Her Elusive Price (Book 2)

Nine

Sydney

My brain stopped working the moment I heard love interest from Maddox. It was like I turned the television on mute and tried to lip-read what the main character was saying and while doing so, I was imagining the kind of scenario that happens between a rock god and his love interest. “So, what do you think?” he ended and my mouth popped open. “I-.” Oh my god! Never have I ever thought that I’d be in any of Lucid Mantra’s music videos much more the front man’s love interest, and yet here I am sitting in front of the most gorgeous member of the band offering me the job just like that. Wow, just wow!

“Do you maybe want to do it?” he asked again when I couldn’t say anything. “Yeah!” I answered too enthusiastically which had me blushing and him grinning from ear to ear. “Awesome, when can you meet everyone?” I mentally took note of my schedule which is not much in reality and blurted an answer. “I'm free anytime tomorrow or the next day after tomorrow, that is if everyone is free.” Eager much? Maddox nodded with a satisfied look and took his phone. “I’ll let Colin know and ask.”

I sat there staring at Maddox’s back while he spoke with their manager and all I could think about was he must have been heaven-sent not only to me but to women in general. In my case, he has been swooping in out of nowhere to save the day every time I’m in tough s**t. I mean, I don’t want to get used to this, but I can’t help but be thankful I’ve met him, you know? Then there’s the genuine kindness that rolls off of him all the time. It’s like he’s used to being nice to anyone and helping people. And when he sings? You just get transported to another place and time. He captivates everyone even if he’s just standing at the corner minding his own business. This is most likely the reason why women love throwing themselves at him. It’s not just because he’s famous, but it’s also the way he handles himself.

“All set. We’ll meet tomorrow at four in the afternoon," I nodded with a smile plastered on my face. "So, want to hang out with me for the rest of the day?” he asked as if we were long-time friends. Is he for real? Does he really want to hang out with me? If he was another famous celebrity, he would’ve kicked me out or made up an excuse to ask me to leave as soon as he has gotten what he wanted. But not Maddox. It’s either he’s really bored or he really enjoys my company. Either way, who am I to say no to this. It’s not like I get to hang out with a super hot rock star on a regular basis, right? “Okay.”

“We can stay here and do whatever or we can go out. It’s up to you,” he said and it surprised me that he’s really giving me the choice. I must’ve looked so pitiful earlier that he’s made it his day’s mission to cheer me up which is really sweet. Then again, I could just be imagining things. Yeah, I’m just imagining it. “Well, as you’ve seen earlier the clothes I wore don’t exactly scream let’s go out to party plus it’s still in your dryer, so if it’s really okay with you, can we stay here?” I shyly asked as I try really hard to hold his gaze without faltering. “Staying in it is! So what can we do at home you ask? Why we have several wonderful options you can choose from. Option number one, to go on a movie marathon while stuffing our faces with pizza and popcorn. Option number two, drink your sorrows away while occasionally belting out your choice of angry songs no matter how off-key you may be. Option three, go swimming in the heated pool which I rarely use. And lastly, all of the above! Which option will it be, Ms. Prescott?” He mentioned these options in a goofy game show host accent that had me giggling so much.

“Those are really, really tough choices Maddox, but I think I would like to choose option one please,” I answered as if I was really a contestant in a game show which made him chuckle. It wasn’t the most exciting choice, but somehow, I wanted to know what movies he prefers watching because that will somehow give me more insight about him. “Alright, follow me then,” he said as he extended his hand to help me up. The funny thing is, I don’t exactly know who didn’t let go of who, but we basically headed towards another room in the house where I found four comfy sofa chaises and a huge television mounted on the wall without breaking our intertwined hands. Again, oh my god.

“What movie?” he asked. “Any. You choose,” I shrugged as I sat down on the farthest sofa chaise. “Something scary then,” he said as he scrolled through the list of horror films. “Hey Syd,” he said with his back facing me and it took me a good second to recognize that he just made a nickname for me. “Huh?” I asked. “What’s your favorite scary movie?” Damn it... See I knew this was going to happen sooner or later. It’s not just Maddox, but people just can’t help themselves. “Oh, no you didn’t,” I said snapping my fingers while I move my head from side to side and we both burst into laughter. “I’m sorry, I just had to,” he said in between his snickering. “Someday, when I become famous, I’m going to change my name into something so awesome that you’d be super amazed. Just you wait, Maddox. Just you wait,” I exclaimed and it made him laugh more. “Sure. sure. Wait here while I get some popcorn and order pizza. Beer?” he offered just as he was about to disappear. “No, thank you,” I answered.

We started our movie marathon with Amityville and ended with The Dirt. It’s not that I’m a scaredy-cat, but when you watch three horror films back to back, it kinda makes you a bit paranoid at some point, right? So, I opted for a change of genre which had me feeling awkward as hell when the s*x scenes came up. Why? because I wasn’t watching with just anyone. Not my girls or my closest friend. I was watching a movie about rock stars banging groupies and their quick rise to fame with Maddox. He glanced a few times at me, but I kept my eyes focused straight ahead. I pretended that I was so interested in the movie even though I was literally burning in my seat. When the movie ended, I breathed a sigh of relief. Note to self: next time you watch a movie with someone you have the hots for, make sure to choose a wholesome one to save yourself from embarrassment.

By ten in the evening, Maddox and I were arguing about how I was going to get home. I insisted on calling a cab which I will be paying with the money I will be borrowing from Faith, while he insisted on driving me home. He had already done so much for me today, so I really didn't want to bother him anymore. We had a back and forth thing before we reached his front door. When he realized that there was no way I was going to take his offer, he suddenly crouched down and lifted me up caveman-style before walking toward his car with long strides. "Maddox! Put me down!" I squealed as I tried my best to safely escape from his hold. "Put you down in a bit, Syd. Stop squirming, will you? I don't want to drop you on your head," he chuckled as he kept going. Accepting my defeat, I just hang over his shoulder like a rag doll until it was time for him to put me down.

Not exactly how I pictured myself being swept off my feet, but okay.