Stroke It - Brooke Page Page 0,1

really good move for our music. Just, be friendly. She’s young and fairly new. She probably has no idea she pissed you off so much.”

“My counter reaction should have given her the clue.” I may have told the press I hardly knew her and just happened to be sitting really close to her in a bar, not even realizing our interactions looked more than what they were. “It’s not my fault she had her hands all over me at that club, shit like that happens to us all of the time.”

“Sebastian seems to think if she performs with us, we’ll make a great sound.”

“Yeah, is that what Seb said?” My voice rose. “Let me tell you what he told me. Quote, ‘A high profile relationship would do wonders for your career, even if it’s not real’, end quote. Gunner, he’s not bringing her in for the music, he’s bringing her in so it looks like we have some bullshit on and off love relationship! He’s getting sucked into the media again. I don’t want to win fans over by being in a relationship with someone and doing some reality tv show. I want fans who love what I love, and that being music.”

He held up his hands. “Let’s not get carried away, there will be no reality show-”

I cut him off. “And, if Sebastian really thought it was a music issue, he’d be paranoid about making a good track in the studio with her, not having one rehearsal before performing at the biggest venue on the East Coast.”

Gunner ran his hand underneath his beanie, grabbing it from his head. His blond hair was slicked back. He hated keeping the sides shaved and the mop of hair on his head long, but did it to please Sebastian. That was the difference between Gunner and me. Seb wanted me to cut my hair and spike it up, while I told him, fuck you, and kept it shaggy. He didn’t control us, he only made suggestions, and I was more prone to give him the middle finger. I didn’t take orders from Sebastian unless I had to.

“You’re right,” he agreed. “But she’s going to sing with Rocket, too. I really think he wants more than just getting the tabloids to see the two of you together on stage.”

I began strumming my guitar. “Whatever, you believe what you want to believe.”

He tapped his fingers on the armrest. “Whatever happened between you and Raina, anyway?”

I tightened the cords on my guitar. “I played the good guy, and I got burned.”

Gunner waited for me to elaborate, but gave up when I kept my silence. Using the armrests to push himself upward, he let out a heavy breath.

“Consider this me talking to you in case Seb asks. I’m going to try and crash for an hour before we have to head to rehearsals.”

I huffed, annoyed with the whole situation.

“I ran into her downstairs, maybe you should talk to her before.”

“How the fuck would that help me?”

He shrugged. “Maybe there’s a reason she told the press that you two were a thing?”

“She did it for personal gain. You and I both know that,” I muttered.

“Probably,” he conceded. “I’m just surprised how much she gets under your skin whenever she comes into conversation. It’s not like you haven’t had flings with other chicks with a similar status.”

I held my hand up in defense. “I’ve had casual fucks with actresses, never a singer.”

He bobbed his head from side to side. Yeah… but… she’s actually really attractive.“

I furrowed my brows at him. “And?”

“You don’t turn chicks down like her, that’s all.”

My jaw tightened. He was right, Raina was a knockout, and actually had a really nice personality once I talked to her, but there are some things you just don’t do in this business.

“It’ll all work out. I’ll see you downstairs in an hour.”

He let himself out, and I set my guitar on the other side of the bed, crossing my arms and shaking my head. Raina Skye. If only she didn’t take up so much of my thoughts.

Gunner didn’t know that I tried to contact her after she’d talked to the press.

No one did.

The truth? I was intrigued, and I was eager to hear her out, talk it out, and hopefully, fuck it out. I was secretly into her, but she wouldn’t return my call. She wouldn’t even text me back.

Then I saw a video of her practically disgusted with the thought of her and I having any sort of