by K. K. Allen
“Lost? Homeless? That’s because I am. I’m getting evicted.”
He twisted his face, confusion breaking through his features. “But it’s only the tenth. You have until the end of the month, right?”
I shook my head. “Nope. I forgot to reduce my student-loan payments, and I overdrafted before my landlord deposited my rent check. So it bounced. And now I’m screwed.”
“She can’t just lock you out of your apartment without some notice.”
“Yeah, well, she did. I have three days to vacate.”
“How does she expect you to vacate if you can’t even get into your apartment?”
I’d been asking myself that same question all night. “I’ll just have to go talk to her tomorrow.”
“Ugh. Weren’t you moving out of that shithole anyway?”
I nodded. “Yeah, but it still feels shitty to be thrown out like that. What if I hadn’t gotten this opportunity? Then what?” I couldn’t even bring myself to answer that. “I just feel like I’m the catcher in a batting cage and balls are coming at me faster than I know how to dodge them.”
Wayne tilted his head and smiled in a way that told me I was overdramatizing again. “Kai,” he started. “You’re looking at all this the wrong way. You did get a job. A great one, at that. And it’s just the next stop in your long and successful journey as a dancer. Take the opportunity. Soak it up. Why are you playing so hard to get?”
“It’s on a cruise ship, Wayne.” I flipped my eyelashes up with a defeated frown. “I swore to myself I would never step foot on a boat again. Now I have to dance on one?”
He let out a laugh, his eyes wide, and he sat next to me. “Just another challenge you’ll crush.”
I couldn’t believe he was being so nonchalant about this.
“At least you’ll have that sexy piece of Aussie meat to distract you.” Wayne winked.
I pulled back, crossing my arms over my chest. Why did an equal measure of rage and excitement come over me every time I thought about Sebastian? “Oh, you mean Sebastian, the Class-A prick who taunts me and tests me? Now, he’ll own me.”
“Nobody owns you, Kai.”
I blew out a breath. He was right. Sebastian Chase could never own me. I took too much pride in my independence to think that way. “I know that. But if I accept the job, he’ll be my boss.”
“Not directly, right? It’s not like you have to answer to him. He’ll just… be there.”
I’d read over the contract dozens of times since Sebastian sent over the revision, and it stated clearly that my direct supervisor onboard the Royal Athena would be the show’s director, Jimmy.
“You’re right, I guess.”
He pulled me inside, led me to his giant leather couch, and sat beside me. “It won’t be as bad as you’re making it.”
I hoped he was right, but my doubts were still strong and loud. “There’s still the issue of my fear. Of having to relive that night with my father. What if my nightmares come back, Wayne? If anything would trigger them, it would be living on open water.” Just the thought of it all was throwing my anxiety into tropical-force winds.
“So then don’t even look at the water. Cruise ships are so big you’ll barely feel the thing moving, if at all.”
“But I’ll know it’s still surrounding me. What if history repeats itself? What if the ship sinks?”
“Oh my God, Kai. The ship will not sink.”
“It happened in Titanic.”
“Yeah, it was also 1912, and Jack did not have to drown. He could have crawled up on that plank with Rose, and they could have both made it safely to shore and lived happily ever after.”
I shook my head, my lips pursed at the argument we’d had a hundred times before. “Negative. Their weight would have sunk that door the moment he hopped on. Then what, huh? Then you’d have a dead Jack and a dead Rose, and a real shitty end to that movie.”
“But, but—”
My jaw dropped as I took in the emotion shaking his tone. “Oh my God, Wayne. Are you about to cry?”
He shot me a glare, but a coat of water was brimming around his eyes. “It was a sad movie!”
“Okay, okay. I shouldn’t have brought up Titanic. I don’t have a fear of icebergs. I do have a fear of those crazy-looking sea creatures no one talks about. Did you know the largest recorded jellyfish in the world is bigger than a blue whale? No amount of piss could save you from that thing stinging you.”
“Someone watches way too much Discovery Channel. Did you know it’s not even the big ones that can hurt you? It’s the small ones you need to watch out for.”
Fear gripped my heart as I pictured a glowing bulbous body and tentacles as long as a giant cruise ship. “Crap. I cannot get on that boat.”
“You can. And you will. You don’t have any other options.”
I pouted and gave him the saddest eyes I could muster. “I can live with you. At least until I can find a decent gig. I probably won’t even be here much, and…” I stopped talking when I realized he was going to continue shaking his head at me. “Damn you.”
He sighed. “I’m sorry, babe. You know I love you. But if you stay here, you’re going to miss out on so much. And I’ve been on a cruise. I swear to you it’s not half as bad as you think it is. If you distract yourself with all the reasons why you’re there—AKA, your job—then you’ll probably forget where you even are.”
As I was in the middle of a hefty sigh, letting his words sink in, someone else spoke from Wayne’s bedroom door. “He’s right, you know.”
The man stepped closer, revealing his face. He, too, was shirtless, his body almost double the size of my best friend’s, with his taut muscles and bodybuilder stature. I dragged my eyes up to his face and burst into a full-fledged grin.
Shane sat down on the other side of me, so I was sandwiched between my best friend and the man he’d desperately wanted to notice him for the past two years. Is this it? Is this more than a casual hookup?
I snapped my head to face Wayne and grinned. His eyes were pinned on Shane’s, and everything from the way his pupils dilated to the way his breathing picked up screamed that he was head over heels in love.
“I’m sorry,” I said, breaking up their eye-fucking. “Did I interrupt?”
“No,” Shane said.
“Yes,” Wayne said.
We all laughed, then I placed my elbows on my knees, bent over, and groaned. “What am I going to do?”
Two man-hands rubbed my back as Wayne spoke gently. “You’re going to stay here tonight, of course. Do you need a place to stay until you’re on the ship?”
I shook my head. “The ship has lodging at a hotel nearby for the entertainment staff. Sebastian said he’d get me a room.”
“Good. I’ll pay your rent this month so your landlord doesn’t give you shit about getting back your stuff and so it’s not on your record. Then you’ll accept the job because you and I know it’s the best thing for you and your career right now.”
I sniffed even though my eyes were still dry. I felt like I should be crying over something like this, over choosing my future and my fears. Geez. I couldn’t believe I was even considering this.
“Okay, but I’m not sleeping with you two on your crusty, splooge-stained sheets tonight.”
“Good,” Shane said while standing up. “Because I’m getting back in between them.” He threw a wink to Wayne before walking back to the bedroom and shutting the door behind him.
Wayne was chuckling. “I’ll make up the couch for you.”
I turned back to Wayne and smacked his arm. “Why didn’t you tell me?” I hissed. Even though Shane wouldn’t care, I didn’t want him to hear me talking about him. But I was terribly excited for my friend. He deserved to be happy, and I’d been worried Shane would string him along forever.
The smile on Wayne’s face said everything. He looked content, like his world had finally righted. “I didn’t know it was going to happen. We got into a fight earlier today about some
stupid dance job I wanted to audition for overseas, then he just showed up here a few hours ago. He told me he’d been in love with me since that Vegas show we were on together. But you know Shane. He didn’t think he’d ever want to settle down. I guess the possibility of me leaving really freaked him out.”
I grinned. “I’m so happy for you. For you both.” Then I sighed. “But you don’t care if I crash?”
He shook his head. “Of course not. So you’ll accept the job? And then tomorrow I’ll help you move into your temp place. Deal?”
I nodded then reached for my phone. The second I saw the time, I let out a laugh. It was 11:59. “Check that out.” I shoved my phone in his face. “With a minute to spare.”
Shaking my head with amusement, I scrolled through my e-mails to find the electronic version of the contract I’d already read through, added my signature, and pushed Send. There. Done.
Wayne padded off to bed after a goodnight hug and kiss on the temple, but I was too high on adrenaline to fade off to sleep. I started looking over my missed calls and messages, smiling to myself at how ridiculous I’d been about everything. I could handle Sebastian. I could learn to live on water again. I would be fine.
A new message buzzed, and I tapped on Sebastian’s name to see what he had to say.
Sebastian: Got the contract. See you soon.
I swallowed, knowing my fear of the deep blue sea was the least of what I needed to conquer. Somehow, I would need to figure out how to stay away from Sebastian Chase. Because if anything was going to add turbulence to my new job, it would undoubtedly be him.
Chapter 10
Sebastian
I was ready to blow off the cast meet and greet as soon as I walked through the door of our private party at Rooftop. Literally located on the top of an old building, it was decorated especially for us, with a jazzy, eclectic vibe to match the backdrop of the musical and, in the corner, a grand piano they were probably going to make me play. If they tried, they would be sorely disappointed.
I’d had my escape planned since the moment I’d woken up that morning. I would make an appearance. Take a few pictures. Shake a few hands. Survey some prospective ladies who could make my time aboard the ship more appealing. Then I’d excuse myself to take a piss, never to return.
The plan was perfect. It lacked originality, but it would have worked out great… until Kai walked in wearing a short white wrap dress, tall gold heels, and a pair of stems that seemed to go for days. Now, the only person I wanted to survey was her. I definitely couldn’t turn the fuck around and walk out after seeing her head to the bar with Jake Locklear, the male lead in Angst and Grace.
The reason they hired that guy was another nail in my side. I might have earned the title “Bad Boy of Broadway” for my foul mouth, lack of punctuality, and some foul play in a dressing room or two, but at least I wasn’t a slimeball using my fame to fuck anything with tits. I had standards.
When I was midway to the bar to break up the couple, someone caught me by an arm. “Nice of you to make it, Bash.”
My neck tightened at the nickname I hated almost more than the man speaking it. But I sucked in a slow breath, knowing tonight was the last place for me to make a scene. No, tonight, I’d be on my best behavior. I’d sip my beer like a gentleman. I’d smile at everyone I came into contact with. And I would not, no matter what, let Dirk get the better of me.
“Good to see you, Dirk. When do you head back to New York?”
That was the one great thing about sharing a producer role with someone who had multiple shows to look after. He couldn’t stick around for long.
“Next week.”
The sigh of relief in my chest whooshed through my entire body.
“But I’ll be on the ship for opening week. You know—to make sure everything kicks off smoothly.” He winked then reached around to grip my shoulder in a side hug. At first, I didn’t realize why, then I heard the click of a camera.
“Smile, you two,” said the woman behind the lens.
I turned and flashed a fake-ass smile before taking a step back. I’d given him my time, and I was ready to move on—specifically, to the bar.
“Enjoy the rest of the party, Dick.”
“Same to you, Bash.”
I physically shook the nickname from my body and walked toward the bar, where Kai stood with a new drink in her hand. White wine. Was that her drink of choice? She’d chugged that beer the other night without a second thought, and I liked her more for it.
I slid in next to Jake and Kai without making eye contact, but in my periphery, I could see they’d both spotted me. Jake shifted his stance and leaned into the bar, blocking Kai from my view. I chuckled inwardly, knowing exactly what the cocksucker was thinking. He was interested, but no way was I allowing that to happen. I’d seen her first.
“I’ll have what she’s having.” I said it with a nod to my left, gesturing toward the woman I could no longer see.
The bartender knew exactly who I was speaking about. He nodded, placed a glass on the bar, then poured.
After slapping a tip on the counter and pulling the stem of the glass between my fingers, I stepped around Jake and flashed them both a smile. “Hiya, mate. You havin’ an alright night?”
Jake narrowed his eyes at me, but only long enough for Kai to miss the look completely. “We are. I was just getting to know my new leading lady. She’s got quite the resume.”
“Too right, she does.” I winked at her. “It’s going to be a great run, yeah?”
“Definitely.” Jake flashed her his famous slimeball grin. “I can’t wait to see you at work.”
I chuckled. “I’m sure you can’t.”
Jake opened his mouth, but I cut him off with a glance at Kai. “Have you been introduced to Meagan? She plays Desire in the show. If not, I’d love to bring you over to her. She’ll serve as a great mentor that you can shadow until you get your sea legs under you.”
“Oh,” Kai said, her eyes lighting up. “I would love to meet her.”
“I can introdu—” Jake started.
But I had Kai’s arm hooked under mine, and I took her away. “You should really watch who you associate with at these things,” I whispered in her ear. “And Jake Locklear is definitely bad news.”
She let out a soft laugh that felt like a jab to my core. “Look who’s talking. No one could be worse than the Bad Boy of Broadway.”
“I take offense to that.”
Her brows rose, and she nodded. “As you should. You could learn a few things from Jake, actually.”
Heat circled my chest. “Is that so?”
We were halfway across the rooftop when she stopped, turned to me, and nodded. “Yes, Sebastian. You could. You know, he accidentally sloshed some wine onto my arm while handing it to me? You know what he did?”
I narrowed my eyes at her, fully aware that she would never let me live down our first meeting—not ever. “I’m dying to know.”
The smug grin playing on her lips was far too calculated. Kai knew how to handle herself well, and I didn’t know if I hated it or wanted to fuck her more for it.
“He offered to help me clean up the mess, had the bartender top off my wine—oh, and he apologized profusely for the accident.” She stepped closer, coming right under my nose as she spoke. “It’s nice to know that chivalry is not, in fact, a lost cause.”
I leaned down, not wanting anyone around us to get wind of our conversation, not when—in my mind—we were flirting. That wouldn’t be a good thing for Dirk to see. Not if I wanted to keep her off his target.
“I thought women loved assholes,” I said.
She laughed and rolled her eyes, the scent of sweet bubblegum swishing past. “See, that’s where you have women all wrong. Just because you treat them like dirt and they stick around doesn’t mean they enjoy being treated like doormats. It means they’re hoping you’ll change and they’ll be the exception to your dickish ways. That’s one category of women. The other category—th
e one you’ll find me in—we’re the type that love strong, confident men who make us feel safe.”
“You don’t feel safe around me? Even after I rescued you the other night and gave you a place to live when your landlord evicted you?” I leaned back to watch her determined expression crumble. “You know what I think, Kai?”
She swallowed. Kai didn’t like to be seen the way I could see right through her. I’d picked up on that from day one.
“I think you kind of like me. And you keep telling yourself I’m a bad guy because if you give in to your attraction, you’ll lose this little pact we made.” I narrowed my eyes as my lips curled up at the corners. “And you don’t like to lose.”
I hated the doubt that crossed her eyes.
“And I think you have a lot to learn when it comes to women.”
I also hated the truth I could hear in her words. Even in our flirtation, her words made guilt rise into my chest.
“Teach me,” I said.
Her lip tilted up. “Something tells me you don’t take direction well.”
“And you’d be right. But maybe you’re my exception.”
Then she laughed, the sound flitting through the air. “That could be.” Her lashes batted up, and she leaned closer, her palms resting on my chest. “But you’re not mine, Sebastian Chase, not by a long shot.” Then she took a step back and smiled. “It’s a good thing I’m not your type. Or did you already forget?”
As I watched her walk away, hips swaying to the jazz music playing overhead, I couldn’t help wondering how long it would be until one of us broke, for I had no doubt in my mind that it would happen, hopefully sooner rather than later.
Chapter 11
Kai
Rehearsals started less than a week after the cast party, and not a moment was wasted. Dancers were stuffed into a small studio while the band, Sebastian included, used the theater for rehearsals. The audiovisual crew, the costume designers, the set designers, and the half dozen or so directors flooded the theater seats to start their preparations.
