I watched over my shoulder nervously as if at any moment Rayner would be there. I knew eventually I had to see him but I wasn't prepared for it by any means. I knew he would be confused by everything that had happened in the last hour and definitely wouldn't be happy with Jackson staying in my apartment. He wouldn't allow it.
The second Eliza strutted through the door looking like absolute perfection my heart sank. It was nauseating to see everyone turn to look at her and drool. I rolled my eyes when I saw that even Jackson was doe eyed and melting into a puddle just from the sight of her. I couldn't blame them though, she was a celebrity.
Rayner was right behind her along with another man who was equally as good looking and slightly shorter than him. They were both dressed in all black suits and scoped out the place for threats because that was what they were paid to do. Immediately I thought I should hide but I needed to get this part over with. His eyes eventually fell on mine.
I locked eyes with Rayner's hard working ones that immediately softened and grew a shade lighter. His face contorted with confusion giving me a questioning look. I hadn't explained that I got a job here. We hadn't spoken much since Thanksgiving. I'd been with my newly estranged family and he was doing whatever he was doing. We were losing touch lately. I didn't want this to be over before it had even started but it was headed south because we couldn't communicate effectively and healthily not that we ever really could.
My boss shook me from my daze grabbing my arm pulling me toward Eliza and her handsome body guards. One of which use to watch out for me. I crossed my arms awkwardly behind my back staring at the ground hoping Eliza had forgotten what I looked like. "Oh Tonya is that you?" Anger boiled inside of me the minute Eliza addressed me. She was pretending to forget my name on purpose.
"Tori." I corrected calmly trying not to snap ten minutes into this event. Ramona snapped her neck to look at me obviously shocked that I knew a celebrity of this caliber. "We have met before in passing." I explained nonchalantly trying not to give her too much attention so she knew I didn't think much of her. Ramona smiled widely excited that I was already familiar with this girl but I couldn't agree less.
"Amazing! Well Eliza Tori has a room all set up for you. This way darling." Ramona motioned and Eliza flipped her hair and followed her down the hall all eyes still focused on her. Rayner strayed behind a bit to walk with me. He stopped me standing awkwardly in front of me waiting for me to explain myself.
"What are you doing here Tori?" Rayner spoke first gripping my arm carefully as if I would shove him away and book it for the door. Which I definitely wasn't opposed to doing considering this moment was so tense.
"I work here now." I explained watching to see his reaction. Rayner turned a shade of magenta. I'd only seen him blush on rare occasions but he looked truly embarrassed. He stared at me apologetically before kissing me on the forehead and walking away. My heart tugged again in my chest. I ached for him. I wanted so badly to cuddle into his arms and forget this mess that honestly shouldn't matter in the first place. We should be in a mature enough relationship to handle this time apart.
I walked past the bar, Jackson looked at me with a pained smile and turned back around to get to work. I followed behind the celebrity and my boss since I was suppose to be assisting her. "Tori!" Ramona snapped turning to give me an order. "Would you please make sure the stage is in place and that my workers are making sure everything is sound? I want nothing to go wrong tonight. It's my head if it does." I nodded jogging away happy not to have to look at Eliza or Rayner any longer than I had to.
The stage was set up beautifully in a winter wonderland theme. There was a bubble machine spraying bubbles onto the dance floor and a fog machine. Everything looked amazing and currently Eliza's band were arranging their instruments and doing their sound check. I spoke with the stage manager about what I could do to help.
He seemed really stressed out. "I need you to make sure Eliza's got plenty of water at 72 degrees and if you would bring her a single shot of brandy to her dressing room. She's been paging me and I'm going to go insane I don't have time to deal with her." I was slightly caught off guard by the short list of instructions because I was half expecting him to tell me he had it all under control. I didn't linger long and rushed to get the things he'd asked. I walked down the long hall my stomach getting upset the closer I got to Eliza's dressing room.
Rayner was standing outside the door leaning on the wall looking bored. He heard someone coming and immediately stood straighter but relaxed when he saw it was just me. He smiled despite the tension that was surrounding us. He saw the bottle of brandy and bottled water I was carrying. "I'll hand those to her real quick." He grabbed them from me knocking loudly before entering the room. I waited in the hall because I didn't want to see her dumb face.
Rayner returned and took me by surprise by engulfing me in a big hug. Every worry and ounce of stress was relieved from me. I held him tightly breathing him in. He leaned away and pushed his lips against mine pressing me into the wall opposite Eliza's room. His lips were hungry and it had been awhile for me too so I enjoyed the heated mash up. His hand curled around my behind making me squeal quietly against his mouth. He smiled in our kiss not breaking away. Our lips danced and I almost forgot where we were. Had it not been for Eliza clearing her throat behind us I probably would've jumped his bones there in the hall. We jumped away from each other our eyes on the ground like shameful scolded dogs. Rayner wiped his mouth and smirked at me before turning around toward Eliza his fingers interlocked with mine.
Eliza looked pissed but said nothing about what she'd witnessed. "Rayner I need you to fetch my phone I've forgotten it in the car." He nodded squeezed my hand and strode off quickly without a word. I cursed under my breath that I was stuck here with her but I was gleaming with pride that she'd caught us making out. "Anything I can get for you?" I asked in a chipper mood. She fake smiled at me and shook her head disappearing back behind her door shutting it a bit louder than necessary.
Rayner was back in two minutes flat. He took Eliza her phone and met me back in the hall. I knew I needed to spill my guts before he found out on his own. "So how are you? How was your Thanksgiving?" He asked tracing my collar bone. I shrugged unsure of how to start the conversation I needed to have with him.
"Decent I suppose. I need to tell you something." He turned his head at me a flicker of fear in his face. "Jackson. He is here." Rayner looked very surprised by this news. "He just showed up. I said he could stay with me until he got some money. He's going to work here with me." He nodded taking everything in. "I don't like it. It's just kind of odd to me that he disappears all this time, never was questioned by police, and suddenly here he is? We need to find out more information Tori. I don't trust it." I knew he'd feel this way. "I'm going to get a little time off soon and I don't want him there... I'm not comfortable with another guy sleeping under the same roof with my girlfriend. I'm sorry I'm just not." I sighed thinking about how he'd been staying with Eliza and even though it was different I didn't like that either and yet had to deal with it. Jackson had no one and no place else to go right now.
"I wasn't asking your permission..." I began unsure of how this conversation would end. "I was informing you." His cheeks heated up and his jaw clenched in a way that made me shiver with delight even though I should've been more concerned about the fact I had angered him. "I really don't want you to be upset but he needs someone to be there for him right now. I'd explain but now isn't the time." He nodded in agreement thinking about the information I'd given him before giving me the blessing.
"I'm trusting you Tori because this is temporary. Insane trust is going on here." He chuckled dryly. "Just be good to me. I don't want to know details about living conditions it'll just upset me. Just know I trust you." His eyes were hard, "So much trust." I laughed shoving him playfully. "Stop it! You know I will be good to you." I smiled kissing him again. He wrapped his arms around me sticking his face in the crook of my neck.
"I've missed you so much Tori. I love you." He hummed kissing my neck. "I'm sorry I'm an ass." I squeezed him scratching his back with light movements. "Let's just forget about it." I proposed grabbing his still bearded face kissing him.
"Alright, alright don't make me get a water hose." Ramona teased coming up behind Rayner. This time I was blushing embarrassed we'd been caught again. "Tori you didn't tell me you had this hunk. I'm offended you were keeping him to yourself." She turned to Rayner, "Be good to my sweet Tori. Take care of her, she needs someone to take care of her." Rayner nodded his head wrapping an arm around me securely making me feel like I was the luckiest girl in the world.
"I agree. She deserves nothing short from the best." Rayner rubbed my arm. Ramona smiled happily then jotted down something on her clipboard and handed me a sticky note. "Tori I need you to run upstairs and get this from my office for me. Quickly." She smiled once more before knocking on Eliza's door entering the dressing room. I glanced at the note and resisted the urge to laugh out loud.
Bring me the pill bottle in my top drawer. Eliza is giving me a headache.
I kissed Rayner on the cheek and hurried to Ramona's office because no one should have to deal with the demons Eliza brought out in people for too long. I couldn't help but snoop a little through Ramona's desk. A stress ball here some tampons there. I'd never seen someone so unorganized. After thoroughly deciding there was nothing of interest I hurried back to deliver Ramona's pills and assist her some more. She thanked me quietly and we rushed around catering to Eliza until everyone had arrived.
Not long after everyone arrived Eliza was finally on stage entertaining everyone. I could take a deep breath at last and sat for a minute Jackson was still busily taking orders and serving drinks behind the open bar so I sat alone sipping on a glass of wine I'd stolen from a waitress before she could question my age. I finished the drink and rushed back to work clearing tables and responding to more of Ramona's errands while also making sure everyone was having fun and being taken care of.
The night was running smoothly, people were highly intoxicated at this point. I too was buzzing a bit so I decided to switch to water before Ramona noticed I'd been sipping on the alcohol. Everyone was dancing around having an excellent time. I stood in the back observing people making sure no one was standing around not having fun. An old man slow dancing with his wife, a woman with noticeably fake everything, a man in a black trench coat hand on black metal. My eyes danced before I realized what I had just seen.
My heart stuttered and I searched the crowd for Rayner or Eliza's other security guard anybody really. I was taken by surprise as I was spun around into someone's arms. I smiled widely as Rayner pulled me in for a dance until I remembered what I'd seen and pulled away to crowd watch. "What's wrong?" He questioned catching on. I turned to look for the man in the coat with the gun but I'd lost him in the crowd.
"There was a man. I think he had a gun." I pointed to the last place I'd seen him. Rayner spoke into his walkie-talkie inaudibly. I instinctively tucked myself closer to him feeling my anxiety grow. I hated the fact I was so traumatized. I was emotionally weaker than I once was.
We searched the crowd until I saw the man again he definitely had a gun and he had it pointed directly at something above Eliza's head. I didn't think about anything I ran straight for Eliza before Rayner could stop me. I hopped on the stage quite ungracefully feeling my shin scrape along something. Eliza's face was horrified and I would've been too had a wild woman come running at me tackling me to the floor.
I heard the sound of the gun and one of the large display lights came crashing down at the exact moment Eliza and I hit the stage floor. Eliza was in total shock as was I staring at the debris literally a foot from our feet that she was nearly crushed beneath. She then turned to me tears in her eyes and did the one thing I never expected. She hugged me. I awkwardly put one arm around her as she cried while I stared out into the gasping crowd. Rayner had successfully disarmed the man preventing him from shooting a second time.
Rayner rushed over the minute the man was in police custody and ripped me away from Eliza. I was still in total shock he helped Eliza up with one arm and rubbed my arm with the other. I finally realized I was in full panic attack mode at the moment which was totally mortifying.
"Shhh." Rayner pulled me into him smoothing my hair. "What were you thinking?" He whispered. "Breathe Tori, it's okay." He hushed. He pulled away and grabbed my face. "In and out. In and out. It's okay, just breathe slowly." I attempted to control myself and only ended up doing that really embarrassing throat cry that has you gasping for air obnoxiously. He kissed my wet cheeks and squeezed my arms.
Finally I had got it together long enough for the police to take my statement. Once they were finished with Eliza and me she pulled me to the side looking more humble than I'm sure she'd been in her entire life. "Tori even after all I've done to you, you went above and beyond to save my life. I can never thank you enough. I truly am sorry and grateful." She hugged me again and then was led away by her other security. I was then engulfed by Ramona she kissed my forehead, "I am incredibly pissed at you, but I am also so proud. Go home." She dismissed me from the rest of my duties, "Jackson can go too. He has the job." She told me looking to see he'd been standing nearby.
Jackson was next to grab me and hug me much to Rayner's displeasure. And then finally I was alone with Rayner again. He kissed me gently hugging me as if I were made of glass. "Tori..." He began trailing off staring at me with sad eyes. "Don't ever do something like that again. It is my job to take down the bad guys not yours." He squeezed me. "Promise me." I nodded.
"I promise."