His brown eyes flash with anger. He sits up, leaning forward with his elbows on his knees, his face close to mine. “Let’s get one thing straight. You never made me choose anything. The minute Dex betrayed you, he betrayed me, the band, all of us. He made us choose. And you thinking I should get in touch with him…Jesus Christ.” He shakes his head. “I don’t even know Dex anymore. I’m not sure I ever did, and call me insane, but I could never call a guy who would betray his own sister, the way Dex did to you, a friend. So, are we done here?”
Swallowing past my emotions, I nod.
Cale takes my face in his hands. “Good. I got your back, Ly, always. I won’t let anyone hurt you ever again. And I know you think you don’t have a big brother anymore, but you do, right here.”
I place my hands over his. “Thanks, Cale.”
“Anytime, Ly.” He kisses my forehead and releases me. Getting to his feet, he says, “So, are we going to this bar or what?”
Shaking my head, I laugh at him. “Absolutely. Lead the way, big bro.”
A Few Days Later—Vintage’s Apartment, LA
“Tom Carter?”
“Yes. Tom Carter.”
“You mean, Tom Carter, bass player for The Mighty Storm. That Tom Carter?”
“Yes, Lyla, that Tom Carter.” Dina’s starting to sound a bit frustrated with me.
Which I understand because I sound like a broken record right now. It’s just that my head keeps rejecting what she’s telling me, refusing to stick.
“Tom Carter…but I don’t understand.”
“What’s there to understand? Tom is taking my place as your tour manager.”
It seems Zane decided not to give us the news as I’m hearing it from Dina.
But Tom Carter. Total mut. Hits on me every time I see him.
He is the epitome of mut.
“So, Tom Carter is going to be our manager. He’ll be coming on tour with us?”
Dina laughs, but I hear exasperation in it. “For the last time, Lyla, yes! Tom is now your manager, and he will be touring with you for the next six weeks.”
Crappity crappola.
Tom Carter.
God help me.
I didn’t even know Tom worked for TMS Records. Of course, he’s one-fourth of The Mighty Storm, but I thought that’s where his association ended. TMS Records is Jake’s business. Tom is just the bass-playing mut, who will stick his dick in anything that has a pulse and a vagina. Actually, I don’t think he’d care if it had a pulse.
Meow. Saucer of milk needed at Lyla’s table.
“Call me stupid, but I don’t understand why Tom is going to be our manager. He’s not a manager. He’s a musician.”
Dina lets a breath out on the other side of the line. “And Jake Wethers is a singer in a band. He is also the owner of the kick-ass label I work for, the same one your band is signed to.” She changes the tone in her voice to business. “I know what you’re thinking, Lyla, but this is Jake’s call, and he rarely makes the wrong call. He trusts Tom, so we trust Tom. I won’t question Jake on his decision. He’s got enough to deal with at the moment. And Zane backs him on this.”
She’s right. Now, I feel like a total bitch for whining about this.
Jake’s fiancée, Tru, along with her bodyguard and best friend were in a serious car accident a few weeks ago. Even worse, Tru was pregnant at the time of the accident. Their baby boy was born early by C-section. Thankfully, he was fine. But Tru was in a coma for a week.
She’s okay now and on the mend, and their baby, JJ, is doing really well. But Jake has had a terrible time, and I’m not about to go bother him about my worries over Tom being our manager.
I’ll just have to suck it up.
“I’m sorry,” I utter. “I didn’t mean to sound ungrateful and whiny.”
“You didn’t sound like either, Lyla. I get your concerns. I do. They crossed my mind when Zane told me, but Jake wouldn’t make any decision that could jeopardize this tour for you. He rates you guys really highly. He wants the best for you, like I do.”
That warms me right up. “You’re right. Six weeks with Tom as our manager will be…fine. A piece of cake.” I’m trying to sound confident, but I don’t feel it.
“You’ve got this, Lyla. And I don’t think Tom will be…well, um, Tom. Not while he’s working with you guys. There’s a lot riding on this tour. Tom’s a lot of things, but he wouldn’t let Jake down.”
“No, he wouldn’t,” I agree.
Well, I’m not sure that I actually agree. I don’t know Tom that well, but on each occasion that I’ve met him, he’s hit on me every single time. Each time, I turned him down. He didn’t seem to like that so much. I got the impression that women don’t turn Tom down.
Well, this woman did.
I might recognize that Tom is hot, very hot, but I’m not about to change my views over a really hot guy.
Especially not Tom, the biggest mut the world has seen.
My virginia is closed for business. Virginia is my nickname for my vajayjay.
“So, you’ve got this?” Dina asks.
“I’ve got this.” I smile for no one’s benefit but my own. “I’ll let the boys know. Sonny will freak. Tom’s his idol.”
Dina laughs. “Yeah? Well, let’s hope Sonny never reaches the stats that Tom has.”
That makes me laugh. “I don’t know, Dina. Sonny is already well on his way.”
The door to the apartment opens, and the boys all pile in, pizza and beer in hand.
“The boys just got home. Talk to you soon?”
“Absolutely. I’ll check in with you and see how things are going.”