Forbidden Ballad - Rock My World Read Online Free

to find work. There is nothing country-related here in New York. And you weren’t big enough yet in the industry to stand alone, and labels are going to wonder why you walked away at the brink of your success. It looks bad.”
    “I know. I know it looks bad. But I just couldn’t work with him!”
    I’ve gotten emotional now, and I take a deep breath, and close my eyes.
    “I’m sorry,” I apologize.
    “Please, don’t tell me you’re sorry. I’m sure you’re going through hell right now. Look, I know you’re a great singer. I listened to your new CD this morning, and you’ve got a set of pipes. But right now, everyone knows you as a country star, and you can’t just go changing into someone new overnight.”
    I hang my head. “I know,” I say in a small voice.
    “That being said, I do have something small I could offer you, but I’m not even sure you would be interested.”
    I snap my head up. “I’m interested,” I say a little too quickly. This visit has been a reality check for me. Things are worse than I had originally anticipated, and I needed to be humble and take whatever I could get. Even if that meant singing in a bar in the city.
    “I have a rock band about to go on tour and they just lost one of their back up singers. They are currently in rehearsals, so it’s an immediate need.”
    I bite my lower lip. A back up singer for a rock band? That’s so far out of my league that it’s almost laughable. Almost.
    “What group?” I ask.
    Now, Jake shifts uncomfortably.
    “Cobalt.”
    Cobalt. Holy crap. They are one of the biggest rock bands, and their lead singer, Leo Nash, was known for being a complete sleaze ball when it came to women.
    “And why is it that they need a backup singer if they are already in rehearsals?”
    This didn’t sound good.
    Jake gives me a pointed look. “I’m not sure of the specifics.”
    Bull shit.
    “But, I do believe that Leo Nash may have been involved with the singer who quit.”
    There it is.
    And ironically, it sounded similar to my own situation.
    “So, I would be a back up singer for Cobalt? Singing their music?”
    I know how stupid that question sounded.
    “Yes, that’s the idea. If you’re interested, I’ll call them and tell them that you’ll be at tonight’s rehearsal. They’re working in a space downtown.”
    I wanted time to think about it, but I knew that time wasn’t a luxury I had right now. And Jake had told me that this was the only thing he had.
    I must be crazy.
    “Alright, I’ll take it.”
    “You will?” he asks incredulously.
    “As you just pointed out, I just left a successful music career back in Nashville. If I’m going to start over, I have to start somewhere, right?”
    “Yes,” he says, excitedly, rifling through his papers. “Sit tight. I’ll call right now.”
    Oh god, did I really just agree to this?
    Jake picks up the phone and dials.
    “Mark? It’s Jake Ryder. Yes, things are good. Great, even. I’ve got a singer here who agreed to fill your vacancy.”
    There is a pause.
    “Trust me, she can sing. She had a bit of a career out in Nashville, but she’s looking for a different scene now. Her name is Carly Michaels.”
    Another pause.
    “Great! That’s great! I’ll give her the address and send her over this evening.”
    He hangs up and smiles at me.
    “Well, he’s happy! And he’s heard of you.”
    Jake saw the look on my face. “Not to worry. He sounded ecstatic to have you on board. I’ll get all the paperwork together this afternoon, and message it over to their rehearsal space. You can take it home tonight to look it over, and then drop it back off here tomorrow. Does that work?”
    “Sure, that’s great.”
    Jake stands up, and I follow his lead.
    “Thanks for helping us out, Carly. I’m sorry that it’s probably not what you had in mind, but I’m glad we were able to offer you something. And who knows? Once this tour ends, maybe we can look into some bigger things at the label.”
    I nod