by C. P. Watson
“And I heard that you’re an editor-in-chief.”
Carson nodded and smiled. As she gave Victoria a look over, she met analysing eyes. She wondered what it was about.
“Your job’s more fascinating than mine. At least you’re not stuck at an office all day.”
Madison nodded. She removed her hand from Victoria’s lips and gave a warning look.
“I wouldn’t call working in bed the best job in the world. But it pays the bills.”
Carson gulped. Was Madison referring to working as a pornstar or a writer? It had to be the latter.
Madison looked at how Carson sat uncomfortably in her seat. Did she say something wrong? She looked around the bus and noticed that Victoria had gotten up and was dancing hysterically with Melody. As much as she’d loved a happy crowd, the noise was just too much to take.
“I hope I don’t have to endure a lap dance. I’ve put those wild days behind me.”
Carson noticed how easier it was to talk to Madison that night compared to the other. Maybe, she’d learn to face her fears, or probably she had gotten comfortable enough. She did see Madison naked—actually, Candy naked.
“You’re one to talk. I’m gonna dread it. I haven’t seen a guy in his underpants since fifth form in high school, and he was running around at a house party.”
That was true, for sure. Madison had never slept with a man in her life, and wasn’t intending to. She was a proud gold star lesbian. Carson couldn’t say the same for herself. She’d had more men in her bed than she’d ever admit. But, surprisingly, she hadn’t been interested in the male species, as of recent. What had changed? Hadn’t she been with men all of her life?
“Maddy! Dance with me!”
Melody pulled her sister onto her feet and towards the rest of the girls, whose bodies sloppily moved to the beat of the irritating music. No one dared to touch Carson. The deadly frown on her face made sure of that. And after about three more glasses of champagne and a few rounds of shots, that neither Carson nor Madison had indulged in, the bus pulled over.
Carson felt her pulse quickening as she looked at one of her designers entering the bus in a police uniform. She swallowed and turned her face away when he said, “you’ve all been bad, bad girls.”
Madison’s eyes widened as the man pulled off his trousers and swung it around as the bus drove off. He looked at her and winked, which made her turn away. She never enjoyed the male anatomy, at all.
“I think I’m gonna throw up.”
Madison placed her hand over her mouth and Carson held back her hair as she stuck her head through a window. She didn’t throw up, but she did feel Carson’s body pressed against hers. Placing her hand over her stomach and making sure that she didn’t actually have to puke, she sat down and Carson checked the temperature of her forehead.
“You should drink some water. Is your stomach hurting?”
Madison shook her head as Melody rushed over to her with a worried look on her face. She nearly toppled over on her own two feet because she was so drunk and out of it.
“Maddy… what’s… what’s wrong?”
Melody plopped onto the seat next to Madison and leaned her head backward. The stripper had been dancing with the girls, but Melody was missing her fiancé.
“Nothing. What’s wrong with you?”
Carson grabbed a bottle of water and handed it to Madison. Madison smiled as her thanks.
“Troy’s probably at a strip club stuffing dollars into a stripper’s knickers.”
Melody mumbled as she placed the palms of her hands over her face. She’d always been the jealous type.
“Aren’t you basically doing the same thing?”
Madison looked as a few bridesmaids threw crushed dollars at the striper while he moved his hips with his hands in the air.
“But I’m not gonna bang him. What if Troy… what if he…”
Madison placed her hand on her sister’s shoulder and shook her head.
“You worry too much. He loves you. He’d never do that. Text him if you miss him so much, don’t jump to conclusions.”
Melody nodded and headed to the back of the bus with her phone, while Carson and Madison looked at the stripper doing squats. As weird as it was, it was somehow hard to look away.
When the stripper’s eyes fell upon Carson’s face, he nearly fell backward with the drainage of all the blood from his own face. He immediately placed his arms over his chest and below his waist, and swallowed.
“Miss Jenner… I…”
Carson chuckled and placed the palm of her hand on her chest. She never thought that she’d see someone look so scared, or embarrassed.
“Nice to see you shaved and I hope you don’t come to work dressed like that. Carry on.”
Carson couldn’t remember his name. But he’d been working at the magazine for a few months. And even though she’d told him that his job would be on the line if he slipped up, she couldn’t fire him for being a part time exotic dancer, even if she wanted to. Human Resources would have been up her ass in an instant.
“Employee, I assume.”
Madison looked as the stripper sat down and grabbed his clothes. He was too embarrassed to continue, even though it didn’t bother Carson in the slightest.
“Dude, seriously! We paid you for an hour, now dance!”
A bridesmaid screeched and grabbed his officer hat from his lap, which was covering below his waist. He was only in tight, blue briefs and shoes.
“Yes, an exotic employee, to be exact.”
Melody rushed to the front of the bus to talk to the driver, and directed him to take a detour to a strip club a few blocks away. When the bus pulled up in front of the club, all the girls rushed out and went in. And the stripper got dressed and left.
“Maddy, I’m gonna see Troy, are you coming?”
Madison shook her head and Melody rushed out without looking back. Carson stayed behind, as well. She wouldn’t leave Madison alone, even though she felt uncomfortable that they were. Even the driver had ditched the bus for the club.
“I’m guessing we’re the only two that doesn’t like strip clubs?”
Carson shook her head. She wasn’t fond of naked women dancing on poles or giving lap dances, or maybe she was. She wasn’t too sure anymore.
Madison stepped out to take a call and Carson inhaled a deep breath as she poured herself another glass of champagne. When Madison set foot back inside of the bus, the frown on her face could kill a million. Carson gulped. What was wrong?
“You have such a poker face.”
Madison crossed her arms over her chest and shook her head. She’d just gotten off the phone with a man named Paul Fletcher.
“I’m not sure what…”
“Your investigator just rang me. Care to explain why you haven’t told me about those pictures?”
Carson cursed Paul in her head. She thought that he’d let her reach out to Madison. Why did he always have to make things even more complicated?
“I wasn’t sure how…”
“How to tell me that you’ve seen me butt naked?” Madison raised her brows. “If I was that self-conscious, I wouldn’t have gotten into the porn industry, would I?”
Carson didn’t know what to say. What could she say?
“Candy…” Carson gulped. “I mean, Madison, it’s not that easy to just…”
“Yes, it is that easy. I don’t appreciate pretentious people, Miss Jenner.”
How did Madison know Carson’s last name? Why did it sound so sexy slipping through her lips? Carson pressed her knees together and finished the rest of her champagne, before setting the glass down.
“It’s a sensitive topic, as you must know.”
Madison inhaled a breath. She was getting upset for no reason. She knew that she had to calm down.
“Yes, and it’s one that I’m trying to deal with. Your investigator said that they’re two packages, I would like to see them.”
“They’re at my office. You can com
e by tomorrow if you’d like.”
“Tomorrow’s the wedding. I’m pretty sure that I won’t be able to.”
Carson poured herself another glass of champagne. Madison’s piercing gaze was making her nervous. She’d never felt intimidated by anyone in her life, but Madison’s protective demeanour was doing the trick.
“We can head over to my…”
“Perfect. I’ll need to check in on my sister first, and you’ll need to sober up.”
Madison stepped out of the bus and spotted Victoria seated on the curb. How did everyone get so drunk so quickly? She rubbed her temples and inhaled a deep breath.
“Victoria, are you okay?”
Victoria shrugged but didn’t look up.
“I’m drunk.”
Victoria placed her hand over her stomach. She felt like throwing up, and it wasn’t a false alarm. As she spilled the night’s contents all over the sidewalk beside her, Madison knew that it was time to take her home.
“Is everything… I’ll take that as a no.”
Carson looked at Victoria as Madison held her hair back. She could feel her own stomach churn from the mess.
“I have to take her home.”
Madison knew that she couldn’t leave her sister behind either, because Troy was probably drunk off his ass, as well. She wouldn’t risk something bad happening to them. So, she did what any responsible little sister would do, she called her mother.
⁑
AMANDA HANDLED THE SITUATION like a pro, as though she’d fetched her drunken daughter out of a strip club more than once. But in fact, it was the first time, and hopefully the last.
Madison looked around Carson’s office. She’d been a bit on edge after her talk with Paul Fletcher, and needless to say, she was worried.
“Here.”
Carson placed all the pictures, including the note on the desk. Her hands were shaky, and she felt nauseated, probably because she drank too much, or because she was nervous.
Madison picked up the photos and looked through them. She laughed at a specific one, and Carson craned her neck in an attempt to get a glance. When Madison picked up the note, all the colour from her face vanished. The photos didn’t bother her, but the threat certainly did.
“Thank you.”
Madison stuffed the photos into her handbag, and clutched the note in the palm of her hand. She was about to leave the office, but Carson just had to say something.
“Is he dangerous?”
Of course, Carson would be curious to know what was going on, and why her magazine had gotten involved.
“Why do you think the person’s a male? Does the penmanship suggest that?”
Carson could identify the snarky tone in Madison’s voice. As much as she hated to say it, but the first gender that popped into her mind was indeed a man.
“Sexist, right?”
Madison chuckled. She held her composure, and pulled in her stomach with a deep inhale. It was not the time to panic, not when she needed to fix everything.
“A bit, yes.”
“Do you know who it is?”
Madison looked at Carson with unreadable eyes. There wasn’t much to say about it, not anything she’d want to divulge anyway.
“That’s for me to worry about.”
“Madison,” Carson called louder that she’d anticipated. “My magazine is involved whether you like it or not. You probably have lots that you don’t want to say, but I need to make sure that no one’s life is at risk here.”
Madison swallowed. She’d tried to avoid thinking about that outcome. Was she really in danger? Was she putting other lives in danger?
“You’ll probably want to tighten security, if that makes you sleep better at night. But no, I’ll be the one to worry about that.”
Carson wasn’t sure if she could believe that. Whoever wanted to defame Madison was certainly dangerous.
“Are you going to be okay then?”
Madison was sure that she would be, at least she could hope.
“Yes, Miss Jenner. I’ll be fine. If you receive any more of these, you know where to find me.”
Carson was anxious. She felt very self-conscious, paranoid and uncomfortable all at the same time.
“What are you going to do? Whoever it is, they’ll go somewhere else if I don’t use it.”
“As I said, Miss Jenner, I’ll figure it out.”
Madison was becoming irritated, and increasingly worried. She didn’t need anyone’s fear increasing her own.
“You’re pretty stubborn, aren’t you? I’d think you’d have a little bit of trust in me, I didn’t use it after all.”
Carson picked up her handbag and opted to leave her own office, but stopped by the call of her name.
“Miss Jenner… I appreciate what you’ve done. Thank you. I’ll see you at the wedding?”
Madison swallowed and gripped onto her handbag. She’d need a few glasses of wine to ease her mind.
“Of course, it’s my nephew’s big day after all.”
Madison could feel her heart pounding inside of her chest. She had a cab waiting for her, and couldn’t wait to be in her bed. Maybe, she’d even get a hug from her mother, including a kiss on her forehead. Her thoughts were rattling, and the palms of her hands were sweating. She was anxious, to say the least, or maybe what she was feeling was fright.
CHAPTER SIX
The Wedding Day
The next day came quicker than anyone would have liked. Madison looked at her sister as she walked down the aisle. She was indeed a beautiful bride. The reception had dragged, to Madison’s dismay. She needed to sleep. Her eyes felt as though they’d defuse at any moment.
“You okay?”
Victoria asked her as they watched couples dancing to a slow song. Troy and Melody were in the centre, and although they both didn’t seem to know what they were doing, they managed to pull off a decent first dance, at least.
Even Amanda was dancing, with a gentleman she’d brought as her plus one. As for her father, she’d taken a liking to his partner. Madison was still upset that they’d taken so long to tell her about the divorce, and of course, her father being gay. As if she was to judge, right? She wondered why he thought that he needed to keep it a secret. What was the cause?
“I’m fine. Just tired.”
Victoria wanted to dance, but Madison didn’t seem up for it. She watched her exes get all mushy in the slow dance. They were full on making out, at that point.
Madison eyes travelled over the room and spotted Carson sitting at a table by herself. All the seats were vacated except for where she sat. Wasn’t she lonely? Should Madison go over to keep her company? It was the right thing to do, right?
“I’m going to the bar.”
Victoria placed a kiss on Madison’s lips before walking away. Madison touched her lips and thought for a moment. How many times had she thought about Victoria kissing her lips? How many nights did she dream of lying next to Victoria on her bed?
They hadn’t slept together as yet. Somehow, Madison couldn’t bring herself to. Not with everything that had been going on. She’d been extremely stressed for the past few weeks.
She headed over to Carson’s table and took a seat next to her.
“How trustworthy is Paul Fletcher?”
Carson’s head snapped up with a confused look. That wasn’t a good icebreaker, was it?
“I’m not sure how to answer that.”
Madison took a sip of her wine, before placing it down. She’d spent all night tossing and turning. At least what was left of the night, before morning came, and her thoughts still couldn’t rest.
“On a scale from he’ll keep his mouth shut, or he’ll spill what he knows.”
Carson leaned forward and placed her arms on the table. She was exhausted, as well. How could she sleep when paranoia consumed her?
“I can’t give a direct answer there. He seems to be interested in your well-being though.”
“Seems to be?”
Carson’s jaw twitched.
“Yes, as I said, I can’t give you a…”
“I need to ask a favour.”
Madison looked at Carson with the dullest eyes that she could muster up. She knew Carson looked at those photos, and it was embarrassing. Her snatch was probably all over Carson’s brain at that moment. Madison could tell.
“I’m listening.”
Carson wasn’t sure what she could do to help in the matter. Other than trying to track down the person who’d left the packages, in which they’d travelled to a dead end, there was no other evidence. The only thing left to do was fingerprint testing, but Madison had retrieved the items already.
“Release everything you know. Front cover and all. I’ll even give you a few of the photos to include, is that legal?”
Carson was surprised. Why would Madison want to reveal her own secret?
“Why would you…”
“Because I want to. Is it so hard to believe that an ex-pornstar would want to release her history?”
“But you’ve tried so hard to cover it up.”
Madison ran the tip of her index finger over the stem of her wine glass and sighed. Yes, she’d pulled a lot of strings to remove those pages. Google was yet to take down the links.
“Miss Jenner, as you know, I’ve got a secret that the world would love to know. Minds will be blown, don’t you think?”
Carson gulped and shook her head. Certainly, people strived off of gossip. It’s what she depended on. Carson did work for a gossip magazine, after all.
“I just don’t understand. Why let all your efforts go in vain?”
“Because it’s my choice. I know when to draw the line. I know when it’s time to stop with the lies. Miss Jenner, I’d think this would be beneficial for your magazine, why so reluctant?”
Yes, why was Carson so reluctant? Shouldn’t she be elated? Shouldn’t she be relieved? No, of course not. Spoiling someone’s reputation made her sick to her stomach. But didn’t she make a living off of that very thing?
Carson thought of what Paul Fletcher had told her the previous day.
