I licked my lips and glanced over my shoulder at Josh, hoping he would back me up. Love was not something new and edgy. That’s what I did best: push boundaries.
He shrugged. “Don’t look at me. Apparently, Ruby’s the love expert here.”
I tossed the idea back and forth for a few moments until I sighed and dramatically flopped back into my chair.
“Fine,” I said, “but if we’re going to do this, it has to be absolutely breathtaking. I’m ready to be back on top.”
“Deal,” Ruby agreed.
“What makes you so confident? I’ve worked with some of the best songwriters in the industry, you know,” I said bitterly.
“Because you’re working with me this time.” I had to give her credit for her confidence in her composition abilities. Reaching for her journal and pencil off the desk, she nearly tipped in her seat, shrieking as she sent papers flying all over the room.
Ruby giggled as she steadied the wheels of her chair back onto the wood floor. Sliding from her seat, she slid down under the counter to reach for the papers that had floated into the corner.
“Heads up, Mr. Coleman. If you’re going to last any amount of time as our bodyguard, you’re going to have to watch out for Ruby and her klutziness. Tenfold if she’s in anything more than granny heels.”
“Noted,” Josh agreed.
“Same goes for Kiki,” Ruby said from under the counter.
“What are you talking about? I’m the embodiment of grace.”
“Yes,” Ruby agreed. “My reputation may be for my clumsiness, but yours is your blackened soul and frozen heart. It’s practically legendary.”
Josh’s eyes flicked to mine, and I could feel the blood drain from my face, to which he graciously dropped his gaze but failed to stop a dimpled smile from spreading across his lips. Was my reputation really that awful? It stung to think that maybe there was some truth to what Ramiro had said.
Ruby kept talking, and I seriously contemplated crawling under the counter and shoving a wad of paper in her mouth to stop her. “The thing is, that’s merely a front she puts up. She might be able to melt people with a glare, but underneath her hard exterior, she has a heart of gold that I haven’t quite figured out why she doesn’t want people to see.”
“It’s a weakness I don’t want people exploiting anymore,” I said quietly.
Josh nodded slowly. “I can get that. It’s easy for critics to know just where to plunge in their dagger if they know you’ve got a soft spot.”
“Exactly,” I agreed. “See Ruby? Josh understands.”
“You mean Mr. Coleman?” she teased.
I thrust the papers I’d picked up at her and went back to work. Josh scooted his chair forward and reached his long arms out to pick up a few stray papers that had drifted his way while I went to pick up Ruby’s errant pencil. Finished underneath, Ruby backed out from under the desk without looking and accidentally rammed her rear end into her chair. Before I could dodge the runaway seat, it smacked me in the back of my knees, knocking me off balance and directly into Josh’s lap. He didn’t hesitate and wrapped his strong arms around me as my momentum sent us sliding back a few feet.
For a moment, Josh didn’t say a word. We were so close that I could see the stubble growing on his face, and I kept telling myself I was breathless because he had his arms so tightly around me. The last time I’d tripped in front of Josh was in the lunchroom, and he’d laughed at me along with everyone else. This situation was so much different. I liked being held close to Josh. Very much.
Ruby snapped me out of my daydream. “I’m so sorry, Kiki!” she exclaimed, clutching a pile of papers to her chest.
Practically leaping off Josh’s lap, I straightened my silk blouse and avoided looking at anyone. The last thing I needed was for Ruby to tease me about my now furiously red cheeks and ears and give Josh the wrong idea. He was my bodyguard and nothing else. It couldn’t hurt to admire what he had to offer, could it?
“See? What did I say? Her klutziness is reaching epidemic proportions. Let’s hurry and get some lyrics written before she breaks my leg with an ill-timed sneeze.”
Chapter Six
“How on earth you got salad dressing in my eye, I’ll never know,” I grumbled at Ruby.
She looked at me sheepishly. “I’m really sorry about that. I guess vinaigrette splatters easily.”
“I’ll say.” I carefully rubbed my eye. It still burned but I didn’t want to ruin my mascara. Bloodshot, mascara-smudged raccoon eyes weren’t exactly attractive. “How do they look?”
“Better,” Ruby said hesitantly.
Josh looked over at me and frowned slightly. “They’re still pretty bloodshot. I don’t think you need to go to the emergency room or anything, though.”
“Oh, you’re a medic now?” I said grumpily.
“I have had some first aid training,” Josh said.
“Aren’t you a regular boy scout?”
“I’m basing my conclusion more on personal experience. I can’t imagine salad dressing would be much more damaging than mace, and I survived a healthy dose of that.”
I stopped and cocked my hip, resting one fist on the top. “That’s what you get for springing yourself on me. You should have told me who you were before telling me to come with you.”
“And you shouldn’t be so suspicious of people. Not everyone is out to get you,” Josh argued.
“You’d be surprised. Even most people that love me I’d prefer to keep at arm’s length. They’re entirely too grabby for my liking.”
I put my enormous sunglasses over my eyes. “I think Ruby only got a couple drops of vinaigrette in. I’ll rinse my eyes out again when I get home and see if that helps.”
Cinnamon yipped at me from my Saint Laurent tote. The dog walker had dropped him off as we’d left the Harper Music building and he dove into my arms, licking my face and wriggling his hind end like it was on caffeine. Josh reached over and stroked his forehead and Cinnamon ate it up. My heart melted slightly. How could I not like someone that my dog trusted? He was the ultimate people judger and was right about them most of the time. He’d hated Ramiro from the get-go. I should have known.
“Does someone need to go pee pee?” I said in a baby voice.
“Gag me, Kiki. I love dogs but never once talked to one like it was an infant,” Ruby scoffed.
“That’s because you never had an adorable baby like Cinnamon,” I countered.
Putting on his leash, I pulled Cinnamon out of my purse to wander over to a nearby shade tree to do his business. I pulled out my phone and swiped through my notifications until I felt a little tug on the leash. Cinnamon was kicking dirt behind him and gave a full body shake when he finished.
“You wanna walk the rest of the way home, Cinnababy?” I cooed at him as we strolled away.
“Uh, Kiki?” Josh said. “Are you going to pick that up?”
I glanced down at the fresh pile of dog poop and frowned. “I don’t have a bag on me. Besides, it’s not a very big pile. Cinnamon’s such a little guy.”
“I don’t think the person who steps in it is going to agree,” Josh said. I glared at him, and he stubbornly raised his eyebrows, tucking his thumbs into his belt loops.
“Even if I did have a bag, am I supposed to carry it all the way home?”
Ruby held up her leftovers, dangling from a plastic carryout sack. “I’ve got a bag you can use.”
“Shut up, Ruby!” I hissed.
“There’s a garbage can right there,” Josh said, pointing to a trash bin a half a block away. “It’s even on the way to your apartment, so you won’t be inconvenienced.”
“Look, I don’t do this kind of…stuff. It’s beneath me and has been for a long time,” I said firmly.
Josh shook his head, and despite myself, I suddenly cared that he disapproved of me. “Think of this as a way to boost your public image,” he said.
Discreetly, he tossed his head to the side where a group of Japanese students all had their phone
s out and were furiously snapping photos.
“I didn’t realize you were hired to be my publicist, too.” I snapped my fingers at Ruby and she took out her food and handed me the bag. “I hate you both, for the record.”
Leaning over, I picked up Cinnamon’s gift, nearly gagging as I tied the bag shut. Pinching it between my fingers, I felt my glasses slide off my nose and watched them helplessly bounce into the street, only to be crushed seconds later beneath a speeding taxi.
“Well, isn’t that just the cherry on top of the day?” I muttered to myself.
Jutting my chin into the air, I marched down the street with Cinnamon barely keeping pace, and deposited my dog’s mess in the trash. Let people take photos of me stuffing dog poop in the garbage like every other dog owner. As badly as I wanted to rub my stinging eyes, I made sure to keep my hands from touching my face. I was going to have to sanitize myself when I got up to my penthouse.
Passing Ruby’s apartment, I twiddled my fingers in the air and shouted over my shoulder, “Toodles, Ruby. We’ll be back at it tomorrow.” I kept on walking, not caring if she heard me or not.
“Hey, wait up,” Josh called, jogging through the New York foot traffic to catch up to me.
I stopped and turned to face him, and poor Cinnamon reached the end of his leash and yelped when he was unexpectedly jerked back. I muttered an apology to him and promised to get him a fresh bowl of water and his favorite squeaky toy the second we got home.
“What’s the rush?” Josh asked.
“The rush?” I snapped. “I’m in a rush to get home to wash my hands. Somebody made me pick up dog crap.”
“Nobody made you,” Josh said, slipping his hands into the pockets of his jeans. “You knew it was the right thing to do, and all I did was remind you.”
I rolled my eyes so high that it practically strained my optic nerve. “Look, I don’t want to get into semantics. It wasn’t something I was planning on doing today, and now I feel gross. Not to mention, my eyeballs feel like they’re slowly being dissolved by balsamic vinaigrette, and in case you missed it, my thousand dollar Cartier sunglasses fell off my face while you were supervising my moral character and bounced into the street.”
Josh’s face softened and he apologized. “Sorry, I didn’t see that. Why didn’t you say something? I would’ve gotten them out of the gutter for you.”
“Because they were obliterated by a taxi!” I shouted.
An emotional outburst wasn’t like me. I prided myself on always being in control of everything, including my reactions. If my expensive attire and extensive connections with the rich and famous weren’t enough of a tell, playing it cool reasserted that I was at an elite level, and there was little anyone could do to ruffle my feathers. So, when Josh came into the picture and threw me for a loop, I was even more irked that I’d let him.
I sighed and let out a long breath that hissed through my clenched teeth. “Look, I’m going to go home, take a long bath, and probably even go to bed early so you don’t need to follow me all the way up to my apartment to make sure I’m not sneaking out the back to go to a club unescorted. I assure you, I’m not in the mood.”
“I’m not your babysitter, Mina,” Josh said. His eyes widened as he realized what he’d let slip. “I mean Kiki.”
I clenched my fists so tight my muscles ached. Pointing a finger at him, I drove it into his chest. He didn’t budge, as much as I tried. “Don’t ever call me Mina again.”
Swinging around and storming off, I forgot Cinnamon was standing by my feet, cowering as I chewed out Josh. Before I realized what had happened, my foot made contact with Cinnamon and I punted him off the ground. My guts tightened as I watched Cinnamon sail in slow motion through the air. He landed on his feet with a bounce, but when I bent over to pick him up, he shied away from me.
“It’s okay, Cinnababy. I didn’t mean to do that. I’m so sorry,” I said. Tears stung at my already sore eyes, and I would have rather died than let them come out. I was already mortified this whole debacle was happening in daylight in the middle of a crowded city. The last thing I needed was to be caught on camera, blubbering while I crouched over my dog.
Cinnamon licked his lips and rolled submissively on his back. Scooping him up, I cradled him like a newborn and stroked his tiny forehead. His tail thumped against my forearm, and I smiled, thankful that at least someone in my life could forgive me when I needed it and loved me so unconditionally.
“Good evening, Mr. Coleman,” I said wearily, dragging myself into my apartment building, ready to be done with the rest of the week.
* * *
After practically scrubbing the skin off my hands to make sure I’d gotten every possible molecule of dog poop off of them, I rinsed my eyes thoroughly until the burning sensation had ebbed. Treating myself to one of Wanda’s boutique quality face masks she’d supplied me with, I dozed off to a mix of Mariah Carey’s greatest hits. The next morning, I woke up refreshed with my emotions in check. I managed to greet Josh—even if it was a bit tight—and walked to pick up Ruby on our way to Harper Music, pretending like the entire disaster of yesterday hadn’t occurred. Josh hung back and let Ruby and I strut in front. I pretended to ignore the cameras discreetly pointed in our direction but knew they were there and played my best angles for them. Ruby outright smiled and waved. We had very different approaches to stardom.
Even I was surprised how fast the lyrics and strains of music were coming all morning. Mr. Drake would be pleased with how much progress we’d made. Ruby and I had stepped into the recording studio and gotten a working tape of the chorus for him to listen to. There wasn’t much to it, but I was getting a sense for what the song was going to be, and I dared to let myself be optimistic about it.
“How’s it coming along ladies?” George asked, poking his head in through the door. His teeth seemed to be dazzling white, and his spray tan was a shade darker than usual. Either he was planning a tropical vacation or wanted to look like he’d been working hard outside all summer. I knew for a fact that he saw even less daytime than I did.
Ruby stood from her chair and stretched her arms high above her head and with a loud yawn, answered, “Really well. I think this is going to be a hit for Kiki. So much passion, and longing, and desire, all wrapped into one song.”
“Sounds amazing,” George said.
“See?” Ruby said. “Told you people would connect with this song. It’s going to be a smashing success.”
“Can I steal Josh for a minute? The rest of the security team is here, and we need to go over some of the logistics for the next few months,” George said.
Answering, I waved Josh off. “Be our guest. I think we’re pretty safe locked up in Harper Music’s impenetrable fortress.”
George smirked and asked Ruby, “Does that song have enough drama in it for Kiki?”
I wadded up a piece of paper and threw it at George, but Josh jumped in front of it, pretending he’d taken a stray bullet. I laughed as he held his hand over his heart and staggered out the door with George.
“I’ll be back in a flash,” Josh said.
“Take your time,” Ruby said. “I need a break. That ice machine in the break room with that soft, crunchy ice is calling my name. You want some?”
“I’d rather not crack my teeth chewing ice,” I declined.
“Suit yourself.”
When the door swung closed behind Ruby, I took in a deep breath and relished having a quiet moment to myself. Pulling out my phone, I swiped away a few of the notifications, answered a few texts, and posted a selfie of me, captioning it:
Back in the recording studio! New release coming soon.
#diva #goodmusic #lovesong #newsingle
Before I closed my account, I already had thirty-two loves. I scrunched my nose, thinking of Mr. Drake’s comment about me not being on top. Plenty of people still loved me, and Ruby had brought a lot of crossover fans. With this song, I’d without a doubt assert myself as queen again. If Mr. Drake needed sal
es numbers to prove it, he’d have them.
My phone dinged, and a notification for a new trending story about me popped up. I liked to keep tabs on the pulse of the news, especially when I was the subject. It was a confidence booster and let me know that all the publicity hoops Harper Music would have me jump through were working.
Opening the webpage, I read the title and my heart stopped:
Kiki Loveless’ Dog on Wrong End of Leash
My hand trembled as I scrolled down and saw several enormous pictures, first of me laying into Josh, then an unflattering close up of my angry, splotchy face and bloodshot eyes. It was the last photo that about killed me: My face was blotchy and screwed up in absolute rage, and my bloodshot, puffy eyes did nothing to help the situation. Caught mid-air was Cinnamon after he’d met my ill-timed step.
In an apparent outburst, Kiki Loveless gives
her adorable Pomeranian pooch the boot.
The further down I read, the higher my blood pressure rose. I could barely wrap my head around what malevolent things the gossip column had written with great assumption to go along with the photos one of their sleazy photo journalists had captured. What hurt the worst were the screenshots of tweets they’d posted. Monster and She should be ashamed and That poor puppy! I could barely read the words around my pounding headache and trembling hand.
I must’ve looked like a ghost because when Ruby and Josh came in through the door, laughing about something George had told them, they both immediately sobered.
Rushing to my side, Ruby asked, “Is everything alright? You look like you’re gonna be sick.”
Running my fingers across my clammy forehead felt surreal.
“Kiki? Are you okay?” Josh asked, placing his hand over mine.
Looking down at his hand, my body seemed to have gone numb. Swallowing hard, I bit back the lump in my throat and said flatly, “This isn’t going to be good for my career.”
How a Star Shines: A Pop Stars Romantic Comedy Book 2 Page 5
