“I’ll be right back.” Percy scurried out of the office.
“Bastard,” she bit out.
“Brilliant bastard,” he corrected.
Her mouth was hanging open again. “Don’t fuck with my life,” she sputtered. “Percy and I built this place from nothing. I don’t have time to be your groupie.”
His teasing expression evaporated. “You think I don’t understand having a dream? Or what sort of devotion it takes to turn it into reality?”
His tone was a slap in the face. Behind the sex appeal was a hard businessman. As in razor sharp. She drew in a stiff breath to calm herself. “Okay, you’re right. I’m insulting you without knowing anything about you, but you are messing with my life here. I have commitments, and if I piss off my customers, they won’t be back next year when you’re history.”
He absorbed her words, weighing them. “I only work with the best, and that’s you. I checked. You’ll do custom work for us that will get worldwide press. That will bring in new clients. Ones with enough money to keep you from working eighty hours a week for guys who want to trade you brake jobs for their pants.”
She had nothing to come back at him. He really had done his homework.
She was staring at the business side of his persona again, and her pride glowed as his word sunk in. Beyond the sex appeal, the guy was a brilliant musician, and it looked like he knew how to market it. No wonder he was swamping her in his sex appeal; he could channel his energy and fire it off like a laser.
“It will also give us time to get to know each other, Kate.”
She shivered. “I can’t do this.” She was chickening out, but it was safer.
“Of course you can,” Percy said as he reappeared and patted her on the shoulder before rounding the desk and settling into his padded captain’s chair. “I’ve already juggled the schedule, and the contract Syon is offering even covers designer rights.”
Designer rights. The fabled pot of gold at the end of the rainbow for every struggling artist like her and Percy. A band with Toxsin’s fame wearing her work would catapult her to the top of the design-label world. Instantly. It was prime bait. Her mouth was watering.
Another thud and shout came from the cutting room. “Can no one get along without me for even five minutes?” Percy wailed before heading back out of the office.
“You sure know how to bait a hook,” Kate said.
“Maybe I give credit where credit is due. You’re a rare talent, Kate,” he said.
His expression became pensive, calculating, and she found it attractive on a whole different level. Some place where she enjoyed the sting of dominance just because it reeked of a level of confidence she couldn’t help but admire. Syon was no metalhead getting lucky on the charts due to a kick-ass marketing team pushing his work.
“Your band buddies can’t be keen on this idea of attaching me to your baggage train. Won’t I throw off the vibe?” she asked.
“Business is always first,” Syon informed her, his tone fitting the gleam in his eyes. “You can keep us looking top-notch. Our fans expect a certain image. We plan to give it to them.”
“And she will do just that,” Percy practically sang on his way back into the office. “When I said I had to juggle her schedule, I wasn’t kidding. No one sews leather like Kate. She could fit an angry goat.”
“I noticed she’s one of a kind,” Syon said.
Kate felt that touch on her heartstrings again, but this time, it scared the hell out of her. Syon was perfection: his body drool worthy, and the intensity flowing out of his caramel eyes absolutely mind melting. He was like some kind of drug, and she was afraid of getting addicted.
She was going to end up getting sucker punched straight in her heart if she stayed near him. “Thanks for the praise, but…”
Syon gave his watch a cursory glance. “The truck will be pulling up in front of your place in about an hour.” He sent Kate a piercing look. “Just as soon as the guys finish loading up what you need from here.”
“I’m packing you a ton of hides to start with, Kate, and I’ll ship you some more when I get downtown to shop,” Percy informed her like the pro he was.
“You planned all the details, I see,” she said, pursing her lips at Syon.
He gave her a stiff nod. “Yes, ma’am.” There was something in his formal response that hinted at a big part of him she knew nothing about, some darker portion of his person that scared her even more. She got the feeling she just might end up respecting him.
“This is going to look so good on our résumé, darling,” Percy cooed.
Shit.
Shit…double shit.
Custom work had seasons. After Sturgis, there was going to be a long dry spell. She and Percy could tighten their belts, but it sucked when they had to let their staff go because there wasn’t enough business. Designer rights would change all of that. Just one tour, and Timeless Creations would blossom into the business she and Percy had dreamed of.
“It sure will,” Kate agreed. She was folding but also taking a chance. Seizing the opportunity she’d been longing for. As a partner, she’d be a real deadbeat not to step up.
Percy threw his arms around her and squeezed.
“Have fun,” he said suggestivly in her ear. When he released her, he smirked. “Oh, and Todd called this morning, since you aren’t returning his messages. I told him you were going on tour with Toxsin and didn’t have time for him.”
She grinned, unable to control herself. “Awesome.”
Syon’s eyes narrowed. The little hint of jealousy pleased her. Maybe it was an irrational, immature feeling, but it gave her the leverage she needed to break away from Syon’s powerful persona. There were more hugs and squeals from the other members of the team before she walked out of the door and toward her car.
When it came to ambushes, Syon did them just as big as he did everything else.
* * *
Syon had said truck.
She hadn’t expected a semi, much less four mega-bus-style motor homes clogging the street in front of her house. They were all covered in images of the band members from past concerts. Not exactly subtle. The neighbors started coming out as Syon appeared with a grin that grated on Kate’s nerves.
A drab-colored sedan squeezed its way into her driveway as a team of movers strode through her open door to take charge of the suitcases she’d haphazardly tossed the majority of her possessions into. She had no idea if she even had a complete matching outfit at this point.
Syon introduced the portly, balding man who got out of the sedan. “This is Karl. He’s a property management representative.”
Karl offered her his hand. “Pleasure to be working with you.” She shook it before he held out his other hand for her house keys. “We’ll make sure everything is kept in order while you’re away, including your car.”
It was the smart thing to do, but she still had trouble handing over the keys. But the idea of what the tour was going to look like on her résumé helped her move into action.
“Hey, Ginger. Nice to see you again.”
Kate turned to see Ramsey coming out of one of the buses.
“You know Ramsey,” Syon said as the two other members of the band made their way over to her. They didn’t seem to notice that their motorcade was causing traffic to drive on the wrong side of the road. A few squeals came from open car windows as people realized who was standing in the street.
“This is Taz,” Syon said, introducing a black-haired Asian guy with amazing dark eyes. “Bassist and backup vocals.”
“Drake.” Another dark-haired guy but with ocean-blue eyes. “He keeps us all on beat on the drums.”
The last guy looked at her with a stony expression.
“Drake is still getting used to the idea of having you along,” Syon said with reluctance.
“Thanks, Syon,” Drake growled. “Now I’m the band asshole.”