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“There’s my wingman,” Augie said. “You’ll excuse me, but we have to go charm some of the single ladies at this bash.”
The crowd swallowed Augie, and Danny was about to ask Lauren a question about Bruno’s new band when a hand landed on her shoulder. She turned toward a man Danny recognized.
“Jon!” Lauren threw her arms around him and kissed both cheeks. “How are you? How long has it been?”
“Too long. You look amazing.”
“Liar. But I’ll take it. Jon, let me introduce you… Danny Padovano, this is Jon Bon Jovi.” She moved back slightly so Danny could reach out and shake Jon’s hand.
“Good to meet you,” Danny said. He wondered if his face looked as reverential as he though it did, and then cringed inwardly, worried he’d embarrass Lauren by looking like some dumb, starstruck fan.
“Same.”
Lauren and Jon chatted for a few minutes, sharing commentary on guitars, the party, and Bruno’s new bands. They agreed that the youngsters would figure it out—or they’d crash and burn, joining the ranks of one-hit wonders. Someone waved from the crowd, and Jon excused himself. Danny stared after him.
Lauren nudged him. “You okay?”
Startled out of his reverie, Danny half-laughed. “This is just a little surreal—”
“—Laauurrrreennnn!” DJ bellowed her name as he cut through the crowd to reach her with Ox, Stevie, and Gabby in tow.
He shouldered between Lauren and Danny, bumping him out of the way to give her a big hug. Danny scowled. While DJ hadn’t been openly hostile towards him, Danny suspected the band’s keyboardist was not his biggest fan. Augie hated him, but at least he knew where he stood on that account. Ox and Stevie had been cordial. DJ, of all the band members, had been the least welcoming.
Augie joined them a minute later and the whole band clustered together, laughing and toasting. A photographer—the only one Bruno had allowed into the party—hurried over to get a picture.
“Yes, yes!” Bruno scurried up, materializing out of thin air. “Definitely a photo of The Kingmakers together. You all look tremendous!”
Bruno took charge trying to arrange the photo to his own liking, much to the photographer’s obvious frustration, and shooed Danny and Gabby out of the way without a second glance. When Danny tensed up, Gabby laid a gentle hand on his arm.
“Gotta learn to go with the flow. If you’re going to be with her, you’ve got to be okay with taking a back seat.”
Danny’s response was an even deeper frown.
As he gathered and posed The Kingmakers, Bruno chattered on. “I can’t wait to hear what you come up with on the new project. I’m sure it will be tremendous. Dish a little for me, Lauren. How are things going?”
Lauren’s stomach tightened. How was it going? It sucked. So far, the whole album was shaping up to be an utter disaster, but she couldn’t admit that to Bruno. That would just get the rumor mill churning faster, and she couldn’t bear another article talking about the band being “past their prime.”
“Terrific,” she said. “You’ll be amazed when you hear it.”
It was a bald-faced lie, and the rest of The Kingmakers froze, smiles plastered across their faces. Lauren knew they’d be pissed at her because now they were fully on the hook. Bruno would telleveryonethat their new CD was going to be exactly that—tremendous. But she knew—as did the rest of the band—the project was shaping up to be a colossal disappointment.
ChapterThirty-Three
Bruno’s soirée was still going strong when The Kingmakers made their exit around two in the morning along with Big Mac Daddy’s front man and several others. Augie, Ox, and DJ wanted to go clubbing. Stevie and Gabby were ready to head home. Lauren and Danny wanted some quiet time together. They spilled out of the hotel entrance along with several other guests, smiling and waving while the remaining knot of die-hard photographers snapped away.
Their limo pulled up, and the driver was out in an instant to open the door. With all of them inside the limo, things were a little crowded, but everyone was laughing and in a great mood—thanks, in part, to the large amount of alcohol they’d consumed. The guys gave Danny some good-natured ribbing about him being starstruck at the party. He took it in stride, knowing that what they were saying wasn’t far from the truth.
Lauren’s world was so different from his. One day, a party like this… the next, seemingly endless hours in a studio poring over lyrics and bass lines and guitar bridges. He didn’t even want to think about what it must be like when they were on tour. But those thoughts flew out of his head when Lauren settled closer to him.
He watched as she laughed and joked with the others, completely at ease with her musical family.She was remarkable tonight, he thought.Why on earth is she with someone like me when she’s surrounded by all of them?He couldn’t think of a single good reason why Lauren would want to be with him.
“Hey,” Lauren said, obviously noticing his expression. “You shouldn’t be thinking about serious things tonight. Tonight’s all about fun.” She shifted up on her knees and to Danny’s surprise, threw one leg over him and sat in his lap. Facing him, she looked down, wrapped her arms around his neck, and kissed him. Hard. Ox let out a catcall whistle.
“Were they like this in high school?” Stevie asked.
“Pretty much,” Augie answered. “Except there are no Sisters now to keep them in check.”
“You’re just jealous.” Lauren looked over her shoulder at her cousin. “’Cause skinny little you couldn’t get any in high school.”
