Managed 1

Book 1 in the Managed Series

Copyright 207

All Rights Reserved  

http://clarissacarlyle.com

Copyright 2017 by Clarissa Carlyle (http://clarissacarlyle.com). All rights reserved, including the right to reproduce, distribute, or transmit in any form or by any means. For information regarding subsidiary rights, please contact the author.

This is a work of fiction. All names, characters, places and incidents either are the product of the author's imagination or used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons either living or dead, as well as any events or locations is entirely coincidental.

In accordance with the U.S. Copyright Act of 1976, any means of reproduction, either electronic or physical, of any part of this book, without written permission is unlawful piracy and deemed a theft of the author's intellectual property. You may use the material from this book for review purposes only. Any other use requires written permission from the author or publisher.

Cover Design by http://www.StunningBookCovers.com

The Managed series is a spin-off from the popular Entertainment with Jem series. Not required to follow this story, but highly suggested you read that series first. If you missed it, you can find the links to each book in that series here.

Table of Contents

Prologue

Chapter One

Chapter Two

Chapter Three

Chapter Four

Chapter Five

Chapter Six

Chapter Seven

Chapter Eight

Author Info

Prologue

Smoke curled around the edges of Jasper’s vision making it hard to see. Speakers vibrated behind him causing his chest to jump each time a low note was hit. His own voice carried out over the screaming, smooth as glass, just how it should. His bass guitarist came over to play a few chords and sing with him at the mic as he hit the chorus. The screaming grew louder. Panties sling-shotted from the audience pelted him more than once. At this point, it was all programmed. He simply went through the set like a well-trained robot. Some of the songs he sang for the crowd felt forced to him, too mainstream. He still sang them, and he still put on a hell of a show.

“You've been a fantastic crowd, I want to shag all of you,” he shouted, one girl in the front was fanning herself at his sexy Australian accent that had gotten him laid so many times. Before he'd have ended with, “We're Jasper and the Weeds,” but now there was no need. Everyone knew who they were. He stood with his band in the center of the stage taking bows and blowing kisses. One big-breasted groupie in the front smiled at him and pulled the top of her shirt down. He knew she'd be in his bed that night. Maybe the one beside her too would be there with his band mates.

One last kiss to the crowd and the band ran offstage. The cries for an encore were deafening, but that had been their set. He didn't come back out once he'd finished. He didn't have to, and he wasn't going to. Leaning against the wall catching his breath, as he listened to the cacophony of his fans, he thought back to their start. He missed those days. Playing music that gripped his soul in a small coffee house or rowdy pub.

“They loved you, Jasper baby,” Hugh his intense manager clapped him on the back as he came offstage. “They absolutely loved Fall into Me.”

Jasper grimaced but Hugh didn't notice. Fall into Me was a song that was written for him, catchy and everything he hated about modern music. The crowd loved singing along to it. It really just repeated the same thing over and over again.

“I went ahead and got that gal from the front row for ya, mate. It will be good for ya,” Dustin, his Scottish bass player and best friend since college, said. “You’ve been in a funk since that Jemma chick turned ya down.”

He ignored what Dustin was saying. The infernal tune of Fall into Me invading his head and threatening to drive him absolutely insane.

“Holy shit, Jasper, you know what Hugh just told me?” Dustin came running up and slapped him hard on the back.

“I couldn’t begin to guess.”

“Tara Jackson is here, and she wants to get backstage!”

“Who?” The name sounded familiar, but Jasper heard many names every day.

“The hot socialite from that Wild and Town series. She’s an heiress to a diamond empire and pretty much everywhere right now. I’d give me left nut to bone her,” Dustin said, working himself up and bouncing from foot to foot. “How do you not know who that is?”

“Famous people bore and annoy me,” Jasper said, as they rounded the corner to the green room. He threw himself down onto the couch and grabbed a bottle of water from the cooler next to him.

The girl he assumed was Tara Jackson walked in and she was incredibly hot. Her dress barely covered anything, but it didn’t make her look cheap. She looked like she’d been born in it.

He knew the type. She wasn’t as famous as he was so she could easily be a star fucker. Just once he’d like to meet a girl who didn’t know who he was, or care. The fact was he couldn’t change being horny; that always won out over what a girl’s motives might be. He decided it would be a good idea to get to know her a little better, so he patted the couch beside him and she smirked as she slid onto his lap. There was no turning back for him now; he was hooked.

Chapter One

Hailey ran into her bosses’ office after the 911 text he’d sent out and felt completely disheveled. She wished she’d at least brushed her hair, especially when her gaze caught Mathew Simms’ smirking at her from the corner of Bill’s office.

“Bill, this needs to be a real emergency, I was taking a nap.”

Today was supposed to be her day off and her plans of staying home all day were crushed. Hailey had just worked two weeks straight and rushing into the office was the last thing on her list. Hell, it wasn't on her list at all. Hailey reminded herself that it was going to pay off, and she hoped that pay-off would come soon. Her grandma instilled hard work into Hailey growing up, telling her if she pushed herself, good things would come to her. Now she needed the reward.

Matthew was the first person she’d met when she started working at Big Deal and he still made her heart flutter.

Driven, handsome, funny, and a whole head taller than she was, Mathew checked off every box she had for a man. Big Deal was Bill’s PR firm. He’d built it from the ground up starting with just one client.

She came out of her head to focus on her boss.

“It’s an emergency, I need you each to pick a cup.”

Hailey stared at the paper cups on Bill’s desk. They were all lined up in a row and each had a letter on the top of them.

“What do the letters mean?” She moved forward to look at them closer; they spelled B-E-E-E-R-R.

“No, that’s from a game we played earlier. It’s what’s under the cups. I need you each to choose one, okay? It’s important,” said Bill.

Hailey wondered how long ago the beer game had been played and if he wasn’t still feeling the results of it. Why else would her boss call her in on her day off? She let her hand hang over the cups for a minute, curious what kind of game he was playing. Finally, she picked one of the E’s and a small orange marble rolled out.

“You won!” Bill jumped up.

Matthew rolled his eyes. She just shrugged at him as Bill hopped around his desk toward her.

“What did I win?” Hailey asked, scared of the answer.

“The job. Jasper Daly needs someone to help him with this.” Bill shoved his phone in her face where she was confronted with a pair of breasts.

The name Jasper Daly registered; he was someone famous, but these tits were not familiar. She stared at Bill with her mouth open.

“Is he turning into a woman?” Hailey questioned, still staring at the ginormous breasts popping off the screen.

“No, but that would be a fun one. Scroll down, Hailey, scroll,” he yelled.

She scrolled through the Instragram account—Jasper’s—passing pictures of him with his band. Sexy text message screenshots, boobs, and a picture of her riding the rock star naked followed. Shaking her head, she was trying not to read the dirtier ones, but there were a lot. “I don’t understand.”

“Jasper’s current girlfriend, or bed mate, whatever she is Tara Jackson figured out his password and posted these pictures. He has younger fans and while he seems to be one of the bad boys of rock-and-roll, his label is freaking out. It’s up to you to turn his reputation around and bury the bad publicity Tara has given him. If you do well, I will start handing you some more of our priority clients.”

Hailey blinked at her boss. “Sir?”

“Surprised?”

Her gaze shifted to Mathew whose mouth hung open. Bill usually gave him the high-profile clients.

“Sorry, Mathew, but it’s time to give Hailey a chance.”

“No worries,” Matthew stood from the chair and walked over to Hailey pulling her into a hug.

His cologne smelled amazing, and she inhaled deeply as he held her to his chest. A zing of adrenaline shooting through her body. It was the most contact they’d ever had, and she had to make herself pull back when he did.

“What was that for?” The blush on her cheeks was apparent as she pushed her hair behind her ears. Hailey's interaction with men was limited due to her strict upbringing. Although she wouldn't have changed living with her grandma for the world. The small attention Matthew paid her was something she didn't know how to react casually to.

“Congratulations. You got your first big deal at Big Deal,” he said, smiling. “Let’s go out to dinner tonight to celebrate.”

Hailey couldn’t believe it. Matt was asking her out. Well sort of, it was a work related dinner, but it’d be just the two of them. Play it cool, she thought. She started to answer when Bill interrupted.

“No can do, you are meeting Jasper tonight at Calamity’s. It’s something he wants to get started on right away, some of his sponsors are pulling out and he wants to staunch it before he loses more. So you need to show him you’re the perfect girl for the job. I suggest you go home and change and then keep it discreet that you’re going to meet up with him. The reservation is under William Jasper to avoid suspicion.

“William Jasper, really?” Hailey laughed a little harder than she normally would. That was a silly name, and Matthew’s closeness was making her nervous.

“I was rushed.” He protested and pulled a beer out of the mini-fridge beneath his desk. “Get out of here, you two, I’m celebrating in my own way.”

Matthew walked out with her and turned to her when they were outside. “If you need anything at all, let me know. I remember my first big client. It’s scary. Hopefully Jasper will be nice to you. I’ll call you to set up dinner tomorrow.” He smiled and walked away toward his car, leaving her fighting the urge to jump up and down. Matthew wanted to go out to dinner with her. Today was shaping up to be amazing.

While mentally preparing for her meeting with Jasper, she tried not to picture him being ridden by a reality star with a selfie fetish. Her face flushed red as Tara's boobs mentally flashed in her head.

How could he not notice she was taking pictures? He probably knew and didn’t think she’d post them on his social media. In a way she felt sorry for him, but then again someone who’d let Tara Jackson crawl into his bed couldn’t be the classiest guy. Being in the PR business she did know that name well, and the girl’s crazy antics were all over gossip magazines. She was vulgar, foul mouthed, and bad news.

Pulling out her iPhone, she asked Siri to show her articles about Jasper. There were stories of him getting thrown out of venues for being drunk and getting into a fight with a cameraman. These weren’t as bad as the nudity on his Instagram so she could see why his label was freaking out. His antics were within the normal range of rock star from what Hailey read. He’d seemed to have always kept his bad boy publicity stunts to just under offensive so his fans were still into him and he still got to be a bad boy on the surface. She painted a picture in her mind of Jasper as she continued reading articles. He seemed to enjoy popping up at local coffee shops and playing acoustic performances. Also, there were rumors some of his proceeds went to various charities. When asked, Jasper skirted the issue, never denying or confirming it. It seemed Jasper wasn’t the bad boy he wanted everyone to think he was. Now she had to see if she was right. It would make her first big client a lot easier to deal with.

A taxi pulled up while she was reading a new story about the hot sex parties Tara Jackson had taken Jasper to and she climbed in, unable to tear her eyes away. Who wrote such crap? When she got to the bar, there was a large crowd outside lined up and lots of barely clothed young women anxiously waiting. She felt completely out of place among them all and here she was meeting a very famous and hot young singer. Look at what her life had become, she thought with a smile. Her grandma would have tried to put jackets on all of them.

It was time to pretend she had confidence. Pushing her shoulders back, she paid the cab driver and strolled up to the bouncer despite all the yelling and cussing from the line behind her. “I’m here to see William Jasper.” Bill had given her the alias he used to avoid photographers.

“Really, you are?” The bouncer looked at her, taking in the black slacks and large plain white polo shirt she wore, and raised an eyebrow. As long as she’d lived in New York she’d never been to Calamity’s. It was ritzier than her salary allowed and it was easier for her friends to meet up with her at the dive bars near her apartment.

She really wished she hadn’t thrown on the first thing she saw when she had gotten the call from Bill. The outfit screamed waitress in a low class restaurant or golf caddy girl.

“Yes, I am,” she said and smiled confidently. All she had to do was get in and then it would be easy from there. Of course, it wouldn’t if he was a drunk asshole, but she needed to deal with one problem at a time. So she shushed the negative voice in her head.

“Okay if you say so.” He moved out of the way to let her in. “Tell the hostess.”

“Hi, I’m here to see William Jasper.”

The busty hostess was about to pop out of her pink Calamity’s polo. Had Hailey’s looked like hers she might not have had such a hard time convincing the bouncer that she was truly there to see Jasper. She tore her eyes away from the cleavage and focused on the skeptical look the woman now wore.

“You’re here to see him, really?”

“Yes, why does everyone keep saying that?” Hailey asked.

“Follow me,” the hostess said, still smirking in a way that made Hailey want to slap her.

She followed her past all the patrons sitting on stools and in the booths that lined the sides of the bar. They were headed to a separate section. When they passed through a curtain of red, they were in a private area where he sat waiting for her.

He wasn’t wearing the guy-liner she’d seen in all his photos, yet his brown eyes still were intense as he stood and looked her over. He was taller than she thought he would be, and all the confidence she’d built up in her head went out the window. She really needed to learn how to be around men.

She would have to fake it. The hostess was leering at him. When she looked back at her, she stood there running her tongue over her lips. It was so obvious Hailey almost felt uncomfortable; plus he was staring at Hailey and she hadn’t said anything yet. It was time to drum up some more of that fake confidence and start acting as if she was capable of managing him.

As she started to move forward the hostess happened to stick a leg in her path and she stumbled forward into the booth.

“How clumsy of me.” Despite the burning in her cheeks she ignored her embarrassment and moved forward to shake his hand. Jasper’s account was what mattered now, and she had a feeling there would be other people like the hostess who thought he could keep better company.

It didn't matter to her. She was just handed Jasper's account and needed to do a fantastic job. A hostess was the least of her worries. Don't let her see how much her meanness gets to you, she thought sucking in a calming breath.

***

Jasper stared at the drink on the table. He’d not taken a sip of it yet even as it taunted him, promising to numb his feelings. He couldn’t believe the situation he’d found himself in. He had trusted Tara, and she’d used him in the worst way. Now he was going to lose his sponsors, and his label would watch his every move. The little freedom he had was being ripped from him. To make it worse, now he’d need to have all his social media managed by some chick from a PR firm. He couldn’t imagine why she would want to be exposed to the world like that; it didn’t make sense to him. He didn’t like the world to see him in his private space, much less his private parts. Now they were all over the internet.

His social media was where he could share things that inspired him and show a bit of the true Jasper. Connecting to his fans oddly reminded him of the good times when he would get off the stage at some dive bar and drink with his loyal fans. Now it had been cheapened by some crazy whore who only cared about her own fame. He should have seen through her, but she was so hot.

The back room at Calamity’s wasn’t his choice. It was pretentious, and it felt like the label was rubbing in their hold over him, by making him go to a place they knew he would hate. He really preferred the dive bars with character, a place he would be incognito and didn't have to be stuck in the back behind some dirty curtain.

He wondered what type of stuck-up woman was going to be in charge of his online presence. That finally got him to take a sip of his drink, his usual whiskey and coke, as he needed to take the edge off to get through this meeting. His blood pressure went up when he thought about Tara and what she’d done to him. Damn pretty women! He could channel that anger into his creativity later, he had to make it through the initial meeting with the manager and he’d be good. The hostess had kept coming back to see if he needed anything and now she’d come back in the room. He prepared what to say to blow her off, not in the mood for evil women. Not after what Tara did to him. When he saw she’d brought someone with her, he held his tongue.

The girl was a little shorter than the hostess with a wild head of curly red hair. She was swimming in a plain white polo that was obviously too big and a pair of unflattering black pants. This had to be her, but she was nothing like what he’d pictured. She was younger than he thought she’d be. He figured that made sense, since social media was so new in the world of marketing you’d need someone young to understand how to operate.

“Hello, Jasper, I’m Hailey Finch.” She stuck her hand out to him.

He laughed as he shook it. Noticing her sweaty palms made him want to get under her skin.

“Is something funny?”

“No, it’s just that you’re so formal. I’m not used to it.” He sat down and pointed to the seat across from him. “Please sit.”

“Alright.” She started to say something else, but the hostess interrupted her leaning over the table to show off what she had to offer him.

“Get you anything… food, drinks, my phone number, Jasper?”

He assumed the elevation in desperation was because another woman had joined him. “We’re good, thank you.” He waved a hand and turned back to Hailey. Ignoring the hostess completely. “You were going to say?”

“I was going to say we need to get ahead of this Instagram thing. We need to have a press junket so you can make a statement to several news outlets at once.”

“Man, you are straight to business aren’t you, Little Bird. Why don’t you have a drink first, get to know me?”

“I’m sorry, bird?” she asked and tilted her head sideways.

“Finch.” He smiled. He decided he liked her. She was different.

“Okay, well I don’t want a drink, but I’ll take a water if we need to get to know each other. I'm on the clock.” She pulled a large pink sweater out of her bag and pulled it over her head.

She really did hide her figure. He was used to women who wore the tightest and smallest piece of clothing they could find. She was an anomaly.

“How old are you, Little Bird?”

“I’ll be twenty-five shortly. How old are you?” she fumbled her words. She acted as if she wasn't used to flirty banter. “Big Bird?” Her cheeks flashed with pink.

“That’s a good one,” he said, laughing. “I’m going to be twenty-eight next week, actually. The media likes to say I’m anywhere from twenty-one to twenty-four. I’m fairly certain I don’t look that young, but if it's on the internet. It must be true.”

“Well, I can see them trying to keep you younger for the fan base you attract. I’ve read some of your less than PC offenses and it seems to me this is the worst thing you’ve done so far. So either you’re not getting caught or you’re a closet good boy.” She smiled at him as the waiter came in and she asked for water.

“Maybe you’re right about that,” he took a large sip of his whiskey, “and maybe you’re very wrong.”

The truth was Jasper was nothing like his persona in the media or on stage. His true self he kept hidden, and the fact that the band had gotten so big so fast had really taken him for a spin. He’d never wanted his art to go mainstream. He loved playing in dive bars and tiny venues getting to personally know his fans. Now that he was mainstream or sell-out as he would like to think of it, he was less willing to share some of the lyrics he wrote. That’s why they found themselves singing songs that other people wrote for them. He told his mates he wasn’t feeling creative when he was really keeping it all to himself, he didn't want to share anything he had done with the label. As soon as he did, they would own it and take the soul out of it.

“I think I am, but only time will tell. Don’t worry, Jasper, I’ll figure you out. Whether you are a good guy or bad guy as long as you follow the path I lay out for you everything will be fine.”

“Is that so?” Her confidence intrigued him. She was so sure of herself, or at least it seemed that way. “Okay, so I do this press thing and say what exactly?”

“I can write it out for you and you can tweak it to where it sounds like you. It’s basically going to say that you’re very sorry for the personal pictures and that this kind of vulgarity was out there on your social media. You have broken up with the young Miss Jackson and take your privacy very seriously. You were unaware of Miss Jackson's intentions and were appalled when you realized what she had done.”

“So, that’s great, really good work. The thing is Tara will have a shit fit if I publicly talk about dumping her.”

“Well then, she’ll look like the petty one. I’ll be prepared with a counter statement if she does anything. This is my job, I'm fully trained to handle anything Tara throws at you.”

“Okay, I guess I’ll put my reputation in your hands now because I don’t really have a choice.”

“Great, I'll take that as a vote of confidence and ignore the sarcasm. You know you’re a lot nicer than I thought you’d be.”

Something inside of him recoiled, and he had the urge to hide his true self again. She was getting too close even though he’d just met her. Was she a mind reader?

“It’s too bad about Tara though, she had some of the nicest tits I’ve ever seen on a girl. I mean, I’m really going to miss them.” He watched her face change to a look of discomfort. Self-sabotage had been accomplished. He could tell by the sweaty hands and refusal to drink Little Bird was a bit uptight and wouldn't take kindly to his dickhead statement.

“Well, alright then. I’m going to email you the rest of my ideas. Here’s my information, write yours on the back of this please.”

She slid her business card to him and the napkin from under her water where he wrote his email and phone number. Her face was flaming red in the darkened booth.

“Thanks, Little Bird,” he said.

“Have a good night,” she said quickly, and left.

He almost felt bad that he’d flipped the switch like that. His main defense mechanism with anyone was to be the biggest jerk possible. He had learned it was the only way to get around the label and their controlling ways. If he was rude to them they left him mostly alone.

The hostess returned once Hailey left. “So now that your girlfriend is gone, we can have a little fun.”

He hated girls that threw themselves at him in such a desperate way. When Tara did, it was attractive because she could have anyone she wanted. It was flattering. This girl didn’t flatter him.

“That girl is a lot classier than you, sweetheart, that’s why I date her.” He threw some money on the table for the drinks and walked out the back where his car waited. He pictured for a minute what it would be like to date someone like Hailey Finch. It might not be that bad.

Despite getting out the back of the restaurant, somehow the fans knew. He had a feeling it was the hostess, who is probably mad that he’d rejected her. He really needed to stay away from women. They crowded around him in a suffocating group, grabbing at his clothes and one of them scratched his face as they flailed around.

“Back off,” he yelled, but the frenzy just continued. The girls were crazy, they were pushing magazines and headshots in his face. His stomach started to turn. “Carl, help me.”

His driver jumped out of the car and ran around. He was a large intimidating man and Jasper was able to get behind him.

“Back off,” Carl’s booming voice startled the girls as he gently pushed those in the front away. “This is not how you get a celebrity’s autograph. You basically accosted him. Now everyone go over there and let us leave. I will not hesitate to call the police.”

The girls whined, but they did what they were told. Jasper was happy he had backup. This would have never happened before he was signed. He missed the old days. It was clear to him that two more seconds of that scene and he’d have thrown up all over the girls closest to him. He tended to get really claustrophobic.

Jasper leaned back in the seat and relaxed. Carl got in the car, still wagging a finger at the young girls pouting on the sidewalk. A news crew had shown up and was setting up to interview some of them.

“Great, now the news headline will be Jasper Daly hates his fans.”

“If I were you I’d hate them too. Young women don’t have any class or manners anymore...” Carl launched into a story about his younger days, and Jasper leaned back and closed his eyes letting Carl's voice soothe him. He didn’t hate his fans, they gave him the money and nice things he had. He would have never been able to live the way he did if it wasn't for them. He hated the type of fame he’d accomplished. When they signed onto the label his fans were so excited for them, but the more they were controlled by the label, the more he alienated the loyal ones. They no longer sang to people who liked serious music, music that changed the world. It was now to people who liked boy bands, and he was half a step away from being one of them. That’s what he couldn’t deal with. The knowledge that he was insignificant in the music industry because he sang mainstream drivel. Something he swore he would never do.

They pulled up outside of his hotel and he nervously looked around for any girls that might have followed him there. He was pretty sure some of the gossip columns knew he was there, but for the most part he’d been able to keep it quiet. There weren’t any screaming girls around so he quickly got out of the car and went up to his penthouse apartment at the top of the hotel. He’d pay little Miss Finch a visit the next day and keep her on her toes. At the moment, he just wanted to sleep. Turning off his phone, he fell into the bed hoping not to get up until the next day.

Chapter Two

Going into work the next day Hailey was determined to look at the meeting as positive. Sure there had been a strange moment between them when it felt like he completely switched gears and started talking about that chick’s rack, but he seemed more or less on board with her ideas.

Her office was the epitome of organized. She had folders color-coded for everything. Her other clients, a model and a singer, were well taken care of. They’d commented to Bill how great of a job growing their accounts to get them a following she’d done. With them and Jasper, everything was falling into place.

 Hailey's mom died of cancer when Hailey was four and her grandma took over her upbringing. Hailey always played by the rules wearing the clothes she wanted her to and being a good little girl.

“So report on the meeting last night, it went well?” Bill rushed into the room and startled her.

“It did go well. I think he’s on board with a lot of my ideas and I feel pretty confident we can get his reputation back to slightly dangerous rock star.”

“That's good, it means you don't have to meet with him again for a while. I've heard he can be quite the asshole.”

“He wasn't too bad, really. I felt like he might be a bit misunderstood,” Hailey said, defending him for some strange reason. He really wasn't that bad until he started talking about Tara’s endowments.

“Don't tell my daughter that, she loves that he's the bad boy of pop music, or something stupid like that she said the other day.” Bill rolled his eyes at his teenage daughter’s love for the pop star.

“It's not really pop music is it?” Hailey thought it was more a softer version of metal or post hardcore, but not pop.

“No, it's definitely not pop music,” an Australian accent came from near the door.

Surprised, she turned around. Jasper stood there smiling at her. He was wearing his guy-liner and had his hair all gelled up. He looked a bit different than he had the night before. He looked hot.

“What are you doing here?”

“I thought we could continue getting to know each other. I'd show you what it's like to be me for a day so you can really manage my social media in an authentic way.”

“Do you really think that's necessary? I have work to do.” Hailey really did have a lot of work to do. She hadn’t even started working on his press junket, and her other clients needed her attention as well.

“She's working for me now isn't she, boss man?” Jasper pointed at Bill and raised his eyebrows.

“She is yes. Hailey, I suppose you have to do what the client wants.” Bill had a worried look in his eyes, as if he knew he was sending her out to the wolves.

“Thanks for nothing, Bill. I'll remember this next time you want me to bring you a chicken sandwich from the corner shop.”

Bill acted very professional and stuck his tongue out at her. She was joking, of course. It was actually kind of thrilling to go on the town with a rock star and see what he liked to do on a good day. She was surprised he'd shown up at her work, but there was no use arguing with him.

At that moment, Matthew walked into the room and his eyes widened when he saw them.

“Mr. Daly, wow, welcome, I’m a big fan. Love that new song.” Matthew’s smile looked like it might break his face. She couldn’t tell if he was that excited or if he was faking it that hard. Either way it was a bit unnerving.

“Well, I don’t,” Jasper said, and walked out of the room leaving Matthew with his mouth wide open.

Hailey couldn't help but giggle.

“Hold on,” she said, stopping Jasper before he could walk out the door. She walked up to Sam and pulled a brown paper bag out. “I made you your favorite,” she told the elderly security guard.

“You're a doll,” Sam said to her giving her a toothy smile.

Hailey kissed Sam's paper thin cheek before walking back to Jasper.

“What was that?” Jasper asked, staring at Hailey intently.

“That was Sam. His wife passed away a year ago. I make him lunch on the days I come in. When Marie died, he started to lose a lot of weight, and it worried me.”

“Hi, Sam,” he said, walking up and shaking the security guard’s hand.

Sam made small talk with Jasper before going back to work. “Come on, let's get out of here.” Jasper walked out of the building.

“You don't like your number one hit?” She caught up with him as he made it outside remembering what he’d said to Bill. “I listened to it last night, it’s catchy.”

“That's it, it's catchy. I hate songs with no substance. Songs that are catchy. They don't do anything for me and here I am putting that garbage out into the world.”

“So you don't like your own band’s music?” Hailey was confused as to why he’d put anything out he wasn’t into. She would hate to do something she wasn't committed to, especially when it was something from the heart.

“Not really, but don't tell anyone, Little Bird. You keep that part of this day to yourself.”

“Fine, but you can sing anything you want to can't you, why would you sing something you didn't like?”

They'd arrived at a car with tinted windows and he opened the door.

“Get in, this is our ride.”

Hailey realized he avoided the question but didn't push it. “Where are we going?”

“You'll see.”

“Hi, I'm Hailey.” She leaned in between the front seat to talk to Carl.

“I'm Carl. It's nice to meet you, Hailey.” Carl had a friendly face. It made her feel at ease.

“I'll be running Jasper's social media accounts. I guess we will be seeing a lot of each other.”

“I'm looking forward to getting to know you,” Carl said, navigating the car through traffic.

Hailey leaned back in the seat and stared at the passing scenery. She had been so busy working, that driving around on a workday was a luxury she wasn't going to take for granted.

To her surprise, they ended up in Central Park and Jasper got out opening the door for her.

“We are going to go watch some old people play checkers.”

“That sounds like a strange way to spend your time,” she replied, exhilarated he didn't take her somewhere stuffy.

Hailey noticed a homeless man sitting on a bench. She pulled out a twenty from her wallet and went to talk to him. “I wish I had more to give you,” she said, handing him the money.

“No, young lady, you keep it,” he tried to push the money back to her.

Hailey laughed and looked at her frumpy clothing. “Is it because I'm dressed like this? My grandma taught me how to dress. She did a good job with everything except my clothing.”

“I think you’re beautiful,” he told her.

“Please take this,” she said. This man telling her she was beautiful was what she needed now.

He took the money and kissed her hand before winking at her. “You have an amazing woman here,” the homeless man said talking around her.

Hailey jumped forgetting Jasper was behind her.

“She is pretty great,” Jasper responded, leaning down and handing the man a hundred-dollar bill. “Have a good day. I've got to get this girl somewhere.” Jasper grabbed her hand, pulling her behind him.

She was running after him when he stopped and she plowed into his back. He spun around and threw his arms out wide. For a minute she almost stepped into them for a hug, but shook herself out of that nonsense.

“You are not what I expected. Now let's go see some old people play checkers.”

Hailey couldn't stop her eyebrow from cocking at the thought of watching elderly people play checkers.

He read her uncertainty. “Wait until you see how into it they get.”

He took her hand again and led her down to where a bunch of tables were set up. Not one of the men and women sitting around paid them any attention. They were deeply emerged in their games. She was aware he was still holding her hand when they stopped underneath a tree and stood to watch. Instead of pulling it away, she let him.

“Horace, you're taking too damn long,” one of the men said. He wore a pageboy cap and pants pulled up to his underarms.

The one the man had spoken to turned and pointed at Hailey and then Jasper.

“I got distracted by that rock-a-Billy kid again, he's over there with another girl.”

“It's rock star, not rock-a-Billy and you need to make a move.”

“Fine.” Horace took a very long time to make a move. He hovered a hand over the board and then took it away again. The man he was playing with looked about ready to fly out of his seat.

“So you've brought a girl here before have you?” Hailey nudged him with the arm whose hand held on to his. To her disappointment, he let go.

“Yes, Tara, she was bored out of her mind and complained a lot.”

“Horace,” the man yelled again.

A caterpillar crawling over his arm had distracted Horace. He was smiling at it and not paying the yelling man any attention.

“I need a new partner, this old coot is going senile.” He looked around but no one wanted to take him up on the offer.

“Last week that lady there got into a fight with that lady there.” Jasper pointed to two older ladies playing at different tables. “It was awesome, they rolled on the ground and the men had to break them up. That old man there with the brown vest used his cane.”

“That’s insane.” Hailey tried to picture the two women rolling around on the ground with an old man trying to pry them apart with his cane. It was a funny thought, and she laughed.

They watched the older people play and bicker for a while before Jasper grabbed her hand again.

“Come on, there’s one more thing to see here.”

He led her up a hill and out of Central Park. They were going down a side street and things took a turn for the run-down. She wasn’t sure what to expect at the end of the road, when they got to the end; it wasn’t what she’d expected.

To her surprise, she saw many boys with spray paint cans. They were working on a wall. It was one big mural, and they each had their own part of it. The talent was crazy.

“They are being commissioned to paint the side of the building?” Hailey was guessing, but she’d heard of companies doing that. Her eyes devouring the beauty they were creating.

“No, I think they just like doing it honestly.”

There were a couple of naked woman stashed in the corners and blending into the rest of the artwork, but it was quite nice. Strange looking trees and a lot of color decorated almost the whole side of the building. Hailey loved it and squeezed his hand as she continued to watch.

“So this is what you do all day? You go out and look for things like this to watch. You're a people watcher?” Hailey picked at her fingernail and avoided his eyes.

“I like to find the hidden beauty in the city no one else has found, or that no one really takes the time to appreciate. It's a good pastime if you can get away from the cameras, which we have not.” He looked at the photographer, a smile on his face. “There is a person with a camera right there. Come on.” He grabbed her arm, and they ran back towards the park and into the woods; they didn't stop running until they were deep in the trees.

“What are they trying to photograph?”

“Me with a pretty girl watching graffiti.”

Her face began to get hot. “Do you have to dodge photographers every day?”

Jasper plopped down in the dirt. His jeans cost more than her whole wardrobe yet he sat down and looked up at her.

“Photographers, crazy screaming ladies, reporters. I have to dodge it all.”

“It makes you tired I guess.” She felt bad for Jasper. His eyes had bags beneath them, he looked tired now that she could see him up close. “I couldn't do it. You’re stronger than I am.”

“I doubt that. Sometimes it does get tiring. You know you find someone who understands, they have the same amount of fame. They are chased all the time and you think finally someone who gets it. I can relate to them because they are going through it too. Then they turn out to be no better than the people you were trying to escape. That's a hard lesson to learn and one I've had to learn more than once. I didn't want her to take those pictures with me. I wanted her to put the phone down and enjoy being in the moment with me. She had me fooled.”

He gazed off and sighed, his shoulders falling beneath the weight he carried. Her fingers itched to take his hand, but he was her client, nothing more. There was no reason to touch him, to want to touch him.

Jasper turned his attention back to her. He reached for her hand and held it. In the silence, they quietly watched the trees sway. The silence became heavy around them until she decided she needed to say something.

“Well now you've got someone to help you clean up the mess she made and you're going to go on with your life and meet someone you truly can share this life with.” Hailey said breaking the silence. Jasper was easy to be with. She didn't feel the normal anxiety she did when she was around other men, and that scared her.

“You know what, Little Bird, you’re pretty smart.”

“Thank you, I do my best.”

“On with our day I suppose. It’s only ten o’clock and we have a lot to see.” He jumped up pulling her with him.

She was getting used to his impulsiveness and just went along with him as he ducked behind trees. Excited to see what he had planned next.

Once they were back out in the clearing, they ran all the way to the car and he threw the door open. “Carl, take us to Middletown and try not to hit all the traffic.”

“Be nice. Does he always talk to you like that, Carl? You should just bench press him.”

“You know that’s impossible to miss all the traffic. And believe me, Hailey, I could throw him across the room. Normally he's a nice guy. I think being around a pretty girl has him nervous.”

Hailey laughed and nudged Jasper with her elbow. “What’s in Middletown?” Hailey asked, as the car made its way back to the road.

“Lunch.” Jasper smiled, and she decided it would be smart to go along for the ride.

***

Jasper hadn’t let himself go for a long time with anyone, and he was starting to feel like he should reign in the truth telling. Hailey was easy to talk to, and that was something he had to be careful with. He hadn’t trusted anyone truly in a long time and it was an uncomfortable feeling letting someone know who he was. Tara didn't even know who he was and look what she had done to him.

It took them around forty-five minutes to get to Middletown from the other side of town and Hailey talked the entire time about her plans to get him back to good boy status.

“There will be an opportunity for you to do some charity work here shortly and I think that will be a good way to get your stock up with both your label and those people who see you as a dirty playboy right about now. Don’t you think?”

“Maybe. I’ve never done anything charitable.”

“This is a good time to start. I've been working with two children’s charities for years now. I've already contacted them, and they are thrilled to let you help them. You're going to love the kids. One is for children who have a parent being treated for cancer or has already passed. It helps them get out and see there is still some good in the world. The other is for children that have been bullied in school. They are both great charities and they do so much good. I can't wait to show you.” Hailey's face lit up when she started talking about the charities she was involved in.

He wondered why she had picked those particular two, but didn't want to stop her and ask.

They pulled up outside of the place he wanted to take her, and after he’d taken Carl’s order, he escorted her inside. The place was usually mad, and he liked it that way. There was a man without a shirt on completely covered in paint running at the restaurant wall, jumping into it and making strange art with his body.

Jasper looked back at Hailey to see she was staring with her mouth open. In another corner there was a woman in a back-bend with a sign above her that said human table. Eat here if you dare.

“What exactly is this place?”

“This is where you can get the best chicken and waffles in Middletown while watching the people around be living art.”

“I see. What’s it called?” Hailey glanced around as if she was trying to decide if she was uncomfortable or not.

“It doesn’t have a name. You have to know it’s here to find it. That’s part of the beauty. There are so many places like this in Middletown. I’m going to order for us, you want to sit at the bar or the human table?”

“You’re serious?” Hailey let her gaze go back to the woman who hadn’t moved since they’d arrived. “The bar will do fine.”

“Suit yourself.”

Jasper went into the back where the cook was and ordered three chicken and waffle plates with one to go for Carl. He found Hailey in a conversation with the paint-covered man when he returned. Standing back, he watched her talking to him. He could see from the goofy grin on his face, Hailey had won him over.

“Food will be ready soon!” he said, rejoining her at the bar.

“Frank here was telling me I could be part of his painting if I wanted. I told him I wasn’t really keen on getting paint all over me.”

“You’d probably be very good at it.” Jasper smiled and Frank made his way back over to the wall to throw himself against it again.

“Not in a million years.”

“I’d hang that on my wall if you painted on it with your body.”

He wondered if her charm would be even more immediate if she wore clothes that showed her outer beauty as well. She’d chosen another unflattering outfit for the day. She wore a huge oversized black shirt that hung off one shoulder and plaid dress pants with flat shoes. Would it be rude to ask her why she chose to dress this way?

“It’s a wall. You can’t hang a wall on your wall.”

“Fair point.” They watched the man jump again and again until finally the food came. “So this charity thing, what exactly will I be doing.”

“Oh it will be a lot of fun. You’ll be helping kids rebuild a park. Putting up swings and planting flowers. Showing them how to have a good time and allowing them to feel useful in the process. When one of your parents is dying or already gone you feel out of control. Letting children build or create something helps them get some control of their world back. The same holds true for the ones that are bullied. When they accomplish a task, they see they are useful and worthy. You would be helping them as they spread their wings. It really is my favorite thing.”

“Your idea of fun and my idea of fun are completely different, Little Bird.” He drowned his waffles and chicken in syrup before handing it to her. He couldn't stop the smile on his face. She was like no girl he had ever met.

“That may be so, but a good celebrity who cares about people and doesn’t want hoes posting on his social media does charity things with a smile. This is absolutely incredible.”

She was enjoying the food, and he was happy he’d brought her to the place. He was surprised cameras hadn’t followed them, but it was a nice change. After they finished their food and paid, they went back out to give Carl his food.

“This has been nice, but I really do have to get back to work Jasper, I’m going to be so far behind.”

“I told you this is your work and we have so much left to do today. There isn’t any way I could show you everything I like to do when I’m in New York. That would take weeks. I’ve just picked out the highlights.” His stomach turned to lead. He was having a good time, and with the cameras not following him, it felt like a normal day instead of a day of a rock star. He didn't want it to end.

“Why is this necessary for me to run your social media, Jasper? I don’t have to know everything you do in order to write a status update and post inspirational quotes.”

He looked out the window. What had been the point of taking her all over the place? It was a stupid idea. He thought Hailey would understand, but he guessed he was wrong.

He longed for the good ole' days when people knew the real him, the artist. But he also didn’t because then they would know what a sell-out he was. It was much easier to keep up his aloof persona, the guy who cussed loudly in the market, got sloppy drunk in clubs, and tried to DJ. He had enjoyed his day with her, but his initial thought had been she’d see he was deep and more than just a piece of eye candy for teenage girls. But why did it matter? It was easier the other way.

“You’re right, it doesn’t matter. You can say whatever you want on my accounts. It won’t make a difference. This is another way for the label to continue to control me, hiring you. It used to not be like this because there wasn’t any social media. Artists were artists, and you either looked them up in the record store or you didn’t.”

“I’m sorry I didn’t mean to upset you.”

“This was a mistake. I’ll take you to work and pick you back up at five for practice. You can take pictures and tweet what we say. Sound good?”

He didn’t give her a chance to answer, just told Carl to head back to her work.

“Jasper, thanks for taking me around today,” Hailey said, as she got out to go into her work.

“Don’t mention it.” He shut the door and turned away as Carl pulled off.

“That wasn't very nice,” Carl said, as they pulled away.

Jasper ignored him. His driver was right, but he didn't care. The whole day had been a pointless waste of time. He’d wasted his time and hers. It occurred to him that he was using someone controlling his social media as a way to start to let the world see the real him, and that he shouldn’t. What he should have done was shut her down and make her leave. It would have been easy to be rude and run her off so he could control his own life again. So what if his label was mad and the band got a bad reputation? What did it really matter?

There were tons of people famous for putting their naked asses out there. Tara Jackson certainly wasn’t the first to do it and she wouldn’t be the last. It really was the sponsors he didn’t want to lose, and not only for the money. He hadn’t told Hailey, but his favorite part of being famous was that he got to make healthy donations to the children’s hospital and raise money for them through various commercials and appearances. It made him feel like his selling out had a silver lining. He liked that he could give back and the children’s hospital was the first of his sponsors to drop him. He understood why they had to do it, but it still made him sad. He tried to decide what he should do until he went to pick her back up not wanting to dwell on Hailey or his lost sponsors any longer.

Chapter Three

Hailey changed into a shift dress and a pair of sandals in her office. She wasn’t sure what one was supposed to wear to take pictures of a band’s practice. It was times like these she wished she had someone when she was growing up teach her how to dress. Now she was only comfortable in clothing that swallowed her frame. When she was younger, her small frame got her picked on so she started wearing bigger clothing to hide herself. Her grandma liked that she wasn't flaunting herself the way other girls did in her class and approved of Hailey's wardrobe choice. Now she wore bigger clothes because they were comfortable, but right now she wished she had a magic fairy to dress her. Matthew walked up to her and put his arm around her as she looked at herself in the mirror.

“Big night out?”

“I’m going to Jasper’s practice to take some pictures and figure out some good tweets for the evening. It’s what he wanted.”

“Sounds like a good time, I’ll text you later.”

Matthew smiled and Hailey felt a little giddy. “Okay, sounds good.” Maybe the dress was working.

She busied herself trying to get things wrapped up for the next day. She only had a couple of other clients, but there was no way she would let their accounts suffer because she had Jasper. They were the ones Bill gave her to work on, and she wasn't going to let him down.

She thought back to when Jasper had dropped her off and thought he seemed a little upset when she told him she needed to get back to work. It wasn't that she wasn't enjoying herself, but she was in the middle of proving she was partner material. Getting Jasper as a client was a huge step for her. If she was able to handle it properly big things could happen. Being financially stable and not living paycheck to paycheck sounded like heaven to Hailey. She had seen her grandma struggle and then had done some struggling on her own after college. It was time for Hailey to have something substantial in her life. Her face burned and tears threatened to spill from her eyes. Jasper didn't seem to care about her professional aspirations, although why would he?

Everywhere he had taken her had been a lot of fun. She felt as if he was trying to show her something, but she wasn't sure of his true intentions. Hailey wondered if she’d disappointed him by not going with him and experiencing everything he had planned. In fact, as soon as she’d mentioned work, he had his little attitude act, the same one he’d pulled the night before.

Hailey was buried deep in a file when someone cleared their throat.

“Oh, is it time to go already?” She rubbed her blurry eyes so she could focus on the clock.

“You weren't counting down the minutes until you saw me again? I'm hurt.” Jasper smiled seeming to be back to a cheerful place.

“I wasn't sure if you were coming at all,” Hailey said, surprised that she admitted that to him.

“Why would you say that?” he asked, shrugging off the wall and walking closer to her desk.

“Well, when you dropped me off at work earlier, you seemed upset. You even did your little jerk act. I really was having a good time. It's just having you as a client could allow me a quick promotion. I’ve worked hard at this company and having you assigned to me is exactly what I need to prove myself. Jasper I will do everything I can but to do that I need to come to work.” Her face burned as red as her hair and she glanced down at her desk to avoid eye contact.

***

Jasper stared at her as she talked. She was more in-tune to him than he’d realized, and a weird thrill shot through him. He was going to have to be careful with her.

Earlier after he’d left her in the front of the Big Deal PR building, Jasper had decided to go back to the hotel. After pacing out his unspent energy, he had sat down in front of his table. He stared at the tattered notebook in front of him, his hand clenching a pencil. His creativity had halted when he first saw the naked pictures of him and Tara all over his social media accounts. Being with Hailey today had jarred something inside of his brain, and he wanted to get it down on paper.

His notebooks were for him and him alone now that the band was no longer in his control. Jasper sighed as he lightly fingered the bent edges, his thoughts swirling around. When the record label handed the band their first pre-written song, Jasper had the urge to quit right where he stood. As soon as he accepted the annoyingly catchy lyrics as his own, he was officially selling out. If he wasn't responsible for the whole band he most likely would have ran out of the room throwing obscenities and punches.

But the band counted on him. They played shitty venues with rowdy crowds that weren’t paying attention to them onstage, remaining loyal to Jasper even after they started to make a name for themselves. The venues became less shitty, and the audience paid attention; they even sang along to the songs he had helped create. Jasper missed those days, but he couldn't stop the band from launching into stardom. It wouldn't have been fair to the other members if he didn't stay by them after sticking with him through the beginning.

Now the old days of struggling to get anyone to hear your songs and knowing exactly where your mind was when you wrote it were only remembered in his ratty old notebook. He jotted down a couple of lines wanting to capture the essence of the day. Hailey's tiny body drowning in clothes came to mind and the pencil froze over the paper. He frowned as he tried to come up with different scenarios as to why she hid herself so completely. He told himself he shouldn't care, but it didn't matter, he was going to find out. And he had a sneaking suspicion it had to do with the charities she was so involved in.

He worked on a new song until Carl texted him letting him know he was downstairs waiting for him in the car. Jasper tucked his notebook under his mattress and went to go get the confusing little bird.

Jasper stared at the top of her head. Her red hair curling all around, he wondered how long it would take her to figure him out completely.

“Are you ready to go?” Jasper asked when she continued to have her eyes glued to her desk.

“Yep, let me shut everything down.”

He watched as she grabbed her enormous purse that appeared to weigh more than his guitar case.

Jasper gently took the purse off her and slung it over his shoulder. He was wrong, it weighed more than his guitar case. “What do you have in here?”

“Everything. I can carry it if it's too heavy for you.”

“Little Bird, did you just make a joke?” he asked, as they made their way toward the elevator.

“Maybe.”

Jasper laughed. She kept catching him off-guard and he was enjoying it. She made him feel normal, and it was addicting.

They were silent as they made their way toward Carl. Once inside the car Jasper made a last minute decision and told Carl to head to one of his favorite restaurants.

“I thought we were going to practice,” she said finally looking at him.

A weird thrill twisted through him as he gained her attention. He couldn't stop himself from reaching out. Jasper's hand shook as he touched her soft cheek brushing away a stray curl. Energy surged through him, and it shocked him. Hailey was even more dangerous than he thought.

“I'm hungry. And by the frantic action I walked in on when I came to pick you up, I'm going to guess you haven't had anything to eat since we had chicken and waffles.”

Her face turned a slight shade of red as she pushed her hair behind her ears. Her finger going over the same path his finger just traveled. “I wanted to get as much done as I could just in case you did show up. I'm glad I did, because if I’d have stopped for dinner I would have been even further behind.”

Jasper understood her words were practical and made complete sense, but he couldn't wrap his head around the anger he felt. He didn't like that Hailey was working herself ragged and spending time with him seemed to be a hindrance to her profession. She’d enjoyed their time this morning. The idea of showing her more of himself lodged in his brain. He took out his phone and texted the band that he was canceling practice for the night.

Jasper took Hailey's hand as they made their way into the tiny restaurant. From the outside, it looked like a dingy door connected to a condemned building. Hailey gasped and squeezed Jasper's hand after they were inside. He never took Tara to Mamma Mechie's. She would have complained and insulting Mamma Mechie, which was something even he was scared of doing.

A large, robust woman in a stained apron ran out from behind the kitchen door. Jasper let go of Hailey just in time to be enveloped by her. Mamma Mechie was a short, plump, Italian woman that cooked like it was art. Jasper swore she sold her soul to get her gravy to taste like it did.

“My boy. I haven't seen you in forever. Where are the others?” she asked, pulling herself away from Jasper and getting her first look at Hailey. “Ah, I see you brought a girl.” Mamma wiggled her brows at Jasper before pulling Hailey in for a hug.

Jasper laughed when Hailey's eyes went wide as the woman engulfed her, before releasing her and grabbing Carl.

Dinner was a loud, boisterous affair. Mamma Mechie ran in and out of the kitchen bringing heaping plates of delicious food. The three of them dug in leaving them little time to talk. After many goodbyes and a promise that the next time he came back he would bring Hailey and the rest of the band, they finally waddled out of the restaurant.

“That was fantastic.” Hailey rubbed her stomach over her large blouse.

“Mamma Mechie is the best,” Jasper said, grabbing Hailey's hand as Carl opened the door for them.

“Thank you, Carl,” Hailey said before sliding into the backseat.

Carl nodded his head at her, but by the smile he had on his face, Jasper knew that he approved of Hailey and her lady-like manners.

He gave Carl the directions of their next destination and leaned back in his seat trying to relieve some of the tension in his stomach.

“What is this place?” Hailey whispered as Jasper held out his hand to help her out of the car.

“It's a surprise,” he told her pulling her along. “And you don't have to whisper.”

Jasper led them down a dark alley toward a large metal door with a green light hanging above it. Jasper pounded on the door four times, paused, and then hit it three more times. He winked at Hailey who was looking at him as if he had lost his mind. Not a second later, the metal door was swinging open soundlessly.

Jasper nodded toward the bouncer and walked into the building pulling Hailey behind him. Hailey’s head bounced back and forth, as if she tried to see everything at once, when they walked into the main room. The room was a big open space with concrete floors. On the left side was a bar managed by four busy bartenders. In front of them was a stage with equipment already set up for a show.

“What is this place?” Hailey asked again, staring up at the high metal rafters.

“It's an underground club. There is a band playing tonight, and I thought it would be fun.”

“I thought we were going to watch your band play?” she asked, her eyebrows pinched in the middle, as she scanned the crowd.

He reached over and smoothed her forehead. She sucked in a breath, her eyes opening wide. Jasper needed to stop touching her, but what he knew and did were not on the same page.

“Change of plans, Little Bird.” he whispered, as he took her hand, and they pushed and crammed their way to the front of the stage. He realized he kept doing that, taking her by the hand, that and the touching became a comfortable habit. He wasn’t even sure when that had become a normal thing to do, and she didn’t seem to think it was odd. Or if she did, she wasn't saying anything to him.

“Are they any good?” she yelled over the noise as the band started tuning their instruments.

“I don't know. I've never heard of them.”

Hailey threw back her head and laughed. Something jumped around in his stomach as she let loose. Jasper watched her slim throat dance with laughter and smiled to himself. Tara was a horrible sport when he would drag her along to these things. So far, Hailey hadn't complained once, and she seemed to be truly enjoying herself.

The band started and after two songs both Jasper and Hailey looked at each other with horror on their faces. Jasper motioned toward the bar. They once again pushed and clawed their way out of the crowd.

“They are awful,” Hailey said, cupping her hands around her lips so she could be heard over the out of tune singer and instruments.

“Yeah, they are pretty bad,” Jasper admitted. He laughed as Hailey winced when the lead singer butchered a high note.

“Why do you come to these things?” she asked as he ordered a round.

“I don't know. I like to hear bad music.”

“Really?” Hailey asked.

“It's ironic, really. Liking bad music, being who I am and all. To me it shows that people are still trying. They aren't allowing a label to shape them. It also makes me grateful to have the talent I have. It keeps me humble.”

The side of Hailey's mouth tipped up. The sparkle in her eyes showed she understood what he was saying. He found it far too easy to talk to her, and he needed to reign it in again.

Hailey's phone rang and Jasper saw her eyes light up when she answered. It was intriguing to him. She didn't seem to let go very often. He had only seen her be truly free of concern when she interacted with the less fortunate. He tried listening to her, but the band made it impossibly hard to hear. When she hung up, he couldn’t help but ask. “Who was that, Little Bird?”

“Matthew,” she answered, pulling a curl down only to have it bounce back up when she let it go.

“The guy who tried to kiss my ass yesterday?”

Hailey's face flamed red as she snorted. “That would be the one.”

“What did he want? Did I get you in trouble at work for stealing you again? If I did, I will talk to your boss. They assigned you to me. I don't want you getting in trouble for doing your job.”

Hailey smiled and some of Jasper's reservations about the phone call went away. At least until she started talking.

“Thank you for that. I appreciate you recognizing how much my job means to me. I worked hard to get where I am. Actually, Matthew's phone call wasn't about work at all. He asked me out. I told him I was with you and so he wanted to schedule a rain check. I don't know how many more excursions you have planned, so I told him I would let him know.”

With that simple explanation, Jasper's crumbling wall hardened back up. “Did he talk dirty to you, Little Bird?” he asked turning on his defense.

“Excuse me?” Hailey said, her voice higher than he had heard it before.

“Did he say all the things he wanted to do to you when you got together? I'm a boob man myself. I like to rub my face in the middle of them. I can't tell what you have hidden behind your clothes. Does Matthew know?”

“Stop, Jasper. I don't know why you are acting like this. We haven't been on a date if you must know. And you’re the only one crude enough to talk to me like this. I told him I was here with you. We can still have a nice night, and you can show me what you are determined to show me. You just need to stop acting like a jerk.”

“You don't have to worry about me, Little Bird. I have plenty of company if you want to go find Mr. Brown-nose.” Jasper winked at the two pretty girls who had been eyeing him since he walked in.

“Why are you being like this?” Hailey grew angrier, but the girls Jasper winked at had used this as an invitation and made their way over.

He winked at her and turned to ask the girls what they wanted to drink.

Hailey stood with a huff. “Really mature, Jasper.”

He didn’t turn around, but he heard her walk off as he smiled at the ladies. They were all over him like most women that spotted him out and knew who he was. He sat with them for about an hour drinking and entertaining them as they told him everything from their aspiring model careers to that one time they were in a hot tub in Vegas.

“Let’s go somewhere more private ladies,” Jasper said, putting his arms around them and leading them to the door. He saw a girl turn around from watching the band and snap a picture. He’d hear about that tomorrow from someone. Hailey was going to be pissed. Hopefully Matthew wouldn't mind a grumpy bird. Giggling, the girls were more than happy to go with him.

Jasper stopped to ask the bouncer, “You see a girl leave here in a giant shirt with curly red hair?”

“She got into a cab safely. Your driver made sure of it,” he said to Jasper, as he pointed to the security screens showing the outside of the bar.

The girls weighing down each side of his body were clueless as their hands roamed all over his body.

“Thanks, mate,” Jasper said over the teased and hair-sprayed hair on his right side. The girls tittered around him, their perfume mixing in his nostrils turning the alcohol he had in his stomach sour.

“You guys stay here and wait for a cab. I'm going to take a leak,” Jasper said, prying the red-hot fingernails from his waist.

“Hurry up,” one of them cooed, as he made his way to the side of the building.

He made eye contact with the security camera knowing the bouncer was watching and made his way toward Carl.

“Can you go hail those two a cab and tell them I changed my mind?” Jasper asked, closing his eyes and leaning his head back on the seat.

Carl got out of the car without another word. Jasper rubbed his temples as the driver’s door closed again alerting him that Carl had returned. Carl kept huffing the whole drive showing Jasper he was not impressed by his behavior tonight. That made two of them. He wanted to go home and get to sleep after the day he’d had, maybe write a little before that. Why did he have to be such a dick?

Jasper jabbed his finger to the number of his floor and brooded as the elevator took him up. When the doors slid open all Jasper wanted to do was fall into his bed and forget about the whole day. He stopped before he turned toward his apartment thinking that wasn't exactly true. Hanging out with Hailey in the morning had been fun until she ruined it by ditching him for work, and he would have liked to think they would have had an amazing night if she hadn’t answered the phone and talked to Matthew. Who was he kidding? That was all his fault; why was he jealous? It didn’t make sense to even him why he’d acted that way toward her.

“Why the angry face?” a voice Jasper wished to have never heard again pierced his eardrums. Her voice grated on his nerves more than the band he listened to tonight with Hailey.

“What are you doing here, Tara?” His voice was harsh. He couldn't believe she had the nerve to show up at his room after she’d plastered their dirty love affair to his underage fans, losing him money and sticking him with Hailey. The same Hailey that had been screwing with his head from the moment she stumbled into his booth.

“Ahhh, baby, don't be like that. I only wanted the world to see how much love there was between us.” Tara sauntered over to him. Her red heels clicked on the marble floor.

Hailey's red hair flashed in his mind and he decided he liked the natural red more than the blood red Tara liked to sport on a regular basis. “What do you want Tara? It has been a long night and I am not in the mood to deal with you.”

“I miss you. You haven't called me in days.” Her bottom painted red lip jumped out so she could properly pout.

That move used to work on Jasper. Seeing her all pouty when they were dating made him instantly hard. There were times he threw her into any available room just to screw her and knock the pout off her face. Some of those times were now posted on his social media. That thought brought all the power that pout used to wield to a standstill.

“Do you know what your stupid little stunt cost me?”

“Don't talk to me like that, Jasper. I did you a favor, the sponsors you had were boring. You need edgier sponsors. Ones that won't go crazy when you act like the rock star you are.”

Jasper heard everything she said, but comprehending her logic was impossible. He was a rock star, and he kept his image of bad boy out there enough for the world to see. Hearing Tara say anything about his career or what was good for him made him angry. She certainly didn’t know. He brought her to some of his favorite places letting her know that he was two different people. Jasper, the dirty bad boy rocker that didn't give a shit what people thought of him, and the real Jasper, the one that enjoyed watching old people play checkers in the park and finding beauty in the most obscure places.

Even though Hailey hadn't fully understood that he wasn't what the media portrayed, she hit on the thought more times in the two days he knew her than the entire time he was with Tara. He didn't lie to Hailey when he told her Tara was bored within seconds of entering Central Park. If it didn't involve some form of attention, Tara was never interested. Hailey took the time to see the beauty he was trying to show her and she showed him some of her own in return. “You used me, Tara. You weren't doing anything to get attention, so you used me as some sick form of publicity boost. This was all a game to you, wasn't it?” Jasper searched her face for some sign that he came to the wrong conclusion, but Tara gave nothing away.

“Stop being so silly. I didn't use you. This is a good thing. The paparazzi are everywhere. We are going to be so popular. I think I might even get on the cover of a few magazines.”

“Get the hell away from me, Tara. Do not come back around here again. I have people working on fixing the mess you got me into. I refuse to allow you to do anymore damage. Lose my number. I never want to see you again.” Jasper was screaming by the time he finished.

His whole night had gone from bad to worse, and he was done with it.

“Jasper, this is a good thing, stop being like this,” Tara screamed even louder than he had, and Jasper wondered if there were paparazzi nearby or if she was just practicing. It made him laugh a little as he walked past her and slammed his door in her face. Hailey had told him to stop acting like a jerk tonight too. He was finally seeing the difference.

“Open the door,” Tara yelled through the thick wooden door.

Jasper threw himself down on his couch as she continued screaming and banging on his door. After five minutes of continuous beating, in which he was sure she had removed her shoes to be making the amount of noise she was, Jasper turned on his TV to drown out the noise.

He heard her start throwing herself against the door with loud thuds. She was going to hurt herself, but he didn’t need to engage her. Something broke against the door and he heard it shatter. Great, now she was damaging hotel property. She was going to get him tossed out.

He stormed over to the door and tore it open. “Tara, chill the hell out!”

She threw a smaller vase from the hall at him and hit him in the head. He touched the spot to make sure it wasn’t bleeding. She came tearing into the room. First, she slammed herself against the wall and started breaking things in his room. Finally, she let out a shriek and went back out of the room. He slammed the door behind her. Something else shattered against the door, she’d gone to a different hallway to find more things to damage. She pounded herself into the door again, there was no way she wasn’t bruising her whole body. She was doing it on purpose so she could say he was beating her so he couldn’t let her back in, he needed the police.

Another five minutes went by before Tara gave up. At least he thought she had given up. There was a swift knock on the door. Jasper ignored it wondering what tactic Tara was going to employ since her tantrum didn't work.

“This is the NYPD. Open the door,” an authoritative voice sounded from the other side of the door. To his relief it seemed someone else had called the police.

Jasper jumped to his feet and ran to the door. He checked the peephole to make sure Tara didn't learn how to imitate a New York City police officer. When Jasper saw the cop standing outside while another looked as if he was trying to detain Tara.

“Can I help you officer?” Jasper asked, pulling the door open. He didn't know why he was nervous. He hadn't done anything wrong. Hell, he didn't do anything wrong the first time, and he was the one paying for Tara's stunt.

“We received noise complaints from your neighbors. Regarding this young lady. Can you tell us what happened?”

“He wouldn't let me in his apartment. He is my boyfriend. Don't you know who I am?” Tara screamed, her usually polished hair was wild. She tried to escape the cop's clutches but her tiny body was no match.

“Miss, I'm going to need you to be quiet or I will have my partner escort you to the car.”

“You can't do that. I'm Tara Jackson.”

“Take her to the car. I will be down as soon as I get a statement,” the officer that knocked on his door said. The officer holding Tara nodded his head as he led Tara down the hall to the elevator.

“I can help,” one of his neighbors came out and showed the officer a video. “She was throwing herself against the door hard so he opened it so she wouldn’t hurt herself. Then she ran in and destroyed a bunch of his things and came back out to do the same thing.”

“Yes, seems she’s lost her mind,” the police said.

“Is she your girlfriend?”

“No, she’s not anymore and I think the rejection has sent her into some kind of murderous frenzy. She threw a vase at my head and destroyed property.

“Do you need an ambulance, sir?”

“No, I think I’m going to be okay.”

“Do you want to press charges?”

“No, I don’t think I should.”

“I do. I pay a lot of money for a penthouse room. She should know we don't tolerate that type of behavior,” the neighbor lady was mad at the level of damage around her.

“I do too,” the owner of the hotel had been called and now he stood behind the police officer.

“Mr. Thompson, can you please tell your employees not to let Miss Jackson anywhere near my room in the future?” Jasper asked the hotel owner.

“You’ve got it, Mr. Daly, I’m sorry this happened to you.”

“Thank you but it’s not your fault. I'm sorry for the damage she caused.” Jasper knew they treated those guests staying in the hotel’s penthouse apartments differently. He still felt bad the owner was apologizing for something that damaged his building.

Jasper returned to his room and sank onto the bed. Tara was still going to make his life hell even when she was out of it. This would be fun to explain to Hailey in the morning. He needed a drink.

Chapter Four

Hailey woke up before her alarm clock and laid awake before she realized it was Saturday and she didn’t have to go to work. She was going to spend some time getting as much good PR out there for Jasper as she could. There was a girl who blogged entertainment on a site called Entertainment with Jem. She had once been romantically involved with Jasper, but was now a celebrity in her own right and dating a very well known reality star. She thought an interview with the wholesome Jemma would get him some good exposure. She just needed to reach out to her.

Grabbing her phone off the bedside table, she was surprised to see she had six missed calls. Scrolling through them she saw they were all from Jasper. She couldn’t imagine what was so serious he called her so many times, unless one of the girls he’d gone home with had been a prostitute. Or maybe both of them were. How crazy and messed up that would have been. She wasn’t sure she could bring him back from a double blonde floozy scandal.

She was about to call him back when he called her again. Letting it ring three times, she finally answered it. He’d made her mad the night before, there was no reason he couldn’t wait a bit.

“Where have you been, I’ve called you all morning?” Jasper sounded a bit panicked.

“I was sleeping like normal people do, Jasper, I turn my ringer off at night.”

“Then I guess you haven’t seen the news. She was an animal last night, Hailey. I couldn’t control her. I wish I’d never seen her. I don’t know what to make of how crazy she actually is. I deserve this for allowing myself to be with her, to let her into my personal bubble of trust.”

“You aren’t making any sense. Are you talking about the girl you took home last night?”

“Tara,” Jasper yelled in her ear. “Turn on The Buzz right now and look.”

Hailey looked for the remote as she wiped the sleep from her eyes. She almost wished she’d stayed in bed and not looked at her phone. Finally, she found the remote and turned the television to the Entertainment channel. Breaking News flashed across the screen and the reporter was talking quickly.

“Tara Jackson was reportedly arrested last night because of a dispute with off again on again lover Jasper Daly. She allegedly showed up at his hotel room and proceeded to engage in a huge fight with him. She threw things in the hotel breaking them and injured the rock star enough that the police had to be called. Jasper was cooperative with the police and at this point there’s no sign that the domestic violence was anything but one-sided. They have not released the details of Miss Jackson’s toxicology report, but once they do, we’ll have that information for everyone.”

Hailey couldn’t believe it. “She hurt you?”

“Just a cut on my head, but she’s completely insane. Once she gets out of jail, she’s going to say I hit her or provoked her or something.”

“You have the police to back you up and you’re hurt,” Hailey said.

“You know it doesn’t matter. The press will have a field day. My label is going to be really pissed because they’ll tell me I could have prevented this somehow. This morning Rugby Time Shoes dropped me as their sponsor. The rest will follow. I tell you I’m freaking out over here. Can you come over please? We have to get ahead of this.”

“Okay, yes, calm down and give me some time to get woken up.”

“Okay, hurry, I’m going to have some mimosas.”

“Drinking this early?”

“Yes, Hailey, hurry.”

Hailey tried to relax and not freak out. Jasper was one huge publicity nightmare. She needed to figure out how they could get ahead of Tara. They’d need to release a statement before she did. If she was making bail as they spoke, then they didn’t have much time. It would have to be well thought out and compassionate to Tara. That would be the only way to get away with this whole issue if he pretended to be worried about her well-being. She jumped up and got into the shower, washing her hair and trying to think of the best thing to say.

She blew her hair mostly dry and scrunched some gel in it. It would curl up on its own and there wasn’t much else that could be done with it. She was almost out of clean clothes and needed to put something decent on, in case she had to visit some of the press. Finally, she decided on a fitted tank top and a pair of tight black jeans. Not being able to help it, she grabbed a large vest that had tassels on the bottom and put it over to hide the tank top’s tightness.

She put on some lip-gloss and mascara and headed out the door to call a cab. It should have taken only a few minutes to get from her apartment to his hotel, but traffic was terrible so she was there in about forty. She looked at the address in her phone for the room number and went up to knock on his door. He was on the highest floor and she realized if someone got a hold of his room number, the only thing between him and some crazy fan coming up was the flimsy hotel security.

He opened the door and stood in front of her in only a pair of sweatpants and no shirt. She’d never seen him without a shirt and it took her a minute to look away from his nice abs. The definition had drool pooling in her mouth. When she swallowed it was audible, and she wished the floor would crack open so she could swan dive into it.

“What took you so long?” he huffed out, as he ran his fingers through his hair making it stick-up everywhere, revealing the cut on his head.

“Sorry, there was traffic. How are you doing?”

“How do you think I'm doing?” He paced the room.

“I'm not going to lie. This is not the greatest thing that could have happened right now.”

He turned and looked at Hailey with a death glare. It didn't stop her.

“But, I can turn this around. As long as we jump on this now, we can stop all of your sponsors from dropping. So stop your scowling and let's get to work. While we are at it, we need to fix this as well.” Hailey pulled out her phone and tapped on the screen. The picture of Jasper and the two females she left him with at the bar were wrapped around him as they exited the club. “Jasper, you need to tone this down. I know you aren't used to having the restraints we are placing on you, but it is for your own good. Let this all die down before you go back to your ways.”

“My ways, huh?” He grinned at her and she speculated if he had multiple personalities for a moment. One minute angry, the next a Cheshire cat grin on his face.

She tried to keep the disgust out of her voice when she talked to him. She refused to get jealous over a rock star who bedded everyone he saw. Hailey reminded herself he was a client, and she needed to start being professional. When she finished getting Jasper's reputation on the up-and-up, she was going to treat herself to a long vacation. After this, she would deserve it and the promotion by proving she could handle Jasper's case.

***

“An email,” he muttered.

“What?” Hailey asked.

Jasper startled when she spoke. He hadn't realized he had said anything out loud. “Rugby Time Shoes. They sent me an email to let me know they were dropping me. I’ve made them a ton of money since I signed with them, and they couldn't even give me the courtesy of a phone call so I could explain it wasn't my fault, that Tara went off the deep end.”

“Jasper, you need to get your head in the game. I can't have you worried over some shoe company.”

“Some company.” He couldn't believe she wasn't more concerned.

“I get it. It sucks that they disregarded you that way. I will do my best to fix this, but I need you to help me out. It isn't your fault Tara went crazy on you. Wait, did she get upset when you showed up with those two girls from the club?”

“I didn't leave with them.” He went over to the couch and flopped down on it, throwing his head back.

“First, I don't think lying is the best strategy,” Hailey explained, as she sat next to him. Her hand traced the cut on his forehead. He froze at her soft touch. “I'm sorry she did this to you,” Hailey whispered, finally taking her hand back.

Jasper resisted the urge to bring it back. He got a whiff of her clean perfume when she’d moved to touch him. It was better than anything the girls at the clubs seemed to bathe in. He turned until he was leaning on the arm of the couch so he could look at her while they talked. “I'm not lying, Little Bird. I walked them out and got them a cab. Carl drove me home where Tara was waiting for me.”

Jasper smirked at the confused look on Hailey's face. He liked catching her off-guard. It bruised his good-guy ego that she thought so little of him, but the way he acted at the club, he really didn't give her a choice to think any other way.

“Why?”

“I just wasn't feeling it. Now enough talk about that, what are we going to do?”

“Well, the thing is, we can't stop talking about that. They are a part of your night of debauchery. What we need to do is make a statement immediately explaining that you were not at fault in the Tara situation. If you are telling the truth and just walked those two girls out to a cab that will help your story, that you are trying to be on your best behavior.”

“You don't believe me?” Jasper felt a combination of hurt and anger that Hailey didn't believe he didn't leave with those two girls.

“Jasper, there are hundreds of pictures of you and them leaving the club. I'm sorry but not many people are going to believe you.”

“The bouncer can vouch for me. They have surveillance on the outside of the bar. I'm sure there's a recording of me leaving them as they climbed into a cab and I left with Carl.”

Jasper held his breath as Hailey turned her head to the side thinking about what he had said.

“That's a good idea,” Hailey grabbed her tablet out of her purse. “Oh yeah. I want to take pictures of your head injury,” she said pulling out a digital camera

“If you wanted a picture of me, Little Bird, all you had to do is ask.” Jasper smiled when Hailey rolled her eyes at him. She really didn't care that he was a rock star, and he loved it.

“Jasper, shut-up and look pathetic.” Hailey held up the camera and waited for him to comply.

“Pathetic? I don't think I'm capable of that.”

“Well, you’re going to have to learn.”

Jasper willed his face to stop smiling as he watched Hailey get more frustrated because he wouldn't listen to her request. After snapping a dozen pictures, Hailey seemed to give up on him.

“I guess this one will have to do,” Hailey grumbled as she toggled through the pictures taken.

“Let me see,” Jasper said, taking the camera out of her hand. Hailey had captured him with his eyes in a half-blink. His mouth tilted in an awkward fashion. “You’re not using this picture, Hailey.” He moved to delete it, but Hailey pulled the camera out of his hand. “Don't touch. I'm doing my job. If you won't make a pathetic face. I will use this one.”

Jasper liked that Hailey used her voice to stand up for herself. “Alright. I'll give you your picture.” He schooled his features to look pathetic.

Hailey laughed at his face and he couldn't stop himself from laughing with her.

“Stop, Jasper. We need to get this picture out there so I can write your statement. We need to beat Tara in making a statement. She is famous, she won't be in jail very long.”

At the thought of Tara, Jasper's face dropped.

“That's it,” Hailey cried as she snapped the picture. “Perfect.” She looked at the picture. She tapped on the camera's screen and connected it to her tablet. “There, that's a start.” Hailey smiled at him, and Jasper's heart stopped for a second.

Her face was void of all the caked on make-up the girls he hung out with normally had. She had a fresh innocence about her that made Jasper more at ease.

“Alright. I'm going to write your statement. There are paparazzi swarming downstairs. Once we get it to your liking, I will set up a conference and we’ll deliver it. Go take a shower while I write it so you're ready to go.”

Jasper had to bite his tongue from asking Hailey if she wanted to join him. She made him feel safe, and he needed to stop being a jerk to her just to keep her from getting into his head any further than she already was. That sudden thought about her made him feel like the dirty rock star she thought he was.

He jumped in the shower and washed up. His stomach churned as he thought about having to make a statement. He felt his claustrophobia starting to push in on him. He needed to do this to help pull his reputation out of the gutter. He trusted Hailey. She seemed to know what she was talking about and he didn't want to let her down. It wasn't going to be easy, but he would get through it.

When Jasper walked out into the living room, Hailey was curled up on the couch typing furiously on her tablet. He kept his eyes on her as she chewed on the side of her lip. It took him a minute to notice she had removed the horrible vest she was wearing when she came in and was now sporting a black tank top. A tight black tank top. Who would have guessed the little bird was rocking a killer body under all those frumpy clothes?

“What should I wear,” he asked, strolling over to the couch. His eyes roamed over her small pert breasts that were standing at attention under the restraint of her tank top. Her stomach was flat and slipped into her tight jeans. He couldn't stop thinking he would have liked to slip into her jeans as well.

Hailey jumped when he came over to her. “What?” she asked, blinking at his towel-covered body.

Her face turned red as she tore her gaze from his body. Thankfully, while she was eyeing him, Jasper was able to get a good look at her. Maybe she hid herself because of the full hips. She definitely had more to love on the bottom, but he dug it. She was sexy. Jasper shifted on his feet to hide the effect her stare and black tank top was doing to his bottom half.

“What should I wear to let them know I'm the epitome of a good rock star?”

“Oh, what you normally wear will be fine. I'm finished with your statement. Go put some clothes on and we can go over what you want to change.” Her eyes moved to the side of his head, and Jasper hoped that she was having a hard time keeping her eyes where they were.

“Alright, I'll get dressed.” Jasper walked slowly into his room wanting to look back and see if Hailey was watching him.

This time Hailey seemed to be waiting for him when he emerged from his room dressed in dark jeans and a black button up shirt.

“What do you have for me?” Jasper asked, sitting on the couch closer to her than the last time.

Hailey flitted around grabbing her tablet and tapping away on it nervously. Jasper leaned even closer to her so he could see what she was doing.

“This is the statement I wrote. Read it and we can edit it to sound like you.”

Jasper liked the flustered tone she spoke in with him so close to her. Her voice took on a breathy timbre that turned him on. He stayed where he was, bending over until his chest was pressed against her arm and read what she had written. It was good. Her writing was smooth and professional. He felt a shred of hope that Hailey would be able to pull him out of the mess he was in.

“It's good,” he admitted, not moving from his spot.

“Do you want to change anything?” she asked as she leaned on the side of the couch putting some distance between them.

“Nope. You did a good job.”

Hailey beamed at him as she stood up. “Alright, let's go. The media is waiting outside. I explained it could be an hour or two before your statement, but honestly the faster the better. This way we can get a jump on anything Tara's publicist is planning.”

Jasper's throat tightened when he thought of having to go speak in front of all those people. It was silly of him to feel anxious about speaking in front of tons of media outlets when he sang in front of thousands. Singing was different for him. It was his way of expressing himself while his audience was able to understand him a little better. Well that was until he started singing cookie-cutter songs his label gave him. Being on stage, he didn't feel the claustrophobia pushing down on him, like he was now feeling.

“You know what. Why don't I look at that again?” Jasper couldn't hide the panic that washed through his voice.

“What? Why?” Hailey’s smile dimmed.

He took a deep breath. He didn't like disappointing Hailey. She had worked hard to help him get his reputation going back in the right direction. His social media was already starting to get some positive feedback since she took over. Jasper concluded that he needed to explain his fear to Hailey if she was going to help him any further. “I'm claustrophobic. I get sick when people crowd me and I can't see a way of escaping.”

Hailey nodded her head, and Jasper was thankful she didn't bombard him with the usual questions he got when he admitted his fear.

“Ok. Let me see what I can do,” she said in an authoritative voice that had his jeans tightening.

Hailey got on her phone and paced the room as she made several phone calls. He couldn't tell what she was talking about mostly because his brain was focused on her round ass as it swayed with every step. While her back was toward him, he adjusted his jeans. She finally made her way back to Jasper, sitting on the couch with a wary look.

“You don't have to talk to the press.” She picked at the side of couch.

Jasper had a bad feeling that he wasn't going to like the alternative.

“Jemma agreed to do a one-on-one with you. I tried to get her to come to your hotel room, but she made a good point that it would take too long to set up and by then Tara could get out of jail. Carl is waiting for us in the service entrance. We need to get going.” Hailey stopped picking at the couch and folded her hands in her lap.

He was right to have a bad feeling about the alternative. Jemma was the one that got away. Her shyness and creative spirit attracted him to her. When she walked backstage after one of their shows for an interview, Jasper found himself smitten with her immediately.

Jasper thought Jemma was put into his life at the right time. He had just agreed to sing the first cookie-cutter song and hated himself every morning for doing it. Jemma seemed like just what he needed. Someone down to earth that he would be able to talk with on a deeper level, instead of the superficial level he had been living with since he signed with his label.

The problem with Jasper's solution for self-loathing was Jemma had feelings for another. Jemma agreed to go out on a date with him. He tried to show her that he was a good guy, but she never relaxed around him. After a few more failed attempts to get Jemma to really give him a chance, he stopped trying. Jemma thought it was probably for the best.

Jasper quit trying to find a girl that would understand him after Jemma. He decided if a wholesome girl refused to let him share his true personality with them, there was no point of trying to find a meaningful relationship with anyone. He threw himself and his dick in any hot piece of ass that got his attention. He should have stayed on that path instead of taking a side-route with Tara. Jasper understood Tara wasn't right for him, but he thought that when they ended it, it would be that they both realized they had run their course. He never expected her to turn out crazy and pull him along with her.

“Maybe I'll just talk to the crowd.” He hadn't talked to Jemma since she’d gotten back with Daniel. Jasper sighed, getting off the couch and going to the window. He looked down and saw that the media waiting outside had already started to dissipate.

“Come on, Jasper, stop being such a baby. We’ll do the interview and return here to start planning your comeback. If we spin this right, what happened last night with Tara might actually be a good thing.”

“I don't know,” Jasper said, weary of the whole thing.

“It's not your job to know, it's mine. Let's go. Carl is waiting.” Hailey reached over to grab her vest she had discarded on the table.

“I'll do it if you leave the vest off.”

“It was my grandmas,” she said.

“You hide yourself too much, Little Bird. If you expose a bit of yourself, I’ll expose a bit of myself.

Hailey looked at him and then back to the vest. For a moment he thought she wouldn't leave it, but in the end she tossed it back on the table and hefted her purse over her shoulder. “Let's go.”

Jasper held the door open for Hailey. They headed down the backstairs to avoid any lingering paparazzi. Efficiently, she led him through the kitchen and out the back door to a waiting Carl.

“How did you know where to go,” Jasper asked, impressed by her directions.

“I googled the hotel layout,” Hailey told him, not bothering to look up from her tablet as she tapped away.

He smiled, impressed. Time to go see Jemma and prove to the world he wasn’t an asshole.

Chapter Five

“Jasper, long time no see,” Jemma extended her heavily diamonded left hand when they stepped into her home office.

Hailey looked out for signs there was any spark left between them. She wanted to smack herself for the unsettling jealous thoughts floating around in her brain. Jasper was her client, and she needed to remember that. Jealousy or any other feelings besides professional ones were prohibited. He’d confessed on the way over how he’d felt about Jem at one time. After, she’d told him her grandma had raised her after her mom passed away from cancer, and her grandma was the one to pass on her wardrobe, which Hailey now wore.

Jasper tried to pry further, but thankfully Carl was pulling into Jemma's place stopping their conversation.

“Jem, it's nice to see you.” Jasper took Jemma's hand and placed a kiss on it.

“I'm Hailey. Thank you so much for doing this for us,” she interjected, quickly breaking up the two. She would have to try harder to keep her emotions together.

Jemma shot her a smile that seemed to say she knew what she was thinking. Hailey's face burned red as she smoothed down her tank top.

“Not a problem,” Jemma said. “I have been doing stories on Tara since I started my blog. She alone is job security. I appreciate that you thought of me as the person to give Jasper's official statement to. You could have picked anyone else. This is going to blow up my site.”

“I figured with your history you would be the best person to start with.” Hailey didn't flinch as she told her double lie. One, Jemma was a last minute resort to help her client out in a fearful situation, and two, her blood temperature seemed to rise at the mention of her affiliation with Jasper.

“That makes sense,” Jemma commented, not giving anything away on their past relationship and making Hailey's blood burn a little hotter.

“We’ll be using some of the footage to give to the news outlets that have been reporting on this story. Would that be okay with you? Would you be willing to sign a release for that?” Hailey told her.

“Of course, the more exposure the better.”

If Jemma was one thing, she was efficient. She had Jasper in a seat, her recorder on, and her keyboard set up quickly. Jemma was going to do a two-part interview. Hailey wanted Jasper's main statement to go live immediately. She had just gotten word that Tara was trying to post bail. After the statement was released, the social media sites would spread it around like wildfire. Jemma would then write a blog post about the whole interview using quotes she’d recorded getting the real story of what happened the night before.

Hailey had already contacted the club and received grainy black and white video of Carl assisting the girls in getting a cab. Jemma was going to upload it to her blogsite, giving more clout to Jasper’s story of being the victim in Tara's crazy world. She hated to admit it but her insides did a little happy dance that Jasper was telling the truth about not going home with those two girls. Jemma understood that part was to look like a leak. She would say that Jasper tried to appear all bad ass taking two girls away, but the truth was he had second thoughts. Jemma said her fans would eat that up.

Hailey was proud of Jasper. He read the statement verbatim the way she had written it. She had already emailed Jemma a copy of it so she could post it on her blog. While Jemma interviewed Jasper, Hailey updated his social media sites. She added some stories about Central Park and the checker players, and about the beautiful graffiti art he had shown her.

She looked up at Jasper and they made eye contact. He scrunched his eyebrows together while Hailey continued to stare at him. She contemplated if the reason he had shown her all of those places was so she could see the true him. She had been aware of how relaxed he was when he was doing what he loved. Hailey vowed she would work even harder to get Jasper's reputation back in the good and give his fans a glimpse of the man behind the rocker.

Jemma ended her interview snapping a few pictures of Jasper and the gash on his head. “This is great,” she said, turning off her recorder and putting her camera away.

“Thank you so much for doing this, Jem. I appreciate it,” Jasper got up from his chair and walked over to where Hailey was sitting tapping away at her phone.

“Did you even hear the interview?” he asked.

“I was half listening. With the statement, it will clear up most of the night. I'm hoping that this will stop further sponsors from firing you. This was just a way to get your voice out there before Tara. We have a long road ahead of us. I wish this blog piece could be like a magic wand and remove everything that has happened. Unfortunately, that isn't how this business works. Don't worry though I have some other things up my sleeve.” Hailey stashed her stuff in her purse and stood.

Jemma came over and eyed both of them, as if she was trying to figure them out. “Jasper, can I speak to you in private?”

“I can wait outside,” Hailey said, already heading for the door.

“You can talk in front of Hailey. She’s my PR lady so she should hear everything right now so I don't make this any worse.” Jasper motioned with his head for her to come back over.

Hailey strolled back over throwing her shoulders back making sure her spine was straight. She was impressed Jasper had been so smart in having her stay. Right now, any wrong move could topple him from stardom. She wished her heart wasn’t so heavy when he’d said she was his PR lady. That was what she was. So why did it hurt when he said it? Also, his being alone with Jemma for a minute shouldn’t have raised any flags because she was a happily engaged woman, but better safe than sorry.

Jemma laughed. “It isn't anything bad. I just wanted to apologize for the way I ended us.”

Hailey's body stood taller at Jemma's words. So they were an item at one time. Hailey clutched onto her purse tightly as she pictured them together.

“It's fine, Jemma. You don't have to apologize.”

“I do have to apologize, Jasper. And you're going to let me. I should have trusted you when you told me you were being genuine. It was hard for me to trust that you really were a nice person and you weren't just putting on an act. It was wrong of me to disregard you the way I did. I wouldn't change it though.” Jemma smirked as she flashed her diamond-studded hand. “I just wish I would have handled it better. It was my insecurities that wouldn't let me trust you with my heart, and for that, I do apologize. You're a good guy, Jasper.”

“Thank you, Jemma. That means a lot to me. Doing this interview means a lot to me as well.” Jasper hugged Jemma.

Hailey’s mind was a million different places. She knew they were acquainted, she didn’t know they’d been romantic. The news hit her in the chest and she hadn’t been expecting it.

“I'll get this published as soon as I can. But, Jasper, you really do need to stop pretending to be who you aren't. The real Jasper is a great guy. I'm not a fan of the other one and in all honesty, you shouldn't be either. Look at all the bad decisions you have made being the other Jasper. Remember when you wrote that song for me? That’s when you showed your true self.”

Her face burned with heat she couldn’t control. He wrote her a song! She wished she had stepped outside.

***

The whole ride back Jasper’s head spun. Hailey was talking, but he didn’t hear it.

Jemma's words were beating down his brain trying to get in somewhere they would be heard. Jasper knew she was right, but his label didn't want a good-boy rocker, and Jasper wasn't sure he wanted to be one. Of course, when he thought about it, what did they want? They wanted him to be bad, but not so bad some girl was posting nudes on his Instagram. Where did he draw the line there? When he put himself out on the line and showed people who he really was, it seemed to end up badly.

“What happened between you and Jemma?” Hailey asked, she said it fast like she’d been holding in the question, when they got back to his place. The moment she walked in, she went straight to the couch and started pulling stuff out of her bag.

“Nothing,” Jasper said, his mouth tipping up a bit that she cared. “Sorry, it's old news and I really don't want to talk about it right now if that's ok?” Jasper went to the kitchen and pulled open the fridge. He groaned when he saw there was nothing in there worth eating.

“I get it. Besides, we have a lot of work to do,” Hailey yelled to him.

“Do you want to order room service? I'm starving and if we are going to get an attack plan together I want to have food.”

Hailey looked up from her tablet and blinked. “Yes, food sounds amazing. We do have a lot of work to do. I think Jemma's interview was a big help. I was just checking and already your statement is everywhere.”

“Well, then let's celebrate. Not a big celebration, I know we still have work to do, but this is a start.”

“You're right. I want a big cheeseburger and fries.” Hailey started to rub her flat stomach. She hadn't put the vest back on when they got back but she did throw a blanket over her legs she pulled from the sofa.

“Where do you put it all?” Jasper’s eyes followed the movement of her hand.

“I jog,” she responded in the no-nonsense way he was starting to recognize was her way of deflecting the conversation.

“Yuck. I hate running. Thankfully performing on a hot stage keeps you pretty fit,” Jasper said, dialing room service.

After they had gorged themselves on greasy food, Hailey's phone pinged and her eyes lit up. A hot emotion that Jasper refused to acknowledge as jealousy ran through him as he pictured Matthew trying to get Hailey to go out with him again.

“That was the supervisor of Helping Garden's Grow. It's one of the charities I was telling you about. They are doing an impromptu flower planting today at one of the kid’s homes close to the hotel. She saw the statement and wanted to know if we wanted to show up for an hour. There are already some camera's out there, so this is perfect timing.” Hailey bounced up and down on the couch, and Jasper was enamored by her enthusiasm. Who would have known the little bird had other outside interests?

“Let me change and we can head out.”

“Can I get a T-shirt? I don't want to bend down in this thing.”

Hailey was wringing her hands together when Jasper turned around.

He shook his head a little, a wide grin spreading across his face as a sexy, mouth-dropping image of her popped into his head. He should make her go out in that skin-tight tank top, but when he spun around, the smile melted from his face. She wrung her hands, and insecurity lowered her gaze. Jasper’s open mouth slowly shut. If he wanted her to be comfortable and open, he would have to say goodbye to the image of her on all fours, in the dirt, and her body straining against that teeny tank top.

He was going to give her a hard time and make her go out in her skin-tight tank, but when he noticed the insecurity on her face, he shut his mouth.

“I'll grab you something.” He sighed heavily.

Jasper held the door open for Hailey as she got into the car. Carl was already behind the wheel ready to take them to the kid’s home. Jasper had to admit that seeing Hailey in one of his oversized band T-shirts was as hot as the tank top. The center wasn't far away, and when they pulled up, ten grungy kids ran toward the car. They all stopped when Carl's hulking frame stepped out.

Carl opened the door and Hailey practically crawled over Jasper to get to the kids. She got down on her knees while she talked to every one of them and asked them what they had been up to that day.

All the little eyes were on her as she spoke. Even with a rock star behind her, Hailey's tiny form commanded they pay attention to her. Hailey finally stood back up and introduced Jasper to each kid.

Jasper tried to lock all of their names in his head, but there were a lot of them. A scrawny little boy with dark hair and even darker eyes couldn't tear his eyes from Hailey. Jasper smiled, thinking that he was in the same boat. Hailey challenged them to a race, and they all set off in the direction they came.

“Come on, Big Bird,” Hailey screamed over her shoulder. “You too, Carl. We need all the help we can get.”

Jasper stood there in a daze as Hailey sprinted across the manicured lawn. When Carl bumped into him, only then did Jasper move too.

When he reached the flowerbeds, a little girl handed him some flowers and pointed to the row he was supposed to put them in.

“Here you go, you put that plant there.” She pointed.

“Okay,” he chuckled at how demanding the tiny girl was.

“Like this?” he asked and dug a small hole the plant wouldn’t fit in.

“No, move. I’ll just do it myself.” The tiny girl huffed and scooped up a big handful of dirt looking at him as she put the plant in the ground.

Jasper slid over to Hailey's side and helped her plant the row she was working on.

“That chick is bossy,” Jasper said, “reminds me of someone I know.” He smirked at her.

She had a dirt streak on her cheek. He reached over to wipe it off but ended up smearing more dirt on her.

“Hey,” she said before taking her hand and sliding it down his face covering it with dirt.

“What was that for,” Jasper asked as all the kids burst out laughing.

“You smeared dirt on my face,” she answered.

“I was trying to wipe it off.”

“Oh, well so was I,” Hailey squealed, as he ran more dirt down her face.

“Are you playing or being mean?” the little bossy pants asked, her tiny hands planted on her hips.

“We were playing, but you did good trying to stick up for someone. I wish you were around when I was in school,” Hailey said, giving her a hug.

Jasper eyes widened as he listened to Hailey. His blood boiled as he thought of someone bullying Hailey when she was younger. He had been right the charities she had chosen were close to her, and at that moment, he wanted to pull her on his lap and tell her he wouldn't let anyone hurt her again. Even himself.

A camera snapped like wild, pulling him out of his thoughts. So wrapped up in Hailey, he’d forgotten the media was there. “Alright, kids, the time has come for us to go,” Jasper said, getting to his feet and holding out his hand to help up Hailey.

She looked at it for a moment, but finally laid her hand in his. After they said goodbyes and received a bunch of dirty hugs, the three of them were back in the car headed back to the hotel.

“Did you not have any fun?” Hailey asked.

“I had a blast. Why would you ask that?” Jasper asked confused where Hailey was coming from.

“Well you just wanted to leave abruptly. I thought we were having a good time, and then you wanted to leave.”

“I was enjoying it, but when the media started taking pictures it felt wrong. I didn't want to do it only for the publicity. I wanted to spend time with the kids,” he admitted, shrugging.

“But we were doing it for the publicity. That's kind of my job.”

“You're good at your job. I don't doubt that you will have my reputation pristine in no time. But you can't tell me you were doing that just for the publicity. I saw how much fun you were having with the kids. Were you bullied when you were younger?” He hadn't meant to ask her, but the question had flown out of his mouth.

Hailey's cheeks reddened, and Jasper had the urge to pull her to him and kiss her dirt-streaked face.

“I was,” she said. “The kids used to make fun of my small frame and large butt. I started to wear big clothing to hide everything. Then of course they made fun of me for wearing what I wore, but by then I didn't really care what they said about me. And my clothes were comfortable. So I kept them.”

Hailey smiled, and it took Jasper's breath away. He had to stop himself from leaning forward and wrapping himself around her. She was so strong and giving he had the urge to protect her.

Just before he acted on that urge, Carl pulled up to his building.

They were quiet as they made their way back to Jasper's room. Right when they entered, Hailey's phone rang. She cocked an eyebrow before she answered it.

Jasper went to the kitchen, pulled out two bottles of water, and handed her one right after she hung up. Hailey opened her water and took a big drink.

“What's up?” Jasper asked, when Hailey continued to stare at nothing.

“That was Matthew. He asked me out tonight. For a date not a business thing.” Her voice sounded off, as if she was processing the call.

“Why do you look so confused?” he asked, as they stood in the middle of the room.

“He has never shown any interest in me before. He started to about a week ago. I’m not sure what I did to make him see me differently. It's weird going out with a co-worker, right?” Hailey asked, her big doe eyes locked on him.

Jasper took a long drink of his water as he thought of how to answer her. He already determined the brown-nosed ass-wipe was not right for Hailey, but who was he to stop her from going out with him. Jasper's life was a mess right now and getting involved with his PR person was something he shouldn't even consider. He took another drink and let the bitter words out.

“You should go out with him. We accomplished a lot today. I'm not planning to leave the room, and Tara will be tied up with her PR all day so I can't get in any trouble tonight. You deserve a fun night out.” Jasper was surprised at how nasty those words had tasted.

Hailey stared at him for a moment, and Jasper wanted to take back everything he had just said.

“You're right. Can I use your bathroom?” She looked down at her dirty hands.

Jasper forced himself to smile at her as he pointed to the bathroom in his room. She came out minutes later. Her face was washed clean from any dirt and some light, fresh make-up and she looked like she was glowing.

“I can't believe you are reading Steinbeck,” she exclaimed, throwing Jasper for another loop. This girl was always surprising him.

“He's my favorite,” he admitted, wondering what she was going to say next.

“He’s my favorite too.” She jumped up and down still wearing his T-shirt and making his jeans uncomfortable again. Hailey stopped jumping after a moment and tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. “Well I guess I'll get going. Start thinking of something you would like to do with charities that I can set up for us.”

“That's your job. I'm going to go read,” Jasper didn't want to be a jerk to her, but she was leaving him for another man, and he was having a hard time being civil. There really was something wrong with him.

Hailey gave a nervous laugh as she pulled her purse higher on her shoulder. “I had fun today. I’ll see you tomorrow.” She tucked her chin down to her chest hindering Jasper's view of her.

“I had fun today too, Little Bird. See you tomorrow.” Jasper couldn't force himself to tell her to have a good time. He let out a surprise breath when Hailey wrapped her small arms around him.

“Thank you for being so good with the kids today.” She kissed him on the cheek before disappearing out of his door. He stared at the door for a long time after it had closed.

Chapter Six

Hailey fidgeted as she got out of the cab. The cab felt foreign to her. Matthew was waiting for her at the entrance of the restaurant, and waved her over, not moving from his spot by the door. Hailey smiled widely, excited to finally get to go out with him.

Matthew wore a blue suit she’d seen him wear many times in the office. His hair was combed as if he had just gotten out of the shower. He looked amazing, just like he always did

“Hailey, you look fabulous.” He placed his hand on her lower back, leading her into a fancy Italian restaurant.

Hailey had a slight pain thinking that she would be eating Italian food that Mama Mechie didn't cook. When Jasper had taken her to Mama Mechie's, she told herself she would never eat it anywhere else. Not three days later Hailey was breaking her vow. The restaurant was beyond nice, and she once again compared the hole in the wall restaurants Jasper had taken her to, with the one Matthew picked. She hated to admit it, but she liked Jasper's choices better.

“The food here is five star,” Matthew said into her ear, as the hostess took them back to their seat.

When their order was placed he smiled at Hailey, making her stomach flutter.

“So how is the Jasper account going?” His eyes gleamed with an emotion Hailey couldn't quite decipher.

“It’s going great, a little rocky at first but I think we are getting a handle on things. The press today was a positive start.”

“Well, you clearly don’t have control of him.”

“Excuse me?” Hailey blinked at him.

“If you need some advice…”

“I’ll ask if I need help, thank you,” she said cutting him off.

“It’s just I do have more tenure than you do and will gladly help,” he said bluntly.

Hailey sat back in her chair, her arms crossing. The nerve of him.

“I saw the blondes…”

“A minor setback,” she spoke over him, “The media has reacted really well to the statement he issued, and it’s only been a couple of hours. Give it a day or two and more will come about. Can we talk about something besides work, Matthew?”

“Of course we can. If you want any help, you know I’m good at my job.”

He winked at her and the way he said it made her feel like he was implying she wasn’t good at hers. She tried to give him the benefit of the doubt. Maybe he was just bad at first dates.

“I’m good at mine as well. I’ll keep that in mind,” she said, trying to keep the sarcasm to a minimum.

Their food came, breaking the awkward tension between them. Matthew became very interested in his pasta so she ate quietly for a little while before breaking the silence.

“I met some great kids today while helping them plant flowers. They were all so happy to be out in the sunlight and around people. We should be more like that, you know.”

“I saw. Personally, I would have had him working with something a little more mature. Going for the kids just seems like a desperate move. You got cute kids around a rock star and of course it looks great.”

“Matthew, I was talking about my day, not Jasper’s day. Besides, he didn't want the media to see him. He wanted to do it just for fun.”

“Oh, I’m sorry. My mind just goes there. I don’t mean for it to. I like you, Hailey, and I want you to succeed. Let’s change the subject. Tell me about your family.”

“Yes, let's do that.” Hailey smiled and started to tell Matthew about herself, happy he was finally listening to her and not trying to give her professional advice.

Mathew’s comment about desperation sat in the back of her mind. Try as she might, she couldn’t let it go. Still, they were able to finish dinner, and as the conversation drifted away from work, he reminded her of why she had a crush, and to finally be out with him enjoying food and company was completely surreal.

“Let’s go for a walk.” Matthew suggested and Hailey thought that sounded like a great idea.

They walked down the street and Matthew slipped his hand into hers, causing butterflies to flit about in her stomach. They walked quietly, and Hailey enjoyed the peace of it all and being with Matthew outside of work. She felt excited to see where the relationship might go, after such an up and down first date. She would try. The time had come for her to start living her life. With the Jasper account and a potential boyfriend, she could see her life starting to become what she wanted it to be.

They stopped at a small bridge that overlooked a small creek. Either way it was nice with the dusk settling around them and the fireflies coming out. Hailey saw after a moment they weren’t fire flies, but the lights across the water coming on because it was getting dark. Oh well, living in the city you took beauty where you could get it.

Matthew turned to her and took her shoulders in his hands. “You look lovely tonight. Thank you for coming out with me. I'm sorry for the way I acted. I really do like you, and I just want to help you. Sometimes I come off harsh when I talk about work. I won't do it again.”

That was more like it, Hailey thought.

He leaned down and pressed his lips to hers, causing them to tingle, and she brought her arms around his neck to give him the option to deepen it. It was a perfect moment for a kiss and his tongue ran along the outside of her mouth prompting her to open for him. She let him in and a dizzy warmth rushed through her body. He tightened his arms around her waist and pushed his tongue against hers, taking her cue. A perfect kiss for the perfect moment and it was over too soon.

“Well, you have plans tomorrow with Jasper?” Matthew asked pulling her from her head swimming moment.

“Um, yes, we have some stuff to go over. You want to go out again? I won't be with him all day. I'm sure we can make it work.”

“Oh yeah sure.” Matthew’s eyes were darting all over the place, but refusing to land on Hailey's face.

Hailey wanted to get his full attention, so she could try to read his face, but his dodgy demeanor wasn't allowing it. Part of her thought it was because they’d kissed and he’d been as taken by it as she was.

“Great that will be fun. Just text me and let me know what time you want to go out.” She hesitated with the next part. “Or if you want to, you can come back to my place.”

Leaning toward him, she put a hand on his arm. She wanted him to know she wouldn’t mind if things escalated. This was a bold move for her, but she was trying to live her life instead of letting it pass her by. He smiled at her, not saying anything, and she thought he might kiss her again, but he pulled her into a hug.

“I would, but I have a lot of things to do tomorrow, and I should probably get to bed. I’ll take a rain check though.” He didn’t even wait to walk her back to the road to hail a cab; he just took off walking back toward the restaurant. “I had a great time tonight, Hailey,” he said over his shoulder.

Hailey was left with a mix of emotions. On the one hand, she had the mind-blowing kiss to think about, but on the other, there was his hot and cold attitude that left her confused. She wondered if she was doing something wrong. It had been a long time since she had a first date. He did explain he wanted to help her, and as much as she wanted that to be true, she couldn't help but throw up her guard. She realized she couldn't do anything until she saw him again and was able to gauge his reaction, so she pushed all thoughts of Matthew aside and walked to her car.

***

“You should get in on this, Jasper. It’s Grade A premium coke.” Liam the drummer of the Weeds was always trying to convince him he should do drugs with them.

Jasper never took them up on it. Why keep asking? He didn't know if they did it out of courtesy, or if they thought he would eventually take him up on their offer.

“No one will know for sure, you know,” Dustin said, going right along with Liam. “They think you do all the drugs and women anyway. You might as well have a little fun. In their minds, you are already guilty, so really it isn't like you would disappoint them.”

Jasper had done coke before when they first started to get a little bit of money. It just wasn’t for him. When he took it, he had been hoping it would open his artistic mind and allow him to create something special. All it did instead was make him jumpy where he couldn't sit down long enough to write one sentence. “It clouds my brain and I can’t get any writing done.”

“You haven’t been writing any at all anyway,” Liam said, and Dustin hit him. “It’s true, D, you don’t have to slap me. We have been feeding our fans that shit for a while now.”

“Actually I have something I wanted to play for you guys. It’s raw, so it’s not going to be ready for the public or anything, but I wanted to run it by you.” Jasper wasn't going to tell them about his newest project until later, if at all. Their goading had struck a nerve, and he wanted them to see he hadn't completely sold out in life.

“Hell, yes,” Dustin forever the cheerleader said as he moved forward. “See Liam you don’t know what you’re talking about. Lay it on us.”

Jasper tuned his guitar, strummed a few notes to get his pitch, and launched into his song. He had been scribbling relentlessly in his tattered notebook. So much so, he had to get another one. The song was about a girl who was pretty inside and out but hid herself from the world. She was a bright spot in the darkness and didn’t know her own light. He sang about the hurt he felt seeing the light trying to be extinguished by her own demons.

He hadn’t realized the song was about Hailey, but now that he was singing it, there was no one else it could have been about. She had infiltrated his mind more than he had realized. He had fun hanging out with her lately, but it seemed his brain knew something he was still figuring out. She was the one who hid herself in all her big clothes; she was the one who was helping him be himself. She was special. The ending lyrics came to him as he sang, and he hurried to write them down once he’d finished singing.

“There you have it, mates. My new lyrics.”

Both men stared at him for a minute, making Jasper extremely nervous. Finally, Dustin broke the silence: “That was sick, man, really good. You have to play that for the label.”

Jasper became panicked; it was his, and he wasn’t sure he wanted anyone else to have it. He wasn’t sure what had possessed him to start singing it the way he did. Well he was pretty sure he knew, but he wasn't ready to admit it to himself or anyone else.

“No, it’s not ready yet, that was just for you guys. I’ll share it when it’s ready.”

“Jasper, you’re writing again. You have to embrace this burst of creativity. You have to give the label something to salivate over. If you do, maybe they will let us use our own stuff again. I would love to play something with substance again.”

“I’ll think about it, Dustin, let’s just practice, okay?” Jasper’s skin itched, and he needed to expend some of the erratic energy built up inside of him.

They practiced for around an hour when someone came and knocked on the door. Liam ran to answer, letting the band know he was ready for a break. When Liam moved from the doorway, Jasper got his first look at the intruders. They were girls, four of them and from the gleam in their eyes they were ready to party. Jasper knew they were there for the coke and any progress they made at practice was probably out the door. One of the girls had hair the color of Hailey’s, and he wondered what Hailey was doing before going to pour himself a drink.

“I love the new song, Jasper. I listen to it when I'm working out all the time.” The redhead had slid up beside him when he wasn’t paying attention to her, now standing in front of him.

“Thanks, it’s crap though. I didn’t write it.” He wanted her to know his tone meant he didn’t care about it.

“I thought you wrote all your songs?” She scooted up onto the cabinet he was mixing his drink on and smiled.

“I didn’t write that crap. Look in the album at the fine print, you’ll see that I didn’t write it. A lot of the shit that’s out there today isn’t written by the artist. It will open your mind to the world of bullshit out there, little girl.” He swigged his drink. Obviously, his tone didn't deter her.

The girl bristled. “I’m not a little girl. I’m twenty-one.”

Jasper laughed and walked away from her sinking onto the couch to watch his bandmates, as they got incredibly high and attempted to flirt with other twenty-one-year-old girls.

Jasper got up and went to the corner with his drink. He scowled into it and clinked the ice on the side of the glass. He felt as if he was in the middle of something big. With the scandal Tara had thrown him in, Jasper knew he had a choice he needed to make. And from the conflicting thoughts in his head, he needed to make it soon.

He could dive into the life he pretended to live. Finally agree to take the drugs offered to him at every practice or after every gig. Become the bad boy rock star and stop giving some of the proceeds of his merch’ sales to the different charities he anonymously sponsored. He wouldn't jump into a relationship like he did with Tara. That was where he needed to be smarter if he chose that lifestyle.

Or, he could stop pretending to be something he wasn't. Actually, let his fans and the label know he wasn't the bad influence he was made out to be. Stop singing the cookie-cutter shit forced down his throat and start singing from his heart again. Even if that meant losing the label and maybe his band. It wouldn't be the first time he had to sing in dive bars just to pile up enough money to pay rent and get some groceries.

Both choices terrified Jasper. He stared at the bottom of his glass as he tried to figure out what his next step should be. The bottom of the glass refused to answer his question. With disappointment and anger, Jasper threw back the last of his drink chomping on the melting ice cube. He wasn't any closer to figuring out what he should do next.

Hailey immediately came to mind, but with Jasper on the cusp of a breakthrough as to where his life should go, he pushed thoughts of her away. He knew what Hailey would want him to do, and as nice and fluffy as that decision sounded, it had the chance of ruining what he had worked so hard to make for himself and his friends. He might complain about the label and the restraints they were constantly putting around him, but he loved the freedom it afforded him. At least it used to afford him before they blew up and became famous. Now that freedom was being restricted with annoyingly pop-like lyrics.

Jasper got up and walked to the sink to make himself another drink. Liam had his hand creeping up one girl’s leg while she kissed her friend. Dustin had two of his own on his lap. Both girls were taking turns making out with him and Dustin was valiantly trying to pay attention to both girls.

Jasper abandoned his half-made drink and went to grab his gear to put it away.

“Hey, man. Why don't you join us?” Liam said not moving his hand.

Jasper shook his head at him now with the same girl that was trying to hit on him when they walked in. “Nah, I'm going to get out of here.” Jasper walked toward the door.

“Come play with us,” one of the girls said, rubbing her body as if that would entice him to stay.

“I'm going to go play somewhere else. Have fun. Don't get too messed up tonight, guys. We have practice tomorrow and the label is getting pissed at us for missing so much.”

“When did you become such a wanker?” Liam yelled at his back.

Jasper shut the door not bothering to answer him, and not really having an answer for him.

Chapter Seven

Hailey arrived home from work with simple plans to have some Chinese food and watch movies. She had a desire to call Matthew and invite him over to make herself feel better, but when she reached for her cell, she couldn't make herself dial the number. He hadn’t really talked to her at work that day and he was sending her mixed signals. Was he embarrassed to be around her? It certainly seemed that he only wanted to talk to her when they were alone.

She’d even gone by his office, but he’d been on the phone. After he’d held up one finger and continued talking, she gave up and went to lunch on her own. She wasn’t getting a great feeling in her gut about his intentions with her anymore. Hailey tried to convince herself that he was busy with work, and she shouldn't let him cause her to be self-conscience. He had clients too. There had to be a reasonable explanation. Even as she thought it, she didn't wholeheartedly agree. She’d picked up the phone again to place her take-out order, when it rang and scared her.

Hailey's heart stopped. Could it be Jasper calling? She didn't have time to think why she wished it were Jasper. Shouldn't she have wanted it to be Matthew? When she saw the name on the screen, she knew this phone call was going to be better than any silly boy's call.

“Hello, stranger!” Her friend Sam yelled on the other end. “You’re coming out with me tonight, I don’t know what to make of this whole Jasper Daly thing, and I need details.”

“What are you even talking about, Sam?” Hailey hadn’t had a chance to speak to her friend, so she hadn’t mentioned that she had taken on his account. The only way she could know, was if someone else had told her.

“There’s a picture of you with him in the park, he’s holding your hand. The gossip columns are going nuts, Google Jasper and girl in the park. I also read the blog post Jemma did on what happened with Jasper and that crazy bitch Tara. It was fantastic. His statement screamed that it was written by Hailey. Well, only because I know you. Now I want every dirty drop of gossip I can wring out of you. So get ready because I’m coming over and we’re going out. You can’t avoid me when you’re seeing a celebrity. I can’t believe you would keep something like that from me.” Sam yelled even louder than when she’d answered the phone. Her tone was one she used when she was going to get her way.

“We aren’t seeing each other, Sam,” she started to say, but her friend had already hung up and probably was calling a cab to come over at the moment.

Hailey didn't have much time before Sam arrived. Even in traffic, it wouldn't take her long to make the short ride over to Hailey's apartment. Shuffling around in her bag Hailey pulled out her tablet and Googled Jasper and the girl in the park like Sam had told her to. Sure enough, hundreds of pictures of the two of them on the morning they’d spent in Central Park popped up. Under most of the pictures, bloggers and entertainment gurus were speculating who the mysterious girl was. Some even went as far as to assume she was the one that would be the one to turn Jasper on the straight and narrow path of goodness. Hailey snorted, hoping that assumption was correct. If she could pull off this job, it was going to set her up for an amazing career in PR.

Hailey stashed her tablet back in her bag and got off the couch. Knowing Sam, she wouldn’t leave her alone until she did. Reluctantly she looked in her cabinets for something she could eat quickly. Sam would be plying her with drinks in order to get the low-down. Hailey wanted to get a jump on tonight. Settling on peanut butter and jelly, she made herself a sandwich and ate it while figuring out what to wear. After a quick shower, she threw on a long flowing tank top and a pair of wide legged pants. Just as she was getting her plate cleaned, Sam knocked on the door.

“Hello, Hailey.” She beamed at her when she walked in. “Just once I’d love to see you wear something tight and sexy.” Sam eyed her clothing, as if she wore garbage instead of the sensible outfit she had on.

“What’s wrong with this? It's not that bad. It was my grandma's favorite tank.”

“You hide yourself beneath all the big clothes you wear. I don’t know why. You’ve got a hot figure.”

Hailey followed Sam into the kitchen.

“Thank you, but I like to be comfortable, and that would make me uncomfortable.” She indicated Sam’s tight purple dress with cutouts beneath both breasts.

“What does Jasper think of your choice of clothing?” Sam raised an eyebrow as she pulled a bottle of champagne from her bag.

“That’s what I was telling you, you didn’t let me finish. Jasper is my client, I’m managing his social media, but we aren’t together. I can’t believe you thought he’d go for me.”

“Well why not? You’re as hot as any of those bimbos he dates, but you’re smart. That’s the kicker, you’ve got the looks and the brains. Hell, I would date you if I went that way!”

“You’re really into building up my confidence today, Sam, but I promise there’s nothing going on there. I’ve actually been sort of seeing a guy from work.”

“Matthew?” Sam rummaged around for glasses.

“Yes, actually, he finally asked me out.” Hailey wanted to ask Sam what she thought of his abrupt departure and strange behavior at work, but she left it at that. Sam was a straight shooter and didn't pull punches when you asked her a question. After the week Hailey had, she wasn't sure she could handle anything that wasn't coated in sugar.

“Well good for you. Cheers to us having a spectacularly good night.”

Once they finished their champagne, Sam called Uber to come and get them and they were off. She always insisted on going to the loudest and most crowded clubs. Hailey cringed at the thought and remembered Jasper's reaction when she told him he needed to go talk to the paparazzi. She empathized with Jasper's claustrophobia. It was like the more people there were in a tiny spot the more fun Sam could have. They got in immediately because the bouncer knew Sam. Sam abandoned Hailey in the middle of a ton of people to get them both shots. She reappeared later with shots and dragged Hailey to the side where she’d found a table. They sat down and clinked their glasses together before slugging them down.

“Okay, so Matthew asked you out, and you went out. What happened afterwards?” Sam said, twirling her empty shot glass.

“Well, actually it was kind of weird,” Hailey started to say.

“Sam!” A loud booming voice was yelling right beside Hailey’s ear. She turned to see a large man in a vest without a shirt underneath, crouched down and staring at her friend.

“Tom!” Sam screeched.

The random guy, who was probably no more than a past hookup, squeezed to sit next to Sam before whispering in her ear. Hailey sighed, her shoulders rounding forward. She’d wanted Sam’s opinion, but any chance of a meaningful conversation was out the window. Hailey took the empty shot glasses and went to the bar to get another.

“Hey, hey you.” A drunk girl at the bar leaned over toward her nearly falling off her stool.

Hailey moved to catch her. When she seemed balanced back on the stool, Hailey let go.

“I know you. You were with Jasper. I know you.” The slurred words were cut off when the man next to her pulled the girl back upright, as she started to fall over again. He scolded her, and they argued, forgetting Hailey was standing next to her.

Hailey found herself wishing she’d never gone where there would be photographers and Jasper in the same place. Jasper might have been used to being in the spotlight, but Hailey was not. She hated the way she looked in pictures, and now drunk strangers in bars had seen her and recognized her. She ordered another shot and a drink for both of them, figuring it was going to be a long night, before making her way back to the table where Sam and Tom were now making out.

Hailey now understood why Sam had asked her out tonight. Sam and her DJ must be on the outs. This was what Sam always did. She’d apologize the next day for being such a bad friend, and then she’d do it again when she and her next boy-toy broke up. It didn’t matter how many times it happened. Hailey made a decision to tell her the next day that she would no longer go out with her alone anymore. She was already weirded out that someone had recognized her. It would have to be with a group, or no go. She wouldn’t give in either. This was the last straw.

Sam and Tom didn’t pay her any attention as she sipped her drink and downed both her and Sam's shot. They eventually got up from the table and left her. She assumed they were going to the bathroom to get it on, or to the dance floor. With Sam, you could never be sure. The outcome would be the same either way. Now she had to decide if she should stay and be the lonely girl sipping her vodka at a table where more drunks might recognize and accost her, or if she should pack up and leave.

She found herself wondering what Jasper was doing and before she knew it, she was slipping into the hallway away from the loud music and people to call him. When he answered, she didn’t even say hello. Her brain was screaming at her to abandon whatever crazy plot she came up with. Being alone while drinking was a bad thing.

“What does it mean when a guy asks you out and spends the whole time talking about work? Then he kisses you but doesn’t want to stay over. Then he’s weird at work?” she blurted out.

“Sounds like it means he’s an asshole. This that brown-nosing guy?” Jasper's smooth accent was soothing to her ears.

“One and the same,” she said, smiling that Jasper still didn’t approve of Matthew’s praise. It made her feel validated.

“Why don’t you come over? I'm just leaving practice. We can have a conversation about it. Where are you anyway?”

“I’m at the club with my friend Sam and she’s abandoned me for random bathroom sex like she always does.”

“She always has random bathroom sex?”

“No, but she always leaves me hanging for a guy. It never fails, it’s why I’ve decided I’m not going out with her alone anymore.” Hailey's filter must have fallen asleep, because she was saying things she never normally would have.

“Okay, well that sounds like a good plan.” He laughed, and she felt all tingly inside. It could have also been the alcohol, seeing as how she didn’t often drink that heavily.

“Okay, I’ll see you soon. I don't want to be alone. You won't leave me for some random bathroom hook-up, will you?”

“Never,” he answered, sounding sincere.

Hailey might have been a little tipsy, but she did take a minute to question going over to a rock star’s hotel room by herself. Even drunk, she still had a sense of self-preservation. Was she just asking for trouble or sending him the wrong message and did she care? She contemplated it and shrugged it off as she threw her phone in her purse.

“Hey, I know you.”

Hailey turned around and faced yet another drunk girl stumbling toward her.

“You were with Jasper.”

Hailey tried to smile politely and walk past her.

“No, you tell me what it is that’s so special about you. You’re not pretty, what the hell are you even wearing?” The girl grabbed her shirt and tugged at it.

“Back off, you crazy drunk.” Hailey wasn’t really in the mood for some crazy girl, so she pushed past her. Jasper had made her feel better about being ditched. No drunk woman was going to make her feel bad.

The girl toppled over on her high heels and hit the floor. “You bitch,” she screeched as she struggled to get up.

Hailey made her quick exit before she could find her feet. “There’s a girl in the hallway who can’t stand up straight. She just fell over back there.” Hailey pointed for one of the bouncers and then called a cab to go over to Jasper’s place. She gave the driver the address and then took a compact out of her purse to try to make herself look decent. Her cheeks had the pink flush they got when she was drunk and they stood out against her bright hair.

She could have looked worse, so she decided not to worry about it. Besides, she wasn’t trying to impress anyone, was she?

***

Jasper decided to stop and get some food before he met up with Hailey. He was once again going to give her advice about a guy he didn’t think appreciated her. There was something about Matthew that rubbed him the wrong way, and what Hailey blurted out when he’d answered the phone confirmed it. He couldn’t quite put his finger on what he didn't like besides the way he treated Hailey, but he knew there was more. He stopped by the ABC store first for a little whiskey to have with his dinner. It was going to be a long night if Hailey wanted to talk about Matthew's advances.

He wanted to get her something too, in case she was hungry, and picked up way too many dumplings and eggrolls with rice and noodles. If she’d been drinking, which judging by her cute slurring words she had, she’d definitely welcome some junk food.

His phone rang while he was waiting for his order. “Don’t be mad.” It was Dustin.

“When you start out by saying that nothing good can come of it.”

“So I was recording tonight at practice, like always. I captured your new song for Hugh and he loved it. He had me play it for the label, and they loved it. They think it’s a hit, better yet they think you’ve got your mojo back and are ready to move forward with a new album.”

“Why would you do that without asking me first, Dustin? I played that for you guys in private on purpose. It’s not ready for anyone to hear but me.” Jasper tightened his hold on the bags. That song, out of all the songs he had ever written, was his. It was special, and he didn't want the label tainting it. Or even worse, selling it to someone for covers, there was a lot that could happen when you were owned by a label and he was paranoid about all of it.

“Dude, listen, you doubt yourself. You said so tonight. I wanted to show you that you’re doing well again man. This is what we need right now, our songwriter writing. We are going to be so on point.”

“They’re going to let me write all the songs on the album and quit with this catchy throwaway song bullshit?” Jasper tried to talk through his anger.

“I can’t promise you that, but it’s something we can talk about. I think you should go with it. If your writing is back, then get some stuff together for the label and we’ll demo it for them. It would be amazing if we could ditch the cookie-cutter shit we have been pushing out.”

“Dude, do you know how much pressure that puts on me? Did you not see the bullshit Tara just pulled? I have a lot on my plate.” Jasper felt the walls pushing in on him, his anxiety building up.

“Okay, I get it. This is what you want though. Writing your own stuff and having it out there. Just think about it.”

“Alright fine, I’ll think about it. I’ve gotta go.”

Jasper paid for all the food and headed to his hotel, a mix of emotions going through his head. On the one hand, it was great that the label wanted his original music to be part of the next album. On the other, he felt betrayed by Dustin that he’d played something personal like that with no regard for his thoughts on the matter. Maybe he’d ask Hailey what she thought. She seemed to be in the mood to talk; maybe she’d help him clear his head.

Chapter Eight

Jasper walked out of the restaurant whistling until he ran into Tara. All positive thoughts rushed from his head.

“How convenient to run into you out here in public.” She had an evil grin on her face.

He wanted to be anywhere but where he was. She’d put on a blonde wig so she wasn’t recognizable to everyone around her yet, but since Jasper drew attention, soon they’d all recognize her too. He hoped she wasn’t going to make a scene. He had enough of her crazy for a lifetime. “Tara, I really want to go home and not deal with any drama tonight.”

“This,” she pointed between the two of them, “isn’t over. I don’t get dumped and I certainly don’t get dumped by sell-out rock stars.”

He was telling himself not to engage her because that’s what she wanted. It would be so easy to tell her what a piece of crap he thought she was. He needed to be the bigger person, so he decided to play it cool. He assumed Hailey would think he did the right thing because it was the only defense he had out in the street staring down the she-devil herself.

He leaned back against the wall and let her throw a fit. His face a mask of indifference. It actually made him happy to see people taking out their phones to record the exchange. If he played it right, Tara would be digging herself in an even bigger hole than the one she was in. First, she grabbed his food and threw it on the ground. He cringed and hoped the deliciousness wouldn’t be ruined when he was able to get it back. Jasper wouldn't try to retrieve it with Tara near him. Bending down would give her his back and he didn't trust her not to hurt him physically. She got into his face and slapped him once, showing him he’d made the right decision on not getting the food. When he still didn’t respond, she started to yell. Not getting the reaction she wanted, Tara lost it.

“You think you’re such hot shit. I could take you down with one phone call, one!”

He wasn’t sure what that meant exactly, but he remained leaning against the wall, letting her do what she wanted to do. Her face was turning red, and she started to stumble over her words. He took this as a sign that he was winning. Hailey would be proud of him.

“He’s bad in bed,” she said loudly to the people who’d gathered to watch her. She must have thought his ego was tied to his love making skills. If that was the best she could come up with, he had nothing to worry about.

He smiled at her as she stomped around in circles like an agitated cat.

“You think you’re such a big man because you can treat women however you want. You can’t, you’re nothing. I saw you go on Jemma. Jemma loves me. I’ll tell her all about you and she’ll love it. The exclusive interview with Tara Jackson on what really happened between her and Jasper. I can see it now.”

Jasper had to wonder if she really read what Jemma had said about him. If she had, and she thought Jemma was on her side, she was crazier than he thought. Tara had a flair for the dramatic, but he couldn’t see Jemma actually agreeing to such an interview after the calm and peaceful one he’d given.

“I know you just went on there to try and look like the good guy, but you’re not, far from it. And I won't stop until everyone knows it.” She was screaming at the top of her lungs and had been most of the time she’d been talking to him.

All he’d done was chilled on the wall, as he thought about the food he had on the ground. He would just let her yell at him thinking she’d give up, but he was growing tired of it. He was hungry and Hailey would be over at his apartment soon.

He watched her melt down and then finally he had enough. He picked up his food giving her his back, but not caring anymore, and took off for the car. He could see Carl chuckling in the front seat and he winked at him when he slid inside.

“My food’s getting cold, Carl, let’s go. Thanks for the help by the way.”

“You seemed to be doing a fantastic job. You didn't need me.” Carl laughed as he pulled away from the curb.

Hailey sat outside Jasper’s door on the floor and looked up at him as he walked up. She looked good. She realized as she pulled herself up from the floor that she was more than tipsy. As she stood, she pitched forward catching herself on the wall. He reached out to try to steady her, and she waved him off.

“Hello, Little Bird.”

“I’m okay, I just stood too fast, you know how that is.”

“Sure, here let me get the door for you.”

She grabbed his arms. “Do I smell Chinese food?”

“You do, but it’s probably smashed because I ran into Tara at the restaurant.”

“You what?” she followed him inside.

He handed her a bag with the dumplings so she could dig in. “Let me wash up and I’ll tell you all about it.”

“These are all for you?” she yelled after him.

“No, I got enough for both of us.”

He heard crinkling as she opened the bag and seconds later, she was making loud yum sounds. His stomach rumbled and he couldn’t wait to dig into the food as well.

“This is amazing. I don’t drink that often. This is amazing. I said that already.” She was adorable and he couldn’t help but laugh at her as he bit into an eggroll.

“So Tara came at me outside the restaurant if you can believe that. She attacked me and I just stood there.”

“Tell me there were people around. Oh wait first did she hurt you?” Hailey was bouncing and covering her full mouth with a hand.

“No, she didn't hurt me, and yes there were and they were recording. She flipped out. She was yelling at me, and she threw our food down. It was crazy.”

“I can’t believe she did that. I swear I’ve met crazy bitches, but she takes the cake for sure.”

“She truly is having her Britney moment. It’s sad because she’s not that famous yet. She could be, but now she’s going about it in such a horrible way, I feel like it would be hard to come back from this.”

“I agree with you completely. She’s digging such a hole for herself.”

“You want a whiskey and coke?” he asked before going back into the kitchen.

“Sure.”

“She brought up Jemma and how Jemma loved her and would have her on her show for an exclusive.”

“That’s a huge laugh. Jemma practically said she was good for business but not good for her followers.”

***

Hailey felt like the buzz was wearing off, but she was enjoying just talking to Jasper.

“I know I love that she’s scrambling, I just don’t know when things got so crazy.” His mood had shifted. That look was in his eye, the one he got before he switched gears on her.

“It will get better, Jasper. She has to give up, eventually. We just have to remain positive, you did really well tonight, not engaging her, you know that right?”

“I know, it’s just hard.” He sighed and took a big chug of whiskey.

“Is that why you drink, because you miss her. I mean what you had before she went crazy?”

“I don’t miss anything about her, she was toxic to me.”

“I mean there was sex so there had to be some feelings involved, right?” She was reaching, and she wasn’t exactly sure what she was reaching for.

“No, if you want to know the honest truth, I drink because I hate being famous.”

“You do?”

“Really! People would say that they would kill to be in my shoes, that I have everything I could want, and I’m being really selfish and petty. The thing is I was happy singing in dive bars and not knowing where our next gig was coming from. I felt authentic that way, now I just feel like a sell-out.”

“Wow, Jasper, I had no idea you felt that way.” Hailey didn’t know what to think. It was hard to imagine someone hating fame, but she thought about how it would make her feel. She would feel exposed, and that’s why she could see where he was coming from.

“So let’s talk about Matthew.” Just like that, he’d switched gears. He was back to being avoidance Jasper. She knew there was no use trying to get anything out of him after that.

“Well yeah, he just kind of kissed me and ran. We had a nice kiss after an okay date. For a while, he just talked about work but then I felt like he was listening to me. It was after the kissed that he turned kind of short on me. I invited him back to my place, and he declined and left. Was that wrong? Should I have just let him walk off and leave it like it was?”

“He just left when you invited him back to your house?”

“Yes, so of course I think there’s something wrong with me.”

“There’s nothing wrong with you Hailey. He probably just became intimidated and didn’t want to embarrass himself.”

“So… you think he wanted to come back with me? That he just freaked and got too nervous?” Hailey ran that over in her mind. It was possible. Jasper was more in-tune to what a man would be thinking than she was.

“I know if it was me, I definitely would have gone back to your place.” Jasper smiled at her almost shyly and she was a little taken aback.

“That’s really nice of you to say, I think.” Hailey laughed, and she felt a little attracted to him. Really, who was she kidding, she was a lot attracted to him. It just wasn’t good business to get involved with your client.

She finished the dumpling she was eating, and moved away from the food and on the couch. “I’m going to be so fat, but that was so good.”

“You are not going to be fat, Hailey. You need to have more confidence in yourself. You have a good figure and you’re young, you need to show it off.”

She knew her clothing wasn’t the most flattering, but they were comfortable. And they reminded her of her grandma. Why couldn't people just see she was beautiful on the inside? She hated the superficial stuff on the outside.

“Thank you, I’m just more comfortable in loose fitting clothing. That’s all.”

***

He meant it, he would have taken her up on her offer to go home with her. The fact that she was in his home right now was dangerous. He’d just given her a lot of information about himself, once again oversharing to the strange little bird who seemed to be around when he was feeling truthful.

“I can’t imagine being famous,” she said and sipped on the drink. “I wouldn’t last a week. I can barely stand the anxiety of being at your side as little as I am.”

“Well that’s upsetting.” Smirking, he slid over on the couch closer to her. “I enjoy every minute I get to be at your side.”

Her cheeks flushed, but he was disappointed when she slid away from him just enough that he noticed.

“You know that’s not what I meant.”

“I don’t know, Little Bird. I can’t read you sometimes.” Jasper reached out without thinking about it and touched her hair.

She jerked and turned to face him.

“I can’t read you sometimes either, Jasper.” She stood from the couch and moved across the room from him.

He wanted to follow her across the room, but he didn’t want to pressure her in any way.

“What do you mean?”

“I mean sometimes you say one thing but act a different way, or act one way and say something different. You confuse me. I know you are a nice guy. I can see it, but then you turn around and become Jasper the Jerk. It’s like you’re always battling with the real you and whatever façade you think you need to be in order to protect yourself. Sometimes I see this complex person, and then you change and you’re just another skirt-chasing hormone-charged man.”

“Is that what you think of Matthew, that he’s just after your skirt?” Jasper asked, not sure why, but he wanted the subject away from him.

“No, if he was anything like that he would have taken me up on my offer. No, I think he just doesn’t want me for some reason, and I’m basically trying to force him to.”

“I’m not like that you know.”

“Could have fooled me, Big Bird,” Hailey said, pacing back and forth in front of him. She was worked up into a frenzy. “There was Tara and then all the comments about boobs.”

Jasper stood. “Don’t you understand that’s a defense mechanism?” He moved across the room to her and she backed away.

“Against what?”

“People seeing who I am. You seeing who I am. I don’t want you to get too close, Hailey, I’ll only disappoint you.”

“Well,” her voice lowered, “Maybe you’re worth the risk.”

For a minute he believed her; maybe he could be good for her. Maybe they could be together somehow. A relationship wasn’t the most far-fetched thing when they were this close. He leaned in and put one hand on the side of her face. She closed her eyes, as he moved forward, and her hand ran up his arm. His body tingled with anticipation, and he was so close to kissing her, but he hesitated. That split second he waited was all it took.

Her eyes flew open, and she backed away quickly. “No, this was a mistake. I’m sorry, Jasper. I shouldn’t have come here.”

She moved toward the door and he wanted to go after her, but he just stared. He didn’t move, as she went out the door, her footsteps going down the hall. It wasn’t until he’d stood staring at the door for a minute that he realized he needed her to stay. They needed to talk about what just happened before it was awkward between them.

“Wait, Hailey,” he yelled.

She was long gone and out of the building. He caught up to her while she was trying to hail a cab. With no cab stopping, she crossed the street quickly and started down the sidewalk.

He cursed and looked both ways fast before he went after her. Somehow he must have missed the cab that was coming incredibly fast. He heard the horn and turned to see its bright lights before the impact hit him. Things slowed down. He heard Hailey yell his name, he felt his body bend awkwardly as the cab smashed him in the side, and he felt his face hit the hood. After that, his body rolled off the cab and onto the ground. His ears started to ring with a high-pitched whine consuming all other sound, and his vision slowly narrowed until everything was black.

Continue reading in Managed 2. Go here to find out more.

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