“Shane, can you drive?” I ask, and when he catches up with me, I can tell his mind has gone where mine did.
“Poor Riku.” He shakes his head, but he doesn’t sound sympathetic at all. In fact, he sounds like he can’t wait.
ChapterSeven
Jacinta
When the sun sets and it’s time to head out to the plantation, Riku goes down to bring the car around to the front while I step into Ash’s room. He looks great in dress pants and a button-down shirt, but seeing him in jeans and a tight T-shirt is devastating.
“Hey, are you ready?” he asks, putting on his watch and shoving his wallet into the back pocket of his slacks.
“Do you have any stuff?” The words burst out as my anxiety rides me hard. Ash’s eyebrows jump in surprise.
“Now? It’s Jace’s debut. All of your family will be there.”
“Yeah, I need it.”
He shakes his head. “Oh no you don’t, babe. It’s fun and everything when we’re partying, but you don’t need it to get through the day. Nobody is judging you, and even if they are, there are plenty of people who love you and accept you for who you are.”
Anger wells up in my chest, adding to the anxiety and fear, and all of a sudden, I’m fucking fuming. “How fucking dare you? You don’t know me. You don’t know anything about me. Don’t you fucking dare tell me how to feel.” I spin around and storm back into my section.
“Babe!” he calls, following after me.
“Fuck you.” I grab my handbag. There will be someone backstage with coke. I don’t need Ash. He can kiss my ass.
The car ride is tense, and as soon as we get to the plantation, I hop out and make my way to the ballroom, leaving Ash to do whatever. I don’t care. Riku follows, but I stop him at the entrance. “You can guard from here. Otherwise, you’ll be in the way.” He’s already noticed my bad mood, so he doesn’t say anything, but he does raise his eyebrows.
My anger is still fueling me as I enter the chaos of the ballroom. Although this many people would usually be enough to freak me out, my head of steam has me moving through the crowd toward the bathrooms on the other side.
Pushing through the door, I find exactly what I was looking for. Two underwear-clad models are bent over the sink, snorting coke. They blanch when they see me.
“Please, Ms. Summers, don’t fire us,” one of them pleads, rubbing her nose.
“If you move away from it and leave right now, I won’t say a word, but if I catch either of you snorting again in one of my shows, I’ll have you blacklisted,” I tell them, tapping an impatient foot with my arms crossed.
The one with the straw drops it and backs away. The other one looks at the remaining lines, uncertainty showing clear on her face. “Should we clean it?” she asks, and I huff impatiently.
“I can imagine you’ve got a dress to put on or hair and makeup to attend. Get your asses out there, and I’ll deal with it.”
“Okay, and thank you,” she says, and they both sprint out.
Not making the same mistake as them, I lock the door and proceed to snort the remaining three lines. One line just doesn’t cut it anymore. My nostrils burn, and as I ditch the straw into the garbage and make sure the bench is wiped down, I feel the drip down the back of my throat as I pocket the little clear bag they left behind. Coke lasts an hour or two in my system, so I’m good for a while, but it’s going to be a long evening. I’m sure I’ll need the rest of it. I straighten myself out as the coke floods my system with confidence, and I unlock the door and step back out into the chaos. I weave my way through the dressers, makeup artists, and hairstylists until I find Jace.
“There you are! Oh God, I’m so nervous.” He pulls me in, giving me a tight squeeze.
“Hey, it’s going to be awesome. You look like you’ve got everything under control.” I squeeze him back before pulling away. “I just came to wish you good luck before I found my seat.”
“Well, how do I look?” a voice behind me asks, and I spin around to find Alex. Holy shit, he looks incredible. He’s wearing a suit Jace designed, and it’s like it was made especially for him. It has small, flamboyant embellishments that make it perfect for Alex. The cravat and morning coat are stylish and reminiscent of old-world Hollywood, though as he dips his top hat, he almost smacks us with the cane in his hand.
“Whoa,” Jace cautions him, holding up his hand, but I just giggle.
At a loss for words, I press a finger to the corner of my mouth to make sure I’m not drooling. “Wow, you can keep that when we’re done, so long as you take me out somewhere wearing it.”
“Jace will have to make the guys matching ones, so we can all take you out.” He wiggles his eyebrows as the show’s director starts calling instructions to everyone.
“Okay, good luck. It’s going to be amazing.” I give them both a kiss before heading out to find my seat. Emma, Molly, and Nana join me as I cross the room.
“How are you today, Jacinta?” Emma asks, tucking her arm into mine.
