The Contest

by Dawn L. Chiletz

Madi jumped a foot off the desk, turned with her hand on her chest and laughed.

  “Did I scare you?” Trey smiled.

  “No, not at all,” she snickered. “What’s up?”

  “Nothing, just bored,” he said as he sat down next to her on the desk. “Jake’s in a funk today.”

  “I noticed that.” Madi rolled her eyes.

  “We’re not getting much done, that’s for sure. You leaving?”

  “I’m thinking about it,” Madi said with huff.

  “Well, I think I’m going to go out to the bus, would you let Jake know that’s where I’ll be if he needs me?”

  “Bus, as in tour bus?” Madi said excitedly.

  Trey grinned, “Yes…”

  “It’s here?”

  “It’s been here since this morning. Had it cleaned, too. Have you seen it?”

  “No, can I?”

  “If you want to. Come on, I’ll take you for a tour of the tour bus,” he laughed.

  Madi and Trey walked across the lot to the bus. Trey unlocked the door and took her inside. It was huge. Madi had never been in a bus that big before. Trey showed her the kitchen area, a lounge type area with couches, the bunks where Jake’s vocal coach and Caleb slept, and then a back room with a bed.

  “This is Jake’s room. Not too bad, huh?”

  “It’s not bad at all,” she said with a smile.

  Trey’s phone rang. He answered it and it was Annie. He listened for a moment and asked her to hold on. He turned to Madi and whispered, “I’ll be right back, I’m going to take this outside. The baby has been crying all day and she’s feeling overwhelmed.”

  Madi waved that she understood and watched Trey walk out of the bus. She walked around Jake’s room for a few minutes looking over everything. She was sitting on the bed thinking about what had happened in the copy room when she heard a noise that jolted her out of her daze. She looked up to see a security guard coming toward her. She didn’t recognize him.

  “And just what do you think you’re doing in here?” he asked.

  Madi smiled and held out her hand, “I don’t think we’ve met. I’m Madi, Jake’s assistant.”

  “Sure you are, and I’m his personal chef.”

  “No really, I am.” Madi reached down to show him her badge and then realized she had left inside. “Shoot, I left my ID inside. I’ll just run and get it.”

  “Ha! That’s a good one. Do you think you can just waltz into the arena?”

  There was something about him that seemed a little off. He was tall and lanky with greasy hair. The way he looked her up and down made Madi feel uneasy.

  Madi half-smiled. “I know you don’t believe me, but I do work for Jake. I’m here for the summer. My ID is in my desk. I can show you if you just let me…”

  He stuck out his hand to stop her. “I know what you’re trying to do. We walk out of the bus and you run. Do you think you can trespass on private property and not have to pay the price?”

  Madi huffed, “I’m not trespassing. Honestly, this is ridiculous. Just call your boss and he’ll tell you.”

  “Sure he will.”

  Madi sighed. “Okay listen, Trey Gilder is outside on his phone. He brought me here. In a few minutes he’ll be back in here and he’ll tell you who I am.”

  Madi noted the way he looked at her as she finished her sentence. His sinister smile set her on edge. “Trey will be back in a few minutes?”

  “Yes,” Madi said matter-of-factly.

  “Well, I guess we don’t have much time then, do we?”

  Gasp. “What’s that supposed to mean?” Madi took a step back as he took a step toward her.

  “Not only are you pretty, but you’re smart, too. I’ve been watching you for a while now. I can see why he likes you.”

  “Why who… who likes me?” Madi knew it was fight or flight time. She looked toward the door and then back to him. She noticed him smile again as he looked at her.

  “Aww come on, don’t go back to playing dumb. I can see why Jake likes you. He sure does have a thing for the pretty ones, doesn’t he?”

  Madi took a step forward toward the door and he held his hand out. She stepped back as she said, “Jake is a close friend of mine and I’m sure he wouldn’t like the way you’re talking to me one…”

  He crossed his arms. His brows furrowed and her words seemed to anger him further. “All you girls think Jake Morgan is so fucking great. Do you really know anything about him and what kind of a man he really is?”

  He took a step forward. She stood a little taller and tried to act like he wasn’t frightening her as much as he was. She figured if she looked less vulnerable, he might leave her alone.

  He ran his hand over his mouth as he looked her over again.

  Madi’s fear came back in full force. She wanted out of there. “I don’t have to listen to this!” Madi attempted to walk past him and he grabbed her and kissed her face. Madi pulled back and slapped him.

  “You like it rough? I can be rough. Does Jake give it to you rough, too?” He pushed her back onto the bed.

  “You need to back off right now!” Madi got back up and stood firm.

  “I’ll back off when you give me what I want. And what I want right now, is what Jake Morgan has. And I think that’s you.”

  Madi’s heart was pounding as she tried to rush past him. He grabbed her and kissed her face again. Madi kneed him in the groin.

  “You little bitch.” He pushed her then backhanded her across the face and Madi fell onto her stomach on the bed. She could feel him climb on top of her. She struggled but he was pinning her down. He had both her hands over her head and was able to hold them down with one hand. Madi could feel his hand on her leg. He pushed up her skirt and pulled down her panties. Madi started to scream but her face was muffled by the sheets.

  “That’s right, fight me. I like it.” He put his elbow in the back of her head and pushed her down as he undid his pants. “I’ll give you a fuck that you’ll never forget. Just call me Jake. It’s time he felt some pain.”

  Madi screamed and fought with all her might, then in a second, he was off of her. She heard Trey’s voice. He was punching the guard repeatedly. He hit him so hard his head slammed into the frame and he passed out. Trey ran over to Madi and held her.

  “Madi, look at me! Look at me! Are you okay? Are you hurt?”

  Madi looked at him but the words just wouldn’t come out of her mouth. She tried to speak but she couldn’t. Trey screamed “Security!” repeatedly before he pulled out his walkie and said it again. Two men ran on to the bus. “Call the police and get Jake. Madi Ryan has been attacked.”

  Madi sat on the floor and Trey had his arm around her. In what seemed to be seconds, Jake bounded on to the bus and ran right to Madi, sliding onto the floor.

  “Are you okay? Madi, look at me! Please baby, are you hurt?”

  Madi looked up into the bluest, most frightened eyes she had ever seen, “Jake?”

  “I’m here, baby. Where’s the piece of shit that touched her? Where is he?” Jake scanned the room and saw the guard passed out on the floor. His mouth was bleeding and he was slumped over. The muscles in Jake’s face tightened as he exploded from the floor toward the unconscious guard. The police showed up just in time to stop him from inflicting further damage.

  “I want this fucker taken to the station and booked. He tried to…”

  Jake paused as he glanced back at Madi. He calmly bent down next to her as he swallowed hard. “Madi, did he… did he rape you?”

  Madi shook her head no. Trey explained that he had walked in and saw him on top of Madi and that she was trying to scream and fight. The police took the guard outside and Trey followed.

  Madi looked down and saw her panties on the floor. She felt embarrassed as she picked them up and pushed them into her hands until they were no longer visible.

  Jake gently took her hand in his. “I need you to tell me if you’re hurt.”

  Madi looked at Jake and saw h
im like she’d never seen him before. He looked like he was in pain and the panic on his face brought her back to reality. She was okay. She needed him to know.

  “I’m okay. I’m okay.” Madi tried to stand. She was a little wobbly and Jake helped her sit on the bed.

  “Trey!” Jake yelled. Trey came running up the stairs of the bus and Jake said, “Call an ambulance.”

  Madi jumped up yelling, “No! No ambulance. No, please!”

  Jake tried to calm her down. “I just want you to get checked out by a doctor.”

  “No, I don’t want to go to the hospital. I’m fine. Please, no ambulance, no doctor.”

  Jake looked at her intently, studying her face. His lips pursed as he looked to Trey and shook his head no. Trey walked slowly back down the steps.

  “Madi, I just want to make sure you’re okay.”

  “Really, I’m fine. He didn’t do anything more than push me around.”

  Jake looked her over cautiously, “I still think…”

  “It’s bad enough the police are here. If we go to the hospital there will be press and I don’t want your name to be associated with this. It would be bad for you and your career and I…”

  He bent down to look into her eyes. “Don’t worry about me or my career. I don’t give a damn about that. I just want you to be all right.” He reached to touch her face and Madi winced. “Does that hurt?”

  “He kind of slapped me.”

  “That son of a bitch, I’ll kill him. So help me God…” Jake belted for the door.

  Madi yelled to him, “Please don’t leave me!”

  He turned quickly. He could see how fragile she was and how much she needed him. He ran his fingers through his hair as he knelt down next to her. “Let’s go home.”

  Jake

  He wanted to carry Madi through the door but she insisted she could walk. He opened the door and bent to push Murphy away from her.

  “No, he’s fine. Let him come to me.” Madi leaned down and rubbed Murphy’s belly.

  “Please sit down. What can I get for you? What can I do?” Jake asked as he put his hands on his head.

  “I’m fine really, I swear.”

  “Please let me do something for you,” he pleaded. He needed to feel useful. He wanted to make things better for her, any way he could.

  “How about some more ice?” she asked. Madi handed Jake the towel he had gotten for her with ice for her face before they left the arena. Jake went to the kitchen, stopped when he got to the counter, and put his hands on the edge. He placed his head in between his hands and bent over. Madi walked around the corner and saw him.

  “Jake?”

  He jumped up quickly. “You okay?”

  “I’m just a little shaky. I feel like it was all just a bad dream.”

  “I know.” He walked over to her and was about to put his arms around her but then stopped. “Is this okay?”

  “You don’t have to ask me. Your arms are always okay.”

  Jake pulled her into him and wrapped his arms around her. Her head rested on his chest. He sighed, “I’m so sorry, Madi.”

  “There’s nothing for you to be sorry about.” Her hands gripped the back of his shirt and she held onto him tightly.

  Jake pulled her back to see her face. “This wouldn’t have happened to you if I hadn’t been an ass in the copy room, or had checked over the security company’s new hires, or had been the one to show you the tour bus, or hadn’t even hired you in the first place.”

  “Stop it right now!” she proclaimed as she pushed away from him.

  Jake was shocked and a little concerned. “I’m not trying to upset you.”

  “I know you’re not, but you are. This is not your fault. If it’s anyone’s fault it’s… mine.”

  His head turned to the side as he spoke, “You can’t blame yourself for any of this. He was an animal and I will make sure he rots in jail.”

  “My blaming myself sounds dumb, doesn’t it?”

  “Yes, it’s absolutely ridiculous.”

  “It’s almost as dumb as you blaming yourself,” she smiled briefly at him, almost nervously.

  Jake ran his hands through his hair.

  “I swear Jake, you are going to go bald and I really, really like your hair, so stop doing that!”

  Jake put his hands in the air and Madi laughed.

  “There’s my girl.” He gently kissed her forehead.

  “I’m not going to break if you touch me.”

  “I don’t want to hurt you.”

  “Having you with me makes me feel safe. Please stop thinking you’ll hurt me.” The tears came out of nowhere. She was on edge and feeling extremely emotional.

  Jake’s head went back and he flinched at the sight of her tears. He carefully picked her up and carried her to the couch. He held her on his lap and she buried her face in his neck. He held her and rubbed her back and kissed her hair. He didn’t say a word. He just let her cry.

  After a few minutes she lifted her head. “I need a tissue,” she said wiping her nose.

  “I’m not moving. Just use my shirt.”

  Madi shook her head, “I’m not using your shirt, Jake.”

  “I’m serious, I don’t care. I like having you in my arms and I don’t want to move. Do you want me to take it off? Then you could just blow your nose with it.”

  “I don’t need to be on your lap with you shirtless,” she said. “That’s too much hotness for me right now. It’s bad enough I’m not wearing any underwear.”

  Madi rubbed her nose and gazed up into Jake’s face. His mouth was hanging open and his eyes flashed with surprise. The look on his face made Madi start to laugh. “I honestly don’t know what to say to that, Mads.”

  “The last time I was on your lap was a little different, huh?” she asked.

  “Please do not bring up the last time and no underwear in the same sentence.” He smiled as he brushed away a strand of hair from her face.

  Madi laughed and then grabbed Jake’s sleeve and rubbed her eyes in it.

  “See, that wasn’t so hard, was it?”

  “Thank you,” she said with a smile. “You always know how to make me feel better.”

  “How about a hot bath?” he asked.

  She exhaled in relief. “That sounds really great right now.”

  He gently placed her down on the couch as he scooted out from under her, glad to be useful in some way. “Good, I have a Jacuzzi in my bathroom. I’ll get it running for you.”

  “Any chance you would come with me?”

  Jake’s eyebrows shot up. Come with her? What is she asking? He tried to wrap his mind around her words as he considered what she wanted. “It’s taking everything in my power not to run my hands through my hair right now.”

  “Will you stay with me, please?” she pleaded.

  “Madi… I don’t know.” He would do anything for her, but he wasn’t sure he could control himself.

  She seemed to study his nervous expression for a moment before tilting her head and briefly closing her eyes. “I’m not asking you to get naked and get in with me,” she said with a smile and a shake of her head. “I’m just asking you to sit in the room with me.”

  “Oh…” He smiled in realization. They both laughed and Madi wobbled as she stood.

  “Please just sit,” he begged.

  “I can walk. I want to get my robe.”

  “I can get your robe.” He pointed to her room.

  “I want to get a sleep shirt,” she said as she took a step forward.

  “I can get your sleep shirt,” he said with arms outstretched, attempting to usher her back to the couch.

  “I want to get new underwear.”

  He stopped and ran his hand over his chin. “I can, well… maybe you’d better do that. It would probably take me a while to pick out a pair.”

  Madi laughed and slowly walked into her room. Jake started the water and called Caleb. “What’s going on?”

  “We’re waiting to he
ar what the police have to say.”

  “I don’t care what you have to do, make sure he gets put away.”

  “I know, Jake, we’re just waiting for a list of his prior arrests.”

  “He had priors? How in the fuck did he get past our background checks?” Jake wanted to punch something.