Rocked All Night (BBW New Adult Rock Star Romance) by Clara Bayard Page A
Authors: Clara Bayard
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muttered something rather unkind as I strolled away, chuckling to myself.
That moment of levity lasted the thirty seconds it took for me to enter the lounge and locate my management team, camped out with a few bottles of wine and plates of snacks in a corner.
“Julia, thank goodness, we were concerned. Your mother was about to come and check on you.”
I grinned at…the guy who spoke. Paul or Sam or Doug or something like that. I couldn’t really remember. All the suits start to blur together eventually. Between my management, the label, the other bands’ teams, lawyers and other assorted boring idiots, I kind of stopped trying to remember all of their names. But this one was endearing himself to me already by referring to Laura as my mother. Which she hated.
“Sorry I’m late. Work, work work. You know how it is.”
“Of course,” he replied, nodding before rising to air kiss me on one cheek.
“Hi
Laura
.” She’d asked me to call her by her first name, and I did, with as much sarcasm and scorn as I could manage in two syllables. “How was your day?”
She stared daggers at me for a second and then smiled. “Lovely. But busy. Sit down, won’t you?”
We were saccharine sweet to each other in front of others – always. It was part of the deal. Never show weakness. Never give an inch.
I sat back in a low leather chair and crossed my legs, choosing to ignore the displeased look my mother gave my thighs.
“So, what’s on the agenda tonight?”
Suit guy, who was already back scrolling through something on his phone, tapped the bottle of wine. “Nothing big. I just thought we should all sit down for a check-in while you’re available.”
“Okay.” I poured myself a glass and took a sip. It was gross. Some kind of red wine that tasted like dead animal pelt and probably cost more than a five-course dinner at a fancy restaurant. “I’m all ears.”
“Well, darling,” my mom said. “You’ve been very busy working with the new band. How is that going?”
I relaxed a little and felt my shoulders lower. “Great, actually. Their singer, Janine? She’s fantastic. Her vocals are strong but not overwhelming. And the guys are doing really well picking up the arrangement changes I’ve been making.”
Suit guy –
Greg?
– perked up. “Changes?”
I nodded. “Yeah. Nothing huge. I’m working on punching up some of the up-tempo numbers at the end of my set. You know, get the audience moving and all that. I think it’ll keep them energized for Dream Defiled.”
“Ah, yes. Just so long as you don’t vary too far from the soul of the songs.”
I snorted. Like this guy would recognize the soul in my music if it slapped him in the back of his head. “Certainly not.”
“Great. Now, why don’t we go over some details for the next few days. I know you’ve asked for as much time as possible for rehearsals, but we do still have some interviews and appearances for you. I’ve got a list from the publicity team…”
I tuned him out almost entirely, listening just enough to respond when I needed to. But most of my attention was across the room. There was a group of people who’d just come in. Around my age, mostly, they were a striking group. College kids, probably. But well dressed and fairly well behaved, too. They clustered around the bar, ordering a series of shots while they waited for one of the lounges seating areas to become available. I stared, completely transfixed. They laughed and joked. Flirted and whispered. It was so…normal.
Don’t get me wrong. I wasn’t a hermit or anything. But I’d never had a big group of friends to hang out with. As a kid when I still went to a normal school, all my free time was spent at music lessons and acting classes. And then, when I ended up on a television show, I had school on the lot with all the other working kids. By the time
King of Hearts
ended, I started gaining weight and realized the industry wasn’t going to hire me for anything else,
That moment of levity lasted the thirty seconds it took for me to enter the lounge and locate my management team, camped out with a few bottles of wine and plates of snacks in a corner.
“Julia, thank goodness, we were concerned. Your mother was about to come and check on you.”
I grinned at…the guy who spoke. Paul or Sam or Doug or something like that. I couldn’t really remember. All the suits start to blur together eventually. Between my management, the label, the other bands’ teams, lawyers and other assorted boring idiots, I kind of stopped trying to remember all of their names. But this one was endearing himself to me already by referring to Laura as my mother. Which she hated.
“Sorry I’m late. Work, work work. You know how it is.”
“Of course,” he replied, nodding before rising to air kiss me on one cheek.
“Hi
Laura
.” She’d asked me to call her by her first name, and I did, with as much sarcasm and scorn as I could manage in two syllables. “How was your day?”
She stared daggers at me for a second and then smiled. “Lovely. But busy. Sit down, won’t you?”
We were saccharine sweet to each other in front of others – always. It was part of the deal. Never show weakness. Never give an inch.
I sat back in a low leather chair and crossed my legs, choosing to ignore the displeased look my mother gave my thighs.
“So, what’s on the agenda tonight?”
Suit guy, who was already back scrolling through something on his phone, tapped the bottle of wine. “Nothing big. I just thought we should all sit down for a check-in while you’re available.”
“Okay.” I poured myself a glass and took a sip. It was gross. Some kind of red wine that tasted like dead animal pelt and probably cost more than a five-course dinner at a fancy restaurant. “I’m all ears.”
“Well, darling,” my mom said. “You’ve been very busy working with the new band. How is that going?”
I relaxed a little and felt my shoulders lower. “Great, actually. Their singer, Janine? She’s fantastic. Her vocals are strong but not overwhelming. And the guys are doing really well picking up the arrangement changes I’ve been making.”
Suit guy –
Greg?
– perked up. “Changes?”
I nodded. “Yeah. Nothing huge. I’m working on punching up some of the up-tempo numbers at the end of my set. You know, get the audience moving and all that. I think it’ll keep them energized for Dream Defiled.”
“Ah, yes. Just so long as you don’t vary too far from the soul of the songs.”
I snorted. Like this guy would recognize the soul in my music if it slapped him in the back of his head. “Certainly not.”
“Great. Now, why don’t we go over some details for the next few days. I know you’ve asked for as much time as possible for rehearsals, but we do still have some interviews and appearances for you. I’ve got a list from the publicity team…”
I tuned him out almost entirely, listening just enough to respond when I needed to. But most of my attention was across the room. There was a group of people who’d just come in. Around my age, mostly, they were a striking group. College kids, probably. But well dressed and fairly well behaved, too. They clustered around the bar, ordering a series of shots while they waited for one of the lounges seating areas to become available. I stared, completely transfixed. They laughed and joked. Flirted and whispered. It was so…normal.
Don’t get me wrong. I wasn’t a hermit or anything. But I’d never had a big group of friends to hang out with. As a kid when I still went to a normal school, all my free time was spent at music lessons and acting classes. And then, when I ended up on a television show, I had school on the lot with all the other working kids. By the time
King of Hearts
ended, I started gaining weight and realized the industry wasn’t going to hire me for anything else,
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