Rock Star: The Contest (Book 2 of a Bad Boy Romance) (7 page)

T
he production team
set about the task of lugging in the equipment into Lilly Forest. In a few hours, all of us would be involved in a video shoot.

A thick mist had rolled in, giving them exactly the backdrop they wanted. All of us were going to be singing a song together. It was going to be used for promotional material in the hopes they could draw in people through video websites.

It was pretty clever really. They had sent out an email to everyone who had ever attended the live events from season one through to season three. One hundred people would be randomly selected to appear in the video, and every single person who had attended would get a free copy if they tweeted, shared the video on Facebook or blogged about it.

And for those who really wanted to go big, and had a large social media following via YouTube, they would be given a free flight out to watch the finals if they created a video specifically about the show. It was what the show needed right now. The power was in the viewers’ hands. It had been a missing component in previous seasons. Like many other television shows, its producers were still stuck in the traditional way of thinking. Assuming that they could rely on TV as the sole means of being found. But people were not watching TV as much as they used to, at least consuming it the traditional way. Fact was people were busier than ever and had turned to places like Netflix, Amazon and Hulu to binge watch shows, when and how they pleased.

Anyway, they were hopeful that they could turn things around. With the network breathing down their necks, threatening to not give them a season four, they were doing anything and everything to get viewers. I had known the pressure that was placed on them. Everything always looked so slick and professional when it appeared on TV. Who knew they were under the gun?

Although Leann hadn’t said anything about what she saw that evening, it had both myself and Chase on high alert. I hadn’t slept most of the evening, and when I finally did get some sleep my alarm woke me up. I had to down three espressos and an Americano that morning. By the time I rolled in with the others, I was completely wired. It didn’t help the nerves.

When she had stepped out of the shadows and seen us kissing, she simply stared. I know that she hadn’t just stumbled across us. We were both pretty certain that she had clued into our relationship back at the cottage. It was only a matter of time that she would have found us in the heat of passion.

I wasn’t sure why she hadn’t said anything. Though I think she was hatching some scheme to use it to her advantage. What that was, was anyone’s guess. Chase thought that she may have been nervous. Unsure if saying anything would actually result in risking her position. After speaking with the other two judges, I knew that if she did say anything, I would be booted off the show and Chase would be relieved of his duties. It didn’t matter that we were coming to a close on the show. These folks didn’t mess around. Mia would be up in arms and well, I would be back to fending off more photographers and media.

Leann kept her distance that morning. She almost looked lost in thought. Like an evil witch conspiring some heinous plan. I wondered if she felt hurt. Obviously she had come up to the cottage to see Chase herself. Whether that was to get an advantage in the contest or something much more personal, was to be determined. Though I had a strong gut feeling that it could have been both.

Word had been getting around that Leann was trying to sabotage the efforts of others. Several contestants who had already been eliminated were said to have had great voices and presence on stage. And yet the day they were eliminated, we had noticed they had acted as if they had a cold or hadn’t warmed up their vocals.

I was pretty sure that Leann was behind it. Though I couldn’t prove it. It wasn’t uncommon to find another contestant trying to outwit others or cause problems to get them kicked off a show. I’d seen it on
Big Brother
,
The Bachelor
and many other shows. It was amazing how catty women could get when faced with the risk of losing.

If she wanted to get me kicked off, she now had even more proof. However, Chase had said that she didn’t have proof. It was her word against ours. That was probably why she hadn’t said anything. At least yet.

“OK, guys, we need to get you all into position. Now remember that we don’t have a lot of time here. This early morning mist isn’t going to last. It’s perfect right now.”

They hadn’t even given us time to go through a rehearsal of where we would stand or how we would act. A coordinator had stepped in and gone through it in the space of about five minutes. Most of us just nodded and gave a deer in the headlights look.

It was meant to be kind of like Michael Jackson’s “Thriller.” They had used the hundred people who had won as zombies. Makeup artists had been working on them and using masks to get them ready. It was the weirdest thing I had ever seen. Country rock and zombies went together like oil and water. But you just went with it.

They did it in one shot. I was surprised that they had so much confidence in us. Though Chase said it wasn’t that. They were on a limited budget and were giving the suits what they wanted. It was raw, pretty crap according to him, but it would pass.

Once it was all wrapped up, people got a chance to hang with us and speak to the judges. It was kind of neat and for a short while I had started to forget about yesterday night until Leann approached me.

“I think you and I should speak.”

“Go ahead.”

“Not here, up at the cottage.”

“Why?”

“I think you know why.”

“When?”

“This afternoon. Say, four?”

I nodded. She turned on her heels and I could see a smirk on her face. After we were done I headed back to the café. Chase said he would swing by, he wanted to come along but that wasn’t going to happen.

* * *

“
Y
ou do know
she is going to blackmail us?” I asked him.

“Of course, all the bitchy ones do.”

“And you’re fine with that?”

“No. But this isn’t my first rodeo of having a woman try and take me for money or have me fired from an event.”

“So what am I meant to say?”

He paced back and forth.

“Hear her out. You don’t have to agree to anything she says, but don’t give her the impression that she isn’t going to get what she wants. We need a little time to think this through. Once we know what she’s up to, I may be able to pull some strings and get her kicked off the show.”

“That’s not good, Chase.”

“Well, it’s she goes, or we do. Do you really think she is going to stand by and not use this?”

I shrugged.

Chase left soon after a late lunch. Sophie and Spike were handling the shop when I came down. I had shared what had taken place with Sophie and she balled her fists.

“Do you want me to go up there and pummel her?”

I laughed. Sophie had always been one of those girls who acted first and thought later. Growing up she had never taken shit from anyone. Though her family was pretty well off, she was like the black sheep of their family. Always getting into mischief and having run-ins with the law. Over the years she had settled down a bit, but that fire was always brewing underneath the surface, looking for any reason to be let out.

“You want to watch a movie tonight?” Spike asked. “You know how we used to?”

Growing up Spike and I had bonded over our love for horror and kung fu movies. When our parents got together, initially hanging out was awkward. But we soon got used to each other, especially once I showed him my collection of movies.

I knew what he was up to. Trying to wiggle his way in and have a cozy night with me. It was obvious, but things were different now.

“I don’t know, Spike.”

“C’mon, I know you have the night off. I heard Teddy invite Sophie out.”

“But I might be out with—”

“Right,” he cut me off.

“Listen, do you mind if I use your place tonight? I’m just going to kick back and watch a couple.”

I narrowed my eyes. “Sure.”

It wasn’t that I didn’t want to hang out with him. I missed the days of being a kid. When responsibility was a foreign concept. When we didn’t understand the stress our parents were under, or why they fought so hard. Weekends were carefree. Mornings spent at the museum or library with Sophie, evenings spent with both of them or just Spike watching a movie, chowing down on popcorn and laughing over the most idiotic jokes. What happened to that? What happened to all those days? It wasn’t like I had changed. Of course I had grown up, and taken over the store but deep down I was still that little girl who enjoyed adventure, who loved to get into trouble with my pals. Somewhere over time that had been lost.

After all that I had been going through with the show, Chase and now Leann, the idea of get cozy on the couch with Spike was actually starting to appeal to me.

“Look, I might be there tonight. I don’t know. I have a few things to work out today and we’ll see.”

I caught him smile as he walked off.

* * *

L
ater that afternoon
as I headed up to the cottage, I felt a sense of dread. It wasn’t that I was scared of Leann. I had met enough of her kind that I was used to bitchy behavior. I just didn’t want to see Chase’s life screwed up. Mine, well I could always go back to the coffee store. Sure I would be bummed out, but I had experienced enough over the past few weeks that the idea of singing for a living had made me rethink what was important to me.

As I killed the engine on my truck, I could see Leann beyond the window. She was seated on the porch rocker. I climbed out and made my way over to her.

“So?”

She took a deep breath.

“How long have you been together?”

“What’s it to you?”

“Careful. I don’t like the tone of your voice. I could quite easily make a phone call to the coordinators and I’m sure they would love to hear about what I saw.”

“Cut the crap, Leann. If you wanted to tell them, you would have done so by now. What do you want?”

“There are six of us left. Now only five will make it into the finals. I plan on being part of that five and the sooner one of us leaves or gets eliminated the better. Now I know you have attracted the attention of the media and no doubt care for Chase Bryan. So I’m going to make this easy for you. He gets to stay and you get to go.”

“You want me to just quit?”

“I didn’t say quit. No, that would raise too many eyebrows. I want you to fail.”

“Are you serious?”

“Do I sound like I’m joking?”

“And how do you propose I fail?”

“Oh, c’mon now. Bad cold. Trip on the stage. Sing out of tune. You know, what some of the idiots did.”

“Were you behind some of them getting eliminated?”

She smiled.

“Really, Meghan? You must have a very low opinion of me, if you think I would stoop that low.”

I rolled my eyes. Was she insane? She was doing it right now. I paced back and forth a few times. A part of me wanted to tell her where to go, then I remembered what Chase had said. This bitch was playing us like a fiddle. It was one more time singing and then they selected a winner and runner-up. The other three would lose. She was increasing the odds of her being selected to win with me out of the picture.

“What if I say no?”

“Then I go speak with the coordinators. Think about it, Meghan. You might not be bothered by leaving. But Chase stands to lose a lot. I’m trying to help you and him out here. This way, you leave with a bit of dignity intact and Chase gets to stay… well… Chase Bryan.”

“Dignity? Singing out of tune, falling over? You think that’s dignity? That’s humiliation. But you want that. That’s what gets you off. You don’t just want to see me walk away. You want to embarrass me.”

She laughed. “It’s business. Not personal.”

“I’ll think about it.”

“No. No you won’t. Tomorrow evening you will fail.”

I shook my head in disbelief. What a bitch.

Leann rose from the rocker and made her way over to her sporty car that probably had been bought by her daddy. Spoiled little brat.