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“I think you’ll change your mind when you see the contract. Not that La Flor doesn’t pay good, but I think this will be an offer you won’t want to turn down.”
“And if I don’t want to accept it?” I challenge. Onyx’s lip twitches. It's there but barely. I want to reach over and hit him. I’m freaking out, I can feel my body waiting to deep dive into shock. Only this bizarre conversation is keeping me teetering on the edge.
“I’ll still have to take you with me,” he answers, and I’m well aware that those midnight eyes are trailing over my body. I swallow back my nervousness. “You did witness me killing someone after all.”
I have nothing to say. My brain is starting to shut down after all it's been put through tonight. I can feel myself being lulled to sleep from the hum of the engine and the softness of the leather against my skin. I shouldn’t be so comfortable in the presence of a man who killed someone, but this is Onyx. And somewhere deep, deep down, my seventeen-year-old self is screaming at me to trust him, even though I don’t want to.
“Try to sleep, Star,” he commands, and my eyes flutter again. “We have a journey ahead of us.”
ChapterTwenty-Two
Jade
Present
The elevator dings and the glossy doors slide open to the suite where the business meeting is occurring. Within forty-eight hours of having Onyx bulldoze back into my life, blowing my current situation to pieces, we jumped on a flight to New York, and I was being pushed into a new direction for my life. To keep myself safe and for both of us to keep clear of any possible connection to the man that Onyx killed, he wanted me to join his new music label as a backup dancer. Apparently, someone is actually watching out for women and didn’t take Onyx’s word, just because he’s a celebrity, and now I’m going into this meeting to sign a contract that I have no idea about.
I glance at the man who now considers himself my savior. In a navy suit, his hair cut, and a pair of dress shoes on his feet, he looks nothing like the eighteen-year-old I met. I can see an array of tattoos peeking out from under his shirt collar, but the ones that catch my eyes the most are the stars that decorate his neck and trail up into his hairline behind his ears. He’s taller, if it’s possible, and his muscles fill out the suit he’s wearing. I’m not even sure who this man is, or again, what he is wanting with me.
“What if I say no to this deal?” I ask, right outside the room we’re supposed to walk into in mere minutes. Onyx said my whole life was going to change, but I like the life I have. Or at least I did until last night.
Onyx stops and his eyes run over me, once again making me feel as if I’m under a microscope, and he’s more interested in what I can do for him to hide what he did. He surprises me when his great big shoulders shrug. “Say no.”
My lips part, ready to argue why he didn’t just leave me in Vegas, when he leans into my space, so close I can smell the mint from his toothpaste and the faint scent of his body wash.
“You’ll go back to the city where a man just died because he either was stalking you or he has a vendetta from your old life. Either way, you go back and you’re leaving it up to chance to see how long you survive.”
“I can always start over somewhere else on my own,” I say and surprise myself that I don’t cower from the harshness of his glare.
Onyx flicks his head to Terrance, who rolls his eyes and turns so that his back is to us. My brow rises, but I don’t get a chance to say anything further. Onyx’s hands slide under the skater dress I’m wearing, cupping my ass cheeks, and my back hits the wall. His leg slides between mine, pushing them apart. One of his hands catches his weight and he braces it above my head.
I can’t breathe, my heart is racing. It's been years since Onyx has been this close to me, since he touched me, since any move by him has been this sexual. My mouth clamps shut.
“There is nowhere you can go where I can’t find you. I tracked you there, watched, bided my time, and did what I had to do. Now you know what I’m capable of.”
“I said I wouldn’t tell,” I remind him, my voice coming out breathless, my heart beating so fast that my chest is heaving.
Onyx’s eyes flick down, smoldering at the way my chest is pressed against his. “History would prove that I can’t trust you. Therefore, you can work for me, buy your silence and safety, and when the tour is over, you can decide.”
“That's all I have to do? Dance for the tour.”
“Dance for the tour. Be at all the practices, accompany production. Simple. You can figure it out, Jade. Plus, the contract will be paying you more than triple what you were making on the busy weekends at La Flor,” Onyx reminds me. His eyes finally rise up to mine and I see the challenge in them.
“I’m reading the whole contract and if you are lying about any of it, I will yell so loud, security will be forced to come here,” I warn him and catch the smirk he gives me.
“I would expect nothing less, Little Star.” Onyx’s leg slides out from under me, and he pulls his hands back. I sink against the wall, still breathing hard. I can't believe that just happened. Onyx’s moods have been hot and cold with me since he picked me up. He keeps saying little phrases like he can’t trust me and that I break promises. I want to know what he’s talking about. I want to rip him a new one about who really broke promises, because he was the one who left me, not the other way around.
Onyx fixes his suit and Terrance is finally able to turn back around. His face is completely void of emotion and I wonder what has happened to him in the past three years that he is no longer his jovial self. My own hands flatten down the skirt of my dress before running through my hair. Compared to Onyx, I look like I’m stepping out with friends to a casual dinner rather than an important meeting. Terrance reaches for the door to open it, and I slide past him so I’m leading us into the room.
Mia Rosen is not what I expected after hearing so much about her from Onyx and Terrance, as well as the hundreds of articles I looked at since leaving Las Vegas. Her outfit screams boss, and she makes it look good. Her rose-gold hair hangs loosely down her back in waves. I meet her ocean-colored eyes and realize she is watching me with just as much interest and, dare I say it, pride.
I put a smile on my face and hold my hand out to her. “Hi. I’m Jade Lennon.”
Mia’s eyes shine and she takes my hand in hers. “It's nice to meet you, Jade. I’m Amelia Rosen, but you can call me Mia. Why don’t we have a seat and I’ll grab the contracts.”
I sit in one of the large chairs that she pointed to, while Onyx takes another right next to me. I refuse to meet his gaze or talk to him. I feel childish, but I’m mad. I have no idea what I’m getting into. For all I know, he could be keeping me prisoner for ten years. I’ll never get away from him. The tension is thick in the room and I almost feel bad for Mia, having to put up with us. Mia explains the contracts and legality of the terms. Onyx makes a few quips directed at me and I give him attitude back. I’m sure we look really professional.
I feel Mia’s eyes on me, watching my movements carefully. I start to fidget and play with the ends of my hair, while reading my contract. My understanding is that Mia believes I’m being forced into this contract for sexual purposes. If only she knew how bad the real reason was.
