Spark Read Online Lauren Rowe

Categories Genre: Alpha Male, Contemporary Tags Authors:
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Total pages in book: 126
Estimated words: 121916 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 610(@200wpm)___ 488(@250wpm)___ 406(@300wpm)
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My breathing halts. Dirty laundry? That sure seems like an admission that Cooper’s lyrics, at least some of them, are based in truth. That’s interesting, to say the least.

“It’s going to be okay, sweetheart,” Reed says softly. “Trust me.”

“Don’t tell me to trust you when you’re releasing a song that defames me.”

“This song will turn out to be a great thing for you. A blessing in disguise. Mark my words.”

Ruby sniffles. Apparently, she’s now resigned to her fate. “How do you figure?”

“Write a song in response to Cooper’s, and it’ll make more money than God.”

Ruby wipes her eyes. “I’d sooner write a song about a fly sitting on a pile of dogshit.”

I can’t help chuckling along with Reed. Not only about Ruby’s word choice, but out of relief that Ruby’s definitely not planning to let Cooper grovel his way back into her good graces. I was already assuming that, given her reaction to his song. But it’s nice to get verbal confirmation.

“Is that Kendrick?” Reed asks at the sound of my laughter.

“Hey, Reed.”

“Hi, KC. I’m glad you’re there with her. Give our little pixie dream girl a squeeze for me, would you? Tell her everything’s going to be all right in the end.”

“Don’t try to gaslight me,” Ruby snaps.

“I’m not. I genuinely believe you’ll thank me one day. So, listen, if you’re not going to write a response to Cooper’s song, then will you at least sit down and write me a motherfucking sequel to ‘Hate Sex High,’ like I keep asking for?”

“There’s no such thing as a sequel to that song,” Ruby says. “Savage wrote it during a uniquely honest moment that can’t be duplicated. And you want to know why? Because he’s an actual artist, unlike Cooper. Because he wrote that song to express his honest feelings, not to give the head of our record label a made-to-order song.”

Reed chuckles. “All right, Ruby Tuesday. Have it your way. It was great talking to you, my dear, but I need to take another call now.”

“Tell Georgina hello for me. Tell her I’m sorry she’s married to a man who’s incapable of empathy and compassion.”

Reed laughs. “Will do. But only if you do me a favor in return. When it turns out I’m right about this⁠—”

“That will never happen.”

“Yes, it will. I don’t know what form it’ll take. All I know is this song will bring you some opportunity and/or financial gain that’s not presently visible on the horizon. And when that happens, whatever form it takes, I want you to shoot me a text that says, ‘You were right, Reed. Cooper’s song was a blessing in disguise. Thank you so much for not pulling it.’”

“I’d rather die than send you a text like that.”

“That’s all the more reason it’s going to delight me when it comes.”

10

KENDRICK

Three days later

This is one hell of a twenty-eighth birthday party.

It’s also the wrap party for our tour, thank God, which probably explains why everyone is letting loose to the extreme. Ruby, especially, has been whooping it up tonight. Surely she’s trying to give herself some fun—and alcohol-induced amnesia about the insane success of Cooper’s song these past three days—even more so than she’s celebrating her bestie’s twenty-eight trips around the sun. Either way, Ruby’s boisterous energy has whipped up everyone here, and the night has been all the more fun and rowdier because of her.

We’re in Savage and Laila’s massive suite, and it’s packed to the gills tonight with dancing, laughing, chatting people. In addition to all my bandmates, the spacious room is filled with all our staffers and most crew members, a few of their plus-ones, and a smattering of celebrities and their guests. With Savage and Laila enjoying A-list status these days, every famous face with access to a private jet, or who already happened to be shooting a project in Vancouver, seems to be here. It’s kind of wild, honestly. The kid practicing his drums in that basement in the South Side wouldn’t have believed the guest list if he’d been shown this scene in a crystal ball.

We’re about three hours in, so I’m honestly pretty drunk. Presently, I’m sipping on a double whiskey neat while chatting with a pretty actress who’s shooting season three of a hit show on a streaming platform—a show I’ve binged with Ruby, actually.

Speaking of Ruby Tuesday, she’s currently dancing like a maniac with her gaggle of friends from the staff and crew to her favorite pop song. And, man, she’s a sight to see. Thoroughly entertaining. Funny. Sexy. While trying to squeeze upcoming plot points out of the actress I’ve been chatting with, I can’t keep my eyes from constantly drifting to her. She’s on fire out there.

The current tune blaring through the party is Aloha Carmichael’s iconic, girl-power anthem, “Pretty Girl,” and Ruby and her friends, led by Ruby, are doing the famous choreography from the music video. Watching her now brings to mind a vision of her dancing and singing along to this same song with all her high school friends at our senior prom, back when the song was a new release. Man, I was in love with her back then. Desperately. And she had no idea.


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