But she couldn't stop grinning.
Brody was back.
Chapter Four
An hour later, Tatum was still giddy with excitement as she arrived backstage for the meet and greet that Donny and Nora always made the band do after every concert. She was usually the last one there, but tonight, she was first of her band to arrive.
One look told her that Brody wasn't there yet. In fact, no one was there other than staff, preparing to let people in.
Victoria was the first one of the band to arrive. "What the hell, girl! Since when do you know Brody Hart?'
Tatum grinned. "I met him when we were teenagers. I haven't seen him in fifteen years."
"Fifteen years? No way, girl." Her bass player, Ace Stevens, strode in with his husband, Jackson O'Hare. Ace was still wearing his black leather pants and matching vest, but his husband was wearing a dress shirt, pressed jeans, and polished loafers, as always. "There was so much heat between the two of you that you practically set the stadium on fire."
"Amen to that," Jackson said. "I couldn't decide whether to get a fire extinguisher or a mattress."
Heat blazed in Tatum's cheeks. "Shut up. It's not like that. I literally haven't seen him since I was seventeen."
"It was definitely like that," Ace said. "Donny's going to be furious. He won't like any man looking at you like Brody Hart just did."
Sudden tension chased away Tatum's jubilation. "He's not my husband anymore."
Ace put his arm around her shoulders. "Oh, shit, girl. I didn't mean to pop your bubble. You looked so happy out there." He grabbed her chin and wiggled. "Where's my Tatum smile? I want it back."
Ace and Victoria had been with Tatum since the beginning. The rest of the band had been shuttled through by Donny to try to up her sales. Only Ace and Victoria had survived, and now Tatum had made it clear that without them, she wouldn't perform.
So far, Donny hadn't called her on it to see if she would really give up singing to keep them. Mostly because Ace and Victoria were amazing, and they had their own fan bases as well. They helped sales, and as long as they helped with the profit margin, Donny left them alone.
Tatum managed a smile for Ace, trying to put Donny out of her mind.
Nora walked in then, and headed straight for Tatum. "You know him," she said, a hint of accusation in her voice. "You already knew Brody Hart when you asked me to send him the ticket."
"I hadn't seen him in years. I didn't know if he'd come."
Nora looked annoyed. "I need to know these things. We could have leveraged this so much better. Former boyfriend? Reunite on stage? This is big stuff. It could really help boost the sales for this tour. Is he coming backstage? I need to talk to him."
Suddenly, Tatum wasn't so sure having Brody backstage had been the right idea. Donny would be there momentarily. If everyone else thought she and Brody had a past, Donny would, too.
And he could make things really ugly in a hurry.
She cleared her throat. "I don't know if he's coming backstage. And he's not an old boyfriend. We were friends as kids. That's it. Just friends." Until they'd slept together, declared their love for each other, and sworn eternity, of course. Except for that, just friends.
The rest of the band ambled in. Hired musicians that had already been swapped out twice during this tour. They kept to themselves and hadn't been interested in getting to know Tatum.
She didn't like that.
She liked to have a team around her. Music worked better that way.
"Hang on." Jackson, Ace's husband and the one with business sense, held up his hand. "Ticket sales aren't going well?"
"No." Nora eyed Tatum. "We all know Tatum's been off, and the word gets ahead. Ticket sales have been going down all tour. Tonight with Brody was big. You got the crowd going again. Maybe he can join us for that song for the rest of the tour? Do a joint promo?"
Crap. Brody wouldn't like that. He was intensely private, and very sensitive about people who wanted something from him because of his money. That was one reason she'd never contacted him. She didn't want to be one of those people who swarmed him now that he was someone. "Don't ask him. Tonight was just a gift for an old friend."
"Oh, I'll ask him. You need it." Nora looked at her watch. "I'll go see if he's in line out there. I'll escort him back."
"No!" Tatum leapt ahead of Nora. "I'll go check."
"You need to be here. You're the star people have paid to see." Nora held up her hand.
"But—"
"Your contract requires you to meet and greet. I will go." Nora turned to leave, but Victoria intercepted.
"Hey, Nora. I've got a little situation with my drums."
"You do?" Nora swore and turned to Victoria. "What's going on?"
Victoria winked at Tatum before drawing Nora away. Ace and Jackson waved her off as they too headed after Nora.
Tatum blew them all a kiss and sprinted for the door. She paused by one of the security guards. "Which way to the VIP entrance?"
He pointed to the left, and she took off at a run. The hall was empty, which she loved. She was never alone anymore. Never got her own space. This emptiness of the hallway felt like a breath of fresh air, and she grinned as she ran.
She'd arrange to meet Brody later. Just them. Just…why? What would she say to him?
She slowed down to a walk. Why did she invite him? Wasn't it because she did want something from him? For him to use his clout and somehow free her from the contract she'd signed, from the manager who wouldn't leave her alone?
Tatum stopped, alone in the empty hall.
How could she ask Brody to solve the problems she'd created for herself? A man she hadn't seen in fifteen years? It wasn't his job to save her. How pathetic did that make her, to run to him for help?
She laced her fingers together and rested them on the top of her head, sudden guilt pressing down upon her.
"Tatum."
She tensed as Donny walked around the corner, coming from the direction of the VIP entrance. "What?"
"What the fuck was that with Brody Hart and that song? Neither of those were pre-approved."
Tatum pulled her shoulders back and put her hands on her hips. "It's called art. The best art isn't always scripted. Everyone loved it."
"It doesn't matter. That was a bullshit move. What if it had backfired? What if he sues us? We didn't get a release to film him or use his voice for profit."
"He won't sue me. He chose to get on the stage—"
"Why'd he do that?" Donny reached her, glaring down at her. "You guys had that little dance perfectly choreographed. You know him? You've been sleeping with him? Is that why you filed for divorce? Because you've been sleeping around with him? Are there others?"
There was an edge to his voice that made Tatum freeze.
He'd hit her only once. And then she'd walked out of his office and straight into the lawyer's office.
But he scared her ever since. It felt like the anger was mounting inside him, and at some point, he was going to snap.