The Complete Groupie Trilogy (80 page)

“That’s the offer,” Ivy said. “But you should be aware that if Baylee should succumb to her injuries, they want the right to come after you with criminal charges. They won’t sign anything stating otherwise, especially if your counter offer is lower.”

He sighed. “You’d have to talk to my accountant,” he said as he tried to do the math in his head. Once their second album took off, he hadn’t thought much about the nuts and bolts of his finances. He knew that much of his fortune had been invested, but he had blown quite a bit during his self-destructive phase the year before. He always thought the money would keep coming in with each new album and supporting tour. Only now, thanks to the situation with Holly and Julian, he wasn’t sure he’d be recording anything in the near future. And he certainly wasn’t willing to tour with Andy pregnant with his child. This was his other, and main, financial commitment. They needed a bigger house in a safer environment, and he needed to provide for his baby. That need outweighed any other, despite how guilty he felt about Baylee’s condition. He wasn’t sure if he could write a check for five million dollars even if he wanted to. “I was thinking one million and they’d be satisfied. What they’re asking…” he trailed off.

She nodded. She had already crunched the numbers with his accountant, and proposed a counter offer of 2.5 million, which was available for them immediately.

The Wilkes were not budging.

“So what now?” he asked.

“If you can’t or won’t pay what they’re asking, then they will likely sue. We go to court and fight. It could prove quiet lengthy and you would be hard pressed to find a judge sympathetic to your situation. Their lawyer is going to paint you as a reckless celebrity who doesn’t think the rules of society apply to you. You got off legally with a slap on the wrist, and you’ll ultimately have to settle anyway – only with the added cost of a trial and all the lawyer fees.”

“So do my best to s
ettle,” he filled in the blank.

“If you want to go on with your life, then yes.”

He thought about Andy and their future. He wasn’t about to let her go and he wasn’t going to let her down. He’d find a way.

Within an
hour he was in Graham’s office.

Graham had returned to work at the beginning of February. He had limited mobility on crutches, which he used whenever he had a business meeting. Otherwise he used his chair and had Maggie nearby to assist him. She didn’t say much, and often left the office when he discussed business with his clients, but he was reassured by her presence just in case he had rushed coming back to work too soon.

He wasn’t surprised to see Vanni. Ivy Cunningham was an attorney on his payroll so he was privy to the problem. He’d also been thinking about some solutions, which made it convenient to face off with one of the biggest names on his label.

Vanni was impressed by how much Graham had bounced back from his gunshot wound from the year before. He remembered all too vividly seeing the man in charge of his career lying helpless and crippled in a Philadelphia hospital room; mostly because he remembered with painful clarity how it felt to watch the woman he loved choose another man over the future he was finally willing to offer her.

Now Graham reminded him of the man who had taken his fledgling career from the likes of Jasper Carrington and molded him into a superstar.  He could only hope he still had some of that old magic still in him. “You’re looking well, Graham,” he said as he sat. He was genuine in his compliment, and Graham took it well.

“You, also,” he countered. “You clean up well.”

“I met with Ivy Cunningham today, to talk about the Wilke settlement.” He let out a deep breath. “I’m in deep, man.”

Graham nodded. “I know.”

“What do I do?”

Graham sighed. He knew that it took a lot for Vanni to set aside his pride and ask for his help. There was a residual bitterness over the struggles they had all overcome. But this was business, and if there was one thing Graham understood, it was business. “You finish your album. You tour. We have plenty of offers pouring in to use your music for movies. They want you to guest as a mentor on some talent shows. If you’re ready to work, I can find work for you to do. This is a lot of money but fortunately for you, you’re still in pretty good demand right now. But you have to strike now, while the iron is hot. Otherwise these offers go away.”

Vanni nodded. “I’ll do whatever you want me to do, but I’m not touring.”

This declaration startled Graham. Vanni had always been a workhorse when it came to Dreaming in Blue. “May I ask why?”

For one brief second, Vanni considered telling Graham about Andy and their baby. But he knew that wasn’t fair to Andy, who had wanted to spare Graham from any further pain regarding their complicated situation. If anyone were to tell him, she wanted it to be her. “It’s complicated,” he offered instead. “You know about the package that showed up on the doorstep. With Andy at the house, I just would feel better staying closer to home.”

Graham tried to swallow the lump in his throat. “You could take her on the road with you,” he off
ered, but Vanni shook his head.

“She wants to stay out of the limelight. The press has been brutal to her. Besides, if she’s in danger in our own home, imagine how easy it would be for one of my stalkers to find her on the road.”

Graham studied the earnest look on Vanni’s face. He knew that the younger man was sincere. Late in his dedication to her safety, maybe, but at least he’d finally shown up for the party. “So what will you consider?”

“Something L.A. based. And obviously something that pays well. And fast. And something I can be proud of,” he added. Now that he was going to be a father, he wanted to do things with a positive bent – not just the sex, drugs and rock and roll he’d become so famous for indulging.

Graham nodded and then made a note. “I actually have a meeting scheduled this afternoon that I think may fit the bill. A TV producer has wanted to meet with me regarding a possible new series, a talent show that opens up opportunity for people who might not get one otherwise. Let me speak with her and I’ll get back to you.”

Vanni stood with an extended hand. “Sounds promising,” he said as he shook his hand. “And thanks for all your support, considering.”

Graham stood with great difficulty, but he met Vanni eye to eye. “We’re adults. This is business. It doesn’t have to be any more complicated than that.”

Vanni nodded. He had grown to respect thi
s man he had hated for so long.

He hoped that meant he was turning an emotional corner.

When he got back to the beach house, Yael was waiting for him. He wanted to know what Vanni’s plans were for Dreaming in Blue. He was chomping at the bit to complete the image overhaul they had started with Julian, one with a rougher, more music-focused edge. This was the band he’d always dreamed of having, and had grown quite impatient waiting for Vanni to get his priorities straight.

He wasn’t shy about telling Vanni exactly what was on his mind.

“I just don’t understand why we’re stuck,” Yael told him after Vanni tossed his jacket into a chair and sat on the sofa facing him. “We can replace Julian. This was never about one member of the band. I don’t understand why you won’t even consider looking.”

Vanni glanced over at Andy, who gave him an almost imperceptible nod. She came over to where he sat on the sofa. “Because Andy’s pregnant,” Vanni finally said. Aside from Iris and Jacob, they had not officially announced it to their immediate circle. “She’s due in July.”

Yael’s mouth dropped open. It was quite obviously not the answer he expected to his question. “Even more reason to get this thing moving,” Yael told him. “We wait too long and we’re going to fade into a memory behind the next big thing. If we get back in the studio and back out on the road, it will secure your future.”

Vanni sighed. He hated to have all this financial pressure and business pressure on his shoulders. He simply wanted to do his job, get paid and take care of his family – like anyone else.

But he wasn’t like anyone else, and he knew it.

Yael failed to see why Andy’s pregnancy could derail their plans. “You find a replacement now. We finish the CD and then we tour after the baby’s born. Hell, she can even come along.”

Andy shook her head. She hated to come in between the band but that wasn’t the life she wanted for a newborn. “It’s not that simple,” she offered.

“It
is
that simple,” Yael snapped as he jumped to his feet. “This is about music. That’s the deal we all made when we got into this band. It wasn’t about marriage and it wasn’t about babies and families. It was about making our mark. Remember?”

Vanni stood as well. “We have made our mark, Yael.”

“No,
you
made your mark,” he responded bitterly. “We aren’t Dreaming in Blue. We’re Dreaming in Blue featuring Giovanni Carnevale. Meanwhile Iain’s in England playing daddy, Felix is God knows where smoking God knows what and I’m sitting on my hands while you make up your mind what you want. I’m not your fucking backup player, man. This is my band, too. If you aren’t in it anymore, then let me know so I can find another lead singer. I’m sure any number of bars in this city are filled with guys waiting to snap up any opportunity to work.” Yael stalked toward the door. “We’re not all living on easy street like the superstar Giovanni in his expensive fucking beach house.”

With a slam, he was gone.

Andy turned back toward Vanni, who slumped down on the sofa, his head in his hands. She sat next to him and gently pulled the band from his hair, letting it spill around his shoulders. “I’m sorry, Vanni,” she said, although she wasn’t quite sure why she felt the need to apologize.

His dark eyes met hers. “Don’t you dare apologize to me,” he whispered. “You’re worth anything,” he said as he took her into his arms. She felt so solid, so real… so much more substantial tha
n any fleeting feeling of fame.

He kissed the top of her head as he held her in his arms and worried silently what he could do to keep their world from falling apart.

CHAPTER FIVE

Los Angeles, California

February 6, 2011

Gwen Perry entered Graham’s office with her wide smile. After working with Graham and with Dreaming in Blue through the duration of Graham’s recovery, she was happy to find him standing on his feet to greet her as she walked towards his d
esk. “Look at you!” she beamed.

He gave her a triumphant grin in return and allowed her to round the desk and give him a friendly hug. She was extremely adept at her job as a public relations agent. Under her watchful eye, Dreaming in Blue had not gone completely off the rails even with Vanni’s abhorrent and inexcusable behavior. She was the first one he called when he realized that the Wilkes were going to pro
ve a long-term, public problem.

She had an idea how they could further polish Vanni’s tarnished image, and Graham was all ears for her suggestion. He indicated toward the chair. “So tell me about this brilliant idea of yours.”

She laughed heartily. “I’m not sure how brilliant it is,” she began modestly, but then waved her hand. “Oh, who am I kidding? This plan is beyond brilliant. It helps Vanni, it helps your label and best of all it helps someone reaching for a dream.”

He liked the sound of that. “Sounds ambitious.”

“Not as much as you’d think. It’s a successful model already seen on TV in many formats. The American dream is alive and well on network TV. We like to see people reach for the stars and actually catch one. It’s a winning formula.”

“So what makes your idea so original?”

She reached for her phone. “I’ll let my friend give you all the details. She’s on her way up right now.”

Within minutes Gwen’s friend was ushered into the office by Graham’s secretary. The woman was full-figured, though not as generously proportioned as Andy. Her brown hair was shoulder-length and streaked with blonde, and her tawny eyes reminded him of a cat’s. She was remarkably put together, like she had her own stylist in her back pocket, and he couldn’t help but think he’d s
een her somewhere before.

He stood, as did Gwen, who introduced the two. “Graham Baxter, I’d lik
e you to meet Shannon McKenna.”

They shook hands and his brow still furrowed with a slight hint of recognition. “Why do I feel like I should know who you are?”

The woman named Shannon laughed and sat in the chair next to Gwen. “I’m a product of Reality TV,” she confessed. “I was the star of the first season of
Love Plus One
, the dating reality show that puts a mole in the midst of bachelorettes competing for the eligible bachelor. This way he can cut right through the games and find his Miss Right.”

“Oh, yes,” he said. “One of our artists performed at the Hollywood Bowl for one of your dates.”

Shannon’s smile softened at the memory. “She did indeed.”

Her happiness was infectious, and Graham couldn’t help but return her smile. “I take it things worked out well, then.”

She flashed the diamond wedding ring on her finger. “Better than I had expected. Being the mole, anyway!”