Collaring Chaz (Dante's Infernal #2) - Joel Abernathy Page 0,82
Dante wrapped things up, they were screaming ecstatically.
The second we were backstage, I grabbed Chaz again and pinned him up against the wall. He was still breathless from the show, but I kissed him until we were both on the verge of passing out anyway.
“You have no fucking idea how glad I am to see you,” I muttered, looking him over, since it had been a few days since I’d seen him while he wrapped shit up with Sterling’s label, and that was too damn long.
“Drake called me and told me you were in a bind, and I didn’t have anything else going on, so…” He shrugged, and the casual answer made me worry I had celebrated too soon, but he was here. That was enough.
“Glad you did,” Cash said with a snort. “Raf’s a fucking nightmare when you’re not here to keep him in line.”
“Yeah, I think he’s worse than me,” Dante agreed.
“Well, I wouldn’t say that,” Cash teased.
Dante flipped him off lovingly before looking back at Chaz with a cautiously hopeful smile that echoed what I was feeling. “So...does this mean you’ll come back, or not?”
Chaz opened his mouth to answer, but stopped, which didn’t bode well. If he wasn’t just blurting out his answer, that meant he’d thought about it and rehearsed it, which probably wasn’t good. “I don’t know...it really was just a one-time thing. As Organic Animal can tell you, I’m kind of a mess,” he said, sheepishly running a hand through his hair.
“So we’ll wait until you’re feeling better,” Dante said, taking a step toward him. I realized I was kind of a wall between Chaz and everyone else, so I reluctantly stepped back to his side. “I know Raf’s already given you the sales pitch, but he’s not the only one. We need you, Chaz. I need you. It’s not Dante’s Infernal without you, and I’m a dumbass for thinking it ever could be. We need you to come back, and we’ll do whatever it takes to make that happen.”
“Agreed,” Cash said, his broad arms folded as he wandered over to us and cast me a mischievous glance. “Well, almost anything. I think Raf’s got the rest covered.”
Chaz’s face turned red, but it was hard to tell if it was the joke, Dante’s words, or both. “That means a lot, but…” He hesitated, looking over at Drake. “I don’t think it’s really up to me.”
Everyone turned to look at him, and I must have been wearing my feelings a bit too obviously because Drake looked at me and scowled. “You can get that murderous look off your face.” He looked back to Chaz. “Of course you can come back. What do you think I’ve been dumping money on lawyers to accomplish? Technically, you haven’t actually formally agreed to voiding the contract anyway…”
Dante groaned, running a hand down his face. “Drake…”
“What?” he asked defensively. “I’m just saying, it’s not like we need to do a bunch of paperwork. Of course, there is the conflict of interest.”
“Conflict of interest?” Chaz echoed, frowning in confusion.
“You’ll have to find a way to balance it with your solo projects,” Drake answered matter-of-factly. “I’ve already got a producer lined up for your first full solo album.”
“You what?” Chaz croaked.
“Yeah. What the fuck, Drake?” I muttered.
“What? We need to capitalize on the momentum, and I knew he was going to come around eventually,” Drake scoffed. “You think I’ve gotten twenty-five years in this business by not being able to read the whims of artists?”
Chaz just stared blankly at him for a few seconds, and just when I was about to give in to old habits and jump to his defense for him, he spoke up.
“I don’t want to do that,” he said, cringing slightly. It was probably the first time he’d ever uttered those words in that order, and I found myself beaming like a proud parent. “Don’t get me wrong, I liked singing and writing songs, but I’m not cut out for the whole pop star thing. I like being part of a band, and I missed Cherry.” He gave the bass an affectionate glance.
“There’s another option,” said Dante. We all turned to look at him, and I knew the impish grin on his face well. “Sterling was right about a few things. You’re an amazing songwriter, and the band could use a makeover. I think we could do some pretty cool shit together...if you’re willing to give me another chance.”