Free Rocked Part 5: A New Adult Rockstar Romance (Billionaire's Obsession) by Bella Love-Wins, Bella Wild

Lady and Kevin had been so close and so compatible, I never once questioned their commitment to each other.
    She laughed. “Yes! He used to drive me crazy!”
    “How so?”
    “There’s so much. Where to start? He despised my wardrobe choices. Any song I picked out, he instantly hated. If I wrote it, he disliked it even more. He also had a problem with everyone in my band. And he worked me like an animal on the road. The worst was a twenty-two city tour in seventeen days. What can I say? He’s strong-willed and outspoken. Kevin is an alpha male through and through. And you are too, Johnny. So you’ll never stop butting heads until there’s some give and take.”
    “So far I’ve been doing all the giving and he’s held on to the taking, Lady.”
    She chuckled.
    “What’s the secret, then? How did you get him to let you do what you wanted?”
    “Eventually, over time, we found a way to work together that was more cohesive.”
    “Did it have to come out as a threat?” I asked because Kevin only understood ultimatums.
    “You know him too well, son,” she admitted, her melodious laugh setting me at ease. “That’s why some of my later albums sound like they were somewhat bipolar, dear.”
    “So basically you’re telling me to stick it out and hope that someday he might cut me some slack? Or are you saying I need to put my foot down and stand my ground?” I could not see either option working well.
    “No, no, Lorne. It’s about balance. Stand your ground where it matters… and pick your battles wisely. Right now, you both feel like all you do is argue. The two of you need to sit down and get it all out there…without the hostility,” she warned, placing emphasis on her final point. “He has to get credit for some of the things he has done to this point, like the way you were so gracious at the Disk Spinners last night. By the way, that simple gesture put you in a good place in his books. He’s so proud of you, Lorne. Talk to him today. Really talk…and then, you can inject your ideas and find a middle ground.”
    “Okay.” If talking alone would get Kevin to come around, I was willing to give it a try.
    “He wants to make this right. Please give it another try. I think you’ll get much farther.”
    “All right, Lady. Thanks.”
    A silence settled between us. I wasn’t sure if the conversation was over, or if she was just thinking.
    “How is Amanda doing?” She asked.
    I took the opportunity to say, “If I can give him another try, he needs to accept that Amanda will be a part of the picture. Not just during the tour. Amanda is performing her role well…I would argue that she has done more as a bodyguard than anyone we’ve ever hired. I just have to say…I know this is awkward to hear, Lady, but Kevin does not get to tell me who I can care for, be friends with, love…or share a bed with. That part of my personal life is off-limits.”
    “I can relate to that, son. But I was asking how Amanda was doing, because I want to know how she is.”
    “Oh. Sorry, Lady. I guess I’ve been on the defensive lately. Amanda’s fine.”
    “You really care about her don’t you?”
    “I do.”
    “Have you known each other for long?”
    I wasn’t sure how to answer that question without admitting to being a harmless brand of cyber-stalker myself. “I knew of her before, during her MMA days. I only got to meet her in person at the same time Kevin did, less than two weeks ago.”
    “Really, dear? Because the way you look at her, I thought you may have known her for ages.”
    I let that comment go. I was not going to lie to Lady, or admit to obsessively following Amanda on social media for years.
    “Do you think we can have dinner sometime? The four of us? It can be after the tour ends, when you have more downtime.”
    Doubtful, I thought. There was still the issue of after the tour. At the moment, all I had to go on was Amanda would be nearly three thousand miles away, and it was too soon to expect