Page 1 of The Ex Factor

One

The night Ashley Malone became the biggest punchline in the music industry, she was at an awards show she hadn't even wanted to attend.

Showing up to the Teen Select Music Awards felt thoroughly undignified for a woman turned thirty, but her target demographic was what it was, so she gritted her teeth and did her job.

But the quiet humiliation of being surrounded by teenagers was soon eclipsed entirely.

She wasn’t nominated; her new album was still weeks from release. She was presenting. Therefore, she didn’t need a date. There was no need to cut to a girlfriend in the audience, eyes shining up at Ashley Malone, queer pop star extraordinaire.

But she’d brought a date anyway. That was her mistake. Bringing Reva.

Reva had produced Ashley’s album, and one thing had led to another. Another was sex in the studio one night after everyone had gone home. Ashley didn’t think Reva was the love of her life or anything, but she was lonely. Plus, Reva had insane cheekbones, a collection of expensive leather jackets, and a hot way of telling her what to do. Ashley had been in the mood for exactly that kind of thing. Things had been Ashley’s way for a long time, and it was starting to feel tiresome. She wanted to be pushed around a bit. She wanted to be in someone else’s hands. And Reva was happy to be the hands that held Ashley.

‘Hey, what’s the award you’re doing?’ Reva asked, in the dressing room where Ashley was waiting for the style team to turn her into a pop star. It took a long time because Ashley, by her own definition, was only mid. Makeup did a lot of the heavy lifting.

Ashley sipped water from a bottle. ‘Best newcomer.’

‘Oh, cool.’ Reva paused. ‘Can you introduce me to the winner later?’

‘Sure,’ Ashley sighed.

‘What?’ Reva asked.

‘What?’ Ashley asked back.

‘The sigh. Am I asking too much?’

‘I didn’t say that,’ Ashley said.

‘If it’s too much, you don’t have to,’ Reva said huffily.

‘I didn’t say that,’ Ashley replied. She didn’t want to row this early in the night. And if she said, ‘I’m starting to wonder if you’re sticking around for job opportunities,’ it would be a row.

It would probably be the end of this, actually. And Ashley knew that was coming. But not tonight. Let them just get through tonight.

***

Later, after rehearsals (which consisted of some guy telling Ashley, ‘Enter right and read the teleprompter’), they went out the side exit, got in a car and drove around the entrance to do the red carpet, like Ashley hadn’t been there all afternoon.