They were joking about something when they made it over to me. All four guys looked at me expectantly, but it was Tyler’s perusal that seemed to burn my skin with its intensity. My stomach fluttered. I had forgotten how insanely beautiful he was in person.
“Hi guys. Nice to meet you all. I’m Katie Winston the Executive Producer and Director for Rock Star Diaries. We’re crunched for time, so we’ve got to get rolling. I’m hoping we’ll have time to talk after the shoot. Tommy, thanks for bringing your surfboard.”
Tommy nodded. “I’m hoping I can get some surf time in if we finish early enough. I brought gear for Tyler, too. I’ll have to drag his lazy ass out there though.”
Tyler frowned. “Wet suit or not, the water is fucking cold.”
“Okay. If everything goes well, you might have some time.” I smiled. “So, I just want you guys to relax and have fun with this. Act naturally. This part is supposed to showcase your personal side. It should be fun and sexy and exciting for the viewer to watch. Like they wished they were hanging out with you. In the ad, these shots will be interspersed with snippets from your concerts. That footage has already been chosen and it showcases your talent, your raw energy and intensity. It’s very powerful.”
Alex glanced over at the filming location. “So, what are we going to be doing while they film?”
I glanced at my watch. “The videographer will give you direction. Just listen and try not to act stiff. Remember this part is supposed to look natural and lighthearted.”
Tommy started shifting on his feet as if he was uncomfortable. “Oh God. It’s not going to be like the Monkee’s, is it?”
Nick looked annoyed. “What the fuck are you talking about, Tommy?”
“The band, the Monkees. They had a TV show in the 60’s or something. My girlfriend made me watch it. In the opening credits, the band does all this crazy stuff, they have surfboards, they all run towards the surf and then run back out...”
Tyler turned to him. “Jesus, Tommy. This is something Crazy told you about? No fucking way we’re doing anything like that.”
Tommy protested. “Shit, no. Livvy thought it would be cool, but I don’t want to either. I just got nervous when Katie asked me to bring my board.”
I decided to ease the tension. “I’m not really familiar with The Monkees, but that’s not exactly what I had in mind. We’re aiming for something very current and hip. Nothing retro. Okay, we’ve gotta get moving guys. Everything is ready. The models are all ready to go. We’ll start shooting as soon as you’ve got wardrobe and makeup.”
I waited for objections to the word ‘makeup’ but no one said anything. These guys were used to photo shoots and television spots. Hopefully their experience would make everything go smoothly.
I handed the guys off to Valerie in makeup. “Val, we’re going to start off with them in their street clothes, so just tidy them up and make sure they’re ready to go. Then we’ll switch to beach wear.”
The girl that arrived with Alex turned to me and spoke loudly. “Ooh yeah. Are they going to be in speedos?”
I could hear Alex muttering about speedos as Val led them away.
“So are you a friend of the band?” I looked at the beautiful girl beside me.
She smiled. “I’m Lena. I’m Alex’s girlfriend. I hope it’s okay that I came today. This is our last week together before he starts touring again.”
“Sure, no problem. As long as you stay out of the way.” I frowned. “Tommy mentioned a girlfriend, too. I didn’t realize they had girlfriends.”
Lena walked next to me as I headed over to the shoot location. “Nick has a girlfriend, too. They’re pretty serious even though he seems miserable all the time. Yeah, Tyler’s the only free guy right now. But he more than makes up for the rest of them.”
Her words caused me pause, more than I cared to admit. “So Tyler’s a player, huh?”
“Yeah, I’ve never seen him with the same girl twice. In fact, I think that’s a policy of his.” Lena shrugged.
“Damn.” I cursed and Lena looked at me questioningly. “I mean, this is going to complicate things. You know we’re going to portray Alex as single on the show?”
Lena nodded. “Yeah. I kind of figured. I actually had to talk him into doing this. I don’t want to stand in the way of his career. I trust him. I’m really scared, but if I don’t trust him, we’re never going to be able to make a relationship work out long term. This is what he does. Music means everything to him. It’s who he is and I can’t take that away from him.”
I bit my cynical tongue. I had done a lot of research in preparation for this tour. I had seen some of the crazy stuff written about Alex on the internet. Girls were crazy for him - for the whole band, for that matter. Long-term monogamous relationships didn’t seem to stand a chance in hell. I prayed that I wouldn’t be documenting the downfall of their relationship.
***
Six grueling hours later, filming was wrapped. I had tons of footage to pour through to find two minutes worth of perfect clips. The band had worked well together, they were constantly arguing or ribbing each other, but there was no malicious undertone lurking beneath the surface and their different personalities played well off each other. I was excited; the key dynamics to make this show a success were all available to me. I just had to expertly tap the source and I could lure out a fantastic story; I had no doubt.
The guys had all worked hard, so I had dismissed them as soon as the photographer had snapped his last photos. I told the band that I would see them next week at their opening venue and said my goodbyes as they headed out.
Unfortunately for me, I would have to stay several more hours while the equipment was broken down and loaded. Some people in my position might have felt it beneath them to stick around, but in the end I was the one responsible for everything, so I would stay until it was completed.
It would be getting dark in a few hours, but the crew didn’t look to be in too much of a hurry. I pulled a protein bar out of my purse and hunkered down with my phone and laptop to get some work done while I waited for the crew to painstakingly pack up.
I had been engrossed in answering e-mails for some time when I finally noticed that the sun was sinking low in the sky. I looked around. All the equipment had been loaded into the vans and the beach was deserted. All that remained of the shoot were the canopies. I glanced up towards the parking lot and could see two guys from the crew having a smoke next to their van. I sighed with relief; at least they hadn’t left the tents behind as I had first thought. Hopefully, they would finish up soon.
I slid my laptop into my briefcase and stood. The tents had been emptied out. Maybe I could start taking them down on my own to speed up the process? The wardrobe tent wasn’t huge; I could possibly dismantle it myself. I walked over to the small tent and lifted the flap to check that all the racks had been cleared out of it.
Hot damn! I gasped with surprise as I took in the sight before me- a perfect male body squeezed into a skin-tight wetsuit. His back was towards me, but I knew this wasn’t Tommy because the hair was too dark. It was Tyler. And my eyes couldn’t help but wander down his tight body and linger on the contours of his ass, which were showcased perfectly by the wetsuit.
“My fingers are so fucking numb, I can’t get this suit off. Those gloves were too big –” He glanced over his shoulder and stopped talking when he saw me.
I finally got my mouth to work. “Oh, sorry. I didn’t know anyone was in here. I’ll just get out of your way…”
He turned fully and faced me. “No, wait. I thought you were Tommy. I guess he’s still out there. Two hours was more than enough for me. I’m pretty sure hypothermia is starting to set in. I need some help getting out of this suit. My fingers don’t seem to be working.”
I felt a flash of concern. “Hypothermia? Do you think you need some medical attention?”
He shook his head. “No. I just need to get into dry clothes and I’ll be fine. Can you just pull this zipper down
for me?”
I swallowed nervously. Why did the thought of pulling down the zipper on his wetsuit get me so hot and bothered? It’s not like I hadn’t spent hours today staring at his bare chest, pretending I was watching the shoot when I had really been gawking at his body.
“Sure.” I stepped fully into the small tent and slid behind him. Trying to act casual while my heart raced a mile a minute, I tugged at the long cord attached to the zipper. I watched the muscles bunching in his back as I slowly pulled down the zipper inch by inch. I studied the tattoo on his right shoulder that curled partially down his side as it was gradually revealed.
When I realized I was unzipping him a little too leisurely, caught up in uncovering his body to my feasting eyes, I yanked the cord abruptly the rest of the way. “There. Isn’t the wetsuit supposed to keep you dry? It looks wet inside.”
Tyler turned to me. “Thanks. Water can get in, especially when you dive through the waves. But this isn’t my suit, so it doesn’t fit me perfectly.”
I beg to differ. Even though the zipper on his wetsuit was down, it was still molded to his body like a second skin. I could see the outline of his rock hard abs through the neoprene, and I wondered what other treasures the wetsuit revealed. Don’t do it, Katie. I fought like hell not to let my eyes wander any lower down the suit.
My eyes flew to his face just as I felt the heat of a blush spreading across my cheeks. I had resisted the urge to check out his package, but just the thought of what I might see made my pulse race.
Tyler tried to shrug his shoulders loose. “Can you just pull down on the front of this? Don’t touch the outside material – it’ll get damaged. Pull from the inside.”
“Oh. Okay.” I reached up and gathered the material by his neck and began to peel the slippery layer forward over his shoulders. Damn, this felt erotic. I was stripping a rock star.
I pulled the wetsuit forward and began exposing his chest as he tugged his arms through the sleeves, leaving them inside out. When his arms were freed, I dropped the top of the wetsuit and stepped back secretly enjoying the up close and personal view I was getting.
Tyler held up his fingers, flexing them. “My fingers are still numb. Just pull it down some more so I can peel it off. I need to get out of this thing.”
I was beginning to feel slightly ridiculous stripping him down, but I figured I would look like a complete prude if I refused. I had already seen him in his swimsuit, so what was the big deal? And I had to admit to myself, I sure wouldn’t mind getting a better look at that body of his. As long as he didn’t catch me…
I had to stoop over to grab the top of the wetsuit and my face ended up inches from his tight 6-pack. If I had stuck my tongue out, I could have tasted him. I tried to clear my head of its naughty thoughts and began tugging the wetsuit down. Slowly, the material gave way.
I was struggling to work it down because my bent position was really awkward. If I wanted to continue, I had to get down on my knees in front of him. I knelt down and immediately felt a surge of pure arousal. My God. I was inches from his bulge. The one I tried so hard not to look at before. Like I was about to give him a blowjob. I glanced up. “Are you sure you can’t pull the rest off yourself?”
His eyes were half closed as he watched me. Was he in hypothermic shock or something? “Are you okay, Tyler? We’d better get this off you fast and get you warmed up.”
I reapplied myself to the task at hand, but my momentary worry was soon forgotten. I had already returned to drooling over his perfect body again. I tugged the suit lower and my stomach clenched as his navel was revealed, then the dark sprinkling of hair leading to – well, yeah. It slowly slid down past his hips revealing the tattoo that I had seen peeking out of the top of his swim trunks earlier at the shoot.
As I focused on finding out what the mystery tattoo was, the fabric was getting closer to revealing the package behind the bulge. The bulge that looked suspiciously larger than before. My eyes narrowed warily. I was pulling his wetsuit down obscenely low and there was still no hint of a swimsuit.
I abruptly stopped pulling. “What are you wearing under this?”
“Uh, nothing.” He sounded so calm.
I jumped up. “What! You’re naked under there and you have me peeling this thing off you?”
He grinned devilishly. “You’re doing a great job. Don’t stop now.”
I crossed my arms. “Tyler! I get it. Really. You’re used to women undressing you and falling all over you. But, that’s not going to happen here. So let’s get this straight - right here, right now. I’m not interested in you. And I’m not going to have sex with you. Ever. Besides the fact that we have a professional relationship to maintain, you’re just not my type.” Was I trying to convince him or myself?
His eyebrow rose questioningly. “And what type am I exactly?”
“You’re a rock star. You act just the way people expect you to act. You go through women like it’s your job. I’m not judging you, but I’m certainly not interested in becoming another notch in your belt. I’m not attracted to men who behave like that.”
The easy smile slipped from his face. “And you think I’m like that?”
“Are you telling me you aren’t?” I challenged right back.
Tyler shrugged. “Don’t you ever have sex just for fun? Why does it have to be so fucking serious?”
I was feeling a bit defensive, but I wanted him to understand me, too. “Because I have a bit of self-respect. But you don’t have to worry about my sex life, I have plenty of ‘fun’ sex. I just choose not to have sex with men who’ll chase any piece of ass in sight.”
Tyler’s eyebrow arched derisively. “What kind of men do you have sex with then? Virgins?”
Why was he making me feel like my choices were wrong? I was the mature one here. “No, I sleep with men that I’m attracted to and who can keep me satisfied. Men who put some effort into it; men who want me and pursue me because they care enough. That’s the kind of man I want in my bed and then, believe me, it’s all well worth it for them.”
Tyler’s eyes were like hard pieces of black coal. “Sorry, I’m not like that, babe.”
There had been a tiny flicker of hope that he would have protested more. That he would have tried to convince me that I was different from other women. Special. Someone worth pursuing. Obviously, that wasn’t the case.
I sighed. “No kidding. That’s why I would never sleep with you.”
He turned his head, but not before I could see that he was angry. “Can you grab my jeans?” He pointed to the pile of clothes near my feet.
I picked up his jeans and tossed them to him, all the while desperately wanting to take back my crazy lecture.
He tugged hard at his wetsuit. I turned away just as it slipped down past his hips. “I guess I’ll see you soon. Later, Katie.”
It was too late. “Bye, Tyler.” I ducked through the flap of the tent and onto the darkening beach.
Damn, I had hurt his feelings while delivering that condescending, judgmental and probably insulting speech. All in an effort to- what? Put up a huge barrier between us so I wouldn’t embarrass myself with my shallow attraction to him? Disguise the fact that I wanted to sleep with him for utterly superficial reasons and felt ashamed for feeling that way?
Well, if I was worried about ruining my professional reputation or even getting my heart broken by Tyler Matthews, I didn’t have to worry any longer. After the little hissy fit I just displayed, I was sure that all chances of getting to know Tyler more intimately had been forever dashed. I had accomplished my mission, and it depressed me more than I cared to admit.
Chapter 6
Tyler rolled over in bed, covering his head with the pillow, but the god awful banging in his head wouldn’t stop. What the fuck did he do last night?
His plane had been late landing in Toronto the day before. Scott had hired a new security team for this tour and Tyler had met up with his personal bodyguard at the airport. On the way to the hotel, h
e called Tommy and found out that he was already out partying at some club.
When they got to the trendy club, he and his bodyguard were immediately whisked inside. Tommy was mobbed by Cold Fusion fans and people who were hoping to get filmed on the new show, Rock Star Diaries. Everyone was looking for their 15 minutes of fame. The crowd got even crazier when Tyler showed up.
At first everything was great. Tyler loved being in the spotlight, surrounded by hundreds of adoring fans. But he gradually started noticing that everything seemed a little bit off. He began to realize that a lot of these people didn’t know anything about him at all.
One hot girl that he was paying special attention to couldn’t even remember that he was the lead singer. She kept mentioning something about how she would love his fingers to stroke her like he stroked the guitar. Then she called him Alex. It was starting to piss him off.
When that powerful high that he always felt from being in the spotlight started dimming, even while surrounded by fawning people, he became worried. He downed a few more shots and tried to brush it off as anxiety. It was probably just a general uneasiness about the tour kicking off the next day and about the television show, which would be a new experience for all of them.
But he couldn’t shake the odd feeling. He glanced over at Tommy who was having a good time and tried to relax. Tommy didn’t seem to be having any concerns.
Tyler looked down at the girl who was rubbing up against his crotch. Even with this girl smashing her tits against him and making sure he got a good look down her shirt, his cock felt dead to the world. She had been talking about the Rock Star Diaries show non-stop and he had been trying just as hard to tune her out.
Rock Me: Sexy (New Adult Rockstar Romance) (New Adult Rock Star Erotic Romance) Page 5