Chapter 4 #2
Her jaw falls open, but she doesn’t say a word.
The line is moving quickly, and it’s our turn to scan tickets.
Roxy flashes them the QR codes on her phone, and we’re directed to follow the green glow-in-the-dark arrows taped on the floor.
We walk in silence until we make it to the large conference room.
At the front of the room is a large table with several microphones. There are chairs lined up with numbers etched into the back, designating where ticket holders should sit.
Once settled, Roxy leans over to whisper, “That’s so cool. I wonder who it was. Maybe a backup dancer or one of the musicians.”
There’s a hint of excitement in her voice.
“You aren’t mad?” I ask.
“Why would I be mad, silly?” she replies.
It’s true. What’s there to be mad about? We’ve only been waiting a few minutes, and every seat in the room is full. A man dressed in all black walks up to the microphone, flips it on, and taps it.
“May I have your attention?” he asks.
A hush falls over the room, energy bursting from every corner as they wait for the man to make his announcement.
“It’s with much disappointment that I share Cas will not be joining us tonight.
He sends his deepest apologies. All tickets will be refunded, and he has added a signed poster to every swag bag.
We will hand you a swag bag as you exit.
Again, we are very sorry, but Cas will not be joining us tonight.
Please exit the room one row at a time and be sure to collect your swag bags. ”
The crowd boos and grumbles. The man pays no mind. He simply switches off the microphone and walks back out the door he came from. People jump up. The room erupts into chaos as everyone makes a mad dash for the doors.
Roxy doesn’t budge. Neither do I. She looks devastated. I don’t know what to say to her. I’m so focused on thinking of something empathetic to tell her, I don’t notice the man with the security shirt until he’s standing in front of us, clearing his throat.
“You two,” he rumbles. “Follow me.”
I look at Roxy, but she’s just as confused as I am.
We stand, and he ushers us to cross the imaginary threshold between the seats and the tables for the panel, then leads us through the same door the man from earlier went out.
We follow in silence. Down a long hallway we go, and then we’re ushered into another room. It’s empty except for us.
“Wait here,” he says, then leaves us alone.
Glancing around, I notice there’s a big-screen TV.
The sound is turned all the way down, but there’s a hockey game playing in the background.
A black leather sectional fills the space, and on the coffee table there’s a silver skull mask just like the one from earlier, casually discarded.
My heart races. What the fuck have we gotten ourselves into?
What the fuck? I mouth to Roxy.
She shrugs, which offers very little reassurance.
My brain kicks into fight-or-flight, and I begin analyzing the entire room.
There’s a stocked bartop and kitchen off to the side.
Pizza boxes line the counters, and tons of drink options fill an oversized metal bowl full of ice.
A hallway that says it leads backstage and two other doors loom to the right.
One is labeled as a bathroom, the other isn’t.
On a mission, I spin clockwise. There’s also a pool table and air hockey table.
“Okay, but how cool is this room?” I whisper.
Roxy nods her head in agreement. “It’s like there’s supposed to be a party, but we’re the only ones here.”
We reach for one another’s hands and huddle together. From behind us, loud voices echo, but I can’t make out what’s being said. Then a door creaks open, and suddenly the voices are loud and in the same room as us. Surprised, we turn around to face them.
Roxy squeezes my hand so tight I think she breaks several bones. She mouths, that’s Cas!
A group of shirtless men stands in the room, flanked by several hot-as-fuck, fully clothed musicians and crew members.
“Ladies,” he croons, and I squeeze Roxy’s hand back. “I’m sorry to have kept you waiting.”
It’s my turn to be overwhelmed with shock. Not only do I recognize the man from the hallway earlier, but now that he’s not on stage and speaking into a microphone, I recognize his voice too.
Cas Wilder kissed me on the cheek earlier tonight. I stare at him in awe, allowing the moment to sink in, basking away in my glory...until the bubble of bliss pops, and I realize that means Cas Wilder took a picture with me and posted it to my story.
“Oh my god,” I gasp.
“Be cool,” Roxy hisses, elbowing me hard in the side.
It knocks the breath out of me, and Cas chuckles, low and throaty, amusement lacing his tone.
I should probably be embarrassed, but I think most of me is in shock.
It’s incredibly tempting to reach in my pocket and whip out my phone, but I also don’t want him to think I’m trying to snap a picture of him standing there.
Would that be weird? Maybe—I probably should refrain from acting on this impulsive urge.
It doesn’t mean I don’t want to, though.
I make a mental note to check my social media, and I hope for the best later. I’m not looking forward to…
Oh, for fuck’s sake. Did he seriously just create a fake-dating situation by calling me his bae, or are we here so he can threaten us with lawyers and promise never to breathe a word to anyone because his woman is actually here tonight and he can’t risk her finding out about me?
I could be the other woman. I could be the whole damn problem in this scenario.
Blood rushes in my ears. “Are you okay?” Roxy asks, but it sounds muffled.
Sensing my distress, she leads me to the couch as she asks confidently, “Do you mind if we sit down?”
“Please do. As I said, it was not my intention to keep you waiting. I apologize for not being present to greet you when Allen dropped you off.”
Is this why the VIP event was canceled? I look to Roxy for moral support, and she winks at me. “It’s okay,” she whispers. “I still owe you from when I froze up meeting my favorite voice actor last year at the big comic book expo in California.”
Great. She thinks I’m star-struck, but right now my only choice is to go along with it.
“Why did you invite us here?” I demand, suddenly filled with enough curiosity to reply to him.
“Don’t be rude,” Roxy mutters in my ear.
“I’m not. But this is weird,” I hiss.
“How so?”
“Well, that’s the guy from the hallway earlier…” I start to confess.
“Shut the fuck up,” Roxy gasps.
“Yeah,” I whimper. “But, Rox—“
“Uh-huh,” she answers.
“I think I fucked up big time.”
“Why’s that?” Roxy groans.
“I took a selfie with him before the show, and he posted it to my story.”
“Vivienne!” Roxy shouts, no longer caring about being quiet.
Cas just stands there smirking like he knows I’ve figured it all out at last. He winks, then gives a smug shrug of one shoulder. I think I’m going to need a new pair of panties because that was fucking hot.