by Celia Fay
"Rich Chinese Boy Harasses Club Dancer!"
"Dancer Kai Rented Out by Desperate Worcester!"
Throwing the phone down, I pick mine up and call that bastard, stabbing at the numbers.
"What the fuck do you want?" I growl as soon as the call connects.
"What?" Kai's voice is sleepy and soft, but I'm not taking any of that shit.
"I saw the headlines. If you want more money or something-"
"Jackson, what are you talking about?"
My knuckles turn white as I grip the phone, trying to stop myself from throwing it at the wall.
"Paparazzi took pictures of last night," I grit out. "They're writing about how I'm gay. Okay, that's normal. But the articles with your name and saying I rented you? Did you fucking set this up? Did you really fucking drug me?!" My voice goes out of control, cracking in anger.
There's deadly silence. My head pounds from the hangover and everything else. I'm so fucking naive and stupid and-
"Is that really how you think of me? I thought..."
He doesn't finish the sentence and I don't want to hear his voice anymore.
I toss the phone and fall into my chair. It spins and rolls backward. I drag myself back to the table with a frustrated growl.
"PR it," I mutter, not offering any explanation to my unfortunate secretary. There's nothing I can say. I'm just a stupid motherfucker.
Lee forces a smile but it looks like a grimace. "I can try, but you need to handle your father."
"No fucking shit." I massage my temples, but it doesn't help with the headache. "Why are you still here?"
Lee murmurs something before backing out the room.
There goes fixing my relationship with my father.
There goes the relationship I thought I had with Kai.
I don’t know how long I sit there, getting angrier and angrier at everything. I want to call Mark and curse him out too. But how can I blame him this time? And he’ll just tell me I’m overreacting.
But no one knows how badly a bad headline can ruin your reputation, your relationships, your life – everything.
The door opens without anyone knocking.
“Get out,” I mutter, eyes still closed.
“No.”
My eyes fly open at the soft but steady voice.
“Why are you here?” I ask, trying to keep my voice calm as my eyes meet Kai’s.
“It’s hard to tell what someone’s feeling through text. It’s hard to be sure of what they’re saying through phone.” He walks over until he’s a foot away from my table. “I want to know for sure if you think I did anything to purposely harm you.”
The seriousness in his tone and eyes make a dent in my blind anger.
“You want to get famous, you want to get rich. I met you two weeks ago. Do I really know anything about you?” I retort.
I can’t read his expression as he sighs. “That’s true. We only met two weeks ago. What can I expect? I guess I’m too much of a romantic.”
“Psh,” I scoff. “So you’re the one who’s hurt?”
He levels his gaze. “Do I not have the right to?”
I want to answer “No!” but the word catches in my throat.
“I’m getting called a whore and gold digger. Is that what you think, too?”
With a groan, I bury my face in my hands. I’m suddenly so tired – tired of my stupidity and everyone else’s. This is the type of chaotic drama that should happen in college, not after I graduate when things actually matter.
There’s a forced cough and my head flies up.
Kai is still standing there. But beside him is… my father.
Oh. Fucking. Shit.
I scramble to my feet and walk to where Kai is. My father sits down on my chair, facial muscles twitching with uncontainable anger.
“Both stars are here,” my father starts. “That’s great. So let’s talk about this show that you’re putting up.”
“I swear to God it wasn’t on purpose. No one called the paparazzi.” I’m suddenly scared for my life. “I got drunk last night.”
“So you were drunk.” His cool gaze sweeps over to Kai. “What about you? Were you drunk?”
Kai utters a simple, “No,” but I quickly say over him, “Don’t bring him into this.”
My father looks at me as if I’m an idiot, which I am. “I should be the one telling you to please don’t bring the company into your drunken affairs. I can speak as a father later and tell you how I am disappointed that you’ve fallen for a stripper–”
“You have no right to judge anyone’s relationships,” I interrupt. His expression doesn’t change a bit and it’s infuriating. “And he’s not a goddamn stripper. He’s a dancer.”
“A dancer at a night club is still a lowly job,” he says calmly. I feel Kai stiffen beside me, but I can’t do anything – even though I really want to curse this asshole out. “Our stock fell dramatically and many partners have requested a meeting with me. This includes Fiscone.”
“What do you want me to do?” I grit out through clenched teeth.
“Lee is writing a press release to fully explain your relationship with the stripper.”
“No!” I explode. I turn to storm out the room and find Lee, but a hand grips my wrist and I freeze. Meeting eyes for the first time during this confrontation, I look away quickly.
Taking a deep breath, I try again. “We didn’t call the paparazzi last night, but that doesn’t mean I won’t call them if you try to speak for me.”
My father chuckles. “And what will you tell the world? How irresponsible and immature you are?”
“I will tell them that Kai is an important person to me and for them to please leave him alone. He’s an average but unconventional guy and I know I shouldn’t take things for granted, especially him.” The words flow out of my mouth smoothly, surprising myself.
“He seems happy, but he’s actually kind of sad and a little lost inside. He wanders around the city when he can’t sleep at night and he works a bunch of part-time jobs to pay rent, but he makes my life better. I met him by accident and I kept pushing him away at first, but now I’m not letting go. He made me reconsider things, like my attitude toward work, family and life.”
I can keep going, but my father raises a hand, cutting me off.
“Why don’t you take a break and get out of my face for one month? Come back when you think you’re ready for the publishing project.”
Then he walks out the office.
I stare at the empty leather chair, swiveling behind my desk.
“That was cheesy as fuck,” Kai breathes out.
“Did I just get fired?”
Slowly, I turn to look at the man standing next to me. My mouth opens and closes, but I suddenly can’t find any words. After saying all that, I feel empty and light.
“You look like a fish,” Kai comments. I close my mouth instantly. “I think he meant that you get a break to get your life together. And he’s probably rethinking his life decisions too.”
“I’m sorry,” I finally let out. “And I meant everything I said.”
Kai smiles. It’s not his trademark smile, but it’s still good enough. “And I meant what I said about you being cheesy as fuck.”
“But you like cheesy stuff, right?”
“Of course.”
My legs suddenly feel like jelly and I fall into my chair. What should I do now?
As if reading my mind, Kai asks, “What are your plans for this month?”
I make a face, considering everything. “Can I stay over at your place?”
He wiggles his eyebrows in reply.
“I need to take care of some stuff first. Can I come find you later?”
There actually isn’t much for me to take care of because Lee is as competent as I am incompetent.
“Did you write the press release?” I demand.
“Well, yes,” he replies honestly. “But there’s nothing in it that will piss you off. Don’t worry.” I take
his word for it. “A one month paid break is a lot, but also not enough, so don’t waste it.”
“Thanks,” I reply with a grin.
As I walk out the company building, I let out a sigh of relief. But there’s something else I need to take care of.
I call Mark, who picks up on the first ring.
“H-hi,” he mumbles.
I laugh. “Why do you sound scared?”
“You’re not going batshit crazy?” he exclaims, voice cracking.
“Surprisingly… no. You won’t believe what just happened!”
Chapter 9
Two hours later, I stand outside Kai’s apartment, a duffle bag on my shoulder. In my hands are a bowl of take-out ramen and a thing of authentic green tea.
Awkwardly, I lift my elbow to stab at the doorbell. And almost topple over when the door suddenly opens.
“What the shit!” I hiss.
An amused laugh makes me look up. “I saw you out the window. I guess I timed things perfectly.”
Rolling my eyes, I shove him aside and enter the apartment. “Yeah, totally.”
“What is that?” Kai asks, eyeing the bags in my hands.
I toss my duffel bag to the floor and set everything else on the kitchen table in reply. He joins me, taking a seat across the table.
“You said that I’ll be forgiven if I give you beef ramen and green tea.”
His eyes light up. “Really? You brought all that?”
“Yeah,” I mutter, slightly embarrassed. I carefully take the things out of the plastic bag and lay them out.
“You know, I actually said that anything can be forgiven with a kiss.”
Without thinking, I walk over and plant a kiss on his forehead. My actions surprise myself, but I don’t stop. Everything else has gone out of control and nothing is going as planned. But whatever!
But I don’t actually get to choose.
When I try to straighten, Kai pulls on my shirt collar and yanks me down. I land on his skinny legs and stare up at him.
“That’s… kind of aggressive,” I murmur.
“No, no, not at all,” Kai sing-songs as he cradles me. “It’s just that I’ve been waiting for this forever.”
“You sound like you’re going to eat me.”
“I’m going to eat the ramen first, thanks. And then we can have sex.” He wiggles an eyebrow and grins widely.
Closing my eyes, I take a deep breath and count to three. “Fuck, you’re still annoying.”
He gives me a peck on the nose. “And you still have a thing for annoying guys, for some reason.”
“Yeah, for some reason,” I echo.
He splits the wooden takeout chopsticks and spoon and digs in. “I’m so touched that you remembered this little detail.”
“Mhm,” I hum. From this angle, the edges of his features are highlighted by shadows and he looks so damn beautiful. He smells like spices and the scent wraps around me, along with his warmth. I try to find a more comfortable position on those bony legs. When I shift my pressure, he lets out a low moan.
Freezing, I look at him.
“Fuck,” he mutters. “The noodles are giving me a foodgasm and you’re sitting on my dick.”
“Oh, really?” I press down harder and laugh at his reaction. This is sadistically fun and kind of nice.
He buries his head and slurps in a mouthful of noodles. I stare, everything game for innuendos right now. Catching my eyes, he teases, “You look more desperate than me right now.”
I roll my eyes, face reddening. “Hurry the fuck up and eat,” I order.
“Yessir!”
After a few bites, he puts his chopsticks down again. I cock my head, waiting for what he has to say this time.
“What are you planning on doing?”
I purse my lips. Kai takes the chance to feed me a spoonful of ramen broth. There’s a tiny piece of beef floating in it and I almost choke.
“Uh… read a few books from around the world, try to get my shit together and…” My lips curl into a smirk without me even planning on it. I get up from his lap and take something out of my duffel bag. “I brought some Chinese hard liquor.”
Kai sets his utensils down. “I’m ready,” he drawls. “C’mere baby.”
“Only if you stop talking like a cheesy as fuck movie.”
“I’ll make you moan my name in that sinful voice like it’s your religion and I’m your god.”
“Fuck you.”
“Yes.”
We’re on the bed before I can get too drunk. According to Kai, I’m a total lightweight and he wants to make sure I can remember everything.
He falls onto the bed, pulling me down with him. My work shirt is already unbuttoned.
“Are you hard yet?” Kai breathes out. He kisses a specific spot on my collarbone, worrying the skin between his teeth. “Do we still need to do all this?”
My hands go under his shirt and wrap around his body. “Don’t be lazy.”
He maneuvers so we can kiss properly – lips fully on lips, tongues exploring each other’s mouth. His breath smells like noodles and something sharp, but it’s still intoxicating. It really feels like we belong together, like jigsaw pieces finally snapping into place, and I sigh into the kiss.
“Same.”
I move away, sending a questioning gaze. A small smile on his lips, he pulls me closer to litter a trail of kisses down my neck.
“I’m glad you were dumb enough to let your friend post that ad.”
A trail of kisses down my chest.
“I’m glad you were dumb enough to go through with the whole thing.”
The kisses stop at my pants. Hands fumble to get them off.
“I’m glad you’re dumb enough to fall for someone like me.”
“And what kind of person are you like?”
“Cheesy, angsty, weird…”
“Yeah, I like that. I like you.”
Tonight, we make love.
Everything is slow: sensual rolls of hips, deep and satisfying thrusts. The way he cries out my name is the most beautiful sound. There’s no need to pound through everything, because I plan on doing this for a very long time.
AUTHOR’S NOTE
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Robert has always been driven by power and lust.
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The story continues in Take the Chance. Turn the page for an excerpt…
&nbs
p; Preview to Take the Chance
1: Spring Day
In a place I can’t touch,
I feel it in my heart.
And now I can’t stop,
Just wanna hear you say my name in the night again.
I lean against the wall, listening to the girl sing. It’s a supposedly sexy song, but the lyrics take my mind to somewhere deeper. So many things have happened and so many things have changed. Maybe I’m getting old and everything just reminds me of the past and makes me nostalgic and poetic.
Maybe we can meet again on a spring day or brush past each other’s shoulders under the New York lights…
“Hey, hey, Kris.”
The girl’s voice—not crooning out a song anymore and instead sounding both annoyed and happy—brings me back to reality.
I’m not a poet. I’m the manager of this bar and I take care of everything, from drunken fights to problems with the sound system.
“Yeah?” I push myself away from the wall.
“Can you lower the bass a little? I want my sexy voice to stand out more.”
The girl—Skye—looks like someone who dropped out of school to be a starving musician. In a way, she reminds me of myself, except she is brighter and bubblier. And she doesn’t sing about heartbreak because “my boyfriend might get the wrong idea.”
“Yeah, sure.” I run a hand through my hair. It had taken a while to grow out, but I’m still not used to having this stuff on my head. “People might feel the sexiness more if you dance though.”
Skye grins and immediately grinds the mic stand. “Like this?” she asks in an exaggerated sexy voice.
Rolling my eyes, I forcibly separate the girl from the stand. “Never mind. I’ll lose business.”
When the saxophonist decided he wanted to be a sexy porn star instead, I decided to scrap the live band for now. So now we just have a lonely singer with her mic stand and background music with apparently too much bass.
"We open in an hour. Go take a break or eat dinner."