Page 33 of Rockstar Baby Daddy

“Remember, be confident. The album is good, more than worth the wait while you took care of a medical problem. Don’t let them get away with shit, all right?” Alex had on his game face, the one that was responsible for making me richer than any one man needed to be.

“All right.” I let out a long, slow breath and stepped into the door Alex held open, a serious expression on his face. I smiled at the dozen navy-blue suits gathered around the table. “Ladies. Gentleman.”

“Gavin, it’s so good to see you.” Miller, the new head honcho, stood with a smile. “Glad to see you’re doing well again.”

“Just happy to be back in the studio.” I flashed a wide smile.

“We can tell,” he offered sincerely. “The new tracks are incredible and your producer has had nothing but glowing things to say about the entire album. It’s great, probably your best work to date.”

Holy. Shit. I stood, stunned, my eyes bouncing around the table at all the heads nodding in agreement. “Seriously?”

“Hell, yes. More than worth the wait.” Miller kept on talking while my mind raced. Whirled.

Best work to date.Those were words I hadn’t expected to hear, especially from a non-musician. “Wow. Thank you.”

“Thankyou. We want to do a big push. Polish the album this week and set a release in about six weeks. That means lots of pre-release publicity.”

I nodded, knowing it meant crisscrossing the nation for television and radio interviews, as well as appeasing the online music crowd. It meant more distraction from thoughts of Suzie, who still hadn’t reached out. She’d probably washed her hands of me when she realized I had left without saying goodbye. “I’m here for it.”

Miller grinned. “I wish all our artists were as agreeable and best-selling as you.” He began droning on and on about marketing strategies and tours, while my thoughts turned back to Suzie.

Did she hate me?

Would she pick up if I called her?

Would she tell me to go to hell?

If I wasn’t such a coward, I could just pick up the phone and find the answers to those questions. But I hadn’t. I didn’t want to alter the memories of how Suzie thought of me. She was a fan of my work, but she seemed to be a fan of me as a man. At least, she had been. Now, she probably thought I was the lowest form of human scum.

“How does that sound, Gavin? A jet of your own to travel in, the Gavin Express?”

I blinked and brought my attention back to the meeting. “Sounds like I can write and record while I travel,” I answered with a wide trademark smile that told them that I was a team player. Always.

“Excellent.” Miller stood and nodded to the rest of the table. “We’ve got marketing and promotions working hard. You do your thing and we’ll do this again in a week, yeah?”

I nodded and stood to shake Miller’s hand, turning my attention to the rest of the table while Alex ironed out the details. “Thank you, all, for supporting my creative vision.” These small moves made everyone feel important, and they were. It took an entire team to put an album on the market and I never left anyone out. Tomorrow, they would each receive a bottle of tequila from Gavin Ross.

When the conference room was empty of all the suits except for Alex, I let myself drop into a seat with a groan. “Is it me, or are these meetings always exhausting as hell?”

“It’s you,” Alex answered with a laugh. “Gavin, they want to fast track the album with no penalties for the delay. And even better news? Those three songs your producer let them hear? They loved them and want to buy them for Just Becca! You know what that means?”

Money.

“It means we’re gettingpaid, and you might even get a songwriting Grammy out of it.” Alex’s wide smile was contagious. The man only thought about money, but he worked hard for it. His greed was good for my career and I was grateful.

“Thanks, Alex. I’m not glad you made me leave early, but I am pleased with the results.”

Alex scoffed. “You’re not still thinking about that woman, are you? Look around, Gavin, there are tens of thousands of women in spitting distance who would line up to spend the night with you.”

“It’s not just about the sex, Alex. She’s just… great. Ya know?”

Alex frowned. “Was she upset that you had to leave?” At my silence, he laughed. “Don’t tell me that the man as smooth as silk left without saying goodbye. Holy shit, you did! What were you thinking?”

“I wasn’t. Obviously.”

Alex shook his head and clapped me on the back with a sympathetic smile. “Don’t worry, once she hears the new album, she’ll come running back.”

“The album isn’t about her,” I insisted. “Maybe a few songs.”

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