“Me?” she shouted over her shoulder. “You’re the worst! That’s Jim freaking Holliday. We only partied at his frat house almost every month for like two years.”
I squinted my eyes, thinking hard as flashes of college-aged Jim came flooding back. “Oh yeah! Now I remember! He had the pool table, right?”
“Yes, Madison, he had the pool table. Seriously, how do you survive without me?”
“I call a lot of people ‘babe’ when you’re not around.” I laughed as she descended the stairs, heading lower and lower through each section until she reached the arena floor. A security guard stopped us to ask for our tickets, and we handed them over.
“You’re in section C, all the way to the right.” He pointed at the seats lined up on the floor at the other side of the stage.
Keri thanked him as he handed back our tickets, then took my hand in hers and pulled me through the rows of folding chairs and roped-off sections.
“This is insane,” I said to no one in particular as I took in the scantily clad women everywhere I looked, especially down near the stage. Groupies. Ugh.
I glanced up toward the staging area and noticed a large white curtain draped from the ceiling to the stage floor. Roadies were setting up boxes, speakers, and lighting in front of the curtain in a smaller area. I assumed they were setting up for the opening act, and I found myself getting excited as we made our way closer and closer to the stage.
“Holy shit. These seats are sick,” Keri said as she finally scooted into her assigned seat.
I sat down, breathless for a moment, and looked at the stage mere feet away. My heart fluttered. “These seats are amazing. Thank you for bringing me.”
She
bumped her shoulder into mine. “As if I’d bring anyone else.”
I smiled, loving the way she always thought of me, when the sound of someone yelling my name forced me to glance around. Screaming permeated the air as onlookers pointed and flashes of light filled the otherwise dimly lit area.
“Over there.” Keri pointed toward an area surrounded by security and people wearing VIP badges on lanyards around their necks. “It’s Paige Lockwood. Oh Jesus, and her super-hot boyfriend, Colin McGuire. Please call them over here so I can stare at Colin’s pretty face.”
Paige stood arm in arm with her boyfriend, her fingers intertwined with his as she leaned into him, smiling. Her dark brown hair swept across her shoulders and down her back in sharp contrast to Colin’s short sandy-blond locks. Her blue eyes sparkled, even in the dim lighting, and she looked stunning in her all-white miniskirt, long-sleeved matching sweater, and nude heels. Colin was decked out in white jeans and a black button-down shirt. They looked like they belonged on a magazine cover, which made sense considering who they were.
Paige was an actress, currently America’s sweetheart and one of my boss’s biggest clients. Her boyfriend, Colin, was one of the hottest singing sensations in the business, aside from Walker. Colin had been in a boy band, but had recently branched out on his own and was enjoying the huge success that had come with that decision. Where Walker rapped, crooned, and had a unique style all his own, Colin sang in typical top-forty fashion. His voice was all pop and trendy with no real soul but the public loved him, no matter how uninspired his latest hit seemed to be.
I watched as the gorgeous couple made their way around to our seats. “Hi, Paige.” I leaned in to give her a hug and an air-kiss near her cheek.
“Madison, you didn’t tell me you’d be here tonight. Are you a big Walker Rhodes fan? He doesn’t seem like your type,” she teased, wiggling her eyebrows, and my gaze dropped to the backstage pass that hung around her neck.
“I didn’t know until I got home from work and was kidnapped, forced to come here against my will, kicking and screaming the entire way.” I laughed. “Paige, this is my roommate, Keri Sampson. Keri, this is Paige Lockwood.” I smiled as they shook hands and exchanged pleasantries.
Keri’s cheeks flushed and her voice was higher-pitched than usual as she told Paige, “I love your work. You were incredible in your last movie.”
“Thank you, that’s very kind of you.” Paige’s head tilted to the side. “Sampson, did you say? Your dad’s not Howard, is it?”
“The one and only.” Keri beamed with pride. She and her dad had a great relationship. He had worked long hours as he made his way up in the movie business, and was away for most of Keri’s childhood, but for whatever reason, she never seemed to mind. Instead of being bitter, she was fascinated by the movie biz and wanted to be a part of his world. She started as an intern at his studio the summer she turned sixteen, refusing to take no for an answer from him.
“Please tell him I said hello. I’ve always wanted to work with him.” Paige smiled and her trademark dimples deepened.
Colin cleared his throat and Paige sucked in a breath. “I’m so sorry. Colin, this is Madison. She’s Jayson’s assistant. And this is her roommate, Keri.”
“It’s nice to meet you,” I said to Colin. He appeared less than impressed, and I felt almost bad for Paige as he fidgeted, avoiding eye contact with anyone other than her.
“Nice to meet you both,” he said absently, then tugged at Paige’s arm. “Babe, we should get to our seats.”
Paige gave me an apologetic look before shrugging her shoulders. “It was good to see you, Madison. I have to come into the office to sign some paperwork, so I’ll see you tomorrow. And Keri, it was very nice to meet you.”
“Likewise,” Keri said to Paige’s retreating back, before turning to me with her eyes shining. “She is so flipping nice.”
“I told you she was,” I said, referring to all the times Keri had asked me for gossip about which celebrities were nice, and which ones were jerks. She claimed she was only being curious, but I knew it was mostly for her dad. If he expressed interest in working with a specific actor or actress, she liked to know the inside scoop on them. It was her way of watching out for him, even though he didn’t need it. Howard Sampson was one scary son of a bitch when he wanted to be. And he garnered enough respect through his tenure in the industry that even drugged-up has-beens knew not to screw with him.
Ear-piercing screams filled the air. Assuming that Walker had appeared, I jerked my head toward the stage in front of me. Nothing moved, so I glanced over at the VIP area where Paige and Colin had stood a few minutes before, and noticed Quinn Johnson and Ryson Miller. This concert seemed to bring out all the local celebrities, although I wasn’t surprised. This was Los Angeles, after all, and everyone who was anyone lived here. More than that, they loved being seen, so local high-profile entertainment events brought the stars out in droves.