Taking Something (28 page)

Her fingers were digging into her arms to stop them from reaching out to touch me.

“Don't do this?” I asked as moved my mouth to her neck and slowly trailed kisses up to her jawline. She tried to stifle a moan, but it was no use. Her arms had already found their way around my neck, her fingers resting on the back of my head.

She pulled my lips to hers. As soon as our mouths connected, the need for each other amplified. Our tongues collided. She nipped my lip between her teeth as she gasped for a breath. We were trying to get as much from each other as we could before that elevator came to a stop.

Ding.

It was like the bell ringing at a boxing match. As soon as we heard it, we each pulled back into our respective corners, hoping that no one was on the other side of that door. Gia smoothed her dress down and I adjusted my collar. The doors closed, both of us staring at the buttons, waiting for the other to make a choice. It would have been so easy for me to hit the lobby button. The two of us could have strolled out of that hotel and never looked back.

“I—” I started to tell her what I was thinking, but she made the decision for me. Her slender finger firmly pressed the button for the roof. “What are you doing?” I was confused.

“She's waiting for you,” she said, never letting her eyes find mine or giving me the chance to tell her that that was not at all what I wanted. It killed me that she thought I wanted a life with Sadie. “Your career's waiting for you. That’s your future, Nick.”

“I don't care if she's waiting for me. Meet me at my hotel tonight. Please?” I begged.

“I can't,” she said, looking back at me one last time before the doors opened. As soon as they did, she was gone, ducking behind a group of people walking by, blending in so smoothly that I lost sight of her almost immediately.

“Where have you been?” Sadie called out the second I stepped off the elevator and into the crowded space. “I've been looking everywhere for you! Come on. It's time for the announcement.”

I had no idea what announcement she was talking about. There was only one announcement I needed to make. If Gia thought Sadie was what I wanted more than her, she was wrong.

“Wait.” I stopped, grabbing Sadie's hand. “I need to talk to you about something.”

“It's gonna have to wait,” she insisted. She tried to continue walking, but I held her in place.

“No, Sadie. I have to talk to you. I want out. I'm done.”

She stared at me, momentarily letting disbelief cross her face before painting on that fake smile she'd perfected. “Too late.”

Before I could figure out what she meant by “too late,” her voice was echoing over the speakers. Everyone turned their attention to Sadie, who was smiling excitedly with a microphone in her hand.

“First of all,” Sadie started, “I want to thank all of you for coming out tonight to support me and my new album.” The crowd cheered, causing Sadie to give a full-on performance of modesty. She tilted her head a little as if to say, “Thank you”—two words I was pretty sure she didn't know the meaning of. She waved her hand, telling them to quiet down so she could continue her little speech. “As excited as I am about the album, I'm even more excited about some news I just received a few minutes ago. My amazing boyfriend, and the producer of this fabulous album, has just agreed to be the producer of my tour, which will take off next month! I'm so excited to get my new music out on the radio and live in concert!”

The audience resumed their clapping and cheering, a few people passing by me even reaching out to give me celebratory pat on the back. Everything happened so quickly. I hadn't even processed that Sadie had just announced that I was going on the tour with her. I couldn't do anything but look around the room at every face, trying to find hers.

“I'm really surprised that you agreed to going on the road,” Hollace said, stepping in to block my view of the crowd. “I'm sure you'll be great.”

“Umm…yeah. I'll do my best,” I acknowledged, looking over his shoulder, trying to find her. My eyes continued to scan the crowd, unable to pick out her blue dress or dark hair.

Where is she?

I needed to talk to her. We needed to finish the conversation she had cut short in the elevator. When I finally I found her, she looked back at me, her face pained as Landry led her through the crowd. I started to follow them but saw a flash of auburn hair in my peripheral.

“Isn't it exciting?” Sadie lilted, running up to my side, locking me in place. “Hollace, this tour is going to be huge. I can't wait to hit the road.”

“Can't wait either,” he said, chuckling. What he really meant was, “I can't wait to see how much money it brings.”

“Uh-huh,” I mumbled, unable to concentrate on anything he was saying. Gia and Landry were stepping into the elevator. I pressed up on the tips of my toes to stand up above the crowd and started to wave at her to wait for me. I needed to know what she was thinking. Before I could, I saw him wrap his arm around her and her head fall on his shoulder.

I pulled out my phone and quickly brought her number up on the screen. I had to talk to her and she was already on her way downstairs. I'd never catch her before she left. Just as I was about to hit SEND, Sadie grabbed my arm, pulling me back into the conversation.

“Can we meet with Vince early next week to discuss the tour?” she asked.

“Yeah.” I nodded and hit the button. “Whatever you want,” I answered, not even thinking about the stupid tour she'd just locked me into for a year.

Me: Meet me tonight. I need to talk to you.

I stared at the screen, waiting for a response, all the while pretending to listen to what Sadie was saying. The little bits and pieces I was processing of her nonsense had something to do with suspending her above the crowd while she sang a cappella.

That'll be great.

Gia: Don't worry about it. Congratulations on the tour.

What the fuck does that mean?

Me: It's not what you think.. Just please talk to me.

Gia: Just leave me alone. It was a mistake for me to come tonight. I won't ruin your future.

My lips pursed together hard, keeping the slew of curse words I wanted to scream literally from the rooftop from coming out of my mouth. I couldn't win. When I was an asshole, I was an asshole. When I was the gracious loser who was trying to let her be happy, I was an asshole. She had me fuming.

Me: You are my future.

Gia: I can't be. I can't talk anymore. I don't want to be with you. I'm with Landry now.

I'd really lost her. Her text was staring me in the face, reiterating the fact that she’d made her choice. She wanted him and not me.

Déjà
fucking vu.

T
HE PROBLEM
with the rooftop deck the party was being held on was that there is nowhere to hide. Nowhere to go and lick your wounds unseen when the person you want to be with tells you she's with someone else.

All I could hear as I wove through the crowd looking for sanctuary were compliments about the music, how nice the party was, and the occasional snide remark about Sadie. It wouldn't have been Hollywood without a little backstabbing, right?

I found a corner and ducked behind a pillar that had been brought in to hold strands of lights above the partygoers’ heads. Pulling a pack of cigarettes from my inside jacket pocket, I snatched one up with my lips and used the lapel of my jacket to block the breeze as I lit it. I turned out to face the skyline. A smoke used to be just what I needed to calm myself down.

Three cigarettes later and I was still on edge. The party was starting to die down. Guests were leaving and saying their goodbyes, successfully keeping Sadie from being able to come and find me, which was a good thing. I had a few choice words to say to the pop star about announcing something to which I had never agreed to the world. Gia probably thought I had. It was probably why she’d left even more convinced that we were wrong for each other.

I was pissed off about the fact that no sooner than I had her in my grips, Sadie had once again managed to rip her away. The taste of her on my lips reminded me with every drag of my cigarette of what had happened in the elevator. If only the hotel were bigger. A few more floors and I knew I could have convinced her that we should be together.

“Can I bum one?”

“Probably not a good for your singing voice,” I said, turning to find Landry ducking into my privacy.

“Yeah, well, I've been a little stressed lately,” he explained, forcing a smile.

You and me both.

I took the pack back out and handed it to him. I immediately began to wonder if he was here to stake his claim—to make sure that whatever had happened between me and Gia was over. At the same time, I was wondering if he knew anything about us.

Did she tell him about the elevator?

“Thanks, man.” He took the lighter I held up to him. “It's good to see you,” he said, letting his first drag creep off his lips.

Nope.

He had no idea that anything had happened. Guarantee if he knew I'd just had my hand up his date's dress he would have not been happy to see me. I could tell by the way he followed up with, “So, I guess you've heard I'm a daddy.”

“Yeah,” I nodded. “Congratulations.”

“It's surreal,” he continued, apparently needing an outlet. A friendly ear. Little did he know, I took in every word he was saying with a bitter taste in my mouth. “Can you believe how quickly things can change?”

“It's crazy,” I acknowledged, adding, “I thought you left? I saw you duck out with Gia.”

“She wasn't feeling well. Not sure what happened.” He shrugged. I knew what had happened. “I took her home, but she forgot her purse at the coat check. Came back to grab it for her.”

I nodded. “You wanna talk about it?” I asked, the puzzled look on his face telling me that he had a lot going on in his head.

“I don't even know where to start.” He shook his head. “The past few days have been kind of a blur. She called me up out of the blue and said she needed to see me. Met her out for dinner and the next thing I know, I'm over at her house meeting my daughter.”

“Did she say why she hadn't told you until now?” I asked, pressing him for information. All Sadie had said was that she’d told Gia the truth. The only thing I knew about the rest of the story was the shit the tabloids were spinning
.

“She was scared. Scared I wouldn't want the baby. Or that I'd make her have an abortion.” He face was pained at the thought. “It sucks that I missed this time with Audrey… My daughter,” he said, smiling at the mention of her name. The way he said it conveyed that he was already just as much in love with her as I was.

I wanted to tell him that I’d already known her name. I’d already known a lot of things about her. That her favorite color was purple. That she had a knack for sounding older than her years. That she wasn't afraid of anything and was ready to take on the world at the ripe old age of six. That I'd met her, but the way he was telling me everything made me feel sorry for him. I hated that I actually like him. That I considered him a friend even after he’d unknowingly stolen the life I wanted.

“I just can't believe that she thought that little of me. I mean, sure, we were never in a serious relationship, but I cared about her back then. It wasn't just a random hook-up or something meaningless. I'm not a bad guy, you know?”

“No, you are not,” I assured him. That was the knockout punch to this whole thing. He was not a bad guy. He was a great guy. And Gia was a great girl. They were perfect for each other. She wanted him and not me. I had to accept it. “Look at this way,” I suggested. “You're getting a second chance to make it right.”

“Yeah, I guess you're right.” He nodded. “I just really don't want to screw it up. It's not easy,” he confessed. “I'm not really sure what the right thing to do is.”

“Just do the best you can. That's all anyone can do.” I reached out and patted his shoulder, offering up a little comfort for a guy who had just spilled his guts to me. I couldn't understand why he trusted me. He shouldn’t have. A part of me wanted to toss him over the railing and revisit my idea to kidnap Gia, but the rational part of my brain told me that probably wouldn't go over too well. “You two seem to be really happy together,” I said, choking down the pain rising in my throat. Taking the high road sucked fat ass.

He chuckled, giving me an odd look. “You fall for the headlines, too?”

“Huh?”

“We aren't together,” he assured me. “Not like that, anyway.”

“You aren't?” I asked, trying to hide exactly how much his confession meant to me. She wasn't
with
him, so why didn't she want me?

“Nah. We're trying to figure out how to be good parents together. That's all,” he confirmed, not realizing he was once again twisting up my whole damn universe. “I have feelings for her, but not like that. It was a long time ago that we knew each other that way. We were kids ourselves. We’re both very different people now. I care about her because she’s the mother of my kiddo. But it’s not the way everyone else thinks it is with us.”