Ravensong Read Online Free PDF Page A

hesitated a moment as David entered the room beside
Robert. They both gave her a warm smile and proceeded on to the
banquet table.
    The meeting began promptly
and no one mentioned the previous day or the fact that Ravensong
was missing. However, Elena’s eyes kept roving toward his chair and
her thoughts persistently fixed on him with Megan. It bothered her
that she felt this stab of ridiculous jealousy or that she felt she
had the right to. Finally she looked down on her engagement ring,
reminding herself that as soon as John returned from his sabbatical
in Colorado, they were going to plan their wedding.
    “ Elena,” said Julian,
startling her out of her thoughts. “David and I discussed this
business about the cover yesterday afternoon. We both found your
idea intriguing and we’d like to turn the project over to
you.”
    Elena’s eyes widened in
surprise and she couldn’t speak for a moment. She could tell by the
tightening of Julian’s jaw that he hadn’t been intrigued nor was
the idea of turning the project over to her his idea, but diplomacy
had demanded he present it. Her gaze shifted to David
gratefully.
    “ Hire a photographer and
work out a shooting schedule with the band. I can give you the
names of a few excellent graphic artists you can interview,” said
David with one of his warm smiles.
    “ I don’t know what to say,”
stammered Elena, overwhelmed at the change in events. Just an hour
before she’d been sure she would be fired and now she was in charge
of the new album cover.
    “ I can give you the name of
the photographer we use for all of our publicity shots. She’s quite
talented and has worked with the band numerous times,” added
Julian.
    “ Thank you,” she said, “I
would appreciate your help.” Diplomacy worked both ways, she
decided.
    David nodded in approval
and Julian looked down as if to show he’d made enough concessions
for the year. Elliot was smiling at her when she turned back around
and he reached out to squeeze her shoulder. Elation filled Elena,
but it deflated a bit as her gaze came to rest on Ravensong’s empty
chair. How she wished he’d been here to see Julian
humbled.
    Shaking her head, she forced this
thought away. She intended to enjoy her first triumph and nothing
was going to spoil this moment - not even the image of the
black-eyed lead singer in bed with another woman.
    * * *
    Elena watched the photographer toy
with another shot, which deliberately singled Ravensong out from
the rest of the members of the band. No one seemed overly thrilled
with this distinction, especially the lead singer. As Cara moved
him into position, her fingers trailed intimately up his thigh. He
backed up and looked away, but she merely laughed at his
discomfort.
    Elena frowned. Where did
this woman get off thinking she had the right to touch him in such
an unprofessional manner? And why did Ravensong think he had to put
up with it when he obviously didn’t like it?
    He’d returned three days
ago, much sooner than anyone had expected. He didn’t say anything
about his trip to L.A., but Elena got the feeling it hadn’t gone as
well as he’d hoped. She hadn’t spoken with him since his return and
had only seen him during the daily meetings, but he seemed
preoccupied and moody. Elliot had mentioned that he wasn’t acting
like himself. Elena wondered what was eating at him, then wondered
why it mattered to her.
    Cara peered through the
camera for a few seconds, then threw back her head, shaking her
short black hair. “This just won’t work.”
    The band members groaned in
protest. How many times was she going to rearrange them? And how
many more rolls of film did she need to take? They’d been shooting
pictures for the last three days and Elena had yet to see a
preliminary specimen. Julian’s deadline for the rough draft was
tomorrow and she didn’t relish telling him she didn’t even have the
photo shot yet. He expected to see a mock-up of the completed
project with the