Page 80 of False Promises

Of how the pretty princess turned into the evil queen

With my pen resting between my clenched teeth, I changed a few notes and one line of the lyrics until I attained the desired result.

A smile peeked on my lips.

Music made me proud and happy. I wished I had more time to dedicate to it. It’d been months since the last time I wrote a song. And I loved the sense of accomplishment it provided me.

I missed it.

Even though I dreamed of a new beginning, in all honesty, I missed so many things from my old life. All the good parts. Even some of the bad ones because compared to what I endured during dinner or what my life with Savannah Prince had become, those seemed minuscule now.

Once my anger had dissipated, I returned to Savannah and her guest and glanced at the clock on the living room wall. Nine-twenty-one. Whoa. I’d been in my music room for almost two hours.

Just as I walked into the dining room, Jean-Jacques stood with his empty plate.

Savannah waved her hand at him. “Oh, no need to clean up after yourself. Carter is on dishes duty tonight. Just leave it there. I have a long day tomorrow. I need my beauty sleep, so I won’t be of any help.”

She shrugged.

I used the fact that the man was already standing to walk to him, place my hand between his shoulder blades, and lead him to the door.

“Like Savannah said, she needs her beauty sleep. You should go.”

He glanced at his expensive watch. “But it’s not even ten o’clock.”

“Sorry, man. You’ll see her on one of her sets. Good night.”

I yanked the door open, and Jean-Jacques walked through it before Savannah could register what I’d just done.

With a shake of my head, I closed and locked the door after him, and my eyes met her furious ones when I turned around.

“What?” I asked, pretending to have no idea why she was mad at me.

“How could you? You can’t treat my guests this way, Carter. I’m so ashamed of you right now. You made me look bad in front of him. I’ll never forgive you. Imagine what he’ll say to the crew tomorrow. That I’m living with a caveman in a low-class apartment, who has no manners and who threw him out like a savage beast.”

I closed in on her. “What the hell was this night all about? Don’t tell me it’s to get a role because you already have it. Is flirting with the producer a requirement of the movie? You told me when we first started dating that you would never use sex to get a role. All night, you acted like a desperate woman to get his attention. You let him touch you in front of me. If you want to blame someone for their manners, then check your reflection in the mirror. There’s one that cost me a few grand on the bedroom wall.”

Savannah waved both her arms around her.

Anger spewed from her eyes.

“This again? Carter, your jealousy and greediness are out of control. Why can’t you ever let me have some innocent fun? We were just flirting. Grow up.” She quirked a brow, and I had to talk myself into not encouraging her attempt to fight. She pursed her red lips. “How do you think I felt when Dahlia came to visit you and you guys kissed and hugged all night?”

Sure, my best friend and I were affectionate toward each other, but the entire time Dahlia was here, we stood more than three feet away because knowing Savannah’s unpredictable temper, I didn’t want her to assume anything.

“We didn’t hug. And we didn’t kiss. And my hands weren’t all over her while she was here. Nor were hers all over me.”

“That’s not the impression I got. You guys looked at each other with googly eyes. It was repulsive.” She paused and erased the distance between us. “If you want her, we’re done. I’m not going to be second best here.”

“Are you fucking serious right now, or have you lost your mind?”

Savannah’s onyx irises threw daggers at me. “Your choice, Carter. It’s either her or me. You can’t have both. I thought we had already decided I was the only woman in your life. Did you forget, or are you being stupid on purpose?”

“You both play different roles in my life. And for your information, if you haven’t noticed yet, I live in Los Angeles with you. And Dahlia lives in Green Mountain, Tennessee, for fuck’s sake. With Nick. I’m not there right now, am I? I’m tired of having this conversation with you. You’re projecting your insecurities on me. Stop making assumptions. This is getting ridiculous.” I averted my eyes, begging the wrath erupting inside me to stay put.

“Then I’m choosing for you. Until you can prove to me you’re committed to our relationship, you’ll avoid seeing her. No phone calls. No text messages. No contact. For everyone’s sake, I hope you’ll follow the rules.”

My eyes rounded. “What the fuck. Where is this paranoia coming from? And what does it mean ‘for everyone’s sake’?”