Total pages in book: 103
Estimated words: 96850 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 484(@200wpm)___ 387(@250wpm)___ 323(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 96850 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 484(@200wpm)___ 387(@250wpm)___ 323(@300wpm)
It ended tonight.
Eve yanked down the visor and flipped open the mirror, checking the balance of her cat eyes, running a pinkie finger beneath the red curve of her bottom lip. Her distant gaze alarmed her enough to give her pause, but ultimately, she slipped on her black stilettos and climbed out of the car, inhaling the spring breeze that blew her loose hair back, that same wind ruffling the silver fringe of her skirt. Last, she checked the laces of her black corset top . . . and started to strut.
Bedlam didn’t break out until Eve was nearly at the pathway leading to the front entrance, then every head seemed to turn simultaneously, cameras pointing in her direction. Three reporters bounded over and shoved their microphones in her face, asking the questions she’d anticipated.
Will Madden Donahue be in attendance tonight?
What is your exact relationship to the catcher?
Is it true he disapproves of the club?
Why take your clothes off when you’re married to a Yankee?
Eve continued to walk, staring straight ahead and not answering a single one of their questions, some part of her knowing they just wanted words to twist. A sound bite. She wouldn’t reward them for dragging her and Madden into the public eye, though. At least not like this. She’d give them the payoff of her own choosing onstage.
It wasn’t until one of the reporters asked an unexpected question that her step faltered, the oxygen turning icy in her lungs.
“Is it true you donated a kidney to Madden Donahue?”
Was it all in her head the way everything went silent? The woman who’d asked the question had done it quietly, but it caused the other two reporters to whip their heads around, their surprise obvious. Eve’s heart kicked into a gallop, then a sprint, her mouth going as dry as cotton. How . . . how did they know that? How could anyone know that?
As of now, it appeared to be a mere suspicion, but how long would that last?
A camera flash to Eve’s right broke her out of her stupor and she propelled herself into motion once again, speed walking blindly past the line and bouncer, into the packed club, taking in everything at once with the eye of an owner.
Thank god she’d called in extra bar staff and waitresses. They had the crowd handled. Some patrons were seated, but the audience was standing room only, and she even recognized some faces from town. From the past. Good. Might as well burn her reputation all the way down. She didn’t have to worry about fallout on the kids anymore, did she?
Ignoring all the sudden attention on her, Eve traded a thumbs-up with Veda, who was onstage doing a sound check. Eve wove through the tables as quickly as possible, releasing a sigh of relief when the dark backstage area enveloped her. Even that stale hint of ancient musk was welcome. She sat down in one of the tufted performers’ chairs and stared at her reflection in the mirror, the reporter’s question replaying itself in her head.
Is it true you donated a kidney to Madden Donahue?
That was it. Her final layer of what she could control was gone. Torn away.
How soon until he found out? How was he going to react?
Desperate for something to do with her hands, Eve pulled open one of the vanity drawers and located a pair of long black silk gloves, drawing them on jerkily.
“Eve?”
She turned her head to find Elton was backstage now, approaching her cautiously.
“Hey, Elton. I didn’t know you were coming.” Her laugh was a touch hysterical. “You’re about to get to know me a whole lot better.”
“Yeah,” he said, scratching his chin. “You’re really performing, are you?”
“Yup.”
“Look, I’m not the right person to have this talk with you, but my sister is in Boston and you’re not answering her calls. Madden is in traffic ready to commit heinous acts of violence to get here. Veda is . . .” He gestured to the curtain. “Out there. So, it’s just me and I’m playing big brother, whether you like it or not.”
Eve leaned toward the mirror to spread around her glittering eye shadow, which had started to gather in the crease of her eyelid. “Fire away, Elt.”
He shifted in his boots. “It has been a wild forty-eight hours. A lot of changes for you. A lot of lies being told about you and Mad—and that’s not fair, Eve. But I’m worried all this upheaval is making you perform tonight for the wrong reasons, you know? You want to do burlesque in front of all these people because you enjoy it? Fine. Madden will be pissed off, but he’ll get over it. Now, if you’re performing because everything is blowing up in your face and you want to add some kerosene, that’s a different story.”