Love Evolution (13 page)

“
Yeah.
Hopefully it
’
s not as cold outside as it was earlier.
”

Fortunately, the sun had emerged. They biked and explored until they were both worn out. When they were done, Ray was dutifully waiting for them in the aquarium parking lot, which was now packed with people.

Back at the hotel, Avery smiled. Money to pay Campanella soon to be delivered.
Spending the day with Marcus.
It had been a really, really good day. She collapsed on the bed, an exhausted but contented heap.

CHAPTER 14

“
We plan to release
‘
Brothers
’
as the first single,
”
Mary announced to the group as they gathered around the conference table at Black Cat the next morning.
“
It
’
s strong enough to generate buzz for the album, which given Marcus and Avery
’
s current pace, should be done soon.
”

Marcus smiled over at Avery. She just shook her head, a little intimidated by this formal promotional meeting.

“
We also plan to
amp
up the national media interest in the band.
”
Marcus shifted uneasily as Mary turned to focus on him.
“
You
’
re not going to be happy about this, but I
’
ve scheduled an interview with Carter Besille this afternoon.
”

“
Not interested,
”
Marcus said flatly.

“
Listen, Marcus.
”
Mary held up her hand.
“
He
’
s in town to interview some actors and approached us about talking with you. You know the public has been anxious to hear from you since you were discharged. This is your chance to reconnect with your fans, and Besille
’
s show is a great platform to do that. It
’
s exposure on a national level. It will focus attention right where we want it, on the band, and we will be poised and ready to capitalize on it.
”

Marcus rubbed his sweaty palms on his legs and a muscle in his jaw began to spasm from his clenched teeth.  He knew he needed to do it. But Besille was a disingenuous self-serving weasel. Marcus had little use for people like him, and he was sure Besille knew it. There was always unspoken animosity between them on the rare occasion when they were forced to interact. He took a deep breath and exhaled slowly,
“
I don
’
t trust him. He always has some angle.
”

“
They all do, Marcus,
”
Beth interjected.
“
We
’
ll send Stephen with you. How about if I limit him to just a couple of questions? I
’
ll even tell them you
’
ll only answer questions pertaining to the band or rehab, ok?
”
  

“
Alright,
”
he agreed reluctantly. He really hated this part of the business. It was always a fine line between maintaining his integrity and being viable financially.

“
We are all set to go, PR wise, then,
”
Beth said, looking over her calendar.
“
We have the song up and available for download already. We hope to film the video this week and release it on the band
’
s website, YouTube, and iTunes as soon as it
’
s edited. Oh, and our name is on the short list of bands being considered to close the Grammy nomination show.
”

The band murmured approvingly.

“
Ok, now one last thing about the video
…”
Mary quieted the guys down with just a look.
“
Beth and I were thinking of filming at the Palladium. Our plan is to keep it simple. You guys are awesome live performers and we
’
d also like to introduce the fans to Avery.
”
Mary looked around the table.
“
Does that work for everyone?
”

“
Sure,
”
JR said.

“
Sure, why not?
”
 
Dwight agreed.

Marcus glanced at Avery, who he noticed had been silent throughout the whole meeting.
“
What do you think, Ace?
”

“
I don
’
t know. I
’
m good with whatever everyone else decides,
”
she said with a shrug.

“
Avery, you
’
re a member of this band now, same as all of us. This is going to be your debut performance. Tell us what you think.
”

She smiled, appreciating the thought of being on equal footing with the rest of the guys.
“
Well, you know, I really like the garage band montage Sony put together for the Foo Fighters
’
latest album.
”

Beth and Mary exchanged glances, surprised by Avery
’
s intuitive take on this side of the business. They were both familiar with the project. Foo Fighters
’
fans had entered a contest, submitting essays describing why the band should come and play in their garage. The resulting video spliced together footage of each winner meeting the band, jamming and hanging out with them, along with the band
’
s live performance in their garage.

“
I love that idea, Avery.
”
Marcus smiled encouragingly at her. He looked to Mary and then Beth,
“
What do you think? Would it be possible to do something similar?
”

“
It
’
s a great concept,
”
Beth responded.
“
Reality show format with a rock star meets the common man kind of thing. It
’
s very appealing.
”

Mary leaned toward Beth.
“
Can you get us something together real fast? Maybe use a local radio station to bring some fans in for a live performance?
”
She tapped her fingers on the table, thinking out loud,
“
But where would we get someone
’
s garage to film in on such short notice?
”

“
Hey,
”
Marcus said, rubbing his chin.
“
We
’
re all heading to my folks
’
place for the Thanksgiving break. We used to rehearse in our barn out there. Would that work?
”

“
Love, love it!
”
Beth exclaimed.
“
Back to your roots and all that.
I
’
ll make it happen.
”
She came around the table, knocking knuckles with Marcus and punctuating the gesture with a pantomime explosion. She waved to the rest of them as she left.
“
I
’
ve got a lot of work to do. See you guys on the flip side.
”

“
Guess this meeting is adjourned then,
”
Mary said, reminding Marcus not to forget his afternoon appointment with Besille.

As everyone filed out, Avery commented,
“
Carter Besille. Wow.
”
She had gotten so comfortable hanging out with Marcus that she easily forgot how famous he was.
“
Why do you dislike him so much?
”

“
Don
’
t be impressed with Besille. He is not what he appears to be. To the public he seems witty and clever, but he
’
s a snake.
”

“
Ok.
”
Avery sensed more of a story there, but clearly Marcus was not in the mood to elaborate.

As they walked out Marcus patted her on the back.
“
Hey dude, I
’
m just the current flavor of the month.  After this single comes out, all eyes are going to be on you.
”

Great.
Wonderful.
With the increasing publicity and scrutiny, someone was bound to recognize her. Luckily, Campanella would soon have his money. The expiration date on this whole disguise fiasco was drawing near. Only now, she dreaded it. Having gotten so close to Marcus, she could predict his reaction to the truth. She winced, remembering Beth
’
s imaginary mushroom cloud.

*****

Marcus and Stephen were waiting in the network
’
s greenroom when one of the aides came in and told them,
“
Besille
’
s ready for you.
”
They headed to the set together. Marcus had grown wary of the media early on in his career, which was why he always brought Stephen along on these junkets. That way if the details of the interview got misconstrued, he had someone to back up his side of the story. 

Marcus sat down in his stage chair. He saw Besille just off set
yucking
it up with one of the cameramen, probably telling him the best camera angle for his pretty-boy face. Besille was a conceited, pompous peacock of a man who Marcus had watched move steadily up the media ladder over the backs of his more qualified colleagues. To his fans, he appeared to be a charming guy, but Marcus saw right through his act.

Besille walked on set and sat down.
“
Hey, Marcus.
Long time no see. How was the food in rehab?
”
He smirked.

Marcus forced his hands to relax their grip on the armrest of his chair. He had been baited by this guy before. He wasn
’
t a rookie.

Off set, Stephen leaned forward, hoping Marcus kept his cool.

“
Yeah, it
’
s been a while,
”
Marcus replied, ignoring the jibe. Instead he took the offensive.
“
We agreed this would be a brief interview. Is that one of your questions?
”

Besille
’
s eyes narrowed. He motioned to the production manager to roll tape.
“
We
’
re on location in Vancouver, British Columbia with Marcus Anthony the lead singer of Brutal Strength. Marcus, everyone wants to know about your recent inpatient treatment for drug abuse.
”

Marcus leaned forward, hands clasped together in his lap.
“
Clearly, I screwed up. I let a lot of people down.
”
He sat back in his chair as the camera pulled in for a close up.
“
I
’
m just so grateful to my family for confronting me and making me get help, and to my fans for their continued support.
”

“
Yes, you are extremely fortunate.
”
Besille smiled, flashing his sparkling whites directly into the camera while smoothing down his perfectly styled blond hair. Gaze sliding back to Marcus, he asked,
“
Now tell us, how are things between you and the darling Miss V? Rumor has it that the breakup led to your downward spiral.
”

Marcus
’
mind flashed back to the year before when JR had introduced him to Veronica, Miss V as she was known to the public. She was JR
’
s cousin, an up and coming singer on the local nightclub circuit. A knockout, she immediately caught Marcus
’
eye with her long straight black hair, golden eyes, and voluptuous body. Marcus fell hard for her. He convinced himself that Veronica felt the same. They started spending a lot of time together. Veronica loved to go to the big record label parties where drugs were readily available. Weed, pills, coke, whatever you wanted. V told him the drugs would loosen him up and help with his music. He was skeptical but she could be oh so persuasive. Before he knew it, he was hooked.

Dwight had warned Marcus on multiple occasions that Veronica was just using him and his contacts to feed her habit and get a break into the industry, but he had stubbornly refused to believe it. When V
’
s career started to skyrocket, she broke it off with him, leaving him with nothing but his newfound addiction. 

Besille only had it partially correct. The wheels had started coming off the moment he met Veronica. He blinked, bringing his thoughts back to the present. Marcus answered Besille with the official statement he and V had agreed upon,
“
Veronica and I will always be good friends but found it too difficult to maintain a relationship while we were both on the road.
”
Wanting to be done with the interview, he discreetly held up two fingers to his cheek, reminding Besille he only had one more question left.