Wicked Indulgence: A Wicked Innocence Novella (2 page)

Chapter Three

The phone wakes me at what I can only assume is an unreasonably early time. Groaning, I fumble on my nightstand, my eyes focusing on the time first, and then the caller. I’m right—it’s fucking ten a.m. But more importantly, it’s Andrew, my manager: the only person I’m
not
prepared to ignore.

“Hello,” I mumble, trying to sound as awake as I can. I sit up in bed, rubbing the back of my neck as my head throbs.

“Saxon. You need to get yourself down to my office now. The studio has organized a new PR representative for the band and she’s keen to get started with you guys right away.”

She? Interesting.
Apart from my initial contact with the record label management and the recording of our single and video clip, I hadn’t had much to do with the cooperate side of the label. I’d often wondered when they were going to start to market us, considering our debut single is about to be released.

“Okay, give me half an hour,” I yawn. “You’ve contacted the other guys?”

“Yep, they’re all on their way.”

Ending the call, I untangle myself from my bedding and stand up. Swaying on my feet, I feel like shit. What I need is to be able to sleep this hangover off, but I know blowing this off would not be a good look.

After a quick shower I leave via the kitchen, where I grab a juice and a muffin, relieved that nobody is home. I’m about to get into my car when I realize there’s a good chance I’m still over the limit.

“Fuck,” I mutter, thinking fast. I don’t have time to wait for a cab. Getting out my phone, I call Max. “Dude, have you left yet?”

“Leaving now. You need a ride?” he asks.

“Yeah. Thanks, man, I’ll be waiting out front.”

I press end and shove my phone back in my pocket as I jog down the driveway to the gate. Outside, I finish my breakfast while I wait for Max. I see his car in the distance and wait impatiently until it slows down in front of me.

“Hey,” I mutter, slumping into the seat. I reach for my belt and plug it in. “Thanks for the pickup.”

“No problem. Someone indulge a little too much last night?” he asks, a grin spreading across his mouth.

“Yeah, maybe a little,” I reply. “But I wasn’t exactly expecting the early morning wakeup call.”

“I’m shocked you answered.” He throws me a look. “Don’t you usually have your phone on silent?”

“Yeah, just lucky I guess.” I shoot him a sideways glance. He drank as much as I did. How can he be okay to drive? “Are you sure you’re okay to drive?”

He laughs. “I didn’t actually drink that much, dude. That’s the thing with my personality, there’s not much difference between drunk Max and sober Max.”

I had to give him that. He was loud and overbearing no matter what.

We pull into the parking lot below the studio.

“Any idea what this is all about?” Max asks me as we take the elevator upstairs.

I shrug. “Something about a new PR person for us. Apparently it’s a chick,” I add, grinning as Max’s head perks up. He gives me shit for the number of chicks I pick up, but in reality he’s just as bad, if not worse.

Leo and Bazz are there already when we walk into the office. I sit down, happy to see that they both look as shitty as I feel.

Max shakes his head. “I really love that you guys just can’t handle your alcohol like real men,” he chuckles and puffs out his chest, obviously impressed that he’s the only one not hungover.

I shoot him a look, which only makes him laugh harder.

“So, do you think this means we’ll be getting more shows and shit? With the single release coming up and all that?”

Our debut single, “One True Romance,” is set to release this month. Six months in the making, this is supposed to be the thing that will potentially launch our careers. If this takes off, there’s no stopping us. If not, then…

Before I can answer Max, a feminine laugh catches my attention. I look up and see Andrew walking down the hallway deep in conversation with a very attractive woman. I say “woman” because she looks older than me—maybe late twenties?—and much more sophisticated than the chicks I usually chase.

Her long blond hair hangs straight down her back. She wears a gray pencil skirt that hugs her slender body and a cream-colored shirt so light I can almost make out the outline of her nipples.
Holy shit, she’s fucking hot.
 

“Guys,” Andrew says, a warm smile on his face. “Thanks for coming down at such short notice. This is Lyndall Hall. She’s just joined EML as a public relations coordinator and she’s been assigned to help Severed with the launch of your debut single.” He rubs his hands together and smiles. “She has some great ideas she wants to run past you. Can I trust you to make her feel welcome?” His eyes narrow as his gaze passes me and Max, which I return with a wide-eyed, innocent shrug.

“We’ll make her feel more than welcome,” Max says smoothly, his dark eyes twinkling as they travel over her body.

“Thanks, but I’ll settle for you listening and maybe learning a few things from someone with experience in this field,” she replies, her voice dry. “Do you think you can you handle that?”

I snort as Max’s mouth drops open.
Was that the first time he’s been shot down? Probably.
Her gaze moves over to me and her eyes narrow slightly. Coughing, I wipe the grin off my face and nod.

“Good.” She smiles. “Okay, follow me and we’ll run through my ideas.”

I’m the first out of my seat. I follow her down the hallway, the other guys behind me. I’m struggling to take my eyes off her perky ass. It’s fucking perfection—especially the way it sways in that skirt. We walk into a small conference room and my cock twitches as I imagine bending her over the table and running my hands over that body. She glances up at me, her pretty mouth turning into a frown. My face heats up and I glance away, a thrill racing through my body.
It’s as if she can read my thoughts.

“If we all sit down we can get to work,” she says, her tone clipped.

We all sit down and wait for her to speak.

“Okay,” she says, pushing her hair back behind her ears. “Firstly, I hope we can all keep this professional. I don’t know if any of you have a problem with me being female, but I can assure you I’m damn good at my job.” Her eyes narrow in on mine.

“You think I have a problem?” I ask, my eyes widening. I let out a laugh. “What did I do?”

“It’s…” She shakes her head and takes a deep breath. “Never mind. I’m not singling anyone out, okay? I’m just saying upfront—to
all
of you—that I won’t put up with any shit. Understood?” She stares at me until I nod, then moves on to each of the other guys.

I hide a grin, focusing on a tiny chip in the paintwork of the table.
This chick has balls.
Her fiery attitude is doing nothing to tame my growing desire to bone her.

“We all have the same goal,” Max says. “We’re not going to jeopardize our careers over a piece of ass, right guys?”

I want to laugh, because I know that was Max’s way of telling her she has nothing to worry about, but the expression on her face is telling me she took it a whole different way.

“He means you have nothing to worry about,” I add, offering her what I hope is a sincere smile. “We want to push ourselves to be the best, and if you can help us with that, then that’s all that matters.”

Her expression softens, and she nods. “Okay,” she says, a hint of relief in her voice. “Then let’s get on with it. So, we need to drum up interest in you guys leading up to the release.” She pauses before continuing. “You’re in a transition stage at the moment, and things can go either way. You’ll either sink or swim. It’s my job to make sure you guys are ready for this. You think the last six months have been hard? That’s nothing compared to what the next six will be.”

“So what’s the plan then? More shows in shitty venues where nobody has heard of us?” I ask, cocking my head.

“No.” Her blue eyes focus on mine. “We’re hooking you up for a few live television performances of your new single—the
Today
show
, Music Room
, that kind of thing.”

“Shit, really?” I grin. “That’s fucking awesome.”

“I told you I’m serious about working with you guys,” she says, her expression intense. “This is nothing compared to what I have planned. I hope you guys are ready for this, because your lives are about to change in a big, big way.”

“So when’s all this start?” I ask, my excitement building. “The song is releasing next week. You guys haven’t exactly left much time to build up hype,” I add, my tone critical.

“Because we feel you’ll benefit more from our promotional ideas if they occur closer to the release date,” she explains. “But this new promotional strategy will start now. So, tomorrow morning you’ll be performing live on the
Today
show.” She wets her lips, her eyes sparkling. “If you can get yourselves up by four.”

“For you I’ll stay up all night,” Max chuckles.

She glares at him.

“Sorry,” he hastily adds.

She hands a sheet out to all of us. I scan the page; it’s a schedule for the next month. I whistle, impressed by what she’s set up for us. She wasn’t kidding.
This is going to be full on.

We hang around for another half hour, until she can see that she’s just about reached the guys’ limit. There is only so much they can take in during one sitting—a side effect of indulging in too much alcohol.

“We can go over more of this next week,” she finishes.

The guys, grateful for the exit opportunity, make a beeline for the door. I hang back, chuckling at the look of dismay on Lyndall’s face.

“You get used to them,” I say.

She jumps, as if she just noticed I was still there. “Are they always so…” Her voice trails off.

“Wired?” I supply with a smile. “Usually. We take our downtime pretty seriously.”

“I hope you take your careers just as seriously,” she replies, lifting an eyebrow. Her feistiness makes me laugh. “I’m glad you find it amusing, Mr. Waite.”

“I’m thinking maybe you haven’t spent a hell of a lot of time around a group of male musicians,” I say. I lean against the wall and study her face as it reddens. “That’s not a bad thing—it just might be useful for you to know a thing or two about how to deal with them.”

“And let me guess, you have all the answers?” She rises from her chair and walks over to me. “I’m dying to hear this.”

I narrow my eyes at her, sure that she’s mocking me, but wanting to keep playing along. “Outside of music, these guys party. That’s it. But when it comes to giving their all for the band, they’re one thousand percent in. You won’t find anyone who wants it more than we do.”

“I believe that of you,” she says, stepping closer to me.

I swallow as the scent of her perfume hits my senses, her full lips inches away from mine.

“But the others, I’m not yet convinced. Tell me, Sax: how far are you willing to go to get what you want?”

“Are we still talking about music?” I ask, my voice husky. Surely I’m not the only one feeling the connection here? Her icy blue eyes remain on mine, burning into my soul. My cock twitches as her lips curve into a smile.

“Depends how you take it. It’s like anything in life. You have to fight for what you want, right?” She turns on her heel and sashays toward the door. Just as she reaches it, she turns around. “For your sake, I hope you’re right. I hope your friends are as serious about this as you are.”

I watch her as she disappears down the hall, my heart pumping.
She’s concerned about nothing
. The guys are as into this as I am, if not more so. But that doesn’t stop the niggling doubt in the back of my mind.

What if they’re not?

Chapter Four

It’s late afternoon when I get back home. Stace is sitting on the sofa watching TV. I glance around for a sign of my parents, but see none. I sit down with her and watch TV too, lasting all of five minutes before the show is pissing me off.

“What the hell is this shit?” I mutter, rolling my eyes. I reach for the remote.

Stace screams, tearing it away from me. “Luca is going to kiss Amber this episode. If I miss it I’ll never live it down,” she pleads, her eyes wide with panic.

Shaking my head, I let go of the remote. “Overdramatic much?” I tease.

She doesn’t even hear me, already glued back to her show.

Sighing, I get up and make my way into the kitchen, my stomach rumbling. I’m surprised to find Mom in there. I stop in my tracks. I must be seeing things, because there is no way in hell my mother is standing in our kitchen making a cake. Not when there’s alcohol to be consumed.

“Sax,” she beams. Setting her bowl down, she rushes over to me, her arms open.

I hug her back, my senses on high alert for the smell of her usual go-to drink of choice, whiskey.

Huh. Nothing.

“Hey, Mom. What’s going on?” I ask.

I take a seat at the counter and watch her pour the batter into a tin. Seeing her like this makes me nervous. The last time I remember Mom baking was the day before my seventh birthday. She attempted to make me the superhero birthday cake I’d been begging her for. I was so proud of her when she’d decided to make it herself. Unfortunately the cake never made it to my birthday after she nearly burned the kitchen down when she forgot it was in the oven until three hours later.

“I’ve invited your aunt and uncle over for dinner. Your father’s out of town on business,” she adds. Sometimes I wonder who is happier when he’s away—me or her.

“And you’ve decided to cook?” I ask slowly. I’ve tasted Mom’s cooking and it’s not good.

“No, I’m making a
cake
. Hilda will be here to cook,” she retorts, making a face at me. “And watch your attitude, Saxon. You might be twenty-one, but you’re still my baby. You’re never too old for a smack.”

I grin and swipe my finger around the empty bowl.
Tastes pretty good.

“And I want you to take it easier on Harry, okay?” she adds, speaking about my cousin.

“Me?” I laugh. “He’s the one with a massive stick up his ass. I have no idea what his problem is, but if you think I’m going to—”

“Sax,” Mom groans, rubbing her temples.

I stop and nod. In the back of my mind I’m thinking about how rare this moment is—being able to have a conversation with Mom that she’s actually going to remember in a few hours.

“Fine,” I sigh. “I’ll behave.”

I wander back into the living room, where Stace is playing with her phone.

She looks up and gives me a grin. “Mom still baking?”

“Yeah,” I say, shaking my head. “I think that freaks me out more than her drinking.”

Stace laughs. “No, it’s good to be able to have a normal mom around for once. Not that it will last.” I hear the sadness in her voice and sigh.

“Stace,” I begin, not sure what to say. She’s right: it won’t last.

“No, it’s okay,” she says, forcing a smile to try and cover the pain that is obvious in her eyes. “I can handle it, Sax. Really. You put up with all of this and you’ve turned out pretty well.”

I snort. Have I?

“How’s things with you?” she adds.

“Pretty good. We’ve got a live performance tomorrow morning on the
Today
show.” I sink into one of the oversized leather armchairs that clutter the living area.

Stace’s jaw drops open. “That’s fucking awesome!”

“Language,” I chastise her.

She rolls her eyes.

“But it is pretty cool, huh?”

“Cool? It’s fucking amazing. Sorry.” She winces. “But my brother is going to be famous, which means I’ll be famous because you’re my brother. The girls at school are going to freak.”

I roll my eyes. I should’ve known it would all come back to high school politics.

“I’m happy for you too,” she adds, sticking out her tongue.

“Thanks, sis. It means a lot to me, you know?”

****

Dinner goes pretty smoothly without Dad around. With the exception of Harry, I get along great with my relatives. Kara is the same age as Stace, and the two of them are firm friends. I’ve always wondered if the disconnection Harry and I have has to do with both of us chasing the same dream. I’m three years older than he is, but it must be hard for him to watch me living his dream. We’ve never really gotten along. The funny thing is that when we were younger, it was he who was too cool for his older cousin. I have to admit, part of me loves rubbing my success in his face and I do it at every given opportunity.

After dinner I excuse myself, ready for an early night. The looks I get around the table are priceless, because me and early nights don’t usually occur.

“He’s singing live on TV in the morning,” Stace pipes up.

I shoot her a death stare and she shrugs her shoulders.

“Sorry. I didn’t realize it was some big secret.”

“What show?” Uncle Dan asks, sounding interested.

Harry stabs at his food, a sullen look on his face, which makes me smile.

“The
Today
show,” I say.

It wasn’t like I was hiding my news. Hell, it’s a fucking national show—they would’ve found out tomorrow anyway. I just didn’t see the point in announcing something that nobody but me gives a fuck about. Though seeing Harry’s expression almost made it worth it.

“Why would you keep that a secret?” Uncle Dan asks, shaking his head. “That’s an amazing achievement, Saxon. I’m proud of you.”

“Thanks,” I say, smiling. It feels good having some support. I glance in Mom’s direction.

She busies herself with her food, pretending she can’t feel the heat of my stare. She’s too weak to support me because of Dad, even when he’s not here. Sometimes I really want to shake some sense into her.

“Well, I gotta get up early, so I think I’m calling it a night,” I say, pushing my chair in. I stroll upstairs and take sanctuary in my room, hitting the door closed with my foot. I throw on some music and lie down on the bed.

I glance at my clock and see it’s barely nine. It’s too early to sleep—not that I’ll get much anyway, but having to get up so early really throws off my sleeping pattern.

After tossing and turning for fifteen minutes, I give up. Throwing a T-shirt over my head and a pair of sweatpants on, I head downstairs, hoping everyone has gone. I walk into the living room, where Stace is stretched out on the sofa, tapping on her phone.

“Thought you were sleeping.” She smirks.

“Yeah, well, who’d think I’d struggle to get to sleep at ten? Who are you texting?” I ask, raising my eyebrows.

“Kara,” she replies quickly. Her face reddens and I know she’s lying to me. I’m 99 percent sure she’s texting a dude.

I reach forward and swiftly grab the phone from her.

“Hey!” she cries, frantically trying to fight me for it.

“Why do you have Kara’s name as ‘Pete’ in your contacts?” I tease, laughing. “‘
Can’t wait to see you too. I think about you all the time
,’” I read.

Stace throws herself on the floor, her hands over her face.

“Awww, my li’l sis has a boyfriend? When do I get to meet him?”

“Never,” she says through gritted teeth. “Why are you always trying to embarrass me?” she cries. She reaches out and snatches her phone back, her eyes full of anger.

Chuckling, I reach over and rub her head. “I think it’s cute you have a boyfriend,” I reply.

“He’s not my boyfriend,” she mumbles. “He’s just a guy…” She sighs dramatically. “I’m going to bed,” she says, getting to her feet. Holding her head high, she marches off up the stairs, not reacting to my laughter.

A few minutes later, Mom wanders in, a glass in hand, her eyes glazed.

Sighing, I watch her for a moment before speaking. “It was good being able to talk to you today, without that,” I say, nodding toward the glass I already know holds vodka and lemonade.

“Please don’t, Saxon,” she sighs, sitting down in one of the armchairs. “It’s been a long day and I need to unwind. What’s wrong with the occasional drink?”

Nothing, but it always turns into four…or ten…

I don’t reply. Instead I flick through the TV channels aimlessly, not really paying attention to what’s on. Eventually I can’t take the awkward silence anymore.

“So, the
Today
show.” I wet my lips, almost not wanting to ask what I’m about to ask. “Are you proud of me?”

“Saxon…” Mom sighs.

“What?” I say, anger boiling inside of me. “Why is it so hard for you to support me?”

“You know your father—”

“I’m not asking Dad, I’m asking you. Surely you’re capable of thinking for yourself?” I push.

“Just leave it,” Mom pleads, her dark eyes meeting mine.

“Fine,” I mutter, standing up. “I guess I’ll see you tomorrow.”

****

I sigh as I swing my car into a park outside the studios at 4:45am. Who the fuck willingly gets up this early? Even after three coffees, I’m still not fully awake, but this is as probably as good as I get today. I was lucky enough to get about two hours sleep, so things could be worse.

As I walk through the near empty lot, I glance around for other signs of life. I’m the first one here, which makes me laugh. I’m never the first one anywhere. Will Lyndall be here? I snort.
Probably not
. A woman like that wouldn’t give up her beauty sleep that easily.

I show my ID to the security guard at the door, and make my way up to floor six. I exit the elevator, and ahead of me is Lyndall talking to some fancy dude in a suit. Hands in my pockets, I swagger over there. Her face lights up when she sees me.

“Sax, you made it. And on time,” she adds.

“I’m known for my punctuality,” I fib, keeping my expression serious. She narrows her eyes and studies my face for a moment, as if she’s trying to figure out whether or not I’m serious.

“Yeah, well, let’s hope you’ve past that trait onto the rest of the guys.” She turns her attention back to her friend. “This is Michael, the producer of the
Today
show. Michael, this is the lead singer from Savage, Saxon Waite.”

“Pleasure,” he says, putting his hand out for me to shake. I take it and nod. “So, when the others arrive, I’ll run through your slot and a few other things to make sure this all goes smoothly. This is your first TV performance?”

“Yes,” I nod. “And I’m really excited about it.”

“Good.” He seems happy that I’m happy. “You’ll love it. One you step in front of that camera, you want more. And you guys are going to be huge. We already have fans lining up outside to catch a glimpse of you.”

Seriously?
I laugh and scratch my jaw at the thought of people getting up at this hour to see us. That’s fucking insane.

Max, Leo and Bazz arrive shortly after, all looking barely awake. Michael runs through how everything will run, right down to which way we enter the stage and what happens when we finish our song.

As we stand off set, I’m nervous as fuck about what we’re about to do. I pump my hands into fists in an effort to shake off my nerves. If the others are nervous they don’t show it. But then again, there’s more pressure on me being the singer. They could fuck up the tune and nobody would ever know.

“Ready in two.” The voice floats through the tiny mic that was placed in my ear earlier. I nod and breathe out.

“You’ll be great,” Lyndall whispers, squeezing my arm. I turn, surprised to see her standing so close to me. Any closer and that body would be flat up against mine. Not that I’m complaining. I give her a wink, hoping I at least look confident.

We get the signal and sprint on the stage, facing the cameras. Outside, at the window, a collection of young girls are screaming our names. I smirk at Max, who gives me a wink before he starts us off. I count the beat down in my head. Closing my eyes, I reach for the mic, the words pouring out of me.

I sing like I always do, whether I’m at home, or in front of a crowd, the passion I feel for my words is the same. I sing because it’s what I love doing, because I can’t imagine my life without music. The fact that I get to share it with people is a bonus because first and foremost, it’s for me.

“And that’s a wrap,” the voice in my ear announces. “We’ll cut to an add, then you guys can leave the stage.”

I turn to our growing fan club outside and give them a wave before running off the stage. My heart pounds out of control. That was unlike anything I’d ever done. Millions of people across the world just saw that. Stace would’ve been watching for sure. I wonder if my parents saw it? I shake my head, knowing there was no way in hell that they’d seen it.

“How fucking great was that?” Leo cheers, patting me on the back. “I’ve got such a rush right now.”