I shift to my side and look at him. “Are you okay? Was it awful?”
“No, it wasn’t awful. Just different. It’ll take some getting used to. Are you saying you don’t want me to try with you?”
I make a face. “Now I’m scared.”
He laughs. “Chicken shit.”
Downstairs, the door slams closed followed by the raised voices of Elijah and Jenn. They’re fighting again.
“Shit!” I jump up and throw my clothes on while Ali slowly gets out of bed, reaching for his own.
“Ow,” he whines, bending down to get his pants. “I don’t think I’m gonna be able to sit down.”
We break into a fit of laughter as he tries to quickly get dressed all while complaining about his ass.
Elijah’s loud footsteps travel up the stairs, so I put the TV on real quick and jump back onto the bed, casually leaning against the headboard.
“Act natural!” I whisper loudly. “Sit down.”
“I can’t!” Ali whispers back with wide eyes.
“Unlock the door.”
He quietly turns the lock on the doorknob and then moves toward my small walk-in closet, and acts like he’s looking for something.
Elijah opens the door, and I can see the annoyance etched on his face immediately. “Hey.” He spots Ali shifting through my shirts. “Oh, I didn’t know you were here, Alejandro.”
“Hey, Elijah.”
“What’s goin’ on with you and Jenn?” I ask.
Elijah clenches his jaw. “It’s fine. Just wanted to let you know I’m home.”
I snort. “Yeah, I heard.”
Elijah pins me with a look.
“Don’t be a pain in the ass,” Ali says from the closet.
I choke on my laugh, and Elijah leans against the doorjamb. “Sorry you have to hear that, but she’s about to leave. Did you eat dinner?”
I shake my head. “No, you cookin’?”
“I can.”
“All right. We’ll be down soon.”
Elijah eyes the both of us before walking away, leaving the door open.
“Pain in the ass?” I say quietly, laughing.
“Well, you are,” Ali responds with a shrug.
“And what the hell were you doing? Literally coming out of the closet to my brother?”
Ali barks out a laugh. “I didn’t even think about that.”
“Come on, let’s go get ready to eat.”
“Oh shit. Would it be weird to eat standing up?”
I throw my head back with a deep laugh. “Yes, it’s weird. We’ll figure it out.”
Before we leave my room, Ali tugs me back and gives me a quick kiss. “I’m glad you were my first.”
“I promise to get better,” I say, kissing him back. “And then you’ll want me to be your only.”
He smirks and then we head downstairs to have an awkward dinner with my brother.
41
Merrick
Present Day
The flight to New York is around an hour and forty-five minutes, and once we all land, we head straight to the label, hoping to get this over and done with as fast as possible.
“Evan says Kit is abnormally pissy today,” Sky says as he leans back in the limo.
Kit is the owner and CEO of K&T Entertainment, and he’s pissed off on a good day.
“Why? Did Evan say what was going on?”
Sky closes his eyes. “Nope.”
“Great,” I groan.
When the limo comes to a stop in front of the building, we get out and go straight inside where our manager, Evan, waits for us.
“Hey, guys. Lookin’ good. How’s your break been? Staying out of trouble, I hope,” he rattles on, moving ahead of us.
“Yeah,” Jay and Sky mumble.
“Break would’ve been better if I wasn’t here,” Carlos adds. “What’s goin’ on?”
Evan doesn’t bother turning around as he talks to us, going directly to the elevators. “Kit wants to talk to you guys. We also need to go over the tour sales and what you’re planning for the next album.”
The chrome doors slide open and Evan turns and gives us a smile while gesturing for us to get in.
“I thought we weren’t expected to have another album out for a while,” I say.
Evan looks through his papers. “Uh, no. It’s already been almost a year since the last album.”
“And we just got off an almost year-long tour,” Carlos says. “We have loyal fans, they’re not going anywhere if we don’t release once a year.”
“You think that,” Evan quips. “Another band will take your spot in a heartbeat. Have you been writing anything?”
Me and Sky nod. “Yeah, we have a handful of songs.”
“Well, let’s get a handful more. Maybe a handful and a half.”
When we get to the top floor, the doors slide open and we step out to hear Kit going off on someone.
“Mr. Brower will be with you a minute,” his executive assistant says from her desk.
Kit spots us and slams his door closed, but the glass windows allow us to see how red his face gets as he yells at someone on the phone.
“Jesus, what’s up his ass?” Jay asks.
Evan stands in front of us, reading something on his phone. “I think it’s a problem with another artist.” He lifts his head and looks at us. “Don’t worry about that, just don’t do anything to piss him off.”
I sneak a glance at Sky who’s already looking at me with worry etched between his brows.
Ten minutes later, we’re finally allowed into his lavish office. The large mahogany desk could fit two people behind it with the ability to work comfortably. A matching bookcase lines the wall behind the desk, holding several awards, picture frames, and a few books. The other walls are filled with platinum records and photos of Kit and the artists under his label.
“Come in, come in,” he says, ushering us in with impatience.
“Good afternoon, Mr. Brower,” Evan starts.
“There’s nothing good about today, Evan,” Kit spits. “Nothing.”
Evan shifts uncomfortably as the rest of us take our seats on the brown leather couches. “Sorry to hear that, sir.”
“Don’t be sorry,” Kit huffs, standing behind his chair, giving the top of it a death grip. “Just don’t
