He let go of me and I went to get my stuff from the band room. The heavy metal guys had started and the thunder of their bass shook through the room. They were loud, I’d give them that. I had no idea where the hell Pete and Ferdie had gone. I’d have liked their support.
“I want you to play here,” Alex yelled after me. He followed me into the band room. “I want you to play. You have undeniable talent.”
“Whatever. I’ll take my undeniable talent elsewhere.”
“I’ll pay you. I’ll put you on a retainer. That’s a helluva a lot more than any band starting out would ever get. I’ll set you up in my rehearsal studio, mentor you.”
I glared at him. He did it. Just like I’d said, he thought he could throw money at this and fix it.
“Just tell me what you want, Dee. Name your sum, so long as you don’t play that song.”
I strode across the small space until I was millimetres away from him. I could sense the beat of his heart, the tension of his body. I wanted to speak but knew the emotions welling up in me made that impossible.
Instead, I smacked him as hard as I could across the face.
“Your money is no good to me. It’s dirty money. ‘Fifteen Minutes of Sunshine’ was Jake’s song and now it’s mine.”
The thud of my heart almost drowned out the noise of the metal dudes on stage. I stood, glaring at Alex. He glared back at me. My chest twanged and it wasn’t just hatred or anger.
“Dee, you don’t know what that song means.”
I stepped closer, forcing him to move back. If anyone was doing the intimidating here, it would be me.
“It’s a love song. Do you know what it means? Have you ever loved anyone, Alex, other than yourself? Have you even given one tiny, weeny fuck about anyone else?”
Alex
I’d not been lying when I’d told Dee I wanted her to play at the club. With her looks and her sound, she’d pull in the punters like crazy. There was nothing emotional or personal in that. It was just good business. It was all about the music and getting bums on seats — well, bums through the door anyway.
When I tried to get to sleep though, all I could see was the way Dee’s hips moved when she played, the guitar grinding against her as though she was making love to it. She’d been cute as a kid, a pretty little blond thing, but she’d changed into something else. Sharp cheekbones replaced the chipmunk cheeks. The platinum hair contrasting with the dark, smouldering eyes and red, red lips. How many times had she been kissed? Because those lips were made for kissing, that was certain.
I wondered if she was dating Pete. If she wasn’t, he was working on it. He looked like he wanted to wrap her in a blanket and hide her away from the world. His gaze upon her had been territorial, and he wanted her a million miles away from me.
Since I couldn’t slee
p anyway, I threw on some clothes and went out for a walk. The city was just coming to life with the first rays of light hitting the buildings.
A couple of drunks loitered outside my building. I glared at them until they moved on. Surely the concierge should deal with things like that.
I tried to think of a way to win her over. Money wasn’t going to work; she’d made sure I knew that in no uncertain terms. I’d never win her trust, not now. She wouldn’t even listen to me.
Pete, on the other hand, so long as he knew I didn’t have my eyes on Dee, would be easily persuaded. If he thought it’d advance his career, he’d do what it took. And, once I had Pete on board, he could take on the task of persuading Dee.
A cafe across the road was opening its doors for business. I walked in and ordered an espresso. I’d never noticed this place before, even though it was near the club. It was all polished wood and gleaming metal. The guy behind the counter had a huge hipster beard, so I figured the coffee would be decent. If hipsters were good for anything, it was making coffee.
I chatted to him while he set up and told him to swing by the club and catch some of the bands. That got me my coffee for free.
So, first order of business was to talk to Pete. He was still angry with me but he knew more about the situation than Dee would ever be allowed to find out. He’d never breathe a word to besmirch her memory of Jake as the perfect brother. I’d not even think of mentioning it to him. He knew.
If I sweetened the deal, Pete’s anger would soon fade.
I had no idea how to find him, though. Maybe he’d gone back home but I saw no reason why Dee would travel all this way just to play one gig. She had some demented master plan to get me, that much was true. She was temptation wrapped in a helluva nice package but she’d never forgive me and never trust me. It didn’t matter how much her eyes smouldered, those eyes would only ever look at me with contempt.
I sat at the bench, swirling the dregs of my coffee around in the bottom of the cup. Then I had a thought and got my phone out. I knew someone who might have Pete’s number.
It took a while for her to answer. I was ready to leave a message when she picked up.
“Do you have any fucking idea what time it is?” Her voice was heavy with sleep and anger at being woken up.