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

Mika

This is a bad idea. I just know it’s a bad idea in my gut, but I don’t want it to be a bad idea.

Except my heart flutters at the idea of getting to be that close to Lucas so much.

Then I remember he’ll be paying me for it and I feel like a glorified escort without the sex and… I sort of wish it included the sex.

When I wake up the next morning, though, I have two things to remind myself of.

One: the money. I need it. My family needs it.

My parents just took out a second mortgage on the house.

Ever since they quit their jobs and got wrapped up in a glorified pyramid scheme, their finances have been a wreck.

I’m not one to just abandon my family, especially not my folks who have always supported me.

But it does feel shitty to be parenting my parents.

Two: he needs me. Lucas needs me. He all but begged me to help him. And I feel bad for the guy. He’s a fucking star. He brings joy to thousands with his voice and he can’t even enjoy it.

Okay, it’s settled. I’m doing it.

I head over to the guys’ tour bus bright and early and wrap on the door. To my surprise, Dylan is the one who answers. His light brown hair is frizzed and drooping over his face. He looks almost wired.

“Jeez, what happened to you?”

“Creative night,” he shrugs. “Haven’t been to bed yet.”

Shaking my head, because the guy is nuts, I ask, “Is Lucas up?”

Dylan doesn’t have a chance to answer before Lucas appears. Unlike his friend, he looks well-rested and handsome as ever. Strike that, not handsome. Can’t be handsome if I’m going to be spending all this time with him. “Hey!” he says, a smile on his lips.

“You wanna chat really fast?”

“Totally. Let’s step outside. ‘Excuse me, man,” Lucas shuffles past Dylan who looks like he’s about to pass out from exhaustion.

We step outside the bus and lean up against the metal siding. “So…” I start.

“So…”

I nibble on the inside of my lip. “I have a pretty jam-packed day. I’m gonna head to Café Du Monde for coffee and then cruise around a bayou, finish off the day hitting up some of the cemeteries and then maybe the French Quarter. If I’m not too tired.”

Lucas frowns and cocks his head to the side.

“Do you think you can keep up?”

His frown creeps into a smile. “Yeah. Yeah, I can definitely keep up.”

“Good. Come on.”

“Now?”

“It’s already nine AM. Chop chop!”

The tour manager has a fleet of cars for the guys to use.

Us backup singers have to share one, but Lucas offers to drive.

I can’t refuse being chauffeured around for the day.

We head over to the famous Café Du Monde located right on the Mississippi River.

We both get a café au lait and a beignet—which Lucas remarks would be a funny lyric—and go for a walk down the river.

The whole time, I can feel eyes on us. Luckily, Lucas doesn’t stick out like a sore thumb in his day to day.

He’s wearing an Astros baseball cap to hide his hair, a nondescript plain dark green t-shirt, khaki shorts, and is hiding his eyes behind his glasses.

But we’re both on-guard. I’m not sure who is looking because they think they recognize him and who is looking just to look.

The conversation is small and casual. Nothing deep.

It feels like any moment he will turn to me and say, “This is a mistake,” but he doesn’t, and we hop in the car to head out to the bayou which is across town on Lake Ponchartrain.

The car ride is quiet except for the bristling of music on the radio, until Lucas speaks: “Didn’t take you for an outdoors girl. ”

I snort. “Sorry?”

“I mean, you know. Like, some girls are indoor girls and other girls are outdoor girls.”

“I think you mean some people ,” I say, rolling my eyes. “Some people are indoor and some– “

“Right, sorry,” he says with a nod. He hadn’t meant anything by it, and I know that. But I wanted to see his reaction anyway. “I just mean… I wouldn’t take you for being someone, a person who likes being outdoors.”

I smile at his correction. “Why is that?”

“I don’t know, I guess I’ve never spent a lot of time with you on a normal day. I usually see you all dolled up rather than… ready for the bayou.”

I laugh. “Well, you don’t wear your stage clothes on a normal day, do you?”

“Hell naw,” he chuckles.

“My look on the day to day is much less high maintenance than when I’m performing or at rehearsal.”

Lucas pauses, deciding if he’s going to say something. “Well, I like it.”

I try not to look surprised, but that comment makes me feel hot around the collar.

“Not that you asked or that it matters, what I think, but– “

“I think that’s the turn off,” I interrupt him, pointing toward our exit.

The conversation fizzles, and in no time at all, we are sitting on a flat-bottomed boat, gliding through the bayou.

It’s truly like stepping back in time to the Jurassic period, the way the ancient trees curl out of the gurgling water.

There are a few other riders with us, none of whom seem to recognize Lucas, and I can tell the proximity is making him feel off.

I try to keep him distracted: “Whoever spots a gator doesn’t have to pay for drinks later. ”

He smiles. “You’re on.”

There are several close calls, roughed up logs floating in the water masquerading as sharp toothed reptiles. But finally, Lucas grabs my bicep and points across the bayou, amongst the algae and swamp vines. Two eyes bulging above the water. “I win.”

I like his hand on my arm so much I can’t even be mad I lost the bet.

After the two-hour ride, we pick up some lunch and head out to one of the cemeteries.

It’s a perfect place to disappear. Even though there are lots of other tourists ogling the mausoleums and over-the-top gravesites, everyone is so consumed with the sites and trying to be respectful that no one pays us any mind.

“Look at this one,” Lucas calls me over and points to a wide-winged angel standing atop a tomb.

“Man, who was this guy?”

He looks down at the tomb. “Just some guy.”

“Funny name.”

Lucas snorts.

The day seems to be a success so far. I mean, why wouldn’t I do this if I can travel the way I want and get paid to do it. It cancels out all my expenses. Add that to the hefty rate Lucas and I discussed… I didn’t even have to negotiate. The number was swollen and sexy and… hard to turn down.

We make it out to the French Quarter around sunset and stumble into one of the many different bars. To be honest, I’m exhausted. I think one drink and then I’ll be ready to head in for the night. “Okay, on me,” I grumble and start to pull my wallet out of my fanny pack.

“Stop it, I got it,” Lucas says and swiftly gets his wallet from his back pocket.

“A bet’s a bet.”

“Yeah, but you’re on the clock. Consider it part of your rate,” he grins. The black metal Amex in his hand is hard to say no to. “What are you drinking?”

“Oh my god, it’s totally him.”

We both stop. The color from Lucas’s face drains. I look over his shoulder; there are two young women tittering at the end of the bar, getting their phones ready to take a picture. “Don’t panic,” I say to Lucas.

“I’m trying.”

“Just breathe,” I say, looking into his green eyes. Man, it’s hard to not get distracted from my task at hand when his eyes are that easy. “You trust me?”

Lucas nods heavily.

I take his hand in mine and pull myself into him so I can put my mouth closer to his ear. “Just follow my lead.”

I can feel his heart racing.

“Put your hand on my waist. Act like I’ve said something dirty,” I instruct, keeping my eyes firmly on the girls at the end of the bar.

Lucas follows my plan to a T, laughs and grips my waist. He’s a good actor because if I didn’t know he was faking, I’d think he might want me.

“This okay?” he rasps in my ear.

“Perfect,” I reply and stroke my hand through his hair.

The giddy fans look at us with wide eyes and start whispering to each other. Our charade is sufficient enough to make them back off. I retreat from Lucas and sit back on my stool. “We’re good,” I announce although I sort of hoped we weren’t. I’d have to up the ante, then.

The worry from Lucas’s face has dissipated. Now it looks like he’s on the cusp of laughter. “That really worked?”

“Oh yeah. Of course, it did. What are they gonna do? Come over and tell me to back off of my boyfriend?”

Lucas bursts into laughter. A little too hard for my taste. Is that such a ridiculous idea? Is he that out of my league? “You’re fun, Mika,” he adds at the tail end of his laugh.

I smile at him. “Stick with me, kid. The fun never ends.” I almost want to gag at how stupid that sounds.

Luckily, the bartender interrupts and keeps me from saying anything else totally idiotic.

I order a Sazerac, a classic Louisiana cocktail, and Lucas orders the same.

“Copycat,” I say, jostling my knee against his after the bartender is gone to make our drinks.

“You just seem like you know what you’re doing. Like you had the day planned out perfectly.”

I snort. “I never know what I’m doing.”

“Ah, I guess you’re a good actress, then.”

I smile. Our drinks arrive and I take a sip, the bitter whisky and absinthe blooming on my tongue.

“I just… you know, I love being a backup singer. It’s really fun to be out there with you guys every night, but if I’m being honest, getting to explore these amazing cities is the real reason I keep going on tour. ”

Lucas considers me, his green eyes tightening at the corners.

“I totally get that. I wish I had more opportunities to do that. Without getting recognized by everyone and their uncle,” he says, gesturing over his shoulder with his thumb.

He looks into the pool of his glass. “How do you think today went, Mika?”

I like the way he says my name. Not hard on the ‘k’ like some people. It comes out smooth and sweet. “I think…”

“Be honest,” he suddenly adds and takes a big swig of his drink. “If you want to say forget the whole thing, I won’t be mad.”

“Well, how do you think it went, Lucas?”

Lucas’s eyebrows twitch as if he’s surprised I asked.

“Um. Well, I think it went… really great, actually. I had a really good time. And just having you around puts me at ease. Like, don’t get me wrong, I still get really nervous around a lot of people, but having you at least makes it a little manageable. Does that make sense?”

I grin. “I’m glad you feel that way. I mean, that’s the point, right?”

Lucas looks at me expectantly. He’s just poured his heart out to me and now he needs to know if it was in vain.

“I think it was great. I think we should do it again.” Fuck, it sounds like I’m telling him I had a nice time on a date.

Relief passes over his face. “Thank god.”

“Sorry, didn’t mean to scare you.”

“No, just–it means a lot, Mika,” Lucas announces. “Like a lot a lot.”

I look down into my lap and try to keep myself from blushing. “Let’s not forget you’re paying me, so it’s not totally out of the goodness of my heart.” Even though my heart is totally in it.

“Right, totally,” Lucas laughs lightly. “I just never get to go out and see the cities like I’d like to. What’s the point of traveling the fucking world if you can’t see it?”

“Exactly.”

“You’re more than a chaperone, you’re like my own personal tour guide.”

I raise my hands up in a shrug. “Call me Tripadvisor.”

He holds up his glass. “To my own personal Tripadvisor.”

“I’ll drink to that,” I say. We clink our glasses and both take a gulp of Sazerac. It burns in the best way. “We just have to make sure there aren’t any pictures or anything. I don’t want to see my face on TMZ. Ken would have my job.”

“Promise, I’ll take care of it. You won’t have to worry.”

Our eyes meet. I think the alcohol is hitting me a little too hard because I feel like his eyes are swirling in beautiful patterns of verdant green. Perhaps I’m just getting lost. I can’t get lost. Quite literally can’t afford to. It’s my job on the line, after all.

We finish our drink and call it a day. Before we retreat to our respective buses, Lucas murmurs to me, “Please just keep this between us, Mika.”

“Of course,” I say.

Lucas smiles softly at me. “I’m glad you’re back.”

I giggle and smack him on the arm with the back of my hand. “Sleep well. Big travel day tomorrow,” I say and then turn on my heel toward the bus. Yeah, I’m glad I’m back too.