Excerpt from SOUTHERN ROCKER BOY, releasing OCTOBER 17, 2014
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“So was this a date or some kind of a goodbye?”
She looked away. I had my answer. And it pissed me off.
“So let me get this straight. Because some other asshole screwed you over, you’re not even going to give me a chance. Is that it?”
Her eyes flashed at me. “Not just some asshole. The asshole. It started this same way. He invited me to perform in his band. He thought I had ‘it.’ That I could be a star. Meanwhile I played backup while he got to soak up the spotlight. And Gay was right there the whole way, making sure he got the opportunities I didn’t.”
“Why would she do that?” I asked.
Her eyebrow cocked. “You don’t believe me?”
“I didn’t say that,” I corrected at once. “But it is in her best interest for you to do well. Why would she play favorites?”
Her eyes narrowed as she stared at me, as if she was trying to piece together a puzzle. Finally she looked away. “Because I’m a harder sell, that’s why.”
It echoed what Gay had said to me. It didn’t make sense when she had said it, and it didn’t make any sense when Lacy repeated it. “Why are you a hard sell?”
“Because I won’t play the game,” she said. “I don’t care to wear slutty outfits or flirt with all the boys in the crowd. I just want to sing, get paid and go home. That’s it. I never wanted to be famous, Jonah. That’s not my scene. Fame changes people. When the people around you stop telling you no, it’s that much easier to stop telling that to yourself. So it’s no holds barred. Real life rules don’t apply. Look at us. We’re reduced to some booty call in a hotel because it would hurt your image to be seen with a steady companion who isn’t somehow more famous than you.” My eyes narrowed as she went on. “You know that’s why you’ve gotten all this recognition right? It’s because of Ariel Acardi and Jasper Carrington.”
That rubbed me the wrong way. “Gee. And I thought it had something to do with me being talented.”
“That’s not what I mean,” she snapped.
“Then what do you mean?” I snapped back.
“You’re not an artist, Jonah. You’re a paper doll that Gay can dress up, or strip down, just to fill her club.”
My heart plummeted as I stared at her. Was this really what she thought of me?
“I see,” I gritted through clenched teeth. I buttoned my shirt, which had come unbuttoned when I tried to seduce her.
It was clear that was no longer on the agenda. At least she had the decency to look chagrined and turned away. “I’m sorry,” she finally said. “I’ll pay you back for the room.”
“I don’t care about the fucking room,” I snarled.
“Then what do you care about?” she shot back.
I stomped over to stand almost nose to nose with her. “I cared about spending some time with the Lacy I thought I knew, not this cold-hearted bitch who comes out to play every time your pride gets a little wounded.”
There was a resounding crack throughout the room as her hand flew across my face, slapping me hard before I could stop her. “Do it again,” I dared, before I breathed “bitch,” to seal the deal.
Her other hand raised but I caught it. I curled her arm easily behind her back, bringing us face to face. “Is this some kind of fucking foreplay with you, lady?” I said under my breath as I studied her eyes.
“You’re an asshole,” she hissed.
“Then why are you here with me?” I asked as I held her even closer. As mad as I was, she still felt like heaven in my arms. That body… that fire… all I wanted to do was throw her on that bed and make her mine. It wasn’t just a fight with her anymore. It was a fight for us. “If I’m some talentless hack, some witless paper doll, why did you come here? To rub my nose in it, like some dog that pissed on the carpet?”
“No!” she denied instantly.
“Then tell me,” I commanded in a soft voice.
Her eyes darted between mine until I saw tears form at the edges. Finally she said, “I wanted you to prove it wasn’t true. That you’re not him.”
It was the most honest thing she had ever said. “You want proof?” I said before I lifted her in my arms and tossed her onto the bed. I followed her down, pinning her to the mattress with my body. “Here’s your proof.” I crushed her mouth under mine for a punishing kiss that would silence any of her doubts.
***
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