A Summer to Remember(69)
“Let’s just drop it for now because you don’t have a f*cking clue how the entertainment business works. No one cares as long as he’s able to do his f*cking job and six more months of getting high isn’t going to kill him,” she murmured in anger and walked away as a strong pair of arms wrapped around my waist and held me close.
“What’s going on, babe? That conversation between you and Talia looked pretty heated.”
I turned in his direction though he only saw my profile. “Relationship issues she doesn’t want to face right now because they will be so much rosier in six months.”
“Oh, you mean Seth’s little coke problem he and Jaden share together behind their girlfriends’ backs. It’s part of the lifestyle, babe. Coke to get them revving and usually something mellow to bring them down.”
“Heroin?” I inquired as we began to leave the party with waves to our friends all the while making a bee-line straight to the elevator.
“No, it’s too volatile and you never know what’s in it. Plus it’s much too addictive. Nope, rock stars have gotten smarter—usually they fake an injury with their on-the-job physician and are prescribed Oxycontin. If they have a legitimate prescription then they can’t be busted for using,” Paul explained.
“And how do you know so much about all of this? You’re in investment and work for one of the most prestigious companies in New York, remember?”
We boarded the elevator and Paul’s silence didn’t sit well with me. In fact, it annoyed the hell out of me to be honest. What did he have up his sleeve now? What ever personal decisions he made automatically affected me because we went out with one another and one of these days, he was bound to ask me to marry him.
“Sasha Munsen is their Press Manager and they are looking for new representation. They don’t trust their accountant and with good reason because he also does their taxes. I know some of the people who are close to them, specifically their agent and a couple of high ranking record execs at Introspect. Kaz has already discussed the situation with his band members and Seth is on board along with the rest of Winter’s Regret. I would take over as their accountant and handle both bands’ taxes, investments and finances.”
The wheels were turning in my head and although this sounded like the opportunity of a lifetime, there was only one problem with the scenario. All the band members were based on the West Coast meanwhile both Paul and our families resided on the East Coast. Would we have to move to L.A. and what would I do about my gallery in New York?
“I know it seems like quite a shock but this has been a long time coming. Just think: I could do something exciting and be my own boss. I don’t want to be an investment banker any longer for CDG and to be honest, I really think we could use the fresh start,” Paul continued when I didn’t answer.
“Okay but what about my gallery in New York? What will I do for work? Open another gallery in L.A.?”
“Well, you could do that if it is what you want. Autumn keeps complaining because she no longer wants to be a shopper so put her on the payroll running your New York Gallery. She’s gorgeous, blonde, and people always seem to like her charming personality.”
He grabbed me by the shoulders and gently held me to him. “If L.A. isn’t your bag then we can always base ourselves out of Las Vegas. After this tour is over, Vogue Hotel, Spa & Casino are offering Scarlet Fever a two-year contract to play exclusively in Vegas and they are seriously thinking about it.”
I buried my face in his neck before I said, “I don’t know…I really should think about this because I have had too much to drink to make a coherent decision right now.”
Of course he’d talked me into it all ready but I wasn’t about to let on how exciting an opportunity this was for me. We could break free from all the shit that tied us down in New York. Although I was not a huge fan of Los Angeles, I’d always loved Vegas and had a blast every time I’d visited with friends and family. I knew living somewhere and visiting a vacation spot were different but I would be more than willing to take the plunge.
Plus the appeal of suddenly being so far away from the prying eyes of Ashley had me floating on cloud nine. The sheer thought I would rarely ever run into her again certainly had its appeal but I didn’t know whether I was willing to give up everything I knew and all my friends to move across the country.
Yes, I knew it wouldn’t be impossible to see them but they wouldn’t be within a distance I felt comfortable with and that bothered me.