Crazy Dreams (17 page)

My heart ached. There was a dull hollow in the place where once my love for her had once grown. I knew I was alone, and chances were, I’d keep it that way. Women were far too devious for my liking.

The overhead PA system announced my flight was boarding, so I got up, without even a single bag to my name, and left Boston, and Ember, for good.

Twenty-Eight

Ember

It was after midnight by the time Mallory and Gabby went to their own room a few floors down. I was exhausted, but as soon as I closed the door behind them, I was excited, just thinking about making love to Stone again. I locked the door after them and then ran into his room, ready to pounce.

To my surprise, he was nowhere to be found. I figured he’d come in at some point and just went to bed, but he didn’t. I went through his luggage, found one of his t-shirts, which was far too big, but smelled like him and put it on. Then I crawled into his bed and hoped he would wake me up when he came in.

* * * * *

Sunlight poured into the room.

“Ugh, Stone, will you close the shade?” I asked.

When I got no reply, I forced my eyes open. I was alone in the king bed.
Maybe he’s already up,
I thought. I got out of bed and searched the room, wearing nothing but his t-shirt. He wasn’t in the suite. Both bathrooms were empty, just like the rest of the suite.

I found my phone in my room and when I picked it up, I had seven missed calls from Emily. I was just about to call her back when a knock sounded on the door.
Oh no,
I thought,
maybe Stone forgot his key!

I ran to the door, forgetting all about Emily’s missed calls and pulled the door open. Emily was standing there, impatient as always in her suit.

“Where have you been?” she muttered, pushing past me into the room.

“I was asleep…” I said, as if that was obvious. “Actually, have you heard from Stone? I can’t find him.”

“He’s gone.” She set her briefcase down on the small coffee table in the living area. She shuffled some papers around inside the case.

“What do you mean, he’s gone? He can’t be gone. We have a show tonight!” I informed her, though I realized after I said it, she probably already knew that.

“Yes, well. Stone has requested to break his contract and is currently on his way back home to Tennessee.” Her voice was clipped, irritated.

“Does that mean my contract is voided, too?”

“Yes. But we’ve already drawn up a new contract for you, just like we talked about yesterday. I’ll leave it with you to sign at your leisure. I’m sure you’ll want a lawyer to take a look at it first. If you could get it to us by the end of the week, we’d appreciated that. In the meantime, your old contract covers your concert tonight, and since Stone has broken his, you’ll receive his portion of ticket sales, as well. It’ll be over ten thousand, just for tonight.”

“What?” I was still reeling. Talk about information overload.

“The payout for tonight will be over ten thousand. Please pay attention, Ember. The venue is sold out, which means you get a hefty sum. I’ve got to go meet with another client, so I’ll leave the paperwork with you. Let me know if you need anything, and a limo will be downstairs to pick you up and take you to the venue at four. Your hair and makeup will be done there, as well as your wardrobe provided, so just make sure your hair is clean and dry with no product in it.” She stood up, gathering her things and then handed me my new contract. “Good luck tonight.” Then she was gone.

I sat down on the couch, my fingers still gripping the contract. I blinked a few times, trying to figure out what the hell just happened. Stone left me. All those promises and he left as soon as he could.
Why did he break the contract?
Was he sick of me? We’d spent most of the summer together already, but the more pressing thing on my mind was that I’d finally given him what he wanted: sex.

He didn’t seem like the type to plat the whole
one-night stand
game, but then, what the hell did I know? Mallory and Gabby were right. I needed to look out for myself, to put me first instead of a guy who, apparently, could just walk away after we admitted our love for one another. I guessed it was fake, on his part, even though it was devastatingly real for me.

I rubbed my chest; my heart was breaking at thought of Stone using me. I thought it was real, thought he actually loved me. And his leaving only proved he’d been after one thing. What did surprise me was the fact that he lied about wanting a country career. He hadn’t known I could sing before he met me, so it looked like he actually wanted a singing career. Instead, he left me and his career in the dust, not once looking back.

I crawled back into bed, his shirt and his smell surrounding me while I cried. I hated myself for being so weak, for still loving him, but there was nothing I could do to rid myself of the pain and emptiness his leaving caused.

The tears fell until I couldn’t cry anymore; my body was dried out and finally, I got up out of bed and took a shower. The water was relaxing, but I could hardly enjoy it as I remembered the shower I’d taken yesterday with Stone. We’d pleasured each other the max, drawing out one another’s pleasure and then guiding each other over the crest. I missed him already.

I shook myself under showerhead. I needed to pull myself together. If Stone was moving on, I could, too. In fact, I’d make sure I stole the show. No more being content to sit in the background while he got all the fans and glory. I was taking control, and that meant I needed to be a hell of a lot stronger than I was. I just had to fake it until it became my reality.

I arrived in style to the concert, the stretch limo seemingly endless. Bodyguards surrounded me as I got out, though there wasn’t a single fan around. I laughed it off as the guards led me into the venue and directed me to my dressing room. The room was huge, much more elegant than the room in Chattanooga. I barely had time to look around than there was a knock at the door and a tiny woman entered without waiting for a reply. She carried a huge leather bag on her arm.

“I’m Melanie,” she introduced herself. “I’ll be doing your hair and makeup, and then I’ll take you over to the costume room to pick out your outfit. If you could have a seat.” She directed me to the chair and vanity at the far corner of the room. The chair built like a one at a salon, and Melanie wasted no time at all getting to work.

When she finished, I hardly recognized myself. I was loaded with makeup, and although I protested, Melanie overruled me.

“The lights are harsh on your face, dear. You don’t want your skin to look anything but perfect on stage. You can take it all off as soon as you leave the stage,” she explained.

I wasn’t keen on so much makeup, but I had to admit I didn’t look half bad. Someone who didn’t know me probably wouldn’t even be able to tell I had so much makeup on. My hair looked outstanding, too. My blonde locks had been curled and primped, the waves tousled until they settled perfectly on my shoulders. I didn’t look like me, but I looked hot.

Melanie led me to the wardrobe room and I was amazed by the sheer volume of clothes. From sparkles to sequins, prints to solids, nearly every item in the room was amazing.

“You’re a four, right?” Melanie asked, leading me to section with the number four labeling it.

“That’s right,” I agreed, fingering the fabrics that hung on the rod in front of me.

“Great. You can choose any four outfits from this rack.”

She started to turn away but I stopped her. “Four? Why four?”

“You’ll be singing eight songs with four dress changes. Didn’t anyone tell you?”

“Uhh, no. I only have four songs,” I added, suddenly pissed that my performance wasn’t going as planned.

“Oh, Lord. I’ll get Emily down to your dressing room as soon as I can. In the meantime, pick out your outfits. See you later,” she said. Then she was gone, whisking herself away to another client, no doubt.

I stared at the clothes for a few minutes before digging in. Clothes, I could handle.

An hour later, Emily had explained everything. Since Stone was no longer a part of the show, they were giving me a full hour with my set. Of course, that meant I didn’t have enough songs. So we added a few covers. Luckily, the songs were all ones I was extremely comfortable with, knew the words to, and loved. I practiced with the band, fully dressed, for an hour. Most of the songs were on the slower side, but there was one or two that had an upbeat tempo.

When they finally called me on stage, I took a deep breath and mentally prepared myself for the most kick-ass show of my life. I wanted to prove I could do it without Stone. He deserved it, too. I planned on becoming successful and a highly raved about artist, while he just watched in the wings. I’d show him.

Twenty-Nine

Stone

Delayed for nearly twenty-four hours. Yesterday had been a nightmare, and today was no better. I was so sick of everything. I was in a bar at the airport, waiting impatiently for my connecting flight. I could have driven, since I was only eight hours away from Nashville, but I really wanted to drink. And sulk.

Of course, the concert was on the TV at the bar, and when Ember walked out on stage in an elegant purple gown, several of the guys in the bar turned their attention to her. One guy even whistled.

“That’s Ember Daniels,” one of them said to the bartender. “She’s the hottest girl I’ve ever seen.”

One of the guys at a table behind him scoffed. “She’s just a wannabe.”

I ignored them all, my eyes focused on the gorgeous blonde stealing the show. She was amazing, captivating everyone in the stands and all those in the bar, as well. It was something to watch. I’d been holding her back, it seemed. She certainly came right out of her shell, enticing the crowd and giving them one hell of a show. When she was finished, the response she got was amazing. People loved her.

She deserved it, though. As angry as I was that she’d done it to me, pushed me out instead of coming to me, I was happy for her success. I still loved her. Unfortunately, I didn’t imagine that was going to change any time soon. It was still too raw, too fresh for me to even think about not loving her. She was my forever.
Was
.

The loudspeaker announced my flight was finally almost ready to board, so I finished up my beer, paid my tab, and made my way to the end of the terminal. The plane was in the air in no time, and as much as I would’ve liked to sleep, I couldn’t get thoughts of Ember out of my head.

I didn’t actually believe she would go on stage without me. Not really. I hoped it was all some big misunderstanding and that she would call me, begging me to listen to her side of the story. It was a nice tale, but couldn’t have been farther from the truth. She wanted to be alone. She used me to get what she wanted, and she made damn sure I’d have nothing left when it ended.

Mission accomplished
. I saluted her ambition, even if her execution left something to be desired. I was also wildly jealous, although even I knew I would never admit that to another living soul. She was living my dream.
Mine.
She never wanted to be a singer. At least, not that I knew of. But who knew… Maybe it was all some epic ploy. She might have even gotten Dallas in it, since he knew of my efforts to get into the music business.

Who was I kidding? She was a better singer, better performer, better artist in general than I was. She deserved all the success. She was a skilled opponent, going after what she wanted, and she had the backing to get it. I had to give her credit for that, at least.

Didn’t change the fact that I was trying to hate her for it. The line between love and hate was so thin; I never realized how closely the two emotions were related before.

I ordered a beer, desperate to drown my sorrows, or at least cover them up for a while. The stewardess was a pretty young woman with legs that went on and on. I was vaguely reminded of Ember’s legs and how tight they gripped my hips while I fucked her. I’d never have that chance again.

I managed to take a nap after my beer on the plane. It was a quick one, but it made the time pass faster, and when we landed, I turned my phone back on. I had a text from Ember, which surprised me.

Ember: You didn’t think I could do it,
did
you? I guess I proved you wrong.

The words stung, but not near as much as the attitude did. She was turning out to be everything I wished she wasn’t. Her vindictive words left me without any reasonable way to reply, so I just deleted the message, got off the plane and decided to head home, where at least I’d be able to get some peace.

Thirty

Ember

I never heard back from the text I sent Stone. It showed me on my phone that he read it, but he didn’t even have the decency to reply.
Men
. I waited for to him to reply, for us to talk again, but he couldn’t even be bothered. It irked me, but I tried to make myself let it go.
He’s not worth your time
, I told myself.