American Diva (6 page)

“Who?” Lucas asked, glancing up from the contract he was studying.

Mitzi held up her gloriously red nail tips and blew on them a moment before answering. “Thrillseekers Anonymous. Remember the guys who put the Costa Rica thing together? They could do it. They do that sort of thing all the time.”

The knot in Audrey’s belly was joined by a little fluttering. She hadn’t thought of Jack Price in a while, but every time she did, she couldn’t help but think of those blue eyes and those shoulders, and Jesus, that
kiss
.

“Perfect. I’ll put in a call,” Lucas said.

“Luke, not so fast,” Audrey said quickly. “I have no idea what the expense is, or how this would work with the promoter’s security while we’re on tour or even if—”

“Leave it to me, sweetie. Remember our motto: You focus on the music, I focus on the business,” he said with a thin smile, and flipped open his cell.

“But I—”

“Just please do as I ask,” he said brusquely.

Everything in the room suddenly stilled—even Mitzi’s nail polish brush froze mid-dip in the bottle. No one breathed, no one moved, but all eyes slid to Audrey. It embarrassed her. She knew Lucas had her best interests at heart—he always had—but she hated the way he spoke to her like she was a child.

She lifted her chin. “I would really like to know more,” she said firmly.

With a snort of surprise, Lucas smiled at her. “Don’t be a drama queen, baby. Let’s just get through today’s session, and then I’ll take you to dinner and we can talk about whatever it is that’s bugging you.”

What was
bugging
her was that it was
her
name on the concert tour and the albums and the billboard charts. But years of watching her parents argue loudly in public had made Audrey the exact opposite. She couldn’t muster the courage to talk to Lucas about his tone in front of all these people, especially people who were certain to leak it to some media outlet. So she bit her tongue, nodded curtly, and turned away. Mitzi’s nail polish brush slid the rest of the way into the bottle, and Audrey could almost hear the collective breath being released.

She wished for all the world that she could be alone with Lucas and tell him exactly what she thought, but there was
never
a damn moment she was alone with him. She was constantly surrounded—she couldn’t even go to the bathroom without everyone knowing it.

So Audrey did what she always did when this happened—she walked out of the artist’s lounge and down the long hallway to the ladies’ room, the only place she could get a moment of peace.

That night, while Audrey was writing music, Lucas let himself into their hotel suite carrying a leather bag. Audrey glanced at him and decided she must be tired, because for a moment, she thought the bag was moving.

It
was
moving—Lucas had brought her a small, furry, black-and-white-haired dog. “It’s a toy Havanese,” he said. “I named him Bruno.” It was a gift, he explained, for the mix-up about the security this afternoon.

“But . . . but I don’t want a dog, Lucas,” Audrey said, staring at the little thing. “I’m about to go on tour.”

“That’s why I got you this carrying case,” he said, holding up the bag.

“Thanks . . . but I don’t want a dog.”

Lucas looked at the dog, then at Audrey. “Wow. You sure know how to cut a guy off at the knees. I am just trying to make it up to you. I’ll go see if they will take him back.”

He looked so hurt by her refusal that, against her better judgment, Audrey stopped him. “No, don’t. He’s cute,” she said, and smiled when Lucas grinned and handed her the dog.

 

 

On the morning of the day Lucas Bonner would meet with TA about security—something they told him they did
not
do, but had agreed, thanks to Mitzi, to at least hear the guy out—Jack saw a picture of Bonner with Audrey on the front page of the
Star,
running into the very popular Twist nightclub in L.A. The caption read,

Jack looked at the line ahead of him—four deep and a woman in front of him with a cart piled high. He glanced surreptitiously behind him—the woman was trying to wrestle her toddler out of the shopping cart.

He sheepishly reached for the magazine and opened it up quickly, folding back the cover so no one would think he was actually reading the
Star
.

 

Jack quickly closed the rag and put it back on the rack, and only then noticed the woman behind him was reading over his shoulder. “I really like her music,” she offered when Jack looked at her curiously.

“Yep,” Jack said, and quickly turned around, feeling like an idiot.

Later that afternoon, when Lucas Bonner was in the TA offices, Jack discovered the man set his teeth on edge, and he couldn’t figure out why. Granted, he wasn’t crazy about Bonner’s manner—it seemed false to Jack somehow. And it annoyed him that when talking about Audrey’s security needs, he kept saying
we
.

He wondered how a woman as beautiful and vibrant as Audrey LaRue could have ended up with this guy. They didn’t seem to match. Bonner was too intense for her.

What he wanted was a security detail for Audrey LaRue during her nationwide tour this summer, and Mitzi had led him to believe that TA staged security details just like they staged extreme adventures.

“We’ve had a couple of scary encounters with fans, a few threatening letters, and then there was the break-in at our condo. The police are investigating that, but we’d still like to take an extra precaution,” Bonner said. “Those letters are giving us the creeps.”

“Wait . . . did you
both
get letters?” Michael asked, confused by Bonner’s liberal use of the word
we
.

“Well, no . . . Audrey did.”

“Aha,” Michael said, and frowned a little disdainfully. “So . . . what do you need from us?” he asked.

“I’m not sure,” Bonner said, leaning back in his chair. “All I know is that we can’t walk out our door without flashes going off and people screaming for autographs. Anyone could get to us.”

Us?
Did this guy really think anyone was dying to get to
him
?

“And besides, personal security is pretty standard fare nowadays. Britney has twenty-four/seven security. Lindsey and Mariah, too. It just makes good sense.”

“Security is not really our scene,” Cooper said.

“Right . . . but you
know
security,” Bonner insisted. “You do all those adventures with people as famous as we are.”

The TA guys all exchanged a look.

“Don’t worry about the cost,” Bonner added confidently. “We’d rather feel safe than worry about a few bucks here and there.”

How nice for Audrey that this guy wasn’t worrying about spending her money.

“We don’t do security, but we’ll talk about it,” Eli reiterated, and stood up, indicating the meeting was over. “We’ll give you a call.”

Bonner stood, too, and shook each of their hands. “I look forward to working with you guys. Mitz says you’re the best.” He walked to the door.

Mitzi lingered and whispered to Cooper, “Just think about it. Promise me you’ll
think
about it.”

“Right,” Cooper said, moving her to the door.

When they finally went out, and the door shut behind them, Michael turned around and shook his head. “What a waste of time.”

“There are a dozen great security firms in town,” Cooper chimed in. “Why us?”

“Because of you, Jessup,” Eli said to Cooper. “You know Mitzi has a thing for you. This is her ticket into your pants.”

“No way,” Coop said instantly, shaking his head. “I have a girlfriend, and even if I didn’t, I don’t do publicists. You know what happened the time I dated Leslie.”

“Don’t tell it again,” Eli said quickly. “I swear to God I can’t hear it again without laughing my ass off. The last time you told it, I laughed so hard it damn near killed me.”

“Too bad that’s the gig,” Michael said as he crossed to the little fridge they kept stocked with beer. “I was hoping for something really cool. Volcano diving, maybe.”

“Yeah, too bad,” Eli agreed, ignoring Cooper’s glare. He squinted absently at a lamp. “I have to admit, I kind of like that new song Audrey’s got out.”

Jack paused in what he was doing and looked at the man he’d known all his life, since they were kids growing up in West Texas.

A man who, apparently, he really didn’t know at all.

“You like ‘Frantic’?” he asked incredulously. “You like a song that says, ‘
I’m frantic cuz I can’t stop loving you, baby, oh oh oh oh
’?”

“Yeah, so?” Eli said defensively. “I
like
it! At least I’m not the one who’s memorized the lyrics.”

Jack shook his head and turned back to what he was doing. “I can’t help but know them. There is a radio at the hangar and they play that damn song twenty times a day if they play it once. But hey, whatever floats your boat, there, pal,” he said, holding a hand up to Eli. “Personally, I liked her better when she did alternative rock in dive joints around Austin.”

“Austin?” Michael said, looking up from his rummage through the refrigerator for some beer.

“Five, six years ago, she was a staple in the live music scene there,” Jack said. “I used to catch her gig when I was home. Really good stuff—not the pop shit she’s singing now.”

“Yeah, well, alternative rock doesn’t make the billions of dollars pop makes. But as far as us getting into the security business, it’s a no, right?”

“Right,” Eli said instantly at the same time Cooper said, “Absolutely.”

When Jack didn’t chime in, the three turned and looked at him.

“What’s on your mind, Price?” Eli asked.

What was on his mind was a teeny portion of those billions. This sort of gig could be a piece of cake, really. He knew a couple of guys who did it for a living. He could manage the thing for a substantial cut, and besides, he worked security in the service. He could really use a nice infusion of cash for his flight school.

There was one other thing. He could not stop thinking about that kiss on the beach in Costa Rica. “I’m just thinking out loud now,” he warned them. “You know I’ve got this little project going on, and I could use some serious cash—along the lines of a million—to pump into it.”

Michael whistled, but Cooper rolled his eyes. “That’s not a little project, dude. That’s a big damn deal. Flight schools aren’t cheap.”

No one knew that better than Jack. But it was what he wanted, and he was determined. “I’m just throwing the idea out there,” he said. “If you guys could spare me for the summer, I could use the cash.”

Cooper gaped at him. Eli smiled a little. And Michael, always the numbers guy, said, “How much do you think they are willing to cough up for security?”

“I don’t know. But I am thinking enough that I could make up a substantial chunk of the mil I need.”

“What the hell, Jack?” Cooper exclaimed with a frown. “You’re not
seriously
considering—”

“You know how else I can get to a mil, Coop? I could really use the money. We do great with TA, don’t get me wrong. But it’s not enough to get me that flight school.”

“You’re crazy,” Cooper said with a snort. “Do you have any idea how much
work
goes into providing security for someone like Audrey LaRue?”

He couldn’t imagine Audrey would be any trouble at all. He’d handled her easily enough on that beach a few weeks ago. And besides, all it really needed was assembling the right people to do the job. “You know I did security in the service. And remember Ted Evans? He does this for a living. I would use his group if he’s willing to do it.”

“You’re kidding,” Michael said disbelievingly when it was clear Jack was really serious.

“Look, we’re not signed for any films this summer, and you guys can handle the business for three months without me. Like I said, I could really use the cash, assuming Guitar Boy is authorized to spend his girlfriend’s money like he says he is. If you’re okay with covering for me, I am going to give Ted a call and then Bonner and see what I can work out.”

Jack’s three partners looked at one another, then at him. Eli shrugged. “I’m okay with it,” Michael said.

Cooper groaned. “It’s always something with you!” he said. “But what the hell? Whatever blows your skirt up.”

Jack grinned. “Thanks, guys,” he said. “You won’t even know I’m gone.”