Page 7 of Willow

“So sorry to bother you, Mr. Morris. I have a William Tucker on the phone, and he claims it’s urgent he talks to you.” Damn, Bill’s the head of my A & R Department. If he’s calling me it must be important.

“I’ll grab it now. Thanks.” I click off our call and push the red flashing button.

“Bill, this is unexpected. What’s up?” I like that I can be casual with him under any circumstances. More so than the others on the board.

“I tried the home line and obviously I was directed to your office. I apologize for my abrupt call but it couldn’t wait. Did you hear thatRebel Riotbroke their contract withAriaand are seeking a new record label? It would be perfect timing for us to jump on them. Are you game?”

I’d love to say fuck yeah, but then I think of Zander Stone. The most egotistical asshole on the face of the planet. He’s the lead man and has the kind of voice that makes all the girls come in their jeans, but still. Do I want the headaches? Bill must be reading my thoughts. “Caleb, before you nix the idea, just think about it. If we don’t act fast, we could potentially lose millions.”

I agree. First I need to find out why they broke their contract after so long. That’s the worrisome part. “Before I agree to this, do you have any idea why they broke their contract?”

“Oh, I sure do. Breach of contract, fraud, and embezzlement.Ariafucked up big time by holding back some of their royalties. Apparently, it’s been going on for a few years.” I can’t help whistling through my teeth. Wow, how idiotic could they be? They just lost their most profitable client because of a stupid, stupid mistake.

“Well, after a stunt like that I wouldn’t be surprised if they go bankrupt. If the embezzlement charges stick, someone will be going to jail. I have a meeting withThe Sinful Sevenat one. If you could come by later, we could make some calls and get the ball rolling.”

“Perfect. I’ll be there between two and three and have Roger meet us there, too. We can draw up a tentative contract so if their agent agrees, we could have them signed by end of day.”

I hope I don’t live to regret this decision, because dollar signs are dancing before my eyes.

5

WILLOW

I’m still smiling.We all are when we walk into Caleb’s office. Mrs. C’s surprise put us all in a great mood and I’m hoping we can leave the same way we came in. Happy. Tour business is never fun, but so necessary.

“Have a seat and then we can get started. Is everyone excited for theResilienttour?” Caleb smiles, leaning against his desk with his legs crossed at the ankles. Yeah, he noticed I’m wearing the bracelet he gave me. I was stunned when I discovered the inscription. “She's resilient enough to change her course in the midst of the storm.”There are so many questions running through my mind. Did he choose the line because it’s the lyrics to our new song, or because he told me I was resilient? God, if he only knew it had a double meaning.

“We’re feeling good about this one,” Lucas chimes in. “With one under our belt we know what to expect and what to avoid.”

Quinn, being our PR manger and Caleb’s former employee, is quick to voice her concerns. “Before we proceed, I want it written in stone that we have the best security in place. I won’t tolerate what happened at the last concert.” Jet was attacked after one of the concerts due to deplorable security.

“You can rest assured, I’ve handled the situation. Steve’s in charge and he’s confident that all of the trouble you had previously will never happen again. No more assaults or insubordination of any kind will take place on his watch. You have my word.”

“With all due respect, Caleb, I’d like to call a meeting with Steve so I can talk to him personally. Could you arrange that for me?” This is the reason we stole Quinn away from Caleb after theDistractiontour. Quinn will always have our best interest at heart. It doesn’t matter that she’s with Jet, she has had our backs from the get-go and she’ll always continue.

“Of course. I’d be surprised if you hadn’t asked for a meeting. Let’s continue. I took the liberty of printing out the itinerary so it’s easier to go over. I’ve also sent all of you an email with it attached.” Instead of staying seated and handing the itineraries to pass down, he stands and walks around to hand one to each of us. It might not sound like a big deal, but it is. Especially, when he squeezes my shoulder while setting down the schedule in front of me. My heart races at the contact.

I know it’s necessary to go over our tour itinerary since we’re doing another month-long gig on the back end forCoins of Change. It’s the charity that Jet started at the end of our last tour. With that said, I’d rather be playing a gig than planting my ass in the chair for hours on end. So damn boring. It’s like watching paint dry.

Somewhere between point A and point B, I zone out. Instead, I’ve been eye fucking Caleb Morris as he struts around the room. In my defense, his designer slacks fit him like a glove and don’t leave anything to the imagination. Every detailed line, curve of his tight ass, and swell of his impressive package is outlined to perfection. I blame it on the fact that I haven’t gotten laid in months. It’s not my fault that my fuck buddy and bandmate, Jet, hooked up with Quinn and left me high and dry.

I refuse to believe that I’m eyeballing him simply because he gave me a birthday present. Seriously, I looked it up online and almost freaked when I realized how much he paid for my bracelet. He spent four figures and he doesn’t even know me. I’m not a materialistic girl, we all need it to survive. Mom thought it was a very generous gift, and that he gave it to me because we’re partners in the wedding. She said it might be his way of breaking the ice so it’s not awkward when Saturday rolls around.

Unfortunately, I wasn’t able to thank him for the beautiful inscription after the meeting. He had another client waiting in the lobby. That didn’t stop him from placing his hand at the small of my back as he guided me out the door. I’ll make sure to let him know at the rehearsal dinner since it was a very thoughtful thing for him to do.

I wonder if Lucas knows about the inscription, since he wrote the lyrics. And, yes, he reluctantly admitted that he wrote the lyrics with me in mind. Not that I pressured him into telling me or anything. Having a song written about me, no matter how sad and melancholy it is, was the kindest gift he could have ever given me. It’s something that I will cherish as long as I live. The fact that it will be around long after I’m gone is priceless. Now, if I can only live up to the beautiful lyrics Lucas wrote just for me.

“You guys in the mood to go back to my house and jam for the next few hours or do you have other plans?” Trevor sounds as desperate for company as I do on occasion.

“Quinn and I don’t have any plans until later. I’d love to loosen up the fingers for a bit.” With a quirk of his brow, he makes Quinn blush.

“Abby and I are free. We can pick up where we left off the other day, just like old times. Instead of bothering Mrs. C, we’ll call for takeout. It’ll be great to just play and chill.”

“Great. Willow and I will head out now and set everything up so it’ll be ready when you guys get there.”

“Catch you in a few,” I say over my shoulder as Trevor and I head out.

I should have known Trevor had an ulterior motive. When we pull out of the drive he turns and looks at me. “Is there something you’re not telling me about you and Caleb?” Is he fucking serious?

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