Claiming Addison: 69 Bottles #1

by Zoey Derrick

  Contents

  Copyright

  Dedication

  Acknowledgements

  Reviews

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  Coming Soon

  Other Books By Zoey Derrick

  Cover Design completed by Parajunkee and is copyrighted 2014 by Zoey Derrick. For more information on Parajunkee and to see her amazing work, please visit her page, www.parajunkee.net

  Editing completed by Mandy Smith and Lorraine Montuori from RawBooks Editing - They’ve done an amazing job and I couldn’t do this without them - if you need editing services - check them out: http://rawbooksonline.com

  Copyright © 2014 Zoey Derrick All rights reserved.

  ISBN-13: 978-0990326465

  The following is a work of fiction - all reference to persons, places or things is strictly coincidental. Some parts (though small)are based on fact or actual events that occurred for the author and are portrayed fictionally here for Dacotah and Orion.

  The following work is protected copyright of Zoey Derrick and Zoey Derrick Publishing. Reproduction of this work is prohibited by law and may not be distributed without the express written connect of the author or publisher. Failure to obtain permission can and will result in legal action. So bottom line, don’t share this work!

  To Friends, Fans, and Lover’s of a good story - This one is for you!!

  Acknowledgements

  Z-Team: Thank you to my beautiful Street Team. You ladies are the best and I love you for everything you do.

  Rachel - My BFF, my Numero Uno Beta Reader. Thank you for always being ready, able and willing to read my raw craziness and for loving every word! P.S. Tell your husband he’s welcome!

  Mandy and Lorraine: Ladies, without you, this book wouldn’t be in everyone’s hands. You’re amazing at everything you do. Stay Raw!!

  To my beautiful Beta Readers: Lisa, Danielle, Vickie, Kali, Liliuokalani and Amy - Thank you for your kindness and willingness to read my mess of a beta copy. Your feedback has been instrumental in creating the story in your hands. Your love of Addison, Talon and Kyle is amazing. Thank you for everything!

  To Emily - your words, your encouragement, and your love of my work keeps me going and it keeps me pushing my boundaries. Thank you for being such an inspiration.

  For my Fans - Thank you for always wanting more, for reading, and for reviewing my work. Without you I’d have no reason to keep going. Thank you for loving my work.

  To Rachel, a.k.a. Parajunkee - Your creativity is an inspiration. Your work is beyond amazing, Thank you for the cover of Claiming Addison and for everything you do to bring my stories to life.

  To Debra Anastasia - Thank you for being an amazing woman!! Boobie smash, tackle hug And thank you for writing Poughkeepsie, and for letting Addison read it, she loved it just as much, if not more than I did.

  Praise for Claiming Addison and the 69 Bottles Trilogy

  “I could go on and on about this book, but I’ll leave you here… and the fact that buying a copy of this book should come with a complimentary change of panties…” ★★★★★ Shurrn - The Smutsonian

  “Holy smokes batman! Where is the fire extinguishers? This final book in this trilogy is scorching hot. Must have significant other around when reading this book!" - Beta Reader on 69 Bottles Trilogy

  “Simply AMAZING! Definitely a MUST READ for 2015!” ★★★★★ Stephanie - Stephanie’s Book Report

  “Good morning, Addison.”

  “Hi Raine. I have an appointment with Trinity. Do you know where her assistant is?”

  “Uh, no.” Raine looks around like she’s stalling then finally looks at her watch. “Oh sorry, I forgot she had an appointment. Do you want me to let Trinity know you’re here?”

  I try very hard to not give her the ‘duh’ look. “That would be great.”

  I step back and find a seat. It’s been a long time since I’ve been up on the executive floor of Bold International, Inc. The reception area is pretty modern-posh with a bit of swank thrown in. To be honest, you can tell a man designed it, or at least picked out the furniture, and he certainly wasn’t gay. But if you compare it to the rest of the building, including the actual building itself, it freakin’ fits.

  So I’m guessing you’re wondering who I am? Well, that’s easy, I’m Addison, a twenty-nine year old, out of the box redhead from Kansas City. I’ve worked as a PR Rep for Bold International since I graduated from NYU over seven years ago. I was recruited straight out of college and I’ve never looked back. I work strictly with musicians, and let me tell you, it’s the best job in the world. Plus it keeps me on my toes.

  “Addison, Trinity is ready for you.”

  “Thanks, Raine.” I pick up my bag and head down the hall toward Trinity’s office.

  When I get there, her door is closed. I pace back and forth for a moment then see Raine peering around the corner from her desk.

  “Go ahead and knock,” she tells me. I turn and face the door, hesitate, then knock gently.

  “Come in, Addison,” I hear Trinity say from the other side. I open the door and peek my head in. “Hi Addison, come in.” I push open the door and step inside. “Go ahead and close the door.”

  There is a woman with black and blue hair sitting in front of Trinity’s desk. I can see her shoulders are covered in tattoos and there’s something peeking out of the collar of her sleeveless top. “I can wait outside,” I say rather calmly, despite the fact that I have a pretty good inkling of who this woman is.

  Trinity smiles. “Absolutely not. Addison, I’d like you to meet Cami Michaels.”

  Oh shit! I was right. I watch as Cami stands then turns around to face me. She offers me her hand and I take it. “Hi Addison, it’s great to finally meet you. I’ve heard a lot about you.”

  I smile, releasing her hand. “All good things, I hope?” I’m not a big girl by any means, but my lowly five feet seven inches practically dwarfs her. Then again, I’m wearing four inch heels. “It’s a pleasure to me you, Mrs. Michaels.”

  She smiles. “While I love my married name, please, call me Cami.”

  “Yes, ma’am.” She flinches. “Cami.” Okay, she doesn’t like ma’am either. Mentally noted. I look toward Trinity. “What can I do for you, Trinity?”

  “Take a seat.” She gestures toward the chair next to the one Cami vacated. “Don’t worry about Cami being here, we were talking about the same thing I need to discuss with you when you arrived.”

  What the hell is going on? I take my seat, thankful for the distraction to stop myself from completely freaking out. “Am I being fired?” I blurt.

  Trinity and Cami both laugh. “Goodness, no,” Cami s
ays with a wide smile, “In fact, you’re being promoted and we desperately need you to do something for us.”

  I look at Cami and then back to Trinity. “Anything!” I say without thinking, my entire brain to mouth filter is completely busted.

  “I hoped you’d say that.” Trinity smiles. Her smile is warm, genuine and friendly. She’s an older woman, maybe in her late fifties, but she’s definitely got a lot of youth left in her smile. “Addison, we brought you in because we have an emergency situation.”

  Emergency, okay, this I can handle. “Is it with one of my clients? I haven’t heard anything.” I look to Trinity for my answer.

  “No, no. Well, at least not anyone that’s currently assigned to you. But before we go into the details, I need to let you know that I’m going to have to pull you from your vacation this weekend.” Her eyes dull with sadness.

  “Oh, no, no, no.” My heart sinks.

  “Believe me, I don’t want to, but you’re the only one who’s certified and experienced enough to handle this besides me and Cami. Unfortunately we’re not able to make this kind of commitment, so we’re desperately hoping you can be our girl.”

  I look between the two women, dumbfounded. “Uh, I have reservations and concert tickets that I’ve paid a lot of money for.”

  “Are you going out of town? Flying somewhere?” Cami asks. From the look in her eyes, she actually feels sorry for having to do this and while it is disappointing, I guess I can make a concession. I always do. Rescheduling with my girlfriends shouldn’t be that hard since the concert we’re going to will be here in LA in a few weeks. Luckily tickets haven’t gone on sale yet. Maybe I can sell ours for San Diego on Thursday and use the money to buy LA tickets. I know the band’s concerts sell out in record time, so I imagine selling my tickets won’t be that hard. But still, it’s the first show of their tour and I don’t want to miss it.

  “Out of town, yes. Flying, no. My girlfriends and I are heading to San Diego on Thursday for a concert and then we planned on spending the weekend on Coronado.”

  Cami smiles and looks to Trinity, there seems to be some private joke between the two of them that I don’t understand.

  “Listen, Addison. We’ve had an incident with the original rep who was supposed to handle one of our bands. It’s because of that last minute change that we need to fill that spot with someone on extremely short notice,” Cami says matter of factly, but her confidence wavers when she begins slowly pacing around the room. “Believe me, the last thing I want to do is cancel your vacation. We can make arrangements to reimburse you for your tickets and your reservations. And I give you my sincerest promise that at the end of all this you can have at least an entire month off.”

  “Excuse me, Cami, it’s not about the money, honest. It’s just that my girlfriends and I have been planning this for months and every time we seem to plan something, I have to pull out, usually because of work. I just feel…”

  “What concert are you going to?”

  Huh? I look at Cami, “What?”

  “What concert?”

  “Oh, um 69 Bottles.” Both Cami and Trinity giggle. “What’s so funny?”

  “Well, here is what I am going to suggest. Because I feel awful about forcing you to cancel your plans, I have no doubt that you can give your girlfriends a better vacation,” Cami says. “I will give your girlfriends my plane to San Diego, along with a rental car. Assuming you’d planned on driving down?” She looks at me for confirmation and I nod. I’m more than a little confused. “But, you will have to leave your girlfriends in San Diego after the concert.”

  I want to scream in frustration because they’re being so evasive about what it is that I’m going to be doing, or why I am going to be doing it. Trinity stands up from behind her desk, pulling my attention away from Cami’s pacing. In her hand she has a rather thick envelope and a bag, similar to my own. “Inside you will find all the details for your assignment.”

  I desperately want to roll my eyes at her deflection. “What exactly is the assignment?”

  “On Thursday at 11:00 a.m., we need you on a tour bus headed for San Diego, you’ll be kicking off the start of a twelve week nationwide road tour.”

  Twelve weeks, starting Thursday. The puzzle pieces start clicking into place. “For who?” I ask, despite the fact that I think I know the answer to the question, but I need confirmation.

  “69 Bottles,” Cami answers.

  After learning the details of my assignment, I leave her office and immediately slump back against the wall. I’m trying desperately to catch my breath before heading toward the elevator. I’m not normally one to get nervous about much of anything, but I’ll be damned, I’m ridiculously nervous about this. Sure, I’m a fan of 69 Bottles. I love their music, but I know nothing about them. Let alone much of what they look like or what has been made of their reputation. I can’t let this opportunity slip through my fingers.

  After a few deep breaths, I finally manage to compose myself enough to leave the hallway. I straighten my jacket, thank god for it because I was sweating bullets in there. I walk toward the elevator, ignoring Raine. I have my bag and the new messenger bag slung over my shoulder. The envelope in my hands is pressed tight to my chest like a bulletproof vest.

  My phone rings interrupting my packing. “Addison,” I answer, like always.

  “Hey chica, you can save the speech. I already talked to Jess and she told me you’re bailing on us again.”

  “Oh come on, Sam, I am not…”

  “Don’t worry, it’s cool. I just thought that since we were so close you might actually get away with being able to take your vacation this time,” Sam says into the phone but I can tell she’s disappointed.

  “Listen, I’m still waiting on final details, but my boss’s boss is arranging for you and Jess to fly down to SD and have a rental car. I will meet you guys there and we will still be able to do the concert and then you guys can head back to the beach house,” I tell her.

  “Yeah, it just sucks.”

  I give the phone a half smile. “On the plus side, when I’m done with this tour, I will be getting an entire month off. I will figure out how to make it up to you both.”

  “Addie, come on, girl, spill the beans. Who are you going on tour with?” she says with a conspiratorial tone in her voice.

  I smile, but I refused to tell Jess when I talked to her, which I know Sam knows, so why ask again? “I’m not telling. Actually, I can’t tell you, not yet anyway. Give me a couple of days and I can indirectly spill the beans.”

  I can hear her childish huff and pout on the other end of the phone. “Fine.”

  “Thanks, Sam. You’re the best.”

  “Uh huh, I know it and damn it, Addie, you owe me. Drinks tonight?”

  I look at the clock, it’s already after four and I still need to go shopping. “Actually, yeah, listen, I need a favor.”

  “Anything.”

  “You want a break from the roommate from hell?”

  “Oh my god, yes, please.”

  “Then why don’t you pack up a few things and come stay at my house while I’m gone,” I tell her.

  “Addie, seriously, I can’t do that.”

  “Shut up, Sam. You can too. It will give you a nice break from mega-watt-bitch and you can eat up all the groceries I just bought this weekend. Plus, it will give me peace of mind knowing that someone is watching over the house besides my housekeeper who only comes once a week.”

  I know she’s rolling her eyes. Sam isn’t a broke girl by any means, but for some reason, despite all the bullshit with her roommate, she’s never moved out. I’ve met the roommate on more than a few occasions and she’s just pissed off at the world, at least from what I can tell. Despite all her bitching, Sam doesn’t do anything about it.

  “Alright, I’ll do it, but I can’t promise I’ll leave when you get back,” she says.

  I smile. “I’m hoping that’s the case. Meet me at the haunt, say seven?”

 
“You got it, see you there. Should I bring Jess?”

  “Uh, sure, why not? Then tomorrow night you can start staying here.”

  “When you leaving?”

  “Thursday,” I tell her.

  “Your house will be alright while I’m gone in San Diego, right?” she asks.

  “Yeah, Maria will be here Friday. I’ll let her know that someone else is staying here so she doesn’t freak out on you and I’ll make sure the house is locked up tight for the weekend.”

  “Sounds good, see you in a bit.”

  “Absolutely.”

  We hang up and I dive back into packing. Hoping to god that neither one of them pressure me too much about who I’m going on tour with. Then again, they both know what industry I work in and they have no clue who any of my clients are or have been. Though it will be hard to keep the 69 Bottles thing from them once we’re in San Diego, which is why I plan to indirectly tell them what’s what.

  In the big bad scary envelope are two exclusive VIP badges, usable for each show. I intend to have them given to Jess and Sam when they pick their tickets up at Will Call. Their suspicions will already be high enough as it is when I don’t show up to meet them outside the theater before the show.

  My phone goes off with a text.

  Sam: Where r u?

  I look at the time. Shit! It’s already seven. CRAP!

  Me to Sam: I’m running out the door now. C U in a few.

  Sam: Hurry up woman!

  Okay, okay, I get the hint. I grab my purse and bolt for the door. Crap, I didn’t want to be late, where the hell has today gone? God, I hope tomorrow isn’t like this or I’m screwed.