Total pages in book: 140
Estimated words: 129207 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 646(@200wpm)___ 517(@250wpm)___ 431(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 129207 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 646(@200wpm)___ 517(@250wpm)___ 431(@300wpm)
I spent at least twenty minutes snooping around his ridiculously massive home before pushing through a door, only to find myself in his bedroom, and while I knew it was risky being in there, I could smell him all around me, and the strangest peace settled into my chest.
Call me unprofessional if you must, but I sat on his bed, pulled my new laptop onto my knees, and got stuck into my work. Minutes turned into hours, and before I knew it, it was already after eight and my stomach was pissed.
I called my driver and took off. I’d already been in there long enough, and the last thing I needed was Ezra to walk in and find me in his bed. I’m sure that would have gone down well. We leave for Europe first thing in the morning, and I’m sure he’s going to want an early night after spending all day finalizing everything for the tour, which I can already tell is going to be amazing.
Don’t get me wrong, I’ve made a point not to see them perform on tour, and while a part of me is terrified by what I’ll hear in Ezra’s lyrics, there’s no denying that it’s going to be the biggest rush I’ll ever experience. I just hate that I was too stubborn to have pulled myself together long enough to see Axel perform on tour. It’s always been one of my greatest regrets, but I’m sure wherever he is in his afterlife, he always knew how much I supported him and wanted him to achieve everything he set his mind to.
After returning to the hotel, the guy running the valet opens my door, and I climb out. I still have so much to do. I haven’t packed, not that I have very many clothes here with me. I honestly didn’t expect my life to change so drastically the moment I stepped foot in LA. I packed what I needed for a quick trip and left everything else in my car—a car that I’m sure has probably been towed by now. But the moment that first check comes in, I’ll be able to buy myself a new wardrobe, and the fact that it’ll be clothes bought in Europe just makes it seem even better . . . even if those clothes are bargain bin finds.
I’ll take advantage of the yummy goodness offered on the room service menu, and after that, I’ll be right back on my laptop. Hell, I’ll probably spend the whole flight working on it too. I doubt I’ll have a chance to get much sleep, but there’s just so much to do.
Times have changed, even over the last two years, and the marketing plan the label put in place at the very start of the tour, before Axel passed, was incredible, but now that he’s gone and everything is different, following that current plan would be a mistake.
Lenny gave me the day to put a plan together, and after spending the morning arguing with him about his cheap-ass budget and getting it boosted to a level the boys are worthy of, I was finally able to start putting my proposal in place. Sure, the tour starts tomorrow, but assuming Lenny approves what I come to him with, we can start implementing these changes over the coming weeks.
Exhaustion ripples through me as I make my way up to my incredible room, and while I can’t wait to get to Europe and finally discover what I’ve been missing all these years, a part of me never wants to leave this hotel. If I could live here with a bar downstairs, room service, and a pool, I’d be happy every day of my life.
Reaching my door, I swipe my access card against the scanner and make my way into my room. My brain is fried, but as long as I can keep my eyes open, I’ll keep working.
The suite is dark with nothing but the city lights pouring through the window, and as I make my way in, I pause, finding a familiar silhouette staring out at the beautiful view.
I suck in a gasp. I can’t deal with this right now.
“You shouldn’t be here,” I murmur, my heart racing a million miles an hour. It’s the first time we’ve truly been alone in over eight years, and the way my body sings with electricity is too much for me to handle. I can deal with seeing him in the studio and being stuck on a private jet with him for hours at a time, but a dark hotel room with just the two of us? It’s too much.
Ezra doesn’t move or turn to face me.
“No, Rae. You shouldn’t be here,” he says in that deep tone that’s spent so many nights haunting my dreams.
His words are like a knife right through the chest, but I know he’s been thinking them. His little performance of “Cold Hearted Bitch” was a message, and despite hearing his meaning loud and clear, I know he doesn’t really want me to leave.