Chapter 29
TWENTY-NINE
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CALUM
I walk into the Rush offices on Wednesday morning, stopping when Genevieve’s assistant calls my name. “The boss wants to see you in her office first thing.”
Frowning, I pivot in her direction. “Any idea what it’s about?”
“No clue,” she replies, shaking her head. “But Arthur’s in there and neither of them are smiling.”
A wisp of trepidation curls its way through my belly as I follow the young woman to Genevieve’s office door.
The Rush team drove back from Byron Bay late Monday morning and then took Tuesday off to recover before returning to work this morning.
To my knowledge, nothing dramatic has occurred in the meantime.
The assistant knocks lightly before opening the door to announce my presence. She gives me an encouraging smile as I pass her, before pulling the door closed behind me.
Genevieve is at her desk, her usual relaxed but alert demeanour intact. I glance at Arthur, who is standing near the large bank of windows to her left, his arms crossed and chest puffed out. The subtle curve of his mouth has dread seeping into my veins.
Dragging my gaze back to Genevieve, I step further into the room. “Good morning. You wanted to see me?”
“Good morning, Calum.” Genevieve’s plush swivel chair turns idly as she gestures to the two chairs in front of her desk. “Please, take a seat.”
My heart is in my throat as I lower myself into one of the chairs, placing my bag on the floor at my side.
“How was the festival?” she asks.
“Fantastic,” I assure her. “There were record crowds and all the performances went off without a hitch.” Every artist in attendance this year brought their A-game, delighting the enthusiastic audience.
“Including Fifth Circle?”
“Yes,” I say, smiling as I remember the thunderous applause following their final song. “They were incredibly well received.”
“That’s good news,” she says. “I hear you also had success with a photo of Ned Corbyn with Dante Sinclair.”
I nod, my smile widening. “That was a fortuitous opportunity.” The photo I took of Ned and Dante with Toni and Sean went viral overnight.
While I was busy getting caught with Johnny by the rest of the band, that post was receiving hundreds of thousands of likes and comments.
A significant bump in Fifth Circle’s streaming numbers quickly followed.
“With their national tour starting next month, the timing couldn’t have been better.
What venues haven’t already sold out are now well on their way to doing so. ”
“That’s excellent news.” The words would indicate pleasure, if it weren’t for the chill in her expression.
A long moment of silence draws out. I glance briefly at Arthur, who still has yet to say anything. “Is there something else I can help with?”
“One more thing,” she says lightly, as if her next words will be of little consequence. “Tell me about your relationship with Johnny Durant.”
My heart stutters, trips, before pounding in double time. Is that why I’m here? Have we been found out somehow? Did someone in the band say something? They swore they wouldn’t, but I know how little promises are worth in the face of changing priorities.
“What is this about?” My guilt leaks through in the roughness of my voice, I’m sure of it.
Genevieve turns to Arthur. “Please repeat to Calum what you told me.”
Arthur clears his throat, regarding me with hard eyes. “I happened to see you and Durant talking in the VIP tent on Saturday night. The two of you looked a mite too cosy, given your professional ties. You left; he followed directly behind. I became… concerned.”
I manage to suck in a controlled breath, clasping my hands in my lap to reduce their shaking. “That’s it? We stood too close to each other?” I ask, forcing an incredulity I don’t feel. “You do realise it was a crowded space.”
“I followed the two of you out to the bus stop, Calum.” His raised voice cuts me off mid-sentence. “You were all over him, in full public view.”
“That is a blatant lie.” I rake through my memories of standing at the brightly lit stop with Johnny, waiting for the next bus to arrive.
We’d been so hot with anticipation of the night ahead.
I’d kept my hands off him for the most part, but there had been contact.
More than once. His shoulder brushing against my chest. The brief slide of my hand over his arse.
We were restrained. No one else would have noticed us.
Only the one man who watched us from afar, hoping to see something incriminating.
I’d handed Arthur all the ammunition he needed with my reckless behaviour. Now I’ll have to pay the price.
I force my gaze to return to Genevieve. Her focus drills into me. “Are you, or are you not, in a sexual relationship with Johnny Durant?”
Everything inside me goes still, as if the parts of my body are shutting down, one at a time.
There’s no point in denying the truth, even if I could stomach the thought of lying to the woman who offered me a chance when I needed one.
The truth was always going to catch up to me, and I’ve crossed enough lines without adding another to the list. All I can do now is face the consequences and hope like hell I don’t lose everything.
Taking a deep breath, I meet Genevieve’s gaze. “Yes. Johnny and I are in a relationship.”
Her face twists with distaste. “Truly Calum, your first client?” With a deep sigh, she shakes her head. “I expected far better from you.”
“I know how it looks.” My voice is small as I sit there, back straight and hands clenched.
“This certainly isn’t how I envisaged the start of my career.
I take my responsibility to my clients, and to Rush, seriously.
” I swallow past the lump in my throat, struggling to continue.
“Johnny and I… in working so closely, came to feel strongly for each other. We fell in love.” The words sound ridiculous.
Hollow. An easily delivered excuse, impossible to disprove but fickle as the tides.
And yet, I feel the truth of those words resonate so deeply, in some unshakable part of me.
It doesn’t matter that Johnny is the worst possible person I could have fallen in love with.
My heart chose to love him anyway. “I promise you, my personal relationship with Johnny will not interfere with my management of the band as a whole.”
“I know it won’t,” she says, gesturing to the man beside me. “I’ll be handing management of Fifth Circle over to Arthur for the time being.”
My heart screeches to a halt. I look at Arthur, who is no longer bothering to hide his pleasure. “That’s not possible,” I insist. “They asked to work with me—specifically. It’s in their contract.” Ned made sure of it and the rest of the band supported him.
“That was when they were new to the game and wary of having management at all,” she says, unperturbed by the reminder.
“I remember how hard you had to work to bring them on board. But thanks to the excellent job you’ve done getting them off the ground, they are experiencing their first true taste of success.
I’m sure they’ll be open to a switch by now.
As long as they all agree, there won’t be a problem.
” She lifts a perfectly arched eyebrow. “That’s also in their contract. ”
I know she’s right, but the band and I work so well together. I worked hard to earn their trust, and I have it now. They know I’m on their side. Surely I can’t be so easily discarded. “What if they don’t agree?”
She tilts her head, as if baffled by the very suggestion.
“Do you honestly think adding that stipulation to their contract had anything to do with you—specifically?” she asks, throwing my own word back at me.
“They simply wanted to keep a sense of control, Calum. Don’t go mistaking their nerves for loyalty to you.
You’ll only embarrass yourself, not to mention be disappointed in the end.
” She waves a hand, dismissing my point.
“People are loyal to themselves. The sooner you learn that the better.”
I sit there, frozen, trying to force my lungs to breathe. That’s a lesson I have already learned. I’ve learned it in the harshest way possible. I just hoped it wouldn’t be true this time.
“You said Fifth Circle’s national tour begins next month?” Genevieve asks.
A stiff nod is the only answer I can manage.
She turns her attention to Arthur. “What are the chances of you making space in your schedule? It’s their first tour. I want someone keeping an eye on them.”
“I can go with them,” I jump in before he has a chance to speak. “They’re expecting me to be there.” It’s not just about logistics or administration. I need to make sure Ned stays grounded, that Oz gets time to himself, and Johnny… Johnny needs me.
Leaning forwards, I look directly into Genevieve’s eyes, allowing my shame to shine through. “I know I’ve let you down, and I’m sorry. If you give me a second chance, I promise it won’t happen again.”
Arthur makes a scoffing sound. “Until you work closely with another client and decide you’re in love with them, too?” He turns back to Genevieve. “Honestly, Genny, this man can’t be trusted to manage anyone, even if he was able to get the job done.”
My gaze narrows on him. “I was getting the job done in a way that would endure, perhaps for decades.”
He rolls his eyes. “You’ve allowed these men to lead you around by your dick, pardon the crudeness, Genny,” he adds, lowering himself into the chair beside me. “It’s time for a professional to take charge and put them through their paces. They should be hitting much higher targets by now.”
I open my mouth to argue the point, but Genevieve silences me with a raised hand. “What do you have in mind?”