Serenade Me: A Rockstar Romance (Rock Chamber Boys Book 3) Read online

  SERENADE ME

  A ROCK CHAMBER BOYS NOVEL

  ~*~

  Written by

  Daisy Allen

  Copyright © 2018 Daisy Allen

  Serenade Me: A Rock Chamber Boys Novel

  By Daisy Allen

  All rights reserved.

  This book may not be reproduced, scanned, or distributed in any printed or electronic form without permission from the author. Please do not participate in or encourage piracy of copyrighted materials in violation of the author’s rights. All characters and storylines are the properties of the author and your support and respect is appreciated.

  This book is a work of fiction. The characters and events portrayed in this book are fictitious. Any similarity to real persons, living or dead, is coincidental and not intended by the author.

  For Rick –

  who serenades me with Dad jokes

  and pedantic puns that keep me on my feet.

  And is the music of my days.

  Table of Contents

  Prologue

  Chapter One

  Chapter Two

  Chapter Three

  Chapter Four

  Chapter Five

  Chapter Six

  Chapter Seven

  Chapter Eight

  Chapter Nine

  Chapter Ten

  Chapter Eleven

  Chapter Twelve

  Chapter Thirteen

  Chapter Fourteen

  Chapter Fifteen

  Chapter Sixteen

  Chapter Seventeen

  Chapter Eighteen

  Chapter Nineteen

  Chapter Twenty

  Chapter Twenty-one

  Chapter Twenty-two

  Chapter Twenty-three

  Chapter Twenty-four

  Chapter Twenty-five

  Chapter Twenty-six

  Chapter Twenty-seven

  Chapter Twenty-eight

  Chapter Twenty-nine

  Chapter Thirty

  Chapter Thirty-one

  Chapter Thirty-two

  Chapter Thirty-three

  Chapter Thirty-four

  Chapter Thirty-five

  Chapter Thirty-six

  Chapter Thirty-seven

  Chapter Thirty-eight

  Chapter Thirty-nine

  Chapter Forty

  Chapter Forty-one

  Chapter Forty-two

  Chapter Forty-three

  About the Author

  Other Books by Daisy Allen

  Prologue

  I always knew he’d come for me.

  I waited.

  Fearful that he wouldn’t

  Fearful that he would.

  And now he’s here.

  To collect.

  But I’m all out of pain to pay.

  And there’s no currency in joy.

  Chapter One

  Marius

  “Ohhhhhmmmmm. Ohhhmmmm. Feel the air pass through every portal of your body, collecting the toxins and negativity, and then slowly release them in a long slow exhale. Ohhhmmm.”

  “Ohhhhm. Ohhhmmmm,” I chant along with the recording, taking a long deep breath, feeling the air fill my lungs and then slowly breathe out.

  In the back of my mind I hear the sound of footsteps, but I ignore them, trying to concentrate on my morning meditation.

  “Ooogey boogey woogeeey,” speaks up a familiar, decidedly non-meditative voice. “Feel the rotten egg smell pass through me and into Marius’ nostrils.”

  My serenity vanishes in a second and I snap my eyes open, only to see two perfectly round, bright blue pupils, barely two inches from my face.

  “AHHHHHH!” I scream, jumping to my feet and taking five steps back, tripping over the coffee table and ending up in an awkward somersault, head over heels, crashing against the base of one of the leather recliners.

  “Bloody Titbiscuit!!!” I yell at Jez, my band mate, glaring at him as I rub the back of my neck.

  “’Titbiscuit’?!” Sebastian, our band’s other cellist, repeats. It sounds even more ridiculous in his French accent. “That’s a new one, any other pastry themed nicknames you want to teach me before Cadence leaves? “Honey” and “Sweetie” are getting old.”

  “Honeysweetums, I call you other things as well,” Cadey, his fiancée, clarifies while winking at him.

  “Yes, but nothing the boys can hear, Sugarcakes,” Seb gushes, returning the wink and reaching out his hand to her.

  “Well, we hear you calling her ‘the ol’ ball and chain’ all the time,” Brad, our violinist, contributes, returning Seb’s glare with a wide, innocent smile.

  “Oh, you do, do you?” Cadey turns to her fiancé who starts to squirm in his seat. “Let me tell you then, there won’t be any sort of ball action going on tonight, my love.”

  “Thanks, fuckers! She’s leaving in a few days, too.” He throws his fiancée a pitiful look and she only grins in reply before straddling him and giving him a deep kiss.

  “Ugh, guys. Gross.” I scrunch up my face at their public display of affection. “Some of us are still digesting our lunch, you know.”

  “Your body’s not digesting that vegan not-dog you had, it’s trying to propel it from your stomach,” Brad says, chewing on a stick of beef jerky, then opening his mouth to display the masticated contents to me.

  “Hey, my body’s a temple,” I tell him, pulling my sleeve up and flexing my bicep.

  “That’s where you’re going wrong, what you want is for your body to be a liquor store. Six-packs galore, baby.” Jez pulls his t-shirt up and pats his bare stomach. I have to admit, his symmetrical lines of rippling muscles look good. I wonder, not for the first time, where all the beer and chicken wings he inhales goes. Even cutting meat out of my diet, I have to work twice as hard to keep myself in shape.

  I grab the remote and shut off the meditation YouTube video still playing on the TV.

  “Hey,” I say to Brad, trying to get his attention. I roll my eyes and gesture to the loved-up scene on the couch, Cadence in Sebastian’s lap and their foreheads pressed against each other’s.

  “What?” Brad asks, his mouth still full of cured meatstick.

  I frown at his response. I’d expected him to make a loud gagging noise, but then I remember. “Oh, yeah, I forgot, you’re one of THEM now,” referring to his recent engagement to his high school sweetheart, Emily.

  Brad grins and shrugs. “What can I say, when it’s love, it’s love.” He comes over and nudges my shoulder. “Or in your case, ‘love-love’ as in big ol’ noughts when it comes to wins against women. I mean, have you ever even had a relationship that lasted longer than a plane ride?”

  I elbow him back and he squeals in mock pain. “Hey! I’m looking for spiritual connections, okay? It’s not just about bra-size and skirt length for me, like for you manslutsticles”

  “I’m pretty sure Jez is the only “Slutsticle” around here these days.” Sebastian grins at his fellow cellist bandmate who bows at the accolade.

  “Someone’s gotta do your dirty work, boys. You think our fans like that you two are strapped into chastity belts now? Gotta take care of the fans that got us here.”

  “Speaking of chastity belts. Hey, Cadence…?”

  “Whoa, flattering segue. Thanks, Marius,” Cadence snorts.

  I wink at her and she rolls her eyes before I continue. “Cadence, are you really going to leave us in the lurch?”

  Her face falls when I ask the question and I almost wish I hadn’t said it. I hate to make her feel bad. Before we’d lured her to come on our European CD launch tour with us, Cadence was a high schoo
l music teacher in Sydney, Australia. She’d always made it clear that come the school year, she’d be going to go back, leaving us without a pianist for the French leg of our tour.

  “I’m sorry, babe, the school year starts up in Australia, and well, some of these kids are coming into their senior year. They’re going to need a lot of support and I just can’t abandon them after working with them all these years. I guess… maybe I can organize to come for some of the weekend shows? And take a few days off, here and there? I mean, the tour’s only got about a month left, right?

  She looks at Seb who just shrugs. I know if he could, he’d be begging her to stay. For him as much as for the band. And the fans. She’s easily been the favorite of all the guest musicians that have played with us.

  But it’s obvious she doesn’t want to leave her students. And I wouldn’t want her to. As much as she’s been a big sister to me while she’s been with us, as much as she and I have formed a pretty special bond, I wouldn’t want to take her away from what gives her the most joy, just as I wouldn’t want anyone to do that to me, or any of us for that matter.

  “We’re really going to miss you,” I say, as I walk over to her. She climbs off her fiancé’s lap and pulls me into a big hug.

  “I know. I’m going to miss your dumb-ass, smug faces and your brilliant music and your weird looking brown salads and late nights and early mornings and finding bras that aren’t my own in my laundry and…BED…” She turns and scowls at Jez who just grins.

  “Speaking of other women,” Jez says as he pulls Cadence from my hug and slings his own arm tight around her shoulders, before pulling back when Sebastian growls, “I think I know someone who might just be able to take Cadence’s spot.”

  “Who?” Brad asks, pouring himself a drink from the bar.

  “Hang on, I have to ask one question first – Cadey, are you absolutely sure you’re not going to stay? Because I wouldn’t even dream of suggesting this if there was the tiniest chance you could come with us. You know that.”

  She smiles at him and kisses him on the cheek, then rubs the lipstick stain off his skin. “Hey, I’m just the hired hand here. Well, hired hands.” She wiggles her fingers at us. “If you can get someone to come help out that you’re happy with, then I can go guilt free.”

  “No one can replace you, Cadey,” I say, not sure if I’m ready to hear what Jez has to say. We’re a tight knit group, always have been. Infamous for our cliquishness. It’s taken some very special people for them to be accepted by us. We’ve been through too much, betrayed by too many on our journey to stardom, to trust just anyone.

  Jez looks at me, knows what I’m thinking, and lays a hand on my shoulder before continuing. He knows, he knows that I might not say it, but after him, I’m the one who has the most trouble trusting.

  “Look, if… IF we were to find someone to take over Cadey’s part, she’d have to be a freakin’ insane musician, right? Top of the bloody game. And she’d have to be discreet. Work hard, work long, not be a bloody diva on tour. And she’d have to available, obviously.”

  We all nod, wondering where he’s going with all this.

  Jez continues, “Well, I think I know someone who might just tick all those boxes. She’s just graduated from the London College of Music, she doesn’t have a lot of experience playing non-classical music, but there’s no reason why she couldn’t pick it up pretty quickly. She’s totally grounded and won’t let the attention get to her. And best of all, she can be here… tomorrow. Meaning, she can meet with everyone and can get some rehearsal in with Cadence before she goes back to Sydney.”

  He stops, looking at all of us in turn, gauging our reactions.

  Cadence looks happy, smiling wide, and Brad, at least, looks optimistic.

  “But best of all, it’s someone we can trust, she’s not going to go spilling all our secrets to the paps.” Jez hits us with the closer.

  Sebastian walks over to him and reaches out, grabbing Jez under his arm with two fingers and squeezes.

  “Ow! What the fuck?” Jez yells, yanking his arm away.

  “Just checking you weren’t dream talking, conjuring up the perfect person.” Sebastian says.

  “Pffffft, she’s not perfect by any means, but she might just be who we’re looking for.”

  “Who are you talking about?” I probe.

  “Look, I’m not going to say until I ask her. If she says no, then it’s a non-starter. If she says yes or maybe, then I’ll tell you guys. But, I think she’ll jump at the chance. And she’s perfect for us. Trust me.”

  “Why should we trust you?”

  “Because you know me. And I know her pretty well.”

  We all break out into groans, rolling our eyes.

  “No, Jez, noooo. Not one of your cuddlefuckees. That’s never going to work!” I groan.

  “No, Jerkwaffle, it’s not one of my ‘cuddlefuckees’ as you so eloquently put it. I said I know her well and I mean it. Look, just give me one day.”

  “I think I know who it is.” Sebastian says with a twinkle in his eye. It looks like whoever it is, he approves.

  “Then keep it to yourself, Doodlebrain,” Jez growls.

  “Well, duh, since you ask so nicely.”

  “Who is it?” Cadence asks, wrapping her arm around her fiancé’s neck, tracing her tongue along his jaw.

  “Now THAT’s how you ask for a favor from me,” he growls, before covering the side of his mouth and whispering in her ear.

  “Ooooh. Interesting.” Cadence’s eyes light up, nodding. “I think you might be right!”

  “Ooh, tell me!” Brad begs, coming comes over, throwing his arm around Seb’s neck and pretending to lean in and kiss him.

  “No! Get away from me, sausage breath!” Sebastian swats him away and hides behind Cadence’s back.

  “Hey!” Brad stands up, sulking. “You said that’s how to ask you for a favor!”

  “Fine… just wait a minute though…” Sebastian stands up and fumbles with his belt, then, pulling his jeans down as he bends over slightly, bares his boxers-covered butt. “I’m ready now, ask me for a favor.”

  In the two seconds it takes me to run over and slap him across the ass with a banana, Cadence is already on the floor, holding her stomach in pain from laughing.

  Chapter Two

  Marius

  “Hey, has it really been so long since you last had a girlfriend?” Cadence asks me the next day, as we’re sitting at the bar, waiting for our crew to set us up for soundcheck. For fun, to get away from the bigger stadiums, we’ve decided to play a few secret pop-up gigs around London before we’re back on the road in a few weeks’ time. It’s good to try out some new songs, ones we’re getting ready for the new album but don’t want to play in front of big audiences yet.

  “What?” I ask her, taking a sip of my beer, mostly to stall as I think up an answer that will get her off that line of questioning.

  “You heard what I said,” she says, giving me a look that tells me that she already knows me too well.

  I shrug, “How long did they say?”

  “They made it sound like it’s been… forever.”

  “Well, then, I guess… forever it is.”

  “NO!” She slams her glass on the counter and looks at me with eyes round and wide.

  “What? It’s not uncommon for people like us. I mean, none of us have REALLY had any long-term relationships. You know how it is.” I shrug, ready for this conversation to be over.

  “You know, now that I think of it, I’m not even sure I’ve seen a woman leave your room before. Is everything working..?” She waves a finger in the direction south of my belt.

  “Oi! Everything is working just fine, thank you very much. And I’m no monk. I said no relationships, not no women at all.”

  “Slut.” She grins and waggles her eyebrows at me.

  “I like to think of it as being friendly,” I say, grinning at her. I get rolled eyes in response.

  “God. Actually, it expl
ains it, really.”

  “Explains what?”

  “Why you all suck at it!”

  “At what?”

  “Talking to women!” She snorts, nodding her head at her revelation.

  “Um, dude. Jez was Cosmo’s Bachelor of the Year last year and your frog-legged fiancé won the title the year before that!”

  She just shakes her head as if she can’t believe it. “Dude. You guys opened at the Grammy’s. That’s like a lady magnet. Not to mention you all look like you belong on the cover of GQ with you bleached white teeth and chiseled jaws. But getting women to fall into bed with you is not the same as talking, really talking to them, and sustaining a relationship. Oh my god! You’re all basically a bunch of virgins!” Her voice reaches a volume too loud for my comfort, and I make a shushing action that she ignores.

  “Hey! Keep your voices down, we don’t want people to know that! I’ve spent a lot of time and money making people believe these guys are nothing but a bunch of manwhores.” Hailey calls out as she comes up to the bar. As well as being our manager’s daughter she’s recently taken on the job as our PR rep, showing that after being around the industry her whole life, she’s picked up a thing or two. She’s smiling, which means something about us must be in the headlines.

  “God, why are you smiling so big? What royal has Jez been photographed playing spin the bottle with now?” I ask her while signaling to the bartender to bring over another glass.

  “Ha! Yeah… that was a good week,” she sighs, as if reliving it. “No, it seems that one of the local university co-eds got wind of your ‘secret’ concert here tonight, and, well…” she looks around the bar as it sizing it up. “Let’s just hope there isn’t a fire.”

  “Fire in their pants maybe,” I growl and wink at Hailey suggestively, who giggles, then wanders off back through the growing crowd to the stage.

  “I can get Hank to run down to the pharmacy and get them a medicated cream for those in-the-pants fires, you know,” Cadence teases me, putting me in my place. “Okay, seriously, I’m going away for a while now, I don’t want to worry about you, Mazzy.”