Cougar

by M. A. Foster

  Jay excuses herself, and Zach escorts her out of the room. I turn to Elizabeth. “You raised an amazing kid. He’s been so strong and supportive. I can’t even begin to thank him for everything he’s done for Jay.”

  Before Elizabeth has a chance to reply, my phone and several others ping with a Google alert.

  Breaking News: Royal Mayhem’s new front man, Alex Reyes, is the love child of the late Marcus King.

  “Shit,” I murmur. Pushing to my feet, I move to the corner and call my lawyer, Jack Reynolds. Alex and Evangeline are immediately at my side.

  “This is Jack Reynolds. Leave me a message after the beep.”

  “Jack, it’s Emerson. I need you to call me back immediately.”

  “We need to get her out of here before someone opens their mouth,” Alex urges.

  “This is Zach’s night. We can talk to her about it tomorrow,” I argue.

  “The longer you put this off, the more pissed off she’s going to be,” Eva says.

  “He was my father, too, and barely in my life before he was gone,” Alex barks out. “She’s all I have left, and I almost lost her, too.” He jabs his finger at me. “You’re not protecting her—you’re lying to her. You’re all lying to her.”

  “You’re my brother?”

  All three of us turn in shock to see Jay standing there with a pained expression on her face. Her chest is heaving, as if any minute she’s going to burst into tears. Evangeline gasps and covers her mouth.

  “Why would you keep that from me?” Her voice cracks.

  “Jayla, listen to me—” I start.

  “What the hell? You all knew he was my brother?”

  She turns her gaze on Alex, scanning his face, and I can see the moment it all clicks into place.

  “What’s your full name, Alex?” she asks.

  “Marcus Alexander Reyes-King,” he answers apologetically, and her expression morphs into a mixture of anger and disappointment.

  Her eyes fill with tears before she looks to Zach. “I’m sorry, Z. I have to get out of here,” she whispers.

  Zach tugs Jay closer to his chest protectively. “Then let’s go.” He releases his hold on her only to take her hand, then leads her toward the exit.

  “Where are you going?” I ask.

  “Princess,” Bass calls.

  Jay whirls around, eyes wide, nostrils flared and lips pinched. “Excuse me if I don’t want to spend another minute with a bunch of liars. I’m not a baby, and I don’t know why you keep treating me like one. I’ve been through a lot in the last year. My own brother has been right in front of me almost every single day, and none of you thought it was important enough to me to tell me the truth. I can’t be near any of you right now.” She turns on her heels and storms out of the room with Zach, Levi, and Troy trailing behind her.

  Alex turns his angry glare on me. “I told you this would happen,” he grits out.

  “Be nice,” Bass warns just as the call connects.

  “Hi, Mom.”

  “Hi, Jayla,” I reply. “Thank you for speaking to me.”

  Bass snorts a laugh. “I said be nice, not professional.”

  I flip him off. “You’re in St. Thomas?”

  By the time I said my goodbyes and got back to the house, Jayla and Zach were gone with their luggage. They had planned to spend their spring break in St. Thomas with their friends, but they left their friends behind.

  “Yes. I just need some time alone, okay? And don’t worry, Troy and Levi are close by.”

  “I’ll respect that. We shouldn’t have kept that from you. It was wrong. Don’t blame Alex, though. It was my choice. I thought with everything that’s happened, it was just too much, and it would be better to wait until after you graduated. Unfortunately, someone got hold of the information and leaked it to the media before I got the chance to tell you. I hope you don’t hate me. I—”

  “Would you stop saying that? I told you before that I could never hate you. I have a lot of questions, but I need to wrap my head around this first.”

  “I feel like I’m failing at this single parent stuff.” My voice cracks.

  “Mom, stop. That’s not true. You’ve been the best mom anyone could ask for. I love you and your craziness. Mean it.”

  “Ha-ha.” I roll my eyes. “How’s Zach? Is he ready to bail yet?”

  Bass curls his lip and gives me a “you’re an idiot” look.

  “Pssh. Please. Have you met Elizabeth Easton?”

  That makes me laugh.

  “Okay, I’m off to LA to meet with Chandler and our attorneys to see if I can get this story retracted. I won’t let the media ruin the reputation Marcus worked so hard to build. He and I loved each other, and he didn’t cheat on me.” My eyes flick to Alex. “And I won’t let them make Sophia out to be a home-wrecker. She’s a good woman.”

  “Two words, Mom. Miles. Townsend.”

  I raise my brows. “Hmm. I hadn’t thought of that.”

  “Dad trusted Miles. He’s on our side. Alex’s article isn’t supposed to come out until next month. There’s still time. Let Miles help.”

  “I’ll do that. Good thinking, Jayla. We’ll be going over some last-minute details for the tour, so please answer your phone when I call.”

  “I will. I love you very much, Mom. Even though you baby me too much and piss me off, I know you only do it because you love me and want to protect me.”

  “You’ll understand one day. I love you, baby. I’ll call you when I get to LA. And promise me that you’ll give Alex a chance.”

  “I promise.”

  “Where are you?” Cam asks.

  “I’m in California tying up a few loose ends for the tour. I’ll be back tomorrow.”

  “All right.” He sighs. “Emerson, no more keeping secrets. You got it?”

  I grin. I like bossy Cam. “Got it.”

  “All right. I miss you. I love you.”

  “I love you, too. Good luck at the game.”

  “Thanks, babe. Bye.”

  “Bye.” I smile as I hang up.

  “Do you know what you’re gonna say to this woman?” Bass asks.

  “No clue.” I waltz up to the reception desk, my attention falling to the plaque that states her name is Faith. “I’d like to speak with Ms. Cuntinger.”

  Bass chuckles under his breath. The receptionist looks up and her mouth falls open. “Uh….” Her eyes flick between Bass and me.

  I raise my brows. “Today would be great,” I add. “I’m on a tight schedule.”

  She blinks. “Oh, yes.” She reaches for her phone and presses a button. “Ms. Cunt”—she clears her throat “—Cunninger, Mrs. King is here to see you.” She dips her head, cups her hand over the receiver and whispers, “No ma’am. I’m not shitting you. She’s standing right here, and there’s a very big, angry-looking man with her. Please hurry.”

  The receptionist returns the phone to the cradle and clears her throat again before plastering a shaky smile on her face. “She’ll be right out.”

  Less than a minute later, the little orange bane of my existence strolls out of her office with a faux confidence I could spot a mile away. “Mrs. King. What a surprise,” she greets me, extending her hand. I don’t take it. Instead, Bass grunts and takes a step forward. I have to bite the inside of my cheek to keep from laughing.

  “Ms. Cuntinger, I’d like a word in private.”

  “It’s Cunninger.”

  I give a careless shrug. “A word?”

  She crosses her arms over her chest. “Actually, I’m very busy at the moment. If you’d like to make an appointment”—she gestures to her receptionist—“Faith would be happy to make one for you. I’m sure you know the way out.” She spins on her heel and starts back toward her office.

  “You know,” I call to her retreating back, “I was just thinking about your little blog.” She stops and turns back to face me. “What it’s called, B?” I ask, tilting my head in his direction, my eyes never leaving hers.

/>   “Operation Bird Watch.”

  I snap my fingers and point to the air. “That’s it.” I nod. “I was thinking that, since you targeted my bird, I’m going to target yours.” My head swivels to the nervous girl behind the reception desk and I grin. “She looks like she could be a canary.” I turn to Bass. “What do you think, B?”

  He nods slowly, going along with my crazy talk. “I like where you’re going with this.”

  I’m grasping here, but I don’t have a lot to work with. It’s either plan A: bribery, or plan B: kick her ass.

  “What are you talking about?” Cuntinger’s face twists up in confusion.

  “I bet if I offered Faith three times her annual salary, she’d sing like a canary.” I bark out a laugh. “What do you say, Faith? You interested.”

  “U-um,” she stutters.

  “Hold on,” Cuntinger jumps in. “What do you want, Emerson?”

  “It’s Mrs. King,” Bass corrects her.

  “Fine,” she grits out through a forced smile. “What do you want from me, Mrs. King?”

  Man, this is fun. I miss being in PR.

  “I want to know who sold you the information on my daughter.”

  “Mrs. King.” She exhales. “You know I can’t divulge my source.”

  “I can,” Faith pipes up. “It was Nikki Fox.” She stands from her desk and begins tossing her personal things into her bag. “You can make the check out to Faith Marks in the amount of $57,000.”

  I was never really good at math, so it takes a moment to register. I jerk my gaze back to Cuntinger. “You only pay this girl $19,000 a year?” I ask incredulously.

  “She’s part-time.”

  “Thirty-five hours,” Faith adds.

  I look over at Bass, who’s shaking his head in disbelief.

  “Let’s go, Faith.”

  “Who’s this?” Andrew asks as we walk into the conference room.

  “This is Faith.” I gesture to the men seated around the table. “Faith, this is Chandler Skye, Jack Reynolds, Andrew Wild, Chaz Vargas, Tommy Stone, and Alex Reyes. Faith here needs a job. Preferably one that pays more than $19K a year.”

  The room is silent for a moment, and then Chandler speaks up. “We’ll find something for her.”

  “Great.” I turn to Faith. “Would you mind waiting outside?”

  “Sure. No problem,” she chirps, then turns and leaves the room, closing the door behind her.

  “Where’d you find her?” Chandler asks as Bass and I take a seat at the conference table.

  “I stole her from that blogger bitch who’s been stalking Jay.” I turn my attention to Jack. “Do you have Nikki Fox’s contract.”

  “What for?” Andrew asks.

  “Because she’s the one feeding information to the blogger, and I want her the fuck out. What I don’t understand is how she knew about Alex.”

  “My guess is she had to be standing close by and overheard us talking,” Andrew replies.

  And then it hits me. “The Grammys.”

  “Well that was a productive trip,” Bass says with a laugh as he settles beside me on the plane. He and I are heading back to Heritage Bay. Alex and Eva are on their way to St. Thomas to meet up with Jay and Zach.

  “I think you made Faith’s year,” he adds.

  “Three years,” I retort. I kept my word and wrote Faith a check for $57,000, plus another $50,000 to sign a nondisclosure agreement. Faith had only been working for the blogger bitch for a short time and was never asked to sign an NDA. Amateur.

  Chandler found Faith a job answering phones at eighteen dollars an hour. And even though Alex’s story was ready to print in the next issue, Miles Townsend was more than thrilled to re-interview Alex. Especially regarding the latest news about being Marcus’s son.

  As much as I wanted to fire Nikki Fox myself, I decided to let Chandler and Jack deal with her. After today, she’ll be looking for a new label and someone else to write her songs. Nothing a blow job won’t fix, but her career will never be the same.

  Emerson

  Today I watched my baby walk across the stage and accept her diploma. It was one of the proudest moments of my life.

  “I never thought I’d see this day,” I gush, my eyes welling up with tears.

  Jay’s mouth falls open. “You didn’t think I’d graduate from high school?”

  I scoff, wiping the tears from my eyes. “No. I never thought I’d get to see you walk across the stage and accept your diploma with the rest of your class. This is a big moment for me, too.”

  Zach walks up behind Jay and wraps his arms around her. “Babe, I have a graduation gift for you,” he says close to her ear.

  “It’s gonna have to wait till after the party, horndog.” She giggles.

  “I’m standing right here,” I remind them, grimacing.

  “Oh.” Jay snorts a laugh and Zach says, “It’s not that. Come with me.”

  Elizabeth walks up and hooks her arm around mine. “I can’t believe our babies just graduated high school,” she says. “How are you, Emerson?”

  I push out my bottom lip. “Time goes by too fast.”

  “He signed with Gulf Coast University because he wants to be close to her.” She jerks her chin toward the balcony.

  My phone pings, and I look at the screen to see a text notification from my reporter friend in LA. Thought you’d want to see this, it says, and below it is a link. It takes me to a gossip website called The Wall.

  Jaybird Is Off The Market

  Jayla King, 18, whom we’ve all come to know as Jaybird, is off the market. A source tells us that the rising star married her longtime boyfriend, Zach Easton, 19, last month while vacationing in St. Thomas. The couple exchanged their “I dos” in a private ceremony on the secluded beach near King’s villa. The source claims the two seemed happy and very much in love.

  “Oh my God,” Elizabeth gasps in shock. “They didn’t.”

  “They better fucking not have,” I growl. “Jaylaaaaa!” I shove through the crowd and storm out onto the balcony. Both are looking at me like deer in headlights, and I know I already have my answer. Elizabeth moves to stand beside me with her arms crossed. Holding my phone in the air, I say, “Tell me this isn’t true.”

  Jay straightens her shoulders. “It’s true.”

  “Why?” My eyes well up with tears for an entirely different reason than before. “Why would you do that?” My voice cracks.

  Regret flashes in her watery eyes. “I’m sorry, Mom. I thought you out of anyone would understand since you eloped with Dad.”

  “Well I don’t.” I look over my shoulder to see curious faces on the other side of the glass, blatantly watching our exchange.

  “Zach, does your father know about this?” Elizabeth asks.

  “No.”

  “I hope this doesn’t affect your place on the team.”

  Zach scoffs. “They didn’t have a problem with Cole having a kid. Why would they care if I have a wife?” he argues.

  Elizabeth shrugs. “The circumstances are different.”

  “Well if they have a problem with it, then I guess I won’t play for them.”

  “Zach—” Jay starts.

  “As much as I want to strangle you both right now, we’re in the middle of a graduation party and there are too many witnesses,” I state more calmly than I feel. “We’ll talk about this later.”

  Cam barks out a laugh through the phone and I grit my teeth. “It’s not funny, Cam.”

  “I’m sorry, babe, but it kind of is.”

  “I’m hanging up.”

  “Wait—”

  “What?” I snap.

  “I love you,” he says.

  Gah. “I love you, too.”

  “You okay?”

  “No.” I press my palm to my forehead and I sigh. “I miss you.”

  “I miss you, too. I’ll see you in a few days. Try not to kill them.”

  “I make no promises. Bye.”

  “Bye, babe.”


  “Well fuck me, if this isn’t karma at its finest,” my mother laughs and turns to Jayla. “Don’t get me wrong, baby girl. I’m extremely disappointed in you for denying your family the chance to be a part of something important.” The tone of her voice turns from amused to shaky. “Do you have any idea how heartbroken we were when your mother ran off and eloped with your father? Mac Daddy never got the chance to walk his only daughter down the aisle, to give her away. Tell me what you two were thinking.”

  “We were thinking that life is short, and the people we love can be taken from us when we least expect it, so why not live it to the fullest with no regrets? We weren’t trying to be deceitful, and we didn’t mean to hurt our families. We did it because we love each other, and after everything I, Zach, and this family has been through—” Jayla inhales sharply through her nose and looks away. “I’m sorry. We’re sorry. We’d still like to have a wedding, if you’re up for planning one, but it has to be before I leave on tour.”

  “The tour is in six weeks.” I exclaim. “You’re basically giving me a month to plan a wedding. Where the hell is this wedding supposed to take place? Most venues are booked out at least a year in advance. And you need a dress. Jesus, Jayla.” I press my palm to my forehead. “Why can’t the wedding wait until after the tour?”

  “Because that’s not what we want. We’re already married. This isn’t LA. I don’t need some big fancy wedding. You and Dad raised me out of the public eye, and I want to keep it that way.”

  “The day you stepped on that red carpet you put yourself in the public eye.”

  “I’ll make some calls,” my mother says.

  “I’ll help,” Liz adds. “Mimi and I have a lot of connections with all the charity work we do. I’m sure we can find a venue between the two of us.”