“Jake…” she sighed as she rolled her eyes. “You can’t keep men from looking at me. One interview is for a job at a record company. I’m sure they want me to look hot. Do I look hot?”
“You always look good, just be careful. You know I could make some calls and…”
“No, I want to do this on my own. I love you to pieces and I really appreciate that you want to help me, but I need to do this by myself, okay?”
“I guess…”
With that she jumped into his arms and hugged him before kissing his cheek. “Okay, gotta run. Maybe I’ll stop by after!” And then she was gone.
Jake passed his hand through his hair and glided toward his bedroom. He paused just outside Madi’s door and listened. He didn’t hear a thing. His hand skimmed through his hair once more before he showered and got himself together.
*****
He’d just finished putting in his contacts and strode out into the hall. Madi was nowhere to be found. Her door was still closed. He stood outside her door, listening again before he tapped on it with his knuckles. “Mads, ready to go?”
She came to the door within a few seconds. “Is Gina coming with us?”
“No she had an interview but she might stop by later. Is everything okay with you? You were acting a little weird.”
“I was weird? Weird how?”
“Well, the Madi I know can talk anyone’s ear off and you pretty much bolted before I could even introduce you.”
“I know who she is. You didn’t need to introduce me.”
“You know? Have you seen pictures of us together?”
“No, I don’t stalk you on the Internet!” Madi crossed her arms and rolled her eyes.
“I didn’t say you did. What has you so feisty today?”
“I’m not feisty!” Madi said in a shout. Then taking a breath, more calmly she repeated, “I’m not feisty.”
“Um hmm, I really don’t get you. If you knew who she was I’m surprised you didn’t dive into all her experiences with me.”
Madi gawked in horror, “Why would I want to do that?”
“I don’t know… I figured maybe you’d want to find out what makes me tick.”
Madi’s mouth opened even further. “If you’re referring to last night in your bedroom, that is not what I meant at all and it is very ungentlemanly of you to bring it up and try to embarrass me. You have just dropped ten points off your pedestal. If I wanted to know what made you ‘tick’, I’m certain I could ask anyone on the street in LA. It’s becoming more and more apparent to me that you have no standards and no respect for women. I’m going to the car!”
Madi stomped away leaving Jake looking dumbfounded.
“Take that you prick.”
Did she just call me a prick? What in the hell is she talking about? I wasn’t brining up last night at all.
Jake was still standing in the hallway by Madi’s door trying to figure out what just happened. Why in the hell is she so upset? Women! Honest to God, this is exactly why I’m not in a relationship.
Jake grabbed his keys and planted a kiss on Murphy’s head as he attached the leash. “Ready to go, boy?” He led him out to the garage. Madi was standing near the car with her arms folded and looked as if she were kicking an invisible rock.
Jake pressed the car alarm button and Madi jumped, looking back at him in frustration before climbing in and putting on her seatbelt.
Jake sauntered over to his car and let Murphy in before climbing in himself. He turned toward Madi and was about to say something when she said, “Just drive. I don’t want to talk to you right now.”
Jake blew air out of his mouth. He could feel himself starting to get angry. He pushed the button and the car started. He put his hand on the gearshift and stopped. “I have no idea what just happened back there and I don’t know where you get off calling me a prick.”
Madi looked out the window and quietly mumbled, “I’m sorry. That was a little harsh. Sometimes things just fly out of my mouth. I wasn’t thinking clearly.”
Jake took a deep breath and sighed. “Madi, what in the hell is going on?”
“Nothing. Really. Let’s just go.”
Jake backed out of the parking space and started to drive. Nothing? He’d heard that before. That always meant it was something. He was mentally replaying everything over in his mind. The way Madi acted in front of Gina and how she looked so uncomfortable around her. He thought about how angry Madi had become when he said he was surprised she hadn’t asked her about him. He was trying to wrap his head around the whole thing when suddenly he had an idea and decided to go with it.
“Do you know what Gina’s last name is?”
Sigh. “Are we on this again? Why can’t you just let it go? Was she upset that I was there? Honestly, if it makes her that crazy then I can go to a hotel. It’s really not a big deal.”
Jake smirked. “I asked you one question. Do you know her last name?”
Madi huffed, “No, I told you I don’t comb the Internet for information about you. I don’t know her last name.”
And then suddenly it all became clear to him. Jake grinned and scanned her body language and expression. She turned away from him and looked out the window. He liked that she had gotten so worked up about the whole thing. It showed him that she cared more than she wanted to admit. She was upset and Jake knew why. Madi Ryan was jealous.
Chapter 20
Madi
Madi knew that she was letting too many emotions show. She had calmed down after she wrote in her journal and had accepted the fact that Jake had spent the night with Gina. She “popped her head in” while he was in the shower… How fucking sweet of her. What had really set Madi off was the fact that Jake thought she might want to ask her how he was in bed. Had she thought about making love to Jake? Of course, but she wasn’t going to ask Gina how it felt to have his mouth on her and his length inside of her. God, did he think she was that desperate for any information about him?
He really had dropped several points for her and she had decided that he was indeed a dick just like all the other men she had dated and analyzed. This was really for the best. She knew she’d find his faults eventually. It was good that she was able to see his issues. He was a womanizer. Madi was patting herself on the back for not allowing him to kiss her last night. See, I always need to trust my instincts, she said to herself. She’d known she could find something despicable about him. Madi could feel her stomach growl. All she had the whole morning was coffee. Madi had a taste for chicken salad. It made her smile, because all along she had known that it was the best thing for her.
Madi and Jake pulled up to the doors of a large arena. Jake and Murphy stepped out and a man came around to Madi’s door to let her out.
“Good morning, Mr. Morgan.”
“Good Morning, Felix, and please, call me Jake.”
The man smiled at both Jake and Madi before he got in the car and drove it away. Madi glanced up and around. The place was seriously impressive. She followed Jake through the doors where a barrage of uniformed security jumped up at his presence.
“Hello everyone. Glad to see you again.” Jake roamed around and shook hands with several people before he turned toward Madi.
“This is my new assistant, Madi Ryan. Please show her the same respect and consideration that you show me.”
Madi smiled and waved. She followed Jake through the double doors and was soon standing at the back of a huge room. Way up toward the front, Madi could see what seemed like one hundred people putting the stage together. Half of them had clipboards and the other half were moving pieces of the stage around. Jake looked back at Madi and grinned like a kid in a candy store. “I love this part.”
Madi grinned back at him. She was going to be working for him for two months so she just needed to get over it.
Jake led Madi to the left where there were desks set up and the lighting was much better. She could see Ang sitting at a desk with piles of paper all around her as well
as several phones, two cells and three cordless landlines. Ang waved to Madi and Madi was über excited to see Ang’s smiling face. Madi walked over to her.
“Ready?” Ang asked.
“I sure am. Just tell me what I need to do!”
“First and foremost, did you bring your passport photo and the paperwork I asked you to fill out?”
Madi nodded and dug into her bag, producing what Ang had requested.
“Larry?” Ang called. A younger man in jeans and a t-shirt came running over. “I need you to put a rush on this. Just pay the fees. We need this in no later than a month. A week would be better.”
Angie pulled out a chair next to her and motioned for Madi to sit down.
“Before we get started I need to cover some basic rules with you.”
As Ang was about to start her next sentence, Jake moseyed up to her and said good morning. Ang was quick to let him know it was almost noon.
“Ang, one thing I need you to do right now is to explain to Madi the list of important people that I will except calls from. Make sure Madi knows everyone’s first and last name as well as how I know them.”
Ang nodded her head and gave him a questioning glare. “Just do it, please.”
Jake turned and tromped a few steps away to another desk. Madi noticed that he kept looking up at her from the tops of his eyes.
“Okay…” Ang said as she shuffled some papers around. “There are several people that Jake will always talk to no matter what he is doing. If they say to leave him a message after we tell them he’s busy, then we take the message and give it to him right away. If they say it’s urgent and they need to speak to him, then we politely interrupt him for the call.”
“What if he’s in an interview?”
“Good question. If he’s in an interview, then we point to the phone. He’ll stop if he can. If he can’t, he’ll ignore you and continue. Then you just ask whomever it is to hold.”
Madi nodded her head, seemed reasonable enough.
“So here’s a copy of the list. I’ll get you a folder to keep important papers in. You’ll need to carry it with you everywhere you go.”
Ang handed Madi the list and told her to read through it. Madi took the paper and noted that Jake had asked Caleb to give him a minute and then had turned his attention back toward her. He had a sinister smirk on his face. Madi wondered to herself what he thought was so damn funny. It was really rude of him to keep trying to make her feel so uncomfortable. She took a deep breath and started reading through the list:
ALWAYS ACCEPT:
Caleb Morrison – Jake’s manager
Roger Pystoric – Jake’s vocal coach
Angela Tyler – Jake’s assistant
Liz Morgan – Jake’s mother
Mike Morgan – Jake’s father
Gina Morgan – Jake’s sister
Frank Nelson – Jake’s uncle
Trey Gilder – Jake’s Guitarist/ Friend
Madi stopped and re-read the name Gina Morgan three times. Her mouth dropped open. Gina? Gina Morgan? Jake’s sister? Had Madi really met Jake’s sister this morning and assumed she was his girlfriend? Had she been rude? Oh no, she had been rude! Madi replayed every word Jake had said, “I’m surprised you didn’t dive into all her experiences with me.” Oh no. Oh no! How could Madi have been so wrong and so stupid and so mean? She called Jake a prick! She peered up from her paper and saw Jake standing with his arms folded, leaning on a desk. He was staring right at her and had a smug look on his face. Did he know what Madi had thought? Madi could feel her face flush as she swallowed hard. She looked down at the sheet and then back up at Jake. He winked at her, nodded his head, and walked off toward the stage. She wanted to crawl under the table and die.
Jake
The day had flown by. It was 8 p.m. and the list of things to do was endless. Jake had spent much of the day with Caleb and the stage manager. He had told the band that they didn’t need to come by tomorrow as it would still be set-up. Jake glanced over his shoulder and noted that Madi and Ang were still working.
Jake picked up his cell and called Ang’s number.
“If you’re too tired to walk over here and talk to me then you really need to just go home,” she said as she answered his call.
“Ang, I need you to do something for me.”
“Name it.”
“It’s late and you and Madi should get going. Could you please take her back to my place for me? Caleb has a key for her, a card for security access, and a staff ID for her to wear daily. Just grab it from him before you go, okay?”
“Aren’t you coming too?”
“No, I’m going to be here for a while.”
“Could you also walk Murph for me before you leave?”
“You bet! I’ll take care of it! Get some rest, okay?”
“Goodnight, Ang.”
Jake was glad that he didn’t have to have an awkward ride home with Madi. The more he had thought about what had happened, the more he realized he needed a little distance from her. At first, he thought it was sweet that she was jealous, but the more he thought about it, the more worried he became. He was starting to question whether or not it was a good idea for her to be staying with him. She had no right to get so upset with him. Even if Gina was his girlfriend, it was none of her business. He barely knew her and he was starting to think she was really no different from any other girl. Jake peered back and they were gone. He breathed a sigh of relief and went back over to the crew. “So what issues are we having with the stage set-up and timing?”
*****
Three hours later, Caleb came down to center stage where Jake was flipping through papers, deep in thought.
“I think we’d better call it a night. Go home and get some sleep. We’re going to do another run through at 8 a.m. tomorrow. By the time you get here, I’m hoping we’ll have some answers.
Jake nodded his head and yawned.
“Jake, did you eat today?”
Jake scratched his head and had to think. He knew he had a sandwich at around one and a ton of water but no dinner. “I’ll have something at home.” He tossed the clipboard on the stage, said goodnight to Caleb, called to Murphy, and made his way out.
His car was waiting for him. Murphy jumped in the front seat and they started on their way. Just as Jake pulled away, he remembered Madi. He started to wonder how she was doing. He knew she analyzed everything and he started to feel a little bad for purposely ignoring her the whole day. At lunch, she’d approached him and asked him if he had a minute. He grabbed a sandwich and told her he was in a hurry and said that if she had a question she should ask Ang. He could just imagine how bad she felt. He could tell she freaked out after she saw Gina’s name. She was a fan before she was an employee and he knew she at least kind of liked him. He had sent her a lot of mixed signals so he was partly to blame. He really just needed to stop flirting with her. He knew it could never go anywhere and it really wasn’t fair to her. Jake started to feel really awful about the whole day. He didn’t want to hurt her. Why did he always end up hurting people? He wondered if she would be up waiting when he got home or not. He began to mentally prepare himself for the confrontation.
Jake quietly opened the door and found the place pitch black. He flipped on some lights and started to worry that maybe Madi had left and gone home. His heart sunk in his chest and he quickly went to her door. It was closed. He could hear her talking to someone who was not talking back. She must have been on the phone. He was relieved to hear her voice and glad she hadn’t bailed over the whole thing.
He glided into the kitchen and saw a note on the counter with his name on it. He flipped it open.
Jake,
I know you are upset with me and rightly so. I behaved completely unprofessionally today and I owe you more than an apology. I have no excuse for my behavior and I can assure you that nothing of the sort will ever happen again. I called your sister and apologized to her as well. I hope you don’t mind. She was extremely grac
ious and we are having lunch next week. After speaking with her, I can see there is so much you have in common. I am hoping the willingness to forgive and forget is a trait you also share. Please except the dinner in the fridge as a token of my regret. I’m not the best cook in the world but I can make a mean Chicken Parmigiana.
See you tomorrow. Ang said she can pick me up from now on so no need to worry about my travel arrangements. Hope you have a good night.
Madi
“Well I’ll be damned.” Jake opened up the fridge and it was stocked with food. He was pretty sure he had never seen so much in his entire life. His favorite yogurt, almond milk, strawberries, apples, lunch meat, oranges, lettuce… shit. It was pretty much all his favorite stuff. The freezer was stocked as well. Then he saw the plate of chicken. He unwrapped and smelled it. His stomach growled instantly. He popped it in the microwave and went to reach for a bottle of water. Yep, that was full too. Now he felt like a huge ass. She sure did have a way with words. It was a perfect apology, really. He couldn’t believe she had the guts to call his sister and apologize. He really wanted to know what she said to her. He looked at his watch, 12:16am. It was too late to call Gina. He should have called her earlier to see how her interviews went. Boy, he was an ass all around today. Jake sat at the bar and re-read Madi’s note. He was legitimately impressed with her. She took a bad situation and completely turned it around. He felt like the issue had been completely resolved except for one thing. The feelings he had for her had slowly crept back in. He took a bite out of the chicken and his eyes rolled to the back of his head. Damn that was good. How thoughtful of her to shop and make him dinner. He started to worry how she paid for it all and then felt extremely guilty. He would absolutely reimburse her tomorrow. He checked his messages and saw that the construction company had received the okay from the insurance company and could start rebuilding Ang’s home as early as tomorrow. Jake left a message for them to send the proposed construction ideas to him at the arena before they started any work.
The Contest Page 16
