Domination by Lyra Byrnes Read Free Book Online Page B

strength to get on the bus and act normal when she saw him.
    That proved harder than she had anticipated. Josie burrowed
into her seat, hugging her bag to her chest. She knew she was sulking like a
teenager but couldn’t stop.
    After what felt like an eternity Bram stepped into the
aisle, hanging for a moment with both hands on the bar above his head, his
glorious chest wide as an eagle’s wingspan. He threw Josie a wink, which she
studiedly ignored, and strode past her.
    “Ye look exhausted, mate,” Kraxis called.
    “No rest for the wicked.” Bram flopped down on his customary
long backseat, one arm flung over his eyes.
    Josie couldn’t stand it anymore. All that talk about trust
and safewords and what he really wanted—it was just talk. He had probably given
the same speech to the brunette in the tiny dress. Given her hope and then
ripped it away. Josie strode over to him, her face flushed.
    “I know what you’re up to,” she spat.
    Bram didn’t move. “Good show. Writers are trained to be
observant.”
    “I saw that girl.”
    “Oh, that. Yeah, I was in dire need.”
    “I’ll just bet!”
    She did her best to stage whisper but all eyes turned to
her.
    Kraxis called out, “Girls, girls! Ye’re both pretty.”
    Bram sat up. “Are we having a row, Josie?” he asked in a
low, controlled voice that made her blood run cold. “I don’t argue with
females.”
    “Best not if ye want to keep yer balls!” Kraxis let out a
booming laugh.
    “Damnedest woman. Listen to me, love. Are you aware that I’m
working?”
    “Work!” she snorted.
    “Yes. You think it’s all about the girls and the booze and
thrashing about onstage? I work like any other man.”
    She looked at his leather pants and shirtless chest, the
beer-can graveyard littering the aisle.
    “Nice cubicle.”
    “So the lighting is a bit better. Touring is boring .
It’s bus rides and hotel rooms, radio appearances, answering the same questions
infinity times. And while I’m cruising on the success of the last record, my
head’s moved on to the next. Your man in the cubicle has one boss to please—I
have thousands. I need stimulation to reset the motor.”
    “You needed a visit from the takeout submissive menu.”
    He shook his head. “A notebook. I sent out for a fresh
supply before Bucky announced we were loading up.”
    “So that girl wasn’t…”
    “I was writing, love. Sorry to disappoint.”
    He had been writing and run out of materials. That had
happened to her. But she wasn’t able to snap her fingers and have fresh
supplies hand-delivered and if she could, the store certainly wouldn’t send its
hottest employee.
    Scratch that—the hottest employee wouldn’t have checked out
who was staying at the hotel first and volunteered to go.
    “I feel stupid.”
    “You should,” he said. “Now shall we get on with the work?”
    “Oh, yeah.” Be professional and not a dreamy little
lovesick girl, Josie. You’re on the clock. She grabbed her materials. “We
were talking about the new album.”
    So far Bram had answered questions about his influences and
the band’s early days playing in garages and beer-sticky clubs but offered no
details about the songs on Domination’s next album.
    “You said you expect it to chart well. Don’t you believe
that of all your recordings?”
    “Metal doesn’t reach to top of the pops unless there’s some
naff compromise like an orchestra or some pop star guesting,” he said.
    “Don’t you want to write hits?” she asked.
    “For what? The dosh? I don’t need a castle in Ireland with
fourteen bogs and a drafty throne room. I have one but that’s just part of the
show. Nah, it keeps us pure, not worrying about how many spotty youths download
our work. Do what you do with enough passion and the punters respond.”
    “So what’s the title of this one?” She preferred to ask
direct questions with an assumption she was entitled to an answer. Rock stars
could be secretive about releasing