Dirty Crown: A Bad Boy Secret Baby Royal Romance (with BONUS book - Rebel Rockstar!)

by Marci Fawn

  Unfortunately, right away a cold voice bursts through my foggy haze. “Well, hello there, Jemima. What a surprise to see you.”

  I turn to face him, unable to believe what I’m hearing. “Cole,” I gasp. “What the hell are you doing here? Who invited you?”

  “Did you really think there would be a big party like this without me here?” He steps too close to me, getting right into my personal space. I can feel his breath on my cheek. I smell him with every inhale—it’s absolutely unbearable. “I’m always here. I’m at everything. You should know that by now. Wherever you are, I am too. Have you not seen that yet?”

  Nate probably invited him without thinking. He knows I’ve had my ups and downs with Cole, but he has no idea of the extent of it. He definitely wouldn’t have invited him here if he knew…

  Cole’s hand touches my thigh, and I slap it away sharply. “Get the fuck off of me, Cole.” I can hear the break in my voice, which makes me sound weak. “You don’t have any power over me anymore.” I sound pitiful as I speak, which isn’t helped by the tear that instantly trickles down my cheek. I’ve been having such a good night. Two seconds in his presence and it’s already drained away.

  “Well, we both know that’s a lie,” he says, sneering. “I’ve always had power over you.” His fingers trail down my cheek, and I snatch my face away angrily. I try to step backward but I hit the wall hard. I’m stuck. I flick my eyes around, but quickly realize that I’m trapped in a corner with no easy escape.

  Cole recognizes that as well. In fact, I imagine that was his plan all along. He’s always enjoyed getting me in positions that I cannot get out of.

  His hands grasp me everywhere, bringing all the horrendous memories from my past flooding back. I try to scream, but the sound gets stuck in my throat. He’s right. He really does have power over me, and there’s not a damn thing I can do about it. My brain is screaming at me to fight and yell, but my body is frozen, as if I’m encased in ice.

  By the time my dress has been pulled up to my waist, my body has started to slump as if it’s ready to accept that I can’t keep him off me any longer. He always managed to overpower me, to do what he wanted, and now it’s happening all over again.

  “Oh, for fuck’s sake, Cole!” Tonya’s voice breaks through my fear. “Leave her alone or I’m calling the police right now.” Her phone is in her hand, and her expression is deadly serious, making me thankful for her presence all over again. “I fucking mean it, Cole. You cannot behave like a sleazy prick your whole life, you know?”

  “Fuck you, Tonya.” He laughs mirthlessly. “You’re pathetic, you know.”

  “I’m pathetic?” she screams. “I’m not the fucking dickhead who has a young girl pinned into the corner. Now don’t make me fucking scream and get everyone out here.”

  Eventually he walks off, making some sort of sleazy remark as he goes, but I tune him out, my breathing finally returning to normal. Tonya has saved me again, and I’m not sure why. This time I won’t let her get away. This time I need to talk to her. I need to find out why she’s being so nice to me for no apparent reason.

  “Don’t go,” I pant, reaching out, hoping to grab her hand. “I need you. I need to talk to you.”

  She moves behind me, practically holding me upright. “Are you okay? Do you need…I don’t know, medical help or anything?” There’s a terror in her voice that I can’t quite place.

  “No, no, I don’t need anything. I need you. I need to speak to you.” My words are coming out garbled, but I don’t care. As long as she understands, it doesn’t matter how foolish I sound. “Please. Please talk to me.”

  “I agree,” Tonya replies. “We do have a lot to discuss. Come on. Let’s go to the bathroom.” I lean against her and allow her to take me back inside. I don’t want to go back in, because I’m pretty sure Cole went that way, but with Tonya by my side I feel somewhat safer.

  22

  Nate

  I can’t believe how amazing this party is! The planners (who, to be honest, did most of the work) did a fantastic job throwing this together. I never would have been able to do this alone. After everything I’ve been through recently, it’s nice to be able to let my hair down and enjoy myself—although I have been holding back when it comes to booze. I can’t afford another mistake like that again! I’ve finally gotten to a place where I feel happy and settled with my life, and it’s nice to be able to recognize that. Even things with my new album are going much better than I expected.

  The only problem is that I haven’t seen Jem for a while now, and she’s the only one I really want to be with. It’s nice seeing everyone else, but it’s her that I want to be spending this party with. The last time I saw her she was heading toward the bathroom, but that was a long time ago. I’m not worried, exactly, because I know she’ll just be gossiping with someone somewhere, but I can’t help but miss her. After spending so much forced time apart, I hate to have her far away from me.

  As I scan the room again, I feel a hard tap on my shoulder. I spin around to see Cole standing there, glaring at me. “Oh, hi, Cole.” I smile at him warily, wondering what he’s doing. I only invited him to be polite. I never expected him to actually come. Especially after his fights with Jem, and the fact that he’s representing Lola. “Thank you for coming…” I say it like a question. “I appreciate it.”

  He grabs my hand tightly and hands me a business card. “If you ever need some new representation after the fucking mess your last management team got you in, then give me a call, okay?”

  I open my mouth to tell him that I’m quite happy with Paul, thank you very much, but he’s already gone, so I shove the card into my wallet, ready to throw it away later on. I’d never go to Cole, even if I didn’t have Paul—he’s weird and sleazy, and Jem would kill me. There’s just something very unlikable about him, and I doubt that would do very well for my career.

  “Nate?” A soft female voice takes me from my shock. Lola is unexpectedly standing in front of me. I was sure that she wasn’t coming, but I’m so glad she did. I don’t ever want her to feel excluded from any of our social events—especially after she saved my freaking life. She’s dressed in a demure, sweet black dress, as if she’s trying to represent a more somber version of herself, and her face is wet with tears. It’s obvious that she’s not sure she should be here, and I hate that. We all want her here. No one blames her for what happened, least of all me.

  “Oh, my God, Lola. Thank you so much for coming.” I pull her in for a hug, trying desperately to reassure her. “Are you okay?” She nods quickly, saying nothing. “Thank you so much for what you did for me in court. I can’t believe that you spoke out to defend me like that. I’d be in prison if it wasn’t for you.”

  “I’m just sorry that it went that far,” she practically sobs. “I never wanted any of that to happen. It was all Cole. He went crazy, wanting money and publicity, and I was powerless to stop it. He’s just such an overpowering person.”

  “It’s okay. I know how it is.” I try to interrupt, not wanting her to feel bad about herself, wanting to show her that my management can be a bit of a nightmare too, but she doesn’t stop talking.

  “He told me to lie at the trial, but I couldn’t do that to you.” That explains the weirdness that crossed her face as she stood up in the stand. I understand it now—her dilemma. Wreck her career, or stand up for me? Hopefully she’ll be able to rebuild herself, just as I have. I imagine the first thing she’ll need to do is get away from that waste of space Cole, but now isn’t the time for me to say that. “I’ve been feeling so bad ever since. I’m sorry I even kissed you. I was in such a bad place at the time…”

  “Do you…do you want to talk about it?” I try again, but she shakes her head emphatically. “Okay, well, let’s just put it behind us and forget about it. We’re friends, and I would love it to stay that way. I don’t want all of this to push us further apart.”

  “Okay,” she says, nodding. “Put it in the past—I can do that.�
�� She’s trying to sound brave, but I can definitely hear uncertainty in her tone.

  “So what’s new?” I don’t want her to leave just yet. I want her to realize that I’m serious about being friends. That I’m not just saying it to be kind. “What’s been going on with you?”

  “Well, I went back home for a while.” A small smile spreads across her lips. “And I managed to reconnect with my old boyfriend, Ben. He’s the one that got away, you know? The ultimate love of my life. We had to break up when I was taken away from him to start my career, but we spent some serious time together and we’ve decided to make it work.” She sends me a bright grin, showing me just how happy she really is. “I’m sure it won’t be easy, but hopefully we’ll manage to get past that.”

  “That’s amazing news!” I’m happy for her. She really deserves to find someone decent. “Is he nice? Does he treat you well?” I can’t help but slip my big brother pants back on. After all she’s been through, the last thing she needs is some shitty boyfriend in her life.

  “He’s the best. You’ll love him.” Her eyes shine with love—this guy must be a good one. “I didn’t want to bring him tonight, because I wasn’t sure if I was going to come myself, but I’ll definitely introduce the two of you soon.”

  She pulls out her phone and shows me some pictures of the pair of them hugging and doing cutesy couple-y things. He really does look like a nice guy, with sandy blonde hair and green eyes, but I’ll have to have a talk with him when I see him, just in case. I’ll need to make him understand that if he fucks with Lola, I’ll be on his case.

  “He looks like a nice guy.” I smile widely at her. “And I’m sure that Jem will be excited for you too.”

  “Where is Jem?” Lola asks, flicking her eyes all over the room. “I need to speak to her. I feel like I have a lot of explaining to do. I really want to get things back to normal with her.”

  “I don’t know,” I laugh. “I’ve been looking for her forever!”

  “Well, come on, I’ll help you find her.”

  It’s difficult to locate someone when you keep getting stopped to talk every two seconds, but eventually I manage to spot her coming out of the bathroom, arm in arm with Tonya. I shoot Lola a glance and she looks just as confused as I feel.

  “Let’s go,” I say to her. “Let’s find out what the hell is going on here.” This is too weird for words.

  23

  Jem

  Tonya sits me down on the toilet lid, allowing me a moment to catch my breath. I’m still a little blown away by what happened with Cole, and that combined with champagne is causing my head to spin wildly.

  At least I know for sure that I’m safe in here. There’s no way that Cole could get anywhere near me. Tonya’s presence makes me feel safe, too—surprisingly, after all that’s happened.

  “Are you okay?” she asks me with genuine concern in her voice. “Can I get you a drink of water or anything? Are you hurt? Are you sure you don’t need anyone?” She’s actually panicking about me, which is strangely nice. I never thought I’d get to a place where Tonya Becker cared about me, yet here we are.

  “No, I’m all right, I think,” I say, trying my best to give her a grateful smile. I take a second to look her up and down, examining her amazing outfit. Although I thought I looked pretty good tonight, it’s nothing compared to her. She has a rocking body like you wouldn’t believe, and in her tight, body-con red dress, she looks absolutely amazing. As I look at her, I feel a swell in my heart, one that wishes we’d managed to form a friendship early on. We’ve been in the same business for the same amount of time, and we’ve experienced a lot of similar things. It’s such a shame that jealousy over Nate kept us apart. If he wasn’t in the equation—much as I’m glad that he is—I wonder if we could have been friends.

  “Are you okay to talk now?” she asks. “Are you feeling all right?”

  “Yeah, I’m fine. Thank you again for saving me from that prick.” I try to smile, but I can’t deny the tears in my eyes. “I really do appreciate it.”

  “All right. Then…I have something to ask you.” Tonya stares at me with an intensity that makes me uneasy. I wonder where the hell she’s going with all of this, what she knows. I wonder what I’ll admit to her if she just comes out and asks me. “I’ve seen you with Cole a couple of times now, and it looks like he’s been acting very inappropriate with you. Did he…did he ever abuse you? When you were younger, I mean?”

  I glance down at my feet, emotions washing over me. It’s true. She knows the truth. I’ve probably been giving off abuse-victim vibes the whole time, even though I’ve been desperately trying not to. I’ve spent my whole life trying to hide that side of me, but it seems I’ve done a terrible job.

  “What I mean by that is…” Tonya continues. “Did he abuse you too?”

  “What?” I practically scream as my entire world shatters around me. What does she mean? Tonya waits patiently for my mind to decipher her words in a way that it really doesn’t want to accept. It’s bad enough knowing that my youth and early career was ruined by that horrible sleazy bastard, but to know that he did it to someone else too is killing me.

  In that moment, it all comes rushing back—the fear, the intimidation, the terror. Him, his hands, his abuse of my body. I shudder wildly as the memories come out from their locked-away hiding place to infiltrate me. Just the thought of him doing that to someone else…

  “Are you…?” I gasp. “What are you trying to tell me?”

  “I mean I suspect that he abused you.” She speaks slowly, trying desperately to get her message across. “In the same way he abused me.” I nod, the tears spilling down my face. I grip Tonya’s shoulders, hugging her tightly as she weeps too. The moment is sad and tragic, but at the same time I feel a little element of closure inside of me. I’m relieved to have been able to tell someone—even if it is under the worst circumstances ever.

  “How…how far did it go?” Tonya asks nervously, trembling with the implication of her words. I grab hold of her hands, wishing I could do anything to make her pain go away. Whatever I went through, whatever I experienced, I would do anything to take that haunted look from her.

  “Never rape,” I whisper, feeling vomit rile up in my stomach. “A lot of other stuff, but never that. He only tried the once.” I gulp, remembering that awful day. “I managed to escape and the very next day I demanded that he end my contract with him.” As I speak, I can feel myself returning to the young child he abused. I feel small, vulnerable, and terrified all over again.

  “I wasn’t so lucky,” Tonya sobs, leaning against me. I can tell by her face that she’s losing herself in the bad memories the same way that I am—but hers are so much worse. She didn’t manage to get away like I did. She had her innocence stolen by that pig.

  I start to understand why she’s always been such a bitch to me—I hated other people when it was happening too—but I feel like that’s coming to an end. I feel like this might be a turning moment for us, and that we might be friends from now on.

  “Why didn’t you go to the police?” I ask, pulling her into me.

  “For the same reason you didn’t,” she admits. “I was terrified. I’m still terrified. Who is going to believe the word of someone so young, over such an established manager? I had to consider how it would make me look, how it would affect the career that I was trying to build.” I nod, knowing exactly what she means. That’s exactly how I felt at the time too. I thought it was better to brush it under the carpet and try to move on.

  Of course, back then I had no idea that he was doing it to other people. I might have seen things differently if that was the case.

  “What do we do now?” Tonya asks, straightening up and wiping away her tears. “It feels like we should do something now.”

  “I don’t know,” I admit. “Things are different now. It was so long ago. He’s even been to rehab in that time. What if we went to the police and he managed to twist it around on us?” All the horrible possibili
ties flow through my mind. Anything could happen. I know that. Seeing how Nate was treated during his court case has put me off a little. I’m terrified of going through the same scrutiny that he did.

  “How is he these days?” Tonya asks me curiously. “How does he treat Lola?”

  “I’m not sure.” I shake my head, feeling that hopeless desperation overcome me once more. “She hasn’t said anything to me. I tried asking a little, but she just shut down.”

  “We need to find out,” she replies decisively. “I don’t really know the girl, but she reminds me of us back then—young, naive, scared. She’s desperate for a career, and I wonder how far she’ll take that.”

  “I know. I agree,” I muse thoughtfully. “I just wish that she was here so I could speak to her. I’m scared she’s staying away because she’s afraid of how I’ll react.”

  “She’ll be okay.” Tonya nods, smiling at me. “You’ll get your chance to talk, and you’ll sort things out.” She pauses for a second, just looking at me. “You really are a good friend, you know, and a good person. I’m sorry I was a bitch to you for all that time. I guess I just felt like you got everything—the good career, the boy, the easy life. I didn’t know then…”

  “Of course you didn’t. I completely understand,” I say to reassure her. “If anyone can understand you, it’s me.”

  “Come on,” she finally announces. “Let’s go back to the party. Nate will be wondering where you are.”

  “Thank you,” I say. “I’m so glad I have you, and I’m really grateful to you for looking out for me the way you did.”

  “Friends?” she asks sincerely.

  “Friends,” I confirm, happy to start this new chapter of our lives.

  24

  Nate