Page 36 of Hollywood Undercover
“Come on, Lexxi. You know better than that. Business isbusiness.”
“Yes. I know. The show must go on,” she muttered, unable to hide the bitter edge to her voice. “Look, I’ll get in touch with you when I’m able to make the trip. Until then, I need you to keep stalling for me. When I get back, we need to talk about some changes with the way you and I work together. For starters, I’m planning on taking more control of my image andbrand.”
“Whatever you want to do, Lexxi, you know I’m game. Get your ass back out here…soon. Now don’t make me beg, younglady.”
“Bye,Rick.”
She hit the end call button, pacing the office for a few more minutes. Her frustration grew as she thought about how much she had sacrificed to get this far. She had so little control over her time, and almost no control over something as important as taking a few unplanned weeks off. Rick had forgotten about all the long hours, constant travelling, lost friendships, muddled almost-relationships, and missed family time. She had been away for birthdays, holidays and special time with Dad, to travel the world time and time again for international concert tours, to record new music, film videos, tackle interviews and make public appearances. That was the price of being in demand. She had very little time to be with the people she knew and loved most. It was unfair, and Rick’s phone call came at a bad time. Something had to change when she got back toLA.
She could never get back the years she had spent focusing on the business. She had been absent from her father’s side for too long. Another three or more years making the same mistakes didn’t make sense anymore. There was also Eva, who would wrap up her filming soon. She thought about Rosa, who was starting to feel more and more likefamily.
Her mind wandered to Bash…then she shook that thought from her head. He was her neighbor. Her father’s neighbor, who had pretty much made it clear that he was gay. She was seventy-five percent sure of it, but realized she needed to stop obsessing over the man’s sexual orientation. Whether he was straight or not, he wasn’t in her innercircle.
She tried to focus on the issue. It was about taking back control, and letting Rick and her label know where she stood. Whether they liked it or not, something had to change. She had been overbooked, overworked and overexposed. This break to be with Dad only accentuated how crazy that world of being a performing artist had become. The fame-hounding paparazzo, the constant highs and lows of media assessment, criticism and rumormongering weren’t the only down sides. She started to see taking a break as a win-win. She could avoid putting herself out there so much, which would make her personal life less accessible to thepublic.
She made her decision—she was going to finish her album, line up a short tour, and after that she would take a lengthy hiatus. It felt like a weight slipped off her shoulders once her mind was madeup.
She checked the time. Joanne was probably administering her father’s evening meds and giving him a liquid meal. Alexandra couldn’t wait for these long days to finally wind down. Her thoughts were scrambled and her irritation was still peaked after talking to Rick. She returned downstairs to the living room. Tucking her feet beneath her, she curled up on the couch to wait for the nurse to finish up. If all went well, maybe Bash would pay her a visitsoon.
