The act

Two days later, I was discharged from the hospital. All my mates had visited except Kara. When Jenny found out I was incapacitated, she had called Mason and suggested to send Kara in my place, but Mason rejected the offer. 

On one hand, knowing that made me feel better. It meant he believed in me and wanted me to be the one to perform at his house. It increased my self-esteem. If a man like him could want to listen to me, then maybe I had a chance to become a famous singer which was my ultimate dream. 

On the other hand it scared me. What if Mason wanted more than just singing from me? What if he wanted to use me to satisfy his sexual desires and then toss me to the streets? Knowing the type of man he was, saying no would make him angry and drive him to destroy me. 

What if he enjoyed watching me like a pervert? The more I thought of it, the more I become thankful for whoever sent me hurtling down the stairs. It has caused a dip in my pockets but that is a good price to pay if it meant staying away from a possible abuser. I learnt early in life that not all that glitters is gold.

Later that day, Jenny called and informs me that Mason had called again. Sh1t. The man did not know when to give up.

“Mason doesn’t believe you were really unwell. He thinks we faked the whole thing so please do your best tomorrow. Go with your medical report in case he asks for proof that we had a valid reason to cancel the performance last time. Don’t do anything to annoy him.”

There was a dull ache in my head, but I felt capable of performing in front of a small group of people. Since I had practiced my songs before the fall, I didn’t need to go over them again. I did some practice and by the next day, I was ready to go and give the performance of a lifetime. This time I decided to stay home in the morning and not risk a repeat of what happened at the stairs.

At 4:30, Mason’s driver arrived. Jenny came to oversee my makeup and dressing. She had bought a new red dress. She usually made us wear the old ones all the time and I was glad to wrap my body in something elegant.

Entering the house, I was ushered into the living room. Sitting on one of the plush couches, I drank some water and waited. Surprisingly, I was quite calm. I felt relieved when the maid finally returned and led me to the study. After opening the door, she ushered me in and went away.

My anxiety returned when I saw that Mason was alone, I did not expect that. My palms became sweaty and my heart started beating so loud that I could almost hear it. I took a deep breath in an attempt to calm myself down.

“Good evening, Mr. Steele.”  

The handsome man gave me a sharp look. He looked so good I wanted him to stand and envelop my body in a warm hug. Focus, April, I thought to myself.

“Good evening, April. Before you start, tell me why you didn’t show up last time?”

“I had a nasty fall and was in hospital when I was supposed to be here,” I said with a twinge of impatience in my voice. He was being unreasonable. “I can show you the medical report if you’d like.”

“I pay for fake reports all the time,” he stated.

“Well, we all don’t have lots of money lying around.”

Mason tilted his head and raised a brow.

I realized I may have messed up. The man may have been a killer and I was speaking like I was in my house,

A few seconds later, he chuckled. It was my turn to get surprised. The chuckle loosened me up. Maybe he wasn’t the monster people thought he was.

“Start,” he said.

He being alone was quite intimidating, staring at me the way he was doing scared me. Having his undivided attention was unnerving. I took a deep breath, moved a little then started belting out lyrics. Since he was completely focused on me, I followed suit. I watched him the whole time as I sang. 

Soon, the mood in the room became romantic. Our gazes were locked as I sang and he watched. It felt almost surreal, as if enchanted, and it made me give my all. I lost control of myself at some point and found myself drawing closer to him.

His intense gaze was still on, his eyes had become darker and I found that I was enjoying too much. I moved on to the second song without stopping. It was only when I finished that my senses returned to me and I walked back to where I started from. 

Mason didn’t say a thing.

“What do you think?” I asked him, unable to wait any longer.

“Good,” he said with a slight nod. “You can go now. Your payment will be sent to your boss.”

What? Just like that?

What an insensitive jerk! I wanted to vocalize my thoughts but decide against it. I was mad but I just picked up my purse and stormed out of there. 

I hated that I gave him the performance of my life, and that was all he said. Didn’t he feel the connection I did? I had expected him to comment on the fact that I found myself moving towards him, or even tease me. 

I didn’t know if I was angrier at him or myself. The maid asked me if I wanted a drink but I said ‘no’. Leaving the mansion, I walked to the car and touched it to alert the driver, as he’d told me. The alarm went off and I saw him coming out of the garage.

“I take it things didn’t go according to plan,” he said.

I shook my head. “It’s not like that.” Opening the door, I got in the car. “It’s just that I expected him to at least say something. I gave him the performance of my lifetime. How do you manage to work for such an aloof man?”

The man smiled. “He’s not that bad once you get to know him.”

I laughed. “That’s the anthem of friends of terrible people. By the way, is he really in the drug business like everyone says?”

“When you’re famous, everyone has a lot of things to say about you. You might become famous one day and experience it yourself.”

“You haven’t answered my question.”

“My work is to drive you back home.”

“Does that mean what I said is true?”

The man slowed down. “Look here. Clearing up rumors or confirming them is not my job so better ask someone else? If you don’t want me to leave you on the street, you should shut up.”

I raised my brows and brought my lips together.

Despite his earlier niceness, I realized he was no different from his boss.