All Note Long by Annabeth Albert Read Free Book Online

not have looked more shocked had Michelin presented her with a gold engagement ring on bended knee. And Michelin hadn’t been thinking that. Not exactly. More like that Lucky was a nice guy who made him acutely aware of how damn long it had been since he’d been touched.
    He opened his mouth to protest, but Gloria was already rolling ahead. “Wait. That’s it. You like this kid, right? And somehow you’re sure he’s not in on the take?”
    â€œHe’s not. And he’s . . . okay.” Michelin said the last bit cautiously, sure he wasn’t going to like what came out of Gloria’s mouth next.
    â€œDid you set this up? Because I have to say, you’re not freaking out half as much as I expected.” Gloria’s eyes narrowed at him.
    â€œI don’t freak out.” Except when he did. Like when confronted with the hottest guy he’d ever seen, in a club he’d had no business being inside. But she didn’t need to know that. Just like she didn’t need to know that inside he was a wreck. This was a moment he’d feared for close to two decades—ever since he was sixteen and played his first show—and now that it was here, he wanted to toss himself in a bottle and then back in bed, in that order. I’m not ready.
    He’d thought yesterday, briefly, that he might be. The burden of lying seemed so heavy, especially when Gloria wanted to cut him off from the few people whose company Michelin actually enjoyed. Michelin managed without the entourage that had seemed so necessary when he was first starting out—he had a business manager he communicated with almost solely via text, a stylist he saw before each big appearance, and a financial wizard who dealt with him through lengthy emails and mercifully short phone calls. And Gloria. Couldn’t forget her. But none of them compared to the brief pleasure of being in the company of the younger guys, living vicariously through their excitement and discovery. And she’d wanted to take that away from him. So he’d rebelled for a moment. Let himself think about stopping the lies. But deep down, he’d known it was impossible.
    Except now he had to deal with the absolute worst case scenario, and all he could think was, be careful what you wish for.
    â€œYour album drops in two weeks. We have to fix this.” A small, brittle smile appeared on Gloria’s face. “And I think I know how.”

Chapter Four

    @MichelinFan4Life: ZOMG. Did you see the GoZZip article? Did you? In deep mourning here. It can’t be true, right?
    Â 
    @MrsMichelin4Ever: I refuse to believe dirty rumors. Refuse.
    Â 
    @CountryTidbits: Someone’s got himself in hot water. Somehow I’m not surprised.

    â€œY ou want Lucky Rain to be my boyfriend?” Michelin was on his second cup of coffee, and he still wasn’t quite sure that he understood Gloria’s plan. He’d demanded time to shower and eat while she made phone calls. They were in his dining area, Gloria on her tablet with her phone on a fancy little stand in front of her. She’d been typing and texting ever since he’d made her stop pacing and sit at the table while he made some coffee.
    â€œRight now the story is up on GoZZip and a few other sites, but it hasn’t hit the major outlets. Judging by news cycles, absent terrorism or a big hurricane on the east coast, you’ll be the biggest story by Monday morning.” She spoke with the sort of finality of a news anchor describing a fifty-car pile-up.
    â€œSo you’re saying I should be praying for a natural disaster?” Michelin took a long swallow of the extra dark roast he had shipped down from Seattle.
    â€œI’ve already checked the weather. Twice.” Gloria gave a dismissive wave. “No. What I’m saying is that we preempt the news cycle. Get you a story going up tomorrow on one of the biggest LGBT news outlets, with a sit-down