CHAPTER FOUR
ROYCE?
“Where the fuck have you two been?”
Leave it to Blaise to give such a warm and heartfelt welcome the moment we come walking in through the door.
“Getting fucking coffee,” I say, matching his tone, if only to mock him. Ava is already snaking her arms up around his neck and smothering him in a kiss as if she’s attempting to erase his memory via his tongue. It actually seems to work. By the time she pulls away again, he has that dopey ass grin only Ava can give. Of course, she’s smirking.
“Did you guys leave us any breakfast?” I walk further into the suite toward the kitchen. The place is bare. Not a single dirty dish in sight.
“What breakfast? We haven’t eaten yet.” Angel strolls over from his room on the other side of the living area.
Ava sighs. “Seriously. You boys would starve to death without me. Some days I wonder how you manage to get dressed without my help.”
I almost laugh out loud, remembering the early days when Ava did lay out clothes for the guys before each show. Obviously, I’ve always been exempt from that, which is why I’m amused while the others are probably busy trying to block the memory from their minds.
“What’s up with you?” Angel eyes me curiously .
“Just enjoying the morning show as always.” I nod toward Ava, who’s already on the phone with room service ordering up a buffet that could feed a small country and will likely end up being carted off in to-go boxes for the road crew to finish off later.
Angel shakes his head. “Nah, that’s not it. You’ve got something else happening there. What is it? You guys do something extra stupid while you were out on your little secret coffee mission?”
Ava hangs up the phone and jumps in to answer. “Royce met a boy.” She wiggles her eyebrows in a totally ridiculous way. “And he was h-o-t! Seriously. Like, worthy of a ‘humina humina humina’ kinda hot.”
Angel grins. “No shit. Where’d you meet this dude?”
“At the coffee shop.” I shoot Ava a dirty look and then add, “The one we had to hide out in when the paparazzi nearly attacked us.”
“What?!” Blaise’s dopey grin is gone in an instant and Ava is busy blasting daggers at me through her eyeballs. I don’t care. She had it coming.
“It was no big deal.” She waves her hand dismissively and tries to make a casual exit, but Blaise is hot on her heels.
“Sounds like a pretty big fucking deal to me, Avalon! This is exactly the reason I don’t like you taking off on your own.”
Ava’s no idiot. She’s strategically leading him straight to their bedroom. “I wasn’t alone. I was with Royce.”
Blaise’s response is a noise I can’t not take offense to, but there’s no point in jumping in on the argument. Ava’s already closing the door behind them. Next time we see them, Blaise’s dopey ass grin will be back, and she’ll likely have one to match. Sometimes all their lovey-dovey shit is gag worthy, but then maybe I just feel that way because no one’s putting dopey ass grins on my face.
“So, you met a boy.” While I’ve been busy watching the Ava and Blaise show, Angel apparently remained fixated on my morning news.
“Yeah, can we call him a man? Because he was definitely a man.” My eyes do a dramatic flutter and next thing I know, there is a distinct dopiness about my smile. Holy shit.
“Um, yeah. Or, you could tell me his name. You did get his name, right?”
I nod like it’s obvious, but if Ava hadn’t been there, I’d probably still be calling him Cute Coffee Guy. “Hudson. Well, it’s Kieran, but he goes by his last name, Hudson.”
Angel bobs his head up and down. “Cool, cool. So, Hudson. What’s he do other than drink coffee?”
“He wasn’t drinking it; he was making it. But that’s just his day job. He’s actually this incredible photographer. Ava’s gonna see about setting up a shoot for us.” I have to consciously force my mouth to stay within its proper perimeters because it’s threatening to stretch out beyond my ears, and my face is already hurting as it is. I don’t know how Blaise and Ava do it.
“Nice. Ava, the matchmaker. Ever think it’s weird how she manages more than just the professional aspect of our lives?”
There’s a knock on the door and I start toward it. “All the fucking time, dude. All the fucking time.”
After I open the door, it takes three servers and five food carts to deliver breakfast. Pretty sure it’s the scent of waffles that finally manages to drag Derek out of bed, however, Blaise and Ava don’t make a re-appearance until the three of us are well into our second helpings.
After eating, fun Ava is gone and Ava, the raging workaholic, has her crazy meter running on high, rattling off the day’s schedule and scolding us all for being late before we’ve even had a chance to leave the suite yet. Blaise tries to detour her to the bedroom in hopes of mellowing out the nutsoness, but he isn’t nearly as subtle or smooth about it and Ava calls him out on his attempt halfway through the living room.
Twenty minutes later and we’re all in the back of our limo, headed for our first appointment of the day. From here, things don’t slow down until dinner, for which Ava made reservations at a pretty swanky place downtown. It isn’t unusual for her to invite a handful of people she feels are handy to schmooze. Mostly music reviewers, local DJ’s, etc., and depending on which city we’re in at the time, the list grows or shrinks accordingly.
Tonight’s turnout is pretty much down the middle. Plus, one. Kieran Hudson.
Considering I was turned on by the sight of him in his khakis, t-shirt, and coffee shop apron, seeing him standing here in those well-worn jeans, plain white-t and black blazer, has me about to swallow my own tongue.
“What’s wrong? You have to pee or something?” Angel comes up beside me. Isn’t until he says something that I notice my physical reactions have been far more extensive than I realized, including a ridiculous shuffle I’m doing in place, much like a four-year-old doing the pee-pee dance .
I force my feet to remain still and wind up bobbing my hips to and fro instead. I’ve never been so anxious over a guy in my entire life. I feel like a fucking chick.
“No, I don’t have to fucking pee. I’m just ready to get this show on the road. How many people does Ava have to make small talk with before we can all sit down and eat?” Since we all filled up on leftover waffles right before leaving the hotel, my hunger-based argument falls pretty fucking flat.
“Oh, I see. I was starting to think maybe your little dance routine had something to do with that guy who hasn’t stopped staring at you since he walked in. Thought maybe he was that Hudson dude you’ve got a thing for.” Angel looks like he’s trying hard not to laugh at me and failing epically.
“I’m going to remember this, you know? There will come a day when some girl will have you falling over your own feet and making you forget your own fucking name, and I will be there to point out how much you look like an ass. You know it’ll happen. Happened to Blaise, and nobody thought that was possible.” In hindsight it was blatantly obvious, but at the time, no one would have guessed Blaise, the manwhore, would ever have given up his womanizing ways for the love of one Ava Jennison.
Meanwhile, Angel, manwhore number two, is hardly taking me seriously. “Yeah, okay. But until then, would you like me to carry you over there and re-introduce you since it looks like you may be experiencing some of those symptoms yourself right now?”
I shake my head. “No, thank you.” Then I start marching straight for Hudson. Not because I’ve suddenly found my nerve. It’s all out of spite. Spite is fueling the whole damn thing. But I don’t care. I’m willing to use whatever I can to get me there.
“Hudson. You made it.” Anticipating an awkward handshake/hug confusion, I stick both hands in my pockets and go with a friendly nod instead. Possibly the smartest move I’ve made thus far.
“Definitely. Wouldn’t have missed it. I mean, come on. How often does a guy get to mingle with his favorite band and then get to go see them in concert?” His smile reaches all the way up to his brown eyes, and they crinkle at the ends. It’s the sexiest damn thing ever and I sense my feet attempt to do the shuffle again.
“You don’t have to say that, you know? The bit about us being your favorite band. I’m sure Ava will still hire you.” I keep glancing back and forth between my feet and his face, like I’m afraid if I maintain eye contact with him for too long, he’ll see all there is to see of me and run screaming from the building.
Hudson laughs. “I wouldn’t say it if I didn’t mean it. I really have been listening to you guys since the very beginning. The last two albums have been your best so far though. I can’t put my finger on it, but there was something new about the sound. Totally incredible.”
I nod, scrunching up my nose because I know what he means and what the reason is. “Our lead singer went through a lot of changes when we were recording those. Huge, life-changing shit, so it’s not surprising that it translated into our songs.”
“Makes sense. Well, judging from the music, I’m guessing those changes were for the better.” He grins, his gaze traveling past me and landing on Ava who’s busy chatting up some chick wearing a suit, while Blaise is right beside her, unable to take his eyes off of her for even a second.
“You have no idea.” Falling for Ava saved his life. Or maybe it was her falling for him that did it. Either way, I can’t deny that I would move heaven and hell to find a small slice of what they have for myself.
I’m about to panic as I realize we’ve reached an awkward lull in the conversation, when Ava suddenly spots us and comes flying over, welcoming Hudson with an overzealous hug I wish I’d had the balls to give him myself.
No surprise, Blaise is right behind her. “Dude, if I didn’t know you were gay, I might be a little worried seeing my girl throwing herself at you like that.”
Hudson laughs, holding out his hand. “Kieran Hudson, and I didn’t realize I was wearing my sexual orientation ID badge tonight.”
Blaise takes it, grinning. “Blaise Nolan, and there’s no badge. Just a girlfriend with a big mouth and some sick need to play matchmaker every chance she gets.”
Fucking A. Between the two of them it’s enough to make me want to plan another trip down by the river with a single bullet.
“Holy shit, dude. Seriously? Has neither one of you assholes managed to retain any sense of what is considered normal and acceptable behavior in a social setting?”
Ava, one arm still around Hudson, reaches the other over my neck and pulls me closer. “Sorry.” She’s apologizing to him, not me. “We’re kind of all up in each other’s business around here. You’ll get used to it.”
His brows rise. “Oh, will I? ”
She shrugs. “Well, you better if you want the job I’m about to offer you.”
This is fucking awesome. He’s been informed he’s my arranged date and that he’s about to be on our payroll within a matter of seconds. From this moment forward, who the hell will ever know if he’s acting on genuine interest or because he thinks it’s part of the job description.
I yank my head out from under her arm muttering, ‘I need a drink’, as I storm off in search of the nearest bottle of liquor.
HUDSON
This party is making my head spin already and I haven’t even had a drop of alcohol yet.
“Is he okay?” I watch as Royce disappears in the small sea of people apparently joining us for dinner. So far, I’ve only met three of them, two of which I’ve known since coffee this morning.
Ava nods reassuringly. “He’ll be fine.” Then her demeanor changes completely as she goes on, “He’s totally pissed at me, but he’ll get over it.”
“I’ll go talk to him.” Blaise turns toward me, taking his attention away from Ava for only the second time since I’ve seen them, “It was nice meeting you. For what it’s worth, I really hope you take the gig. Ava says you’re crazy talented, plus, you jumped in and looked out for her this morning, so that makes you the type of dude I want to have around.”
“Thanks.” What else do you say to something like that? Then Blaise is gone too, leaving me alone with Ava, which makes me slightly nervous, and not in the good way that Royce made me feel. Isn’t that I don’t like her, I’m just not used to being around someone who never holds back. It’s like this chick doesn’t have a filter. At all. I guess she doesn’t need one considering who she is and what she does, but shit, it keeps you on edge never knowing what’s going to come out of her mouth next.
“You look scared.” And she’s off.
I laugh quietly. “I am.”
She hooks her arm in mine and steers us away from the noise of everyone’s conversations and over to an isolated corner. “I know we can be a bit much. Royce is right. We live in our own fucking bubble, cut off from the rest of the world. Sometimes we forget our manners. Among other things.” She sighs dramatically. “Anyway. I think you’d fit in just fine if you gave us a chance. Thing is, I’ve had this publisher breathing down my neck for ages. They want a book about the band. A real, behind the scenes look at what they’re all about. They’ve offered to send over a writer to go on tour with us and everything, but I’ve always told them no. I just didn’t see that being a good fit for the band, you know? Anyway, seeing your photos got me thinking. I’d never have some stranger follow the boys around taking notes about every little thing they did or said, and then have him put his own spin on things when it came time to write the damn book, but I would totally let a photographer follow them around with his camera and have the pictures speak for themselves.”
I can’t believe what she’s offering. Talk about a fucking dream job. “Are you saying you want me to go on tour with you guys and put together a collection to be published? As a book? ”
She nods. “That’s exactly what I’m saying. We’d have to work out the contract with the publisher, but I sent an email out to them this morning already, and they loved the idea. And, technically they’d be the ones hiring you. Well, sort of. I guess it would be a team effort. They’d be paying you for the collection that ultimately gets published, I’d be paying you for your time, travel and the rights to every image you produce of the band. I’m not gonna lie, it’ll be a big project and you’d be looking at walking away from your regular life for several months, starting next week. If that’s not something you can do, or don’t want to do, I would understand.”
A million thoughts are running through my brain at once. Telling my mother. Finding a replacement for me at the shop. Telling the entire fucking world. Wondering what my douchebag father would say if he knew that my stupid little hobby was about to grant me the gig of a lifetime. Royce. And every other thought vanishes.
“Listen Ava, this offer, it is amazing. I mean, truly, just mind blowing, turn my world upside-fucking-down amazing.”
She cocks her brow at me skeptically. “But?”
“But I’m going to need you to clarify if I’m being hired by the band manager or the band match maker.” Isn’t until after I blurt it out that I wish I’d taken a moment to formulate my concerns more politely. But then, look at who I’m talking to.
Her otherwise chill expression morphs into something serious and almost hurt. “For starters, that wouldn’t make me a match maker so much as it would make me a pimp, and some band managers may double as pimps and drug dealers, and God knows what else, but I don’t. Those boys are my family. I love them. I love Royce and yeah, maybe I love him in an overbearing, no boundaries sort of way, but I would never do anything to hurt him. So, if you think for one second that I would put you on my payroll to somehow encourage you to show him some interest or whatever, you can walk away right now, because he deserves so much fucking better than that.”
Even though she momentarily seems to hate my guts, her little speech actually makes me feel better.
“I know that. And I completely agree. Which is why I would have turned down the job if it wasn’t completely based on my skills as a photographer.” Fuck it. She already admitted she was overbearing and incapable of boundaries, why bother being any different. “Look, I like Royce. I realize I barely know him, but if there’s even a sliver of a chance of changing that, I’m not fucking it up. Not even for what would probably be the greatest job of my career. So, I needed you to clarify. I’m sorry if that offended you. I just wouldn’t want to walk into this second guessing my position or wondering if shit was about to blow up in my face.” I catch a glimpse of Royce standing on the other side of the room with Blaise, apparently in the middle of his own very heated conversation. “And more importantly, I wouldn’t want him to wonder whether my interest was genuine or not.” When I shift my focus back to her, she’s smiling.
“I knew I liked you, Kieran Hudson. I’ll make sure you have a contract in your hands by noon tomorrow.” She tugs me back toward the rest of the party. “Now let’s see about getting some food on that table. I don’t know about you, but I’m starving.”