Love Rock'ollection: The Brutal Strength Rock Star Trilogy, books 1-3 (22 page)

“I’ve missed you, too, V,” he murmured invoking the low sultry voice that used to drive her wild. He dipped her back over his arm, and brushed his lips across her exposed neck.

V giggled.

Dwight rolled his eyes and groaned his disapproval.

“Hey, babe. Who’s this?” Veronica asked breathlessly as she straightened, tilting her head in Avery’s direction.

“That’s just our new guitarist, Avery Jones,” he replied offhandedly.

Veronica stepped out of Marcus’ embrace. She swayed her hips as she crossed to Avery. She curled her manicured fingers around Avery’s arm. “I know who you are, honey. I saw you on
Good Morning, America
.” She tossed her long, jet-black hair over her shoulder. Looking flirtatiously up at Avery from under her false eyelashes, V said in a voice so soft only Avery could hear, “If you’re still looking for the right girl, I’d love to try out for the part.”

‘
Um, no way
,’ Avery thought, wanting to puke. But aware that Marcus was watching, she took a deliberate step back, swallowed her bile, and forced a polite, “Nice to meet you, too, Veronica,” from her lips.

“We need to set up. We’re next,” Dwight told Marcus.

Veronica pecked her former lover on the cheek, and sauntered away.

The band took the stage and did a rushed run through of “Brothers.” It did not go well at all. Everyone was out of sync. The musical synergy, the tightness they normally had as a group, was missing. Avery and Marcus ran into each other because they were avoiding eye contact, and JR dropped his drumsticks. At the end, Dwight cursed under his breath and drew Marcus aside.

From a distance, Avery couldn’t hear everything that was said, but she did hear her name and Veronica’s name mentioned. Marcus shook his head a couple of times and glanced over at her while Dwight’s voice continued to escalate.

JR interrupted Avery’s attempted eavesdropping. “Hey kid, you ok?”

“Yeah, I’m fine. Why?”

“I just didn’t want you to worry about anything really happening between V and Marcus. My cousin’s just a big flirt.”

Avery wasn’t so sure. “What did happen between them?” she asked.

“They dated for a while, at least until Marcus got her a tryout at Time Warner. After that, she broke it off to focus on her career, or so she said. But less than a week later, she was seeing someone else. V’s a player. She loves the limelight. She loves attention. She doesn’t love him. She never did. I’m sure Marcus understands that now.”

IN THE PRIVACY of the limo on the way to the hotel, Stephen laid into all of them. “You guys stunk it up. You do realize you will be seen by millions of people? We’re going to have to do another run through. Lucky for you, I was able to secure us another rehearsal slot, but it’s first thing in the morning, so no late nights for any of you. Marcus and Avery, whatever’s going on between the two of you, figure it out as soon as we get checked in. It’s a distraction BS can’t afford right now.”

Avery and Marcus glanced at each other briefly and nodded.

When they pulled around to the front of the Ritz, the limo driver had to show identification to pass through the barricade LAPD had erected around the perimeter. Fans swarmed around the vehicle trying to see in through the tinted glass as they passed by.

Avery shook her head.
This is
insane
, she thought.

Dwight glanced over at her. “Hey Avery, there are almost as many fan signs out there for you as there are for Marcus,” he teased.

Inside the posh hotel, Stephen checked in the group and gave each of them their room keys. He gave Marcus and Avery a pointed look but didn’t say anything more.

Marcus put his sunglasses up on his head. “I’m gonna put my stuff in my room. Then I’ll come to yours,” he told Avery before heading down the corridor.

“Sure. All right,” Avery replied, but he was already gone. She was just getting ready to insert her card in the slot when JR came by.

“Hey, Avery.”

“Hey, JR. What’s up? Wanna come in?”

“Yeah, sure.” JR moved into the room and held out his phone. “Veronica wants to know if you wanna meet up with us for drinks down in the bar in a bit.”

“Sorry I can’t, Marcus and I have plans…” She stopped when she heard the knock, and went to answer the door.

Marcus stood in the hall his eyes meeting JR’s over Avery’s head. “What’s going on?” He lifted his head in acknowledgement of his drummer, brushing past Avery as he entered the room.

“Oh, not much,” JR replied, waving his cell. “I was just showing Avery a text message from Veronica. She asked the two of us to drinks later. Avery turned us down, said you guys have plans.” He turned to leave. “Let me know if you change your mind, Avery.”

When the door clicked shut, Avery turned to look at Marcus. His expression was guarded. She could understand why he felt the need to put distance between them, physically and emotionally. He had to be wigged out after what happened between them on Vancouver Island. Maybe she should just go ahead and tell him now. “Marcus, about what happened at your parent’s place…”

“Nothing happened,” he interrupted her curtly. He leaned his head back and closed his eyes. When he opened them, his look was sharp. “Never bring that up again, Avery. Ever.”

“Ok,” she whispered, shaking her head. “What do you want me to do then, Marcus?” When he didn’t respond, she groaned in frustration. “What can I do to make things better? Just tell me, and I’ll do it.”

“You really want to help, Avery?”

She nodded.

“Then go meet JR and V for drinks. Tell her I’m interested in getting back together. Then tell me what she says. Ok?”

Could this get any worse?
She already had the image of him with that blonde burned into her brain. Now, he wanted her to play matchmaker for him with that tramp who obviously wanted to play with both of them? It was like death by a thousand cuts.
Oh, joy.
“Alright,” she managed. “I’ll text JR right now.”

Avery:
Change of plans. Can meet with you and V. Where and what time?

JR:
Great. 7 – club lounge, cu.

“Ok, all set.” Avery raised questioning eyes to Marcus, “Are we good now?”

“Sure, Ace.” He hesitated almost as if he was having second thoughts when he reached the door.

She held her breath, hoping he’d change his mind, let her explain, tell her to forget about V, but he did none of those things.

“I’ll see you in the morning,” he said instead.

“I TOLD YOU I want Pellegrino! You know how I feel about this domestic crap!” Veronica screeched at her personal assistant, Manny, a prudish middle aged man with a handle bar mustache and a receding hairline.

He cringed while she made a big production of pouring the offending beverage down the sink.

“Manny, sometimes I think that you wake up in a new world every single day.”

“Yes Miss V. Sorry Miss V,” he groveled. “I’ll get you some Pellegrino immediately.” As he scurried out of V’s palatial presidential hotel suite, he passed her stylist, Marie.

Marie put her hands on her hips and hissed at him. “I’ll get you for this, toad. I know you hid my cell phone.”

V rolled her eyes. The animosity between her two employees was constant as each vied for the top spot in her affections.

Marie drew even with V. “You called for me?”

Veronica glared at her. “Yeah, what took you so long? I called like thirty minutes ago. I’ve got cocktails with BS’s hot new guitarist at seven. Help me get ready already.”

As Marie pulled out outfits from the closet, V looked in the mirror, cataloguing her assets. One set of lush collagen injected lips… gorgeous. Two beautiful golden eyes accentuated by fake eyelashes… deadly. And the piéce de résistance… the nicest pair of double D’s money could buy. She gave her reflection a nod of approval and turned to try on clothes.

About ten outfits later, finally satisfied, V left, trailing a cloud of Dior perfume.

Marie had just about finished re-hanging all the rejected clothing when Toby showed up. Marie gave Miss V’s swarthy bodyguard slash driver a come-hither smile as he leaned against the bedroom doorframe.

“How’s it going, Marie? You sure are looking fine,” he said, slapping her on the rear.

Marie huffed, stepping past him. “I’m working. Why aren’t you with Her Highness?”

“She sent me away. Said she wanted some privacy on her date. She’s downstairs with her cousin and some girly looking guy,” he slurred, stumbling on his words.

Marie came close to him, eyes narrowing. “You’re drunk.”

“What if I am? You ain’t my mother. Besides, I’m off duty anyway. Want to go out?”

“I guess so. If you’ll help me play a little joke on Manny first. That little prick hid my cell phone, and V practically ripped me a new one when I was late getting her ready tonight.”

“Count me in. That guy gets on my nerves, thinking he’s so much better than everyone else ‘cause he gets to sign her name. What did you have in mind?”

Marie smiled wickedly. “You know, I think Manny actually fancies our Miss V. Thinks he has a shot there. So, I’m going to encourage him a little.” She held a note near his face.

Manny,
the note read in V’s handwriting,
update my Face Book page with the following message: I can’t keep it to myself anymore. M really does it for me. If he could just loosen up… show me his wild side, I’d be completely and irrevocably his…I’m thinking shirtless, collared, and in leather. A serenade would be an added bonus.

“Your handwriting looks just like V’s.” Toby dropped the note in Manny’s box. “Oh Marie, you’re an evil woman.” They snickered together as they left the suite.

IN THE RITZ Carlton Club Lounge Avery, JR, and V sat around one of the small cocktail tables. V had just polished off her third Cosmo while JR nursed a beer. Avery wearily trailed a finger through the condensation on her glass of club soda and shifted uncomfortably away from V’s overly friendly wandering fingers…again. Apparently, the vamp couldn’t take a hint.

Giving JR a pointed look, Avery nodded her head in V’s direction, subtly imploring him to give her a little help with his grab happy cousin. After having spent the past hour putting up with V’s flirting, Avery was close to screaming.

Ignoring her plight, JR typed something into his phone. Avery looked down as her text alert tone pinged.

JR:
You should see your face, A. This is priceless!

Avery started to text him back when V put a hand on her knee.
Again, really
? The woman was a menace. Kicking JR under the table, she scooted her chair away from V. Avery swore if she had to move her chair one more time tonight, she was going to end up sitting at the next table.

Currently V was too preoccupied sizing up the cute bartender to notice anything. Avery rolled her eyes and texted JR back.

Avery:
Help me u jerk! :-

JR:
I’ll try. U R just too irresistible…MAN.

“Hey V, you sure look great tonight,” JR said.

“Thanks, John.” V turned to Avery, batting her fake eyelashes. “What do you think, handsome?”