“Mr. Rhodes would like your phone number,” Bob informed me before we headed out of the backstage area, as if I weren’t already aware of his desires.
“I’m sure Mr. Rhodes would like a lot of things,” I bit out in response.
He tugged at the black cap on his head, moving it from side to side before huffing out a long sigh. “So, you won’t leave your number?”
“No.” I stood firm, one hand on my hip.
“Fuck.” Apparently frustrated, Bob kicked the toe of his shoe at the floor.
“He’ll get over it,” I huffed. “Can I go back to my seat now?”
“He’s going to ask why.”
I shifted my weight, annoyed at his pushiness. “Just tell him I’m not interested,” I practically shouted as my emotions surged out of control. I was beyond angry, but I didn’t really know why.
What the hell was my problem?
I stormed out of the backstage area and practically sprinted to my open seat where Keri was waiting, her mouth hanging open.
“What in the mother fucking fuck? Oh my God, that was so hot. You two were so hot up there. Thank God I have it all on video. You’re going to shit when you see this,” she squealed as she wrapped one arm around my shoulder and squeezed.
“Can’t wait,” I forced through a tight smile.
Two songs later, the show ended. But not before Walker said good night to the crowd and to me specifically, although he called me “Sparkles” again instead of Madison.
My ears were ringing as Keri and I were pushed along with the exiting crowd. I couldn’t wait to get into the car and I hated to admit it, but booking a car service was a brilliant idea, especially after an emotional night like this.
“Tell me this isn’t blissful?” Keri asked as she scooted into the backseat and opened a waiting bottle of water.
I rested my head against the leather headrest and turned toward her. “It is.”
Bad sound quality filled the back of the car as Keri scrolled through her videos and photos, stopping abruptly. Walker’s muffled voice rattled me as he repeated my name.
“ Madison. I like it. You look like a Madison.”
“Turn that off, Keri. Please. I don’t want to see it.” I pressed my head into my hands and pretended to hide.
“Oh yes, you do. It’s so fucking hot. It was hotter in real life, but it’s still pretty hot on my phone.”
I spread my fingers apart, peeking at her as she shoved her cell phone screen at me.
“Just watch it.”
“I don’t want to,” I whined.
“And why not? Walker Rhodes brought you onstage. And he sang to you. He sang to you like he was in love with you. I’ve never seen anything like it.” She paused to catch a breath before continuing. “Actually, he did a lot of things tonight I’d never seen before. He was pretty awesome. Didn’t you think?” She turned toward me and waited for a response.
“He puts on a great show,” I admitted, my tone as unenthusiastic as I could muster.
“That’s it? He puts on a great show?” she mimicked before shaking her head at me. “What happened, anyway? You were having a great time at the show before you got pulled onstage. And even when you were up there, you looked like you might pass out, but you—” She snapped her fingers in the air between us. “Ugh. What’s the right word? You…”
I watched as she struggled, knowing exactly what she was trying to say. I simply wanted to avoid the conversation altogether. Because if I knew Keri, and I did, she wouldn’t let this go so easily.
“You know what I mean, so just answer me!” she howled, exasperated.
I turned my gaze toward the window and watched the city lights rush by in a blur. “He told me to leave my phone number with his security guard,” I said softly.
“He what?” Keri squealed.
My gaze remained fixed, but I raised my voice. “He told me to leave my number and it pissed me off.”
She slapped a hand on my thigh to force my attention in her direction, so I turned toward her slowly. “You didn’t leave it for him, did you?” It was a sarcastic assumption more than an actual question.
I shook my head.
“Well, why the hell not?” She threw her hands up in the air as if I were the most frustrating person on the planet.
“Because I didn’t want to, okay?” I shouted. “Because he probably asks every single girl he sings to every night to leave her number. I wasn’t trying to be his Tuesday night fuck. And I didn’t want to be one of many.”
Keri sucked in a breath. “That’s the real reason!” She pointed an accusatory finger at me.
“What is?” I snarled, the heat in my face rising along with my temper.
“You didn’t want to be one of many. I know you, Madison Myers. You’d never date a guy who made you feel like you were replaceable. I get it.”
I lowered my head. I couldn’t hide anything from her; Keri knew my dating history. It wasn’t like I lived like a nun, I had dated here and there, but my job was demanding and it came first. Besides, no one…
Stop it. Don’t go there. What’s past is past, and you can’t change it.
Defeated, I huffed out a long breath. “It was so insane up there with him at first, you know? When he touched me, sparks tore through the very fiber of my being. The fiber of my being, Keri!” I exaggerated. “It was intense. I knew it didn’t mean anything, but when he asked me for my number, it made me feel cheap. Like a whore.”
“Why would you be the whore? He’s the whore,” she snapped.
“I just felt…” I hesitated. “Cheapened. Disrespected maybe? Which doesn’t make any sense, I know, because I don’t even know the guy, but that’s still how it felt. Like he took something magical and dipped it in shit at the end.”
Keri burst out laughing. “You’re fucking nuts. I love you.”
“I love you too. But we are kind of avoiding the real question here,” I added.
Her eyebrows pulled together. “And what question is that?”
“Why the hell did he pick me?”
I arrived at work the next morning both emotionally and physically spent. Who knew that kind of excitement could take so much out of you? Tossing my purse into my desk drawer, I turned on my computer, grabbed my notepad, and poked my head into my boss’s office.
“Morning, Jayson. Can I get you anything?” I stared at his messy dark hair. He already looked completely stressed out, and it wasn’t even nine a.m.
Leaning forward in his expensive leather chair and staring at his computer screen, he demanded, “Get me some coffee, Madison. Also, move my two o’clock appointment with Richard to first thing tomorrow morning, and make sure I have some time scheduled before the end of the day to speak with Paige.”
He pursed his lips disdainfully as he added, “I also need you to go over the finalized contracts and make sure they’re correct. I sent you an e-mail with all the details. My flight to New York on Friday needs to be pushed back, and make sure they have the right meal this time.”
He lifted his head and eyeballed me as he said that last part, insinuating that I was the one who had screwed up the meal, when in fact it was the airline. I learned long ago that arguing with Jayson never worked in my favor, so I kept my mouth shut and nodded my head along with his, silently taking the blame much in the same way I had when it first happened.
My boss expected perfection and didn’t like to hear excuses. When something went wrong, it didn’t matter how or why, but it was always my fault. I should have seen it coming, or been more proactive, or known something like this could happen. And when Jayson needed someone to yell at and blame, guess who won that contest every time? Me.