Chapter 25
Chapter Twenty-Five
The patio at Noir was loud, which was exactly why Zena had chosen it. She stared down at her lobster roll, untouched, while Genesis stabbed a fork into her goat cheese salad.
"So let me get this straight," Genesis said, chewing. "You like Danger, but he has a girlfriend who marks her territory like a rottweiler. And you two were damn near fucking on the mixing board at two in the morning?"
"I did not say that." Zena snapped her head toward Genesis.
Amari swirled her iced tea. "Then what were y’all doing?”
"Nothing, just making music,” Zena whispered.
“But I’m not trying to be a homewrecker.
I didn't plan to feel like this. He’s been in my orbit for years.
He saved my life… and when we’re in the studio, the air just…
vanishes. It’s like we’re the only two people in the building. And then Chyna walked in."
Genesis let out a laugh. "She shut that shit down, didn’t she?”
"She kissed him right in front of me. Kept her eyes open, looking straight at me while she did it," Zena said, rubbing her temples. "It was awkward, but I haven't even done anything wrong. I just packed up my notebook and left."
"And what did Danger do?" Amari asked, leaning in.
"Nothing. He went rigid. But when I walked past his chair, the space was so tight that our shoulders brushed. He didn't even try to move out of the way. And then..." Zena hesitated. "When I reached the lobby, the security guard was waiting. Danger had texted him to walk me to my car."
Genesis dropped her fork onto the plate. “Oh, he's got it bad. He’s got the girlfriend in front of him, but he’s texting security to make sure his star artist doesn't get snatched in the parking lot? That is messy.”
"Genesis, stop. You’re not helping," Amari scolded her. “Look, Zena. You need to be careful. Separate the man from the music. Right now, he represents everything you want, but he’s also unavailable. You deserve more than side dick."
"I know," Zena sighed. "The worst part is watching Chyna. They’ve been together for years, as far as I can tell, and they’re still not married. I kept thinking about it on the drive home. Why stay with someone that long without ever fully committing? I think... I think he’s physically there, but his mind is somewhere else. "
"Clearly, it’s in the studio with you," Genesis said, leaning back and taking a sip of her wine. "I ain’t never seen a CEO in the studio that much. Look, I’m not saying fuck him…
I’m just saying don’t ignore your feelings for him.
Use them in the music if you need to. If he’s suffering, make him suffer more on track four. "
Amari rolled her eyes but nodded in agreement. "She’s right about the music. Use the frustration but protect your heart. A man who wants to be with you will clear the wreckage from his life to make room for you. Until he does, he's just a distraction."
Zena finally picked up her fork, feeling the tight knot in her chest loosen just a fraction. "All of this is easier said than done when I have to maintain a professional relationship with him. I have to go to this thing with him tonight.”
Genesis grinned, raising her glass. "Then go drink your wine, eat your lobster, and put on your baddest dress. If that man wants you, it will always show in his actions… make him sweat."
Later that night, the ballroom at the OMNI was a sea of tuxedos and gowns, but Zena felt exposed. Following Genesis’s advice, she had put on a backless, midnight-blue silk dress that hugged every curve.
She stood near the edge of the bar, sipping a mocktail she didn’t really want, pretending to listen to a mid-level marketing exec drone on about streaming metrics.
Then, the air in her lungs thinned. She didn't need to turn around to know Danger had entered the room.
When she finally looked, he was navigating a circle of board members. He looked handsome in a classic black tux, his presence commanding the entire corner of the room. But as he nodded along to whatever the man was saying, his eyes swept the crowd.
They locked onto Zena.
Danger stopped mid-sentence. He slowly traced his eyes from the top of her swept-up hair, down to her cleavage, and stayed there. The professional mask he wore for the man didn't slip, but his eyes widened. He murmured an excuse to the man and walked straight toward her.
"Zena," Danger said. His voice was a low rumble, cutting through the noise of the gala. "You look... Beautiful."
"Thank you," she said, keeping her voice even, though there was a tsunami in her stomach. “You clean up okay yourself, Mr. CEO."
A smile touched his lips, but it faded quickly, replaced by that intensity from the night before. He stepped closer…closer than a boss should, blocking her view of the rest of the room. "How are you? Being in this room right now?”
"I'm fine. Tired. Shouldn’t you be focusing on the Gala?”
"I don't care about the Gala right now," he said quietly, his eyes dropping to her lips before snapping back to her eyes. He leaned in. "I wanted to make sure you’re good. I know how you feel about these events."
" Thank you for that," Zena said, her voice softening. "But you don’t have to. You always do that."
"Do what?"
"Act like you’re still responsible for me," she said, looking up at him. "Danger, it’s been years since the night you saved my life. I’m not that broken girl anymore. You don't have to protect me from the dark."
Danger’s jaw tightened. "You think that’s what this is?
Just a habit?" He stepped closer, his voice dropping to a dangerous baritone that vibrated in her chest. "When I pulled you out of that water years ago, Zena, it wasn't just about saving you. It changed me, too. I’ve thought about you ever since, because I couldn't bear the thought of you being hurt and alone.”
Zena was at a loss for words. The admission was heavy. She liked to pretend the night never happened, and he had never brought it up. Not once. Until now.
"You care about me that much?” Zena challenged.
His expression changed. “I heard you sing once, Zena. From that moment, my heart has been yours.”
The confession hung beautifully between them, but the reality of his life rushed back to her like ice water.
"But you have Chyna,” Zena countered. “You’ve been with her for years, Danger. And now you’re standing here, looking at me, like you’re starving, telling me your heart is mine?”
Danger looked like he had been struck. He opened his mouth to answer, his eyes pleading with her to understand.
"With Chyna, it’s complicated. She was there with me when I had nothing.
There’s history. But when I'm with you, hearing your voice.
.. none of that exists. I haven't been able to think about anything else all day. "
For a split second, Zena wanted to believe him. But then she looked past his shoulder at the glittering crowd, at the reality of his life, and the truth settled.
He stays with her but wants to hang onto me. He never fully commits.
"That's not fair," Zena said, her voice trembling slightly before turning to ice. "You don't get to keep me in here.” She pressed a finger directly against his chest, right over his heart. “While she gets you in the real world. I don’t deserve to be your secret.”
He reached out, his finger hovering just above her bar arm. "Zena, please. Give me some time to figure this out—"
"I don't have any more time for you, Danger," Zena said, pulling away from him. She stepped back, deliberately putting distance between them. "We have a professional relationship. Let's keep it that way. I'll see you in the studio when we need to work together. Other than that? Leave me alone.”
"Zena, don't walk away from me," he murmured, his hand twitching as if he wanted to reach out and grab her arm right in front of the entire room, damn the audience.”
But she didn't give him the chance. Zena turned on her heels, the silk swirling around her ankles, and walked away.
She wove through the crowded ballroom, her eyes stinging with angry tears, heading straight to the valet. She could feel his eyes burning into her back the entire way out, but she didn't look back. She was done sweating for a man who belonged to someone else.