Until Korry (PULSETUNES ROCK GODS Book 4), page 27
“Let’s not talk about that now. There are some people I want you to meet.” As I started the engine, the radio was playing “Walking on Sunshine” by Katrina and the Waves. I smiled because the song matched my mood.
“Oh great, more people,” she mumbled, sounding less than enthusiastic.
I’d heard the tail end of the conversation she’d had with Blaire, and although I thought the world of Blaire, I wasn’t oblivious to the suspicious way she assessed Bernadette when she met her. I had thought to find out what the conversation was about, but I figured if Bernadette had found the need to defend herself, then Blaire must have deserved it.
“Where are we going now? Back to the house?” she asked.
“No, to my parents’ place.”
“I’ve met your parents before,” she reminded me, sounding smug. “How many concerts have they been to when you guys have played in Florida?”
“Ah, but you’ve never met them as my girl?”
“You … your girl?” she asked, frowning. “I mean, we’ve most definitely crossed a line, but you don’t … I mean …” she babbled, sounding flustered. “There’s work and the band … Donnie—”
“Shh,” I said, pressing my fingers to her lips.
“Shit. This is me all over, jumping the gun again. I shouldn’t assume you feel the same way as I do. Let me start again,” I said, lifting my hand and clasping her fingers in mine. “I don’t think what’s happening between us is because we’ve been forced together. Now that we’ve had an excuse to hang out together, I believe we’ve realized there are feelings between us.”
Bernadette nodded, but she struggled to hold my gaze. She looked down at our entwined fingers instead. “For a while, I’ve found that hard to believe, but I realized today, it would hurt to go back to being your PA as if nothing had happened between us.”
Leaning over the central console, I pulled her head toward mine. Pressing a kiss to her lips, I pulled back a little and gave her a reassuring smile. “Good, because I’m not letting this go. Fuck Donnie and the band, leave them to me. Meanwhile, plaster on your best goofy smile and let’s go and impress my mom.”
“Now that’s what I’ve been talking about,” my mom said, agreeing with something Bernadette said about me not comparing myself to the rest of the band. “Listen to her, she’s got a good head on her shoulders.” Mom leaned over and placed a hand over mine. “Don’t let this girl down. This is a real woman, not one of the flaky groupies that you usually hang around with.”
“Is that a seal of approval I hear?” I asked as I glanced at Bernadette, who blushed in her usual gorgeous way because we were talking about her in earshot.
“Absolutely. You know, I’ve seen how you’ve watched her walking away more than once, Korry Moonan.”
“You have?” I asked, surprised because I had, I just never figured I’d ever been busted doing it.
Bernadette chuckled and raised a brow, surprised. “Is that so?”
“So, this relationship between you, Donnie’s okay with it? I mean, it isn’t going to cause issues with you working for the band and being Korry’s girl, is it?” my mom asked Bernadette.
“Only if we break up,” she remarked as her worried eyes darted to mine. I sensed that this was now her only concern.
“We’ll be okay,” I said, taking her hand and lifting it to my lips. What else could I say? It was hard to give complete reassurance to what was still a fledgling relationship.
My brother Ben came through the garage door into my parents’ living room. “That gas-guzzling car of yours is obscene,” he mumbled, as he threw his keys on the coffee table and bent to kiss our mom.
“Hello to you too, Ben,” I said sarcastically.
“And you’re Bernadette,” he stated, gesturing toward her. In all the time she’d been our PA they’d spoken many times but never met face-to-face. Bernadette raised her brows in surprise. “You’re all over the news, darling,” he clarified.
“Right,” Bernadette replied, her face flushed. “Yes, I’m Bernadette. Pleased to meet you at long last. Korry’s told me so much about you,” she added.
“Liar. I bet you had no idea I existed,” he protested as he sat on the couch, lounged back, and placed one ankle over his knee, confidence oozing from every pore.
“Actually, your brother is extremely proud of your medical career and the work you do in the renal unit at Vero Beach Hospital.”
I bit back a smile because Bernadette remembered almost verbatim what I’d said about him. These facts were almost the only things I’d told her about my brother, but I realized I could count on Bernadette to have my back.
As my mom made drinks for everyone, I saw Ben’s mood thaw before my eyes, in response to Bernadette’s comment. Then he became more sociable toward me than he had been in years.
“So, where to next?” he asked, sounding genuinely interested in my travels for the first time ever.
“Finishing the album, but next weekend we’re doing a weekend in Vegas, to chill out.”
“I’m doing long days next weekend, or I’d have liked to tag along,” Ben disclosed.
“Really?” I asked, almost choking on my tongue, surprised.
“I’m not averse to having a good time, Korry. My heavy schedule just doesn’t allow for it.”
“So, if I gave you plenty of time, you’d come hang with us on tour or something?”
“Or something,” he said, like he’d like to miss the musical part of the tour, but he smiled. “Sure, but I’d need at least a couple of months to arrange cover.”
“I’ll make sure I keep you informed of what’s going on in the future,” Bernadette mumbled.
“So, it’s a bummer you needing to go where he goes all the time. The press needs to be over you, Korry. It’s not as if you’ve found a solution to world hunger, or a cure for obscure diseases,” Ben mused.
“True. Anyway, this isn’t a ruse anymore, Bernadette and I are together,” I said.
Ben’s eyes widened. “Wow, being a rock star does make up for deficiencies elsewhere,” he teased, glancing toward Bernadette again as if he was checking her out.
“Ben,” our mom warned.
“Only joking. Welcome to the family, Bernadette. I’m Ben, the only one of my parents’ offspring with a real job.”
Bernadette laughed. “And I’m Bernadette, the woman who has managed to keep your brother out of jail when he gets with his bandmates,” she joked.
“I like you, Bernadette. If you ever get fed up with my brother, you might want to try dating a doctor,” he said, winking.
“Jesus, Ben, stop hitting on my girlfriend, and go get one of your own.” I pulled her toward me, pressed a kiss to her temple and whispered. “I think they approve of us.”
CHAPTER 58
BERNADETTE
Screaming Shadows wrapped up the album in two weeks instead of three, and by the Friday of the following week, we’d said our goodbyes to Perry, and boarded a personal charter flight to Las Vegas.
It was almost 8:00 p.m. when we took off but with the minus three-hour time change from east to west coast, we still had the evening ahead.
As Raff had spent the previous weekend in Ormond with us, he’d been sworn to secrecy about us until Korry had told the rest of the party himself.
Korry had promised me he wouldn’t say anything until after Levi had proposed to Trinnie, but the moment we climbed the steps of the plane, I became filled with anxious anticipation about how they’d react once they had heard our news.
Levi had gone all out in his effort to make this a memorable occasion for Trinnie. He’d instructed me to book us all beautiful suites at the Bellagio Hotel on the strip. These included the penthouse suite for himself and Trinnie, and the executive hospitality suite, which was to be a central gathering place for the band, that doubled as Bodhi’s accommodation.
At the time of booking, there was initially some debate about me having a suite to myself. But Korry had insisted that this would appear odd as we were supposed to be a couple. He also reminded Levi, it would be good for his reputation for the public to see us having fun on the strip together.
Upon entering the suite, Korry wandered straight through to the bedroom and flopped down on the bed. “Oh, come check this out,” he demanded, patting the bed beside him. Taking his lead I walked over, turned and sat on the bed. Tugging me down beside him, my initial thought was that he wanted me to feel how soft the bed was. However, the moment our eyes met in the huge ceiling mirror we both cracked up, laughing.
“That’s it. No sex this weekend. If you think I’m going to stare at my ugly face in that you’ve got to be joking,” I said, blushing.
He instantly rolled me to my front and clambered over me. His bulge grew hard as he rested it between my legs, and he playfully ground it into me. “Don’t call yourself ugly. I fucking love how you look. But we could always use a blindfold if you want … since it’s one of my kinks.” He rolled to my side and placed his hand over my butt, giving it a tight squeeze. “If you want the honest truth, every time I look at you naked, I want to bite this.”
Hit by a sudden attack of self-consciousness, I got up off the bed and wandered over to the floor to ceiling window. Staring at the nighttime skyline of the strip, I felt privileged to be there with someone as special as him. A mixture of excitement and anxiety swirled in my head, making my chest feel tight, because I knew if Korry grew tired of me, being around the band would never feel the same.
“So,” Korry said, as he sidled up behind me, pulling me out of my depressive thoughts. He slid his hands around my waist and rested his chin on my shoulder. “I’ll admit, we have a spectacular view …” he mumbled as we glanced down at the impressive Bellagio fountains from the high floor window, “… but I much prefer this one,” he teased, turning me to face him. He smiled affectionately as he cupped my face in his hands and pressed a soft kiss to my lips.
“This is going to take some getting used to,” I mumbled honestly.
“What? Staying in fancy hotel rooms? How many times have you toured with us?” His brow creased as he assessed me with curious eyes.
“Exactly … with us … in my professional capacity.”
He smiled. “Jesus, Bernadette, forget you work for us. We’re going to have fun this weekend. Think about it, we get to be all over one another in front of the band and they have no idea we’re not acting. I’m going to enjoy this, almost as much as when we tell them we’re a couple. Levi’s going to bust a gut in frustration when he sees us.”
“Korry, don’t forget why we’re here,” I warned. My cell phone rang, breaking the moment and I left him to answer it.
“Just letting you know I’ve arrived. I can’t wait to surprise Levi and Esther.” Beth was a half-sister Levi had only found recently, and when he’d invited Beth to Las Vegas, she had been scheduled to perform at Dimond. As Donnie owned the nightclub, it was an easy fix. He managed to swap her gig with another artist so she could witness her brother’s engagement.
An hour later we were all gathered in the executive hospitality suite’s dining room, eating wonderful food and listening to how pleased each of the band members were of the final cut of the album. Donnie was super impressed with how smoothly it had gone considering all the negative press about Korry and the distractions there had been with social media.
We’d barely finished dinner before Levi clinked his glass with a spoon to bring attention to the group.
“When I suggested this weekend away, I hadn’t expected the work on our album to have gone as well as it had. Nailing an album inside two weeks is a record for us. Well done, brothers,” he said, lifting his glass to toast everyone.
“Great team effort, and there’re some incredible instrumentals on the album,” Jude agreed.
“Beth, you have no idea what it means that you made it here for the weekend. Thanks, Donnie. I owe you one,” Levi added, taking over the speech again. “And you of course, Esther. I love you girls,” he said of his half siblings.
“Love you too,” Esther and Beth said in unison.
“So, this is where my speech gets serious,” he mumbled as he turned and looked toward Trinnie in a rare nervous moment. “As you know this incredible woman breezed into my life at a time when I wasn’t looking. She’s given me everything I never thought it possible to have and yet still live my life, my way.
“Trinnie, you have an inner strength that leaves me in awe, beauty that leaves me breathless and a heart that makes me feel honored to have found a home in. You’re sassy, hilariously funny, and the woman of my dreams.”
Trinnie nodded playfully and interjected. “I think you’re a teeny bit biased, Levi Milligan, but I’ll take it,” she joked, seemingly oblivious as to where Levi’s speech was leading.
“I know you tried the marriage thing once. Thank God that didn’t work out, because I’d never have gotten to know my soulmate,” he said, reaching out and smoothing down her hair. The look that passed between them was one of mutual admiration. “I have no doubt that fate made our worlds collide that day when we met out there on the beach. Trinnie, baby, you took a chance on me when most sane women would have been wary. Now, I’m asking you to take another.”
In a smooth move, Levi pulled a small green velvet box out of his pocket and dropped to one knee. As he glanced up at Trinnie, Levi had nothing but love in his eyes. His only sign of nerves was the double dip in his Adam’s apple as he swallowed nervously.
“Trinnie, I can’t imagine my life without you or Gabby in it, so would you do me the incredible honor of being my wife?”
Trinnie sat with her hands cupping her face, her eyes wide in shock as her gaze flitted from one person to the next, clearly stunned by Levi’s unexpected gesture. For a long moment I wondered if she was considering how to let Levi down since she’d been married before and had previously said she was in no hurry to do that again.
“Trinnie,” Esther prompted as she stroked Trinnie’s arm in a move that appeared to center Trinnie’s train of thought. She glanced down at Levi who knelt patiently waiting with a growing crease between his brows.
“Yes,” she suddenly snapped, nodding. “Are you sure?” she asked. Levi sighed heavily with relief as a wide smile spread on his face. He took the huge diamond solitaire ring from the box and slid it onto her finger. “Fuck, baby, you almost gave me a heart attack,” he complained, chuckling before he cupped her cheeks and planted a passionate kiss on her lips.
“Well, that was awkward for a moment,” Greg blurted out, voicing what everyone else was thinking. Deakon and Korry began laughing at him, but Greg gave them a serious look. “What? I thought she was going to give him a knock back.”
“Never,” Trinnie replied, laughing. “After my divorce, I swore I’d never get married again. But look,” she said, gesturing at Levi who stood by her side. “How could I say no to this? I mean, those teeth and that hair, not to mention …” she nodded down at his groin. “Anyway, hurray to me, I’m going to be Mrs. Milligan.”
The room erupted in laughter and for a moment I felt envious of Trinnie’s confidence and her willingness to take a leap of faith in a man who was once a wayward rock star.
“Thank fuck you said yes. Do you know how much this weekend has cost me?” Levi joked.
“You’re paying for everyone?” Trinnie asked, shocked. “I thought you were just jumping on a tax-deductible band weekend and making the most of it.”
Levi laughed. “Now that’s an idea, I’ll mention it to my accountant.”
Korry reached over and squeezed my hand under the table. I turned to look at him. He leaned in and whispered in my ear. “I really want to kiss you right now but I know that would freak you out.”
Deakon shook his head. “Dude, I have no idea what you just said to Bernadette, but the poor girl’s gone bright red.” My heart raced because I couldn’t think of anything to say, but thankfully, once again, a lie flowed so easily from Korry’s tongue.
“I said we need to put on a show of being loved up like Levi and Trinnie, when we hit the bars tonight.”
CHAPTER 59
KORRY
For an hour we traipsed down the strip like normal people having fun for a change. It felt great that Bernadette and I could openly hold hands while pretending to play our role for others. But it was clear that everyone intended on getting drunk, apart from Levi who drank two whiskeys and then stuck to tonic water and lime.
As far as the rest of us went, in that hour we managed to drink six tequila shots and a shot of Fireball whiskey before our entourage of security guys began to struggle with the growing group of followers that tried to tag along.
Thankfully, with the help of Bernadette, Bodhi had arranged for a couple of vans to track our movements and the moment he deemed our adventure too much of a risk, we were bundled inside them. From there we were taken to Caesar’s Palace as guests of Alfie Black and his band, Crakt Soundzz, to watch the opening performance of their residency gig.
We’d already missed the warm-up band, so as we entered the venue’s friends and family enclosure, we met up with Alfie’s wife Lily, Lennie, Cody, Shawn and Digs as their band, XrAid had just gotten off stage from opening for them.
I recognized Elle and Jack, two of Lily’s best friends, and Jack’s wife Mia, who was also Rick Fars's niece.
“What the fuck are you lot doing here?” came the gruff voice of Rick, who wandered down the stairs like he owned the place. “You know, at one time, they didn’t let just anyone in here,” he joked as Levi stood, smiling, and gave him a handshake/shoulder bump greeting. “No one told me you were all coming.”
“It was kind of a last-minute thing,” Levi explained. “We’re here to celebrate Trinnie and I having gotten engaged.”
“Congrats,” he said, pushing past Levi to give Trinnie a kiss on the cheek. “I take it I’ll have a central role in the wedding party. Just make sure you give me plenty of time to buy a hat,” he teased.
