Chapter 24 Duke #2
I would have been all for it if Sweets wanted to keep acting, but nothing she had said to me in Rose Haven or since we had been here gave me that impression.
Still, if I was wrong, I didn't want to say anything that would pull her in a direction she hadn't chosen for herself.
I moved when she wanted me to when it came to all of this. This was her world.
"You ready?" I asked.
She glanced over her shoulder from the window.
"I don't have a choice but to be."
I beckoned her over with two fingers and she slid across the back seat, then laid against my chest. I placed those same two fingers beneath her chin and tipped her head back until her eyes locked on mine.
"Nah, you have a choice. I'll burn all of this down behind you. If you don't want to be here, you won't be."
I held her gaze. I didn't want her to think any part of what I said was for show. I didn't give a damn about any of these people. I was here for her, and if she was uncomfortable we wouldn't be here a second longer.
Her smile came slow as she reached up and wrapped her hand around the back of my neck.
"I'm always nervous when it comes to things like this. But I'll be fine. If I want to live the life I choose, this is the first and last step toward that."
"I hear you. But I need to make sure you understand me," I replied.
She nodded.
"Nah, let me hear you say it."
She rolled her eyes with a smirk and looked away. I used my two fingers still positioned at her chin to bring her gaze back.
"I hear you, sir."
I leaned in and kissed her upturned lips a few times.
"You better stop with that sir business."
I winked down at her and watched her cheeks go red.
"What? I'm just giving you what you asked for."
I slipped my hand beneath her to grip her ass. I'd been doing it since she walked out of the room this morning in this cream fitted dress that fell past her knees. The fabric framed her hips like it had been cut with her specifically in mind.
Solana lifted her hand to adjust her curls and I reached up and stopped her.
"Hey. You look beautiful. If we weren't pulling into this lot right now, I'd be all over you. Now I have to eat a few of these to hold me over."
I pulled my bag of Skittles from my jacket pocket and held it up.
She giggled and covered her mouth, then dropped her hand back into her lap.
"You're so dramatic."
I slid my hand across the seat to rest on her thigh.
"You want to find out how dramatic I can get?" I asked.
She popped my hand just as the truck rolled to a stop in front of a large studio building. We waited a few moments before the driver came around and opened my door. I stepped out, then turned and held my hand out for Solana.
Once she was out, a guy with a headset and a clipboard appeared from the entrance.
"How are you doing, Ms. Amore?" he asked, handing her a bottle of water, then passing one to me as well.
"I'm all right, thanks for asking. Where do you need me?" Solana asked him with a soft smile.
"Follow me. I'll bring you to your dressing room. Your manager is already here. He submitted a list of questions you aren't willing to discuss, and there's a copy waiting for you inside," he told her as he led us down the hall.
We made it to an all-black door with Solana's name printed on cardstock and taped to the front.
He opened it and Henderson was already inside, smiling until he saw me walk in behind her.
I smirked in his direction and took a seat on the couch across from the television showing a live feed of the stage.
Solana walked over to the table to pick up the packet. Henderson chuckled and moved toward her, raising his hand like he was going to touch her arm. Then he glanced back over his shoulder at me.
I leaned forward slowly and held his gaze. I didn't care where we were. He needed to learn to keep his hands to himself, or I was going to have to give him a lesson he wouldn't forget.
"You don't need that. I already told them which areas were off limits, like I always have," Henderson said quickly, dropping his hand.
Solana nodded but picked up the packet anyway. "That's fine. I'd still like to look it over so I'm prepared. If you don't mind."
Henderson looked back and forth between the two of us like I had somehow passed her a message without opening my mouth.
He took a few steps back with a frown. The man was strange as hell and I had been convinced from the jump that he had feelings for Solana that went beyond a professional interest. If you asked her, she would have called that a stretch. She was wrong.
Solana returned her focus to the packet. I leaned back into the couch and pulled out my phone to check in on the club. I wasn't used to being away this long and it had only been a few days. I never thought I would miss Rose Haven or Chrome this much, but I did.
I glanced up at Solana and she was deep in the pages, her brows pressed together. Whatever she was reading had her thrown off. I looked over at Henderson and he was already watching her, gauging every shift in her expression.
"Why is there a question in here implying I'll be working on new projects soon? I don't recall telling you that. We haven't even had a conversation about me moving back here. So why would you think it made sense to allow that to be included?" Solana asked, staring him down.
Henderson opened his mouth, then closed it. He tried again and finally found his footing.
"You don't want to kill your fans' hopes, do you? If you go out there and say you're done permanently, you're only going to invite more scrutiny. I'm trying to help you protect everything you've worked for. Trust me, when have I ever steered you wrong?" he asked.
I looked from him back to Solana. She was still locked in on him, unmoved.
"You don't get to speak for me anymore. I'll handle this the way I see fit."
Before Henderson could get another word out, there was a knock at the door.
"Come in," Solana called.
The guy from earlier stood in the doorway with his clipboard. "It's time."
Solana smiled, walked over to me, and leaned down to kiss me a few times before following him out. I settled back into the couch and kept my eyes on the television. Henderson remained in the room, and an immediate silence dropped between us.
I could tell he had more to say by the way he started pacing.
"You know all that pacing isn't going to change a single thing she does in front of those cameras, right?" I said.
He stopped and looked me up and down with barely concealed disgust.
"How can you claim to love her and just let her throw everything away? Let me guess, you're the kind of man whose ego can't handle a successful woman, so you let her give it all up for you."
I rubbed my hands together and chuckled, then glanced around the room.
"This is what you define as success? That's clear.
But she's already been successful to me.
She doesn't need thousands of people fawning over her, millions sitting in an account, or a manager who thinks he knows her better than she knows herself.
Solana's heart, her generosity, her loyalty, that's what makes her successful.
But honestly, the only opinion that matters here is hers.
And trust me, this isn't her definition of success anymore. "
Before he could respond, the crowd on the television erupted at the sight of Solana walking out onto the stage. She had the kind of presence that made a room catch its breath. The kind that made you want to hold still and just take it in.
She waved and smiled before taking her seat on the cream loveseat across from the host.
"Damn right," I said quietly to nobody in particular.
The host leaned forward with a wide smile. "First, welcome. I am so excited to have you here. Can I just say you look absolutely beautiful and this new look is everything."
Solana smiled and reached up briefly to touch her curls before dropping her hands back into her lap.
"Thank you so much. And thank you for having me. I couldn't think of a better place for my first television appearance in almost a year."
Sweets was a natural. I locked in on every word.
"That brings me right to my first question. The industry can be overwhelming, and how we handle the hard days says a lot about where we are mentally. When you made the decision to step away from the spotlight, what was going through your mind?"
The studio seemed to hold its breath. Everyone in that audience was waiting on an answer they felt they were owed. I found myself leaning forward without realizing it.
I already knew why. But I wanted to hear how she would say it.