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“You’re going on a date with your boss?”
“Technically, she’s not my boss. She’s more of a supervisor. Chester Mavin owns Luxe.”
“Way to try and talk your way around that one, buddy.” She starts laughing. “Seriously, how is this even possible?”
“How the hell am I supposed to know? One day I’m hitting on her, the next thing I know I can’t stop thinking about her.” She starts laughing again. “Jade, I’m completely screwed.”
“You’re not screwed, Maddox. You just like someone. You might be having some new feelings. Experiencing sensations your body is just starting to discover.”
She starts cackling, doubling over and grabbing her stomach. I push her over on the couch. “Very funny!” Leaning over, I put my face in my hands. “What am I gonna do?”
“Maddy, you’re going on a date. You should be happy, not melancholy.”
“I’m happy, but I’m freaking out. Jade, I don’t know the last time I really liked someone. I didn’t even expect to like this girl, but … I do.”
“How did this happen?”
Taking a deep breath, I pinch the bridge of my nose, trying to piece it together myself. It’s what I’ve been doing since Cece offered the bottle service the night at the club. “She’s unlike any girl I’ve met. At first, I thought it was just a game thing, and I don’t know, maybe there’s still a little bit of that in there somewhere. But … she doesn’t put up with my typical crap. She throws my words back at me and doesn’t let me act like a King. I’m just a guy to her.”
Jade lifts a brow. “And you like that?”
A bewildered chuckle escapes me. “I know it’s crazy, but yeah, I like that she doesn’t put up with it. I like that she’s smart and is running her own life and doesn’t care if I’m a rock star or not. I practically had to beg her to go on this date.”
“Then what do you need help with?”
I start laughing again, waving my hands at myself. “What do you mean? Look who you’re talking to! Vodka and Red Bull or Jell-O shots are about as far as I’ve gone in recent memory to being on a date. I don’t want that with her. Well, no, I do want that, but not yet. I …” My shoulders slump. “I want this to be real.”
Reaching over, she puts a hand on my knee, forcing me to look at her. “Then you don’t need help, Maddox. You just need to be you. The real you.”
“Really?”
She nods. “Be the guy you are when it’s just us. When you’re playing video games with Derrik, or when we go home and visit Mom and Dad. And if you think of a clever line you’d normally say to some girl at a show, push it away. Don’t be the King of Bad. Be Maddox.”
* * *
Adam: Yo! I just got in town. Where you at?
I stare at Adam’s text message while I’m on my way to meet Cece. He’s been out of town with his reshoots on his latest movie, and this entire time I haven’t told him about the date. I’ve been freaking out enough about it, and I know he’d make me more nervous. Texting back, I tell him I’m out tonight and don’t wait up. I might as well play it like I usually would. At least, until after this thing with Cece.
Talking with Jade helped a little, but I’m still nervous. I took Jade’s words to heart, and though I didn’t dress in the suit I told Cece I would if it meant she’d go out with me, I am dressed up more conservative than usual. Boots with dark wash jeans, without holes or rips in them. I wasn’t sure what shirt to wear, so I went out and bought some button-up black shirts. And I styled my hair. Nothing crazy, it looks more bedhead than anything else, but … yeah. I haven’t styled my hair in I don’t know how long.
Cece wanted to meet up at Armando’s, a posh Mexican food restaurant. When I walk in, soft music that sounds like a mariachi band is playing in the background. Low hanging lights brighten the place enough to give the guests light around their table, but keep it dim so everyone has their own private space. The walls are brick laid, which you might think would be a turnoff to some of the upper-class patrons, but the contrast of the elegant tables and lights matches the walls, giving the place a refined balance.
The hostess eyes me, and though she looks like she wants to mention who I am, or react, I already see two singers across the room I know are celebrities. This place is known for its customer base to be the rich and famous. As such, waiters and hosts aren’t supposed to act all starstruck.
“How many?” the hostess asks, but I see Cece sitting at a table, inspecting her phone.
“That’s all right. I see her,” I tell the hostess, giving her a smile.
Approaching the table, Cece looks up from her phone and her eyes widen, along with a smile. Taking a seat in front of her, I suddenly feel nervous.
“Look at you.” Her eyes roam over my chest and shoulders, then come back up to meet my gaze. “I almost didn’t recognize you.”
“Thank you very much. You look incredible.”
She does. A light blue blouse that hangs off of her shoulders, revealing her tanned skin. Her brown hair is brushed off to the side, slight curls hanging over her left shoulder. And like the meeting, her lipstick isn’t overly bright, but a soft pink that keeps drawing my eyes.
“Can I get you something to drink?” a waiter asks, walking over to us.
