AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“It’s just one more, Maggie,” Jude wassaying.
“Who?” she said. “What’s his name?” She was on an iPad, and hadn’t even noticed meyet.
I just stood there next to Jude, and when he said, “Todd Becker,” Maggie glanced up, her faceblank.
Then she sawme.
And her pretty face frostedover.
“Oh, hell no. How did he get in here?” Her striking, gray-eyed gaze stabbed at Jude. “Youlet him inhere?”
“Have I ever asked you for a favor, Maggie May?” Jude repliedcalmly.
“Oh, don’tMaggie Mayme, Jude. You neverMaggie Mayme.”
“So you can see how important this is,” hesaid.
“Brody will fire me,” she hissed. “Andyou.” She didn’t even look at me as she said it, as if doing so might speed up the firing process. Instead she stared Jude down—not easy to do, since Jude was huge and she was tiny. The two of them reminded me of that Looney Tunes cartoon with the bulldog and thekitten.
“Never gonna happen, darlin’,” Jude drawled. “And all I’m asking you to do is look the otherway.”
“Don’tdarlin’me either,” she said. “What you’re asking me to do is tell Liv and Brody and the band that we need to keep filming, which is not my call. We’ve already wrapped for theday.”
Liv.
Someone else I knew, from way back. Liv Malone was a crazy-talented director who’d directed Dirty’s first video, and I knew she’d worked with the band on a lot of projects over the years. She’d also directed the video for Jesse’s solo album version of “Dirty Like Me”—one of the most popular rock videos ever. If she was directing this shoot, that could work in my favor, maybe. Liv and I had always been cool. That was back then, though; I hadn’t seen her inyears.
“Let me see Liv?” I asked. “Please.”
Maggie looked at me, finally. The full force of her sharp gray eyes bore into me. Then she glared at Jude again. “This is on you,” she said, but kind of sighed as she turned and strode from the room, like she knew it reallywasn’t.
“Don’t worry,” Jude told me. “She’s a kitten.” Then he grinned halfway, and as he followed her out the door, he added, “Stay the fuckhere.”
Not a problem. I wasn’t goinganywhere.
The door was still open, and I could see up a short hallway. A few people passed by, but no one noticed me as I waited,alone.
I looked around the office; it was a typical bar office. Cheap office furniture and a safe. A bunch of tattered band posters wallpapered the walls. I stared at one of them. It was a picture of Elle, the cover of her solo album from a few years back.ELLEit said, in big gold letters. Then the title of the album in black underneath:BOLD.
She was standing against a white wall, wearing skin-tight white jeans and a white tank top. Her hair was smoothed down over one shoulder and her lips were cherry-red. She was staring out at me, all sass andconfidence.
I stared back at her for a moment, the way I always did when I saw herpicture.
Then I turnedaway.
I took my Gibson from its case and strapped it on, and I started to play, practicing a bit. I kept it quiet, not wanting to drawattention.
When I looked up again, Elle was there—in theflesh.
She was standing in the hallway, talking with Ashley Player, lead singer of the Penny Pushers. Clearly, neither of them had seenme.
The Pushers often toured with Dirty, and I could only guess that Ash was here because of Dylan; I knew the two of them were best friends. But it wasn’t Dylan he was talking with now, in low, hushed tones—and standing really fucking closeto.
I watched as Ash put his hands on Elle’s slim waist. As his fingers curled into her. I couldn’t read the exact mood of the conversation, but it seemed…intimate.
I looked away, a heartburn feeling rising up in my throat. I swallowed. My hands were starting to sweat and I had to stop playing to rub them off on myjeans.
It was a challenging song. Especially when I hadn’t played it in years and my hands werewet.
