The Contest Read online

  Madi decided to make her bed and straighten up the room. She even washed out the coffee pot before she decided there was nothing else to do but go explore. She couldn’t stand the idea of pacing the room waiting for any man to come get her, so she grabbed her room key and purse and headed down the hall to the elevator. She had a solid thirty minutes to kill and she just had to keep herself busy.

  Madi went down to the lobby and looked around. She couldn’t help but be in awe of the grand entrance to the hotel. Someone had painted the ceiling and for a moment, Madi felt like she was in Rome staring at the Sistine Chapel. That’s when she felt something grab her leg.

  Madi looked down to see a two-year-old boy clinging to her. Madi scanned the lobby to see if anyone was looking for him, but saw no one. She gently bent down to his level. “Hi sweetie, how are you today?” The little boy rubbed his eyes and clutched his blue, torn blanket with his free hand.

  “Where’s my momma?” he asked.

  “I’m not sure but I’d be happy to help you find her. What’s your name?”

  “Jacob,” he said.

  Really, his name was Jake? Out of all the names in the entire world, the cute little boy clinging to her had to have the same name as the gorgeous man she was desperately trying not to think about?

  “Well Jacob, I really like your name. I have a friend who’s name is Jake just like yours.”

  “Hi there, little man.” She heard his voice before she saw him.

  “I hear you have my name? We’re name buddies. How cool is that?”

  She looked up just as Jake Morgan was bending down to talk to the boy who shared his name. Damn he was fine. He was wearing jeans, a flannel shirt, a baseball cap, and sunglasses, which he promptly removed as he bent down.

  “I can’t find my momma,” Jacob said with a wave of his hand and a grin. He immediately relaxed with Jake around. He seemed to have that affect on everyone.

  “Hmmm… Well, you stay right here with my friend Madi and I’ll go see if I can’t find your mom, okay?”

  Little Jacob nodded his head and she felt herself nodding to Jake, too. What a dork I am, she thought. Jeez Madi, pull it together. Madi sat down on the floor next to him in the middle of the lobby and asked him to tell her about his blanket.

  He had just started to tell her how it wasn’t a blanket it was his squishy and he never went anywhere without it when a woman rushed over and grabbed him in her arms.

  “Momma, where did you go?” little Jacob asked.

  “Where did I go? Where did you go? You can never, ever wander away from mommy and daddy ever again, okay?”

  Jacob nodded his head as his mother began to apologize to Madi and thank her for keeping him safe. Jake walked over at the end of her sentence and then Madi could see it in her face: immediate recognition. Her skin turned white and this gasping smile caught her lips just as she sputtered out, “Are you Jake Morgan?”

  “Yes I am,” he said with a polite smile.

  “Oh my gosh! Could we get a photo?”

  “Of course,” Jake said shyly. Madi instantly felt a little sad for him. The woman grabbed her phone from her purse and pushed it in Madi’s direction, explaining how she just had to aim and push the little button at the bottom. Duh, I have an iPhone, too, Madi thought. Jake removed his cap, ran his fingers through his hair, and stood next to the woman offering a smile that could stop traffic. Madi took a picture and then two more just to be safe. She handed the camera back to the woman, who was shuffling her son from arm to arm as she tried to put her phone away and thank Jake profusely at the same time.

  After she had scooted away excitedly, Jake tugged on Madi’s elbow ever so gently and asked if she was ready to go? It took her a moment to regain her composure before she walked with him out the door to his car.

  She expected to see Ang, but it was just the two of them. He opened her door and she got inside.

  “Just the two of us?” she asked playfully. “Aren’t you afraid I might rip off your clothes or something?”

  Jake laughed out loud. “Is that what you’re into? Ripping clothes off people?”

  “Well, I have been known to freak out when near a celebrity, such as yourself, and strip them to the bone so I can sell their garments to the highest bidder on eBay.”

  Jake turned and looked frightened. She immediately got nervous she’d freaked him out and began her quick apology, when he started to laugh again.

  “You suck, Jake Morgan,” she said as if he were Kendra messing with her.

  “I know, I do suck,” he said with a sigh and then a smile leapt across his lips like a playful child.

  Oh dear Lord. Madi had to catch her breath at the sight of him.

  Jake

  There were a few awkward moments of silence in the car ride after he had smiled. Jake tried to nonchalantly look over at her. She looked different today. She was dressed in jeans and a blue blouse, which really brought out the blush in her skin. She was wearing tennis shoes. He chuckled to himself as he remembered the boot incident from the day before. I guess she didn’t want me to catch her sniffing my hair if I had to help her with her boots again¸ he thought.

  He took a deep breath and noted how the scent of her filled up the small space between them. She smelled incredible. It went through him like he had just smelled food after having been starved for months. He tried his best not to look like it was affecting him as much as it was.

  He thought back to how kind Madi had been to both the little boy and his mom when she shoved her camera at her. It was always flattering, yet sometimes annoying, that it happened everywhere he went. It didn’t seem to bother Madi at all. Wait until the hundredth time you are with me and asked to take another photograph and you’ll start to feel like your sole purpose in life is to take pictures of me with complete strangers, he thought.

  She had seemed surprised Ang wasn’t there to babysit, but after their late night last night, he didn’t want to be car-less so they decided to just drive separately. Ang gave him a curious look when he told her he could get Madi by himself. Gosh, it was no big deal. Why not give the girl a thrill and let her be alone with me, he thought, then I’m sure her true personality will come out and I’ll get a better look into how much she thinks she knows about me.

  When she asked him if he was worried about being alone with her and that she might rip his clothes off, he tensed below the belt. Why did she have such an effect on him? He smiled to himself as he replayed the moment where she told him he sucked. He didn’t know why, but he liked that she wasn’t afraid to tell him that. Most girls would have just giggled and cooed at him.

  They stopped at a light when she glanced in his direction and asked, “Does that sort of stuff happen to you all the time?”

  “What do you mean?”

  “People recognizing you and asking for a picture?” Madi questioned.

  “It happens here and there. It’s nice to know people know who I am.”

  “I would imagine it gets hard sometimes. Never being able to go for coffee without someone asking for a picture, or just taking one?”

  Hmm, very insightful.

  “Sometimes I do want to just be alone, but it’s all part of the business. When people stop caring about who you are, that’s when your ticket sales decline.”

  “Like you don’t pack the house every time!” she said with a smile.

  “I do now, but at first not so much. Have you been to one of my concerts before?”

  “One in Chicago a couple of years ago. My friend Kendra is a music major. We met our freshman year in the college choir and hit it off. She introduced me to your music. I really do like it, by the way. You have a great voice.”

  “So you sing?”

  “Um, no, not like you. I was in choir in high school and stayed in it in college until my sophomore year when the directors changed. Then I left.”

  “So you do sing, though, huh? We’ll have to get you a mic when we get to the studio,” Jake said playfully.

>   “Oh, dear God, no! You wouldn’t do that to me! There is no way in hell I could even hum in front of you.”

  “I intimidate you?”

  “No, well… no… I guess... maybe a little. I mean I can talk to you but I’m not a singer,” Madi said nervously.

  He had to laugh. He could see she was anxious. He liked to see her rattled a bit. She seemed so comfortable around him most of the time, it made him forget who she was.

  “I would never do that to you. I’m just kidding around. No worries.”

  “I do love to listen to you sing, however.”

  “Thanks. What did you think about the song I was working on yesterday?”

  “It was beautiful, but…”

  Did she just say but? “But what?”

  “Oh, it was amazing.”

  “No, no, you had a thought. Come on you have to tell me now, I won’t give it up until I hear it,” he insisted.

  “Well, I know absolutely nothing about your work but I have to say that when you were singing the line about ‘darkness fading’ without the music, I was thinking it would have been amazing to hear the band come in gently behind you after the first two lines. It creates the drama the song seems to be written to inspire. But, like I said, I’m really not good at the music stuff.”

  He stared at her for a moment. His mind started racing with thoughts of the song. Is that what he was looking for? Did this girl just give him the idea that he had been seeking for days? Holy shit! That was it.

  “No friggin’ way!” he said out loud.

  “Uh oh, I’m so sorry, I have no business…”

  “No, really, that was brilliant. Did Caleb put you up to this?”

  “Caleb?”

  “My manager, is he pulling one on me?”

  She laughed, “Come on, Jake! Now you’re just being mean.”

  “I’m totally serious. I love it. I’m going to try it when we arrive. It may just be what I was looking for.”

  “Well, you may have to put me on payroll then.”

  He laughed, “I may need to run a few other songs by you.”

  “Are you kidding? I could listen to you all day.”

  “You mean yesterday wasn’t enough? Sorry about that again. I really didn’t mean to ignore you. I tend to lose myself in the music.”

  “I understand,” she said.

  She must have seen him shake his head because she followed it up.

  “No, really. I mean, I’m glad I’m here. This is the biggest thing I’ve ever done and I know you are taking time out of your schedule to give me a glimpse into your life. Who am I to ask for more than the opportunity to hear and see you up close? I’m sure there are girls who would give their first-born child to have this chance. I really appreciate the fact that you’ve been so nice to me. You’re not what I expected.”

  “I’m not? What did you expect?” he asked as he turned to face her while they were stopped at another light.

  “Honestly? I expected you to be nothing like you are on stage. I expected you to be a jerk and probably roll your eyes when I spoke. Actually, there was a small part of me that hoped that was who you were.”

  That completely took him off guard. She wanted him to be an ass? “I don’t understand. You wanted to not like me?”

  “Yep.”

  “And why, may I ask?”

  “Because I’m really good at finding things that are wrong with people and I’m having a hell of a time because I can’t seem to find a fault with you.”

  She was dead serious. “Give me a chance. I’m messed up, trust me.”

  “Really?” A hopeful smile played across her face. It made him laugh.

  “I’ve never met a fan who hoped I was messed up before,” he smirked.

  “Your laugh makes me laugh.”

  “Well your smile makes me smile,” he said. Oh hell, he thought. What’s wrong with me?

  “Well, your driving makes me dizzy,” she continued.

  “You don’t like my driving?”

  “No, it’s fine. It’s just all I could think of to say.” She smiled shyly at him.

  They had a moment. He looked at her and her eyes rose to his as she smiled. It grabbed his heart. He swore to himself, What the hell? Who was this girl and why was he letting her in?

  Chapter 6

  Madi

  Dammit, why did he have to be so easy to talk to? The ride in the car with him felt so normal and at ease. She felt like she had known him her whole life. How could one look from him affect her so much? When his eyes met hers she almost melted. How could one man so easily exude so much sexiness just from the way he walked, talked and smiled? It was too much to handle. She glanced at her phone, three texts from Kendra and one from her mom. What was the time? 12:45 already? She was going to be at the airport this time tomorrow. How could she ever go back to the world she knew before? Being around him made her feel so alive.

  They arrived at the studio and Jake’s manager Caleb immediately pulled him in his office for a meeting about tour details. In a week or two they would probably start to practice with the stage and everything. She wished she could be there to see that.

  Ang greeted her with a hug.

  “So, what can I do to help today?” Madi asked her.

  “Seriously? You’re supposed to be our guest. You need to stop asking me for work because honey, I’ve got so much to do it’s coming out of my pores.”

  “No, really! I love staying busy and I find it all so fascinating.”

  “Have you met the band yet?” Ang asked.

  “No, I haven’t.”

  “Would you like to?”

  Madi’s eyes bugged out, “Um, let me think… Yes! I’d love to!”

  Ang led her into the back room where the band was sitting in what seemed to be a lounge area. There were couches, a huge flat screen and a table filled with enough food to feed all of LA.

  “Guys, this is Madi Ryan, the contest winner.”

  “So you are the poor girl that has to spend time with Jake? Hi, I’m Trey, nice to meet you.” Trey stood up and walked toward her with an outstretched hand.

  She reached for his hand and shook it. Her eyes rose as she noticed he was much taller up close than he looked on stage. But that may have been because he sits on a stool through the slow songs, and that’s half the concert.

  “Nice to meet you too, Trey.”

  She went around in a circle shaking hands with the drummer, violinist, and various other members, whose instruments she should have been able to remember but she was just in awe.

  “Did Ang tell you we had a bet you’d be in your early forties?” Trey said with a grin.

  “I am in my early forties,” she said as she cocked her head surprisingly.

  Trey asked her if she could play an instrument. She said that she couldn’t but she wished she could play the piano. Then they asked her if she could sing.

  “Did Jake put you up to this?” she asked.

  “No, why? Now we’re curious,” Trey said.

  “Never mind…”

  “Oh, come on, you do sing, don’t you?”

  “I sang in college for a bit but I’m terrible.”

  “Let’s hear it. We’ll play along.”

  “No way!” she stammered, completely freaked out.

  Then the chanting of “sing” started and she threw her hands in the air. After doing a once over the room and seeing Jake was nowhere to be found, she reluctantly agreed to try.

  “What will it be?” Trey asked.

  The only song that came to mind was one she sang in the car with Kendra.

  “All right, I know it. I’ll sing along,” Trey added.

  “Don’t judge, please,” she said with a frightened look.

  “Not at all, don’t be nervous. We’ve heard it all, trust me.”

  She cleared her throat and tried to think like Kendra. She tried to be confident. She closed her eyes and pretended it was just her and Kendra alone in her car, singing along to the radio
.

  Her voice cracked before she started to feel more at ease. It helped when Trey joined in harmony. It was actually fun. The band gave a hoot after she was done and Ang said she was not bad at all. Madi covered her eyes in horror and they all laughed. For the next forty minutes, she sat listening to them tell stories about Jake and the tour. They strummed on their instruments here and there and Madi became very comfortable being around them. Trey told her his wife was about to pop and that he was on red alert for the call to come to the hospital. The time just flew by.