by JN Welsh
Chapter Twenty-Six
Leona was sick. Her inconsolable bloodshot eyes were dry and a constant reminder that her separation from Luke was killing her. Alone in her hotel room she paced, lugging her steps on the tan carpet. But what else can I do? The tour must go on.
The first week after the incident, and back on tour, Leona was acutely aware of the roadies eyeing her and Luke. Some with sympathetic eyes, others with curiosity, and the rest just doing their jobs. All of them, however, had to adjust to the new changes. Sara and Sebastian, and members of the team, were assigned to accompany Luke at sound check and help him with his pre-and post-stage itinerary. Leona filled in wherever she was needed, so long as she managed Luke from afar. Everywhere Luke was, she wanted to be but couldn’t, so every time she saw him, a little piece of her died. Though Luke was physically and emotionally connected to the tour, they were quarantined like biohazard.
Now, alone in Chicago, she awaited her team’s return from Japan and prepped for Luke’s concert in his hometown. The special out-of-country performance had been scheduled to distract the media and keep them from capturing additional images to support their ludicrous headlines. As a result Leona worked solo. But, the career she loved lacked luster with the events that tarnished not only her reputation, but also the transcendent time she’d had with Luke at his home in San Francisco. Luke’s absence added to her misery. They’d spent every moment together in California and the separation made her even sadder.
Izzy called again. She was doing overtime on her best friend duties.
“How are you, my love?”
“Still shitty.”
On call number one, Izzy had listened, supported, and consoled. Izzy had even tried to abandon her projects and fly out to be with Leona. However, by call number two, Izzy was reaming her out for letting the media spoil a good thing. Leona wasn’t sure what she’d get on call number three.
“Yes, that is to be expected,” Izzy said in her ear. “Especially when you’re in love.”
Leona’s heart pounded in her chest. Of course her best friend would know that she was in love. She had never been so wrecked from a breakup. A breakup? She and Luke weren’t even dating.
“I know you want to whip me around, Izzy, but every day on tour with him is torture enough. I promise you. If you want me to feel pain, no worries, I’m feeling it.”
“I don’t want you to feel pain, Leo, my darling friend. I want you to fight for what you want and deserve and not be bullied into...well...this...that you’re experiencing now. This doesn’t have to be.”
“I gotta go. I have work to do.” Leona didn’t want to hear this.
“Oh no you don’t,” Izzy shut her down. “Luke is in Japan with your team leads.”
Luke was in Japan with Sara and Sebastian. Tommy scheduled an out-of-country, one-off performance to help with the strategy of separating her and Luke after Leona had suggested leaving the tour for a little while. Luke had emphatically disagreed, and had even used the contract to stop Leona’s exit from the tour.
“How do you know that?”
“Because you were crying to me about it on our last call,” Izzy said.
Apparently, on this call, Leona was taking Bitchology with Professor Fisher. “You’re such a bitch, Izzy.”
“So are you, at least you used to be. You were one of the greats, too. That is, until Paul spoiled you.”
“Paul didn’t spoil me. The media freaked me the fuck out.”
“I love you, Leo. I let you have your cry, but now you need to do what The Musical Prophet says in his song. ‘Get Up and Move for Me.’” Izzy stretched her statement like a true emcee.
Leona had enrolled in Cornyomics with Izzy, as well. She laughed. Her first real laugh since everything had gone south.
“You’re ridiculous,” Leona said. The two of them laughed for a bit.
“I really do have work to do. I’m still running a North American tour but I’ll talk to you soon. Thanks for checking on me.”
“You’re welcome,” Izzy said, and made kissing noises into the phone before hanging up.
Leona went back to work, making the necessary calls to her network in New York. One thing she did look forward to, among the chaos, was pulling off the marketing scheme with her team, and the events leading up to Luke’s last show at the Epic Stadium. What she envisioned would be epic worthy if the team pulled it off. Luke was still her client, and making him successful meant even more to her now.
She did her best to focus on work, sending and checking emails. A new email from Tommy popped into her inbox about the Xcelsior and Leona hoped it was good news, but the message just asked that she call him.
A night alone in an unfamiliar city without her team, lover, or family? No time like the present. She called Tommy.
“I got your message,” Leona said after they exchanged a greeting.
“Yeah. The owners want to meet with us again, but this time they want to see Luke at his residency in New York. They also suggested we bring legal representation.”
Leona sat next to her luggage on the bed. “That sounds promising, Tommy. Normally, legal equals contract. Did they give you any indication about why they still haven’t made a decision?”
“Not in detail, but from what I interpreted from the conversation, they’re questioning his commitment. They like the numbers but they don’t want the ego,” Tommy relayed.
“That’s pretty left field.” Leona scoffed. “What gave them the impression he has ego problems?”
He sighed. “Some rumors about his relationship to other big names?”
Christian? Paul? Both? Under the circumstances, Leona thought Luke had pulled it together for the meeting and was professional, even charming at times. She hoped the owners would bypass the rumor mill and just focus on Luke.
“I thought we reassured them in the meeting that Luke was committed to the tour. We’ll just have to do whatever’s necessary to put them at ease. Luke gets back tomorrow. I’ll talk to him.” Leona paused. “I have to say, Tommy, this is going to be a busy time for us. Luke has his residency and we’re doing the teaser to ramp up for his final show at the Epic Stadium. It’s all hands on deck, including yours.”
“My hands are your hands. Use them at will,” Tommy teased.
She smiled. “You’re great. Thanks.”
Tommy cleared his throat. “How’s everything else going?”
Leona didn’t respond immediately. “So far the smaller shows haven’t been affected. The team have been spinning the press questions and Sebastian has worked his film magic with trailers that have kept the focus on how great Luke’s shows are.”
“That’s not what I meant.”
She was heartbroken and though she wanted to run back into hiding and lick her wounds, she couldn’t. “Hey, I have to go, but thanks for the update.”
“Leo? I know you and Luke both care for one another, and I’m not telling you what to do, because handling the media is a big headache for everyone. Just...don’t give up.”
Leona was trying to rebuild the wall around her heart and wasn’t about to let Tommy’s appeal stall the already slow construction. “Thanks, Tommy. I’ll talk to you soon.” She hung up the phone before he could say anything else.
The news from Xcelsior raised the stakes for New York.
* * *
Luke sat in first class on a twelve-hour plane ride from Haneda Airport in Tokyo, Japan, to O’Hare in Chicago, Illinois. He flew with Sara and Sebastian but something had been missing the entire trip.
Leona was a thorough and creative tour manager, with finesse, but it was more than that. He missed her, and not only the way she moved under him in bed but her essence, the way her soft hand touched his arm and the way her eyes beheld him. If he could time travel back to California and time loop them there, he would. He longed to experience the Leona
she was around his family and the one that purred when he held her in his arms. Now their professionalism stood between them like an impenetrable wall.
He rubbed his face, feeling anxious and caged hundreds of miles away from the woman he loved.
The plane landed in Chicago and Luke rode to the hotel with Sara and Sebastian. This had been the new routine for the past few weeks. The Tokyo show had gone well, and did its job—further separated him and Leona. He was exhausted and glad to be back in the States. He toured the sights of his hometown as they drove through the city streets. The excitement of being in his hometown, where his DJ roots started, had been dulled by the events of the past few weeks.
He checked in with Jane and let her know he was back safely. He had wanted to see his parents while he was in Chicago, but they were on a cruise. Part of him was relieved because he hadn’t yet achieved all his goals for the tour, but the other part of him really missed them.
He snacked on a box of animal crackers left over from his flight. What he really wanted was to show Leona his hometown and cover all the hot spots with her. Share a deep-dish pizza or take her for a The Turtle Split at Margie’s Candies, have her meet his folks, and make out with her at his favorite lookout, but he didn’t have those options anymore.
His phone rang and Christian Sacks’s voice came through the phone.
“Hey, man,” Luke greeted him.
“I’m sorry to bother you, man, but I need a favor. I was wondering if you could help me out with some production.”
“What’s up?” Luke asked as if he didn’t know, but he wanted to hear it from Christian.
“Paul’s been stalling and I have to finish my tour dates with Tres Armadas,” Christian groaned in his ear. “I don’t know, man. Something’s funky. Paul just didn’t have any ideas and the sound he was coming out with was way different than the vibe he’s famous for.”
Luke had experienced the same thing when he and Paul had worked together. Only recently had Luke found out that the style he had been enamored with, and the sound that made Paul famous, was really Leona’s.
“Sure, man, I can help,” Luke said. Of course Paul had been stalling. He wasn’t the hit-maker DJs and artists salivated to collaborate with. “I can work on some stuff but let me reach out and see if anyone else is available.”
“Thanks, man. I appreciate it.” Christian sighed. “Maybe Paul will come through, but if he doesn’t, I don’t want to be left holding the bag.”
Luke wanted to help his friend but more than anything he wanted to help Leona. Paul was celebrated in the music industry for Leona’s work. She was talented, and famous, even if no one knew it yet. “Do you think you can hold off on production until after my tour?”
Christian hissed. “That’s cutting it close, but I can wait for you.”
“Not for me.” Luke knew he couldn’t tell Christian that the producer he was seeking was Leona, but he could tell him something else.
“For who then?” Christian’s accent was heavy on his words.
“For the producer you’ve always wanted.”
“You want to be any more cryptic, man?”
Luke chuckled. “Remember what I told you in New Orleans about working with Paul?”
“Yeah?”
“Just trust me on this. Wait.”
“You’ve never let me down.” Christian paused for a long moment. “I’ll wait.”
“Cool,” Luke said and ended the call.
He may not be able to be with Leona but he’d damn sure do his part to make sure that Paul never damaged another artist or took credit for Leona’s work again.
Luke strutted around in his towel and turned on the TV. He had showered and ordered room service after he got in a quick and necessary, all-types-of-tension-releasing workout. The flight had been comfortable, but he had been sitting for so long that all he wanted to do was stretch his bones.
There was a knock on his hotel room door.
Luke expected room service when he opened the door, but found Leona instead. The sight of her exhilarated him, and he had to stop himself from hauling her into his arms.
“Leona. Come in.”
“I shouldn’t.” She cleared her throat and averted her eyes from his near naked body. “I tried to call, but your phone keeps going to voice mail. How was the show?”
“It went great.” He scratched his head to occupy his hands.
“Good.” She idled.
“How are you?” he almost whispered.
Her body physically breathed and she gave him a weak smile. “We heard from the Xcelsior. They want to see you in New York when you do your residency at Aurora, so the stakes are high for that performance. We haven’t spoken about the marketing scheme, but it’s going to be a busy time for all of us.”
“Sara and Sebastian gave a me a rundown on the plane. So I know a bit about it.”
“Oh. Okay. Umm... That’s good.” She crossed her arms at the sound of the elevator, and stepped back from him.
Luke inhaled. All he wanted was her with him. Fuck this! He was about to reach for her when a loud male voice in the hall cut him off.
“Little squirrel,” the deep voice called.
The biggest smile spread across Leona’s face. She ran down the hall and Luke witnessed her hop into the arms of a large, good-looking black man. Her legs went around him and she kissed his face.
“Mitch-match! What the hell are you doing here?” Leona asked the man.
Luke didn’t care that he was half naked. Who the hell was Mitch-match?
Chapter Twenty-Seven
Luke burned a path right behind Leona until he was in earshot.
“Izzy said you were kind of down. I was going to be out here for business, so I got in touch with Abe and he helped me surprise you. I thought we could have Sunday dinner.” The man referenced a bag in his hands.
“You smuggled it here? You’re the best. Are you staying at the hotel?” Leona asked excitedly.
Leona’s closeness to the man grieved him because he wanted that, no, needed that from her.
“Nah, I’m staying at the airport hotel. I fly out after my meeting tomorrow, so I’m in and out, but tonight I’m all yours.”
“Yay!” Leona jumped up and down and clapped her hands. He hadn’t seen her this alive since California, and though he wished he was the reason for her improved mood, he was just glad she was happy.
“Who the hell is this?” The man pointed at him when Luke approached.
Luke crossed his arms. “Who the hell are you?”
The man protectively tucked Leona behind him. Luke deduced that the man wasn’t taller but certainly larger than him, and on a normal day might have kicked his ass. Not today and not if it had anything to do with Leona.
“Easy. Mitch-match, this is The Musical Prophet. My client.”
“Oh yeah. The one from the scandal.” Mitchell’s eyes squinted at him and evaluated Luke’s features.
Leona’s shoulders slumped a bit. “Luke, this is my brother, Mitchell Sable.”
“Your brother?” Had Luke not been so envious of the man, he might have seen the resemblance or even remembered Leona mentioning him during their intimate conversations in San Francisco. Instead he had only seen another man lavish her with affection. Affection he desperately wanted to give her.
“Why’s he out here in a towel? Unless...” Mitchell’s eyes ping-ponged from his sister and back to his near naked form.
Leona punched her brother’s arm. “We were talking in the hallway and—”
“Whatever. Hey, Luke, why don’t you join us for Sunday dinner?” Mitchell suggested.
“No-no.” Leona shook her head. “Luke just got in from Japan. He’s exhausted...”
“I insist,” Mitchell said.
“I accept,” he RSVP’d to Mitchell.
&nbs
p; Leona shifted in her stance, but he wasn’t about to miss this opportunity. For what, he didn’t yet know, but he followed his gut.
“Great, but you can’t come like that.” Mitchell side-eyed his sister.
Luke liked Mitchell, now that he knew Mitchell and Leona were related.
“I’ll just change.”
Back in his suite, Luke cancelled room service, and dressed in jeans and a tee shirt. When he arrived at Leona’s room, Mitchell opened the door while Leona readied the food.
“It smells like a country kitchen in here.”
“Our mom’s cooking. She sent me with loads of food for Leona,” Mitchell said. “Pull up a chair, Leo’s warming up the last of it.”
Luke sat across from Leona at the small table and noticed her relaxed disposition with her brother. She’d been so stressed over the past few weeks, and their relationship had contributed to the bundle.
“Let’s bow our heads.” Mitchell offered one hand to Luke and another to Leona.
Luke hadn’t touched her in so long. An electric jolt pierced through him and his breathing hitched in his chest. She squeezed his fingers, a motion he returned.
“Leona normally makes the best desserts, but seeing as she has no time to be cooking on tour, my mom sent along a little strawberry cobbler.”
“Wow. I’ll have to thank your mother when I meet her.” There was certainty in his words. Based on Leona’s sharp glance, he’d surprised her. He had made a similar statement about her meeting his mom when they were at his home. Though things were messy between them he still hoped the statement would one day be true.
She took a few bites of her food. “Mom outdid herself, as usual.”
“So.” Mitchell jutted his head toward Luke. “What did you do to Reese that has him gunning for you?”
Luke pointed to himself with his thumb to confirm. “Me?”
