Page 15 of Diva Pop

Jett rubbed his forehead with thumb and forefinger. “Oh my God…”

“I’ll see you in a bit.” He jabbed a finger at Jett. “Don’t leave. I’m behind the wheel tonight, got it?”

“Yes, Mom.” Jett rolled his eyes. “I’ve figured that out by now since you’ve been driving the past five nights and I don’t have my car.”

Tory blinked repeatedly. “Oh. Right.”

As soon as Tory said his goodbyes to Tasha and took off, Jett figured he’d stalled her long enough. He launched into a somewhat sanitized version of events, leaving out all the parts where he’d made a fool of himself in front of Silas. Tasha knew not to paw him, she had a similar aversion to being touched, but her gaze radiated genuine compassion. He loved the hell out of this woman.

“My love, I know it doesn’t feel that way right now, but Silas is a god in this industry. I’d give anything to have someone like him on my side, but unfortunately, he’s only a music manager. And your choreographer? Even I know how amazing she is. They flew her out to Milan to choreograph a huge show I was in once, and it was spectacular.”

Despite knowing he should be trying to look at the bright side, take her and Tory’s encouragement to heart, the abject fear of being rejected, of being discarded as if everything he’d worked so hard for didn’t matter, wouldn’t release him from its icy grip.

“Yeah, but what if Silas isn’t on my side? I can’t read the guy at all. He’s like a walking brick wall. Sexy as fuck brick wall, but still…”

Tasha pursed her lips and pressed her index fingers to her temples as if she had a horrible headache. Jett drew his eyebrows together, not sure what was irking her. Sure, his pity party was becoming tiresome even to him, but he’d only been dumping his emotional bullshit on her for less than thirty minutes.

“Why are you looking at me like that?”

She narrowed his eyes. “You’re hot for Silas, aren’t you? That could be a problem, baby. I’d be careful. Especially because of his lifestyle.”

Jett jerked upright on the sofa, full gossip mode activated. The evening had become interesting again.

“Ooh, do tell.”

She arched her eyebrows. “You don’t know?”

“Jesus, Tasha. You’re killing me over here. What lifestyle?”

She laid her arm across the back of the love seat then propped her head on her hand. “Oh, honey, you poor confused child. Your sexy new manager is a lifestyle Daddy. And from what I understand, very unattached.”

Jett gulped. ”Hold up a sec. When you say lifestyle Daddy, you mean he’s one of those guys who likes dudes running around in diapers and drinking from a bottle?” He coughed out a snort. “Cause that ain’t happening.”

She smiled wide. “Why should you care? Especially if you’re not attracted to him.”

Grrr… “I’m just saying. Not that I’m interested one way or the other...in those kinds of things, but that…” Fuck. “God, I don’t know! Tell me what else you’re heard. I need to know who I’m dealing with every day in rehearsal. Which, by the way, is super annoying. He’s taken up shop at a table and chair in the corner of the studio. He won't go away. Like, doesn’t he have an office or something?”

Jett poured his water into a wine glass from the bottle the server had already cracked open for him. “I’ve never seen a manager be so hands-on before. Even Bob the Dictator would put his assistant or the choreographer in charge while he went off and did whatever it is raging assholes do all day.”

She shrugged. “Who knows? I’ve never been into the power exchange scene—Mama likes to be in control, and I don’t have time to babysit the man or woman I’m getting with. But maybe that’s part of the gig for him. Control. Domination. Master of his own little universe and all that nonsense.” She fluttered her hand as if it were all so silly.

Jett sipped his bland drink and was back to pining for tequila again. “The last thing I want is to be dominated. Gah.”

The firmness in his new, turquoise lace panties spoke otherwise, but he chose to ignore his whore of a cock.

Tasha took one more sip of her half-consumed water then picked up her rhinestone-studded designer clutch.

“Well, my love, I’ll leave you to digest that tidbit on your own. I have some people coming by the beach house later. Want to join in?”

Jett despised quiet, intimate get-togethers in people’s homes. It meant having to engage in real conversation.

“Thanks, hon. But I suppose Tory’s right and I should get home at a reasonable hour.”

She threw back her head and laughed. “You? Reasonable?” She gave him another kiss on the cheek before rising. “Be careful, my love. Diapers or no diapers, I’ve heard he’s a one-man kind of guy, that he doesn’t mess around or hook up.” She pointed a long, glittery nail in his direction. “Don’t lead him on. That could backfire on you.”

Jett tsked. “Come on, I already told you I’m not interested in that kind of stuff. He’s my irritating manager, that’s all.”

One corner of her mouth quirked into a smile. “Sure, love. Whatever you say.” She winked at him before strolling away and being swallowed up by the crowd.

Jett picked up his glass to take a drink then remembered he was having water. Gack. Hmm... After all, what harm could one more tiny shot of tequila do? He’d already had a few sips of water, so that probably evened things out.

Jett raised his hand to catch the attention of the server who’d been assigned to him. At this point, he didn’t care whether the booze was good for him or not. He needed all the help he could get in obliterating thoughts of handsome, domineering sex god managers out of his head.

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