Tainted (20 page)

“I guess I got kind of carried away with the pictures.”

“No, I love it. Before, it was like you lived in your head. You were afraid to hold on to anything sentimental, but this,” I said, gesturing around the room, “is incredible. It’s like you’re opening up and showing the world who you are and what you care about.”

He was silent as I walked around the room, looking at each picture. One in particular caught my attention. I reached up and took it off the wall to get a better look. It was a family photo. A man with coal black hair was standing behind a woman with flowing blonde hair. She was holding a dark-haired toddler in her lap.

“Is this your family?” I asked.

I knew it was, but I wanted confirmation. I could see so much of Drake in both of his parents. While it was obvious that he looked mostly like his father, his mother’s eyes were identical to his.

“It is. This was taken when I was two.”

“You guys look so happy. And you look so much like your dad.”

“We were. I wish I could go back to when that picture was taken and then relive every moment after. I’d cherish them so much more.”

“Hold on to the memories you do have. They’re never truly gone if you remember them.”

He took the picture from me and placed it on a desk next to me. “Thanks, babe. You always know what to say.”

I shook my head. “I really don’t. I fly by the seat of my pants most days, and I just say whatever comes to mind.”

He laughed. “Well, you do a pretty damn good job. Why don’t you get changed and meet us downstairs?”

“Okay. I’m afraid to open Jade’s box.”

“She knows what you like.”

“I hope so. I spent too many years being dressed by Amber to start that disaster all over again.”

He chuckled as he left and closed the door behind him. I eyed the box on the bed warily as I approached it. I lifted the lid carefully, praying that Jade hadn’t screwed me over. I felt a sense of dread when I saw all the fluffy paper hiding my present. From the packing, it was obvious that the gift was expensive. I held my breath as I moved aside the paper. I relaxed when I saw whatever was in the box was black. I hated bright colors, and Jade knew that.

I pulled it slowly from the box. My mouth dropped open in shock when I saw a gorgeous black cocktail dress. It had an emo-gothic feel to it, and I loved it. I pulled off my clothes and slid into it. It fit perfectly. I walked to a wall mirror and stared at my reflection. Despite my crazy car hair and lack of makeup, I looked pretty damn good. The dress wrapped around one shoulder and ended a few inches above my knees. The neckline was daring, but not slutty. I turned away from the mirror, and I was grateful that Drake had been thoughtful enough to carry my bag upstairs. I grabbed my straightener and cosmetics out of it. I noticed that there was a bathroom was attached to our room, and I walked inside to try to tame my hair and look somewhat presentable.

Once I was happy with my appearance, I walked downstairs to where the guys and Jade were waiting. As soon as I entered the living room, Drake had me in his arms, and he kissed me like he hadn’t seen me in years. I was breathless when he finally released me.

“Get a room!” Adam yelled.

“What was that for?” I asked.

“I missed you,” Drake replied.

“We were apart for all of twenty minutes.”

“After being in a car with you for the past few days, it seemed longer than that.”

I smiled. “You can be so freaking sweet when you want to be.”

He glanced over at the guys and Jade. “Just don’t tell them that. After all these years together, they still think I’m an asshole.”

“We do not.” Jade rolled her eyes. “You guys ready?”

“Yeah, I’m starving,” Adam grumbled.

“Shut up and get your ass off my couch if you’re in such a hurry,” Drake said.

Adam was up and out the door before any of us could register the fact that he’d moved. I busted out laughing as the rest of us walked out the door together. Drake held me back, so the others were ahead of us.

I gave him a questioning look. “What?”

“I can’t wait to rip that fucking dress off of you. You look incredible. I think I’d rather stay home and have dinner.”

He raised an eyebrow suggestively, and I blushed all the way to my toes.

“Oh my God. You did not just say that!”

He grinned as he grabbed my ass and pulled me tight against him. “We’ll save that for later. Let’s go party.”

“I thought we were having dinner?”

“We’re stopping for something to eat real quick before we go to a club.”

“Oh, okay.” I guessed I was being thrown into L.A. life faster than I’d thought.

Drake released me, and I walked over to where his car was parked. The guys and Jade were already in a car idling behind Drake’s car. He waved them to go ahead, and then we got into his car and backed out of the driveway.

I started to feel nervous as we headed back to the center of L.A. I wasn’t good with crowds, and I wasn’t sure how I would handle being surrounded by a bunch of strangers. I hated to depend on Drake, but I definitely needed him to help me adjust to this life.

After battling the crazy Los Angeles traffic again, we pulled up in front of a sushi restaurant. As soon as we stepped out of the car, a man appeared and took Drake’s key. I gave Drake a confused look, and he shook his head.

“They have valet parking almost everywhere here. You better get used to it.”

“Oh, okay,” I said, feeling silly.

The guys and Jade were standing by the entrance, waiting for us to join them. Once we were all inside, the hostess took us to a table in the back of the restaurant. I noticed that she had seated us far away from all the other guests. When I asked Drake about it, he explained that they’d been here before, and the staff knew who they were. They weren’t being noticed a lot yet, but since their music video had been released, people had come up to them from time to time.

It was strange that all of this had already started. Once the album came out and they started touring, we wouldn’t be able to just go out and do things anymore. People would know who Drake was, and they’d want a piece of him. After dealing with Kadi, I worried about stalkers now. I didn’t want anything to happen to Drake, and we both knew that there were some serious nut jobs in this world.

We placed our orders, and our food was brought out shortly after. I spent the next hour catching up on what had happened with the band since I’d seen them last. They also wanted to know what had been happening in my life. It felt like I’d never been away from them. Although we weren’t blood-related, these people were my family.

Right as we were getting ready to leave, my phone started ringing. I pulled it out of my purse to see that Jordan was calling.

“Hello?” I answered.

“Hey, did you make it to California yet? I haven’t heard from you in a couple of days,” Jordan said.

“Yeah, we made it. We’re at dinner with the band right now.”

“You should’ve called me. I was worried.”

“I’m sorry. I never even thought about it. I also need to text Amber and Logan to let them know I made it.”

“Yeah, you should. I’ll let you go, but I wanted to make sure that you were safe.”

“Thanks for thinking of me,” I said.

“Always. Take care, Chloe.”

“Bye, Jordan.”

When I said Jordan’s name, I felt Drake tense beside me, but I ignored it as I sent a text to Amber and Logan to let them know that I’d made it safely. I put my phone back into my purse and looked up to see Drake watching me closely.

“Everyone ready to go?” I asked.

“Yeah, we’ll meet you guys there,” Eric said.

We stood up and started walking to the door. Drake was quiet as we waited for his car to be pulled around. He was still quiet as we pulled away from the restaurant.

“What’s wrong?” I asked, already knowing the answer.

“I didn’t realize that you still talked to Jordan,” he said quietly.

“Of course I do. He’s my friend, just like Amber and Logan.”

“I don’t like it. I’ve accepted Logan in your life, but Jordan just rubs me the wrong way.”

“You need to accept that I’m friends with him. It’s not like I talk to him every day. We talk on the phone once or twice a week, and the last time I saw him was at Christmas.”

“So, while I was being a fucking asshole out here in L.A., you were singing Christmas carols and opening presents with him?”

I sighed. “You can’t be jealous of him or Logan when you’re going to have women hanging all over you all the time. You have to trust me. We’re starting fresh, so let’s put Logan and Jordan behind us. Okay?”

“You’re right. I’m being a jealous idiot. If I can accept Logan, I can accept Jordan.”

“Thank you.” I leaned over and kissed him on the cheek. “I promise that you’re the only man I want.”

“I don’t know. I’ve seen the way you look at Adam. I’m starting to worry.”

I laughed. “You’re right. I can’t hide my feelings anymore. I’m in love with Adam.”

“I knew it!” he joked.

We pulled up to a nightclub, and just like before, a man was beside Drake by the time he got out of the car. Drake handed over his keys, and then he took my hand and walked to the door. There was a line outside the door, but the bouncer took one look at Drake and let us pass by. I saw several people glaring at us when we passed by.

“Come here often?” I joked.

“Brad thinks it’s a good idea to be seen out and about in L.A. This is one of the biggest clubs in town, so we’re here every weekend. I just go with it. He knows what he’s doing.”

“Don’t the fans who recognize you come up to you?”

“Nah. The club has a VIP floor here that overlooks the main floor. People can see us, but they can’t come up.”

I whistled as we entered the club. “Wow.”

Nothing could have prepared me for this. The bars where the band had played last summer were shacks compared to this place. The floor beneath my feet looked like it was made of glass with lights shining up through it. Above my head, hundreds of orbs in different colors were hanging every few feet. Laser lights were everywhere and in every color that I could think of. There were booths around the entire room. Each table was made of glass with lights inside of it, mimicking the floor. The seats had a band of lights across the top. I looked over to the huge dance floor. Hundreds of bodies were dancing to Icona Pop’s “I Love It.”

I kept my arm looped through Drake’s as we walked over to a staircase. Another bouncer was standing there in front of a rope. When he saw Drake, he removed the rope and let us through without a word.

We walked up the steps to the second floor. It was a lot like the main floor, but it was a little bit fancier. When I noticed the floor was black marble, I sighed in relief. Being on the upper level, I wouldn’t feel comfortable walking on glass floors, thinking that the people below us could look up and see under my dress. The booth seats were all a pristine white color with the same glass tables as below. There was a smaller dance floor on this level. My mouth dropped open as I recognized some faces from movies and music videos. Dear Lord, it was like I’d walked right into the middle of a tabloid.

Jade and the guys were already sitting at a booth next to the railing that surrounded this level of the club. We walked over and sat down with them. I took a seat against the railing that separated me from the level we’d been on moments before. I peeked through the rungs to stare down at the people dancing below us. I’d never seen so many people together like this. I was going to need some time to get used to L.A.

“What do you think?” Jade yelled from across the table.

“It’s nuts. There are so many people.”

She laughed. “You’ll get used to it.”

A waitress appeared at our table and took our drink orders. I had no clue what to order, so Drake ordered for me. A few minutes later, she appeared with all of our drinks. I was shocked at how fast she was, but Drake shrugged when I asked.

“VIP is a whole new world. They kiss your ass on just about everything.”

I was silent as Drake and the band talked. I was too busy watching everyone around us. In the booth directly across from us, I saw an actor that I’d followed for years. To be sitting this close to him was unreal. I started to feel uneasy as I realized that this was going to be Drake’s life from now on. How would I ever be able to fit in and feel comfortable in this world? I was so different from all of this.

“Want to dance?” Drake whispered in my ear.

I jumped. I’d been so lost in my thoughts that I had forgotten where I was. “Um, I don’t think so. Have you see the people on this floor? I’ll probably fall on my face in front of them.”

“You’ll be fine. If you start to fall, I’ll catch you.”

“Don’t you always?” I asked.

He pulled me from the booth and led me to the floor where a few other couples were dancing. I kept my eyes on him as we started moving to the music. I was afraid to look around and see someone watching us. He smiled down at me as he pulled my body tight against his. I shivered as I felt the heat radiating off of his body. I slowly ran my hands between us and up his stomach until they were wrapped around his neck.