Hands clasped, she stood by the couch. "If I'd realized the extent of how much you guys dislike each other, I would've asked you to stay away from the show."
"No. That's not fair. I'm the man in your life, not Owen. And I wanted to be there. With you. For you. I don't want you to shut me out of things. Owen and I are going to run into each other, that can't be helped."
"But you can't come to blows anymore either."
"I know."
"You could've been seriously hurt."
"I know," he said again. "But the worst part is I hurt you. I let you down. I fucked up and I'm sorry."
"Apology accepted." Her eyes softened enough for him to see forgiveness shining through the shield, but the stiff way she held her body signaled things weren't entirely smoothed over.
Shifting his stance, he waited for more. "But?"
A sigh escaped her lips. She raked her hand through her hair and sank onto the arm of the couch. Her fingers plucked at the edge of a throw pillow. "But I'm still upset, okay? The fight is all anyone is talking about. You and Owen and your ridiculous feud, not the designs. That tells me one of two things. Either they're ignoring the clothes completely because a brawl between two rock stars is far more interesting. Or, now that Rob is no longer in the picture, my supporters no longer care to stick around. Both scenarios suck. My phone's ringing, but instead of buyers, it's reporters hoping for a good sound bite."
He'd do anything to change what happened, to replace her wounded expression with a smile of love. "I'm sorry my fight is overshadowing your show. Before the fight, the attendees were talking about how much they loved the designs, so I'm sure orders will be coming in soon. And Rob's backing may have gotten the ball rolling a few years ago, but you created your success."
"We'll see."
"What about the partnership with the domestic violence program? Did you talk to the program director last night?"
The corners of her mouth turned down again. "She called with her decision this morning. The fight was a big factor in her reason for turning me down. You were the other."
"Me?"
"In the last few months, you've been in a few bar fights that have made the news. Obviously, violence is a problem for them. They don't condone it, and you're attached to too much of it. She said she couldn't let the partnership go through when I'm attached to someone with such strong tendencies toward violence. They're going with another designer."
"Shit. Sunshine, I'm so sorry." He dropped to his knees in front of her and grasped her hands in his.
She shrugged, but her face crumpled and the muscles in her throat worked. "It's... okay, I guess." Her teeth bit into her lip and her breath came in shallow rises. When the first tear tracked down her cheek, he hauled her into his arms.
Wanting to kick his own ass for being the cause of her tears, he sat on the couch, holding her, rubbing her back while her tears soaked into his shirt. "I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I know how much that meant to you."
Shoulders shaking, she hiccuped and gasped out breaths. Finally, she raised her head and swiped her hands over her cheeks. "I didn't mean to break down. I'm sorry."
"Don't ever apologize for showing me how you feel. I hate that I ruined this for you."
"It's all right. I know you didn't mean to." She offered him a watery smile.
He truly didn't deserve her. How could she forgive him for fucking up so badly? "I posted an apology right before I came over here. Irisa sent it out as a press release. I'd like you to take a look at it."
She moved to sit on the cushion beside him and opened her laptop on the coffee table. Luke rubbed at the discomfort in his gut. His apology was posted on his personal pages, the band's pages, and the band's website.
I apologize for my actions during the incident at Audrey Pierce's fashion show. I created a distraction and removed the focus from this incredibly talented designer and her new collection. If you're a rocker, or want to dress like one, I encourage you to check out her clothes and jewelry.
"Thank you. I appreciate it. You didn't have to do that."
"Yes I did." He took a chance and laid his hand on her knee.
"Your hand is swollen." Soft fingertips brushed the red skin. She lifted his hand to her lips and pressed a kiss to his knuckles.
He still felt bad about stealing her spotlight, and really bad for ruining her opportunity with the domestic violence program, but the knot in his stomach disappeared, the tightness in his shoulders eased, and the worry gripping his heart melted away. "My chin hurts too."
The corners of her mouth turned up in a smile. She leaned in and placed a soft kiss on his chin. "Your beard hides most of the redness there. When you left yesterday, I knew you were in pain. I wanted to punch Owen myself for hurting you."
"I'd pay to see that."
Her laugh touched off his own. Things were better. The guilt lingered, but he would do whatever he could to make it up to her. Maybe they could go to dinner or he could give her a massage or something as a start. "Want to get out of here for a bit?"
"Sure." She reached for the laptop, then pointed at the next picture on his page. "Oh hey, it's us."
He leaned in. Jett had posted the group picture, taken backstage after the show's taping. At center, Luke stood with his arms wrapped around Audrey. They were laughing along with the rest of the band and Irisa and Jayne as they all crowded together to fit in the shot. "That's a great picture."
"It received lot of comments." She stiffened and he glanced at the feed.
01_Fury_Fan: Who is the woman Luke is hugging?
The-Fury-Rules: Her name is Audrey. He said on the show that they are dating, and he kissed her in front of everyone there.
01_Fury_Fan: Noooooooo! He's mine!!!!
Luke_Is_My_Hero: I just looked her up. She's a NYC fashion designer for rock bands. She was a big fat nobody before dating rock god Rob Hawke.
The-Fury-Rules: Everyone knows when Rob Hawke backs something, it becomes a success. And she was so much younger than him, fourteen years. I bet I can figure out the attraction for both of them there... She used Rob to break into the music world.
The-Fury-4-Ever: Sounds like she slept her way to fame. Typical. What a skank.
Luke_Is_My_Hero: It looks like they broke up a few months ago. Maybe she used Rob up and needed fresh meat? The Fury have a huge and younger fan base. Poor Luke is going to get hurt.
01_Fury_Fan: She's using Luke to promote her brand. I can't stand girls like that. Luke is so perfect. He deserves so much better.
And it continued, on and on, comment after comment, fans weighing in on "the Audrey situation".
Luke blinked at the screen. The torrent of harsh comments continued to roll in.
What. The. Hell.
***
Mouth gaping open, Audrey stared at the comment feed. More and more messages appeared as people chimed in. Luke's fans were fiercely loyal and fiercely protective of him. Vicious comments had never happened when she'd been with Rob. At least, she'd never been aware of them. But this tidal wave of speculation and judgment was overwhelming. "They're wrong about everything other than the fact that I dated Rob."
"I know it, Sunshine. I know it." Luke's hand caressed her back in tight circles. His other hand curled to a fist on his thigh.
New comments popped up.
Mikala_Mason: I don't see why she's so great. She's not even pretty. And look at those thighs. He could do so much better.
Recognition dawned, even as her cheeks flushed and she contemplated her thighs. They'd always been her trouble spot. "She's the one who faked her audition demo so she could meet you, right?"
Luke turned the computer screen away. "Right. But don't listen to her. You're gorgeous. Every part of you. And I love your thighs."
His words were a balm but Audrey couldn't help pulling the screen back. The comment feed was like a car wreck—too tempting not to look.
Fury_Fan_4ever: Typical slut. He should dump that opportunistic leech—fast.
&nb
sp; 01_Fury_Fan: Seriously. Using first Rob, and now Luke to further her career. Luke should open his eyes.
Mikala_Mason: Poor Luke is clueless about her. He needs a real woman who can take care of him. Someone needs to help him wake up and realize what kind of person this fame-whore really is.
Fury_Fan_4ever: Or maybe someone else needs to come in and push her out of the picture...
Mikala_Mason: I would love to see that! This girl needs to go. She ruined my chance with him, so I HATE her!!!
The words cut deep. Audrey rubbed her hand over her chest. "Oh my goodness."
"That's enough of that." Luke closed the computer and put it out of reach. Aside from the clenching of his jaw and fists, he seemed calm. She'd expected a tirade.
"Why aren't you more upset about this?"
"Inside, I'm boiling. But in the past, I've made things worse by responding in the heat of the moment. I'm not sure the best way to handle it—whether to blow up and attack back, or calmly call them out on it, or ignore it. My first choice would be blowing up, so that's probably the wrong one. I'll talk to Irisa and see what she thinks. I really hate the idea of ignoring it."
"Attacks about my designs are one thing; I'm used to critics. But personal ones? Calling me a slut? Suggesting I'm using you? Taking shots at my character when they've never even met me?" She shook her head.
He pulled her into his arms. "I'm sorry, Sunshine. It burns me up to see people saying things about you, but when they're my fans... that makes it so much worse."
Too upset to remain still, she shimmed out of his hold. The flowers lay on the table like drops of sunbeams. "I should take care of these." Moving quickly, she brought them into the kitchen and set about trimming stems and arranging the blooms in her vase.
"Audrey." Luke's hands closed over her shoulders.
"I think these will look nice in the bedroom, don't you? That way, they'll be the first thing I see when I wake up."
"I'd rather be the first thing you see." He turned her to face him and cupped her chin in his hand. "This thing with the fans will blow over."
She swallowed hard and nodded. "Of course it will."
"Come on. It's a nice day. Let's go for a walk. How about the High Line? The guys are still in town. It'll be good to get the whole group together."
She forced a smile because he seemed to need to see it. "I'd like that."
"Good." He picked up the vase and led her by the hand into her bedroom area. After shifting aside a stack of paperback novels, he set the vase on the small table by the window. "If you wake up facing the window, you'll see the flowers. If you wake up facing the door, you'll see me. That's a good compromise."
"What happens if I wake up facing the ceiling?"
"You could always install a mirror up there. I'd like that."
A real smile overtook her fake one. "No."
He shrugged. "No problem. I have a good imagination. Anyway, you'll need sunglasses and some type of hat for today. We're going incognito."
"No trench coat?"
A half-smile quirked at his lips. "We'll save that one for later."
"Give me a minute to change. It's too hot outside for pants." She peered into her closet, dismissing several options. After the remark about her thighs, wearing shorts wasn't too appealing.
Luke joined her and pulled down a floppy red straw beach hat from the top shelf. "Wear this one."
"Sure." It would disguise most of her face.
Strong hands clasped her waist. "Let me help you." He pulled her tank top over her torso and gently lifted it over her head. When she lowered her arms, he kissed her lips, then moved down to place kisses on each shoulder. Then the hollow of her throat, and he continued kissing his way to the valley between her breasts. He rested his forehead there for a moment, breathing deep while his arms banded around her.
Audrey threaded her fingers in his hair and held him close. He kissed her like he cherished her. Drenched in gratitude and caring and wanting and needing, she tightened her hold.
He knelt before her, kissed a trail to her waistband, and then hooked his thumbs into the clingy fabric. Working the pants down her hips, then down her thighs, he kissed every exposed inch along the way. They pooled at her ankles and he helped her step free, then he glided his hands along her body as he stood. "No question about it, your thighs are perfect."
Heat flushed into her cheeks and pleasure flushed into her soul. "I'm glad you think so."
"Tonight, we can come back here and I can show you over and over again." The light in his eyes, that sexy smile, and the determination in his features, almost made her forget about all of the drama with the fans.
"It's a date." She pulled out a casual navy and white striped t-shirt dress and red flats with thin straps that laced around her ankles. Complementary to Luke's outfit of a white v-neck t-shirt and navy shorts, but not too matched. She needed to feel like they belonged together, especially after so many of the hateful comments suggested otherwise.
Chapter Ten
For the first time in his career, he resented the fans. Luke shoved his phone into his pocket and leaned his head against the booth. The hotel pub in Chicago's North Side where he was due to meet the next contestant had great atmosphere, but he couldn't enjoy it. A week had passed since the first negative comments appeared, and they didn't show signs of slowing down. If anything, they'd increased. He was pissed off and baffled by why the fans cared so much about who he spent his time with.
Irisa had advised Audrey and him to not engage or respond, but holding his tongue was killing him.
He sipped his Guinness and stewed.
Beside him, Irisa had her laptop open. She'd accompanied him to Chicago in place of Ivan, claiming that she would be lonely at home with her fiancé away on a long road trip. Luke figured the real reason she'd come along for the ride was more as babysitter than to cover camera duties, in case he snapped under the pressure. She knew him well. "The poll for selecting the new band's name has a clear favorite. Wild Intention is leading by twenty thousand votes."
"Huh." He continued to drink, focused on the door, thoughts on Audrey and what she was doing. She'd headed to Florida to visit her parents a few days earlier.
"Shit," Irisa exclaimed under her breath, then glanced over at him. "There's a new thread in the fan page forum, dedicated to trashing Audrey."
"Are you fucking kidding me? On our own website?" He yanked the computer away from her and it around to see the screen. "Fucking assholes. No more ignoring this." Pushing back from the bar, he got to his feet and shoved a finger in Irisa's face, his stool scraped the floor as angrily as he felt. "Ignoring it looks like I'm condoning it. And I'm not."
She pulled back her computer and spoke too calmly for Luke's taste. "I'll post something in the forum."
"I can do it." He grabbed at the laptop.
"No." Irisa handily swiped her computer out of his reach. "You're too angry and will go off on a rant. I'll do it."
She was right, of course, but the urge to smash something burned hot in his veins. He took out his frustration on the dart board until the red haze receded.
"Luke," Irisa waved him to the table and turned her screen to face him. "Check it out."
Moderator: Hey guys, this is supposed to be a fun place, not a hateful space. And while The Fury always loves hearing from their fans, we will not tolerate malicious, hateful threads or comments toward anyone—band member or not.
4EverLuke'sGirl: But we're trying to help Luke!
Moderator: Those who continue to post disparaging remarks will have their fan club privileges revoked immediately and permanently.
Luke shook his head. "They're trying to help me? What—they think all my brains have headed south?"
"Apparently. I also deleted the thread. This isn't going to stop them from starting their own thread somewhere else, but they won't be able to do it on our own site anymore."
"What about my personal pages? I delete comments as I see them, but keeping up with it
is a full time job."
"Jayne and I will help with your stuff. We divvied up all the band's sites and pages and are monitoring those."
"I appreciate it." His phone vibrated again, followed by the distinctive ring of his video chat. Happiness streaked through the annoyance. "That'll be Audrey."
He engaged the chat and her image came to life on the screen. Her hair, pulled back in a high ponytail, put all the focus on her face. Her features looked a little pale. Odd, considering she was in a beach town and supposed to be soaking up the sun. Her expressive eyes were missing their spark.
"Hey, Sunshine. How's the visit going?"
"It's nice seeing my folks. How did your fan audition go?"
"It didn't start yet. Oh, and Irisa's here." He tilted the phone enough for Irisa to wave at the screen. "You look upset."
"I... Your fans are getting worse. They aren't just leaving comments on your page or the band's page, now they're clogging up my social media accounts with the comments, too. Pictures I posted of items from my collection and from the runway show now have comments like, Better thank Luke for this success, bitch and He'll see through you eventually and Hey user, leave Luke alone. I don't have control over comments on certain sites. My only option would be to shut down my page or profile, but I can't do that. I need to be reachable. I can't risk losing business, but if a potential client sees these messages, it might push them away from me. This is almost like slander."
There had to be something he could do. This was out of control. "I'm hiring an attorney and the best egghead money can buy. No one's going to fuck with you or your business."
"I'm on it." Irisa made a sound of disgust and immediately began typing on her laptop.
Luke moved the phone closer to his face. Reaching through and touching her would be the only thing to make him feel better. "I wish I was there with you."
Love Song (Rocked by Love #2) Page 9
