Page 35 of Indescribable Love
Or maybe she was already sexually frustrated and anything was going to be a turn-on right now.
“For what it’s worth, Simon, I get it. Nikki got the call, and she was dreading telling you about it for this exact reason. You’re upset, but you’re trying to pretend that you’re not.” Then she paused. “Although…you’re not smiling and acting like your usual chipper self, so maybe you’re not pretending and this is you when you’re upset!” She clapped her hands, feeling proud of herself. “I’m so relieved that it’s possible! Yay!”
He was still staring. “Are you done?”
Juliette instantly sobered, clearing her throat and nodding. “I am. Sorry. But you really need to know that I am going to be all over these guys today. I promise. No one’s going to force you to do anything or put anything in this film that you don’t want. It seems odd to me that Mick’s not forcing them to back off, but…whatever.”
“Because Mick doesn’t know. He doesn’t get it.”
This was her opening. Her chance to make him tell her.
The words were right there on the tip of her tongue. She felt her mouth open and then close, but ultimately, she couldn’t do it.
Shrugging, she said, “Then shame on him. He should respect what you’re asking, even if he doesn’t know all the reasons. But don’t worry, I’ll take care of it.”
“Juliette…”
“Eat your lunch,” she said with a wink. “And I want to know all about how today’s music is going so we can dazzle everyone on the call.”
It was a weak distraction at best, but it worked.
Going out on a stage and performing for tens of thousands of people was never a problem. Simon was more comfortable on a stage than almost anywhere else. So going on this video call—even with Nikki and Juliette sitting beside him—was definitely the reason he felt completely sick to his stomach.
There was a light knock on his bedroom door, and he reluctantly called out, “Come in.” It was undoubtedly Juliette, but he wished he had a little more time to himself.
“Hey.” It was Nikki. Stepping into the room, she shut the door behind her. “You okay?”
“No,” he said with a mirthless laugh. “I never should have agreed to this project, Nik. It’s going to be a disaster. They’re going to steamroll right over all my objections and…”
Stepping in front of him, she gently grasped both his shoulders. “Have a little faith, Simon. I think Jules might be the perfect advocate for you.”
“This isn’t about being an advocate. That’s not her job. She’s supposed to be handling PR for me and this damn film, not dealing with bullies.” And he hated how that’s essentially what this was amounting to.
“Stop thinking of it like that,” she admonished before pausing, her expression softening. “Say the word and we can back out of it. Mick will be pissed, but you’ve got a great legal team and we can claim breach of contract if they don’t want to honor your requests. The way I see it, it’s not really worth all of this.”
The sigh was out before he could stop it, and his head lolled back. “Nik, you know why I don’t want…”
“I do,” she quickly interrupted. “And I am 100% in agreement with you. Walk away from it, Simon. It’s not worth your mental health.”
There was another knock at the door, and this time he knew it was Juliette. She opened the door slightly and peeked in. “Everything okay? I thought we could set up downstairs where all the guitars are. Maybe to give us a bit of a working atmosphere.”
“Sure,” he murmured. “That works.”
“Or,” she quickly added, “we can just as easily sit at the dining room table. It’s wherever you’re going to be more comfortable, Simon.”
Anywhere but here…
“I think downstairs would be great,” Nikki said, making the decision for him. Smiling, she took his hand and gave it a reassuring squeeze. “The decision moving forward is all yours. This is your career, your life, and your decision. Remember that.” Releasing his hand, she left the room.
“What’s going on?” Juliette asked, and he saw the tiny crease between her brows. She was trying not to freak out or frown, but…she was.
“Nik is a firm believer in me controlling my own destiny,” he said with a weak smile. “She thinks it would be fine to tell Mick that the deal’s off and that I no longer want to do this project.”
“O-kay…is that what you’re going to do? Because I need to know these things.” Her tone was clipped and very impersonal, very much like those first days after she arrived here. Publicist Juliette was back, and he shouldn’t be surprised.
“I don’t know!” he snapped, his hands raking through his hair. The pacing came next. “Backing out is the coward’s way and that’s not who I am, but at the same time, moving forward is…it’s…I can’t explain it!”
When he turned and faced her, she looked cool and composed, her expression completely closed. Her hands were clasped tightly in front of her. “Backing out is not cowardly,” she said firmly, but softly. “There is obviously a trauma there and no one has the right to make you relive it or put you in a place that undoes all the healing you’ve done.” Lifting her chin, she studied him for a long moment. “You don’t need to be in on the call. I’ll handle it.”