Broken Promises (Broken Series) (20 page)

Still, she was in no position to pass up this kinda opportunity. She picked up her cell phone and dialed the number, hoping it wasn’t a joke.

“What?” A gruff but sexy voice said on the other end. Saffron’s heart fell. Gods it was a joke.

“Hi, Um… This is Saffron Richards, I’m calling Xxieda Rolla, did I get the number wrong?” She cringed hearing how defeated and small her voice sounded.

“Oh…” The male voice on the other end sighed and she heard the phone being covered up and then uncovered. “Yeah, one second.”

She frowned. Whoever the guy was, he was unimpressed by her call. Seconds later she heard a feminine voice get on the phone and brightened.

“Saffy, Sorry about that, Dante doesn’t like getting woken up for no reason.”

Saffron looked at the clock. “Oh, Sorry I didn’t know it was too early to call you.”

“Its not, my boyfriend was out late last night and is one hell of a grumpy pain in the ass when he’s not got his full eight hours.”

Saffron couldn’t relate. She didn’t think she had slept a full night in the past five years. “Maybe his ass shouldn’t be out all hours of the night then?”

As the words left her mouth she almost groaned. Way to get on your possibly employers bad side, passing judgment on her guy friend.

Xxieda was quiet a second and then laughed her head off. “Ooh I knew I was right about you. This is going to work out well. Listen, I’m at my place here in the city, why don’t you come down so we can talk face to face?”

Saffron looked at the clock. She had a little over four hours before her shift at the coffee shop, a job she had taken in between actual work gigs, to keep her brain occupied and the money rolling in. She could make it there and back with time to spare. “I could. Where are you located?”

She wrote down the address, a midtown property close to the west side highway. “Great, I have to shower. I wouldn’t wanna subject you to me before my hair is done. Rats nest doesn’t even cover it.”

Xxieda laughed. “NO problem. I’m here all day so take your time. See you soon.”

Saffron was astonished when they hung up. She had heard tales in the New York scene that Xxieda was down to earth and cool, but she was bad news if you fucked with her. Surely insulting her boy toy should fall in the latter category, but it seemed that reports of her bitchery were greatly exaggerated.

Hopeful, Saffron got up from her desk chair and proceeded to get her ass in gear. Meetings like this weren’t dropped in one’s lap every day, don’t ya know.

***

Standing outside the address she was given, Saffron checked herself once more to make sure she was rock and roll presentable. It wasn’t like a normal job interview where she had to rock business casual.

Knee high boots, baby blue tights, black miniskirt with belts crisscrossing it, combined with a well-worn baby blue t-shirt with her favorite band’s logo on it.  Her hair, shoulder length with blue and blonde running through the midnight depths, was unbound but for a barrette holding her longer than needed bangs from her face.

For this, it was better to show up as herself not the person her employer wanted her to be. She just hoped that at the end of this, they would be one and the same. She rang the bell above the listing for the record company, rather surprised that Xxieda lived where she worked.

“Yeah!” She heard from the intercom and then a buzz as the door unlocked. She went through the portal and to the small elevator and made her way to the third floor. As she exited the lift, she noticed the door was open ahead of her and music was coming from therein. It died seconds later. She followed it and almost choked with what she saw.

Xxieda Rolla, in all her diminutive stature was looking up at one sexy beast of a man, frowning. She wasn’t sure if it was because he was standing there in a towel or from the scorch marks on the iPod dock.

“Did ya really have to do that?” The smaller woman shouted at the man who smirked and ran a finger down her cheek.

“I told you I can’t stand that bitches’ caterwauling. I warned you X…”

His voice was the same but the accent was thicker, huskier, could melt the panties off a girl. And standing there naked but for a towel wasn’t doing anything but adding to that fantasy. Xxieda has damn good taste in men, though how the hell the dock got scorch marks was beyond her.

He leaned down and went to kiss her and Saffron cleared her throat. It wasn’t that she wasn’t interested in what was about to happen, shit she was sure any woman would be willing to witness it, jealously be damned, but it wasn’t the way to start a business relationship. “Sorry the door was open.” She said and gave them both a small smile. “I’m Saffron.”

Xxieda looked at her and grinned. “Sorry about this…” she said and came around the man who now turned towards her. Holy hell was that a body. Saffron choked again and the apparent Dante arched a brow and quirked his mouth.

Xxieda shook her head. “Yeah,” she said as she looked back at him. “He gets that response. Will you go and put some damn clothes on fool?” she said with love in her eyes. “Poor girl doesn’t need the full Monty, at least not at this point in the day.” She turned back to Saffron and winked.

Dante smirked at the two of them, saluted Xxieda and nodded to Saffron and winked himself. “Pleasure Saffron,” he said as he walked out of the room, his strides long. Saffron’s eyes didn’t leave his retreating form till he was out of view.

“Normally I get a little miffed when women openly ogle my boyfriend but after that display you got my permission to look all you want. Isn’t he scrumptious?”

Saffron gave a slight woof. “And then some.”

Xxieda looked at her and let her eyes go wide and then laughed. Saffron, realizing her guffaw once again went red and Xxieda just wrapped her arm around her shoulders and pulled her towards the loft proper.

“Indeed. The man is hot.” She laughed at her own words and led Saffron into her kitchen and stopped in front of a butcher block countertop. “Tea?”

Tea? Well she could rock tea. “Sure.”

Xxieda busied herself with turning the kettle on and grabbing cups and spoons. “So, now that visions of an almost naked Dante aren’t swimming in your head, or at the very least have retreated back into your wank file, you’re probably wondering how the hell I contacted you and why. Right?”

The woman before her was either completely insane, or prescribed to the same way of thinking of relationships as most women in the business. She was willing to believe that it was the latter. Women in the business were secure in their places and sexuality, and the men they were with were with them for a reason. Jealousy had no business in the lives of a musician or support staff, the life didn’t lend itself to that predisposition.

“It’s not like I’m a major player or anything…” she started with and Xxieda cut her off.

“Which is why I contacted you. You’re not in any way jaded or a liability.”

Saffron frowned. “What does that mean?”

Xxieda turned to look at her and leaned back against the counter, and crossed her arms over her chest. “I mean you’re not insane, have issues, and by all accounts don’t have a drug problem.”

“All true. I don’t touch the sauce, though I do enjoy a nice glass of wine in the tub. I’m not attached to anyone because I know better, and insane, well, that’s debatable. I mean you have to be a little nuts to get into this business.”

“And a level head on your shoulders. You see this business for what it is, not what you want it to be.”

Saffron understood immediately. “Your right, I did my groupie partying years ago and grew out of it. Nothing permanent coming out of that kinda shit but possibly an STD. No thank you.”

Xxieda nodded. “And word has it you handled that little venue snafu in Chicago in mere minutes, saving the bands and their companies a ton of grief.”

That was true as well.

“I did. So that’s why you contacted me? I really don’t understand. You mentioned Shades in the email, but I thought their tour already started.”

“It did, but there were complications.” Xxieda said and turned back to the range as the water began to boil.

“Meaning? And I gotta tell you, I would love this job, especially how generous your being, but I have never managed a band of this size let alone a hardcore band.”

“Which is why you’re perfect for it. You’ll do it right, not how the band or the venue wants you to. Managers get complacent with places they know. Look, this is Shades’ first full US tour, and their biggest one yet. It has to go well and now with all this bullshit…”

“Okay, what bullshit?”

“She is dancing around the fact that her recent manager had an overdose.” Dante said from the other room. “Never thought that kid was a good idea.”

Xxieda sighed and shook her head. “Yes I know, and I’m listening now aren’t I?”

Dante walked in and went to her, pulling her close and kissed her sweetly. “Of course you are love. I’ll see you later?”

Xxieda smiled. “Of course. Give my love to my dad wont ya?”

Dante frowned. “I suppose.” He turned from her and smiled at Saffron. “Good to meet you Saffron, and take my advice, take the job, she will just hound you and browbeat you till you do.” He winked and walked out of the room, grabbing his jacket as he walked towards the door.

Lord that accent was panty scorching. “Dante work with your dad?”

Xxieda had turned back to the tea and was pouring the steaming water into the mugs. “You could say that.”

“Dare I ask what they do?”

Xxieda chuckled. “Daddy and Dante are both in the acquisitions game. Mostly rare spells and other mystical items.”

Mystical items?
“You’re kidding.”

Xxieda shook her head. “There’s a lot of things in this world the population in general doesn’t know about. Honestly, you think men like Dante are just walking the earth? Not without some demonic intervention that’s for damn sure.”

Saffron shook her head. “Excuse me, did you just say he’s a demon?”

“Half demon actually, a fire one.” She motioned to the iPod dock.  “Shit like that doesn’t just happen.”

She supposed not. “Okay so say you’re telling the truth…”

“I am. Trust me, you’re going to have to accept this if you’re going to work for me.”

“Fair enough, so what does this little trip to loony land have to do with working for Shades.”

“Well let’s see, the biggest reason is that Rhys is a medium, as in talk to dead people.”

Right.

“Dead people? Like
The sixth sense
bullshit?”

“Kinda. He’s got his issues but he’s just getting back into his powers after an alcohol induced hiatus. I only tell you because he sometimes looks like he’s talking to himself.”

Saffron took the info in stride. Either Xxieda was having a laugh at her expense or she was telling the truth. She would have to wait and see. “Okay, and anything else?”

“Well Winter, that scrumptious bassist of theirs, he’s a demon too, time if I’m not mistaken, but he doesn’t use it often.”

“And did the previous tour manager know this?”

Xxieda shrugged. “He was told, but that doesn’t mean he believed us. People tend to believe what works best for them, don’t you think?”

“Okay then…” Saffron sighed. “So when do I start?”

Xxieda grinned and handed her a cup of tea. “Three days, Las Vegas.”