Say You're Mine - Layla Hagen Page 0,2

practically feel the guys’ anger building. All I wanted to do was laugh. I’d never met someone so unimpressed by us. It only made me want to get to know her better. I liked her confidence.

“So what exactly will this entail?” I asked.

“She’ll meet with you individually, and as a group, to find out more about you. What motivates you, what’s important to you—”

“I don’t have time for this.” Thomas stood up.

“Thomas, sit down!” I said through gritted teeth.

He grunted, looking at the others, silently asking them to back him up, but no one did. Reluctantly, he sat back down.

“And why don’t you do that?” I asked Sasha.

“Because I don’t have her expertise, and because I’ve been with you boys for a long time. I have a skewed perception of what the fans want GreenFire to be. Having an outsider’s perspective will not only help us maintain your existing fanbase but appeal to new audiences as well.”

That sort of made sense, especially since we hadn’t been doing anything differently since we entered the music scene, but I still didn’t get why we needed any of this. We could figure this out on our own... I think.

But I wanted to find out where this would lead, exactly. Though I also knew I couldn’t keep the guys’ temper in check for too long. We were musicians; we had people to manage our marketing, fanbase, and all the other stuff we didn’t want to deal with.

I didn’t want Isabelle to get caught in the crossfire, so I turned to them.

“Guys, I’ll stay here with Sasha and Isabelle to discuss the details. If you want to go back to the cottage, you can take the car. Paul can come back for me when we’re done, and Sasha and I can tell you everything later.”

They were out the door in a matter of seconds—no surprise. Sasha left with them, escorting them to the car, leaving me alone with Isabelle.

“I can show you some work I did for other clients,” she said, taking out an iPad from her bag. I leaned in closer, watching the screen. I heard yet another sharp intake of breath. Her fingers were shaking lightly as she tapped a folder titled Portfolio.

So I did affect her. Did it make me a bastard that I felt triumphant? I was used to women wanting me because I was the lead singer of GreenFire. It was one of the reasons why I hadn’t dated seriously in years. Fame and relationships didn’t blend at all. I’d learned that the hard way when the woman I thought was in love with me betrayed me.

But Isabelle was different. She didn’t care about the band. She was responding to me, and that was refreshing and real. It was intoxicating to watch her react to me like this.

“So, the name of the company is, of course, blurred out because I signed NDAs. But as you can see, I made profiles for their shoppers.”

She pointed to a slide with four stock pictures and a series of attributes beneath each one.

“This process is frequently used for market research. I have to say it’s the first time I’ve been asked to make profiles of the employers themselves. It’s a bit different.”

“Isabelle, I have a proposition for you,” I said after a few slides.

She looked up at me. “I’m listening.”

“The whole team is going bowling tonight. Join us.”

“Why?” The way she cocked her head to the side almost undid me.

“Because I’ll have time to talk to the guys. You’ll get a better idea of what you’re getting yourself into.”

“Oh, I already know it’s a lion’s den, and you’re the leader.” She smirked.

I wanted to kiss that feisty mouth. I looked at her lips long enough for her to notice. She parted them, licking the lower one.

“They’re usually friendlier than this,” I assured her, leaning farther away. “Come with us at bowling. I promise it’ll be worth your time.”

She cocked a brow, running her hand through her red hair. I could tell she was weighing the pros and cons. At best, the boys were going to be civil. At worst, they’d be even more obnoxious than they were today. I had to sweeten the offer.

“I’ll make you a deal. Come with us tonight and at least you’ll get to interview me, or whatever it is you need to do.”

She tilted her head, and that red mane cascaded over her right shoulder. It was shiny and silky, and I wanted to know how it would feel