Page 68 of Rocked By the Alpha
She can’t.
It’s impossible.
Ash and Layla guard their privacy tightly. No one knows.
“I don’t know what you think is going on here—”
“Stop lying!” Nat screams at her and she can feel the eyes of other people on them. She peers around the foyer. The two smartly dressed receptionists are looking their way and whispering to one another, a group of people sitting on chairs by the entrance crane their necks to glance in the direction of the shouting and a delivery man hovers by the entrance watching them.
Someone will probably start filming this scene any second now.
Nat swipes her thumb across the screen of her phone and thrusts it into Ruby’s face. “West Stone! You were with that bastard, West Stone!”
Ruby can feel her hands shaking as she tries to scramble through her brain for an excuse, a reason, an explanation. She works at keeping her face neutral as her eyes fall on the screen of Nat’s phone. A grainy photo of a man who is undeniably West Stone fills the screen. He’s standing with his arms wrapped around a blonde woman whose face is hidden. It was obviously taken on a mobile phone.
“That’s not me—”
“It is!” Nat snatches her phone away. “I recognise your dress, Ruby. It’s the one they gave you after the perfume commercial.”
She stares at her friend. No words coming. She can’t deny it.
“I saw something circulating on Twitter about West Stone and a mystery woman spotted in Vegas,” Nat continues, “and I just clicked on it out of curiosity. I never,” she shakes her head in disgust, “I never for one moment thought it would be you.”
“I am allowed to date who the hell I want.”
Nat releases her grip on Ruby’s arm and takes a step back. “You’re dating him? What the fuck, Ruby? After all those assholes have done to try to crush our career?!”
Ruby draws herself up and leans forward. “That’s all in your head, Nat. This whole damn stupid feud crap was always in your head.”
“They copied our song!”
“They didn’t copy our song and you know it. You understand music theory just as well as I do. We both know how easy it is to create two things that sound alike.”
“Bullshit!” Nat shouts. “They stole our song and they stole the Bond deal right from under our noses to taunt us! Fuck, he even wrote that sleazy song about you.” Her eyes widen. “Oh my God Ruby, were you seeing him then? How long has this shit been going on?”
“It’s none of your business who I sleep with. You don’t get to control my life for me. No one gets to control my life. Not any more.”
“He’s an Alpha, isn’t he? Are you surehe’snot controlling you?”
“Fuck you, Natasha.”
“Fuck me?!” Nat cries incredulously. “You’ve been lying to us, all of us, all this time.”
“Are you fucking surprised?! I knew you’d throw some crazy shit if I told you. And look, here you are yelling at me in the middle of a hotel making a Goddamn scene.”
Nat punches her forefinger in Ruby’s direction. “You! You betrayed me! You went behind my back. What shit have you been telling him and his friends? I can’t ever trust you again, Ruby. Ever.”
Ruby shakes her head in disbelief.
“You’re out of the band, Ruby!” Nat swipes her hand across her chest to emphasise her words. “Out! I’m firing your ass.”
Ruby shakes her head again. “You can’t do that, Nat. It’s my band too. I know you think it’s all yours but it’s not.”
“Oh yeah? We’ll see, because I’m never working with you again!” She spins on her heels and starts to march away.
“Nat,” Ruby calls after her. “Nat!” But she’s through the doors in a matter of moments, the revolving door spinning behind her.
Ruby stands there, panting. Everyone is staring at her. The foyer is silent.
