As Matt and Evan headed over to help out with setting up the show, Kellan stepped behind me and wrapped his arms around my waist. "Where shall we go?" he asked as he bent down and nuzzled my neck.
I glanced around the room already buzzing with fans and rock stars. There really wasn't any privacy here; even the bathrooms were constantly opening and closing as people used them. Looking over my shoulder, I asked him, "Were you serious about that bet?"
Kellan spun me in his arms. A couple of fans stopped and stared at him; they obviously wanted a turn being held by Sienna's flirty boyfriend. "Was I serious about the sex? Always." Leaning down, he whispered in my ear, "And I'm pretty sure I have a favor to return." His lips brushed against my ear as he said it, and a jolt of electricity shot down my spine. I could feel the heat retuning to my body, but it had nothing to do with embarrassment this time.
Grabbing my hand, Kellan started pulling me through the throngs. I had no idea where he was taking me. Storage closet, maybe? People we passed by murmured that Kellan sure was friendly with his fans, but they said it in an excited way. I even overheard one girl saying, "I hear Sienna's really cool about his flirting, so maybe we'll get to cuddle next!"
I almost couldn't believe how dense some people were, but it really wasn't their fault. They didn't know him, they didn't know me. They only had money-hungry gossip magazines to believe. It really made me wonder what celebrity stories I'd firmly bought into that had actually been complete crap.
Kellan was making a beeline for a hallway. He had to stop and sign something every five steps, but he always resumed his path when he was finished. His determination made me giggle. "Shouldn't you be helping set up the show, rock star?" There weren't a lot of roadies on the tour, so all the guys helped out with setup and teardown. Kellan was being a slacker by slipping away with me.
Kellan smirked at me over his shoulder. "When I can concentrate properly, I'll-"
His comment was cutoff when Justin bumped into him. Eyes glued to his cell phone, Justin had been walking on a perpendicular path to us and hadn't noticed Kellan in time to avoid him. Justin looked up when he was jostled, and the small smile on his face turned sheepish. "Oh, hey, sorry, wasn't watching where I was going." He flashed his phone at us, and I noticed Kate's picture in the corner. I wasn't too shocked to see it there; last time I'd spoken with her, she'd told me that Justin texted her every couple of days. She always giggled after she mentioned his name. It made me happy that Justin and Kate were frequently talking; he was a good guy, and she was a sweetheart.
I smiled at him while Kellan said, "No problem, we were just . . . running an errand."
Justin scrunched his forehead together like he was trying to figure out just what errand we could possibly be running backstage. I had the sudden urge to pinch Kellan again. He was usually much better at making up stories.
Kellan clapped Justin's shoulder, then started to move around him. Justin let us walk by, then called out, "Hey, I just wanted to let you know, I totally understand, and there's no hard feelings. We're cool, dude."
Kellan stopped in his tracks and looked back at Justin. "What are you talking about?"
Justin took a step toward us. "You leaving the tour. I just wanted you to know that I get it. You guys are bigger than this. Even I'll admit that."
Kellan's jaw dropped. "I'm . . . leaving . . . what? What the hell are you talking about?"
Justin's expression was a strange combination of horror, shock, and confusion. "You don't know? I just assumed you knew. Fuck, sorry, man."
Kellan's face clouded over. "Know what? What the hell happened since this morning?"
Justin sighed as he ran a hand through his choppy hair. "Ah, crap. Well, it went down while you guys were doing the thing with the radio station. Some, ah, bigwig from the label showed up and started barking orders at people. He said that he'd be sending people over after the show tonight to 'collect' your things, and if anybody else touched your stuff, there'd be hell to pay."
Kellan's grip on my hand tightened, and I subtly stroked his forearm. "And where exactly are they sending our stuff? Where the f**k are we going?"
Justin shifted on his feet, clearly uncomfortable with being the bearer of bad news. "Uh, back to L.A. You're playing Staples Center tomorrow night . . . with Sienna Sexton. The label's putting you on her tour."
For just a fraction of a second while Justin had been speaking, I'd thought Kellan had somehow done something really wrong, and he was being tossed off the tour as a punishment. Maybe he'd even be sent home. I wasn't sure. But after Justin said her name, it all started making sense. Sienna wanted her spotlight amplified, and Kellan was just the extra wattage she needed. "That bitch!" I exclaimed.
Justin looked over at me, then back to Kellan. "I don't think it was her. It's just, you know, you guys are huge now. I mean, you could be selling out venues ten times as big as the places we're going. The label knows that. They're just doing what makes sense, and they're right. It really doesn't make sense for you to be on tour with us. I knew that the minute Sienna showed up for the duet." He clasped Kellan's arm. "You're beyond this, man. We're holding you back."
Clearly not agreeing, Kellan shook his head. He tried to say something, but he didn't have any words. Understanding, Justin smiled, gave him two congratulatory smacks on the back, then walked away. Kellan turned to me. "What the f**k just happened?" he asked.
Sighing, I told him, "Sienna and Nick. That's what happened."
Kellan dug in his pocket for his phone. "I don't think so." He scrolled through his contact list until he reached Nick's number, then he started the call and brought the phone to his ear. While it rang, he murmured, "This is bullshit, and this is not how this is going down."
Kellan's eyes hardened and I could tell Nick had picked up. "What did you do?" Fuming, Kellan listened in silence for a moment, then surprise washed over his features. "You're where?" Kellan looked back at the hallway that we'd been approaching earlier. "Fine, I'll see you in a minute." I guess we were going down there after all, just for an entirely different reason now.
Kellan shoved the phone back in his pocket and stormed forward. Since he was still holding tight to me, I had no choice but to follow him. I didn't want to miss this anyway. Nick couldn't do this. He didn't own Kellan. He couldn't just dictate where he went and who he went with. That seemed completely out of line to me, and way beyond the scope of Kellan's contract.
There were a few rooms along the hall that people were stumbling into and out of. But there was only one room with a man standing in front of it, arms crossed over his chest. Kellan headed straight for that room. The man glanced at Kellan coming then rapped on the door behind him. "He's here."
Nick must have responded to the man because the guy opened the door for us right as we got there. Kellan didn't even look at the bodyguard as he barged through the door and strode into what appeared to be an office for the theater. Nick was patiently waiting for Kellan behind a desk littered with paperwork. "Why the hell did you pull us from the tour?"
Nick smiled at us in a perfectly calm and composed way. It irritated me. Indicating a couple of chairs to our left, he said, "Why don't you have a seat?" I started to walk over to one, but Kellan held my hand tight and snapped, "I'm not sitting, and I'm not leaving Justin's tour."
Nick sighed and placed his hands in his lap. "You seem to be under the impression that you have a choice on the matter. You don't. I decide where the acts play, and who they play with." He splayed his hands. "Now, I'm usually a very flexible man, and I strive to give my artists as much free range as possible." I snorted at that, and Nick shot me a hard glance. "But in some cases," he continued, "when my talent is being wholly underrepresented, I feel the need-no, I feel it's my duty-to step in and make things right."
Standing, he casually tucked his hands in the pockets of his slacks and strutted our way. His demeanor was laid-back, but yet somehow also intimidating. "The hard fact here is that you're too big of an act. You belong in stadiums. It's a waste of our money and a waste of your talent for you to be playing anything smaller. And I'm not a man to waste . . . anything."
Sitting on the edge of the desk, he shrugged his shoulders. "Sienna's tour is where you belong. That was made quite clear to me after that duet she performed on stage with you. It's magic whenever you two are together, and we're going to capitalize on that magic."
Kellan inhaled a deep breath, then stated, "No. I'm staying."
Nick continued like he hadn't just spoken. "Sienna's been informed, and she's graciously made room for you. Your stuff is being moved over tonight, which I'm assuming you already know. A car will be picking you up and taking you to the airport the minute your set is over. When you arrive in L.A. a limo will be waiting, courtesy of Ms. Sexton."
Releasing my hand, Kellan crossed his arms over his chest. "I said we're staying."
Nick slowly stood up. He was shorter than Kellan, but that didn't seem to matter. "And I said you didn't have a choice. If you read your contract, like you said you did, then you should know that the label has final say over your schedule. If we want to pull you from one tour and put you on another, we will. If we want to send you on an over-fifty singles cruise in Alaska, we will. And you'll go, because, what you still don't seem to grasp is . . ." Standing toe to toe with Kellan, he leaned in like he was telling him a secret. "We own you."
When Nick pulled away, he patted Kellan's arm. "And besides, you told me, and I do believe this is a direct quote, 'I will help you promote the album in any way I can . . . within reason.'" He sniffed and straightened his jacket. "I think asking you to perform in the hottest concert tour on earth is very . . . reasonable." He lifted a brow. "Don't you?"
There was nothing Kellan could say to that. Nick had him and Nick knew he had him. He'd always known it. That's why there hadn't been a bigger pissing match the last time Kellan had stood up to him. Nick had been in control all along.
Kellan was trembling when Nick left the room. I could see the thick veins along the sides of his neck and knew he was absolutely livid. Silently standing next to him, I gave him a minute to calm down. It didn't seem to help. Letting out a frustrated grunt, Kellan snatched one of the chairs beside us and flung it at the wall; it left a couple of circular dent marks in the drywall.
I flinched, then tentatively put a hand on his arm. "It will be okay, Kellan."
He snapped his head to me. "I thought I was done being manipulated, but every turn I take another string gets pulled."
I nodded as I cupped his cheek. His skin was warm, and his eyes were fiery. And damn if it wasn't attractive as hell. "I know this sucks. Believe me, I know. But . . . Nick may actually have a point."
Kellan furrowed his brow, but his anger dissipated a little. "What do you mean?"
Glad that he was calming down, I laced my arms around his neck. "As much as I love Justin and the guys, you are bigger than them. I mean, you've already replaced them as the closing act. You do belong in a stadium." Smiling, I threaded my fingers through his hair. "And Staples Center, Kellan. That's . . . as large as it gets."
Kellan frowned at me. "I like small." A delightful curve appeared on his mouth. "I like intimate."
Reaching up to kiss that delicious mouth, I murmured, "I know. But you might like this too. You won't know for sure if you don't try." I shrugged. "Maybe this will be a good thing."
Kellan shook his head at me. "I think you're being naive again."
My mind ran through a million horrible scenarios, some probable, like Sienna being a constant thorn in our side, some highly improbable, like the record label lacing Kellan with some designer drug so that Sienna was able to seduce him for a night. Their drug-induced one-night stand would then result in Sienna getting pregnant with the world's most anticipated child. Nick would name her "Platinum."