Page 25 of Fire

“He represents a few of them, yeah,” he answers. “But the band as a whole has their own manager, Ridge, who you’ll meet on tour. My dad is just helping facilitate a few things.”

“Like a doctor?”

“Yeah.” He smiles. “Like a doctor.”

“Why does the tour need a doctor, exactly?” I ask, watching as he leans back in his chair. He seems to swallow the whole room with his presence. I can’t tell if it’s his tall, muscular frame. Or just him. But either way, my office has never felt smaller. Or hotter. “It isn’t typical, is it? To have a dedicated physician travel with the band?” I know it’s not. Otherwise, I would have heard of it before now, especially living in a place like LA.

“No,” he admits with a shrug. “Not usually. But Zander, the lead guitarist, made the request, and?—”

“What a rock star wants, a rock star gets?”

That amused expression is back. “Something like that.”

“Right, well what about…” I’m grasping at straws because, honestly, the idea is both tempting and terrifying. I don’t want tostay here and work for Tanner or his family, but I don’t exactly have any viable alternatives at the moment. Why couldn’t that somewhere else be a tour with a group of rock stars and—“What about us?”

He cocks his head to the side. “Us?”

“We’ve slept together.”

A slow grin spreads across his lips, and that grin ignites all kinds of feelings in my libido that I attempt to ignore. “I remember.”

“Well.” I swallow, trying to calm my racing heart. “Don’t you think that’s a bit of a conflict of, um…interest?”

He shrugs, acting far too nonchalant. I can’t tell if it’s an act or if he really is this casual about…casual sex. “It’s not against the rules, if that’s what you’re worried about.”

“I just don’t want things to be awkward. I’m not…” I puff out a breath of air. “I’m not looking for anything serious.”

His blue eyes stare into mine for a moment before he gives a firm nod. “Good, then we’re both on the same page, because neither am I. This tour could do big things for my career, and I’ve got to stay focused.”

“Right.” I shift in my seat, my hands tightly clasped together. “Understandable.”

“And I’m in peak physical health, so I doubt we’ll even see that much of each other.”

“All right.”

“But just to be safe…” He holds up a finger. “Maybe we keep it to ourselves. The guys may look like stone-cold rock stars, but they gossip like a bunch of middle schoolers.”

“You’re assuming I’m even taking this ridiculous job?”

His eyes fix on me for a moment before he stands. I watch him rise to his full height, taking a moment to appreciate the way his jeans mold around his thick thighs and tight ass. “I know you, Zara,” he says, which causes my heart to race for somereason. “And whether you realize it or not, you’ve already made up your mind.” He steps toward the door, his hand closing over the handle. “See you soon, Cupid.”

Chapter Nine

HENDRIX

After growing up around the music business and working for my dad, I thought I understood what went into preparing for a tour of this magnitude. But when the time comes actually to prepare myself to go on one, I realize I have no fucking clue what I’m doing.

Like, how do you pack for several months? We’ll have some downtime and breaks, but I’m not sure I’ll come home for all of them.

And then there’s my house…

What am I supposed to do about my plants? Will my car battery die if I just leave my car in my garage for a month or more? What if I accidentally leave cheese or something in my fridge? If I open it, will I have a full-on hazmat situation on my hands?

Okay, the last one is a bit of a stretch. But my car battery dying is a real thing, which is why I loan it to my sister, hoping it’s still in one piece when I return. I also hire a landscaping service, put my mail on hold, and give Pres a key so she can keep tabs on everything. When it comes to packing, I just tossin everything I can think of and hope for the best. It’s not like I won’t be able to grab stuff along the way.

This band travels in absolute luxury.

Manic at Midnight used to do the whole tour bus thing before Zander joined, and then their fandom grew to the crazed lunatic status it is now. While many bands still enjoy the nostalgic feel of a bus and the convenience of not having to pack your shit up every other night, Manic’s security team hates it.