You and Tequila

Chapter Twenty

"So, thank you all for the time, dedication, and hard work that each and every one of you put in to make this tour possible. See you all in the spring," Regina plasters on her plastic smile, lifts her sparkling cider into the air and toasts her entire crew.

"Cheers!" Everyone bellows as they clink their glasses together and toss back the champagne with a hefty price tag attached.

Emma and Ruby clink together their cider as well, neither one ever wanting to indulge whenever Regina is in their presence. Her phone suddenly vibrates in her back pocket and quickly she retrieves it, knowing her mother is probably going ballistic with the idea of her coming home tomorrow. Yet, the text message she receives from her mother has nothing to do with missing her most favorite daughter. She furrows her brows, scanning the words one more time before her heart pounds a little too hard.

"Excuse me a sec," she mutters to Ruby, who smiles and nods, already moving on to converse with Jefferson. She maneuvers her way through the crowded hotel room, people laughing and speaking over one another, until she is right next to her boss. "Hey."

"Miss Swan," the singer politely greets her and nods slightly while Emma's eyes become distracted with Robin's arm coiling around her waist.

"Um, can I speak with you for a moment...regarding my contract..." Emma trails off once she feels Cora's fiery gaze burning into her right side and Kathryn scrutinizing her from the left.

"Of course," Regina platonically says, handing her glass off to her mother, so nobody ever discovers what's truly inside.

"Hurry back, babe, there are plenty more of celebratory champagne bottles with your name on them," Robin cheerfully announces, raising his glass to clink against Killian, Graham and Milah's glasses as well.

"Of course," Regina easily concedes and steps back from the small circle to lead the way through the suite into her private bedroom.

Regina holds the door open for Emma to step inside and then proceeds to close and very carefully lock the door without the noise reaching the crowd just outside. Regina spins around, advancing quickly with that hungry glint sparkling in her eyes, but Emma holds up her hands in surrender with her phone still on display.

"Wait, this really is about my contract," Emma hastily rambles off and Regina doesn't even try to hide the frown.

"Very well." The singer waves encouraging Emma to proceed.

"My mom just sent me the bank statement after my last check..." Emma unlocks her phone and brings up the message once again. "Regina, there must be some kind of mistake. I think you need to call your bank and-"

"There's no mistake," Regina coldly states, reminding Emma of a time when she didn't know this beautiful creature before her and she's so glad she was granted the opportunity to really unlock the pieces that make her who she really is.

"Look, the amount is double what my contract agreed upon-"

"I know how much it is, Miss Swan."

"Please drop the attitude," she whines, shoving her phone back into her pocket since the evidence seems to be of no use to her. "What's going on? Why are you acting all defensive?"

"I am not."

"Yes, yes, you are," she breathes out a frustrated sigh and steals a step forward. "Why is there an extra salary's worth in my bank account?"

"You have showed initiative and I believe you worked very hard during this tour. When you first showed up, I didn't expect much out of you, so I low-balled the price, but you showed determination and drive and I believe you deserve more than my initial offer."