The Opposite Of Right (Bad Decisions Trilogy #1) by Christi Barth Page B

that wave, too.”
    “But you’re a rock band. That’s not the sound that made you famous. That brought you millions of fans. Why would anyone try and turn you into something you’re not?”
    Turning, he leaned against the back of the giant M. Crossed his arms over his chest and squinted against the glare off the water. “Label execs and producers come and go. When we started, it was with people who understood the artistic side. When Triangulation got dreamt up, bean counters were in charge. They saw a product on the market reaping a huge profit margin and jumped to replicate it. And their logic was that since we were already so big, we were the best choice to make the switch.”
    “But why did you agree to it?”
    Damn it. Cam knew Kylie was smart enough to come around to that question. He just hated the answer he had to give her. More than a year had gone by, and the regret was still as bitter as the first day. “It was my fault. I talked Jake and Jones into toeing the line.”
    Kylie stood on tiptoe to smooth away the creases on his forehead. “Why?”
    “Why else? A woman. In R&D at the label. I slept with her for all the usual reasons. Suzy was pretty, easy to be with, a part of my world. Except, I found out later that the real reason we slept together was that she’d engineered it.”
    “Because you’re so hot?” Kylie pursed her lips and shook her head so hard that her hair brushed against his face. “I’ll bet that happens all the time. Poor baby. It must suck having your pick of women.”
    Great that she thought that was the case. That it was so simple. “If it’d been my pick, sure. But Suzy didn’t actually want me.”
    Laughter brightened her face as Kylie gave him a playful punch on the arm. “Trust me. I speak for all womankind when I say there’s no doubt that this woman wanted you. If I texted my grandma your photo right now, she’d call and ask me who’s the hot young stud? ”
    “As weirdly nice as that is for you to say, it’s not true.” Cam scrubbed a hand across the back of his neck. He’d told only a handful of people the whole story. And they were all hip-deep or more in the business of Riptide. It’d be interesting to get an objective take on his epic fuckup. “Suzy sleeping with me was all business. They knew changing our sound would be an impossible sell. But Suzy had her eyes on a promotion. Promised that she’d deliver Riptide to the studio, ready to record whatever they put in front of us. Then Suzy got close. Got inside my head. And into my bed.”
    Kylie’s hands shot to cover her mouth as she gasped. Then she dragged them just low enough on her chin to mutter, “She manipulated you.” Both hands curled into fists as they dropped back to her sides. “That bitch!”
    “I was a sucker. I take half the blame.” But Kylie’s reaction was like ice on a burn. Soothing. Cooling the steady frustration that had flamed in his chest for months now.
    “Did you like her that much?”
    “No.” Which pissed him off the most. “I didn’t do it for her. I didn’t spend a solid week convincing Jake and Jones that this new direction was the best possible new course to take for our career because of Suzy. I did it because she convinced me that it’s what our fans wanted from us. I got all twisted up in what I thought they expected from us.”
    Kylie paced a few steps away. Knotted the hands that were as expressive as her face. “I completely understand. I’ve always worried about what people think of me. It’s why I’ve never pushed too hard to think about what I want for myself.”
    “You are now. That’s what matters.” Cam couldn’t be prouder of her for veering off the path. Now that she was in the driver’s seat, where would she go? “Have you decided what you want to do after the tour?”
    “In a perfect world? I’d work with musicians.” She wrinkled that adorable, freckled nose again. “Not sketchily, like Suzy, but helping them take what they love