"Don't worry, the guys are cool. They're not popular enough to have inflated egos-yet. Well, except for Kell." Deena let out a small, exasperated sigh. "He's always had a big head."

I stifled a laugh. That was exactly what the rumors said. Typical frontman.

Deena took me to a closed, unmarked door, knocking twice before entering. The scene inside should have been casual, laid back, with clothes and bags thrown everywhere. The people I found inside made sure I felt anything but laid back.

The members of Feral Silence lounged on sofas and armchairs. The drummer Morris and the bassist Ren shared a sofa, each with a bottle of water in their hand. Morris wore the same clothes he'd worn on stage, but Ren had taken off his suit jacket and was sitting in his black pants and white shirt. The tie was off, and the first few buttons of the collar were undone. Much more casual than I usually saw on stage.

Kell slouched in an armchair, flipping through a stack of papers, running shoes propped up on a coffee table. I took a covert look around, but didn't see Jayce.

"Guys, this is Aimee Lee. Oh, sorry." Deena glanced at me. "You prefer Ailey, right?"

"Either is fine." They could call me Oscar, and I'd be only too pleased to hear it from their lips.

"She's our new social media coordinator."

"Awesome, the internet girl!" Kell grinned, setting the papers on the arm of the chair. His million-watt smile eased some of my fears. Kell seemed just as friendly offstage as he did in interviews. Morris and Ren raised their bottles of water in greeting.

"Welcome aboard the crazy train," Ren said. His long black hair was pulled back in a ponytail. Morris silently nodded his head. He had a reputation for being the quiet, scary one. He didn't seem scary to me, just large. Very large. He was even beefier up close and in person. I was glad he was sitting down because I was sure he would tower over all five-feet-four-inches of me.

"I look forward to working with you all." I was happy to hear my voice was steady.

"Ailey's going to be the one following you around like a little shadow, so treat her nice. None of your stupid pranks, or she'll post pictures of you asleep with your bedhead and drool."

"Just so you know, I sleep naked." Kell winked.

"What did I just say about teasing the intern?"

A voice behind me spoke up. "You're the intern?"

Jayce stood in the doorway, brows furrowed.

I froze as he stared at me, no trace of that heat I'd seen in his eyes before. Instead, his full lips turned down in a slight frown. He looked on edge, as if something were itching under his skin.

"It's bad enough having camera crews in our face all day," he continued.

Despite that moment we'd had, I needed him to know I was going to be a professional. I gathered myself together, wanting to exude an air of calm and sincerity, not fangirl exuberance.

"I'll try not to get in your way," I said. "You won't even notice I'm here."

Jayce raised an eyebrow in surprise, as if he hadn't expected me to talk back. "And what about snapping photos of us when we think we're alone?"

"When you're off stage, I'll only take photos of you with your permission. I promise. No secret shots."

Jayce looked doubtful.

"On stage is another matter, of course," I added. "But you must be used to having cameras flashing in your face during concerts anyway."

He didn't say anything, just lifted the bottle of water to his mouth and took a swig, keeping his eyes on mine the entire time. The muscles of his neck rippled as he swallowed. My mouth went dry. He put the bottle down. "What about quotes?"

"Huh?" I blinked at his question, still dazed. His lips twitched upward, perfectly aware of the effect he was having on me. It was probably his intention. Jayce ensnared girls wherever he went, with ease.

"I just want to know if you're going to take the stuff we say in private and broadcast it all over the internet," he clarified.

If I hadn't seen him break a thousand hearts with his smoldering stares and melt the panties off hordes of fangirls with his flirting-including mine-I would have said he sounded almost worried.

"Absolutely not." I didn't want Jayce to get the wrong impression. I cleared my throat, straightened my back, and refused to let my inner fangirl win. I was going to be professional if it killed me. "I'm not some sort of paparazzi trying to make money off your private life. I'm here to promote your band and your music. I'm here to make you guys look good. If you want," I added. "I'll show you any message I post on your behalf before I hit send."

As he looked me up and down slowly, I wondered what he thought of the sight. I was much shorter than him, even with my heels. All the members of Feral Silence were taller than average. I wondered if my neck would be perpetually cramped from having to look up all summer.

His eyes traveled from my face down my neck. I'd felt self-conscious when I first bought my blouse, wondering if the neckline was too low. A slow heat burned through me as Jayce's eyes settled on my chest. All the hairs on my arms stood on end.

I flushed with embarrassment as my nipples hardened into peaks under that gaze. Could he see them? Did he know the effect he was having on me?

Jayce took another swig of his water and looked away. I could breathe again.

"I got her to sign an NDA, so she can't talk about anything she sees or hears all summer. Your private lives will stay private." Deena gave them an admonishing look. "This is for your own good. We're doing great so far, but the public's attention wanes so quickly. We need to keep people talking about us, and if that means posting your every move all summer, then so be it."

"But it won't be too obtrusive, I promise," I added, not wanting Jayce to feel cornered again.

"We hired an expert," Deena continued. "You do your job and let her do hers."

"An expert?" Kell repeated, as if he were entertained by Deena's words. "You're just a baby."

"How old are you anyway?" Jayce asked, sounding much more interested in the answer than his casual expression would belie. Wanting to make sure he wasn't undressing an underaged girl with his eyes, no doubt.

"I'm twenty-one." They had no right to judge me for my youth. I knew for a fact the members of Feral Silence were barely a handful of years older than me.

"She's been doing this stuff online for years. She has over a hundred thousand followers for her online music reviews. More than your personal accounts, I might add." Deena gave Jayce and Kell pointed looks.

Jayce's eyes flashed with amusement, full lips tilting into a smirk. "Fine. I surrender. Turns out the internet girl is pretty badass. But be careful," he said, an almost wolfish expression on his face. "Guys like us love to eat up pretty little girls like you for breakfast."

I gaped, mouth dropping open, too shocked he'd said that in front of the others to be embarrassed.

"No corrupting the intern," Deena said.

"Not unless they like it." Jayce's eyes glinted with wicked humor.

"It's time to get going," Deena said, glancing at the time on her phone. "There's a journalist from a local music mag here to interview you before the show."

As the band members got up to leave, Kell reached out and ruffled my hair, messing up the strands. I ducked and scrunched up my face as he sauntered out with a laugh.

Jayce held my gaze for long moments, until I could practically feel the simmering heat rising between us.

"A music reviewer, hm? I suppose I should be happy you liked our new song."

"It was really good."

"Seductive, I think you said."

My whole body tingled with remnants of desire. An almost lascivious smirk crossed his face. He knew exactly what he was doing to me.

"Yeah, seductive. Kell's voice is pretty sexy, after all," I said, aiming for a nonchalant tone.

Jayce appeared startled for a brief moment, then laughed. "Somehow I don't think it's our lead singer who's got you so worked up." His eyes flashed with a dark, wicked heat, striking me to my very core. He gave me one last smirk before strolling out with an easy stride, leaving me alone.

Swallowing heavily, I clasped my hands together, recoiling from the intensity of that look.

Jayce didn't want me following him around all summer, but the way he'd looked at me, those flashes of interest...

I shivered, anticipation rising in my chest.

Had we gotten off to a bad start or a good one?

Chapter Three.

BUZZ.

I fumbled on the nightstand for my phone. It was the night before I officially started my job, and I wanted to get a good night's sleep. I should have set my phone to silent mode, but I was always worried I'd miss an important message.

My friends and family called it a smartphone addiction; I simply called it being perpetually connected.

Even though it was late, I needed to know what the notification was. I pressed at the screen and squinted through the bright light.

A message from Neil.

I tapped my phone against my lips as I thought about it. Neil was interested in me, and I in him, but I just couldn't stop thinking about those few moments with Jayce. There was clearly an attraction there, at least on my end. It wasn't just a fangirl fascination, either. Jayce had ignited a desire in me that I'd rarely felt before.

Wouldn't it be unfair to continue talking to Neil when I was so attracted to someone else?

No, I decided finally. Jayce had given me a few heated stares, but it didn't mean anything. He did it to all the girls.

Besides, Neil and I hadn't even met in person yet. Our future date was months away. I hadn't made him any promises, just an offer to buy me a drink.

Neil was a good friend. We had been talking online for months. It wouldn't be right to just ignore him. He was also a few years older than I was and already working in the film industry. He'd paid his dues in the lowly internship circuit. It would be nice to commiserate with someone who had been there and had intimate knowledge of the stress that came along with it.

I read Neil's message.

Hey there, Ms. Fancy Intern. How goes the job?

My first official day is tomorrow, but today went well. There were a few bumpy patches, but I haven't bombed spectacularly yet.

Oh yeah? Like what?

Just wandering into places I shouldn't have. Nothing major.

Still can't share any details, huh?

Nope. Sorry. What about you? Doing anything cool this summer?

Funny you should ask. I'm working on a film project that-guess what-forced me to sign an NDA too.

What is with these paranoid people?

They think we're going to blab all their secrets. It's not like my clients are so interesting I have nothing else to gossip about.

You're filming something boring?

It's not really my thing. I'm sure others would find it cool.

Oooh, you can't tell me that and not give me the details!

Sorry, no can do.

Well, can you at least tell me what you're doing right now?

Nothing much. Just lying in bed. I couldn't sleep. I didn't even think of the time. Did I wake you up?

No. I couldn't sleep either.

So you're lying in bed, too? Are you wearing sexy little pajamas? ;) Wouldn't you like to know?

I definitely would.

Was Neil... flirting with me? My heartbeat quickened. I couldn't deny that, for the last month or so, I'd hoped he had feelings for me the way I'd grown to have feelings for him. This was different from just planning a date, though. He'd never flirted this overtly before.

Maybe someday soon you'll get to see exactly what I wear to bed.

I'll count down the days.

WHEN I SHOWED up at the Dark Sound Studios office the next morning, the security guard directed me to the parking lot out back. There were a couple large buses and a dozen staff members already there.

My staff badge let me wander around virtually unnoticed. Everyone was rushing around looking harried, trying to finalize the last details before we officially took off for the summer. It was just like being backstage. Everyone seemed to have a job to do, and they were all doing it at maximum speed.

I didn't want to stand around gawking while everyone else was working, so I pulled out the phone Deena gave me.

For my internship application, I had to map out a general social media strategy. I'd worked on it so hard I could rattle it off by heart. I knew what sort of pictures I needed. This was the very beginning of the tour, the very first morning, and fans would like to see the kind of stuff involved in a big tour like this.

I opened the camera app and snapped away, going from one area to another, trying not to get run over by the people rushing to and fro. None of them paid me any attention. It seemed that as long as I had a staff badge, I was virtually invisible.