Total pages in book: 92
Estimated words: 88586 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 443(@200wpm)___ 354(@250wpm)___ 295(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 88586 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 443(@200wpm)___ 354(@250wpm)___ 295(@300wpm)
“The headlines practically write themselves! ‘Former best friends’ feud tore a loving couple to shreds. Were they jealous? Is there a double meaning to the band names? What really happened’?” Charlie smacked his desktop noisily. “And how about this one? Where is Xena now? Do you see the potential catastrophe?”
“Hold up. Are you saying Xena can use the fact that Dec and I went to elementary school together to get the spotlight back on her?” I asked.
“Yes, exactly. You told her a secret, then Tegan spilled a drink all over Petra, and she’s wondering if there’s a reason. So, guess who she called for info?”
I crossed my arms. “You?”
“Wrong. Xena. And get this…Xena told her Dec is leaving Scratch Records, joining her management team, and that he’s playing at Carmichael’s with her at the end of November. Where the fuck did that come from?”
Dec winced. “Xena called me. Well, I called her, actually.”
“What?”
“Relax, Char. It’s not what you think.” Dec quickly explained Xena’s recent proposal. “I told her I wasn’t interested. I stopped responding to her texts and—hmm, she did mention an interview, but…”
“Can I see the text?”
Dec pulled up the message and handed his phone to Charlie. “Something about exchanging her drummer and manager for an interview. Details to follow.”
Charlie slid his cell toward him and closed his eyes briefly. “Do you see why I’m on the verge of a nervous breakdown now? I found five gray hairs this morning…thank you, and fuck you very much.”
Dec winced. “I don’t see how—”
The door swung open before he could finish his sentence, and in walked Charlie’s dad.
Sebastian Rourke was the movie mogul responsible for the popular Baxter Chronicles franchise, and he was the definition of a silver fox: tall, salt and pepper, and very handsome. He had a reputation for being a jovial steamroller. The kind of guy who used everything in his arsenal to get a job done…looks, charm, brains, bribery. I respected him for sure, but I was leery of his involvement with anything having to do with Zero after our flubbed soundtrack deal a couple of years ago. And I was more confused than ever.
“Hey, there! How’s it going?” Sebastian flashed a broad grin as he shook hands with Dec and me. He greeted Charlie with a bear hug, tousling his hair playfully, then perching on the corner of his desk. “I have ten minutes. My driver is waiting. How can I help?”
“I just finished explaining our dilemma to Dec and Tegan, Dad. We need PR advice. How do I take control of this story? We can’t let Xena use Scratch Records to launch her career.”
“Whoa! I don’t get it,” I huffed. “What does any of this have to do with music?”
“Nothing. Music isn’t the point. The story is,” Charlie insisted.
Sebastian held an authoritative hand up. “Here’s the deal. Music is amazing, but stories sell. Xena obviously learned that lesson and it’s true. Don’t shove your scandal under the carpet. It’s there. Leave it alone and give your fans something else to speculate about.”
Charlie frowned. “Like what?”
“Something simple that you can undo easily.” Sebastian shrugged. “But keep it sexy. Sex sells.”
“I cannot believe my father is telling me to keep it sexy,” Charlie groused, laying his forehead on the desk.
Sebastian chuckled. “Hey, it works like a charm. And you’re not the focus, Char. Tegan and Dec are. So, let’s brainstorm scandals. Leaked sex tapes, naked pics, kissing pics, married lover, child with ex, child together…”
“Those are terrible ideas, Dad. We need something interesting for Tegan and—”
“I’m not interesting at all,” I protested. “I’m the fucking drummer. Find someone else.”
“Who? Justin? I think not. First of all, he’s too unpredictable, and his boyfriend is my other dad,” Charlie said.
“It has to be you two. You’re the other persons of interest in the original scandal.” Sebastian glanced at his watch and stood. “I’ve got it! Do the ‘fake boyfriend’ thing.”
“That’s…not a terrible idea,” Charlie conceded. “But how would it work?”
“I’d suggest a slow simmer. We used that trick to pump up interest in the second Baxter movie. The lead actor and actress pretended to fall for each other during filming. We started by publishing photos of them having lunch together or leaning against each other while they read their lines. We held a press conference halfway through filming and planted a reporter who asked about their relationship. It was all innuendo. Brick by brick, we built a story out of thin air. Their fans ate it up. They bought up People and Us in the hopes of getting a snippet of info on their favorite new couple. Every week we gave them a little something more…feeding each other French fries, a trip to the zoo, holding a door open, then finally—holding hands.”
“Didn’t they kiss?”
Sebastian winced. “Yeah, but I had to nix those shots. They were crap. ’Cause the truth was…they hated each other’s guts. It came through in every pic. But their fans never knew. They were wild for their story…and they couldn’t wait to see that movie! It was a fucking blockbuster.”