Page 122 of Snared

While I could do most of my job remotely at this point, I needed an office, and LA had always been a good fit and close to everything—contacts, clients, celebrities.

But not Charlie.

I was so fucking gone for that woman—my wife. I still couldn’t believe she was mine. After I’d held to my promise of taking her on every surface in her small apartment, I’d flown out to LA. The last time I’d been at my place was when we were on tour, when Charlie had stayed in my condo—and eventually, in my bed.

Fuck, I missed her.

How she called me out on all my shit. How we laughed at the same spots in the movies we watched together. The little sound she made when we were making out backstage and she was trying to be quiet, the screams she let out when we were alone and volume meant nothing.

My cock hardened.

We’d messaged back and forth daily and had a few FaceTimes that quickly turned dirty every time.

I’d never been in a relationship like this one. It was unexpected. Refreshing. Surprising. I definitely wasn’t the same man who walked onto that bus at the start of the tour.

Hell, sometimes I missed that bus.

She clearly did a number on me, and I wasn’t even upset about it.

Only turned on.

Constantly turned on.

Which was why I met up with my realtor, Alana, yesterday. I decided to sell my condo and officially move to New York. I’d keep an office in LA and enough staff to satisfy my clients out here—mainly the Vikings—and then set up my day-to-day office in New York. It was easy enough to fly to LA when necessary.

And hopefully, I could get Charlie out here to help me find a condo for the two of us for when I did have to visit the office. I had no use for my bachelor pad, and Charlie had said it felt too cold. Yes, I could let her decorate it however she wanted, but I wanted to start fresh and have something that was always just the two of us. I wanted to show Charlie that I was invested and getting rid of my place in LA seemed like a great start.

It wasn’t realistic to convince her to move out here permanently, and I didn’t want to do a long-distance relationship. I wanted her nearby so I could have her all the time. I wanted her to be the first thing I saw in the morning and the last thing I saw at night.

Hell, I was turning into a sap. Maybe Bash and Tristan did know what they were doing after all.

Brooke, my personal assistant, had even agreed to relocate to New York, so at least I’d have her nearby. It was a win-win.

And once the Vikings were all set on their tour, I could head back to Charlie.

My phone pinged, the label checking in. I’d sent them one of the recorded songs from Steelwolf’s new album and they loved it.

I smiled. Of course, they fucking did. This album was going to be amazing, possibly their best, and I had helped do that. I’d taken them on a decade ago when they were a college town band. We’d built our careers together, pushing each other up our respective ladders.

I shot a reply back to Bill, letting him know we’d have more in the next week or so to pacify him. He’d stopped giving me shit about my marrying Charlie now that we were done with the tour and the band was recording without all the crazy drama that had followed after Vegas. At least that part was settled.

I leaned back in my chair. I loved this office, but it didn’t matter. I could get concrete and busy streets in New York, too. I zipped through the rest of my emails, making sure I hadn’t missed anything else. The Vikings were ready to go. I’d stopped by their rehearsal space yesterday to check in, and Adam, their tour manager, had everything under control. I’d built a team that I could trust over the years, and now I could comfortably set up a new home base.

Brooke poked her head into my office and interrupted my reverie. “Hey, Josh.”

“What’s up?”

“I sent you the updated endorsement contracts to look over. Let me know if I need to add anything and then I’ll get them sent over to the bands,” she said, slipping her purse strap over her shoulder.

I opened up the documents. “Thanks. I’m glad you decided to come with me to New York.”

“Like I would say no to that. I’ve always loved New York and nothing’s keeping me here. I bet Charlie is excited to have you in the same state.”

“I haven’t told her everything yet.” I wanted to surprise her.

“Got it. I’m grabbing lunch. You want anything? Oh, and Phillip Crane called. Said you owe him a bottle of the very finest scotch in all the land. His words.”

I grinned. “Oh, I know. Thanks for the message and nothing for me.”

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