American Diva by Julia London Read Free Book Online

smile, and flipped open his cell.
    “But I—”
    “Just please do as I ask,” he said brusquely.
    Everything in the room suddenly stilled—even Mitzi’s nail polish brush froze mid-dip in the bottle. No one breathed, no one moved, but all eyes slid to Audrey. It embarrassed her. She knew Lucas had her best interests at heart—he always had—but she hated the way he spoke to her like she was a child.
    She lifted her chin. “I would really like to know more,” she said firmly.
    With a snort of surprise, Lucas smiled at her. “Don’t be a drama queen, baby. Let’s just get through today’s session, and then I’ll take you to dinner and we can talk about whatever it is that’s bugging you.”
    What was bugging her was that it was her name on the concert tour and the albums and the billboard charts. But years of watching her parents argue loudly in public had made Audrey the exact opposite. She couldn’t muster the courage to talk to Lucas about his tone in front of all these people, especially people who were certain to leak it to some media outlet. So she bit her tongue, nodded curtly, and turned away. Mitzi’s nail polish brush slid the rest of the way into the bottle, and Audrey could almost hear the collective breath being released.
    She wished for all the world that she could be alone with Lucas and tell him exactly what she thought, but there was never a damn moment she was alone with him. She was constantly surrounded—she couldn’t even go to the bathroom without everyone knowing it.
    So Audrey did what she always did when this happened—she walked out of the artist’s lounge and down the long hallway to the ladies’ room, the only place she could get a moment of peace.
    That night, while Audrey was writing music, Lucas let himself into their hotel suite carrying a leather bag. Audrey glanced at him and decided she must be tired, because for a moment, she thought the bag was moving.
    It was moving—Lucas had brought her a small, furry, black-and-white-haired dog. “It’s a toy Havanese,” he said. “I named him Bruno.” It was a gift, he explained, for the mix-up about the security this afternoon.
    “But . . . but I don’t want a dog, Lucas,” Audrey said, staring at the little thing. “I’m about to go on tour.”
    “That’s why I got you this carrying case,” he said, holding up the bag.
    “Thanks . . . but I don’t want a dog.”
    Lucas looked at the dog, then at Audrey. “Wow. You sure know how to cut a guy off at the knees. I am just trying to make it up to you. I’ll go see if they will take him back.”
    He looked so hurt by her refusal that, against her better judgment, Audrey stopped him. “No, don’t. He’s cute,” she said, and smiled when Lucas grinned and handed her the dog.
     
     
    On the morning of the day Lucas Bonner would meet with TA about security—something they told him they did not do, but had agreed, thanks to Mitzi, to at least hear the guy out—Jack saw a picture of Bonner with Audrey on the front page of the Star, running into the very popular Twist nightclub in L.A. The caption read,

Is Marriage in Audrey’s Future? What the Stars Say!
    Jack looked at the line ahead of him—four deep and a woman in front of him with a cart piled high. He glanced surreptitiously behind him—the woman was trying to wrestle her toddler out of the shopping cart.
    He sheepishly reached for the magazine and opened it up quickly, folding back the cover so no one would think he was actually reading the Star .
     
    Star asked astrologers if this is the year Audrey LaRue might find true happiness and marry her long-term boyfriend, aspiring artist Lucas Bonner. “Venus is in her seventh house, which makes this year ripe for love and marriage and meaningful partnerships,” the astrologer told Star . “It will be interesting to see if this is the year Audrey and Lucas tie the knot. I think her seventh house is perfectly set up for it.” Only Audrey knows, but one source