Page 3 of Reverb (Larkspur Book 3)
The sound of his cell phone ringing dragged Miles from the fitful sleep he had not long fallen in to. The flashing screen lit up the room enough for him to see where it was, and he pushed himself onto his elbow to lean across the bed to answer it.
A glance at the screen had him cursing. Jax wouldn’t be calling unless it was urgent. “Jax,” he answered, his voice rough.
“Hey, Miles. Sorry to wake you, but we have a situation.” Her voice was apologetic, and he hurried to reassure her.
“It’s okay. I know you only call me when it’s something important. Who, what, where, and are the authorities involved?”
Jax chuckled at his questions, and some of his tension eased. “Jamie and Kellet, photographs, and video, here in Vegas, and no authorities are involved.”
“Thank fuck for that,” he muttered, dropping back onto the pillows. “How bad are the pictures, and do Jamie and Kellet know their relationship has been outed?”
“They’re innocent enough pictures. Just them holding hands, and a grainy one of them kissing in the elevator.” She sighed. “I haven’t woken them yet, but they’re gaining traction on social media, and it won’t be long before the gossip sites pick them up.”
Wide awake now, Miles sat up and moved to the side of the bed, flicking on the lamp. “Okay. That’s good. We can get ahead of this. We knew this was likely to happen at some point. Pull the prepared statement, and we’ll review it and tweak it where necessary. Wake up Jamie and Kel and let them know what’s happening. Tell them to sit tight and to not answer their phones or speak to anyone that’s not management.”
“Will do. Larry is messaging the crew to remind them of their NDAs and to not talk to anyone about anything.”
“Thanks, Jax. I’d be lost without you. I’ll contact the legal department at the label, and message Seth and Liam so they know what’s happening.” He scrubbed a hand down his face. “I’ll meet you in Jamie’s suite in an hour. If anything else comes up, call me straight away.”
“Thanks, boss. Talk soon.”
Miles flicked his phone onto the bed and dropped his head into his hands. Thankfully, the situation wasn’t as bad as it could have been, but Jamie and Kellet could have been more careful if they wanted to hide their renewed relationship until the end of the tour as they’d planned. He shouldn’t complain, though. He was happy for them both. He’d seen how hard Jamie had taken their breakup seventeen years ago. When he’d suggested Kel as the replacement for Mark a few months ago, he’d hoped that the two men could work things out and find their way back to each other.
He didn’t get involved in the personal lives of the acts he managed, but Larkspur was his one exception. They’d been his second signing as an independent manager, and there had been those who had told him it was stupid to put everything he had into making them the success they were today. But the guys had trusted him, and put in the hard work, and today they were one of the world’s most successful bands. There was a fine line between being their manager and their friend, but there was a lot of mutual respect on both sides.
Pushing to his feet, he crossed the room to the small refreshment area and dropped a pod into the coffeemaker. While that did its thing, he pulled fresh clothes from his suitcase and garment bag, draping them across the bed. He’d showered before bed, so he quickly freshened up in the bathroom before grabbing his coffee and retrieving his phone.
Checking the time, he decided not to wake Kerrie in Legal, instead sending her a brief text message about the situation and asking her to call him when she got to the office. He opened his laptop, checked the alerts he had set for the band, and clicked through what had been posted.
Jax had been correct in that it was mainly contained to fan pages and social media sites. There were a few videos of the whole band leaving the venue the night before, Seth waving to the fans with his usual cocky grin, and Liam following, head down, barely acknowledging the crowd, which was unusual. Jamie and Kellet holding hands, and to his practiced eye, looking a little rumpled around the edges.
There were similar videos of them in the hotel bar, close together as two people could be with their clothes on, some fan selfies in the lobby, and then the pictures and a clip of them in an elevator, Kellet’s head dipping to Jamie’s as the doors closed, his intent very clear.
Thankfully, it wasn’t anything worse. He fired off an email to the head of the record label, keeping him in the loop. The label was easygoing and good to work with. They worked predominantly with LGBTQ+ artists and had welcomed Miles and Larkspur to their stable when it was rare to acknowledge being anything but straight in the music industry.
Finishing his coffee, he got dressed, grateful for the change in his hectic schedule. His original plan was to fly in a few hours before the band departed to touch base with them before their week-long break after the Denver concert. However, he needed to be back in LA earlier than planned, so had switched his flight and arrived in Las Vegas earlier. He’d asked Jax to organize a brunch meeting with the guys, and then he’d fly back to LA.
He’d been surprised when Brad had let him know they were making a quick detour to pick up Liam—and only Liam—from a corner on the Strip. He generally stayed back at the hotel after a show, rather than going to a bar or club. He was a little more reserved than Jamie and Seth, both of whom thrived on the attention they received. Mark had been somewhere in the middle, curbing some of Jamie and Seth’s more outlandish ideas, but also dragging Liam out of his shell when needed.
Liam liked to be in control, and it had taken a while for him to relax the reins of managing the band when Miles had signed them and taken over. Even now, almost two decades later, Liam made sure he got all the attendance and sales reports and went over every inch of their contracts and scheduling. Miles wasn’t offended by Liam’s actions, happy to let him stay involved as much as he wanted to be.
Something was clearly off with Liam, though. Yes, he was quiet and more reserved, but for the last few months, he’d had an air of distraction about him that wasn’t normal. Thinking of Liam reminded him he had to message both him and Seth about the Jamie and Kellet situation.
Pulling up his messaging app, he quickly explained what had happened and sent it to them. After a moment’s thought, he also messaged Mark, Larkspur’s former drummer. He didn’t think the press would contact Mark, but it paid to be cautious and give him the heads up. He also messaged Cal, knowing he was with Seth, and didn’t that send a sliver of worry down his spine.
***
Liam turned his phone over and over in his hands, staring blindly at the mottled blue carpet of his hotel suite. He’d barely slept, his mind replaying the events of last night. The blow job had been good, but the stress relief had been short-lived, what with the possibility of being recognized as he left the apartment block, and then finding out Miles was in town early and having to admit he’d been out for a hook up rather than staying at the hotel.
He hated the fact sex had become his go-to for stress relief. It had become a vicious cycle of stress-sex-guilt-stress. Usually, he could temper it with gym workouts and getting himself off with various toys, but it had been months—since before this leg of the tour—that he’d been able to give himself over to someone and lose himself.
His nails bit into his bare thigh as he tried to rid himself of the memory of getting off to thoughts of Miles. He must have been more rattled than he thought. He never let himself think of Miles in that way. He’d had a crush when he was eighteen and just beginning to grasp his sexuality, but he’d pushed it away until it faded as he got older.
He took a deep breath. Just three more days until he’d be home for a week. He just had to get through the bus ride to Denver, perform, and get on the first plane back to LA. Then he could relax in familiar surroundings and purge himself of the guilt and stress with his regular guy from the agency.
His phone chimed with an incoming message, dragging him from his spiraling thoughts. He frowned as he glanced at the time. It was only eight am. Early for the night after a show, when they rarely surfaced until at least mid-morning, unless Jax was feeling particularly mean and booked an early departure.
Miles
Pictures showing Jamie and Kellet together have surfaced online. Legal is handling it. We will release the prepared statement shortly. Usual rules, no comment to the press or anyone that is not management.
Fuck! His thoughts flew to Jamie and Kellet. They hadn’t wanted to announce their relationship until after the tour. He knew Jamie would take it in his stride, but he worried for Kel. He’d only been back with the band a few months, and everything associated with being part of a successful band on the last leg of their sold-out world tour was daunting, to say the least. Then there was Wil, Kellet’s teenage son, who was touring with them.
He jumped to his feet. He needed to head up to their suite. Glancing around the room, he noticed the scattered clothing from last night that he hadn’t repacked. He hated not being tidy and organized. He diligently packed up his gear hours before they had to leave. His late father had been in the military and had instilled in him the importance of being ready to go at a moment’s notice and keeping everything in its place. His brain switched into organization mode. Clothes to wear. Tidy the room and repack. Jamie and Kellet.
He dug through his suitcase, looking for a clean t-shirt, knowing he had one, as he’d had fresh laundry delivered before they went on stage last night. He tugged out a navy blue shirt and tossed it to the bed before rearranging everything neatly.
He was folding the last of his shirts when he heard a knock at the door. He abandoned his case, pulling the door open to find Miles standing there.
“Oh. Hey,” he greeted their manager in surprise.
“Good morning,” Miles returned, his gaze flickering over Liam. “Do you normally answer the door almost naked?”
“What? No.” Liam glanced down and realized he was only in his boxers. Heat flooded through him. “Shit. I got distracted.” He stepped away from the door, motioning for Miles to come in, before dashing to the bed to pull on the t-shirt he’d left there earlier.
He scanned the room. Jeans. Where were his jeans? He turned to find Miles looking at him with amusement, his discarded jeans dangling from a finger. “Looking for these?”
“Yeah. Thanks. Sorry, not usually this disorganized.” Feeling embarrassed, he tugged his jeans on, trying not to notice how good Miles smelled. Not meeting his eyes, he asked. “What’s up? Did you need me for something?”
“Did you see my message?”
“Yeah. I was about to head up to their suite. Just wanted to pack first, so I don’t forget anything.”
“I thought you’d go to see Jamie and Kellet, which is why I came here first.” Miles paused, and he tried not to squirm under the intense, gray-eyed stare. “I’m worried about you, Liam.”
A frown crinkled Liam’s brow. “Worried? About me? I’m the least of your worries after Seth and now Jamie and Kellet.”
“Exactly, so that I’m concerned something is going on with you that you’re not telling me is a worry in itself.”
“Nothing’s going on with me,” Liam objected, his hands suddenly clammy. He swiped them down his thighs, and Miles raised an eyebrow at the motion.
“You’re stressed about something.”
“I’m not… it’s nothing, really,” Liam prevaricated. He plastered a smile on his face and mentally willed his shoulders to relax. “I’m just exhausted. You know we don’t normally leave our tour break until this late in the program. I’m just sick of living out of a suitcase and copy-cat hotel rooms. I’ll be fine once I’m home in my own bed.”
Miles didn’t look like he believed him, and Liam sent a silent prayer for him to drop it. After a moment, Miles sighed and nodded. “Okay. We’ve got bigger things to worry about right now. Finish your packing, and we’ll walk up to Jamie and Kel’s suite together.”
Liam gave him a small smile and ducked into the bathroom. He put his razor into his shaving kit bag and zipped it up. Walking back into the main area, he tossed the bag onto the bed, near his suitcase so he wouldn’t forget it.
“Okay, that will do for now,” he said, reaching to grab his phone and key card from the small table. He found Miles frowning at him. “What?”
“How’d you get the bruise on your jaw?” Miles asked, nodding at him.
Liam’s hand reflexively rubbed against the spot where Ives had grabbed him last night. Before he could say anything, though, a look of concern crossed Miles’s face, and he took a step closer.
“What happened last night, Liam?”
“No… nothing.”
Miles cocked a disbelieving eyebrow at him.
“Honestly. I promise. Look, I’m sure you don’t want to hear the details of my hookup. It was all innocent and just happened in the moment.” He forced a chuckle. “You know how it is.”
“Liam—” Miles began, but Liam shook his head and opened the room door. Miles followed him, the silence between them deafening.