Page 39 of Ravaged For You

In the corner, Lucas rolls his eyes at my little attempt at humor. Maddie just nods.

“Okay. Well, should we sit?”

“Of course,” I reply, following her over to Lucas’ couch. We’re very close together around my manager’s table. Her arm rubs up against mine. I can’t help realizing it’s our first proper physical contact other than the time Maddie shook my hand in the office and then spilled tea all over me. Lucas sits opposite us, watching with his silent judgy attitude.

“Can I ask a question?” Maddie asks. I can see she’s still nervous.

“Shoot.”

“Why did you suggest we talk this through here? Why not where you live, Axel?”

“I’m currently living from a hotel suite,” I explain. “The paparazzi are waiting for me there all the fucking time. If I brought you there, then your face will be all over the tabloids within the hour. Trust me, you don’t want that just yet.”

Maddie nods, biting her lip and thinking. I like how cautious she is. She wants to make sure everything’s accounted for and that she’ll be safe doing this job.

She has no idea what’s coming to her.

“Okay, shall we start?” she asks Lucas and me. “This is so awkward; I just want to get it over and done with.”

“Can I have a drink?” I ask Lucas.

“Help yourself.”

“You?” I ask Maddie.

“Oh, no. I’m fine.”

She’s so rattled by all of this, and I can see why. This is going to be more money than she’s seen in her life. I’m about to change her life, for the better and for the worse. Her reaction is sweet; it makes me remember my first taste of fame and how terrified I was when I realized that everything was going to be different from now on. Ravaged’s first review. The first time I appeared in the tabloids and on social media. The first time complete strangers knew my name.

Maddie is about to face all of that.

And she doesn’t have a clue how bad it’s going to get.

At least she’ll have me to hold her hand - metaphorically speaking, of course – through all of it.

I pour myself a whisky from Lucas’ kitchen and sit back down in the living room, this time in a chair opposite Maddie. Lucas stands and proceeds to walk out.

“I’ll leave you two alone while you discuss,” he tells us. “Give you a little privacy. Just give me a shout when you need me.”

Maddie looks at Lucas like she doesn’t want him to go. Like she doesn’t want to be left alone in the room with me.

I don’t blame her.

“Don’t fret,” I tell her. “I’m not going to eat you.”

“I’m not fretting, Axel.”

I sip from my drink as Lucas shuts the door on the way out.

“Obviously, you know what you want, so tell me,” I say to her. “I want to hear these ground rules of yours.”

“Tell me your conditions first,” Maddie replies.

There’s that spark of defiance I liked so much in the meeting room. The same spark of defiance that probably led her into wearing that gorgeous red dress of hers today.

“Oh, you wanna play hardball?” I ask her with a laugh. “Okay. Here are the rules. You’ll enter into a fake relationship with me until the new album’s dropped. You’ll get paid half your fee now, and then the other half once we’re finished and you’ve upheld your end of the deal. During the relationship, you’ll live with me while Ravaged is on tour promoting Staying At Her Place. Is that all fine with you?”

“Considering I’m practically homeless, I don’t really have a choice.”