Chapter 18
Marina
Don’t look at the crowd.
Don’t look, don’t look, don’t look .
I looked.
There are stage lights in my face, making it hard to see the darkened stadium, but I can see enough. The effect of those little lights on everyone’s event bracelets is beautiful. It looks like fireflies have taken over the whole stadium. I can clearly see the VIP seating area and the seats just beyond them, thanks to the stage lights. So many cell phones are aimed at us, and it makes me giggle with nervous energy at how ridiculous this mania is over the story of the mermaid and the rock star. We’re just two people, yet so many people are invested in our story.
Zach looks out at the crowd and grins devilishly.
“I need a minute,” he growls, then turns the mic off.
He steps into my space and looks down into my eyes, then moves his lips to my ear.
“Look at you, Siren,” he says. “Doing all the brave things. ”
I squeeze his hand and nod, incapable of words at the moment. The energy of the crowd is intoxicating and intimidating all at the same time, and I feel a little tremble move through my body.
“Just close your eyes and sing,” he coaches me. “Or look at me. But forget about them. We’re all that matters.”
I smirk up at him. “Forget about fifty thousand of our closest friends?”
“Just focus on this, not them. I know you can do it.”
He squeezes my hand, and I squeeze back. I’m as ready as I’ll ever be. It’s time to do the brave things. Zach turns the mic back on.
“All right, my friends, Marina’s a little nervous,” he says to the crowd. “I’m sure you can understand, and I know you’ll be kind as we sing this last song for you.”
Applause erupts, but the screaming and cheering is subsiding. The audience calms, and I look out to see people smiling and nodding at me as if to encourage me. And it works because I definitely feel a little less nervous than when I first walked on the stage.
Zach puts the mic on the stand and adjusts the height so it’s right between us, but we can see each other’s eyes. He looks back at Rick, who’s moved to the piano.
“We must take mental health seriously,” he says to the crowd. “Depression lies to you. If you or someone you love start having feelings of helplessness…it’s important to speak up. If they start to isolate…check on them, okay? If you start to isolate, find a friend. Or a stranger. But talk. We’ve made a huge step towards providing mental health treatments for so many tonight. Communication is important, and silence can be deadly. With that, here’s our take on ‘The Sound of Silence’.”
Rick begins to play the simple background on piano, and Zach and I lace our fingers together on either side of the mic stand. I look up into his eyes, and my heart begins pounding again for an entirely different reason. Because I’m sure I see love in there, and the way he’s looking at me makes me want to kiss him until two weeks from Sunday. I squeeze his hands and close my eyes, willing my crazy pulse to calm just a little.
Zach begins singing the first verse. His voice is low, soft, and husky. It moves around us like a living thing, cocooning us together and helping me to focus on us instead of the throng watching just outside the stage lights. Soon, I merge my voice with Zach’s, and we’re making magic, just like that night in the recording studio. I don’t think about anything but us as we sing, drawing strength from our joined hands and intertwined voices.
Like every time before, I match the power of his voice with my own. There’s a palpable energy in the stadium and an eerie silence in the audience as if they’re all entranced by our haunting version of the song. As we bring it to a close, I open my eyes to find Zach looking down at me. His eyes are filled with raw emotion, and I can’t help but reach up and trace the side of his face with my fingers. The audience erupts in applause as Zach and I step away from the mic to take a bow.
We keep taking bows for what feels like an eternity because the audience will not quiet. They’re cheering and stomping their feet, and they’re chanting “mermaid” again, so Zach and I just keep taking bows. We move around the stage, so we bow for each section, and I’m just taking my lead from him. Finally, they quiet when he holds a hand up in the air.
“I’d love to ask all the artists who performed tonight to please join us on stage for one final song. Thank you so much, San Francisco. We’ll never forget you!”
Various artists from tonight’s concert enter the stage from the wings on either side as Zach pulls me close to him and moves his mouth next to my ear.
“You’ll stay? Sing this one with us? ”
I nod as the band starts up the introduction to “Joy to the World” and Zach belts out the opening lyric. The stage instantly turns into one gigantic party, and there are artists from many different genres of music, all singing and dancing together. At some point, Zach and I let go of each other, and he ends up singing with a popular boy band while I dance with the tenor from The Five Wingmen. I look down to the VIP section and see my friends dancing and singing along, blowing me kisses, and being completely ridiculous.
When the song is over, all the artists wave and walk off the stage. I turn to go back down the stairs to the girls, but Zach grabs my hand to stop me.
“Stay?” he asks. “Stay with me, Siren. I’ll get you back to the girls.”
I nod, and he leans over to give Dave instructions. He’ll bring the girls backstage. I let Zach lead me off stage and into the wings, where we descend the stairs and walk back through the tunnel under the stadium.
Linen-covered tables line the large tunnel, covered in an array of food for the artists. Several bar stations are dotted around the area, serving drinks. Only artists and special VIP pass holders are allowed in this area, so it’s a who’s who of celebrities.
Many of tonight’s artists wind their way toward us to tell us how much they loved our performance. I’m so flattered by all of their praise that I’m not sure my head will fit through the door when I get back home. One thing’s for sure, I will never, ever forget this night as long as I live.
A pair of hands close around my shoulders from behind, and I’m turned around to find Ashley pulling me into a hug while Merry and Scarlet pile on the sides. They’re all literally squealing. We come up for air just in time for me to see Zach getting pulled away by an A-list actor, so I turn back to my friends.
“I am so freaking proud of you!” Merry sighs, giving me another hug. “That was the best thing I’ve ever seen in my life. I feel like I could climb a mountain or something after that!”
I can’t keep the stupid grin off my face.
“It was scary at first, but it felt good to conquer that fear,” I admit. “Really good.”
Scarlet flicks one of the disc sequins on my top.
“And you looked perfect up there. Wait till you see the replay. You’re gonna love it!”
My face falls when I think of seeing myself on camera. I don’t think I want to see it. What if I don’t like it? What if I hate the way I looked up here…or I sound off-key? Yep, not sure I’ll be watching any coverage of this.
We end up staying at the after-party for another hour, and I’m not sure I’ll ever get the girls to calm down. We meet movie stars and award-winning recording artists. We take a selfie with our favorite boy band. I’m a little miffed Justin Bieber was nowhere to be found, but apparently, he’s on tour. So many people want selfies with me and Zach. We say goodnight to the girls at the stadium since Zach and I are going to the same place and Dave has to get everyone else home. It was an incredible night, but now I’m happy to be in the car with Zach on the way back to the hotel.
I snuggle closer to Zach, delighting in the feel of his arm around my shoulders as he murmurs something unintelligible against my hair. We’re both exhausted after all the excitement of the evening. He is more than I am since performances take a lot out of him.
“What did you say?” I whisper into the silence of the car.
“I don’t want to go to L.A. tomorrow,” he grumbles adorably.
I slide my arm over his middle, stealing a feel of his abs on the way. The ripple I feel under my fingertips sends tingles snapping up my arm like little electric sparks. I’m almost asleep when the car pulls to a stop in front of the hotel. Zach groans as he steps out, pulling me with him. Arm in arm, we walk into the hotel together and take the elevator to my floor. I feel my spirit getting heavier and heavier the closer we get to my door. The closer we get to saying goodbye for several days.
Zach pulls me in for a final hug, and I feel like I might cry. I bury my face in his neck. He lets out a low growl.
“Siren…” he purrs into my ear.
“Mmm?”
“Can we just stay together tonight? Just to sleep.”
I pull away from him enough to look up at his face. His eyes are tired and pleading. He reaches up to smooth a strand of hair from my face.
“I promise to be on my best behavior,” he says softly. “I just…I have to leave in the morning, and I’m not ready to let you go. I don’t want to let you go.”
I’m already not sure I can fall any faster for this man, but I can’t think about that right now. Realizing that I’m rapidly falling in love with him has me feeling a little scared, and I don’t want to ruin it by thinking too much about it. I stand on my toes and place a soft kiss on the corner of his lips.
“I’m not ready for more than that,” I whisper. “Is that okay?”
I lean into his hand as he cups my face.
“It’s more than okay, beautiful,” he says gently. “I just want you in my arms as long as possible.”
I rub our noses together. “Then let’s have a sleepover.”
He lets out a husky laugh as I open the door with my key. We agree to sleep in my suite, but he goes upstairs to grab some clothes for tomorrow and take a shower. I put my phone on the charger and head into the bathroom to wash my face and change for bed. Usually, I sleep in a tank and panties, but I’m not about to do that tonight. Promises aside, I don’t think I could be on my best behavior if I did that. I opt for a tank and a pair of pajama pants with mermaids all over them that Merry bought me as a joke.
I hear Zach softly knocking as I’m running a brush through my hair. I pad across the suite and open the door to find him standing there with rolled-up clothes in his hand and an exhausted expression. Without a word, I take him by the hand and lead him into the bedroom.
“Do you care which side you’re on?” I ask as we pass through the doorway, but he’s already on his way to the bathroom to change.
“No, baby,” he says hoarsely, yawning as he reaches behind his head to pull his t-shirt off.
My gut goes on an epic rollercoaster ride as I get a glimpse of his muscled back just before the door snicks shut. Be still my heart and…other things. Is the air in this room actually electric? Feels like it is.
Oof.
I climb under the covers just as he comes out of the bathroom in a thin pair of sweats and no shirt.
Hello, Mr. Six Pack.
At least, I think there are six. I’m trying and failing not to stare. Maybe I should count them. How on earth am I going to sleep next to this beautiful man?
“Nice pants, by the way,” he growls with an adorable grin as he slips under the covers, grabs me around the waist, and pulls me over to him.
I settle in against his chest and take a deep breath, his wonderful beachy scent filling my senses as he wraps his arms around me.
“I thought you were too tired to notice.”
He growls again, which is the sexiest thing I’ve ever heard, and plants a kiss on the side of my head.
“I’m never too tired to notice you, Siren.”
Be. Still. My. Freaking. Heart .
“I knew we’d fit perfectly together,” he murmurs, stroking my back gently.
Exhaustion claims him quickly, and I lay awake in his arms for a while, thinking about the tumultuous journey it’s taken to get here. I still can’t see a solid future for us. It’s still so foggy. But I know what I feel in my heart, and that has to be good enough for now. Everything else can wait, so I nestle against the hard wall of Zach’s warm body, safe in his arms, and sigh heavily. That’s the last thing I remember before sleep claims me too.
***
Zach
I rest my forehead against the window and watch California go by as the bus makes its way south, farther from Marina. Jimmy and Sam are playing cards, and Rick is messing with a song that’s been in his head, leaving me on my own devices, which is probably not the best idea right now. Marina got a little teary this morning when we finally said goodbye, and although it’s a great improvement compared to her original desire to run from me, I hated leaving her like that. Especially when she’s heading back into the viper den where she works during a week that’s going to be stressful.
Thursday can’t get here fast enough. That’s when we’ll be rolling the bus back into San Francisco after all the events in southern California. I did think about flying us all down there, but I truly believe the only way I could actually handle it would be if Marina was with me, and that’s just not possible. I take another sip of my tea, not really tasting it. I hate the sense of foreboding I’m feeling right now.
Rick plops down in the seat across from me and throws a wadded-up napkin at me. I easily bat it back to him and give him a curious look .
“I can hear you thinking all the way across the bus, man,” he explains. “What’s up?
I consider my answer for a moment. Anything that comes to mind sounds crazy.
“For what it’s worth, she’s pretty nuts about you.”
I cock my head to the side. “Why do you say that?”
Rick bobs his head, pulling his phone out of his pocket and showing me his screen.
“She texted me this morning to make sure I know to watch over you. She’s yours, buddy. You got her.”
I blink back my surprise, not even looking at the screen. “What? She didn’t. And why are you texting her?”
He rolls his eyes at me. “Calm down, Duke. She asked me for my number at the after-party. She thought I might be able to help her friend Ashley with some kind of music thing for her third graders.”
A slow grin creeps up my face. I wonder if my girl has noticed that Rick can’t keep his eyes off Ashley whenever she’s near. I certainly have. Although she’s engaged, apparently, so maybe there really is a school thing she needs help with. Regardless, the fact that she wants Rick to watch over me is ten thousand kinds of adorable. I meet Rick’s assessing gaze.
“She’s the one.”
He smirks. “Duh. Anyone can see that.”
I take another sip of my tea, cursing this giant mug and making a mental note to buy a proper cup and saucer for the bus. I don’t care how much the guys tease me about it.
“So she’s not freaking out about the media stuff anymore?”
I turn back to Rick. “She says she’s not, but I’m not sure how solid she is.”
Rick nods. There’s something suspicious about his silence.
“Why? ”
A muscle in his jaw ticks, and he looks away for a minute. Bad news, then. He’s a pretty straightforward guy, so there’s something he doesn’t want to say.
“They’re calling her ‘The Million Dollar Mermaid’ now.”
I sit up straight. “What?”
He nods again. “Last night was awesome. What you did was genius, and we raised so much more money. Most of the stories are the typical fluff, but some of the snarkier suspects have come out to play now.”
I pull my phone out of my pocket and start scrolling. It’s everywhere. He’s right, though, the stories I find are positive. They’re focusing on the romantic aspect of how we met and speculating on the stage of our relationship. I can’t fault them for that. Neither of us tried to hide our feelings on that stage, and after all the footage of our kiss outside the Bean & Biscuit aired it’s pretty obvious that there’s something going on.
“Which usual suspects?” I ask, not taking my eyes off my screen.
“Gossip Tonight on G-Net.”
My eyes go wide at the mention of the most notorious celebrity gossip show on the worst network on TV. “Bloody…”
“They discussed the story on the show,” Rick explains. “Most of them loved the romantic aspects of the story. Much of it was focused on the angle of you shaking down celebrities to impress your new girlfriend.”
I laugh out loud, relief flooding over me.
“I guess I did that, didn’t I?” I sigh happily. “Let them come for me. I don’t care about that.”
Rick spends too much time trying not to pay attention to my reaction. I know there’s more.
“What else?”
There goes that muscle in his jaw again.
“They had a healthy debate on the whole duchess angle. ”
I close my eyes against the wave of dread that hits me like a brick wall. That’s not good. Not good at all. I’m not ready to have that conversation with Marina yet. She really will freak out if she thinks she’ll ever be expected to fill the duties of a royal. It doesn’t work that way. Not for our family. We’re not closely related to the royal family, and my parents are not what anyone would call “working royals”. We’re invited to weddings and funerals, but that’s really it. There’s nothing for Marina to worry about. Eventually, we will have a conversation about it - but I don’t want to have it now at the beginning of our relationship. She’ll slap those track shoes on so fast I won’t see her run…she’ll just be gone.
I turn and look out the window, wishing we were going in the opposite direction and Marina and I could go back to hiding out in her suite, away from the rest of the world.
***
Marina
I’ve never been so grateful to see Dave in my whole life. I give him a feeble wave as I crawl into the waiting SUV, and he closes the door behind me.
What. A. Day.
The Montclair meeting is in four days, and everyone in the office is acting like we just found out about it today. No one is ready but me, I’ve completed all but one task: assemble the portfolios for the meeting. Those include the agenda, the proposal, and anything else Ms. Taft decides to throw in there. The problem? I can’t put the portfolios together until everyone else has their piece of it done.
It was nothing but fire drills today, with nearly every department head under Ms. Taft running to me for help with this or that. I didn’t even get a chance to get to anything on my plate except the bare essentials. And I was ten minutes late because I couldn’t pull myself away from Zach this morning. An understandable problem to have, not one that’s defensible to the Evil Queen. I feel dangerously close to dropping the ball, and I never ever drop the ball.
At least I get to video chat with Zach later. We have a date at six tonight, so I plan to get home and take a nice hot bath in that gorgeous tub, then tuck myself in early and see my man. Wait, did I just call the Fairmont home? Calm down, Marina. Don’t get too big for your britches, girl.
I enter my suite and put my bags down, then pick up the phone and order a burger from room service for dinner. I don’t feel like going anywhere to get food. I miss having a kitchen. Actually, the level of service here is so outlandish I’ll bet they’d build me a kitchen if I called downstairs.
Jeeves! Build me a kitchen! I want to make my own dinner!
I plug my phone into the charger, happy to leave all screens behind for the night. Well, until my video chat with the hottest Brit ever. Tomorrow will likely be another crazy, stressful day at work. Made even more so by the fact that Ethan Montclair is now stopping by every day and always tries to put his hands on me. Just a little while longer, and I can collect my bonus and either get fired or leave on my own. Either way, I only have to put up with it for another month or so. Just let me get through this meeting and then give me time to find another job.
Since it’ll take an hour to get my overpriced burger, I fill the tub and take an absolutely fabulous hot bath. I sink into the steaming water and burrow down to completely submerge my shoulders, then stick my chin in for good measure. While it does feel good on my tired bones, it does nothing to lighten my mood. After about thirty minutes, I get out, towel off, and just put my hair up in a loose bun when room service arrives. At least someone has perfect timing today, thank you.
The porter sets it all up in the dining room and leaves me to it, so I eat my dinner in peace and quiet. I don’t feel like watching TV, plus I’m trying to avoid seeing myself on the news. I know I’m a media sensation again because I received several compliments on my concert performance at work today. It happened the first time in front of Ms. Taft, and I thought she was going to explode. She kept it together because Ethan Montclair complimented me. I’ll bet that really killed her.
I finish my dinner just a little before six, so I stack my dishes together and head to the bedroom to grab my phone. I flop onto the bed, swipe the screen, and see a missed video call from Zach. Early! Squeal!! I dial him back and he answers on the first ring.
“Hi!” I cry out with a huge grin.
His smile is electric and gorgeous as he waves at me.
“Siren, I miss you so much.”
I smirk. “Same to you.”
“How was your day?”
I roll my eyes. “Ugh. Don’t ask. It was awful. No one is ready!”
His eyes widen. “How is that possible?”
I shake my head in frustration. “No idea, but they’re not. So I’ve been herding cats all day and trying to do my own work in the process. The whole week is going to be like this because I’m going to have to chase everyone down to make sure they’re making their deadlines. I’ve had to reject so much work already because the teams left out crucial information.”
A muscle ticks in his jaw, and I can tell he’s frustrated for me. “I’m sorry, love.”
I shake my head. “I don’t want to talk about work. How was your day? ”
“Not awesome because I’m without a certain mermaid,” he grumbles. So sexy. “We taped an interview for ‘Thursday Night with Jimmie Kaylon’. It’s always fun to see him. We start early tomorrow, and I’ll likely be running pretty ragged. The guys want to do what we call a Random Rebel Run, so we have to find a way to squeeze that in as well.”
I laugh softly. “What on earth is that?”
“Basically, we look for events or places to crash…and we either play a couple acoustic songs or sign autographs for fans. We usually just prowl social media to find something we want to do, and then we make it happen.”
“I had no idea this was a thing. What have you done in the past?”
“I think my favorite one was when a couple was getting married at a venue we played in our early days,” he explains. “They met at that concert, so they got married at the venue and hired a Royal Rebels cover band to play at their reception. We happened to see their post, and we were in town, so…we crashed their wedding.”
I burst into laughter. “You are incredible. That is so cool! They will never forget that.”
He sits back against his pillows and rubs a hand over his face. “That’s why it’s my favorite!”
I heave a sigh. “I wish you were here, dragon slayer.”
His lower lip juts out adorably. “I wish it more, Siren. How many more days?”
I hold up four fingers, and it’s his turn to let out a frustrated sigh.
“Oh! I have to tell you. I was getting barked at by Ms. Taft today when Ethan Montclair walked in. He started gushing at me about how amazing our performance was at the concert right in front of her. I could tell it was killing her, but she couldn’t say anything in front of him.”
“Was he at the concert? ”
I shake my head. “No, he’s not the type to spend money on charities. He saw it on the news.”
Zach licks his lips, looking a little nervous. “Have you watched the news at all?”
“No, I don’t need the frustration. I have too much to focus on this week. Why, is there anything bad?”
“Not at all, I just worry about you lending too much importance to what they say. You’re still new at this. I don’t want you to get upset by anything.”
I smirk. “I won’t even watch. And Dave is doing a great job looking out for me.”
His expression grows serious. “Will you promise me something? If anything—”
A loud knock on the door to my suite interrupts him. I frown and listen. Another knock, this one even louder.
“What on earth? Hang on, Zach.”
I take my phone with me and trot to the door, looking out the peephole. Ashley? I swing open the door, and there she is, a crying mess holding a bag of Chinese food.
“Ashley!” I exclaim as I pull her into a hug. “What’s happened?”
She inhales a few sobs, trying to get enough air to speak. I take the food bag from her hands and set it on the entry table, then guide her to the couch. Quickly I run into the bathroom and grab the box of tissues, then run back out and sit next to her.
“Greg says I’m smothering him,” she sputters.
I gasp out loud. That jerk. She’s only staying with him because of the media circus. That’s my fault. She’s innocent. She blows her nose and throws herself against the couch cushions.
“The engagement’s off. Can I stay here with you?”