Chapter 7
Lainey
“Are you kidding me?” Scott growled.
“Does it sound like I’m kidding you, Scott? I’m finished with Damien. I already removed the ridiculous photographs from my social media. I suggest you do the same on the hidden accounts you didn’t think I knew about.”
“Mark Zimmerman isn’t going to be happy when I tell him.”
I knew he’d toss my record producer in my face. He was still doing his best to manipulate me.
“I don’t give a shit.” I smiled, feeling much freer than I had in a long time, as if the noose surrounding my neck had been pulled free. I was almost giddy inside, even after everything Damien had said and done the night before.
“You’re finished, Lainey. I’m going to make certain that happens.”
“You’re threatening me now? Isn’t that a little beneath a man like you?” Wow. Now I was pulling out the stops, tossing out all the barbs I’d thought of and had never said.
He huffed and guffawed, shocked that I’d finally stood up for myself. “I’m simply telling you the truth. You’re a washed-up has-been, Lainey. You have been for a while. There are plenty of younger, hotter singers eager to please.”
The man made my skin crawl. “Then go find them. I’d be careful if I were you in handling certain merchandise. You know the kind I mean and the girls you prefer. Jailbait.”
His silence wasn’t surprising although maybe a tad bit unnerving. Still, there was no turning back.
“Have it your way, Lainey.” The abrupt end to the conversation didn’t bother me in the least.
A deep, sharp, and heavy sigh left my mouth as I shoved the phone into my back pocket. In spending time deleting the photographs I’d mentioned, I’d seen the change in myself over the years. The once bright eyes of a girl filled with joy had turned dull. Dull skin. Dull eyes.
No smile except when faked.
I laughed at myself, trying on a real smile since I was standing in Sasha’s house after an incredible night of raw and very real passion.
Men were far more emotional than women realized. While they did their best to act nonchalant about whatever mishap was occurring in their lives, there was always a tell.
Much more so than women.
Contrary to popular opinion, we could be very good at keeping our emotions in check.
Not that we didn’t use them if and when necessary.
They were a useful tool to have in the toolbox.
That’s what men didn’t often understand.
We could definitely be conniving when it suited us and pull it off with ease.
Men were in your face, blunt, and often reacted from rage instead of common sense. They’d explode without a single thought about consequences.
They could also be cold, something I’d seen in Sasha. First with Scott. Then with Damien.
What was different about the sexy dark-haired man was that he was much more dangerous because of his quiet demeanor. Perhaps Damien had been too stupid or entitled to realize if he’d made a single additional misstep, Sasha would have pounded his face into a pulp.
I’d known that instinctively.
I’d seen it in the shimmer of his blue eyes as they’d glinted like cut sapphires while holding Damien by the throat.
Cold. Dangerous. Enthralling.
I’d captured that from day one when I’d been introduced to him. Every time I’d seen him, he’d been like a storm waiting to break, as lethal as he was powerful.
That should terrify me. Hell, seeing the panic room or whatever he wanted to call it should horrify me enough to never want to spend time with him. It didn’t. I’d sensed his love for his daughter. And his extreme grief.
He was so multifaceted, so unusual that I craved to learn everything there was to know about him.
His passion countered almost any concept of the man being cold and calculating but, on the flipside, when he turned off his emotions, they were completely shut off.
After asking about his wife, he’d faded into a shell or maybe the prison he’d formed stone by stone, chain by chain in his mind. He simply couldn’t talk about her.
I’d felt completely at ease only moments before only to find myself wondering if I should call an Uber.
He’d sensed my thoughts, once again telling me that I wasn’t going anywhere. We’d curled in bed after that and while he allowed me to nuzzle him, even placing my head on his chest, he’d remained quiet until I’d fallen asleep.
His silence had been both unnerving and comforting.
It was morning and I had to return to my shit storm of a life the way he had to with his.
Yes, I’d see him again at the party, although I’d already had thoughts of suggesting it wasn’t a good idea.
From where I stood, I could see the five-o’clock shadow shading his chiseled jaw.
It would appear he was growing a goatee.
The look suited him as did his long hair.
He’d been in the shower when I’d awakened and a part of me had wanted to join him.
Doing so would cross a barrier I wasn’t certain I wanted to cross. Not with how he’d reacted about his wife. While I’d read about aspects of his life on the internet, I’d found nothing about her or her death. I’d simply heard through the grapevine during my residency she’d died in childbirth.
I’d sensed by the odd flash in his eyes there was much more to the story. A story that had to be told only when he was ready and could trust someone enough.
This morning there was heft to his presence as if something significant was weighing heavily on his mind. I seriously doubted it was my faux pas in discovering the hidden compartment or in asking a single question. Yet it wasn’t my place to ask.
He sensed my presence seconds later, turning to face me. The shadow that had overpowered him the night before was gone, the flare of his nostrils and the upturned corners of his mouth indicating the ugly spell had been broken.
But what we’d shared was still a cautionary tale of two different people from two different worlds.
“How did you sleep?” he asked.
“Very well.”
“What is it?” How he was able to pick through the layers, realizing something was off no longer surprised me.
Still, I laughed nervously. “I think I just derailed my career by telling Scott I was finished with Damien. I deleted every photo off every account. Scott said I was finished and that I was a has-been.”
The instant the words left my mouth, he bristled. It was another stunning moment where I felt protected. How deliciously amazing.
“Stop, Sasha. I can tell what you’re thinking, but I feel okay about what might happen.
It’s long past time for a change in my life.
However, I will need to handle the fallout and face the music.
No pun intended. That means I need to get back and make some phone calls and see where I stand.
Since my proclamation a few minutes ago, I’m certain my phone will start blowing up.
” While I wanted nothing more than to keep the fantasy going at least through the party, that wasn’t practical for either one of us.
“I would prefer if you’d stay here. I have plenty of room and an office to use while you sort this out.” His eyes were even more imploring than before.
“If you’re worried about Damien, don’t. Both Bernie and Danny will keep his paws off me. Trust me on that one.”
He took a deep breath. “I can’t keep you captive, Lainey, but I don’t think Damien is prepared to stop with his intentions of keeping you.”
“Except he never had me. Try and remember that. It’s over. Eventually, he’ll get the message. If not, then so be it. I’m not taking shit from anyone any longer.”
Thankfully, he smiled. “I’m glad to hear you say that, Lainey. You’re far too talented, beautiful, and special to allow anyone to influence you in any way.”
The slight awkwardness was strange given our closeness from the night before.
That didn’t mean the electricity had faded.
Quite the opposite. Around him, I felt as if I was floating on a cloud.
Even if I knew at some point if would come crashing down like a hot air balloon shot out of the sky. “You’re very sweet, Sasha.”
“No one has ever called me sweet before. You’re still coming to the party?”
His eagerness surprised me. “I wouldn’t miss it for the world.”
“Good. I’ll keep it a secret until the last moment. Nina will be thrilled.”
“I’m glad. It’s been a very long time since I’ve played to a crowd less than about fifty thousand.”
“Oh, I assure you I couldn’t stand to have fifty thousand people on my property.”
The way he was looking at me was pure fire, a man ready to combust. Every inch of my skin tingled, my pussy throbbing. No other man had electrified me the way he’d done.
“Make no mistake. I want you safe, Lainey. I don’t know what you’ve heard about me, but I have the power to make that happen.”
“Why would you want to?”
His expression only intensified, the ebb and flow of darkness within him creating an aura of danger. “Because you managed to get under my skin. Very rare.”
The single admittance had a way of making me swoon. “Maybe I’m glad to hear you say that. However, I can’t avoid going back to Los Angeles forever. And… You have a corporation to run.”
He stared at me for a few seconds, perhaps weighing the validity of what I was saying. “Understood.”
Why did I have a feeling he wasn’t used to being told no?
“I’ll take you to your house when you’re ready.”
As strange as it seemed in my mind, the aching part of me wanted so much to say I’d never be ready, but I reminded myself I was the one shutting the door. It was best for both of us. We were two completely different people. “I’m ready to head back. Thank you for allowing me to wear your shirt.”
At least his eyes sparked as they’d done during our passion. “You look better in the jersey than I do.”