Page 34 of Stuck With My Rockstar Boss
“Ken, you can’t…”
“I have to, kid. The label.”
Fuck the label. Fuck Ken. Fuck this.
“Ticket to Houston waiting for you at SFO. There’s a car coming for you in an hour.”
I can’t respond. My mouth is burning. Flames. If I spoke, I would curse him out. I would scream.
“I’m sorry, Mika.”
And then, the line goes dead. I stare at the blank screen. Regardless of this being the label’s rule, Ken’s the enforcer. And I hate him. I hate him so much. I want to knock him out cold with my fist. I want to…
My anger gives way to deep, painful sorrow. I fucked this up. I needed this gig. My family needed it too. And now, instead of being able to eke out a few more months of bills, I’ve thrown it all away. Who knows how long we’ll have now?
All because I wanted to fuck a rockstar. And what happens to him? Nothing. Of course not. I suffer all the repercussions even though it takes two to tangle. What did I expect? Rock’n’roll is still a man’s world.
I’m suddenly filled with a burst of adrenaline. I gotta pack. I gotta get out of here before the girls get up. Before I have to admit to the lies I’ve told. As I fold up my belongings and throw them into my suitcase, the tears start to fall. Hot shame on my cheeks almost like I’m wearing face paint. What would the word be? Whore? Slut? Liar?
Those words echo in my brain. I’m packed in fifteen minutes and sneak off the bus in the sparkling San Francisco morning. They’ve got a show in Oakland tonight. And they’ve already replaced me.
Lucas will do just the same. I’m a total fool for ever feeling anything for him when everyone around him is replaceable.
I won’t wait for the car. I call my own. I’ve got to get the fuck out of here.
13
Lucas
I’m up and at ‘em with only five hours of sleep. Last night with Mika was… incredible. Not just because of the sex. I mean, the sex was great. But the fact she keeps choosing me, even with the risk. Makes it even better.
I know I pay her to spend time with me. Maybe that’s all this is to her. A transaction. After all, she told me how she needs the extra money.
I shake off the thought. That’s dark. And after last night, there’s no way she’s just doing any of this because she feels she has to.
Coffee’s already brewing when I head out to the common area. Dylan’s lounging around, scrolling on his phone.
“Yo,” I say.
“Sup,” he says back. It’s just a greeting. I don’t think he actually wants to know “what’s up.”
I pour myself a cup of coffee and immediately head out to see Mika. We’ve got a full day planned: Chinatown, Fisherman’s Wharf, driving down Lombard Street. The list goes on and it’s much longer than we can accomplish, but whatever we get up to, I know it’ll be fun. I knock on the door of the girls’ bus and wait. A moment later, Crystal appears. She looks frantic, her usually luscious caramel locks tucked into a headscarf.
“Hey, is –”
“Mika’s not here. If you’re looking for her.”
I frown. “Huh?”
“She’s not here. We don’t know where she is. We’ve literally turned this place upside down.”
I blink. I’m not sure I’m processing what she’s saying. Mika’s not there. Where the hell would she be? “Can I come in?”
Crystal leads me inside. The place truly has been turned upside down. Even couch cushions, as if she could have been hiding under them. “She’s not in her bunk, she’s not in the bathroom– “
“Crys, her suitcase is gone,” Lee calls out from the back of the bus.
Now, I’m on edge. I push past Crystal to the storage locker at the back of the bus where Lee is standing. “What?”
