And Always E-Book

L.J. Diva

• Herausgeber: Royal Star Publishing
• Kategorie: Gesellschafts- und Liebesromane
• Serie: The Porn Star Brothers Series
• Sprache: Englisch

Seitenzahl: 612

Veröffentlichungsjahr: 2020

Beschreibung

This series is dedicated to…

Jackie Collins is the biggest inspiration in my life when it comes to writing, if not the only inspiration. She had the passion; the brains, the ballsy rollicking attitude, and the kind of life that made me want to be her.

And to the three Stefanovic brothers, Carlos, Pedro, and Tomas, without whom I would not have had names for my porn stars.

In the tradition of the bonkbustingly good Jackie Collins comes L.J. Diva’s Porn Star Brothers series.

L.J. Diva's Porn Star Brothers series concludes with the final installment in And Always...

We all know the stories of how Diana came to be with Charles Kensington, and Cabot was introduced to Tony DeLuca, but you don’t yet know how the rest of the Stephanopoulos grandchildren came to meet their forevers.

Alena falls head over heels for hot Italian American singer musician Luca Saint on the first night of her European tour. He was her support act; she was his passion.

Antonio first lays his eyes on fiery French Italian model Maria Van Star on Valentine’s Day, and beds her that night in the back office of the family’s club.

Dom tours London for the first time DJing and meets Greek Australian TV reporter Davina Smythe. She interviews him, and he gives her the most blazing encounter of her life.

Alexis is in need of a new doctor at the centre, and thanks to Dan and Derek playing matchmaker, Marcus Wellcroft MD sweeps her off her feet and into his bed.

Danté’s living an incredibly good life and about to turn forty. But after multiple family tragedies, he’s stunned when singer, Michelline Volmeyer, appears in his life. Is she an angel, or was sent by the two most precious people in the family who are no longer with them?

It all started with Carlos, Pedro and Tomas back in the ’70s with an iconic story that become their Forever, and now the family saga comes full circle with the marriages of the remaining Stephanopoulos children for their forever in the final instalment of The Porn Star Brothers series…And Always.

And Always is the seventh and final novel in the Porn Star Brothers contemporary romance, family saga.

** If you like family sagas, music and fashion, money and power, then you’ll love L.J. Diva’s page-turning series.

*** Continue your love affair with The Porn Star Brothers Series today!

**** In order of reading – Carlos, Pedro, Tomas, Retribution (or the Porn Star Brothers box set or collector’s edition paperback novel), Forever, Love Never Dies, Stefan: The New Generation, DeLuca, Spiros & Jenny, And Always.

Leseprobe

AND ALWAYS

L.J. Diva

TIMELINE

Alena & Luca - 2010

Antonio & Maria - 2012

Dominic & Davina - 2016

Alexis & Marcus - 2017

Danté & Michelline - 2033

About the Author

Other Titles

Dedications

Copyright

Alena & Luca - 2010

“Ugh, I can’t believe I’m thirty-two and still single. How did you get married and have a child before me?” Alena Stephanopoulos asked her cousin, Diana Stephanopoulos Kensington, who sat beside their grandparents on the sofa.

“Because I just did,” Diana replied, casting a quick glance at Alena before turning back to her two-year-old son on his great-grandmother’s lap. “Don’t worry, you’ll find someone just like I did, just like Cabot found Tony, and Mama and Daddy found each other, and Grandma and Grandpa…” She looked at her grandmother. “I’m just glad you get to see him and spend time with him. That’s four generations in the family now.”

“I’m only eighty-two, sweetie,” Jenny Stephanopoulos, the family matriarch, said. “Not dead.”

“I know. But none of us knew, or know, when we’re going to have children, or get married, and I wasn’t sure I’d be married with kids by thirty. So I can see Alena’s point. I can’t believe she’s thirty-two and still single, either.” She threw a sly glance at her cousin. “You are getting old, cuz.”

“Old!” Alena shrieked and sat up straight in the easy chair opposite them.

“Tone it down,” her father called from the kitchen where he was munching on grapes and waiting for his brother and brother-in-law to finish lunch for the family. “The whole of Mykonos can hear you when you shriek like that.”

“Sorry, Daddy,” Alena called. “But she called me old.”

“I don’t care.” Pedro threw a grape at Tomas who caught it in his mouth. “Stop shrieking like a banshee.” He shook his head at his wife, Angie, and brothers Tomas and Carlos.

“Banshee!” Alena exclaimed. “Daddy, how could you!”

“Oh, for goodness sake, stop it,” Jenny told her. “You are not old, Alena. By the time I was thirty-two I already had your father and uncles. Diana has Adam.” Watching her granddaughter fall back in the chair, she shook her head. “Look at you. You’re a beautiful, stunning woman who’ll find the right man when he’s ready to come along. Not a moment before and not a moment after. Stop worrying.” As much as Jenny loved her grandchildren, Alena did still carry on at times.

“That’s all well and good for you to say, Grandma,” Alena scoffed. “You met Grandpa at twenty-two and married him at twenty-four. I’m thirty-two and over the hill!”

“You will be if you keep carrying on like that,” Alexis said from the doorway. “Whew, it’s hot out there.” After shutting the door, she kissed her grandparents’ cheeks and ruffled Adam’s hair. “Hey, kid.” Turning to her sister, she added, “You need to stop whining like a little kid. Hell, Adam doesn’t even whine as much as you.”

“Easy for you to say,” Alena muttered, eyeing her sister up and down. “You’re still twenty-two. You’ve got plenty of time.” She changed tack. “How’s the centre?”

“The centre’s fine, which you’d know if you bothered to drop by. You haven’t in months.” Alexis walked over to accept the cool lemonade her uncle Tomas offered her. “Thanks, Uncle T.”

“You know I’m rehearsing for my European tour. I don’t have the time,” Alena whined and twirled a dark tendril of hair around her finger. “It’s not that I don’t want to, but it’s your thing. Yours and Cabot’s. Mine is singing and making music.”

The Mykonos Assault and HIV/AIDS Support Centre, that Alexis and Cabot had set up in 2007 after both of their assaults, was going extremely well. They had used their trust fund money, along with the money the family had put in, and a share of the Poulos fortune Angie’s dad had left after his death in 1977, and Jenny had given them one of the many Stephanopoulos properties on the island. Alexis had been running it ever since with the family dropping by to donate time, food, and clothing to those in need.

“That doesn’t mean you can’t stop by and help out,” Jenny told her, tickling Adam’s chin and making him giggle. She bent him backwards so he was lying across her lap and onto Spiros’s who was beside her. Spiros pulled faces at him, making him laugh harder. “We all help out from time to time,” she added.

“Yeah.” Alexis sat on the arm of her sister’s chair. “You’re not going back to the old selfish Alena we all had for twenty-nine years, are you?”

Alena stared up at her sister. “Of course not, I just…” She glanced away. “I don’t particularly feel helpful, or useful there, and don’t feel comfortable being there. I’m more at home in the studio, or on a stage. It’s not my thing, that’s all.” Looking back at Alexis, she gave her a smile. “But I’m extremely proud of you and Cab for setting it up and helping people.”

“Ah-ha,” Alexis muttered dryly and took a sip of her drink.

“Look, sweetie.” Angie came over to her daughters. “Everyone finds their person when the time is right. If and when you’re meant to meet yours, you’ll do so regardless of how old you are.” She sat on the other arm of the chair and stroked Alena’s long jet-black hair. “Just because we have been lucky enough to have found our person, doesn’t mean it won’t happen for you. Danté, Dom, and Antonio are still single, and Alexis is dating. But just because Diana is married with a child doesn’t mean you should be. You’re still young and gorgeous and could date any man you wanted. And speaking of, why aren’t you dating? There are so many men out there.”

“Because I haven’t found anyone interesting enough to date since James Gardo.” Alena sighed and flopped back in her seat.

The silence that followed was deafening.

At least, in the lounge room.

In the kitchen, the conversation had continued without pause.

“Why would you bring his name up?” Angie urgently whispered. “We haven’t mentioned his name since...” Glancing at her parents-in-law, she saw Spiros’s shocked expression and Jenny’s passively neutral one.

“That’s not to say we can’t,” Jenny said. “He is entwined with the family. Most of us choose not to discuss it. Or him.” Inspecting her granddaughter’s embarrassed face, she asked, “Has there really been no one you’ve been interested in since him? That was 2007.”

“Three years that I’ve had no one,” Alena grumbled and looked away. “I was so ready to fall in love with him. He was gorgeous. But the whole damn family…” She crossed her arms and scowled.

“I know it was hard,” Jenny murmured. “It was on all of us and that was one mess we didn’t need. But, we survived, and you both moved on. Are you telling me you haven’t dated since?”

“Gone out on a date with? Sure.” Alena blew her fringe out of her eyes. “Had an actual relationship with? No! And Alexis has my ex, so it’s not like I could go back there.”

“Alena!” Alexis bit back. “You dumped him and it was a hell of a long time before I started dating him.” She was dating Lorenzo Gavalas, a local doctor who’d also dated Alena many years before she had.

Alena waved a dismissive hand. “I know, I know. And it’s one rule I follow. Don’t go back to a previous partner, so I wouldn’t anyway. But I just feel so…” Trying to find the right word, she sighed. “Single…lonely…alone…”

“In this family?” Diana retorted. “You’re hardly alone.”

“I mean romantically.” Alena tucked her hair behind her ears. “I want a man to hug and kiss and do stuff with. You know…” She waved her hands at the family. “The kind of stuff that produced all of us.”

“Sex! Is that all you girls think about? No wonder I’m still single,” Danté, her youngest brother, proclaimed from the doorway.

“You’re single because you’re seventeen and only think about music,” his best friend, Nick Gatos, retorted as he shut the door behind him. “Ain’t no other reason.”

“And we don’t just think about sex, you know,” Alena told him. “We think about, and want, a lot of things.” She watched him kiss their grandparents and ruffle Adam’s hair. “Sex runs in this family. You’ll have it one day.”

Danté screwed up his face. “Ew! No, thanks, rather have my music.” He walked into the kitchen for something to drink with Nick hot on his heels.

“We’re here.” Cabot and his partner, Tony DeLuca, came through the door and saw that not everyone had arrived. “Where’s Antonio?”

“Not here yet, sweetie,” Vivian, his mother, called from the kitchen. She was setting the tables and talking with her husband and brothers-in-law while Jenny and Spiros spent time with their great-grandson.

Cabot wandered over to his mother and kissed her cheek. “Huh…I haven’t seen him in a couple of days. Figured we’d be planning our birthday next week.”

“That’s already planned.” Viv set the napkins by the cutlery. “I think he said he was going to spend the week relaxing. Getting some sun, meeting girls.”

“See!” Alena threw her hands up in exasperation. “He’s off meeting girls; I should be off meeting boys.”

“I thought you wanted a man,” Alexis reminded her.

“Yes, okay, I meant a man,” Alena snipped. “I’m sick of being single and I want sex.”

Cabot’s eyes grew round. “Well, you can get plenty of that around here, cuz. You should have asked; I would’ve directed you to the best places.”

“Not gay sex, Cab.” Tony touched his lover’s arm. “Straight sex.”

Cabot glanced from Alena to Tony and back. “I know the best places for that, too.”

“Gross, Cabot,” Alena muttered. “Just gross. My gay cousin telling me where to go for sex.”

Cabot shrugged nonchalantly. “I used to like women too, you know. Had sex with them before realising that wasn’t for me. There are straight bars here where you can pick up, or just go to the club. Put yourself out there. Women are hanging out all over the place for Dom, and girls for Danté. Get yourself down there and tell the world you’re single and see all the men come flocking.”

“Flocking would be really nice right now,” Alena told everyone. “Because I want to flock a lot. And I mean a lot. I want to flock a man’s brains out and have my own flocked out.”

“Ew, Alena,” Alexis complained and walked into the kitchen. “Ugh, Alena’s talking about sex and being single. I’m over it.”

“Just because you’re currently happy and in a relationship, Alexis, doesn’t mean she’s not entitled to feel left out.” Pedro wrapped his arms around her and watched Alena in the lounge room. “She’s been working hard these last few years. She took over Haus of Stefan when Diana had Adam. They set up Styled by Stefan, and you’ve all released books and music since then. She’s been busy and a relationship just hasn’t happened for her. Unlike you.” He pulled back to look at her. “You’re still with Lorenzo. How’s that going? Is he coming to lunch?”

“It’s going well, and no, he’s got a shift at the hospital today, so I’ll see him later.” Alexis knew the subject of her dating Alena’s ex was still a touchy one. Even after three years.

“I’m just glad that at least one of my children is happy in a relationship,” he added.

“What’s that supposed to mean?” Danté narrowed his eyes and took a sip of lemonade, watching his father over the rim of his glass. “I’m seventeen, I don’t need no girlfriend. I have DJing and our IT business to run. I’m too busy for girls.”

“Too busy for girls?” Nick muttered and stared at him. At a year older than Danté, he’d already dated a lot of girls. “How are you too busy for girls?” He scored a dirty look in return.

“No, you don’t need a girlfriend at seventeen,” Pedro agreed, watching his son in return. “But it does sound as though you need grammar lessons.” He saw Danté frown and slink off into the lounge room with Nick following. Turning to his brothers and Roger, he added, “I don’t need to worry about Danté and girls yet, do I?”

“Probably not.” Carlos popped a grape into his mouth. “But considering he’s a year off the age you were when you started having sex…”

Pedro’s face fell. “Oi! Jesus.”

“Ew, gross. Can we stop talking about sex,” Alexis complained and flung her head back in exasperation “Ugh! Uncle T, when’s lunch ready? It smells good.”

“Doesn’t it always?” Tomas smiled at his niece. His mother’s roast chicken happened every Sunday come hell or high water, summer or winter. And if the family members were in town, they all came unless previously occupied. Which was rare these days. He glanced at the large windmill clock on the wall. “About fifteen minutes. In time for Dom and Antonio.”

“Uncle Mike, Maggie, and the girls coming?” Alexis was best friends with Summer and Melody Gatos, just as Danté was best friends with their brother. And their parents had been best friends for decades.

“Running late, but they’ll be here, as will Dan and Derek.” Tomas gave the pot of gravy a mix. “And here they are now.” He nodded at the door.

Dan Ardent and Derek Blaine, the doctors who’d been with the family for over three decades, walked through the door, followed by Dom and Antonio who were both sweating from the midday heat.

“Jesus it’s warm out there.” Dom wiped the sweat from his brow and headed to the kitchen for a beer, which he guzzled back. Once finished, he sighed and added, “When’s lunch?”

“Ten minutes,” Pedro told him and watched Antonio follow suit with the beer. “I know it’s hot, but you two might want to take it easy on those things until you get some food into your stomachs.”

Memories flashed through Antonio’s mind. “I seem to recall a scene almost like this about three years ago now, but it wasn’t me you were telling that to.” He glanced over at his twin in the lounge room kneeling in front of their grandmother and playing with their nephew, and thought back to their birthday in 2007, when Cabot had thrown a beer bottle across the kitchen in a tantrum, and stormed off, only to be assaulted later that night.

“So, which one of us will smash the bottle on the floor this time?” Dom asked him. Standing side by side, they were quite similar in looks and height, with Dom being dark and blue-eyed and Antonio golden-brown and green-eyed.

Antonio grinned. “Probably you since I’m the good child and would never do such things. And I seem to recall—” He cut off Dom’s protests. “That you had quite a few issues yourself that year.”

“Mmm,” Dom grumbled. “I came good.”

“So did Cabot,” Antonio reminded him. “And that’s what he says.”

“Yeah, but he got slapped by Grandma, and I didn’t, because I definitely wasn’t as bad as him.” Dom grabbed his cousin’s bottle and set them both in the crate in the recycling cupboard under the island bench.

“Very true,” Antonio agreed. “Guess it should be me, then.”

“Don’t even think about it,” Carlos warned his son. “One bad seed in this family’s enough.”

Antonio snorted and went to say hello to his grandparents with Dom.

“You still calling Cabot the bad seed?” Dan asked as he and Derek sat at the island bench next to Carlos. He accepted an icy glass of lemon-lime mineral water from Roger. “He has come good.”

“He was. And for all I know, he still is,” Carlos argued. “Time will have to tell, or have you all forgotten that years’ worth of his garbage only came to a head three short years ago?” He looked at his brothers and Dan and Derek. “We’d been dealing with his rubbish since he was eighteen or twenty. And it only stopped when Mama took charge. How long till lunch, T?” He swigged back the last of his beer and set the glass down.

Tomas checked the roast and pots. “Five minutes everyone,” he called out and saw Summer and Melody rush through the door.

“Sorry, we’re late. Mom and Dad are coming in a few,” Summer told everyone and went to stand under the air-conditioning duct. “God, it’s hot out there.”

Simon and Deidre came in next. “Sorry, we’re late; the kids had birthday parties to go to.” They headed for the kitchen to see Roger and grab glasses of ice-cold mineral water.

Within minutes, Tomas and Roger started plating up and handing out Jenny’s delicious roast chicken as each member of the family took a plate and found a seat at one of the two tables. Lunch on Sundays had become a process line where everyone grabbed a plate from the kitchen bench and passed by.

Mike and Maggie arrived and came up the rear. “Sorry, we’re late.” Accepting plates, they made it to the adults’ table and took their seats.

“Hey, D. Where’s Charlie?” Alena asked as they converged at what was known as the kids’ table even though none of them were kids anymore, and the next generation only had Adam so far.

“At home finishing up some things. He should’ve been here by now.” Diana settled her son into his high chair and sat beside him. “And you know he hates being called Charlie.”

“Sorry, I’m late,” Charles Kensington called from the doorway and quickly rushed over. “Lost track of time.” He kissed his wife and son, took his plate of food from Tomas, and quickly sat down.

“You must have been lost in your work to be running this late,” Jenny said from her seat at the head of the table. She cast an eye over both tables and made sure everyone had everything they needed, and that the carafes of drink and pots of gravy were readily available. “I hope we’re not working you too hard.”

“Of course not.” Charles shook his head. “It’s just easy to lose a sense of time when processing photos in a dark room.” As a photographer, Charles was still old school and used film.

“That’s good. Dig in everyone.” Jenny sliced into her chicken breast and let the aroma waft up to her nose. “Mmm… Smells good.”

“Tastes good, too, as usual. But can we get back to my issue?” Alena asked.

“No!” came the resounding chorus from her siblings and cousins.

“What issue do you have now?” Dom asked his sister. “What hairstyle of the week is next, or what outfit will look hottest on Twitter and Facebook.”

Antonio snorted. “Good one.” He saw Alena’s frown and grinned.

Danté snickered and said, “She’s worrying about sex.”

“Ew, Alena!” Dom screwed his face up. “Keep that conversation for your bedroom.”

“That’s the problem!” Alena dramatically exclaimed. “It’s not happening there either.”

“Ew!”

Diana rolled her eyes and updated the others. “Alena’s feeling left out because I’m married and have a two-year-old already and she’s still single and alone.” She eyeballed her cousin.

“Suck it up, princess, you can’t always have it your own way,” Dom told Alena.

“Princess Alena doesn’t always get what she wants,” Alexis added. “Especially in the last few years.” Princess Alena was a long-standing nickname that had started way back when Alena was three and had first gone to Disneyland.

“Just because you’re fucking my ex-boyfriend, Alexis, doesn’t mean you get to torment me over my lack of sex,” Alena sniped.

Charles had quickly covered Adam’s ears, and a clatter of cutlery and silence followed.

“Ouch! Burn!” Cabot murmured and stared wide-eyed at his cousins and brother. They all looked at each other in shock.

“Did I just hear right?” Pedro demanded across the tables.

Alena looked up from her plate to see everyone staring at her and shrugged. “What?”

“Well, maybe if you fucked yourself as hard as you fuck your vibrator, you wouldn’t be such a bitch now, would you?” Alexis glared at her sister on her left and then turned to the girls on her right. “Summer, let’s swap seats.”

“Double fucking burn!” Cabot whispered in shock and clasped his hands over his mouth as he watched Alexis trade seats with Summer, so she was now beside him.

“Do not fall back into your old habits, either of you,” Jenny warned, watching Alexis change places, so she and Alena were separated. “I won’t tolerate it from either of you.”

“That’s fine, Grandma. I’m sure we’ll be back to normal when she apologises.” Alexis went back to her food as if nothing had happened. It had been a long three years of her and Alena getting to know each other again. After Alena had ignored her for nineteen years, it took her assault back in 2007 for Alena to finally wake up to herself and get to know Alexis as not only her sister, but an adult.

“Actually, that was a good burn,” Alena agreed. “I need to remember that for the next person I have to whip out a one-liner for. Well done, Alexis.”

Alexis casually swiped her fringe away and glanced at Cabot on her right, who was seated at the end of the table with Tony, and scored raised brows and wide eyes in return. “I thought so. One of my best, I’d say.”

Cabot nodded vigorously in agreement.

Slowly, the family went back to eating and Alena went back to complaining.

“Seriously, D,” she said to Diana on her left. “Have you got any friends you could hook me up with? Dom? Antonio? Cabot offered to take me to places before, but as much as I want sex, I also want a relationship. Got any friends you could introduce me to?” Looking from siblings to cousins all she saw were grimaces.

“Seriously?” Dom asked. “You’re that desperate? So desperate you’d ask us to set you up? If anything, Cabot’s gonna know more men than us.”

Antonio, who was beside him, snickered. “I think I still have that list somewhere.” He was referring to the list he’d kept, of partners, one night stands, and quick fucks Cabot had done over his short lifetime. He’d made it to 4242, that Antonio actually knew of. With Tony supposedly being 4243. And the last.

“Ugh, Antonio, gross, you kept it?” Cabot complained and gave his brother a withering look before turning to his cousin. “Look, Alena, as the resident champion of how many partners one can have, I’m going to offer my advice.”

A collective groan went around the table, but it just amped Cabot up.

“You’re a gorgeous girl,” he declared, “who could have any man you want. Your problem is you’re not getting out and about to meet them. You’re here, on Mykonos. And while summer is on speed with all of the tourists, many of them are gay, so out of the running.” He settled into his spiel. “But they’re just tourists. You need to get out to London, or L.A., or New York to meet other men.”

“I met a man in New York once…” Alena distractedly muttered.

“We all met that man in New York once,” Cabot replied. “And he was a hunk and a half of hot male flesh, but the point is,” he noticed everyone staring, “the point is, your dream man may not even be here. He could be from somewhere else entirely. Like my dream man.” He gazed fondly at his partner of three years, Tony DeLuca, son of Antonio and Cynthia DeLuca. They’d met when Tony had flown in from London to try and find his attacker. The rest was history.

“Just because you got lucky with a man from somewhere else, and Diana got lucky with a man from somewhere else—” Alena started but was interrupted.

“And Grandma got lucky with a man from somewhere else,” Alexis said.

“And Mama got lucky with a man from somewhere else,” Diana added.

“Then it doesn’t mean that you won’t get lucky with a man from somewhere else,” Cabot finished. “Seriously, cuz, you gotta think big. Think outside the scope. You’re going on tour again; maybe you’ll find a man in one of the many places you’re going to this time. And not in New York.”

“Mmm, I think she’s just pissy that James is getting married to his lovely fiancée, Sarah.” Alexis wiped her mouth with her napkin and picked up her glass. “Did y’all see the engagement photos in the paper?”

“No, when?” Cabot asked.

“Back in Feb. He proposed on Valentine’s Day. How romantic,” Alexis told him.

“Imagine that.” Cabot leaned toward her and rested his elbow on the table while his chin settled on his hand. “Alena’s ex is dating you, and Alena’s ex-potential is engaged to someone new. Is it just me, or does no man seem to want out little pop princess? And I do have to add that both men are delectable dishes.” He saw Alena’s scowl out of the corner of his eye.

Alexis giggled and swatted her cousin’s arm. “Yes, they are, and both moved on rather rapidly.”

“For all of your information,” Alena piped up. “I dumped Lorenzo, and me and James never got started.”

“And you know why,” Tomas said over his shoulder, partially turning in his seat to look at her. “Can you stop talking about him, please?” James Gardo was still a touchy subject for him three years on.

“I didn’t bring him up,” Alena argued. “But I got to miss out on a relationship with him because of all that crap.”

Every adult at the other table turned their gaze to her and the frown on Tomas’s face burned into her heart.

Sighing, she relented. “Sorry, Prince Tomas. I’m just…” Her gaze darted down to her plate and she knew she was redder than a tomato. “Lonely, and single, and depressed about it.”

Tomas relented and his frown slid away. “It’s okay, Princess Alena. You know that period of our lives was rough. But times are better, and they will be for you, too. Someday your prince will come.”

“Yeah…but when’s that supposed to be?” she mumbled and stabbed at the breast of her chicken.

*****

“Why do I feel so lonely? Why do I feel so blue?

Is it because I miss you? Is it because of you?

I feel so lonely without you, feel so lonely,

I feel so lonely without you, feel so damn lonely…”

The words drifted off as Alena stopped singing, and stared across the vast expanse of the concert arena in Athens. It was the first stage of her tour that started that night. Sighing, her body deflated. “Why do I feel so fucking lonely?” she muttered and closed her eyes.

“You okay, Alena?” Rodney asked. As her sound engineer, he needed to know if anything was wrong, and right now he had no idea if it had been the microphone fading out, or Alena.

“No, Rodney, I’m not.” Staring at the back of the venue she let out another sigh. “I’m depressed, not happy, not loving this, not loving being here. I just don’t feel like doing it.” She flopped down onto the stage and lay on her back, staring up at the metal ceiling.

Maria Baugh rushed on stage and over to her one and only charge. As a member of the Stephanopoulos staff, her only job was to worry about Alena’s career, management, publicity and bookings. “What is it? Are you ill? Why are you depressed?” She stared down at Alena. “And what was that song? That’s not on the setlist, is it? Are you having a heart attack?”

“Calm down, Maria,” Alena told her. “It’s just something I was singing.”

Maria managed to get down on her knees next to her. “What is it? What’s going on? Why are you depressed?”

“Because I’m lonely and single and haven’t had sex in God knows how long,” Alena replied, trying to think back. “Hell! I don’t even know when.”

“Oh…well…” Maria’s brow furrowed. “You’re not the only one, you know. Although I am surprised, considering how gorgeous you are.”

“So everyone keeps telling me.” Alena looked at her. “Do you know how depressing it was being at my cousins’ twenty-eighth birthday and my grandfather’s eighty-eighth birthday as a single, lonely woman? Meanwhile, my sister’s dating my ex, and another sort of ex is engaged. I haven’t had an actual relationship in…” She counted on her fingers. “Since Lorenzo, and oh, my God,” she wailed. “2002.”

“What do you mean you haven’t had a relationship since 2002?” Maria demanded. “You’ve had plenty of dates.”

“Dates, yes. Relationships, as in, more than a week or month, long-term. No.” Alena rolled over onto her stomach and leaned up on her arms. “I want a long-term relationship where we walk and talk and hang out and go to parties together. And sex. I want lots and lots of hot steamy sex.”

“Who doesn’t?” Maria argued. “But right now you have a concert to prepare for tonight and a tour to produce over the next six weeks. Imagine all of the men you’ll meet and can take back to your hotel room.”

“Or tour bus.” Alena screwed up her nose. “Yeah, coz that’sreally romantic. And taking guys back to my bus or hotel room makes me sound like a whore and I’m not.”

“Nobody said you were.” Maria sighed at the juvenile dramatics.

“That guy I had a fling with last year certainly did,” Alena scoffed. “Couldn’t wait to tell the whole tawdry story to the tabloids. We dated for barely a month before he ran to the press with lies and gossip. Thank God for the family lawyers. Shut that down pretty damn quick, because it made me sound like a nymphomaniacal whore.”

“It’s 2010, and you’re a consenting adult,” Maria told her and slowly set herself back on her feet. “If you want to have sex with men, and they consent too, that’s fine. It’s up to you. Unfortunately, some people are just scumbags and want a quick buck or two.” She brushed down her pants and straightened her blazer. “But for now, you have a show tonight, so you need to finish rehearsing. Come now; stand on your own two feet like an adult instead of rolling around on the floor like a child.”

“Argh! I’m not a child, Maria.” Alena stomped to her feet. “See, I’m an adult.”

“And yet you just stomped your feet.” Maria raised a brow in amusement.

“Argh!” Alena growled and stormed off stage.

“Are we…” Rodney muttered into the mic.

“Give her a few minutes to cool off and grow up,” Maria called out. “Meanwhile, is everything else ready to go?”

“We’ve rehearsed for weeks, but need to get this sorted out today,” Randy said. “The first show’s tonight.”

“And we all know the first show always has teething problems.” Maria sighed and wondered if she should go after the pampered princess.

“True, but if she doesn’t get this done today, there will be more than usual.”

“Okay, okay, I’ll go.” Maria waved a dismissive hand and walked towards the dressing room, coming across Alena’s support act for the tour.

“Ah, Maria, how are you today? And it is a beautiful day, no?” Luca Saint, thirty-five, Italian American, tall, dark, and devastatingly gorgeous was a singer-songwriter-musician and currently the hottest thing in Italy. His debut single had scored a top five position in the charts for ten weeks, five of those being in the number one position. He was hot property in Europe right now and had been chosen for the spot on Alena’s tour.

“Hello, Luca, nice to see you again. Been keeping to yourself?” She extended her hand for him to shake, but he kissed it instead, in that charming European way. “We haven’t seen much of you.”

“Ah, yes…” he smoothly replied with all of his Italian charm. “Busy doing phone interviews and promotional work, photo shoots for magazines. Busy, busy, busy. But then, you would know all about such things working with Greece’s hottest pop star…Alena.”

“Yes, yes I do.” Maria was quite charmed by the sexy Luca Saint, as were most of the women throughout Europe.

“And when do I get to meet Greece’s pop royalty?” Luca kept a hold of her hand. “Our first show is tonight and we have not crossed paths, yet.”

“Well, I’m sure you’ll meet sometime.” Maria smoothly extracted her hand. “She’s been busy rehearsing, costume fittings, book promotion, running her design empire.”

“Ah, yes, and she and her siblings and cousins have new books out with the family publisher.” Luca’s smile dazzled like a million halogen lightbulbs. “I found her music books to be…” His expression became somewhat patronising. “Entertaining. The same for her brothers’ books.”

“Oh…well. Nice to know. I’ll pass that on, shall I?” Maria watched him intently, knowing full well what he was up to.

“You do that, and let the pop princess know I’m very eager to meet her and cannot wait.” He bowed. “Good to see you again, Maria.”

“You too, Luca,” Maria murmured and continued on her way to Alena’s dressing room. Jesus Christ on a freakin’ unicycle he’s hot. No wonder he’s got the world buzzing right now. The sexual heat coming off him alone would set fire to the place and burn the whole damn building down. Maybe I should set him up with Alena…

*****

“Okay, where are we sitting?” Nick asked as the family filed through the door from the backstage area into the arena.

“Down front as usual,” Danté replied, trailing after his brother and sister.

The whole family had hopped their private plane over to see the start of Alena’s latest tour, including Dan and Derek, Mike, Maggie and the girls. All of them had dressed up for the show, and waved to the fans as they walked past. The whole of Greece knew the Stephanopoulos family and all were considered royals and celebrities.

Danté thought that an absolute riot since all his side of the family did was make music and sing, or DJ. The golden-haired side of the family was the best known. These ranged from movie director, writer, producer Carlos, to Vivian, Diana, Cabot and Antonio, four supermodels that were world-famous. All he did was DJ in the family club and make music, and run an IT business on the side.

“This is so cool,” Nick crowed. “Look at all the girls here.” He scanned the audience of more than fifteen thousand and saw it was a good half and half mix of men and women.

“Can you stop perving for God’s sake?” Danté rolled his eyes and looked at the hangers-on that had come with the family. Namely, Lorenzo, who was acting all protective of Alexis by keeping an arm around her and almost shoving Summer and Melody aside. Frowning, he looked to his parents and grandparents who didn’t seem to be amused by it, or by him being there. He watched as everyone seated themselves and Cabot waved and primped for fans, even running over to take selfies with the crowd. “Doesn’t he ever stop?”

Antonio glanced over his shoulder at his twin. “Nope. You know he’s always on like the Duracell bunny. But stop worrying about him. I see some fans screaming for you.”

“Yeah, right,” Danté scoffed, but then he noticed that some of them were and blushed before going over to take photos.

“Ugh, why don’t they scream like that for me?” Nick complained, and then threw his head back and dramatically wailed, “Why!”

“Don’t worry, Nicky.” Antonio laughed. “They will one day.”

Nick frowned and gave him a dirty glare. “I hate being called that.”

Antonio gave him a sly grin in return. “I know.”

Once everyone had taken their places and the announcements had been made, they watched as the gorgeous Luca Saint took to the stage with his guitar and backing band.

“Oh, my God, he’s gorgeous!” Summer exclaimed, staring wide-eyed at the Italian crooner on stage. “How did she score him?”

“Don’t know, but I completely agree,” Angie murmured to Maggie. “How did she score him and holy Jesus he’s gorgeous.”

“Certainly is, and listen to that voice. So smooth.” Maggie found herself closing her eyes and swaying to the music.

“Holy fuck, he’s hot.” Cabot gazed up at Luca.

Tony nodded. “I agree and perfect for your cousin.”

“Who’s talking about Alena? I was thinking about…” Cabot glanced at Tony and blushed. “Oh…”

Tony’s left brow rose. “About what…?”

A girly giggle escaped Cabot and he covered his mouth. “Never you mind.”

Tony leaned in close to his lover’s ear. “What? A threesome?”

Cabot’s eyes widened and his jaw dropped. “Tony! I thought I was the only one thinking that, you dirty boy.” He playfully swatted him and went back to gazing adoringly at Luca.

Nick scanned the crowd behind them. “Mmm,” he grumbled. “He’s got them eating out of the palm of his hand. How the hell does he do that?”

“By looking like that.” Danté pointed at the heartthrob on stage gyrating his hips as if he were Elvis. “And sounding like that.”

“Yeah, yeah.” Nick’s grumbling continued, but even he had to admit the songs were good. Looking at his sisters and mother, he found all of the females in the family gazing up at Luca. “He’s even sucked in our mothers and sisters. Look.”

Danté glanced to his left and saw that even his grandmother, Viv, Diana and Deidre couldn’t take their eyes off him. “Jesus! He’s done a number, or three, on them.”

*****

Backstage, where Alena was warming up her vocals for her performance, she stopped long enough to hear the crowd go nuts. “Mmm, the support act must be good. La la la la la la la laaaa, fa fa fa fa fa fa fa faaaa, ba ba ba ba ba ba ba baaaa…”

“Thank you, ladies and gentlemen, here’s a little something I threw together this afternoon.” Luca’s voice wafted over the sound system and the strings of an acoustic guitar were sensually played.

“Mmm, so it’s a guy…” Alena murmured. “Or a band?” She wished she could see from where she was.

“Why do I feel so lonely? Why do I feel so blue?

Is it because I miss you? Is it because of you?

I feel so lonely without you, feel so damn lonely over you.”

“Hey!” Alena exclaimed and thrust her hands onto her hips. “He’s singing my lyrics!”

“What do you mean your lyrics?” Maria stopped pacing and checking her phone long enough to glance at Alena.

“What I was singing this afternoon.” Alena waved a hand towards the stage. “This afternoon when you asked me what the song was and I said it was just something I was singing. Well, now he’s singing it.”

“Did you write it? Is it an actual song? We could sue him for breach of copyright,” Maria told her. “You didn’t give him permission, did you?”

“No, of course not. It was just something that I was singing. But now he’s taken that and turned it into something he claims he wrote.”

“Well, that could be a breach of copyright, unless it’s some other artist’s song and you were singing it. Is it yours?”

“I guess.” Alena frowned at the circular conversation and then fired up. “That bastard took my song and claimed it as his. How dare he!”

“You haven’t seen him yet, have you?” Maria watched her pace.

“No, why? I don’t even know who we hired for the tour, let alone have seen them.” Alena’s frown deepened and she bit her lip as she paced.

“Luca Saint.”

“Who?” Alena faced Maria. “Who are they?”

“Not they, he. Gorgeous he is, too. Italian American, six-foot God knows what, dark hair and eyes, stunning. Sings, writes, plays. Top five hit for weeks, number one for half of it. The hottest thing out of Italy since…” Maria paused and thought about it. “Well…who and whatever last came out of Italy. Anyway, he’s been busy in the lead-up to this tour and you’ve been with your family on Mykonos. It’s no wonder you two haven’t met, yet.”

“Yeah, well, that doesn’t give him the right to steal my song.” Alena heard the thunderous applause for the song and stomped her foot. “Goddammit, he even got the bloody crowd on his side. With my song!” She heard him launch into an up-tempo number and say, “Ladies and gentlemen, this is my last song for the evening, very soon you’ll have the gorgeous Alena on stage to entertain you, but before I go, this is my current smash hit number one single, Blown Away By You.”

“I was Blown Away By You…and every little thing you do,

From your wink and your smile, to your ocean blue eyes…

I was Blown Away By You…”

“Oi! Really?” Alena pulled a face. “Lyrics for toddlers. How childish are they?”

“No more childish than some of yours over the years,” Maria muttered and then stopped Alena’s tirade in the making. “Especially your early ones when you were still young. Thank God your parents can write a decent song, theysavedyou, they did, with their expertise in songwriting.”

“Excuse me!” Alena’s hands went back to her hips and her mouth and eyes grew wide.

“Excuse you?” Maria glared at her. “For what? Your childish behaviour today? No. I won’t. For stating the truth? No. I won’t. You’re a grown-ass adult, Alena, act like one.” She saw the astonishment come over her charge. “You’re snippy over the fact he took something you were singing today. Well, tell him you don’t appreciate it. You’re depressed because you’re single. Well, do something about it. Otherwise, shut up and get back to warming up, or go and get dressed.” Staring at Alena’s outfit, she added, “That’s not a stage outfit, is it? Because it’s hideous.”

Stuttering, Alena managed, “No, it isn’t, Maria.” She stormed off to her dressing room where she slammed the door and let out an almighty growl, fists clenched by her side. She paced back and forth until her wardrobe stylist came in.

“Time to get ready…” Kafka, Alena’s wildly dressed African American long-time stylist, stopped short. “You okay?”

Heaving a sigh from the pit of her diaphragm, Alena calmed her breathing. “No, Kafka, I’m not okay. Just had a spat with Maria, but she’s right. I need to act like an adult and not a child. So, let’s get ready.”

Fifteen minutes later, she was ready to go on stage.

“Okay, here’s your microphone, and your pack, let’s put it on.” Rodney hastily buckled her sound pack around her. “Have you warmed up? Say something into the mic.” He spun her around and listened to her say, “Me, me, me, meeee…” He nodded at the reply in his earpiece. “Good to go. You good to go?”

Alena’s smile did not reach her eyes. “I’m fine, Rodney. I’ve done this thousands of times.”

“I don’t know about thousands, but stand by.” He walked away to check on something, leaving her alone in her space.

“And here is the star of the evening now. I’m so glad I didn’t miss you before you went on stage. I must thank you for hiring me as your support act. Even I can’t get fifteen thousand screaming fans, just yet. But one day.”

Alena heard the voice behind her, and her anger flared as she turned around ready to spit fire at the musical thief. “So, you’re the beefcake who stole my song from today. How dare…” Her gaze travelled up and up and up over a hard muscular, masculine body encased in black leather pants and an open to the waist shirt into dark eyes that she drowned in.

“Oh…” he murmured, captivated by her beauty in person. “You are gorgeous.”

“And you’re…oh, you’re…” She was falling, and she knew it.

“I wanted to tell you to break a leg,” Luca managed while gazing into her ocean blue eyes.

“You’re welcome,” sighed out of her. The whole backstage area had disappeared. Everyone and everything. It was just them in the moment.

Luca’s dazzling smile slid across his gorgeous Italian face. “For what?” He breathed her in. Her eyes, her flesh, her lips.

“I don’t know,” Alena murmured, mesmerised.

“Yes.” Maria smirked from a few feet away. “I timed that right.” She’d gone to Luca’s dressing room to let him know if he wanted to wish Alena luck then he had a few moments before she went on stage. From the looks of it, it had been perfectly timed. And if all went to plan, Alena would shut up her whinging about being single and they could have a peaceful, calm tour.

“One minute before stage, Alena,” Rodney called as he walked up to them. “Alena?” He noticed them staring into each other’s eyes. “Alena?”

“Mmm?” Alena could barely tear her gaze away from the gorgeous stud before her. “What?”

“Thirty seconds till stage, let’s go.” Rodney clapped his hands and waved her on.

“Um, yeah, okay.” Her eyes darted back to Luca. “Will you, um, watch, or um…”

“Oh…I’ll be here,” Luca told her. “I may even go out on the floor to watch.”

“Oh, okay, I’ll, um…” She was being pulled backwards by Rodney.

“Alena, come on, showtime.”

“Um, bye…” She waved at Luca who wiggled his fingers in return.

Rodney spun her around and marched her to the stairs leading to the stage. “Ten seconds. Get ready, five, four, three, two, one, and go.”

She marched up the stairs in her silver platform knee-high boots and stood on the platform at the back of the stage where she would make her grand entrance after the curtain fell. A guitar struck a chord, she struck a note, and the curtain fell to rapturous applause. She went on to sing three songs before stopping. “Hello, Athens.” The screaming came at her like a freight train. “How are we tonight?” Gazing across the crowd, she wiped her forehead with the back of her hand. “Is it hot in here, or what? I am so hot, and not because of the summer heat, but because of the heat left behind by my support act.” The crowd screamed louder. “How hot was he? Whew!” She fanned herself with her hand while walking back and forth across the stage. “Holy Jesus Christ on a unicycle, he’s hot. Did you all see him? Distracting, wasn’t he? So, if I seem a little distracted…” She laughed and looked down at her family. “You all did see him, right? I’m not seeing things? He is hot, right? My family, everybody.” More screams. “The whole Stephanopoulos family is in the house tonight with some extras tagging along. My grandparents, my parents, my aunt and uncles, my siblings and cousins.” She listened to the screams for her family and zeroed in on her mother. “You did see how hot he is, right?”

Angie nodded in return and waved her hand in her face to cool down much to Pedro’s amusement.

“Yep, didn’t think I was seeing things.” Alena kept on walking. “Hey, cuzzes. Steele and Phoenix Stefan in the house, ladies and gentlemen.”

Cabot turned around to the crowd and waved his arms madly back and forth.

“Bet you guys thought he was hot, huh?” She giggled and Cabot gave her two thumbs up. “If anyone knows how hot a guy is, it’s my cousin, supermodel Cabot Stephanopoulos, a.k.a. Steele Stefan.” She kept on walking. “Hello Athens, how are we over this side?” Stopping at the edge of the stage to look out over the crowd down the side of the arena as they screamed and waved back at her, she felt the thrill race up her spine. “Ready for some more music?” They continued going wild and she sang, “Hey…everybody… You sing.”

“Hey…everybody…”

“Nice.” She nodded and walked back across the stage to the crowd on the other side. “Hello over this side, how are we?” She waited for the screaming to die down before continuing. “You sing, hey…everybody…”

“Hey…everybody…”

“All right, good job.” Walking back to the centre of the stage, she set the microphone in its stand and pointed both arms at the crowd. “Down the middle, I want to hear you all sing, hey…everybody…”

“Hey…everybody…”

“Nice, here we go…” Pulling the microphone from the stand she sang, “Hey, hey, hey, ow,” and launched into her latest number one European hit, Get On The Floor (Hey Everybody).

Three songs later, and a change of costume, she had the crowd on their feet for a medley of her old hits, and then slowed it down for a change of outfit and a medley of her ballads. “This is the acoustic part of the show. It’s where we slow things down to give you all a breather, to give the band a rest.” She giggled at her backing band sitting on the steps in front of the drum kit stage. “And where I get to rest my worn out tootsies.” Sitting on a stool with her legs crossed, she pulled up her black, ankle-length satin evening dress to reveal her right foot ensconced in a diamanté slipper and showed it off to the crowd. “Nice, huh? Haus of Stefan, if anyone wants to know. Get them instore or on the website.”

As she adjusted the dress back over her foot, the guitarist strummed the acoustic guitar and she moved her head in time. “I’m going to sing some of my favourite ballads from my career. Not that I’ve done many, but I usually include one or two on each album. And I did that ballad album about five years ago. Did you all buy it?” Screams. “Did you all love that?” Louder screams. “Good. Because a couple of those are about to be sung. So red the rose,” she crooned softly. “Save me, oh save me…so red the note, he wrote me, he showed me, come prick me with your thorn…yeah…” The song went on and she sang four more before letting the band exit her off stage. She quickly changed and prepared for the home stretch.

“Fascinating conversation, earlier,” Luca smoothly interrupted before she went back out. “I love the way you interact with the crowd and include your family.”

“And which conversation would that be?” She raised a brow and looked him up and down with a critical eye. He may have been hot, but he’d still stolen her song.

“The one where you spoke about me being hot.” He’d watched her performance intently, noticing what a firecracker she could be, and wondered if that fire and passion for music translated into the bedroom.

Alena tried to act nonchalant, so gave a one-shoulder shrug. “You are, and I bet you know it. A guy that looks like you…” She gave him a side-eye. “And I bet you think those looks can get you what you want. Including stealing someone’s lyrics.”

An expression of distaste and anger flickered across Luca’s face. “I don’t need to steal lyrics. I come up with my own.”

“Sure you do.” She nodded. “Which is why you stole my lyrics from this afternoon for one of your songs. “Why do I feel so lonely? Why do I feel so blue? Is it because I miss you? Is it because of you? I feel so lonely without you, feel so damn lonely over you… I sang that at rehearsal and I have my whole crew to say I did. And then all of a sudden, poof, you sing it on stage and claim you wrote it this afternoon. Pig-bloody-shit you did!” Hands on her hips, she turned away from him, fuming.

“Ah, that one.” He gave a nod of his head in recognition. “Yes. You did inspire that song, which is why I gave you a songwriting credit on it.”

“A songwriting credit!” she declared incredulously and turned to stare at him. “You steal my lyrics and put it in a song. You’re a thief, and you’re giving me songwriting credit. What a joke!”

“Are you always this much of a firecracker?” Luca inched closer to her. “I wrote it for a reason.”

“Stole it, you mean!” she scoffed and looked away.

“I wrote it and gave you songwriting credits because I believe we could make beautiful music together.”

“That old chestnut. I highly…doubt…” she trailed off and stared at him. “What?”

He leaned over her and gazed into her eyes. “I believe we could make beautiful music together. On and off stage.”

“Oh…” Her lips grew fuller, and her pupils dilated with the sexual chemistry.

He went in for his final line. “And in and out of bed.”

“Okay, Alena, back on in ten.” Rodney pushed her toward the stairs leading up to the stage. “Get your mind on the show. One more set and then the encore. And whatever you do,” he turned her to face him, “stop thinking about lover boy and concentrate on the damn show.” Staring hard into her eyes, he shook her gently. “You got it?”

Distracted by Luca’s words, Alena blinked a few times. “Ah…yeah…got it.”

“Good, now get up there.” Rodney pushed her up the stairs and she walked onto the raised platform waiting for her cue.

“Breathe, just breathe, and worry about him later. You’ve got a show to do, you know how to be professional. Put him out of your bed. I mean head. Oh, Jesus.” She banged her palm against her forehead. “Get it together, girlie, you’ve got a show and your family’s in the front row, not to mention your damn ex.” That fired the fury in her, that her ex was still dating her sister, and with the beats of the next song, she went on to sing another four songs and the encore.

“Thank you, so much, ladies and gentlemen. Thank you for being here, thank you for buying my music and loving my songs. Thank you for coming to see me play, see my band play. Fantastic, aren’t they?” She waved to the crowd and went on to speak in Greek, the language of her paternal side. While English was the main language spoken in the Stephanopoulos family, the kids had learned Greek in school, and Spiros and Tomas still spoke it when they were out and about traversing with the older townspeople who didn’t speak English, so they had helped her dust off her language skills. “I love you, thank you for loving me back. Thank you for coming. I love you, Athens. Goodnight.” She ran up the stairs to the back platform, still waving madly. “I love you, Athens, I love you, Greece, goodnight and safe travels.”

The lights went out on stage and she disappeared from sight.

“Holy crap that was fun. I can’t believe I forgot how much fun it is,” she told Maria as she rushed down the backstage stairs. “But my feet are killing me.”

“Then let’s get you into a cool shower and the masseuse’s hands, shall we?” Maria escorted her back to her dressing room where Alena dashed into the shower and the masseuse set up the table.

Luca knocked on the open door. “Oh, do we get a massage on tour? Excellent. Wish I had known.” He eyed both ladies and saw no Alena. “Is the pop princess not available to visitors at the moment?”

“As you can full well hear, Alena’s in the shower at the moment.” Maria cocked her head towards the bathroom where Alena was singing. “And no, the masseuse is not for you. Just Alena.” Eyeing his outfit of black leather pants and matching shirt, she wondered if he’d even bothered showering. “Didn’t you wear that on stage?”

Luca’s dazzling smile lit up the room. “No. But it is my favourite outfit to wear that I wear a lot. It suits me, no?” His ears picked up the sound of people coming. “I must go. Tell Alena I will see her on her tour bus.” He nodded and quickly left the room, leaving her puzzled.

The family entered the room en masse.

“Did I just see the gorgeous Luca Saint leave?” Melody asked and her lips pouted. “Oh, I so wanted to meet him. He’s so freakin’ gorgeous it hurts.”

“He is.” Her twin sister, Summer, sighed. “And it does hurt. Right in here.” She pointed to her heart. Both girls were still single even though they regularly dated.

“Ugh,” grunted out of Alexis. “You two and your drooling. You didn’t take your eyes off him the whole time he was on stage. Neither did your mother.” She casually leaned into Lorenzo’s arms; glad he was just as good looking as the Italian crooner.

“For that matter, neither did your mother,” Summer retorted, crossing her arms and turning to her mother. “Aren’t you and Aunt Angie too old to be perving at young men, Mother!”

“Don’t Mother me, little girl,” Maggie chastised, knowing full well she was only called that when her daughters wanted to take a dig at her. “Unlike you, I’m a woman who can perve at a man like that. And he’s definitely a man.”

“Argh.” Mike rolled his eyes at Pedro. “Seriously?”

Pedro grinned at his best friend. “She’s making up for all the time you spent pulling chicks behind the bar at 69, and then SB3.”

“So, all of this drooling over hot Italian men is payback for over thirty years ago?” Mike frowned in concentration, dragging the joke out.

“Oh, absolutely.” Pedro nodded along. “You had hot Italian men throwing themselves at you left right and centre in 69, she’s just getting her own back.”

“Oh, so funny, ha-ha.” Maggie rolled her eyes at her husband.

“Point aside, where is he?” Angie asked. “Is he coming back?”

“Don’t think so,” Maria told her as Alena came out of the bathroom wrapped in towels. “He did say he’d see Alena on her tour bus, though.”

“Who did?” Alena patted her still-damp skin. “Who’s coming on my tour bus? Am I getting another bodyguard? We all know how that ended the last time I had one.” She remembered back to her 2007 American tour where James Gardo had been chosen to be her personal bodyguard after an attempted shooting.

An uneasy silence rippled through the room before anyone spoke.

“Ah, no, no bodyguard, this time,” Maria went on. “Luca Saint dropped by before your family, and said to tell you he’d see you on your tour bus.”

Alena’s brows furrowed. “But why? I have my own. I presume the support act has their own. Why would that pompous, two-bit, hustling lyric thief need to see me on my bus?” She hopped onto the massage table. “You know he admitted to stealing my lyrics. Claimed he’s given me songwriting credit. Me, me,” she said incredulously. “When I’m the one who came up with the lyrics in the first damn place.”

“What did he steal?” Pedro piped up. As the owner of Sync, the family’s music studio, all copyright, trade marks and IP were important and he kept a tight rein on them.

“The song lyrics that I sang on stage today, Daddy.” She towel-dried her hair. “It was just a little thing. Not even a verse during rehearsal, and then he gets on stage and says it’s a little something he threw together this afternoon. The absolute nerve of that man. Stealing my damn song lyrics. And when I confronted him during the show, he claims I inspired it and he gave me songwriting credit. The nerve. The absolutenerve.” Tilting her head, she noticed Lorenzo. “But then, some men seem to have a lot of nerve.”

Lorenzo flashed a cold glare back at her and tightened his arm around Alexis who hadn’t noticed Alena’s glare.

But most of the family had, and Jenny brought it to a halt. “Then, at some point, your parents can sit down with him and discuss copyright.” She glanced from her son and daughter-in-law to Lorenzo and Alexis who snuggled in his arms. “But for now, we’ll leave and let you finish up. The after-party is at Stefan Productions, correct?”

“Yep. The place is done up like a spring chicken ready to party,” Carlos told her. “And we have the limos to take us, so let’s go, everyone.” Stefan Productions sat on a massive lot outside of the city with soundstages for S’Reel, his movie company, Sync, and had the main offices for Villiers Inc and Haus of Stefan. They had decorated a soundstage for the after-party.

“Okay, we’ll let you have your massage now, sweetie.” Angie kissed her daughter. “How long do you think you’ll be?”

“Knowing her, hours,” Diana muttered cheekily. “Will we even see you at the after-party, cuz?”

“Funny, cuz.” Alena eyeballed her. “I’ll try to be there in an hour or two. It’s going all night, isn’t it, Daddy?”

“We’re on a lot so the noise won’t really travel.” Pedro thought about it and shrugged. “However long we want it to go for.”