Reckless (Thoughtless, #3)(55)
Griffin poked me in the shoulder. “So your problem isn’t really with me. You’re afraid of what Kell might do when you’re not around, so your problem is you.” He spread his hands out. “Anna’s never asked me to not dick around. We’ve never been exclusive. She doesn’t care who I have sex with . . . so why should you?” Raising his chin, he added, “And I’ll have you know, I’ve only f*cked about five people this year, and nobody since Anna told me she was knocked up. So, yeah, I do f*cking care about her. I think I may even f*cking love her.”
He spun around and stormed into the room after that, and I could only stare at him in shock. Did I just get schooled by Griffin? That had to be one of the signs of the apocalypse. But . . . he did have a point. I mainly disliked him because I didn’t want Kellan to be like him. And Kellan wasn’t like him. They were night-and-day different. Griffin was just so crass. But so was my sister, and I loved her to pieces. Well, crap. Now I had to make an actual attempt to like Griffin. And, wow, he just said he loved Anna. That blew my mind.
I finally walked into the room, thinking that nothing Nick told me could shock me more than what Griffin had just said. Kellan was sitting on one of the couches across from Nick. Evan and Matt were sitting next to him, but there was just enough room for me. Feeling like I was completely disrupting the conversation, I walked in front of Matt and Evan to sit by Kellan. Griffin threw his weight down in a chair opposite us.
Nick paused in his pleasantries to wait for me to settle myself into Kellan’s side. My cheeks heated as the blond, blue-eyed man tapped his thumb on his crossed leg. Even though it had to be ninety degrees outside, Nick was in a full suit. And an expensive one at that—Armani probably. His tie was bright red, a power color. He seemed pretty young to be a VP, mid-thirties at best, so I figured he was confident and driven, a man who was used to getting his way.
When I was situated, Nick gave me a brief smile. His calculating eyes took in my appearance, and he said, “Making good use of the home’s amenities, I see.” His eyes shifted to Kellan. “That’s good. You’ll need your rest now to get you through the launch.”
Kellan eyed me and nodded. Before anyone in the room could ask what Nick wanted, he told us,“I have good news. Great news.” Leaning forward, he clasped his fingers together. I noted the lack of a wedding ring. “Diedrick Kraus just agreed to shoot the video for ‘Regretfully.’” When no one said anything, Nick smiled. “You have no idea who that is, do you?”
“Sorry, no,” Kellan told him.
He waved off Kellan’s apology. “Diedrick Kraus is the genius behind some of the greatest music videos of our times. He’s exclusive. Hard to come by. We gave him a sample of your song, and he wants to direct it.” Nick clapped his hands together. “No, he f*cking insisted on it.”
I blinked at the use of profanity by such a high profile person, but Nick quickly moved on. Pointing at Kellan, he said, “Diedrick’s got a couple days available at the end of the month, Sienna’s got a tiny break in her schedule, and we’ll squeeze it in for you during the promotional tour.” He lifted his hands to the sky. “I swear the stars aligned for this.”
Kellan’s mouth opened as he glanced at his band mates. “We’re making a music video?” He looked back at Nick. “Do people even still watch those?”
A small frown turned down the executive’s lips before he righted them again. “Yes, they do.” His smile widening, he leaned forward so much I thought he might topple off of the couch. “And we’ve got an opportunity here to stir the hornet’s nest.”
Confusion marred Kellan’s features. “I have no idea what that means.”
Nick shook his head. “It means we’re going to cause some serious buzz with this video. Ever since the public caught wind of you and Sienna in that photograph, there has been a firestorm of interest. Everyone is curious about Sienna’s new man.”
“I’m not her man,” Kellan interjected.
Nick ignored him. “We’re going to fuel the flames of Kellan and Sienna madness, and ride the hype to the top of the charts.”
My heart sank as I looked at the eager expression on Nick’s face. I wasn’t sure what he meant by that, but I was sure I wasn’t going to like it. His demeanor radiating caution, Kellan asked, “What do you mean?”
Excitement on his face, Nick spread his fingers. “We’re going to play up the romantic portion of the song, make the video seriously hot. Naked bodies, deep kisses, moaning and groaning, whatever we can get away with.” Winking at Kellan, he added, “Anyone who watches it will immediately need to take a very cold shower. The buzz around you and Sienna is going to skyrocket.”
I wanted to stand up and tell this scheming moneybags that Kellan would be doing no such thing, but knowing it wasn’t my place right now to say anything, I grit my jaw tight. Kellan’s face went the opposite way; his mouth dropped open. “The song is about a breakup,” he sputtered, mystified.
Nick nodded, steepling his fingers under his chin. “Yes, and what great breakup didn’t start off with a fiery romance?”
The room was silent for a moment. Evan and Matt were staring at me, making my cheeks heat. Griffin was ear-to-ear smiles. I wasn’t sure if he was happy about filming the music video in general, or about watching Kellan film a scene with Sienna that would make him need “to take a very cold shower.” Probably a little of both.