Unstoppable (Fierce) by Ginger Voight Read Free Book Online Page B

recommending me for this photo shoot. I really feel it’s going to happen for me and Jace now and I’ll have you to thank for my happily ever after. You’re my guardian angel, Jay! Love you!”
    My stomach tied back up in a knot and all the scenarios I ran in my head while they were together made an unwanted encore. I couldn’t even sleep as I wrapped myself around Jace’s sleeping form.
    All I could do was hold on for dear life .
    He was gone by the time I got up the next morning. Rather than watch TV at the hotel room, I headed down to the venue early. I decided to walk, which I regretted about halfway there, when I ran across a newsstand featuring all that week’s news that was fit – or titillating – to print. From one of the gossip mags a big headline screamed: “FIERCE DIVA AIRBRUSHED TO SELL TICKETS?”
    Despite my better judgmen t, I stopped to read the piece.
    “ Are some markets tilting the odds more into Fierce finalist Jordi Hemphill’s favor, by editing her to be thinner? That is what some size-positive groups are saying. New promotional photos in bigger cities like New York and Chicago show the plus-size singer morphed into a noticeably thinner version of herself, in some markets almost comically so .”
    I glanced at the photos, which showed me squeezed into a tiny, supporting talent box and morphed smaller just to fit. The piece was right, in markets where fashion reigned supreme, I was very noticeably smaller. I sighed, reached into my purse and grabbed some money to pay for the magazine. Ten minutes later I was back at the hotel, knocking on Vanni’s door.
    He was disheveled when he answered, wearing only a pair of pajama bottoms. I had to grin to myself, reminded that we were living the rock star life now. There were no early risers in our bunch. “Hey,” he said as he wiped the sleep from his eyes with one hand. “What’s up?”
    I held up the magazine. He took it, glanced over it, and then moved from the door to invite me inside. “Did you know about this?” I asked him as I watched him close the door behind me.
    “We hire out concert PR, Jordi. This was likely a decision made independent from the label. Graham would never sign off on this.”
    I hadn’t thought so, but who knew for sure? His job was to sell tickets. Obviously someone thought this was the right way. With a sigh I wilted into one of the sofas in his suite. “I guess you’re right.”
    He sat across from me. “You want me to call Graham? I’m sure we can change it.”
    I shrugged. “Does it matter?”
    “It does if it bothers you,” he said softly. “You get a say in things, Jordi. If this bothers you, raise your voice. Make a fuss. People will listen.”
    I snorted as I thought about all the people I had known throughout my life, who never missed an opportunity to let me know how badly I missed the mark by being overweight. They weren’t listening. They never did. And I suspected they never would.
    This was just the world we lived in.
    “I’m not the one selling tickets to your tour anyway,” I added, thinking of all those screaming girls in the front row, who no doubt paid a pretty penny to sit there. They tolerated me, but they came for Jace and Vanni.
    “It’s our tour,” he corrected as he swung around to join me on the couch, taking my hand in his. “And you have more draw than you think.” I couldn’t even look up at him, so he wrapped his arms around my shoulder and gave me a squeeze. “What’s really going on, Jordi?”
    I took a deep breath. “Shelby is going to be modeling with Jace for that new clothing line,” I admitted softly. “ They didn’t have my size, so I couldn’t do it. Then I see this,” I referenced to the magazine, “and it just reminds me how far I still have to go to fit in.”
    Vanni was incredulous. “How can you say that, Jordi? You’re a vitally important part of our group. If you stand apart in any way it’s because you’re one of the b reakout stars of