CRASH & BURN (Rule Breaker) Read Online Free PDF Page A

labels. “That’s very generous, but I can’t accept so much.”
    “Alana, this is nothing more than a time-saving device. Straight off, stop fretting over the details. I’m well aware of what happened to Orion. Growing pains, and you’re not the first band to flounder in the sea of temptation. My job is to help you succeed and learn to navigate in less than copasetic conditions.”
    “So then, I can’t ask out of idle curiosity, how did you get these items here? So fast, I mean.”
    “I’ll entertain that one. Dwayne. My driver. Does it matter?”
    She frowned, remembering a pastel pink bag from Mimi’s Intimates amongst the contents. “You had your driver pick up lingerie for me?”
    “Did you happen to notice how this suite is decked out? This isn’t the first time a driver was charged with collecting a few items. I’ve accounts with various retailers. It’s not like Dwayne was rummaging around the panty aisle. I give a size and approximate requirements to my contact. No. Big. Deal.”
    She inhaled, trying to take in that the costly mountain of apparel was viewed as a matter of convenience. When she and Christy shopped for duds, it was generally at a consignment shop or a sale.
    Designer clothing. Forget it—not on their meager budget. Their last album broke even, with the royalties barely covering their tour expenses. They were forced to do extra gigs to get a paycheck to eat at times.
    “Maybe not in your world,” she muttered, turning to go.
    Jon caught hold of her arm. “Your world is about to change.” His gaze danced around her face, moving from her eyes downward toward her mouth.
    “I’ve heard that before,” she whispered, aware that a billowing cloud warmed her belly, directly related to his touch. The pressure from his fingers increased and she licked her lips, uncertain what to do next.
    “Not from me, you haven’t. I understand that tosser of a manager you’ve got has bollixed up a few deals. Today my attorney is looking into the most efficient means of divesting Orion of Tyler. I suspect by lunch time you’ll have a new manager, or at the very least your band will be free of the wanker. I don’t want that type of man around you again.”
    “Why? You’re doing all of this because…of last night?”
    “Christ almighty, Alana. Don’t start that again. Didn’t I stop right on the dot to prove to you I’m a man of my word? Stop with the crucifying me before I’ve done anything deserving of your mistrust. There will be plenty of time for you to have a meltdown. I don’t believe you receiving a gift from me qualifies me as a son-of-a-bitch. That’s very middle class of you, sweetheart, and you might try and remember that, where you’re headed, that set of values will get you into trouble.”
    She stepped closer to him, anger having caught her unaware and condensing in her chest, heavier than a brick. She lowered her voice, staring up into his face. “How? Because I don’t accept gifts from a guy after having sex? I think if I had, then those types of morals would be questionable, especially in this industry. Maybe, just maybe, you might consider how messed-up this is between us.”
    Jon pressed his full lips together as his nostrils flared. He continued to hold her, and shook his head deliberately from side to side. When he spoke, he took hold of her other arm and held her away from him, as though making some sort of point. “Well, sweetcakes, you’ve slept in that bed, and now you’d better decide—quickly—just how you intend on dealing with the consequences.”
    “Let’s not pretend all’s fine and dandy. I’ve no intention of starting off on the wrong foot, regardless of what we did this morning.”
    “I said you didn’t owe me or the studio for a bag of trinkets, and I bloody well meant it. You and I, naked and fucking, has nothing to do with how I intend on managing your career. Not last night or now. I’d fuck you every day, twice or three times a day, and