell him that she had an entire other playlist dedicated to The Void’s music. She was too thrilled that he was staying with her to correct him. So when he pulled her earbuds out of her phone and pressed the play button, she leaned back into her own chair with a delighted smile on her face.
“So how is it you’re so sadly lacking in your candy education?” she asked, determined to keep their conversation light and nonthreatening.
“Don’t eat it much,” he said with another shrug. “We didn’t have it around the house when I was a kid, and Christopher stresses fitness with the band. We’re all on a pretty strict diet and exercise regimen to stay healthy while we’re touring.”
Rosemary knew he was referring to the band’s manager, Christopher Donahue. She had met Christopher briefly earlier when Lily was introducing her to everyone at the after-party. He seemed pleasant enough. His dietary warnings were likely in the best interests of the band rather than tyrannical mandates, but Rosemary couldn’t help feeling sorry for Sage. She loved candy and felt everyone should get to enjoy it every once in a while.
“Have you been with The Void since it formed?” she asked.
“Yep.”
“You must have been young.” She tried to recall some of the tidbits Monique had shared with her before this trip. “You were all teenagers when you formed, weren’t you?”
“Yeah. I was seventeen.”
She did some quick math based on when she remembered Lily meeting Archer. “So you’re twenty-four now?”
“Yep. I’ll be twenty-five in October.”
And she would be twenty-six in November. It amused her that he was younger than she was.
“You’re almost exactly Lily’s age,” she said.
“Yeah. We’re just a few weeks apart. Lily said you two are close in age.”
She finished the candy in her mouth and nodded. “We’re only ten months apart. Irish twins, as they say.”
“Wow. That must be nice.”
Although she’d never really considered it, she said, “It is. Do you have any siblings?”
“A younger brother and two half-sibs,” he replied.
His tone told her he didn’t want to delve any further into the subject of his family. That was fine with her. She wasn’t exactly eager to pursue that subject either.
She switched the topic to more neutral ground: music. They chatted about their favorite bands and songs as they polished off the candy. Their conversation flowed so naturally. Rosemary didn’t experience any of the angst she often did when she was first getting to know a guy.
That’s because he isn’t available, she reminded herself for the twelfth time.
“Okay, now I really need to get going,” Sage said when a full hour had passed. “I’m meeting the band in the hotel’s gym in a few hours. Need to get some shuteye.”
“Of course,” she said, ignoring the disappointment that flashed through her. “I should head up too. I’m getting started with Lily and Archer on their wedding planning tomorrow and I don’t want to be a zombie.”
He rose and helped her to her feet. Once again, she felt that frisson of awareness run from her palm along the length of her arm when he touched her. She did her best to keep her reaction to herself, thanking him and collecting her things. They walked into the hotel together and headed to the elevators.
“Are you on seven?” he asked as they got on the elevator.
“Yep.”
“I figured.” He pressed the button and stood back as the doors closed. “Arch initially booked the room so it was near the rest of ours so he could have Lily nearby.”
Something about his tone had her giving him a curious glance. He almost seemed nervous, but that didn’t make sense. He’d been calm and cheerful when they were together downstairs. Had she done something to raise his suspicions? Did he know she had developed an unhealthy crush on him?
Crap.
“What’s your room number?” he asked as the doors opened on their floor. “I’ll walk you to your room.”
“Seven-twenty, but you don’t have to...”
“Sure I do. It’s the gentlemanly thing to do.”
Uncertain what to think or say about that, she managed a small smile and nod and started in the direction of her room. They didn’t speak over the brief distance. Why did things suddenly feel so strained between them?
They reached her room. She pulled out her key card and turned to thank Sage. The words got stuck in her throat when she saw the conflict on his face.
“Rosemary, I...well, I wanted to see if...”
She felt frozen in place as he stumbled through whatever statement or proposal he was about to issue. Oh, Lord. Was he about to ask her if she wanted to have sex with him?
If so, what would she say? On the one hand, she wanted him. She’d be a fool to deny that now that she’d gotten to know him. On the other hand, he was in a relationship. She wasn’t about to become the other woman for any guy, even if he was a hot rock star.
Sage sighed and shoved his hands into his pockets. “I just wanted to say thanks again for the candy and the company. See you tomorrow?”
She forced herself to smile even though she knew he hadn’t said or asked what he initially intended. “Definitely. Good night, Sage.”
“Good night.”
She used her key card and entered her room, leaning against the door once it closed. Her mind whirled over what he had really been about
to ask her. Was it really possible he was going to proposition her? It had sure felt like it.
She realized she was relieved that he hadn’t. She and Sage had some kind of connection, but after her past experiences with guys, she really wanted him to be one of the good ones.
Even if that meant she couldn’t have him because his heart was loyal to someone else.
Chapter Six
“So what can I expect to see on the show later?” Regina asked Elijah the following day.
He heaved a sigh. “You used to be more subtle in your reasons for sleeping with me, Reggie.”
She wished she hadn’t ever shared the childhood nickname with him. The amount of alcohol it had taken for her to sleep with him the first time had loosened her tongue and made her sentimental. Now that was all he called her.
“Don’t be ridiculous,” she argued, shifting closer to him in her bed and running a finger over his pasty, undefined chest as though it turned her on. “We’re just two adults looking for a good time, right?”
He smiled. “That’s true enough.”
God, men were so easy to manipulate. When it had gotten too difficult for her to get information from anyone on the House of Archer team about the show and anything involving Suddenly Something, she had decided that sleeping with Elijah was her only option. Though it was far from her proudest moment, nothing was going to stand in the way of helping her boys achieve greatness.
Things had been going remarkably well since the first episode of House of Archer aired. Suddenly Something’s sales were better than they’d been since Archer left the band. By leveraging that success, Regina was making her way back into the upper echelon of respected music industry moguls. She was in the midst of wheeling and dealing several lucrative deals for the band, including an agreement for Brandon to write the theme song for a new TV show airing in the fall. The peppy pop-style song requested by the show’s execs was right in Brandon’s wheelhouse, fortunate since he wasn’t known for his strong songwriting. The Void’s Welcome to Wonderland had been sitting near the top of the charts for the past two weeks after the premiere of House of Archer. Regina believed the same thing could happen with Brandon’s theme show song. This opportunity would give him an ego boost and potentially bring her and the band a much-needed influx of money.
Sure, she was selling a small piece of her soul by sleeping with Elijah for information, but by getting the scoop on the content that aired she could prep herself and the band for anticipated media outreach, orchestrate more content that would be likely to air, and take steps to derail Lily Montgomery and The Void.
Completely worth it.
“Why don’t we go another round?” Elijah suggested, reaching over and cupping her breast.
Sadly, he wasn’t the worst lover she’d ever taken. That didn’t mean she particularly enjoyed being with him. She knew she had to take control to get what she wanted.
“I won’t be able to focus on you with the show on my mind,” she said, keeping her tone coaxing. “Once I know what’s going to air later, I’ll ride you like a stallion.”
His breath hitched. “All right, all right. Um, let me think. Episode three. Okay, they’ve got footage of Nikki telling Archer that Lily ‘screened her out’ back when she was making a play for him, and footage of Nikki giving Lily a jealous death-stare. I think that all starts this episode. The editors liked how it played against Keith breaking up with her. Made it clear Connors was her backup choice.”
She was careful not to react. The less Elijah knew how much the footage impacted her, the better. This wasn’t great news, though. Regina wasn’t sure what footage he was referring to, but it couldn’t possibly paint Nikki in a good light. Nikki was now dating Malcolm O’Dell, which meant the footage would also reflect badly on him and Suddenly Something. Mal would be seen as a pathetic third choice to two of The Void’s members.
Damn it.
“They’ve also got some footage of Nikki with O’Dell when they first hooked up,” Elijah went on. “The exchange they had with Connors about Sydney Ward, something about her being a virgin or some shit. The editors liked how it pissed Connors off.”
Again, Regina wasn’t happy with this news. Showing Connors spouting off in defense of Sydney Ward would possibly redeem him in the eyes of some of the viewers that had lashed out against him after the first episode premiered. She had enjoyed every minute of the bad press that his recorded derisive statements to Sydney had caused The Void.
“We got some decent footage of Lily’s sisters hooking up with Vic and Mal before the tour started,” Elijah said next. “That definitely made it into this episode.”
Regina forced herself to relax when he gave her a speculative look. “Her sisters?”
“Yeah. Carol and Bridgette, I think? I’m not sure. They’ve been in a lot of footage lately.”
“Aren’t they...younger?” She didn’t dare say underage.
“Yeah, but they’re both over eighteen. Needed them to sign confidentiality agreements and releases. They’re legal.”
She stopped short of mopping her brow over that news. The last thing she needed was her boys in jail for screwing underage women.
Of course, the knowledge that the content would surely upset Lily made her smile.
“What else?” she prompted.
He once again reached for her, wrapping his hand around her waist and pulling her closer. “I can’t remember every detail, Reggie. Those are the highlights. You’ll see the rest later today.”
She wanted to argue and press for more. Wisdom told her to let it go. Elijah already suspected that she was using him. No need to confirm it when there was still a month left on the tour.
Resigned, she smiled and shifted, lowering herself along his body. She had learned a long time ago how to move things along when she was with an unexciting partner.
Their second round didn’t last much longer than the first. She knew what she was doing. She’d even managed to get herself off by picturing Tyson Wilde, the sexy owner of The Void’s record label.
She might be nearing fifty but she wasn’t dead.
“God, I’m going to miss this after the tour ends,” Elijah panted afterward.
She felt a twinge of insult. Yes, she had no desire to pursue more of a relationship with him. It still stung to have that same attitude so casually tossed at her.
She lifted herself up onto one elbow, allowing the sheet to fall to her waist. Elijah’s gaze moved predictably to her breasts. The lust she saw steadied her and reminded her why she had gotten a pricey breast augmentation. In her experience, there was little a pair of great tits couldn’t get a woman.
“Who says it needs to end?” she asked. “As I said, we’re two adults and we’re having a great time together, right?”
He issued a loud snort. “I’ve been having a good time.”
It was hard to ignore his reduction of her word choice, great, to merely good. Insult transitioned into anger, which she carefully suppressed.
“So what’s the problem?” she asked, easing from the bed and reaching for the robe she had borrowed from the hotel’s closet.
“I said I’ve been having a good time, Reggie. Despite what you said earlier, I’m fully aware that you’re using me to get a heads up about the show. Since it gets me laid regularly, I don’t have a problem with it.”
Shame—brutal and unexpected—flooded her face with a rush of heat. She immediately squelched it. She knew what she was doing. It didn’t matter what Elijah Long thought of her.
“So we’re in agreement,” she said, none of her seething anger entering her tone. “We both get something out of this arrangement. I see no reason why this can’t continue once we return to L.A.”
He stacked his hands behind his head. “The thing is, I figure you won’t have much use for me soon.”
She refused to acknowledge the panic that tickled the back of her throat. “What do you mean?”
“I mean that the execs don’t foresee a future for Sud
denly Something on the show after this season. The bands will go their separate ways when the tour ends in a few weeks, which means the connection between them will end. The show is about Archer and his life. It will move on to fresh content and conflict for season two.”
The news wasn’t exactly unexpected, but it still grated to hear it issued in Elijah’s blasé tone. This was her future they were talking about here.
She calmed down, reminding herself that she had been preparing for this moment throughout the tour. She hadn’t been naïve enough to think Suddenly Something would remain on the show for the length of its run. That was why she had put her creativity to good use and planned ahead, implementing plans to secure an interest in House of Archer.
An opportunity like this came along once in a lifetime. Regina wasn’t about to let it go without a hard, bloody fight.
She was now involved in The Void’s future in ways only she knew. One way or another, she was going to make sure that she and her boys benefited from House of Archer as long as the show was on the air.
Chapter Seven
“So, there’s something I didn’t mention yesterday,” Lily told Rosemary. “Actually, a couple of things.”
They had just finished lunch in Lily and Dane’s hotel suite and were about to dig into wedding planning. Lily and Dane sat beside each other on the loveseat in the suite’s living area. Rosemary had taken the overstuffed chair across from them. She paused as she reached for the iPad she had brought with her.
“Why do I think these couple of things might make me regret agreeing to this?” Rosemary asked.
Lily tried a winning smile that didn’t ease the wariness in her sister’s expression. “Okay, okay,” she huffed, holding up her hands in defeat. “You’re right. You won’t like either one of these things.”
“I knew it.”
“I’ll just get on with them. The first thing is that I have a stalker.”
Rosemary’s mouth formed an O before her expression eased into something between confusion and polite interest. “What?”
