Slash and Burn

by Jade C. Jamison

  “Yeah, I sure have.”

  “I needed to give you a heads up about something. I should have told you a couple of days ago but got busy with family and other stuff.”

  “What’s up?”

  He could hear Brad sigh on the other side of the phone. “Brina came by the house to talk to Val and me.” Oh, shit. Nick hoped she wasn’t going to do something stupid like leave the band—and, even if she did, he hoped she wouldn’t leave them in a lurch days before the overseas leg of their tour was about to start. Maybe Zane…all those thoughts were swirling in his head before Brad could even continue.

  “Yeah?”

  “Yeah. I, uh, know there was something serious going on between the two of you, so I wanted to prepare you before tomorrow.”

  “Spit it out, man.” As much as Nick loved Brad, the guy’s diplomacy often got in the way of stating the facts. Sometimes he had to be prompted to speak.

  “Since we’re going to be gone so long and so far away, she asked if she could bring her girlfriend along.”

  “Monica?”

  “Yeah. She said their relationship the past year has been rocky. I have no idea how you fit into all of that, and I don’t need to know, but she said she thought that if she could have Monica along, things would be better between them.” Brad paused and then said, “You okay with that?”

  “Hell, yeah. That’s fine.”

  He could hear the relief in Brad’s voice—it was as palpable as weighty chains dropping to a concrete floor. “Cool. Val’s been on the phone with the powers that be making the arrangements to add another body last minute, and I guess that’s kinda why I didn’t think about you at first.”

  “No—it’s totally cool.” Even cooler than Brad knew—he and Val had each other on tour, and Nick and Gracie were going to be together, so why not let Brina have her girlfriend too? Brad had no idea how much easier than would make Nick’s life—he wouldn’t have to try to keep his finally realized love for Gracie under wraps. It could be completely out in the open, something his affair with Brina never had been, even though everyone had known about it.

  “Seriously?”

  “Yeah. Quit worrying, man. I’ll see you tomorrow, okay?”

  “Yeah, all right. See you then.” Nick got ready to hang up when he heard Brad’s voice again. “Thanks, man…for helping Val realize her dream. Means a lot to me.”

  Nick smiled. “I know, ya big lug. See you in the morning.” Brad and Val had more than paid him back by hiring Gracie to be their nanny. He doubted he would have ever met the woman if not for them. He hung up and set the phone on the bathroom counter, glancing at his reflection before opening the door. Shit—he looked love struck and dumb…and it didn’t look half bad on him.

  He sauntered out of the bathroom and back into his bedroom. Gracie had since rolled onto her back but her eyes were still closed. He slid under the sheet, planning to hold her close again, but she peeked through her half-open eyes and said, “I hope you weren’t planning to go back to sleep.”

  He grinned. “I was thinking about it. Why?”

  “Well, it’s not late yet, and we still have to get you packed.”

  “Fuck packing.”

  “And I don’t know about you, but I could use some dinner.”

  “Yeah, I guess that’s not a bad idea.”

  “But I was hoping maybe we could take a bath together…or something else involving our naked bodies. I mean…it’s not every day that we’re naked together, and I’d really like to take advantage of it.”

  He kissed her then. “I think I can accommodate that. Packing, though…”

  She raised both her eyebrows, trying to look stern, but he could see the twinkle in her green eyes. “We will get you packed tonight, mister, if it’s the last thing we do.”

  “Fine. We’ll get the packing done, but I promise you it’s not the last thing we’re going to do.” No, he planned to make love to her all night long, something he should have done a long time ago…and somewhere in there, he planned to tell her over and over again exactly how he felt about her and how grateful he was to have her in his life—because he intended to never let her go.

  Acknowledgements

  In October 2014, I ran a contest where I let readers give me suggestions for the female bassist character’s name. I thought it would be a fun way to interact with readers, and let me tell you, I wasn’t wrong!

  I had hundreds of choices and it made it difficult—so hard, in fact, that I chose three winners. Here are the winners and the names I chose. Ladies, now that you have read the story, please don’t be offended that Brina turned out to not be “the one.” I knew that before I even chose the name, but the one thing I did know about her character was that she was a complete and total metalhead bad ass, and she was the exact opposite of Gracie. Thank you to the three of you as well as everyone who gave me more names than I could ever choose!

  Laura Myers suggested the name Sabrina (Brina) after someone very important in her life with the same name. I love it and chose it to be her real name.

  Jen Oreto suggested the cool name of Sinna. OMG! How could I pass that one up? Well, guess what? I couldn’t, so I decided to make that Brina’s stage name. Definitely fitting!

  Vickie Carter suggested the name Monica, which, as you know, became Brina’s girlfriend.

  Again, my sincere thanks to you three and everyone else who gave me all those awesome suggestions. It was a difficult but rewarding decision to make!

  The Bullet series by Jade C. Jamison

  Bullet

  (Bullet #1)

  What if you discover the man you want is toxic?

  She’d tasted a little bit of heaven with him, and now they’ve gone through hell and back, but can their relationship take anymore?

  Valerie Quinn is a naïve college freshman when she meets on-the-rise rock star Ethan Richards. He’s an idealistic, handsome, reckless young man, but he’s captured her heart. She doesn’t give up on him and eventually his walls crumble down. By the time Valerie has given herself to him completely, she discovers he’s damaged and may be beyond help. Can she save Ethan and their relationship before he implodes, or will he self-destruct and take her with him?

  Rock Bottom

  (Bullet #2)

  The much-anticipated sequel to Bullet.

  Ethan Richards has fought depression and a host of other demons all his adult life, and it’s caused him to lose everything—his wife, his son, his friends, and he almost loses the one thing that means the most to him—his band. He hits rock bottom and believes there is no way out.

  Enter Jenna McCormick, a feisty drug and alcohol counselor, a woman with her own share of troubles. She finds Ethan intriguing but keeps him at a distance while trying to help him face life without crutches. She feels a spark but denies it, knowing that a relationship with unstable Ethan could be dangerous for both of them.

  Ethan knows what he wants, though, and isn’t used to being told no. Jenna isn’t willing to risk Ethan losing his tenuous grip on sobriety, however, and is prepared to deny her deeper feelings to help Ethan climb out of his hole, but he learns how to let go of his pain when he finds that someone is prepared to walk with him through the shadows. Can he convince Jenna that they should take a chance on love or will they forever deny their feelings in an effort to keep Ethan on the straight and narrow?

  Feverish

  (Bullet #3)

  …To be loved by the good guy

  …To be fucked by the bad boy

  He’ll make you FEVERISH either way…

  Clayton “Jet” Smith has enjoyed acting the part of rock star god / incorrigible bad boy since his breakup with rock goddess Valerie Quinn. He’s racking up quite a score playing the field, and he has no plans to settle down anytime soon. His biggest problem these days is meeting his obligations. He’s so busy having fun, he forgets the important things.

  To help him out, he hires recent graduate Emily Brinkman to be his personal assistant, and he quickly
finds a fire burning in his belly for her. There are two problems, however. The first is that Emily is engaged to be married, a fact that leaves Jet unfazed. The second problem isn’t so easy to surmount, though: Emily is disgusted and unimpressed by both sides of the man.

  Will Clay find a way to persuade Emily to try him out, not just for one night, but for all time?

  Fully Automatic

  (Bullet #4)

  You might think you know Brad’s story, but think again. There’s so much more to his story than what Valerie knew. See Brad before Valerie came into his life and, when he was playing back burner to Ethan, see what Brad was up to when no one else in the band was looking.

  Valerie might have thought she and Brad were inevitable and maybe, in the back of his mind, Brad might have felt that way too, but he didn’t just sit around waiting for her. See the secret side of Brad that you had no idea existed. What kept the driving force behind Fully Automatic focused even while his heart was breaking?

  Christmas Stalkings: A Novella

  (Bullet #4.5)

  Val, Brad, and the kids decide to take a short but needed winter vacation to get away from it all and enjoy each other’s company, but one thing is stopping them from relaxing like they should. Since fronting her new band Val Hella, Val has discovered the darker side of fame—she has a stalker, one who seems intent upon stepping up his game to get what he wants, and the ruin of their vacation becomes the least of their worries.

  Other rock star books by Jade C. Jamison:

  The Tangled Web Series

  Tangled Web

  (Tangled Web #1)

  Katie Logan has had a secret crush on her best friend Johnny Church since high school, but he’s never looked at her the same way. So when Johnny—now a famous rock-and-roll guitarist—comes home to visit, Katie can’t bring herself to tell him she’s engaged to be married. She should have, though, because she soon discovers that maybe the attraction is mutual…

  Everything But

  (Tangled Web #2)

  High school English teacher Erin Lancaster is stuck with the unwelcome job of filling in for the injured cheerleading coach, but she wants to back out when she discovers she has to be auctioned as a date during the annual spring fundraiser. She’s horrified to find her rock star crush Riley Schultz, former frontman of Spawn, will be playing emcee for the event, but she’s even more shocked that he also happens to be the highest bidder for her affections, and sparks fly when she discovers that maybe their attraction is mutual.

  Riley’s been in the music business long enough to know that true love is not in the cards for him, but the cute blonde he’s dropped a wad of cash on would be a welcome distraction during his vacation. He has no idea there’s more to her than meets the eye.

  Will one week together be enough for them to quell the flames, to enjoy everything but?

  Punctured, Bruised, and Barely Tattooed

  (A companion novel)

  Kory McCallister has had her eyes on tattoo artist Stone Bowman for quite some time—so long, in fact, that no other guy will do. Stone pushes every turn-on button Kory has—he’s tattooed from head to toe; he’s hot; he’s funny and charming; and he’s also mysterious. So when Kory’s friends dare her to ask Stone out on a date, she can’t believe she actually finds the guts to do it.

  More surprising? He takes her up on the offer.

  She discovers that, while his past might not be quite as dark or mysterious as she’d imagined, it’s bigger than she’d expected, and it’s something she will need to contend with if she decides she wants to keep him around to color her life for good.

  Seal All Exits

  (Tangled Web #3)

  Heather Morrow has been fighting demons all her life, but the past two years have likely been her darkest. So when her friend Katie invites her to a reunion of sorts, Heather jumps at the chance, because Katie, one of the most down-to-earth people Heather has ever called friend, is the only person she has ever felt like herself around, and Heather realizes that she needs an ally to help her out of the shadows.

  Kiefer Steele, vocalist for Shock Treatment, has been battling some demons of his own. He’s been a nothing most of his life, but world-famous guitarist J. C. Gibson took him from his beach-combing, weed-smoking ways and helped him make something of himself…except life on the road has taken its toll. The only ray of hope in his life has been his continuing online friendship with Heather. The two met in person once, backstage at a concert, and their friendship has grown stronger.

  They haven’t seen each other in three years, though, and both have changed immensely.

  When they discover each other’s darkest secrets, will their friendship—and budding romance—survive, or are they destined to spend their lives apart…and alone?

  Be Careful What You Wish For

  Forbidden desire is just the beginning...

  Jessica, a college student struggling with day-to-day bills, is given an offer she can’t refuse. A married woman who is convinced that her husband Kage is cheating offers Jessica enough money to repair her dying car in exchange for Jessica’s attempt to destroy the woman’s marriage.

  Jessica succeeds but discovers something else—she and Kage are soulmates, destined to find each other.

  But as they attempt to carve out their places in each other’s lives, Jessica finds herself plagued with doubts, and she begins to suspect that Kage is once a cheater, always a cheater. Can their relationship survive or was it doomed from the start?

  MADversary

  They make sweet music together, but can it last?

  Megan Walker doesn’t plan to attend her high school reunion, but her best friend Lisa begs her to come along. Megan doesn’t want to risk running into her old boyfriend Tyler Green, a man who has since become rich and famous as the frontman of a heavy metal band called Madversary. Lisa convinces her that Tyler would never show up for something like a reunion, so Megan gives in, only to regret it. Because when Tyler does show up, the spark reignites, and she doesn’t know that she can bear letting him go again.

  Then Kiss Me

  Casey Williams has left a loveless marriage and is trying to rebuild her life. She finds that, even though you can never go home again, you can find lust again, and she finds a love interest in Scott, her coworker. She also discovers his secret, that he’s a drummer for a heavy metal band, and falls hard for him…just in time to find that, between his questionable friends and psychotic maybe-ex-girlfriend, he might not be the right guy for her. But her heart beats like a drum for him, and she finds herself willing to play with fire to get closer.

  COMING IN MARCH 2015

  The zombie novel that will blow your fucking mind…

  Savage

  Nina Hardwick has had a rough life since leaving high school, but inside she is still the girl looking for a silver lining. The past several years have left their toll on her psyche, and just as she feels like she’s climbing out of a deep abyss, her life and the lives of millions of others fall into shambles as a virus overtakes the country and leaves a plague of undead armies scouring the land.

  In a desperate attempt to get away from the infected, Nina and some neighbors speed out of town, nearly killing a man on a motorcycle. When they stop to rescue him, Nina realizes that he is the one man from her past she never got over, the guy who should have been her high school sweetheart until she messed it up. But this unrequited love, Kevin Savage, says he doesn’t even remember her. Or does he?

  Nina, Kevin, and her neighbors head to the wilderness and fight to survive not only the plague but also hunger, cold, their inner demons…and even each other. Will they survive and, more importantly, will her heart?

  #KillOrDie

  Enjoy Chapter One from Savage:

  I sat on my front porch, the same one I used to enjoy a cigarette on years ago. This porch was attached to the house my husband and I bought a long time ago—over twenty years ago, actually—when we started our little family.

  So much has changed
since then. He was gone now, as well as our two babies. He was in that elusive “better place” that God-fearing people talk about so much, and my progeny were both attending college. I was alone now and trying to emerge from the fog I’d been immersed in for the better part of a year. Most of the time I came out here on my porch nowadays, I was reflecting on the past several years, trying to make sense where none could be made.

  Every time, though, it simply made me sad.

  My life had been a hard one, one that I’d never envisioned for myself, one that I never would have chosen for myself if it had been offered. Yes, I’d always wanted to be strong, had always wanted to test myself, but not like that. It seemed like a cruel joke in retrospect.

  My husband and I had met as sophomores in college and married just after my senior year, spurred to do so because I was pregnant with our son. Back in the eighties, when we got married, it was harder to be unwed parents, and we’d planned on marrying at some point anyway, so we did. Our son was born just before Christmas that year, just before our student loan debts came to fruition, demanding monthly payments. But we were optimistic. We’d find a way to do it. We knew we wanted more than one child and we wanted them fairly close together, but I had a harder time getting pregnant the second time. I had our daughter four years later. I stayed at home with the kids while my husband earned a decent living. We weren’t living high on the hog, but we were making ends meet. We even bought a small three-bedroom house, intending to upgrade as my husband moved up the ranks.