17. Chapter Fourteen
Chapter Fourteen
Lila
I didn’t get to see what people were saying about the last twenty-four hours of my life because I was too busy trying to get away from Mia to even worry about it.
When I’d signed with her after Rick’s death, I’d trusted her not to screw me over and that was my mistake. Her contract was ironclad, just as she had said, giving her more permissions than she deserved. My lawyer blanched when reading it over and then advised me never to sign anything else without consulting with them again.
I had to get Barry’s recording of her inappropriate behavior to build a case to break the contract. I’d be able to with a large settlement, which I paid out immediately, but it was so high it made me wince.
All of that to say that I was agentless right when my new song was out. Mia had done most of my outreach as well, and her services carried over far more than most. I hadn’t posted about it, but I knew my fans had to be freaking out.
After my meeting, I turned on my phone to a million messages, but most notably, a call from Sasha.
I returned that first.
“Girl,” she said instead of a greeting. “People are loving this new single.”
“Are they? I’ve been . . . busy.”
“Hopefully preparing for some performances.”
“Mostly on breaking my contract with Mia. She handled all of that.”
“She was your PR manager and publicist?”
“Yeah. Before that, it was Rick.”
“That’s a lot of control to give one person.”
“I know. Trust me, my lawyer had a lot to say about it. But it worked for a time. I’ll have to figure out a new person for the job soon.”
“Well, then. I might have a recommendation for you. My cousin Malia is an agent. She’s been wanting to help you for a while.”
“When is she free?”
“For Lila Wilde? Any time.”
“Then let’s set up a meeting.”
I refused to go home and see the couch where I’d found Mia and Blaze, but being out and about as Lila Wilde made it very dangerous. Juno was already grumbling as we drove to our next stop. The paparazzi were eager to catch any glimpse of me, and my jet had been tracked back to LA, which meant they knew I was here.
And they’d somehow known I was going to the studio. I noticed a car seemingly following us and assumed it had to be one of them, and judging by the way they jumped out and ran to me, I was right.
There were flashes of cameras and calls of my name. I ducked down and ran inside, knowing I’d stirred the pot by doing this.
Sasha was waiting with another woman next to her. They looked so much alike that it was like they were twins. They had the same dark skin and eyes. The only difference was that Sasha’s hair was in a natural afro and the woman beside her had box braids.
“Hi,” I said. “Malia, right?”
“Yes. That’s me. Nice to meet you, Ms. Wilde.”
“Lila, please,” I said.
“Okay, Lila,” she replied. “How are you?”
“Um, busy. I’ve been working on a new album, which I’m still figuring out a name for, and my single just dropped—?”
“But how are you ?” she asked. “I know your work. It’s incredible, but you’ve just separated from an agent who was the daughter of the man who discovered you and just broke it off with your long-term boyfriend.”
I blinked. Mia never asked about me.
“I’ve been better. I feel a little lost, actually.”
“I’m sorry,” Malia said. “Let’s see what we can do to help.”
She worked for an agency that specialized in all aspects of management. While she would be my main contact, I would also work with other people for different parts of my career. I’d have an entire team rather than one person overseeing everything.
The idea sounded better than anything Mia could have ever offered. As I listened to her explain in detail how she would help me, my stress lifted.
“How’s this sounding?” Malia asked.
“More than okay. I’d love to work with you.”
“Great! I’ll draw up the paperwork. Then we’ll talk PR for this most recent news.”
I nodded gratefully as she led me to the table.
“And maybe exactly what we’ll be putting in the album,” Sasha added. She’d let her cousin talk for most of the meeting, but her smile told me she was also excited. “Because I am ready .”
I signed all of the papers after sending them to my lawyer who gave me a confident thumbs-up, feeling a sense of relief. “Now, I just need to see how the fans are reacting to this.”
“And how do you do that?” Malia asked.
“I usually check social media.”
“Oh, and do you like that?”
“Sometimes the truth hurts, but it’s good to know what the general consensus is.”
Malia and Sasha glanced at each other as if passing words between them.
“What?” I asked.
“I have surveys I can send out,” Malia explained. “Maybe it would be best to shelve social media while you’re finishing this album. After all, you’ve been through a lot and the last thing you need is to have your creative flow interrupted.”
“And you’ll let me know if I need to change anything?”
“Of course.”
“Okay,” I said. “I don’t even know if I can stay away. I always go back to it when I’m bored.”
“Have you considered deleting the apps from your phone?”
“Uh, no. I honestly hadn’t even thought of doing it. Thank you for that suggestion, Malia. I think it’s a great idea.”
Lila: Hey, Barry. My life is a little less of a mess right now. I got a new publicist. The single is doing so well. People love it.
Barry: Glad you’re okay.
Lila: You helped me so much with it. I could give you songwriting credit so you’d get paid for it.
Barry: I don’t need the money. Helping you with it was more than enough.
Barry: Are you okay? I know you haven’t been able to have a moment of peace in LA. I keep seeing paparazzi pictures of you everywhere.
Lila: Ugh. I’m fine. I’m used to it, no matter how much it sucks.
Lila: Also, I have this song we sang together. Want me to add your name to the album?
Barry: I don’t need to be named.
Lila: But you wrote the song? Don’t you want your glory?
Barry: I don’t need glory. I got everything I wanted.
Barry: Will you be coming back to Nashville anytime soon?
Lila: Well, I can’t leave my biggest fan hanging. When I finish the album, I’ll come and show it to you.
Barry
The last time I’d seen Lila was over two months ago. My life had been busy between running the bar, finally giving in to joining Ruth’s newfound family dinners, and watching Tom repair his relationship with his son Max—but Lila was always on my mind.
So when she randomly showed up at my front door, she looked like no time had passed at all; her hair still past her shoulders and her lashes dark, but her smile was like a breath of fresh air after being underwater.
She was wearing a simple T-shirt, jeans, and a hat. I knew people were dying to get a glimpse of her, as they had been ever since the breakup went public, so she had to hide, even when she was in a new city.
I let out a long breath when I saw her.
She’d come back.
For me.
She smiled as she saw me. “Wow, your hair is longer.”
“I still let it go even when I get my regular trims,” I said, stepping to the side to let her in.
“So, are you ready to hear this album? I have an interesting new featured artist.” She winked as she walked inside. But then she saw the changes I’d made to the apartment. “Wait a second. Did you redecorate?”
Her eyes trailed to the table, now with two chairs and a full-sized couch. It hadn’t been planned on my part, but when she said she would return to show me the album, I knew my bachelor pad of an apartment needed more room for her.
“In a way.”
“There’s two of everything.”
“Call it wishful thinking, but I hoped I’d have a guest soon.”
“Like a night guest?”
I shook my head. “Like a pop star guest.”
“You did this for me ?” Her jaw dropped and her eyes shot back to the newly furnished apartment. “Oh my God. I don’t know what to say.”
She didn’t know what to say? She was a world-renowned songwriter. I didn’t think it was possible.
But I was still ridiculously proud of myself. “You don’t have to say anything.”
“I owe you at least a thank you. Unless it was for a different pop star. Then I might die of embarrassment.”
“It’s for you. It’s always for you.”
She turned to me again, eyes wide. “Wow. That’s twice now you’ve left me speechless.”
“How are you?” I asked. As much as I would love to keep torturing her, I knew she’d been through a lot in our time apart.
“I’m good. I’ve been busy dealing with the fallout of everything. But it’s fine.”
I raised an eyebrow. “Really?
“It’s an adjustment. All of it is. I’ve deleted all of my social media apps from my phone, which has helped. Malia told me she would let me know if there was anything I needed to see.”
“Good. You don’t need it anyway.”
“And how are you?”
My family was better than ever, for once. Tom was a good dad. Ruth was living her best life. Mom was trying to get me to come out to her new place in the middle of nowhere, but I’d turned her down. While I was fostering a slight connection with my siblings, it was because they were the only ones I’d seen make a decent effort to change.
“Everything is good.”
“It is?”
“Yeah, for once.”
“That’s good!” she said. “I know for a bit there it was tough.”
“Ruth and Tom got away from our parents. They seem . . . happy these days.”
“Really? God, I want to know everything .”
“How much time do you have?”
She paused and her face fell. “Not a lot, and the album is long, but—?”
“Let’s play the album,” I said.
“But—?”
“My family isn’t as interesting as the pop star in my living room who has an album for me. I’d rather listen to that. Maybe we’ll have time to talk about Ruth and Tom later.”
“Okay,” she said softly. “Then let’s get this listening party started.”
She turned to start the record she’d brought and I felt a jolt of excitement like I always did when she released something new.
But nothing could have prepared me for the first song. It was a completely different point of view from our first meeting. While I had been worried about screwing something up, she sang that she didn’t want to leave and she hated the idea of going back to her old life.
As the first song ended, I had to pause to catch my breath. I’d often thought over our first meeting. I told myself it wasn’t as important to her as it was to me.
And I’d been wrong.
“Do you like it?” she asked.
“This is the first song?”
“It is. I figured I’d tell the story as it happened.”
“This is about when we met. I remember some of these lyrics.”
“Yeah,” she said. “I mean, coming here was the falling domino that started it all, so I owe you a thank you for that. What do you think?”
I didn’t know how I was going to listen to the rest of the album when the first song had nearly destroyed me.
“It’s good.”
“Do you want to keep going?”
“I think I need a moment.”
“Why?”
“It’s not every day a man’s dream woman writes a song mentioning him.”
She blinked as if she didn’t know exactly who she was to me, but then her lips pressed into a slow smile. “You’re hyping me up.”
“I’m not. I don’t know why you don’t see how amazing you are.”
“Maybe it’s because you haven’t seen all of me.”
“I’d love to see every part of you, Lila.”
She froze but then looked down at her feet, breaking our eye connection.
“Hey,” I moved closer to her. “What’s wrong?”
“Nothing, this is just . . . It’s different now that I’m not with Blaze.”
I wouldn’t lie and say I hadn’t thought about it. We’d agreed not to be anything when she still was attached to him, but now that she wasn’t . . .
Anything was possible.
“Besides,” she continued, “it’s nice that you’re also not making this about you.”
“Why would I? It’s your album.”
“But you helped, and in the past, when people helped . . . they took a lot of the credit, so much so that it never felt like I did it, but this time is different. You’re different.”
“Anyone who makes you feel like you aren’t enough isn’t good for you.”
“And anyone who didn’t is. Like you are. I was hoping that now that I’m single, and you’re here that we could . . .?” She trailed off, looking up at me with those shy eyes.
“Are you sure? So soon after Blaze?”
“Fuck it. You’re my type anyway.”
“And what’s your type?”
“Long-haired men. Bar owners. Men who look like Thor.”
“You think I look like Thor?”
“Very much so. It’s doing something for me.”
“Come here.” I couldn’t hold back any longer. I desperately needed her in my space.
Her blush darkened at my muttered command, but she did so, moving in close. My mind worked in overdrive to take in every detail of having her here. I saw her dark lashes and red lips framed by long black hair.
“If I kiss you, will this red lipstick rub off on me?”
“No, it’s very kiss-proof.”
“That’s a shame,” I said, running my finger over her lips. True to her word, it came back clean. “I’d gladly let you leave a mark.”
She leaned forward, capturing my lips with hers. She hovered over me and I grabbed her by the hips to fully sit on my lap. I heard her breathing stutter as her hands ran through my hair, nails scraping against the scalp.
All I could do was focus on kissing her and not messing this up for myself. She was a solid weight in my arms, a reminder that this was real. She was really here and she was kissing me, of all people.
Her hand moved up, tangling in my hair. I moved mine to do the same, but she pulled away.
“S-sorry. I don’t mean to be a hypocrite, but my hair is . . . delicate.”
“What about the rest of you?”
“Do what you want.”
I didn’t need to be told twice. “Message received.”
“I’ll leave your hair out of it.” She began to move her hand, but I grabbed it.
“No. You can touch whatever the hell you want. No limits.”
Her jaw dropped and my mouth returned to hers. She was all I could see, all I had seen in ages.
And now I had her right where I wanted her.
I nipped on her bottom lip and she let me in. Our tongues clashed as the kiss turned heated and she tugged on my hair.
“You said I could leave a mark, right?”
“Anywhere you want,” I replied, nearly forgetting to breathe as her lips clamped down onto my neck. The sting of pain only made the pleasure better and I could feel myself grow hard. I had no doubts she could feel it too.
Her hand left my hair to cradle my neck, but her fingers slipped under the hem of my shirt and I was struck with the desire to remove every single piece of clothing from my body.
Once her lips finally left my neck, I ripped off my shirt. Her eyes trailed over my chest and she licked her lips.
“You’re gorgeous,” she mumbled, hand trailing over my chest.
“Not compared to you. Can I take this off?” My fingers grazed over the hem of her shirt.
“Please,” she urged. I pulled off her top, revealing her beautiful breasts.
“No bra?”
“Sometimes they’re uncomfortable, so it’s nice to go without.”
“I’m not complaining. It makes things way more fun for me.”
She had been out of reach my entire life, and now that I had her in my arms, I had no clue where to start. “You can touch me,” she said. “Wherever you want.”
I kissed her again. Then I trailed down her jaw and neck with my mouth. I cupped one breast in my hand and latched my mouth onto the other.
I heard her gasp as I did it and her chest arched to give me more. I gave her nipple all of my admiration before I moved to the other one.
“Fuck, Barry.” Her voice was low in a way I’d never heard before. Her fingers gripped my neck, keeping me close.
Breaking contact, I lifted her and laid her down on the couch, her dark hair fanning perfect waves around her head. My fingers trailed downward, gripping the waistband of her jeans, pulling them off with one motion.
She was wet and waiting for me. And I wanted to make her feel good in ways she hadn’t before.
I could see her breath coming out in short stutters as she waited for whatever I could do next. I wondered if she had some lyric in her head, and suddenly it was my goal to make her forget every word she knew, but in a very different way than I had before.
“I’m going to get on my knees,” I said into her ear. “And I’m going to taste you. Is that okay?”
“Yes,” she gasped. “Please.”
I angled her off the couch, bringing her pussy right in front of me. I put my mouth on her core, tasting her sweet scent and moving my tongue up to circle her clit.
“Oh my God.” Her fingers dug into my scalp. I dared to look up at her and she was arched up on the couch as if begging for more. I returned to my work, tasting every flavor of her, giving her the sweetest torture I could muster. “Barry, I . . . God, I . . .?”
She wasn’t a lyrical genius here. And I’d done this to her. I’d made her forget words and be completely lost in pleasure. I couldn’t help but smile into her as I continued my relentless assault.
Lila came with a soft moan. The only sign was the way her core tightened as I pushed one finger into her. She jerked around me, gripping my digit like a vise as she orgasmed.
“Was that good for you?” I asked, looking up at her.
“Y-yeah. So good.” She was struggling to catch her breath as her eyes closed. “That was incredible. I should return the favor.” But a yawn broke away from her.
“You’re tired.”
“I’m always tired.”
“Then rest.”
“But—?”
“We have time, sunshine. All the time we need. I’ll carry you to bed myself.”
“I don’t think I qualify for the name sunshine when I look like this.” She gestured to her dark hair.
“You’re the sunshine in my life, so I think it works.”
Her jaw dropped and she had no other arguments for me. I lifted her, carrying the woman of my dreams to my room, where I wished we could stay forever. I pulled her to me as we lay down, knowing she could be gone by the next day.