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

by Eliker, Rachael

  “I don’t know what you’re talking about,” I denied, meeting his frosty glaze with confidence.

  “I’d bet this quarter’s sale report you know exactly what I’m talking about,” Mr. Drake returned.

  A sly, closed-mouth smile slide across my lips, and I looked at my boss, an amusement that only people who’d had to deal with Preston on a professional level could understand. “Are you complaining about my ability to play pool?”

  “Not at all. I’m surprised that you were bold enough to pull something like that off while so many people were watching.

  I shrugged with one shoulder. “My hand slipped. Simple error.”

  “I do hope the young man is alright,” Mrs. Drake said, glancing over to where Monica hovered over Preston. Mrs. Drake’s face held an expression of pity that I couldn’t quite conjure in Preston’s behalf.

  “He’s fine,” Mr. Drake said, waving his hand to ward off his wife’s concern. “Monica is doting enough on him that he’s going to rebound so fast he’ll have whiplash.”

  “Kiki!” Ruby called, pulling Collin along behind her with a tight grip on his hand. Josh followed behind them. “We’re going to take off. Collin wants to take a walk around Paris at night together. Isn’t he so romantic?”

  “It’s sickening how sweet he is,” I agreed. “Are you at least taking Josh with you?”

  “No, my security team is coming with us,” Collin answered. “Don’t worry. My wallet is safe.”

  Ruby wrapped her arm around Collin’s waist and pulled herself so close that she might bruise her hip if she pulled much harder. “You have Josh all to yourself.”

  Josh and I exchanged an awkward glance so fast that I wasn’t sure anyone else caught it. I pretended to dig through my clutch for my lip gloss while my skin felt it was oozing molten lava as I blushed. Mr. Drake eyed Josh and me suspiciously, but I pretended I didn’t see him.

  “Sure,” I said as nonchalantly as I could, smoothing on a new coat of lip gloss. “Mr. Coleman can ride back with Bert, the Drakes, and me. George is here somewhere, too. I mean, it won’t be just him and me. We could probably cram Monica and Preston in, too. Is Mandy here somewhere? There will be lots of people riding in the limo. Lots.”

  Incriminating myself even more as I prattled on, I pinched my lips shut and applied a second layer of lip gloss, hoping to perhaps glue my mouth closed, so I would shut up.

  I hated it when Ruby looked at me so knowingly. She was the only one who’d been able to crack my secret, and she was dangling it in front of me, even knowing full well that nothing could ever come from Josh and me. He’d even said so. Reassigned himself to keep from getting too close and everything.

  “We’re off then,” Ruby said, pulling Mrs. Drake and me into a hug, then walking out the door, arm in arm with Collin.

  “They are such a perfect couple,” Mrs. Drake said as she watched them go. “Don’t you think, darling?”

  Mr. Drake leaned over and kissed the top of her head, lingering momentarily to smell the shampoo she used in her sleek salt and pepper bob hairstyle. I squirmed uncomfortably, I felt I was intruding on a private moment while Josh stared at the arched glass ceiling, pretending like he wasn’t seeing anything.

  “I think we’re a perfect couple,” Mr. Drake said.

  Mrs. Drake laughed and nudged him with the back of her hand. “Aren’t you suave?” Mrs. Drake pulled me back into the conversation. “Do you have anyone special, Kiki? A pretty girl like you shouldn’t go to waste.”

  I chuckled and thanked Mrs. Drake. I could see Josh out of the corner of my eye, but I willed myself to keep my eyes focused on the Drakes. “Not at the moment.”

  What she didn’t know about me pining after Josh wouldn’t hurt her, and I hoped I’d been convincing enough that I’d put Mr. Drake’s concerns to rest for good.

  “I hope you aren’t holding back because of your music career,” Mrs. Drake said. “Look where that landed us. Decades lost.”

  Mr. and Mrs. Drake had been in a relationship when Mr. Drake was on the cusp of making it big as a music icon. They’d lost touch as he’d grown more and more famous and Mrs. Drake—not one to sit around and twiddle her thumbs—became a presidential secretary. They were only reunited when Mrs. Drake, who’d been Ruby’s childhood neighbor, gifted Ruby a red guitar. Mr. Drake had recognized it as the same guitar he’d given his girlfriend years earlier, and with one phone call, the mystery of what had happened to each other was solved. A few short months later, they were married.

  “I do regret all that time lost from you but sometimes, things have to mature. People have to sacrifice love for the greater good,” Mr. Drake said.

  Mrs. Drake scoffed. “What are you talking about? Love is the greater good. If it’s true love, it transcends a mere biological, chemical fascination with one another and heads straight into the realm of magical.”

  My gaze flicked to Josh, and I noticed the smug little smirk tugging at the corner of his lips. I wished I could know what it was like to have him genuinely wrap his muscular arms around me, not because of his job or for a music video, but because he wanted to. Then I could press my lips to that flirtatious smile. As much as I wanted to, I couldn’t shake what he’d done, smooching the other woman. Though he claimed he was innocent in kissing the redhead, a slow-simmering anger kept my doubt alive. Even if that whole mess wasn’t an issue, I was never one for much public affection and certainly wasn’t about to risk either of our hides by indulging myself in front of our boss.

  “You’re such a romantic,” Mr. Drake teased Mrs. Drake.

  “I’m not the only one. Take Kiki here. She’s built a good portion of her music career on love. It’s a great mystery to so many, and it’s a divine blessing to those who find it. Not everyone is so fortunate to find their soulmate, and I would advise anyone I met, stranger or friend, to go for it when they do come across it.”

  “But how does anyone really know?” I heard myself ask before I could stop myself. I wasn’t looking for a therapy session in the middle of a party, but something inside me needed an answer.

  Mrs. Drake pursed her lips and thought for a moment. “I think so many people are taught to make decisions with their minds that they forget that the heart is what truly knows answers to deep questions like that.”

  Mrs. Drake’s words sank inside me. I didn’t know what to do with them, but it seemed like a lesson worth saving.

  George walked over to us, along with Preston, Monica, and Mandy. Bert had already been standing near the door for the last half hour, ready to leave whenever I was. He wasn’t big on social situations, I’d gathered.

  “I think I’m about ready to call it a night,” George said, rubbing a hand down his face. “I’m getting too old for this.”

  “We were playing pool,” I laughed. “Not exactly wild and crazy, if you ask me.”

  “Speak for yourself. I think I’m going to have to go to physical therapy for my rotator cuff after tonight. I haven’t played this much pool since college.”

  Bert led the way to the car. By the time we’d made it to the street, our limo was circling around. One by one, we piled in until the Josh pulled the door shut behind us.

  I sat next to the window, resting my head against the cool glass as I let my thought wander. Several conversations were going on at once—Mandy and Mr. Drake forever talking about business, George and Mrs. Drake swapping stories about famous people they’d met. I could hear Preston muttering under his breath to Monica, who hung on his every word. When I heard him mention my name quietly, I piped up.

  “Is there something I can do for you?” I asked calmly.

  “Thanks to you, I probably won’t be able to have any offspring,” Preston said grumpily, adjusting his ice pack.

  “Then I suppose I’ve done the world a favor,” I shot back. Josh, sitting across from me, rubbed his finger along his lips and looked out the window to hide his smile.

  “I know you did that on purpose,” Preston said accusingl
y.

  “I think you’re just being grumpy,” I countered. Preston’s face grew red, and he tightened his fists until his knuckles were white. I couldn’t help but egg him on further. “Such a small target that I’d have to be incredibly lucky to even come close to hitting it. If I indeed had been trying, that is.”

  “I heard once that pool is one of the safest sports in the world,” Monica piped up, trying desperately to ease the tension. Preston’s brown eyes cut over to Monica, and she shrank into her seat. In a tiny voice, she amended her comment. “Maybe that’s not so true in this situation.”

  Preston was about to explode with anger, and I didn’t want to be around when it happened. Instead of waiting around for him to try and berate me, when the limo pulled up to a stop light, I opened my door and slipped out.

  “Where are you going?” Mr. Drake asked, alarmed.

  “I need some fresh air, that’s all. I’m only a few blocks from the hotel. I’m going to walk,” I said casually.

  “You’ll do no such thing,” Mr. Drake said. “Haven’t I gotten through to you that your protection is paramount to Harper Music?”

  I clicked my tongue. “I have my mace with me, and I’m a good shot. Right, Josh?”

  “Incredibly accurate,” he agreed.

  Preston was nearly purple, holding all his rage in. Though he bragged that he had Harper Music wrapped around his finger, he wasn’t so stupid as to actually say anything like that in front of Mr. Drake.

  “Look,” I sighed. “I’m practically suffocating and I need some fresh air, which is clearly not happening in this limo. I’ll behave myself, I promise.” I waited for him to answer, but he remained silent. “It’s either that or stick my head out of the sunroof.”

  Mr. Drake studied me with his cool blue eyes and finally sighed, giving his consent. “Bert will go with you. Maybe he’ll be able to keep you from getting into trouble.”

  Bert tightened his lips but didn’t argue, heaving himself off the seat and reaching for the door handle.

  “I’ll go with her,” Josh offered. Bert grinned at the offer and flopped back into his seat without a word of protest.

  “Fine,” Mr. Drake said, slightly exasperated. “I don’t care which one of you bodyguards goes with her. All you need to know is that I want her back at the hotel in ten minutes in one piece, or I’m going to have your hide for it.”

  Josh nodded solemnly and slammed the door shut as cars behind the limo started honking when the light turned green.

  “Let’s get out of the street for starters,” Josh said, grabbing me by the elbow. His hand was warm and firm—but not rough—as he led me through several lanes of slowly rolling traffic until we were safe on the other side.

  He let go of my arm but moved his hand to the small of my back, glancing over his shoulder to watch the limo take a left turn and drive out of sight.

  “Our hotel is the other way,” I pointed out.

  “I know,” Josh said, still pressing his fingers into me. “But we’re not going there just yet.”

  Chapter Twenty-Three

  Putting my clutch under my arm, I gave him a wary sideways glance. “Then where are we headed?”

  Josh looked at me, and I felt a shiver rattle down my spine. There was more to what Josh was thinking than he was letting on. I could see it plain as day in his eyes. In the distance, the unmistakable noise coming from a crowd of people congregating and the rhythm of banging drums spiced up the calm evening. Almost instinctively, my fingers started thumping against my hip, and I fell into step with the beat. I couldn’t help it—like my mother had always said, rhythm ran in my blood.

  “I saw something when I was out with Ruby the other day that I thought you’d like to see,” he said simply.

  “So, you’re no longer afraid of Mr. Drake, I take it? Because he was pretty clear that I had a curfew and, even if I hightailed it, walking straight back to the hotel would be challenging enough to do in ten minutes. I mean, c’mon. Look at these heels.”

  Josh grabbed my elbow and spun me around until I was facing him. I didn’t anticipate his strength and bumped into his chest before I could stop myself. Josh didn’t budge an inch, but the counteracting force nearly knocked me off my feet. If Josh hadn’t wrapped his arms around me, I would have tumbled backward in a splayed mess in the middle of a busy Parisian night for everyone to see. For all I knew, there were people with their cameras already out so they could be the first to post yet another awkward moment of mine on social media.

  When it registered with Josh that he was holding me in his arms, he dropped me and took a step back, but not before I was able to fill my lungs with his clean scent and glean some of his warmth through his tux.

  “Look. If you want me to take you back to the hotel, I can have you back in eight minutes flat. If you want to see what I have to show you, come with me.”

  He held out his hand, and I stared at it for a moment, unsure of his intentions. Didn’t he know what his touch did to me? When I looked to his face, I could see an earnestness that pled with me to take a chance with him. I ran scenarios in my head, each one worse than the last, but then I stopped myself, realizing that I had been letting paranoia control my life ever since I’d accidentally kicked Cinnamon. Mrs. Drake’s words bounced around in my head, and I decided to go for it—maybe a night like this would settle my heart’s desire to truly know what could become of Josh and me once and for all.

  Clapping my hand into Josh’s, he smiled like I was agreeing to marry him. A burst of adrenaline shot from my core and raced to the very tips of my extremities, making me feel alive. The fact that placing my hand in his could make me so giddy was thrilling and terrifying all at once.

  A few blocks ahead, barricades blocked off the street, where people were dancing and watching street performers or noshing on all kinds of delicious food a variety of vendors were selling hot from their food stands.

  “When’s the last time you went to a fair?” Josh shouted over the din.

  “I don’t know. When I was twelve?” I yelled back.

  “Then we have some catching up to do,” Josh said with a wicked grin.

  Josh pulled me through the crowd, stopping first at a face painting stand where a girl a few years younger than me created an elaborate butterfly on the left side of my face. When she finished, Josh led me over to a Ferris Wheel. I strained my neck, looking all the way to the top. Buying a pair of tickets, Josh practically had to pick me up and sling me over his shoulder to convince me to go. He buckled us in tightly, but the second our seat moved, I started squealing with fright that only intensified the higher up we went. When I couldn’t take it anymore, I pinched my eyes shut and grabbed fistfuls of Josh’s tux. If the Ferris Wheel didn’t top out at some point, I wouldn’t be the least bit surprised if I ripped the fabric clean off.

  “Of all things, the fearless Kiki Loveless is afraid of heights?” Josh said through a chuckle.

  “Have you ever seen me do anything where I’m higher than about three feet off the ground?” I said through short, panicked breaths.

  “Yeah, in your concerts. You’ve come dropping out of the ceiling a couple of times.”

  I shook my head in denial. “Those were all stunt doubles. Smoke and lighting tricks to give the illusion that it was me. I practically get vertigo wearing a pair of platform pumps.”

  “Is it all kinds of heights? Like are you okay with being high up in a building if it’s sturdy?”

  “You know I’ve been to Paris a zillion times? I haven’t even been to the top of the Eiffel Tower yet because I can’t bring myself to do it.”

  Josh laughed heartily and put his arm around my shoulder, pulling me in close. “Here’s the next best thing. Kiki, open your eyes.”

  My stomach jumped into my throat as the Ferris Wheel curved around the upper turn, then came to an abrupt stop. I peeked for a nanosecond, then shut my eyes again.

  “You’re going to miss it,” Josh warned. He put his hand under my chin and
tilted my face up toward him. My eyelids fluttered open, and I looked deep into his eyes, momentarily forgetting we were suspended several hundred feet in the air in a rocking metal basket. With his hand still cupping my jaw, I thought he was going to pull me into a kiss, and my already racing heart flew into overdrive. I drew closer, but Josh carefully turned my face away from his, and before me, I could see what looked like the entire city of Paris, sparkling with thousands of lights. The Eiffel tower stood as a magnificent beacon in the night sky.

  “It’s amazing,” I breathed.

  “See what happens when you face your fears?” Josh said.

  “You’re one to talk,” I said, elbowing him in the ribs. I regretted it immediately when it made our basket swing slightly.

  “You’ve guessed my phobia?” Josh said, looking interested.

  “Phobia? No,” I shook my head hard enough that my earrings slapped against my neck. “Unless your phobia is silver-haired men in powerful positions.”

  “Huh?”

  “Mr. Drake. You aren’t yourself around him. You practically roll over when you’re with him.”

  “I’m not afraid of Mr. Drake. I mean, I respect the man, but I don’t cower before him.”

  “Oh, really?” I asked, feeling a bit heated. “It sure looked like you were awfully cowardly when you and Mr. Drake were talking about me at the music video reveal party.”

  Josh scrunched up his face in confusion and asked, “What are you talking about?”

  “Really?” I scoffed. “You don’t remember? I went to powder my nose after watching the video for the first time, and when I was going to come back out, he was talking to you about…” The words caught in my throat.

  “Oh,” Josh said quietly. “You heard that?”

  “Surprised?” I said mockingly.

  “Not surprised, I guess. That would explain why you were so cold to me the rest of the evening. I just didn’t know that I had an audience.”

  I’d let go of Josh’s tuxedo coat and wrapped my arms around myself. I was angry, yes, but I was also freezing. It must have dropped ten degrees during our ascent up the Ferris Wheel. “Would you have changed your answer if you knew I had been?”