A FILTHY Enemy - Jaxson Kidman Page 0,4
man smiled and rubbed his forehead. “Sorry. Look, I’ll be honest. I’m always on the lookout for great voices. I don’t work with that marketing company. I’m independent. I handle commercials, voiceovers… and, yes, I might have another reason to talk to you…”
Every muscle in my body locked tight.
No, no, no, no… not here… not right now… not like this…
My eyes moved around, looking for cameras.
If there were cameras then that meant nothing-
“I think you’re beautiful,” he said to me.
“What?” I asked.
“You’re beautiful,” he said. “Even with that attire. So I have to see you in something else. Or nothing at all…”
I forced a smile and the elevator next to us opened.
“I have to go,” I said. “Thanks for the offer. I’m under contract. In more than one way.”
I dove into the elevator and the doors started to shut.
When I got down to the lobby, Rae was waiting for me.
She opened her arms. “Well…?”
“I’m going to throw you out of a window,” I said.
“For what?”
“Are you kidding me? That sleaze ball?”
“What happened?”
“Oh, come on,” I said. “He tried to tell me he looks for talent. Then, that I was beautiful in these clothes, so to him I would be even more beautiful in something else… or naked.”
“So he gets to the point,” Rae said. “You could use that.”
“Excuse me?”
“You can’t just give some good-looking guy the time of day?” Rae asked.
We walked to the front door of the building.
“That’s my decision to make,” I said.
“You need to enjoy yourself once in a while, Abby,” she said. “Get out there. Have some fun. You take this gig way too seriously.”
“And you just tell people you sing in an all-woman quartet?”
“No,” Rae said. “I tell them I’m a singer. That’s it. Just like your talent guy upstairs. Who knows what he actually does.”
“So everyone just lies to each other to have sex?”
“If it gets the job done…”
“What if the guy up there is really an architect?” I asked with a grin.
Rae grabbed my shoulder. “Then I feel bad for your clit if he starts talking about math.”
“What’s wrong with Abby’s clit?” Sasha asked.
“There’s nothing wrong with my…” I shook my head.
“It’s got dust on it,” Jess chimed in as she smoked a cigarette.
“What?” I yelled.
Jess nodded to me. “You know I’m right.”
“See?” Rae asked.
“I quit the group,” I said.
“You can’t quit,” Sasha said. “Valerie would kick you out of the apartment.”
True.
“Whatever,” I said. “Are we done here?”
“Yeah,” Sasha said. “I’m going to rush home and get changed. I have a meeting tonight. Trying to line up some gigs. For us. And for myself.”
“I’m going home to sleep,” Rae said. “I’m taking some sleeping meds and I’m done.”
“Big plans,” I said.
“And what are your plans?” Rae asked.
“I don’t know yet,” I said.
“Have a smoke with me,” Jess said. “It’ll give you that sexy, raspy voice.”
“I’m good,” I said.
Jess winked at me.
Out of the entire group, Jess was the only one who knew a little of my past.
When I was kind of a rock star myself.
“Okay, I’m out then,” Jess said. She flicked her cigarette to the curb. “See you all later. Or never. Whatever works.”
“I’m gone too,” Rae said.
Soon it was down to me and Sasha.
I was always jealous of her tanned skin, her bright blue eyes and the freckles on her cheeks. And when she let her hair down, it was kind of curly. She looked straight out a magazine for surfers. A surfer chick… who couldn’t surf.
“You should come to Ungro,” Sasha said to me. “I know you’re not into all of this…”
“I am,” I said. “Believe me, I am. I love singing, Sasha.”
“I know you do. You’re really good. You’re better than all of us.”
“I think we’re all amazing,” I said. “We should just do something on our own. On the side.”
“We will,” Sasha said. “But seriously think about Ungro.”
I nodded.
Sasha’s phone started to ring, which ended our conversation and time together.
She walked away.
I turned to face the street.
I looked around at the busy city. The suits and ties looking for their big deal. Or steal. Then the artists. Dressed messy, living the same, some poor as anything, others with more money than they’d ever spend.
In such a big city, it was nice to be able to hide.
And for me, hiding was a good thing.
I met Valerie through an ad in the paper.
Well, that was only partially true.
She ran an ad in the paper looking for a roommate and then she put a copy of that ad on a cork