Tangled Mess (17 page)

Tiffany

My eyes were stinging as we left the stage. Fortunately, I’d been able to hold the tears, but the moment we were away from the
judges and the watchful eyes of the audience, it was Niagara Falls.

“What a fucking jerk,” muttered Darren, handing me a tissue. “We
rocked
that song. I know we did. Hell, everyone else knows that we did.”

I wiped my cheeks. “I though
t so, too.”

“The guy has a reputation for being an asshole.” His face darkened. “You know what? I bet they paid him to say ‘no’. He certainly says it enough.”

“You’re probably right,” I said, although I knew the truth. He still wanted me
off
of the show. I just didn’t understand why there was so much animosity in his eyes. Unfortunately, now that the show had started ‘live and on television’, we weren’t allowed to make personal phone calls or leave our hotel, so I couldn’t even talk to Remy about it.

“Well, they’ll count the votes tomorrow, so there’s no reason to let it bother us tonight.”

“True,” I said, sniffling.

He smiled sheepishly. “I don’t know about you, but I’m starving. Do you want to grab a bite to eat together at the hotel? After they send us back?”

“Sure,” I replied, looking at the clock. We still had another hour before we could leave, and although I wanted nothing more than to go back to my hotel room and pout, I didn’t want to hurt Darren’s feelings.

“I’m going to change,” I said, staring down at my feet, which were already getting sore. “
My feet hurt and I can barely breathe in this dress.”

He smiled. “I don’t think a lot of the male audience could breathe when they saw you on stage.”

I blushed. “Thanks.”

“Uh oh, made you blush,” he teased.

“You have a habit of doing that.”

“I know. It’s part of my charm. At least that’s what my wife says.” He sighed. “I miss her and Julia. I can’t believe they won’t even allow us a phone call.
Not even one!”

Julia was his two-year-old daughter. I’d seen pictures of his family, and it was more than obvious
that he loved them dearly.

“Did you see them in the audience?”

His face lit up. “Yes. It was the best part of the evening. I couldn’t hear them but my daughter was blowing me kisses. It brought tears to my eyes.”

I’d also caught a glimpse of Sinclair, Reed, and Jesse in the audience
, and it had felt really good knowing they were there, supporting me. They’d waved, and then during Ransom’s speech, I noticed Jesse flipping him the bird with both hands until Reed put a stop to it. It would have been comical if I hadn’t been so hurt and upset.

  “Only two more contests
to go, until the winner is selected. What are you singing next week, if we make it?”

“
Oh, we’ll make it. You know, I don’t know what song I’m doing yet. They wouldn’t tell me,” he replied. “Do you know what’s in store for you?”

Besides Ransom’s scowling face?

“No. I have no idea either. I’m sure we’ll find out soon enough.”

“Yeah.”

“I’m going to change; I’ll meet you by the exit when it’s time to go.”

“Okay.”

I hurried back to the dressing room, changed back into my street clothes, and then talked to some of the other girls.

“Did you hear about guy
, what was his name…? Yolanda?” asked Cindy, one of the other contestants.

“Yolanda?” I asked.

“That transvestite. Anyway, he didn’t make it to the final thirty, and is trying to sue Icon, saying that he’s being discriminated against because of race and sex.”

An image of the tall Amazonian came to mind.
Jesse’s acquaintance. “I met him, actually. He didn’t like taking ‘no’ for an answer then either.”

“
I guess he’s missing now,” said Cindy, lowering her voice. “And Yolanda’s family is claiming that Icon had something to do with it.”

My eyebrows shot up. “What? Why?”

“Because of the publicity and the fact that he may have had a good case. I don’t know any more except that he’s been missing for three weeks, and they’re worried.”

“I haven’t seen anything in the news,” I said. Although, I hadn’t had time to watch the news.

“I saw something about it,” replied Sara, another contestant who was removing her nail polish. “They mentioned it on Entertainment Now. I didn’t think anything of it, though. I mean it sounds like a bunch of crap. They’re acting like Icon sent out a ‘hit’ on him. Give me a break.”

I thought it sounded pretty ludicrous myself. “
I wish I could talk to my friend Jesse. He knows Yolanda. He might have heard something.”

“I can’t believe they won’t let us communicate with anyone until the show is over,” said Cindy. “Not even a phone call.”

“It’s ridiculous,” said Sara. “My boyfriend just got back from Iraq, too.”

“How long was he gone?” I asked.

“A little over a year,” she smiled. “At least I got to see him in the audience with my mom. I wanted to jump off the stage, and throw myself at him.”

“I know what you mean,” said Cindy. “My husband is taking care of our two boys while I’m away. I’m just glad they’re old enough to realize that I haven’t abandoned them.”

Just then, one of our chaperones stepped into the room. “Show is over. You ladies can get on the bus when you’re ready. We’re leaving in thirty-minutes.”

“Thanks,” I replied, grabbing my purse.

“Is it just me ore or does anyone else feel like we’re being treated like children,” said Cindy.

“It isn’t exactly what I expected,” I replied. “But I keep telling myself that it’s just a small price to pay for fame and fortune.”

“If you
win
,” she replied.

“As far as I
’m concerned, making it to this point has already been a win for me,” I said. “Even if I don’t go all the way, I’ve gotten this far and I’ll never forget it.”

“You’re one of those ‘cup is half-full’ kind of gals, aren’t you?” smirked Sara.

I shrugged. “Yeah, I suppose.”

Cindy smiled. “Can you blame her? She looks like a super-model
, and has an amazing voice.” She looked at me. “Maybe you can just try and seduce Ransom into taking you under his wing if you don’t go all the way. I heard he can’t get enough of the ladies.”

My eyes widened
. “Oh?”

“Rumor has it he’s banging two of the make-up artists. Switch hits every night,” said Cindy.

I felt like someone had sucked the life out of my heart and left nothing but a deflated raisin. “He is?”

Sara laughed. “Yeah, I heard Tyrone call him ‘Randy Ransom’, in the studio earlier, when the cameras weren’t rolling.”

“Randy?” I asked.

“Yeah, as in
over-sexed,” said Sara. “Anyway, it’s not a surprise. He’s hot, he’s famous, and he has women following him everywhere.”

“
I’d never let him touch me. I mean, you’d really have to be naïve to get into bed with a guy like that. Not only is he a player, but he doesn’t care about anyone but
Ransom
.”

And it was obvious, that she was right.

Tiffany

I joined Darren in the banquet room of the hotel for dinner. They’d set up a large buffet for all of the staff and contestants on Icon.

“A
t least they’re feeding us well,” he said, as we went through the buffet line.

“Thanks,”
I said to a young chef who sliced a piece of prime-rib, and placed it on my plate. “No kidding, I would have already gained ten pounds by now, if we weren’t burning it off at practice every day.”

“Exactly.”

We sat down together at a large oval table, not yet occupied, and Darren put his napkin on his lap. “Damn, that was intense today. In fact, I could really use a beer after that performance. Just one. I say after we eat, we sneak over to the bar, and have a quick drink.”

I
raised my eyebrows. “I didn’t think we were allowed to stray from the group.”

He leaned forward. “We’ll just play stupid. Larry Kiel told m
e that he and Mark Donovan have stopped there every night the last couple of weeks, and nobody has said anything.”

I had to admit,
a glass of wine sounded really good. “Okay. I never read anything in the rules that said we couldn’t drink anyway. So, I can’t imagine we’d get into too much trouble, even if someone noticed us.”

“There you go
.”

After we finished eating, Darren and I
walked down the hallway to Khol’s Grille, which was dead. We sat at the other end of the bar, facing the entrance, and each ordered something to drink.

“Oh, my friend, I’ve missed you,”
said Darren after taking a long swig from his beer bottle. “Man, it’s funny how you take things for granted when it’s suddenly
unavailable
. I’m not much of a drinker by nature, but the fact that I can’t just walk into a bar for a quick beer with my friends, is irritating.”

I smiled. “
I know what you mean. Sometimes after work, I like to enjoy a small glass of wine. It relaxes me.”

“That’s right, you’re a hair stylist. Do you enjoy it?”

I nodded. “It’s the people that I work with that make it really enjoyable, though. We have so much fun together.” I sighed. “I can’t believe how much I already miss them.”

“Well, I’m sure t
hey’re probably more like family to you.”

“You’ve got that right. I’m the youngest
in the group, and they all treat me like the ‘little sister’.”

“That’s good, especially
now with your mom being gone. You’re too young to be alone.”

“
Funny, I sure feel old these days,” I replied, taking a sip of wine.

Darren looked up and sucked in his breath. “Oh, fuck.
”

I followed his gaze
, and all of the blood rushed to my ears.

Ransom.

And he wasn’t alone.

One of the makeup artists from the show
was with him. A tall girl with long, red hair, breasts that were barely restrained in the T-shirt she must have borrowed from her baby sister, and a skirt that barely covered her crotch.

Stunned,
I looked down at my wine, wishing I could disappear under the floorboards.

“I didn’t know the judges were staying at this hotel. Maybe he won’t even notice us.”

“Let’s hope,” I whispered.

He chuckled softly. “The girl he’s with is pretty distracting. I think we’re safe.”

I raised my eyes, and immediately met Ransom’s icy ones. The darkness in his gaze chilled me to the bone. With a scowl, he grabbed the girl’s hand, and moved to the other side of the bar, ignoring us.

“Phew,” sighed Darren, putting a hand on his forehead. “
I’m beginning to think he might be doing something that he’s not supposed to be doing, either. That’s probably why he didn’t bust us. ”

I drank down the rest o
f the wine, and stood up. “I’m leaving,” I said, feeling slightly dizzy.

He slammed back the rest of his bottle. “Okay, let’s go.” 

I grabbed my purse
and tried not to cry as I thought about Ransom and his date. Obviously the rumors were true, and he didn’t give a crap about me.

Darren stood
up, and we quietly made our way to the entrance. Then, because I just couldn’t help myself, I looked back over my shoulder, at Ransom, who was staring back at me, his expression unreadable.

“Whoa,”
said Taylor, as I slammed into his chest. He grabbed my elbows, and steadied me. “In a hurry, Tiffany?”

“Oh, my God,” I said, covering my mouth. “I’m so sorry
, Taylor. I didn’t even see you.”

“Don’t worry about it
.” He cocked and eyebrow and then looked at Darren. “What are you two doing in the bar?” he teased. “Isn’t this place off limits?”

“We just stoppe
d in to see what it looked like,” I said quickly.

He laughed. “Relax, I’m not going to say anything. Anyway, I’m glad we bumped into each other. This is perfect
.”

I smiled. “Oh?”

“Yes, I was wondering if we could have a moment alone, to talk? It won’t take very long. I promise.”

“Of course
.” I turned to Darren. “I guess I’ll see you tomorrow then, on the bus?”

“Sure
. Have a good night, Tiffany,” he replied, kissing me on the cheek.

“Thanks, you too.”

He glanced at Taylor, curiously, and then walked out of the bar.

“I’ll
just escort you back to your room,” said Taylor.

“Uh, sure.”

We stepped out of the restaurant and towards the elevators.

“So, how are you enjoying the show, so far?” he asked,
as we stopped in the hallway.

I pushed the “Up” button
and then stepped back. “Well, it’s obviously been pretty crazy. But in a good way.”

“Even with Ransom giving you a hard time?” he asked as the
bell rang and the door opened.

I stepped inside. “Yes. I mean, he has his own opinion, obvi
ously, about my singing. Which he’s entitled to. At least the other judges are being kind.”

The
doors closed, and I pushed the number “Ten”.

“So, Remy said that you and Ransom had something going on around the time of the funeral.”

I
shrugged. “Not really. I mean we hung out and talked a little. I also cut his hair.”

“You know that wasn’t very smart. You could have been disqualified, even for just ‘talking’.”

I nodded solemnly. “I know. Thanks for not
saying anything. I really appreciate it.”

The elevator doors opened,
and he followed me off. “I guess that’s what I wanted to talk to you about. Keeping silent.”

I stopped walking. “What do you mean?
”

He touched the side of my arm. “How much does winning Icon mean to you?”

The hair stood up on the back of my neck. I took a step away from him. “What are you getting at?”

Taylor smirked
, and I shuddered as his eyes raked over my light blue blouse, which suddenly felt uncomfortably revealing. “I’ve risked a lot by keeping my mouth shut. You were at the funeral, you had some kind of intimate relationship with one of the judges, and now, I just caught you breaking another rule.” He reached forward and tucked a strand of hair behind my ear. “I think you know where this is going. A beautiful girl like you.”

Horrified, I
tried to play dumb. “Look, I’m sorry that you feel like I’ve placed
you
in some kind of awkward situation. I truly am.” I said, backing up. “But I’m not trying to get you into any kind of trouble, Taylor.”

He lowered his voice.
“I know you’re not trying. But, my job could be in jeopardy if things get leaked.”

“But
you
didn’t do anything. If anyone is going to get into trouble, it would be me or Ransom”

“
No, I’m pretty sure that my ass would be canned if the media gets wind of this. Now, I’ve kept my mouth shut, and let me tell you, it’s been very stressful. So stressful, in fact, that I think I should be compensated in some way. For risking my own neck.”

“I have no money,” I said, staring at him in disbelief.

He smirked. “I know that. I also know you’re not that naïve to think I’m talking about money.”

“What?” I asked, staring at him in revulsion. I couldn’t believe this worm was engaged to Remy.

His eyes slithered over my body again. “Invite me back to your hotel room, where we can discuss this more intimately.”

I
turned and walked towards my room. “You’ve got to be kidding.”

He
followed me. “Tiffany…”

I stopped at my door
, and pulled the room key from my purse. “Just get away from me, Taylor.”

He
leaned his shoulder against the wall, and regarded me with amusement. “So, I guess that means you don’t really care about getting kicked off of the show?”

“I’m
not
going to get kicked off of the show,” I snapped.

“Don’t be so sure of yourself,
Taffy
,” he snapped back. “Think about it. You have
nobody
on your side right now. Ransom has obviously forgotten about you. Remy, well, if she finds out that you were sleeping with a married man, Darren, she’s going to be mortified; even more so when I tell her how you tried to seduce me just so that I’d help you advance to the finals.”

I stared at him in horror. “What?”

“The choice is yours; one night with me, and the rest of the show will be smooth sailing. I’ll protect you from the media and any inquiries regarding Ransom.”

“You’
re my best friend’s fiancé. How can you even think that I’d agree to this?”

He rolled his eyes. “Oh, grow up. You’re not in Kansas, pumpkin. This is Hollywood
and that’s how we do things here.” 

I opened the door, and turned back to face him. “Hollywood or not, I will
never
have sex with you or anyone else, just to get ahead. Hell, I’d rather get kicked off of Icon. And by the way, you don’t know the kind of friendship that Remy and I have. She would
never
believe your lies. But, she will believe the truth when I tell her how you tried to get me to sleep with
you
.”

With a sneer, he grabbed my shoulders and pushed me backwards into the room.
“You’d better think about that before you open your big mouth,” he growled, staring down into my face. “Don’t fuck with me, because I’m always going to fuck with you harder.”

Before I could answer, Ransom
stepped behind Taylor, pulled him off of me, and then threw him up against the wall.

“You
prick,” he growled, putting his hand around Taylor’s neck. He pulled his other fist back. “I should beat the fuck out of you!”

Taylor, who was much smaller than Ransom, tried
uncurling his fingers with little success. His face went from red to purple as he struggled to breathe.

“Let him go,” I begged, afraid that he’d kill Taylor
, and end up in prison. “It’s not worth it. Don’t do this.”

Ransom, who was breathing har
d, grunted and then with great reluctance released Taylor’s neck.

Taylor gasped and leaned over, putting his hands on his knees as he tried to catch his breath.

Ransom stared down at him with disgust. “I should fucking kill you, man. You cheat on my sister, and try this shit with Tiffany?”

“You don’t know what you’re talking about,” replied Taylor in a raspy voice. He
stood up and pulled at his collar. “I should sue you for attacking me.”

“Go for it,” snapped Ransom. He then smiled coldly. “Hell, you know what,
if you’re going to sue me, I may as well make it worth my time.”

I watched in shock as Ransom’s fist slammed into Taylor’s face.

“Fuck!” he hollered, doubling over.

“Now, walk
the fuck out of here,” ordered Ransom. “Or so help me, I’ll hit you so hard you’ll be crawling.”

Taylor, whose eye was already starting to puff out, opened his mouth to
respond, but then apparently changed his mind, and stormed out of the room instead.