Mogul (30 page)

As talented as she was, she wasn’t the only
contestant that had won the hearts of the judges. Jace Riga, a
21-year-old disabled veteran who juggled movie star good looks with
an artificial leg, had blown them all away during his audition,
where he confessed that he never knew he could sing until he was
lying in a hospital bed, recovering from the bomb blast that had
left him an amputee. It had kept him balanced through the recovery
process, as he learned how to walk again and face the world with
what looked like a limitation.

“I’d have never known I could sing if it
hadn’t been for that roadside bomb,” he told them as he took the
stage. He pointed to his artificial limb that reached from his knee
to the stage. “Now I have a bionic foot and the chance to sing for
the country I love.”

All three judges soundly voted him through to
the live shows. From his wavy, jet-black hair, olive skin and
bright green eyes to his heroic, optimistic, can-do, "Ooh-rah!"
attitude, they knew he had everything it took to be a fan favorite
from the get-go.

He, too, would be on their live broadcast
premiere. Maggie signed on as his assistant from that first
audition, which officially switched her employment from Graham to
another patient. This was good news for both Maggie and Graham, who
had begun to take baby steps into a new romance. His paying her to
take care of him suddenly felt inappropriate at best.

She still lived in the house, and she
accompanied him to work every day, but no longer as his healthcare
provider.

They instead used all downtime to foster the
growing feelings between them, both as friends and as lovers –
though they had not yet taken that final step toward the
bedroom.

It had been a long time for Maggie. She
didn’t want to jump into bed with Graham, especially since she knew
he had residual feelings for Andy. That had been clear after Andy
was attacked at her beach house, and Graham immediately wanted to
bring her back to Malibu.

That night, when he had returned from the
hospital and told Maggie what he had proposed to Andy, she let him
know she was nobody’s substitute. She slammed off into her bedroom
after telling Graham he’d better make his choice before she made it
for him.

Fortunately they had been too busy the past
week to argue too much about it, but Graham realized quickly that
he had messed up and deserved her ire. He was still chasing after a
rainbow when a pot of gold sat in his own house. He knew what a gem
Maggie was before, but seeing how she tended to Jace really drove
it home what a remarkable woman Maggie Fowler truly was.

Maybe he was as afraid to be loved completely
as Andy or Vanni had been.

They’d all been circling love for years,
never quite capturing what it meant to truly give oneself to
another person.

When Shannon’s husband, Jake Dalton, showed
up with her for the live show, both Graham and Vanni were reminded
what it meant to be a man committed to the woman he loved. Jake was
completely content to walk beside Shannon and enjoy her success
with her, his arm draped casually around her shoulders, a proud
smile on his face as she did what he knew she did best. He didn’t
look at other women; he didn’t pine for lost loves. He knew the
woman on his arm was the absolutely best life could offer. It
showed every time he looked at her.

It made Vanni wish that Andy were beside him.
She deserved all that and more. Within weeks she would be his wife,
and the whole world would know exactly how much she meant to
him.

He, too, knew that she was the very best life
had to offer. Without her, everything he had chased so long – fame
and adulation – rang hollow. It meant nothing, he knew that
now.

There was a gentle smile on his face as the
lights dimmed and the show started.

As the theme music died
away, an exotic, sensual beauty with caramel skin and a scarlet,
sequined gown stepped into the spotlight. She had a hint of a
Southern lilt to her voice as she said, “My name is Dominique
Prejean and this is
Fierce
.” The crowd went wild. She
sauntered easily around the stage. “If you’ve ever had a dream that
others said was too big for you, this is your show. Here, no dream
is too big. Here, stars don’t come in some over-produced package.
We’re looking for something that doesn’t fit into some tired, ol’
box or add up with the same boring formula. We encourage the
oddballs, welcome the outcasts and celebrate those with enough
courage to stand out from the pack. All you need to succeed here is
a lot of talent… and the right attitude. You gotta be –”

“Fierce!” thundered the audience. Dominique
smiled wide.

“You got it,” she said. “It’s a big job and
that’s why we hired the best in the business to guide us along the
way. Give it up for your judges.”

Each judge stood and turned toward the
enthusiastic audience with a wave as she introduced them. “Show
some love for Ryder Reed. He kept us all on the dance floor
producing such artists as DJ Kumbago, with the club hit, ‘Not
Enough Feet (on the Dance Floor.)’”

“Of course y’all know Allison Ewing, whose
pop-country classic ‘Not Takin’ My Man Without a Fight’ was a huge
crossover hit in the 1980s.”

Finally it was Vanni’s turn. He hadn’t been
in front of a crowd since New Year’s Eve, and just like every time
he stepped out in front of an audience he expected them all to
somehow figure out he was just some kid off the Philadelphia
streets who managed to get lucky. His heart was in his throat, but
the audience, particularly the women, lost their minds as Dominique
let the moment build.

“And for us ladies,” she said as she gave him
a wink, “His hit ‘Wanting Her’ was a worldwide phenomenon, only
knocked off the charts by his second album ‘Only For This Moment,
Girl.’” Dominique had to keep raising her voice over the roar of
the audience. “From Dreaming in Blue, Giovanni Carnevale!”

He stood and turned to see the screaming
fans, who couldn’t believe they were so close to one of their
idols. He touched his heart with gratitude, before blowing a
kiss.

He couldn’t believe after all he had done
that they still loved him. He was a lucky, lucky man.

They cut together some of the pre-taped
footage along with the live performances. By their premiere they
had painstakingly picked twenty quarterfinalists that would perform
live for votes. Dominique explained to the audience what they could
expect within the next few months. For the first month, five would
perform a week, with one elimination. After that, the remaining
sixteen semifinalists would be halved into two performance shows,
where two contestants would be cut, forming the final twelve.

At that point each show would feature all
finalists battling against each other, eliminating one a week until
they reached the September 20 finale.

For the premiere, Jordi, Jace and Milo would
battle against Deena Keys and Shelby Goddard. It was the first real
test for Jordi, given Deena and Shelby presented a more traditional
pop star package to the audience. Shelby in particular offered a
little more conventional, homespun appeal. She had perfect blond
hair, blue eyes and wore a cross around her neck while talking
about how Jesus had gotten her through a poor upbringing in
Oklahoma, when her family nearly lost their farm.

Her song, about having faith in herself
despite her uphill climb, wowed the judges and the audience
alike.

Deena was a sexy city girl from Jersey, who
had an accent and attitude to spare. She wore tiny skirts and
teased hair, unafraid to lean heavily on her boy-toy branding to
win some votes. Her pop song included a dance troop, and she kept
time right alongside.

If Vanni was wrong about how their audience
would receive Jordi in comparison, she could go home the very first
night. Allison argued that would be more merciful than letting her
linger week after week if the audience didn’t fall in love with
her.

Vanni was pleased to see her sing toward the
end of the show, so she could cement herself in the short-term
memory of her audience. He needn’t have worried, though. Her
placement paled in comparison to her performance. She sang the same
song she sang for the judges in her first live audition. Not only
did it show her power and range, but it also gave her that hint of
vulnerability the song demanded. Again she nearly brought the
judges to tears, and this time all three jumped to her feet when
she was done.

They could barely be heard over the reaction
of the audience, who may have been a little skeptical when she
first stepped foot onto that stage, but by the time she had
finished they were all believers.

“I have to be honest with you, Jordi,” Ryder
told her. “I didn’t know if there was a place for you in pop music.
You proved with that performance right there that you just made
one.”

Allison echoed the sentiment. “I hope America
opens their hearts to you. I get the feeling the best is yet to
come.”

Vanni gave her a wide smile when she and
Dominique turned to him for his critique. “There are a lot of
people who can sing. An even smaller number sing really, really
well. What you did tonight went beyond that.” He motioned to the
audience. “You did that,” he said. “You made them feel. You
connected every single one of us. No matter what happens throughout
this show or throughout your life. I want you to know that you are
special. You are a star, Jordi Hemphill.”

Jordi nodded through tears as she waved at
the audience. Dom gave her information so that everyone could call
in and vote for her.

Jace brought the show to a close, with a song
about being a hero for the one that he loved. From the way the
girls in the audience, especially those close to the stage,
screamed for him, Vanni knew from experience he had won a
substantial fan base of young girls who didn’t care one iota about
his artificial foot.

They wanted to hear more from the exotic
Greek boy with thick dark tresses and incandescent green eyes.

After a recap the show ended, and the
contestants and the judges headed out for the after party. Five
lucky audience members won a pass backstage to meet everyone, and
while Vanni was as warm and cordial as he had always been he no
longer felt the need to flirt with them and make them fall in love
with him. He smiled, he gave hugs, posed for photos and signed
autographs, but the velvet rope was definitely up and even the
groupies understood there was a line that could no longer be
crossed.

Even Graham couldn’t help but notice the
change.

As Vanni made his way through the
contestants, he was stopped by a young, Midwestern guy who looked a
little out of place. He wasn’t from California or a part of the
Hollywood media machine, and he certainly didn’t look the type to
be at the function or even know who Giovanni was.

But he put out his hand. “I just wanted to
thank you for what you did for Jordi,” he said.

“You know Jordi?” Vanni asked.

“I guess you can say she was my girlfriend
back home,” he said. Vanni looked him over. This everyguy was not
what Vanni would have pictured for Jordi, who had been born to
stand out. He wore jeans and a plaid shirt, his sandy blond hair
was trimmed short and respectable. “I’m Eddie Nix,” he introduced
finally.

“You must be very proud,” Vanni said as the
two men started down the red carpet that led to the location of the
party.

“To be honest with you, I never thought she’d
make it this far,” Eddie said. “She’s not like other girls.”

Vanni smiled. “That’s part of her magic.”

Eddie shrugged. “For now. Till the novelty
wears off. But at least it gives her something to remember when she
has to go back to Iowa.”

Vanni sent him a sideways glance. “What makes
you think she’ll go back to Iowa?”

“She doesn’t fit in out here,” Eddie
responded simply. “I tried to tell her that before she came but you
know girls. They live with their heads in the clouds.”

Vanni stopped and faced the younger man. “If
you ask me, that’s where her head belongs. She’s too big for some
ordinary life in Iowa.”

“That’s part of the problem,” Eddie shot back
in guy-to-guy honesty.

Vanni was stunned. “Are you saying because
she’s heavy, she can’t succeed?”

“Did you see that Deena chick dance? You
think Jordi could ever do something like that? People want sexy and
slinky. Jordi isn’t any of those things.” Vanni continued to stare
at him in shocked disbelief. “Hey, don’t get me wrong,” Eddie
finally said. “I love her and all. But I just want her to be
realistic. If she wants a life like this, she has to change.
Otherwise she’s just the fat lady they pay extra money to see at a
side show. She’ll be a joke.”

Vanni didn’t know what to say. He couldn’t
believe what he was hearing from someone who claimed to be Jordi’s
boyfriend. Instead of being supportive, he was trying to shove her
into some stupid box in which she clearly wouldn’t fit, all the
while making her feel it was her inadequacy that was at fault.

“I told her when she left Iowa that she could
always come home. I’d help her lose weight and she could try again.
Hell, I even offered to marry her if she could fit in my mama’s
size 6 wedding dress, but she won’t even try to better herself.
She’s determined to show us all she can make it on her own on her
own terms.”

Vanni was still speechless as they walked
through the doors to the party.

“Anyway, I just wanted to thank you for going
easy on her. I know she’s not like the girls you’re probably used
to being around. And when she gets voted off, just send her home.
We’ll get her in fighting shape for next time.”

Eddie patted Vanni on the back before going
off to find Jordi, no doubt to reinforce her insecurities. Suddenly
it all made sense to Vanni, and he decided right then and there
that she not only deserved to win, she needed to. It was the only
way to shut up all the naysayers and prove it can be done on her
terms.