“I definitely need you to attend the after-concert function. I promised the press some sound bites from you all.”
“Remember, I said I can only stay for half an hour.” Ryan held up a hand when Seymour opened his mouth to protest. “No, my wife is in town for the night. I want to spend time with her.”
Seymour scowled.
“I’ve done everything you asked me to do,” Ryan said. “But I am not about to ignore the fact I have a wife, a woman I love.”
“What if she talks to the press?”
“She won’t.” He didn’t hesitate in his reply. Julia wasn’t vindictive. Caleb, Neil and Jeff trotted out of the dressing room in full makeup, faces painted in white and blue, their true identities safe from exposure.
“Ready to rock and roll?” Seymour asked in a hearty voice.
“Walk in the park,” Neil said, waggling his drumsticks at their manager.
They waited in the wings, and when their cue sounded, they ran onstage.
“Dubois! Dubois! Raine! I love you, Beauchamp. St. Clair, look this way!”
Fans of both sexes chanted their stage names. Ryan and the rest of the band waved back and took their places.
“One, two, three,” Neil said, his low voice the prompt for their first song. A few beats later Ryan kicked in with the lyrics and a roar of approval rippled through the arena. Ryan flashed a grin at Caleb, not far from him. Doing something he loved, being loved—life didn’t get better.
Still sweaty from their performance, Ryan followed Caleb into the room Seymour had set aside for the press. As they walked to the front of the room and took their seats, the clamor ceased and the press members snapped to attention. Most of the journalists peered intently, as if they wanted to see beneath the blue and white makeup each of the band still wore.
Seymour remained standing. “You’ll have half an hour for questions.”
“And make it snappy,” Jeff said, winking at the nearest female reporter. “I have a hot date tonight.”
A chuckle swept through the room.
“All right,” Seymour said. “We’ll take your questions one by one. Yes, sir, you in the front.”
“This question is for Dubois,” the man said. “Is it true you have a two-year-old son here in Sydney?”
The room burst into chaos, the questions coming fast, one after another. Ryan stared at the middle-age journalist until Caleb dug him in the ribs.
“I have no idea what you’re talking about.” But the reporter did, and his steady expression told Ryan he believed his source. A club of trepidation beat Ryan over the head, silent protests rioting through him as he took in the man’s certainty. Pain shot through his temples and he lifted one hand to surreptitiously rub it away.Crap. His makeup. He placed his hand on his thigh instead. “I don’t have any children.”
“But it’s possible,” the man said.
Ryan shrugged, pretending confidence while his stomach squeezed to a painfully tight knot. No way. He’d always been so careful. Fuck, Julia would kill him, if she didn’t shove him out of the apartment first. “No comment.”
“Next question please,” Seymour said, his quick glower at Ryan promising discussions in his future.
“Your lover had plenty of comments when I interviewed her,” the journalist said.
“Next question please,” Seymour repeated.
“Do you make love in your stage makeup?” someone shouted.
“Doesn’t someone want to ask an original question?” Caleb demanded. “It’ll make your story stand out from the others.” His grin remained pasted in place, but Ryan had little difficulty in discerning the underlying snark.
Ryan maintained his comfortable sprawl, only half listening to his friends answering questions. A kid.No way!He’d know if he had a child. Surely the woman would have contacted him? Hell, maybe not. Julia was his wife and she hadn’t caught up with him during their European tour. The journalist captured Ryan’s gaze, his eyes narrowing and a hint of excitement coloring his cheeks. They stared at each other for a long moment until Ryan broke contact when someone called his name. Luckily Neil took the question because Ryan only heard white noise.
“We’re working on a new album,” Neil said. “It’s some of our best work yet.”
The reporters blinked at the piece of information and two asked questions about their progress.
