Mind Over Matter by Kaia Bennett Read Free Book Online Page B

teeth, and then attack them again because the last thing she wanted to do was cave in.
    It was all Jackie's fault. That damn harpy of an older sister. Bad enough she had to be so abrasive she could make a Brillo pad feel like a loofah. But no, she just had to be right too, didn't she?
    It was while she was out to lunch and discussing the details of her book release party, that things came to a head. They were working on the guest list. Gabriel and the band came up.
    "Why not have them play, if they're up to it. Just a couple of songs or something?"
    Nicole shook her head and winced. "I'm not down with that. Just thinking about it feels like I'm trying to be a publicity whore, or something."
    "Nikki, you're a twenty-something first time author who just happens to be the ex-girlfriend of a guitarist whose band is gaining in worldwide popularity. You need to sell books, which means publicity whorish-ness is perfectly acceptable. Obligatory, even. Carpe the whorish-ness, honey."
    Nicole snorted at that, staring at Jackie in her stylish yet sensible black suit as she planned out the details of her party like it was a court case she was preparing for. With Jackie's look and her sentiments about using Nicole's connections, she was easily channeling Michael Douglas and his infamous yuppie speech on greed in “Wall Street”. The sensible chignon, and the curves her son left her with after the baby weight was quickly dispatched, made her look every bit the cover girl for Forbes magazine, or the business sections in Essence where they highlight sistas-who-done-good. Of course this was the perfect person to help her with her party, and the way she was tackling the planning was her way own way of showing how proud she was of her sister. Nicole didn't want to put a dark cloud over that, or seem ungrateful when she brought up ideas. She just didn't want to be a shameless self-promoter, either.
    "Fine," Jackie said, shrugging in concession. "Then just invite them. Them showing up is enough. We'll make sure the DJ plays a couple of their songs..."
    Nicole distantly heard Jackie pause in her musings. She sighed, having an absentminded mini-battle with the straw of her iced tea while she thought about the implications of circling Gabriel at yet another party. The straw stabbed her in the cheek before she finally paid attention enough to make sure it got in her mouth and sipped.
    "What's the matter with you?"
    Nicole's big, dark eyes shot up to Jackie's scrutinizing gaze. She tilted her head and wrinkled her brow to convey her puzzlement while still sipping her drink.
    "You not want Gabriel to be there? Is that what this is all about?"
    Nicole coughed, then sputtered a bit before saying, "What? No! All I said was it didn't feel right having them perform. But..." Nicole sighed and shook her head. "But then I get to thinking about them being there, and it's just supposed to be this small get together. They might be busy or have other things they want to do, 'cause it's not like it's gonna be this crazy rockin' party—"
    "Hey, I'm planning it, so yeah, it will be."
    Nicole laughed, and pushed her hair back from her face. "And, to be honest, I'm just not too keen on using my ex-boyfriend to sell books. It's so very 'What would a celebrity debutante do?' Ick."
    "Why not ? What's so wrong with 'using' him in person? You used him as inspiration for your story, so what's the difference?"
    Nicole was stunned silent by that comment. She blinked once. Twice. She heard the sound of Jackie talking, but not the words.
    That stung. Wasn't like she hid the fact that she was heartbroken and in a zone when she wrote the book. But to be so blatantly called out for channeling Gabriel into her story was a little too close to home.
    "No, he wasn't. I mean, he encouraged me to write, yeah. He gave me that little extra push I needed, but as far as the story or the characters—"
    "Nikki? For real? You gonna pretend like I didn't read it? That guy... that, um..." She