Whole Lotta Sin: Rock Star Hearts - Book #3 Page 12

  “I hope you’re getting him a good Christmas present.”

  Christmas. Shit, with everything that was going on, I’d forgotten to get Juniper a gift, not to mention everyone else.

  “Mr. Hale?”

  I glanced at Harry and made a face. “Call me Sebastian. I think we can be on first name basis after all this shit, huh?”

  He grinned and nodded. “Do you need help with anything else? I’d be happy to lend a hand.”

  “Yeah, actually. I need a guy who knows how to get things.” I leaned forward, pressing my elbows on my knees.

  “What kind of things?” He had a familiar look on his face, the one that assistants used to give me when I barked orders at them. Go to the shops and get me condoms. Get me something white and powdery and throw in a bottle of something strong to chase it down. Drive that woman whose name I’ve forgotten—and who I just fucked—home. I’d been a real class act.

  “Don’t worry, it’s not anything illegal,” I said wryly. “I need a whole bunch of Christmas presents, and I’m not going to have time.”

  “You never had time.” Harry’s tone matched mine.

  “There’s a first for every son of a bitch, I suppose.” I thought for a moment, ignoring the surprised look on Harry’s face. “I want to have a party the night before. Food, drinks… and a fucking tree with all the tinsel and shit. Is that something you can help me with? I know it’s not in your pay grade, but I’m sure we can make some kind of arrangement.”

  Harry seemed to become more bewildered the more I spoke. “You’re bribing me for a Christmas tree?”

  I leaned back on the couch. “I never took you for a grinch.”

  He shrugged and got out his phone. “Caterers, tree, presents,” he murmured, tapping out a list. “I need more details. What do you want to get for Juniper?”

  I instantly paled. Standing, I made a beeline for Josh’s fridge to stall while I thought about it. I found a couple of beers and brought one back for Harry, but by the time I sat down again, my mind was still blank.

  “Fucked if I know,” I said with a shrug. “What do I get the woman who holds my heart in the palm of her hand?” Harry smirked, and I unscrewed the cap off my beer bottle. “The guys are easy. Oh, we should get a thank you gift for Annalise, too. Ask Juniper about that.”

  “Quit stalling.”

  “Shut the fuck up.” I scowled and necked my beer. “So, what are you doing for Galaxy these days?”

  “Nothing much, considering all the time I’ve spent slacking off to help you guys.”

  I laughed and downed another mouthful of beer. “Well, I’ve got a proposal for you, but it’s dependent on several factors.”

  “You’ve got a proposal for me?”

  “Yeah, don’t look so shocked. It might take a long time, but Juniper and I want to open a recording studio.” I explained our idea—that Juniper had fleshed out with all her enthusiastic hope for the future—and Harry seemed to perk up at the thought of it. “We need help and you might be the guy for the job. I know you want to manage a band, that’s why you slummed it as an assistant, but this might be a better fit for you.”

  “You know about that?” His cheeks heated as he messed with the papers on the coffee table.

  “Juniper tells me a lot.” I shrugged and knocked my beer against his unopened one.

  “I… Um…” He blinked.

  “Let’s just get through the holidays first, huh?”

  He grinned and grabbed his beer. “So have you decided what you’re getting Juniper yet?”

  I rolled my eyes and hid a smile. “Fuck off, Harry.”

  The sun was blistering as I stretched out on one of the banana lounges on the deck of the McMansion. I’d never bothered using them before, let alone dip a toe into the pool, so it was a real fucking trip to be sitting my arse out here.

  Everyone had shown up out of the blue to hang out by the pool today, but I suspected Juniper had something to do with it. We were all under a lot of stress lately and beers, BBQ, and swimming seemed like a good way to let off steam… without going to the Beneath levels of excess.

  I smiled as I watched Juniper walk around with an ice bucket full of beers, handing one out to all the guys. Her arse looked perfect in her little bikini, but fuck she was pale. She’d need some sunscreen before long and who better to rub it in than me.

  My gaze crossed a black shadow in the yard and I tensed. When Farmer turned, I sighed and rubbed my temples.

  “Hey,” Juniper said, perching on the end of the lounge. “I was thinking of inviting Vanessa and Hugo up for a few days over the holidays. Would you mind?”

  “No. They can stay however long they want.” It’d been a while since she’d had the chance to hang out with her best friends from Point Mambie. “Ziggy’s welcome too.” I winked and grinned as she let out a laugh.

  “Could you imagine him with all this water? If he wasn’t in the harbour, he’d be swimming laps in the pool!”

  “He’s a better swimmer than Damon, that’s for sure.”

  “Hey!” Damon exclaimed from atop his blow-up lounge. It swayed in the water and he almost ended up in the drink, much to our amusement.

  Juniper looked brighter today. All her worries had seemed to have slid away, for this afternoon at least.

  “Did you have anything in mind for Christmas?” she asked. “I haven’t really thought about it to be honest.”

  “I was thinking of getting everyone over for Christmas Eve for food, music, and booze. There’s plenty of rooms for everyone to crash, and we can do whatever the next day.”

  “Sounds like a plan.” She smiled and turned to look over the assembled rabble of rock stars. “Who would’ve thought we’d be sitting here right now, huh?”

  “No one,” Josh quipped. “Least of all me.”

  “A real mis-matched family, huh?” she mused.

  Josh snorted and peered at her over the top of his sunglasses. “You reckon?”

  “What else would you call it?” She stuck her tongue out.

  Before I could come up with a smart-arse comment to fire back, my phone started to ring. Glancing at the screen, I didn’t recognise the number, but knew I should probably answer it anyway. It could be our new buddies, the AFP.

  “I better answer this,” I said, handing Juniper my beer. “I’ll be back.”

  Pushing up off the banana lounge, I went inside, the icy air-conditioning feeling like bliss against my heated skin.

  I answered the call before it diverted to voicemail. “Hello?”

  “Sebastian, it’s Grant Myers.” I tensed, recognising the name of the head honcho of Galaxy Records.

  “Nice to finally speak to you in person,” I replied, “even if it’s only over the phone.”

  “I wish it was under better circumstances.”

  There was good reason why we’d never met the man. Beneath were one of the labels top earners, but our wild reputation didn’t make for dignified meet and greets in the company boardroom. Honestly, I reckon they were afraid we’d make a mess and mark the furniture. Grant Myers was all about suits and ties, corporate luncheons and telephone conferences.

  “Likewise,” I said, glancing toward the deck where Damon had just done a cannonball into the pool.

  “This is an extremely serious matter, and I thank you for all the work you and the band have done to uncover Vix’s transgressions.”

  I didn’t like the tone of his voice, but then again, I didn’t have any experience talking shop with a man like Myers. He was twenty years my senior, so it felt like I was being scolded by a much better version of my father.

  “I’ve been liaising with your lawyers and Galaxy’s, and the Australian Federal Police today. It’s not my idea of a Christmas holiday, but we’ve come to an agreement that we can’t let this situation lie any longer.”

  It would’ve been nice to be included in that meeting, but we had to keep up pretences around Vix. If she knew we’d gone into the Galaxy offices without h
er—and she’d know within two seconds of us walking through the doors—she’d start asking all kinds of questions.

  “And what’s your assessment?”

  “It’s your money she’s taken, Sebastian, not Galaxy’s.” My blood began to simmer, and my hand tightened around my phone. “However, Vix is a Galaxy employee, entrusted by us to guide your best interests. She is not an independent entity in this scenario and we can’t allow this kind of behaviour on any level. Quite frankly, it’s an embarrassment to the label and every one of our artists and employees.”

  He seemed to understand how we’d felt when we found out how long we’d been duped, and it made me hopeful that we could help the cops pull off a flawless arrest.

  “Then what do you propose?” I asked. “We’re more than ready to pull the trigger.”

  “The AFP are going to meet with the witnesses this week and get everything on the official record. They’ll be in contact regarding the arrest. We’ll have her come into the office by week’s end.” By week’s end.

  “We’re in. Whatever it takes. Thanks for the heads up.”

  “You’re welcome… and Sebastian? We should talk after this is over. I’ll have something set up.”

  “Thanks, Mr. Myers.”

  It was odd calling him that, but thankfully, he came back with, “Call me Grant. In our business, all those titles are too stuffy for my liking.”

  “Ditto.”

  “We’ll talk soon. Good luck.”

  When I returned to the deck, Juniper came over to meet me. Her shoulders were starting to pink and I looked for the tube of sunscreen, my head swimming.

  “Everything okay?” she asked, rubbing her palms up and down my bare arms.

  “Yeah…” I glanced at the guys, who’d all looked up at me with expectantly. “That was Myers. Galaxy is in.”

  “Grant Myers called you personally?” Damon asked, his mouth falling open. “Wonders will never cease, Wonder Boy.”

  “Who’s Grant Myers?” Juniper asked.

  “The head honcho of Galaxy. Like all of Galaxy worldwide,” Nate replied. “A.k.a The Man.”

  “Who’s never graced our presence once in all the years we’ve been making them millions of bucks,” Josh drawled. “It’s a Christmas miracle!”

  “Don’t get ahead of yourself,” I said, calming them down. “It’s time for the real work to begin.”

  “It’s on?” Juniper’s grip tightened around my biceps.

  I nodded. “Like Donkey Kong.”

  18

  Sebastian

  The next week was filled with liaising with the federal police while they investigated and took statements from all the people Harry had convinced to talk on record.

  Juniper stayed by Annalise’s side while she gave a lengthy interview, detailing what she knew about Vix’s scheme, the international bank accounts, how she’d seen her alter royalty statements, and the treatment of fellow employees. Annalise had confronted Vix over the suspected embezzlement, which was when the blackmailing had begun. Juniper had told me later, that the contract Annalise had been forced to sign would eventually be null and void if they could get the charges to stick.

  It was Christmas Eve when we were finally called into the Galaxy offices for game day.

  There weren’t many things we needed to be here for, so I wasn’t surprised to find it looking different when Juniper, Statfield, and I arrived. The hall outside reception was covered in vinyl wallpaper with a distressed version of the Galaxy logo, along with framed photographs of album artwork. There were a few Beneath albums up there, which was nice of them considering our wild reputation.

  “This wasn’t what I was expecting this place to look like,” she said, craning her neck.

  “What were you expecting?”

  “A stuffy office with monkeys running on treadmills.”

  I laughed, a sliver of stress lifting off my shoulders. “Maybe a different breed of monkey.”

  When we approached reception, the woman behind the desk lifted her head and smiled. “Mr. Hale, Miss Rowe,” she nodded and rose to her feet, “we’ve been expecting you.”

  “Is everyone here?” I asked.

  “They are. You’re the last to arrive.” She held open the glass door leading into the offices. “If you would, please come this way.”

  Juniper pulled an over the top impressed face. “Mr. Hale, if you please.”

  As we made our way through the rows of desks, people looked up at us and murmured among themselves. Ahead, a few people in suits were lingering around an open door at the rear of the floor. Recognising the officer from the Australian Federal Police, Briggs, we approached, my grip tight on Juniper’s hand.

  He turned and nodded a sharp greeting at both of us. “Mr. Hale. Miss Rowe.”

  He was a brisk kind of guy, tightly wound and carful with his emotions, but I guessed he had to be given his line of work—private and professional never mixed.

  “We’re gathering in the boardroom,” he added, gesturing down the hall.

  “Annalise isn’t coming?” I asked, looking towards Juniper.

  “She said she’d be here, but wasn’t confident enough to be in the meeting,” she replied. “I guess she just wanted to witness the arrest for some closure.”

  Briggs nodded. “She’s been dealing with a lot of emotional trauma and it isn’t uncommon for witnesses to want to see the arrest take place. It gives the victim a sense of security knowing that their abuser is behind bars.”

  “Thank you,” Juniper said. “For everything.”

  “Just doing my job, Miss Rowe.”

  “Well, we appreciate it,” I said, leading Juniper into the boardroom.

  I’d never seen the inside of this room before, but it was unremarkable, so I hadn’t been missing out on anything. A long, slate-coloured, oval table was surrounded by at least twenty black office chairs—the leather-looking kind with wheels—and three out of four walls were made up of windows. Outside, there was a top-dollar view of the city, and the glass facing the office was frosted, so the only thing out that way were the shadows of employees as they went about their work.

  “Can you believe this shit?” Damon asked when he saw us. “This is the last thing I thought I’d be doing on Christmas fucking Eve.”

  “Better now than later,” I said. “You still coming tonight?”

  “And miss the party? Of course, I’ll be there.”

  Juniper smiled and leaned against me. Fuck, it was great to have her here. This was going to be hard enough on us, but for her, she was facing a lot of difficult emotions.

  Harry had more than come through with the plans for tonight, and he was a fucking wizard with the shopping. We had a fully catered BBQ for later, there’d be a massive Christmas tree waiting to surprise Juniper with when we got back to the McMansion, the deck would be lit up with coloured lights, and ice buckets full of beer would be waiting to celebrate with. In the morning, before everyone went off to do their own thing for the big day, we’d give out gifts and plates of leftovers. Perfection, if you asked me.

  But first we had a wicked witch to slap handcuffs on.

  I looked around the room, focusing on the guys. Everyone was here—Statfield had assumed his looming presence in the corner, and then there was Damon, Nate, Josh, me and Juniper, Briggs and his off-sider—whose name I’d forgotten—and Grant Myers, head honcho of Galaxy.

  When his gaze caught mine, he stood and came over.

  “Sebastian, it’s good to meet you in person.” He held out his hand and I shook it, surprised at the strength he had behind his grasp. “And you must be the lovely Juniper I’ve been hearing so much about. Grant Myers, CEO of Galaxy.”

  “It’s nice to meet you Mr. Myers.” She shook his hand and smiled, making eye contact with laser precision. “Thank you for all the assistance you’ve given us in this… difficult situation.”

  He seemed the melt under her gaze and I narrowed my eyes. Shit, she didn’t know how much power she held,
did she? Juniper Rowe had finally come out of her shell and was obliterating everyone in her path.

  “Please, call me Grant.” He glanced at me and gestured for us to make ourselves comfortable.

  “If you wouldn’t mind, Grant,” she went on, “I’d very much like it if I could arrange a phone call or a meeting with you. Sebastian and I have some grand ambitions I think you would be interested in hearing about.”

  I covered a grin and slid my hand underneath the table and grabbed hers.

  Myers smiled at me. “Ambitious, isn’t she?”

  “You have no idea,” I replied, squeezing Juniper’s hand. “The offices are busy. I thought you’d be closing down for Christmas?”

  “We usually do,” he replied, “but with something of this magnitude, we have all hands-on deck to keep the media out.”

  “We really appreciate that,” Juniper said. “It’s difficult enough dealing with the damage Vix has done without it being splashed everywhere.”

  “I hope you’re paying them double,” I quipped.

  Myers chuckled. “Everyone is getting a healthy bonus this year, though there’s not much we can do if this ends up going to trial. But that’s another bridge we’ll worry about when, and if, we come to it.”

  “Mr. Myers?” We all looked up at the receptionist, who’d leaned her head into the room. “Miss Victory has arrived. May I show her in?”

  “Vix’s last name is Victory?” Juniper whispered into my ear. “Seriously?”

  “Her first name is Florence,” Josh said, leaning back in his chair. “Seriously.”

  “Florence Victory?” Juniper shook her head and cursed under her breath. “I don’t know whether to feel sorry for her or marvel at the irony that her parents giving her a stripper name.”

  “I’ll come and greet her,” Myers said to the receptionist. He then turned towards us. “Let me ask the hard questions, guys, and stay quiet until she’s in the office.”

  I was more than glad to hand over the reins to the CEO of Galaxy Records. We’d done all the leg work, now it was time to sit back and let the pieces fall into place.