“So, this is how the other half lives,” Madeline commented. “I hate to admit this, but getting used to this kind of treatment wouldn’t take me long.”
Chapter Two
Ethan
He stood center stage, his chest heaving up and down from the choreography he’d just finished executing for the third time that day.
“Thank you,” a voice over the intercom said in heavily accented English. After almost two months of working on this concert, Ethan’s nightmares were filled with a combination of Ji Chu-young’s and Sally Higgins’ voices. The concert director and the choreographer made a dynamic duo, who strove for perfection. “That will be all,” Chu-young’s voice said.
“Dancers, stick around for notes,” Higgins yelled from somewhere in the back.
“Oh, thank God,” Zach said from Ethan’s left. “I thought they were going to have us rerun it.”
“You and me both, brother. You and me both,” Orr chimed in.
Ric just let out a sigh before bending at the waist.
“Yeah,” Ethan chimed in. “This is worse than two-a-days when I was in high school. At least high school football coaches had parents to answer to if we died of heat exhaustion.”
The four slowly exited the stage to the right and headed down the staircase. Ethan’s personal assistant was waiting at the bottom of the stairs. He hadn’t believed he needed a PA, but both Ron Hightower, the band’s manager, and Dan Rawlins, the band’s producer, had insisted he get one after the events in New Orleans and Houston the previous month.
His PA, Lucas Andrade, had been born in Brazil before his family had immigrated to the US when he was two. Lucas had graduated from high school in his mid-teens. He finished college the spring before at the University of Houston at the ripe old age of twenty. Lucas was objectively attractive, but he seemed oblivious. He had the whole ‘hot-gay-nerd’ vibe going on and ran Ethan’s life better than ever.
“I just got the update. Blayne and his friends should be here in under thirty minutes. You need to shower and get ready. You have maybe ninety minutes before you need to be in the green room for the official meet-and-greet,” Lucas read from his tablet PC.
“When Blayne gets here…”
“Yes?” Lucas said, looking up at Ethan.
“Can you bring him to my dressing room?”
Lucas used his stylus to make a note on his screen. “How long do you need with him in private?”
“Wow, when you say it like that—”
“I don’t mean it. Well…err…if that’s what you want—”
“Calm down. Blayne and I won’t hook-up in the dressing room.”
“Good. Because you wouldn’t have time to take another shower,” Lucas said dryly.
“What if we just did it in the shower?” Ethan joked.
Lucas looked up to the left for a second before quirking his head. “I guess that could work. Should I pencil that in?”
“I was joking,” Ethan said, widening his eyes. From his right, he heard Rick snickering.
“Oh?” Lucas responded.
“I think I can find my way to the dressing room from here,” Ethan said. “Take a break.”
“It’s not time for a break,” Lucas responded. “I’ll go respond to interview requests and other emails.”
“You do that,” Ethan said before he took off down the tunnel to the dressing rooms.
Ethan heard feet jogging to catch up to him. He was about to spin and yell “What?” when Ric’s voice cut through the silence, “I love your little robot. He’s so much fun to watch.”
“Lucas is not a robot. He’s just…efficient.”
