Aftershock Read Free Page A

band. She’d get past this and do better next time.
    She removed a yellow pad from her briefcase and began to make careful notes. So engrossed in her work, she missed Rick’s approach.
    “Those plans for us?”
    Her hand jerked, the pen flying from her fingers onto the floor. Sydney looked up, her other hand at her throat, willing her pulse to slow down to a manageable rhythm. Not a dream, not a vision from her imagination but a hot presence with a voice that made her insides quake. And when his gaze locked with hers, a volcanic impact erupted inside her again. She opened her mouth but no sound emerged. Rick’s rich baritone vibrated through her body. Shivers skated over her skin and danced along her spine. The first sight of him had rocked her and she thought she’d done a masterful job of concealing it. Only now, here they were, one on one, and the shimmery explosion that blasted at the door of her hidden emotions had strengthened.
    Just listening to him made her nipples harden and her pulse beat hard and furious at every erogenous zone in her body. She had to squeeze her thighs together to control herself.
    “Sydney?” he nudged.
    “What? Oh, sorry. Hi. Thanks for meeting me.”
    “I asked if you were working on stuff for us.” He nodded at the open folder and her pad of paper as he slid into the booth, a cup of coffee in his hand.
    Forcing her eyes away from him, Sydney swept the papers into the folder and closed it. She turned the yellow pad upside down then plastered a smile on her face.
    Business, Sydney. Be professional. You’re in charge .
    “Yes, as a matter of fact it is. I want you to know I’ve given a lot of thought to this and I’ve done a lot of research on what it will take to craft a successful plan. I’ve put together a strong campaign—television, newspapers, online blogs, personal appearances—to create and establish your image. Brand you, so to speak. That’s what I wanted to talk to you about earlier. Why I came to the rehearsal.”
    Rick slid a small rectangle of pasteboard across the table to her with the Lightnin’ logo on one side. When she reached for it their hands touched. Again Sydney felt that surge of electricity zip through her body and dance in the air. She looked up to see if Rick felt the same thing. If the glitter in his eyes was any indication, he did.
    She didn’t ever remember being so intensely aware of a man. Not ever in her life. The reaction was so instantaneous it frightened her. Pulses throbbed and her breathing hitched. “Just making sure you were focused on us.” The heat in his eyes scorched her. The tic of a muscle in his cheek showed he, too, fought to maintain self-control.
    Holy crap! How is this happening?
    No, no, no, Sydney. You can’t let yourself respond this way to a man. Any man.
    She pulled the card toward her and turned it over. On the reverse she saw Rick’s name, cell phone number, and e-mail.
    “The cell number is the best one to use,” he told her. “You can always get in touch with me and schedule a meeting.” Those hot eyes scorched her face for a long moment. “Please don’t come to rehearsal again unless you’re invited. When we’re there, it’s all about the music.”
    Sydney picked up the card, tucked it into her briefcase, and did her best to hide the way her hands trembled.
    “I understand. I made an error in judgment today. It won’t happen again.” Even as she offered the semi-apology, she tried to put authority into her tone. “But I have a job to do, and I have to do it in a timely fashion or it won’t work. And what I do will benefit the band.”
    If he would quit looking at her with such hunger. No, not simple hunger. More than that.
    “I’m not an idiot, Sydney. But we’re there to work.” He blew out a breath. “Away from an audience, where mistakes can be corrected.”
    He had a point. But as a neophyte agent given the chance to test her wings, she could not fail. She’d been so intent on establishing