“Don’t fucking talk about yourself like that, Rei.”
“It’s true. And I finally have to accept it. I’m nothing to you, and I never will be.”
She staggers away from him, and I think she may fall over, but Matt grabs her. She immediately starts fighting him, but he holds her tight pulling her closer and closer to him, as she slaps and kicks him. When he fuses his mouth to hers, she stops fighting and puts her arms around his neck. She kisses him back until he pulls his mouth away.
“Marry me, Reina.”
“I won’t share you.”
“I wouldn’t cheat on you when we’re together. Not ever.”
“And you’ll be with me? Really with me, in every way?”
“I’m a bastard for it, but yes. You have to know it’s only for a year, though. I can’t give you forever.”
“I’ll take the year. For now. So yes, I’ll marry you, Matt.”
“Perfect. We’ll get Candi to take the engagement photos and then release it to the press. It will take a few months to get everything together for the wedding since it will need to be big. Unfortunately, that means the girls can’t stand up for you.”
“I can,” Ainsley says.
“Me too,” Alex says.
“Yes, the two of you can. I’m sorry that no one else can.”
“It’s not real, Gram. It doesn’t matter who stands up for us.”
“We all know this isn’t going to be a totally fake marriage, Matthew. The sooner you stop pretending it is, the easier it will be for you and Reina.”
“Just tell me where to be, and when. I’ll do whatever I need to. In the meantime, I have a ring to buy. I’ll bring it by later, okay Princess?”
“Oh, yeah. Umm…sure.”
I don’t think I’ve ever seen Reina looking flustered. But then again, she’s never had the guy she loves tell her he’s bringing an engagement ring by her place later. I, for one, can’t wait to see what he picks for her. We all watch as he kisses her forehead and walks out.
“Back to work everyone. We still have a blackmailer to find, and other missions to work on.”
Everyone else start to file out. Tegan comes over and stands in front of me, looking nervous. “Are we really okay, Stell?”
“Yeah, Teeg. We are. What you did hurt me. A lot. But we’re best friends, and I need you in my life. Just please talk to me next time you’re upset, instead of telling some asshole things he shouldn’t ever know about me.”
“I will. I promise. I love you.”
“I love you, too.”
“Go enjoy your baby boy.”
“He’s not a baby—in any way—but I will enjoy him.”
She laughs as I pull out my phone to text Kace. I invite him over later, and let him know I’ll have the guards let him in. He doesn’t respond right away, but I don’t worry. He’s probably busy.
* * *
Kace
Rehearsal after our latest photo shoot was intense. Our residency starts in just a few weeks, so we all want the performances to be perfect. Especially opening night when the media and other celebrities will be in attendance. I smile thinking about having Stella in the front row while I sing to her, and then on my arm for the party afterward. I haven’t asked her yet, but I’m sure she’ll be there with me.
My smile gets wider as I see a text from her telling me she’s set things up so I can go to her place when I’m done. And then I swipe to the next text. It’s not from her, and what it says makes my stomach drop and my blood boil.
Anonymous: Blow off your blonde slut tonight. Go out clubbing or stay in your room. I don’t care. Just don’t show up for you date with her. And don’t call or text her to make an excuse. I’ll know if you do.
Fuck. I’m going to kill this person if I ever find out who they are. Not just for blackmailing me, but for calling Stella a slut, too. It makes me think that the blackmailer has to be someone working closely with us. And that’s all I know. There were at least twenty people in the room this morning.
My bigger worry is how Stella’s going to react when she doesn’t hear from me today. I’m sure as hell not going out, so at least she won’t see pictures of me partying it up while I ignore her. I decide to see if my mom is free tonight. Maybe we can hang out and talk. It’s been awhile since we did that. I catch her as she’s leaving.
“Mom, wait up.”
“Hey, honey. Did you need something?”
“A night with my beautiful mother would be great.”
“I thought you’d be with Stella, or is she otherwise occupied?”
Whoa. “Excuse me?”
“I heard about what Wayne said to everyone.”
“First of all, I told everyone there to keep their mouths shut. And second, what she did in her past has nothing to do with our present.”
“The past always catches up to you, Kace. Even when you think you’ve outrun it, it comes out of nowhere to rear its ugly head.”
“I’m not afraid of Stella’s past, or anyone in it.”
“You love her.”
“Yes. I haven’t told her yet, but I do.”
“She’s going to break you. A woman who looks like that and has done what she’s done won’t settle down.”
“What the hell is wrong with you? I’ve never heard you say something so judgmental about anyone before. Yet you’re judging Stella because she looks hot. And had some fun before she met me. Why?”
“Because she’s not good enough for you.”
“That’s for me to decide. God. It’s like I don’t even know you anymore. Forget hanging out. I can’t talk to you right now. Thanks for the support.”
“Kace.”
“Just go, Mom.”
She gets into the elevator as I run my hands through my hair and down my face. How did my life get so fucked up? I just don’t understand it. I was a nice guy. I had a nice mom. Yeah, we struggled, but we never intentionally hurt anyone. Yet here I am, being blackmailed and having to listen to my mom badmouth the woman I love. It’s almost too surreal to be believable. But, I’m living it, so I know it’s happening.
“Thank you, Kace.”
I turn to see Sheila standing behind me. “For what?”
“You just defended my daughter.”
“You don’t have to thank me. I’ll defend her until the day I die.”
“Because you love her?”
“Yeah. I should probably tell her soon since everyone else is hearing it.”
“You’ll tell her when it’s time. Just be good to her.”
“I will.” Shit. No I won’t. But wait, I can do this. I lean in close to Sheila and pretend to kiss her on the cheek. “I can’t be with her tonight and I can’t call her to cancel. I wish I could tell you why, but can you please let her know?”
“Goodnight, Kace,” she tells me with a nod.
“Goodnight, Sheila.”
“Aww, that was so touching.”
“What do you want, Wayne? Haven’t you tried to cause enough trouble this week?”
“Never enough, Mr. Big Star.”
“Don’t. We’re all the stars here.”
“That’s bullshit and you know it. They’ve always groomed you.”
“And I’ve always resisted it.”
“That’s why you’re acting up now and making sure you’re getting all the attention, huh? Those little jailbait chicks are eating it up.”
“No. I’m not. I honestly don’t want the extra attention.”
“Well, you’re getting it,” Chad says as he walks over to us. “I say, embrace it. Your fifteen minutes and all.”
“Not interested in fifteen minutes. I want to stay in this business for a long time. With you guys by my side.”
“Sure you do. C’mon, Chad, let’s go find us some company for tonight while lover boy sulks in his suite.”
“How’d you know I’m staying in?”
“Lucky guess.”
“No, seriously man,” I tell him as I shove him into the wa
ll.
He’s been at the top of my suspect list since the beginning and now this. Plus, I’m still pissed that he embarrassed Stella. I’d love nothing more than to beat him until he confesses. But we need him. I need him—if he’s not behind this. We’ve been friends for years and I don’t want to lose that. I love these guys like brothers.
“I heard you talking to your mom about spending the evening with her. I figured you didn’t have plans. Although if Stella was with me, I wouldn’t let her out of my sight.”
“Well, she’s never going to be with you, so it doesn’t matter what you’d do. I trust her, and that means that spending time apart isn’t a big deal.”
“Whatever you say. See you around.”
I watch them walk out, but instead of following them, I grab my guitar from the stand and start playing. Not anything of ours though. I’m feeling old school at the moment. I’m so into the song that I don’t notice Brett until he starts clapping.
“Oh hey. I thought I was alone here.”
“I was going over my clothes for tomorrow. Sheila’s been letting me help pick things out.”
“That’s cool.”
“Yeah. So what’s with the Duran Duran? Do you really need a prayer saved for you?”
“I was feeling retro. But yes, I actually need lots of prayers.”
“Can I ask you something?”
“Sure.”
“Why are you such an asshole lately?”
“I don’t want to talk about that. Sorry, dude, I just don’t.”
The reality is that I can’t talk about it. But if I use that word, I know he’ll try to get me to tell him what’s going on. He’s not only the most quiet of all of us, he’s also the most observant. And smartest. I’m honestly in awe of his brain. And don’t even get me started on how talented he is. His voice is similar to mine, but he seems to be able to hit the notes a little easier. Lucky bastard.
Well, not really lucky when you think about his life. He was abandoned by his parents when he was a baby. He bounced around in foster homes until he ended up with some decent ones who put him in their church’s choir. That’s how Marv found him. I don’t know how he walked into a church without bursting into flames, but it happened. And Brett joined Wayne, Chad, and me. That was four years ago, and we haven’t stopped since. I wouldn’t change anything. Storyside saved us all in one way or another.
Now if I could just find out who’s trying to take it all away from me. I could probably survive losing my career and friends. I don’t think I can survive losing Stella, though. In fact, I know I can’t.
“I’ll see you tomorrow, I guess,” Brett says, snapping me out of my thoughts.
“Yep. See you in the morning,” I tell him, putting my guitar away before I head to my suite to order room service and think some more about my bombshell. And how badly I want to be with her tonight.
Chapter 7
Stella
I still haven’t heard from Kace when I get the message that Matt’s arrived with Reina’s ring. I give them a little time to be alone for it. Even though they say it’s fake, we all know it’s not. They love each other, and I hope this marriage will make them realize that they need to be together. Like me and Kace. Who hasn’t called me or come over yet.
I head up to Reina’s apartment, and find I’m the last to arrive. The girls are gathered around her, while the guys are slapping Matt on the back. He looks really pleased with himself.
“Hey, Stella. Go look at the ring and give me the stylist stamp of approval.”
I flash him a smile as I push my way through to Reina. The smile momentarily drops from my face when I see the ring. I look up at her, and she gives a slight shake of her head. So I plaster another smile on my face and pretend to be studying the giant yellow diamond on her finger. Yellow. As in the color she told me to never dress her in because she hates it. She won’t even sit on a yellow chair or use a yellow plate when she’s out if she can help it.
“Well?” Matt asks me.
Shit. “It’s stunning.” That’s not a lie.
The oval center stone has to be at least fifteen carats, and is surrounded by white diamonds which also completely cover the band. For someone who likes the color yellow, it would be the perfect ring. For Reina, it’s the worst choice he could’ve made. And yet, she’ll smile and pretend to love it. Because she loves him so much.
“I knew I did good. Only the best for my fiancé.”
Reina smiles and goes over to kiss him. “Thanks again.”
“Everyone get out so we can have a private celebration.”
We laugh while filing out. As we’re waiting for the elevator, Ainsley gets an alert on her phone. “Stella, you need to see this.”
I lean over to read the text message. Damn it. I’m going to strangle this fucking blackmailer when we finally figure out who it is. “You still haven’t been able to trace it?”
“No. But if they keep using the same burner phone, we will. I’ll need to go into the office and check to see if it’s the same.”
I feel bad because she should be going home with Zack to plan her own wedding. But because her second in command betrayed us on the last mission, she isn’t trusting anyone else to take care of things. And because I’m involved, she’s putting in extra time.
“I’m sorry. You should be going home with your man.”
“He understands. He doesn’t love it sometimes, but he gets it,” she says as we get on the elevator.
“I hope I have that someday.”
“You will. You have to remember that we didn’t have an easy road to where we are, but we made it.”
“True. I thought you might kill him sometimes.”
“You’re the one who pointed a gun at him.”
“No one messes with my friends.”
“Or mine. I’m going to get this person for you.”
“If anyone can, it’ll be you.”
We hug goodbye as I get off on my floor. I’m honestly a little bothered. Kace should’ve found a way to get a hold of me, somehow. He doesn’t know that his phone is cloned. And he’s choosing to protect himself over me. I mean, we haven’t declared ourselves or anything, but there’s something more than sex between us. At least on my side.
When I walk into my place, my mom is sitting on my coach, watching reality TV. “Hey, Mom. I didn’t know you were here. I would’ve come back down sooner.”
“It’s fine. The guys downstairs told me there was something big going on, so I said not to bother you.”
“Yeah. Matt brought Reina her engagement ring.”
“They’re engaged. It’s about damn time.”
“Yeah. It really is.”
“Is it beautiful? What am I saying—the man has more money than God. Of course it’s beautiful.”
“Yes and no.” She raises an eyebrow at me. “It’s a giant yellow diamond. And Reina hates the color yellow.”
“Oh no. He doesn’t know her favorite color is blue?”
“Apparently not,” I tell her with a laugh. “How did you know that was her favorite color?”
“She always has something blue on, even if it’s just a pair of earrings.”
“If only he would’ve noticed that.”
“She’s pretending to love it though, huh?”
“Oh yeah.”
“Well, good for her. The fact that he gave her one at all is enough. And speaking of giving, I have a message to give to you.”
“Oh, okay. What is it?”
“Kace asked me to tell you that he can’t come over tonight. He said he couldn’t contact you or tell you why. I’m guessing it’s the blackmailer.”
“It is. Ainsley just told me about the text.”
“Ah, that explains it.”
“Explains what?”
“Why you looked upset when you walked in. I knew the two of you would hit it off, but I didn’t realize you’d become so serious this fast.”
“I was upset because I wanted him to get a messag
e to me. And he did. He’s great, Mom. Really great. I just worry that once this is over, he won’t be able to accept me. He already accepted my sexual history, but how much can a guy take?”
“There’s no limit on love, Stella. What you and your friends do is amazing. He’ll realize that.”
“Will it be too late, though? I was talking to Ainsley and I remembered how upset Zack was when he found out she’d been undercover. And she wasn’t invading his privacy as much as I’m doing to Kace. When he finds out we cloned his phone, he’s going to be angry. And I’ve been putting off planting the cameras in the loft, hoping we’d find something. But I have to do it. It’s my job, and I’m currently sucking at it—because I’m afraid of hurting the guy I’m in love with. I mean like, I’m in like with.”
“Love was the correct word, and we both know it.”
“But it’s affecting my work. I’m not being fair to him, and I’m not being fair to Reina and the girls. I just can’t choose.”
“You don’t have to choose, Stell. You can have both.”
“What if I can’t? What if he doesn’t accept my job and what I’ve done, and am going to do?”
“You’re doing it to help him. If he can’t accept that, then all the love in the world won’t be enough to make things work.”
“You’re right.”
“I usually am.”
“Will you stay here tonight with me?”
“Of course,” she says opening her arms to me.
“I love you, Mom,” I tell her as I curl up next to her on the couch and close my eyes.
“I love you, too.”
* * *
Kace
I fucked up last night. I realized it when I woke up in the middle of the night, when I got another text. I should’ve never had Sheila tell Stella I couldn’t see her. Whoever’s messing with me is expecting a reaction, and a fight. When they don’t get one, I’m going to be in trouble. Shit.
“Thanks for standing me up last night. I thought you were different Kace,” Stella says as she walks in.
Rocking a SECRET Page 7