Seven Nights of Sin - Lacey Alexander [104]
But she couldn’t.
Only not for the reasons she would have expected—not because she was horrified by the very thought, or would feel underconfident or embarrassed. She simply didn’t want to go anyplace with that kind of sexual aura without Damon at her side.
And—what if Damon was there? With some other woman? Or more than one? She didn’t think she could handle that. The wounds were too fresh.
Oh, who was she kidding? She wasn’t sure she’d ever be able to take that.
So you can’t return phone calls from your artists.
And you’re willingly turning down A-list networking opportunities.
Yep, you’re doing a real bang-up job here, Brenna.
Just then, the phone on her desk rang and she snatched it up, praying it wasn’t Tommy Max or Malcolm. “Brenna Cayton.”
“Uh, yeah—hi. This is Austin. Austin Cole. I met you a few weeks ago.”
Oh, wow! When Damon’s firing had hit the airwaves, Collette had taken a message from Austin’s mother canceling their meeting. Brenna had been deeply disappointed, figuring they’d decided to go with the other label, but she’d been dealing with so much that she hadn’t pursued it further.
“Yes, of course. Hi, Austin. I’m happy to hear from you. I hope I can meet with you and your mom again soon.”
“That’s the thing,” the boy said. “She’s pretty set on me going with the other guys. But it’s mainly because of Damon getting fired and all that. So…I guess I’m just confused. I don’t really want to write off Blue Night until we talk some more.”
“Like I said, I’d love to talk more. And I can understand your mother’s concerns, but…” She sighed, not sure how honest to be, yet given that honesty was her natural inclination, she went with it. God knew lying hadn’t gotten her very far. “Just between you and me, Austin, I can tell you that Damon is innocent in all this—he’s just getting a bad deal. So please don’t base your decision on what you hear in the media.”
On the other end of the phone, Austin sighed again, and she could feel his confusion. God, he was only a teenager, not even out of high school. How could he be expected to know what to do, how to make the right choice? And his career might well ride on that decision.
Her heart nearly beat through her chest when she realized what she was about to do, but she couldn’t stop herself. Because it was right. It was the most right thing she’d done in a couple of weeks now. “Austin, can I give you some advice, from the heart, just between you and me?”
“Yeah, sure.”
“Damon just started a new label—called Inspiration. And despite everything that’s happened to him, he’s a good guy, and in my opinion, the best guy to handle your music. If I were you, I’d go with Damon.”
When she hung up the phone fifteen minutes later, she plunked it down, then plunked her head on her desk. She’d just given away her chance to build something at Blue Night, her chance to make a mark in the industry.
Shit.
But she still knew it was right. For so many reasons.
So instead of beating herself up for it, she just prayed Jenkins would never find out, then picked the phone back up and dialed Kelly’s extention.
“Kelly Mills, Blue Night PR.”
“I’ve changed my mind. It’s almost five. Let’s go get drunk.”
Two
“Thanks, Mrs. Cole. And Austin, I’ll see you next week, as soon as school’s out. We’re gonna have to cram a lot of work into a short time, so be ready.”
Damon smiled as he walked Austin Cole and his mother to the door of his condo—which was his current place of business until he moved into the office space he’d just secured.
Austin lifted a hand in a so-long wave, and said, “Don’t worry, dude. I’ll be so ready.”
“I’m counting on it, and I’m glad this worked out. I think it’s gonna be a great move for all of us.”
He closed the door on them, feeling more energized than he had in a while. Austin had just signed a contract making him Inspiration’s first artist. He couldn’t imagine a more promising start for the company, and he knew his investors would be pleased.
Of course, now that his visitors were gone, he found