My teeth grate together at the thought of her suffering like this. I’ll always make sure my mum comes first, but when it comes to my dad, I’ve got nothing left to give. As far as I’m concerned, that arsehole can rot in hell.
CHAPTER NINE
ASH
“Hey Dani,”Tommy says, and I hear the clunk of her heels on our tiled hallway.
“Fuck,” I say out loud. Not the girl I’d prefer to see on a Thursday morning. Calla’s working, but we’ve hooked up as much as we can since Saturday. I can’t wait to see her cute arse later. For now, I’m certain Dani is here to wind me up because of the changes we’ve put in place over the last few days.
I spoke to the boys after Mum turned up on my doorstep. She’s my top priority now; everything I do from this point will have her welfare at the forefront of my mind. I requested a meeting with Bernie to finalise a few things, one of them being a substantial advance. Thankfully, he agreed to it, which means I can make sure Mum is safe while I go to London. I want to pay for her and my aunt to get a little Spanish sun while I’m in the recording studio. When she comes back, well, I’ll figure out then what to do. I can’t risk leaving Mum here to fend for herself against my dad. Their trip away will give me peace of mind.
The guys were awesome and stood by me with that call. Itmeans taking a little of the money meant for promotion and stuff, but they were cool with it. I knew they wouldn’t let me down.
Now Dani is here, with a smirk on her face I don’t trust. I wonder what the hell she has got up her sleeve this time.
“Morning Ash. Got five minutes?” she asks, storming past me through to the kitchen.
“It looks that way,” I mumble under my breath.
“You too Tommy,” she calls over her shoulder, so we follow on behind. I pull a chair from the table and flip it around to straddle it backwards. “What’s up?” I ask as Tommy leans back against the kitchen table, crossing his arms.
She turns on her heels and smiles. “Now there’s a question.” Why is she making me nervous? “I’ve been told you’ve been playing around with our original contract.”
“Circumstances change Dani. I needed a few securities,” I tell her.
“And Ash has our full backing,” Tommy adds.
“So I understand. It’s fabulous how you support each other. Compromise is a good thing.”
“Meaning what exactly?”
“Meaning I hope you’re prepared to compromise for me.”
Something told me this was all too easy. “With what?”
“Well, a band like yours will be in high demand, especially by the female population and you’ve already gained a lot of admiration, not just for your music. I don’t doubt hearts will break along the way.”
“Okay…” I say not knowing where’s she going with this, and then I give Tommy the side-eye.
He lifts his chin towards her. “Cut to it, Dani. What do you want?”
Pacing the room with one finger tapping wildly againsther mouth, she reminds me of her father when he’s deep in thought. Her other arm crosses her middle, she screws up her eyes, humming to herself before revealing, “Friendly advice. Going forward, I think it would be wise not to get too involved with anyone, on a personal level that is. It’s just this is a cut-throat industry with little room for error. This could be your one shot.”
“What the fuck does that mean?” Tommy laughs as I huff out a chuckle of my own.
“Look boys, it’s not a no girlfriend rule full stop?—”
“This is a joke, right?” I question. “You’re saying no girlfriends?” But Dani isn’t laughing.
“Look, you have your needs, I get it, and who am I to get in the way of your—how can I put this politely—natural urges? But the fans need to see you as accessible. You want them to believe they’ll be the next girl on your arm. You’ve got to sell them the dream, and if you have a significant other in tow, they’ll drop you and your music for a rock star who will give them what they want.”
I shake my head when I look at Tommy, then back to Dani. “And what’s brought all this on Dani?” Actually, I have a pretty good idea what it is, but I want to hear it from her mouth.
“Honestly? I’ve noticed how close you’re getting to that girl—Calla? Right?”
And there we go.
“Who, I might add, conveniently turned up out of the blue just as you’re about to sign with us.”
