Page 63 of Cherry Beats

“The new pain in my ass?”

“I was going to say Cherry, actually.”

“Right.” Dicky sighed like he was bored. “And how much is this call going to cost me, sweet Cherry?”

“Excuse me?” I frowned.

“Money, Miss Lisbon. That’s why you’re calling me, isn’t it?”

“Money for what?”

“Your silence?”

“Hell no,” I breathed out.

“Shame. A problem that can be solved with money isn’t really a problem. A problem that can’t be solved with money is a whole other ball game.”

“Why do you assume I’m calling with a problem?” I asked defensively.

“Why else would you be reaching out to the likes of me?”

“Maybe because I’ve suddenly found myself caught up in something that I don’t want to be caught up in, and this is so far out of my realm of normalcy, I didn’t know who the fuck else to call. Especially when I find out that Janey Dominic has got spies on me from all angles and is trying to get to my friends to bribe me for information about Presley.”

Dicky remained silent for so long, I found myself holding the phone out to check the screen and make sure I’d not accidentally knocked the mute button, or worse, ended the call altogether. When I heard his breathing, I continued.

“Janey had someone come into my workplace, hit on my friend, get her drunk and then try to get information out of her about Presley and me.”

“Welcome to the world of fucking a rock star. What did you expect? To screw Presley and then go back to work on Monday morning like you weren’t fresh meat for the tabloids to rip into?”

“I—”

“What I want to know is, why are you calling me and not your boyfriend?”

“He isn’t—”

“And what makes you think I have the time to listen to your problems when I have a million of my own?”

My mouth hung open as I stared up at Molly, whose anger was clearly growing into rage with every word she heard Dicky bark at me.

“Newsflash,” he began, and I heard the creak of a chair followed by the tapping of a pen. “I don’t know what you want from me, but Janey Dominic is your problem now. You play with fire, and you get burnt. The guys of the band knew the risk involved in dragging people they actually cared about into this life. It’s a jungle out there, Miss Lisbon. It’s savage, unforgiving, and unconcerned with a good girl’s morals and decent heart. If Presley West selfishly brought you into it and then left you to deal with the aftermath by yourself, I’d consider this…” He paused, the sound of his exhale echoing down the phone. “Consider that he doesn’t actually give a fuck about you and that him saying you were a girl who mattered was just a line he said to help get him laid.”

Molly’s eyes narrowed in anger, and she gestured for me to hand the phone to her, but I shook my head and held my hand up, knowing I needed to deal with this for myself.

“First of all, thanks for that,” I said in quiet, yet somewhat sarcastic response. “Secondly, you can talk to me with disdain in your voice all you want, but I didn’t know Presley was going to knock on my door yesterday. I’ve not seen him in over three years—not in person. I don’t know how to handle this kind of stuff, Dicky, and the last thing I want is this Janey Dominic finding some reason to dig into my life and splash it across the front pages of some damn newspaper when all I’ve ever tried to be to Presley is a friend. I want him to succeed. You know that, right? I want him to live his life. I don’t want his or your money. I don’t want to be that chick who holds him back. I don’t want anything from him. I don’t want…”

“… him to love you like you love him?”

I swallowed the lie I was about to respond with, instead, taking a moment to compose myself.

“What, exactly, are you expecting me to do here?” he asked, cutting off my thoughts.

“I need to speak to Presley one more time,” I answered.

“Then call him. I’m sure you have his number.”

“I don’t,” and even through his silence, I could tell that answer surprised Dicky, “that might sound strange to you, but Presley and I only ever spent one night together a few years ago, and apart from his return this weekend, I made him promise to go live his life and keep me out of it. I had no need for his number. I didn’t want him to feel like he owed me anything.”

“How very noble of you.”

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