A Twist of Fate (26 page)

Alex was
exceptionally polite with the guys, humouring both Johnny and Ben
as they discussed chords and progressions. Zander smiled as he
slung his arm around Sydney’s waist.

“Hey Sydney,
enjoy the show?”

Sydney giggled
as she hugged him back.

“What about you
Lexi? See anything you like?” Zander smirked as he eyed me up and
down. Alex glanced at us curiously as he watched our exchange.

“Not bad.” I
smiled sweetly before continuing, “But you really need to lose the
over-inflated egos and perfect your craft.” The four members stared
at me dumbfounded. “Truth is gentlemen, shaking your junk will only
get you so far and then you are going to have to back it up. You
have something here, be smart about it.” Sydney shot me a horrified
look as Dave nodded in agreement.

“Lexi is a
publicist” qualified Dave, “She represents Alex and the guys. You
should listen to her.” Alex looked amused as he turned to listen,
unable to suppress his grin.

“You’re
English?” snapped Zander as he tried to place my accent. I could
tell he had been expecting a very different reaction and was
pissed.

“Australian,
actually.” I confirmed.

“So you want to
represent us?” asked Danny cautiously.

“You couldn’t
afford her!” laughed Alex, “Trust me though, she may be a hard ass
but she knows her stuff. Perhaps she just needs to work on her
delivery.” He winked, easing the tension. Zander’s frown
disappeared as Alex continued “First time I met her, she had some
choice words for me too.” I laughed as I remembered that day, it
seemed like it had been a lifetime ago.

Sydney smiled
as she interjected; “If you guys need representation, I’d be happy
to work with you,” before fishing out her card. Zander’s smile
returned as he regarded Sydney’s offer, not sure if he was
interested in representation or something else.

“You really
have a way with words,” laughed Alex as he pulled me aside.

“If I recall
correctly, it didn’t seem to bother you,” I huffed.

His eyes flared
as he whispered. “On the contrary, I am constantly bothered by
you.” His lips twisted in his famous half grin.

“Can I buy you
a drink?” offered Johnny, his eyes grazing the top of my
cleavage.

“Sure.” I
humoured him as he led me back to the bar leaving Alex and the rest
of the group. His hand travelled down my back as he guided me
through the crowd.

“So how long
have you been stateside?” He casually asked as he flagged down the
bartender.

“About a week,”
I answered hoping I hadn’t offended anyone by leaving.

“I love your
accent, it’s sexy.” He leaned into me, his eyes traveling down to
my cleavage again. This guy was predictable, I’m sure it was my
“accent” that he found sexy considering he couldn’t peel his eyes
away from my tits. I turned my head as I rolled my eyes.

“Whatcha havin’
sweetheart?” the bartender leered.

“Vodka
Martini,” I answered dryly.

“and I’ll have
a Coors,” added Johnny.

Ordinarily I
might have been attracted to him, he was very good-looking and from
his earlier display of hip-thrusting he was probably more than
adequate in bed, but since I’d been with Alex I had been more
discerning in my choice of bed fellows, however no one had met my
expectations. Damn it! I was already bored with this guy and I had
committed to a drink. I searched my mind for a reasonable excuse to
leave without offending him, after all it wasn’t his fault he
didn’t stand a chance. I came up with nothing; clearly I’d lost my
edge.

“Hey girl,
there you are!” Taylah had squeezed through the crowd to find me,
“We’re heading home. I have to meet a client in the morning. You
want a ride?” she glanced at Johnny who was playing with his beer
label.

“Yeah, I have
an early morning meeting too Tay, let me just say good bye to
everyone.” I breathed a sigh of relief that she had given me an
out. I slammed down my martini, my eyes watering from the kick of
the potent alcohol, before thanking Johnny and wishing him luck. He
mumbled a “good bye” clearly disappointed that the evening had not
taken the direction he had anticipated and I went in search of
Sydney and Alex.

Sydney was
still backstage, having happily captured the attention of Zander. I
waved goodbye from the door, not wanting to interrupt. She waved
back, I was sure I would get the low down later. The rest of the
band had dispersed and were drinking at the bar; Alex was nowhere
to be seen. I pulled my phone out.

- Hey just saying
Goodbye. I can’t see you. Did you leave? Lexi xx

- Thought you left
already, enjoy the rest of your evening. Alex xx

What, he
couldn’t have said goodbye? I thought we were trying to be friends.
I shook my head as I pushed my phone back into my bag, and walked
to the front entrance where Dave and Taylah were waiting. I took a
breath as I stepped outside into the freezing cold, once again
cursing my decision to not bring a coat. Taylah was amused as I
decided to run the short distance to the car.

I settled into
the backseat and let my body relax. My mind was tangled with
different thoughts, all of them revolving around Alex. I could
still feel the tingle on my skin where he had placed his hand. His
scent still intertwined with mine on my clothes. The smooth ride of
the car threatened to rock me into a peaceful slumber as I shut my
eyes and surrendered to it. My brain hurt from over-thinking.

I woke as we
pulled into our parking garage, rubbing the sleep from my eyes as
they adjusted to the harsh halogen lights against the stark white
concrete. Dave parked in his designated spot and switched off the
ignition. “Thanks for coming tonight Lexi. It’s always good for
them to hear another perspective.” He laughed as he watched a
yawning Taylah climb out of the car.

“Sorry Dave, I
didn’t mean to be so brutal. Sometimes I just say what I think.
Occupational hazard.” I smiled, hoping he hadn’t mistaken my
honesty as rudeness.

“Not at all,
I’ve been telling them for a while that it takes more than nice
hair to become successful, but they are a big fish in a small pond
so I think hearing it from you might carry some weight.” He took
his wife’s hand as he led her to the lift.

“Thanks for the
intro, Sydney was on cloud nine.” I pressed our floor button as the
doors closed.

“No problem
Lexi, anytime.” The elevator rose up quickly and gave a loud ding
as we reached our destination.

“See ya Dave.
See ya Tay.” I yawned as I fumbled with my keys.

“See ya Lex,”
mumbled a sleepy Taylah.

“See ya, Lexi.”
Dave waved as he opened their door.

Another night
alone. I sighed. I couldn’t help but wonder and secretly hope that
Alex was spending it the same way.

After my
initial week in New York, I slipped into a comfortable routine. I
found a gym nearby which meant I no longer had to freeze my ass off
jogging in Central Park. I loved my new apartment and my new life.
The highlight, of course, was my dream job, which I still marveled
at if I stopped and thought about it for too long. Sydney had
fulfilled her obligations with me and had moved on to a smaller PR
firm, where she concentrated her efforts focusing on local talent.
Insipid was the first client she signed. We still met for drinks
and lunches and she dragged me out to clubs whenever she could.

I had spent
Christmas in Houston with Matt when he went home to visit his
family. I hadn’t been in the states long enough to want to fly back
home and the thought of yet another drama-filled holiday with my
family only cemented my resolve to stay away. Of course James and
Hannah had invited me to join them for Christmas but I didn’t want
to impose and I longed to spend some quality time with my friend,
so it seemed like a better option. Matt’s parents were overly
accommodating, treating me like a member of their family. I was
instructed to sit down and relax while his mother Martha cooked
some good Southern style food and his dad John talked to me about
his college days as a football star. They were delighted their son
had met such a “lovely” girl who had given their boy a place to
stay while he was living in Australia and were glad to finally meet
me and show their appreciation. I was overwhelmed with their
generosity and love; I understood why Matt was as wonderful as he
was, when I looked at the amazing people who had raised him.

They were
exceptionally proud of him. I wondered what that might feel like?
Unconditional love and support. Just being with them in their home
reinforced what I had missed in my own family. I thanked them
profusely for allowing me to share the holidays with them, it was
probably one of the best Christmases I had ever experienced.

I had made the
drunken admission to Matt on New Year’s Eve, that I still had
feelings for Alex and missed him greatly. Matt begged me just to
talk to Alex and tell him how I felt. I stubbornly refused,
admitting I had missed my chance and I was happily screwing my way
from one end of Manhattan to the other. He frowned at my “coping
mechanism” explaining that I deserved better but telling me that he
loved me anyway, despite my poor choices.

I saw Troy,
Jason and Dan from time to time but as they were busy writing and
recording a new album, there wasn’t a need for interaction with
management or the publicist. Troy and I had gotten to know each
other a little better; he’d even taken me on one of his famous road
trips. I laughed when he showed up in his VW Baha Beetle, this huge
guy, squished into this tiny car. Troy had told me that it had been
his dream car growing up and despite having enough money to buy
anything he wanted it made him feel grounded and in touch with who
he used to be. Dan made some comment about the size of Troy’s car,
comparing it to the size of his manhood. “I don’t need to
compensate like you!” Troy had responded wiggling his little
finger. Dan was adamant that he have the chance to prove he was
more than average, threatening to drop his pants right there and
then to illustrate the fact. I admired Troy; it was truly not about
the money or the fame for him. He just wanted to play music and go
about his life, leaving the politics of the band to James and
Alex.

Jason was still
seeing his girl from Pennsylvania. I hadn’t had the pleasure of
meeting her yet, but Jason was smitten. He, like Troy, didn’t
subscribe to the flashy lifestyle and was happy just to play in the
band. Dan on the other hand was still the pants man he’d always
been - he just had more options now. He spent his down time
drinking and partying. He was a constant fixture on the night
scene, giving me more than my share of headaches. It seemed like
every other day there were photos of Dan in various compromising
positions. I had to alternate between sweet talking and threatening
legal action to keep a particular set of nude photos from being
splashed all over the tabloids. It never ceased to amaze that he
hadn’t yet been arrested for public indecency.

I saw James
more frequently; not only from a professional stand point but on a
personal level as well. James and I had spent many afternoons
brainstorming ideas in my office, for the release of the album and
how we were going to publicise the subsequent tour. We had also
spoken at length about the image he was happy to project and how to
keep their private lives (mostly his) out of the public eye. He
worried about Hannah and his little jelly bean and what we could do
to ensure they were protected and isolated from the circus that
followed him.

I loved my
social visits, being included in their lives as and watching
Hannah’s belly swell to a small but adorable bump. I had confirmed
the persistent rumour that she was expecting after the crucial
twelve week mark, as well as confirming the rumour that Alex and
Marcy were indeed dating.

I saw Alex from
time to time, our most frequent method of communication still being
text messages. He never did tell me why he left so suddenly that
night at the bar or why he hadn’t said goodbye so I figured I’d
just let it go. After all, he didn’t owe me any explanation. I
tried to be happy for him but I had a nagging knot in the pit of my
stomach whenever I saw him. Marcy hated me, which didn’t help the
situation. She had made some lame joke about me being “cute” when
she met me and I’d in turn made a snide comment about the virtues
of natural beauty verse cosmetic enhancement that had apparently
offended her. I couldn’t understand why. Troy and Dan had enjoyed
our little showdown, hoping it was going to turn into a fully
fledged catfight, but were left disappointed when she instead
insisted Alex leave with her.

Alex hadn’t
seemed to be too perturbed by it, joking after that it was pretty
funny and that I was as “mouthy” as ever. We both occasionally
flirted with double entendres and choice words and even less
occasionally he’d set my skin ablaze with a touch or by brushing up
against me. The thought of his naked body on mine was still fresh
in my mind, even though it had been months. I had tried to erase
the memory of him by seeing other men - I’d had a string of one
night stands and casual liaisons, all of which left me emptier than
when I began. As usual I’d leave right after and most of the time
not see or call them again.

Sometimes I
missed home. I Skyped Kate frequently and she filled me in on the
office gossip. She had finally fired Psycho Stacey which pleased me
immensely and was poaching Nadine from the Sydney office to fill
the void when Matt finally left in March.

Anna emailed
constantly, telling me how in love she was with Matt and not
looking forward to his departure. She was looking into the
logistics of being granted a working visa so they could continue
their relationship, but was being met with bureaucratic red tape. I
gave her some contacts of Houston based firms I knew to help her
explore her options, wanting both my friends to be happy. Matt was
very appreciative that I supported his relationship with Anna, he
was probably my best friend and I honestly would have done anything
for him so it was no big deal for me to make a couple of calls on
their behalf.