Page 20 of Stuck With My Rockstar Boss (Soul Sounds Brothers #4)

Dylan

The soft music playing in the background as I write down the lyrics to my new song is my motivation. I always enjoy light upbeat tempo, and the bass guitar sounds. It is why I love The Beatles , regardless of how old-school modern-day rock bands consider them to be. They are my inspiration.

I was in the ninth grade when I first discovered my passion for music.

It was also the year I met Lucas for the first time.

A perfect guitarist and best wingman. Together, we grew up, made music, and had fun.

It’s funny how the best things in life happen when you least expect them.

My journey with Lucas has been just that.

We are different in many ways, with music the one thing that makes us connect. But while Lucas enjoys the full life of our popularity and the benefits, I prefer to remain in the comfort of my room and make music.

“Hey D-man, come on.” Speak of the devil. Glancing beyond the balcony of my suite, I spot him outside, along with his fiancée, Mika Robertson, and our band mates. They are all dressed for the beach and Mika is clinging to his arm, like always, as he is speaking to Chase and Jay.

“Dylan, let’s go,” Lucas calls again, looking up at where I am. “You’ve been in there all day.”

Resigned, I stand up and walk to the balcony so I don’t have to shout. The smile on my face stays wide, but Lucas frowns at me. “You promised to make this trip fun,” he complains.

“Yeah, D. You know what they say about all work no play, right? Get your ass down here and let’s go!” Chase adds.

“Tonight, I promise. I just need to perfect some notes on the demo. Trust me, we’ll rock and roll tonight.” Winking at Mika, I add, “I promise, Mika. I know I owe you.”

“Whatever, D-man.” Jay dismisses me. Turning to the guys, he says, “I can only imagine what, or should I say who he is working on.” Laughing, they turn and walk away. Always the prankster, that Jay. Shaking my head, I go back inside to the comfort of my solitude again.

Relief fills me as I sit on my chair, face the mirror, and begin practicing the lyrics for the demo.

“Late nights … I love the late nights with you.” The sound of my voice, the melody from my guitar, and my foot tapping on the ground bring the melody to light.

Perfecting my music is my life; it is all I can think of doing most of the time. And as much as I enjoy spending time with my friends, and especially hanging out with Lucas, making sure our band is successful is still the number one goal for me.

It’s the only way I can have the platform to help the people who need a voice.

Also, I enjoy the golden silence of being alone. It helps me think … helps me plan.

There’s one note that’s not quite right, yet, or I’m not quite hitting it.

Groaning, I start from the beginning. Again.

Taking my time to perfect the tone I want for the bridge of the song.

Playing the guitar makes me feel alive, and as I approach the high rock part of the song, I feel my nerves settle inside me.

For years, my peace, my escape came from music. At fourteen, it was the one thing that kept me afloat. “Your son’s borderline depressed, and I think music keeps him going.”

Not like my mother cared what the therapist she was making me see twice a week thought when she came for a joint session.

And she let me know just what she thought about it when we got home that day.

She had two settings with me: caring mother for the public eye, and insults or just plain right ignoring me the rest of the time.

I preferred when she ignored me. It hurt less.

The therapist had been right about so many things, but none of it mattered in the end, because when I reached fifteen, my mom said there was no need for the therapy sessions anymore. So, just as it had started, my therapy stopped. No regard for what I wanted or needed. It was never about that.

Playing at the back-alley club down the street where we lived in San Jose became my new therapy. I didn’t need to listen to my mother’s constant nagging, the loud noises when my parents got into a fight, or the harsh words whenever she was in one of her moods, as Dad called them.

I found solace at that bar. With Lucas, Jay, and Chase, I found my happy place.

Music.

I can’t imagine doing anything else. At seventeen, when I moved out of my parents’ house, my father finally found the courage to ask for a divorce. I suspected my mother would put up a fight, like she always did when she wanted to have her way, but none came.

Their divorce had been silent. Papers were signed, and I never had to see her again.

Neither did my father. It had been all over.

And yet, fifteen years later, I’m still somewhat that little boy who hated loud sounds and raised voices.

Ironic considering my line of work, but when I’m singing and playing, my mind is somewhere else.

However, I rarely ever enjoy hanging out in bars.

My cell phone buzzes on the table, distracting me from my thoughts, and I pick it up. “Ken,” I say as I rub the back of my neck. “How’s it going?”

“Great,” Ken Daystar, our manager, and number one fan, answers in a light tone. “Lucas and the others?”

“Having fun someplace at the beach,” I reply.

“And you? Who do you have beside you right now? Blonde or redhead?”

I laugh at Ken’s question, then shake my head and stroke my jaw. Ken thinks I’m a major player. That I am always with a different girl anytime I’m not with the guys. I don’t correct his assumptions.

“Blonde,” I reply, glancing at the poster of Gwen Stefani on my wall. She is my number one celebrity crush and blonde as can be, so it’s not like I’m lying.

“Great, don’t forget, two weeks and we need you back for the tour,” Ken says. “With Lucas out on his honeymoon, we will need you to cover for him for a couple of shows. Think that will work?”

The plan is for Lucas to join us by the time we get to Wyoming. With me as the lead guitar player and second voice, I usually leave the lead singing to him. Not having him there means I’m stuck as lead singer and lead guitar since Chase is our drummer and Jay plays the bass.

Double the fun for me, right?

He doesn’t give me time to answer. “Either way, congratulate Lucas for me. I should join you all on the island before the wedding.”

“Will do, talk later.”

He drops the call, and I drop my phone on the table, place my guitar on the bed, then rub the back of my neck. Rising to my feet, I stretch my muscles for a bit to release the cramps starting to build up on my shoulders.

Guess I should join the others. I take off my shirt and walk to my bathroom for a quick shower.

Lucas and Mika excuse themselves and leave.

Jay and Chase left earlier to go to a club they heard was pumping nearby.

Those two are party animals. I’m nursing my third glass of brandy, the same one I had just started when the happy couple decided to call it a night, enjoying the light music in the bar, and thinking it is time to call it quits too when a group of people walks in.

Guess the night is just starting for some people.

My eyes immediately land on two girls coming in. Specifically a woman with dirty blonde hair waving down her back and a killer smile. She is facing my way, and I’m blown away by the sparkle in her eyes.

A rush of adrenaline suddenly flows through me. Though beautiful women are always surrounding us when we play, that doesn’t make me appreciate true beauty any less. And unfortunately, no matter how I act, as soon as they find out what I do for a living, they always have one impression of me.

Playboy.

Regardless of how nice or how rough I act, though, they love the attention they can get from hanging out around me. Which is not surprising either. Women are fickle. I often wonder how people manage to find just one to stick with.

And it’s not that I have a thing against commitment, love, or big weddings. Lucas is all in that scene and I am happy for him. I can tell he loves Mika very much, and I like her too because she is one of the few good women I have met, but that’s just it.

Besides Mika and Carol, Lucas’s mom, I never keep any other women around long enough to know what they are like. We meet, have a fun time together, and on they go.

I respect them and admire them, but that is it. There is no point in losing myself, like my father did, or risking the heartbreak that comes with it.

It’s not worth it.

So, I always keep a clear head. I’m always honest about how things are, and we keep things simple and easy. I empty my glass and stand up. I can’t take my eyes off this blonde.

She laughs again. Somehow, her deep timbre reaches me and it’s like every other noise around me fades away.

Like a parched man to water, I can’t stop myself from following the sound.

As I draw closer, the woman sitting to her side stands and walks away.

The blonde casts a glance over her shoulder, and her eyes briefly land on mine.

That single moment is enough to get my pulse racing and my heart thundering in my chest. It is an intense response; one I have never felt.

“No wonder the sky is dark outside,” I say as I take the empty stool next to hers and order for the waiter.

“All the color is in your eyes.” My voice is a low, deep baritone that sounds husky even to me, but it doesn’t matter because I love the tingles already racing through me when she gives me a side grin.

“That’s a cheesy pick-up line,” she says and looks at me again.

God, I love her eyes and her smile.

She is gorgeous. The perfect set of white teeth flashes at me. I notice the small button nose on her face and the way her brows arch softly as her eyes flicker over mine.

“You think so? I should try again, then,” I answer, and she laughs.

“I was wondering if you were an artist because you were drawing me in,” I say cheekily. She laughs.

“Wait. I have another one. We are not socks, but we’d still make a great pair. How’s that?” I lay it on really thick, with a smile on my lips.

“That’s so bad,” she replies, still laughing. “Does that work for you?”

“Every time,” I say. “I mean it, though,” I add when she laughs again. “I can’t take my eyes off you. I think it’s your eyes … or maybe your smile. Either way, you’re the most beautiful woman I have seen here tonight.”

Her laugh mesmerizes me for a second. The effect is even stronger at close range and I can’t help but feel like I have superpowers for making her laugh so much in just these couple of minutes.

“Tonight, huh? I see. Do you keep a tally every night?”

“Oh, no. This is definitely a special night,” I play along. She has spunk and I find I’m even more intrigued by the beauty before me.

“Oh yeah? And what’s so special about tonight?”

“You’re here.” And I thank the rock gods that I decided to join my friends tonight.

“Flattering,” she says. “I like it. And I like you.”

She turns back to the table and picks up her glass. The waiter arrives in front of us then, and I ask her, “Let me buy you a drink, and then you can tell me what your story is.”

“What makes you think I have one?”

“You’re at a bar, drinking alone … It’s either, you’re done with one relationship or you’re scouting for another.”

The waiter pours us a drink and I down mine in one go.

She does the same, and orders for another.

I discreetly notice the rings on her fingers.

Her hands are slender, her nails a hot, red shade that makes my blood start to hum with a low wave of desire as I imagine them scratching down my back while I make her scream my name.

“Are you scouting for another?” she asks me. When she looks at me again, her round eyes latch onto mine. There is something so intense about her gaze that a shiver races up my spine. I just can’t explain it, but I sense the fire in her instantly.

The corners of my lips lift into a smile, and I shake my head. “Not at all,” I say. “That’s the last thing on my mind tonight…. You?”

She hesitates. I wish I knew what she’s thinking because her eyes get clouded. I find myself leaning into her without even realizing it, and one more breath brings in her scent. It is intoxicating. My body comes alive and a dance of raw hunger starts inside of me.

My eyes drop to her lips. They are full, soft, and inviting. I can already imagine myself tasting them.

“No,” she answers, and I pull myself back to reality and look into her eyes again. “I’m not looking for one either. Not tonight.”