The cool interior of my penthouse apartment stood in direct contrast to my boiling blood. The half-hour car journey to get here hadn’t calmed me one bit. If anything I was even angrier. I recognized why, of course. He’d put a colossal dent in my pride. No woman wanted a man to go all out and chase her only to have him reject her the second they locked lips. I didn’t care what excuses he made. He’d shown his true colors, and they were moldy green and soggy gray.
Thank Christ it didn’t go any further. Imagine if I’d fucked him and then he’d pulled the “let’s keep it businesslike” card. See,thiswas why I chose the single life. Who needed all this crap, this angst? Vibrators were created for this precise reason.They were always ready, didn’t sulk when you weren’t in the mood, and would never,everlet you down. All they needed was a recharge every now and then, some water-based lube, and bam! Battery Operated Boyfriend at the ready.
Beat the real thing every single time.
I beelined for my office, opened my laptop, and clicked on my email program.
Takethis,Raynor, you fucking rat.
To: Joz Raynor
From: Aspen Kingcaid
Subject: Professional Parameters Moving Forward
Hi, Joz,
Following our recent conversation, I wish to clarify the terms of our professional relationship to ensure expectations are aligned going forward.
As of this moment, all non-essential personal contact should cease. Communication will be strictly related to the terms of your contract with Kingcaid Music, which includes, but is not limited to:
Completion of your first album for Kingcaid Music within the agreed timelines.
Attendance at all scheduled promotional events and interviews.
Exhibit professional behavior at all times and ensure full cooperation with all assigned staff and PR representatives.
If any issues arise, please direct them to me via email or through your manager, and I will respond during business hours. As a reminder, business hours are Eastern Standard Time, and run from eight a.m. to five-thirty p.m. Monday thru Friday.
This label is invested in your success. Our goal remains the same: to produce exceptional music and maintain public goodwill.
Regards
Aspen Kingcaid
CEO Kingcaid Music.
I sat back and reread it a few times. Satisfied with the professional tone, I scheduled it to deliver on Monday at nine o’clock my time, which would be two in the afternoon in London.
After snapping the lid of the laptop closed, I returned to the living area, poured myself a large glass of Sauvignon Blanc, and curled up on the sofa. As the wine in the glass reduced, a tsunami of hurt rose within me.
The truth was, I’d liked Joz. More than I’d liked a man in a very long time. I felt betrayed and a little bit stupid. He’d played me, and I’d fallen for it.
Or had he? There’d been a shift I couldn’t explain. He’d been fine, until he wasn’t. I racked my brains to recall the catalyst, the moment he’d withdrawn. Something about him destroying me. I’d meant it in jest—a reference to his dick that I assumed he’d find amusing. Clearly, he’d taken it in a different way, but that still didn’t explain his one-eighty. Unless it had to do with his former girlfriend who’d died. A subject that he’d made clear was off limits.
Perhaps some distance was what we both needed. He’d be back in New York in a little over three weeks to record his album. We could talk then. Or not. Whatever.
