Page 91 of Before the Encore

“Has Bonnie Bloom started a new trend?” the presenter asked. “Olivia Steinberg has also been pictured in London with rumours circulating about a Lipstick Fever collaboration. I don’t know about you, but that is something I’d love to hear.”

Bonnie’s heart fell into the pit of her stomach. Olivia and Madison working together?

Olivia’s suggestive gaze flashed in her mind. The way she watched Madison hungrily.

Madison wouldn’t collaborate with Olivia, would she?

Her head swam, the painkillers filling her limbs with fuzz. As much as Bailey was an arsehole, he had been right about a few things. Had Madison played her?

Nausea swelled, clawing up her throat.

No. She wouldn’t. Madison didn’t know about the two of them. So, why wouldn’t she collaborate with Olivia? She had no idea what Olivia was like.

This had Olivia’s dirty fingerprints all over it.

“See what you think,” the presenter chirped. “Wouldn’t these two together melt your eardrums in the best way?” She laughed, the opening notes of a track beginning to play. “This is ‘Mine’ by Olivia Steinberg.”

But if it were true, and there was nothing to hide…Why wouldn’t Madison tell her about it?

Bonnie rubbed her eyes, drowsiness creeping in from the tablets. She couldn’t think straight.

As Olivia’s voice floated through the speakers, irritation snapped. “Minnie. Please, turn that off.”

Her driver nodded, cutting the radio, and they drove the rest of the way home in silence.

Chapter Twenty-Two

Bonnie

Bonnie tugged at the cap on her head, despite being safely concealed in the back of an Uber. Rain pelted the windows, streetlights warming the interior in passing yellow glows. It’d been a month since she’d been back in London, but as soon as the plane had touched down, a magnetic buzz ignited behind her sternum.

Excitement. Fear. The gravity of it so strong, it stirred every worry in her brain.

If her relationship with Madison was as wonderful as she thought it was, that meant it only had one direction to go. The classic worrier’s curse—what was up, had to come down. Thankfully, her recent session with Dr Levingworth helped put her anxiety in its place. Jealousy in a relationship was only natural, but projecting her insecurities about Olivia onto Madison wasn’t fair. Madison, despite all of her bad press and attitude, had never given Bonnie a reason to doubt her. She was trying to grip onto that like the ledge of a building. She just hoped she’d not have to survive the fall if she was wrong.

Maybe she should’ve told her she was coming.

She blew out a breath as the car slowed outside a complex of unassuming apartment buildings, rain lashing against the pavement. She double-checked that she’d got everything, then thanked the driver as he removed her suitcase from the boot of the car. She breathed in the scent of rain, wheeling her suitcase around a collection of puddles towards the lobby. A polite pot-bellied concierge let her in, and as she took the lift up to the twelfth floor, nerves ate at her.

She wanted to do things that mattered. And if she had a week of rest, why not rest up with the most gorgeous vampire in the music industry? Maybe she should have called ahead, but she wanted to surprise her. It had nothing to do with her insecurities about Olivia. That’s what she was telling herself, anyway.

Her pulse quickened as she padded along the speckled carpet, her ankle supported by ugly but comfortable footwear. The round shape reminded her of a Croc before Crocs were fashionable, but so far, her ankle hadn’t caused her any problems. When she reached the door, a thrill fluttered through her. She knocked and waited. When no answer came, she knocked again, louder, and pressed her ear to the door. Loud metal music sounded from inside. For god’s sake. She pulled out her phone and called Madison. No answer.

She called her a few more times, but then gave up, laying her grooved Prada suitcase on the floor. After a moment’s hesitation, she sat on it, glancing down the hallway. At least there was no one to witness this.

When her phone buzzed some time later, she jolted awake. She’d fallen asleep against the striped wallpaper.

Heavy breathing rustled down the line. “You’re calling early,” Madison said.

Bonnie stretched her neck, a welcome burn spreading through her muscles. “Knock knock.”

“What?”

“Knock knock.”

“Have you called just to tell me a joke?”

Bonnie laughed, rubbing her eyes. “Answer the door, Madison.”