Bad Blood

Part Five

A/N Remember this is a chapter behind Inkitt. Hope you enjoy!

Chapter Five

"You've got to speak to them tonight," Josh leaned in and whispered at Nancy's ear.

Her changes to the contract hadn't caused any hardship with the money men, but they still had to figure out how they were going to work this out as a band. The guys had to accept her, that was a given, but as yet none of them had approached her, hell none of them had even acknowledged her. She was definitely up against it. But she wasn't a quitter. Never had been.

"I know, let me go to the bathroom, just have a minute, then I'll do this." She turned to him and smiled, "I can do this. Promise."

Josh placed his hand on her thigh, "I have every confidence in you."

With a nod, she excused herself, and cut across the VIP area to the corridor leading to the bathrooms.

Sitting on the closed toilet seat, she pulled out her phone. There was a message from Malachi. She hadn't told Joe, her brother, where she was, otherwise he would be there picking a fight with any or all of the band members.

You holding up Fox? Remember you're better than them. I've wangled a long lunch tomorrow, meet me in the bar across the road from my office? I'll be there at 12.30...unless you need a rescue. I can be in King's Cross in 15 mins, 10 if there's violence.

There was no response she could give, other than a heart emoji, and that's what she sent.

Taking a deep breath, bigging herself up in her own mind, creating that haughty air that people accused her of having, she stood and unlocked the cubicle door. Only to come face to face with a huge bulk of a man, piercing blue eyes glaring at her from behind those black rimmed glasses.

"Riker," she gasped as she tried to process the shock. And it was shock, not fear. Suddenly facing him head on, she wasn't scared. He had said more hurtful things to her than anyone else when she'd been young, vulnerable, grieving and feeling guilt. Now? She was a successful business woman, she was adult, mature, and the old adage was true, sticks and stones may break my bones, but Riker's words couldn't hurt her any more.

He gave a dull laugh in response to that gasp, "you avoiding me, Princess?"

He'd caught her unawares, this was what he had planned, suddenly she knew that she'd lost any advantage she could to the situation. But she could either fade, or she could fight, and he deserved the latter. She deserved the latter to.

"I'm no one's princess, now get out of my way. There'll be time to get close to me when your band are paying me for it."

Riker laughed, a deep hateful sound, "you prostituting yourself Princess? At last we get the truth."

"Fuck you."

Again he laughed, "oh, you'd like that, am I the only man in your world who doesn't want to fuck you?"

She saw red, she'd been caught off guard, but this was out of order.

"Kidding yourself about that, Matthew?" She saw his eyes flare at that, no one called him by his first name. Apparently he hated it. Grinning she stepped up to him, "like you're also kidding yourself that you aren't desperate for me to agree to bail you guys out?"