Chapter Five
Concentration? Out the window.
Ever since the phone call yesterday, Ariel wanted nothing more than to get home and see for herself that things were improving.
“Hello? Anybody in there?” Someone snapped their fingers in her face. Ariel blinked and focused.
Zeke.
Yeah, that's right. Music. Judges. Duet night next week, and she'd be singing with him. That concentration thing? She needed to get with it, like now. If she didn't get voted off for a bad performance after her botched song last night, Ariel had to make a better impression next week. Her performances were hit and miss, and she didn't know how she'd managed to get this far with that kind of track record.
All she could think about was Lucy.
“Sorry,” she managed, her throat going dry. Cheeks heated, Ariel reached for the water bottle and chugged, hoping to ease the thirst.
“Are you okay? You've been spacing out all morning.” Genuine concern laced his voice.
She blew out a breath. “I have a lot on my mind. Sorry. I'll do better on concentrating. I know you have other rehearsals.”
“Okay. Let's take a break. Ten minutes, then we'll get back to singing. So, tell me a little about you. Stuff aside from singing, that is.” Zeke flashed her a smile. The very same smile that probably landed women of any age, shape, and size in his bed every night. Ariel heard all about the lifestyle. Booze, drugs, girls, and lots of music. Zeke and his band Zinger didn't escape the media fate, and even though she shouldn't judge, Zeke fit the mold. Good looks. Great comebacks. Flirting. The voice, god, that voice! Whether it be singing or talking, he had a panty melting voice that even she couldn't pretend didn't affect her.
“Why?” she blurted, mortified immediately after. Not the best answer.
Zeke shrugged. “Looking for song inspiration.”
“Excuse me?”
“That was a joke, Ariel. I asked because I want to know the woman behind the voice.” He plopped down on the sofa and slung an arm over the top of it, setting his fiery gaze on her.
Her mind drew a blank. Wow, why couldn't she come up with anything witty or fun? No wonder she had no luck with men. Here was this rock star god wanting to know her, and no good response left her lips. Classy- not!
Zeke's lips pressed into a thin line before he leaned forward. “Okay, let's try this. I'll get to know you by word association. When I say a word, you tell me your first thoughts. No hesitation. Ready?”
“Umm, sure,” Ariel stuttered, making a fool of herself even more. Couldn't they just go back to singing now?
“Promise this will be painless.” He chuckled. “It's not a test. There's no pass or fail.”
“That's what they all say,” she quipped. “Give me your best.”
His suggestive wink shot a quiver straight to her core. He would think like that.
“Flowers.”
“Tulips.” Her favorite.
“Singer.”
“Mariah Carey.”
“Food.”
“Chicken Alfredo.” Her stomach growled. Damn, this made her hungry, and that was what she craved.
“Movies?”
“Romantic comedy.”
“Books.”
“Nicholas Sparks.”
“Zeke Sketcher.”
Shit. No hesitation? This had to be a trick question. “Rock god.”
His brows rose, but his face remained neutral.
“Duet.”
“Just Give Me A Reason.”
“Kiss.”
“Great band.”
He laughed. Obviously not the answer he expected.
“Sex.”
Whoa. Her heart thudded in her chest. “What?”
“Ah, she's paying attention. I was hoping for a 'yes please' response.” Zeke laughed. “I wanted to throw you for a loop, since your responses seemed to be automatic.”
Ariel tossed a black velvet pillow at him, slamming his face. He dropped the pillow in his lap, his laugh coming out in a deep rumble, turning her into a hot mess.
“But now at least I have a few things I can say I know about you.” His eyes darkened, a look she couldn't decipher in them. Crease lines formed around his soft smile. “We should get back to practice. Hey, did you do anything more with those lyrics and the melody?”
Ariel nodded. Ever since the phone call, she'd been working more on them. Something to show when she had a chance. “It's consuming me.”
“Are you distracted by the reason behind those lyrics?”
“Yes,” she admitted.
His hand covered hers. “A bad breakup? Is that what's got your mind all tattered?”
Tears threatened to fall. “I wish. No, this is more serious than that.”
*****
Zeke wanted to kiss that beautiful mouth, and he sure as hell wouldn't mind her doing things to him with the same mouth. His cock strained against his pants. Time to divert his thoughts now. At any other time, he'd make a move, but not while they were on the show as judge and contestant. It wasn't allowed.
Besides, she had a heavy burden on her shoulders, and she was obviously not interested in talking about it with him. But the way her gaze shifted and tears accentuated the depth of dark green in them, she was about to break. Who was he to sit there and think sexual thoughts? He kept the pillow in place as to hide his aching hard on. He desperately needed a cold shower after this. Zeke squirmed. Wrong time for an attraction.
A pop singer. Who would have thought he'd be so damn attracted to a pop singer? Maybe he was too judgy against them. They couldn't all be divas and auto tuned. No doubt Ariel had talent.
“The song I sang the first night you appeared on Sing It! is a personal one. You might have hated the lyrics, but they were written by me and my best friend when we were twelve. The same best friend fighting for her life in a coma right now.”
Shit. Zeke snapped to attention. Then it clicked. “Jared's cousin.”
Ariel nodded. “Yes. We've been friends since we were five. I know I should have picked a better song to suit me, but I had to do this one. I wanted it recorded so that Lucy could hear it. I know she's still in there somewhere, and we're hoping for the best. I got a call from my mom. Lucy had some brain activity, which tells us there's still hope. It's hard being here instead of there, but this is exactly where she'd want me to be right now.”
“So that's how you know Jared, and why he's keeping it quiet about you on the show.” Aha, now it clicked.
“Yup. I warned him I didn't want special treatment. I wanted to get on the show and prove myself. I was always a closet singer, until Lucy helped me find myself and have a voice. This was-” A sob erupted from her throat. “This was my tribute to her. We were supposed to try out together as a duo. Pop music is what we grew up on.”
And there we go. The reason Jared chewed him out. Here he thought his friend had a thing for Ariel. Turned out she had a close friendship with his cousin. It all made sense now.
“I'm sorry. I'd heard about Jared's cousin, but didn't know all the details. He used to play in my band back in the day.”
“I remember. His first big break.” Her tone changed. Something hardened in her voice.
Those were the days. High on drugs, alcohol, sex, the works. Jared cleaned up his act long before Zeke did. It took a lot of work and a book full of regrets. Even when Zeke and the rest of the band worked on getting clean, Jared didn't want to come back. Couldn't blame the guy. Getting that blasted and high was enough to kill them all instantly. How the hell had they managed their tours and success being that fucked up?
“I know, I know. You're thinking of the days we were stupid,” Zeke managed, reading her expression and attitude change.
Ariel's gaze snapped to attention. “His family was pretty torn up over the situation. Lucy, especially. She looked ... looks up to her cousin, since she's an only child.”
“Believe me, we learned our lesson.” Some later than others, but it counted.
“We should probably get back to singing. This conversation turned way serious and intense. It's not going to help my practice.”
Just like that, their process of getting to know one another ended. For the better, perhaps.
*****
“You are determined to make my life difficult, aren't you?” Jared stormed into Zeke's hotel room an hour after rehearsals ended.
Zeke didn't bother to hold back his exasperation. “What did I do now?”
“You aren't supposed to be seeing any of our contestants!” Jared spat, shoving a tablet in front of his face. “And yet there you are with Ariel out by the pool yesterday. Holding hands?”
Screw you, media photos taken out of context. Zeke let out a sigh. “Calm your ass down. We weren't holding hands, first off, and all I did was sit with her and listen to a song she was working on. It had nothing to do with Sing It!. I didn't even know she was there when I went for a dip in the pool.”
“I can't calm my ass down when the words in the article say my newest judge is playing favorites! It's bad enough I got her in on the show by pulling strings. You need to stay away from her!”
Zeke threw his hands up in the air. “Sure thing. I'll just stay here in my hotel room when I'm not judging. What the fuck do you want from me, Jared? You tell me one thing and then something else later? Both times I haven't done a damn thing wrong! If you don't mind, I'd like to enjoy the rest of my day without something complaining, okay?”
“Ariel is off limits to you, even after this show. You hear me?” Jared growled, saying something under his breath that was full of cursing, then slammed the door on his way out.
He flipped the bird in the general direction of the door Jared just stalked out of, not caring how childish it was and ignoring the fact that his friend couldn't see it anyway.
He spent the next couple of hours working on songs, talking with his publicist, and planning a few tour dates for after his time on Sing It! ended, then showered, changed, and headed down to the auditorium for tonight's live recording. Another vote off, and he hoped like hell it wasn't Ariel.
When his publicist called after an hour of working on songs, Zeke took a break to answer. “What's up?”
“You might wanna rethink this new image, man. You're known as the rebel, the one without a care in the world. I agree wholeheartedly on cleaning up your act, but the one woman kind of guy? Not you. What's the scoop with you and the pretty redhead from Sing It!?”
Zeke heaved a sigh. “Not a damn thing.” Except he was always hard thinking about her. Nothing a little cold shower and some hand action wouldn't solve. “Let me guess. A photo of us supposedly holding hands, right?” Who the hell had been there to take that picture?
“You got it. She's a looker, but-"
“First things first. No buts. I'm not dating her. I happened to either be taking the guitar from her or giving it back. She's a contestant on the show. I have to get to know her a little. Nothing more. Second thing- there is nothing wrong with cleaning up my act a little. I'm tired of being that guy, the one known for sex, booze, and drugs. I want to focus on the music.”
“Your image helps sell your music, Zeke. You have the whole band to think about.”
“Why? Because I'm lead singer? So my life isn't my own because I have to hold up an image of a rebel?” Irritation slipped into his voice. “What's wrong with settling down a little? I'm not in my early twenties any more.”
“Fair enough. You also need to watch who you get involved with. Remember the last serious chick.”
“Trust me, I won't forget. She wrecked my tour and spread some viscous rumors.”
“That she did. Just be careful getting tangled up with someone else. It's too soon, and you never know what'll be dragged out of the press' mouth this time.”
“Nothing to worry about. I'm judging this show, then that's the end of that.” Would he mind a little action with Ariel? Hell no. But Zeke knew Jared meant business, and if Zeke went and touched his family friend, Zeke's ass would be black, blue, and sore from Jared's boot.