Chapter Two — Livvie

When I woke up the next morning, I clawed at my night stand frantically until my hand landed on my phone. I squinted against the light and sighed when I realized there was nothing on the screen. “Get it together, Liv, it’s only been a day,” I reminded myself, flicking off the phone and flopping back onto the pillows piled by my head.

It had been less that twenty-four hours since the last time I’d seen Remy, but the way I missed him, it might as well have been a month. The night before, he’d left me alone in his penthouse—where we had spent nearly three days in a frenzied, hot, sweaty sex marathon. I’d dawdled for a little while, wandering around the massive suite, wondering what it would be like to live in such a glamorous world. As it was, I felt like a visitor, and while the past three days had been amazing and more than I could have ever imagined, I knew it was time to return to my reality.

I hadn’t been home since the day of the surprise business meeting with Remy, Kaylee, and Mitch. Anything I’d needed during my stay with Remy, he’d ordered to be delivered to his penthouse. He’d joked that if he let me leave, I might not come back.

Which, of course, was ridiculous. But it had been fun to be pampered and spoiled with luxury bath products, gourmet meals on demand, and one afternoon, we’d even shared an in-house couple’s massage which, in a word, had been heavenly.

I silenced the alarm and stared up at the ceiling, thinking back on it all. In some ways, it had all been like some kind of fantasy come true, especially as I’d shuffled into the entryway of my cramped apartment on the outskirts of LA that I shared with my friend Tessa—although she was hardly ever home, anymore.

A quick check had revealed that I was alone for the evening, so I’d gone directly to my room and stripped out of one of the outfits Remy had ordered for me. He’d made some jokes about rapidly running out of money since getting cut off his trust, but then he turned around and overnighted me an entire wardrobe just to save me a trip across town to my apartment.

After three rounds with the snooze button, I showered and changed into some comfy sweats before checking my phone one last time. I didn’t know what I’d been expecting, but it didn’t sit right that he hadn’t sent me any messages. He’d promised me a nice dinner out and I was starting to wonder if he was backing out.

To take my mind off of everything, I hauled my laptop out of my bag and started looking through the list of potential office spaces Remy had lined up. He had a tour of each space scheduled in the next couple of days, but I figured I could eliminate a few of them just by looking at the online listings.

The morning flew by fairly quickly, and by the time I set aside the computer to go down to the coffee shop for a break, I felt great about what I’d already accomplished. With Remy’s financial investment, I was confident that I’d be able to keep the business afloat and give my clients the best chance at success.

I stopped by the entryway mirror to pull my tangled hair up into a ponytail. As I stared at my reflection, I decided I also needed a dab of mascara. As I headed back down the hall, there was a knock on the front door. I turned back and went to answer it. I peeked out through the peep-hole and saw Remy standing there. I hurried to unlock and open the door, my pulse suddenly sky high.

“Remy!” I beamed out at him, but then felt the smile freeze in place as I took in his sour expression. “What’s the matter?”

“We need to talk.”

“Oh.” My mind erupted with possibilities as I shuffled back to let him inside. He went straight to the kitchen and pulled a bottled water from the fridge.

I followed a few paces behind and stopped at the dining room table. The curiosity was twisting and turning my stomach, but I couldn’t bring myself to ask what was going on. Somewhere deep down, I was afraid of the answer. I was afraid that I’d been right, that those three days spent in his penthouse were nothing but a fantasy, a glimmer of how life could be, but ultimately never would be.

Remy downed half the bottle with one long drink and only then did I notice the sheen of sweat on his brow. My stomach seized even harder—I’d never seen him like this.

“Remy? What’s going on? You’re scaring me.” I wanted to reach out and touch him, but something told me it wasn’t the time so I pocketed my hands to keep from fidgeting.

Before he could answer, my phone starting buzzing on the side table.

“That’s probably Christopher,” Remy said.

I cocked my eyebrow. “What? Why?”

He didn’t answer and I went over and looked at the display. Sure enough, Christopher’s name and number flashed across the screen.

“Don’t answer that,” Remy demanded.

I set the phone down like it was a hot potato and turned back to Remy. “How did you know that was going to be him?

He didn’t answer as he glared at the vibrating phone.

When it stopped, I looked at him expectantly. “You said we need to talk, so talk.”

He looked agitated, but I didn’t care. He owed me an explanation for his cryptic behavior.

He took in a deep breath and exhaled. “I don’t want you talking to him anymore, Livvie. He’s not your friend or just a nice guy trying to help you out. He’s evil, and he’s been trying to fuck you over since the beginning.”

I threw my hands up in the air. “This again? Really?” I groaned and plunked down into one of the dining room chairs. “Remy, we’ve gone over this a million times. He’s a business contact, nothing more. I’m with you now, or at least I thought I was before you came over here all brooding and saying we need to talk!”

“Livvie, listen to—”

“No! I’m talking right now, Remy. You’ve had the upper hand this whole time, now you need to listen to me.”

He looked taken aback, but he waved for me to continue.

“Christopher was there for me when you ducked out. Downside has a record deal because of his help. It’s not personal. He tried to get a little too close the last time I saw him, and I turned him down.”

“What did he do?” Remy demanded, cutting me off once again.

“It doesn’t matter! The point is, I’m a grown ass woman and I can choose who I speak to and who I trust with my business. Why are you so upset? I mean, is this really just some high school rivalry bullshit?”

“No, it’s not.”

“Then what? Please, Remy, talk to me.”

Remy’s face remained locked in an agitated expression and I could feel waves of anger radiating off of him. “You know what, here.” He pulled a packet of papers out of his jacket pocket and dropped them onto the dining room table. “This should answer your question. This is what your pal is trying to do.”

He didn’t say another word, and by the time I swiped up the papers, he was already out the front door.

I winced at the sound of the front door slamming shut. A bolt of regret flashed through me, and I wondered if I should go after him.

Before I could make up my mind, I picked up the pages he’d thrown down for me. “What the—”

My horror grew with each paragraph that I read. It looked like Christopher was trying to cut me out entirely and keep Downside all to himself. Anger boiled up inside of me, and I snatched up my phone and flipped through my contacts, my finger hovering over Christopher’s name.

What would I say if he answered? I had no idea.

Maybe I was misunderstanding what I was seeing. After all, I’d already signed a contract with Christopher to give Downside a record deal. This contract had to be for something else, but no matter how many times I read the pages, it became more and more tangled.

I decided it would be easier for me to not get snowed over if I were standing in front of Christopher. Over the phone, it would be too easy for him to charm his way back to my good side. I changed into a business suit, hoping that my professional attire would make him stay in business mode. The last time we had seen each other, he’d been more interested in getting in my pants than getting me into the music business.

Had he just been stringing me along to get in my pants? I squeezed my eyes shut at the thought.

Had Remy been right all along?

I had to find out for myself.

Half an hour later, I stepped into Vantage Point Beats, shoulders squared as I strode over to the reception desk. Before I could even ask for Christopher, the front desk woman was already calling back to his office.

“Go ahead,” she said as she hung up her phone.

I rounded the desk and walked back to his office. He was sitting at his desk with a blue gel ice bag on his face.

“What the hell are you doing here? Coming to finish what your boyfriend started?” Christopher snarled at me.

My hand flew to cover my mouth to suppress a gasp when he removed the bag and I saw his nose was bandaged up in white gauze. “What happened?”

He sneered at me. “Like you don’t know.”

“No, I don’t know,” I retorted and then sank down into one of the chairs opposite his desk. I didn’t feel welcome, but I had to sit down. My legs were threatening to buckle. “Remy did…that?”

He gingerly placed the ice back on his bruised face. “Yes, he did.”

“I’m so sorry, Christopher. I don’t know what got into him.” I twisted my hands in my lap.

“Why are you here?”

I glanced down at my purse that was lying on the floor next to my feet. I could see the papers poking out from the top, but after seeing Christopher’s condition, I didn’t feel right about bringing it up. But, then again, that was the entire reason I was even there. It had to be done.

“Listen, I didn’t send Remy here, if that’s what you’re thinking. I know you two aren’t the best of friends for whatever reason and I’m sorry about what happened. But, I’m not here to talk about Remy, I’m here to talk about business, specifically the record deal with Downside.”

He scoffed. “Olivia, really? You think I give a flying fuck about your business?”

His voice was jagged and cruel and made my stomach clench. “I thought that’s what this was all about.”

“God, you really are that stupid. I’m done with this, Olivia. The deal’s off. And after the stunt your boyfriend pulled, I’m going to make sure that you’re blackballed from every club in this city. And I’ll make it my life’s mission to target any band that you’ve ever thought or will think about approaching. You’re business is over. Remy can’t save you.”

“Why?” It sounded so shallow and insufficient, but it was all I could eek out.

Christopher let out a harsh laugh. “Olivia, Olivia! Are you really that stupid? I was only—he put his fingers up in air quotes—’helping’ you to get to Downside so I could sign them to my new management branch.” He held up some papers. “And guess what, I’ve already signed two of them, so you might want to call them and say goodbye.”

“How dare you! You selfish piece of—”

“You know what—I don’t have time for this. Get out.”

I stood on shaking legs. “I’ll leave, but you should know that you’re wrong. I’m not helpless, and I guarantee that within six months—you’ll come begging to sign my bands to your pathetic excuse of a label, and guess what? Then, it will be my turn to blackball you, and you’ll remember this day and wonder why you had to be such a fucking asshole.”

I didn’t wait for his reply, I spun on my heel and stalked out, giving his nasty receptionist one final glare as I swept past her desk and out the front door.

I made it all the way back to the parking garage before I lost control of the hot tears that had built up since the moment I’d left Christopher’s office.