Chapter 41
Alara
W aking up alone is bittersweet. Part of me wishes one of the guys were around to hold me. My eyes shoot open, and I bolt upright, realizing what I was just thinking. One of the guys. Not Nix. One of the guys.
What the hell am I getting myself into? This level of delusion should be studied, truly. It’s a disaster waiting to happen.
With a sigh, I roll out of bed, jumping straight into my morning routine. Shower. Get dressed. Dry my hair. Put makeup on. Check. Check. Check. Check. Blast music because I’m incapable of doing anything in silence. Also, check.
Before I know it, I'm glancing at the reflection in my full-length mirror, admiring how hot I look.
Black platform Doc Martens give way to floral fishnets that provide the perfect peek of skin for this California weather.
I smile at the tight red mini skirt with black floral clusters.
My top is a bit more revealing, but it fits the rockstar aesthetic perfectly.
A solid black bra is the focal point under a black mesh shirt.
It's cropped and short-sleeved, so the flowers on my tattooed arm are on full display .
Floral rockstar. That’s the look I was going for, and I think I nailed it.
My phone buzzes behind me, and I smile when I see Nix's name on the screen. "Hello."
"Hey, little sparrow. How's your morning going?"
"Better now that I'm talking to you." A light blush makes my cheeks heat.
"Are you doing anything today?”
“Shamefully, I don’t have plans. The outfit I’m wearing deserves to see the light of day, though. Did you have something in mind?” I hop on the bed, letting my feet dangle and fall on my back.
“Ender talked to Glen. Are you free to come in to sign the paperwork?”
“Shit,” I breathe out, pulling myself back to a seated position. Am I ready to make this official? We’ve been talking about it, but signing paperwork makes everything real. “Okay, yeah. I can do that.”
“I can come pick you up in a little bit, if that's okay?"
"I would like that, actually. I won't have to go alone."
"You don't have to go anywhere alone, ever again," he rushes out, making my heart skip a beat.
"That's sweet of you."
"I mean it. I've got you. We all do." His words hit home, making me realize I’m more tangled in their web than I originally thought. “I'll be there shortly. I can't wait to kiss those delicious lips." I can practically hear the smile in his voice .
"I do like your kisses.” I grin from ear to ear. “See you soon."
***
As soon as his car pulls up in front of my house, I stride directly out of the front door and run into his willing arms. He's barely had a chance to steady himself, but his strong hand grips the back of my neck, forcing my lips to his.
When he tries to pull back, I place my hands on either side of his face, kissing him again and again.
"It's only been one day. Did you miss me that much?" He laughs.
I press my forehead to his, eyeing him before slowly nodding. "Unfortunately, I may have."
He tsks, reaching down to grab my hand. "Come on. Let's get this paperwork over with so we can enjoy the rest of the day together."
"We're spending the rest of the day together?" I raise a brow.
"If you think I'm letting you out of my sight when you’re wearing something like this, you're out of your mind. I can't wait to peel every piece of it off of you later."
"Yeah?" I question as a car pulls up beside us.
I watch as one of the back windows slowly rolls down and a familiar voice sounds out. "How much longer are you two lovebirds going to be making out in the street? "
"I like making out in the street," I shout back at River.
"Did I just hear Mandolin say she wants to make out?" Lane's grinning face pops out of the window.
"Very funny." I roll my eyes.
"We should get going." Nix pulls me toward the car, and the two of us slide in together, ignoring the car behind us.
"Is it just Lane and River in there?" I ask.
"No. Ender is with them."
"I bet he’s loving that." I snicker. “Why didn’t you all ride together?”
"I selfishly wanted some alone time with you.” He winks, holding the door open.
"Is that so?" I throw myself on his lap as soon as he’s inside with me, letting my skirt ride up to my hips. "How long is the drive?"
"Not long enough." He groans as I grind against him. “And I can’t be making a mess of the inside of my pants again.”
"For the cleanliness of your pants, I guess this can wait until later." I slide off of him, thinking about how much of a compliment it was for that to happen. My head falls to the side, resting on his shoulder. Eventually, I peer up with a grin and say, “Don’t worry, I’ll make it up to you."
Before long, we arrive at a large building with the words WORD MEDIA in big letters on the outside.
I tilt my head, examining it as the nerves begin to take over.
It’s not like I’m performing. I’m just here to sign a few papers and change my life.
Nothing at all to worry about. Breathe, Alara. Was that another memory?
"Looks like we're here. Are you ready?" Nix nudges me.
"Ready as I'll ever be."
He nods, and a moment later, my door opens. Bright lights flash in front of us, confusing me. I stand frozen in place, unsure of where to go. What the hell is happening?
"Fuck," I think I hear Nix mutter when warm fingers intertwine with mine.
"Close your eyes. We’ll get you inside," another voice says amongst a sea of loud voices.
We finally make it into the building, and Nix lets go of my hand to make sure I'm okay. "Fucking paparazzi. I don't know how they knew we were coming."
"Part of the job, right?" I joke, trying to use humor to process what just happened.
"It is, but it's better when you know it's coming." Nix sighs.
"Are you okay?" River grazes his fingers against the top of my arm, leaving little tingles in his wake.
"Yeah. It just shocked me. I'm good."
"No matter how many times they're around, you never get completely used to that," Lane chimes in.
"Are we ready to go up?" Ender asks, in true Ender fashion. Apparently, it seems like he's more worried about getting this over with and moving on with his day.
The five of us pile into the elevator with two security guards, and I watch as we rise one floor at a time. Finally, when we stop at floor twelve, the doors slide open, and Ender leads the way. We walk down a long hallway, turning twice before entering a room with a bald man sitting behind a desk.
"Nice to see you all made it," the man mutters as Lane closes the door behind us.
Nix leads me to one of the three chairs directly in front of the desk before both he and Ender sit at either side of me. Ender lets his leg fall against mine, and I consider moving, but the contact feels like an offering. One that I greedily take.
I glance at the man behind the desk and notice a large mole on the side of his face with a hair sticking out of it. There's something about him that seems oddly familiar.
"Glen Perkins with WORD Media. Nice to meet you," he says, extending his hand.
A flash of a memory comes to me. "Glen Perkins with WORD Media."
It's only a moment, and then it's gone. One sentence leaves me more confused than ever before. I blink a few times, trying to reconcile whether what I saw was real.
"Do we know each other?" I say as I slip my hand into his and we shake.
His eyes flicker to Enders briefly before landing back on me. "Nope. I'm sure you've heard of me. There are commercials and things all over." He casually tosses his hand about, dismissing me.
Maybe that's what it was. There could have been a commercial that played on the television or radio that I'm remembering .
He pushes a stack of papers in my direction.
It’s all happening. Oh, shit. Thoughts start swirling in my head as he begins talking.
There's no way for me to focus on any of what he’s saying.
I'm too busy mentally panicking over whether or not people will boo me on stage.
What if I trip? What if I get choked up and I can't sing?
"If you don't have any questions, you can go ahead and sign the last page. We can make this quick."
"Huh?" My mouth falls open, and my eyes finally lift from the paperwork.
"Questions. If you don't have them, sign the last page. It's all standard. We can go over all the requirements once you get it signed."
It's that easy. All I have to do is glide this pen over a piece of paper, and that's that? No negotiations, nothing.
"I should probably read it first," I manage to say before diving in. Maybe I should have brought a lawyer.