Aftershock Read Free Page B

her presence, her authority, it hadn’t occurred to her she might interrupt the band’s schedule.
    Okay. Point taken .
    “I hear what you’re saying.”
    When she raised her eyes to him another shock zapped through her body.
    I’m imagining it. I have to be. I can’t afford one misstep here .
    Her mouth lost all moisture, so she forced down a swallow of cold coffee.
    Crap! I’ve got to get control of myself. Right now.
    Okay, Sydney, take a breath and reload .
    She managed to smile at him, doing her best to relax. “Look, I’m sorry we got off on the wrong foot. I’m just so focused on making you guys a success, I tend to forget what’s going on outside my bubble. Sometimes even my manners.”
    “Okay, me too.” One corner of his mouth crooked up in a semblance of a smile. “Shall we start over?”
    She let out a breath. “Sounds good to me. I’m sure we can work things out so I don’t interrupt your rehearsal time. It’s just that all of this is so important.”
    “Believe me, it is to us, too.” He leaned forward. “Now, how about you let me see what you’ve got in mind.”
    Showtime, Sydney. And make it good .
    “One of the things Full Moon is tasked with, is the creation of a presence for the band even before the tour starts. My job is to build the excitement—the buzz. You know, the online gossip, the tease on the entertainment programs, the chatter about an emerging entity.
    “I have a number of media appearances planned for you to get your faces out there. We have the kickoff all set, but I’ll need to prep you a lot.”
    “Prep us.” A statement, not a question.
    “So you’ll know what to say. You don’t want to make a verbal misstep with the media.” When he remained silent, she showed him the calendar. “We’ll need to do a photo shoot with the band before then for the promo packets.”
    She went on to detail the other items on her list. Interviews with him as the leader. Meetings with some of the radio deejays in the different cities who would be key to getting their songs on the playlist. The type of questions they might be asked.
    “Butch has okayed the order for merchandise to sell at the tour stops. We don’t know how big the customer base will be, so we’ll use the kickoff tours for other new bands as a guideline. The first two stops will give us a better feel for it.”
    Rick nodded, his gaze locked on her. “I understand. Butch did talk to us about it. You’ll tell people what we’re all about and pitch us to them for exposure.”
    “Right. But it encompasses more than the interviews. It’s about the visuals, too.” Sydney took a slow breath and pulled out an artist’s sketch of their logo. She hadn’t even talked to Butch or Linc about this but she knew it would work. If the band bought into it, she’d be halfway there.
    “I’d like to jazz this up, give it some pop. Do the lightning bolt in silver and add some glitter to it.”
    She nibbled her lower lip while he studied the full color drawings. His expression gave nothing away.
    Linc Forrester’s warning when he assigned her to the band popped into her head.
      “I’m giving you this because I believe you’re ready, Sydney. But be very careful. These aren’t kids with stars in their eyes. They’ve been in the business a long time. Rick Trajean’s got a good head on his shoulders. Use it. And yours, too.”
    “You really think jazzy T-shirts will make a difference?”
    Sydney wet her lips. “I think they’ll stand out on stage, draw the eye of the audience to you. Plus, it will make the shirts a lot more appealing to your fans. A lightning bolt represents massive light and power,” she explained. “That’s what I want people to think of when they see this band. I want the image to consume them.” She paused. “If it works, I have some other ideas.”
    Rick leaned back in his seat, his dark eyes studied her.
    “How do you really see the band, Sydney?” His tone of voice was uninflected. “How