Chapter 11
Still Xander
The next three hours were how I imagined purgatory.
“No, no, no!” Kelly shouted. “It’s not going to work if he’s going to ignore me. This is supposed to be a love song . We’re singing about love and desire and just, argh! It’s flat and boring if he’s just staring into the crowd the whole time.”
I glared at her. It was only sheer willpower that kept me from walking off stage and refusing to come back. “I agreed to sing the duet and stand on the stage with you, but I sure as hell never signed on for playacting a fucking relationship in front of a live audience. Not gonna happen.”
“Maybe there’s some middle ground we can find,” Harper added diplomatically. “I agree that while it’s a love song, maybe you don’t have to sing it at each other. We could invite some audience members onstage to be serenaded. Or maybe you two sing to your significant others? We could stand just offstage…”
“That’s stupid.” Kelly scoffed. “No one wants to hear some half assed love song sung to nobodies. What kind of show is it if we’re singing to the wings? Ridiculous. And Jay is too busy to be jumping out here when I snap my fingers.”
That was blatantly untrue, given all I’d seen over the last few hours. I thought maybe she had him fitted with a shock collar or something, the way he literally jumped every time she yelled his name.
“Maybe we need to change the song then.” Harper sighed. “What’s that Fleetwood Mac song? Their breakup song?”
“’ Go Your Own Way’ ?” I asked, fighting a grin. The song was badass. Making your ex sing night after night about breaking up was fucking genius.
“Yes!” Harper grinned, pointing at me. “That’s the one. I think you two can give Stevie and Lindsey a run for their money. And it’ll sound like a totally new song to the audience.”
“No!” Kelly wailed. “It’s not our song. It’s not the song that everyone is going to expect us to sing on tour. We released ‘ Heartbeat’ together. It charted into the top ten. This is… It’s… Jay! Jay! They’re not listening to me!”
I rolled my eyes and flopped onto my stool. The way rehearsals were going, it was going to take three more hours to get through this bullshit.
Although it was fun to watch Harper wind Kelly up. Funny and sexy as hell. There was something about someone so tiny and cute being so devilish and naughty that just got to me. And it didn’t hurt that she was the exact opposite of Kelly. Suddenly I was a huge fan of tiny blondes with spines of steel.
Jay stepped onstage. “I’m afraid we’re going to have to object. This isn’t what Kelly wants. And the duet is in her contract.”
“Check it again.” Harper stared intently back at Jay despite their almost foot of height difference. “You didn’t specify a song or who gets final say on song selection.”
“Yes, but—”
“And I’m doing this as a favor,” I cut in with raised eyebrows. “Until today, I didn’t have an agreement to even stand on stage with Kelly.”
Jay sputtered, “Right, but that’s not—”
“And I do have final say in my contract on set lists and song selections.”
It was so goddamn satisfying to fuck with Kelly and by extension her current boyfriend. Jay had been and would always be a dick. “We’re not singing ‘ Heartbeat.’ I will however sing ‘ Go Your Own Way.’ I think you’ll find that the song selection fits us to a tee.”
And I didn’t give a shit that it didn’t play into her plot to get us in the headlines as potential lovers again. Fuck that. Singing a breakup song on the other hand? That was fucking genius.
I might just be falling for Harper Grey’s brilliant mind. And it didn’t hurt that it came in such a tight, voluptuous body either.
“But I don’t know the song!” Kelly wailed. “And neither does my band!”
I smirked. “My guys know it. And they’ll help with backup vocals. Learn the song tonight. Or don’t.” I shrugged. “It really doesn’t matter to me either way.”
Our strained silence echoed through the stadium. Kelly and I stared at each other.
Then Harper clapped her hands, breaking the tension. “Okay! Sounds like we have a plan. We’ll run through it in an hour during the Tin Gods’ soundcheck and perform it during their set instead of Kelly’s tomorrow. We can always meet up again tomorrow and practice some more before the concert.”
“Awesome.” I grinned. “I’m sure the guys will be thrilled to work with you again.”
Kelly glared at me then sniffled and swiped at her nose. After another beat, she muttered, “Fine.”
“Perfect. We have a game plan.” Harper smiled sweetly at Kelly. “I don’t know about the two of you, but I’m excited.”
Kelly didn’t say anything else or acknowledge me or her band as she flounced off with Jay hot on her heels.
I tipped my head at Harper. “I think that went well.”
She burst out laughing, and I grinned in response. Fuck me, she was cute.
Tyler crossed the stage to us, and the smile slipped off my face. Harper had a crush on him. And he’d all but admitted to manipulating us. Between Kelly being on tour with us in the first place and the shit he’d said to Harper, I was over his bullshit.
Tyler gave us his douchey smug smile. “I think that went well.”
“All thanks to this lady.” I put my arm around Harper’s shoulders and smiled down at her. “I can’t wait to see the headlines after tomorrow’s show.”
“Very smart. I only caught the last bit, but I’m guessing the rest of the rehearsal went about the same way?” Tyler asked.
“Worse,” I bit out. “I’m still pissed we’re doing it. Even with the song switch, I’m still gonna hate every second of being on stage with her. Not to mention seeing her backstage and on the road. It’s bullshit.”
“It’s the industry.” Tyler shrugged. “You’re not always going to like who you have to work with.”
“What the hell is the point of making all this money, getting all this clout, if we still don’t have control of our lives? What are we doing all this for?”
“The love of the music. The almighty dollar. The fame. The groupies. Take your pick.”
“Uh, guys?” Harper stepped out from my arm and squared up to Tyler. “I’m going to need you two to take this show backstage. Kelly’s band needs to finish up their soundcheck.”
I nodded tightly. “Sorry, angel. I’ll play nice.” I leaned down and kissed her cheek. “See you in a bit for our soundcheck.”
“I, uh, okay.” She blinked her wide eyes at me, clearly thrown by my nearness. “Thanks, Zee. Bye, Tyler.” Then she turned back to the band. “Let’s run through the last song and the encore, and then you guys can be done for the day. The duet will happen during the Gods’ set.”
I watched her for a second, totally transfixed. This tiny woman could calmly order around men who were almost twice her size. And why the hell did I find that so hot? Did she bark commands like that during sex? Boss her partners around? Or did she prefer to let go then and let her partner control everything?
Something told me that the latter might just be the case.
And a large part of me wanted to find out for myself.
The band started up one of Kelly’s songs as a backup singer took over the lead vocals. I turned to leave and caught Tyler eyeing me like I was an alien. I shook my head at him and stomped off stage.
“It’s not a schtick,” Tyler shouted at my retreating back as I left the wings toward our greenroom.
“What?” I took the bait and turned around. “What the fuck are you talking about?”
“The girl.” Tyler stepped up to me and lowered his voice. “I thought it was an act to keep Kelly off your back, but you actually like her—Harlow.”
Fuck. I closed my eyes and shook my head. “Harper.”
“What?”
“Her name. She’s worked with the band for years, and you still don’t know her name? It’s Harper not Harlow.”
Tyler shrugged. “Until recently, she hadn’t been more than a PA or whatever. Why would I notice her?”
“And that’s all I need to know.” I shouldered past him and headed for the greenroom.
“Wait! We gotta talk about media spots for tomorrow!”
“There’s no media on the calendar for tomorrow.”
“I know, but I want—”
“I don’t give a shit. Invite them backstage for the meet and greet, but we’re not signing up for any more work during our downtime.”
“But—”
I swung back around and glared at the man who’d been with us since the beginning. A gamut of emotions coursed through me; we had such a complicated relationship. Was I being fair to him? Was I jealous of Harper’s feelings for him? But then he’d been so manipulative with the duet and Kelly getting signed on tour with us. It was too much for me to untangle, and I was so fucking tired of it all. “Unless it’s a sick kid in the hospital, I don’t want to hear it. We’re drawing a line. This is it. Either listen, or go the fuck home.”
Tyler was still standing there, his mouth wide open like a bass, as I walked away.
* * *
I spent the next hour skating on my board around the venue. I needed to take my mind off all this bullshit. Since I was bound by a chastity agreement, I couldn’t find a willing body so this was the next best thing.
Honestly, it wasn’t even close to the next best thing, but it was all I had.
I couldn’t keep my mind from going back to Harper and how fucking gorgeous she looked as she squared up against my ex. I’d never had a rescue fantasy before—kinda went against my nature—but there was something so fucking hot about the memory. Harper looked all petite and ferociously nice. I would’ve guessed she was southern if I didn’t know better. She had a way of staying so sweet while keeping everyone in line. Bless Kelly’s heart.
It was a new kinda attraction for me. Usually I went for tall, slim brunettes with a flair for drama. But that shit was exhausting. Maybe it was time for a change.
In more ways than one.
When I met up with the guys in the greenroom before our soundcheck, I filled them in on the duet.
“Wait, wait, wait.” Chase had to bend over, he was laughing so hard. Finally, he stood up, holding his left side. “Fuck, that hurts. I think I strained a rib.”
“So it was all Harper’s idea?” Noah asked with a smile.
I sobered. It was hard to forget what he’d admitted earlier with Harper. “Yeah.” I sighed. “Before that, I was seriously spiraling. It was fucking torture. But now? Honestly, I can’t wait.”
“This is gonna be epic!” Jesse crowed. “Thanks for including us, bro. And here I didn’t even get you anything.”
We all laughed, and I shook my head. “Just think of it as my way of apologizing for the shit you put up with because of that relationship. So thanks.”
“Christ.” Noah groaned. “It’s like we’re all growing up. Chase got married. Jesse is monogamous. And now Xander is having epiphanies.”
Chase raised his eyebrows. “We can’t stay stupid kids forever.”
“Like hell.” Noah spun a drumstick in his hand and tapped out a random rhythm on his knees. “I ain’t never growing up.”
“He’s a Toys R Us kid,” Jesse sang before pursing his lips to keep his laughter in.
“Fuck yeah!” Noah hollered, raising his drumstick. “Is there one in town? Let’s go!”
“Uh, sorry, bud.” I patted his shoulder. “But I think they closed like a decade ago or something.”
“Fuck.” Noah hung his head and feigned wiping a tear.
Someone cleared their throat. I spun around and grinned when I saw Harper standing in the doorway.
“Hey guys.” She waved her free hand as the other clutched her ever-present tablet. “We’re ready for your soundcheck.”
“Awesome.” Noah galloped to the doorway and patted Harper on the head. “Thanks for looking out for our guy.”
“Always.” Harper smiled back at the rest of the band as they filed through the door.
I stopped in front of her and stared down at her. Her smile fell off as the moment stretched on.
Then she tipped her head and asked, “You okay? I know the afternoon was rough.”
I had to clear my throat to answer. “Yeah. It got better. Thanks to you.”
“I don’t know about that.” Harper hung her head and stared at her Chucks for a beat before straightening and tossing me that sassy smile of hers. “But it was great to get the upper hand.”
I grinned back at her. “I can’t wait to see the headlines tomorrow. It’s gonna be sweet.”
Harper laughed lightly and shook her head. “Come on, Romeo. We need you for more soundcheck fun.”
I fell in step with her as we walked to the stage. “Is it always work, work, work with you? When do you get to enjoy yourself?”
“When I’m not on the road.” She laughed. “I don’t think I’ve ever seen much of the world beyond Vegas, airports, and stadiums.”
“Good thing you’re with me, kid. Having a good time is kinda what I specialize in.”
Harper arched an eyebrow my way. “I’m going to ignore that patronizing ‘ kid ’ and just say that I’m not here for a good time.”
“Just a long time, right? Me too.”
I laughed and shook my head as we headed for the stage and our rematch with Kelly.