Wow, good one. I smirked.
“And now you’re just being blasphemous,” Brett muttered. “And if you think you’re in the clear then you’ve got another thing coming. Look.” He threw down a few of the tabloids. Pictures of me littered them, as they always did, but this time it hit me straight in the gut.
“What’s that?”
Drugs. It looked like drugs. Holy hell.
“You tell me.”
I was lying across a couch with three scantily-clad women. Each of them was taking pills.
It looked bad. As in bad enough to make my stomach clench and cause me to rethink the whole breakfast burrito with hot sauce idea after our meeting.
“I don’t do that shit. Believe me. I know what it does to a person.” My step-mom being the prime example.
“I know that.” Brett sighed. “And you know that. But the media? They’ve just labeled you America’s newest English bad boy. They’re calling you the new British Invasion. My phone’s ringing off the hook with irate producers who are thinking very seriously about not casting you, only because it appears that you’re not serious about your work. Now. Sit.”
Really given no other choice, I sat this time and moaned into my hands. “What do I do?”
“Stop sleeping around.”
“Be reasonable.” I laughed. “What can I do that won’t make me want to kill myself?”
Seriously, was the guy a monk? I had needs. And so did the girls. Was it my fault that I became available every time they needed a little… attention?
With an evil smile, Brett answered, “Well, I thought you’d never ask.” Brett pressed a button on his phone, “Yeah, Patty, go ahead and book that trip to Portland for Jaymeson, get him a car too.”
Patty. What kind of name is Patty? Wait, did he just say…
“Portland?” I repeated. “Oregon?”
As in the large city next to Hell, also known as Seaside?
Brett folded his arms across his chest. “Nope.”
I wasn’t sure I wanted to know where he was going with this.
“Seaside, Oregon. You’re going back to Hell.” At least he labeled it correctly. Was it selfish to wish for a plane to crash?
Okay, I could deal with this. I was just going to be honest. “No.” I shook my head at least five times. “Hell, no.”
Brett held up his hand and continued to ignore me and my pleas.
“Right. Okay.” The phone clicked. He lifted his head and grinned. “It’s all settled. Pack your bags, Jaymeson.”
“This is a joke, right?” I stood and placed my hands on the desk. “You’re trying to scare me.”
“Nope.” Brett sighed heavily. In that moment it was as if I was able to see how stressed he was.
Was I driving him to that sort of behavior? You know, the type where you feel like you have no other choice but to torture those you care about in order for them to get their shit together?
Was I now that guy?
Impossible.
Alec, lead singer of AD2. He was that guy. Demetri? He’d been hooked on drugs for years! I was the one who didn’t cause drama. Where the hell was my lawyer?
“I don’t have to do it,” I said smugly. Wow. I may as well have stomped my foot and yelled, You can’t make me!
“You don’t. But Danny Erikson says if you can’t clean up your act, you’re out.”
Don’t panic, don’t show fear. “I’m not sure I understand? Why would he care about my personal life?”
Brett sighed. “Because the movie series is about young star-crossed lovers. It’s about the innocence of a first kiss.”
I grunted and rolled my eyes. Who the hell cared?
“My point exactly,” Brett said.
“What?” I looked up at him.
“When’s the last time you actually kissed a girl before going to the main course.”
I grinned. “I kiss them plenty…”
“Jaymeson…”
Aw, shit. He was using the voice. You know, the one parents magically know how to use when they’re trying to make you feel guilty as hell.
“You want this movie series? The one they say is gonna be bigger than Twilight? You have to clean up the image. I’m not kidding and neither is Danny. This is your one and only chance. I won’t make you do anything. You’re a twenty-two year old adult. You make the choice.”
I hated it when they pulled the adult card. Freaking hated it.
The clock ticked in the background as if counting down to my doom. With a curse I rose from my seat and held out my hand. “Where’s my damn ticket?”
Author Note:
I have to be completely honest. I am so ridiculously emotionally attached to these characters that it’s entirely possible I may need therapy after I finish this series. I feel like they’re real. I visit Seaside, Oregon and look for Demetri. Last time I was in the lovely city, my husband was like, “Um, babe? Those characters are in your head. You know that, right?”
My response? Firm head nod as I still search the promenade for my rocker duo.
I’m so thankful to God for blessing me with the most amazing job in the world. I wake up with a smile on my face and can’t wait to dive into another story. He is the reason I’m able to do anything at all.
Second, I just have to say a huge thanks to the readers. You guys are amazing! I love how you’ve embraced these characters as your own!
The crew at Grand Central Publishing. You rock my world. Thanks for letting me be a hybrid author and supporting every project I do! I’ve never met such an amazing publishing team and am in constant awe of your publishing house.
Laura Heritage, as always brilliant cover art and editing. Julie Sherwood, thanks for talking me from the cliff when I sent this to you and said HELP! Beta reader Liza ;) Love you!
And husband… I’m sorry that I make you sit and listen to me talk about my characters. But you’re such a good listener and you inspire me so much ;)
As always if you loved it or hated it, reviews are always welcome! To follow my author journey hit me up at www.rachelvandykeanuthor.com
or find me on Facebook. Any inquiries regarding film rights, audio rights, etc, can be directed to my agent, Erica Silverman Spellman, at Trident Media Group.
Want more New Adult Romance?
Check out my titles at Forever Romance:
The Bet
The Wager
Elite
And coming December 2013:
Elect
Other books by Rachel Van Dyken:
The Devil Duke Takes A Bride
The Ugly Duckling Debutante
Every Girl Does It
Compromising Kessen
Savage Winter
The Parting Gift
Waltzing With the Wallflower
The Seduction of Sebastian St. James
Beguiling Bridget
The Redemption of Lord Rawlings
Upon A Midnight Dream
Whispered Music
An Unlikely Alliance
Tear: A Seaside Novel
Pull: A Seaside Novel
The Wolf’s Pursuit
Taming Wilde
Divine Uprising
Coming Soon:
Fall
Alexander King
When Ash Falls
Irresistible Terms
About the Author
Rachel Van Dyken is the New York Times, Wall Street Journal, and USA Today Bestselling author of regency and contemporary romances. When she's not writing you can find her drinking coffee at Starbucks and plotting her next book while watching The Bachelor.
She keeps her home in Idaho with her husband and their snoring boxer, Sir Winston Churchill. She loves to hear from readers! You can follow her writing journey at www.rachelvandykenauthor.com.
Table of Contents
Prologue
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
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br /> Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
Chapter Ten
Chapter Eleven
Chapter Twelve
Chapter Thirteen
Chapter Fourteen
Chapter Fifteen
Chapter Sixteen
Chapter Seventeen
Chapter Eighteen
Chapter Nineteen
Chapter Twenty
Chapter Twenty-One
Chapter Twenty-Two
Chapter Twenty-Three
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