The Winner Takes It All (Love in L.A. Book 3)

by Audrey Harte

  As she scanned the schedule nervously, her breath caught in her throat when she saw her badge number listed in the ten o’clock slot. That meant she had to be ready to go by nine-thirty. Glancing at Keri, she asked, “Are you safe?”

  Keri shook her head as she stared down at the paper and sighed. “Nope, I’m down for two p.m.”

  Erin said she was down for nine forty-five. Annie wasn’t sure whether or not she should feel nervous that Erin was going right before her. She’d never heard her sing before, so she had no idea how much a threat she was.

  “I heard that there are a lot of vocalists and they’re making all of them sing today, and they are only going to keep four girls and four guys,” Keri said as she picked up her bag and stood up, then turned and waited for Annie and Erin to do the same. “So girls, let’s get ready and warm up those voices.”

  Annie turned to lead the way out of the auditorium. She was already wearing what she was going to audition in, but she did want to touch up her make-up and do some vocal exercises. She focused on getting ready and tried not to think about walking out on that stage and facing all those people and singing. To her it felt a lot like having to strip naked in front of strangers. She was afraid she would mess up or be too boring and get booed off the stage.

  As she stood in the ladies’ room, staring at herself in the mirror, she could hear Alex in her head, telling her to give it two hundred percent—all she had and more. Without a doubt, Annie knew that she was capable of giving a great performance… but was that going to be good enough? Swallowing hard, her hand trembled slightly as she tried to apply her mascara. Just breathe, she told herself. You can do this.

  Belatedly, she wondered how Casey and his dance crew had fared. She checked her cell phone, and sure enough, there was a text from Casey.

  Casey: Hey, we don’t have to perform until the next round tomorrow, but I am sitting in the center of the third row, ready to cheer you on. You can do it, princess!

  Annie smiled with relief, knowing that she didn’t have to worry about him this round and could just focus on herself. She followed the signs that led her to the backstage area where she was supposed to wait until it was her turn to perform. First she was put in a greenroom with some other contestants for the first half hour, then she and Erin were both called to line up and wait “on deck” for their turn. Before Erin’s turn came up, Annie gave her a quick hug and wished her the best of luck. Erin hugged her hard and wished her the same, then turned to walk out on the stage.

  As Erin introduced herself, saying she was originally from Hawaii and now lived in Los Angeles, Annie stopped breathing for a moment. From her spot backstage, she could only see part of the auditorium, but there were plenty enough people sitting out there to make her want to leave without saying a word. As the music started, she immediately recognized the song. Erin had chosen Back to Black by Amy Winehouse, and although she had only just started singing, so far she was killing it. Annie nodded with respect as her nervous level went up a notch and continued to grow as Erin sang on. The thundering applause that broke out when Erin finished her performance was intimidating.

  After that, she didn’t have another moment left to think. A producer beckoned for her to come right up to the side of the curtain and wait for his signal to go onstage. As Annie stood there, all she could hear was her pounding heartbeat. Just breathe. Just breathe.

  Then it was her turn and she was walking out to the center of the stage to where a microphone stand had been placed. The lights were blinding, and she could already feel the sweat beading on her forehead. As she pulled the mic from the stand to introduce herself, she told them her name and said she from Los Angeles. She saw and heard Casey’s crew at the same time as they jumped up and cheered with a loud roar for her. Delighted and mortified at the same time, Annie plastered a smile on her face and waved to them. To her relief the audience laughed, and she nodded slightly to the sound technician, indicating that she was ready for them to start her music.

  It was a gutsy move, choosing a Mariah Casey song, but her instincts had told her that she needed to take a risk, and she felt that if she could pull this off and make the judges and fans love her, she was golden.

  As the familiar beginning chords played, the auditorium went wild. Always Be My Baby was a classic and an almost guaranteed crowd pleaser, yet she thought it had enough range to satisfy the judges as well. The excitement from everyone sitting in the audience was palpable, and it flicked a switch in Annie. Gone were the nerves. Gone was the self-doubt. All that was left was a girl who loved to sing.

  But she didn’t sing. She soared. Her voice skillfully maneuvered through the notes, flawlessly transitioning all the way up into Mariah’s famous high range with incredible ease. Annie forgot that she felt like throwing up only moments earlier. She forgot that she had never performed in front of an audience this large before. She forgot that she was just a karaoke amateur, and she sang her heart out like it was what she had been born to do. Anyone there could hear it and feel it. At one point, she started clapping in time with the music with her hands over her head. The audience joined in and clapped with her to the beat.

  By the time she finished singing, the entire room was on their feet cheering and applauding. Tears streamed unchecked down her cheeks as Annie got caught up in the raw emotion of the moment. This was everything she had ever dreamed of. Only months earlier, she hadn’t believed it was possible. She felt like she was never going to go anywhere and that she would be stuck working an office job for the rest of her life. But no… she was going somewhere, and she did have something special. And for the first time, she was beginning to believe it.

  As she looked out into the audience, her eyes locked with Casey’s as he stood there with a puffed out chest, beaming at her as he applauded along with the rest of the crowd. He looked so proud, and she realized how happy she was that he could be there, sharing this experience. He was her rock, and he knew exactly how to encourage and uplift her.

  She joined Erin backstage, and they hugged and cried happy tears for each other, then made their way to the ladies’ room to freshen up before joining the audience back in the auditorium. When it was Keri’s turn, they cheered her on. She’d chosen a song by Pink, Fuckin’ Perfect, of course editing out the profanity since it was a family show. She did great and didn’t miss any of her notes, but somehow it seemed like the audience didn’t respond quite as enthusiastically as they had to both Erin and Annie.

  When the results were hung in the hallways at the end of the day, everyone swarmed around the lists to look for their badge numbers. Erin found her number first and shrieked, jumping up and down. Annie saw her number immediately below where Erin had her finger on the paper and started jumping up and down as well. Keri was not on the list, though, and she was an emotional, sobbing mess as the other two girls stood there awkwardly hugging her and patting her back. It could have so easily been one of them.

  After saying their goodbyes, the remaining contestants were informed that they would need to report at seven the next morning. Annie texted Casey to see what he wanted to do for dinner, but he said he was going with the guys if she didn’t mind. She texted him back and said she would see him later. Then she turned to Erin and asked if she wanted to venture out and find something to eat, asking if she knew of any places she’d encountered on her previous trips to NYC. Erin’s face brightened immediately as she nodded.

  “I totally do. Let’s go to Times Square. You ready for your first subway experience?”

  Annie grinned nervously. “Um, yeah sure. Why not? I’ll have you there to protect me.”

  Erin laughed. “It’s really not as bad as you think. Don’t worry. I was terrified my first time, but by the third, I felt like a pro. And New Yorkers really aren’t as rude as the movies make them out to be.”

  “Really? That’s cool. Yeah, I’ve always thought the people in New York are supposed to be really rude. Especially the cab drivers.”

  “Every single pers
on I asked for help when I got lost a couple of times was really nice. I asked my friend who lives here about that, and he said, ‘Yeah, just don’t get in our way when we’re in a hurry to get somewhere, and we’re actually very nice.’ Now cab drivers, I can’t say. I use Uber, and all the drivers were great.”

  “Oh my God, don’t you freaking love Uber?”

  “I do. They are the best! Did you want to just Uber it instead?”

  “Nah, fuck it. When in Rome, right? Let’s take the subway.”

  “Haha, okay.

  As they walked the short distance to the nearest subway station, Annie hesitantly brought up the subject she’d been avoiding all day.

  “Okay, now I hope you won’t get angry with me for what I’m about to tell you, but please know I only had your best interests at heart.”

  Erin gave her a confused smile. “Okay?”

  Taking a deep breath, Annie launched into a replay of what happened that morning when she went outside to get some air and ran into Mike. Erin’s eyes grew wider as Annie continued on, but she didn’t say a word until Annie finished.

  As the next train arrived, Erin boarded and Annie followed her. There was no room to sit, so they both grabbed a hold of the overhead bar and got cozy with each other. As the train lurched forward again, Erin continued their conversation.

  “I’m still in shock that he came. I just told him where I was going to be today and asked if he wanted to grab dinner after he got off work. I didn’t think he’d actually come to the theater.”

  “Well, girl, now I understand why you’re so gah gah over this guy.”

  “Right? I don’t know what it is about him. He’s just… yummy.”

  “He definitely has a certain charm about him. And those green eyes of his are fuckin’ sexy as hell.”

  Erin nodded. “I know. They’re pretty boy eyes, but he’s so masculine. Like he just knows what he wants in bed and takes it. It’s so—yeah. I have no words. It’s a huge turn on. He just makes me go ‘rawr’ big-time. But I don’t think he wants to try the long distance thing.”

  “Long distance relationships are the worst. I mean, technically I’ve never had a long distance relationship, but my high school boyfriend wouldn’t even try it. He broke up with me before he left for college in Boston. And Casey lives in L.A., but he’s touring around the country right now, so I only see him every few weeks or so.”

  “So I should text him now, right?”

  “Sure. See if he can do dinner tomorrow instead.”

  “It might be my last supper here in NYC if I don’t do well with tomorrow’s audition.”

  “Girl, you killed it today! What makes you think you can’t do it again tomorrow?”

  “Oh we’re talking about who killed what now, Miss ‘I make Mariah Carey sound like a karaoke singer’?”

  Annie turned bright red and gave Erin the biggest smile. “That is the nicest thing anyone’s ever said to me.”

  “I only speak the truth, lady. Your voice is ridic. Fair warning—I’m thinking about putting Ex-lax in your coffee tomorrow morning.”

  Laughing, Annie shook her head as the train came to a stop. “I don’t think you have anything to be worried about. Your song was amazing. I adore Amy Winehouse.”

  “She was one of the best for sure,” Erin agreed as they exited the train and walked up the stairs, coming out right by Times Square. “Too bad she had to go and die of alcohol poisoning. My little sister is an artist—a ridiculously talented one—and for my birthday one year, I asked her to paint a trio of portraits for me. I wanted Audrey Hepburn, Adele and Amy Winehouse. My three ‘A’ ladies.”

  “So did she do it?”

  “Yep, she sure did. They’re hanging in my living room right now.”

  “That’s awesome. So does she make her living as a painter?”

  “Nah, she’s actually a tattoo artist, but any medium of art she tries, she excels in.”

  “Must be rough to be that talented.”

  “You’re telling me. Every single creative thing I’ve ever wanted to do, she’s tried and done better than me. It’s not freaking fair.”

  “Okay, but who’s the one competing in the finals for The Next American Superstar right now?”

  “True.”

  After seeing the long lines waiting outside the nicer restaurants, they opted to get burgers at Five Guys, and then they walked around Times Square, shopping for souvenirs and snapping pictures of each other to send back to their families. Erin sent Mike a text before dinner, but he didn’t respond until they were almost back to the hotel. He said he had plans with his family, but he might be free the next night. Ready for a long shower and a good night’s sleep, Annie said she was heading to bed, but she gave Erin a tight hug and told her to hang in there and keep her posted about Mike. Exhausted from the day’s stress, Annie was asleep as soon as her head hit the pillow.

  Annie woke up to Casey’s snoring the next morning. His arm was flung across her chest, one leg was wrapped around her, and his mouth was open and right by her ear, making the volume of his snoring extremely loud. Elbowing him away from her, she turned to roll out of bed, but just before she made it, a hand snaked out and grabbed her arm, tugging her back.

  Protesting, she struggled against him as he started sliding his hand up her leg to grasp her firmly by the butt cheeks.

  “No time for any of your shenanigans right now, mister. We need to get ready,” Annie scolded him as she tried in vain to wriggle from his grasp.

  He responded by shifting his hand from grasping her butt to sliding it further down between her legs. She gasped as his fingers deftly shoved her panties to the side, and then one long finger was gently penetrating her, making her eyes flutter shut as she moaned and pressed against him, already wanting more. He pumped his finger in and out of her a few times. Then abruptly his finger was gone, and she felt the bed shift as he got up. Her eyes flew open as he escaped into the bathroom.

  “Hey! No fair, that is cheating,” she called as he laughed and closed the bathroom door. Just then her phone alarm started ringing. She reached for her phone to turn it off and saw that she had an unread text message.

  Alex: Since I haven’t heard from you, yet, I’m assuming things are going well. Crossing my fingers and toes for you! Kill ‘em dead like I know you can! Love you

  She smiled and texted him back.

  Annie: Thanks for the message. Love you, too. :) New York is great so far! Can’t wait to see more of it.

  She did some warm-ups and sang through her next audition piece. Casey didn’t take long in the shower, and as soon as he was done, she jumped in to take her turn. He told her that he was skipping breakfast and going to meet up with the guys to run through their number. By the time she got out of the shower, he was just brushing his teeth and getting ready to leave. As she was wrapping a towel around herself, he wiped his mouth and hands and then came over and circled his arms around her in a big hug, resting his chin on her head. Her arms automatically slid around his waist as she snuggled close to him. They stood like that for a minute, just holding each other.

  Finally Casey kissed her head and gently pushed back from her, but put his hands on either side of her face and raised her lips up to his. He gave her a soft, tender kiss, then looked down into her eyes and smiled, his green eyes twinkling at her.

  “You make me so happy, princess.”

  Annie couldn’t help beaming up at him. “Likewise, mister. Break a leg today. I know you’re going to be ridiculously awesome out there.”

  “Of course I will. I’ve got my number one good luck charm here with me. Can’t lose.” He winked at her, kissed her nose and gently chucked her chin with his finger. “I’ll see you later?”

  Annie nodded and leaned up on her tippytoes to give him another kiss and hugged him hard. Then she let him turn to leave and swatted his backside. “Go get ‘em, tiger.”

  Erin joined her for breakfast before they wandered over to the auditorium and found seats towar
ds center front. They had checked the schedule and seen that the dance groups were going first, but the vocalists wouldn’t be called until the end of the day. Casey’s crew was performing third, but they were nowhere to be seen, so she figured they were still finishing up their last minute rehearsal.

  Twisting in her seat, Annie took a good look around, getting to see the vast array of talented performers waiting for their chance to prove that they were worth a five million dollar Vegas contract. She smiled warmly at a little girl with curly brown pigtails, wearing a white lace dress, who was sitting in between an attractive couple immediately behind her.

  “Hi there,” Annie said to the little girl. “What’s your name?”

  The little girl smiled, but then turned her face in, looking extremely bashful. The couple laughed and the father patted the little girl’s knee.

  “This is Lara, and she is very shy at the moment, but usually very outgoing otherwise,” he said with a wink.

  “Aw, that’s okay. How old is she?”

  “Just turned five this month.”

  “Wow, big girl!” Erin said as she grinned at Lara.

  Annie smiled and waved at the little girl. “Hi Lara, my name is Annie, and this is my friend, Erin. We’re both here to sing. What about you?”

  The little girl peeked up at them, making both Annie and Erin sigh and giggle about how cute she was. After hiding her face in her dad’s side for another minute, Lara finally ventured another peek at them and then nodded shyly. “Yes, I am going to sing Somewhere Out There, ‘cuz it’s my favorite song, and it makes my mommy cry, but she says that they are happy tears. So that’s what I’m going to sing.”

  “Oh, I love that song!” Annie exclaimed as she flashed Lara a brilliant smile, making the little girl blush and giggle and hide her face again.

  When Lara finally peeked out at them again, she asked Annie, “What are you going to sing?”