my life.”
* * * *
Miles didn’t even bother to go and congratulate his acts. He went straight to Safri’s dressing room, fuming so hard that he thought the top of his head might blow off with the steam. After three pounds of his fist against the door, he opened it and walked in, slamming it shut behind him.
“Miles, what on earth are you doing?” Safri demanded, her eyes narrowing on his reflection in the mirror while she applied more makeup.
“What am I doing? Tell me you’re not serious, Safri. What the hell are you doing to Annabelle? You’ve sabotaged her performances the last two weeks running.” His voice boomed out in a roar and he worked to level it. “Do you want her to get kicked out?”
She rose from the chair and spun to face him, her eyes narrowing and chin tilting. “Why do you care? She’s my act, and you didn’t even want her to get this far in the first place.” Her irritation matched his, but her words hit a nerve.
Why did he care? He should be encouraging Annabelle to walk away from this, but he wouldn’t publicly humiliate her. He had to admit though, he was going above and beyond for her. After her first performance he’d been so mad he’d texted Dave to tell him what Safri was up to. Never before had he gone to so much trouble over an act.
“You’re acting like a child and you know it,” he said, but before he could bring up the night at the party when she’d come on to him again, Dave barged into the dressing room, his face more flushed with anger than Miles had ever seen it.
“I don’t know what you’re playing at, Safri, but know this,” Dave said, aiming his glowing red glare in her direction, his voice full of threat. “If you continue to screw around with this girl’s performances, I will make sure you never get a chance on this show again. The public loves her, and the ratings this year are through the roof. If you want to keep your backside on that judging chair. you better get over whatever differences you have with the girl and make her shine.” With that, Dave turned and left the room.
Safri dropped her battle stance and her shoulders sagged. Miles knew she’d lay off Annabelle now. She needed this show more than he or Sander as her career went down the toilet years ago. Miles left reassured in his knowledge that Annabelle would have the help she needed.
* * * *
The next few weeks passed by quicker than he would have liked and Miles’s frustration only increased. Not once had he seen Annabelle other than on stage and he missed her terribly. The last few weeks she sailed through the live shows, her performances so spectacular they would put some of the biggest names in the industry to shame.
But she hadn’t apologized for accusing him of betraying her. Nor had she been to any of the after show parties. He’d even tried showing up at the house a few times, hoping to catch her, but each time she hadn’t been there. She was obviously avoiding him and he was left feeling disgruntled.
Again, he found himself ignoring his acts and on the hunt for Annabelle. He’d come to the stadium early, having been told by one of the girls who worked back stage that she liked to come in and rehearse before anyone else arrived. It’s how he’d missed her every other time.
He walked through the public entrance and made his way to the stage, pausing when he saw her there. Her hair was tied up into a messy knot and her skimpy shorts and t-shirt were casual. Still, the way she danced around the stage in perfect sync with the backing dancers made his blood boil.
He slipped into a seat near the back, listening to her enchanting voice recreate a famous song and make it completely her own. A flare of heat darted straight to his groin, and he was harder than steel in mere seconds. Miles shook his head in exasperation.
For years he’d tried to be intimate with various women, both to fulfill his needs and to banish the memories of finding Cassie. Most of the time his body
* * * *
Miles didn’t even bother to go and congratulate his acts. He went straight to Safri’s dressing room, fuming so hard that he thought the top of his head might blow off with the steam. After three pounds of his fist against the door, he opened it and walked in, slamming it shut behind him.
“Miles, what on earth are you doing?” Safri demanded, her eyes narrowing on his reflection in the mirror while she applied more makeup.
“What am I doing? Tell me you’re not serious, Safri. What the hell are you doing to Annabelle? You’ve sabotaged her performances the last two weeks running.” His voice boomed out in a roar and he worked to level it. “Do you want her to get kicked out?”
She rose from the chair and spun to face him, her eyes narrowing and chin tilting. “Why do you care? She’s my act, and you didn’t even want her to get this far in the first place.” Her irritation matched his, but her words hit a nerve.
Why did he care? He should be encouraging Annabelle to walk away from this, but he wouldn’t publicly humiliate her. He had to admit though, he was going above and beyond for her. After her first performance he’d been so mad he’d texted Dave to tell him what Safri was up to. Never before had he gone to so much trouble over an act.
“You’re acting like a child and you know it,” he said, but before he could bring up the night at the party when she’d come on to him again, Dave barged into the dressing room, his face more flushed with anger than Miles had ever seen it.
“I don’t know what you’re playing at, Safri, but know this,” Dave said, aiming his glowing red glare in her direction, his voice full of threat. “If you continue to screw around with this girl’s performances, I will make sure you never get a chance on this show again. The public loves her, and the ratings this year are through the roof. If you want to keep your backside on that judging chair. you better get over whatever differences you have with the girl and make her shine.” With that, Dave turned and left the room.
Safri dropped her battle stance and her shoulders sagged. Miles knew she’d lay off Annabelle now. She needed this show more than he or Sander as her career went down the toilet years ago. Miles left reassured in his knowledge that Annabelle would have the help she needed.
* * * *
The next few weeks passed by quicker than he would have liked and Miles’s frustration only increased. Not once had he seen Annabelle other than on stage and he missed her terribly. The last few weeks she sailed through the live shows, her performances so spectacular they would put some of the biggest names in the industry to shame.
But she hadn’t apologized for accusing him of betraying her. Nor had she been to any of the after show parties. He’d even tried showing up at the house a few times, hoping to catch her, but each time she hadn’t been there. She was obviously avoiding him and he was left feeling disgruntled.
Again, he found himself ignoring his acts and on the hunt for Annabelle. He’d come to the stadium early, having been told by one of the girls who worked back stage that she liked to come in and rehearse before anyone else arrived. It’s how he’d missed her every other time.
He walked through the public entrance and made his way to the stage, pausing when he saw her there. Her hair was tied up into a messy knot and her skimpy shorts and t-shirt were casual. Still, the way she danced around the stage in perfect sync with the backing dancers made his blood boil.
He slipped into a seat near the back, listening to her enchanting voice recreate a famous song and make it completely her own. A flare of heat darted straight to his groin, and he was harder than steel in mere seconds. Miles shook his head in exasperation.
For years he’d tried to be intimate with various women, both to fulfill his needs and to banish the memories of finding Cassie. Most of the time his body
Similar Books
