7
Rafe hadn’t particularly wanted to spend the day in the studio, but their manager had insisted. Nigel wanted to run through the itinerary for the trip and discuss last-minute details. Plus, he wanted to play around with some arrangements for their set at the concert, perfecting it to make sure the songs and performance best showcased HyperOctane’s music to the international audience and made the most of their set time. Rafe supposed he should have been grateful for Nige’s efforts, but his focus wasn’t where it should be—where itneededto be if the festival and short tour afterwards were to be a success.
He spun his Porsche into the underground garage of the city building that housed the studio, wheels squealing as he swung into a parking space near the lift. His sports car had been his first huge purchase when the dollars had started rolling in and was now more than a few years old, but he loved it with a passion—it was a symbol of how far he’d come. Some of the boys gave him a hard time for hanging on to it and not upgrading to the latest model, but she ran fine, and he wasn’t ready to part with the reminder of what he could achieve with hard work and focus. Buying that car meant he could spoil himself, because it meant he’d already helped his mum pay off the family home. Giving his mum a secure roof over her head, even if she was still with the stepfather who Rafe didn’t see eye to eye with, had been his number-one priority. He loved fast cars but couldn’t care less about owning the latest model or top of the range car; he just needed to know hecould. The purchase of his own apartment had come next, followed by the down payment on a couple of investment properties. His investments assured a secure future, and that was his primary goal.
His phone pinged with an appointment reminder.Yeah, yeah. I’m coming.He pushed impatiently at the lift buttons. If they wrapped the session up quickly then maybe he could convince the guys to come out for lunch—not that they usually took too much convincing. Sydney Harbour views, good food, and a bottle or two of wine were great enticement and hard to resist.And it’s only right we take Harvey’s brother, Parker, out on the town. Oh, and Ravi too, of course.Rafe wondered if they already had plans. Maybe Parker and Ravi were already out somewhere sightseeing. He frowned at the thought.
The thankfully empty lift took him to the ninth floor, where suddenly he couldn’t keep the grin from his face. There, in the lobby standing with the rest of the band, was Parker. His auburn hair shone under the downlights as he laughed at something RG said, and Rafe could imagine the sparkle in those green eyes that had been seared on his memory.
“Hey, Rafe,” Nigel called, drawing the group’s attention to him. “Glad you’re here. Let’s get this show on the road.”
He stopped his daydreaming and crossed the foyer. “Hi, guys.” Rafe nodded at them each in turn. So what if he lingered on Parker a little longer.
“Parker and Ravi, you can help yourself to coffee and muffins in the reception area if you like,” Harvey said. “We’ll get the business stuff out of the way, then you guys can join us when we hit the studio. Once we wrap that up, we’ll find something awesome to do for the rest of the afternoon.”
Rafe smiled, the day taking on a whole new shine. With renewed energy, he followed the rest of the band into the meeting room, taking one last look over his shoulder before the door closed.
Nigel droned on about dates, times, airlines, and hotels. Rafe should have been paying attention, but he couldn’t help his thoughts drifting back to Parker. Apart from his looks, he found the man to be charming, and Parker was obviously a caring guy. He’d seen that in the way he’d vocalised his support for this brother. He knew Parker had lived overseas for the last few years and that Harvey had missed him something fierce, speaking of his “little bro” often, so there was obviously a family closeness, something that Rafe himself didn’t know a lot about. He blamed his lack of closeness with his own family on the distance; him in Sydney and the rest of them—his mum, his stepdad, and younger sister, Isabella—back in Darwin, but Harvey and Parker hadn’t let the distance get in the way of their relationship.
“Rafe.”
He looked up at the sound of his name, realising it probably wasn’t the first time he been called. “Huh?”
Harvey rolled his eyes. “Get your head back into the game, man. Nige said there’s been some sort of issue with the accommodation in LA and two of us will have to share a room. I was saying that sharing should be okay.”
“I’m not bloody sharing a room,” RG piped up.
“What makes you think anyone would want to share with you?” Gibbo said.
Laughter filled the meeting room, and RG sat back, arms folded across his chest and a smirk on his face, knowing his privacy was guaranteed.
“Anyway, we can work out details later.” Nigel shook his head and turned the page of his notebook. He was used to their carry-on and quickly curtailed the discussion. “As it stands, we have a hotel booked in LA for when we first arrive, then the hotel in Nevada for the festival, then I’ve secured a house back in LA where we’ll be for two weeks.”
All in all, they’d be gone just under four weeks. Rafe glanced towards the closed door in the direction of the foyer, some part of him regretting the length of the trip.Weeks and weeks away is so long!He gave himself a mental shake. Not that it would make any difference, because Parker wasn’t staying in Sydney anyway. Damn shame he hadn’t got more of a fill while he had Parker in his arms last night. He inhaled a deep breath. “Sounds good.”
“Okay, then. So let’s go through the meetings I’ve set up while we’re in the States, then you guys can get to the music.”
8
Listening to the band play gave Parker goosebumps. He was in his element as they performed, especially being in a position to observe Rafe up close as he sang. The man had a presence that was undeniable, and his voice was magical, but it was his facial expressions that had Parker captivated. Every emotional nuance of each song he sang was played out on his face, adding yet another level to his performance. And knowing that Rafe wrote the lyrics for most of HyperOctane’s songs gave him a peek at the guy behind the artist. His curiosity was definitely piqued, and he wanted to know more about Rafe and what experiences drove him to create the vocal masterpieces.
As he let the music wash over him, he couldn’t keep his fingers from playing out the chords along with Harvey, although where Harvey played the actual guitar, Parker made do with an invisible one. A few songs in, he caught Rafe looking at him and stopped the hand movements, suddenly self-conscious.I probably look like my hands are having some sort of spasm.He hurriedly pulled his phone from his pocket and looked at the screen—anything to give his hands something else to do, with the bonus of hiding his cheeks that were no doubt flushed.
Initially the phone was a ploy but his notifications caught his eye as he looked at the screen. At the top was a message from Bo, his oldest friend and the first person he’d reconnected with when he’d landed back in Oz. He’d let their friendship drift away while he’d been overseas and lost in his ill-fated relationship with Stav, something he regretted and resolved to change.
Bo:OMG talk about living the life!
Parker smiled at Bo’s excitement as he clicked the attached link. It took him to an article fromWorld of Rock, one of the leading rock magazines. It was a review of the previous night’s concert, a positive review if the first paragraph was anything to go by. “Based on the final gig of their nationwide Australian tour, those lucky enough to be attending Rocktoberfest are in for something special when Aussie super-group HyperOctane debuts in the US.”
Holy shit!Harvey was going to be over the moon when he saw that.
Parker:The show was bloody brilliant. Shame you couldn’t come on this trip.
He added the emoji of the face with the stuck-out tongue, but it really would have been awesome if Bo had been able to holiday with him and Ravi. It was a shame his good friend couldn’t get time off from the hospital. Three little bouncing dots indicated Bo was online and replying.
Bo:Rub it in, why don’t you? You get to have all the fun!
Parker chuckled as he typed.
