Page 29 of Stuck With My Rockstar Boss
“I’m serious.”
“I believe you.”
I chew on the inside of my lip and then whisper. “She’d lose her job if she tried anything with me.”
“Wow, that’s intense.”
“Yeah, I mean. It’s not my idea. It’s just in her contract from the label.”
The sadness on Amy’s face lightens. “Does that mean you’ve tried anything?”
“Nope,” I say, popping the ‘p’.
Her lips move as if she’s about to reject my answer, but she stops. “Okay. Then keep that girl safe. She doesn’t deserve to lose her job over your ass.”
“Noted,” I laugh.
“Gotta go. I got class in twenty and need caffeine.”
“Gotcha. Love you, sis.”
“Love you, big bro.”
She hangs up and the screen flips back to my phone’s home screen. Well, fuck. This isn’t good. If there’s an article out and a picture out, then that means people are speculating. The illicitness was fun at first. And it could have stayed fun if we just… I don’t know, didn’t keep doing what we were doing. But now, it’s dangerous. Like, actually.
Mika needs this job. I mean, no one deserves to leave a job, but Mika needs it. Since she told me about her parents, little details have come out here and there that having this job and making this money is the difference between them being able to stay in their house for the next year. That’s a lot of pressure on her.
So, why am I being selfish and fucking it up for her?
§
I knew Ken would be on my ass as soon as he could be. But I didn’t think he’d fly out to Omaha to give me a talking to.
“I talked to Mika. She denied any involvement. But… I need to cover all bases,” Ken says to me.
We’re standing outside the bus in order to get a tiny bit of privacy from the guys. “Nothing’s happening, Ken.”
“You sure?”
I furrow my brow and scoff. “Uh, yeah. I think I’d be sure if something was going on.”
“Okay, okay. I’m just asking, kid, I just wanted the whole story. I know you haven’t been spending a lot of time with the guys and it would make sense that you might be, uh, rendezvousing with Mika.”
“Mika and I are friends. We do things together. That’s what you do with friends.”
“Hey, it’s not a big deal. I believe you.”
“Do you?” I ask. My voice is raised.
Ken claps his hand on my shoulder and it takes everything in me not to shrug it off. “Lucas. I believe you.”
I take a measured breath. “Mika’s got too much to lose to sacrifice her job to screw around with me, Ken. I promise you…” I’m lying through my teeth like my life depends on it. Nothing would happen to me if Mika and I fucked around. It would all land on her. And I couldn’t live with myself. “She wouldn’t do that.”
Ken nods slowly. “Okay.” Finally, it sounds like he believes me. “I’m sorry I… you know I have to check on these things to protect you boys.”
I nod. My eyes fall to the ground. “I get it, Ken.”
He rattles a few other details off but I’m not listening. I’m thinking about Mika and Amy and all the bullshit.
