“Mike is right here and Mike is definitely firing Aurora,” Mike insists.
Jett places a hand on my shoulder. “Do you like your job?” I nod. “Do you want to keep your job?” I nod again. “Then, you’re keeping your job.”
“You’re not in charge of the world, Jett. You can’t snap your fingers and make things happen. You’re not a magician.”
His eyes light with humor, and he snaps his fingers. “Watch me.”
He starts to turn around to face Mike again but I grab his arm to stop him. “Stop it, Jett. I’m not worth all the trouble.”
He kisses my forehead. “You’re worth all the trouble in the world.”
I nearly melt at those words. At the feeling of his soft lips on my skin.
“Fire her and we fire you,” Jett says.
I gasp. “You can’t fire him.”
“Yes, we can,” Cash says as he stands next to Jett. Fender grunts as he joins them. Dylan and Gibson step forward.
Mike grits his teeth. “I don’t enjoy being blackmailed.”
“This isn’t blackmail,” Gibson says. “Blackmail is when we stuff your ass into a speaker box and demand you pay us a ransom.”
Cash smirks. “A speaker box is too big for him. We need to think smaller.”
“Naked in a speaker box,” Fender grumbles.
Dylan rubs his hands together. “Now we’re talking.”
Mike studies their faces. “When did you become this crazy?”
“After I went to rehab and you used my addiction for publicity for the band,” Gibson says.
“You’re serious? You’ll fire me if I fire Aurora?” Mike asks.
Judging by the tone of his voice, he thinks they’re bluffing. I don’t know about the rest of the band, but Jett isn’t bluffing.
“In a fucking heartbeat,” Jett snarls.
“Fine. Aurora stays.” He wags his finger at me. “But one more transgression and these assholes won’t be able to save you.”
He marches out of the room and slams the door behind him.
“I think I’m having hallucinations. What was it like when you took mushrooms?” I ask Jett. “Did everything turn purple?”
He shackles my wrists. “Are you seeing purple? Do we need to go to the hospital? Gibson, look up the nearest hospital.”
My skin tingles where he touches me. Tingling skin is bad. No matter how much Jett just defended me. I can’t afford to succumb to my hormones. I wrestle out of his hold.
“I’m fine. Well, not exactly fine. I’m in shock you defended me.”
Jett’s brow wrinkles. “Why wouldn’t I defend you?”
“Maybe because you spent the last decade trying to get me fired.”
“He tried to get you fired because he wanted you but didn’t think he could have you,” Gibson says and Jett hits him. “What? It’s the truth.”
“Maybe we should let these two discuss things in private,” Dylan says as he herds the rest of the band toward the door.