Unrivaled (Beautiful Idols 1)

ing her in person, Madison was convinced Aster wouldn’t hesitate to make a grab for whatever fleeting shot at fame she could get.

From everything she’d gleaned so far, Aster was raised to be a good girl, and a scandal like that would rock her whole family.

Then again, Aster’s dream of fame and fortune was apparently so strong she was willing to take a job her parents most likely did not approve of.

Who knew what else she was capable of?

Or just how far she’d go to get what she wanted?

It was that bottomless hunger that Madison was counting on.

She watched as Aster expertly popped the cork and filled a glass she then placed before Madison. “Can I get you anything else?” She smiled expectantly.

Madison was about to reply, figuring it might be fun to send the girl on an impossible errand, when her phone buzzed with a text from James, alerting her that Ryan had just walked through the door.

Madison waved her hand distractedly. She waited for Aster to leave before she texted James a quick thanks and slipped out without being seen.

TWENTY-FIVE

SHADES OF COOL

When Madison Brooks walked into the Vesper, not a single person noticed. The lights were dim, the band was in the middle of a raucous set, and the crowd was so focused on the music, no one bothered to check out the high-profile celebrity who seemed perfectly content to lean against the back wall, completely unseen.

When the band left the stage for a break, Tommy edged through the crowd, taking a mental inventory of all the faces he recognized as his gets when he spotted an image so inexplicable his first thought was that it was some kind of joke. Maybe even a look-alike. But when Madison centered her gaze right on his, and her beautiful face curved into a slow, flirtatious grin, well, he’d seen enough magazine covers and billboards to recognize the real thing when it was standing before him.

He glanced around the room, searching for the other promoters, wanting to be sure they hadn’t seen her, since it didn’t even occur to him she might’ve been there because of them. Determining they hadn’t, he closed the few steps between them, all the while wondering how to address her—Madison? Ms. Brooks?—before finally settling for a casual, “Hey.”

She tilted her head, allowing her hair to sweep past her cheek as she inspected him from behind the veil of loose strands.

“What’d you think of the band?” He hooked a thumb toward the stage, desperate to engage her.

“From what little I heard, they were good.” She pushed her hair back behind her ears, highlighting those magnificent cheekbones, the gold and turquoise hoops, but none of it could compete with those deep purple/blue eyes that roamed his.

“You just get here?” Surely he would’ve noticed had she arrived earlier. Then again, when he wasn’t partying with his gets, he was dreaming of the day he’d be onstage. He could’ve easily missed her.

Her lips tugged at the sides, forming a sort of half smile that rendered her so unbearably beautiful he thought his heart would melt in his chest. She lifted her slim shoulders into a shrug, but otherwise stayed quiet. She also didn’t try to leave, so he had that on his side.

“Can I get you a drink? Someplace to sit?” Instantly chiding himself the moment the words were out for sounding so overly eager to please. Then again, Madison Brooks was standing directly before him! It was amazing he could even form a sentence in her magical presence.

“Yes to both,” she said, that simple statement enough to inspire a million fist pumps in Tommy’s head. “But not tonight. Maybe some other time when it’s not so crowded.”

“It’s usually pretty crowded.” Tommy’s face broke into a humble-brag grin. “We’ve got the best live acts in town. But I can reserve whatever table you want.”

“I know about your contest.”

Tommy gaped, unsure what to say.

“You’re the only one who hasn’t stalked me, either on Insta, Twitter, or even in person. That kind of thing usually brings out the worst in people, but not you.”

Tommy shrugged, tried to play it cool. “Didn’t seem like you’d respond to any of those things, so I focused on quantity instead.”

“Looks like it’s working.” Her gaze bounced around the club before returning to him. “Too bad Layla and Aster didn’t share your strategy. Those two are the worst. You can tell them I said so.”

“I’ll pass,” Tommy said, suddenly glad he’d never strategized with Layla. Because of it, he’d scored Madison.

Madison’s gaze softened, she lifted a hand to his cheek, and for one brief moment allowed her fingers to move over his skin as though discovering something, or maybe even remembering something, it was impossible to tell. If Madison Brooks wanted to wander into his club and fondle his cheek, it wasn’t his place to question her motives.

Though she had a reputation for being a big-time party girl, her gaze was sober and clear, yet there was something about the depth of her focus that made it seem like she was looking right through him to some other place.