Page 106 of Wallflower in Bloom

“You were fucking brilliant,” he whispered in her ear.

Violet giggled, unable to hold in her excitement. “Well, it’s true.”

Before she knew it, they had made their way through the entire red carpet and crossed into the cool, quiet theater lobby.

Much like pulling into the station after riding a roller coaster, she realized it wasn’t half as bad as she thought, but she had no plans to get back in line.

“I did it,” she whispered to herself.

“You were excellent. Did you hear them calling your name?”

“They called me plant mom.” She laughed.

Jack turned to her as they found their seats in the theater. “Are you okay on your own for a minute? The head of the studio just signaled me over.” He pointed to a short bald man standing on the edge, talking to a circle of other old, tall, white men.

“Sure,” she said. “I’ll sit and people-watch.”

“Okay. Call me if you need anything.”

“Jack, you’ll be 50 feet away.”

He planted a kiss on her cheek and walked over to the head of the studio.

Violet was happy to observe her favorite celebrities in their natural habitat. This felt more like a zoo than a premiere for her. The girl who was a wide-eyed ingénue in the holiday specials looked absolutely peeved at her date. The male supporting lead from Beyond the Manor Walls sat beside a handsome man, and they made heart eyes at each other. And as she was getting lost in her own story about their relationship, she felt a tap on her shoulder. She turned to see Jason sitting down in Jack’s seat.

Shit.

“Has that no-good rapscallion abandoned you already?” Jason’s forced smile caused her stomach to turn.

“He went over to chat with some folks. I am such a big fan,” Violet said, taking the opportunity to admit how much she liked his shows and hopefully distract him.

“Ah, you are?” He leaned forward and put his arm on the back of her seat, angling his body so they sat face-to-face. “I thought I might have pegged you for one of Jack’s groupies.” His hand grazed her bare shoulders.

“Oh, I’m not a groupie,” she said, smiling at his confusion. “I’m his girlfriend.”

Where was Jack? She wasn’t used to telling men to go away.

“Groupie, girlfriend, all the same,” Jason said, a sinister smile on his lips. “My offer still stands. I bet a beta like Jack doesn’t know how to handle a woman like you.” A thumb caressed her shoulders, and he leaned in.

Violet went still, not sure what to do.

“What’s it costing him to fuck you? Ah—” Jason was lifted out of his seat with a hand clasped in his shirtfront.

“Get your fucking hand off my girlfriend, or I will happily go back to jail tonight.” Jack’s cold fury above her had Jason stuttering.

“Jack, no.” Violet stood and grabbed his hand. He was going to ruin his reputation again. And worse, do it in front of everyone at the network.

“What did you say to her?” Jack spat through clenched teeth at Jason’s smug face.

People were starting to stare. Violet pulled on Jack’s hand. “It’s fine. Jack, please. For me, just let go.” Jack blinked, his eyes catching hers, and he released his death grip on Jason’s shirt-front.

Jason sneered, adjusting his shirt, and tapped Jack on the shoulder like they were two friends sharing a joke.

“Enjoy watching me on screen for the next hour and a half, buddy,” Jason said, putting spite in the last word as he walked away.

“How did the conversation go?” she asked, trying to distract Jack from the alpha male showdown.

Jack’s eyes followed Jason down to the front row with a thunderous look. “Are you okay? What did he say to you?”

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