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THE UPSTAIRS BAR STILL looked shit but, with the right lighting, it might work. I'd organized a photoshoot with Valerie. She was an art student who came into the bar sometimes and was happy to do it in return for a few drinks and her name on the guestlist for the bands. We'd use the shots for club promo and the guys could use them for their own promos too. Plus, she could put them in her portfolio. All-round win.
Val turned up early to arrange the lighting and set up for the shoot.
"Sorry, the place never looks great in the day," I said.
Luckily, we didn't get any sunlight in the place or the flaws would be even more noticeable. The cracked walls, the threadbare carpet, the shitty paintwork on the bar.
"No problems, I was thinking of going for a seedy bar look anyway." She laughed. "You know, dirty and gritty."
She’d definitely get that.
I'd told Drew to let the guys in when they arrived. I checked my watch, still a bit of time. Not long after that, Alex turned up.
"Thanks for setting this up," he said. "Sounds like a fun afternoon."
"No problems," I told him. "Thanks for turning up at such short notice."
He grinned at me. "I'm sure the guys are glad for a break from rehearsing. I've been working them into the ground. Still, a bit of hard work never killed anyone."
I could imagine just how hard Alex worked his band. He seemed like the kind of guy who never let up for a moment. A total perfectionist. And, while that might be as annoying as hell for his bandmates, I loved working with someone who didn't slack off and leave all the details to me. When it came to performing, I could trust Alex completely. There'd be no going on stage ten minutes late, no forgetting to tell people he was playing, then bitching because no one turned up. No drunken vomiting in the backstage room. Those were all things that made me giddy with delight.
"I've got some changes of clothes," he said, indicating the bag at his side. "I wasn't sure what kind of look we are going for today."
"Seedy and gritty, apparently."
He raised his eyebrow. "Sounds fun."
"You can head up if you like. We're just waiting on Razer."
I headed back to my office and got to work. After last night, I wasn’t sure I wanted to see Razer. The way I’d responded to him scared me.
Half an hour later, I realized I hadn't heard Razer arrive. No worries about that, he probably got Drew to let him in and was upstairs getting into the shoot. Still, I figured I should go to check on him.
When I got upstairs, I barely recognized the place. Val had put up those light reflecting things you use when you take photos all over the place. She'd rearranged things on the stage too. Alex posed, a red light flooding his body and highlighting the sleek curves of his muscles. He was dressed in a tight t-shirt and his signature leather pants. It looked like he had makeup on too. A bit of eyeliner that accentuated the sensuality of his eyes.
I wasn't there to check out Alex, even if heat flooded my body as I watched him pose. He let the t-shirt ride up to expose just a slither of his abs. A very tasty sliver.
Once the clicks of Val's camera stopped, I asked about Razer.
"He hasn't turned up," she said. "I wondered if something had happened. I thought you'd come up because you'd heard something."
"No, I assumed Drew had let him in." My stomach sank. Where the hell was he?
"I can get all the shots of Alex we need but I had some plans for a 'face-off' type shoot as well, with the two of them. If he gets here before Alex has to go, I can tee that up, then do his separately."
I nodded and got out my phone. His phone rang through to message bank, though. I silently cursed him, then not so silently.
"I'm not surprised," said Alex. "He's not the type to appreciate an opportunity like this. He might have the goods on stage but that guy doesn't have the business smarts to succeed in this industry."
I opened my mouth, my protest working on auto-pilot, then stopped. What could I say to that? Alex was right. Razer didn't have a business mind. I knew that. Why the hell was I even thinking of defending him?
"How long can you stick around?" I asked Alex.
"I've got a meeting with the designer you suggested at 4.00. That means I've got to be out of here by 3.30 at the latest."
I nodded. It was 2.30. That gave us time if Razer turned up soon. Very soon.
I tried calling him again. Still no answer.
Shit, what could I do? Hopefully, he was on his way and just had a flat battery or something.
Or maybe something had happened. I shuddered to think about things like car accidents – or worse if he was on that bike again. Surely, if he could, he'd call to say he was running late. I sent him a text telling him to get his arse to the club ASAP.
I flicked through my contacts and called Dazza.
"Have you heard from Razer? He's supposed to be at the club."
Dazza took a moment to answer. He probably had his mouth full of food.
"Nope, I don't know anything about it. Is it something I can help with?"
Dazza in a photoshoot? I didn't think so. He’d have to change out of his food-stained clothes for starters.
"If you hear from him, tell him to call me. It's urgent."
"Yep, boss."
Dazza hung up. I hoped he had the capacity to pass on that message. I tried Bill instead, hoping he wasn't at his day job and was able to answer the phone.
"Yeah, he mentioned the photoshoot at rehearsal last night. I'm surprised he's not there."
That made the panic rise in me. Where the hell was he? It'd be premature to start ringing hospitals. I paced around the room. The clock was ticking and I really wanted those pair shots. They were the ones we'd use for the club promos.
Alex changed for another shot. As he peeled his t-shirt off, I couldn't help but watch. I'm only human. He had a stomach that any woman would want to lick. You just had to wonder what it would taste like.
Val nudged me. "He's hot property, that one. And the camera loves him. He could be a model."
"Don't steal my rockers," I told her.
Alex put on a longer coat. Val set up a wind machine so that the coat blew out behind him. The effect was amazing. They'd put some different makeup on him and he looked almost unearthly. Like the kind of vampire you wouldn't mind biting you. I watched the photoshoot for a while, constantly checking my phone for a message from Razer.
A bang made me turn. Razer stood in the doorway. At least he wasn't dead or injured.
He sat down beside me. No apology. No explanation.
"What happened to you? You're late."
He shrugged. "An emergency turned up with the band."
"An emergency?" I rolled my eyes. "An emergency your bandmates knew nothing about when I called them?"
He flinched a little from my icy tone. As well he should. I gave him the once over. The ruffled hair, the crumpled clothes, the creased face. He'd just woken up.
"Sorry, Violet, I didn't realize this was so important to you."
I stood up and shot him a death stare.
"It's not important to me. It's important to you."