Steele: A Standalone Rock Star Romance (The Hysterics Book 4)
Page 7
Chapter 2
It Begins
FALLON
The color drained from my hair as I watched the blackish muck mix with the water swirling around my feet. My light auburn was now cloaked in a midnight black. The freckles that dotted my skin and the lightness of my hazel eyes were still dead giveaways as to who I really was. Add in all of my tattoos and the giant chip on my shoulder and there was no mistaking my identity. All I could do was hope that during my meeting with my new boss and longtime family friend on Monday, the glasses, hair, and articulated speech would be enough.
Not too long ago, I’d woken up from a three-day binge in a hospital room after an overdose and decided enough was enough. I’d quit the band and moved back in with good old mom and stepdad.
The “I told you so” speeches were a small price to pay for having almost taken their only child out of this world. Luckily, my real dad’s college roommate had decided to give me a shot. Payton Downing was taking a huge risk when it came to hiring me. For most of my childhood Payton had been like an uncle to me, but what I was asking for was more than any family member should have to do. Even so, the answer had been yes, without question, and I was getting a fresh start with a job I could have only dreamed of.
Thankfully, I’d had enough sense in my early twenties to finish college online while touring with my band all over Canada and the US for three years. Between the recreational drugs and rock and roll, I didn’t know how I’d passed, but I had managed. Cs get degrees, after all.
My resume was less than polished with a cocaine overdose, years of touring with a punk band, and a few brushes with the law staining the white paper that was filled with columns I’d had published, my college degree, and my amazing ability to clean up well.
This was my second chance, my fresh start, and staring into my reflection in the mirror terrified me.
What if I fuck this one up, too?
DANE
“All right, everyone. Settle down.” Payton, my overly cheery, overly plump boss bounded into our meeting room, his glasses falling down his nose as he carried a huge stack of papers. “As you all know, over the last year our little online chronicle has sparked a wildfire. Needless to say, I need help. We need help. So I have hired an assistant editor. Her name is Fae Dunham, and she’ll be joining us shortly.”
He paused for what I figured to be dramatic effect while crickets took over the room. We were all grungy musicians playing journalist to support our passionate habit. We enjoyed our lack of leadership and censorship, and no snobby outsider was going to change that.
I sat opposite Payton with my feet up on the large oval conference table while all my coworkers sat wide-eyed, like deer in Mack truck lights. I chuckled, sipping steaming coffee out of my Hysterics travel mug.
“Mr. Pearson? Care to share with the rest of us what is so funny?” Payton shoved his glasses back up his face, pausing halfway through organizing and passing out the papers that were now spread out in front of him.
I shook my head.
Crickets. They were all just sitting there, glancing at one another like I was about to be sent to the principal’s office.
I cleared my throat. “I just don’t see why—” Whoa. Mid-sentence, I was completely taken aback by one of the most incredible sights I had ever seen in my life.
She slowly walked in after opening the door, trying to enter without interrupting the meeting. Her dark black hair was curtaining her slender, pale, freckle-ridden face. Thick, black-rimmed glasses sat cutely on her nose, which looked at least a size too big for her face. A soft blush dusted her high cheekbones as her light pink lips pursed together. She rested a small hand on Payton’s shoulder. A tight-fitting pantsuit hugged her subtle curves while just a hint of ink peeked out from under the jacket sleeve on her left arm.
Payton’s eyes darted from glaring at me to lighting up with a huge smile as he glanced over his shoulder at the gorgeous newcomer—not like a boss usually would, but like a loving uncle looking at a favored niece. “Everyone, please give a warm welcome to the newest member of our staff and your new boss, Fae.”
She slowly let her lips crane into a nervous smile as she waved. “Hello.”
Her lips were incredible; I couldn’t stop staring at them: full and luscious with two hooped rings that begged for my tongue to taste and my teeth to bite.
Her voice was a whisper as she glanced around the room. “I am truly looking forward to getting to know you all.”
Fae couldn’t be more than a few years younger than I was. There was something in her eyes that didn’t quite add up, a sadness battling something I couldn’t put my finger on; it was intoxicating and magnetically intriguing.
Continue Reading The Hysterics