by Holly Jaymes
“Seeing you here is icing on the cake. I understand you’re working an endorsement deal with her.”
“Yes.” She still wouldn’t look at me.
It was frustrating because I wanted to kiss her again. I wanted to fuck her again. But she seemed immune to me. Or at least wanted to be immune to me. Was she upset that I’d kissed her? She’d run off so quickly, I suspected she was.
“Victoria. Are you mad about that kiss?”
She stiffened, and slowly her head turned to me. “Why did you do that?”
I let out a nervous laugh. “Because I wanted to.” I leaned closer. “I still want to.”
Her breath hitched. I loved it when it did that.
She looked down at her drink again. “That’s not a good idea, Pax. You know that.”
I remembered Dane’s words about having a pop star image in a bad boy body. For once, I wanted to be a bad boy. I wanted to tell Lily to mind her own fucking business about me and Victoria.
But I nodded. “Listen, I’m supposed to tag along with Lisbeth a bit.”
Victoria’s eyes glared at me. “Does she know that?”
I frowned. “Not yet, why?”
“Because I’m supposed to have dinner with her after the show.”
I smiled, feeling like everything was coming together. “That’s perfect. I’ll join you.”
“What? No.”
“Why not? I can help. I helped you already. I vouched for you to Dane. We can both help this young woman at the start of a very bright career.” Victoria huffed out a breath and looked toward the stage. “Why are you upset at me? Whatever it is, I’m sorry. Can’t we spend time together, with Lisbeth? It’ll be fun.”
She looked at me. “Like London?”
God willing, I thought. “If you want.”
Her eyes narrowed, turning hot. I jerked back at the venom in her eyes.
“If Lisbeth wants you to tag along with us for dinner, I won’t object, but I won’t be another mistake.”
The lights dimmed, indicating the start of the show. I was glad for it, because Victoria’s comment was like a slap in the face. It was a reminder that I’d been a fucking asshole six years ago. She had every reason to want to avoid me. Especially avoid a repeat of what happened before.
Chapter 7: Confusion
Victoria
Pax was confusing me. Was he wanting to repeat what happened in London? Why would he do that? Or was I projecting my own unwanted desires onto him?
Fortunately, the lights dimmed and the show started. I didn’t really hear the first songs because I was still lost in what was going on. I’d told Pax that I was coming to Las Vegas, but he didn’t tell me he’d be here too. Why? Did he come because I was here? No. He was clearly here for Lisbeth. So why not tell me that he planned to be here when I told him I was coming? Is he just toying with me?
I tuned him out, which was hard because I could feel his heat and inhale his manly scent next to me. But soon, I was immersed in the stories that Lisbeth told through her music. The more I listened, the more I knew the business relationship we formed would be beneficial to my company.
“She’s something, isn’t she?” Pax moved his chair closer and leaned in. His breath brushed over my ear and I had to close my eyes as a wave of longing and pain over our history flowed in my veins.
“She is.”
He was quiet for a minute, but didn’t move away. Tension built in me as I wondered what he was doing. Finally, I turned my head.
His face was right there, millimeters away from mine. His eyes filled with guilt. “It wasn’t a mistake,” he said gently. I swallowed and turned back to watch Lisbeth. “I know I said it. I guess you heard it but I didn’t mean it. Lily was upset and I just…I was trying to make her stop,” he said. I continued to face forward. “You told her it was nothing too. Was that true?”
I closed my eyes again, hating that somehow, I was the bad guy.
I turned my head again to face him. “No. But what could I say after you’d told her it was a mistake?” I shrugged and returned my attention to Lisbeth. “Besides, nothing would have come of it, right? I mean, even if Lily didn’t catch us, we couldn’t have been a thing without her knowing. And you live in London while I’m in California.”
“All that is true,” When he didn’t say more, I chanced a glance at him, and he added, “But if that is true, why are you still pissed at me?”
“I’m not.”
His hand was on the back of my chair, and I felt his fingers touch a few strands of my hair. “You seemed mad at the wedding.”
“I wanted to make sure Lily didn’t see anything going on between us. I was acting like I used to act.”
Finally, he moved back in his chair. “This isn’t how I remembered you.”
“Yeah, well, that was a long time ago.”
He didn’t say anything after that and I was able to listen to the music again. When the set ended, Pax and I were escorted to the back to wait for Lisbeth while she changed.
“Why a cabin?” he murmured as he leaned against the wall outside Lisbeth’s dressing room.
“What?”
“Why are Lily and Wyatt at a cabin ten minutes from where they live? Why not just fly to Europe for their honeymoon?”
That question was out of the blue. Sure, Lily and Wyatt had a bit of a whirlwind relationship and Pax hadn’t ever met Wyatt before the wedding, but still. Why was Pax even thinking about it when he was here for Lisbeth? And how was it possible that he didn’t know a secluded cabin was ideal for a honeymoon?
“For a guy who has written songs about love, you don’t know much about it, do you?”
He glanced at me like he was surprised by my sharp tongue. I really needed to tone it down. No wonder he thought I was mad.
“That’s where they first got together,” I answered him.
“I thought he was protecting her at some place at the lake?”
I nodded. “Yes, but to escape paparazzi, they went to his family’s cabin and ended up getting snowed in. Two young, attractive people stuck in the snow… One thing led to another.” I nearly added that for them it wasn’t a mistake, but decided that would show my hand, that yes, I was still hurt by his comment.
“With no protection.”
I shrugged. “Wyatt had some sort of high school injury or something that he was told made him infertile. Anyway, the end result is they’re back where they started. It’s quite romantic.”
He nodded, waited a beat, and then said, “I’m romantic. You know I am.”
I blew out a breath, wishing all the images of our night in London would stop flashing in my mind. “Yes. I remember.”
He nodded again like he was glad I recognized it. The door opened and Lisbeth, followed by her manager Ethan came out.
Her face lit up seeing Pax and she covered her mouth as she did a little squeal and bounced. “How’d I do? I didn’t see you in the audience. I was so nervous, but I didn’t see you and that helped.”
He straightened from the wall. “I thought it was great. You’re going to be big, Lisbeth.”
She turned to look at Ethan, standing next to her. “He liked it.”
“Of course, he did,” Ethan said, rubbing a hand up and down her back.
Pax glanced at me and I knew he was questioning their relationship too.
“I’m starving. Let’s go eat. Oh my God, I can’t believe I’m going to have dinner with Pax Ryder.”
I tried not to be jealous that he was taking over my dinner with her. I wanted her happy and I couldn’t deny that being an old friend of Pax’s could help me seal my deal with her.
We piled into the limo Pax and Lisbeth’s label guy arranged and drove to a little place out of the main strip. It was a vegan restaurant that turned out to be pretty good, as Lisbeth had said. We sat at a round table and I did my best to keep my distance from Pax.
Since my goal was to get her agreement to endorse my product line, I asked her, “So, did you try out any
of the products?”
She smiled. “I did. I loved that face cream. It was so light and yet, my face feels so soft now. And it smells so good. How do you add the scents?”
“Some of it is simply from the ingredients. Some we use essential oils.”
“We’re not doing business over dinner, are we?” Pax asked. I frowned at him. “We need to celebrate a great show from Lisbeth,” he said, lifting his wine glass.
“Pax Ryder thinks I did a great show. How surreal is that?” Lisbeth beamed and I had to rethink the idea that maybe his being here would help. So far it seemed to be a hindrance as he distracted her from my being here.
“You have talent, Lisbeth,” Pax said.
“Do you have any words of advice for her?” Ethan asked, reaching over to squeeze Lisbeth’s hand.
Oh sure, I thought. We can’t talk about my business, but they can talk music business. Then again, they were both musical artists.
“Remember what got you here. The music. You’re going to be pulled in a hundred different directions to do all sorts of things that don’t involve music,” Pax started. It was official. I didn’t need to be here. I was a third wheel… Well, fourth, but of course that didn’t make sense. The point was, I was the odd person out in this group. “Keep yourself grounded by remembering the music and surround yourself with people who truly want the best for you, not something from you,” Pax finished with a glance to Ethan.
Ethan seemed to realize Pax’s meaning. “I have the best intentions for Lisbeth.
“I’m sure you do.” Pax focused his attention on Lisbeth. “From now on, everything you do will be scrutinized. You’ll be judged, often unfairly. Things you do will be taken out of context. So, all your decisions need to be evaluated. You don’t want to get into a situation in which you hurt your reputation.” I wondered if he was thinking about Lily. “Business decisions in particular need to be fully vetted. You’ll have some wiggle room to salvage a bad decision when you’re big, but right now, you don’t want to do anything that will stop you from reaching your potential.”
I glared at him. Why is he sabotaging my business deal?
Lisbeth rolled her eyes. “You sound like Dane.”
“Dane’s a smart guy. He can take you to the top, Lisbeth, if you don’t muck it up.”
Lisbeth looked at Ethan. “I wonder if we should wait on the deal then?” She looked at me apologetically. “I love the products, but I don’t want to do anything to disrupt my career.”
I swallowed as I worked to figure out my next move. Did I ride this out and find another time to pitch her when Pax wasn’t around? I didn’t know how long he’d be here so I wasn’t sure when I could get her alone.
I smiled. “Lisbeth, you have to do what’s best for you, of course. But let me ask you this, how is Dane going to get your music to the masses? Advertising, radio play, and maybe interviews on talk shows?” I asked. She nodded. “But how many of your fans watch tv or read things with ads, listen to the radio, or watch talk shows? Wouldn’t they more likely see you on social media or something streaming on their phones?”
I chanced a glance at Pax who had a smirk on his face that almost had me thinking he was amused or proud.
“That’s true,” Lisbeth said.
“I have over a hundred million followers on Instagram alone.”
“Maybe she should pay you,” Pax quipped.
I ignored him. “The point is, I value my business’s reputation just like you value yours. Like Pax said, you want to keep your reputation clean as I wouldn’t want anyone questionable endorsing my product. It goes both ways, you see.” She nodded. “I understand that you need to think about this and confer with your manager, but you should consider that you don’t currently have anything to market. You haven’t cut your album yet, so there aren't any ads or radio play or interviews. However, you and I can work together and by the time that album drops, you’ll have a large number of people ready to buy.”
“It’s definitely something to consider,” Ethan said.
“Yes, absolutely. I do love the products you got me.”
“I tell you what, let me arrange to get you the full line. Not samples, but the actual products in their regular sizes.”
“That would be so awesome. Thank you,” Lisbeth said.
Our dinner arrived and we started eating.
“So, you two are friends?” Ethan asked me and Pax.
“I’m a friend of his sister’s,” I replied.
“You have a sister?” Lisbeth asked Pax. “Is she a musician too?”
“No,” he said. “She just got married actually. Has a kid on the way.”
I laughed under my breath. He made Lily sound like a regular suburban woman. Not the former supermodel who was building an athletic clothing line business.
“She’s a very successful and capable woman in her own right,” I insisted, with a glance at him.
His eyes narrowed. I knew that both Pax and Lily preferred to keep their connection a secret and I wasn’t going to out them, but he could do better than suggest she was a wife and mother. Not that there was anything wrong with that, but she was more than that too.
“Oh?” Lisbeth said.
“She’s starting her own business. Athletic wear. I think she plans to have some ready for a wellness retreat next summer,” I said, being my usual supportive, good friend to Lily.
“I like workout clothes, but I don’t much like working out,” Lisbeth admitted.
“I like it when I’m done working out,” I said.
Lisbeth laughed. “Yes. Afterward, it’s awesome.”
We finished dinner and headed to the car.
“Let’s go out,” Lisbeth said, stringing her hand through Ethan’s as she sat next to him in the limo. I sat next to Pax, facing Lisbeth and Ethan.
“We are out,” he grinned at her.
“I mean like a club. Not a regular one on the strip. I wonder what they have here that the locals go to. You know, off the beaten path.” I looked to Pax, whose gaze jerked to mine at the phrase. “I hope you don’t mind, I always rather go to the places others don’t,” Lisbeth said.
“I do too,” Pax said. “What about you, Victoria?”
I forced a smile. “Off the beaten path can be fun.” I held back the comment that it could also be a mistake.
“There’s a Sinatra-themed place not far from here,” Ethan said, looking at his phone.
“You’re a little young for that, aren’t you?” Pax asked.
“My grandmother loved Sinatra and those old tunes. I sang Our Love is Here to Stay for her and my grandpa’s fiftieth wedding anniversary last year,” Lisbeth said.
“That’s so sweet,” I said. “Pax here played for his sister’s wedding.”
“Oh. Did you do standards or your songs?”
He glanced at me. “They were mine.”
“Originals, just for her. It was really nice,” I said.
Pax looked out the window, his jaw tight. He told me he didn’t like using my song for Lily’s wedding and so maybe I was being a bitch for bringing it up.
“Let’s go to the Sinatra place,” Lisbeth decided. “Will you two come with us?”
“I’ll go,” Pax said, although he didn’t sound happy about it. I wondered why he’d let Dane talk him into being a babysitter.
“Sure. Sounds like fun,” I agreed, mostly because I wanted to make sure he didn’t say anything that scared her and Ethan off from working with me.
We arrived at the fifties-style club where a live band with a Sinatra sound-alike played. We found a table in the corner and ordered drinks.
The band had just started playing Fly Me to the Moon. “Come dance with me, Ethan.” Lisbeth grabbed his hand and tugged him to the dance floor.
“She’s an old soul,” Pax said, sitting back as the waitress put his drink in front of him after serving mine.
“Hmm. I imagine it makes her music fuller to have such an eclectic musical background.”
&nb
sp; He nodded. We sat in silence, drinking our cocktails as we watched Lisbeth and Ethan dance.
The song ended and the band started to play, I’ve Got You Under My Skin.
“Dance with me, Victoria,” Pax said, his gaze looking intently at me. It was like he was daring me.
“Why?”
He shrugged. “Why not?”
I had all sorts of reasons why not; the biggest one being it would be a mistake. “If you’re trying to make some sort of amends or something, you don’t have to. What’s past is past.”
“I’m done trying to make amends. It’s just a dance.” He made a face that suggested he thought I was being unreasonable.
“Sure. Okay,” I said, not liking that I was coming off as a jerk.
He stood and held my chair as I rose. We walked to the dancefloor, and once again I had to step into his strong embrace, and endure his sexy scent. Around us, the band played and sang about a doomed love affair of a man being unable to resist because she was under his skin. That had been me and Pax in London, or so I’d thought.
“Do you ever wonder what would have happened if I told Lily to fuck off in London?” he whispered in my ear.
“I’d have lost a friend and you’d be in London while I was in California.”
He leaned back to look at me. “So, in the end, it was better that I’d said it was a mistake. Is that what you’re saying?”
My gut turned over with a mix of confusion and despair. Why did he keep having to go back there?
“What are you trying to say, Pax?”
He looked away for a moment. When he returned his attention to me, I saw a determination in his eyes. “I’m saying, that night was special. I’m saying that I wanted to tell Lily to mind her own business.” He let out a breath. “I’m saying I wanted to keep seeing you.” My breath hitched as I stared into those amazing blue-violet eyes. “I get that you’d have risked your friendship with Lily, which was partially why I’d said what I did. I didn’t want to come between you-”
“You didn’t give me a chance to make a choice.”
“No. I fucked it up, Victoria. I know that. But my heart was in the right place. I thought it was best for your and Lily’s friendship.”