The Stage (Phoenix Rising #1) (25 page)

Manny comes to stand next to me, but I still don’t feel safe.

“Do you want me to tell her to leave?” Manny asks. I shake my head, but he stays where he is.

“That was great,” she says, ignoring him. “So talented.” Her voice is smooth, her accent pronounced, as she takes my hand in hers and holds it a little too long. “What dark hair you have,” she says. I watch her lips move, but it takes a second for me to understand what she’s said, and what it means.

Dark hair. From the picture of me and Kolton in his car.

“Thank you,” is all I can think to say, as I take my hand away and stand up so she’s not towering over me so much. She doesn’t move back when I do and she’s too close to me. Way too far inside my personal bubble.

“Miss Phoenix?” Manny questions. I put my hand up to tell him I’m okay. I need to find out what she wants.

“You have a little sister, don’t you?” she asks.

“Why do you want to know?” She’d better not threaten Riley. I stiffen, ready to defend myself and Riley.

“Little sisters that you’re raising yourself need a nanny, now, wouldn’t they?” She winks.

“I don’t know what you mean,” I feign innocence. She’s figured out why, when she came to his penthouse, Kolton had Deloris in his house. Deloris said she was Kolton’s nanny. She’s pieced it together.

“I can see what he likes about you,” she whispers, leaning in even closer. “There’s something in the eyes that I like, too.” Then hers move all over me, and she bites her bottom lip, seductively. I feel like little crawly things are all under my skin. I smell her perfume, like too sweet. Like need. Her long hair brushes my hand and I’m frozen in place. Manny puts his hand out and nudges her slightly.

“You need to leave, Miss Inez,” he bellows. She moves backward, slowly, like how a snake slithers its skin just a little at a time.

“Manny, how good to see you,” she says, finally acknowledging him, her voice lighting up as if she’d just seen him at a get-together. “I was just paying my respects to the lady who’s stolen my Kolton’s heart.” She turns her eyes on me. They make me shiver and want to push her face away from me. My hand’s itching to do it.

“I haven’t stolen anything. He’s just my coach. That’s it.” Why am I even defending myself?

Her mouth opens slightly, as if she’s just solved a puzzle. “You haven’t slept with him, yet, have you?” she asks, incredulously, and takes a step back, clapping her hands together.

“What? No!” I say a lot too loud.

“You’re so sweet, aren’t you? That’s why, then,” she says. “Oh, this is so cute!” She laughs. “He’s toying with you first. My tiger is playing with his food these days before he captures it.” Her laugh is low and intimidating.

“Please, just leave. I don’t know what you’re talking about.” She’s still amused as she leans forward, causing Manny to put his arm between us again.

From the other side of his arm, her gaze hones in on me like a target. “I’ve let him have what he needs. He isn’t happy with just one woman, I know that. I’ve allowed him all the others because he needs it, and they mean nothing. He’s insatiable—sometimes we bring home more than one just to keep up with him. But when you finally stop with the little princess act and fuck him, this little game will all be over.” She wags her finger at me. “You won’t share well. I can tell.”

“I think you have a misunderstanding about Kolton and me. He’s just my coach on the show.”

“Come on, sweetie. It’s so obvious. So, why not just get it over with and test my theory?” There’s desperation in her voice. She’s panicked, but she could be right.

“Go now, or I’ll have to call the police,” Manny barks and pushes her away with his forearm again.

“For what? I have done nothing at all,” she says, in her defense, running her long nails through her hair. She turns and saunters off like she’s walking the runway.

“Do it, and you’ll see,” she says, as she walks through the tall black doors, back into the restaurant. “And, when he’s done with you, maybe we can play.” I watch her walk away, her words still lingering in the air behind her.

I sit down and bury my face in my hands. I slow down my breathing and try and take stock of what’s just happened.

She knows. She just confronted me. She thinks Kolton is only interested in me because we haven’t slept together. She’s irrationally jealous, and it’s only a matter of time before she tells the media what she’s found out. And what she said about Kolton and her, and all the women. It all feels heavy and dirty, and strangely like the floor is dropping out and I have nothing to grab onto. I open my eyes and stare at my feet.

“Manny?” I say, hoping he’s still standing here with me.

“Yes.”
Oh, thank God.

“Would you mind helping me take my stuff to the car this time? I know I usually do it myself, but—”

“It’s my pleasure, Miss Phoenix,” he says, as he starts helping me pack my stuff.

I’m so paranoid. My eyes hurt from checking to see if she’s coming back every other second. “Would you mind coming to the car with me?” I ask, looking over his shoulder again. I pick up my Taylor, pedals, and mic stand, and Manny gets the amp. We go together through the gate and out to the parking lot. I pop the hatchback of my ‘92 silver Volkswagen Golf and put the Taylor and the rest inside. This car’s so old; it would never have made it to San Francisco or LA.

“Miss, your tire’s flat,” Manny says, leaning over to look at it.

“What?” I ask, walking around to the front right tire.

“Someone popped the valve.” He looks up at me while touching the part where the air gets pumped into the tire.

“How can you tell?” I ask, wishing it weren’t true, but knowing it is.

“Because, see right here where the valve should be sticking out? Well, it’s broken. Like, it takes some effort to do that. It looks like it got cut.” He’s pointing at the damaged part as the tire hisses itself flat while we watch.

“She has really long nails. I don’t think she could have done it, right?” He looks at my hands, but my nails aren’t long.

“Maybe. She’s pretty resourceful—with Mr. Royce, I mean. She don’t stop for nothing. She could ‘a used a cutter or something,” he shrugs. “Let me give the boss a call, and then I’ll take you home. I’ll call the tow truck for you.” I don’t want Kolton to know. I feel like I’m in trouble, but it’s not my fault. She’s his girlfriend and he’s the one with the restraining order. But it’s my problem now. And I don’t want his help.

“Don’t call him. Okay? It’s fine. I have Triple A.”

“He’s not going to be happy with me, Miss Phoenix.” He stands up and shrugs. “He’s already upset ‘cause he says you won’t answer the phone.” He
should
be upset. The thought that he’s lied to me and slept with someone meaningless makes my chest hurt.

“Please, Manny. I don’t want him to find out. Okay?”

“In fact, he asked me to have you call him right after your show.”

“I don’t want to talk to him right now.” I kick my heel with the front of my other shoe.

“Okay. But, I’m not leaving you here anyway, so you might as well let me take you home. I’ll bring your car back to you later tonight. Alright?”

I nod, looking around for the long legged model, and then carry my stuff to Manny’s car. After we load up and we’re on the way home, I can’t shake this feeling. This ugly, hurt feeling because Kolton might actually like the thrill of the chase; he’s said it before. I’m the only woman who’s not after his body, or his money—and maybe that makes it kind of fun for him to try and break me. He probably doesn’t even know he’s doing it.

I hadn’t had the courage to give words to the feeling that he might be toying with me. The truth is part of me knows she
could
be right. I’m too ordinary to be loved by a man of his experience, caliber, and influence. And that I’m too damaged and scarred for him anyway.

Plus, he’s not a one woman man. I was reminded about that the other day on the phone. And she’s right. I
don’t
share. I didn’t share with Dean and I wouldn’t share Kolton, either.

As our reality starts to sink in, I feel as though I’m sinking, and what I want to happen between he and I is just out of reach. It’s when I think about his scars that the fissures inside me grow and tear. His scars so similar to my own. I think about the nice things he’s done for me. That makes me sad because something always goes wrong with his plans. I don’t think he means for any of it to go wrong.

But he’s never going to be happy with just me. It’s a lot to think about and I’m not ready to talk to him about it yet. He should know what’s happened tonight. Just, not yet.

Katharina is going to get even. And, with her smarts, she’ll probably choose the absolute wrong time for us to do it.

Audi 5

“I
made spaghetti,” Deloris says, as I drag my listless self into the apartment. Manny insisted on carrying my amp up for me. He’s so nice. He’s about to leave when Deloris says, “Now, Manny! You’re not leaving without trying some meatballs, are you? They’re homemade.” He takes off his hat and smiles.

“I don’t want to barge in on your dinner.”

“Not at all,” she says, motioning for him to sit down at our horribly cheap card table. If he’s embarrassed for us, he doesn’t act like it. He sits down in the brown fold up chair and Deloris sets a really full plate in front of him.

“Thank you, Ma’am.”

“You know,” I say. “You should come over more often for dinner.” Riley and Deloris nod in agreement. “I mean, it’s nice having people over. It’s kinda like a family dinner, right Riley?”

“Yeah,” she says, taking a big, cheesy bite.

“How much parmesan did you put on that?” I ask, laughing at her as I make my plate.

“It’s not
that
much!” she says, barely audible with her mouth full.

“Thank you, for everything, Deloris.” I smile in her direction. She nods, looks at Riley and musses up her hair a little.

“No problem at all.”

As all four of us are seated at the card table stuffing our faces, I look around and realize that Kolton might not have a family, but he’s created a little one for us here. And for that, I’m glad.

*     *     *

“I’m sorry?” says the young man wearing an Audi logo with the four interlocking circles on his shirt. “Mia Phoenix, right?” he asks again.

“Yes, but I didn’t order an Audi A5,” I say, looking at the beautiful metallic silver car with brown leather interior. I run my fingers along the smooth paint and whimper a little bit inside.

“Here’s the paperwork,” he says, handing over a folder with a sales receipt. I rifle through the papers, and then I see the price.

“Fifty-two
thousand
dollars?” I ask. “I’m sorry. There’s been a mistake. I didn’t order this car.” I’m actually breathless and my hands are shaking from not being composed enough to take in the right amount of air.

“It’s been paid in full this morning. We were told to deliver it to you here at 2450 Seamist Drive, apartment number fifty-eight.” Paid in full? Wait a minute. Maybe it’s
not
a mistake.

Did Kolton buy this thing for me?

“What’s the name on the paperwork, sir?”

“It’s all in your name, but the credit card belonged to—let me see here. To Kolton J. Royce.” He looks down at me as if he’s not judging—but I know he is.

Manny!
Manny told him about my car and the tire. I asked him not to.

He told him about the tire and now Kolton bought me a car! A beautiful Audi A5!

Oh! Like
that
won’t get noticed around town. Poor little broke-as-a-joke, underdog Mia Phoenix from
The Stage
driving around in a car that costs more than what most people make in a year. A showy, stunning, safe, and probably great-smelling car that I’d never be able to afford, everyone will ask me about. And where would I park it? In the carport? It’d get stolen faster than I can say the word ‘car.’

It has to go back. I touch the door handle for a second. It’s soft. I want to open the door and take in the fresh car scent—just once.

But he can’t throw his money around like this. No. Just no.