Troublemaker (Songbird #6) Read online

  TROUBLEMAKER

  A Songbird Novel

  Melissa Pearl

  © Copyright 2016 Melissa Pearl

  http://www.melissapearlauthor.com

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  All rights reserved. This book or any portion thereof may not be reproduced or used in any manner whatsoever without the express written permission of the author.

  This is a work of fiction. Names, places, businesses, characters and incidents are either the product of the author’s imagination or are used in a fictitious manner. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, actual events or locales is purely coincidental.

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  Cover art (copyright) by Mae I Design. All rights reserved.

  http://www.maeidesign.com/

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  License Notes

  This ebook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This ebook may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each recipient. If you’re reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then please purchase your own copy.

  Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.

  TROUBLEMAKER

  Kelly DeMarco is out of Marcus Chapman’s league. When they met in high school he was besotted with the blue-eyed goddess, but she never gave him the time of day.

  High school is now over and the tide is turning.

  Five years later, Kelly is job-hunting and the best she can find happens to be Marcus Chapman’s personal assistant. He is thrilled by this second chance and determined to win the beauty’s affections, but Kelly has no intention of falling for the “class clown.”

  What you’re looking for can be hiding right in front of you.

  In spite of her resolve, Marcus’s playful charm begins to chip away at Kelly’s protective veneer, and she starts to realize that tall, dark, and mysterious isn’t a requirement, and sometimes Mr. I Don’t Think So can actually be Mr. Perfect.

  Will Kelly’s obsession with keeping up appearances push Marcus away, or will he have enough drawing power to convince his favorite girl that honest love can outclass anything?

  NOTE FROM THE AUTHOR

  I will never forget where I was when I came up with this story. It was in 2006 when my husband and I were traveling around the USA and Canada in a Chevy G20 van. It was the best year of my life, and many stories came to me as we toured the continent.

  We were hiking through Arches National Park in Utah when Marcus and Kelly’s story came to fruition. I’d been listening to the song “Just the Girl” by The Click Five, and I really loved the premise of a lovesick guy chasing after a girl who didn’t really want him. I thought it’d make a fun story, having this girl think she was above him. But the best things can sometimes come in the most surprising packages, right?

  As we trekked through this amazing, rocky terrain on a blue-sky day, my mind buzzed with ideas, and by the time we got back to the van, Kelly and Marcus had a story. The book has been added to and adapted since its initial birth, but I love that it all started with one song.

  I hope you enjoy the story…and the music.

  xx

  Melissa

  TROUBLEMAKER SOUNDTRACK

  (Please note: The songs listed below are not always the original versions, but the ones I chose to listen to while constructing this book. The songs are listed in the order they appear.)

  UPTOWN FUNK

  Performed by Mark Ronson & Bruno Mars

  BROKENHEARTED

  Performed by Karmin

  SEXY LADY

  Performed by Jessie J

  ABSOLUTELY (STORY OF A GIRL)

  Performed by Nine Days

  NEW SHOES

  Performed by Paolo Nutini

  ARE YOU GONNA BE MY GIRL

  Performed by Jet

  JUST THE GIRL

  Performed by The Click Five

  TROUBLEMAKER

  Performed by Olly Murs & Flo Rida

  HEY, SOUL SISTER

  Performed by Train

  GOOD TIME

  Performed by Owl City & Carly Rae Jepsen

  STITCHES

  Performed by Shawn Mendes

  WORK THIS BODY

  Performed by Walk The Moon

  DOWNTOWN GIRL

  Performed by Hot Chelle Rae

  LIVE WHILE WE’RE YOUNG

  Performed by One Direction

  EPIC

  Performed by We Are Leo

  SHUT UP AND DANCE

  Performed by Walk The Moon

  BETTER WHEN I’M DANCIN’

  Performed by Meghan Trainor

  SHE’S NOT AFRAID

  Performed by One Direction

  BENEATH YOUR BEAUTIFUL

  Performed by Labrinth & Emeli Sande

  THIS IS WHAT IT TAKES

  Performed by Shawn Mendes

  KISS YOU

  Performed by One Direction

  GIVES YOU HELL

  Performed by Glee Cast

  UPTOWN GIRL

  Performed by Westlife

  BACK FOR YOU

  Performed by One Direction

  ONE STEP CLOSER

  Performed by Shane Harper

  MARVIN GAYE

  Performed by Charlie Puth & Meghan Trainor

  EVERYTHING YOU WANT

  Performed by Boyce Avenue

  NO GOOD FOR YOU

  Performed by Meghan Trainor

  NEXT TO ME

  Performed by Tiffany Alvord & Gardiner Sisters

  HAPPY

  Performed by Never Shout Never

  LET HER GO

  Performed by Jasmine Thompson

  DEAR FUTURE HUSBAND

  Performed by Meghan Trainor

  To enhance your reading experience, you can listen along to the playlist on Spotify.

  TROUBLEMAKER PLAYLIST

  For

  Olly Murs

  &

  Meghan Trainor

  You both have a playful charm and sexy style that always gets me singing and dancing. Thanks for making me smile and brightening my day.

  Chapter One

  Marcus

  Overwhelmed.

  No, that was wrong. I didn’t want to buy into that.

  Under pressure.

  Closer.

  Stressed out of my mind.

  Most definitely.

  I stared at the long line of little red flags in my inbox and drooped my head with a heavy sigh. College had been a breeze. Exam time brought its own kind of pressure, but I’d thrived on it. The real world—a real job with intimidating bosses to answer to and a shitload of cash to deal with—that was something else entirely.

  I was out of my depth, like a duck sitting in a pond, seeming to have it all together, but my legs were going a hundred miles an hour under the water. Somehow I had to stay afloat and prove to Torrence Records that I wasn’t too inexperienced for this job.

  At twenty-three I was the youngest manager in the company. Chaos was my first gig. I’d been employed during the filming of the reality TV show Shock Wave. For the first time in the company’s history, Torrence Records had aligned themselves with a music-based television competition and agreed to take on the band that won. I was the guy who was going to take them under my wing and make sure they made Torrence proud.

  Thanks to Jimmy and Nessa’s romantic drama, I nearly screwed up my very first assignment. They’d made it damn hard on me…and themselves. I didn’t think we’d recover from Nessa losing her hand. Thankfully, the new drummer, Jace, was a perfect fit, and we’d finally found a home for Nessa, too. They were in the throes of prepping for their first tour while their first single �
�Agility” was set to be a chart-topper.

  I scanned my inbox, deciding which emails were the most urgent. It was ten o’clock in the morning. I’d already been at work for four hours and I’d only just started clearing my mail. Not the kind of life I’d envisioned for myself when I was in high school.

  I rolled my eyes, grinning at my naiveté. The countless hours I’d spent dreaming about my future—a nice house, a flashy car, Kelly DeMarco in my bed every morning. If only I’d known that a nice house actually meant a paralyzing mortgage—which is why I’d invested in a small two-bedroom bungalow, three blocks from my parents’ modest house in Culver City…and why I drove a 2001 VW Jetta. As for Kelly DeMarco, well, that had always been a pipe dream.

  Being a band manager was intense, especially since I’d been given two new artists to take care of. Dion Bonnet would be a breeze. The guy was easygoing and already had an established following. The pianist had nearly finished recording a Christmas album, and it would no doubt be in the Top Twenty on iTunes within a week of its release. He was nice, polite, and after the crappy experience he’d had with his last record company, he was willing to do anything Torrence asked of him.

  And then there was Caris.

  My brow bunched. Clicking on the email with her as the subject line, I reread Everett Torrence’s reply with a frown. He was expecting big things from the eighteen-year-old wild-child. She was a talent. I’d be an idiot to think anything else. But the pampered girl who’d been raised and preened to become a mega-star was going to give me a mental breakdown.

  I wished they hadn’t put her in my charge, but after the way I’d dragged Chaos out of the mud, they felt I was the best man for the job.

  Bryce, my irritating coworker, had smirked and sniggered beside me as I sat shell-shocked in the meeting. Everett, CEO of Torrence and self-made millionaire, had given me his stern look and said, “Time to prove yourself again, Chapman. Everyone else here said I shouldn’t hire someone so young. Make this work and we’ll see who’s laughing, huh?”

  I’d forced a tight, uneasy smile then nodded and told him I wouldn’t let him down.

  “Idiot,” I insulted myself while squinting at the screen.

  I slid my reading glasses on and wanted to whine when the words became that much clearer for me to read.

  Marcus,

  I know Caris is being stubborn again, but tell her she doesn’t have final say on the album selection. Make her think Torrence will ditch her if she doesn’t comply, but don’t let her call our bluff. We want this girl. She’s only just starting to get noticed, and we are going to be the ones who explode her career. She has to believe that we are the only record company for her.

  Smooth this over by the weekend.

  Everett

  CEO ~ Torrence Records Ltd.

  It wasn’t often I received a personal email from the big-man, but I’d had to alert him to the fact Caris was demanding two songs that would not cut it. Just because she could sing and shake her booty didn’t mean she could write decent music. When I politely told her this, she flipped out and threw a hissy fit that could have rivaled a two-year-old’s.

  Unfortunately, Everett Torrence was convinced that Caris had the potential to be the next big thing on the tween scene, and that meant mega-bucks. It pissed me off to no end that he was probably right. Torrence was willing to spend rich on this girl because she was a guaranteed investment…as long as we could keep her in line. I had to make this work, or I’d be costing the company a few cubic tons of greenbacks.

  My fingers danced on the keyboard as I composed my reply.

  No problem, Mr. Torrence. Consider it done.

  Thanks for the opportunity to look after such an important artist.

  Marcus

  Lies, lies, lies.

  “Brown-noser.” My upper lip curled as I clicked SEND and moved on to my next email. I’d instantly disliked the uppity teen when I first met her. Caris thought the sun shined out her ass, and after hanging out with Nessa and the guys from Chaos, I knew firsthand what awesome rock stars were supposed to be like. Caris, as amazing as her voice was and as hot as her little body moved, was not one. Grooming her for the media was going to be a tough job, but it was mine and I had to do damn well. Or all the underlying messages exec kept sending me would float to the surface and become real: You’re not cut out for this job, Marcus. I’m sorry, but we’re going to have to let you go.

  I snatched the headphones out of my top drawer and slipped them on, pressing shuffle play on iTunes. “Uptown Funk” started up. The familiar “Doh” then the clap made me feel instantly better. A smile spread over my face and my foot started tapping. Turning down the volume, I bobbed my head while dealing with the rest of my overflowing inbox.

  I mouthed the words as I worked, the de-stress tactic I’d used throughout college working like a charm. Music could get me through anything. I couldn’t necessarily sing in tune, but I could mouth the shit out of any song on the planet. I wasn’t a bad dancer, either.

  The red flags in my inbox gradually decreased as I worked through nearly a hundred messages. It was a time-consuming task, but so far, my friendly, personal touches were winning me points. If I hoped to have any kind of career in the music industry, I wanted to set myself up as the nice guy everyone could rely on. I was counting on the fact that my hard work would eventually pay off, and when people needed something done, Marcus Chapman would be the first name they’d think of.

  Out of the corner of my eye, I glimpsed a figure moving toward my frosted glass door and pulled off the headphones before they knocked.

  “Come in.” Taking off my glasses, I rested them on my daily planner and grinned. “Good morning.”

  “Only just.” Marcia smirked.

  I glanced at the time and cringed. Eleven-thirty already?

  The receptionist for the management floor walked across the polished wooden boards with a manila file in her hand.

  Great. More work.

  She stopped in front of my desk, hugging the file to her chest. Her kind brown eyes sparkled with humor, her faint dimples ready to appear.

  I made a face at her. “What did I forget?”

  She giggled. “Our song.” She made a pouty face. “We didn’t get our song this morning.”

  “Oh crap!” I jerked in my chair, scrambling for my mouse and quickly attaching “Uptown Funk” to my daily group email. It was probably the world’s stupidest ritual, but I was determined to make what Bryce referred to as “the underlings” feel appreciated. I sent them a song every morning, something to brighten their day.

  My nose wrinkled sharply as we listened to the whoosh. “Sorry it’s late.”

  Marcia tittered then tipped her head to the side, looking at me like she no doubt assessed her young daughters when they came home from school with their grumpy faces on. “Are you okay?”

  I nodded. “Just busy. You know how it is.”

  “Well, this should help ease your load.” Dimples appeared in her heart-shaped face as she held out the file in her hand.

  I gave her a bemused grin and reached for it.

  “Remember a few weeks ago when exec accepted Bryce’s request for another assistant? They said yes as long as her workload was shared between the managers.”

  Taking the file with a nod, I tried to act like the news was more than just a vague memory. “I thought Bryce was taking care of this?”

  “Didn’t we all?” Marcia rolled her eyes. “Thankfully, he’s been held up in Memphis with Cardinal Sin and won’t be back until Friday. Since you’ll be sharing the assistant, he’s happy for you to conduct the interview.”

  I placed the file on my desk. “Only one candidate?”

  “She made the mistake of including a photo of herself.” Marcia’s dark eyebrows arched and she gave me a look that said it all. I held my sigh in check. I didn’t know much about employment law, but I was pretty sure hiring based on beauty was a big no-no. But we were talking about Bryce Fisher, and the guy only t
hought with one appendage.

  “I still have the other applications if this one turns out to be a bust.” Marcia pressed her hands together like she was about to start praying. “Please make sure this one’s intelligent. She’s going to be working right next to me.”

  “I’ll do my best to let my head do the thinking on this one.” I winked.

  “Thank you. She should be here in about fifteen minutes. I’ve printed out a list of standard questions to ask her. It’s in the top of the file.” She headed for the door, her sensible black pumps tapping on the wood before she stopped and pointed at me. “I’m trusting you, Marcus.”

  I grinned. “This is the first time I’ve ever been asked to employ someone. I’m not going to screw up this interview. Exec doesn’t need any more excuses to kick my butt out the door.”

  Her smile was kind and warm, her expression telling me not to worry.

  The door clicked shut and I blew out a sigh, reaching for my glasses while flicking the file open. I slid the rectangular frames up my nose…and then my chest deflated.

  My lips parted as I stared down at the image of the woman I was about to interview.

  Aw, shit.

  There was no way in hell I couldn’t screw this up.

  Chapter Two

  Kelly

  My fingers were sweating. I didn’t even know fingers could do that.

  “Brokenhearted” by Karmin was blasting from my stereo, but no matter how many times I turned up the volume, it did nothing to calm me.