Managed 3: A Rock Star Romance Page 3

  She took satisfaction in slamming his front door as hard as she could. She couldn’t get out of there and get home fast enough.

  ***

  Jasper called again, and she ignored him again. She needed a bit of time to concentrate. She was convinced now that Matthew had only shown interest to begin with to try to take Jasper’s account. Feeling used and stupid, she took a shower to wash the dirt off her. After showering, Hailey grabbed her phone and sent a text to her best friend, Samantha.

  Even though Samantha could be somewhat of a flake, she was her friend. And Hailey really needed her.

  Meet me at my place. Bring sugar.

  Like she hoped, Samantha texted her back within seconds.

  Be there in thirty. Do I need to bring body bags?

  Hailey snorted.

  No, just chocolate. Lots of chocolate.

  After texting Samantha, she ran a rough towel over her body, threw open her closet and reached for her most comfortable sweatpants. She pulled on a sports bra and tank top just in time to hear a knock on her door.

  Before Hailey opened her door, she took a deep breath. By texting Samantha, she knew she would have to tell her what happened.

  Samantha came in and thrust two grocery bags at her. Hailey took them and headed toward the couch as Samantha followed her.

  “Are you sure we don't have to kill anyone?”

  Hailey smiled as she pried the lids off the two pints of chocolate brownie ice cream. She handed one to Samantha and pulled out two spoons. Samantha looked over as if she could pull what had happened out of Hailey's brain.

  “I'm sure. I just had an awakening that someone wasn't who they pretended to be.”

  “Was it that dick-face, Matthew?”

  Hailey should have been more shocked that Samantha had figured out who the source of her anger was without knowing what had happened, but if she was being honest, she wasn't shocked at all. Hailey had been talking about Matthew since the moment she got the job at Big Deal. The fact that he hadn't paid any attention to her until she landed Jasper's account should have been a huge red flag. Apparently, Samantha had already picked up on that.

  Hailey and Samantha moved to the couch. She unloaded the whole conversation in between shoveling ice cream in their mouths. When the pints were done, and Hailey had purged the whole awful morning, Samantha stared at her with her eyes wide.

  “I can't believe you wouldn't let me bring the body bags,” she screeched, after Hailey had thrown away the chocolate binge evidence.

  Hailey smiled. Even though she had been resistant at first to tell Samantha what had happened, now that she had, she felt better. And what she had told Matthew was true. His opinion didn't matter to her. Just like the bullies in high school. It was a relief to realize she didn't have very deep feelings for Matthew in the relationship department. Now the only thing that burned in her body was the need to prove him wrong.

  Samantha went on a long rant about the things she would do the next time she saw Matthew. At some of her more inventive threats, Hailey hoped that the two of them would never meet.

  “Will you go shopping with me sometime this week?” Hailey asked, interrupting Samantha's ongoing murder list.

  Samantha bit her lip as she looked over the stained and tattered clothes Hailey was wearing. Before Hailey changed her mind, she charged forward.

  “If I'm going to have a fighting chance keeping Jasper's account I need to start dressing the part. I'm not very good at shopping,”

  Samantha's lips twitched, as if holding back a smile.

  “I was too busy trying to get into a good school and get good grades. I never thought about my wardrobe. It's time I let them know that I am a fashion conscious female, and I am worthy of this job.”

  Samantha pretended to wipe a fake tear off her cheek. “I'm so proud. I thought you would never ask. Let's do it today,” she said, bouncing off the couch.

  “I have to get some work done this week. If I'm going to prove myself, I can't start slacking off. We can go over the weekend.”

  Samantha's smile slid off her face, but she pushed it right back on. “Ok, this weekend we will revamp you. The outside will match the inside, but until then let's go through your closet and find things you can wear this week to knock their socks off.”

  Hailey stood and hugged her friend. Samantha was the closest thing she had to family, and right now, she was treating her the way her wounded soul needed to be treated.

  Samantha skipped to Hailey's room pulling Hailey along behind her. She threw open Hailey's closet door and dove right in. After getting yelled at for getting in the way, Hailey sat on her bed as she watched clothes fly out of her closet. Samantha looked over everything she owned even going so far as to dump out her dresser drawers as well.

  Together they picked out five outfits that would get her through the week until they could go shopping. Samantha's phone pinged and Hailey watched her eyes light up. Hailey tried not to feel bitter knowing that her friend was about to ditch her for this week’s flavor. Samantha looked over at her, already off on whatever tryst she was about to embark on.

  Before she could tell her she needed to go, Hailey cut her off. “Go on. I'll clean up this mess.”

  Samantha didn't even look at the clothes scattered on the floor. She waded through them, kissed Hailey on the cheek, told her to text her what time they would go out for the weekend, and vanished. Hailey blinked repeatedly to get rid of the burning tears that wanted to fall. Samantha was who she was, and she was never going to change.

  Hailey cleaned up the mess. She laid out all the outfits they had picked out on her dresser, trying not to think of how out of place she was going to feel. It wasn't as if they were revealing, but compared to what she normally wore it was a drastic change. Hailey shook her head. She wasn't going to think about it too much; it was long overdue.

  When everything was put away, Hailey made her way to the living room and pulled out her phone and tablet. She felt bad that she hadn't caught up on Jasper and her other accounts yet. She remembered the two missed calls from him and panicked. What if he did something last night, and she hadn't started the clean up? She figured that Bill would have been calling her if something were urgent.

  She googled Jasper's name. He had seemed to have a relatively quiet night. She ignored the jealousy when she saw the pictures of Autumn hanging all over Jasper. Trying to keep focus on her job, Hailey went to work updating all of Jasper's accounts. She figured she would call him back after she got some work done.

  She also needed to get on Missy June's accounts and make sure that the reality star was being honest with her and giving her the time she said she would. Clipping Missy's rage filled revenge plot was something that she would have to work on. A headache started to push behind her eyes as she thought of the damage Missy June could do to Dustin and the Weeds. Hailey switched out of Jasper's account and logged into Missy's, relieved the star was staying on the down low since hanging up on her this morning.

  Chapter Four

  “I'm all ready,” Autumn purred, as she came out of his room still glistening from the shower.

  She had put on one of his shirts and it barely hit the top of her thighs. Autumn was stunning. There was no denying her beauty, and Jasper should have been all over her. His brain just refused to get onboard. It kept flashing pictures of Hailey in the shirt she wore when they went to his first charity event with her. She was gorgeous in an unassuming way, and try as he may, he couldn’t forget it.

  “There’s been a change of plans,” Jasper said, pulling his gaze off her bare legs.

  Autumn pouted and Jasper once again compared her to Hailey, who would never pout like a child. Even though she hid behind her ugly clothes, she had never backed down from him when it mattered. His heart thumped wishing she wouldn't have backed down when he tried to kiss her.

  He looked at his casted arm and scowled. Bill's threat of her losing her job stopped that line of thought.

  “What has changed?
” Autumn fidgeted with the hem of the shirt she wore. Frustration simmered on her face.

  At first, he couldn't understand what was making her seem so angry, and then it hit him. She was trying to seduce him, and he wasn't taking the bait like she seemed to think he would. A small smile appeared on his face. He kind of liked that; he wasn't falling into the game she had so easily set up. The old Jasper would have already been deep inside of her, pounding away as she screamed his name. He wouldn't have cared that the girl in front of him was playing with his emotions to get what she wanted.

  How many times had he fallen for the same trap? Beautiful woman flaunts her body in front of him, and without thinking of the repercussions, he just did whatever he wanted. Tara immediately went to the forefront of his mind. Was that what she had done to him? Falling for her had been one of the dumbest things he had ever done, but had she planned it all along?

  Autumn came over to him and sat on his lap, her bottom lip still pushed out. He eyed her with suspicion, wondering if she had some secret agenda he wasn't privy to.

  “Dustin called. Practice has been held off. He had to take care of something so we won't have to go until later.”

  Autumn's eyes lit up and Jasper became even wearier. He thought that maybe realizing that she had an agenda would work out for him in the long run. She was an evil necessity at the moment. She would be the buffer he needed when Hailey was around. Now that he saw through her, he wouldn't fall so easily into her trap as he had Tara. This was exactly what he needed.

  Her fingers danced over his chest, and Jasper’s cock stirred. He wouldn't have sex with her, but it was good to know that his parts still worked.

  Jasper contemplated whether he could have sex with Autumn and not feel guilty. It wasn't like he could ever be with Hailey. Hell, it wasn't like Hailey wasn’t probably in post coital bliss with Matthew while Autumn was stroking his chest willing to let him stick it wherever he pleased.

  The thought of Hailey and Matthew having sex killed his erection before it could get fully hard. Jealousy burned through his veins and the only outlet he could think of that would help him was writing. How pissed would Autumn be if he got up and cracked open his notebook?

  “We should go out. Some of my friends are at a club right now. They texted and told me to come join them. They have a private booth. We should go.”

  Jasper blinked as he registered what Autumn had just said. She had thrown him for a loop. Her fingers still ran up and down his shirt-covered chest. He had been waiting for her to suggest something way dirtier than going out to a club in the middle of the day and drinking with her friends in a private booth.

  He inhaled, smelling the sweet perfume Autumn must have put on. It was too sweet for him. He preferred the more subtle scent Hailey always wore. Having Autumn invite him out to go drinking instead of offering to let him screw her brains out was what Jasper needed. With her being more interested in partying, she had secured her spot as his girlfriend at least until Hailey had fixed his reputation enough he could go back on tour.

  Autumn clearly wasn't interested in sex, and that was perfect for Jasper. The only woman his cock and his brain wanted to get hard for was the one who he couldn't have. Having Autumn around was going to be a lot easier than he thought it would be. As long as she continued to want to party instead of have sex, his secret lust for Hailey was safe.

  “I have some work to do. Why don't you go out, and when it is time for me to go to practice, I can have Carl swing by wherever you are and pick you up.” Jasper braced himself for her to argue, but a wide smile stretched her mouth.

  “Ok. I'm going to get ready and go meet my girls. Call me. I don't know where we are going to be.” She jumped off Jasper and ran to his room to get dressed.

  As odd as the situation should have been, her reaction made Jasper smile. Autumn only cared about one person and it wasn't Jasper. If he could keep her happy until the time he went on tour, his secret was safe. He could spread rumors while on tour of various girls he was hooking up with. It wouldn't be like Tara where his sponsors would be yanking their endorsements away from him left and right. It would be just enough to keep Hailey busy and in the dark about his feelings.

  Autumn came out of his room wearing a skimpy white dress that barely covered her ass. She must have had a change in her bag. Autumn came over to him and Jasper stood up.

  She wrapped her arms around him and Jasper's chest tightened. Could he kiss her? He didn't have to answer that question because she brushed her lips across his cheek.

  “Don't want to ruin my lipstick,” she told him, unwrapping his arms. “Call me later.” She sauntered to the door. Her pert ass swung in the confines of the dress, and Jasper took a second to appreciate what she was showing him.

  Although she had a very sexy ass, there was only one ass he wanted. He swore under his breath as Autumn closed the door behind her. Why did it have to be Hailey? Why did she have to be forbidden?

  Maybe it was a good thing that he couldn't have her. He didn't deserve someone as good as Hailey, but it didn't stop him from wanting her.

  Thoughts swirled through Jasper's head, and if he didn't get them out, it was going to explode. After stalking over to where he stored his notebook, he went back to the couch and began writing. His hand cramped as words poured from the pen. The forbidden relationship spurred him on. The light that reflected off Hailey's eyes and the sound of her laughter was documented in the notebook.

  As Jasper wrote, his body and notebook created a bubble. He had no other care except to get out what was killing him. His pen bled out all its ink, snapping him from his trance. He shook out his hand. Tingles rushed to his digits. His casted arm, however, didn’t seem happy with him and throbbed. He stood and pain shot straight through to his hand.

  He grabbed his phone and was shocked at how much time had passed and the two missed calls. Both had been from Dustin. He hit call. “Hey, did I miss practice?”

  Jasper put his notebook away and moved around his room to get circulation back in his limbs. “No, I called you to let you know that someone from the label is coming to watch practice. It is too late to practice now. So we are going to meet tomorrow. Is that ok with you?”

  Jasper wanted to tell him no. He hated that the label was going to be there. They were a necessary evil, but it didn't mean he had to like them. This was the first time in a long time they had sent a representative to listen to the Weeds practice and he had a bad feeling it had something to do with him. He couldn't let his band down though. He had already messed them up by getting hurt, he didn't want to cause them anymore harm.

  “See you tomorrow.” Jasper hung up before Dustin could say anything else. A dick move since Dustin was his best friend and was going through some crazy shit with Missy June, and it wasn't that Jasper didn't want to help his friend out. It had everything to do with pushing all his raw emotions out onto paper. Liberating, but also draining.

  He was glad practice was canceled. It gave him time to unwind from what he had just experienced. Jasper's stomach rumbled letting him know that he had ignored it too. He ordered room service and turned on the TV. He needed something to get his head out of reality.

  After he ate his food, Autumn popped up in his mind. He had forgotten all about her. When she picked up the phone, loud music blasted in his ear. He had to pull the phone away because of the deafening sound. And that was a lot, being he was a rock star.

  “Hey, are you coming to party?” she slurred before letting out a whoop.

  Other girls screamed along and he had to take the phone even further from his ear. “Practice was canceled until tomorrow. I just wanted to let you know I wouldn't be coming to pick you up and to have fun tonight.”

  “You should come party with us. Oh my God, I just said come.” Autumn started giggling and people around her chimed in.

  Jasper waited until she stopped braying before he spoke again. The fact that she was laughing so hard because she said the word come was more annoying than
he could handle. “I'm going to pass. I have some work to do before I go to the studio tomorrow.”

  “God, you are such a loser. You're supposed to be a rock star, not some boring ass old guy who stays at home all the time.”

  The phone made a sound of protest as he squeezed it. Jasper forced himself to release the death grip he had on it. After unlocking his jaw he was finally able to speak. “I'm writing a new song. The label is really excited about it and if I can get it to them fast enough, we’ll be able to go on tour.”

  “Tour? That would be awesome,” Autumn screamed, making the giggling squad she was with scream with her.

  Jasper didn't recognize the crucial mistake he made until after it was done. Autumn had clearly thought that we meant her and him, and not the band. He ground his back teeth together. Instead of correcting her, he gave her some lame excuse and hung up the phone.

  Jasper banged his head on the back of the couch. The frustration about his situation built up in the back of his neck. He thought about having to put Autumn in her place sooner than he wanted to. With a deep breath, he decided to keep her around as long as he could, but if she decided to get too clingy, he would have to let her go. He refused to have another Tara situation.

  ***

  Jasper slammed his door, stomped through the living room, and threw himself on his bed. Autumn was driving him fucking crazy. The past week she had shown up to every band practice and hung on him any chance she had. She brought her little giggling friends with her too, and at that point, Jasper thought his head was going to explode if he heard one more girl say the word like.

  Dustin and Liam loved the attention Autumn and her slut brigade brought. The band had been on a high after the label came and listened to them perform the song he’d written for Hailey. They wanted to cut it and push it out in the world right then.

  The thought of having the song out before Hailey heard it made Jasper want to run and hide. Too raw and exposed. Too much of his feelings. His bandmates looked at him like he was crazy when he told the label they weren't going to be cutting it that day, and he had to think of an excuse quick.