Page 22 of American Royalty

Chapter Five

“Together united / They want to divide us / Playin’ games with our heads / But we’re pushin’ full steam ahead...”

—Duchess, “Revolution”

Los Angeles, California

Look up, mama.”

Irritated—an almost constant state of being these days—Dani tilted her chin and let Rhonda, the makeup artist, apply a coat of mascara to her false lashes. As soon as the woman was done, Dani yanked her attention back to the text from Tasha.

This is gaining traction. Remember, stay cool.

Taking a deep breath, Dani clicked on the link—which sent her to an Instagram post from an account she didn’t follow.

Against the backdrop of downtown Los Angeles—she knew this thanks to the location tag beneath her name—Samantha Banks sat on a half wall, gazing off into the distance. Her rainbow-coloredhair was vivid against the white sundress she wore, her cleavage taking up most of the shot.

The caption read: “The only thing that overcomes hard luck is hard work. Anger is a weakness in an insecure personality. Don’t let anyone steal your light, Sparkle Sammies!”

No this bitch didn’t!

The absolute nerve.

I guess itishard work balancing on my coattails.

Also, the woman had one song out with nothing else in sight and she’d given her fans a name?

Miss K moved so that he and Rhonda could both work on Dani without bumping into one another. “I’m loving these long, bouncy, juicy curls. They’re going to look great with that strapless Marchesa dress they’re putting you in.”

“It’s beautiful, isn’t it?”

When Dani had arrived at the mansion in the Hollywood Hills to shoot the cover forVibemagazine, she’d been delighted by the outfit they’d chosen. The delicate floral creation, in varying shades of her signature red color, was a different look for her, like something you’d see on the cover ofVogueorHarper’s Bazaar. A look that she was eager to embrace.

A rumble disturbed the mood.

“Damn! What was that?” Dani asked, looking around.

Rhonda touched her stomach. “Sorry. I was running late this morning and I didn’t eat breakfast.”

Dani glanced in the mirror, turning her head from side to side as she studied her reflection. After years in the business, she could apply her own makeup skillfully, and sometimes faster, but she had no problems letting the professionals do it. “This looks good. Go eat.”

“Are you sure? I wanted to go back in and add some highlights to the corner of—”

“You can do that later.” Dani laughed and pointed to the woman’s stomach as it emitted another rumble. “I need you to do something about that. How am I supposed to relax with the sound of New York garbage trucks in my ear?”

Rhonda shook her head with an embarrassed giggle. “Thanks. I hope the chef made some of that bomb jambalaya again.”

“You know she did. That’s my favorite,” Dani said, sitting back in the chair.

Now that her face was free, and Miss K could work on a bobblehead and have their hair looking fierce, Dani returned her attention to her phone.

Banks’s post had over seven thousand likes!

Dani bit her lip.

Don’t do it. Nothing good will come from it. You know there will be trolls...

She clicked on the comments.