Chapter 16

POV Ashton

I leave the others with Finnick to change. As soon as I enter my room, I hear the phone vibrating on the nightstand. Aside from Harper, only our team calls me, and in recent days, my family, but I've ignored them enough for them to give up trying to talk to me.

I frown at Jared's name on the screen. I didn't expect him to contact me so soon. Not when he's trying to be an angry father with his rebellious son.

"Hello?" I answer with a hint of suspicion.

"Are you ready?"

I look down, scanning the towel around my torso.

"Ready for what?"

"Gravity has made her decision."

Silence hangs between us.

I stare at my bare feet, feeling the pulse of my heart pounding against the walls of flesh and bone surrounding it before Jared tries to break the restlessness and rationalize the information. Saying that I was surprised by her considering signing would be an attempt to soften my reaction.

"Someone is about to get rich."

"We need her. You need her."

I head toward the closet, opening the doors. I pick a basic T-shirt and black jeans.

"You know what I need? To hit the gym. I'm sure my biceps are deflating."

Jared doesn't avoid the sigh on the other end of the line, and I put the phone on speaker to get dressed. I set it on the bed.

"She accepted."

"Of course she accepted. You offered twenty-five thousand a month and she asked for double."

"Gravity wants an extra twenty for each meeting they have and her image gets exposed."

The collar of the T-shirt tightens around my throat, and I can't finish putting it on after processing this information.

I frown, looking at the phone, still unable to believe it. I thought Nicola would be the last woman to use me as a stepping stone for her own success, but as fate loves to laugh in my face and prove it's not messing around, it put me face to face with one of my most intense pains.

What frustrates me the most is that I believed in the version of Gravity I created in my head. However, she's just like all the others I've known.

I can no longer control my anger, nor try to imprison it inside me. If Gravity is going to get into this, she’s going to endure the worst version of me.

"If we hired a prostitute, she’d charge less, and I wouldn’t need the chastity clause. I haven’t signed yet, you still have a chance to reconsider."

"Wade will pick you up. Be ready." Jared ignores my words. "And please, try not to screw this up. I know you hate being in this situation, I know you want to keep having the freedom you had before, with the benefits that money and fame provide. I hate having to put you in a contract with someone you don't get along with, but for this to work, to save your reputation and keep the band from sinking with it, we need Gravity. She won't leave any room for suspicion. You're being seen as disrespectful to women and, let's be honest, you really don't care who you hurt with your choices or what you say. You need to learn to control this impulsivity, Ashton."

I bite my own tongue, preventing another response that Jared would reprimand me for. It’s not really in my nature to control what I think, say, or how I act, but I recognize what Jared means to me and my friends. I know that everything he has done so far was for what would be best for us.

I'm screwed with all this controversy embracing my reputation. Not that I care, I never cared about what people are thinking or saying. But, damn, there are so many people I love involved and being hurt because of me.

"Fine, I'll be ready when Wade gets here."

"Great. Because he's already waiting for you."

Jared hangs up without even giving me a chance to respond.

I zip up my pants, put on my Nike sneakers, search for my aviator sunglasses in the first drawer of the desk, and put them on.

When I leave my room, I come across Aidan and Bryan leaving Finnick's. I pull a piece of gum from my pocket and pop it into my mouth. The guys study me as they cross their arms in front of their chests.

"Where are you going?"

"Looks like Gravity and I are going to date," I answer, unenthusiastically.

"She accepted?" Aidan is surprised, following me down the stairs with Bryan behind. "I can't believe it. I could swear she would hold out as long as possible and then reject you. That's totally her style."

"Regardless of any principles, Gravity is still a thinking human being. It's a lot of money and a guarantee of success in her career. Of course, she'd accept. Everyone has a price," I say, fishing the leather jacket off the coat rack in the hallway.

I slide my arms into the sleeves because, even though it's warm, the record label building always has the air conditioning on, and I freeze every time I'm in one of the meeting rooms.

"Not Gravity." Bryan defends her, and with a sigh, I turn on my heels to face him.

"It's been years since we met. And seriously, what do we know about her?" A wave of silence grows between the three of us. "Exactly, nothing. So, damn, I don't want to hear you guys defending her. Her principle was always money and becoming a recognized fashion designer. You know very well how she took advantage of Darnell." I gesture my chin toward Aidan, his eyes losing focus as he seems lost in his own thoughts while listening to me.

"Didn't Jared say we had to go with you?" Bryan steps forward, following me to the door.

As soon as I open a crack, Wade jumps from the passenger seat to open the back of the van.

"No, he just told me to be ready. I'll be back here as soon as I'm done over there. Wait for me and take care of Finn."

Bryan and Aidan smile at me as I go down the stairs, but before I get into the van, I glance around, aware that there's a paparazzo somewhere around here, taking advantage of my carelessness to snap a photo.

I'm wearing the sunglasses, not just because I think I look amazing with them, but because that damn Sawyer hit me so hard that the bruises now seem like part of my face.

"Good morning, Ashton." Wade uses his protruding body to block the view from the left, and I jump into the van. Kimberly and Camille are settled inside.

"Thanks, Wade," I say after I'm sitting in front of them. "What are you doing here?"

"Jared called. Gravity wants to go over some clauses of the contract," Camille clarifies, and when I look at Kim, I know she's here to give me moral support. I can't help but smile at her in thanks.

"Are you okay?" She pushes her red hair behind her ear, leaning over her torso to examine me.

I lower the frames of my glasses to the bridge of my nose, revealing the purple bruise on my eye.

"Jesus, we should sue that jerk!" Kim frowns at the scratches. "Can't we sue him?"

"We can." Cami laughs, shaking her head. "But we won't. It would only draw more attention to him, and we don’t want that. Besides, it wouldn’t be well received. We're trying to win the media's favor, not the opposite. Sawyer Blake is the NBA's golden boy."

"Has anyone ever managed to win its favor?" I joke, pushing my glasses back into place. "Because it’s great at first, until they turn you into the anti-hero."

"They don't turn anyone into the anti-hero. Your bad choices do that." My lawyer uses a scolding tone, but surprisingly, I’m not irritated. I need to save my energy to deal with my future wife. "Anyway. Gravity sent us her written demands, want to check?"

"No. Jared told me she wants more money."

"Twenty thousand for each image of her that gets published by the press, yes."

"Predictable. Is there anything else?"

"She also demanded a clause that prevents you from sleeping with other people while you're together."

A wrinkle forms on my forehead.

"According to her, the problem is yours, so there’s no reason for her to stop her life because of you." Cami continues explaining.

"Wait, you mean it's okay if she sleeps with other people, but I can't?"

"Yes, I think that's exactly what she said."

"This is bullshit!" I fume, kicking the air. Cami averts her gaze from the iPad to me. "What is she trying to do?"

"Prevent you from causing more controversy?" Wade jokes from the front seat. "Imagine the headline Ravennah would publish: bassist from The Reckless cheats on wife. Everyone knows you. The first chance you get, you screw it all up. The girl is being smart by putting this clause in the contract, basically preventing you from making the one obvious mistake."

"Seriously? Why do you guys talk to me like this? I'm your boss!"

"Okay, boss." Wade mocks. "We just know you too well and want you to be okay because, despite being stupid, we love you."

I snort, realizing that everyone is just suffering the consequences of choices I made. There are few TNC posts, somehow positive when it comes to me. Jared and Avalon are splitting into a thousand pieces to control everything. And then there's Isabella’s lawsuit hanging over the team.

With a sigh, I accept I have no other choice.

I hate that Gravity is the one on the other side? I do. I hate that she turned out to be opportunistic and parasitic? Damn right. But it's for eight months. I just need to endure her for eight months.