A Taste of Passion ; Ambitious Seduction
Page 35
“Sounds like my kind of place.” Having done his homework, he knew Demi was one of the few people Geneviève trusted, and if he hit it off with the personal assistant, she could help his cause. In many ways, Demi reminded him of his sister. Emmanuelle had been gone for years, but not a day went by that Roderick didn’t miss her. He tried not to think about the tragic pool accident that ended Emmanuelle’s young life, only the good times, and pushed the memory of her funeral to the furthest corner of his mind. Emmanuelle’s daughter, Reagan, was a college freshman, and Roderick cherished their monthly dinner dates at the teenager’s favorite sushi restaurant in Manhattan.
“I’m only here for a few days, but I plan to do some sightseeing before I return to New York next week. Where do you recommend?”
“You have to check out the Royal Palace of Madrid. It’s stunning.” Her eyes lit up as she spoke about sightseeing with Geneviève the night before, and it was obvious Demi adored her older sister. “Madrid is one of the coolest places I’ve ever visited, and every time I’m here I find something new to love about the city.”
Bubbly and energetic, Demi spoke in an animated way. Chatting with the Philly native about her favorite spots in Madrid and her new YouTube channel, he thought about his sister again. It wasn’t until she’d died that he’d realized how important his family was, and he’d vowed never to take them for granted again.
“Roderick, can I interest you in something to drink?”
“No, thanks.” Following Demi through the luxurious suite, he searched for Geneviève, but couldn’t find her. Hearing loud voices, his gaze strayed to the balcony, and he listened closely.
“If you cancel the tour we’ll lose hundreds of thousands of dollars, and your reputation will be toast. Is that what you want? For people to think you’re a spoiled, ungrateful pop star who doesn’t care about her fans? Who’d rather lay around than fulfill her contractual obligations?”
Roderick winced. He couldn’t believe that Geneviève’s mother, Althea Harris, could be so mean and hoped she didn’t upset Geneviève.
“Mom, you don’t understand—”
“No, you don’t understand. You’re being paid remarkably well for the European tour, and I won’t let you throw everything away just because you’re upset. You can’t let a deranged fan and a little bad press stop you from performing. The show must go on.”
“But, I’m physically and mentally drained—”
“Stop whining,” Althea snapped. “Your European tour only has twenty-five dates. Beyoncé and Taylor Swift did twice as many shows last year, so you have no right to complain.”
“You have no idea what it’s like being me. I’m tired and stressed, and I haven’t had a good night’s sleep in months,” Geneviève confessed in a quiet voice. “I can’t keep living like this.”
“You have to. You have four sold-out shows in Madrid, then stops in Paris and Dublin...”
Roderick and Demi shared a look. His first thought was to leave, to return in an hour, but before he could speak, Althea gestured for him to join her on the balcony. Statuesque, with heavy makeup and dark curls, the single mom was in her fifties, but dressed like a college student. Her ruffled tank top showed off her cleavage, her denim shorts were skintight and her chandelier earrings jingled every time she moved.
“Roderick, I’m so glad you made it.” Rising from the table, a cigarette dangling from her lips, Althea greeted him with a hug. “It’s good to see you again, son.”
I wish I could say the same, he thought, forcing a smile onto his mouth. He’d met Althea twice, and both times the momager had rubbed him the wrong way. He knew from past conversations with Geneviève that her mom had been her manager from day one, and Roderick pitied her. Althea was a momager of the worst kind—selfish, bossy and shortsighted—and if Roderick wasn’t worried about making waves at the law firm, he’d tell Geneviève to fire Althea and hire someone educated and experienced who’d support her wholeheartedly, not a calculating momager who was driven by the almighty dollar.
You’re a fine one to judge, said his conscience. You’re driven by the almighty dollar, too!
“Roderick? What are you doing here?”
His gaze landed on Geneviève, stretched out on the striped chaise lounge chair in the corner of the balcony, and his thoughts scattered. She looked glamorous in her silk headscarf, oversize sunglasses and flower-printed dress, but he couldn’t help noticing her woeful disposition. And that wasn’t all. Her mocha-brown skin looked lifeless, and her curvy, voluptuous figure was a thing of the past. He was shocked by her drastic weight loss, and feared the stress of being Geneviève—one of the biggest pop stars in the world—was affecting her health. Was she eating well? Did she have time to rest after concerts, or was her schedule jam-packed with meetings, rehearsals, costume fittings and interviews?
“I came to see you, of course. The opening night of your European tour received rave reviews and I wanted to see the show for myself,” he said. “I’m your biggest fan ever. Think you can hook me up with some front-row tickets?”
Geneviève’s eyes narrowed, and a scowl pinched her lips.
“You’re not here to see the show,” she said. “My mom called your firm in a panic and summoned you here to talk some sense into me, and you came running. Isn’t that right?”
Geneviève stared him down as if they were mortal enemies, but Roderick wasn’t intimidated by her piercing gaze; he stared back at her.
Althea raised her iPhone in the air. “I have some calls to make, so I’ll leave you two alone to discuss business. Make the right choice, Gigi. I’m counting on you.”
“Mom, it’s my life, my career, my decision, and I don’t need your permission to cancel the tour.”
“That’s not how it works in the music business, and you know it.” Althea sounded exasperated, as if she was at her wit’s end. “If you cancel the tour and return to Philly, there will be serious consequences.”
“Geneviève, don’t worry,” he said smoothly. “We’ll figure something out.”
Stepping past Roderick, Althea jabbed him in the side with her elbow, then whispered, “I don’t care what it takes. Convince Geneviève to finish the tour.”
Roderick nodded in understanding. “Ms. Harris, I’ll try my best—”
“No,” she snapped. “Make it happen, or you’re fired.”
Copyright © 2019 by Pamela Sadadi
ISBN-13: 9781488034329
A Taste of Passion & Ambitious Seduction
Copyright © 2019 by Harlequin Books S.A.
The publisher acknowledges the copyright holders of the individual works as follows:
A Taste of Passion
Copyright © 2019 by Tamara Lynch
Ambitious Seduction
Copyright © 2019 by Nana Araba Prah
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