Page 9 of Rock Hard
Chapter Four
Alice sipped her coffeeand stared out at the incredible view. It felt strange, having a suite of her own. Rex had always wanted her close by in an adjoining room in case he “needed” something. Rexalwaysneeded something.
Johnny wasn’t nearly as demanding. For as big of a star as he was, he was a very quiet, soft-spoken guy off stage. Unlike Rex, Johnny wasn’t into the scores of adoring fans or insane trash-the-hotel parties when he was on tour. He preferred to decompress in a quiet, low-lit space after a high-energy performance. He said it kept him grounded.
The last three months had flown by. Johnny’s former assistant had made a mess of things, and it had taken Alice a while to straighten it all out. Now that everything was running like a finely tuned machine, she found herself with more time to sit and reflect.
That wasn’t necessarily a good thing. Having time to think meant actually thinking about things she didn’twantto think about, facing truths she didn’t want to face. She preferred to be busy, concentrating on someone else’s needs. Taking care of someone else’s life was a lot easier than taking care of her own.
Rex hadn’t contacted her once since the day she had left. Alice had conflicting feelings about that. On the one hand, she saw it as a positive. It certainly simplified things and made for less stress in her life. Focusing on Johnny would have been more difficult if Rex had been calling, texting, or hell, even showing up on her doorstep.
Not thatthatwould ever happen. Doing so would imply he actually cared for her, and he had made it very clear he didn’t.
On the other hand, some part of her had foolishly hoped he would have made some kind of attempt. That her abrupt departure would have resulted in a minor epiphany on Rex’s part, making him realize she wasn’t so easily replaced. That maybe he did see her as more than someone who scheduled his hair appointments and interviews and photo shoots.
That hadn’t happened, though, and the fact that it hadn’t was one of those things she didn’t like thinking about.
At least she knew Carly missed her. They video-chatted nearly every day, even if it was only for a few minutes. They kept each other up to date on what was happening in their lives. Carly told her about her latest independent study projects, and Alice told Carly about all the wonderful places she was getting to see. With Rex, she had always been too busy catering to his needs to do any sightseeing, but Johnny insisted upon it, often donning a disguise to accompany her.
In those daily conversations, Alice never asked about Rex. Sometimes Carly mentioned him, though.
Like last night, for example. After hearing Rex’s series of angry roars through the connection, Carly had confirmed that Rex’s tour wasn’t going well. It had been plagued by one problem after another. More than once, Rex’s pre-show demands hadn’t been met, and he had refused to perform until they were.
Apparently, things weren’t much better off stage, either. Carly had told her that there had been a parade of assistants since she had left. Most didn’t last more than a few days. Either they quit, unable to handle Rex’s foul temper, or Rex fired them when they failed to meet his lofty expectations.
Alice wasn’t proud of it, but she had taken some satisfaction in hearing that. Being Rex Løve’s PA was a thankless, difficult job, unsuitable for anyone who didn’t have thick skin, a global list of contacts, and a knack for getting seemingly impossible things done. The only reason she had put up with it for as long as she had was because she was in love with the narcissistic bastard.
And Carly, too.
Rex’s daughter was one of the main reasons she had tried to stick it out. Alice had never really had a family of her own, and Carly was like the little sister she’d always wanted. Being on the road so many months of the year and being the quiet, smart girl she was, Carly didn’t make a lot of friends. It hadn’t mattered because they’d had each other, but now, Alice worried for her. Sure, they still talked every day, but that wasn’t quite the same as being there.
If things went according to plan, Alice would get to see her again soon.
Rex’s band and Johnny were scheduled to perform at the upcoming Animals of Rock tour. The daylong event included seven big names and seven up-and-comers, sure to draw record-breaking crowds. The back-to-back show schedule would be fast-paced and chaotic, and with luck, she and Carly could spend most of the day together while everyone else was otherwise engaged.
She hadn’t told Carly about it yet, hoping to surprise her, preferably when Rex was performing and there was little to no chance she would run into him. Rex always made everything about him, and Alice didn’t want to spoil a much-needed day of shopping and girl talk with any of that.
She sighed, reminding herself that it was for the best. That distancing herself from that kind of toxicity was not only good, but healthy.
Johnny was thoughtful and generous, as well as a sympathetic ear when she needed one. He was also her oldest and dearest friend.
“Come in,” she called in response to the soft knock at her door. “Well, think of the devil and he appears.”
Johnny grinned, gifting her with the sexy, predatory half-smile that had cemented his place in many a woman’s (and man’s) private spank bank. It wasn’t intentional, though. It was just his feline nature.
“Good thoughts, I hope?”
“Of course. Is that what I think it is?” She looked pointedly at the rolling cart he had pulled in behind him. It was covered in white linen with a huge silver domed serving dish on top.
“Maybe.” He lifted the lid, revealing an assortment of every type of breakfast food imaginable. “I wasn’t sure what you were feeling today, so I got one of everything.”
“You could have just asked,” she told him, smiling back in amusement.
“What’s the fun of that? Besides, you know how I feel about wasting food. I’ll feel compelled to be a responsible citizen and finish off whatever you can’t.”
She laughed. “Devious.”
“Hey, I’m a panther. Sneaky is what I do.”
