Revenge: The Complete Series (Erotic Rock Star Suspense Romance)

by Mimi Strong

  I scrunch my face, pretending I’m not trembling with excitement inside. I reply to Amanda, “Satisfaction? Come on. It’s a bit obvious, don’t you think?”

  Out of the corner of my eye, I see Dylan make a face about my comment.

  I unzip my shoulder bag, fish out some coins, and toss them in his guitar case.

  He keeps singing, about advertisements on TV. Are these the Stones lyrics? I never really paid attention to the words before.

  Amanda is already walking away. I give Dylan a quick wave goodbye. He doesn’t do much more than blink my way.

  I chase after Amanda, cursing to myself about how I don’t have time for guys in my life, especially jerks like Dylan Wolf.

  I have to stay focused on my career.

  Being here in LA is my chance to get away from a small life in a small town. I love my hometown, and the people there, but I don’t want to be one of those people who always wonders what might have been.

  If things don’t work out here, I can always cash in that plane ticket. I can go home.

  But if I leave, it means the rest of my life won’t have any surprises. I’ll probably marry my best friend. I wasn’t planning to, but who else is there?

  My best friend practically proposed to me on the day I left.

  He asked me if I loved him, and I said I didn’t know.

  It was so crazy. We grew up together. We’re practically brother and sister. We’ve never even kissed, but something changed when I said I was really leaving. He didn’t believe me, but he still drove me to the station.

  My heart felt like it broke into a million pieces that day.

  First I said goodbye to Nan, and then I said goodbye to the other person who means the most to me.

  Now I’m thousands of miles from home, chasing after my new crazy roommate. And I think I’m falling for Dylan Wolf, who may or may not hate me.

  Chapter 11

  Amanda leads the way into a dim cafe. This place is bigger than the one where I had coffee on Sunday.

  A waitress with thick makeup caking in her wrinkles greets us. She says, “Anywhere you like, ladies.”

  We take a seat by the window. The only other customers are guys in steel-toed boots.

  Amanda looks over her menu for a moment, then says, “Riley loves this place. I guess she gets bored of all the fancy places she goes to for her job.”

  “I’d never get bored of fancy places.”

  Her blue eyes jump up with interest. “Maybe your rock star boyfriend will take you on tour.”

  “That guy? Dylan Wolf? He doesn’t even like me.”

  “What’s not to like?”

  The waitress returns with two cups of coffee. She didn’t even ask, and she gives me a look like she’s daring me to say I didn’t want coffee.

  Amanda orders french toast, so I order the same.

  After the waitress walks away, Amanda says, “That guy does like you. When you weren’t looking at him, he couldn’t take his eyes off you. I got a bit jealous. He was giving you major sex vibes with his sexy brown eyes.”

  I shrug and pretend I don’t care. “He’s all yours. You touched him, so you’ve got dibs.”

  “But he wants you. Keep up that innocent act. Some guys love the whole innocent thing. They want to do filthy things to a girl while she acts horrified.”

  Some of the guys at the table near us look up from their meals. They tilt their heads to hear better.

  “Thanks for the advice, but I need to focus on work.”

  “You said your company is interested in Dylan Wolf? You think they want to sign him? Maybe you can do your work and do Dylan.” She laughs at her joke. “Get it? You can do both.”

  “Was he really staring at me?”

  “Like you were butt naked.”

  “Don’t tell anyone, okay?”

  She bats her eyes innocently. “Who would I tell?”

  I snort and take a sip of my coffee. I forgot to put in cream and sugar, and it’s the most disgusting thing I’ve ever tasted.

  Amanda turns around on her chair and starts talking to one of the guys nearby. “Hey, aren’t you Chad?”

  He answers, “No, but I could be. What does Chad do for you?”

  The two of them talk while I check messages on my phone.

  When the food arrives, Amanda gulps her food down like a hungry dog. She could probably win a competitive eating challenge if she wanted.

  After we’re done, we split the bill and she walks me to the bus stop.

  As I step onto the bus, she calls out after me, “Think about what I said! Think about having your cake and eating it!”

  I take a seat and ignore all the eyes on me. When I glance up, people look away quickly. I guess I’ve only been in the city four days so far. It will take a few weeks before I blend in better.

  When I get to work, the security guards have my permanent keycard waiting for me. I don’t know if I’m happy or sad. This means I officially work here… in the basement.

  In the elevator, I push the unmarked button and travel down.

  The doors open at the basement floor.

  Nick is standing in front of me, wearing black clothes from top to bottom. Did he always wear black, or is he in mourning since he got sent to the basement?

  In his usual flat voice, he says, “I’ve got good news and bad news, Jess.”

  “Bad news? No kidding. How much worse can it get? Have they found a way to get even more dust into those archives boxes?”

  His blank face cracks with the hint of a smile. Good. I can make Nick smile. My secret assignment for the day will be to make him laugh.

  “The bad news is you won’t be hanging out with me today.”

  I snap my fingers and pretend to be disappointed. “Darn!”

  He holds up his hand to stop me from leaving the elevator. “Wait. The good news is you get to see natural light today. You’ve been summoned to the upper levels.”

  My stomach flips. “Oh, no. The vice president? Maggie Clark?”

  “Even better. You’re going to see Stephanie.”

  “The chick with the big boobs? And the heavy perfume?”

  “That’s not a very nice way to talk about your new supervisor.”

  “She’s my new supervisor? I don’t even know what department she works in. The receptionist on the top floor said Stephanie’s department was secret.”

  Nick reaches up and twists the spiked metal poking out of his earlobe. “You’re a bright girl, Jess. You’ll figure it out.”

  “I’m going there now?”

  “Not until you push the button, silly.” He leans into the elevator, presses the button for the ninth floor, then pulls away. “Bye bye.”

  I hold my hands to my heart. Joking, I say, “Nick, don’t send me away. The archives is all I know. I thought we had something.”

  His mouth quivers, resisting a full smile.

  The elevator doors slide together, and I lurch up… up toward the ninth floor.

  I hold my hands in tight fists, and then force them to relax.

  Relax, Jess, I tell myself. You’re just going to the ninth floor. Didn’t you want a promotion?

  The elevator stops on the lobby floor. Some people get on. One of the girls looks about my age. She says to the guy next to her, “Ugh, another marketing meeting.”

  “Endless meetings,” he says.

  They both have Morris Music keycards. I was hoping to work in the marketing department. The person who hired me said I’d be a good fit in that department. If only. I sigh quietly.

  The two of them talk some more about their morning meeting. It doesn’t sound so bad to me. They’re picking out album cover art and then doing some focus testing. Focus testing has always sounded fun to me. That’s where you ask people what they think of different graphics or videos. Super fun.

  The elevator stops on the eighth floor, and they walk off.

  Alone, I check my reflection in the mirror. My dark brown hair seems to be picking up a golde
n highlight from the LA sunshine. I’m wearing it down today, so I don’t have monkey ears. I tuck some hair behind one ear.

  The girl who was going to the marketing meeting had on more makeup than me, plus earrings. She looked really professional. I guess I could try harder, but whenever I put on a lot of makeup, I look like a little girl playing dress-up. Will I ever stop feeling like a tomboy?

  The elevator doors open, and I step out.

  Where’s this Stephanie woman? I sniff the air. Her perfume could probably lead me straight to her.

  The ninth floor doesn’t have a receptionist, just a bunch of offices. Should I go right or left? I think I smell more perfume to the right, so I walk that way.

  “Jessica!” There’s a curvy woman standing in the doorway of the last office at the end. It’s Stephanie. She’s got bright red hair, and she couldn’t hide in a crowd if she tried. She’s one of those women who commands attention.

  “Hello,” I say.

  “Look at you in your little gray suit. Aren’t you adorable!” She sounds like she’s talking to a little baby.

  “Adorable? I guess I’ll take that as a compliment.” I reach out to shake her hand.

  She presses her cool fingers lightly to mine, like she’s never shaken hands before and isn’t sure what it means. I’m pretty sure I just made my first mistake.

  “Sorry,” I say, tucking my hands behind my back.

  “Never apologize,” she says. Suddenly her eyes are like lasers, beaming into my brain. She says it again. “Lesson number one. Never apologize.”

  I nod to confirm I heard her.

  “You’re late,” she says.

  “I’m sorry. I just got here, and Nick sent me up, and—”

  She stops me by pressing her finger to my lips. “Let’s try it again. This time don’t apologize.”

  I’m completely stunned. Speechless. What game is this? We’re still standing in her doorway, and thankfully nobody else is in the hallway with us.

  With a little smile, she says, “You’re late.”

  I look her up and down, trying to think fast. She’s wearing a red dress, just like yesterday. Every inch of her skin that’s visible is tanned. She’s definitely got sun damage and freckles on her cleavage and face, but underneath the makeup, she’s pretty. She looks about forty. Her natural hair color is probably light brown, but it’s dyed a bright red.

  She’s still waiting for an answer and repeats herself. “I said, you’re late.”

  My eyes go to her necklace. It’s a thick, gold chain, with a gold key.

  If I can’t apologize, I need to change the topic. “That’s a gorgeous necklace,” I say.

  She smiles. “Very good.” She waves for me to come into her office.

  This office isn’t as fancy as the vice president’s office on the floor above us, but it’s very elegant. The desk has two computers, with all the cords tucked away from sight. Over to the side, there’s a sitting area with a round table and four upholstered chairs. We take a seat at the round table.

  “Gray isn’t a good color for you,” she says. “Gray isn’t even a color at all.”

  “I’m sor—” I close my mouth to stop myself from apologizing. Why would I even say I’m sorry for wearing gray? I must be going crazy. I take a deep breath and then say, “Thank you, Stephanie. What color would you recommend?”

  She studies me with her golden brown eyes. Now that we’re sitting together, I can see Stephanie is more than just pretty. She’s gorgeous. Like a movie star or a model. Her delicate features are like a doll’s face. Being across from her starts to make me feel calm.

  “With your skin tone, you could wear blue or green. Tell me something, Jess. When your mother was expecting you, did she think she was having a boy?”

  The calm feeling gets yanked away. My mother. Painful feelings.

  I try to keep my composure, keep smiling. “I don’t know.”

  Stephanie sees right through me with her golden brown eyes. “You’re not close with your mother? Is she dead?”

  I give her my best dazzling smile and try to change the topic. “Do you think I should wear blue?”

  “Let me think.”

  She brings her manicured hands up to her necklace and twists it around so she can see the clasp. She unfastens it, then slides the gold chain and key across the round table to me.

  “A gift,” she says. “And I changed my mind about blue. You should wear pink, because they’ll never expect someone like you to wear pink.”

  I pick up the gold necklace, still warm from Stephanie’s skin. This isn’t some cheap trinket. I can’t know for sure, but my gut tells me it’s definitely real gold.

  Stephanie twists a lock of her bright red hair between her fingers as she studies me.

  After a few moments of silence, she says, “You applied for an internship here hoping to get into marketing, right? Why?”

  “I love music, but I don’t have any talent for singing. My whole life, I’ve dreamed about being in the music business.”

  “Why?”

  I look around her office. The walls are decorated with album covers. Some of the artists are extremely successful, and others I’ve never heard of. Mixed in with the album covers are framed photos of Stephanie standing next to stars. The pictures don’t just look like candid shots people get taken when they meet a celebrity. It looks like she actually knows these people. And they know her.

  “Because music is the only form of magic in this world,” I say to Stephanie.

  Her perfect reddish eyebrows raise and she rubs her forearms. “You just gave me goosebumps. I love that. Definitely keep saying things like that. Music is magic.”

  “Sure. I’ll start wearing pink. I’ll stop apologizing. And I’ll keep telling the truth about how music makes me feel. Is there some other job you have in mind for me, besides working in the archives?”

  “Would you be offended by being promoted to a position called Eye Candy?”

  Chapter 12

  I snort with laughter. “Are you joking? There’s a position called Eye Candy? And you think I can do it?”

  She gets a very serious look. Her golden brown eyes turn cold. “The position is officially called Talent Coordinator. That’s what it will say on your pay checks. Never forget what you are.”

  “Eye Candy?”

  “Yes. This new job comes with a twenty percent raise, but that’s not all.”

  I shift forward on my chair. I’m literally on the edge of my seat with curiosity. Talent Coordinator sounds amazing. I don’t know about Eye Candy, but I’m hoping it’s just a joke. Either way, it sounds better than Intern.

  “What else?” I ask.

  She points to the gold necklace I’m nervously fidgeting with. “That charm is worth a thousand dollars.”

  I drop the necklace with a thunk. “I can’t accept this.”

  She reaches across the table and grabs my wrist. She’s got a firm grip, much firmer than her handshake. Stephanie puts the necklace in my hand and closes my fingers around it forcefully.

  “You’ll accept this as your first bonus. Think of it as your signing bonus. The necklace is yours in good faith. Do you know what that means? It means I believe you’re the kind of girl who will do anything it takes to make her dreams come true.”

  “I don’t know. I’m still not sure what you want me to do.”

  She blinks at me, looking innocent for a moment. “I need you to get close to someone. Win his trust. Win his heart.”

  “The person that Maggie Clark was talking to me about yesterday?”

  “Does it matter who? A job is a job.”

  Her hand is still tight on my wrist. I’m fighting the panicked urge to rip my hand away and run out of the room. But I’m also curious.

  “Okay,” I say in agreement, even though I can’t believe any of this is happening. In my head, I see Dylan Wolf’s handsome face and hear his gritty voice. I’d say yes to anything that involves him.

  “You’re in?”
Stephanie asks.

  I’m relaxed again, feeling confident as I think about Dylan. My roommate said he liked me, and she seems to know more about guys than I do.

  I lock eyes with Stephanie and say, “Yes. I can win someone’s trust, if that’s my job.”

  “Good.” She lets go of my hand. “Your first assignment is Brandon.”

  My jaw drops open.

  “Who?”

  “Brandon. I just have a first name for now.”

  “Brandon,” I repeat. I could have sworn she was going to say Dylan Wolf. Now I don’t know what to think.

  “Jess, I’ve got to run now, but my assistant will give you the corporate card and instructions. The first thing you can do for me is run out and buy something appropriate for your first assignment. There’s a meeting tomorrow at nine in the morning.”

  I blink at her in disbelief. Who is Brandon? I only agreed to this weird promotion because I thought it was about Dylan Wolf.

  “I know, I know,” Stephanie says, waving her hands. “Nine in the morning is too damn early to be seductive. You can’t even offer martinis at that time. Eleven o’clock, sure, but nine? Anyway, I don’t make those decisions. You’ll just have to do what you do, at nine.”

  She gets up and walks to the door.

  I push my chair back and stand. By the time I get to the door, she’s already gone.

  A very short lady with thick glasses and spiky gray hair walks up to me.

  “Here you go,” the older lady says, handing me a silver-colored credit card. There’s a business card taped to the back for a clothing boutique. By the address, I can see it’s a couple blocks from here, on the same street.

  I look around for Stephanie, but she’s gone. Her perfume lingers in the air.

  “You’re Stephanie’s assistant?” I ask. This woman is the exact opposite of Stephanie. I wonder if Stephanie is some sort of glamor vampire who sucks the glamor out of other people. This woman with the thick glasses has little gray hairs sticking out of her chin.

  “Her assistant? I sure am.” She grins, not giving me any more information.

  “And I’m supposed to take this card and go buy clothes for a meeting tomorrow?”