So… how’s it been going?” Teddy asked. Aaron was on lunch break after a full day of trying to wrangle some of the earlier bands who’d turned him down, and to his delight, most of them had changed their minds. Vance had really taught him how to properly handle the situation, and now Aaron felt like he was unstoppable.

“Good, more or less, but I’m exhausted. I knew it was going to be a lot of work putting on an event like this instead of a private party, but… hell, maybe I was a little too ambitious thinking I could ever take on something like this.”

“I don’t think so,” Teddy said. “I think you’re being too hard on yourself. I bet you’re making great progress. How did it go with the bands?”

“At first, it was a total disaster. Everyone told me no. Then, when Vance caught wind of what a mess I was making, he stepped in and set things straight. He taught me how to talk to musicians.”

“Vance is helping you?” Teddy sounded surprised, and Aaron winced. Talking about Vance was a bad idea. Teddy didn’t know they’d been a thing. “How did you manage that? No offense, Aaron, but it seems like that’s not really his thing, you know?”

“I know. He’s been a big help, and I’m grateful for it. I think he’s trying to get back to his roots, and helping me is how he’s doing it, I think.” It was a weak lie, but Aaron figured if he was vague enough, it would be fine. “I mean, when you’re used to living a rock star life, how much is there to really do in a place like Prescott? I think he’s glad for the distraction and to get to know some of the local talent. At least, that’s what I’ve pieced together from my limited interactions with him.”

“And is he still being a dick?”

“No,” Aaron said, then regretted it. He’d forgotten that Teddy had asked for an introduction, and he knew exactly where that would have gone. “I mean… he’s not being one right now, but that doesn’t really mean anything. His behavior is dickish in general. He’s got a lot of dickishness in his past, and I wouldn’t trust him not to screw you over.”

“I don’t care about that. All I care about is if he screws me.”

“He…” Aaron realized the tightening feeling in his chest wasn’t anxiety, but jealousy. He was jealous thinking of Teddy and Vance together. What was his life coming to? Vance Chastain didn’t mean anything to him. He was the last man on earth Aaron wanted to spend any time with. There was no reason to feel jealous. “I don’t know. I just don’t think it’s a good idea, Teddy. Sorry to cockblock you.”

“Nah, you’re fine. I’m only half-serious.” He heard Teddy’s grin through the phone. “I’m glad that he’s not being a jerk to you while you work together. That’s the big thing. You sounded pretty stressed about him before.”

“I was.”

“Then I’m glad to see that it’s paying off for you. He’s mellowing out, you’re mellowing out, and everything should go smoothly. Right?”

“Right.” It was strange to actually believe it. So far, apart from the stress of making sure that all of his reservations were still good to go and his bands were going to show up, there hadn’t been any big hitches along the way. What trouble there had been, Vance had taken care of it for him. “You’re going to be there, aren’t you?”

“It’s in June?”

“Yeah.”

“I should be able to come. I’m hoping to come, at least. I wouldn’t want to miss it. It’s kind of like your big debut.”

“Yeah, I guess it is.”

“Plus, Vance Chastain is going to be there.” Teddy laughed. “I looked up pictures of him online, because I realized that I recognized his voice, but not his face, and damn.”

“I’ll give him that,” Aaron said with a small smile. “He’s hot. But that doesn’t change his bad attitude.”

“Right, right, asshole, dickish behavior, I remember. Don’t crush my dreams.” Teddy chuckled. “Listen, I’ve got to go. I thought I’d just follow up to make sure that you’re still sane. You’re less than six months away from seeing this thing go live now, and I know your life is only going to get more hectic from here. If you need help, I’m here for you. You can call me whenever. And if you need the Big Guns, I can get Natalie on the case.”

Aaron laughed. “Sure.”

“Love you, Aaron. Make sure to take care of yourself. Your health is as important as your job.”

“Love you too, Teddy. Talk soon, okay?”

“You got it.”

The call ended. Aaron set the phone down, let go of the tightening jealousy in his chest, and got back to work. It wasn’t like he owned Vance. Their relationship had lasted for all of about a month before things had gone wrong, and it was all the way back in high school. It wasn’t like it meant anything, even though the pain it had caused was real.

Vance wasn’t his.

He wasn’t.

But the little pang of jealousy in Aaron’s heart didn’t subside even when he invested himself in his work.

* * *

It was a phone call he didn’t want to make, but one he knew he had to. Aaron toyed with the idea of glossing over it and just going off what Vance had told him previously, but he didn’t want to risk breaching a contract or going against copyright. His professional future was on the line, and he was more dedicated to his job than that.

At last, he picked up the phone and called Vance. There was no avoiding it anymore. He needed the specifics of the copyright Vance had to Whoa, and what he could or couldn’t put on the promotional posters. If Vance didn’t know, Aaron intended to ask him for the lawyer who would. Someone out there had the answer, but the only way Aaron was going to find it was if he got in touch with the man he was starting to believe might be worming his way back into his heart.

“Hey, baby,” Vance said when he answered the phone. “It’s not like you to call. What’s going on? Did I forget to show up for an appointment?”

“No, no, nothing like that.”

“Is everything okay, then?” Vance asked. He sounded genuinely concerned. “You’re okay?”

“I’m fine,” Aaron said softly. He found himself smiling. “I’m a little stressed, but that’s normal.”

“I’d imagine. You’ve taken on a tough job. I hope they’re paying you what you’re worth.”

Aaron hesitated. He wanted to launch into a discussion about how he was holding out for the benefits of a permanent position, but he realized that he was being sidetracked. Vance had a way of making everything conversational, but Aaron couldn’t let himself fall into that trap. He had a job to do, and chatting with Vance wasn’t it. He hated the man, after all. Why the hell would he want to spend his time talking about his life?

He closed his eyes and focused. “It’s fine. I took the job willingly. But the reason I was calling is because I need to hammer out a few details with you about the copyright you were mentioning. You said that you owned the copyright to Whoa, right? What exactly does that mean? Do you own the music, the lyrics, both? The associated artwork? Is there anyone who needs to be credited, or is there anything I can or cannot do while mentioning the song itself on promotional material?”

“That’s a loaded question.” Vance laughed. “There are some tricky things that you’ll need to be careful about, but it’s all pretty confusing. I’m not a good teacher, remember?”

“Is there a copyright lawyer you can put me in touch with who would know of your situation?” Aaron asked. He was sure there had to be a way to make sure he wasn’t infringing upon another person’s intellectual property.

“Yeah, but I don’t have his number right now, and I know what I can and cannot do — my legal team, when I had one, made sure that I had it drilled through my thick skull. It’d be easiest if I just headed over. You live on Herrin, right? I dropped you off that one time after meeting with Dynasty Soldiers at that bar.”

“I—” Aaron didn’t think he’d remember. “Yes, but—”

“I’ll be there in fifteen minutes. See you soon.” Vance ended the call.

Aaron stared at his phone. He’d wanted to suggest meeting somewhere public like they always did — a restaurant or a cafe. Hell, even a park would have been preferable to meeting at home. At home, there was no one watching to make sure Vance kept his hands to himself. Out in public, Aaron was able to properly subdue his physical attraction to Vance and remember that, deep down, Vance was a bad person who’d done terrible things to him, even though he was pants-tightening hot.

At home? At home, Aaron didn’t know if he’d be able to resist temptation.

This is all kinds of messed up. He’s going to come in here and work his charm and I’m not going to be able to say no to him. What the hell is wrong with me?

Aaron glanced up from his desk and realized how messy his office was. He didn’t think that the office was all that big an issue — he could close the door and not invite Vance in — but the rest of his house wouldn’t be so easy to hide. There were dirty dishes in the kitchen sink, the bathroom was in need of a deep clean, and the bedroom…

Fuck, why am I thinking about how messy my bedroom is? Vance isn’t going to see my bedroom. He’s not even going to know I have a bedroom. He’s coming here to get some business out of the way, then, when he’s told me what I need to know, he’s going to leave. That’s all. No chatting, no flirting, and absolutely no sex.

“Fuck it. I’m putting the dishes in the bedroom,” Aaron said aloud. He got up from his desk, went to the kitchen, and gathered his dirty dishes. If he couldn’t trust himself not to bring Vance to bed, then he’d make sure he was too embarrassed of his room for it to happen. It was the best defense strategy he could come up with against a man who made him want to go against his nature and let go of common sense.