How a Star Shines: A Pop Stars Romantic Comedy Book 2

by Eliker, Rachael

  I could sense Josh behind me. I couldn’t pinpoint the exact moment when everything changed, but it didn’t irritate me anymore to have him as a constant shadow. Instead of feeling like he was restricting me with his presence, he felt like a guardian angel always near my side.

  “I never get tired of seeing the Eiffel Tower,” I said dreamily, admiring the architecture. The lights blinked on, accenting the beauty of the structure as the sun started to sink below the horizon.

  “I can see why,” Josh agreed. “Everything about this evening is beautiful.”

  I looked up to Josh. He was looking at the Eiffel Tower, but his blue eyes flashed down to me, and my breath caught in my throat, wondering if that look at me was implying another meaning to his words.

  Clueless to our private moment, Marc intruded, reviewing for the last time the ultimate goal of this particular shot. Josh and I—the couple who’d fallen in love after being friends for so long—were at the edge of our friend/lover boundary. I was to sing the lyrics while Josh held me. Then, the whole video would culminate with a kiss. I silently wished I’d asked someone for a breath mint on the way over.

  “Now, we must start!” Marc said hastily. “We’ll lose the light if we’re not efficient.”

  Everything went off without a hitch. My brain was able to keep my mouth in time with the lyrics that played through the portable speakers, but Josh’s smoldering look made me weak in the knees. It was a good thing he had one arm wrapped around my waist, otherwise I might have sunk helplessly to the pavement.

  “Now,” Marc said definitively. “It is time for your kiss. The video will end right before, leaving the viewer to come to their own conclusions about what happened, but I want you both committed to it.”

  I stiffly nodded and turned back to Josh. Looking into his eyes, I was locked in place. My lips parted, and I sucked in a tiny breath. Kissing Josh, even if I had to do it in front of all these people, seemed like a perfectly fine idea to me. Plus, his job wasn’t going to be put in jeopardy. We were flirting and kissing for the sake of artistic filming. No one would be the wiser to my feelings.

  Josh slipped his hand up to the back of my neck, and with his other arm, drew my waist closer to him. I tilted my head back, and when we were so close that I could smell the cinnamon on his breath from the gum he’d been chewing, I closed my eyes, trying to calm my racing heart. Josh bent down, closing the gap and as our lips were about to touch…

  Marc shouted, “Cut!”

  Chapter Ten

  “I’m ready for a party, aren’t you?” I said, climbing into the back of the limo.

  Ruby snorted. “When are you not ready for a party, Kiki?”

  I scooted over to make room for Ruby to sit next to me. Josh and one of the other security guards, Bert—or at least I think that was his name, he hardly did more than grunt when spoken to—slid in after us on the opposite bench. I looked at myself in the reflection of the window, not letting myself be disappointed that it wasn’t Josh sitting beside me. At least I had a good view of him from where I sat.

  “Are you excited to see your new video?” Ruby asked. “Rumor has it, you two were smokin’ hot in it.”

  My gaze skipped across the car from Ruby to Josh as my mind flashed back to our almost-kiss. I’d have given up my royalties on my last album to have enjoyed one, innocent kiss with Josh. Still, I’d certainly enjoyed being wrapped in Josh’s arms for the entire day of filming. “I guess we’re the talk of the town. Have you heard anything about these rumors, Josh?”

  Josh shrugged. “Just gossip is all. Guess we’ll have to wait and see how it turns out.”

  Tonight was the first night I’d seen Josh in a tux, and I thoroughly approved of this new look. Harrison had spent countless hours tailoring the tuxes for the security crew, and he’d done a fine job. Though Josh’s suit was nothing out-of-the-ordinary with a classic cut and black bowtie, he looked absolutely dashing. I would’ve picked him out of a lineup of menswear models. Too bad he was only here in an official capacity. He’d look perfect in magazine spreads as my date.

  It was a short drive from our hotel to the venue. Though it wasn’t my first music video launch party, they always made me a bit jittery. I never let myself peek at the music video before all my fans were able to see them, too. It’d be like sneaking in to see presents before Christmas morning. A bit of the magic would be ruined.

  “Here we are,” Josh said, exiting the limo after Bert. “Ladies,” he said, offering his hand.

  Ruby stepped out first, and it was a good thing Josh had a hold of her hand. She managed to get her stiletto snagged in her dress as she put her foot out and almost fell face first when she lost her balance. Laughing loudly as Josh reached down and untangled it from her lacy dress, she thanked him for his help. When Ruby was safely on her feet, he turned back to me.

  Resting his arm on the roof of the limo, he leaned over and again offered his hand. “You’d better come out, Kiki. I don’t think your fans can wait much longer.”

  I scooted from my seat and placed my fingers in his, suppressing another shiver that started tingling up my arm and down my spine. His warm hand could wrap all the way around mine, and he gracefully pulled me from the car. The second I stepped out onto the velvety red carpet, the screams of the crowd intensified. I was well-aware I was the main attraction, so I blew my adoring fans a kiss.

  Though I felt like I could burst with happiness, I hid from everyone how happy having Josh around made me feel. How was it that a man’s simple touch was enough to make every cell in my body buzz with excitement? Keeping my smile demure, I kept in my usual public persona, giving people the Kiki they knew and loved. She was always cool and in control, not gushing about her latest crush.

  Raising my arm to wave like a benevolent queen to her subjects, I let my gray faux fur stole slip down to my back, while keeping it from falling by holding it in the crook of my elbows. I’d agreed with Harrison to channel some inner 1940’s Hollywood glam while still pushing fashion boundaries. Though my dress was inspired by decades past, Harrison had kept it modern with some incredible, strategically placed sheer cutouts and a slit that allowed me to flaunt my legs, with a tasteful amount of cleavage that didn’t overexpose anything. I hadn’t minded in the least when I thought I caught Josh admiring my dress as we headed down in the elevator together.

  I took a step forward toward my fans but felt Josh’s hand slip around my arm. “Hang on a second,” he said, leaning in close enough that I could feel his cheek brush against mine.

  Discreetly, he reached his hands up to my back and I felt his fingers fiddling with the clasp at the top of my dress, which Ruby had apparently failed to hook when we were getting ready.

  “There you are,” he said into my ear. I thanked him, and floating on cloud nine, indulged myself in the roar of the fans.

  Ruby and I joined the line to make our way through the reporters and their barrage of questions. It wasn’t my favorite part of any event, but I understood the necessity of it. It was always so superficial—who made my outfit, how I felt about my new song, if there would be any surprises for the upcoming concert. By the end of the line, my cheeks were tired from all the smiling and fake laughing, and I could barely see around all the blinding white spots in my vision from the incessant photographers.

  “So, tell us about the leading man in your video,” a leggy brunette asked. She towered over me, and I couldn’t help but notice how she stooped slightly, making me feel like she was an adult talking to a little child. I wouldn’t call myself short—I just wasn’t…leggy.

  “Julio Sanchez was…unavailable, so we had to use a last-minute replacement,” I told her. I glanced over my shoulder, and Josh gave me a nod of approval. He’d hung back to watch me, while Bert was busy keeping Ruby out of trouble.

  “Does a certain photo of Cinnamon have something to do with Julio?” the woman asked.

  Drawing in a deep breath through my nostrils, I kept myself from clawing her eyes out by ta
pping my fingers on my clutch. “I don’t think Julio would be so petty as to believe all the rumors that a paparazzi photo can drum up, do you?”

  My dig took her aback, but only momentarily. She pushed her voluminous hair behind her shoulder and continued. “How did you manage to find someone so late in the game? Surely, that had to severely limit your pool of eligible men who could fill in.”

  “Actually, we did manage to find someone perfectly suited for the roll. My bodyguard, Josh Coleman, made himself available, and I was pleasantly surprised how well he performed.” Then, I quickly added, “We all were.”

  The sassy entertainment reporter looked around the red carpet and found Bert, looming over Ruby, who had finished with the line of questioning and was holding a few poses for the last of the cameras.

  The brunette smiled deviously and asked, “Him? That’s not typically the type of man you feature in your videos.”

  I would’ve laughed if I wasn’t so annoyed by the reporter. Bert was a fine bodyguard but she was right—he wasn’t exactly my type. Beefy and bald, he was born and bred for security work.

  Feeling a bit smug, I pointed to Josh. “Not him. Him.”

  The second I told her, I regretted it. I could see a hunger in her eyes. She looked like a lioness on the hunt who’d just singled out her prey.

  She waved Josh over, and he reluctantly joined us. If I hadn’t been carefully observing him nearly every waking hour for the past few months, I might have thought he was playing it cool, but I noticed as he answered her slew of questions, he tucked his hands in his pockets and jingled the loose change inside. The reporter tossed her head back and laughed loudly at just about everything he said, and she’d long since excluded me from the interview.

  When she touched her manicured claws on Josh’s arm and pushed her cleavage toward him, I decided I’d had enough.

  “Thank you for your time,” I interrupted, grabbing Josh’s hand and pulling him away, leaving the brunette in stunned silence. I wasn’t about to have Josh stolen away from me by some dirt-digging reporter intent on making me look bad. Not before I had a chance to figure out if there was a way for us to work.

  “Let’s go in,” I called to Ruby over the noise.

  Without stopping to give the cameras a chance to get a shot, I marched through the open doors.

  “Thanks for that,” Josh said, pulling me to a stop. It was only then that I realized I still had his hand. I dropped it and busied myself with adjusting my stole.

  “Yeah, no problem. Those reporters can be real blood suckers.”

  “Don’t get me wrong—I like a strong, assertive woman, but that was a bit much. She looked like she was going to eat me alive,” Josh said.

  I couldn’t help but laugh until I was hiccupping. “I thought the same thing,” I said, delicately patting the corners of my eyes so as not to mess up my beautiful makeup job. “Who’d have thought I’d be the one having to protect you tonight?”

  “Fine by me. I don’t think anyone in their right mind would mess with you, Kiki,” Josh said. I smiled at him, not sure how to respond to his vote of confidence.

  “Is that a good thing or a bad thing?” I asked cautiously.

  “Like I said,” Josh answered, pushing his hands into his pockets again, “I like a strong, assertive woman.”

  Looking at my toes for a minute to compose myself, I glanced around the room and for the first time, noticed the decor. “Oh, no,” I muttered under my breath.

  “What is it?” Josh asked, looking concerned.

  “Balloons. I hate balloons.”

  Josh looked to both sides, like he was noticing the balloons for the first time, too. “Really? I think they look nice.”

  “They look nice, alright. As long as no one pops one, everything will be fine, but the likelihood of that not happening at a party like this is anything but realistic.”

  Josh drew in a deep breath as he squared his shoulders. “So, the balloons are the biggest threat tonight. I’ll be sure to protect you from them.”

  I gave him a pretty smile and fanned myself while batting my eyes. Speaking in my best Southern belle accent, I said, “I’d be much obliged. There’s no telling what evil a burst balloon could do to my faint heart.”

  Josh chucked while applauding my theatrical performance. I gave a little curtsey when I heard someone calling my name.

  “Kiki!” I heard from behind. A warm hand clapped down on my bare shoulder but before I could twirl around to see who it was, Josh intervened.

  Before I knew what was happening, Josh had stepped around me and in an incredible display of athleticism, had the man flat on his back. Josh pressed his foot into his chest and glared down at him.

  Josh’s nostrils flared as he breathed heavily. It was the first time I’d really seen him in action as a bodyguard, and it was an impressive sight. But when I looked at the man’s face, I let out a tiny yelp of surprise: it was Collin.

  “I’m looking for Ruby, that’s all.” He coughed and gasped for a breath, clutching on to Josh’s ankle to alleviate the pressure on his lungs.

  “Josh!” I cried. “Get off of him!” Josh’s brow furrowed in confusion, but he didn’t resist as I pushed my weight into his chest to get him to move.

  As I helped Collin up, he ran a hand through his thick hair and smiled tentatively at Josh. “Glad to see that Kiki and Ruby are being well cared for.” He extended his hand as an olive branch of peace between them.

  Still looking confused, Josh slowly placed his hand in Collin’s and gripped firmly. “I’m sorry, I don’t think I know who you are.”

  “This is Ruby’s boyfriend, Collin,” I told Josh. “The one that Ruby talks about incessantly. You met him at Ruby’s birthday party, remember?”

  A playful grin hitched up one side of Josh’s lips and he said, “If you recall, my vision was impaired that night, and everything was a bit blurry.” He chuckled and turned back to Collin. “Sorry about that, man. I’m on high alert, I guess.”

  Collin reciprocated with good-natured humor. “Not a problem. I wasn’t expecting to be thrown on the ground tonight, or I might have stood a chance.”

  Sizing Collin up, Josh tried his best to keep his face serious, but there was humor in his eyes. “I don’t think so,” was all he said.

  Collin stiffened slightly and adjusted his bowtie. “I’ll have you know, just a few months ago, I was able to make it onto stage at Ruby’s concert, even though an army of bodyguards tried to stop me. Not bad for an engineer, if I do say so myself.”

  Nodding, Josh dissected Collin with narrowed eyes. “That’s because I wasn’t there.”

  The two men stared at each other in some sort of masculine showdown. Trying to think of something to say to ease the choking tension, they both surprised me by busting up laughing.

  “You’re probably right,” Collin said. “I’m a lover, not a fighter. Not unless I see someone being hurt. I probably wouldn’t have stood a chance against you then, either.”

  While Josh and Collin bantered casually, I took the opportunity to survey the room. Mandy stood next to Mr. Drake in a black skirt suit—I swear that girl couldn’t let her hair down for two seconds. Mrs. Drake stood close by. She’d come out of retirement to serve as Collin’s secretary, and she had his schedule lined up with Ruby as much as possible, which also kept her free to be with her husband as much as possible. She’d softened Mr. Drake’s frozen heart enough that he was putty in her hands. It was still surreal seeing Mr. Drake outright smiling with his beautiful, timeless wife standing hip and hip with him when before, he barely cracked a tight smirk unless he was looking at a profits report. Love had done funny things to him.

  Across the room, Ruby had found Vanessa, and was talking animatedly with her. Vanessa half-listened to Ruby, nodding and sipping her drink, her eyes escaping every once in a while to size up another well-dressed woman or a potential new boyfriend. She received plenty of long stares back at her. Vanessa was one of those women who couldn’t he
lp but suck all attention to her. She’d been born with a silver spoon in her mouth and didn’t know anything other than all eyes on her.

  Vanessa’s eyes found Collin, and she pointed him out to Ruby, who gasped and clapped her hands. Rushing over to her boyfriend, she miscalculated her path and bumped into a waiter carrying a tray of cream cheese and crackers, each with a tiny dollop of caviar on top. Down the waiter went, his tray clattering across the marble floor and caviar splattering everywhere. I covered my eyes with my hand, embarrassed for Ruby enough for the both of us.

  When the wait staff finally convinced her that they were happy to clean up the mess she’d caused, she allowed Bert to help her up and more cautiously scurried the rest of the way to Collin, falling dramatically into his arms. Collin went with it and dipped her low for a long, passionate kiss.

  Without any clear indication of stopping, I cleared my throat. When that didn’t work, I gruffly said, “Get a room.”

  Collin and Ruby looked up at me with equally silly grins, apologizing as Ruby was set back on her feet. Collin helped wipe up a splatter of fish eggs that had landed in her hair while Ruby fussed with his bowtie. I was happy for Ruby and Collin—I really was—but sometimes, I couldn’t stomach watching them be in love. They didn’t know they were rubbing their happiness and satisfaction in my face. Turning away from them, I went back to people watching.

  “There she is,” I murmured under my breath.

  “She who?” Josh asked, following my line of sight.

  I snapped out of my observation mode, not realizing that Josh had been paying any attention to me.

  “Oh, um, Monica. I’m just glad she’s here. I’m still not convinced she’s going to be a hundred percent reliable, and I really don’t want to have to try to find another backup vocalist this close to a concert tour.”

  “Ah,” Josh said. “Looks like she’s spotted you, too.”

  Monica strutted toward me in a ruffly number that very effectively gave her the appearance of curves where she otherwise was lacking because she was so athletic and lean. I caught the nanosecond narrowing of eyes between her and Ruby and had to laugh at their juvenile distaste for one another. It was no secret that there was some distrust between them. Monica broke eye contact with Ruby and smiled sweetly at me, trotting the last few steps over. Wrapping her arms around my neck before I could kiss her on the cheeks—my standard schmoozy greeting—she pulled back, biting her lip.