Page 22 of His Secret Addiction

There is that pitying look again. “Come with me. I need to show you something.”

Chapter Nine

Sebastian

I shove back irritation when I tap my phone screen to check for any missed calls or messages from Lizzy, but my phone remains frustratingly quiet. The suited men in the room with me drone on and on about one thing or another, but I can hardly pay attention to them when the one person I need to hear from hasn’t responded to any of my messages.

Why the fuck is she ignoring me? The silent treatment is driving me insane!

“Foster, are you listening?”

I look up from my phone to find five sets of eyes staring back at me. “What?” I ask my manager who is seated next to me. There are so many people in the room, some of whom I assume play a big role in making the decisions on how to proceed with my career. I can tell Gary wants me to behave around them, but I can’t take my mind off Lizzie long enough to focus on this boring meeting.

“The label has decided to promote you as a solo act,” Gary says with an awkward smile. “Well, they will, but under a few conditions. One of which is that you end things with the girlyou’ve been spotted with back in Valor Springs, the one whose picture I posted. I mean, that shouldn’t be hard right? We appreciate you keeping up the ruse, but the relationship hasn’t played as well in the media as we’d hoped.”

I must’ve heard him wrong. Did he just ask me to break up with Lizzy? Surely not. “What does she have to do with anything?”

“Look, Mr. Foster,” says a man with clear-rimmed glasses. “We appreciate your effort to clean up your image and take attention away from your bandmates’ scandal, but the girl, Lizzy, just isn’t getting you the publicity boost we’d hoped for. She’s cute and all, but a small country girl from the middle of nowhere that no one has ever heard of will not give you the sort of attention you need.”

I clench my jaw and force myself to remain seated and not jump over the massive conference table and plummet my fist into the man’s face for his words.

A small country girl from the middle of nowhere?

Gary must sense my irritation because he hurries to cut in. “Foster, what he is trying to say is that you need to associate with someone the public already knows and adores. Someone who is not afraid of the cameras and knows how to gain in the public's favor. A non-celebrity just can’t compete.”

I shake my head at his words. “I am not breaking up with Lizzie to appease the fans and gossip rags. I already have a girlfriend.”

“You're kidding, right? A few ago you were single and furious with me for making that post, and now you are saying you are actually seeing this girl?” Gary says, his voice full of disbelief.

“That is exactly what I am saying.”

“Look, Mr. Foster,” the suit speaks up again. “What you do with your personal life as long as you are discreet is truly none of our business, but you will have to listen to us on this. We just terminated three contracts, and as the remaining member of the band, it’s your responsibility to help us recoup your image, not repeat your bandmates’ mistakes.”

I lean back on the chair, trying to look as relaxed as possible when the truth is that I am seething on the inside. “And what mistake is that?”

“Associating with the wrong people,” the suit continues, completely oblivious to the fact that he is one wrong word away from getting a broken nose. “Your bandmates were known as man whores. Their appeal was slowly fading, and the general public didn’t seem to like them anymore anyway. We’re going to make sure that doesn’t happen to you by getting you the right company for public appearances.”

“I have a girlfriend!”

“We don’t know her. No one does. For all we know she could be trouble waiting to happen. We’ve seen this very thing a dozen times; once she’s gotten her ten minutes in the spotlight, she’ll be eager for more, and then we’ll be looking at a cheating scandal or?”

I fly across the table, ready to knock the teeth out of his mouth or put him in a coma, but Gary is faster, grabbing my shoulder before I can reach the other man. He must have anticipated the move. “Goddamnit, Foster, are you looking to get arrested for assault?”

No, I will be booked for murder when I am through with him. For the first time since walking into the room, the suitdrops the smug look from his face, and I read fear in his eyes. Good. He should be very afraid of me.

“Calm the fuck down, Foster. Let’s talk like adults!” my manager says, stepping between me and the cowering man. He was bold enough to try and bad mouth a girl he’s never met, but can’t man up to defend his words?

“I am done here,” I growl, forcing down my anger, and with a last warning glare at everyone in the room, I storm out. I don’t give a fuck if they terminate my contract like they did the others, I will not stand any disrespect to the woman I love. My finger is already dialing Lizzy’s number when I walk to the elevators, but the damn girl doesn’t pick up. “Fuuuck!”

“Are you out of your goddamned mind, Foster?” I turn around to find Gary standing a few paces away from me with a pissed look on his face. “Look, the exec was out of line, but you didn’t have to react that way. Everything is fucked now. They already released the press statement and now…”

“What press statement?”

For the first time, Gary seems uncomfortable, and he looks away which makes me wary of what he is going to say. “Look, I didn’t think it was an issue since the fake girlfriend was my idea and you were so pissed about that post.”

“She is not fake!”

“Well, you can’t blame me for thinking the relationship is fake. I was there when you refused to go along with the plan, then all of a sudden you were headed to Valor Springs!”

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