The Stage (Phoenix Rising #1)

by Shelby Rebecca

  “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.

  CHAPTER TWENTY ONE

  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.

  “Sir, I’m sorry, but there’s been a mistake.” My voice is shaking and my heart is racing; I want to scream and cry. Part of me wants to thank Kolton from the bottom of my tainted little heart. The other part wants to scream, what are you thinking! I’m so taken aback I can hardly even see straight. “Please. Take this car back to the dealership and notify the owner of the credit card that he’s made a mistake.”

  The guy is standing there with this bewildered look on his face as I hand over the folder and the forms. He’s holding the key ring as if it’s grown two heads and he’s never seen one before. “I’m sorry about the mix-up,” he finally responds as I head back into the tiny little apartment.

  I’m silently bracing myself. Kolton is going to be pissed. I straighten my shoulders and open the door to my apartment.

  “Who was that?” Kaya asks.

  “Nobody.” I shrug and sit down on the couch again, picking up my dad’s guitar. Sometimes I thank my unlucky stars that this Taylor was in my Golf the night of the fire. At least I still have this, a little piece of my dad’s history. It’s so full of memories of him and me. From before the depression hit him—not really during. During, he didn’t do much but sit around and think about better times.

  “Mia Elyse! I know when you’re lying. Who was that?” she asks again, as she’s walking toward me. I shake my head.

  “What? Oh, um. Uh, it was a delivery man and he had the wrong address.” She opens the door and looks out.

  “A delivery guy for what?” she asks. “I don’t see a delivery truck. All I see is some bad ass Audi outside.”

  “Yep.”

  “Yep, what?” She’s tapping her foot again. “Yep, the delivery guy is driving the Audi?” she asks. I don’t want to lie, so I say nothing and strum my guitar.

  “Is that yours?” She’s pointing at the car. “Is that your Audi, Mia?” She starts jumping up and down.

  “No!” I say, as she starts to run outside. I hear her screaming, but if I ignore it all, will it just go away? I get up and limp my way back outside. I pulled a muscle during my angry Kolton-run, and it never really got better. When I make it to the front door, Kaya is sitting in the car playing with the buttons inside.

  “Get out of there, Kaya! God, it’s not my car.” I put my hands on my hips.

  “I looked at the paperwork. Steve, here, says it is your car.” I’m shaking my head ‘no’ again. “It’s paid for!”

  “No! No! No! Get out! Open the door. Now!” I stomp my foot and feel the heat creeping up my cheeks.

  Her whole face drops. Her shoulders droop and she looks at me like I’ve just told her the tooth fairy isn’t real. “Okay, Mia. I swear.” She climbs out of the car like a tiny child told to stand in the corner.

  “Steve?” I ask, my voice scratchy from yelling the way I did.

  “Yes, ma’am?”

  “Please, take this lovely car back to the dealership,” I say in a low whisper. “It’s not meant for me.” I glare at Kaya and walk back into the apartment, sit on the couch, and ignore the sensual sound of the engine as it turns on, backs up, and drives away.

  Kaya comes flopping into apartment, grabs her purse, and starts walking away. Just when I think I’m going to get out of this easy, she turns toward me. “If someone wanted to do a nice thing like that for me, I’d let them.”

  “Then you’d have to answer for why you have that car, wouldn’t you?”

  “Is that what you’re really worried about? That people will question where you got the car? Lie. Tell ‘em it was from the insurance money. Who cares what they think? Kolton Royce bought you the most beautiful car ever made and you told them to take it back?”

  “He wants to control everything. He smothers me. And then he sleeps around behind my back.”

  “No, he doesn’t. Everybody knows he’s pining away. He was doing something nice for you.”

  “If we get caught doing whatever this is, I’m off the show. He’s getting sued. And, everything about me being on the show is tainted by people thinking I slept with him to get ahead. He makes me look like a slut.”

  “Mia, he cares about you. This doesn’t happen every day. This is something special.”

  “Can you even imagine what my parents would have thought about this?”

  “I think they’d tell you to open your heart a little. Like I’m telling you now.”

  “I can’t, Kaya. You don’t understand.”

  “You know, you try so hard to do the right thing that sometimes you do the wrong thing.” Her face softens, like she feels sorry for me.

  “That’s not fair. You just think he’s hot. You don’t know what he’s like.”

  “You mean I don’t know that he’s taken care of everything for you? That he’s refused to take advantage of you, that he bought you a masterpiece to replace your piece of shit Golf?”

  “That’s not what I mean. He’s a walking one-night-stand.”

  “You’re full of excuses. You know, some experiences, even if you get hurt, are worth it. If it wasn’t amazing, it wouldn’t be worth the struggle.”

  “So you’re a philosopher now?” I say, cutting her down so I don’t feel the truth in her words. Her eyes narrow on me and she turns away. “You should, at least, say thank you to him,” she says before she slams the door, leaving me alone with the echo of her words swimming around in my heart.

  I pace for a little while, making a little path in the beige carpet, look on the other side of the couch, find Kolton’s phone, and plug it in. For later.

  * * *

  “Mia,” Deloris says after getting Riley tucked into bed.

  “Yeah,” I say, looking up from my dad’s guitar. I didn’t bring it to the call back. I guess I’ve been avoiding the guitar. Avoiding my memories. Avoiding the loss of it all.

  “Kolton asked me to give you a message.” My e
yebrows rise. He’s persistent. Gotta give him that. “You know how I feel about you being able to have boundaries with him. Do you want me to tell you what he said?” I think about it for a minute. In the end, curiosity wins.

  “Sure.” I turn my body to face her and she sits down on the couch with me.

  “Alright,” she says. “He asked that you call him. He said he’s been trying to get a hold of you. And, for the record, he sounded horrible. I mean, very distraught and panicked.”

  “Panicked? When did he call?”

  “I was at the park with Riley.” That was right after I’d sent his gift back to the dealership.

  “Deloris, he bought me a car and I didn’t accept it.”

  “He mentioned it,” she says, looking down. I want to ask her what she thinks, but it really comes down to trust, doesn’t it? Do I trust him enough to believe he wasn’t sleeping with a bunch of women after he’d told me he wouldn’t? Nothing can be solved by gifts, but he doesn’t know any other way. I’ve completely shut him out. “I think he’s concerned about our safety here. I guess you had a run-in with that model.” I nod.

  “It was scary, actually,” I admit.

  “For me, too,” she says. “I hate to say this, but I think Kolton’s place is safer than staying here.” I think about it for a second. There’s a doorman there that knows she’s not allowed and it’s too high up for her to break in. Here, she only needs to climb the stairs and get through a flimsy door. But is she that deranged?

  Really, who knows? I have to protect Riley.

  “I’ll give him a call. But I don’t think we should stay at his place anymore.” I say. She reaches over and taps me on the knee.

  “You know that I’ll stand by you no matter what you choose.” Her eyes twinkle, telling me that she thinks I’ve made the right choice.

  After she walks into her room and closes the door, I have a stand-off with Kolton’s phone. He’s called my phone, but I erased the messages without listening, and didn’t save the number in my contacts. Plus, I think calling him from his phone shows that I’m taking a step in his direction. One step forward; one step at a time.