by K. K. Allen
A frustrated growl came from the panel, this time from Jimmy. “Will you two please cut this out? We have a show to put together and less than one week to get our cast squared away. Can you two settle this damn feud before you sink the ship we haven’t even boarded yet? The last thing we need is another story to hit the Broadway rumor-mill. We’d all be out of jobs.”
Jimmy was right. As much as everyone else, I didn’t want to bring drama into this production. Unfortunately, the damage was done. I was just there to shut the door on it, once and for all.
“What happens to this show once this series kicks off is moot at this point,” Jimmy said, looking between Dirk and me. Then he clapped a hand on my back. “We’re here today to choose a female lead, and I agree with the majority that Kai is our best option. Does anyone oppose?”
I bit my tongue. As much as Pink Tights had gotten under my skin today, I also wasn’t blind. She was the best one in the room by a mile.
“Okay, it’s done then.” Deb stood, looking relieved to be calling it a day. “I’ll reach out to her agent and make an offer. And I’ll offer Margaret the understudy role.”
“And if Kai doesn’t accept?” Dirk asked Jimmy, leaving his eyes on me. “Madeline isn’t fit for the lead. Not yet, anyway. We need a solid principal cast for this first run.”
Jimmy waved his hands in the air. “One issue at a time. But no one is calling Claudette until we hear back from Kai.” He stabbed a glare at Dirk then started collecting his things. “See you all tomorrow.”
Dirk’s eyes remained on mine in a stare down that spoke the only language we both knew: Claudette. He wasn’t just trying to rile me up by mentioning her. He was dead serious about bringing her onboard. I wouldn’t let that happen.
Dirk flipped me off and started for the exit while the rest of them followed, looking tired and reluctant. They would probably all go to dinner, have some drinks, and talk about what a fuckup I was. I didn’t care. All I wanted was to head back to my hotel and hammer some new songs out of my keyboard.
Once they were all gone, I gathered up my sheet music, which I’d been making minor revisions to all day, and walked backstage. It was pretty dark since everyone had taken off for the day, but I was used to the darkness. I would find my way. Eventually.
My foot caught on something soft on the floor, kicking it forward with a quiet shuffle. I reached down to grab it, and my hand looped around the strap of someone’s duffel bag. Slinging it over my shoulder, I figured I could check off my good deed for the day and take it to the front desk. Surely, someone would be frantic looking for it. Heaven knew I could use a little good karma.
I’d just turned the corner and could see the exit door when a figure burst through it and started running my direction. She didn’t see me at first, but this time, I saw her.
Her eyes connected with mine a moment too late, and she screeched to a halt, but her body still slammed into mine with a surprising impact. She couldn’t have weighed more than a buck fifteen, but shit, she was powerful.
“Geez, I’m sorry,” she said. “I didn’t—”
Even in the dim light, I could see the pink of her cheeks and the embarrassment in her eyes… until she realized who I was. Everything about her hardened, as if my look alone could turn this woman to stone. For a brief moment, I wondered if someone like me could ever have the opposite effect on her. Kai was tough as nails and guarded in a way that kind of pissed me off. She didn’t look like she went soft for many people.
“You didn’t what?”
“I didn’t see you there until it was too late.”
I grinned. “Sounds familiar.”
Her eyes flicked down to the bag tossed over my shoulder, and she glared. “What are you doing with my bag?”
I looked at my shoulder and frowned at the irony. “I was turning it in so whoever left it behind could find it.” I plucked it off my shoulder and held it out so that she could grab it. Then I winked. “You’re welcome.”
She growled, snatched the strap from me, and lifted it onto her shoulder. She turned and started stomping away like the predictable little minx she was, then she turned, her hair whipping around her head. “You know what? I don’t feel bad about what I said in the audition.”
“You mean the part about ya not bein’ a fan, yeah?”
She nodded then raised her chin. “Yeah. It’s unfortunate your music is so good, because you’re kind of an asshole. If that means I didn’t get the part, then so be it.”
Heat flared in my chest, and I didn’t know if I was aroused or pissed off. But I shrugged because I was the one with the upper hand. I knew something she didn’t.
“You’ll warm up to me soon. After all, we’ll be working awfully close over the next nine months.” When her jaw fell open, I raised my arms to my sides. “Welcome to Broadway, love.”
Chapter 5
Kai
My agent called me Tuesday afternoon, confirming Sebastian’s spoiler alert from the day before.
“Congratulations, Kai. They’re offering you the part.”
Her excitement didn’t fool me. Sheena wanted that part more for herself than for me, but I couldn’t afford to dwell on that. I had to face the facts—my prospects were abysmal outside of the understudy gig, signing a new lease was out of the question, and I couldn’t camp out in Wayne’s living room while I figured my shit out. Well, I could. But I didn’t want to rely on that. I’d been taking care of myself ever since I moved out of my aunt’s place and off the Big Island of Hawaii at eighteen. I wasn’t going to give up my independence just because the roads were a little bumpy.
“I don’t even know anything about the job, Sheena. Where’s the contract?”
“I just hit Send.”
“Good. Then I’ll look over the terms first.”
“What? That’s what you trust me for. Just sign the damn thing and get it back to me pronto. We’re on a deadline to give them our acceptance.”
I let out an incredulous laugh. “Acceptance for what? Where is the job at? Where am I moving to? Geez, Sheena. Tell me something. Sell me the job.”
She snorted. “You and I both know you can’t afford to turn this one down. And I’ve run out of advances to send you.”
My blood boiled in my veins. “Wow.”
She sighed on the other end of the line. “Fine. The job is traveling the Pacific.”
Well, that was… vague. “In what?” I asked. “Like in a tour bus, a plane?”
When the line went silent, dread filled every inch of my body. She could have only one reason to be so cryptic, and if it was what I thought it was, I was officially screwed. Her silence lingered.
I was practically seething when I spoke next. “Tell me you’re not sending me on a boat.” My insides shook with anger, fear, and adrenaline. I didn’t even know what was happening inside me, but I knew I’d erupt at any second.
“It’s not a boat,” Sheena said, but she’d lost some of her confidence. “It’s a ship—a vessel. When you say boat, it makes it sound so much smaller than it really is. It’s a cruise ship. It’s practically a city on water.”
That confirmed it. Sheena was out of her damn mind if she thought she could pull this one over on me. “Are you insane?” I screeched. “Sheena, what was the one thing I told you when I signed on with you? I don’t have many limitations, but any form of transportation that touches water is one of them.”
Sheena sighed. “I know, I know. Nothing on water.”
“Then why did you send me to audition?” I was still shrieking, as though that would finally make her understand.
“I didn’t know until they sent over the contract just now!” she yelled back defensively. “But I know your issues, so I will have a word with the producer to talk about accommodations.”
My jaw dropped at the audacity. Issues? Does she have any respect for me at all? “What kind of accommodations? The only accommodation I’ll accept is a different way of travel.”
“Oh, calm down. W
e’ll look at our options. Maybe they can put you on an inside cabin or give you a life vest to walk around with. Direct access to the medical center when you’re feeling ill. I’m sure there are plenty of places on the ship you can go if you just need to hide out.” Then she paused. “What kind of special treatment do you need, exactly?”
I fumed. “I’m in hell.”
“Kai, listen to me. You cannot turn down this job because you’re afraid of a little water,” Sheena warned. “Not if you want me to continue finding you work.”
My insides boiled at her threat. “I’m not turning it down. I’m thinking about it. And I’m not just afraid of a little water, Sheena. It’s… My issues, they’re bigger than that.” I let out a half cry, half groan. “You wouldn’t understand.”
A few beats passed before she spoke again. “They’re giving you forty-eight hours to make a decision, but I wouldn’t test them, Kai. They could rescind the offer.”
Every stubborn bone in my body reacted to her threat. “Let them. You’re acting like this is the last opportunity I’ll ever receive. It’s not. Besides, this gig doesn’t even pay as much as that shitty dancing-waitress job you got me.”
“Listen here. That dancing-waitress job didn’t give you the opportunity to work with Sebastian Chase and Dirk Lane.”
I scrunched my nose in frustration. Even Sheena idolized the Bad Boy of Broadway.
“But I made tips.”
Sheena let out a scream on the other end of the line before shouting, “Then maybe you’re on the wrong career path!”
I was done. With Sheena. With Sebastian. With Angst and Grace. “Then tell them I kindly reject their offer. Oh, and you’re fired too.” Then I hung up.
Ugh. After switching off my phone so that I wouldn’t have to hear another word from my ex-agent, I tossed it into my bag. I hated being backed into a corner. Sheena should have never pressured me like that, especially before even seeing the contract or putting together any type of negotiation. If this was the way she wanted to work, through threats and scare tactics, then I didn’t need her. I’d figure my shit out just like I always had before.
Whatever path I chose next would be better than choosing to entertain someone as obnoxious as Sebastian Chase, anyway. And on a cruise ship, no less. I scoffed. Just the thought of sailing around over deep water made me shiver.
I’d just come from a yoga class that felt pointless now. My energy was depleted, and my chakras were broken. As I stood on the crosswalk outside Gravity, I debated my next move.
Just then, Wayne jogged down the steps, and I started to call out to him, to bum a ride home. But then I noticed the man beside him, his friend and long-time crush, Shane. My jaw dropped as they laughed and Shane nudged him playfully with an elbow.
There went the option of asking for a ride. The two men barely spent any time together, and Shane appeared to be finally seeing what everyone around them already knew: they were made for each other.
I smiled as they drove off into the sunset—cliché, but the sun was literally setting—then I sighed and started to walk home. The rain had stopped, and construction in the area was still going strong. Reaching my apartment would take me at least an hour, but I didn’t have anywhere else to be. I could use the time to figure out what came next because at the moment, I was lost.
Think, Kai, think.
I hated feeling like this—restless, out of control, like the adrenaline pulsing through my body and my mood were at completely different ends of the Earth. I couldn’t figure out why I suddenly felt disappointed. It wasn’t about the paycheck. Everyone knew that nobody became a professional dancer for the money. Dancing was an art, one artists bled for day in and day out. We danced for the pure joy of telling stories through movement. We thrived on the challenge of pushing our own bodies’ limits. So why did I feel like I was making a horrible mistake?
I’d just rounded the corner of my apartment complex when the familiar roar of an engine pulled up beside me. My entire body tensed. I was thankful that the surrounding puddles had dried out, because this felt a lot like the day before, only… different.
Sebastian yanked off his helmet and held it out to me. “Get on.” His voice was gruff, demanding, immediately causing my walls to shoot up.
I shook my head adamantly and took a step back. “You’re out of your mind. Are you forgetting that you almost ran me over yesterday? I’m not getting on that thing with you.”
His glare was so intense that I could feel its heat penetrating my body in more places than I wanted to admit. “Just get on the damn bike, Kai. We need to talk.”
I folded my arms across my chest, wedging my hands in my armpits and squashing my boobs like that was enough security to ensure everything stayed put. “No.”
He shook his head and rolled his eyes dramatically, infuriating me further. “Fine.” After putting his helmet back on, he rolled back the throttle, gunning the engine.
For a second, I thought he was going to leave me alone and go back to wherever he’d come from.
No such luck.
He drove into the lot of my complex, parked, and hopped off his bike. After pulling off his helmet again and hanging it on a handlebar like it was a coat rack, he cocked his head and stared back at me with a challenge.
“What are you doing here?” I asked.
His glare narrowed. “Wanna take a guess?”
I barked out a laugh. “Is this your attempt at asking me out on a date? Because the answer is ‘Hell fucking no.’”
One corner of his mouth tipped up in a sneer. “Well, it’s your lucky day because”—his eyes flicked up then down in dismissal—“you’re not my type.”
“Thank God.”
He blew out a breath. “You turned down the offer?”
After a second, I realized he’d said “offer” instead of “offa.” My jaw dropped. “Wow, good news sure does travel fast.”
“Cut the shit, Kai. You have no clue what you did.”
I stepped up to him and looked up at him dead in the eyes. “I know exactly what I did, Sebastian. I said no to a shitty opportunity on a shitty boat in the middle of the shitty Pacific. Get over it.” I planted my hands on my waist. “What is wrong with you people? Why does everyone around me think this is their decision to make and not mine? This isn’t some democracy. The people don’t get to choose who gets to star in Sebastian Chase’s new venture. This is my life and my decision.”
He laughed, making me squint at him like he was insane. Maybe he was. “You want to know something funny?”
I shook my head, but something in his amused expression told me he would tell me anyway.
“You sound a little bit like me when you’re angry.” A corner of his mouth tipped up in a smirk as he looked me up and down. “It’s kind of hot.” He stepped forward, closing the last inch of gap between us. He was so close that I could smell mint on his breath and the leather of his jacket.
“I’m glad you turn yourself on,” I shot back, feeling my walls reverberate around me. He was too close for comfort, testing my barriers like a cat pawing at a fish tank.
“What will it take to convince you to take the part, Kai?” He leaned down, his eyes glued to my lips like he’d answered his own question. Oh my God. He wanted to kiss me.
What the—
“Ew, stop!” My hand flew across his cheek so fast that I could have sworn he felt it before I even made contact.
His eyes widened in shock. “Did you just slap me?”
My breaths were coming in pants as I tried to make sense of everything that had just happened. “You were going to kiss me.”
His brows pulled together in the center. “And ya didn’t want me to?”
Maybe an ounce of me felt bad for his obvious confusion. I was sure he didn’t get rejected often, but that gave him no right to take something that wasn’t his.
“Go away, Sebastian. I have shit I need to deal with right now. This might surprise you, but I have my own problems, bigger than wh
ether I’m going to join your stupid musical.”
He sighed and turned his head away. I couldn’t understand why he was making such a big deal. Two dozen other girls had been there yesterday, and they looked great. Why me?
But instead of accepting my rejection, he stepped toward me and took my activity bag from my shoulder. “Come with me.”
He didn’t ask. It was more like a plea, but he didn’t wait for my reply. Instead, he took off across the street and entered a dive bar I’d never dared to enter alone.
“Damn it,” I muttered under my breath. Then I went after him, darting around traffic while praying for my life.
He was waiting for me inside the door with a shit-eating grin on his face.
“Are you insane?” I screamed and smacked him in the chest before ripping my bag from him. “Why did you bring me here?”
He nodded toward the bar behind him. “Have a drink with me. And before you accuse me of trying to date you again, I’m going to sit at that bar with or without you. But I’d prefer your company. I’ll even let you pay for it if it makes you feel betta.”
Sebastian Chase was such an ass in the worst possible way. He was smooth and sexy, and for some damn reason, I couldn’t tell him no again. “The last thing I want to do right now is sit at a bar after I’ve been dancing all day. I need a shower, a fresh set of clothes, and then maybe I’ll feel like coming back over here and having a drink.”
The door to the bar swung open, and he caught it in his hand while his grin widened. A couple of girls in short skirts and tight tops walked out. One of them pulled out a carton of smokes from her purse while Sebastian’s eyes followed their every move.
“Perfect,” he said, his eyes still on them. “Don’t keep me waiting too long, yeah?”
Chapter 6
Sebastian
A giggle slipped into my ear, curving my lips into a smile. Lindsey was her name. Soft hands planted themselves on the inside of my thigh and squeezed just hard enough to make me jump. “My place is just across the street. You should walk me there. Maybe I’ll even invite you inside,” the cute blonde purred, her words vibrating against my skin and encouraging the hard-on raging between my legs.