CHAPTER 20
LUCKY
“I told you those bikers were a bad idea!” Becky said, her voice shrill and loud in my ear.
“I fired them,” I murmured.
“Thank God! They were hardly a professional security team. Now, we can hire a real team. I’ll get my list,” Becky said, rifling through her purse.
“Not now!” I insisted, standing up and walking away. I poured myself a glass of whiskey, the heat of the liquor going right to my brain. I welcomed the relief and poured another. “I can’t deal with all this shit right now!”
“I’ll choose,” Becky said. “Don’t worry about a thing.”
“Whatever,” I said, shaking my head. “I’m just so fucking tired. I want to get on the bus and get out of here.”
“We’ll be ready to leave in an hour or so,” Becky said. “In the meantime, I’ll lock the door and make sure nobody else gets in. I’ll come get you when it’s time to leave. Or, I can stay with you?”
“No, god, please,” I said, sitting next to her. “Just go. I want to be alone. I’m safe now.”
“Are you sure?” she asked.
“Yes, just lock the door,” I replied, topping off my glass.
With a doubtful expression, she walked out, leaving me alone for a merciful second. I took a deep breath, then another, and another, followed by downing my third whiskey.
When the knock sounded at the door, I looked at it suspiciously, frozen in place.
“Lucky, it’s Ziggy!”
His muffled voice barely audible through the door made me smile.
He’d come back. He wasn’t giving up.
It was almost adorable.
I stumbled to the door and unlocked it, opening it slowly and staring out at him. I still needed a shower, and I knew standing there in a robe and severely streaked stage makeup was not my best look, but he didn’t seem to notice.
“Please let me come in, just for a minute?” he pleaded.
I stepped back, allowing him in, before locking the door again. He started right in.
“Look, I’m not the smartest man in the world, okay? And I come with all the failings and trappings of being a man. I’m prideful. I’ve got an ego the size of Texas. I can be awkward as fuck and most of the time, I don’t know what to do with my hands, let alone the right thing to say in any given situation.”
I tried not to smile. I’d always been moody, my anger quick to ignite, my initial reactions strong and fierce. I’d proven that tonight by firing him on the spot. Now that I’d calmed down, had a drink, and he was standing in front of me with those smoldering eyes, I was beginning to feel a little differently.
“I know we fucked up, Lucky. I convinced you to put your safety in the hands of a bunch of dudes you don’t know and we did a piss-poor job the first night. It’s ridiculous. I shouldn’t have asked that of you. I shouldn’t have asked you to trust me when you barely know me. But I’m asking you to trust me now, even though you shouldn’t. The thought of you being left alone rips me in two, Lucky. I can’t leave you, not when you’re in danger. And yeah, I know we just hooked up, or whatever you want to call it, but it means something to me. Maybe we’ll figure that out later. In fact, I hope like hell we do, but in the meantime, I can be professional and I can make sure that motherfucker doesn’t get anywhere near you, ever again.”
“Alright,” I shrugged.
“What?” he asked, shock in his eyes.
“Alright,” I repeated. “You’re not fired.”
“Seriously?”
“Yeah, seriously, what — do you need it in writing?”
“Oh, Lucky, you won’t regret this,” he said. “I know I’m just one guy, but I can guarantee I won’t let you —.”
“—Not just you. You’re all hired. Or not fired. Or whatever. Just tell them to come back. And tell Becky I changed my mind, okay?”
“Sure, okay,” he said, a huge smile spreading across his handsome face. I couldn’t help but smile back. He leaned over and gave me a hug, his warmth threatening to knock me off my feet. I longed to lean into him, just for a moment, but instead, I pulled away, nodding firmly.
“Professionals.”
“Professionals,” he nodded, his eyes raking over my body in a completely and utterly unprofessional manner.