That made the panic rise in me. Where the hell was he? It'd be premature to start ringing hospitals. I paced around the room. The clock was ticking and I really wanted those pair shots. They were the ones we'd use for the club promos.
Alex changed for another shot. As he peeled his t-shirt off, I couldn't help but watch. I'm only human. He had a stomach that any woman would want to lick. You just had to wonder what it would taste like.
Val nudged me. "He's hot property, that one. And the camera loves him. He could be a model."
"Don't steal my rockers," I told her.
Alex put on a longer coat. Val set up a wind machine so that the coat blew out behind him. The effect was amazing. They'd put some different makeup on him and he looked almost unearthly. Like the kind of vampire you wouldn't mind biting you. I watched the photoshoot for a while, constantly checking my phone for a message from Razer.
A bang made me turn. Razer stood in the doorway. At least he wasn't dead or injured.
He sat down beside me. No apology. No explanation.
"What happened to you? You're late."
He shrugged. "An emergency turned up with the band."
"An emergency?" I rolled my eyes. "An emergency your bandmates knew nothing about when I called them?"
He flinched a little from my icy tone. As well he should. I gave him the once over. The ruffled hair, the crumpled clothes, the creased face. He'd just woken up.
"Sorry, Violet, I didn't realize this was so important to you."
I stood up and shot him a death stare.
"It's not important to me. It's important to you."
Chapter 24 RAZER
I FUCKED UP. NO TWO ways about it. I'd fucked up big time. Violet didn't even give me a chance to explain, she just swept off leaving me to stew in my own juices. The contempt that flashed in her eyes cut me to the bone.
It wasn't like I'd meant to be late to the photoshoot. I just hadn't realized it was that important. The way I'd heard it, a friend of Vi's was dropping by the bar for the afternoon and so we should come over some time after 2.00. That was fluid and not a firm commitment.
Apparently, it was a firm commitment. A very firm one.
The night before, the guys and I had been working on the song I’d written for Violet. I wanted to get it perfect. We wouldn’t be playing it at the warm-up gigs but I wanted to make it the highlight of the competition. The last song I played. Even if I lost the competition, she'd remember that song and she'd know how I felt about her.
We'd cracked a few beers and played half the night.
Afterward, I'd walked home in the darkness of 3 am. The heat still rose from the street and the sound of someone playing blues music came out of an apartment somewhere. I walked and walked, dreaming about how Violet would react when I played that song. The song would reach in and grab her by the heart, shattering all those walls she'd built up. It'd be my chance to make her happy. Having her in my arms, smiling and with the world-weary look gone from her face, that was the image in my mind. And, sure, she was wearing those tiny little shorts she had on in her office and a singlet top stretched tight across her tits, because if you are daydreaming you need those details.
I'd crashed out when I got home, exhausted from rehearsal and walking.
You can bet I set the alarm on my phone. Honest to God, I did. I’d planned to get up early and get myself all spiffed up for the photoshoot. But the bloody thing hadn't gone off. The battery on my phone had gone flat. I never remember to plug it in. I’d had no idea of the time until I jumped up and checked the clock on the oven.
Even then, thinking the time was fluid-like, I didn't panic. I chucked on some clothes I had lying on the floor and headed down to the bar.
Whoa, you'd have thought I'd killed a man from the reaction.
And that bastard Alex was all primped up like a Sunday roast. Wearing makeup, with an entire wardrobe of clothes to pick from. I had the clothes on my back and they were none too clean.
The chick doing the shoot though, Val, she was a sweetie. She did some photos of me and Alex together. I must've looked as rough as shit but I guess that's what it was about – pretty boy Alex vs rough as guts me. I couldn't get all dolled up like that even if I tried. I'd feel like a total cock.
Violet left during the shoot. I didn't see her leave. Never got a chance to talk to her. All I knew was that I'd done the exact opposite to what I'd wanted to do. Instead of making her happy, I'd put more worries on her.
"Smile," said Val. "We're trying to make this one a happy shot."
But all I could do was sneer.