by Hannah Ford
“I’m free? That’s a new one coming from you.” She didn’t wait for his response, but instead walked back to her own room. As she went, Raven was disheartened. Wondering why she felt that way, it occurred to her that despite everything, she still wanted Jake Novak, and she didn’t like it one bit.
* * *
Knowing that Jake had a show that night at the Garden in Boston, Raven spent the next few hours getting ready.
After all, there wasn’t much else for her to do while waiting around.
She took a long bath, shaved, and used all the lotions and perfumes that had been left for her in the bathroom.
She pampered herself, feeling guilty and empowered, nervous and ecstatic all at once.
When she was done in the bathroom, she came out and found a whole new wardrobe awaiting her in the bedroom. He’d obviously crept into her bedroom when he knew Raven was busy for a while in the bathroom.
There was practically an entire department store set up for her and her alone.
A thrill went through Raven as she began to understand that Jake Novak was doing all of this for her. He wanted her to be comfortable, to be dressed in beautiful clothes, to have gorgeous shoes if that’s what she liked.
Or does he just not want to be embarrassed by me out in public?
Okay, so that was a possibility, but Raven didn’t allow it to slow her down. She spent nearly an hour just trying on various combinations of outfits, finally settling on a black Fendi sheath dress with pieced black organza flutter cap sleeves.
Jake had also left a large jewelry box on her dresser, and upon looking inside, Raven found absolutely stunning necklaces and earrings of differing styles and varieties.
She decided on a white gold and diamond encrusted collar necklace as the compliment to her dress. Raven had no idea how much the necklace cost, but she was guessing something north of fifty thousand dollars was possible.
For heels, she wore a pair of crystal-covered Christian Louboutin’s, and then she selected a Saint Laurent bag from an assortment of purses that had been left in a large leather case in the corner of her bedroom.
When Raven was finally dressed, she looked at herself in the mirror and was stunned at the change in her own appearance.
I look like one of them.
It practically took her breath away. She decided that maybe the biggest difference between a “normal girl” and one of those intimidating women that Jake Novak would be interested in dating was simply how much money those women had. If you had enough money, you could get the style and the beauty along with it.
Raven wasn’t sure if that was a good thing or not, but she had to admit that she liked seeing herself in this new way.
Smoothing her hair, she took a deep breath and then left her bedroom and went into the suite.
Jake was already there, talking on his cell phone and looking out the picture window at the Boston skyline. “Yeah, leaving in a minute,” Jake said into his cell phone. “Meet you in the lobby, have the car ready.”
He was wearing a flashy leather jacket with a t-shirt on underneath, and a pair of sharp blue jeans. He looked absolutely fantastic, as if she’d inadvertently caught him during the middle of a Vogue fashion shoot.
But there was nobody else in the room—no stylists, no wardrobe people, nobody to make him look this good. Jake simply was that good looking, and he was that stunning in or out of the clothes he had on.
Jake turned around as she came into the room, his eyes widening momentarily as he caught sight of her in the new outfit she’d put on. “Kurt—I have to go now. See you in a minute.” He hung up his phone, still staring at her.
“Hey,” she said, smiling shyly. The way he was staring at her was making her wonder if she’d chosen the wrong outfit.
“Hey,” he replied walking towards her. “You look…” he shook his head.
“Did I do it wrong?”
He shook his head again. “I think I’m at a loss for words.”
“That seems rare,” Raven said, feeling her cheeks flush.
“It is rare,” he replied.
There was a silent moment of them both just looking at one another, and although it should have felt awkward, somehow it didn’t.
But then, after some time, Raven couldn’t look at him anymore. He was actually too handsome, and his eyes were too piercing, making her feel naked and vulnerable.
She wanted to please him so badly, and it didn’t make sense, because this was purely a business arrangement. And not even one that she’d asked to be in.
“Are we leaving now?” she said, clearing her throat and trying to sound businesslike and professional. She was in charge of his fake social media, after all.
“You seem anxious to go,” Jake replied, watching her closely. “Is it so bad being here alone with me for a minute or two?”
“No, it’s not that,” she said, her breath leaving as he came nearer.
“What is it, then? Tell me, Raven.”
“Something about the way you say my name, I don’t know if I like it.”
“You don’t like how I say your name?”
“It’s like…like you think you know me.” She turned her head, and now Jake stepped closer still, his breath hot on her neck as he looked at her, and she could feel the need coming from him.
“Maybe I do know you,” he said. “Maybe that’s why I make you so nervous.”
Just kiss me, she thought. It would be so much easier in so many ways if you’d do that, and then I could stop wondering if you really even like me at all.
“I don’t think you know me half as well as you think you do,” she told him.
“There’s something about you that I can’t quite figure out,” he admitted, his brown eyes searching her as if for answers.
“I’m not that complicated,” she said.
“Don’t lie to me, Raven.”
“Fine.” She met his gaze, letting her guard down for a moment. “Maybe I am complicated.” Now she was searching his eyes too, and he let her. “But you’re complicated, too, Jake. And not in the way everyone thinks. It’s not just everything that they talk about on TV and in the magazines. You’ve been through things that nobody can understand, that you make sure no one else even knows about.”
He didn’t respond at first. He allowed her statement to go unchallenged.
They were connecting in some strange way. She could feel it so strongly and she knew Jake could feel it too. She saw hurt and pain in his eyes, pain that was so strong, so fresh, that it almost made her want to kiss him to heal whatever he was feeling.
And then Jake finally pulled away, running a hand through his hair. “Ummm…yeah. We should get going or Kurt’s going to get pissy.”
“We wouldn’t want that,” she said sarcastically, feeling that an opportunity had been missed.
“The limo’s waiting, Raven. Come on, we don’t want to be late for the big show.” He turned and walked to the door opening it, starting out into the hallway.
On the way out of hotel, there had been a virtual wall of paparazzi taking pictures and screaming questions and comments that seemed designed to get Jake’s attention.
“Jake! Jake!”
“Over here, Jake!”
“Jake, how do you feel about Boston? Do you like the people here?”
“Any new women in your life, Jake?”
“Quick smile! Quick smile over here!”
The calls and screams were so frequent that Raven was taken aback by the intensity and fury of it all. There were fans begging for autographs, girls screaming and crying, and then there were the phalanx of bodyguards making a small box of protection around Jake, while Raven and Bruce and Kurt trailed behind him.
The four of them were able to get into the limousine, which then promptly took off, being escorted by police cars as they drove to the Garden.
Inside the limo, Jake was quiet, seemingly lost in thought. Kurt was on the phone yelling at someone about lighting, and Bruce was on his
iPad, typing away.
Nobody spoke to each other on the ride to the venue.
Welcome to the tour, Raven thought.
* * *
As strange as the drive over had been, nothing could have prepared Raven for just how overwhelming it would be once they arrived at the venue.
Parked beside the Garden, were more than a dozen semi-trailer trucks with Jake’s name and face emblazoned on them. And then there were the tour buses, gigantic oversized vehicles that carried the band around from city to city with the trailer trucks presumably following along, like some bizarre travelling gypsy caravan.
The amount of people and equipment involved was mind-boggling, and it quickly became apparent to Raven just how much pressure was on Jake’s shoulders.
All of this was about him and him alone. He didn’t have other band members to shoulder the burden, to take some of the heat. The millions and millions of dollars being generated by this tour was happening because of him, and if he somehow failed to deliver the goods, there was nobody else to blame.
Not only were they making millions and millions of dollars in the course of this tour—it was now clear to Raven that they were also spending millions of dollars.
All of these people were being paid by Jake. All of this equipment, and the vehicles, the labor, the food, the insurance, the marketing and publicity and posters and television ads—all of it came from him.
Sure, Jake was going to make a lot of money performing a few hours a night. But a lot more was going on then just the nightly performance. And now that Raven was inside the bubble with Jake, she was quickly sensing that it wasn’t what she’d imagined it to be.
Inside the arena, she did her best to just stay out of the way, keeping close to Jake without really making her presence fully known. Why he even wanted her with him, she couldn’t have said, as he all but ignored her as he moved from one location to the next, never stopping for long.
Kurt was always around, talking on the phone and then barking orders out to various people who worked on tour. He seemed always frustrated, constantly on edge, telling someone that what they were doing wasn’t good enough, fell short, wasn’t going to cut it.
But as confusing and shocking as it felt to suddenly be thrust into this strange new world, not knowing her role or what she was supposed to be doing other than following Jake Novak from one place to the next—nothing was as strange as when Courtney Taylor showed up.
It happened a few hours after arriving at the venue.
They were still backstage before the show, and everyone was milling around. There were musicians, backup singers, dancers, technicians, roadies, publicists, catering staff and security guards all in one place.
Raven was still following Jake around like a lost puppy, trailing behind him, invisible to everyone, while he answered questions, talked on the phone, did mini-interviews and recorded promotional bits for various radio stations.
When they had a bit of a break, Jake asked her if she was hungry.
“Starving,” Raven admitted.
“You can eat whenever you want,” Jake said. “You don’t have to wait for me to tell you.”
“Oh, okay. I just—I wasn’t sure what I was supposed to be doing.”
“Come on, let’s grab a plate for you,” he said, bringing her to the tables lined with all kinds of food prepared by the catering services. He surprised her by making the plate for her, asking her what she liked and then doling out portions of it, making Raven feel taken care of.
And then Raven wondered why he was always so hot and cold. One moment, he acted like he was her doting boyfriend, the next it was as if he didn’t know her name.
Handing her the plate, Jake smiled at her. “Eat, relax. I know this whole thing seems totally foreign right now. But in a week you’ll feel like you’ve been doing it your whole life.”
“Is that a good thing?” Raven asked, grabbing a mini hot dog wrapped in bacon and popping it in her mouth.
“Depends,” Jake said.
“Depends on what?” Raven asked, after she’d swallowed her food.
But Jake didn’t have a chance to answer, because suddenly Courtney Taylor had arrived on the scene.
Everyone took notice.
It wasn’t because everyone knew who she was, either. Courtney Taylor wasn’t that big a star, certainly not on Jake’s level. But the moment she walked into the room, Raven felt like she’d been eclipsed, as Jake’s attention turned to Courtney, as if he’d forgotten Raven was even there at all.
Raven understood why, too.
Courtney breezed in laughing, spinning in her brilliant gold dress with sequins, the dress clinging tightly to her athletic figure. She talked to everyone—everyone—and the moment she was in range, her eyes would lock onto theirs and then she’d hit them with her brilliant, dazzling smile. Those big green eyes of hers would light up as if she found whoever was in front of her the most fascinating person on the planet.
Courtney’s honey blond hair fell in curls down her shoulders, and her skin was tan and flawless, as if she’d been photo-shopped to perfection in real life. Her lips were luscious, soft and heart shaped, her eyes beautiful, surrounded by dark eye shadow that offset her bright blond hair and pink lips.
Courtney was girlish, flirty, cute and endearing. But a moment later she could be sexy, touching someone with those delicate hands and they would instantly blush, women and men alike.
By the time the blossoming superstar had made her way to Jake, he was already transfixed by her.
“I wrote a song about you,” was the first thing Courtney said, upon approaching him.
Jake chuckled. “You wrote a song about me?”
She nodded, batting her eyes at him, pursing her lips. She put her hands on his shoulders with the kind of familiarity that suggested having known him intimately. “I wrote it before I even knew we’d be doing this tour together.”
Raven nearly choked on a mini hotdog.
Courtney glanced over to her, one eyebrow rising curiously. “Who are you?” she said. “Not Jake’s new girlfriend, I hope.”
Raven had half a mind to say that that was exactly what she was, just to see Courtney and Jake’s reactions. Instead she just smiled. “I’m his social media…uh…person. Social media stuff—I do that.”
“Oh,” Courtney laughed. “You do that stuff.” Something in her tone was derisive without being obvious about it.
“Yup, that’s me,” Raven said, catching Jake’s eye.
He looked annoyed.
“I’m just glad you didn’t say you two were a couple,” Courtney said, spinning away from Jake, her ass swaying provocatively. Everyone within a hundred feet was staring at the spectacle now. “I’ve had the biggest crush on him ever since his first single. I was like, that guy can write a love song like nobody’s business.”
“I co-wrote that song with Evan Daniels,” Jake reminded Courtney.
“You wrote the words, though, didn’t you?”
“Yeah.” Jake gave Courtney a proud look that filled Raven with helpless jealousy.
“That’s what I thought,” Courtney said. “Those words—I couldn’t stop listening to them,” Courtney told him. “The line that said, ‘I never really saw your face until I saw you leaving’ was like—totally devastating, in the best way.”
“Wow,” Jake said. “I’m a huge fan of yours, too. That’s why I played every card I had to get you here.”
Raven stood there next to Jake Novak, holding her plate of food that had gone cold, watching two superstars forming what looked like a love connection to end all love connections, and she felt a pit in her stomach opening that was the size of the Grand Canyon.
She was right next to him, so it was almost as if Courtney was looking at her too, she could practically feel what Jake must be feeling as this sultry vixen spun her web of flirtation and seductiveness, luring him into her clutches.
“You did that for me?” Courtney asked, stopping and standing still for a moment,
looking at him as if he were Sir Galahad, her knight in shining armor. “I love a man who puts all his cards on the table when he wants something or someone.”
“I guess I’m the man for you then,” Jake laughed.
“Oh, I never doubted that,” Courtney replied, smiling, and then she strutted closer to him again. “I should play you my song,” she told him.
“Sure, maybe at sound check.”
Raven could tell that the thought of Courtney playing him a song made Jake uncomfortable. And in that moment, her own frustration at being ignored in favor of this musical sexpot made Raven act impulsively. “You should play it now,” Raven told Courtney.
“You think so?” Courtney asked her.
“Yeah, definitely now.”
Jake shot Raven another look that could have killed, but she ignored him.
“Aki, did you hear that?” Courtney said, snapping her fingers and turning her head to look at a small Japanese man who was standing a few feet behind her.
Aki looked like he could have been anywhere from twenty years old to forty years old—his face was smooth and ageless. “Shall I get your guitar?” he asked Courtney, his voice betraying a slight accent.
“Please,” she said softly but firmly. Aki scurried off and Courtney turned back to Jake, her eyes brightening again. “I feel like a little kid at her first recital.”
“You know what, I should take some video of this and post it to Facebook,” Raven announced, surprising even herself.
Jake turned and looked at her, his eyes dark. “No, I think this should be kept private.”
“Oh, that’s a great idea!” Courtney gasped.
“Yeah, well, I am his social media coordinator after all,” Raven reminded them. She felt proud to have added ‘coordinator’ on the end of her job title. It sounded way more official.
Jake glared at Raven, his jaw tensing. “What are you doing?” he said softly.
“My job,” she replied easily. Then Raven pulled out her phone and put it onto the video setting, as Aki came running back with a guitar case. He knelt down and opened the case, revealing an acoustic guitar that sparkled as if it had been encrusted with millions of tiny diamonds. Aki lifted the guitar from the case as if he were handling a sacred relic, handing it over to Courtney, who slung it over her shoulder and gave it a quick strum.