“You are my best friend, and like a sister to me, I could never forget you." I pulled her in for a hug and smiled, hopeful that this would be a good decision after all.
CHAPTER SIX
Rhyann!” came a guttural cry that carried down the stairway to the kitchen. So much for a quiet morning enjoying a cup of coffee. “Have you seen a piece of paper with some lyrics and chords jotted on it? I’ve looked everywhere for it.” Even this far away I heard frantic pacing taking place.
“Can’t say that I have,” I called back, as I made my way toward the offending voice. I could almost guarantee he hadn’t checked every place. Geez, the man could exaggerate. Since I had started working for him this had become somewhat of a habit. I was beginning to think he was a touch lazy. Either that, or he liked when I did everything for him. “Stop pacing or you’ll wear a groove in the floor,” I snapped, strolling into his room. He glared and gave me the finger. “Oh, that’s classy. I thought you were a gentleman,” I retorted, sarcastically.
“I left it right beside my bed. Have you been in here snooping around again” he accused. The man was a bit of a fanatic when it came to his privacy. I rolled my eyes dramatically. “Don’t roll your eyes at me,” he mumbled. “I thought you were more mature than that.” I returned the finger gesture. “Oh, very lady like.” Which resulted in me flipping up both fingers. He couldn’t hide his grin. This was pretty typical behavior for us. We usually got along pretty well, but we bickered like an old married couple.
“That happened only one time, and I told you I was looking for Ibuprofen. I had bad cramps because of my period and ran out of my own supply,” I grumbled, joining him next to the bed.
“Stop!” He groaned, holding up a hand to silence me. “I do not want to hear about your feminine problems. I just want to find my paper.” I coughed to stifle a chuckle.
“I’m quite sure it didn’t miraculously sprout legs and run for the hills, although I can’t say that I didn’t give it fair warning,” I rolled my eyes again.
“Very funny smartass. Well where could it be then? I need it.” He threw his hands in the air.
“Oh for Heaven’s sake, let me look,” I nudged him out of the way. “What am I looking for just a piece of notebook paper?” I asked, as I crawled around on the floor beside his bed. I bent over further to look under the bed and in doing so my jean clad ass was thrust into the air. I looked over my shoulder and caught him checking me out. I arched an eyebrow and he just gave me a cute little wink. After lifting only a few items I located the missing document that had fallen between the bed and his side table. “Here,” I thrust it in his hand. “I knew it didn’t just get up and walk away.” I stated, mockingly, as I stood and brushed off my knees. “And please don’t accuse me of lurking around your room. I have better things to do with my time.” I tossed my hair over my shoulder and marched downstairs, grumbling the entire way. I swear, if anyone had observed our interactions they would have thought we hated one another. Actually, it was quite the opposite. Our snarky banter only seemed to bring us closer.
“Thank you Rhyann. You’re the best.” He called sweetly, as if nothing had happened. Honestly, the man drove me insane, and I secretly enjoyed every minute of it.
“Yeah, yeah,” I muttered.
Jesse had proven to be quite sweet, as he had previously demonstrated, but he could quickly become moody and a bit demanding. He would grumble and stomp around when he was in a writing slump, and then when the words were flowing he would be sweet and joking, I preferred the latter. I honestly didn’t take his mood swings too personally, they had almost helped me get over my infatuation. Don’t get me wrong, he could still make me dizzy whenever he flashed his dimples, or showed me his playful side, but for the most part we had fallen into a nice working relationship. Our light banter and playful teasing kept the mood light and made the day more interesting. Somehow, we had developed a friendship along the way that felt safe. I kept him on task, and kept the house stocked with plenty of food and beverages for the band. I even managed to tolerate the stream of females that Jesse brought home from time to time.
During the short span of time I have worked for him I've had the chance to spend time getting to know the rest of the band. They spend most days in the basement studio, and often stay for dinner. They've almost begun to feel like family to me. Sam Cooper is the drummer, and he has blonde hair that he usually keeps covered with a bandana. He is really funny and helps keep the mood light. Sam and I hit it off immediately, falling into some sort of a brother-sister relationship, he teases me incessantly and I punch him in the arm. What can I say? It works. David Garrison plays bass, and is bald with tattoos covering his arms, he reminds me of the actor Vin Diesel, and he has a great sense of style. He is the strong and silent type. Tyler is Jesse's older brother, and he plays lead guitar. He looks a lot like Jesse but his hair is shorter, and he doesn’t appear to have tattoos, at least none that I can see. He's married to Stefani, and she often joins him when they spend long days in the studio. Stefani is petite with dark hair and the bluest eyes I've ever seen. She's always smiling and goes out of her way to make me feel part of the group. They all grew up together, and she and Tyler started dating when the band was still playing in neighborhood garages. She is Tyler’s assistant, so we spend a great deal of time together comparing schedules and gossiping about the girls who shamelessly throw themselves at the band. She always tours with them so she has plenty of stories to tell. Most of her time is spent showing me the ropes of being an assistant to a rockstar and helping me prepare for the worldwide tour next year. The plan is to finish producing the album and then play a few headliners at various upcoming events. After listening to all of Stefani’s road stories I'm looking forward to the adventure.
One morning we were in the kitchen comparing calendars and drinking coffee, like we typically did. The guys had gone into town for a meeting at the record studio. With the guys gone, the house was pleasantly quiet for a change. I closed my eyes and enjoyed the rare silence. She smiled sweetly before clearing her throat and interrupting my serenity.
“So how are you and Jesse getting along?” During our time together I had come to the conclusion that she was unaware that we had known one another before I took this job.
“Alright I guess. He seems comfortable with me hanging around. At first I was leery of moving in, but I think we’ve adapted nicely. Honestly, we get along really well."
“Uh-huh, I see. And how is it watching the bimbos hanging around?” She lifted her coffee cup to her lips and raised her eyebrows a notch.
I rolled my eyes. “Oh my gosh. That’s annoying as hell, but honestly, they haven’t been coming around much.” How long had it been since the last beautiful model had come home with him after a night out with the guys? Weeks?
“I remember what it was like. He used to live with us before he bought this place. They would parade through my house night after night. I swear I thought I would go crazy listening to all of their high pitched giggles and moaning.” She rolled her eyes. “His room was right next to ours, and I used to pound on the wall and yell that he couldn’t be that good in bed. They disagreed.” She shook her head and laughed hysterically.
“Yeah, thankfully I don’t have to hear any of that. I typically head off to my side of the house and hide while they are around. Besides, it is none of my business. I don’t care what he does. He keeps to himself and I do my own thing.” I looked down and my hands had twisted a paper napkin to shreds and left a mess on the table.
Stefani watched me for a moment before responding. “Yeah, right.” She replied, furrowing her eyebrows. I suddenly felt very self-conscious and maybe even a little defensive.
“There’s nothing there. He’s my boss,” I said, shaking my head fiercely. “Nothing going on.” I repeated, mostly to convince myself.
“Uh-huh…” She smiled, before taking another sip of coffee.
Later that evening, after everyone had gone home, I was in my bathroom get
ting ready to meet Mel for a drink at Theo's. Jesse came to join me, which was something he did on most nights, but I never questioned his presence. I had noticed early on that he didn’t like to be alone, maybe that was the reason for all of the female visitors. On nights when it was just the two of us in the house we would order dinner and spend a few hours watching television or a movie. He was very thoughtful, and allowed me to make most of the movie choices without complaining too much. It was time that had given us a chance to become better acquainted. There were even nights when we would go into the game room and challenge one another to a friendly game of pool. We seemed to enjoy one another’s company, and that made me enjoy my job that much more.
“Hey.” He reached up to grab the top of the doorframe and in doing so let out a heavy sigh. My eyes drifted to his reflection in the mirror and I caught the faintest glimpse of hard muscle teasing me where his shirt had ridden up with his stretch.
“Hey yourself.” I replied, gathering my composure to apply the finishing touches on my mascara. I pulled the wand away from my eye and wrinkled my forehead together, taking in his demeanor. “Are you okay?” I was getting better at reading his moods.
He shrugged his shoulders lazily. “Yeah, just bored. I don’t like how quiet it gets when everyone's gone.”
I furrowed my brow and scowled. “You usually have one of your harem hanging around so I highly doubt this place is quiet when I'm not here.”
“Shut up, I'm not that bad and you know it,” he said, kicking at the ground with his toe. I stared at the action for a minute, noting that even his feet were perfect. He continued speaking and my eyes moved back up to his mouth. “Besides, there’s not a girl here every night.”
I exhaled loudly and jabbed him in the ribs with my finger. “I’m calling bullshit on this one, Jesse.” He arched his back and rolled his eyes, but he wouldn’t look directly at me. He knew I was making a true statement.
“I know you’re right, but I have slowed down. I probably should clean up my shit though.” He suddenly went quiet as his eyes looked everywhere around the room, avoiding me completely. He appeared off, like almost nervous, and I've never seen Jesse Montgomery nervous. This was the same man that propositioned me for sex within the first two minutes of meeting him. The same man whose soft lips and hazel eyes made me forget every rule or inhibition that had held me back before. He opened his mouth to say something, but quickly shut it, and I knew him well enough to determine that he wanted to ask me something, something that would probably make me scream in anger or swoon with desire.
"Maybe you could change me." And there you have it, folks. His words may have been soft, but I read the suggestion loud and clear. I knew he had something eating at him, I just never suspected this.
"Excuse me?" I snapped, demanding clarification.
He scrunched his brow, contemplating his next words, and then offered me his best pouty lip. “Come on, help me out, Rhyann. You're great at whipping me into shape. For the past two months you've introduced so many changes around here, I've practically been your personal science experiment. You’ve got me eating salad at least three nights a week, and I’ll have you know that before you moved in I hated salad. I don't hang out at bars like I used to. I’ve stopped leaving wet towels on the floor. Hell, you even got me to quit smoking; do you have any idea how hard that would have been to do on my own? You rode my ass every single time I tried to light up, now you've got me wearing a patch and chewing on a straw when I get a craving."
"Those changes were for your own good. Anyway, it never made sense that a man who put so much effort into perfecting his body would even consider smoking." I turned back to the mirror and reached for a blush brush, but his hand caught my wrist and I stared at his reflection in the mirror.
"Please help me detox from women.” He clasped his hands under his chin and flashed a dimple. At this moment, one would never have guessed that this man was a rockstar. He looked like a five-year-old boy begging for his favorite toy. It was adorable and annoying at the same time, but mostly annoying because it made certain parts of my body stir in response. I didn’t want to think of him in that way, not any more. Even though it tore at my heart every day, I had to be strong and resist my impulses. He was my boss now, and longing for something more no longer made sense.
“Are you fucking serious?" I gave my best searing glare, hoping to burn him where he stood. I couldn't believe the audacity of this man. "You're asking me to keep you from having sex? I think that crosses a line, considering our past." I snapped, crossing my arms protectively over my chest, giving him my best glare. "Isn’t it enough that I have to witness them coming and going all hours of the night? I have to listen to them giggling and squealing with delight every time you touch them. Frankly, it’s disgusting, not to mention insulting to me.”
He scrubbed a hand over his face and returned my stare. “You're absolutely right. I’m a fucking idiot, but you already know that. I knew taking this job would be hard for you, and I gave no regard to your feelings. I'm really sorry, I should have never allowed it to continue after you moved in. I meant what I said though, I want to change. Will you help me?”
Was this really happening? I stood with my mouth gaping open, wondering how we'd even reached this point in our relationship. I'd been professional right from the start, even though it had been difficult. I'd kept my hands, and my feelings, to myself. Sure, we'd shared harmless flirting now and then, but I felt that we had truly built a friendship these last two months. I considered myself to be strong, but even this was too much for me. How was I supposed to be the one to tell him when he could and couldn’t have sex, when I secretly wanted nothing more than for him to rip off my clothes and take me right in this bathroom. I certainly wasn't going to stay with him day in and day out to intervene, and you can bet your ass that I wasn’t going to do an inspection of body parts to make sure he was abstaining!
Well, I guess maybe if he begged. Oh good grief, why am I even thinking this way? When I failed to respond he continued pleading his case.
“Come on, Rhyann, how do you do it?” He asked, seductively. “Do you have sex often? I mean, I never hear you talk about a boyfriend, and lets face it, you're with me more than anyone else. I don’t see men coming here so you can’t have a whole lot of time for a relationship, let alone sex. Don’t you get lonely?”
How the hell does he know what I have time for! Grrr….
“I'm not discussing my sex life with you. Have a good night.” I tried pushing my way past him but he stood firm, blocking the way with his well-defined muscles. I glared and placed my hands on my hips to show that I meant business. “Do you mind?”
“You aren't having sex at all, are you?” He tucked a loose strand of hair behind my ear and his fingers brushed over my cheek along the way. My eyes closed and I couldn't help but wince at his touch. He let out a low whistle when I looked away, hesitating to respond. “Damn, that has to hurt. How long has it been, baby?” He asked, voice rough and full of innuendo.
Any other time, I might have caved, but right now he was pissing me off. He knew good and well how he affected me. I'd been honest with him from the moment I agreed to take this job. I'd told him it would be hard, but I'd also assured him that I could handle it. Sure, we may have become friends along the way, but this was going too far, this cut too deep.
I slowly licked my lips, reaching out to run a finger along the collar of his shirt. His breathing stopped while he stared intently at my wet lips and waited for me to speak. His tongue raked over his bottom lip and as I leaned closer he edged forward, as if anticipating a kiss. At the last minute, I shifted my head and brushed my mouth across his ear to whisper in my most sensual voice. “My sex life is my business, and I don’t feel the need to parade it in front of everyone, especially my boss. But, if you must know, since moving in with you I've developed a very healthy relationship with my favorite battery operated lover. He's the perfect companion. His only concern is pleasuring me, he doesn't ask
for anything in return, and there are no rules.” I threw in that last part just to piss him off.
His tongue played along the side of his cheek, and he let out a slow breath before regaining his composure. He grunted and pushed himself off the doorframe, letting me through. “Enjoy your girls night out.” He announced, as he shook his head and walked off.
“Oh, I plan to.” I called out smartly, flipping his back the finger as I walked out the door. Little did he know it took everything in my power to leave the house after that interaction.
My Only Regret (Twisted Fate Book 1) Page 7