Take Me with You (Take Me #2)(25)

“We can stay and have a beer first,” Miller said. “Right, guys?”

“You know I’m f*cking down!” Vin said.

“No. McDermott is right,” Donovan chimed from across the room. He still hadn’t bothered with a shirt. “You should finish your business here and then get the f*ck out.”

A chorus of laughter followed his outburst, and Miller tightened his grip on my arm. It was a silent plea to not f*ck this up.

“With pleasure,” I growled.

“Now, now,” Hollis said. “We’re all adults here.” He sounded like a condescending parent. “If this all works out, then you guys will be working together.”

Donovan let out a short laugh that sounded more like a bark. “You’re going to need to f*cking pay me more for that, Hollis.”

“You’ll get every penny you earned and not one more than that. Now, go put on a f*cking shirt and meet your fans who paid to see you.”

As Donovan turned around, grumbling about not being able to find his shirt, Hollis directed us out of the room.

He led the guys into another room down the hallway, but then he pulled me aside. He spoke low so only I could hear, “Look, whatever went down between you and Donovan is in the past. This animosity needs to end. I believe in ContraBand, Grant. I want you in the studio. I want to release an album. I want you on the road with them. I want you headlining in the future. Work with him, and make everyone’s lives easier.”

I was momentarily shocked by his candid behavior, but then reality crept back in. Hollis would use anything and everything he could to get what he wanted. The truth was, he didn’t know what the f*ck had gone down between Donovan and me. He was trying to get me to spill by offering me everything he thought I f*cking wanted.

I shrugged away from him. He would have to try better than that. I gave him credit for realizing I was going to be the hardest sell but not that much credit.

“Let’s get this over with,” I grumbled.

Hollis grabbed my leather jacket and pulled me in close again. “I don’t f*cking get you. When we first met, I thought I’d found exactly what I was looking for—the right band, the right sound, the right vibe. I’d thought Frank Boseley had been an idiot for passing on the whole group and just going for you because I saw it from the beginning. You only shine amid your guys. I get it. I know someone just f*cking like that. His name is Donovan Jenkins, and he’s about to play for a sold-out show in New York City. His album debuted in the Top Ten of the Billboard charts. So, what the f*ck is your problem? Don’t you f*cking want that?”

“Yeah, man, I want that,” I told him without hesitation.

I f*cking hated the dude, but maybe Hollis actually did understand. The only problem was, he didn’t get what Ari meant to me one bit.

“But if you ever interfere with my girl again, I’ll f*cking end you,” I growled.

Hollis stuck his hand out. “Deal.”

“I appreciate the sentiment, but I don’t want to see The Drift.”

Translation: I don’t want to get anywhere near Donovan Jenkins or that f*cking creep Hollis Tift.

“You don’t like them? I thought every girl liked them with that one song playing on repeat on the radio,” Henry said.

“‘Tell It Like It Is,’” I filled in for him.

“So, you do know it.”

“I think everyone knows that song.”

“Well, good. It’s not Paris, but it’ll have to do…for now,” he said like that closed the discussion.

I just rolled my eyes. Henry might have met me when I was depressed about Grant, so I had been slightly malleable, but under no circumstances would I consider myself that otherwise. And he was about to see it firsthand.

“I’m not going to The Drift concert. I don’t like them or their music. In fact, I despise their lead singer. He’s an *.”

“You speak as if you know him personally.” Henry looked over at me with interest.

“Whatever. Just tell me why you’re doing all of this.”

“It’s your birthday weekend. I like Jim, and I want to take care of his daughter tonight.”

The way he said that made me question exactly how he wanted to take care of me. I knew what Grant would be thinking in this moment even though I wasn’t sure if he was exactly an accurate representation of the male population. But the way Henry’s eyes seemed to be laughing at his own implications, I was sure he was talking about having sex with me.

“Do I need to reiterate that I have a boyfriend?”

“Of course not,” he said mockingly. “He comes up every time we’re alone.”

“I’m glad you got the memo then. So, let’s turn this cab around. I want to sleep.”

“I didn’t realize you were in such a hurry.” He arched an eyebrow in question and leaned toward me. He was visibly holding himself back from touching me.

“I’m in a hurry to get some sleep. Just sleep. Plus, I have homework to do.” I would have all day tomorrow to do it, but that didn’t matter. I’d been working my ass off to make up for that bad grade in O-chem, and I needed to keep it up. I wanted any excuse to get away from Henry.

“Well, we’re celebrating my promotion, too, and I want to take you to this concert, so we’re going. I can be as stubborn as you are.”