Rock with Me
Page 52
“You’re forgiven,” I whisper back.
“You’re easy.” He laughs and hugs me to him as we enter the building and he leads me to the bank of elevators.
“What are we doing here?” I ask.
“The other guys are already here.”
“Nash is here? Why?”
“We’re doing an interview and some photos for a spread in People for when the next album releases. It’s not for a few months, but this way we don’t have to do it later.”
“Okay, so again, why am I here?”
“I thought it would be fun.” He frowns down at me. “Are you seriously uncomfortable with this?”
“I don’t know.”
“We won’t be long.” He kisses my forehead as the doors open to a lobby that wraps around to a photo studio already set up with lights and a white backdrop.
“Hey, man.” A shorter guy with a tall Mohawk grips Leo in a hug. “How you been?”
“Good, man. Hey, this is Sam.” Leo turns to me with a grin. “Sam, this is DJ, our bassist. You’ve met Eric and Jake. That over there is Gary.”
Everyone smiles and waves.
“Good to see you again.” Eric smiles, his voice friendly and void of the flirtation from before.
“Were you testing me when I met you back in Seattle?” I ask him and plant my hands on my hips.
“You passed.” He shrugs and grins widely. Jesus, no wonder the women throw their underwear at him.
“You’re too cute for your own good.” I offer him a mock glare. “Don’t flirt with me or I’ll have to hurt you.”
“I like her.” Gary calls out from where he’s sitting in a director’s chair having his makeup done.
“Gee, you look pretty.” Leo taunts him.
“Shut up.”
“Mr. Nash, if you’ll sit here, we’ll get you ready. Everyone else is good to go.”
“You are not touching me with makeup,” Leo growls and I slap my hand over my mouth before I laugh out loud.
“But, the lights…” The pour gay-as-can-be makeup artist stops talking when Leo raises his hand at him.
“It’s called Photoshop.”
“You’re an ass.” Jake smirks and scrolls through his phone.
“But I’m makeup-free,” Leo agrees. “Where’s Lori?” He asks Gary.
“Right here!” We all turn as a very pregnant, very tall brunette woman glides into the room.
Good God, she’s gorgeous.
“Hey, pretty face.” Leo grins and hugs Lori gently, lays his hand on her belly and kisses her cheek.
I might have to kill her.
“How are you feeling?” He asks her.
“Fat, tired and pregnant.” She laughs. “But Gary’s taking care of me.”
“Get your hands off my wife, asshole.” Gary calls out, his eyes closed. This must be usual behavior.
“I want you to meet someone.” Leo backs away and gestures toward me. “This is Sam.”
Lori’s mouth drops in surprise and her wide eyes meet Leo’s. “You’re introducing me to a woman?”
“Shut up,” he mutters and laughs.
“Holy shit. Hi.” She moves as quickly as she can toward me and instead of shaking my hand, she pulls me into a tight hug. “It’s so great to meet you.”
“Hi.” I smile and pull out of her embrace. “Shouldn’t I know you from somewhere?”
“Oh.” She waves me off and rubs her belly. “I used to do some modeling back in the day, but these days I’m a stay at home mom.”
And then it hits me. “You’re Lori Fitzgerald!”
“Yeah.” She smiles shyly.
“’Some modeling, huh?” I ask with my tongue in my cheek. “That’s like saying I do ‘some breathing’.”
Lori laughs. “Well, I guess that’s true.”
“Hey, guys.” Another woman enters the room, consulting an iPad gripped in her arm, not looking up. She’s clearly used to being around famous people.
Thank God.
“I’m glad you’re all here.” She scowls at Leo, but he just stares her down, unflinching.
Leo Nash doesn’t apologize for being late.
A photographer joins her and begins snapping photos of the guys where they are, getting ready for the shoot, talking to each other.
Me, standing next to Leo and Lori.
“Why is that man taking my picture?” I ask, my bitch voice on full-throttle.
“He’s taking candids for the spread.” The woman answers me. “I’m Melissa, the publicist for Nash.”
She eyes me for a moment, and then her blue eyes go wide. “Oh my God, you’re Luke Williams’ sister!”
And just like that, my walls go up and I school my features, pull away from Leo and clench my hands into fists. Luke Williams’ sister. No name of my own.
“I haven’t given anyone my permission to take my photo.”
Melissa looks to Leo for guidance, but he just shrugs. “She’s right. It’s her call.”
“Are you two an item?”
“No!”
“Yes.” We answer at the same moment. Leo scowls down at me. “We are.”
“Holy shit, this is a scoop!” Melissa moves in and I bare my teeth.
“I am not answering questions. I do not want my photo in this spread. Not one goddamn word, do you understand me?”
“You’re easy.” He laughs and hugs me to him as we enter the building and he leads me to the bank of elevators.
“What are we doing here?” I ask.
“The other guys are already here.”
“Nash is here? Why?”
“We’re doing an interview and some photos for a spread in People for when the next album releases. It’s not for a few months, but this way we don’t have to do it later.”
“Okay, so again, why am I here?”
“I thought it would be fun.” He frowns down at me. “Are you seriously uncomfortable with this?”
“I don’t know.”
“We won’t be long.” He kisses my forehead as the doors open to a lobby that wraps around to a photo studio already set up with lights and a white backdrop.
“Hey, man.” A shorter guy with a tall Mohawk grips Leo in a hug. “How you been?”
“Good, man. Hey, this is Sam.” Leo turns to me with a grin. “Sam, this is DJ, our bassist. You’ve met Eric and Jake. That over there is Gary.”
Everyone smiles and waves.
“Good to see you again.” Eric smiles, his voice friendly and void of the flirtation from before.
“Were you testing me when I met you back in Seattle?” I ask him and plant my hands on my hips.
“You passed.” He shrugs and grins widely. Jesus, no wonder the women throw their underwear at him.
“You’re too cute for your own good.” I offer him a mock glare. “Don’t flirt with me or I’ll have to hurt you.”
“I like her.” Gary calls out from where he’s sitting in a director’s chair having his makeup done.
“Gee, you look pretty.” Leo taunts him.
“Shut up.”
“Mr. Nash, if you’ll sit here, we’ll get you ready. Everyone else is good to go.”
“You are not touching me with makeup,” Leo growls and I slap my hand over my mouth before I laugh out loud.
“But, the lights…” The pour gay-as-can-be makeup artist stops talking when Leo raises his hand at him.
“It’s called Photoshop.”
“You’re an ass.” Jake smirks and scrolls through his phone.
“But I’m makeup-free,” Leo agrees. “Where’s Lori?” He asks Gary.
“Right here!” We all turn as a very pregnant, very tall brunette woman glides into the room.
Good God, she’s gorgeous.
“Hey, pretty face.” Leo grins and hugs Lori gently, lays his hand on her belly and kisses her cheek.
I might have to kill her.
“How are you feeling?” He asks her.
“Fat, tired and pregnant.” She laughs. “But Gary’s taking care of me.”
“Get your hands off my wife, asshole.” Gary calls out, his eyes closed. This must be usual behavior.
“I want you to meet someone.” Leo backs away and gestures toward me. “This is Sam.”
Lori’s mouth drops in surprise and her wide eyes meet Leo’s. “You’re introducing me to a woman?”
“Shut up,” he mutters and laughs.
“Holy shit. Hi.” She moves as quickly as she can toward me and instead of shaking my hand, she pulls me into a tight hug. “It’s so great to meet you.”
“Hi.” I smile and pull out of her embrace. “Shouldn’t I know you from somewhere?”
“Oh.” She waves me off and rubs her belly. “I used to do some modeling back in the day, but these days I’m a stay at home mom.”
And then it hits me. “You’re Lori Fitzgerald!”
“Yeah.” She smiles shyly.
“’Some modeling, huh?” I ask with my tongue in my cheek. “That’s like saying I do ‘some breathing’.”
Lori laughs. “Well, I guess that’s true.”
“Hey, guys.” Another woman enters the room, consulting an iPad gripped in her arm, not looking up. She’s clearly used to being around famous people.
Thank God.
“I’m glad you’re all here.” She scowls at Leo, but he just stares her down, unflinching.
Leo Nash doesn’t apologize for being late.
A photographer joins her and begins snapping photos of the guys where they are, getting ready for the shoot, talking to each other.
Me, standing next to Leo and Lori.
“Why is that man taking my picture?” I ask, my bitch voice on full-throttle.
“He’s taking candids for the spread.” The woman answers me. “I’m Melissa, the publicist for Nash.”
She eyes me for a moment, and then her blue eyes go wide. “Oh my God, you’re Luke Williams’ sister!”
And just like that, my walls go up and I school my features, pull away from Leo and clench my hands into fists. Luke Williams’ sister. No name of my own.
“I haven’t given anyone my permission to take my photo.”
Melissa looks to Leo for guidance, but he just shrugs. “She’s right. It’s her call.”
“Are you two an item?”
“No!”
“Yes.” We answer at the same moment. Leo scowls down at me. “We are.”
“Holy shit, this is a scoop!” Melissa moves in and I bare my teeth.
“I am not answering questions. I do not want my photo in this spread. Not one goddamn word, do you understand me?”
