“You have my terms, Aspen. I’ll see you soon.”
After producing a baseball cap from his jacket, he jammed it on his head, pulling the peak low. He slid a pair of dark shades over his eyes and, with a fleeting grin, he rounded me. In seconds, he’d disappeared into the crowds. I half expected to hear a fan screech his name, but he’d clearly mastered blending in.
A black cab synonymous with London streets pulled up curbside, and two giggling girls spilled out. I hurried over, diving in the back before anyone else could pinch it from underneath my nose. I gave the driver my office address, dashed in to pick up my overnight bag, then directed him to the Kingcaid Hotel in Kensington—one of three hotels my family owned in London, and my favorite.
Thirty minutes later, I entered the hotel lobby and beelined directly for the bank of elevators. My cousin Asher ran our hotel chain, and every single hotel had an owner’s suite that was kept free should any of us visit.
I touched my skeleton keycard to the outer door, and it opened into the foyer. Immediately, voices from the living room drifted toward me. I frowned. At the last board meeting a week ago, I didn’t recall anyone saying they planned to travel to London. Then again, my trip here had been last minute, too, so it was entirely possible I’d been beaten to the punch.
My cousin Penn and his wife Gia glanced over their shoulders as I entered the living room and dropped my overnight bag at my feet. Gia squealed and got up, and before I could say hi, she barreled into me with the enthusiasm she was known and loved for. Out of all of my cousins’ partners, I was closest toGia. Mainly because she and Penn lived in New York, too, which meant I got to see more of them than I did the others.
“What are you doing here?” Gia asked once she’d finished almost strangling me.
“What areyoudoing here?” I grinned, jabbing my finger at Penn. “You didn’t say you were planning to be in London.”
“Last minute decision,” Penn said. “A business associate offered tickets to a West End musical Gia’s been dying to see for ages. And you?”
I sighed, trudging over to the couch and flopping down next to him. Gia sat on Penn’s other side. “Got a call from Joz Raynor’s manager that he’d agreed to meet.”
Penn arched a brow. “That’s good, right? You’ve been after signing him for ages.”
“Except he didn’t show up at my offices.”
“What a fucker,” Gia blurted in her inimitable style.
“Instead, he called me and demanded I meet him at a bar.” I quickly updated them on my rather strange and unplanned day.
“I’m surprised he could walk after the undoubted knee to the nuts you gave him for trying to strongarm you.” Gia flashed a grin. “He doesn’t know our Aspen, that’s for sure.”
I chuckled. “Believe me, it was tempting to see him roll around on the floor clutching his bits, but I refrained.”
“You’re a better woman than me. What a jerk.”
“So, what are you going to do about the Presley situation?” Penn asked.
I scrubbed my face. Jet lag was catching up with me. “I don’t know. The kid has talent, buckets of it, but I don’t like having my arm twisted. And it’s something I’d want to run by the board anyway.”
“I get the arm twist thing, but don’t cut off your nose to spite your face, either. Unearthing a talented unknown could be a gold mine if handled correctly.”
“Yeah, I know.” Yawning, I stretched my arms overhead. “I’m going to take a nap. You guys don’t mind if I crash here, right?”
“Not at all.” Penn flashed his wife an impish smile. “Better dust off the gag. We know how noisy you are.”
I wrinkled my nose. “Please.”
Gia punched his arm, and she wasn’t gentle about it. “You’re a dick.”
Pushing to my feet, I yawned again. “If I don’t catch you before you leave, enjoy the show.”
After retrieving my bag, I set it at the foot of the bed, kicked off my shoes, and stripped down to my underwear. Within minutes of snuggling underneath the covers, I’d passed out.
My phone ringing woke me. I rubbed my eyes and checked the time on the digital clock beside the bed. I’d slept for two hours but was still exhausted. Reaching for my phone, I pressed it to my ear.
“This is Aspen.”
“This is Joz.”
I sat up, dizzy for a second.What does he want?“What can I do for you, Mr. Raynor?”
