Free Beats of Life (Perception Book 5) by Shandi Boyes Page B

want her, but no one else can have her either,” he informs, causing my heart rate to plummet and my eyes to water.

Chapter 9
     
    Slater
     
    I had to do a double take when I walked past Kylie in the press conference room. I had thought she looked different the past four days, but today she is barely recognizable. Her make-up is heavy and her hair is black in color and it has a streak of purple down one side. She is wearing a pair of short denim shorts, black knee high ‘fuck me’ boots and a white lace shirt that clearly shows her dark purple bra underneath. I make my way to the spare seat next to Marcus and plop down harshly, unable to pry my eyes away from Kylie.
     
    When she bends over and collects some paperwork out of a briefcase on the ground, I mumble “Holy fuck,” under my breath, causing Marcus to laugh quietly and for me to have the sudden urge to adjust the crutch of my pants. I’m not the only one that notices Kylie’s new appearance. When Noah strolls in and sees her, he stops frozen in the doorway, his eyes glance over her body before he shakes his head slightly while smiling. Jenni squeals loudly before rushing towards Kylie and throwing her arms around her neck and I’ve noticed a few of the road crew keep walking past the press conference room door, their pace slowing when they spot her inside.
     
    “What did you do?” Noah questions the instant he sits down next to me. My eyes flick up to his with my confusion clearly shown on my face.
     
    “What did you do to piss Kylie off?” he continues, smiling his beaming white smile.
     
    “I didn’t do anything,” I reply, the annoyance clearly heard within my voice.
     
    “What did he do?” Noah questions Marcus, making Nick chuckle softly next to him.
     
    “Strippers,” Marcus replies without any hesitation. My eyes turn to Marcus and they narrow angrily. He shrugs his shoulders like it is no big deal he is ratting me out to the rest of the band.
     
    Noah chuckles before he replies, “You’re going to cop it now, there is no fury like a women scorned,” Nick gently nods his head, showing that he is in full agreement with Noah’s statement.
     
    “Whatever, we aren’t dating,” I reply coldly. That wasn’t by my choice either, but I’m never going to admit that out loud.
     
    “Dating or not, you’re going to feel the wrath of her jealously,” Nick informs with one of his eyebrows cocked. My eyes flick between my three band members who all look clearly amused at my situation, which pisses me the fuck off. I’m not the one that took off without saying goodbye, I’m not the one that left her broken hearted, so why am I the one that has to adjust my lifestyle the instant she walks back into the picture?
     
    “Whatever, those strippers were totally worth it,” I reply arrogantly, as a white piece of paper is shoved harshly onto the desk in front of me. When I lift my eyes, I cop the angry glare of a pretty pair of hazel eyes, triggering me to swallow harshly. Kylie moves along the desk and hands a sheet of paper to the rest of the band members. Once she moves back to the table she was originally standing at, all three of my band members eyes turn to face me and they all chuckle loudly in sync.
     
    “You just dug your hole even deeper,” Noah says between chuckles.
     
    “Shut the fuck up,” I reply angrily, just as Emily walks over towards us.
     
    This is one part of my job I hate. Why do we need to talk to the press? Even when we tell them something until we are blue in the face, they will still run a story that is full of half-truths. Half of the shit I read about myself on the gossips sites is all fabricated. I have had my fair share of true bad press stories when the band first became famous, but I’ve tried hard the past year to clean up my image. Not just for the band’s sake, but also for Serena’s. But even if I went to church every Sunday and never fucked another groupie again, I will be forever portrayed as