by Ali Parker
I got dressed and went downstairs. When I came around the bend and found Piper in the living room, the clock above the fireplace read that it was nine-thirty in the morning. I hadn’t seen the light of day this early in months.
Maybe longer.
Piper looked up from a book in her lap. She had a coffee in one hand. She smiled. “Good morning. There’s fresh coffee in the pot if you want one.”
I should have planned what I wanted to say ahead of time. Then I wouldn’t have ended up standing in front of her like an idiot searching for the right words. “Uh. Morning.” I moved around the sofa and sat down near her feet. She was wearing a navy-blue pair of leggings and a loose gray sweater that had slid off one shoulder, revealing a thin pale-pink bra strap. “How are you?”
She closed her book and left it facedown on her lap. There was a black and white photo of the author on the back, but I couldn’t make it out from here. “I’m good. How are you feeling?”
“Like a moron.”
Her smile softened. “Don’t say that.”
“I’m sorry. Last night was rocky. I shouldn’t have had so much to drink. I think my nerves got to me a bit, and I lost track of what I’d had and… it doesn’t matter. The point is, I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have put you in that position.”
“It’s all right. I understand. This is a strange process, and everyone navigates the pressure differently. Maybe I should have just started doing shots with you.”
I laughed lightly. If only Jake could be this understanding. “I appreciate your understanding. But I think I need to make it up to you.”
Piper cocked her head to one side. “Oh? What did you have in mind?”
“Well, for starters, I’m going to help myself to some of that coffee. Then I was thinking you and I could go out. You could get a taste of what it’s like to be me.”
“A day in the life of Levi Morgan, America’s sexiest rock star?” Her lips curled, and she let out a giggle to show she was teasing.
I grinned. “Yeah.”
“I’m in.”
* * *
Piper had no clue what she’d agreed to.
No idea at all.
She’d been under the impression that we might hit throngs of fans like what we saw outside the restaurant last night. But this was a whole new level of insanity she never could have fathomed before seeing and hearing it with her own two eyes.
I took Piper for lunch at a trendy beachside restaurant not far from my home in Malibu Point. We ate seafood while strangers took pictures of us and screamed at me to look in their direction. An expert at avoiding my fans, I fucked around by propping up menus like little dividers between us and them, and we hid behind three of them like schoolgirls hiding from their crush.
“This is madness,” Piper said.
“This is nothing,” I said, a mischievous grin playing on my lips.
“I don’t want to know what’s worse than this.”
I popped a piece of calamari in my mouth and peered over the top of the menus. Camera flashes went off, women screamed my name and swooned on the other side of the railing outside the restaurant property, and servers in the restaurant rolled their eyes at all the shenanigans. My security team, the same four men from last night, stood near our table but not too close, with their hands clasped in front of them and their eyes hidden behind black sunglasses.
“Do you make them dress like that?” Piper asked.
“Like what?”
She hooked a thumb over her shoulder at the largest security guard. “Like they’re in the Matrix?”
I snorted. “The Matrix isn’t what I was going for, but they look intimidating enough, right? I mean they’re more of a deterrent than anything else. I don’t ever want them to have to clobber someone. But if it comes to that, they will.”
“Have they ever had to?”
“Several times.”
“Really?” she asked, resting her chin on her knuckles and her elbow on the table. “Tell me.”
I pulled my chair closer so that our knees were touching and then dropped lower behind the menus. I leaned in close, and when I spoke, my voice was low and quiet. Piper leaned toward me. “Well, there was this one time when I was performing at a charity event in a public park. It was a pretty casual setup. You know, not a professionally organized gig. But that was fine with me because those things are usually more fun anyway. After my set, I decided to go down and mingle in the crowd.”
She blinked. “That sounds risky.”
“It was. But I was high on the moment, and sometimes when you’re in the thick of it, you want to be with your fans. There’s this weird disconnect where you’re on stage and they’re down below, and you feel like you can never get a solid footing with them. And since they’re the ones who made me, I wanted to party with them. Does that make sense?”
She nodded.
“Anyways,” I continued, “I went down to the ground. Things went well at first. People were thrilled. So was I. We drank and danced, and my guards nearly shit themselves watching the whole thing go down. Then some drunk asshole with a knife tried to start a fight, and I ended up in the middle of it. A little too much excitement for that dude, apparently.”
“Was anyone hurt?”
“Only the guy who brought the knife to the fight. My guys made short work of him. Disarmed him. Held him down face first in the grass until the cops showed up.”
“That’s scary.”
I nodded. “Yeah. But truth be told, sometimes you need a little bit of real fear to get the blood pumping. You get so used to feeling untouchable that you have to remember you’re human like the rest of them. You know?”
She pursed her lips and shook her head. “Nope.”
I grinned. “Do you want to know what that feels like, Casanova Girl?”
“Yes.”
I dropped cash on the table and put a hand on Piper’s shoulder. Then I leaned in so close that my lips were only a mere two inches from her ear. “Stay here. I’m going to pretend to go to the bathroom. Pretend to take a call and make your way to the back of the restaurant. I’ll meet you there.”
“And then what?”
I stood up but left my hand on her shoulder. “Then we run and ditch my goon squad and let the fans chase us.”
“What?” she asked sharply, twisting in her seat to watch me weave through the tables and pass one of my guards. I told him I was using the bathroom and that I’d be back shortly. He nodded, and I slipped away down the hall at the back of the restaurant. There was an emergency door at the far end, perfect for Piper and me to slip out of.
I waited patiently near the back for her to arrive. She emerged about three minutes after I left the table. I grabbed her elbow and jerked her toward me. Piper fell into my chest, and I smiled down at her. “I hope you can run in those sandals.”
“We’ll find out, won’t we?” There was a hint of a challenge in her tone.
I pushed open the back door. Sunlight streamed in. And then we bolted.
It took mere seconds for a fan to spot us. Then, like clockwork, the whole group that had gathered outside the restaurant came storming after us. I ran at an easy pace, and Piper kept stride with me like she could do this in her sleep.
“What happens if they catch us?” Her sandals slapped on the sidewalk as we rounded a corner and raced down the street.
“Beats the shit out of me. They’ll try to take my shirt off, most likely. But you? You’re the enemy, babe. They might pummel you and leave you for dead for stealing their dream guy.”
Her eyes widened.
I roared with laughter, and she ran after me as I took a right down a side street, and then another down a narrow alley. She almost blew past my hiding spot behind a dumpster, but I caught her wrist, pulled her in close to where I had my back pressed against a brick wall, and clamped a hand over her mouth.
My fans blew by the opening to the alley like a herd of zebras.
Once they were gone, we both descended into fit
s of laughter. I held a hand to my ribs and bent over as I laughed, and Piper lifted her face to the sky and gasped for breath as the laughter made it impossible to recover from the run.
“That was crazy,” she said when she could breathe again.
“But fun, right?”
“In a scary way, sure.”
I straightened and turned toward her to rest a hand on the brick wall beside her shoulder. “A little adrenaline rush never hurt anybody. Sometimes, you gotta create your own little adventure with what you have.”
Piper licked her lips and gazed up at me with those deep brown eyes of hers.
It was impossible to resist the call of her full lips. I leaned in.
Piper placed her hands lightly upon my chest to stop me. “I’m sorry,” she whispered. “I need to slow down. We have time.”
Disappointment trickled through me. I wanted to kiss her. I wanted to pin her against the wall and taste her.
Not today.
I nodded and closed my hand over hers on my chest. My heart thundered as loudly beneath my palm as the footsteps of the fans that had chased us.
It was fun while it lasted.
CHAPTER 8
PIPER
Somehow, Levi and I had made it through our first week together. The time had passed quickly, like sand running through an hourglass. One would expect a girl to be having a ball if time was passing so quickly. But that wasn’t the case.
Sometimes, I was having a blast. Like when we ran from his fans last week after having lunch.
Other times, I was shrinking away into a corner as Levi had a few too many drinks and slipped into his rowdy alter ego.
I’d had my suspicions on the first couple days that Levi had a drinking problem. But now those suspicions were solidified. He was an alcoholic—that was for certain—and now I was realizing his addiction might have been to more than just booze. With his money, he had access to everything, and if he was looking for something to take the edge off or sweeten the evening, why would he stop at just alcohol?
Why wouldn’t he go looking for something stronger?
These were the things I was wondering about when I finally decided to leave my bedroom on Thursday morning. It was only half-past eight, far too early for Levi to be showing his face any time soon, and my stomach was growling. I’d already showered and put a bit of makeup on, so I wasted no time going downstairs and throwing on a pot of coffee.
As the coffee dripped slowly into the pot, I popped open the fridge and stood in front of it, staring at the contents, waiting for inspiration to strike me. I could make eggs. Or toast. Or keep it simple and just eat some cereal.
Levi had an oddly massive selection of cereal in his cupboards. Most of them had a very high sugar content, and any sane person would assume a child lived here.
Nope. No child. Just a rock star.
I settled on a piece of toast with peanut butter. When I sat down to eat it and sip my coffee at the island, I heard a key turn in the front door. I slid off my stool, wondering if Levi had been out all night and was just coming home now. I padded barefoot across the marble to see Jake coming in.
He looked up and saw me. “Oh. Good morning. I hope I didn’t startle you.” He held up his right hand where several keys jingled. “I have a key.”
I smiled. “Don’t worry. I just made some coffee. Would you like a cup?”
Jake’s worried expression relaxed. He almost looked a little surprised by my offer. “Yeah. Coffee would be great.”
He came into the kitchen behind me, the soles of his sneakers squeaking on the floor when he came around the corner. He immediately took a seat at the island, and I poured him a cup of coffee.
“Do you take cream or sugar?”
“Nope,” he said.
I passed him the coffee. He thanked me, took a sip, and then peered around the house. “Levi hasn’t woken from his slumber yet?”
“It’s eight-thirty.”
Jake chuckled. “So you’ve caught on to his sleeping habits. That didn’t take long.”
I sat down beside him. “I should have expected it, really. That he’d be a night owl. It kind of goes with the whole rock-star gig, right?”
Jake nodded and pursed his lips around the rim of his coffee mug. He took a sip, set it back down, and looked everywhere but at me. “Yep, pretty much.” He shifted to turn toward me and draped one arm over the back of his stool. “How’s your first week been?”
“It’s been good. I’ve experienced everything from luxurious showers, to five-course dining, to insane fans chasing us down the street. I like a little unpredictability. It’s keeping me on my toes.”
Jake gave me an easy smile that was very much like his older brother’s. “I’m glad to hear it. I was, admittedly, a little bit worried about you coming to stay here.”
“Really? Why?” I sensed this might be my opportunity to see if I could get a little more information about Levi’s substance abuse. I wasn’t comfortable bringing it up on my own, and I didn’t want to put Jake in a bad spot, but if he came out with the goods without me having to ask the question, that didn’t count as meddling.
Right?
“It’s just…” Jake trailed off and stared down into the depths of his coffee cup. He took a deep, weary sigh that I didn’t think he was even aware of doing, like a reflex. “It’s just that I worry about him, is all.”
I crossed one leg over the other. “He’s your older brother. Shouldn’t it be the other way around?”
“It used to be.”
I licked my lips and considered dropping the subject altogether. Jake was an open book. I knew he’d tell me anything and everything I wanted to know if I phrased my questions correctly. But I could sense a sadness in him that I didn’t want to stir up too much. I suspected his and Levi’s relationship was muddy enough without me getting involved.
But my curiosity was piqued.
“Before he became famous?” I asked.
Jake nodded. “Yes, and a little bit after. But you know how these things go. You hit a big record deal. Sign to a label. The money starts coming in. And then he was hitting top charts and booking shows and tours. He had A-listers opening for his band in a matter of a year and a half. That’s some insane fucking career trajectory, even in the music industry. He hit it big really, fast, and it’s like the lifestyle just swallowed him whole.” Jake shook his head and sighed again. “And here I am, sitting on the sidelines, waiting for it to spit him out again.”
“I’m sorry.”
“For what?”
“For what you’re going through.”
Jake frowned. “Me?”
I nodded. “It must be hard feeling like you can’t do anything to help. You’re on the sidelines, like you said, and all you can do is hope he figures it out, right?”
“He won’t.”
“What makes you say that?”
Jake shrugged. “He doesn’t want to. He doesn’t think he has a problem. At least, that’s what he tells me. How he can deny it, I have no idea. The booze. The drugs—” His eyes widened, and he looked at me. “I shouldn’t be saying this.”
“I already know, Jake.”
“He told you?”
I shook my head. “I’ve spent the last eight days with him. It’s not a secret someone can easily keep. Signs of addiction show up one way or another, and I can tell he’s itching for something that isn’t vodka and cranberry juice.”
Jake blew out an exasperated breath. His cheeks puffed up like a chipmunk momentarily. “Cocaine.”
“I figured.”
“It’s gonna kill him.”
“Jake, don’t say that. He’s still fully functioning. Well, for the most part. There’s a long way to go before—”
“No, I’ve come home to him sprawled out on the floor all doped up and barely breathing. I’ve been the guy to call the ambulance. I’ve been the guy standing there as he gets his stomach pumped. And when he comes to, he promises every time that he’s done with that
shit. And you know how long he lasts? Two weeks, tops. The last time, he only made it ten days. The binges get worse and worse. And the more he gravitates to that stuff, the farther away he gets from me.” Jake shook his head. “I’m sorry. Jesus Christ. What am I doing, unloading all this shit on you? This isn’t your problem.”
“No,” I said slowly. “But I want to help. If I can.”
“Why?”
What a silly question. “Why not?”
“Because you hardly know him. And he’s an ass.”
“He can be an ass. But he’s not a bad guy. You know that, surely.”
Jake studied me like he suspected I was trying to sell him something, something with a two-year contract with a hundred-thousand-dollar cancellation fee. “How could you help?”
“I don’t know. I could talk to him?”
“He won’t listen.”
“Maybe not,” I said.
Jake raked his fingers through his hair. “It’s your call, Piper. At this point, I’m willing to try just about anything to get him back on the straight and narrow. Or at least, as close to it as I can get. I mean, why can’t he just like weed, you know?”
I laughed softly. “I don’t know.”
“Fuck me,” Jake grumbled. “I’m about fed up with it all, to be honest. I’ve considered packing up and moving away and putting this far behind me.”
“And yet, here you are.”
He polished off his coffee. “Here I am.”
I put a hand over his. “I’m going to try to talk to him. But I have to wait for the right time. But have a little more faith in him, okay? I don’t think he wants to hurt you. I just think he’s lost. Really, really lost.”
“Then why the hell won’t he let me help him?”
I couldn’t answer that question. And lucky for me, I didn’t have to.
Levi sauntered into the room with a pep in his step that surprised both Jake and me. He came around the kitchen island, poured himself a cup of coffee, and turned to regard us with a cocky smile. He leaned against the counter and crossed his ankles. “Little brother. You hitting on my girl?”