6
Chapter 6
Vinnie’s POV
Sly leftthe room right behind Claire and Paisley. I wasn't sure why exactly, because neither girl had asked for him, but off he went anyway. Only Jake and I remained in Claire's hotel room, staring at one another in shock.
"What was that?" I asked Jake, trying to kind of laugh it off, but there was a definite strain in my voice. Shit, I didn't need everyone else to know that I was desperately attracted to Paisley and more than a little jealous of her obvious attraction to Sly, but Jake might have picked up on that regardless. "Crazy, huh?"
"Oh yeah." Jake sidled over to me, ready for a gossip. "There is definitely something going on between Paisley and Sly. I have suspected that for a while."
"Really?" I cocked an eyebrow, needing to know more. How could I demand that Jake tell me everything without sounding like a crazy person?
He nodded eagerly. "You know the night after the first show C'Dion did, when we all went out to that night club? Well, I went outside for a moment to get some air and I found them having…" He paused thoughtfully for a second. "Let's just say they were having a heated conversation."
"Ooh, what were they saying?" This had been going on for that long? Holy shit, I really didn't stand a chance of getting Paisley's attention, did I?
"Well, something about keeping things professional. And keeping things a secret as well. I guess that means their relationship, right?"
I shot him a bit of a confused look. "But I heard you shared a kiss with someone that night. I'm sure someone said Paisley."
I didn't know the face attached to the name at the time, so I didn't think too much of it. But now it made my stomach twist up painfully to think about everyone kissing Paisley but me. Maybe I should have just taken the bull by the horns and claimed her lips while I had the chance to do so. We were alone in the room, we really could have just kissed before everyone else arrived. It could have been awesome. At least that way I would have known if this chemistry was real.
Who was I kidding? Of course it was real. Sizzling and intense.
"One of us should ask him what's happening," Jake said tentatively. "It's pretty crazy, right? But if we're working alongside both Paisley and Sly, maybe it's better for us all to be aware of what's going on, right?"
I shrugged. "Yeah, I think so. But you might be the one who has to do it, Jake," I warned him. "You're the one who went to basic training with him, you have much more of a history with him." I held up my hands in a placating gesture. "There's no way Sly will be as forthcoming with me."
"Hmm, you're right." Jake tapped his chin as he thought this over. "He'll definitely speak to me about it, but I have to admit that I'm nervous to bring it up. It doesn't seem like something Sly is interested in talking about."
"Maybe I should try to speak to Paisley," I offered in what I hoped was an innocent way. Just so I could get closer to her. Now that I'd met her, I desperately wanted to spend as much time with her as I could. I was already addicted. "See if I can get some information from her about Sly."
"You?" Jake stared at me like I'd lost my damn mind. "You really think Paisley will open up to you? She doesn't even know you. I don't think that's a good plan."
There was such a change in Jake's voice that I couldn't help but pick up on it. Seemed like there was a whole lot more between Jake and Paisley than just one kiss. At least there was from Jake's side of things.
"Don't worry," I teased as I nudged him playfully in the side. "I won't rattle your girlfriend too much. I'll just talk to her. Find out what's happening."
Jake growled, his brows knitting together in anger. Whoa, I seriously had gotten under his skin. It wasn't often that Jake got wound up, so I kind of wanted to take advantage of the situation, but I didn't know if I should. What if it sent him over the edge and really drove him insane? That flame in his eyes was a lot.
"I'm going." He shook his head. "There's too much to do. I will talk to Sly and find out what's happening. You don't need to talk to anyone."
He shot me a warning glare as he backed out of the hotel room. There wasn't any invite for me to come with him, which I suppose was fine because there were still some things to do in here. The interruption had made sure Paisley and I didn't manage to get everything done.
I laughed to myself as I got back to work, thinking about the effect Paisley seemed to have on everyone. Sly was acting all weird, like he was in love for the first time in his life, Jake was all possessive over her, and me…well, after just a very short conversation, she was living in my brain rent free.
What would Stark think if he could see us now? He was proud of himself when he put us together as a team for this mission. I could tell he was certain he'd matched us well, and I agreed with him at the time. I thought we were all going to get along well, even if some of us had known one another longer than others. But now it kind of seemed like this woman might come between us.
We were really going to fight over Paisley? Surely not. Guys like us, we didn't fight over women. We couldn't, especially not on a mission like this. Just thinking about what Stark would do to us if he found out…it wasn't worth it. He would remind us that the mission came first, just as it did when we were all in the military. We had trained for this our whole lives. We could not let one small distraction come between us. Not even a stunning redheaded distraction.
Once I had everything put away, it was finally time for me to leave Claire's room and head back to the stage area. Much as I was still pretty excited to see Paisley again, I couldn't help worrying just a little about what was going to happen next. The closer I got to her, the more dangerous things became.
I headed toward the elevator, my head spinning the entire time. Thoughts raced through my brain much faster than I was equipped to handle. Jake, Sly, and Paisley too. It was a very complicated situation for sure.
I crossed the street to the venue, where Daisy was waiting by the door, tapping her foot anxiously on the floor. Her lips were turned down in a very concerned frown and her brows were knitted tightly together.
"Everything okay, Daisy? Can I help you with anything?"
She shook her head. "No, I'm just waiting for the lighting guys to arrive. Now that we have new costumes, we need new lighting schedules as well. Actually, you could take that cart through to the stage for me."
"Oh, sure thing. Anything I can do to help."
I whistled to myself as I walked, my mood slightly improving. I wasn't in a bad mood exactly, just a little concerned. It was all the secrets that got me. As a group, we didn't need to have secrets from one another.
But the whistling died on my lips almost as quickly as it started the moment I spotted Paisley in the hall. My eyes were drawn straight to her, a magnetic pull dragging me in, no matter what I really wanted. There she was, in a very heated conversation with Jake.
What the hell?
I could feel the intense energy all the way over here. But he wasn't supposed to be talking to Paisley, that was my job. I thought we'd agreed he would talk to Sly about what was happening.
I lingered awkwardly because I wasn't sure where that left me. More than the secrets getting to me, I didn't like the fact that I was being pushed out. How much did Ollie know about all this? I couldn't wait to get a moment with him so I could find out. He might be as out of the loop as me.
"Vinnie." Almost as if I'd conjured him up just by thinking about him, there he was. "I've been looking for you for a while. Everything okay?"
I nodded and forced myself to smile. "Yeah, I'm good. How about you?"
"No security issues. Nothing to worry about." He followed my stare and noticed I’d been staring at Jake and Paisley the entire time we’d been talking. "What's happening there? Jake doesn't look too happy."
I shrugged. If Ollie wasn't already aware of what was happening, I definitely didn't know enough to be able to fill him in. "Who knows?"
We both watched in silence as the conversation clearly took a bad turn and Paisley stormed off. She was red faced and very angry, not meeting anyone's eye, least of all mine, as she vanished from the room. Why the hell was Jake worried about me upsetting Paisley? Clearly, he didn't know how to talk to her.
I clenched my hands into fists by my sides with irritation. It was hard to stop myself from getting annoyed, from allowing my animalistic rage to burst free. This was the last place in the world I wanted to let my true side free. In here, with all these people around, it was damn near impossible for me to lash out without hurting anyone. These were all good people. None of them deserved to get hurt.
I sighed, trying to get my emotions under control. I'd spent years keeping myself in control, and for good reason. I couldn't screw that up now.
"What was that about?" Ollie asked me, pointing to Jake, but it seemed to be more of a rhetorical question than one he really wanted an answer to. "Anyway, I don't want to take up too much of your time. I just wanted to check in."
There was so much more I wanted to say to Ollie, but he was quiet. Closed off almost. He didn't speak much, and he certainly didn't seem to gossip. I didn't think he would be too interested in having this conversation with me right now. I had no choice but to wave to him and watch as he left as well.
I waited with bated breath, watching Jake intently to see what he was about to do. He looked kind of lost himself. I almost wanted to go speak to him, to check in on him, but I couldn't shake off the anger that he'd stepped on my toes. I felt like he'd done this to push me away because he didn't want me getting closer to Paisley. He didn't want the competition.
"Hey, Vinnie," Daisy barked at me, dragging me out of the room and back to the entrance. "I need a few things from Claire's room. Can you get them for me?"
"Yeah, of course." While I was irritated, I was always willing to help out. Especially since Daisy seemed incredibly stressed at the moment. "Anything you need."
I tried to shake everything off, again, as I walked back to the hotel. This wasn't just a back and forth between the venue, it was a roller coaster of emotions as well. I didn't like it one bit. Since I didn't think Jake could be trusted with this job anymore, it was up to me. I was going to have to find out what was going on between him and Paisley. Maybe find out what was going on with Sly too. It was all so freaking weird.
The stranger things became, the harder it was for me to keep my emotions inside. Perhaps it was getting closer to the middle of the month or something. I went to check my watch, to see what the date was, but ended up distracted by a traffic incident nearby. Some guy thinking he was too much of a big shot to take responsibility for driving too fast and causing someone else to swerve.
Ugh, I needed to get out of here before the cops arrived.
"Hello, sir," a pretty lady greeted me as I entered the hotel. "Can I help you with anything? Do you need assistance from one of our bell boys?"
I shook my head hard. Usually, I might take the time to flirt with her, just for a little bit of fun, but I wasn't in the mood. There was only one person I wanted to flirt with and she was already in some weird triangle. "Nah, I’m just here to pick some stuff up. We're working across the street there."
"Ah, you are with C'Dion." Her eyes lit up like a Christmas tree. "I have been trying to get a night off to see her while she's performing her residency. Unfortunately, I have to work basically every night. Hey…" She edged a little closer to me and whispered her next sentence in my ear. "Do you think maybe you could sneak me in to watch her rehearse? I know it won't be quite the same as a show…"
She was giving me an in. This woman actually wanted me to flirt with her and maybe ask her on a date as well. I could probably get her in to see Claire, if I could sneak her passed Daisy of course, but I didn't have the heart.
"Maybe." I shrugged noncommittally. "I'll see what I can do. I don't know if it'll be the sort of thing I can arrange, but I will do my best."
She grabbed on my arm and bounced on her feet a couple of times. "Oh, thank you, thank you, thank you. You have no idea what this means to me."
I forced a weak smile on my face before I slipping away. The energy emanating from this woman was intense. Maybe I would find a way for her to see C'Dion perform at some point, but I wasn't going to worry too much about it right now. One issue at a time, and I had to focus on Paisley. Sly and Jake too. Before things got even weirder.
I waited by the elevator, deciding to use that to get me up to the room in an attempt to save a bit of time. But that was apparently the wrong move to make because the elevator seemed to take forever to arrive. A couple of times I nearly changed my mind and headed to the stairs, but I talked myself out of it. I'd waited this long, so I might as well finish the wait. If I walked, it would all take even longer. If I took too long, Daisy would kick my ass.
This wasn't like me at all. I wasn't usually this indecisive, I didn't struggle so much with what to do next and how to help people out. This unusual situation, and my feelings, had me stumped. That was irritating me more than anything else. The fact that this wasn't me.
The elevator doors pinged open and I automatically took a step back to let anyone out. Only no one was coming out. I stepped inside, only to find Paisley and Sly basically jumping apart from one another as if they had been electrocuted.
Great. Just great.
Well, this was going to be awkward.
"Hey, guys." I put a fake bright smile on my face. I guess it was best to just act like I had no idea what was going on. Even if it crushed me inside. "Daisy has me running around like a mad man. Same for you guys?"
"Oh, uh, yeah." Paisley darted her eyes anxiously over to Sly. "Yeah, she does. She's on a tear today, isn't she? Claire has decided to change things up. She wants new outfits and new sets, so it's a lot for everyone."
She was being all stiff and nervous, not like the Paisley I was chatting with earlier. If she did have a thing going on with Sly, it didn't seem to be making either of them very happy. Was that because they were super incompatible or because they knew they only had a short time to be together?
In three weeks now, this Las Vegas residency would be over and our RedEye contract would be up. Who the hell knew what would happen then? We might all go our separate ways and never speak again. We might never be put on the same project again.
"So, what are you guys up to now?" I asked because the thick silence was killing me. If someone didn't say something soon, my head would explode.
This time, Paisley said nothing. They were either hooking up or arguing. Probably the former.
"I'm checking the security in the hotel and the venue," Sly shot back right away. "There have been some online threats made. Not the sort of threats I think we need to take too seriously, but I'm not going to let anything pass me by."
"Oh! Maybe we should let the other guys know."
"I will," Sly reassured me. "Don't worry. It's very much under control. As soon as I've checked everything, I will send out messages to everyone. Expect one yourself, okay?"
I caught Paisley's eye, but almost as soon as we connected, she looked away from me. An embarrassed blush filled her cheeks, which I hated sparking. I really didn't want to upset her in any way at all.
This situation was super weird and I was on the outside looking in. I hated this feeling, it was dreadful. I usually got by with using humor, but there was nothing funny about this. Not at all.