Fifteen – So We Had a Rough Start, but We Are Sisters, We’re Always Going to Have Each Other’s Back
Sixteen – I Just Want to See Her—I Just Want to See My Wife
Seventeen – If This is the End, Thank You for the Memories
Eighteen – Wherever She is, I Just Hope She’s Safe
Nineteen – I on the Other Hand, Am the Epitome of Shaken, Stirred, and Straight Up Desperate
Twenty – I Am Running on Empty
Twenty One – Funny How I’m Surrounded by People That Love Me, but There is Only One Person Who Makes Me Feel Safe at all Times, and That’s Jace
Twenty Two – I Was So Worried After Our First Year Apart That We Would Never Find Our Way Back to One Another
Twenty Three – I Stare at Him, My Husband, and Realize That He…He Gets Me
Twenty Four – I Didn’t Think I Would Get a Chance to Say I Love You Again
Twenty Five – You Never Know What Tomorrow Might Bring
Twenty Six – It was Simple Minded of Me to Think I Could Maneuver Through Life Without Her
Acknowledgements
About the Author
Books by Kira
Preview of A Date with the Devil
One: I Knew My Worth, and it wasn’t Some Half-Assed Relationship with a Movie Star
Reborn
© 2015 DarienMae
You always told me I’d be nothing
I’ve always believed I’m destined for greatness
I’m going to prove you wrong again
There’s no stopping me, it’s only the beginning
Never be
Never be me
All the haters never bothered me
I know my true potential, and I can finally see
Never be
Never be me
Listen to the words of this song
Before it’s over, I will prove you all wrong
Never be
Never be me
You always told me I’d be nothing
I’ve always believed I’m destined for greatness
I’m going to prove you wrong again
There’s no stopping me, it’s only the beginning
Never be
Never be me
You never, never, never knew me
You never, never, never saw me
You’ll never, never, never be me
So just let it be
You never, never, never knew me
I am reborn
You always told me I’d be nothing
I’m going to prove you wrong again
Gotta fight, gotta fight, gotta fight, fight, fight
I’m going to prove you wrong again
Peyton
I feel like I’ve been run over by a semi-truck. No, scratch that, a train. I feel like I’ve been pummeled by a train. My head is throbbing and my throat feels like sandpaper. I swallow a few times, and then slowly open one of my eyelids. I would open both, but that would take double the effort. As the blurriness from my vision begins to dissipate, my eye lands on the lights lining the ceiling. Strange. I don’t remember my bedroom having that many lights.
I attempt to sit up when I realize I am being pinned down by a heavy object. Irritated, I open my other eye and glance down where a dark tanned arm is stretched out across my stomach, holding me down. My heart begins beating erratically. I turn my head and see a handsome man passed out beside me. He is shirtless, and his shoulders are well-defined. My eyes glide over his face, he is Hispanic, no doubt, with black hair and gauged ears. He has a small soul patch and a large circular tattoo right between his shoulder blades. I don’t recognize him from Adam. My eyes dart about the room, attempting to locate anything familiar, but I don’t remember anything from last night, much less the room I am in or the guy who has me pinned to the bed.
My heart is pounding in my ears as I delicately pick up his arm and slip out from underneath. It takes no more than a few seconds to realize I am fully naked and standing in an unfamiliar room with a stranger. I reach for the sheet that had been covering my body and rip it from the bed, wrapping it around myself. Turning, my eyes search the floor, of what appears to be a hotel room, for my clothes.
“Good morning, Firecracker,” a deep, velvety voice says followed by a yawn. “Did you sleep well?”
I spin around, frazzled, holding the sheet tightly across my bare body. I am racking my brain, trying to remember something, anything from last night. “Do you know where my clothes are?” I ask, my eyes shifting nervously around the room.
The guy begins to chuckle, dimples forming on both his cheeks. I’m not talking about small dimples, I’m talking the melt-your-heart-off kind. “You don’t remember anything about last night, do you?”
I cringe. The way he speaks about it leaves my stomach in knots. I shake my head dismissively.
He stands up, the comforter covering his body falling by the wayside, and I get an eyeful. His large erection hard to miss. I shield my eyes spinning around.
“What?” he asks playfully. “It’s nothing you haven’t seen before.”
Great…I’m a slut. A whore. I’m disgusted with myself.
“Look, if you can just tell me where my clothes are, I’ll be out of your hair,” I say, still covering my eyes.
The stranger begins opening drawers, and I hear shuffling about. “Here.” I feel his warm breath near my ear, sending shivers down my spine.
I think about turning around, but I’m not sure I’m prepared for another show, so I remain planted firmly, simply holding my hand out behind me. I feel soft fabric being placed into my palm and I bring it to my eyes. It is a pair of men’s sweatpants and a grey V-neck t-shirt; neither of which are mine. I spin back around to see the guy has located something to cover himself. He is now wearing red and black basketball shorts, and my mind instantly wonders if he is wearing underwear or commando underneath it all.
Get it together, Peyton.
“Do you mind?” I snap, quickly tugging the sweatpants and shirt over my bare body. Once I’m dressed, I spin back around. “Want to tell me what happened to my clothes?”
He chuckles, those damn dimples making an appearance once more. He rubs a hand over his tired face. “You burned them last night.”
“I…what?” I screech.
His grin only gets bigger, irritating me.
“Something about shedding yourself from anything that had to do with, and I quote, ‘Jerkface’.” His eyebrows raise animatedly. “I’m not sure who he is, but I’m going to go out on a limb here and say that he must have really screwed up.”
My stomach drops.
The dress I was wearing yesterday was one of my favorite presents from Jace, when we were still dating.
We tried to make it work after I left for Warped Tour and he began filming, but then the tabloids got involved. Every single issue had another cover story about Jace and his new co-worker Angelica Frost, dating. There were pictures everywhere. They were the hottest thing in Hollywood, why wouldn’t people want to see them together? Not to mention, even if it wasn’t the truth, they were spending a lot of their downtime together, and he was spending less and less time communicating with me. They were contracted for the entire Strategic Arms series, so Jace is going to have Angelica in his life for years to come, whether he likes it or not.
We stayed together while I toured, but after six months of bickering and limited communication, I pulled the plug. I knew my worth, and it wasn’t some half-assed relationship with a movie star.
Of course Jace tried to fix it by calling, texting, emailing, and even sending dozens of roses, but I was over it. I didn’t bother opening any of his messages. If he couldn’t make the effort when it really counted, he didn’t deserve me.
“Who are you anyway?” I ask, eyeing the exotic God in front of me.
He chuckles, his brown eyes twinkling. “My name’s Luis, I’m the lead singer of Free Falling.”
I wasn’t sure my stomach could dip any lower
, but it did.
Free Falling is one of the biggest pop-punk bands out, currently. They have two number one singles and are the newest rage in the music industry. They always perform with hoods and sunglasses, so I’m surprised to finally be face-to-face with one of the members without their familiar disguises.
“Wait, did you come to our show last night?” I ask.
He nods, smiling. “I came to do some scouting for bands to add to my new label. I saw you guys play, and I approached your band after the show. We set up a meeting to discuss joining the Blue Runs Black label.”
I swallow. “Are you shitting me?”
He laughs heartily. “You’re one strange cat, you know that?”
I grab my forehead in shock, spinning around. A real life record label wants my band. I don’t know if I should be mortified that I had sex with the head of the record label and lead singer of Free Falling, or if I should feel proud.
“Listen,” Luis says softly, standing up. “We both had a lot to drink last night. What do you say we go get a bite to eat and discuss our shared future?”
I nod, still in a daze.
My life is about to change, and I’m not sure I’m prepared.
Two - I Let My Career and Fame Get in the Way, and I Lost the Love of My Life
Jace
“So you have a phone conference at ten with Justice to discuss a few potential new offers, a lunch date with Angelica at one, and then your appearance on Kelley at 2:30.”
My face falls. “Kelley is today?” I ask shortly.
Chenise looks at her planner and then back at me. “Yes, remember? You’ve been putting it off for months, and you told me to just go ahead and schedule you.”
I groan.
“I-I’m sorry,” Chenise stammers. “Did I do something wrong?”
I sigh loudly before standing up and making my way over to the bar. I pour myself a shot of bourbon. “No, it’s fine.”
“You’re drinking at eight in the morning, are you sure everything is okay?” Chenise asks timidly.
I glare back at her as I down the shot. “I’m sorry…I must be confused. I thought I was the one signing your paychecks?”
She pulls back like I’ve slapped her in the face, her honey blond curls whipping back with her. “You’re right, I’m sorry.”
I pour myself another shot and down it within seconds. “Do I have to do lunch with Angelica?” I ask, strolling back over to her.
Chenise looks back at her notes. “Justice said this lunch is important. InTouch and Style are going to be there. You’re proposing to Angelica, remember?”
“I’m what?” I bark, jumping back from the shock.
“Yeah. Oh no…did I forget to tell you?” Chenise’s face goes pale white.
“I need another drink for this,” I say under my breath as I race back over to the bourbon. I’m two more shots in when I finally feel as though I can breathe again. “Why on God’s green earth would I propose to Angelica?”
Chenise’s cheeks grow a bright shade of pink. “Justice said you two have been dating for eight months now and that’s like three years in normal people years, so he said it only makes sense. He sent over the ring the other day.”
I feel like I might lose it. “We aren’t really dating!” I bite out.
When I first landed my agent, he began setting up “random” run-ins between me and the other lead from the Strategic Arms series, Angelica Frost. At first I thought it was a coincidence, then I noticed the growing paparazzi that just seemed to know each and every move I was making. Not soon after, my agent set up a meeting with Angelica’s agent and it was decided for us that a “relationship” would be in our best interest now that we were getting international recognition. It came hot off the heels of my break-up with Peyton, so I said to hell with it and went along with their crazy plan.
The problem is, I can’t actually stand Angelica. She is the total opposite of Peyton in every way—materialistic, selfish, high-maintenance, and more. Not to mention her crazy sexcapades that have nearly blown our cover time and time again. She’s out of control, with a convenient love affair of cocaine. You could say any attraction I felt for her initially has flown out the window, but I’ve become a master at faking it when the cameras are on. It doesn’t help that I blame her for some of the demise of my relationship with Peyton. She didn’t have much of a choice either, but I can’t help the disgust I feel when I think of her.
“Jace?” Chenise calls out my name, breaking me out of my thoughts. “Do you want me to cancel the lunch?”
I shake my head, irritated. “No. It’s definitely going to be an important day.”
* * *
I see her lengthy cascading dark locks long before I see her face. I am walking up from behind her and I can see that she has her compact mirror out and is applying endless amounts of lip gloss as she always does. She doesn’t even bother looking up from her mirror as I take a seat across from her.
“Hey, babe,” she greets me unenthusiastically.
To be fair, Angelica is no more excited than I am, to be dating one another. In fact, if I took a guess, I’d say I bore her.
“Hey,” I reply with equal enthusiasm as a waitress sets down two glasses of water.
“Can I get a glass of Perrier Jouet?” Angelica addresses the waitress without bothering to break her stare with her mirror.
“Sure,” the server responds. “And for you sir?”
I wave her off. “I’m fine for now. I won’t be staying long.”
This seems to finally get the attention of Angelica. “What? But I thought…”
“Here’s the thing,” I cut her off without remorse. “I’m over this.”
She stares back at me blankly. “Excuse me?”
“I’m done being puppets in the game Justice and Syble created for us.” Syble is Angelica’s agent. She’s been in cahoots with Justice since the very beginning. This whole fake relationship fiasco was their genius idea.
Angelica’s eyes widen, and then begin shifting around nervously looking for prying ears. “You can’t do that, Jace,” she whispers under her breath.
“Actually, I can,” I reply with a straight face. “And I am.”
Her expressions morphs into a scowl. “Not if you don’t want to upset our shared fan base,” she threatens me.
“Funny thing, Angelica, I’ve been following the forums lately and it seems as though people would rather see me with someone else. Someone, how should I put it…? Classier.”
She is shooting me daggers from her glare.
The waitress returns with her glass of overpriced champagne, and senses the tension immediately. “Are you guys ready to order or would you like a few more minutes?”
Angelica turns to her, plastering a fake grin on her face. “Do you mind giving us a few more minutes to decide?”
The waitress nods. “Sure, no problem.” Then she walks off leaving us alone. Well, we’re not exactly alone, there is a gaggle of paparazzi across the street capturing our intimate lunch date.
Angelica focuses her attention back on me, snarling.
“I had a sneaking suspicion that this union was benefiting one of us more, for a while now; I just didn’t realize who it was until today.” I take a sip of my water. “You need me to help subdue your party girl image and I…well, honestly, I don’t need you.” I forgo the straw this time, taking a big gulp from my water and then standing.
“You’re going to regret this,” Angelica exclaims bitterly, her eyebrows narrowing over her piercing honey eyes.
“The sad part about this, is you’re not a bad person, Angelica. You’re just not someone I want to be associated with, personally.” My words this time seem to cut her much deeper than anything I’ve said thus far.
“You slept with him!” I shout, pointing my finger directly in her face. “I can’t believe I ever considered marrying you!” I make it a point to be over-the-top, and judging by the loud snapping I hear from the cameras across the street, I kno
w my every move is being documented.
Angelica’s mouth is hanging open in shock and terror.
Even the restaurant patrons who are also seated outside, are staring directly at my display.
Time to take it home, Jace.
“We’re over!” I continue animatedly. “If we aren’t working, I don’t want to see you!” And then I spin around and begin marching off. Half of the horde of paparazzi frantically follows me, and the other half stays on Angelica.
I know I am going to get reamed for this stunt from Justice, but for the first time in a long time, I feel like I’m in control of my life.
* * *
“You did what?” Justice shouts into my ear so loudly through the phone, I have to hold it at an arm’s length away. I am on my way to Kelley, and he obviously just heard the juicy tabloid gossip like the rest of the world. I’ve already seen my face on TMZ, Cosmopolitan, and US Online, and I know that’s just the tip of the iceberg.