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Her fire still burned just as bright, though. There was no mistaking that. She couldn’t hide it even if she tried.
I saw the way her eyes cut, and her jaw clenched each time the woman named Valerie tried to silence her. It takes someone special to command the room when it’s filled with people who have more knowledge than you in an industry, but there wasn’t a shred of fear in her eyes when she spoke.
I knew it wasn’t just me when Olivia’s mouth turned from the normal straight line to a hint of a smile. My manager is a kind woman, but when it comes to business, she doesn’t play around.
“Any day now, Knox,” Gareth calls out from our car. “I’m hungry and hungover, and unless you want to deal with the fun that comes with that combo…” he trails off.
“Yeah, yeah. Coming,” I reply, casting one last glance up at Acton PR before sliding in.
“Burgers or Pizza?” Neil asks, his eyes not leaving his phone screen. His fingers swipe across it, likely playing a game of virtual poker.
“The better question is do we want a low-key evening, or are we aiming to cause a scene?” I answer, mentally preparing myself for what I already know to be the answer.
If there is ever a chance to give the fans a random sighting, that tends to be the direction we take, especially when we aren’t being supervised.
“I’m down for some chaos if you guys are,” Ant says, a mischievous smirk already playing on his lips.
Neil groans but doesn’t argue. He rarely does. On stage, he’s all rock-n-roll, but the second we step off? He’s just Neil, a guy who wants to smoke a bowl, eat some grub, and be left alone. He’s also the grump of the group, but we love him all the same.
“Sure, whatever.”
Gareth fist-bumps Ant in agreement, and I turn my attention to the window.
“Look up some local haunts,” I say to no one in particular. “Olivia said to stay out of trouble,” which earns me a collective laugh from the boys.
We may be frequent flyers when it comes to the big apple, but that doesn’t mean it’s easy to keep up with all the hot clubs in the area.
I can’t think of one night that has started like this that didn’t end with the four of us sloshed out of our minds and our faces plastered all over every tabloid by the time the sun came up.
She knew better than that when she said it, but it’s her job to say it anyway.
“Let’s hit that Irish pub on the main drag and then play it by ear from there,” Ant suggests, and I give the nod.
My bandmates launch into a discussion about something, but I can’t seem to focus on their words. Instead, my attention is trained on the blur of buildings and cars that pass by the window. My mind is already honed in on the next time I’ll see Juliet.
Chapter Ten
Juliet
The rest of the week was a blur. Between brainstorming meetings for the music video and trying to mentally prepare myself to face Ryan again, I’m exhausted. I’ve worked harder in the last five days than ever before, and it felt damn good to have that hard work appreciated.
Max was constantly expressing his pride and excitement over what I was bringing to the team, and for once, I could see my dreams actually becoming reality. I would never have guessed that the world of music publicity would be so exhilarating.
The call with Olivia went off without a hitch, and soon the weekend came and the adrenaline of the week drained out of me faster than a frat guy shotgunning a beer. It was nearly impossible to leave my bed right now but that was just fine. I needed all the rest I could get for the shoot.
"Jules, are you seriously going to be a zombie all weekend?" Alyssa had asked when Saturday finally rolled around and I was still sporting the same pair of fuzzy pajama pants and an oversized sweatshirt as I had the night before.
"You're damn right I am," I replied, plopping down onto the sofa with a bag of cheese puffs.
My weekend was flying by way too fast, and the anticipation for the shoot made it almost impossible to relax completely.
The Chaotix shoot was scheduled for Wednesday and despite Valerie's best efforts, there was nothing on this planet that was going to keep me from being there. This was my baby, and I was going to see it through. I was going to give this everything I had to make sure Acton PR landed this deal.
The hardest task so far had been casting Ryan’s love interest. First thing Monday morning we were met with the headshots of dozens of hopefuls covering the conference table. Originally there were actually more, but this was who remained after Olivia made her cuts. I guess that’s to be expected when you need someone to play the love interest of one of the biggest rock stars in the world for their new music video.
We narrowed it down to a few options, but it was obvious that everyone was tired of staring at the endless stream of photographs.
"How about her?" Jim held up the portrait of a gorgeous brunette and wagged his eyebrows. "I'm sure Ryan would have no trouble snuggling up to this little lady for a few hours."
