“Twenty years ago, she worked for my old record label, Antic. Remember them?”
“Oh, yeah.”
“I think she was like a marketing intern or something and she had a hard-on for me. She begged to be allowed to come on the road with the main guy and even paid her own way. She was pissed when she found out that I not only had a fiancée, but that I loved her and was faithful.”
“How’d she get backstage tonight?” Z muses.
“She works for some new music rag,” Devyn says, joining the conversation. “I met her my first week with the band. She interviewed me, but even then, I saw her eyeing King the whole time. So, she’s definitely out to find herself a man.”
Ross shudders. “Jesus. Even if Wynter and I weren’t together, I would’ve lied and made up a girlfriend!”
We all chuckle.
“Well, the press is in heat tonight,” Z says. “You’re going to have to decide how much PR you want, Ross, because this is all about you.”
He groans. “Guys, I don’t want this to be about me…I mean, don’t get me wrong, I’m having the time of my life, but there’s no point in making a big deal out of it. In two weeks, I’m back to living behind the scenes.”
“Not necessarily,” Tommy says, leaning forward. “I mean, people obviously haven’t forgotten Ross and the Rock-its. You could put together some kind of reunion tour, opening for us.”
Ross blinks, like he’s unsure what Tommy means. “What?”
“It’s just a thought,” Tommy says with a shrug. “We haven’t had an opening act so far because we couldn’t find anyone. But this could be fun for you.”
“Not to mention lucrative,” Z adds. “We pay well. And if you hired musicians, as opposed to starting a new band, you’d make the bulk of the money.”
Ross stares at him.
We all stare back.
It’s like no one takes a breath.
And then Ross shakes his head. “I can’t, I mean, Ross & the Rock-its were a specific group of people. I can’t recreate that with strangers.”
“Of course not,” Devyn says smoothly. “You perform as Ross Rockit. Solo act. They’re just hired hands to play live.”
“That wasn’t the deal,” he says, swallowing. “I’m your tour manager. I love being your tour manager. And it’s a good job, with benefits. I can’t give that up to start over. I’m too old for that lifestyle, guys.”
“You wouldn’t be giving up anything. You’d still be on the payroll. We’d just adjust your pay as our opening act.”
Ross’s mouth opens and then snaps shut.
“I have to give this some thought,” he says finally. “Serious thought.”
“Of course.” Tommy nods. “We can have management come up with numbers, see how it shakes out. If it’s not the right fit, nothing changes.”
They talk for a few more minutes but I’m studying Ross’s body language. He’s nervous. Excited. Unsure of himself. I’ve never seen this side of him before, and I have to admit I’m equal parts nervous and excited myself.
If he were to reinvent himself as “Ross Rockit” solo, that would change everything.
Right?
I’m not sure how I feel about him going back to that world. It’s one thing for him to be Onyx Knight’s tour manager. It’s something else entirely for him to go back to being Ross Rockit. While my teenage heart is excited, the thirty-three-year-old woman I’ve become is a lot more uncertain about living that lifestyle. Especially with me being stuck back in L.A.
I keep my thoughts to myself, though, as we head back to the hotel and he gets in the shower. I’m leaving tomorrow so I take a few minutes to pack and try to get organized for both my trip and going back to work.
Ugh.
The more time I spend away from work, the more I realize how much I don’t want to go back.
