Little Secret, Red Hot Scandal

by Cat Schield

His mouth popped open, but he caught himself just in time and signed instead. “If only I was that devious.” He headed for the door and motioned her out.

  The last studio they entered was occupied by Melody and Ivy.

  “How’s it going?” Mia translated for Nate.

  “She likes this one.” Melody cued a demo. As her voice poured from the speakers, Melody caught Mia’s gaze and gave her head the smallest of shakes.

  “I thought you were looking to take your next album in a new direction,” Nate signed. “That’s similar to what you did on your last two albums.”

  “I don’t want to be too different. The fans have certain expectations.”

  “What about ‘Love Me More’?”

  Melody cued another song and Mia immediately saw where Nate was going with his suggestion.

  An unhappy line formed between Ivy’s brows as the chorus started. Mia recognized the warning signs and glanced toward their father, but his expression was thoughtful.

  “You’d kill this,” Melody agreed.

  The song would take Ivy in a whole new direction. It was less sexually charged, more empowered and upbeat. Her sister had mad dance skills and enjoyed moving around the stage. Recording music like this would demonstrate that Ivy could do more than just pout and smolder as she sang.

  Unfortunately, Ivy was comfortable pouting and smoldering, and as much as she claimed she wanted to grow as an artist, she retreated back into the same old tricks, where she felt safe.

  “Let’s give it a try,” Mia translated for Nate.

  “Now?” Ivy’s eyes widened. She hadn’t come prepared to record anything. Usually she took weeks and weeks to rehearse a song before she entered the studio. Not only was she a perfectionist, she hated looking foolish.

  “Let’s see what we can do.”

  “I don’t know the song.”

  “We’ll take it slow.”

  When Mia repeated what Nate had signed, Ivy shot daggers at her. Mia recognized that Ivy wanted her to speak up on her behalf, but a thousand trifling slights and mistreatments held Mia’s tongue. Ivy had claimed Mia’s songs as her own on the last two albums and now she wanted a new sound. This was it. Mia glanced between her father and Nate while the tension built in the room.

  Finally, after seeing that everyone expected her to agree, Ivy nodded reluctantly. “I’ll give it a try.”

  “Wonderful.”

  Melody handed her the sheet music and Ivy shot Mia one last scowl before leaving the control booth for the recording studio. When Ivy stood in front of the mike, Nate cued a track and let the music play. Ivy listened for a while and then began to sing. Her vocals were soft and sexy like what she was used to performing and not at all what Nate was looking for.

  He signed and cued the mike.

  With a silent groan, Mia translated. “Don’t be afraid to let go. This is a girl telling a boy to really love her. Get in his face about it.”

  Nate’s eyes were on her as she finished speaking. One corner of his mouth twitched as their eyes met.

  Ivy started again. Mia could tell her sister was tense and uncomfortable. At the halfway point of the song she quit. “This isn’t working.”

  “I’m the producer. Why don’t you let me judge what is and isn’t going to work. Just sing,” Nate signed. Mia translated, painful reluctance in her voice.

  She was going to pay for this later.

  Five

  Nate almost felt sorry for Mia as she told her sister what he wanted. He understood the dynamic between them well enough to know that Mia was miserable relaying his suggestions for Ivy’s performance. And Ivy was equally unhappy to receive them. But it had to be good for Mia to be the one in command for a change, even if only by proxy.

  And in truth, as the hour went on, Mia’s manner grew more confident and Ivy’s interpretation of Melody’s song evolved into what the songwriter had intended. It wasn’t perfect, but it was a start.

  “That’s much better,” Mia translated. “Why don’t you come in here and listen to the playback.”

  “How did it feel to boss your sister around?”

  “I wasn’t. All I did was tell her what you said.”

  “Not word for word.”

  Mia rolled her eyes. “Did you want her to storm out or keep singing?”

  “What are you two talking about?” Javier asked, breaking into their silent conversation.

  “Sorry.” Mia shot her father a rueful look. “I’m use to signing with Eva and I forgot that Nate can hear.”

  “Nice save.”

  “Nate was just saying how happy he is to be working with such a talented singer.” Mia smiled in a way that dared Nate to argue.

  As if he could. For all she caved to her sister’s domineering ways, Mia had spunk and backbone. During the next four weeks, Nate intended to figure out why she let Ivy push her around, and to do whatever it took to steal her away.

  “I enjoyed kissing you earlier.”

  Ivy entered the booth and sat beside her father on the couch.

  “I enjoyed your singing.” Obviously rattled, Mia blurted out the awkward translation. She pointed at Nate. “That’s what he said.”

  “That’s not what I said. By the way, you’re blushing. How long do you think you can keep our relationship a secret?”

  “Stop it,” she signed back. “And what relationship?”

  “The one where I tear your clothes off every chance I get.”

  Although he wanted to stare at Mia and see how his declaration affected her, Nate nodded to the sound engineer, who queued the playback. Beside him, Mia radiated heat, but without glancing at her expression, he didn’t know if she was struggling with annoyance or lust.

  Ivy’s voice filled the space. She’d sung along with a simple piano track that Melody had recorded for the demo. Nate heard the potential in what Ivy could do with the song and the hairs on the back of his neck rose in reaction. It was a good sign. Whether she believed it or not, the music suited her voice. The question remained whether she could get behind the words and sell it.

  A collective sigh filled the control booth when the last notes tapered off. Nate nodded in satisfaction and pinned Ivy with his gaze. The woman was ridiculously talented. Pity she was such a diva.

  Javier looked pleased with what he’d heard. “I think that’s a keeper.”

  “I’d like to record the other song we discussed earlier, as well,” Ivy said, obviously not willing to concede quite yet.

  Nate wasn’t about to negotiate with the pop princess. He looked at Melody. “Give her the music for those five songs we talked about.” When Mia translated what he’d said, he turned to Ivy.

  “Take the rest of the week and get a feel for the songs. I want you back in the studio on Friday. We’ll work on all of them.”

  “You’re only giving me three days. That’s not enough time,” the pop princess squeaked, shooting a panicked look toward her father.

  Javier shrugged. “If we want to get the album done in a short amount of time, you’re going to have to commit to working hard.”

  Nate could almost hear Ivy’s thoughts. She didn’t want to work hard. She wanted to shop and party and boss her sister around.

  Nate began signing again. “You have three days to learn five songs. They don’t have to be perfect,” Mia translated. “But you do need to have a feel for them.”

  “Fine.” Ivy tossed her head and made her way to the door.

  Before Mia could follow on her sister’s heels, Nate caught her by the arm, stopping her. “Want to be my date to the AMAs?”

  Free Fall had once again been nominated for favorite pop/rock duo or group, an award they’d won two years earlier, and favorite pop/rock album. The competition was especially stiff this year and he didn’t expe
ct they’d win. Having Mia sitting beside him would take the sting out of the loss.

  “The AMAs?” Mia breathed, beaming at his invitation.

  Ivy had reached the hall, but when she heard her sister speak, she whirled around. “What about the AMAs?”

  Mia’s delight dimmed. “Nate asked me to go with him.”

  “Why? To translate?”

  Nate could tell she was about to lie to her sister once again. He caught her hand to get her attention and shook his head in warning. “Tell her the truth.”

  “As his date.”

  “Your date?” Ivy looked scandalized as she fixed Nate with her stare. “That’s not possible.”

  “Why not?” Mia translated for him.

  The pop star set her hand on her hip and thrust out her lower lip like a toddler. “Because she’s my assistant.”

  And he was sick of the way Ivy treated Mia. “She’s also your sister,” he signed, but Mia didn’t immediately translate.

  Both Nate and Ivy glared at her as she stood frozen in mute silence, gazing from one to the other. She deserved so much better than to be at Ivy’s beck and call. What was wrong with the entire family that everything revolved around Ivy and her damned career?

  “That means she’ll already be there,” Mia said at last, playing diplomat and not translating his exact words.

  The last bit of Nate’s patience was draining away. “Don’t let her bully you.”

  “But it’s Mia,” Ivy stated, as if that would convince Nate to change his mind.

  He nodded.

  Mia finally found her own voice. “I’d love to go.”

  She spoke softly, but her eyes glowed. In moments like these she was more beautiful than her twin.

  “But I need her backstage. I’m performing and presenting.”

  “You’ll have Yvonne to help with your changes and makeup,” Mia said. Now that she’d accepted his invitation, she appeared unwilling to back down. It was a nice change from the way she normally catered to her sister’s every whim.

  “She doesn’t own anything that she can wear to an award show,” Ivy said to Nate. Clearly, she wasn’t giving up.

  As a featured artist, Ivy would have her choice of gowns sent over by designers eager for the publicity. Mia didn’t have that sort of celebrity and Nate doubted she had the pull to arrange her own red carpet gown.

  “I have a stylist in LA who can hook you up,” Nate signed. “I’ll give her a call.” He sighed. “Send her a email.”

  “That would be great,” Mia breathed, without bothering to translate.

  Her reverent expression left Nate wondering how often anything good came her way. It spurred him to work even harder to make the entire event something Mia would want more of. She’d spent far too much time being invisible, not thinking she deserved her moment in the sun. Getting her used to being treated like a celebrity was a step forward in his plan to wrestle her away from her sister.

  “I’ll make the arrangements. Don’t let her talk you out of going with me.”

  “I won’t.” And then to Ivy she said, “We’d better head out if you want to make your massage appointment.” And as her sister stormed away down the hall, Mia gave Nate one last glance and signed, “Thank you.”

  * * *

  Mia carried the cup of Throat Coat tea into Ivy’s bedroom. Their father had rented a five-bedroom house with a pool in a gated community for the month Ivy would be recording at Ugly Trout. It had been a week since meeting with Nate at the studio and whatever progress her sister was making with Melody’s songs was negated by the fact that when Ivy wasn’t at the studio, she was either out shopping or partying with her friends Skylar and Riley, who’d shown up from LA.

  The appearance of those two raised Mia’s concern. The party girls, whose only source of income was their sketchy modeling careers and fashion blog, weren’t good for Ivy, who was far too prone to be distracted from what she’d come to Las Vegas to do. Mia had convinced their father to chase them out of the house early that morning so Ivy could work on the songs Nate wanted her to record, but from the pile of high-end shopping bags on the floor at the foot of Ivy’s bed, he hadn’t persuaded them to leave town.

  The fact that her sister wasn’t trying on her latest purchases or even admiring what she’d bought told Mia something was wrong. The curtains were drawn over the sliding glass door that led out to the pool. It took a second for Mia to spot her twin. Ivy had pressed herself into a corner of the room, her knees tucked against her chest like a small child trying to make herself invisible. Tears streamed down her face and Mia’s heart crashed to her toes.

  “What’s the matter?” She set the teacup on the bureau and went to sit before her sister. “I brought you some tea. Why don’t you try to drink some.”

  Ivy stared right through her. “I can’t do it. Nothing feels right. They’re all expecting me to do something amazing and none of it is me.” Ivy blinked and her eyes gained focus. She met Mia’s gaze. “When we were on tour, I heard the songs Melody was working on and they sounded so wonderful. I want wonderful, but it’s not happening.”

  “That’s not true. I’ve been there, listening to you record. Everything you do is wonderful,” Mia assured her sister, speaking from the heart. So often lately when she complimented Ivy it was because her sister expected the praise. But when Ivy was like this, when her demons crowded in, it was easy for Mia to give her twin every bit of support she had in her.

  “Dad’s expecting me to go platinum with this album, so it has to be perfect.”

  Mia had always thought having their father manage Ivy’s career added extra pressure for her to succeed. In the same vein, if it hadn’t been Daddy calling the shots, Ivy’s image might be different. Mia was pretty sure her twin never would’ve had plastic surgery at seventeen and probably wouldn’t have become addicted to the painkillers that almost killed her.

  “Don’t worry about Dad or Mom or what anyone else thinks.”

  No matter how well Ivy did, she always wanted to do better. And when she wasn’t recognized, which was what had happened with this year’s American Music Award nominations, things went downhill fast.

  Since mid-October, when the nominations were announced and Ivy’s name hadn’t appeared anywhere, Mia had been scrambling harder than ever to keep her sister happy. As ambitious as she was beautiful and talented, Ivy had grown positively obsessed with making her next album grittier, sexier, more over-the-top than anything she’d done so far.

  Mia thought her sister was on the wrong track. It was why Ivy and Nate were butting heads. If Ivy wanted to be taken seriously as an artist, she needed to become more authentic rather than a caricature of the personality she’d become.

  “Make music that’s in your heart,” Mia continued. “Let it speak to who you are.”

  Ivy’s lips curved into a sad smile. “What if I don’t know who that is?”

  “You’ll figure it out. Just believe in yourself.”

  “Is that what Nate is telling you to do?”

  Mia hesitated before answering. Nate was a treacherous topic for her to discuss with Ivy. “It’s the message of every positive affirmation ever written. Believe in yourself. Do what you love.”

  “Are you doing what you love?”

  “Sure.”

  “I mean with me.”

  “You’re my sister. I love being with you.”

  “I bet you’d love it more if you were with Nate.”

  Mia sensed the mines beneath her feet, and stepped carefully. “I’ve enjoyed working with him at the studio. I’m learning a lot. It’s something I could see myself doing in the future.”

  It was the closest Mia had come to sharing her aspirations with Ivy. That she’d dared to confess something so personal terrified her. Ivy didn’t like change and might view her
twin’s dream of having her own career as a threat.

  “I wasn’t talking about working at the studio. I was talking about Nate himself. You like him.” Ivy’s voice had taken on a coolness that made Mia shiver. “You like him a lot.”

  With a shaky laugh that wouldn’t fool anyone, Mia said, “Everybody likes Nate.”

  “But everybody’s not sleeping with him.” Ivy’s eyes glittered in the dim light. “You know he’s using you, right?”

  “I’m not sleeping with him.” How many times had she lied to Ivy to keep her sister in the dark about Nate? A hundred? More? When was she planning to stop? Mia’s chest tightened. She was barely able to draw breath enough to defend Nate. “And he’s not like that.”

  “Did you do it because you knew I liked him? Have you been saying bad things to him about me? Is that why he criticized everything I did in the studio? I’m trying really hard to make him happy, but nothing makes him look at me the way he looks at you.”

  How did Nate look at her? “We’re colleagues,” Mia said. “That makes things easy between us. With you he’s pushing so he can get the best possible song. It might seem like he’s not happy, but he thinks this will be some of the best work you’ve done.”

  But Ivy wasn’t listening to her. Mia had seen that look before. She got up and went to Ivy’s purse. Her sister noticed what she was doing and protested. Mia ignored her and started digging through the bag, unsurprised when she came up with a small bag of pills.

  “Who gave you these? Skylar or Riley?”

  Ivy stuck her lower lip out and stared mutinously at Mia. “Give me those. It’s none of your business.”

  “What’s the matter with you?” Sorrow and rage collided inside Mia’s chest. “I thought you were done taking prescription meds. Damn it, Ivy.”

  “I just need something to take the edge off after being in the studio all day. It’s exhausting and the pressure... You just don’t understand.”

  “I understand that you almost died because you were taking this stuff.”

  Mia took the bag into the bathroom and dumped the contents into the toilet. When she turned, her sister was glaring at her from the doorway.