“You need to make those boys come around, Tate. They built serious momentum with their performance at the AMAs. We need to build on that.”

I rolled my eyes skyward, thankful I didn’t run into anyone as I clomped down the sidewalk toward Bernie’s. I was in desperate need of coffee. And sleep. And a migraine pill. It had been a month since my night with Declan, and while I was grateful that working as their manager had kept me busy, I was still floundering. I hadn’t realized exactly what I was agreeing to when I took the job. Being their manager was one thing, but since they’d canned their personal assistant for apparently being a raging bitch from Hell, I was also doing her work as well. And there weren’t enough hours in the day to get everything done.

“I’m aware, Eugene,” I replied in a flat voice through the phone at my ear. “You’ve only said this exact same thing twenty times.”

Civil Corruption’s agent blustered through the line. For a man who looked scarily similar to Santa Claus, he was a real pain in the ass. Between him and the guys’ publicist, Brenda, who was constantly on my case about keeping Mace and Killian out of the tabloids, I was in over my head. Add in the fact that dealing with four grown-ass men was like trying to herd a bunch of toddlers and I was dangerously close to committing homicide.

“It’s one damn video. I don’t understand why they’re being so difficult.”

It was the same argument Eugene and I had been having for the past month. “They’re not being difficult,” I replied, the same way I had every other time he’d brought it up. “The label agreed to letting them have a break after the last tour. It’s only been a few months, and they’re already pushing to release the first single, and shoot the music video. They’re just asking for a little time. Garrett and Gwen are leaving for a short honeymoon next week. They all agreed to get back to work once that’s over.”

“It’s bad enough they refused to tour for this album—”

I cut him off, officially over this conversation. “They didn’t refuse. They’re going to tour, for Christ’s sake. It’s just going to be shorter than their others.”

“Three months is hardly an adequate amount of time to promote a new album,” he grumbled sullenly. I’d quickly come to learn that the man lived in a perpetual state of grumpiness, which made working with him a real freaking joy.

“It is what it is, Eugene. You seem to be under the misconception that I have more control over these guys than I actually do.”

The old man sighed like he carried the weight of the world on his shoulders. “Well, at least you handle them better than Chris did.”

“Yeah well, Chris was a dickhead. What can I say?”

“That may be,” Eugene drawled, disapproval dripping from his words. “But at least he pretended to have an air of professionalism when we spoke.”

Ooh, burn, old man. “And look how well that turned out,” I snorted indignantly. “He might’ve kissed your ass, but he’s also the reason for the media shit storm you and Brenda only just finished dealing with.”

“You’re rather blunt, aren’t you?”

The guy was really starting to get on my nerves. He had a nasty habit of speaking down to me, and I got the distinct impression that he felt women as a whole were little more than bumbling idiots. Apparently he’d refused to move out of the forties and join the rest of us in the new millennium, where women ran the world.

“If I were you, I’d get used to it. I’m not going to blow smoke up your ass, because that’s not part of my job description, but what I will do is keep the guys in check to the best of my ability—which, from what I’ve discovered, is better than most people are capable of.”

Another aggrieved sigh echoed from his end. “Fine,” he relented seconds later. “We’ll revisit this topic in a few weeks.”

“Looking forward to it,” I deadpanned. The door for Bernie’s came into view, and I ended the call without saying goodbye as I pushed my way in. At least I’d managed to buy myself a couple more weeks before having to kick the guys’ asses into gear drill sergeant–style.

The place smelled like Heaven. The scent of espresso beans and sugar filled the air, and I breathed as deeply as I could, wanting to hold that smell in my lungs for as long as possible. It fueled my soul the way caffeine fueled my body, giving me a much-needed boost of energy.

“Hey, girl,” Gina greeted from behind the counter.

I smiled adoringly at my barista goddess and started for the counter, then heard someone call my name. At the sight of Gwen sitting comfortably at a table in the far back corner, I made a detour.

“Hey,” I said, leaning down to give her a hug. “I didn’t know you’d be here.” Doing a quick scan of the room, I spotted Ian sitting two tables away, alert and mindful of his surroundings as always. As Gwen had said, I’d gotten so used to him or one of the other security guys skulking about over the past several weeks that I barely noticed them.

“Needed a change of scenery,” she replied, waving for me to take the chair across from her.

As soon as my butt hit the wood, Gina popped by, setting my usual coffee in front of me. “Oh thank God,” I sighed, lifting the cup to my lips and taking my first sip. “This is so good. I could kiss you right now.”

They both giggled as I continued to drink, not giving a damn that I was nearly burning my tongue off.

“You look tired, honey,” Gwen stated.” Have you been getting any sleep?”

I grinned at her over the lid and asked, “Is that your polite way of telling me I look like shit?”

Gina pulled up a chair and sat down. “Well, no offense, but you are looking a little wrecked.”

There was no way I could take offense to that, mainly because it was the God’s honest truth. I’d rolled out of bed that morning so exhausted that I threw my hair in a messy bun, officially entering day three of not washing it. I skipped makeup completely, and I was pretty sure the clothes I grabbed off my bedroom floor were the same sweats I’d worn earlier in the week. The right pant leg had a stain on it, probably from the cold pizza I’d been eating for breakfast while dealing with the fallout of Killian’s latest sexcapades at a club the night prior. I’d been bleary-eyed and half asleep as Brenda railed at me over Skype, and a glop of sauce had fallen in my lap. I hadn’t even bothered with a napkin, choosing instead to scrape it up with my finger and pop it in my mouth. Like I said, I was floundering.

“That’s because I am wrecked,” I answered honestly, placing my cup on the table so I could rub the tension from my forehead. “Trying to keep those guys under control is more painful than trying to bathe a dozen cats. What I really need is the ability to clone myself… or to find a personal assistant for the band who doesn’t suck and isn’t a world-class bitch.”

Gwen snorted, having had an up-close-and-terrible encounter with their last PA. “Believe me, you won’t find anyone worse than Kimber.”

“That’s not the issue,” I whined. “The issue is not being able to find anyone better. Swear to God, the women in this city are worse than a pack of horny old men hopped up on Viagra. I need help, but each applicant is worse than the next. One woman actually claimed that she’d be perfect for the job because she’s stalked Mason for so long that she already knows him well enough to anticipate his every need. And she’s one of the better candidates!”

They both burst into laughter, drawing the attention from the few patrons scattered around the coffee shop and sending poor Ian on even higher alert.

“Gina, why don’t you apply for the job?” Gwen asked once she’d gotten ahold of herself.

I jumped on the suggestion like a lion would a gazelle with a broken leg. “Yes!” I shouted a little too loudly. “Omigod! Why didn’t I think of that? You’d be perfect!”

Gina, whose pretty olive complexion had taken on a sickly shade of gray, gaped at me like I’d just suggested she have a three-way with Donald Trump and the Demogorgon from Stranger Things. “How the hell do you figure that? I serve coffee, for Christ’s sake. I don’t know the first thing about being a personal assistant.”

“You’re smart,” I started, ticking the reasons off on my fingers. “You’re reliable. You’ve already met all the guys in the band and didn’t get a restraining order taken out on you. You’re our friend, so we know we can trust you. And the most important reason of all, I’m desperate. Please, Gina. Pleeeeease,” I begged, clasping my hands together in front of me.

“I can’t!” she cried. “That’s ridiculous. None of those are good enough reasons to hire a barista to be Civil Corruption’s PA.”

“Yes they are!” I exclaimed. “Look, you’re basically just going to be a glorified babysitter. You’ll do things like maintain their schedule, and keep Mace from drinking himself to death and Killian from whipping his dick out in public places. If I have to handle one more picture of him nailing some chick in the bathroom of a public place, I’m going to gouge my eyeballs out.” Gina’s face fell at that. I could only assume it was because I hadn’t made the job sound all that glamorous, so I quickly added, “And it’s not like you’ll be doing this alone. I’ll be right there with you, every step of the way.”

“And the guys start touring at the end of next month,” Gwen offered, sweetening the deal. “It’s three months, all expenses paid across the globe! Tate and I will be there with you the whole time, and when you’re not working, we’ll sightsee, and shop, and drink French wine and Italian coffee. How can you say no to that?”

I could see the excitement starting to brighten her eyes, so I did my best to quell the sudden nausea roiling in my stomach at the thought of three months of near-constant contact with Declan and kept a beaming smile pasted on my face. I knew I needed to take Lyla’s advice and actually sit down to talk with him, but I hadn’t found the courage. And believe me, managing a band when you’re simultaneously trying to avoid its lead singer because you can’t stop having sex dreams about him is exhausting.

I was starting to lose my mind. Every time we were in the same room, my body would react in very unladylike ways at the memory of that night. The asshole had been right. I wanted more, no matter how bad for me it was. I felt like I was walking on a layer of thin ice, carrying a thousand pounds of sexual frustration on my back. At any second, the ground would give and I’d be left drowning. I needed to stop being such a coward and talk to him already, but that was easier said than done.

“Can I…? She hesitated for a few seconds, and I found myself holding my breath. “Can I think about it?”

“Sure!” I offered exuberantly. “Take all the time you need. Just as long as you agree to take the job at the end of it.”

She gave me a glare that wasn’t threatening in the slightest. “You’re not going to let this go, are you?”

“Not a chance,” I replied honestly.

Now that Gwen had put the idea in my head, there was no getting rid of it. Having a friend at work who wasn’t one of the guys was something I was really looking forward to. And I needed all the positivity I could get in order to deal with the complete emotional upheaval I’d been struggling with the past few weeks. With Gina on my team, maybe things would finally start looking up.

Or at least I hoped so.