Chapter 14
“Come on, girls. It’s time for cake.” The hostess of the party, and mother of the twelve-year-old birthday girl, sends the kids through the double glass doors of the house, leaving me alone in the pool.
I pull myself out of the water in the shallow end and motion for Arthur to carry me into the pool house, so I can transform back into a human being and not ruin any magic for the children.
The last few girls in the group turn around to catch a glimpse of me.
Their faces squished by pouts. I blow them kisses, waving goodbye.
The mom pulls the chocolate brown curtain over before closing the glass doors, hiding us from prying eyes.
She gestures around the backyard to the hanging mermaid decorations and my white inflatable seashell.
“Thank you for such a wonderful party. I’m sure this will be one of her most memorable birthdays. ”
I bring my tail to my chest, wrapping my arms around it. Arthur hands me a towel and stands behind me with his arms hanging to his side, waiting for his role as mer-handler to kick start.
“It was a joy to see their faces light up. That’s my favorite part of the job,” I say, brushing a leaf off my arm and drying my chest with the towel.
She pulls out her phone. “Who should I send the money to?”
“He’s your guy.” I nod to Arthur. “Mermaids don’t have pockets,” I joke, patting my hip and tapping my fins against the concrete edge of the pool.
I’m not a fan of the prolonged small talk after shows.
I want to leave before the kids stuff their faces full of sugar and return, running a thousand miles an hour, and won’t let me go.
Or worse, ruining the magic by them seeing me without my tail and proving I’m not a real mermaid.
She laughs into her cupped hand. “Right. Sorry.”
Arthur walks over and they discuss the matter of payment. After it goes through, she eyes the curtained covered glass doors. “I should get in there before they rip that cake apart before singing happy birthday.” She waves and walks toward the house.
We patiently wait for her to slip inside before Arthur picks me up. “I’m just muscle to you, aren’t I?” he laughs as his hands carefully secure me under my tail and around my torso.
“You’re also pleasant to look at. That’s a bonus.” I scrunch my nose while hooking my arms around his veiny neck.
He swallows, making his Adam’s apple bob. “Just another pretty face then.” He shifts my weight, holding me with only one arm and forcing me to hold on tighter so he can open the pool house’s door. “It’s cool. Not everyone can deal with mermaid drama.”
I gasp in mock horror. “What drama?”
He sets me on a wooden chair and checks his phone. “You better hurry before those kids attack,” he says, avoiding my question.
I shoo him toward the door. “Give me some space.” I hug my chest, pretending to be shy. “I’ll be ready in a few minutes.”
After playing tug of war with my tail for a few minutes, I free my legs and take a moment to stretch them and wiggle my toes. In a perfect world, I’d take a quick shower, but I’ll just have to wait until I get home.
I check my phone, but there are no missed texts.
Out of habit, I open Insta and do a quick check on my notifications, reading comments on my newest post of me unboxing my red and black tail.
When I return to the main feed, a story catches my eye.
There’s a picture of Sully and Gigi, along with the bold white words reading, “Confirmed to be dating by insider.”
My stomach falls to my feet. What the hell? I click off my phone and toss it into my purse. No. This is not going to ruin my mood. Despite the mule kick to my heart, I slip on my mask of indifference and pack away my tail.
When I step outside, Arthur is wandering around the pool, admiring its rock fountain. I lift a brow, adjusting the bag strap on my shoulder. “You having fun?”
He motions to the pool. “Melissa wants to add a fountain to our pool. Just checking it out.” He jogs over and takes my bag before eyeing the back door.
Laughter and screams of “Open mine, open mine!” pour out of the house.
Arthur nods toward the gate. “Sounds like the kiddos moved on to opening presents.”
Arthur drops me off at home and honks as he drives away. I wave and force a smile. He didn’t notice my mood shift because I let him play his country station, and he sang the entire way here.
As I walk toward the stairs to my apartment, an unfamiliar black SUV with tinted windows catches my eye. It doesn’t look dangerous, but something about it feels off, like it’s out of place.
I take a calming breath and pull my pink pepper spray from the front pocket of my purse, holding it in my palm.
I create a tight fist with my other hand.
Thanks to my self-defense classes, I know how to land a solid punch.
My parents taught me to go down fighting if anyone messed with me, and I guarantee there will be DNA under my fingernails to land the asshole who killed me in prison.
Dread prickles my spine when I’m forced to turn my back on the SUV when I reach the stairs.
If I wasn’t worried about falling and breaking my neck, I’d climb the steps backward.
It’s hard to keep looking over my shoulder, so I rush to my apartment.
My nerves tell me to run, but again, I don’t want to fall and be one of those victims who always die in horror movies.
I’ve already fallen down a flight of stairs while at college, and it caused me knee cap problems. If I could, I’d like to avoid that. Especially if I’m just being paranoid.
A figure moves out of a palm tree’s shadow, and I have the pepper spray aimed and ready.
Sully holds his hands up to shield his eyes. “Wait! Don’t shoot!”
My arms fall to my sides, and a wave of confusion crashes into me, almost knocking me over. “Are you trying to give me a heart attack?” I roll my shoulders, releasing the tension, but keep the pepper spray close because you never know.
He pulls the rim of the baseball hat down to cover his face while a blonde girl passes by walking her dog and talking on her phone. Once she’s gone, he steps closer and says, “Sorry. I wanted to see you in person to explain.”
“Explain what?” I fire back, placing a foot on the first step leading to my apartment. “That you’re involved with Gigi but still want to have me on the side?”
He shoves his hands into his pockets. “That insider was Amy. She did that without the band’s knowledge, thought it would help when the tour is announced. I’m not with Gigi. She’s not my type.”
I drop my bag near my feet and plant my hands on my hips. “What tour?”
He stares at his shoes, kicking a rock off the sidewalk. “Next month we’re going to open for Gigi’s European tour.”
“Oh. Just that.” I bend down to grab my bag. “I’m too tired for whatever this is.”
“What about our date?”
“My ex took all my patience. I can’t play these games.”
Sully rubs his chin and eyes my bag that’s straining my shoulder but quickly averts his attention back on me. “Scarlet Failure will drop out of the tour.”
Heat creeps up my neck. I lean a hip against the stairs’ metal railing and rest the bag on my thigh. “What?”
Sully presses his hands together like he’s praying. “Please don’t let Amy’s stunt ruin us. There’s still so much I want to do with you, especially knowing your secret.” He flashes me that wolfish grin again, and a dimple peeks through his clean-shaven cheek.
“What secret?”
A smile tugs at his lips. “You’re a magical mermaid.” He closes the distance between us. “Let me take that.” He grabs my bag and tosses it over his shoulder like it weighs nothing.
He’s left me tongue-tied. For some reason I believe him. Why would he ambush me and insist he’s not with Gigi, if he secretly was? But I’ve been burned before. I can’t be made a fool again.
“How can I believe you?”
He makes a cross over his heart. “I swear you’re the only girl on my mind. Hell, you should hear what you did in my dream.”
A guy on a bike rides past us, and I shush Sully. He cracks a smile.
“Fine. But you’re on probation.” I motion toward the front door.
He steps up to follow, his breath warm on my neck as I unlock the door.
“Nice place,” he says, stepping inside and dropping my bag on the floor. He runs a hand over the couch, as if testing its comfort level.
“Where are you taking me on this date?” I grab my bag and flick on a light to not trip over the heels Alice leaves around the house like random landmines.
“It’s a surprise.” Sully follows me down the hallway as if we’re attached by a string. I hold a hand up once I reach my bedroom door, and he halts.
“That doesn’t help. I’ve been in a pool all day. I need to shower.”
He steps between me and the bathroom. “Can I help?”
My lady parts say yes, but he’s on my list, so I shake my head. “Nope. Part of your probation means no steamy showers.”
I slip into my room to grab some clothes and then lock myself in the bathroom before I change my mind and tug Sully inside with me. It’s not fair I’m being punished too.
Sully leans against the door. “We’re going to the studio for a bit. I need to lay down a few riffs but then we’ll grab dinner. Whatever you want.” His voice slips through the door and wraps around me like a warm weighted blanket.
Studio? I’m going to see the band again? At least I’m going to see Sully in his element, since he snuck into mine.
“You know, you’re sexy as hell in a tail. How long have you been doing this?”
“About six years. I turned my childhood fantasy into a career. It’s a lot of hard work, but it’s rewarding.”
Knowing Sully’s alone in my house snooping through my things makes me take the fastest shower of my life. I slip on my bra and panties, but frown looking at the jeans and band tee I grabbed. Wearing my Evanescence shirt to a recording studio for another band seems wrong.
I open the bathroom door a crack and peek out. Sully isn’t anywhere in sight. I dash into my bedroom and smack into his chest.
“Whoa.” He catches me by the arm before I tumble backward. “You’re a fascinating creature, Veronica.” His dark eyes roam over me as if I’m a statue on display.
“Oh?” I press my tongue to the roof of my mouth to keep from biting my lip again. “Maybe I’m just a tease.”
“No.” He traces the lace on my bra strap.
“You’re amazing.” He sits on the foot of the bed and pulls me toward him.
I’m trapped between his legs. “There’s a song in you.
I can almost picture the lyrics when I look at you.
” He kisses my collarbone and stares up at me.
“My gut tells me it’ll be the spark we need for our new record. ”
A nervous laugh bursts from my chest. “Do you use that on all the girls?”
He cups my face in his palm as he traces my eyebrow with his other hand.
For a moment, I feel like I’m made of porcelain, and he’s memorizing every detail of my painted face.
“Most of the songs I write are from past experiences, people I’ve known for ages, but with you, there’s something more.
” The hand touching my eyebrow moves to grasp the nape of my neck.
His eyes are deep sapphire pools. I press my hands into his chest to keep from drowning.
“I can’t quite place my finger on what it is, but I know it’s something alluring. ”
Wherever his touch connects with my skin is scorched in flames, but I crave more. I want to push him onto the bed and feel his warmth on my chest.
I pull away and move toward my closet. “I need to get dressed. Don’t want to keep your band waiting.”
“When we return, I’m fucking you on that bed.”
“Is that so?” I challenge, meeting his eyes.
He hooks his finger under my chin. “And after tonight I’ll no longer be on probation.”
“Hmm. We’ll see about that.” I turn to look through my closet and feeling a little devilish I wiggle my ass as I reach for a purple dress.
Sully’s hands press into my hips while his thumbs lower my panties. I press my back into him and can already feel how much he wants me. I grind against him as I remove the dress from the hanger.
He moans and twirls me around to face him. “I can’t wait to take that off you.” He grabs the dress and gently pulls it over my head. “But first I want you to hear this new song.”
“I have high expectations on songs. I’m quite opinionated,” I say, grabbing the brush off my dresser and brushing my hair.
Sully pins me with a heated look. “I welcome all feedback.” He grabs the keys from his pocket. “I’ll drive.”
“You don’t have a driver?” I drop the brush onto my bed and slip on a pair of black ballerina flats before grabbing my purse.
He shakes his head. “I’m not that big of a celebrity.”
I lock the door and follow him toward the SUV I thought was shady and slide into the passenger’s seat. All my nerves are on high alert. My palms are sweaty, and I should focus on breathing to avoid hyperventilating.
I should be cautious. I’ve been burned before, trusting someone only to end up with my heart in pieces.
But everything about Sully feels different—right, even.
Still, I can’t ignore the nagging voice inside me.
Amy and Gigi are already stirring up trouble, and I haven’t even met them yet.
I don’t want to be the one to cause a rift in the band, but there’s something about Sully that makes me want to believe him. I want to trust him; I really do.
He’s not just the best sex I’ve ever had; there’s something deeper, something real between us.
He’s the calm to the storm inside my mind, the only thing that makes me feel grounded when everything else feels chaotic.
But if he’s lying to me…if he’s playing me like everyone else has before…
this could destroy me. I’m terrified of trusting him completely, but a part of me hopes I’m wrong.
I hope he’s the one who won’t break my heart.