His hand came up, cutting off her speech, but somehow it didn’t seem rude when he did it. “Stairs. Got it. Thank you.” She smiled back at him like he had just asked her out on a date.
I started prepping my tea to drink when I heard Rhett ask, “You wanna go with?” I rolled my eyes at the idea of his newest little fan joining him on the roof.
When the room remained quiet and no one responded, I looked up and realized he was looking right at me.
“What? Me?” He nodded his head and chuckled. “It’s cold outside,” I answered pathetically.
“Good thing you have that overpriced-looking jacket right there.” He nodded toward the pile of leather strewn across the couch and then walked out the door. Just like that, without another word. I guess he just expected me to follow him. And guess what my stupid feet did? They followed him.
Traitors.
When we reached the end of the hallway, I looked up at the very narrow, very steep metal staircase that spiraled up to the ceiling.
“Ladies first,” Rhett said, gesturing ahead of him. He had his leather jacket on with the gray hoodie now pulled up to cover his messy hair.
I wrapped my jacket around myself and started the ascent—slowly. The staircase's construction scared me a bit. I didn't trust that it wasn't going to just crumble beneath me.
"Do recording sessions really call for four-inch heels? Those cannot be comfortable."
"Life calls for four-inch heels, and I've never been more comfortable," I snapped back. "Did you even look at yourself in a mirror before you left this morning?" I alluded to his plain, rumpled white t-shirt, and a head full of messy hair, which was sort of sexy in that I just pleased some lucky girl all night kind of way. If you were into that kind of thing.
“Veronica doesn’t seem to mind how I look.” I heard his smartass remark while I continued upward, gripping the banister with all of my might.
“I don’t know what her deal is. She meets famous musicians all the time. She shouldn’t be so flustered.”
“I don’t know… I am pretty sexy,” he replied.
I could tell he was just fucking with me now. “You’re pretty obnoxious is what you are.”
Another step up and my right heel became caught in one of the stair's grates. My arms flew back and my heart dropped to my stumbling feet. A shriek flew from my mouth as two hands quickly balanced me from behind.
“Man, I am just saving your life left and right. You sure are lucky to have me around, huh?” I’d tried to forget that he’d performed the Heimlich on me, but obviously he wasn’t going to let that happen.
“Yes, I won the lottery from hell,” I grumbled, still trying to get my heart to restart from that close call.
“You know, you’re kind of a pain in the ass,” he said while laughing, undoubtedly at my clumsiness.
Thank God, we finally reached the top. I had gone exceedingly slow, but clearly I couldn't have been trusted to go any faster.
“Yeah, well I think the only time I like you is when you’re playing music,” I responded.
“Now I know that was a compliment. Are you falling in love with me already, Pipes?” He grinned and reached his arm past me to hold the door open.
The frigid wind instantly sucked the air from my lungs, and I instinctively clutched my coat a little tighter as I walked out. Scanning the outside area, I noticed it was very well thought out. A large couch with numerous pillows sat in front of a towering wall constructed of horizontal wood planks. I assumed the wall was meant to block the wind or create a semblance of privacy. Large fleece blankets draped over the sides of the couch. Ashtrays dotted every surface, indicating the many smoking musicians that must take advantage of the outdoor space.
Rhett reached out on either side of us and clicked on the two large heaters. I looked around at the buildings surrounding us. Some towered above us and some were shorter, permitting me to spy onto their rooftops. I loved seeing all of the rooftop gardens. In a city with limited space, you worked with what little square footage you had. It was nice to see green in a concrete jungle.
“I’ve been to this studio thousands of times and have never been up here. I didn’t really have much of a reason though, I guess. I’m not a smoker.”
“Better not be. It’s a nasty habit.” He smiled while tapping the pack of cigarettes against his palm.
“Ever think about quitting?” I plopped down on the couch.
"Every other day." He found a spot on the opposite end and perched his boots up on the glass coffee table. The cigarette went straight to his mouth. With one hand, he pulled the collar of his t-shirt out, his head bent down and tucked into the space created under his shirt. His opposite hand reached up under the hem of his shirt, and he ingeniously lit the cigarette without the wind blowing it out.
That was probably the sexiest way I had ever seen someone light a cigarette before, and even more so since I’d caught a glimpse of his toned stomach while his shirt was pushed up. When his head emerged once again, a plume of smoke released from his lips.
"Can I have one?" I asked. After all, curiosity did kill the cat.
“Absolutely not.”
My mouth hung open. “Are you serious? You won’t share one?”
"Pipes, this is a disgusting addiction that I wish I had never started. You have a voice that gives every male in the room a hard-on and every female the most intense taste of jealousy. Maybe I’m selfishly refusing you because I'm kind of invested in your voice now, but you aren't going to ruin it with this shit." He looked at the stick in his hand and grimaced.
I felt an entire body shiver run through me. I blamed it on the frigid wind, although I’d felt pretty warm beneath the heat lamps moments ago. “And what about your voice?”
“What about it?” he asked, looking at me with those eyes that reminded me of the most beautiful beaches in the world. The kind that didn’t exist up here in the northeast.
“Well… your voice is… kind of remarkable, as well. Aren’t you worried about harming it?”
He chuckled and looked at me with his gorgeous grin. “That was physically painful for you to say, wasn’t it?”
“It really was.” I finally let myself laugh with him.
He relaxed further into the cushions of the couch. “Like I said, I think about quitting every other day.”
The rooftop door burst open, slamming into the wall, and we both shot forward from our cozy positions. Beau's large body charged through, and I was instantly on alert as to what could have warranted his forceful entrance. Out of the corner of my eye, I spied Rhett moving closer to my side.
“What are you doing?” Beau barked at us.
I cocked an eyebrow at him. "What are you doing?”
Beau started his crazy "security-man" pace around the rooftop space, looking down at the other buildings and up at the ones that were higher than us. Rhett and I both watched as he repositioned the wooden walls that, turned out, were conveniently on wheels. He situated them around us so that we were completely blocked off, removing my view of the outside.
"You can't just come outside without telling me," he started, and I could tell we were in for a scolding. "Look around you, Ever! Look how vulnerable you are.”
Rhett cleared his throat next to me and said, “Uh, sorry. This was my fault. I asked her up here.”
Beau pointed his thick finger at Rhett. “You’re new here—”
I jumped to cut him off before he could lay into my new bandmate. “Don’t you get mad at him. We’re just sitting outside, Beau. On a roof. I think we’re okay.”
“Yeah, well did you notice the asshole in that building right there, taking pictures of you guys?” He pointed beyond the wall. We couldn’t see over there anymore, but I knew what building he was gesturing toward.
Rhett recoiled, and I watched him grimace.
"No, I didn't. But so what? People take my picture all the time," I responded. "We can't stop that, and you k
now it."
“I don’t like not knowing where you are and not being able to check the environment around you first. You know that.” His voice had calmed down a bit, but he still wasn’t happy. “Who knows what kind of pictures he could have gotten of you out here.”
“Let him snap away. It’s not like we were out here banging.” Since there obviously wasn’t a threat, I finally sat back in the comfortable position from earlier.
"Well…" Rhett started, a cocky expression on his face. Beau and I both glared at him, and he raised his hands in defense. "Nope. Not the time to joke. Got it."
“Stay within these walls, Ever. You,” he barked while pointing at Rhett. “Hands to yourself.”
“Hands firmly at my sides, sir,” Rhett responded, sounding like a recruit answering his drill instructor.
“And don’t blow that shit in her face.” Yikes, someone was crabby today.
"Never," Rhett said, switching the cigarette to the hand furthest away from me.
Why was Beau suddenly treating me like some innocent little girl? Oh my God, a cigarette! I was never around those! I rolled my eyes as the metal door slammed to indicate Beau's exit.
Rhett grinned at me. “I think Beau and I just became best friends.”
I rubbed my hands together to keep them warm and smiled. “He gets paranoid sometimes. Give him time… he’ll get used to you.”
It was weird how I had already gotten used to him. I could count the hours I had spent with Rhett on my fingers, and yet his presence was so intense and—as much as it rubbed me the wrong way to admit—positive. He had lit this fire beneath the band where only embers had been burning before.
"So when are you going to show me what you have written in your notebook?" he asked, a cloud of smoke leaving his lips. Once again he looked at the stick in his hand, and a small frown formed on his face. Then he smashed the lit end into the closest ashtray, even though there was still plenty left.
“Probably the same time you show me yours.”
“I have some pretty embarrassing stuff in there.” He laughed and shook his head. “I actually wrote a song about losing my virginity. I don’t know what I was thinking recording that event.”
“No fireworks, huh?” I laughed.
“Oh, plenty for me. I'm not sure the lucky lady would have the same enthusiasm about it." He was fidgeting with the zipper on his jacket, and then as if a thought struck, he added, "I'm definitely much better now. I'm talking Guinness World Record fireworks show. Fucking explosions."
“Oh, I’m glad you don’t think too highly of yourself or anything.” A smile slipped from my lips.
“You would be surprised to know that I’m not usually like this. All cocky… and bragging.” He grinned. “I’m usually the awkward, quiet guy. At least I think so. But apparently, not around you.” He shrugged and pulled his jacket tighter.
“Why is that?” I asked, watching him intently.
"I haven't quite figured that out yet. You just make me feel comfortable, for some reason. Even when you’re hating me.” He laughed, but then grew serious. “I know that when we're playing music together, you feel what I'm feeling." His old phone blared that polyphonic music from his pocket before he could continue.
“This is Rhett,” he answered coolly.
I watched him listen to the voice on the other end of the line. He chewed on his thumbnail as he stared off in the distance.
"Can I talk to Beth, then?" After a short pause, he smiled. "Hey, Beth. How is it today?... Yeah?... Should I come up there now? I had planned on coming today, anyway.... Thanks, you're the greatest… See you soon."
He shoved his phone back into his pocket. When his eyes once again met mine, I tried to smile.
“All good?” I asked.
“Uh... yeah. I just have to head out.” To see Beth, I silently added for him.
“We just started here, though.”
His smile lifted to one side of his mouth. "You just started. Should I remind you that you were over two hours late?”
"Sounds like you just did.” I cocked an eyebrow at him. “Enjoy your freedom while you can, is all I'm going to say."
“I’m sure I’ll learn to manage,” he responded.
He had no idea.
“Let’s get together tonight. In the meantime, you go through your book and find something you don’t mind sharing. I’ll do the same.” He stood and reached his hand out to help me up. “I bet we could even try to get some lyrics down on paper.”
I hesitantly grabbed his hand and stood before letting it go. “Whoa, that seems kind of fast. You really think we could start writing?”
“Sure.” He shrugged. “It doesn’t have to be anything great, but I think we could at least try. I’ve got a few ideas, and I bet once we get started the words will come to you too.”
The idea freaked me out and thrilled me at the same time. “I can’t tonight,” I said, shaking my head. “I have a meeting with a magazine. A makeup trial run. Then another meeting about something I’m supposed to endorse…” I could go on and on.
“Go to your magazine meeting, and while you’re getting your makeup done, go through your notebook. Then ditch your other meeting. It’s Sunday. You can take the rest of the day off.”
“You have no idea how this works,” I said, frustrated.
"I don't, you're right. But I do know I’ll stand up for myself when I need to. And I think everyone will understand that we need time to work together." He had a good point.
We made our way back to the treacherous staircase.
"I'll come to the hotel at five. You better be there, and you better have your schedule cleared for me."
"I’ll let you tell that to Rose." I laughed. "She can't stand when her precious schedule gets messed up."
We didn’t talk as we made our way down. He walked slowly in front of me, no doubt to catch my falling body if this staircase decided to try and kill me again. I had a feeling he wasn’t talking so I could concentrate on each hazardous step.
“You can’t wear heels tonight,” I heard his voice from down below tell me when he hit the last step.
He turned toward me when I reached the bottom. "I don't have anything but heels… and what do you have against my shoes, anyway?"
I pointed my toe and lifted my leg a bit, letting him get a good look at my black leather booties with the metal studs. They were very rock and roll, if you asked me. He glanced at my heel, but then his gaze quickly moved to skim over my legs instead.
I swatted his arm and laughed. “The shoe, sir! Focus on the amazing shoe.”
He smirked. “I don’t give a damn about the shoe. The other parts though are pretty amazing… show me again?”
I rolled my eyes but couldn’t hide my smile as I walked back toward the studio.
Rhett stepped into the studio grabbed his guitar case and came back out into the hallway. He waved to the guys, who were still trying out a few beats. I heard Nixon holler out a goodbye, and I imagined Jared lifting his chin in his quiet way.
“Don’t ditch me tonight, Pipes!” Rhett called out as he exited the building. Like it or not, it appeared I had a nickname.
— EIGHT —
Me: It's a no-go tonight. Rose can't cancel my last meeting.
I typed out the text and sent it to Rhett as I was being corralled out of another building to the car through a pack of screaming fans and paparazzi. A part of me was disappointed because I was interested to see what we could accomplish together, but the other part of me was not surprised.
Rose and I had gone round and round. Me insisting that I needed to get this album rolling with Rhett more than I needed to be posing for some new endorsement. She said she agreed but that her hands were tied and the schedule had already been set. After all, she was only my assistant; she didn’t determine my schedule, she just made sure I stuck to it.
My phone buzzed in my hand, and I smirked when I saw Rhett's name.
/> See you in 30.
I didn’t have time to go back and forth with him. He’d learn soon enough what it was like being pulled in a million different directions. If he wanted to wait around all evening, he’d be waiting a long time for me.
“What the hell?” Rose muttered while tapping frantically on her phone.
I ignored her and read through all the texts I had received during my Cosmo cover walk-through. It had been a pretty standard meeting. I wasn’t sure why they were necessary anymore, seeing as it wasn’t my first time. But we talked about the theme of the shoot and the questions that might be asked during the interview. Then I sat through a very boring makeup session. The magazine would use their own makeup artist for the shoot, so I didn’t really have anyone to talk to while they applied, removed and reapplied makeup. I did, however, have time to go through my notebook like Rhett had suggested.
“Canceled?” I listened as Rose spoke into her phone. “Amanda, what are you talking about? How can a meeting that's been on the schedule for two months get canceled thirty minutes prior?" She paused. "Well… I agree, of course," she huffed. "Forward me the rescheduled date." She set her phone down and stared at me.
I quickly replied to Rhett’s earlier message while shaking my head.
Me: Your voodoo is strong, sir.
Rhett: Dress comfortably. And no, heels are not comfortable.
"Not sure what you did, but you got your way," Rose said.
“Me?” I scoffed. “I’ve been with you every second. I didn’t do anything.” Her attitude made me laugh. “And don’t sound so upset about the fact that I’m going to get work done with the person you fought so hard for.”
“I’m not mad.” She sat there looking exactly that.
I grabbed her phone, selected the calendar app and deleted the meeting that was just canceled. “Pretend it never existed. Your precious schedule is still perfect.”
Thirty minutes later, I was in my closet, freaking the hell out.
Rhett said I needed to dress comfortably. What did that mean? And where the heck were we going? I figured we would hang out here and go through our notebooks like we discussed earlier. I already told Beau that I would be in for the night.
Ever Lonely (Ever James Band Book 1) Page 11