Asshole that he was, Dean clearly hadn’t read the room, and Axel looked like he was about to explode.
Having been in the man’s position and knowing that ignoring Dean was best, Dash looked to the drummer. “Come on. We have better things to do than listen to his bullshit opinions.”
Axel stormed away, swinging the door open and walking inside. Dash followed, catching up to him, Jagger and Mac on his heels.
Dash paused, turning to the guys. “We need to have a meeting about him. I’m not happy and I need to know if he’s who you all want guiding us going forward.” He gestured toward the door, where they could see through the glass to the sidewalk where Dean still stood. He’d obviously made or taken a phone call. “But not now. I need focus for the people waiting to meet us.”
“We’ll talk but I’m sure we’re on the same page,” Jagger said.
“We have your back and know you have ours.” Mac’s voice was solid.
Dash nodded and turned to their drummer. “Axel. You need to know I have hers,” he said, talking about the man’s sister.
The woman Dash had deep feelings for. Deep enough that he was going to tell her everything he was ashamed of doing when he was younger.
But first he had people to meet, talk to, and support.
* * *
The sunroom of the rehab center acted as an auditorium. Dash and the band were in front of windows. Cassidy found the view of the lush, green outdoors beautiful. Despite the small area, they still set up in band formation. Amps were stacked with attention to not covering vents. The guitar speakers were on the opposite side of the drums. Bass traps were set up along with a drum shield to reduce bass frequency and drum reverberation. In a small room, no one wanted to cause hearing damage or sacrifice sound quality. All things Cassidy had learned from her brother during his musical journey.
The room filled with people of all ages and genders along with excited whispers and chatter the more crowded it became. Nate, the director, was grateful for the band’s appearance today and even more appreciative of the one-hundred-thousand-dollar donation Dash had made to each of the five sister centers around New York State.
Five hundred thousand dollars in total. Cassidy had no idea he’d done such a thing, and her heart beat harder on hearing it.
She stood in the back of the room beside the director, ignoring Dean, who was chatting up some of the staff nearby. She didn’t know why the man hated her so much beyond a disagreement or two and the fact that she didn’t fit the mold of a woman he thought a man of Dash’s status should be with.
Well, he could go fuck himself, she thought. She didn’t appreciate his attitude or how he treated her, and from the way her brother kept glaring at the man, she wasn’t alone. She already knew Dash had issues with him, too.
She had no say in who the band used as their manager and understood he’d plucked them from obscurity, helping to get them where they were today. Maybe they felt like they owed him or he was that good at his job, despite his obnoxious personality.
Cassidy told herself that she’d be gone soon, working for Sasha and company, and Dash’s need for a fake girlfriend would come to an end. Then it wouldn’t matter what Dean thought about her, so ignoring him was her best option. She rubbed her chest on the spot above her heart and blew out a long breath in an attempt to calm her racing pulse.
The strum of guitar strings had her glancing toward the stage. Axel cracked his sticks together to count for the band. And then they played. Closing her eyes, she got lost in Dash’s baritone, his voice a rich, low texture. He brought an effortless control to his distinctive sound. She tapped her foot to the beat as he sang of reaching for the stars and opening up to the universe and its myriad possibilities.
She knew the lyrics he’d written and now sang by heart because she played his music often. Not that she’d admitted as much to him. Smiling at the thought, she opened her eyes and caught him staring. At her. He snared her in his gaze and a slow smile lifted his sexy lips. One she had no doubt was meant just for her.
Warmth enveloped her and unexpected sexual arousal pulsed low in her belly as he continued to sing, that hot stare never leaving her face. Many women thought about snagging a rock star, but for now, this man was in her bed. She couldn’t help but smile back, at the same moment the band launched into a faster tune. He winked and turned to work the small stage area allotted to them.