He needed a good audition to take his mind off of the stress of dealing with Owen, of Audrey working with Owen, and the fact there was nothing he could do about it. Owen was like a constant dark cloud hanging over his mood. Guard up, Luke couldn't relax.
"Luke?"
He glanced up at his name. A sleek blonde approached wearing tons of makeup, spiked heels, and a hot pink dress that left little to the imagination.
"Mikala?" Just to be sure... The woman in the video demo hadn't been as groupie-esque as the one who stood before him.
"Hi." She extended her hand. "I'm so excited to meet you."
"It's nice to meet you too." He shook her hand, and jolted back when she captured him in an exuberant hug, enveloping him in a cloud of sugary sweet perfume. Patting her back, he eased away. "Ready for your audition?"
Her eyes sparkled. "I'm ready for you."
Behind her, Ivan coughed, but it sounded strangely like a laugh.
Luke gestured toward the hotel's double doors. "We've reserved a conference room. When we get in there, we'll start recording. Just be natural. No need for nerves."
As soon as they stepped into the hotel lobby, she pulled out her phone. "Can we take a selfie?"
Before he could agree, she'd leaned in close and held up her phone. That cotton candy perfume was already giving him a headache. One picture quickly became five before she deemed the last one acceptable.
He moved away, creating some space between them. Mere moments later, Mikala was plastered up against his side. "We could go to your hotel room. That's more personal than a conference room. I think I'd do better there." She grabbed his forearm while she talked.
He shifted away again. "All auditions are taking place in the same type of room. The acoustics need to be similar." He'd made that shit up, but the way she was looking at him raised a red flag.
Mikala laid her hand on his shoulder. "Rules, hmm? I suppose I understand. Maybe later." Her gaze darted to Ivan and then back again. "When we're alone."
Red flag, again. But surely she realized she was way too young for him. He didn't want to hurt her feelings or embarrass her, but he didn't want to encourage her either. "We won't be alone. Ivan's here for the duration. And so are the fans watching at home." He pointed to the camera and gently stepped away.
He barely gave Ivan a glance, more intent on keeping his arms and legs away from Mikala. She seemed part octopus. The sooner he finished the audition, the sooner he could get back to the hotel and check in with Audrey. Their quick kiss goodbye when he'd left the studio hadn't been nearly enough to satisfy him.
Mikala beamed a smile and then grabbed his hand. She clutched tight as they walked through the hallways toward the conference room, words tumbling out of her brightly painted lips. He was impressed with her knowledge of the band's history, and less enthused with the extent of her knowledge of his personal life.
Within moments, they were seated at a table in the center of the room. Rather than sitting across from him, Mikala moved her chair until they were side by side. "This is cozier."
Warning sirens buzzed in his head. As casually as he could, Luke shifted his chair a few inches away.
"Let's take another selfie." Phone in hand, Mikala bumped her chair until it met his. She tilted her head until it almost rested on his shoulder. "Smile."
Luke forced his cheeks to lift into a semblance of a smile, but from his view, it was more of a grimace. Beside him, Ivan stifled another laugh.
"There." Fingers flying fast over the keys, she typed and then held out the screen to show the picture posted on her media feed, captioned Luke and me with a little heart.
Shit. He edged away again. At this rate, he'd be in the next conference room before the audition even began. "Start the recording, Ivan."
"It's already rolling, boss."
At Ivan's word, Luke glanced into the camera. "Hey guys. Luke here. I'm with the second contestant in the New Band Contest. This is Mikala Mason."
"Thank you for making me feel so welcome, Luke." Her voice purred, dropping an octave and her hand touched his.
Again, shit. That warning siren buzzed louder.
He moved her hand off of his and reached for his bottle of water. "Your voice impressed everyone in the band. So, you've been singing for how many years?"
"Several." She fluffed her hair and then rested her elbow on the table, hand under her chin, and gazed at him. "You've been singing for several, too. Life on the road must get lonely."
He resisted the urge to press his fingers over the dull thudding in his temples. This pre-audition interview was a disaster, but it could be edited later. "Not really. I travel with three other guys, our band manager, the road crew, and occasionally a dog. If you'll please stand in the center of the room, we can get started."
"Sure." She swayed out of her chair like a stripper giving a lap dance and sauntered to the center of the room.
"Whenever you're ready." He set his phone on the table and tried to relax. "We'd like you to sing Shredded Justice again."
She opened her mouth and the off-key notes and wrong tone scraped along his skin like a bad itch.
Gaping at Ivan, Luke shook his head. "Something's not right."
"Sounds more like something is dying a slow and painful death."
Luke stood, motioning for Mikala to stop singing. "Hold up. What's going on with your voice?"
A blush touched her cheeks and she placed her hand on her hip and cocked it out to the side, posing as though she were celebrity at a red carpet event. "What do you mean?"
Okay—so no stories of strained vocal cords or anything to remotely explain the reason. The voice on the demo hadn't sounded auto-tuned... not that auto-tune could correct what he'd just heard. "Want to try again? You sound completely different."
She cleared her throat and belted out the chorus of the song. The screeching was bad enough to curdle his blood.
"Stop. Just stop." He waved his hands to silence her. "What the hell is going on here?"
"I wanted to meet you. My friend let me record her voice and use it for the audition. I lip-synched when I recorded my demo."
"Holy shit." Ivan's murmur mirrored Luke's thoughts, just before what the fuck broke in. "Are you kidding me? You and your friend cooked up a little scheme so you could meet me?"
Wearing a siren's smile, she sashayed toward the table. "I guess I was a little bad. Can you blame me?"
"Do you know how many hours of auditions we sat through? How many people we considered? And you faked it? Why take the opportunity away from someone else?"
Instead of answering him, she narrowed her eyes at Ivan. "Give us a minute."
"I'll grab a smoke." Ivan set the camera on the table and then exited the room.
As soon as they were alone, Mikala brushed her fingers up and down Luke's arm. "Let me make it up to you. Any way at all you want. I've been told I have many hidden talents." The red claws on her fingertips traced along the top of his thigh.
Enough. Luke shrugged away from her touch. "I'm involved with someone."
Green eyes narrowed into slits and then she gave him a seductive smile too precise to be anything but well-practiced. "But she's not here now."
"Let me be clear. I'm not available."
"None of the blogs or gossip sites mentioned anything about a woman in your life. No one in The Fury fan club knows anything about it. Who is she?" The mutinous glare on Mikala's face reminded him of a volcano ready to blow.
"She's everything to me. That's all you need to know."
"But I'm... I'm..." She thrust out her chest and tossed her hair. "I'm perfect for you. You'd see if you gave me a chance."
"You were here to audition. For the band. Not for any other role. And you fucking lied about it all." He raked a hand through his hair. Frustration mounted into a pounding in his blood. His headache intensified. "Did you think we wouldn't realize your voice didn't match the one in the video?"
"I thought you'd meet me and not care about anyt
hing else." She lifted her shoulders. "I'm better than whoever you're with."
"The woman I'm with is the only one for me. And you're disqualified from the competition."
Eyes spitting fire, Mikala pushed away from the table. "I'm not happy. Your new label will hear from me."
He refrained from rolling his eyes. His band mates wouldn't care. Then again, knowing the guys, they'd likely bust his balls about it. Whatever. "Go ahead. I'm in charge of complaints."
"You can go to hell." She grabbed her purse and stalked out of the room.
That hadn't gone well. Blowing out a breath, he picked up the camera and went in search of Ivan. The bastard had high-tailed it to the hotel bar. Luke shoved the camera into Ivan's gut. "Thanks for leaving me hanging, bud. I'll remember that on our next tour."
Ivan pointed to the screen. "I left it set on recording, genius. I figured she'd say more if I wasn't there. So you have it documented."
"In that case, I owe you a drink. And I think I'll join you. What a fucking day. Do me a favor and forward the un-cut video to the guys. They need to see it."
Humid air greeted him when he stepped outside an hour later, but he relished being free of the sticky sweet perfume cloud he'd been stuck in all day. He fired off a text to his band mates ranting about the Mikala mess, then sent a text to Audrey to check in on her and headed to the hotel, in need of a shower and a pain killer.
By the time he finished and had a clearer, pain-free head, she still hadn't responded. He checked through his messages and did another social media sweep. People were commenting on Mikala's pictures. He'd received notifications because she'd tagged him in every one. What a fucking waste of time that had been.
His phone lit up with a call from Brendan. Needing to vent, he answered. "Hey, did you see the video?"
"Dude. Only you would have this happen." Brendan chuckled and Luke could picture his gray eyes brimming with laughter.
"It's not funny."
"Nope. It was a waste of time, and you handled yourself better than I would have expected. But really, you're in charge of complaints for us? You? Our resident hot head? I laughed so hard at that part, I nearly snorted beer out of my nose."
For the first time in hours, Luke cracked a smile. "Okay, so maybe I wouldn't be the first choice there."
"Try the last." He laughed again. "It'll be good to see you, man. Landry will be here soon. Our flight is at the butt crack of dawn, so we'll be in New York late morning, your time."
"Cool. You guys are staying at my hotel, right?" He hoped so.
"Yeah. Irisa made all the arrangements. Zander and Jayne are coming in from Maine, and Irisa is flying out from LAX around the same time as Landry and me. I think we're all meeting you at Audrey's studio at noon."
They chatted for a few more minutes, until Landry had arrived and said his own hello. Bidding his friends goodbye, Luke sat in the utter silence of the room.
He needed Audrey.
Finally, his phone pinged with her response.
Sorry, was busy with show stuff. Just got into a cab now.
Good. He'd feel a lot better after holding her. Lying across his bed, he typed his reply.
Is it cool if I come over?
He threw clothes into his carry-on bag. Then her reply chimed.
No.
His lungs froze. They hadn't slept apart since he'd returned from Nashville. He could sleep alone, but preferred dropping off into dreams while wrapped in his dream come true. Especially after the day he'd had.
Then her message continued:
I'm on my way to you.
***
Audrey hoisted her tote bag higher on her shoulder and made her way through Luke's hotel. Knowing how late she'd be working, she'd packed a change of clothes that morning. Luke's hotel was closer to her studio than her apartment. Exhaustion and needing to see him had made the decision easy.
Three straight days of working with him at her studio, and four straight nights of unwinding with him at the end of her day, of sharing a glass of wine, of climbing onto soft sheets with him, and then sleeping tucked against him throughout the night, had created a routine she craved.
It had also stoked her desire for more.
She'd wanted to go slow. Baby steps. But every taste of him only increased her hunger.
Three years of thinking about him, of interactions, glances, and incidental touches, tacked on to the time they'd spent together since he'd arrived in the city, gave her a clear picture of who he was. Moving forward and taking things to another level was scary, but holding back and keeping things exactly as they were wouldn't ever get her—get them—to where she wanted to be.
Heart pounding a little harder, she knocked on his door.
It swung open and Luke waved her inside. A smile lifted his cheeks, but something deeper, relief, reflected in his eyes and echoed in her soul. After her long day, all she wanted was him.
Hair damp, wearing workout shorts and a baseball t-shirt, he looked nothing like the lead singer who entertained thousands and sold out stadiums. He looked like a regular guy—if anything about Luke could actually be regular. He plowed his hands into her hair, cupping her head, and brought his mouth down to brush teasing kisses against her lips. "I needed this. My night was crazy."
"What happened?" She set her bag on the floor and stroked her fingers along the lines of tension in his face.
"My fan audition turned into a shit storm. The girl used someone else's voice in the demo she submitted. Apparently, she thought this would be a good way to meet me. I'm so pissed. She seemed to think I'd be cool with the fact she wasted my time and the band's time. She can't sing at all. Instead of her wanting to be in the group, she wanted to be a groupie. She offered to keep me company tonight, if you know what I mean."
She drew back. "Excuse me?"
He lifted one of her hands and placed it on his shoulder, and then wrapped his arms around her waist. "I put on the brakes, but she wasn't too happy."
"I can imagine..." Possessiveness snaked through her as she pictured the woman putting moves on her man.
"All I wanted to do was get back to you. How was the rest of your day?"
"Long. Busy. Oh, and I pulled together a few things for you and the guys to wear on the show. Irisa called me a few hours ago and said everyone is flying in on Friday morning, and can stop by my studio around lunchtime."
"Yeah, Brendan confirmed those plans when I spoke with him earlier. They're all staying here at the hotel, too. I think she's doing that because both Zander and Brendan tend to lose track of time. Jett's show is live, so we can't be late."
"It'll be good for you to have some company and take a breather from the Furious Records project for a few days. But if the guys want to discuss things, just let me know."
He drew her further into the room and set her tote bag next to his luggage. "Your focus for the next few days is your fashion show. I'm grateful for all the time you've been sinking in to my project on top of your busy schedule, but I'll sure as hell like it better when you're not working fourteen hour days."
"Me too. I'll be taking some vacation time after the show is over." She wandered to the window. Fifteen stories below, the city pulsed to its own beat. "My parents want to see me for a few days. But maybe after that we could get out of the city for a weekend?"
"I like that idea." He sidled up behind her and wrapped his arms around her waist, nuzzling his face into her neck. "How's the west coast sound? You can join me for both the fan audition in L.A., then the party in Vegas, and then after that, we can unwind at my place in Cali."
"You said you live near the beach, right?" She stepped out of her shoes.
"Very near." Luke tightened his hold, drawing her back against his chest. "I forget how small you are."
"I'm not that short."
"Not short. Delicate. And perfect. Perfect for me." Warm lips pressed the sensitive spot by her ear, then traveled along the slope of her neck.
Letting out a sigh, she reached for
him and tangled her hand in his hair.
His hands roamed a slow journey from her waist to her breasts. When he cupped her, her head fell back onto his shoulder. His hands, lips, the slight scrape of his beard, and the hardness of his body sent her on sensation overload.
She tugged his head until his mouth latched onto hers. He tasted of mint, mixed with the cinnamon tea she'd had at the studio. She turned in his arms, angling for a more thorough taste.
Luke's fingers played with the cap sleeves of her shirt, then traced along the collar, then stroked their way down to the hem. "Too much material. I want to touch you."
"Please." After all the time that had passed, after all the imagining of her hands on him and his hands on her... finally. Finally. This was happening.
One by one, he popped the buttons open, then pushed the shirt off her shoulders. It caught at her hands and then fell to the floor.
"Gorgeous, Sunshine. You know that?" His appreciative smile accompanied his touch. Large hands molded her through the yellow satin bra. He kissed a line from her lips to the swell of her breasts, then closed his mouth over one peak while his fingers tightened on the other.
"Luke." Hands in his hair, she held him tighter to her, sighing when he pulled away the material and repeated his exploration with his mouth.
"I need to touch you, too." Her hands tugged at his shirt. Each inch revealed another section of defined abs, sculpted pecs, and the flexing muscles in his arms. He yanked the shirt over his head and tossed it toward the chair and then sucked in a breath when her hands raked over his skin. Desire ran through her, clean and strong and stoking the need for more. She couldn't touch him enough—slow sweeps down his arms, feather-light strokes along his back, and then grazing her nails over his stomach.
He reached for her, then dropped his hands to his sides. "I know we said baby steps. If I touch you any more, I'm not going to be able to stop."
Touching him felt too good. Being touched by him felt amazing. "I don't want to stop."
Love Song (Rocked by Love #2) Page 6
