One Man’s Trash
by Yolanda Allen
Copyright © 2013 by Yolanda Allen. All rights reserved worldwide.
No part of this publication may be replicated, redistributed, or given away in any form without the prior written consent of the author/publisher or the terms relayed to you herein.
The scanning, uploading, and/or distribution of this book via the internet or any other means without the prior written consent of the author is illegal and punishable by law.
This book is a work of fiction. All characters are products of the author’s imagination and any resemblance to actual persons are simply coincidental.
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One Man’s Trash
New Adult Contemporary Romance Novella
Mature Audience 18+
Screwed out of a job promotion, twenty-two year old aspiring songwriter, Diamond Anderson moves to New York determined to make a name for herself. Along the way, she falls into a whirlwind love affair with gorgeous singer, JT Simons, sacrificing everything to support his career, only to be betrayed by him. Now her life, her job, her future depends on the help from the one person that she never thought she would ever need. Ryder Gillian. The first man to ever break her heart.
PROLOGUE
Diamond pulled the yellow drawstrings to tighten the white Hefty trash bag. She looked around the empty kitchen. She couldn’t believe that she was saying goodbye to the place she’d called home for the past few months. Her very first apartment.
“On to bigger and better things,” she whispered.
She grabbed the neck of the trash bag. ”Oh wow.”
The bag was heavier than she’d expected. She’d spent the last two hours emptying her fridge and cabinets. The only items left were a few bottles of water, a bottle of wine, and a large pizza. The movers had come earlier that day to get her furniture, boxes and all the large items. She was hopping a plane back to Georgia after giving her landlord the keys tomorrow.
“You need help with that?”
“No, sweetie, I got it,” she said. She opened the front door.
“You want me to go down with you? It is pretty late.”
She looked into his concerned eyes. “I’ll be fine.” She kissed his cheek. “You can watch me out the window if that makes you feel better.” Diamond walked down the three flights of stairs and out the building. She looked up to her living room window and waved.
She checked out her surroundings. The sidewalk was covered with broken down furniture, an old TV, and a wooden baseball bat. Her neighbors on the second floor were moving out also. Although she tried to put on a strong front for everyone else, she was still shaken up over the events that had taken place over the last few weeks.
An unexpected chill went through her body as she rounded the corner, out of eyesight, to the trash cans. She opened the plastic lid and dropped the heavy bag inside. The hairs on the back of her neck rose. A shadow appeared against the brick wall.
“Diamond.”
The sound of his voice paralyzed her.
“Diamond, we need to talk.”
Her pace quickened. What was he doing here? She gripped the lid with shaky fingers.
His shadow moved closer and she quickly turned around.
“What are you doing here? I have a restraining order. You know that.”
“We need to talk. I still love you and I want you to give me another chance. I’m sorry for what I put you through.”
“You had your chance. I’ve moved on. Now leave before I call the cops.” Her voice was firm although her heart pounded violently against her chest.
“How can you say you loved someone and then move on that fast? I saw you with him.”
He’d been watching her. She stared into his eyes. They seemed to glow in the dark. Like he was part human and part animal. He bit into his bottom lip and breathed heavily. She was trapped. She couldn’t go around him.
He balled his hands into fists by his side and stared at her with intensity. A leopard ready to pounce on his prey.
“Please—”
He took a step closer before she could finish her sentence. She swung the trash lid and tried to run past him. He grabbed her from the back and covered her mouth with his hand. A cold piece of metal rested slightly against her throat.
“If you fight me I will slice your fucking neck, bitch. You understand me?”
Diamond didn’t respond. Tears welled in her eyes as he threw her down onto the concrete and straddled her.
“If you scream, you die,” he whispered in her ear.
He held the knife at her throat. She could barely breathe with the weight of his body on her belly. She tried to lay as still as possible afraid his hand would slip if she didn’t. Hot tears streamed down her face as the cold tip of the knife followed an imaginary trail from her lips, to her chin, to her chest.
Diamond closed her eyes.
ONE
A few months earlier…
“Congratulations, Diamond!” Her boss greeted her with a hug. “I’m sorry I couldn’t make it to the ceremony.”
“That’s okay, Bob. Do you have a minute to talk?”
“Sure, let’s step into my office.”
Diamond followed behind him into his small office in the back of the café. He sat behind his desk.
“Have a seat.” He pointed to the empty folding chair in front of his desk.
“Bob, I just wanted to talk with you again about the Special Events Coordinator position. When will I start in that role?”
Bob massaged his mustache. “Diamond, I’m more than confident that you can do the job, but I won’t be able to promote you at this moment.”
“Bob, what do you mean? You already said that I had the job. I was counting on starting that position soon.”
He rubbed his eyes. “I know what we discussed but some important things have come up and I won’t be able to promote you right now. My wife’s nephew needs a job and you know how that goes. Besides he does have more experience with planning events, so. I’m sorry, Diamond.”
She stared down at the floor. That job would have increased her pay and given her the chance to deal more with the music side of the business. She sighed. “I understand. Family comes first, right?”
“Well, yeah, but he does have more experience, you know.”
“Yeah, you mentioned that. It’s just that I’ve been working here for the past four years and I’ve assisted Lisa when she was in the position, a few times, so…I know that I can do it. Could you possibly let us both work in the position? Each of us part-time, maybe?”
“That would mean needing to hire another person to take your current position. Right now I can’t afford to hire another person. I’m sorry, Diamond.”
She gave a weak smile and walked out of his office. On to plan B, whatever that was. She dialed her best-friend on her cell phone once she got to the front counter of the café. “Hey, girl.”
“What’s the matter? You sound like someone stole your stuffed puppy,” Kimmy said.
“I thought today I would be starting my new role here at the cafe, but Bob didn’t give me the job. Something about a nephew with more experience, blah blah blah. It just sucks because I passed up an opportunity for a better paying job at an advertising firm. I knew for sure he was going to give me this job.”
“What a jerk. So what are you going to do now?”
“Well I’m damn sure not being a freaking cashier forever. Maybe I could call the recruiter back for the advertising job.” Diamo
nd pulled at her bottom lip.
“Do you really want to work in advertising?”
“Not really. I prefer to work in the music industry. I’m willing to start from the bottom. I just have to find the right opportunity. And quickly because I’m not sure if I can keep on my happy face knowing Bob screwed me over because he’s afraid of his freaking wife.” She sucked her teeth.
“Come to New York!”
“Kimmy, I don’t know about that. That’s far from my family.”
“We’ll be together, Diamond. You won’t be alone. I’m sure you can find a great internship in New York. What’s keeping you in Atlanta? You basically don’t have a job anymore unless you plan to work the counter still.”
Kimmy had a point. The only reason to stay in Atlanta was her family, but that’s what planes were for. She would be just a two and a half hour flight away.
“Okay...I’ll think about it.”
Diamond move the phone from her ear as Kimmy screamed at the top of her lungs.
“OMG! I’m so freaking excited to have my bestie with me!! So what’s the plan?”
Diamond laughed. “I said I will think about it…”
“Oh whatevs, that means yes in my book.”
“I have to talk to my parents about it. Since I’m jobless, I’m going to need their support until I can find something in New York. I don’t know how my dad’s going to feel when I tell him he has to help me get an apartment. Maybe I can find a paid internship. Preferably one where I’m put in contact with artists more. I need to get my music out there, Kimmy. That’s my main goal right now.”
“Well everything happens for a reason, love. You should try to find an apartment in the same area I’m going to be in. Maybe we can live in the same building! That would be so freaking awesome!”
Diamond was getting beyond excited talking to Kimmy about her plans. “Calm down Kimmy, I still have to talk to my parents.”
“Girl please, you know your parents will help you out. You just graduated top of your class while working part-time the whole time. So start searching for internships. I’ll even help! I’m so excited. It’s just like that girl from Coyote Ugly who moves to New York. Oh, why don’t we see if they really have a Coyote Ugly bar and you can be a bartender!”
Diamond laughed. “I will not be tap dancing on anybody’s bar thank you very much.”
“Oh well, just a suggestion.”
A group of boys walked into the café. “Well I gotta go. I’ll talk to you more about this later.” Although Diamond liked her job, she was not going to miss standing on her feet all day serving lattes to hundreds of caffeine addicted college kids. She would give Bob her two weeks’ notice today.
Diamond walked out of her bathroom into her bedroom. She twisted the towel around her head and tucked in the end at the back to secure it. She stared at her naked body in the full length mirror on her wall. She turned from side to side. A few stretch marks adorned both of her butt cheeks. She hated those stretch marks but they were a reminder of her accomplishment.
She slid her hands down the sides of her body, admiring the hour glass figure that reflected in the mirror. She had always been overweight. The last four years had been a huge transformation for her. And she owed her success to her best-friend, Ryan. He motivated her to take control of her life and be the best version of herself that she could possibly be. The first step for her was to lose weight. No longer would she let her weight keep her from living her life.
Now on to step number two, career. It was time she took control of her career. Step out in the world, on her own, and pursue her dreams. Diamond sat at her computer desk and Googled music internships New York. The first listing was for an Artist Management Internship at Tri Records. She clicked on the link.
Tri Records, New York, NY
Salary: paid internship
Full-time or part-time
Seeking: Ambitious, honest and responsible go-getter to help with the day-to-day promotion of an artist’s career. Must be media and computer savvy. Proficient in online marketing (blogging, Facebook, Myspace, Twitter, etc) Must be knowledgeable of current music trends and a team-player. Click here to apply.
Diamond clicked on the link and it led her to an online application on the Tri Records career section. She filled in the application, attached her resume and cover letter. She searched through the other listings in the Google search but none of them sounded as good as the artist management internship. Working for Tri Records would give her the most access to the artists and a greater opportunity to work with the decision makers.
She shut down her laptop and slipped into her black leggings and a fitted tank top. She pulled her hair into a loose bun and picked up her cell phone.
I’m moving to New York. She texted Ryan.
WTH? Details? Ryan replied a few minutes later.
LOL I hope I’m moving. Gave 2 wks notice 2 Bob jerk didn’t give me da job applied 4 internship w’record label *fingers crossed.
So you leaving me? :-(
Ryan had been Diamond’s friend since they were three years old. Their parents had been friends their whole lives so whether they wanted to be or not, they were each other play dates on many occasions. She would miss him. He was her singing partner. They’ve written hundreds of songs together and performed a few of them.
Diamond preferred to be behind the scenes, but Ryan was a true star. He had the whole package, the looks, the voice, the stage presence and the ‘it’ factor that most singers out there today wished they had. Ryan wasn’t the only talent in the family though. His brother, Ryder had his own band called The Stone Ryders, with his best friend, Daniel Stone. They were hot back in the day. Your panties would fall to the floor if you heard Ryder sing. Trust, it has happened countless times, well at least that’s what she’d heard.
Her heart fluttered at the thought of Ryder serenading her. He was two years older than them, so she didn’t hang out with him that much. But whenever he was around, she always forgot to breathe.
Another text came in from Ryan, drawing Diamond out of her dreamy daze.
Hello??
She noticed she hadn’t responded to his other text message.
Sorry was distracted. What you mean I’m leaving you? Ur going off to med school anyway! It’s time I follow my dreams, & stop playing it safe. U can crash at my place anytime btw!
I’m happy 4 u D, I’ll miss u much but u deserve to follow ur dreams I’m proud of u girl!
Thx! I’m even more proud of you Dr. Ryan Gillian. ttyl
Diamond sat at her dining room table with her mom and dad. She had called her mom while she was at work to tell her of her plans to move to New York to pursue her music career as a songwriter.
“Dad, what do you think about me moving to New York?”
Her dad sipped his coffee. “Well, to be honest, when your mom first told me about it my immediate response was no. But then I had time to think about it and I even called Kimmy’s aunt to speak with her about the area and she convinced me that it was safe for a young girl living on her own, so that eased my worries a little. I know she’s lived in that area for twenty years or so, so I trust her. But I do have a few conditions.”
Diamond’s mouth was full of strawberry cheesecake so she nodded for him to go on.
“You have to promise to call us weekly to check in and you must maintain a job.”
“Fair enough,” Diamond replied. Her parents had always given her what she needed and twice of what she wanted, but they also instilled in her the value of a dollar and hard work.
“You can think of this apartment as your graduation gift, from dad and me, for doing such a stellar job in college,” her mom said.
Diamond’s mom seemed more excited about her move than she was. Her mom was always looking for some excuse to buy home décor. Their living room had been at least five different colors since Diamond was a child. “Kimmy got in touch with a broker that Auntie Jannie knows. She sent me some listings. I already saw a place th
at I like. They didn’t have any in the same building as Kimmy but in the same vicinity so it’s not too bad.”
“Well, I hope there’s a Sherwin Williams or something close by the apartment building so we can definitely start decorating the week that I’m there.”
Diamond’s fork stopped mid-air. “Mom, you’re staying a week? I thought just a few days?”
“Honey, you are moving across states, there’s no way you’ll get settled in just a few days. So yes, I’m staying a week. I know you’re ready to be out on your own and party and whatever else twenty-two year olds do these days, but you’re still my baby and I need to make sure you’re taken care of before I leave you by yourself.”
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