Page 52 of Rock Me

Over the course of the evening, I didn’t have time to even look at my phone.Now that I do, I see that Ben left me a text.

You deserve every bit of this success.Go live your dream.Love, Ben.

I reread his closing words,Love, Ben, trying to decide whether or not to read more into it than mere words.And even if he means them in the truest sense, does it change anything?I’ve achieved my biggest dream, and yet I am alone in a Midtown hotel room.

He didn’t wait around, and I don’t blame him.If I have no time for him after today’s mess of events, how will I have time when I leave on a world tour?I don’t see any way to make a relationship between us work that is fair to Ben.And it is that thought that keeps me from going after him.

***

Ben

I return tothe office, feeling out of sorts.A weekend alone in my apartment did nothing to improve the mood I’ve been in since leaving Summer behind.

I walk into the main area, where Tara Hayes, the receptionist for Alpha Security, sits at her desk.Tara is in her mid-forties, an attractive woman who always dresses appropriately regardless of everyone else being office casual.Today her hair is pulled into a bun, and she dresses in a white buttoned-up top and a black skirt.

“Good morning,” she says, a smile on her face.

“Morning.Everything good?”I ask, trying my best to be cheerful and not punish the world because I am miserable.

“Things are running like clockwork around here, which makes me happy, as you know.”

I nod, knowing Tara keeps Dan organized and the office running smoothly.“You’re Dan’s right hand.We all appreciate everything you do.”

“Aww, thank you.”She blushes at the compliment.“I like to feel part of the team.”

“Ben!My office.Now.”Dan stands outside his door and gestures for me to join him.

“The boss bellows,” Tara says, laughing.

I go around Tara’s desk and stride into Dan’s office.My boss sits back down in his oversized chair.“I thought you could use a debrief.”Dan eyes me with concern.“In other words, I want to know if you’re okay.I caught the entertainment news this weekend.”

“Yeah, so did I,” I mutter.

Although I’m not normally a gossip show watcher, the masochist in me put on nightly shows anyway, hoping to see how they are covering Jade Glow and her new opening act.I saw full treatments on Michael Gold’s arrest, Tawny’s questioning by the police, and of course, Jade’s official announcement choosing Summer as her opening act.

Summer glows, standing beside Jade, exuding pride and excitement, and I couldn’t be happier for her.

Even if it means I’ve lost her.

“You let her go?”Dan asks.

“What was I supposed to do?Ask her to put her dreams on hold?”Not that I wasn’t tempted.I’m just not that much of an asshole.

Dan shakes his head, spinning a pen between his palms.“I know I didn’t raise you, but I still like to think I had enough time with you to instill a few things in that thick skull of yours.”

I swallow hard.“I know you lost Katherine,” I say of Dan’s wife.“But—”

“But nothing.Life is too fucking short.You grab on to happiness while you can.Isn’t that what I try to teach all of you?”

“I understand where you’re coming from, and I respect it, but really, she’s worked her whole life for this opportunity.”

Dan rolls his eyes.“I’m not suggesting you ask her to give it up.Let me ask you something.What do you do for a living?”He folds his arms across his chest and eyes me through narrowed lids.

I tip my head.“I’m a bodyguard, obviously.”What the fuck is the man getting at?I wonder.

“And what does a pop star need when she travels?A full-time bodyguard,” Dan spells out for me, a grin on his face.

“Son of a bitch,” I mutter, the solution so simple I am shocked I didn’t figure it out for myself.I glance at my boss, awe and admiration filling me.“You’re willing to lose me?”