Ethan wasn’t having that. Yes, their relationship had gotten some mixed responses from fans. Some hard-core followers of his had been downright disparaging about it, especially when the story came out that Mandy Sloane was just an intern he’d met while working on re-styling his image. Ethan didn’t care what anyone said, least of all those who thought he was selling out or losing his mojo by acting like the love-struck dumbass. Sure, Mandy was nothing like the girls he’d been with in the past, women his fans were able to relate to because they were in the rock music industry. He remembered when he had been with Zuriel; the fans had gone crazy for their ‘romance’. And his publicity team had run with it, encouraging the relationship even when Ethan had shown signs he was done with it.
Everyone had turned a deaf ear when he’d hinted at the way being with her had turned him into someone he didn’t recognize. The drugs, the hard partying from dusk till dawn, the wild nights when you were never sure who crawled into bed with you – all that was a thing of the past. Zuriel was freakier than what even the public was aware of. She hadn’t minded sharing Ethan with other women so long as she got to be in the mix as well. She loved girl-on-girl action and wasn’t averse to livening things up with mind-altering substances Ethan didn’t even want to touch now.
And Zuriel thought nothing about throwing money away. They could go out and blow a hundred grand on jewelry, clothes, and other useless crap. Or spend half that during a night on the town buying up bottles at the top clubs on whatever continent they happened to be in. Or worse, getting drunk and totaling a two-week old Porsche driving from one party to another. Ethan knew they were both lucky to be alive considering the shit they’d gotten up to, especially while they were both under the influence.
They’d both understood what it meant to live like a ‘rock star’, and their fans had loved every minute of watching them burn at both ends.
People always thought they’d started dating when he was eighteen. But the truth was, Ethan had met her when he was sixteen while playing with Jaime and Henson in clubs as an indie band. She’d already started to become well known then, but she wasn’t as big a star as she was now. She’d been two years older and the first night they’d met, she invited him back to her place where they’d spent the night together. She’d been his first, which was another tidbit no one knew. Not even his closest buddy Jaime.
It had been a crazy four years with her, and Ethan marveled at how he’d let her rule his life for that long. The crazy mood swings only he got to see…her substance and alcohol abuse problem, her jealous rages. She’d once had a groupie beaten up just because the girl had tricked one of the guards into letting her sneak into Ethan’s dressing room, where she waited for him, naked. Zuriel had gone in and found her instead…and then set a couple of bodyguards to rough the girl up and ‘teach her a lesson’. It had taken a lot of hush-work to keep the scandal out of the tabloids, but that was when Ethan had decided that he’d had enough.
Zuriel hadn’t wanted the embarrassment of the world finding out she’d been dumped by Ethan Tyler, so she had been happy to bow out of the relationship gracefully. She took an extended trip to Ibiza for a month or two and by the time she got back, their love story had died a natural death. They went on with their music and stayed friends even though Ethan had always sensed she wasn’t over him yet.
And now here Davey was, suggesting he restart his relationship with Zuriel as a career boost. Was the man out of his fucking mind?
“The way I see it,” Davey said, swiveling in the oversized chair positioned behind his equally expansive desk, “You need to get your groove back. We have the current album to think of, and we need to get as much exposure as possible in readiness for the new stuff ready to come out in a few months. And guess what? Zuriel’s record company called to work with the band on that angel whatchamacallit song of yours. Specifically, she wants a duet with you after she reworks the song to suit her genre. I’d say this has the potential to be the best crossover songs of the year and she’s ready to start whenever you are. Think about it, Ethan. You and Zuriel, making music and love. And hey, you don’t even have to be into her if you don’t want to. We’ll carefully arrange it to be just some publicity stunt where everyone thinks you two are together. We’ll sell loads of albums.”
Ethan was staring unblinkingly at him. “You make me feel like impaling myself on a giant metal spike when you talk like this.”
“I’m only doing my job. One that’s got many top bands staying on top while I work seamlessly in the background,” Davey said nonchalantly. “And hey, even the guys agree with me. Jaime thinks you’ve changed since you’ve been with Mandy. Even when you play, it’s different. Now all we get is your watered down version. It’s okay if you want to slow down on the rough life, but remember, that’s what being a rock star is all about. At age twenty-five, you’ve gained a massive following any musician would be proud of; you’ve refined your skills as a guitarist and gained this incredible brand that makes you stand out as a band member. Playing that new unreleased song of yours at that concert drew a lot of attention, and now’s the time to hit fast with a single. Just give it a try, will you? Get in the studio with Zuriel, see if it works out. I’ll work on the personal angle along the way. Trust me like you’ve done all these years. I’ve never led you astray, have I?”