She didn’t seem as pleased about my lineup as I thought she would be. “We can’t afford that many people, Griffin. And I don’t mind doing stuff around the house.”
“Yes, we can. We’re rich, babe. And you shouldn’t have to do anything around the house. That’s the benefit of being rich.”
She took a calming breath. “We did well off the two D-Bag albums, and hopefully the third, but that won’t last long if we—”
Swishing my hand, I blurted out, “No, I signed off on the third when Denny gave me the papers. I won’t get anything from it.”
Anna was stunned; in a heartbeat, her skin seemed to lose all its color. “You…what? But you were a part of creating that album, you deserve a cut. How could you sign it away? And why would they ask you to do that? It’s not right.”
As Anna wondered how the guys could screw me over like that, indignant anger twisted her features. But she had it wrong. The guys hadn’t asked. I had. Denny and Abby hadn’t been happy with me when I’d told them I didn’t want a dime from the D-Bags, but seeing as how I was giving them more money and letting the guys keep the band’s name, they shouldn’t complain about anything when it came to me. “They didn’t ask. I told Denny to add it to the paperwork. I don’t want their fucking money…and I don’t need it.”
I had also signed off on residuals from the first two albums, but I didn’t think now was the right time to mention that. Anna might actually have a heart attack. Abby and Denny had spent over an hour trying to talk me out of my decision, but nothing they said could erase what Matt had screamed at me—You’re dead to me. Maybe it had been a rash decision, but if I was dead, then I shouldn’t be paid. Plain and simple. And if I hadn’t contributed to the band like they’d all unanimously decided, then I shouldn’t be paid. Maybe I was being stubborn and prideful, but their words had left deep gashes in me, gashes that couldn’t be filled with money. And besides, I didn’t need their pity paychecks anyway; I was about to cash in on a much bigger one.
Anna’s anger at the band evaporated, and unabashed fear took its place. She looked around our new place with horror in her eyes. “Griffin…how much are you making on the show?”
I wasn’t so stupid that I couldn’t hear the warning bells ringing in my ears. Anna was trying to be supportive, yes, but her mood had turned pessimistic since she’d watched the pilot. Personally, I didn’t see what was wrong with it. I’d watched it and I thought we all looked great. Well, I looked great. My castmates were a little dry and the script was cheesier than a 1960s horror movie, but whatever. I would carry the show to success.
“Enough,” I told her, being purposely vague. Truth was, I wasn’t sure what the hell I was making. I’d seen a few small deposits in my bank account, but they were nothing to write home about. I’d tried reading the contract to figure out what the arrangement was, but it was written in legalese. All I could find was something about all the cast members only getting a base pay salary until the show was picked up for a full season, then the primary leads could renegotiate their contract, if both sides saw fit to do so. LMF had only ordered six episodes…I was pretty certain that wasn’t considered a full season. I didn’t know how to explain that to Anna though, so I kept quiet. And technically I wasn’t lying; whatever we made would be enough. It had to be.
Anna seemed to instinctually know I wasn’t telling her everything. Eyes wide with panic, she opened her purse and pulled out her cell phone. “Call the band and apologize,” she said, holding the phone out to me. “It’s time to end this. Think of our future, Griffin. Think of the girls’ future.”
Dread seeped into me at seeing her support starting to slip away. I wanted her behind my decision, no matter that it was; I didn’t want to go back to being the only one stoked about this. For a split second, I almost reached for the phone, but then Matt’s words tore through my brain. We’re no longer family. No. I’d rather be the only one excited about this job than grovel at Matt’s feet.
My mind set, I crossed my arms over my chest. “No, I’m following through with this, Anna, and it’s gonna be amazing. I’m going to be a star, the show is going to be a hit, and Matt is going to choke on his words.” She looked confused by that last part, but I didn’t bother explaining. Leaning into her, I hissed, “I’d rather lose everything than go crawling back to that asshole.”
Her mouth dropped open. “Griffin…”
Shaking my head, I repeated, “No, I’m doing this, and you need to back me up. We’re a team, remember?” I knew I was being bossy, but this was important to me. I needed her on my side.
Her fingers curled around her phone. “I do remember…but do you?” She indicated the ostentatious house around her. “This wasn’t a team decision, none of this was. You decided all of this for us without even talking to me about it. I didn’t want this. I didn’t want to leave Seattle, leave my sister, leave my home. I only came with you because we’re a team…but it’s pretty clear to me that if we really are a team, then you’re the captain, and the girls and I are just your…cheerleaders.” Her tone was icy and bitter. Jade fire was flaring from her eyes, and a red flush stained her cheeks.
I knew I was walking on thin ice, and I knew she had a valid point, but I had one too. This was my career, my money, so ultimately, what I did with it was my choice. “When it comes to my job, then…yeah, I guess I am the captain. But I’m the one providing for you and the girls, so I think that gives me the right to the promotion. When it comes to the parenting-type stuff, you can be the captain, okay? But it doesn’t matter, because we’re all still on the same team. And Team Hancock doesn’t need the D-Bags. We don’t need anyone. We’ll survive on our own. Trust me, Anna…please?” My voice came out strained, pleading. It was weird for me to hear it that way. Outside of sexual favors, I wasn’t one to beg.
“I do, Griffin, but…” Stopping herself, she stared into my eyes for several silent seconds. I held her gaze, unwavering. Confident. I wasn’t scared about this future, she shouldn’t be either. Finally, after a long moment, she nodded. “Okay, Griff, I’ll let you take the lead on this, and…trust that it will work out.” She looked around the house. “But can we go down to a housekeeper, lawn guy, and driver? Otherwise I’ll be bored out of my mind.”
Relieved, I leaned down and gave her a long kiss. “If that’s what you want, sure.”
She nodded once our lips parted, then a soft, wistful sigh escaped her. What she wanted was a thousand miles north of here, but at least she was willing to make due for now. I hoped.
When my parents came over later to check out our spread, they were clearly impressed by Castle Cock. “Wow, son, you’ve…outdone yourself,” Dad stated.
“I know,” I said, pride swelling my chest. “Isn’t it amazing?”
Liam had come with them, and his expression of being unimpressed was clearly forced; his mind was currently being blown. “If you ask me, I’d say you were overcompensating for something,” he stated in a holier-than-thou voice.
“Good thing no one asked you then,” I countered.
Chelsey had come too, and she patted my back in approval. “I think it’s awesome, Griffin. Well done.”
My smile expanded so much my cheeks hurt. Yes, well done indeed. And considering how awesome the premise of the show was, I could probably have three more houses like this in the near future. I was going to be set for life. I just needed the world to catch up to how incredible I was, and that would happen soon. Not nearly soon enough, but soon.
Looking over the group, I said, “This is a long tour. Do you guys want any refreshments before we begin?”
Dad nodded. “A beer would be fantastic.”
I pressed a button on the headset in my ear. “Alfred, can you please bring six beers into the living room for me and my guests.”
His reply in my ear was instant. “Yes, sir.”
Liam’s jaw dropped. “You have a servant? Named Alfred?”
I shook my head. “No, his name is Carl, but I like calling him
Alfred better.” Anna shook her head. She hadn’t been thrilled when I’d kept the butler on, but come on…a freaking butler? Hell yeah, he was staying.
When we were on our third beer and looking into the fifth bathroom, Mom apparently decided it was time to have a heart-to-heart. “So…your Uncle Billy came over the other night. He told me about how you and Matt had a blowout before you left Seattle. Want to tell me what happened?”
With a sniff, I shook my head. “Not much to tell. I told him I was quitting, he called me an asshole, said I was dead to him and that we weren’t family anymore.” I took a swig of beer. “Oh, and he told me the band was better off without me.” Prick.
Mom took a pull off her beer. Everyone was oohing and aahing over the Jacuzzi, but her eyes never left mine. “Was that before or after you slugged him?” she asked.
I looked over at her with a sigh. “Honestly, I don’t remember. But either way, the jerk was asking for my fist in his lip.”
“I’m sure he was.” She let out a long exhale. “Hancock men are proud, self-absorbed creatures. But lovable, once you look beneath that.”
Wondering if she was insulting me or complimenting me, I stayed quiet. She smiled as she looked from me to Dad. “Gregory and Billy used to fight like cats and dogs. Worse than cats and dogs. Someone was always coming home with black eyes and statements that they never wanted to see so-and-so again. Then time passed and they got over whatever the fight had been about, and all of a sudden, they’d be best friends again.” Her eyes returned to mine. “You and Matt have always mirrored the two of them. You’ll get past this and be fine. Don’t you worry, honey.”
I bristled at her comment. “I wasn’t worried. If he wants to miss out on being a part of my life, then it’s his loss.” A knot of something dark and ugly twisted in my stomach as I thought of our rift being permanent, but I pushed it aside.
Mom gave me a sad smile, then patted my back. “Of course, dear.”
Two weeks later, I was still filming the same damn episode. If I thought rehearsing the same songs with the guys over and over was bad, acting out scenes was even worse! We did the same section over and over and over. My brain was frying from the monotony, and I couldn’t understand why the camera dude needed a shot of me saying, “Sure, Crash, whatever you say,” fifteen thousand times. It was ridiculous.
And the rest of the cast. Don’t even get me started on them. There was always something wrong with one of them. Someone was hungover, someone couldn’t remember their lines, someone was mad at someone, someone was late. It was one fucking thing after another, and all any of it did was make the day even slower. And since I was typically the one who’d goofed off in the past, being forced to be the studious one was a shock to the system.
But as much of an annoyance as the cast was, their squabbles were nothing compared to the chaos going on behind the scenes. Between the writers, the directors, and the studio execs, someone always had a problem with what we were doing. It seemed like every other hour I was handed a revised script. Remembering what I was supposed to remember and what I was supposed to forget gave new meaning to the word “frustration.” At this rate, I didn’t see how we’d ever finish filming one episode, let alone the six that LMF had ordered.
And if we didn’t finish the six episodes, then we’d never get picked up for a full season and I’d never see a decent paycheck. I didn’t want to worry about it, because I wasn’t one to worry about cash, but it was starting to eat at me. I’d asked Anna to trust me…I needed to deliver on that.
After spending most of the day doing nothing more than being filmed pretending to play a song on the stage, I was drained. While my driver took me home, I pulled out my cell phone and stared at it.
The album was dropping today.
Matt was probably in full-on freak-out mode. Nervous, sweating bullets, anxiously skimming for early reviews. He took it all so seriously, like he was personally being judged. Dude needed to relax before he worked himself into an early grave. Maybe being married would help. I should call and find out when the wedding was. Evan’s too. Even though there was crap between us right now, surely I was still on the invite list.
Making a split-second decision, I found Matt’s name in my phone and called his cell. It didn’t even ring, it just went straight to voicemail. Weird. Maybe his phone was dead. Not wanting to leave a message, I disconnected and called someone else instead. He actually picked up.
“Evan, dude…what’s up?”
There was a long pause before he said anything, and when he did, it was just my name. “Griffin.” From the way he said it, I couldn’t tell if it was a statement or a curse.
“Uh, yeah.” Tilting my head, I wondered if he had a problem with me too. Well, if he did, it was reciprocated; he never said goodbye to me. Since it was fresh in my mind, I asked him about it. “Why didn’t you see me off at the airport? Kell did.”
“I guess Kellan is a bigger man than I am.” Evan let out a long exhale, then started in on me. “What the hell are you thinking, Griffin? You quit the band for a TV show? One that might or might not actually go anywhere? Are you nuts?” I opened my mouth to answer him, but he plowed right over me before I could. “And what the hell happened between you and Matt? You know the real reason why I didn’t show? Matt dropped by after you decked him, and I spent the next three days calming him down.”
“Well, he—”
Evan cut me off with more heated words. “And you threatened to take the name. The band’s name. The name that we’ve been trying to make mean something for years, and you were just going to hijack it from us? You have some nerve.”
Now I was starting to get angry. “I didn’t. I let you guys keep it.”
“But you still threatened to take it…like you wanted to punish us or something. So tell me, Griff, what the hell did any of us ever do to you?”
Steam was practically coming out of my ears now. Calling him was a mistake. Caring about the band was a mistake. Cutting all ties was best for everyone. The D-Bags are better off without you, Matt had told me. I doubted that, but I guess we’d see. I was done.
“You know what, Evan, why don’t you, Matt, and Kellan get back up on your high horses and ride off into the fucking sunset together. It’s clear to me that none of you get me, and none of you ever will.” I hung up the phone before he could further rip into me. My ass was sore enough.
My driver was staring at me in the rearview mirror. Not in the mood, I barked, “What?” His eyes returned to the road, and finally feeling somewhat in control, I told him, “Drive faster. I want to feel like I’m flying.” Fuck them all.
When I got home, I was not in the mood to deal with any more crap. I just wanted to grab my wife, take her into the sauna, and mix our sweat together. Along with other fluids. Anna was on the floor playing with Onnika in the living room when I came upon her. Gibson was tossing blocks at Onnika, and Anna was reprimanding her. “Stop it, Gibson! You’re going to hit her in the eye.”
Gibson didn’t look like she cared. But she brightened when she noticed me. Running over, she leaped into my arms with a squeal. Anna turned to smile up at me. “Hey, babe. How was work? Dinner should be done in twenty minutes or so.” She batted her feet together as she lay on her stomach. She was wearing short shorts that almost exposed her ass. My dick made its approval known. I needed her. That would make me feel better.
Extending a hand to her, I said, “I need to talk to you.”
With furrowed brows, she let me pull her to her feet. “Everything okay?”
Almost on cue, Carl appeared in the living room holding a tray with a bottle of beer on it. He knew what I liked to have as soon as I got home. Except today. Today I needed more. Turning to him, I said, “Alfred, watch the kids for a minute, will ya?”
Gibson crossed her arms over her chest, pouting. “No, Daddy. Stay.”
I ruffled her hair. “I just need to talk to Mommy for a minute. We’ll be right back.”
I had to pry her off me be
fore I could leave the room with Anna. Walking at a brisk pace, we made it to the sauna room in no time. It had a bench that wrapped around the entire room; I wanted to spread Anna out on it.
Pulling her inside, I quickly shut the door. “Griff? What are we doing in here? Can’t we talk somewhere less sweaty?” she asked, while I turned up the heat. When it was ready, I added some water to the rocks, releasing a nice, relaxing puff of steam.
“Griff?” Anna asked again. “What’s up?”
A bead of moisture appeared on her upper lip and I sucked it off. “Strip. Now.” I started pulling at her clothes, baring more and more of her creamy skin. Yes…this would make my day disappear.
She let me pull off her shirt, then unbutton her shorts. Even though she was kissing me back, there was a question on her face. “Everything…all right?” she asked, when she was just in her bra and panties. Moisture was beading up on her skin, making it an irresistible draw. I couldn’t wait until our bodies were sliding together.
I sucked the hot air down in sharp pulls while I got to work on my jeans. “Yes. I just need to fuck you.” Then everything will be perfect. “Make me come, baby. Make me come all over you.”
Her eyes lit up at my suggestive words. She pulled my jeans down as she sank to her knees. “Baby, I’ll make you come so hard it will be a week before you can do it again.”
I laughed at her remark, then her mouth was on me and every thought in my head vanished. Yes, take it all. I don’t want it. I explored her body for twenty minutes before I finally drove inside her. The heat and the sweat nearly made me nauseous, but it only amplified the release. Our orgasms echoed around the room, sizzling as loud as the rocks steaming in the center of the space.
Fuck, yes, that’s what I needed.
When I was spent, I climbed off her and lay down on the bench. Closing my eyes, I flopped my arm across them. Now I needed a nap. I felt Anna stand and hover over me. “Babe?” I mumbled some incoherent response. I just wanted to stay in the void awhile longer. Anna sighed, and I heard her pick up her clothes. “I’m gonna go rinse off and check on the girls. Gibson is probably picking on Onnika…who is probably freaking out that I’m gone…And dinner is probably done now, so don’t be too long, okay?”