Reveal: A Contemporary Romance (Billionaire Rock Star Romance Book 2) (16 page)

“I see you,” Rita acknowledged in an irritated voice without looking up.

Alexandra wanted to snap back at her and tell her she didn’t have all day, but she knew better. This woman essentially owned her music career. Reluctantly, she clamped her mouth shut and waited. Rita took her time, and eventually finished up with whatever she was doing.

“Lexxi.” Rita’s nasal voice rang out across the long conference table. All eyes turned to Alexandra and already, she was in the hot seat before she even took her place at the opposite end of the table.

“Yes?” She had no idea what Rita wanted with her. They usually had no problems with each other, but Rita was glaring at her. It seemed to Alexandra like there was now a problem. A serious one.

“You’ve been out of pocket for a while,” Rita said, smiling. “Right in the middle of prepping for what is probably your most important album to date. I had it out with your manager. He told me you had a family emergency. I trust that it’s resolved?”

Rita steepled her fingers and peered at Alexandra like a hawk, daring her to say it wasn’t. Rick had probably already made it known her father was discharged today. Rita didn’t appear to be looking for a response, because she got to her feet and sauntered over to the projection screen. An assistant cued up a PowerPoint chart.

Rita pointed to a red arrow on a downward slant. “That’s your current approval rating, and we’re going to release your album in less than two months. Do you want to tell me how you think it’s going to be received with your image taking a nosedive like that? Let me tell you something, Lexxi. This label has already sunk a lot of money into pushing that album when it’s released. I want things cleaned up, and I want it done now so that won’t be money wasted. The way the industry is these days, the first week of sales is already a toss-up.”

Alexandra cleared her throat. “Mrs. Sage, I’m in the process of doing damage control as we speak. My people and I tried to keep my father’s health woes out of the press. He’s better now, so we’ll be back on track soon. It’s unfortunate that the story of my being in France did not help things.”

“Oh, I know. That brainchild was irresponsible and poorly thought out. You should have brought it to us instead of sneaking around, especially at this crucial time.”

“I’m sorry.”

“Not to worry. What’s done is done. I assembled an ad campaign and added some new people to your Artist and Repertoire team. They’re in Arizona to spin the hell out of this clusterfuck you’ve left us with. That’s why I wanted to see you here. Lexxi, I’m counting on you to be the brilliant performer I know you to be.”

“I don’t know if I can pull this off,” Alexandra groaned. “I’m burnt out. I need a break. Is that so much to ask?”

“What was the last month, then?” Rita smiled a brittle smile and slinked around to where Alexandra sat. “I’m sorry things are tough for you, but you have a contract. You’re obligated to get this record done, among other things.”

There was not an ounce of sympathy in her voice, and the warning in her word was as clear as day. Rita was basically telling Alexandra she had no choice. In no uncertain terms, it was time to get back to work.

“Of course,” she said.

Rita’s heels clicked across the tile floor as she walked to the door to leave. “A&R will be with you in a second. Have a nice day, Lexxi.”

“Now?”

Rita had already left. Alexandra slumped back in the chair. The execs filed out, all except the director of A&R, Gregory.

He blinked at her nervously. “So, your manager said you had some style ideas we could try out?”

Deflated, she answered with, “Do whatever you want to do, but this hair has to go.”

“How do you think you want it?”

Alexandra pulled out the wig clips at the sides of her hair and dragged off the wig. She ran her fingers through her short hair to lift it off her head and show Gregory the curls. “Like this. I’ll do anything else, but this is the hair I want.”

Gregory balked. “I’m…I’m not sure I have clearance to go that far, Lexxi.”

“Christ,” she muttered with an edge to her tone she didn’t even try to hide. It had been made clear. Lexxi Rock had no say. Lexxi Rock had a goddamned contract.

SEBASTIAN had been on a high. After almost a week with Alexandra—as her sweet, sexy as hell self—he felt he could handle anything. Today, it appeared the universe was not ready or willing to keep him in such lofty spirits. The ugly truth had just come out during the post-op consult with his orthopedist.

The doctor peered at the x-rays. “I’ll be frank with you, Mr. Sullivan. Your injury is likely to make it next to impossible for you to get back to work, even now after the surgery.”

“Wow,” he said, clenching his jaw. “That’s a tough pill to swallow, doc. Being a firefighter is my life.”

“Of course, you know we set a projected return to work date, but things are subject to change. We won’t really know until after a few weeks of healing. It will also depend on your ability to follow your physical therapists instructions.”

“I’ll do whatever it takes after the surgery to get back to normal.”

“We’ll just have to see how it goes, son.”

Hours later, Sebastian got home and sat on a chair on the front porch, sulking about his doctor’s dismal projections. It was one thing hearing it from the Chief, but quite another for his orthopedic specialist to tell him he had little hope.

What in hell am I supposed to do if I can’t be a firefighter anymore?

As far back as he could remember, Sebastian wanted to be a firefighter. It was in his blood. His father, grandfather and great grandfather had been firefighters. There were even stories of a few more Sullivan generations who worked on bucket brigades in the early days back when firefighters were hired by insurance companies to protect building assets in small frontier towns around Tucson.

When Sebastian landed the job with the fire department, he had his life mapped out. He had aspirations of becoming a chief one day. It was tough and sometimes frightening work, and lives depended on him on the job, but it was rewarding, and there was nothing else he could imagine doing.

All of the guys he worked with would say being a firefighter gets in the blood. Now, with the possibility of not going back to work, Sebastian thought he had absolutely no direction, no idea what to do next. There wasn’t even a starting point. Compounded by the isolation since his injury, the whole situation was almost too much.

As he sat there, out of the corner of his eye he noticed Alexandra’s limo pull up next door. Right now, she was in character as Lexxi Rock, and Sebastian had agreed it was best he kept his distance. It was too early for anyone to know what they had only begun to explore. Having the media meddling in their affairs would have been a nuisance at best.

Lexxi Rock stepped out of the car, followed by Maxwell Storme and Rosa. She nodded over at him, their silent acknowledgement of the growing closeness between them. He would give anything right now to have some time with her, if even to talk through this dismal prognosis.

He gave his friend Clint a call, but it went through to voicemail.

“Clint, buddy, give me a call when you get a chance,” he said in his message. His knee still hurt after the surgery, and he needed to wait a few more days before starting physio. At the moment, he wondered if the pain was more pronounced because his hope was waning. Lexxi reappeared out front and walked to her limo. She nodded over at him again before she got in the back and left. After that, Sebastian limped inside and left a voice message for his brother Sam in Los Angeles.

It took a few hours for Clint to return his call.

“What’s going on with you, man?” Clint asked.

Sebastian told him the news, and mentioned both the Chief’s call and the orthopedist’s opinion. “Do you think they’re blowing it out of proportion to scare me into working my ass off to prepare for the physical?”

“It’s hard to tell, bud.”

“Damn. I can’t give it up just like that. What am I supposed to do?”

“Maybe you should focus on getting your mind and body ready to fight hard. You sound like you’re giving up already. Worrying is not going to do you any good, Bash. When your physical therapy starts, give it a hundred and ten percent. Push yourself, focus and don’t give up until you pass that physical. On the flip side, I could also tell you there are so many different types of work you can do that won’t take the same kind of physical toll on you as firefighting. Don’t you have a college degree?”

“Yeah. So what?”

“So you have some options. I could say it’s not the end of the world, Bash. Trust me, I know how you feel right now. That’s why I won’t encourage your whining. For now, your world should consist of eating well, disciplining your mind and preparing your body for what may be the toughest fight of your life. End of story.”

Sebastian inhaled deeply. “This is why I knew I needed to talk to you, Clint. Thanks. I’ll be living and breathing recovery from now.”

“Damn straight.”

“Can I still ask you something?”

“Shoot.”

“How did you manage giving it up after the accident?”

“You realize that you’re more than what you do for a living, that’s how.”

Clint’s answer was such a matter of fact statement, but resounded with truth. Sebastian had other interests outside of his job. It had just been some time since he gave those interests any attention. Still, right now was not the time for exploring them. Sebastian could not picture doing anything else for a living, and while he still had a chance, he would give his full commitment to getting back in the game.

“Just remember not to let yourself get too worked up. You don’t know what the verdict will be, and as far as I’m concerned, you have it in you to do what it takes.” Clint paused for a moment. “So how is Lexxi?”

“Good. Her father just got released so she was next door earlier.” Clint was aware of the time Alexandra had spent with Bash the past few days.

“Good to hear. I’m sure glad the two of you came to your senses, especially now. All that’s going on with your injury has to be a lot easier now that you don’t have to go through it alone.”

“True…but—” A knock at Sebastian’s door interrupted his answer. “Hang on a second, Clint. Someone’s at the door.”

The doorbell rang next. Whoever it was, they were persistent. Sebastian walked down the hallway with the cordless phone, and saw a man he didn’t immediately recognize through the stained glass windows of the front door. The stranger was dressed in a sharp suit. Sebastian was not expecting any visitors, and assumed it may have been someone from the insurance company wanting to discuss his workers compensation case.

“I’ll have to call you back, Clint,” he said.

“No problem, buddy. Take it easy.”

He hung and opened the door.

“Good afternoon,” Sebastian said. The man did not reply. Looking at him up close, he seemed vaguely familiar. “Can I help you with something?”

Mr. Suit took off his designer shades and gave Sebastian a slow once over as if taken aback by the sight of him. Sebastian could not figure out where he had seen this man before.

Finally, the man spoke. “I’m looking for Mr. Maxwell Storme. Does he still live here? Is his daughter here?”

“Oh, I’m sorry. You have the wrong address, but he lives right next door. Your timing may be off though. I don’t believe he’s staying at the house at the moment, Mister…sorry, I didn’t get your name.”

“It’s Wilkes. Wilkes Barracks.” He held out a hand for a handshake and a bittersweet grin spread across Sebastian’s face.

So, this is Lexxi’s ex?

Sebastian checked him out. Wilkes came up short, in his estimation. This was the guy who sang tears-in-your-beer, down-on-your-luck, dammit-my-dog-died country songs. His hair was slicked back with enough gel to tame the Wild West. His eyes were cool and disdainful, and Sebastian swore he could see right through him. There was not a hint of country and western heart in that man. With ostrich skin cowboy boots and crisp, clean blue suit, he looked like he had not worked a hard day in his life. Even the cowboy hat in his hand looked like an expensive prop. Already, Sebastian had made up his mind. Wilkes didn’t deserve Alexandra.

That may be the envy talking.

“Ah, Wynona!” Sebastian said with a dry chuckle, shaking his hand.

“No, it’s Wilkes,” he answered, repeating his name again, slowly and deliberately as though Sebastian didn’t understand English.

With that, Sebastian let out a loud, long laugh, an angry sound without humor to match Wilkes’ attitude. “That’s right, your name is Wilkes. I’m sorry, bud. That was an inside joke between me and, uh…a friend. Lexxi isn’t home. She left a while back, actually.”

Wilkes sized him up suspiciously. “Left to go where?”

“I wouldn’t know,” Sebastian clarified. “Why don’t you phone her? Or leave a note next door. She may stop by again.”

Wilkes muttered a few choice swear words and loped back out to his Stingray parked behind Sebastian’s Jeep in the driveway. Sebastian couldn’t help but wonder what Lexxi Rock’s ex was doing in town, and if that was one of the reasons she made her exit from Hotel Bash. A heated streak of jealousy passed through him, and he reminded himself he had no right to think that way after the time he and Alexandra had spent together.