Chapter 3
Richard
I couldn’t manage sleep. Being plagued with the fear of losing Kalin and Spike kept me awake most of the night while I tried to figure out a way to make our relationship public without dragging them into the trenches.
What we’d been doing—seeing each other on the low—wasn’t working any longer, and I couldn’t lose Kalin and Spike.
I wouldn’t survive it. Those two boys had become my entire fucking world.
But they’d worked hard and earned every bit of their fame fair and square, and I feared our relationship would ruin the happiness and financial stability they’d found.
The most my team could do was promote them, release their new music, and make sure they went on tour.
But Tor’s lyric writing talent? The entire band’s ability to come up with their own music to accommodate those lyrics?
The way Spike could slam out a solo beat on those drums?
The way Kalin could make his keyboard blend melodically with the beat of those drums?
That was raw fucking talent. And I didn’t want anyone trying to claim they rose to fame because Spike and Kalin were sleeping with me and getting special treatment. I never treated the band differently just because I was in a relationship with two of the band members.
I needed Kalin to know I wanted to be public with them. I didn’t want to hide them. But I wanted to protect them, too. And at one point, he had believed that. Had known it.
His patience with me had clearly worn thin, and being on day three of being ignored by him was settling in my gut about as well as sour milk would.
Still, it didn’t stop me from reaching out, even if I knew my messages would go unread for hours and unresponded to when he finally did read them. And while seeing read at the bottom of the screen fucking hurt, it hurt a little less than being ignored entirely.
Me
Good morning, little one. I hope you have a good day. Make sure to eat and rest up before your concert tonight.
I’d taken to messaging him personally instead of in our group chat, though I still put messages in the group chat for both of them. But I wanted Kalin to know I loved him, too. That I cared for him, too, as an individual and not just as a part of Spike.
Sighing, I stood from my chair and slipped my phone into my pocket, then headed out of my office. My personal assistant, Emily, looked up at me in surprise. “Sir, is everything okay?”
“I’m heading down to meet with Darwin,” I told her as I headed for the elevator. “Unless it’s an emergency, just let everyone know I’m out of the office for the morning.”
She nodded. “Of course, Mr. Nightwork.”
Once I was in the elevator, I blew out a soft breath and stared up at the ceiling.
I’d been trying to come up with a solution on my own for months now, but I was drawing a blank.
Maybe Darwin, the head of my publicity team, could help me figure out a solution to the situation I’d put Spike and Kalin in so we could finally be together in the way all of us deserved and wanted.
In a way that would allow me to keep my boys at my side where they belonged.
Darwin’s office door was propped open when I made it to his floor. When I knocked on the open door, he looked up, then quickly stood, plastering a smile on his face to try to mask his sudden nerves.
“Mr. Nightwork, good morning.” He quickly began rounding his desk. “Come in.” I shook the hand he held out to me. “Is everything okay?”
I sighed and took a seat in the chair in front of his desk, gesturing for him to return to his seat.
“Actually, I need your help with something.” He slowly returned to his desk chair, staring at me with furrowed brows.
“I’ve found myself in a bit of a predicament, and I’m not sure how to resolve it. ”
“Okay…” he drawled slowly. “Why don’t you tell me what this predicament is, and I’ll see what we can do to resolve it.”
Steepling my fingers over my midsection with my elbows resting on the armrests of the chair, I settled my ankle on my knee and blew out a soft breath.
“A little over a year ago, I began to pursue Spike and Kalin.” The only show of surprise was Darwin’s slightly raised brow.
“We’ve managed to keep our relationship out of the public eye, but Kalin is tired of hiding.
I need to find a way to be with them publicly without it harming them. ”
“That is quite the predicament,” Darwin mused. “And I’m going to be honest here, Mr. Nightwork, I’m not sure there is a way to spin this and let you three be together openly without Spike and Kalin—as well as the band—facing backlash.”
My lips screwed up in distaste. It was just as I feared. Fuck.
“But if you’re serious about this—and them—” Darwin continued, “then I believe we can do some good damage control. Their tour ends tonight, correct?” At my nod, he turned toward his computer.
“Good. They usually take a long break between tours, so that will help keep them out of the public eye. If we do this soon, we can schedule interviews for you, take control of what’s released into the public, and pay off those who try to write trashy articles.
” He looked at me. “So long as you’re okay with spending the kind of money that might entail. ”
I nodded immediately. “Whatever keeps them from being ripped apart in the media.” I’d go bankrupt at this point if it let me be with Spike and Kalin.
Darwin began clacking away at his keyboard. “Good. I’ll get you scheduled on the first reputable talk show I can, though I’ll make sure it’s after the boys are home from their tour. Sound good?”
“Excellent.” I usually hated talk shows and avoided them at all costs, but I was desperate, and desperate times called for desperate measures.
I stood and held my hand out to him. He quickly stood as well and returned my handshake. “Thank you, Darwin.”
He chuckled and shook his head. “No need to thank me, Mr. Nightwork. I’m just doing my job.” I dropped his hand. “I wish you the best of luck in your relationship, Mr. Nightwork.”
“Thank you, Darwin.”
Once I was in the elevator, I pulled out my phone and texted Spike personally.
Me
I’m working on making our relationship public. I promise.
Spike’s response was almost immediate.
Little Tiger
While you deserve to do this on your own time, I really hope so, Richard. Kalin is a mess.
I blew out a soft breath and leaned back against the elevator wall, my chest nearly too tight to comfortably breathe. Knowing I was hurting Kalin was killing me. Because while he was a bit of a brat and definitely mouthy, he was sweet and too fucking good for a man like me.
I was going to have to grovel like a mother fucker to get Kalin to forgive me for all the pain I’d put him through. But I’d spend the rest of my life on my knees worshiping him if it meant he didn’t walk away from me.