Lifestyles of the Rich and (In)Famous

By Tierney Fowler

Nyx Carrington, notorious for her red lipstick and over-the-top personality, has just snagged the dreamiest A-Lister in Manhattan. Tristan Halifax, a gorgeous, arrogant man with a penchant for beautiful women, could be Nyx's chance at true love. After her last disastrous relationship with her not-so-dream guy, the brooding Crashbang bassist, AJ Abbott, Nyx is ready for a new start.Overnight, Nyx's relationship status with Tristan turns her into America's Sweetheart-complete with scandalizing parties, new friendships with Manhattan's Golden Boys, and unending photographers. It's the perfect moment in the spotlight with Tristan-or it would be if AJ would stop writing chart topping love songs dedicated to her red lipstick.When AJ crashes back into her life declaring that wants to reignite their high school romance, Nyx's love life gets complicated. And when the press hears about problems with the it couple, they turn on Nyx-jeopardizing her relationship with Tristan, ruining her reputation, and discovering her old skeletons. Nyx's newfound fame as America's Sweetheart may leave her brokenhearted.Celebrities are supposed to have it all, but having it all could mean losing everything that used to matter.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Spencer Hill Contemporary
• Release date: Aug 19, 2014
• ISBN: 9781939392251

Book preview

Miley…

ONE

Nyx normally didn’t wear such scandalous dresses, but tonight she needed all the help she could get. AJ Abbott—the brooding, gorgeous love of her life—was finally single. He had just broken up with his girlfriend of three years, and he was kind of devastated. The timing was perfect.

Wait, is this mean of me? Shouldn’t I give him like a mourning period or something? Nyx tore her eyes away from the slinky dress and looked over to where her best friend Chad was gelling his dark hair into haphazard spikes. Chad (and AJ’s) band Crashbang had a show at Jammin’ Java in Northern Virginia tonight, and they were packed into the little green room behind the stage. Maybe tonight is too soon. I think my dress is too tight. I’m going to throw up.

Chad’s eyes met hers in the reflection of the mirror before flitting down to the hemline. There’s no such thing as too short. You’re a hot piece, Nyx. You almost make me regret my womanizing ways. Almost.

Nyx made a face at him before turning back to tug on her dress again. It was too short and too low cut. It looked like something her mother would wear, and her mother was the last person she was trying to resemble. I look like a Russian prostitute.

Don’t knock Russian prostitutes. I happen to know some very nice Russian prostitutes.

Why does that not surprise me? Listen. I need you to focus. I called you here because I need moral support. Nyx slumped down on the small table in front of the mirror, hiding her face in her hands. This was a terrible idea. Sexy, drastic makeovers were something that only worked in cheesy teen movies. AJ was going to take one look at her and laugh.

"Nyx, this is our dressing room! You came to me! Chad sat beside her, slinging an arm around her waist. Listen, I know how much you like AJ. And, you know I think you’re way better than Amanda ever was. He grasped her shoulders and forced her to look at him. Just repeat after me. I am a gorgeous, awesome person."

Nyx took a deep breath and nodded. I am a gorgeous, awesome person. Maybe there was something to this whole positive affirmation thing. She felt marginally better.

I will tell AJ how I feel.

I will tell AJ how I feel.

I will still allow Chad to hit it twice a week.

I will still allow—Chad!

He laughed and stood up, grabbing his favorite black lacquered drumsticks from the dressing-room table. I’m just kidding. Kind of. He must have seen the stress on her face because his voice softened uncharacteristically. Listen, you two have been friends for a long time. What’s the worst that can happen if you tell him how you feel, and he’s not into it?

Things get really awkward and we stop hanging out and I stop coming to all your shows because I’m heartbroken and despondent?

Oh. That is pretty bad. Strike that then.

Chad! Seriously!

He laughed. I’m just teasing you. I’m surprised you didn’t have Amber give you the pep talk instead. Isn’t she wired for this stuff? Amber was her other best friend, a petite blond cheerleader who dated Crashbang’s guitarist, Matt.

She’s coming here straight from cheerleading practice, and I was freaking out too much to wait. Plus, you’re a guy. I need the truth! I need the male perspective! I need— Nyx’s eyes searched the room before landing on a bottle of Jack Daniel’s. I need a drink.

Officially, I cannot condone your underage drinking, Nicole. Chad was three years older than her and of legal drinking age. He also was a giant hypocrite since he was the one who bought alcohol for their parties anyway.

Officially, I’m going to punch you in the throat. Nyx splashed some of the whiskey in a red plastic cup and took a long sip. The butterflies in her stomach grew warm and settled down. She walked back over to the full-length mirror and studied her reflection. So maybe she didn’t look terrible—her boobs actually looked kind of awesome in the low neckline. Just because she’d had to buy the dress in a size bigger than she had expected meant nothing. People compared her to those vintage pinups with the long hair and red lipstick and curves. Nyx didn’t mind the comparison—those girls were totally hot. She tugged down on her dark swooping bangs and took another sip.

Real talk—I look okay?

Real talk—you’re gorgeous. You’re like a punk rock dream girl. You’re like—

Okay, okay. I get it. Nyx flashed Chad a smile. Thanks.

Anytime, doll. Chad winked back, tapping his drumsticks against the back of the chair he was straddling. Nyx felt a surge of emotion for him. Few girls could count an ex as one of their closest friends. Well, he wasn’t really an ex—they’d only dated for about a week before deciding to just be friends.

The door opened. The chaos of the singing fans and frantic beats of the punk band on stage poured into the room. Nyx’s heart twisted as AJ stalked in and slammed the door behind him. The music faded to a dull throb once more. AJ was wearing slim black jeans and a faded gray shirt. His black hair curled against his collar, and his piercing blue eyes were angry. He punctuated the slamming door by kicking over a nearby chair.

Having a nice night? Nyx quipped, trying to keep her voice from becoming too breathless. He was just so gorgeous and angry and perfect. She held out her cup of whiskey.

AJ took it from her hand—their fingers brushing—and threw back the remaining few inches. Amanda’s refusing to do the cover.

Well, duh. You just dumped her. The drumsticks in Chad’s hands tapped in time to the beat coming through the walls.

So? She knew I was counting on her to do that cover. People love it. And that label guy is supposed to be here tonight. AJ slumped down on the couch and ran his hands through his thick black hair. Our music is more important than this high school drama.

Nyx exchanged looks with Chad. She and AJ had only graduated a month ago. High school wasn’t too far out of their rearview mirror. Still, she wasn’t going to be the one to contradict him. In fact, she admired his passion for his music. Well, Nyx began when Chad didn’t say anything. Maybe you could try sweet-talking her?

Despite AJ’s white knuckles as he gripped his cup, he shot Nyx a grin that made her stomach flip-flop. I’m not you, Nyx. I can’t just bat my eyelashes at people and get them to do whatever I want.

True. Someone very wise once said that with great power comes great responsibility, Nyx deadpanned as she poured another few inches of whiskey for herself. Then, mentally steeling herself, she crossed the room to sit next to him on the couch.

I think that was Peter Parker’s uncle. AJ laughed as he turned to really look at her. Hey, you look different. His eyes flitted down her body and back up to her face.

Different… Nyx repeated, suddenly terrified that he was going to laugh or ask her if Halloween had come early.

Different like she looks wicked hot! Chad sang out, standing up and ruffling her hair. He flashed her a wink, and Nyx grinned back at him. Talk about a quality wingman. I’m going to go round up Rob and Skully. Our set begins in ten.

Okay. I’ll finish this and be right out. Chad and AJ slapped hands before Chad slid out of the room.

The dressing room was quiet again, and AJ was looking at her. What should I do, Nyx?

Nyx’s heart raced again, and she had a dozen answers come to mind. The loudest one begged for him to kiss her, but she swallowed that down and kept her voice level. About the cover? Can’t anyone else do it?

I guess, but it’s a song for both a male and female vocalist. The whole point is kind of lost when you change it. Crashbang was your basic alternative rock band, but they did a pretty awesome cover of the Dropkick Murphys’ The Dirty Glass. The Dirty Glass was a song about a man and his bar, but the bar was usually mistaken as a woman.

That sucks. I’m sorry. Nyx took another sip of her drink, and her face started to grow warm. Another reason why she didn’t drink too often was that she tended to get a little too…friendly whenever she did. People usually got the wrong impression, but in this case, she wouldn’t mind if AJ got that impression.

It’s not your fault my ex is a terrible person.

Biting her lip, she reached down to play with a fraying hole on the knee of his jeans. Is there… anything I can do to help? The moment she said it, she cringed. She sounded too breathy—like she was trying to seduce him. Well, you are! she heard Chad yell in her head.

AJ’s eyes held hers for a long moment, and her heart flip-flopped again. He licked his lips and looked away. Unless you can… He trailed off.

Unless I can… Nyx prompted, taking another sip of her drink. Despite her nerves, she leaned in closer.

Well, I was going to say unless you could fill in for Amanda…but then I realized that you probably could.

Wait. What? Nyx had been expecting (hoping for) something a little more romantic, but instead… You want me to sing? On…stage? I don’t sing!

Yes, you do! What about at Karaoke Tuesdays at The Cellar? You kill it!

Nyx felt a stab of panic. Sing on stage? She would do anything for love…but she couldn’t do that. AJ, my signature song is ‘Baby Got Back’ by Sir Mix-A-Lot. That’s hardly the same thing. And the only reason that crowd loves me is because they are wasted. I highly doubt this audience is going to appreciate my interpretation of those time-hallowed lyrics.

It’s still singing! And it’s still to a room of drunk people…just a few more than normal. Nyx, just get up there and try. Please? Do it for me? AJ grabbed her hand with both of his and squeezed it. Nyx tried not to fall over. She didn’t trust herself to answer him without blurting out her undying love. I mean, honestly, all you’d have to do is stand up there in that dress. They’ll be too busy looking at you to even hear what you’re saying.

Her brain was malfunctioning, and of course the only thing she could say was— You like my dress?

His eyes swooped down to her neckline, and his cheeks turned pink. He released her hands and stood up quickly. Yeah. It’s, uh, okay. I mean, you always look nice. You know. He looked so uncomfortable that Nyx felt slightly better. Now she wasn’t the only one who didn’t know what to say.

The thought of being on stage was kind of terrifying. It was one thing to sing karaoke with her friends, but it was another to go up and demand attention as an artist. But, if AJ kept looking at her like he was now, she’d do anything for him.

Okay, I’ll do it…on one condition. Nyx stood up and held out her hand.

AJ shook it, but didn’t let go immediately. What’s that?

I’m going to need a lot more liquid courage for this.

AJ remembered going to a show once where the lead singer was so drunk that he forgot the words to most of the songs. The singer had stumbled around on stage looking confused until the bassist had stepped in and attempted to warble all the notes instead. It had been terrible. As a result, AJ tried never to drink too heavily before he had a set, but he had felt kind of obligated to Nyx to do those last few shots with her.

Luckily, he was at the perfect level of drunk. He could still function, and the giddy euphoria hadn’t faded to belligerence. So far, he hadn’t forgotten any of the lyrics, and judging from the energy in the crowd, Crashbang was killing it like they always did. He couldn’t pick out the guy from the record label in the sea of fans, but he could pick out Nyx and that bright dress.

Nicole should have been the biggest bitch in their high school. She was the kind of gorgeous that belonged in magazines—not in the pit at a rock show. Still, they’d been friends since middle school and now she was a cool girl to smoke with and talk about music. But, there’d been a moment in the dressing room before their set—did she…did she like him?

He felt like he was playing on auto-pilot, his fingers slamming against the bass guitar as he growled the lyrics into the microphone. The guys might complain about how often they practiced, but AJ knew their hard work paid off. They put on a good show. Chad was whipping his shirt off and throwing it into the crowd, and their female fans began to shriek in earnest. Rob, the guitarist, might have been the stereotypical dreamboat with his Ken-doll good looks, but Chad was the crowd favorite. His entire upper torso was covered in tattoos, and his bright green hair reflected his attention-grabbing personality. He knew how to pump up a crowd, and he was currently blowing kisses to the front row of groupies. AJ caught a glimpse of bright orange hair at the end of the front row and he nearly missed the beat. Amanda was smirking up at him.

Amanda had been his girlfriend since freshman year of high school. They had one of those on-again/off-again relationships that was punctuated by screaming fights that were the entertainment of the lunchroom at their high school. Their last fight had been particularly bad, and AJ had told her their breakup was for good. He was so over the fighting and the drama. AJ’d been locked in a relationship with Amanda since they’d started high school together, and he just wanted some time to be free. She was normally the one who dumped him, so she wasn’t taking this latest break too well.

The song finished, and slightly out of breath, AJ spoke into the mic. So, you guys know we normally close with our Dropkick cover, he began and saw a mean smile break across Amanda’s face. If only she knew what was coming… And I’m excited to say that we’ve switched things up for you. Nyx? He held out his hand and the tan brunette grabbed it and pulled herself on stage, keeping her dress down with her other hand. She must have flashed something because the crowd started to go wild. He didn’t need to look at Amanda to know that she was fuming—Amanda had loathed Nyx ever since the dark-haired girl had sweet-talked her way backstage at a Dashboard Confessional show and taken AJ with her.

Hi, friends! Nyx took the other microphone from the stand in front of Rob. She must have been feeling as euphoric as he was. The nervous look she’d had in the dressing room had been replaced by a huge smile. Her red lips then blew the crowd a kiss, and the fans erupted again. Most people knew her by her penchant for bright lipstick. It’d been her trademark ever since tenth grade when she’d worn it for a school play. Nyx laughed and grinned over at him. He grinned back, very aware that Amanda was watching them with a scowl on her face.

AJ nodded to Chad, who counted down to one before the familiar chords of the cover song drifted through the club. He hoped the dozens of shows and practices Nyx had attended had prepared her for this—it could go badly really fast.

Murphy, Murphy, darling dear, Nyx sang in the microphone, her eyes half lowered over at AJ. I long for you now, night and day. The energy in the room changed, and AJ felt a weird magnetic pull toward her. He shook his head and waited for his turn to sing. The song started slow, but quickly evolved into a fast-paced, angry cacophony that usually drove the pit into a frenzy. Tonight was no different, and with Nyx kicking the energy up another notch, the room felt like it was exploding.

I fell for you, my darling dear. Before he realized it, the song was over and the crowd was roaring its approval. Nyx was blowing kisses and laughing when a bra hit her in the face. She turned and offered it to AJ. I think this belongs to you? Her face was flushed, and she looked giddy. She was beautiful.

AJ blamed what happened next on the alcohol. Or the heady rush of validation from the screaming fans. Or the jealous daggers Amanda’s eyes were shooting at him. But he hadn’t planned on wrapping an arm around Nyx’s waist and pulling her flush against him.

Alex, she murmured, her voice low in his ear. But before she got anything else out, he was pressing his lips against hers. The roar of the crowd grew louder, but all he could think about was how good she felt under his hands. He kissed her harder, and with his free hand splayed against Nyx’s back, he caught Amanda’s eye and winked.

Chad grinned as he watched Nyx wave to the crowd. He grinned as he saw a flock of groupies waiting for him to the right of the stage. He beamed as a bra hit him in the face. He couldn’t stop smiling. The set had gone better than he could have hoped. Not only had they played flawlessly, Nyx had killed it. He was amazed at how positively the crowd had responded to her, but he probably shouldn’t have been that surprised. She’d been his longest relationship (clocking in at seven magical days). He knew she had something special. He also couldn’t believe AJ had kissed her on stage, but again, he wasn’t surprised. Chad did not look forward to Nyx recapping it for him seven hundred times tonight.

Excuse me. He felt a hand on his shoulder. Chad turned around and glared at a middle-aged man in a suit holding a beer.

Dude, lose the tie. This is hardly the place.

No. Actually, I want to talk to you. The man was deeply tanned with crinkles around his eyes. His teeth were white against his skin. You’re in that band Crashbang, right?

Yeah…? Inwardly, Chad groaned. He was not the right guy to handle business dudes in bad ties. Rob was so much better at this stuff. This guy seemed a little out of place in the bar packed full of college kids and hipsters. Chad’s eyes slid away to eye a hot blonde with a spectacular rack.

The man pulled out a card and waved it in front of Chad’s face until he could tear his eyes away from the blonde. His heart constricted as he realized what this was. The man continued talking. My name’s Steve Burrows. I work for Striped Tiger Records.

Chad’s mouth dropped open as he looked at the logo in the top right of the business card. A tiger’s head roared back at him. His mouth opened and closed once before he could speak again. Wow. I—I— He couldn’t get the words out. AJ had warned them all that a label rep could be attending tonight, but Chad was totally unprepared.

Mr. Burrows smiled, obviously used to this kind of reaction. You’re unsigned, right?

Yes, sir. Do you have one of our EPs? Chad was suddenly all business, and he hated the nearly pleading tone he heard creep into his voice. This was a big deal, though. He fumbled in his messenger bag for one of their CDs. It still had Amanda on the cover, but Chad had scribbled out her face with a black Sharpie on every copy in his bag. Some of them even had elaborate devil horns, but he’d drawn those before AJ and Amanda had even broken up. Either way, his artwork improved the presentation immensely.

Mr. Burrows took the CD without even looking at the cover. Actually, would you guys be interested in setting up a meeting? I think Striped Tiger might be a good fit.

Yes? Chad’s stomach was tied in knots. He was unsure what to do now, so he grabbed Mr. Burrows’ hand and shook it. Yes, sir. Yes. Where was Rob when he needed him? Chad was just here to look pretty and play drums. Yes.

Mr. Burrows must have been used to this kind of reaction because he just laughed and pointed to the card. Just give me a call when you guys have had a chance to discuss things. Chad was getting ready to echo his thanks again when Mr. Burrows leaned forward. Oh, and who was the girl?

The girl?

For the last song. The cover?

Oh. That was Nyx—err, Nicole. We usually have another girl for that song, but—

Bring her too. We’ll be in touch. With that, Mr. Burrows nodded his head and slipped into the crowd.

Chad was only able to stare down at the business card in shock for about three seconds when Amber hit him from the side. Amber was Rob’s girlfriend and pretty cool—for a cheerleader. Chadwick! Was that who I think it was?

Rob hit him from the other side, snatching the business card out of his hand to stare at it. Rob was short but well muscled, and he almost knocked the wind out of Chad when he hit him. Are you kidding me, man? Striped Tiger was here? Shut up. I can’t—

Amber grabbed the card back and cradled it to her chest. Rob. Be careful. We can’t lose this. Despite her bright blond hair, Amber was smart. She was already snapping a picture of the card with her phone. Go get everyone else. Quick. Rob ran into the crowd, and soon reemerged with Skully, the other guitarist, and AJ. Where’s Nyx?

She’s getting drinks at the bar. What’s up? What’s that? AJ craned his neck to look at the card.

Striped Tiger! Are you serious? Skully yelped gleefully before Chad could answer, snatching the card away to press it to his lips.

Dude. Get off! Chad tried to grab it back, only to watch AJ rip it out Skully’s hands. AJ couldn’t even speak. Instead he stared at the crumbled business card in awe.

Where’d he go? Let’s go talk to him!

There’s a guy in a suit! The group stampeded over to where Steve Burrows was standing next to Nyx by the bar. The record exec was grinning lecherously down at her and Nyx looked murderous.

Nyx! Chad threw himself in between Nyx and Mr. Burrows. He recognized the look on her face. That look meant she was about to throw her drink at him and start cursing. Nyx! Nyx, hi, honey. Chad whirled around to bare his teeth at her in a warning smile. He put an arm around her waist and wrestled the drink out of her hand. I see you met Mr. Burrows.

Yeah. We met. Nyx crossed her arms over her chest. "And he—"

Amber’s elbow jabbed into Nyx’s ribs as Rob held out the well-creased business card. "He would like to meet with Crashbang. He is with Striped Tiger."

Everyone held their breath as the hostile expression on Nyx’s face melted from outrage to realization to adoration. She pulled away from Amber and sidled up against the suited man, sliding her arm through his and smiling sweetly. Hi, I’m Nicole. What was your name again?

Nyx felt like she was dreaming or having an out-of-body experience or maybe the weed was making her hallucinate. This wasn’t happening. This couldn’t be happening. AJ Abbott was not making out with her in the back of Crashbang’s van.

After they’d said goodnight to the label representative, they’d done a few rounds of celebratory shots with half the bar. Once the room had started spinning, she’d dropped her head on AJ’s shoulder for support. He must have been as drunk as she was because instead of trying to steady her, he pulled her outside and kissed her again against the brick wall of the loading dock.

AJ was an amazing kisser, just like she had dreamed. She had come tonight intent on making him notice her, but she had never expected for things to progress this quickly. Maybe she was better at this than she thought. What if this was too fast? He’d only just broken up with Amanda. She would have thought she’d be exhilarated when this finally happened, but instead, she couldn’t stop worrying.

Really, the last thing she wanted to be was a meaningless rebound. That would be horrible. She pulled on his hair, dragging his lips away from her skin. AJ, she breathed.

His pupils were huge, almost hiding the intense blue of his eyes. His hands were tangled in her hair. Nyx.

We’re good friends, right?

AJ looked pained, like the last thing he wanted to do was have this conversation right now, but he nodded, clacking his lip ring against his teeth impatiently. Duh.

I just…I don’t want that to ever change. Even if they started dating, she never wanted to lose his friendship.

A look of relief crossed his face. Me neither. I just broke up with Amanda, and I want to take things slow. She felt his hand creeping up her thigh. That was not slow.

It wasn’t the answer she wanted, but some AJ was better than no AJ, right?

Okay? he coaxed, his lips on the side of her neck.

Yeah.

Okay. Now kiss me again.

Yes, sir. His lips were back on hers hungrily, and Nyx stopped thinking.

The red dress definitely worked.

TWO

Nyx sighed as the glowing green numbers next to her bed flipped to 4:34, and kicked the covers off her legs. She couldn’t sleep. Every time she closed her eyes, she replayed their fight in her head.

AJ should have been thrilled that Striped Tiger wanted to fly them up to New York to meet with the CEO