Chapter 17
Harper
The past thirty-six hours had been frantic to say the least. Between signing all my partnership paperwork—and what an amazing surprise that had been!—to making sure Marisol was on top of her duties, to sorting out our next destination issues, and getting the guys through their media appointments all while trying to troubleshoot the concert was insane.
Which also meant that Xander and I were never awake in the same location together. I sent Marisol to keep the boys in line during their media spots while I sorted out all the never-ending logistical snafus. And then Xander went out with the guys last night and got back sometime in the early hours while I was asleep. A few hours later, I was getting up and going to work while he was passed out in the bed next to me, smelling like a distillery. Or a brewery.
“I know what you two are up to.”
I jumped. Kelly had sidled up next to me and hissed her ominous words while smiling at everyone in the main greenroom like a lunatic.
“I…don’t know what you’re talking about. Is there a problem with your greenroom? Or with your set? What exactly is your issue, Ms. Evers?”
I’d decided to address her like she had some sort of power in our relationship in the hopes that it’d make her more comfortable around me.
So far, it wasn’t working.
“You and Xander think you’re so smart. But I know what’s going on, and it’s not going to work.”
“Okay. Thanks for the feedback. As always, it’s a pleasure, Ms. Evers.” I smiled wide and blinked a few times. Unfortunately, she didn’t toddle off.
“He was mine before, and I can promise you he’ll be mine again.”
“If you’re talking about your manager, Jay, I haven’t seen him today—”
“Xander! I’m talking about Xander!” Her shriek drew everyone’s attention.
Exactly what I didn’t need at the moment. My face burned as I felt everyone staring at us. “I’m afraid I don’t know what you think you know about me and Xander. But we’re very happy. And if you need any help in locating your fiancé, Marisol will be more than happy to direct you.”
I was shaking as I walked away. I didn’t know what it was about that woman, but I let her get to me. Again. Gah.
My phone buzzed in my pocket as I walked toward the guys’ personal greenroom. I pulled it out just as Marisol came over.
She gave me a sympathetic smile before whispering, “Hey, I saw that. Are you okay?”
“Yes, of course.” My smile probably looked more like a grimace. “But maybe it would be best going forward if you handled Ms. Evers. She seems to have an issue with me.”
“I gotta say, you’re a better woman than me. No way I could handle it if she’d shrieked at me like that.”
“Well, the good news is now you get to find out. And FYI it’s part of the job not to kill the client, so good luck with that.”
Marisol’s laughter followed me into the hallway. Ducking out of the way of a passing roadie pulling a dolly, I stood against the wall and answered my phone. “Shoot. Hello?”
But it wasn’t Wes’ voice. “Harper! I didn’t think you knew how phones worked. I’ve been calling, leaving messages, and sending you texts, and nothing. Nice to know you’re alive, kid.”
I closed my eyes and let my head fall back against the wall behind me. “Well, I’m busy working, Dad.”
“And you can’t find a spare minute to talk to your father? Really?”
“What do you want, Dad?” I sighed, done with his passive aggressive bullshit. “A loan, I assume?”
The strained silence on the end of the line made me wonder if my service had dropped the call. I pulled my phone away from my face and looked at the screen. Still active.
“Dad? Are you there?”
“Yeah. No.” He coughed and cleared his throat. “Sorry, it’s just a slap to the face to hear what you really think of me.”
I sighed again. “Right. Sorry to disappoint you again. How about you call back and you can tell my voicemail what you really think of me ? I have a concert to manage. Thanks for calling.”
Shoving my phone back into my pocket, I headed for the guys’ private greenroom. After nodding at Hyde standing guard at the door, I pushed it open and entered.
“Pink leprechaun, pink leprechaun!” Noah chanted, as he bounced on a well-worn and stained couch.
“I thought you guys were done with that gross bet.”
The words flew out of my mouth without a thought, and judging by the way everyone turned to stare at me, probably came out sounding a tad bit bitchy.
“Whoa, she’s staking a claim.” Noah jumped off the couch and swept me into a huge hug, kissing my cheek with a smacking sound. “I like it, H. Couldn’t have happened to a better girl.”
“Thank you?” I blinked in confusion as Noah dropped his arms from me and raced over to Xander. He tried to give Xander the same treatment, but Xan cussed him and batted Noah away with a hanger.
“I’m not dressed, fucker.” Xander laughed. “At least let me get my pants on before you molest me.”
I couldn’t help but smile at their antics. All the tension from my brief convo with my dad fell away. Wes had told me during his last phone call that a few people were worried about Noah, but I didn’t see what they were talking about. This seemed like the same ole Noah. And if Noah was partying too hard, Xander would’ve noticed. After Liam’s breakdown on tour, Xander had become the unofficial police officer—making sure no one went too far or got lost in their partying. And Xander was treating Noah like he always did.
“All right, listen up, boys!” I hollered, clapping my hands.
Noah grabbed Xander’s pants then skipped away, waving them over his head. “I have Xander’s pants. I have Xander’s—gak!”
Xander jumped on Noah’s back and had him in a sleeper choke hold. “Don’t make me do it, man.”
“Holy Christ!” Chase shouted from his makeup chair. “Just give the man his pants back, Noah.”
“Never!” Noah yelled in a bad Scottish accent. “He may take my breath, but he’ll never take my freedom!”
“That’s Scotland, you ass-wipe,” Jesse snarked as Simone handed him a pair of leather pants on the other side of the room. “The Irish take that kinda shit personally. Do not get us jumped tonight with your Shrek impression.”
“That’s Braveheart , you ignorant dick,” Chase scoffed.
“Aw, come on! It’s funny.” Noah stopped fighting Xander and let him take his pants back. “Didn’t you think it’s funny, Harper?”
I just sighed and shook my head. “I assume you all want to do the toast in here tonight? Away from…” There really wasn’t any way to finish that sentence.
“Yup.” Xander pulled his pants on with a half-smile. “She’s still a bitch. I’m not changing my mind.”
“You don’t have to tell me,” I muttered to myself as I looked over my tablet. “Okay, so who do you want to have—”
“What’d she do?” Suddenly Xander was in front of me, cupping my face in his hand and staring at me with a ferocious intensity.
I held my breath for a moment. All of him looking at me like that while shirtless and only wearing leather pants was a lot to take in. After way too long and a lot of drooling, I shook my head. “It’s nothing. It’s my job. I can take care of myself.”
“That doesn’t mean you have to put up with her bullshit,” Xander whispered back.
“That’s exactly what it means. And it’s why we’re—” My eyes darted to our audience, and I cleared my throat. “It’s whatever. I handled it. And Marisol is going to be dealing with her going forward.”
“Want me to trip her when she comes on stage to sing her breakup song, H?” Noah popped up behind Xander and batted his eyes at me. “It would be a joy for all of us.”
“Fuck.” Jesse laughed. “I’d love to watch her go down. Eeeeer ker-pow! ”
“Do you think she’d bounce?” Chase asked with a frown.
“Whoa, whoa, whoa!” I hollered as they broke out in an argument over the physics of falling versus pushing. “No one’s pushing anyone. No one’s tripping anyone. We’re all adults. We can handle working with difficult people.”
“Don’t wanna,” Noah muttered like a child before crossing his arms over his chest.
I sighed. “Well you still have-ta. Now before you take your nap, tell me who you want in here for your preshow toast.”
“The usual, Harper,” Chase answered for the group while Xander continued to glare at me. “Whatever media, kids, or VIPs are interested. And have the guys standing by to keep the undesirables out.”
“You mean Kelly.” Xander finally turned away from me to glare at Chase. “You can say her name since she’s the only one on the ‘hell no’ list. She’s not like Candyman or Voldemort—she’s already here.”
“I don’t care!” Kelly shrieked outside the greenroom. “I need to talk to him! Let me in!”
“Holy shit,” Noah whispered. “It worked.”
Jesse laughed. “Quick, say Beetlejuice three times, Xan. I’ve always wanted to meet him.”
“What do you mean? He’s right there.” Noah jerked his thumb at Chase.
Chase looked down at his black-and-white striped pants and cursed. “Fuck. I can’t wear these now. Simone! Help!”
Simone giggled and helped Chase pick out a different pair of pants while Kelly continued to shriek on the other side of the door.
“You mind telling me what that was about?” Xander asked as I pretended to be absorbed in my tablet.
“Sounds like she wants to talk to you,” I murmured back, tapping at my screen. “Anything you need to tell me about?”
“What the fuck?”
I raised my eyebrows as I met his eyes. “You guys went out last night, and I wasn’t there. Did anything change with our arrangement? Because the way she’s acting right now makes me think something might have. She all but implied it out there. Said you were hers before and were going to be again.”
“I don’t want any part of that viper. I don’t know what the fuck she’s talking about.”
“Okay. I just don’t want to be made a fool. Yours isn’t the only reputation on the line here.”
Xander stared intently at me. Finally, he tipped his chin up in a quick nod. “I get you. But that applies to me too. Don’t make me look like a fool either.”
The door opened, and I heard Kelly shriek again before it slammed closed with Tyler inside the greenroom.
Tyler adjusted his tie. “Christ, do you have a magic dick or something, Xander? Shit. Sorry. Didn’t see you there, Harper.”
“It’s okay.” I waved a hand and buried my face in my tablet. No way was I answering that question.
Noah made a choking sound. “Repressing dick jokes. So. Many. Dick jokes.”
Everyone groaned, and Chase threw his striped pants at Noah.
“What? I didn’t tell the dick jokes. I was just saying…”
“She still out there?” I asked Tyler. I couldn’t hear her yelling anymore.
Tyler shrugged. “Jay was attempting to corral her in her greenroom, but it wasn’t going well. I’d give it a good five minutes before even trying.”
“Great,” I muttered.
“Xander!” Simone hollered. “Your turn!”
“Just a sec.” Xander held up a finger. “You got plans tomorrow? Which, if I recall correctly, is your off day?”
“What’s that?” I asked with a chagrined grimace.
“Come on, angel. You know what Wes said—you can’t work all the hours. And you sure as hell don’t want to end up like him. You gotta enjoy Europe while we’re here.”
I groaned and mentally ran through my endless list of duties. “I suppose I can carve out some time for you tomorrow since it’s our travel day.”
“Great.” Xander leaned down and pressed a kiss against my temple. “I have a few ideas. Don’t make any plans. I’m claiming all your time off tomorrow.”
“I promised the girls I’d go shopping with them in Dublin tomorrow afternoon.”
“How about swapping it for when we’re in London? We’re there next month and at the end of the tour.”
“Only if you make it worth my while.”
“Oh, I plan to.” Xander wrapped his arm around my waist and pulled me to him. Then he ducked his head and kissed me. My tablet fell to the ground with a clatter as I wrapped my arms around his shoulders and held on.
“Uh, guys?” Noah murmured behind Xan. “I get that you’re happy and all, but kids are coming in here in a minute, and their parents probably aren’t expecting this kind of floor show.”
I broke away from Xander with a gasp then ducked down to grab my tablet. Mentally thanking the makers of impact protection cases, I clutched it to my chest. “Right. I’m just going to…”
Xander grinned down at me. “Yes? Going to what?”
I glared at him. “Do my job, smartass. I’ll be back for the toast.”
I turned to leave and flinched when I saw the sidelong look Tyler was now sending me. My eyes darted to Xander in reflex, and I sighed at the blank expression now on his face. All the levity and teasing was gone.
How I found myself in the middle of such a messy situation, I still really didn’t understand.
But I blamed Noah.
“Don’t forget all us little people now that you’re the big, bad Black Hat partner, H!” Noah hollered at me as I walked out the door.
It was totally Noah’s fault.