Chapter 17
17
Angel was an absolute wreck.
Last night had been so confusing . First, Iris had told him that they were impossible, and then she’d kissed him. Kissing her, touching her had felt so good. Better than anything he’d felt in his life. She’d melted in his hands and had given herself to him so openly. Then she’d run for the hills and begged him not to tell anyone about what they’d done. As if he’d ever betray her confidence that way.
He wanted to talk to her about what happened because they couldn’t leave things like this. But she’d been avoiding him all day. They’d barely exchanged two words on the flight to JFK. She’d quickly taken a seat beside Bree and focused her attention on her laptop.
Now they were in Lower Manhattan at the Skylight at Essex Crossing venue. The large space was filled with media journalists, makeup influencers and the select fans who’d won the sweepstakes, as well as several Save Face Beauty employees. A huge Save Face Beauty x Refine neon sign hung on the wall. Fans took turns posing beside his life-size cutouts. There was a photo booth and a pop-up bakery shop that was making cookies in the shape of the skincare products as well as Angel’s face. A DJ was there to liven up the crowd.
Angel stood toward the back of the venue by the small stage, where he’d perform in a matter of minutes. He was flanked by Valerie, Claudia and a handful of people from his label. Everyone was thrilled with the success of his single and how the meet-and-greet tour had helped with buzz. They chattered around him. “Summertime Fine” had spent another week topping the charts. Soon he’d return to the studio and continue working on his third album. He was back in the thick of it again. It had been nice to feel normal the last few days, spending time alone with Iris, simply talking. He would miss it. He would miss her .
Where was she? He scanned the crowd until he spotted Iris standing with Dominique, talking with a group of makeup influencers. Iris was smiling and nodding along as one of the girls spoke. She was dressed in her usual professional yet plain attire, a short-sleeved black button-up blouse and another black pencil skirt. He remembered how it had felt to hike up her dress and run his fingers over her soft thighs, to hold her close.
Please look at me.
He willed her to turn in his direction. But at that moment, Dominique glanced over and happened to catch Angel staring. Soon, she was pulling Iris toward him. Iris sported a strange deer-in-headlights expression as they approached, but she fixed her mouth into a pleasant, composed smile as she and Dominique greeted their group. Iris and Angel locked gazes briefly. Color rose to her cheeks as she quickly glanced away. Why was she trying so hard to hide her feelings from him? Was it really just about her job and their different lifestyles or was there something else?
“How is everyone doing tonight?” Dominique asked. She looked at Angel specifically. “Ready to serenade us?”
Angel smiled. “Absolutely.” He looked at Iris, who pointedly kept her attention on Dominique.
“Thanks for taking care of our guy,” Valerie said to Iris.
“Of course,” Iris said. Her gaze briefly flitted over to Angel. “He made our jobs pretty easy.”
Dominique proudly put her arm around Iris’s shoulders. “We armed Angel with the best of the best.”
Iris smiled. Angel didn’t want to stand in the way of her career, but he still wanted a chance to talk to her alone, at least one more time.
“We have to continue making our rounds and speak to some of the influencers,” Dominique said, steering Iris away. “Can’t wait for your performance, Angel!”
She waggled her fingers as she and Iris melded back into the crowd. Angel kept his eyes on the back of Iris’s figure. If he let tonight go by without finding a chance to talk to her, who knew when he’d get the opportunity again? Soon, he’d be placed back on the racetrack that was his life. He had to act now.
He excused himself from his group. As he started for the crowd, Ray was right behind him.
“I’m cool, bro,” Angel reassured him. “I just need to talk to Iris alone for a second.”
“Nah, it’s too many people in this room,” Ray said. “You know I always give you your space but right now, it’s my job to protect you.”
Ray had a point. Angel nodded. As they made their way through the crowd, Angel’s fans called out to him, some moved in front of him, posing for selfies. Angel obliged, flashing quick smiles. All the while, he was in turmoil. His gaze was fixed on Iris as she stood on the opposite side of the venue, engaged in a conversation with Dominique.
He hadn’t made much progress toward Iris before another person stepped in his path and threw their arms around him. Ray launched forward but froze abruptly once he realized who the woman was. Angel blinked, surprised to find himself face-to-face with his stylist and Iris’s sister.
“Hi!” Violet said, taking a step back and observing Angel’s outfit. Tonight, he wore a black Louis Vuitton jacket and kilt with black loafers and shin-length white socks. “I’m glad we went with the kilt. It was definitely the right choice.”
“Me too.” He hugged Violet distractedly, glancing up to make sure that Iris still hadn’t moved.
“How was it?” she asked.
He looked at Violet again. “Huh?”
“The meet and greets,” Violet said. “Everything go okay? My sister said you were amazing.”
“She said that?”
Violet nodded. “A few days ago. I’m hype that she got me an invite tonight. I’m gonna get so much free stuff. Hey, are you listening to anything that I’m saying?”
Violet waved her hand in Angel’s face, but he was looking at Iris. She was moving farther away. He’d lose his chance if he didn’t chase her. He planted a brief kiss on Violet’s cheek.
“Sorry, I can’t talk now but I promise I’ll find you later.”
Violet pouted. “Okay, fine.”
Angel squeezed Violet’s shoulder, and he followed Iris’s retreating form through the crowd. It seemed to take him forever to reach her. Finally, he placed his hand on her elbow and she turned around. Her eyes widened.
“We need to talk about last night,” he whispered. He affected an easy smile for the onlookers, but he focused directly on Iris. “Please stop avoiding me. Just give me five minutes.”
Iris blinked. He watched her pulse thud at the base of her throat. He wondered if she would refuse him.
“Okay,” she said. “Yes.”
He sighed in relief, but before he could decide where they’d slip away to, Claudia appeared, and Angel was swiftly pulled away to perform.