Chapter7

Madison was in Lance’s room. They had seen a lot of each other over the last week and half. She was helping him get all packed up, the group’s time in Cancun was over. Things between them were undefined. They held hands and kissed, but no titles were given. Lance wanted desperately to ask about Joey’s story, but didn’t want to push her away. He let his gaze rest on her, she stood close to the bed folding his clothes. Placing each piece neatly into the open suitcase. Normally he would have had a fit about someone touching all of his belongings, but this was different. She had a motherly order about her that didn’t let him think twice about it. She didn’t notice him staring.  

“You know you really don’t have to do all that,” he said walking over to her.

“Oh, I don’t mind.” She stopped only long enough to smile at him. Lance sat down on the bed next to the suitcase.

“So are you going to miss me?” he asked and pulled her into his lap.

“Yes,” she laughed. “I will cry here in paradise everyday… well at least until I go home in a few days.” She finished folding the last shirt and stuffed it into the duffle bag.

“Then what happens? When you go home?”

“I will go back to work… back in reality” she stood up and zipped the bag.

“Reality, what a concept.” He smiled at her as she put the suitcase down on the floor and took her place next to him. It was a bittersweet scene in her mind. All this time she had let the past dictate the future, and ignored the wonderful present.

“So dose this reality allow phone calls?” he asked slyly as her eyes danced over his face.

“I think so, why?” she smiled already knowing the answer.

“I’d like to keep in touch with you, things have been going great, and I just thought we’d continue…” The phone rang interrupting his speech. He stopped and leaned back to get the phone.

“Ello? Sure, just a second. Madison it’s for you…” She twisted her neck a bit to be getting a phone call there but took it just the same.

“Hello… really. Okay, what choice do I have? I’m on my way. Bye.” She hung up the phone and spoke quickly. “Lance I have to get back to my hotel, my assistant has a last minute job lined up for me in 24 hours.” He hated the words after she said she had to leave, but he understood that work came first. This must be what it feels like he told himself, he’d never been the one on this side of the table.

“Okay I will drive you,” Lance stood up and headed for the door. There was a knock as opened it and Madison retrieved her purse from the couch.

“Bus leaves in ten minutes,” Steve relayed the message and continued down the hall.

“Ah shit,” Lance swore out loud at the pinch in his plan.

“It’s ok, I have my car here anyways…” She tried to console him with her hand on his forearm.

“I know but I wanted to…”

“Really it’s ok, but I have to go.” The weak smile on her face made his stoic face melt away. She shifted her weight to the other foot and took another step for the hall.

“Wait,” he caught her arm and pulled her back into the room up against his body.

“Huh?” she was too late to respond as he leaned down and kissed her deeply. It was spontaneous and explosive. When he pulled back all she could do was hold on to his arms to keep her balance. Holding onto her waist he looked down at her and joked.

“Can I please have you phone number?” She giggled and dug into her purse for a pen and paper.

On the bus he unfolded the pink dainty paper and read it. He could only laugh out loud as the guys stared at him strangely.

It will never work out. Don’t say I didn’t warn you.

555-5479

Maddy

************************

“You guys can stay here, but I have to get home.”

“Why would we stay here without you Maddy? We are going with you.”

“Okay,” Madison said running around the room in a panic. “You promise then?” Courtney sat up like an annoyed twelve year-old.

“I promise no workaholic jokes,” she piped out with a roll of her eyes. With in the next hour the girls had checked out of the hotel. Even though it was four days sooner than they had expected. They had tons of souvenirs including sunburns so leaving wasn’t that big of a deal.

Five hours later Madison wearily pulled into her driveway.

“From now on we fly damn it,” she mumbled as Courtney unfolded out of her nap.

“Jazz wake up we’re here.” Madison carried her bags into the house and noticed Gwen’s Durango was in the motor court. She found Gwen and her mother sitting at the island counter in the kitchen. “Good evening y’all,” Madison tried to smile at them.

“Hey baby, how was your trip?” her mother asked.

“Everything was fine, we got to relax so mission accomplished.”

“That’s great.” Gwen spoke up softly as she handed Madison a large envelope file.

“So this is the great quest that brought me home.” Madison said not opening it at all.

“Afraid so but the exposure will be great,” she assured her. Madison put the file back down and rubbed her forehead a little.

“Do I have time for a shower?”

“A quick one…”

“Will you repack my bag?”

“Sure,” Gwen found the suitcase and left the room.

“Mama…”

“Yeah?”

“Can the girls stay here since it’s so late?”

“Of course don’t worry about that, go take your shower. You don’t want to miss your flight.”

Chapter 8

The shoot…

“This lighting is still off! Dim those lamps, and find my flash cord. Danny where are the boards? Where? Come on people we are already ten minutes behind, it snowballs from here!” Madison was working on about three hours of sleep thanks to the baby with colic two seats in front on her on the red eye to Los Angles. She was yelling left and right, and now Gwen had disappeared. The crew was working on set problems that had occurred the night before. It was raining so there was no way they could chuck it and go outside. They were completely ignoring the camera set ups, which stressed her out just a little bit more. She had been running the three sets all morning after the new intern busted the principal lamp on set 2. Trying to pull everything together before the clients arrived.

Gwen returned with the “Creative Director” and set designer that filled in at the last minute. Madison was dreading the meeting. All the problems she had been having and now they were going to tell her how to do her job.

“Hello Ms. Davis. Thank you so much for covering us at the last minute.”

“Hi… really it was no trouble at all,” (This should have been my contract to start with, jackass!) Madison smiled sweetly.

“Well we had the boards going over a few details.”

(Oh great) “Alright let’s see what you came up with… (Are you serious?) “Well the models are guys, right?” The lady nodded and showed her the next board.

“Do you like the daisies or the dandelions?”

(NEITHER!) “Umm… I really like the colors we have now. The blue, red, and black are working really well with the cameras. We have already set the temperatures and the sets have been though so much already. I think it’s best if we leave it to the original concept.” Madison smiled in her face and shot a look to Gwen to get the crazy little lady out of her hair.

“Well if you think that would be best…” She spoke as Gwen pulled her away.

“Yes, thank you again… bye-bye.”

Madison and Rick laughed a little as they walked over the check the cameras again.

“Love the way you handle those editors,” he joked loudly.

“All in a days work, Madison glanced over her sheet once more.

“Hey I heard you finished school, damn girl… did you sleep at all? How you did it so fast is beyond me.” Gwen walked up joining them with some more sign off sheets.

“He called me nerd!” Madison playfully whined.

“I did not!”

“Rick, honey she is not a nerd because she knows what she wants out of life.” Gwen lectured.

“All I was saying is that I’m proud of her… that’s it. Besides she is too fine to be nerd. She should be on this side of the camera. Not behind it…” Rick smiled at himself for being so bold.

“Like that is the first time she has heard that, “ Gwen said punching her in the arm.

The doors of the studio opened with people pouring in. Madison pulled her hair into a ponytail. “Time to go to work…” as more and more people came in. “I thought there were only five?” She questioned Gwen,

“Security,” Rick stated as he hooked the last cord.

“Security for what?” the words caught in her throat as she recognized the “Models”. For a moment she thought she never left Cancun. “Lance…” she mumbled under her breath as Gwen pulled her through the group.

“Guys this…”

“MADDY!!” Four of the five swallowed her with greetings and hugs. Lance was talking to Charlie when he turned to see what all the commotion was about.

“What are you doing here?” Chris chirped happily. Gwen fought her way back through the group.

“Like I was saying, Guys this is your photographer Madison Davis.

“Alright.” Justin and Joey did a little dance.

“I assume you already know each other?” Gwen questioned a puzzled Madison, which took her attention from Lance.

“Yeah… I mean yes. We met in Cancun.”

“Hello Madison.” Lance said firmly now standing only inches in front of her.

“Hi Lance,” she smiled and gave him a quick hug. He tried to pull her to him the way he had the last time he saw her. Right when he went to kiss her she pulled back hard and stood her ground. “Don’t,” she whispered in a low voice.

“What is this?” he asked bewildered at her actions. Everyone who knew tried to act like they didn’t see what had happened.

“This is business.” She turned to Rick with instructions and the crews started buzzing around them.

“Ok, guys have you been over any of the concepts yet?”

Everyone stared at Lance whose friendly smile had fell into a stern look.

“Lance handles all that," JC admitted. Madison’s nerves were tangling by the second. She hadn’t meant to be so awful to him, but she couldn’t let her feelings for him interfere with her work.

“No… we haven’t been over anything, we weren’t expecting the shoot to go through. We were told the photographer had to cancel. This morning was the first we heard of it.” Lance decided to play her game and go into full business mode.

Suddenly everything made sense. She was called in last minute to fill the absent party. That’s why she rushed away that afternoon. After all that time they spent together how could she be so cold.

“Gwen get an overview with wardrobe, Rick I guess you need to bring that damn editor back. Nikki get these guys comfortable.”

“Shit Maddy is worse that Johnny, isn’t she?” Justin cracked.

At one O’clock that morning the shoot from hell was finally over. Madison signed off on two more sheets and began gathering her things. She had made an attempt to pull Lance over to the side and apologized for the way that she had acted. He had acted like it was enough, but the pictures were telling a different story. More than a few shots had to be redone because he looked so angry.

“So Maddy what are you doing now?” Joey asked handing her bottle of water.

“Hotel, shower, sleep… any of this ringing bells for you?” Madison joked while thanking him for the water. Chris smiled to join them with Gwen following behind. She had her big puppy dog eyes going which meant no sleep for Madison.

“Everyone is going out… Please Maddy, we haven’t been in LA in three months.” Gwen continued. She scanned the group for Lance and was surprised to see him waiting for her answer too.

“Sure, I’ll go” she said with and interested nod.

Lance sat next to her on the way to the club after they had all changed at the hotel. For a moment she thought things would be good between them. However she was under false pretenses. After being seated in the VIP room, Madison realized his plan. She spent an hour and a half of watching him womanize everything in a skirt. Lance was being pulled in ten different directions all at once and was inviting more in by the minute. Gwen wasn’t sure was going on, but the guys caught wind of it early in the evening.

“Just like the rest,” Madison thought and that epiphany she made her way to the dance floor. Reseda’s “Vibrate” started as if on cue with her first step on the dance floor. Gwen danced with her for a minute, but the sexy dancer she was it wasn’t long until some local boys were all up on it. She danced with one guy, then two. She danced down low and freaky until the point that they were holding her up. Lance had been beat at his own game and with her momentary victory she was ready to go.

“Gwen I’m leaving…” she smiled tiredly.

“Wait, we are all going.” JC said to the girls. Security rounded up everyone that was ready to go and they headed for the door. Madison climbed into the escalade and took her seat. She leaned her head back and closed her eyes. About two minutes later she heard a female voice giggling that did not belong to Gwen. She sat up and scanned the passengers. A young blonde sat in Lance’s lap. She was half dressed and obviously very drunk. They started making out again only after he made sure Madison was watching. This round was now his victory. JC slid and arm around Madison and whispered into her ear. “Are you ok?”

“I’m fine…thanks,” she assured him. Instead of paying attention to his new toy Lance saw the soft exchange and became angry.

“Oh wahh… Everybody feel sorry for MaDDie!” Lance yelled into the vehicle.

“L… your drunk just shut up,” Chris warned him.

“Its ok Chris let him make an ass outta himself.”

“What’s wrong Madison?!? Its just business!” Lance snapped back. The truck stopped and the door opened.

“Ya know what Lance, fuck you!” Madison barked and jumped down out of the door.

“Girl, get back here!” Lance chased after her in the parking lot. She stopped long enough to yell back at him.

“Just leave me alone!” By that time Joey and Steve had caught up with Lance, and walked him calmly into the hotel.

*****************

She was asleep in her room by five. Gwen and Chris had walked her to her room.

He never acts like this. I just don’t get it.

You guys were the next hot thing in Cancun.

Now, who knows?

Chris’s words bounced around in her head until she forced her aching body into sleep. At seven she was woke up by pounding on her door. Quickly she ran to the door to look out the peephole.

“What do you want?” she shouted angrily.

“I want to talk!” A slurred answer met her ears.

“Go away I’m not fighting with you.”

“I’m not going anywhere until you talk to me!”

“Get comfy, because I’m not talking to you.”

“Damn it Madison open this door!”

“Hell no! Now get lost or I will call the cops.”

“Fine! Have it your way!” Lance stormed away pissed off. Madison’s flight didn’t leave for another four hours, but she couldn’t go back to sleep. She packed up, left a message for Gwen, and headed to the airport. She caught an earlier flight and went home.

Chapter 9

Over the course of the next week he called her at least fifty times. Madison didn't take any of them. She couldn't handle it the scene was too familiar. She made a mistake and he didn't try to hear her out. He was spiteful and rude. Brett was mean and didn't understand either.

Madison had settled her playa days in twelfth grade when she met Brett. Together their Ivy League dreams came true. They made it through freshman year faithfully, and then it fell apart. Her classes started advancing, she began to whiz through them. It came to the point where she could do anything she wanted. He was angry that for once he wasn't the golden child. He was the first class son of an aristocrat. Sliver spoon in mouth he tried everything under the sun to distract her. When he learned that she was going to throw it all away and become an art major, it sent him over the edge. The arguments turned into fights and the last one was the most violent. The trust that once flowed freely from her was crushed when he started cheating on her. No stranger to the game she sank to his level and started creeping too. Brett didn't know what she needed or how to give it to her. It was an experience that she refused to go through again.

The next few months she carried on with her life. Her birthday was coming up and everything at work was going great. On a flight to New York to meet up with Gwen she skimmed through a magazine. Her heart sank as she saw the group's picture staring up at her. The photo shoot they had done together was now providing fans with some awesome pictures.

Madison decided not to mention it to Gwen as they drove away from the airport. When they got closer to the studio Gwen handed her the file.

"Another assignment from Jive."

"Oh great, what now?"

"A group called Familia."

"Familia... I know them!"

"Really? Good, that takes care of introductions then."

"Veronica!" Madison yelled and jumped toward her when she walked into the room.

"Madison!" She yelled back.

"This is great," David said after they all said hello.

"Let's rock this y'all." Madison grabbed up her camera up to check a few details. After hair and makeup the shoot was underway. Music pumped through the studio and the energy was high. Seven hours later they were done.

"Madison you have to have lunch with us before we leave tomorrow." Veronica invited her.

"Sounds great."

The next day she met them at the small cafe across the street from the hotel. A big picture window gave a great view of the city from about six stories up. The waiter came and asked if they were ready.

"We are expecting one more." Miguel informed him.

"Please don't wait on me." the voice registered in Madison's head as she tried to convince herself it was someone else.

"Lance you made it." Miguel shook his hand as Lance took a seat next to Madison.

"Yes, how are you all doing?" Miguel... David... Veronica... Madison?" he went through greeting them pleasantly. (Be Civil) she told herself.

"Fine... thanks and you?" She nodded to him. They made it through lunch as her mind kept replaying the last time they had all been together in Cancun. She shook it from her head as they started to leave.

“Madison can we talk?” he spoke softly before she walked out after saying goodbye to the group. Steve held the door open for her and all three walked out the door.

“Yeah," she answered but avoided his stare. The signal changed and they crossed the street and went into the hotel. Just the two of them in the elevator he began talking.

“I’m going to get straight to the point. I am so sorry for the way that I acted that night.” They stepped on to her floor and made it down the hall. He didn’t wait to finish. “I have no excuse for the way I treated you… I want you to know that wasn’t me. I mean it wasn’t how I am. Ok? I’m not asking for a second chance, I asking for…”

“WHAT? What do you want from me Lance?” she questioned with tears in her eyes. Feeling only an inch to be the reason she was crying he said, “Please just forgive me.”

“Ok, I forgive you now just go.” She pushed him a little, angry because she let her guard down in front of him.

“No not like this Maddy, I need you to mean it.”

“Why, why do you even care what I think?”

“Because… I love you!” he shouted out loud losing control over his volume. “I’m falling in love with you.” He said again in a normal tone putting his hands up to her face. Hearing his words she lost it all. She fell into him with all her weight. He comforted her wiping tears away and brushing her hair out of her face.

“It wasn’t supposed to be like this, I didn’t go to Cancun looking for you. I couldn’t let someone else come between my work and me… You didn’t even try to listen…” she cried and pushed him again, even with all her strength she couldn’t break his embrace.

“Madison I didn’t go down there looking for you either, but here we are. And if you had told me about Brett I wouldn’t have pushed you so hard in LA. I was crazy about you and then you left me. We found each other again and you acted like you didn’t even care. It hurt me.” He explained his side and smoothed out her hair once more.

“How did you find our about Brett?” she asked as she stood up a little bit and regained her strength.

“Jasmine told Joey and after my episode in the car the guys were pissed and told me. I could give you a million reasons why not to hate me, but I’m not going to. I want you to make that judgment.”

“Lance I don’t hate you, I was hurt too. All those girls, all those things you said.”

“I can’t change what I did, but if you forgive me then maybe we can salvage something out of all this.” She looked up and saw the guy she might have been falling for in Cancun. He took the one last moment to give her one last hug before he let her stand on her own. Madison turned to unlock the door. When she pushed it open she found nothing close to the room she had left.

Flowers covered the floor and anything that would stand still. Balloons engulfed the ceiling and in the middle if the room was a six-foot teddy bear. Lance followed her into the room and smiled to see her shocked expression.

“What is all this?”

“This is…” he cleared his throat looked around and then back at her. “This is I’m sorry with sugar on top.” She couldn’t help but smile at him.

“Thank you… it’s all so beautiful.” She beamed as she looked at all the flowers and balloons.

“Well I met this great chick in Cancun and she accused me of being thoughtful.”

“Oh really?” she answered back from across the room. Finally she tackled the bear and just laid on the stuffed animal that was bigger than she was. Lance sat down next to her and asked if things were “Ok” between them.

“Time will tell, but I sure hope so…”

“Can we have dinner together?” He built up the nerve to ask. She sat up from the bear and frowned.

“My flight leaves in two hours, I have worked lined up for the next two weeks.”

“Oh I understand,” he said disappointed.

“Wait maybe we can come up with something.” His eyes lit up when she reached for her palm pilot.

He drove her to the airport. Steve rode with them so not to leave Lance unguarded. The three of them made it to the gate. Madison brought one of the roses from one of her many arrangements. “So… dinner… in six days… In New York?” Lance confirmed the date. Madison smiled and nodded as they started boarding her flight.

“I will have three days there and only two shoots so I should have plenty of time.” Lance put his arms around her to give her a hug and sighed with relief when she hugged him back.

“Thanks Maddy,” he whispered in her ear.