“What do you want?”
“A million dollars and to be your boyfriend for a few weeks,” he said. I laughed.
“Just cut to the chase, why don’t ya?” I joked.
“Do it and the tape disappears forever.”
“Shut up, Logan. There’s no tape.”
“You sure about that?”
“Sure enough,” I said. “Besides, I wouldn’t be your girlfriend if I had corn stuck in my teeth for a decade and the only piece of floss in the world was between your ass cheeks. Now, get out.”
“Come on, Maddie. You don’t have to really be my girlfriend. Just pretend. It’ll boost my image. I could probably get a gig out of it.”
“A stack of phone books couldn’t boost your image, Logan.”
“You’re such a selfish bitch.”
At that, I dropped my tote and my purse and shoved him out of the threshold and into the hallway. “You are a low-down son of a bitch, you know that? I cared about you back then. I really did. I would’ve done…I did almost anything just to win your affection, but you had your fun with me and tossed me. You hung me out to dry that night, Logan. You didn’t care about me at all; so now, I don’t care about you. Piss off. I have a plane to catch.” I grabbed my bags and headed for the elevator.
“They are going to take my house, Maddie. I have to file bankruptcy,” he called out as I stepped into the elevator.
“Downsize,” I said as the elevator doors were closing.
“Please!” he shouted.
I caught the door, pushing it back with my sneaker. “Call my label this afternoon. I will have them cut you a check for fifty thousand but not because of this little sex tape rumor. Not because I give a crap about you either. Just because it’s the right thing. Think of it as a donation to charity.”
“Thank you so much, Maddie. Can I start telling everyone that we’re together?”
“Not a chance.” I used my middle finger to pick at my teeth as the door shut. I rubbed my eyebrow with my thumb and forefinger, leaning back against the glass wall of the elevator. Why come to me? Out of all the celebrity friends he’d had over the years, why me? Because I was the biggest sucker, that’s why. It also probably had something to do with the fact that I hadn’t been a huge star for as long as the others. I was just learning to navigate the status.
When the elevator doors opened, Bo was standing there with a small entourage of people: my stylist, Jamie, my manager, Ashley, and a few of their people that I called “The Tagalongs.” They always had tagalongs. Not me, I kept my circle tight. My best friend lived back in Bama with her husband and two kids. I had my brother, Max, and our parents, who were happily retired.
“Bo,” I said as we all walked through the lobby, “did you book the jet?” His silence was the answer. “If you weren’t a friend of my best friend, I would fire you!”
“You didn’t say—”
“I shouldn’t have to! It’s a twenty-two-hour flight, Bo!”
“Twenty-four.”
I slapped my hand to my forehead. “Tell me that you at least got first class.”
“Yeah, I did that.” He nodded rapidly. “Do I get to come?”
“You didn’t book seats for all of you?”
“Well, no. It’s a charity concert. I didn’t know you wanted us to come.”
“Oh for Pete’s sake, Bo!” I put my hands on his shoulders. “From here on out, any flights over two hours: first class. Any flights over six hours: book a jet. And if the travel isn’t personal, like if it’s not just me going to see my family or friends, Jamie and you need to come. Got it?”
“Yeah, I’m sorry, Rox.”
“It’s going to cost a small fortune but just book a seat for Jamie and you when we get to the airport.”
“The flight was full.”
“No way!”
“Yeah, that’s what the lady said when I called to double check the flight info.”
“Bo, I love you, but you’re a class A screwup, man. Now I’m going to be flying to the Middle East by myself?”
“No, not by yourself. I told you the plane was full.”
“Oh, Bo!” I yelled, sliding on my sunglasses and heading toward the door.
I told my manager about the money I had promised to Logan. She wasn’t happy about it but said she would make sure he got it. I also told her to start looking for a new assistant. My record label had already arranged for my security team to go ahead of me and set up at the hotel closest to the base where I would be performing, so at least there was that. But flying twenty-some-odd hours out to the middle of nowhere alone? So not cool.
I couldn’t fathom why a flight to the Middle East would be full. When I got to the airport, I saw why. There were men and women in uniform all over the place. I didn’t even know they took commercial flights. I went to the desk and asked the lady if I could charter a jet, and she said yes, but it would be the next day. I couldn’t wait. The show was planned, and fans were waiting. I just went to the first class lounge and sat down. I would just have to suck it up.
When I boarded, I was pleased with the accommodations. It was actually a little pod so I could lie down and relax. Maybe it wouldn’t be so bad after all.
I began putting my things where I wanted them and had ordered a mimosa when I noticed a stirring in the cabin. All of the first class passengers were eagerly giving up their private pods to our military traveling companions.
I felt my shoulders sag but knew what I had to do. I packed up my junk and stood to offer my seat to the nearest female soldier. She was so grateful that it almost made up for my having to sit in coach. Almost.
For the first two hours of the flight, I signed autographs…one by one by one. Just when I thought I was finished, someone else would come up to me with a napkin or sky magazine. I didn’t even know there could be so many people on a plane. After that, I put on my Bose headphones and pretended to sleep.
Chapter 2
After a very, very, very long flight, I pretended to sleep until everyone was off the plane. As soon as I got off, I went straight to the desk to get a private jet booked for my return flight.
When I walked out the door, the heat hit me like a ton of bricks. I immediately took off my cardigan and went back inside the slightly cooler building to wait for my ride and security.
After about fifteen minutes, I called Bo to find out what was going on.
He was sorry, so sorry. There had been a miscommunication and my security team had been sent to a different region of the country. My hotel was booked with them, as well. I fired Bo on the spot.
I just wanted to go back home. I wouldn’t even know where to begin to find a place to stay here. The record company had said they would handle it and call me back.
Just when I was about to cry, the lady I had given my seat to came up to me. She offered me a ride. Then I was the grateful one, but I still didn’t know where I was going to be staying. She told me not to worry. She knew just the place. I smiled at her warmly.
It was then that a line of military Hummers pulled up right in front of the door. “This is us,” she said.
Several men hopped out dressed in full military gear complete with helmets. My new friend explained that they should make room for one more. They had to make calls and get it approved, but they worked fast and made it happen.
I wasn’t accustomed to being treated the way they treated me. They really seemed put-upon by the task of driving me to my hotel. They didn’t really say much to me; rather, they spoke about me. It was quite rude.
The leader of the pack, a tall, broad-shouldered man with sunglasses and chewing gum barked out orders. “She’ll sit between you two, second Humvee in the convoy,” he told them.
They spoke military. I didn’t know that language. I picked at my old faded jeans and kicked around some dust with my sneakers while they made plans. It was as if my riding along was an act of congress that had truly affected them in some adverse way. They didn’t try to hide their aggravat
ion.
After it was settled, I overheard the head fella tell the lady from the plane that the whole ordeal had put them seventeen minutes behind schedule. I gave the large man a mean look. He wore a completely blank expression. I felt like we should be sitting at a poker table in Vegas rather than standing in the middle of the desert having a wordless face-off.
I patted the lady soldier on the shoulder and thanked her with a smile. Then I looked at the lead guy, whom I was having a staring contest with and said, “Hey, I’m really sorry if I messed you up, but thanks for helping me out. I really don’t know what I would’ve done if you guys hadn’t come along—”
He regarded me for another silent moment. Then he lifted his arm, still staring at me, and made a whirling motion that apparently meant, “Let’s go.” Everyone got in their assigned vehicles, and we were off.
I was sitting between the lady from the plane and a guy. “So what’s your name?” I smiled at the lady. She pointed to the front of her uniform. “Parker. Jana Parker.”
“Jana, I’m Roxy. Sorry if I got you in trouble.”
“You didn’t. It’s fine. Thank you for giving up your seat on the plane. I’ve never sat in first class before.”
“Oh, well, I hope you enjoyed it,” I told her. “I didn’t know military flew commercial.”
“Sometimes.” That was all she said about that.
“So where are you guys taking me? Is there a five-star hotel close by?” Everyone in the vehicle laughed.
“What? What’s funny?”
“You’re a civilian guest of the military without prior hotel arrangements or security.”
“Okay. But they have hotels here, right?”
“Yes, but we can’t just drop you off at a hotel, Ms. Royce. You are a civilian guest of the military—”
“You already said that. What does that mean?” I asked, feeling myself getting more anxious by the second.
“It means that you’ll stay with the other civilian guests at the base.”
“No,” I said immediately.
The head guy spoke up from the front seat. “It’s not up for discussion.”
I lifted my phone out of my purse, dialing my manager. We’re sorry. We are unable to complete your call at this time. Please try your call again later. I dialed again, frantically. I typed an SOS text message to everyone on my business contact list.
They all laughed, except for Jana. She put her hand on my knee. “Look around, Roxy. You’re in no man’s land.” When I lifted my eyes, all I saw was sand. “We have WIFI on the base. You can make your call there.”
“I can’t stay with you guys. I need a hotel room.” I felt tears prickle in my eyes. I just wanted to go back to the States. I didn’t think I could do this.
“You may be a superstar out there, sweetheart, but here, you’re a liability,” the guy sitting next to me said. I sort of expected someone to come to my defense, but no one did.
I held back tears, focusing on the small rips in my blue jeans. I’d thought they wanted me here, but it didn’t seem like it. They seemed hostile and aggravated.
I focused all my attention on my jeans. I picked at the loose strands nervously, conjuring up the memory of the day I had gotten them. They’d been a gift from my parents on my twenty-first birthday. I had gotten them with a brand new guitar. The card read, “Big-star jeans for our big star-to-be.” They were expensive, and we couldn’t afford them, but my parents always did something awesome for birthdays.
The Humvee was quiet except for the occasional check-in over the radio. They spoke in some kind of military code. I didn’t know what they were talking about. I thought we would never get to the base. It seemed like such a long ride. Maybe that was because there was no one talking and nothing much to look at. When we got within seeing distance, Jana nudged me. I looked up and saw what looked like big barrels stacked to the sky. There were manned towers at each corner.
At that point, they all started chattering about whose turn it was to fill the barrier barrels. The mood seemed to lighten as we entered the base. They all eased out of the Humvee as if they’d just come back from a mission or something.
The atmosphere totally shifted.
“Welcome to the Forward Operating Base. This will be your home for the next few days,” one of the guys said, clapping me on the shoulder. “Try to stay out of trouble.”
“Are they bipolar?” I asked Jana.
She laughed. “No. It’s just intense being outside of the wire.”
“What does that mean?” I asked, exasperated with the military lingo.
“Being off base. Being out on a mission.”
I laughed. “That was a mission?”
Her face drew up. “Yes. That was a mission. Every time a soldier leaves these walls, they are on a mission. Every moment outside of the wire is an opportunity for the enemy to attack. This isn’t a game. This is the real world, Ms. Royce,” she said coolly. “Take it in. Are you afraid?”
“Yes.”
“Good.”
Chapter 3
Jana showed me where I would be sleeping. I was more than relieved to see that I had a space to myself. All I could picture was being cramped up in barracks like I’d seen in war movies, but it wasn’t like that at all. It wasn’t a hotel suite either, but it would do.
I didn’t bother to unpack. I couldn’t wait to get out of here. I left my opened suitcase by the bed and laid down. After a while, not realizing I’d fallen asleep, I awoke hot and hungry.
As soon as I stepped out of my room into the dirt, I ran smack-dab into Sergeant Mean-ass from the airport. “Sorry,” I mumbled.
“Hey.” He smiled widely, revealing a beautiful set of pearly whites. Not veneers like most of the men in showbiz, but real, perfectly straight teeth. A nice set of chompers on a good-looking man always got my attention…even if that man had seemed like an asshole. “How are you settling in? Hot, right?” He sounded like a different person than before.
“Ah, yeah,” I said, noticing his accent. “Alabama?”
“Fort Payne.” He laughed. “That’s quite a talent, Ms. Royce.”
“Yeah, so I’ve been told. I’m from Alabama, too.”
“I heard.” We stood there for a moment, out of things to say. There was only so much one can say to a complete stranger. Especially under the circumstances. It was awkward being friendly with someone who had treated me as nothing more than an inconvenience a few hours before.
“Are you hungry?”
“Yes!” I shouted dramatically.
“Come on. I’ll show you the mess hall, um, dining area,” he corrected. “I can promise you one thing about the food around here.”
“What’s that?”
“It’s for shit.” He laughed again. He slid his sunglasses off, and I caught a glimpse of his eyes. They were a color I hadn’t seen before, a seafoam green. Very light and lovely. I was momentarily mesmerized. His hair was sandy brown and trimmed short. We walked across the large compound as the sun began to set.
“Why did you bring me here? Why couldn’t I go to a hotel?” I asked out of curiosity, feeling more comfortable for some inexplicable reason. His newly relaxed demeanor invited me in, and the hometown accent helped.
“It just doesn’t work that way. If you had come with your own security team, and you weren’t our guest, then you could’ve done whatever you liked, but you needed our help. Our help comes with all of this.” He held his arms out wide. “Besides, you’re safer here with us.”
I didn’t say anything. He walked me to the door of the dining area.
“Well, Ms. Royce, this is where I leave you. Enjoy your supper.” I nodded with a small smile and turned to walk away, but he called out, “Hey, sorry if I seemed like a dick earlier. Outside the wire, there’s no room for error.”
“I understand. Thanks.” After I was inside, surrounded by the people in the cafeteria, I glanced back to find that he was still standing there. I walked back out. “Want to grab a bite with me
?”
“Better not.”
“Oh, okay.” I shrugged.
“It’s nothing personal. It’s frowned upon to fraternize with civilians.”
“Yeah? Well, if that’s so, then why did they even invite me to perform here?”
“The higher-ups think it boosts morale.”
“Does it?”
“Nah, it just gives us something to do besides kill, be killed, or think about being killed. It’s something nice for us to write home about,” he said matter-of-factly.
“Wow, so I shouldn’t ask you a question if I don’t want the truth, huh?” I feigned upset. Actually, I appreciated his candor. Only my family and best friend would ever speak to me that way these days.
“There’s no point in asking any question if you don’t want an honest answer, Ms. Royce.”
“So don’t ask how I look in these jeans, huh?” I smiled.
“Please don’t ask that,” he said with a tilted grin that was so natural I imagined it must be his signature look.
I stared at him for a long moment. He wasn’t what I expected at all. Sure, he was very handsome. Several of the guys around here were easy on the eyes. It was the uniform for them, but not for this guy. This guy was truly handsome and had personality to boot.
“What’s your name, soldier?”
“Westin, ma’am.”
“Your first name.”
“Oh, Blake. Blake Westin.”
“Pleased to meet you, Blake. Would you do me a favor? Would you just wait right here for a second?”
“Sure. I’m your escort so—”
Oh, so that was why he was waiting around. I thought I had caught him staring at me, but he was just doing his job. I felt foolish, but I went inside, got a hamburger, and brought it back out anyway.
“So if you aren’t supposed to fraternize, wouldn’t it be better to send a female escort to walk around with me?” I asked.
“Fraternize means to socialize in general. As in, having a meal together or hanging out. It has nothing to do with gender.”
I bit into my burger and held it out to him, offering him a bite, not really expecting him to accept. He leaned over and took a huge bite out of the side of my burger without even taking it from my hand. “Gross! It was just a gesture!” I said, laughing.
Love United (Hollywood Series Book 3) Page 2