The Contest Page 12

  “All I was dreaming was that Emily here was screaming my name repeatedly. So you’re the guy who wants my pumpkin to go to LA for the summer?”

  “Yes sir. Madi had expressed to me that you had some concerns so I thought I might address some of those questions myself. I hope that’s okay with you.”

  Madi was impressed. He called her dad sir. That was sure to get points. If there was one thing Madi’s father appreciated, it was courtesy and respect.

  “All right well I’m hungry so why don’t we sit down and have something to eat. What would you like to drink?”

  “Water is fine, sir. Thank you for allowing me to have dinner with you.”

  Madi’s father went to the fridge to get a bottle of water and saw Madi grit her teeth at him, mouthing please be nice. Her father chuckled. Madi knew he was doing it just to get a rise out of her.

  “So Jake, Madi tells us you just flew down tonight. Are you staying in town long?” Madi’s mother was trying to be pleasant.

  “Yes, I flew in a couple of hours ago, but I’m flying home again later this evening. I have work tomorrow.”

  “And what exactly does your work consist of?” Madi’s father asked as he sat down at the table, handing Jake his water.

  “I’m finishing up the last minute details of a new song that I’m planning on releasing and prepping for my tour which starts in July.”

  “Madi tells us you asked her to be your assistant and that you want her to tour with you? That’s quite an offer for someone you just met a few days ago,” he said as he eyed Jake suspiciously.

  “Yes sir, well, I have to tell you that my staff and I were extremely impressed with your daughter. She has an amazing work ethic and volunteered to help out my current assistant when she was overwhelmed. Angela Tyler, my assistant, as well as my manager, Caleb Morrison, were amazed by the speed and tenacity Madison showed. We realized that we were in desperate need of help and that prompted me to consider asking Madison to work with us over the summer. It is a short-term assignment. I understand that school comes first and I advised her that we would be willing to work around her schedule and that I would write her a letter of recommendation at the completion of her contract, assuming her performance was satisfactory. I currently employ over twenty-five people, sir, and I can say that Madison not only impressed my manager but she also wowed my security team as well as my band with her natural gift for conversation and her uncanny ability to make people feel comfortable in her presence.”

  Madi’s mother looked from Jake to Madi and made a motion to Madi to close her mouth. Apparently it had been gaping open as Jake spoke.

  “I can’t say that I’m surprised, Mr. Morgan.” Madi’s father said.

  “Please, sir, call me Jake.”

  “I’ll call you Jake if you call me Steve.”

  Jake nodded and smiled appreciatively. He looked over at Madi and winked. Madi felt her heart go into her mouth and a quiver in between her legs.

  “Where did you say she’d be staying?” he asked.

  “My assistant, Angela, adores your daughter. Her two sons are away at college and they are not coming home for the summer so she has plenty of room. She volunteered for Madi to stay with her.”

  “Hmmm…” Madi’s father was thinking as he took a bite of his pizza. “It seems to me that you’ve given this some thought. I trust Madi’s judgment. If she thinks this is a good opportunity for her then I’ll support her decision. Just remember that she’s my baby and that I will not hesitate to rip your vocal chords out of your throat if you so much as make one tear fall from her beautiful face.”

  Madi was, on one hand, beyond ecstatic that her father had just said yes to her working for Jake and on the other hand, completely aghast that he had just threatened him bodily harm in the same sentence.

  “I assure you Mr. Ryan, Steve, that I have the utmost respect for your daughter. The plan is for her to help us get caught up while giving her experience in the industry. I would never, intentionally, do anything to make her sad in any way. The thought of her being upset would greatly disturb me and you have my word that I’ll protect her.”

  Madi squirmed in her seat. Jake Morgan said he’d protect her. Her panties were wet.

  “You seem like such a nice young man. Do you have family in LA?” Her mom was desperately trying to make the environment more cheerful.

  “Yes, my parents and sister both live in LA. I was born and raised there.”

  “How nice. Do you see them often?”

  “My parents are both still working but whenever their schedules allow, they both come to see my concerts as much as possible. My mother also has me over for a home cooked meal at least once a month. It’s usually the best meal I eat all month so I never say no.”

  “I wish I would have known you were coming,” Emily said with a smile. “I could have made something. Saturdays are almost always pizza nights around here.”

  “Thank you, but I don’t often get to have Chicago pizza so to me, it’s still a special treat.”

  The next hour went smoothly. Madi could see her father warming up to Jake and Jake seemed to take his razzing in stride. Madi’s mom had just poured them all a cup of coffee when she got this concerned look on her face. “I have one more question for you.”

  Jake turned intently toward her.

  “What happens when Madi is in Africa, or wherever with you, and she realizes she just wants to go home? Will that be a breach of her contract? And how will she be able to afford a last minute ticket out of there?”

  “I’m glad you asked that, Mrs. Ryan. I completely forgot.” Jake reached into his back pocket and pulled out a Visa travel card.

  “This Visa has unlimited travel points on it for Madi. It is linked directly to my account. If for any reason Madi wants to come home, she can use it at any time. Her contract is merely a formality. She’s being employed at will so either she or I can end her employment at any time we see fit. I wouldn’t sue her and she couldn’t sue me. She’s been required to sign a confidentiality agreement. I would ask that your family please not publicize her employment with me, or any details of her job. It is important to me that Madi not suffer any repercussions with the press or lose her anonymity in any way.”

  Madi’s mom smiled at him and then back at Madi. “That makes me feel much better,” she said with a release of air.

  “Thank you again for inviting me to eat with you. I’m afraid I need to get going. I have my security waiting for me at the airport for my flight home and I unfortunately need to leave now if I want to be on it.”

  Jake, Mr. and Mrs. Ryan, and Madi all stood up at the same time. Jake shook Madi’s father’s hand and hugged her mom. Madi could feel her heart sink at the thought of him leaving. She already missed him.

  “I’ll walk you out,” Madi said.

  Madi and Jake walked to his car. Jake turned to face her as he unlocked his door.

  “You were beyond amazing. I don’t know how to thank you.”

  Jake smiled. “You can thank me by putting me out of my misery. What do you say?”

  Madi stared at him. His eyes were desperately trying to read her and she knew that she’d known the answer all along. “Yes Jake, I would love to work for you.”

  Jake made a sliding fist pump motion in the air and smiled at her. “Well, thank God that’s over. I can rest tonight. Text me with your last date of school and what date you can fly into LA and I’ll have Ang make all the arrangements.”

  “I hope my parents didn’t offend you, especially my dad.” Madi crossed her arms hugging herself. She should have worn her coat. She wasn’t sure if it was the night air or his proximity that gave her the chill.

  Jake briefly rubbed her arms with his hands. “Not at all. I like them both, especially your dad. It’s obvious how much he loves you.” He released her and pulled his keys out of his pocket. He toyed with them in his hand as he watched her, almost expectantly.

  Madi suddenly felt shy and uncomfortable.
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br />   “So Lex, as in Lex Luthor?” he asked.

  Madi smiled. “Yah, I’m kind of a science fiction nerd. He was almost Vader but my parents didn’t like it.”

  “You’ve got to be kidding me! I love Sci-Fi! We’ll have to have a Star Wars marathon some time.”

  “I would love that.”

  “Murphy, my dog, is named after Robocop. Have you ever seen it?”

  “Yes, surprisingly I have. My dad shared his love of movies with me.” Madi said with amusement.

  “Sorry to eat and run but I really do have to go.”

  “Thank you again, Jake. I’ll never forget this.” Madi felt a surge of confidence as she walked up to Jake and planted a soft, five-second kiss on his smooth, defined cheek. Her lips may have lingered there a little too long as she smelled him one more time before pulling away. She wasn’t sure but she thought he might have inhaled deeply. It must have been her imagination.

  Jake

  The plane had just taken off. Jake was sitting in first class with Ben, one of his long-time security guards from on the road. Jake had the window as requested and Ben was busy reading a magazine. Jake slowly sipped a glass of whiskey. He requested one when he sat down and the flight attendants were more than happy to accommodate him.

  He hadn’t been able to stop thinking about that kiss since he left her house. When Madi had leaned in toward him, he had thought for sure she was going to kiss his lips. In that brief moment, he’d decided that he wanted her to, but then she kissed his cheek instead. He thought back to that night in her hotel room and wondered if she’d felt the way he did when she got the cheek instead of the lips. Her lips were so freaking soft. They lingered for a moment on his cheek and he felt himself take a sharp intake of breath at the feel of her. He could tell by her reaction that she didn’t hear him, thank God.

  In hindsight, he was more than grateful that it was only a platonic kiss. They were about to start a working relationship and he certainly did not need her to think they may have something together. They were friends. They were simply friends. He would have flown out for anyone, right? After Madi had texted him that she would let him know on Monday, he felt certain she was going to say no. At first he shrugged his shoulders and thought whatever. Then when he was lying in bed, he started thinking about what he could have done differently. She was obviously not like anyone he had ever met. Most of his fans would have jumped at the chance to work for him. It would have been easy. Madi wasn’t like other girls. He had to admit that it was one of the reasons he liked her. She thought things through. She used her head. He was like that too and he respected her need to weigh the pros and cons of working for him.

  She looked cute tonight. Her hair was up in a ponytail at work and he liked the fact that he could see her entire neck. The wisps of hair that floated around her face and the way she looked when she was typing in the computer… He had watched her for a second before he walked up. He was anticipating the look on her face when she saw him. She didn’t disappoint. He loved the way she ran into his arms. She didn’t think about it, she just did it. It was natural. She felt right. She felt good. Jake gulped the last of the whiskey in his glass and consciously chastised himself for what he had just thought. She was no longer a fan. She was an employee. No sexual harassment suits, he thought to himself. The flight attendant, Jen, asked him if he needed a refill. He smiled and waved a hand over his glass as if he were cutting himself off. He needed to think clearly. Alcohol made him more open to things and he needed to stop thinking about Madi right then and there.

  Just then his phone buzzed.

  Gina: When are we having that dinner, Mr. Big Shot?

  She was just what he needed.

  Jake: How about tomorrow night? Are you free?

  Gina: Yes I am. I’ve missed you. I need to hear what’s going on in your life. We can’t keep letting so much time go by. You need to promise me you are going to make more time for me!

  He laughed to himself.

  Jake: I miss you too. I promise to give you all the attention you deserve. See you tomorrow then?

  Gina: Looking forward to it! xoxo

  Jake smiled and closed his eyes. Gina had a way of putting everything in perspective for him. Seeing her would make everything better.

  *****

  The flight arrived on time and an hour later he was in bed with Murphy. Tomorrow he would meet with Caleb and Ang to iron out some details. He would need to start preparing for Madi’s arrival. Stop thinking about her. He closed his eyes and pictured Madi’s face right before she kissed his cheek.

  Chapter 14

  Madi

  After she left her parent’s house and headed back to the dorm, Madi called Kendra and left her a message to call her ASAP. Kendra was out on a date with the drummer of a band she met at a bar the weekend Madi was away. Kendra had a thing for drummers. She had said that a man that could move his arms that fast could surely move his fingers that fast as well. She had not found that theory to be false. When Madi would yell at her and tell her she needed to be more careful, Kendra would say she was doing a research experiment for psychology class.

  At 2 a.m., Kendra had shown up at Madi’s door quite tipsy and demanded to be told what her text was about. Kendra had to run to the bathroom halfway through the story claiming all the excitement was making her have to pee, but Madi was pretty sure she was puking. She spent the night.

  In the morning, Madi had slipped out early to do some laundry. She was sitting in the lounge near the washing machines looking at the pictures Ang had taken of her and Jake. He was so good-looking. Madi flicked her own face in the picture. She didn’t look pretty enough to be standing next to him. After doing two loads, Madi went back to her room to find Kendra still asleep. Madi spent the next two hours studying for finals. When Kendra finally woke up they had lunch and rehashed the entire night’s events. Madi had a chicken salad as usual before she went back to her room for more studying. It was 8 p.m. when she got up and stretched, deciding on a break. She started looking at her calendar and planning her trip to LA. Classes were over on May the eighteenth. She would need a day or two to pack up and get her things together and she should be ready to go on the twenty-first.

  Madi picked up her phone to text Jake, but decided she wanted to hear his voice instead. She couldn’t wait to tell him the date she could start work. She dialed the number and waited. The phone rang three times before he answered, only it wasn’t Jake.

  “Hello?” A sweet sounding female had answered his phone.

  Madi figured she had dialed incorrectly, “I’m so sorry, I must have the wrong number.”

  “No problem at all! Have a good night.”

  Madi hung up, sighed and rechecked Jake’s number. She had dialed correctly. A girl had answered his phone. Madi felt like she was suddenly going to vomit.

  Jake

  The band had been running through songs for the tour and had almost had a set list together. They finally wrapped at 7 p.m. Jake was exhausted. It was only Monday but he felt like he had already put in a week’s worth of work. He knew Murphy would be happy to get a walk at a decent hour so he decided to call it a night and head home. It was strange to get home while it was sunny out. Jake decided to enjoy the weather and go for a nice long walk. He had some thinking to do and he always thought more clearly when he was moving.

  He and Murphy had put in a good couple of miles when he felt his phone buzz.

  Madi: I checked my schedule and I should be available to begin work on May 21st. Please let me know if that date works for you and how you would like me to proceed, that is, if you haven’t changed your mind or found someone else.

  Jake stopped on the street and re-read her text three times. Was it just him or was she being curt?

  Jake: May 21st sounds great. I’ll have Ang get your flight details to you right away. Of course I haven’t found someone else! Are you okay?

  Jake scratched his head. She sounded different. He hoped she didn’t think she needed to
act this way now that she was going to work for him.

  Madi: I’m fine, just busy. I look forward to hearing from Ang. Bye.

  Whoa, what just happened? Did she just cut him off? Jake walked Murphy back home and tried to wrap his head around what he’d just read. Why was she acting that way? Maybe it was her finals. She was probably feeling overwhelmed and working her ass off. She’d told him she had two finals today, one Tuesday, one on Thursday and two more Friday. He couldn’t even imagine what she was going through. He started to feel bad for her. He’d never gone to college and he couldn’t imagine the amount of studying required, but he clearly remembered high school tests and the thought made him shiver. Jake picked up his phone and called Ang.