Rock Dirty (Rock Candy #2) by Virna Depaul

sensing was jealousy had to be about control. I just had to make clear that the one wielding the control here was me.
    “So you’re going off with that rocker of yours.”
    “That’s right. But I’m also going to be working. Tucker is fully supportive of that.”
    “I’m sure he is,” he said snidely.
    “And what does that mean?” I asked.
    “That he’s got an agenda. His band canceled their international tour. Probably didn’t have enough ticket sales and now he’s looking to capitalize his image and that of the band by tying his coat to yours.”
    I burst out laughing. “Oh God, you’re incredible. Point Break is one of the biggest bands in the world. It’s not like I picked up some wannabe off of the Sunset Strip. The last thing they need is publicity from me. And they didn’t cancel their international tour because of low ticket sales. Believe it or not, it was cancelled because the lead singer is in love. Do you know what being in love is like, Hermes?”
    “Do you?” he shot back. “Is that what this is about. You think Tucker Benning loves you?”
    “Of course not. I just met him. We’re—we’re just having fun together. What’s wrong with that?”
    He seemed to relax slightly. “Nothing. But his way of relaxing? Booze, drugs, and groupies. The last thing you need when you’re working so hard on establishing your line is bad press from hanging out with rocker gutter trash.”
    “Tucker has a great effect on me. Maybe it’s hard for you to understand, but he calms me down.”
    Hermes shook his head and turned his tablet to me. It was too small for me to see from here, not with my glasses away from me. Frustrated, I inched closer and wanted to scream when he revealed a link to a page. Of course it was recounting our previous night’s fun at Sacre Bleu : Troubled Designer Crowd Surfs for a Packed House
    I did have to admit that whoever had captured my leap from the stage on their cell, whoever had sold the story off to begin with, had gotten a great shot. It was full of vibrant motion, of me hitting the arms of everyone assembled without too much fanfare. I would have given my leap an eight out of ten, easy.
    “Does he really calm you, Dominique? It looks like you’re back to your old partying ways and the rock star probably has everything to do with it.”
    “It’s not like that. And even if it is, so what? We had fun. He’s not a bad influence on me. I made the choice to take him to Sacre Bleu . He’d never been, hadn’t even heard of it.”
    “And that’s him calming you?” Hermes demanded as he scrolled to the left.
    Other images popped up of us trading shots at the bar and of me dancing on stage. I was so glad in that moment that one of my most famous drunk habits hadn’t come back last night. I’d always loved flashing people when I got drunk enough, and, if you added in a stage, it really was a miracle that my goods weren’t front page news on every blog on the planet.
    “You know what it looks like to me?” Hermes continued.
    “That there’s something you need to pontificate on?” I said, my tone clipped and frustrated.
    “That you’re trying so hard to promote your shoe line, and now the biggest press so far is you at a bar stage diving like it’s 1999.”
    “You of all people should know that a picture isn’t the full story!” I ground back, my pacing faster than ever before. I was so tired of everyone expecting things of me. Mother merely expected me to fail, and I was terrified that she was right on that score. Tucker wanted me to take care of myself, when I wasn’t sure I could. Hermes wanted…
    I wasn’t exactly sure what he wanted.
    “Did you show this to Mother?” I demanded. “Is this another report to file so that she knows what a fuck up I am.”
    “No, actually, I haven’t forwarded the link to Anna. But you do know how it looks. Even if your line ends up being a success.”
    “It will be a success,” I said, storming into my room and not