Parker stirred in his arms, making a sweet mewling sound. He wanted nothing more than to protect Parker and make him happy—for them to be happy together. It was fast, but sometimes you just had to take that chance, make that leap of faith.
Rafe wanted to show Parker just how much he was coming to mean to him, so he nuzzled into his neck, encouraging him to tilt his head back. Parker lifted his chin and looked at him through sleepy green eyes. His lips tilted in a smile. “Good morning.”
“Itisa good morning.” Rafe grinned, then lowered his mouth to Parker’s. The kiss was tender and sweet, and Rafe imparted every bit of feeling he could muster into the touch of their lips, the slide of their tongues.
23
The magazine interview took place in the Richardson Enterprises head office in downtown LA, a tall steel and glass structure that reflected the bright California sun. Although it was only Rafe being interviewed, they all tagged along. Parker had to admit to a frisson of excitement when a few people in the office foyer stopped what they were doing as they walked in. The receptionist obviously recognised the band and became flustered at their approach, the girl blushing and sneaking glances at them over Nigel’s bent shoulder as he signed them in. There was something to be said of the small thrill he got at being recognised, even if he was a ring-in.
“You’d think she’d be used to seeing bands by now,” RG whispered.
“Maybe it’s the Aussie thing,” Gibbo said. “You know, over here, we have accents?”
Parker chuckled at Gibbo’s strange line of thought. The man was sometimes a sandwich short of a picnic, but an amusing one.
RG shook his head but was grinning as he did so. “Whatever, mate.”
Nigel handed out visitor passes attached to lanyards, and the receptionist directed them to a bank of elevators. Soon they found themselves in a conference room. Parker took a seat at the huge timber table and pushed back the swell of disappointment when Rafe was herded away by Sheila for some sort of pre-interview briefing while Nigel went to a meeting with the execs. He sighed and slumped back in his chair.
“Have you seen the latestWorld of Rockarticle?” Gibbo asked, pulling his iPhone from his pocket.
“From last Monday, you mean?”
“That’s the one.”
At the shake of Parker’s head, Gibbo passed him his phone. Parker straightened as he took the device, looking down to see a webpage open and the headline screaming at him.
Rafe Moreno puts the hype in HyperOctane
Parker scanned the article. Despite all the questions they’d answered during the interview, three quarters of it was dedicated to Rafe, and of that, a good chunk was about his personal life and coming out, most of which Len would have had to have gleaned elsewhere, because it sure as hell hadn’t been discussed in the interview. The man was obviously good at research and preferred not to do his own work. Parker supposed he should be grateful the article didn’t dwell on his “unknown” status too much, probably thanks to all Rafe’s praise and comparison with Harvey.
“What sort of bullshit is this?” Parker frowned at Gibbo. “I thought they were a reputable music site. This is just sensationalism.”
“Total bullshit,” RG agreed, but he didn’t look too fazed. “But any publicity is good publicity, right?”
“Tell me you’re kidding.”
RG shrugged.
“Seriously, you’re okay with them making the article all about Rafe and not talking much about the music?”
“It’s not ideal, no. But we need an edge. For us, that’s Rafe. He’s the front man, the glue that holds us together. So what if they want to play him up? If it gets us fans and sells records, then I’m cool with it.”
“We’re lucky the sexuality thing is a positive. The industry is so competitive, you need to roll with whatever works,” Gibbo added. “So long as they aren’t giving us bad reviews, then I’m happy for the focus to be on Rafe.”
Parker looked between RG and Gibbo, the two of them so accepting and happy to be here today despite the focus of the interview being on Rafe and Van and their positions as lead singers of their respective bands.Talk about laid-back.Briefly, he wondered how Harvey would feel about it all. He’d call him when they got out of here and check in on him, so he’d ask then.
“I’m gonna get a coffee.” RG stood and headed to a credenza where a half-filled carafe of coffee stood. Parker followed and filled a mug, more for something to do than because of any desire to drink the stuff. He checked his messages while they killed some time, firing off a few replies to Bo. Bo was like a cheerleader, his messages reminding Parker to let his hair down and have some fun, the type of fun made very clear with the use of emojis. Parker chuckled at his screen. God, this was what he’d missed when he’d let that friendship drop by the wayside.
Sheila popped her head in the door. “Boys, you’ve got about an hour. They’d like to interview both bands briefly, just some simple questions while we’ve got you all here. Then they’ll narrow down the focus to Rafe and Van. Like I said, they’re working the angle of rise to success—”
Sure they are.Parker resisted the urge to roll his eyes.
“The aim is to highlight both the similarities and the differences in the rise to stardom across the globe. I’m excited. This should bring you a lot of publicity. Anyway, I’ll let you know when we’re ready to go. Help yourself to coffee and sodas. I’ve arranged for the catering folk to bring up some subs in case you haven’t eaten yet. Got to keep your energy up. Big show tonight!” She smiled and left the room.
At the mention of the performance with the Bad Boys, Parker’s stomach turned leaden. He put the still-full mug of coffee back on the credenza.
“Guys, given we’ve got a bit of time, I’m going to make a call.”
