Manhattan. The Big Apple. The City that Never Sleeps. Call it what you will, the energy swelled there. The vibrancy was electric. Trevor always felt alive when he was here. They’d played at Madison Square Garden tonight, and it had been the highlight of the tour so far.

“We are going to get ambushed as soon as we go in there, you know.” Asher gave the rest of the band members an ambiguous grin, letting him know he was up for the challenge. He loved being the center of attention.

“I can’t wait,” Trevor admitted, but there was no sincerity to his words. He rubbed his hands together, creating warm friction, hoping it would chase the chill that seemed to creep from inside out. He checked his phone, knowing full well the message he wanted wouldn’t be there. He had never heard back from Emelia after he’d asked her to hook him up with her brother.

Which meant he never got the chance to tiptoe into the topic of Grant possibly being all over another woman at the Casino. He wasn’t going to point any fingers, but rather, casually ask if Grant had been there that night and take it from there. The thought of that man playing with Em’s heart made him rage-y.

Glancing out the window as the Escalade came to a stop outside the hottest club in Manhattan, he was blown away by the sheer number of people outside the main entrance. Word probably leaked that they were going to hang here tonight after the concert. Most of these after-parties were planned in advance, and the club owners had a hard time keeping their mouths shut. The more business, the better, and who better to draw a massive crowd than a hot band with a following of rabid fans?

“Look at all those suckers waiting in line, hoping they won’t have to beg the bouncer to let them in.” Roman pointed at the crowded sidewalk. It was lined with people taking group selfies, scrolling through their phones, or craning their necks to look ahead and determine whether the line would be worth the excruciating wait.

“I think we should go in through the front and really drive them crazy,” Asher suggested.

Trevor glanced over at his band members. For once, he didn’t think purposely exposing themselves to a crowd was a bad idea.

“Let’s do it. Sign a few autographs on the way. Look at all those bras out there just waiting to be signed.” 

There was a murmur of appreciation from the band. He might as well join in. Why not? He and Emelia kept dancing around each other. If there was something between them, it was taking its sweet ass time in blossoming. He wanted her in the worst way. But she was still dating that loser, and until she made up her mind, Trevor was tired of being out of the game. It had been a long time since he had taken a woman back to his suite.

They had an escort waiting to walk them through the crowd and into the club. People were calling their names, reaching to touch them, asking for autographs. Trevor was momentarily blinded by the flash of cameras as he passed. Suddenly, the velvet ropes along the walkway meant to keep out the excited crowd began to topple as fans pushed through.

“Stay back!” The security guards rushed to contain the melee. Trevor was lightly pushed from behind by one of the guards.

“Let’s hurry and get you boys inside.”

In a blink they were safely inside the club, his ears ringing from the sudden lack of screaming and hollering. Roman rolled in directly after him, scanning the building with a look of mischief. Strobe lights in every color pulsed from projectors on the ceiling, glowing on the sexy women getting their beat on below.

“This place is packed!” Roman roared.

They both paused to watch a set of twins in short dresses grind against each other, causing a substantial amount of attention from everyone within eyeshot.

“This way to the private bar, gentlemen.”

Colton snagged the security guard’s sleeve. “Hey, invite those twins for us, yeah?”

“Yes, sir.”

Trevor didn’t argue. What kind of red-blooded male could resist that kind of temptation? He wanted his band members to have a good time. They’d earned this, all of this. The attention, the easy sex, the free drinks, and exclusive club access. The money. Hell, they had everything they ever dreamed about, and it was only getting better with each show.

So why did he feel so unsettled?

They were almost to the back room when a trio of men with cameras rushed his way.

“Trevor, Trevor Jameson! Time for a couple questions?”

Trevor steeled his jaw. Paparazzi had gotten inside. One of the guards rushed over to shoo them back, but it didn’t stop the restless feeling.

“Trevor, is it true you were involved in a gang in high school?”

“Did you know two members of that gang were recently imprisoned for manslaughter? Did you keep in touch after high school?”

Trevor felt the blood drain from his face. He opened his mouth to shoot a reply, but the words wouldn’t come. Suddenly, Roman was there, pushing Trevor forward.

“No comment, assholes.”

“What the fuck was that all about?” Colton got a little too close to Trevor’s face. He shoved him back with a sneer.

“Nothing. Who the hell knows.”

He shared a look with Roman, who swallowed hard, nostrils flaring. He was breathing hard as if he’d just run a marathon.

“Brush it off, man. Brush it off.” Roman’s comforting whisper was anything but.

Trevor turned away to close himself off from the group. He needed a moment to gather himself. If the media hounds knew about his very brief involvement with the gang in high school, what else would they dig up about him? It was no secret that he had been in foster care; that his parents had been incarcerated. But there were some things so tightly and deeply buried that he’d thought they’d never come to the surface.

There were things that no one but him even knew about.

Not even Roman.

His thoughts darted to Emelia. Emelia, and her slender legs and her short skirts. How she managed to look innocent and sexy all at once. He loved her chestnut hair with highlights of amber when she was standing in the sun. He loved her laugh and the way it sounded like a windchime tinkling through a gentle summer breeze.

He was infatuated with her, that’s all. It wasn’t real love. Merely lust. Lust that he could escape and dodge if only he found another girl to distract himself with. That was the problem though. None of the other girls seemed to live up to the potential that he saw residing in Emelia. She had a heart of gold, and he respected her. He was enthralled with her, and he couldn’t get his noisy mind to stop screaming its want of her.

How much would it crush her if she knew the truth about him?

The rest of the band had wandered to their own corners, drinks in hand. The room felt stifling, the music actually hurting his ears. He had to get out of here.

“I need some air,” he yelled to Roman and pointed towards the exit.

“Dude, wait. Not alone.” Roman moved to come with, but Trevor held up a hand.

“Alone.”

Trevor stormed off, veering on the edge of the crowd on the main dancefloor as he looked for the back exit. His breathing slowed, some of the tension easing out of him. He hated feeling that way. Had felt that way too many times in his past. He wasn’t a total wreck anymore, but he would always wear the scars of his past on his shoulders.

He did his best to block out the damage his parents had done to him. He never wanted his mind to venture into the darkest memories. He didn’t want to remember the screaming between him and his father or the way his father would beat his mother when he thought no one was looking.

If Trevor ever got married, he would vow to both himself and his future wife that he would never be the scumbag his own father had been. His adult life was shaping up to be a wild ride of success. All he had to was look around to reflect on his current blessings and realize that he had the skills and the motivation to be a good man.

A man Emelia deserved if she would ever look past what he had done.

He took a corner, following an exit sign when he stopped dead in his tracks. Instantly, the surge of adrenaline and all it brought with it were back. Plus, rage.

He couldn’t believe what he was seeing.

Grant was leaning against the wall, arms wrapped around a tall, slender woman with long blonde hair. Her lipstick had worn off and rubbed against the side of Grant’s neck. Her legs were wrapped around his waist as he spun her and hiked her up against the wall. They were passionately kissing. Trevor scanned the area already knowing Emelia was nowhere to be found.

“Grant? What the fuck are you doing?”

Grant dropped the woman with a start. She landed on the floor, barely getting her feet under her as she stumbled and then fell.

“Ouch!” She shrieked and grabbed the wall as she scrambled to a standing position. “What the hell was that for?”

Trevor noticed that her eyeliner was smudged on her left cheek. She looked tired, worn-out. Disheveled. This wasn’t just a club goer. She was a hooker.

“Trevor...um, hi.” Grant shifted his weight and nervously ran a hand through his hair. His eyes surveyed the area. He licked his lips and took a hesitant step towards Trevor, abandoning the girl that only seconds before he’d been locking lips with. 

“What are you doing?” Trevor asked with narrowed eyes. “I’m going to assume Emelia does not know about this.”

“She’s at the hotel,” Grant said. “She said she wanted to get a good night’s sleep tonight.” His eyes darted around as if she might magically appear.

“So, you thought it would be a perfect opportunity for you to go out and fuck around?”

Trevor clenched his hands into fists. His body quivered with the need to ram a fist into his employee’s face. He could just walk away. This was none of his business.

But he cared for Emelia and respected her as a person. He didn’t want to see her get hurt.

Grant glanced behind him. The blonde glared at him as she slumped off, still clutching her ass that was falling out of her shorts. “Thanks a lot, you asshole,” she hissed as she passed him.

Grant made eye contact with Trevor. “Look man. It was a mistake. I don’t know what I was thinking.” His voice was shaky with unease.

Trevor crossed his arms. 

“I’m just drunk,” Grant continued. “I didn’t even know what I was doing. It all happened so...fast.”

Grant’s eyes searched Trevor’s, pleading for mercy. But Trevor held his tongue, mostly because he was still trying to get a hold of himself and keep from doing something he’d regret. The longer he was silent, the more desperate-looking Grant became.

“Please...” Grant whispered and edged even closer to Trevor. “You can’t tell Emelia. Or anyone. It was a mistake. An idiotic mistake. I’d never do anything to hurt her.”

“I can tell Emelia. And I will if you don’t. Let me make this clear. If you’re acting this way off the job, how can I trust you to do the right thing on the job?”

Grant sputtered. “What are you saying?”

“I’m saying I don’t trust you. You’re going to come clean to her if you want to keep this job.”

“Fuck that.” Grant gave a low laugh. “You can’t fire me, Trevor. You’re in the middle of a tour. Who else are you going to find to replace me in the middle of a tour?”

That’s it. Trevor stepped into Grant, close enough he could smell stale alcohol and the woman’s remnant cheap perfume. The shorter man took a step back, his back touching the wall.

“I can do whatever the fuck I want. You’re replaceable. Don’t ever think your not. You’re going to come clean, you piece of shit.”

“Oh, really?” Grant cocked his chin. “I’ll come clean when you do, Jameson. Oh yeah, I saw your face when that guy asked about your past. It was the look of a very guilty man.”

Trevor ground his jaw back and forth, one hand slapping to the wall beside Grant’s head. He lowered his face within an inch of Grant’s. He wasn’t going to play into this shit.

“Tell. Her.”

With that, he pushed away and walked off, aware of Grant’s eyes stabbing daggers into him as he left. He slammed through the exit door, not caring that it locked behind him. Taking a big breath of air, he raked a hand through his hair and looked to the sky.

Everything had been going so well. Fuck!

And now? Now it was going to crumble. Piece by fucking piece.