Seeing Stars

  SEEING STARS

  Copyright © 2014 by J. Sterling

  All Rights Reserved

  Editing and Interior Formatting/Design by:

  Pam Berehulke

  www.BulletproofEditing.com

  Cover Design by:

  Michelle Preast

  www.MichellePreast.com

  Kindle Edition, License Notes

  This e-book is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This e-book may not be resold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each recipient. If you’re reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then please return online and purchase your own copy. Please do not participate or encourage the piracy of copyrighted materials. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.

  No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system without the written permission of the author, except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.

  This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, places, events, and incidents are either the products of the author’s imagination or used in a fictitious manner. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental.

  ISBN-13: 978-1494467470

  ISBN-10: 149446747X

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  Table of Contents

  Dedication

  Unexpected

  Spotlight

  Stalker

  Blackmail

  Bread

  Paparazzi

  Reality

  Integrity

  Memories

  Love

  Girlfriend

  Completion

  Epilogue

  Thank You

  Coming Soon

  About the Author

  Also By J. Sterling

  Dedication

  This book is dedicated to anyone who ever had a crush on a celebrity and wished that they would crush on you right back! :)

  I walked through the front door, no sooner slamming it behind me before my roommate launched into a ridiculous display of begging and pleading. Not even ten steps into our Toluca Lake condo and Keri was on her knees, begging me to go out with her that night. I narrowed my eyes, staring down at her theatrics on the floor.

  “But I got you a ticket and everything,” she whined, batting her eyelashes up at me, as if that would work on someone as estrogen-driven as herself. “Please. It’s the last show of the tour.”

  “I just got home and I have to work tomorrow,” I told her, knowing full well my excuse wouldn’t work. Keri was nothing if not persistent.

  “So what? We all have to work tomorrow. And hello, it’s Walker Rhodes. I know you like his music, so don’t even pretend like you don’t.” When I opened my mouth to respond, she pushed harder. “And the seats are in the third row, Madison. On the floor. Sort of like I am right now.” She winced and pushed herself to stand upright in all her perfect five-foot-ten-inch glory.

  Keri had good reason to expect her pleas to work; she knew me so well. She and I had bonded instantly as freshmen in college when we were assigned rooms across the hall from each other. When we graduated, we went out in the world to tackle the entertainment industry together, and had been roomies and best friends ever since.

  My pulse picked up with her words third row as I thought of how incredible every concert I’d seen from that close had been. It was one thing to be at a show in the nosebleed section, but it was almost an out-of-body experience to sit up front. Entertainers couldn’t hide anything from you when you were feet away from them; you picked up the smallest details that would otherwise be missed if you were sitting anywhere else. Like the way the beads of sweat formed on their forehead first before rapidly sliding down their faces, or whether or not they were really singing versus lip-synching. You saw if their shoe came untied or if they missed a step in their perfectly choreographed routine. And don’t get me started on the eye contact. Being that close to the stage gave you access to their line of vision…and you were in it.

  Keri was right; I did like Walker Rhodes’s music. And his face wasn’t too bad either. But his reputation was a total turnoff. Not like I was planning on dating the guy, but you couldn’t really think about him without having his man-whoring ways come to mind. He was in the tabloids almost daily, stumbling out of a Las Vegas club or casino with a girl on each arm, getting into fights, and spending way too much time and money there. Don’t get me wrong, Vegas was all right, but anyone who loved that smoke- and debauchery-filled place as much as Walker Rhodes seemed to couldn’t be good news. He was the epitome of a bad boy.

  Not to mention the fact that the things I’d heard about him from some of our clients at work only further endorsed his less-than-angelic behavior. I imagined his publicist had their hands full, following behind him and cleaning up his PR messes.

  “Madison, you can’t make me go to this concert alone. I’ll never forgive you.” Keri’s fake whine broke through my thoughts.

  Focusing once again on her pleading expression, I laughed. “Yes, you will. And you knew damn well I’d say yes before I even walked through the door.”

  Her face brightened. “Actually, I just hoped you’d get home before the concert started. I never know with your hours. I was half afraid I’d have to pick you up at the office and head straight to the concert from there.”

  She was referring to my job at the agency. I was an assistant to one of the hottest talent agents in Hollywood, so my hours were unconventional and unpredictable, to say the least. Keri wasn’t wrong to be concerned about my timing; not that her hours at the studio were any better.

  I sucked in a quick breath. “I can’t say no to you.”

  She squealed as she gripped my shoulders with her hands. “Go get ready. The car will be here in twenty minutes.”

  “What car?” I asked over my shoulder as I headed away from her and down the hallway of our three-bedroom apartment.

  “I didn’t want to drive, so I ordered a Town Car.” When I shot her a knowing glance and a smirk, she admitted, “Fine, my dad’s assistant ordered it, but what does it matter? That way we can drink at the show if we want to. I’m just being responsible!”

  “You’re wasteful with money,” I said, laughing as I rushed into my room to change.

  “You’re wasteful with…life!” she shouted back.

  I rifled through my closet and pulled out a fitted black tank top that accentuated my curves in all the right places. Then I reached for my favorite worn-in skinny jeans and slipped them on. After adding my most comfortable pair of knee-high boots, ones I knew wouldn’t kill my feet after standing all night in them, my outfit for the night was complete.

  I hurried into the bathroom and plugged in my heating wand, then went to work curling fat waves into my normally stick-straight blonde hair. Realizing I didn’t have much time, I did a quick once-over on my face with fresh makeup. I dipped an oversized sable brush into my powder foundation before tapping it against the side of the container. Spreading a light coat over my already made-up face, I smiled at my reflection. A light dusting of gold eye shadow on my lids and some eyeliner made my brown eyes pop, followed by a fresh coat of glossy pink lipstick, and my day-to-night transformation was complete.

  A glittering from the corner of the counter caught my eye and I shifted a towel to reveal my favorite headband, a gift from Keri. It was gorgeous, with two rows of Swarovski crystals set ag
ainst a black elastic band.

  She knew I was obsessed with headpieces. Anything that reminded me of Roman goddesses, the Roaring Twenties, or exotic kingdoms in faraway lands, and I was all over it. What can I say; I’m a romantic. She bought me the crystal one because she knew I’d never spend that kind of money on myself, claiming that my face lit up when I saw a similar one during an opening gala party we’d attended together in Beverly Hills.

  I placed the headband across my head and over my newly wavy hair, which I mussed up a little so it looked fuller and the thick waves bounced in every direction.

  When I headed out of the bathroom and into our living room, I saw that Keri had transformed herself into a goddess. A slinky black dress clung to every curve, and her waist-length chestnut hair fell all around her.

  “Holy shit, you look gorgeous.” I pursed my lips, admiring her ridiculous body. “I hope Walker doesn’t see you tonight. He might not be able to sing.”

  She tossed her head back and laughed. “Gross. You know all those things they say about him are true, right? I mean, the tabloid stories are usually so far-fetched and out of touch with reality, but with Walker Rhodes? They’re unfortunately spot-on. Such a waste.”

  I frowned and gave a little shudder. “I’m so glad he’s not one of our clients.”

  “He’d be a complete pain in the ass, that’s for sure. But at least he shows up for work on time and does his job. It’s just all the after-hours stuff that gets him into trouble.”

  I nodded, agreeing with her assessment. “Hey, how’d you get the tickets anyway?”

  She waggled her eyebrows playfully. “My dad. Someone at the studio gave them to him. They actually wanted him to go to the show and see how Walker performed live. I think they’re going to pitch a movie with him as the lead.”

  Keri’s dad was an executive at a movie studio. He was also her boss, since she worked for him as a production assistant. Not wanting to be accused of riding Daddy’s coattails, she’d insisted on paying her dues like everyone else, but paying them under her dad’s watchful eye. It garnered her respect from her coworkers that she wasn’t using her daddy’s name to get ahead in the business. And she worked hard, which was something we had in common.

  I groaned out loud. “Not another one of those singers turned actors. Can’t they just stick with one thing?” I rolled my eyes at the ceiling. “So, do you have to give a full report back to your dad?”

  She nodded, waving her iPhone at me before tucking it into her purse. “Yep. I have to film parts of the show with my phone and e-mail them to him.”

  “You could have told me this was for work. I’ll always agree to go with you to events when they’re work-based.”

  Keri put on a serious face. “Madison, I really need you to go to Walker Rhodes’s concert with me so we can stare at his beautiful face and pretend he’s singing every love song to us and forget all about what a gross man-whoring pig he really is. Because it’s for work.” She narrowed her eyes and lowered her voice dramatically. “For work, Mads. And I need you.”

  I choked back a laugh as the doorbell rang, alerting us that our driver had arrived. “You’re so…” I stopped myself as I searched for the right word.

  “Lovable? Adorable? Amazing? I know.” She shrugged her shoulders and disappeared out the front door as I followed close behind, trying not to laugh as her hair swished from side to side the same way her ass did.

  • • •

  I followed Keri’s lead as she weaved through the slow-moving crowd. Clutching my ticket in my hand, I stopped for a moment as we passed through the double doors and entered the arena. Craning my neck to look all around, I took in the sheer number of people filing in and smiled. What an awesome feeling it must be to know that all these people were here for you.

  “Madison, keep up!” Keri shouted in my direction.

  “Sorry,” I yelled back and rushed toward her.

  “What were you doing?” Her voice was drowned out by the hum of hundreds of people chatting around us, and I didn’t respond.

  “Hey, Madison! Hey, Keri! You girls look great.” A tall, good-looking guy with brown hair rushed up to Keri and me. I tried not to frown as I struggled to place him, since this guy obviously knew who we were, but I would swear on my life that I didn’t know him. If there was one thing I’ve always been incredibly crappy at, it was recognizing faces.

  Having grown up in Los Angeles my entire life, I’ve met tons of people throughout high school, college, my internships, and now my latest job where celebrities of all types pass by my desk all day long. As a result, faces have almost become blurred to me. When you run into the people that you’ve watched on the television for years at places like the grocery store, the mall, and the beach, it really starts to mess with your ability to place people’s faces correctly.

  There have been many times I’ve thought that people looked familiar, but I had no idea where I knew them from. I actually walked up to a gorgeous girl at my local market one afternoon and asked her if we went to high school together because she looked so familiar. Turned out she was one of the leads in a vampire TV show that I didn’t watch, but I obviously knew her face from her celebrity status. Oh, the embarrassment.

  “How are you? Haven’t seen you two since we graduated!” The guy beamed, his smile so wide I could see nearly every one of his teeth.

  We went to college with him! The idea of narrowing down how we knew him excited me, but I still couldn’t place him. “So good to see you, babe,” I said as I returned his hug, and Keri stifled a laugh. She knew the second I addressed anyone as “babe” that I had no clue who they were, or where we knew them from. And most importantly, I didn’t know their name, hence the “babe.”

  “You look fantastic, Jim,” Keri responded, emphasizing his name for my reference, which made me want to both kiss her smug face, then give it a smack of a different sort. “We really have to go, though. It was great to see you.” Keri tugged on my arm, and I stumbled to keep up.

  Poor Jim stood there dumbfounded. “Uh, okay. We should hook up sometime! Call me!” he shouted as we walked away.

  Keri waved him off with a smile as she continued to walk in the opposite direction.

  “You’re so bad,” I called out at her back, her arm still tugging at mine.

  “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.