Simon: Rockstar Romance (The ProVokaTiv Series Book 3)

by Nelson, Cara

  “If you want, too. That would be great. And if you don’t, please don’t go off to the rainforest again.” He started to laugh a bit, but I felt the very real message underneath it.

  “No, don’t go out again,” Roble said, nodding his head as he drove the rickety truck closer to town. “You were not dressed right or prepared for emergency. Not smart.

  “I agree. Live and learn,” I said.

  Morning came and I decided to stay behind for a bit and rest. I had the darkest, ugliest circles under my eyes and it just wasn’t going to work for me. No amount of concealer could hide them. In an hour, I was going to be meeting Simon for a late lunch and then to go off with him to some press conferences for the afternoon. If the camera really showed everything, it wouldn’t only show those bags under my eyes, it would also show that I had some serious feelings for Simon. I was really nervous about that, hoping that I could play it casual.

  My Skype ring went off and I walked over to my tablet on the bed and saw that it was from Brynn. I smiled and answered, waiting a few minutes for a fuzzy picture of Brynn to show up. Trinity was there, too!

  “Hey, how great to hear from you,” I said, smiling them.

  “How’s it going?” Brynn asked. “We haven’t heard from you for days.”

  “It’s great. I’m so excited to see you two!” I said, clapping my hands together.

  “Anything we should know about before we get there?” Trinity asked.

  I didn’t think like her most of the time and I said, “Well, the weather’s great and I think you’ll love the food.”

  Trinity looked at Brynn and then the two moved in closer to the camera on their computer and looked at me. They raised their eyebrows. “We aren’t talking weather. We’re talking about you and Simon getting along,” Trinity said.

  “We’re getting along great. Yesterday was a bit scary, but other than that.”

  “Why? What happened?” Brynn asked.

  I explained the rainforest situation and how Simon had gotten worried and hired a tracker to come get me.

  “How very Out of Africa,” Trinity said.

  “More African Queen, if you ask me,” Brynn said.

  “How about neither. It was a startling situation and I would have gotten back to Freetown eventually, but I’ll admit, it was damn good to hear Simon calling out my name through the thick of the forest. I was having fun, but I was cold.”

  “And how did he react when he saw you?” Brynn asked.

  “He was relieved, of course,” I said.

  “And…” Trinity added.

  “And we hugged for joy.”

  “You’re such a yawn,” Trinity said, doing a pretend yawn to the phone. “Where’s the savage beast, the celebration of life and all that.”

  “This isn’t a music video, Trin. It’s a jungle with plants that can make your body break out into a rash and bugs that can bite you, stuff like that.”

  “You can’t tell me that even you wouldn’t have thought it was pretty hot,” Trinity said.

  I picked up my tablet and walked back over to the bathroom counter. “I’m going to put on my make-up while we chat. I don’t want to be late.”

  “For what?” Brynn asked.

  “For my lunch with Simon. Then it’s time for press conferences,” I said.

  Trinity snorted. “You’re changing, right?”

  I looked down at my t-shirt and knee length white shorts. “What’s wrong with this?”

  “Oh nothing,” Trinity said.

  “Knock it off, Trin,” Brynn said. I smiled when she swatted her arm.

  “Well, can’t wait to see you in a few days. We’re all set on this end. I know there’s something you’re not sharing though, but it’ll take just a minute of being by Simon and you to figure it out,” Brynn said.

  “Don’t pull the journalist thing with me,” I said, looking at Brynn’s mischievous and sparkling blue eyes. “Well, gotta go. Love ya’s!”

  They blew me a kiss through the computer and then I disconnected.

  Kind of strange that I didn’t tell them what happened, but if it had just been something Simon said in the heat of the moment, that it wasn’t a good idea to share it with anyone. It might trip me up and I didn’t need that. As it was, he’d distracted me enough at times, making it hard to focus on the purpose of this trip—eradicating Ebola. And maybe finding love, some obnoxious voice in the back of my mind added.

  Chapter Thirty-Two:

  Demanding Presence

  I sat at the square wooden table, along with Jessie and Dominic, and tried to focus on what Dominic was saying, but it didn’t work. I couldn’t stop thinking about Jessie. Last night had been so emotionally intense for me, more so than anything else I’d ever experienced in my life, including the situation with my brother.

  I was processing a real man’s emotions, not those of a frightened eight year old. Every time I looked at Jessie I had this urge to touch her. Even having her sit on the far side of the table, closer to Dominic didn’t make that urge subside.

  “Do you want to fit the slides in between acts or as a backdrop to the acts while they’re playing?” Dominic asked.

  I was slightly aware of his talking and shook my head. “I think it would be best to have them going on as a backdrop the entire time the band are playing, plus have one presentation right before ProVokaTiv comes on. Otherwise, people will be leaving to get a beer or take a piss and not catch the message,” I said. As an afterthought, I added, “What do you think, Jess?”

  “I like that idea. It’s going to be big and huge, but I want people to remain motivated to give whatever they can, whether it’s volunteering or money to help with the cause.” She smiled and took a sip of water and I noticed that her hand had a slight shake to it. She was just as nervous and tense as I was.

  “Great, that’s what I’ll do then,” Dominic said. His hand quickly went down to his side and he grabbed his phone and looked us. “Excuse me, gotta take this.” And off he went.

  “It’s hard to believe that we are just a few days away,” Jessie said to me. “Any pointers for a press conference, I’ve never done anything like that before. I’m so nervous.”

  “It’s simple, really. You’ll be great, just be you and things will be perfect. They’ll ask you questions and many will spout them off so you have to pick one and focus. Answer it, looking at everyone for the photo opp’s and then wait for the next question.”

  “That doesn’t sound that simple to me, Simon. Not all of us are used to the spotlight.”

  “Is that hard for you?” I asked. This was quite a serious question because I was in the spotlight a lot and if I was in love with someone who wanted nothing to do with it, the statistics were not good for us having any sustainability.

  “Just different, wouldn’t say hard,” Jessie said. “And what if it was?”

  “Was what?”

  “Was hard,” she said. She was looking at me and her head was slightly tilted to the side, making her blonde waves go over her shoulder. Such anticipation was on her face, lips softly parted like they were ready to accept a kiss and that look, it was come hither, truly it was. The entire thing made me really horny. I couldn’t resist.

  “I don’t think I can tell you what’s hard,” I said softly. “When you look at me like that…”

  Jessie’s cheeks flushed a gorgeous rosy shade. She leaned in, extending her hand out and softly tickling the top of mine, which was resting on the table. “Any meetings at the hotel after this?”

  “I can arrange for one,” I said. Now lunch couldn’t move fast enough and my head was completely in the game to ensure it did once Dominic got back.

  Our lips collided like we hadn’t experienced each other in months as we stumbled into Jessie’s room. I kicked the hotel room door shut and kept moving forward in rhythm to her moving backward until we were both on the couch, our bodies pressed against each other. I was a baggy jeans kind of guy, but the jeans I had on at that moment felt like th
ey were too tight in the crotch. I’d worked myself up and the frenzy to use Jessie’s beautiful body to satisfy my appetite for flesh was on. She was so giving and caring…so loving, but wild. I couldn’t get enough of it.

  With one knee up on the couch, my fingers slid into a wet and receiving Jessie while her hand went down and she began to stroke on my cock, making it harden even more. The blood was pumping inside of it, ready to experience what it knew was yet to come. My senses were in hyper drive, aware of everything happening around me that lent to this moment.

  Jessie’s and my eyes locked for a brief second, catching the animal feeling in each other. It startled me. I drew my hand from her honey pot and went toward her breasts, not hesitating to feel them, squeeze them, taste them.

  “Simon, now,” she begged. “Damn, I…” She stopped talking for a brief second and then said, “Need you.”

  I was glad to deliver what she wanted and I slid into her, my right arm pressed against the back of the couch, my left leg on the floor, and my entire center focused on her and how wonderful it felt to drive into her like that, her hips responding by moving up and down, allowing me to go into her as deeply as I could. Faster and faster and faster, and then I froze, releasing most unexpectedly to the sweet sounds of Jessie howling out the approving noises of her own orgasm. I looked down at her and didn’t just see urgency, I saw a woman that I wanted to look at every day. My words in the rainforest hadn’t been a slip, a celebration of the moment. They’d been the truth.

  Our eyes locked and we were staring at each other, each of us breathing heavily, our hearts in our eyes. I smiled at her, but didn’t move. “I…” I paused and swallowed, trying to release whatever was blocking me from saying it, but I just couldn’t. “Holy shit, that was awesome.”

  “Yeah, awesome,” she said. She had a really understanding look on her face and I was grateful about it at that moment. My animal emotions had turned into over-processed human thought. She sensed it and didn’t push the issue.

  Jessie sat up, and grabbed my hand. “Come here, Mr. Jefferson, she said.”

  I didn’t say a word, but I listened to what she said, very curious about what she was thinking.

  She guided me over toward the bed and said, “Lay on your stomach.”

  I slid onto the bed and did just that. Jessie straddled on top of me and started to massage my shoulders. At first she went gently, but then she went deeper in, releasing the tension that I had been carrying—without even realizing it—and then she’d follow up with soft, gentle kisses on each of those spots. She did this up and down my entire body, relaxing me and paying attention to every detail, even the small birth mark on the back of my right thigh.

  The only noise that could be heard was my sigh and then I must have drifted off to sleep. I woke up and a cotton blanket was over me and the tables were turned. I rolled over and there was Jessie sitting in the corner, deep in thought. What’s on her mind? I wondered. I knew what was on mine, but it seemed that my mind had somehow cut off the ability to communicate through words. Then I remembered the massage and smiled. It had been amazing. And afterward, I stretched, to which I heard Jessie call out. “Did you enjoy your nap?”

  “I think so, but not as much as what was right before it. That was great.” I shook my head and realizing that I was still smiling. “Well, we’d better get ready for that press conference.”

  “Yeah, of course,” Jessie said, getting up. I noticed her smiling, too, but she also had a slight wrinkle in her forehead. I’d observed her enough to know that she was smiling outwardly and contemplating something significant internally. It was really quite an endearing look. It made me so curious and I would have given anything to be a super hero with telepathy so I could hear what she was thinking.

  Chapter Thirty-Three:

  One Way or Another

  The poor treadmill in the hotel’s exercise room didn’t do anything to deserve the pounding I was giving it that morning. With my music blaring, my hair up in a high pony, and my clothes saturated with sweat, I kept running and running as if my life depended on it. I was in such a tizzy, experiencing so many crazy emotions tangled into one heap that I felt like they were the fuselage of a plane crash.

  Scattered thoughts. Random ideas. Processing clues. And my heart was the black box that had every answer I needed. I just needed to research and analyze it. The last thought made me laugh, apparently Simon had turned on some hidden analytical button inside of me—it must have been that last amazing thrust on the couch that made me orgasm in a second flat.

  My back was to the entrance to the exercise room and although my music was blaring, I sensed that someone had come in because I felt a slight draft, like from a door closing, on my back. I glanced over my shoulder and saw someone enter the room that I didn’t know.

  I acknowledged them with a small wave and then kept running. Another twenty minutes passed and I realized that it was time to get off that treadmill, I’d run a stationary seven miles. I stopped, rested my hands on the bars at the front of it, took a deep breath, and started walking slowly.

  A television was on in the corner, English subtitles playing along the bottom. I happened to glance up at it and saw the script running along the bottom: Vendari has put together a proposal stating his position… OMG! That was it! I shouted, “Yes!” and raised my hands in the air, jumped off the treadmill, wiped it down, and bolted out of the exercise room and up the flights of stairs to my room. I had a plan…and it was brilliant!

  A quick Google search later, I had all the aspects of a business plan the way Simon would like to see one and I couldn’t wait to put it all into one presentation that I could take down to the business center and have printed off, even bound, according to what the concierge said. This definitely rated toward the top of my list of brilliant ideas. Okay, it was a short list, but this…this was huge!

  Title: Not All Things Need to be Eradicated; Some Need to be Explored

  Mission Statement: I’ve become aware of the necessity to create a plan that make it easier for us to safely communicate what we are feeling without having to feel awkward about it, or choke back our words. This is the plan I’m going to share with you in hopes that you will be on board with what I have to say.

  Description of Product or Service: Don’t let the fact that I am a humanitarian who usually leads with my heart fool you; I understand smart business and good business relationships, which makes me a valuable asset to you. Simply put, I can increase your emotional net worth by making you aware of all the nuances, such as smiles and thoughtful insight, that add to your bottom line that you may otherwise overlook.

  Product Distinction: I am known for my compassionate, more cautious side, but I also adore structure and knowing where I stand. After all, that is what makes for a successful business venture: it’s the creativity, passion, and support all rolled into one final product that makes itself distinct. And all the research done to date indicates that I am a sound product that balances out others, making them stronger by providing a solid foundation and a cohesive sense of community. I have an ability to express sentiments that may shed light on certain behaviors that could jeopardize the effectiveness of me, the product. As an added benefit, I am able to optimize one’s performance, taking it to the next level in all areas of importance, personal and professional.

  Market Analysis: As a rock star and man who runs in affluent circles, you obviously have many people from which to choose from to conduct your business with. I think you’ll find that I am a dedicated, hard worker who doesn’t easily give up, as exemplified during the project we’ve already started. I have kept my word and meant what I said—always. What better partner could you ask for?

  Management Team: Unlike other industries, this management team is quite small and focused. It consists of two people, Simon Jefferson and Jessie Martineau. These two individuals are equipped with the tools to tackle problems in a logical and compassionate way, leading to optimal results. Listening is their strength. Tho
ugh they are prone to spontaneous bursts of sharing statements such as “I love you,” they also know to hold back and allow the logical part of their brains takes over. This is something that both parties have in common, but as a sound management team, it can be worked on in order to improve as individuals and strengthen the team.

  In regards to past experiences for the management team, Jessie Martineau has mostly been vested in following her passions, not having seriously dated anyone since her senior year of high school, an experience from which she learned greatly. Despite different personalities, Simon Jefferson is quite similar in this regard, having created fruitful relationships that are based in business more than genuine friendship. This is further evidence that the two can create an effective merger of fresh, mutually beneficial ideas and actions.

  Marketing Plan: As already indicated by preparations for Eradication Festival, the evaluation of this preliminary evidence shows three great assets which are necessary to any successful venture: compatibility, camaraderie, and curiosity to know more about the other. It is recommended to continue with this approach.

  Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Threats (SWOT): The strengths of this proposed merger into something more than a working relationship are the undeniable connection and chemistry between the two key players—Jessie and Simon. The weaknesses of this proposed merger are the distance between the two as they each pursue their individual endeavors. The opportunities of this merger are an ability to create a strong and happy couple in this wild, hectic world, as well as experiencing a great relationship that is focused on love and helping the other achieve their goals. The threat of this relationship is singular—Simon Jefferson saying, “No thank you,” and moving on.

  Cash Flow Statement: This is not complicated. Jessie Martineau has clearly expressed that she has no cash flow to speak of, even having student loans and one credit card for Marshall Fields, which is her guilty pleasure. However, there is no money needed for this venture to work aside from the occasional, highly affordable coach airfare special. The premise of this relationship is not a capital venture, rather a meeting of the minds and bodies of Jessie and Simon to do great things.