by Sarah Price
Hearing this, Mike froze, his hand in midair as he held his own drink. The word lingered in the air between them. “Boring?” He set the glass down on the table. “Did you actually just say ‘boring’?” His eyes darted around the area, too aware that people were watching them, trying to read their lips and intensely listening in an attempt to grab some bits and pieces of the agitated conversation. Of course they are watching, he thought. I’m having lunch in Bryant Park with Viper, their idol. Women throw themselves at Viper. The tabloids follow him like his own shadow. The music charts cherish him. And award ceremonies keep honoring him. “Boring, you say? Well, you better get unbored quickly, my friend. That boring lifestyle is what keeps you living the life.”
“Perhaps I’m tired of living the life,” Alejandro replied, his voice emotionless. He stared into space, his eyes blank and his expression weary. He couldn’t remember the last time he had taken time off for himself. Even when he was back in Miami, he spent his days at the studio working on new songs, and his nights making appearances at the best clubs. Appearances mattered, and there were no vacations in that work contract. “And, who knows, maybe it’s tired of me!”
Mike drummed his fingers on the edge of the table, studying the man before him. They both knew all too well what tired meant in the industry. Tired wasn’t a word that a manager wanted to hear. Tired wasn’t a word the public would accept. Tired was, after all, the kiss of death to music careers. “So you think going to bumpkin land in Schmititz-ville is going to change that? Is that what you are saying, Alex?”
With a casual shrug, Alejandro replied, “I don’t know. But I have a feeling about this. The way that everyone is reacting. It’s quite amazing!” He leaned forward, tapping his finger on the table to emphasize his next point. “The media loves this. The story was all over the news for the past two days. And the fans? ¡Ay, mi madre! They can’t stop talking about it. I stopped counting the Retweets of my postings.”
Mike stared at him in complete disbelief. “Retweets? You’re basing your decision on Retweets? A whisper on social media?”
“I don’t call half a million Retweets a whisper.”
For a few moments, Mike stared at him. The silence between them was heavy and lingering. Both seemed engulfed in deep thoughts. Finally, Mike whispered, “He’s actually serious!” Irritated, he slammed his napkin on the table. “I don’t believe I’m hearing this from Viper.”
“People like this caring side of me,” Alejandro explained nonchalantly. “And maybe I like it, too.”
Shaking his head, Mike took a deep breath. “Viper is not about caring, Alex. Viper is a womanizer. Viper is about desire and passion. Love ’em and leave ’em. Do I actually have to remind you of this? Isn’t it what we decided way back when?”
“That’s not me.” He paused. “Not anymore.”
Mike clenched his teeth, trying to remain calm. After so many years of hard work in this demanding industry, leading to his success as one of the most sought-after agents in his profession, he had very little patience left for dealing with emotional considerations. Even with Alejandro, who had now become practically a friend as their relationship transcended the boundaries of the typical agent-client relationship. “You are who I say you are, Alex!” Taking a deep breath, he glanced around to make certain no one was listening. He leaned forward and pounded the table with his finger. “We’ve worked long and hard to get to this point, Alex. This is your time. Right here. Right now.” Gesturing around the restaurant, and at the crowd of people standing on the other side of the planters that separated the diners from the park, he added, “This is what you always wanted. This is the peak!”
“I’m going to Lititz,” Alejandro said flatly.
And, with that, Mike knew that the game was over. There would be no fighting Alejandro on this one. Once he had made up his mind, Alejandro Diaz did not change it. He was known for being impulsive and stubborn. Yet, for the most part, whatever he touched always seemed to turn to gold.
Mike frowned and reached for his cell phone. He pressed a few buttons and stared at the small screen. Finally, he looked up. “One week,” Mike snapped, the irritation quite evident in his voice. “I can clear your schedule for one week. I can juggle your interviews and appearances. You’re going to tick off a few people.”
He shrugged. “Part of the image, sí?”
Mike leaned forward. “You have to get out to LA by the end of the month. You’re scheduled to shoot your new video, and those entertainment talk shows are lined up to interview you before you head to Europe,” he said as he slipped the cell phone back into his front pocket. “I can’t hold them off forever, Alex. You need to strike while the iron’s hot.”
“One week? Seven days?”
“That’s right. Just seven. Get this totally out of your system. Get unbored, and get unbored fast, Alex! We need you back on the bad-boy track. Can’t have you turning Amish on me. Not after I’ve worked so hard to make you into Viper, with the sexiest sting in the world.”
Alejandro laughed, the sparkle back in his blue eyes. He was looking forward to this impromptu adventure, to escaping the cities and the media. No one would find him in Lititz, Pennsylvania, that was for sure. For just a few days, he could relax, reflect, and revive himself. It had been years since he had been in the countryside, years since he had returned to his roots. To get away from the music and the media sounded like a little slice of heaven.
“I’ll be back, Mike. And better than ever, you can count on it!”
Mike shook his head, still in disbelief over the turn that their conversation had taken. “You better! And before you disappear to Amish-land, make certain to get over to Richard Gray’s office this afternoon.” Holding up two of his right-hand fingers, he motioned to the waitress to bring two more glasses of wine. Then, turning back to Alejandro, he glared at him, but in a somewhat debonair way. “You don’t know what kind of hoops I had to jump through to reschedule that appointment. The man is doing me a huge favor, and I hate to think of what it’s going to cost me!”
“Gracias, Mike,” Alejandro replied, flashing one of his famous smiles, the kind that melted the hearts of tens of thousands of women around the globe.
“Don’t ‘gracias, Mike’ me,” he said scowling, but Alejandro could see that he, too, was loosening up. “You never should have blown off that appointment in the first place!” he reprimanded, shaking a finger at Alejandro, half-mocking but half-serious. “Of all the people to blow off, Richard Gray ain’t the one!”
Laughing, Alejandro tried to turn the mood at the table back to a lighter tone. “I’ll try not to hit anyone on the way to his office next time, I promise,” he said.
“Not funny, Alex.” Mike shook his head, but when faced with Alejandro’s jovial expression and sparkling eyes, so similar to a naughty child after finagling his way out of trouble, even Mike had to relax. “But not a bad idea, after all.” He lifted his drink and raised it into the air in a toasting gesture. “You can leave as Alejandro, but you better return as Viper, my friend.”
Alejandro raised his own wineglass, acknowledging the toast. But as he lifted the glass to his lips, his eyes wandered as he stared into the distance, seeing nothing as his mind traveled far away. He hoped he could recapture the essence of Viper, if only he knew where and when he had lost it.
Chapter Four
“Good news, Amanda!” the nurse said as she walked into the room, a bouquet of fresh flowers in her arms. She set them down on the windowsill next to the roses. “Doctor says you can leave tomorrow.”
Amanda immediately brightened at the news. “Tomorrow?” She couldn’t wait to get home. Since she had awoken that morning, she had been staring out the window at the tall buildings on the other side of the cloudy glass. In the daylight, they were big and ugly, gray and dirty. She could barely see any blue sky. And the noise! Cars honking, sirens swirling. Now it was afternoon and the view h
adn’t gotten any prettier. She longed to hear horses gently trotting down the road and the metallic hum of their buggy wheels. She wanted to see peaceful green fields and colorful clothing lines waving in the breeze.
“That’s right. Your friend has arranged for his car service to take you back to Lititz.”
“My friend?” she asked.
“Alejandro,” the nurse replied, smiling. She started to secure the blood pressure band around Amanda’s arm. “How’s the pain this morning?”
“In my leg? It hurts.”
The nurse laughed. “I imagine so. That’s what happens when you walk in front of cars, dear.” Teasingly, the nurse looked at her and raised an eyebrow. “Now why would you have wanted to do that?”
Amanda frowned. She barely remembered the accident at all. In fact, her last truly vivid memory was riding up the escalator at Penn Station. The moving stairs had amazed her. She could have ridden them all day. “I don’t really remember much after I was hit by the car. I just remember lots of people standing around, staring at me.”
“Well, New York City sure has plenty of people,” the nurse said, pumping the bulb of the blood pressure monitor. Amanda felt the blood pressure band tightening around her arm. When Amanda thought it couldn’t squeeze any tighter, the nurse released the valve. It made a slight hissing noise as the pressure was released. Smiling, the nurse removed the cuff from Amanda’s arm. “I’ll make certain they get you some more pain medicine. It will help you sleep tonight,” she said. “I’m afraid that leg is going to hurt a bit for a while.”
Amanda didn’t reply. She shut her eyes and leaned back into the pillows. “Who are those flowers from?” she asked.
The nurse glanced over at them. “The daisy bouquet? I hadn’t looked.” She walked over to the flowers and removed the card, turning to hand it to Amanda.
Amanda opened the card and read the typed words. The name didn’t seem familiar, and she frowned. “I don’t know who this person is . . .” She looked at the nurse. “Maybe they aren’t for me.”
The nurse glanced at the card. She caught her breath and handed it to Amanda. “The mayor of New York City sent them.”
Absentmindedly, Amanda took the card and looked at it. The name still meant nothing to her. “Who is this mayor?”
The nurse laughed. “The mayor? He’s the man in charge of this crazy place called New York City!”
“Why would he send flowers to me? I don’t know him.” Amanda shrugged, clearly not impressed and setting the card down on the blanket that covered her lap.
But from the nurse’s reaction, it was clear that she was impressed. “That’s quite an honor, my dear. His well wishes for a speedy recovery are quite unusual.”
“How would he know about me? Why would he care?”
The nurse gave her a look as if to see whether Amanda was teasing. But when the nurse saw that the young Amish woman was serious, she took pity on her. “It’s not every day that a famous star hits a young Amish tourist in the city, Amanda. To you, it’s an accident. To the rest of the city, it’s big news.”
“‘Big news.’” She repeated the words incredulously. She couldn’t imagine that anything about her accident would be considered big news. Yet she knew that the Englischers had a different way of looking at the world. “I don’t know anything about music stars,” she sighed, turning her head to look back out the window. All she could see was the reflection of the buildings. It was an imposing sight, but it wasn’t home. “But I sure do miss the stars in the sky over my daed’s farm.”
“Now, now,” the nurse said, changing the subject. “The doctor will be in first thing in the morning to speak with you. He’ll have some specific instructions. Your friend has also contacted a nurse in Lancaster that will make a house call to check on you the day after you arrive.”
“Oh my! That’s not necessary,” Amanda replied, alarmed at the extensive arrangements. “Truly. I just need to get back home to my parents. They need my help.”
“I wouldn’t be making too many plans for helping, Amanda. You need time to heal,” the nurse said firmly but cheerfully.
“But my daed needs help with the harvest,” she said, the concern in her voice matched by the concern in her eyes. “He can’t do it alone.”
The door opened, and Amanda looked over the nurse’s head to see who it was. She wasn’t surprised to see Alejandro standing there, more flowers in his hands and a smile on his face. “Buenas tardes, Princesa,” he said lightly. There was a tall man standing behind him, but he didn’t enter the room. Amanda wondered who he was. “How are you doing this fine evening?”
“I can go home tomorrow,” she said, her face glowing as she greeted him, the only person she knew in New York City.
“Sí, sí,” he laughed. “I know that. I’ve made all of the arrangements.” He handed the flowers to the nurse, who gave him a broad smile and took them willingly. With sparkling eyes, she set them on the table next to Amanda’s bed. “I shall accompany you on the journey, if you permit me.” He nodded to the nurse but continued talking to Amanda. “I must make certain that you arrive safely after this unfortunate accident.”
She frowned but didn’t respond to his inquiry. If she wanted to ask why he would want to drive out to Lititz, she didn’t. It wasn’t her business. She was also wondering why he was giving her so many flowers. His attention was almost embarrassing, but when he looked at her and smiled, his half-crooked smile that looked so mischievous in a playful way, she quickly forgave him.
“And I have a surprise for you this night,” he said evenly. With a grand gesture, he swept his arm out before her. “You are in the greatest city in the world. I would like to honor you with a lovely dinner at a restaurant.”
Both the nurse and Amanda stared at him. The nurse started to say something, but it was Amanda who blurted out, “I can’t leave the hospital!”
“Ah,” he said, waving a finger at her, a twinkle in his blue eyes. It was clear that he was enjoying this. “But I didn’t say we were leaving the hospital.” He winked at the nurse and smiled at Amanda before moving back toward the door. He rapped his knuckles twice on it, then stepped aside. As if on cue, the door opened and two men in tuxedos entered, one pushing a cart filled with covered silver trays. Both men wore white gloves and serious expressions. “Since I know you cannot leave the hospital tonight to dine at a restaurant, I have brought the restaurant to you, mi Princesa.”
A blush covered Amanda’s cheeks, and the nurse clapped her hands in delight. Embarrassed, Amanda looked away as the men set the cart aside by the window and began getting ready to serve her.
Alejandro laughed at her discomfort and went to her side. Gently, he took her hand in his. “Ay, Amanda, you must not be shy. It is my way of apologizing for all of this.”
She shook her head and lowered her eyes. She didn’t like the two strange men who were staring at her. “I don’t know them,” she whispered.
Alejandro motioned with his head, and the two men quickly left the room. The nurse followed, her eyes shining. She paused once to glance back over her shoulder, a smile on her face, before shutting the door as she left. Alejandro guessed that the social media would begin to catch wind of this romantic dinner for two within . . . minutes.
Once they were alone, Amanda seemed less tense. She chewed on her lower lip and watched as Alejandro made an exaggerated bow before presenting her with a silver tray. He set it on the raised hospital table and pushed it before her. Then, with a grin on his face, he lifted the silver dome and waited.
Nothing.
He looked at her, surprised that she didn’t say anything. She was staring at him, not the food. He glanced down at the plate and saw everything that he had ordered for her. He looked back at her face, wondering if she hadn’t seen the large lobster on the plate presented to her. “No?” he asked.
“What . . . What is this?”
He frowned. Could she not know what lobster was? Was it possible? He hadn’t even considered that. “It’s a lobster.”
“It looks creepy.” She paused. “Like a giant red bug.”
“It’s a lobster,” he said again, enunciating the word in case she hadn’t understood his accent.
“Oh, I heard you the first time,” she replied gently. “But it still looks weird. People actually eat that?”
He hadn’t read that Amish people had food restrictions. He had researched it when he had the idea to surprise her. He had never suspected that she wouldn’t know what lobster was. “It’s from the sea. It’s delicious.”
“Really? It’s so . . . red.” She poked at the shell covering the back of the lobster. “How on earth do you eat that?” She looked up at Alejandro, her eyes wide and curious. “I’ll break all my teeth!”
This time when he laughed, he noticed that she started to smile. She didn’t join him in laughing, but she certainly realized that there was a good joke in there somewhere. He was pleased that she was willing to play along with him. “Oh, Princesa, you have so much to learn!” He sat on the edge of the bed and tucked a white linen napkin around her neck. “Watch me. You will be amazed at how wonderful this is.”
“I’ll be amazed if you can figure it out,” she said lightly. But she watched intensely as he gently tore apart the lobster and pulled the fluffy white meat from the shell. He dipped it in what appeared to be melted butter and held it out for her to eat. She hesitated, uncertain why he was holding the fork toward her as if he was going to feed her.
“Shut your eyes,” he said softly.
His voice was so smooth and commanding, yet gentle at the same time. No one had ever spoken to her that way before. She felt her heart start to pound inside her chest, and then she felt dizzy. “I . . .”
He shook his head and tsk-tsked. “Do as I say,” he said, his voice low and calm, but it was strong enough to warn her not to fight him. His blue eyes bore into hers, and the one side of his mouth lifted in a hint of a smile. “Trust me.”
