Rockstar Retreat

by Summer Cooper

  I wanted to beg her to stay with me and not go back to the retreat, to a job she’d told me meant a lot to her. Instead, I took her face in my hands and pressed a kiss against her lips. After a short moment, I pulled back and met her eyes, clearer now that her mind was waking up.

  “Sharon, why don’t you come with me?” I asked point blank.

  I could have tried to lead her up to it, try to seduce her into the idea, like how I seduced her into my bed. I’d offered her something similar before; only I’d spoken differently about it, and thinking back now, I winced. I pretty much implied I would be paying her if she stayed with me and we had sex. I would apologize for it at some point, but I didn’t want to bring it up right then and risk her telling me no just because she was annoyed with me.

  It took a moment for my words to sink in. She blinked her eyes a couple of times before they widened on my face. Her hands cupped my cheeks, and she pressed her forehead to mine.

  “Do you mean that?” she whispered.

  “More than anything,” I replied readily.

  “ I have a confession to make,” she said softly, smiling. “Remember my old job? I kinda got fired.”

  I blinked at her in surprise. “What? When? Why?”

  She shrugged, looking so carefree for someone that had just lost their job. It was so different to the reaction she’d had when she worried about our secret being found out.

  “It was just yesterday before I came to you. I don’t know how, but the boss found out, and he just calmly told me to leave. So I was kind of hoping you still wanted me around.”

  The smile she sent me was edged in relief, and I made a sound of surprise.

  “Why would you even think that? Of course, I want you around, Sharon. I don’t know if you realize this, but you’re good for me.”

  She rolled her eyes. “I think we’ve talked a lot about flattery, Jerrik.”

  “Not enough,” I countered. “Not if you can't tell the difference between me flattering you, and me saying what’s the simple truth. You do realize that without you, I’d probably still be as bad as I was when I first came to the retreat?”

  Her lips pursed in disbelief. “You do understand the position you’re in, don’t you? You’re famous, Jerrik. When you get back out there, you’re going to be reminded that you get to see extraordinary people a lot more often than most people.”

  “Maybe, but remember when I told you none of the people I kept near were considered friends of mine?” I waited until she nodded. “I need someone like you, people someone less poisonous and more positive, someone I trust. You make me feel like no one ever has in my life, Sharon. With you, I feel whole. And I want to keep feeling that, for as long as you want to keep me around.”

  For a moment, she just stared back into my eyes with a blank expression on her face. Then, she smiled sweetly and wrapped her arms around my neck to pull me into a hug.

  “Then we’ll be together for a long while, Jerrik,” she said simply.

  I hoped so, because for the first time in my life something about it felt right and it started and ended with Sharon.

  Epilogue

  Sharon

  There were so many people.

  I knew Jerrik was famous, but being put in a concert filled with all his fans was a little overwhelming.

  I wondered, idly, what they would do to me if they knew just how close he and I are? Would they hurt me for it? Probably. I’d heard of fans doing a lot of ridiculous things.

  I was situated near the front of the stage, in a sort of VIP area compared to the rest of the space. There was even a line between me and the rest of the crowd, and I felt that only made me stand out more. But I hardly cared.

  Jerrik stood there, on the stage, tall and proud like he should be, like I hadn't seen him before. The stage was set up with some music equipment, a couple of guitars, a piano, and a set of drums. There were other people on the stage, setting themselves up with their instruments, while Jerrik stood in front of a microphone stand. He was in his signature look, jeans and a tank top, that showed off his physique and the tattoos that littered his shoulders, neck and chest.

  He sang, and with all the noise, from the music to the crowd yelling in appreciation, I could barely hear his voice, even with the speaker. At some point, I was going to ask him to sing for me so I could listen purely to his voice. But, I had to admit, his singing was amazing.

  It was a new song, and I listened carefully to the lyrics. They painted a beautiful story, and I would have to look through them a little more closely to be sure, but I thought it had something to do with us. The thought of that had me swaying with the music, and I wished we could dance to it together.

  As the song drew to a close, the sound of screaming fans roared up again, and I was tempted to cover my ears a little to relieve them. Pretty much every one of his concerts was like this, and if he had anything to say about it, I’d be appearing at many more of them, so I had to get used to it at some point.

  “Thank you, everybody!” Jerrik shouted into his microphone, eliciting even louder screams from the fans. “Did you guys like my new song?” he went on to say. I don’t think people even answered verbally; it was still just screaming.

  I couldn’t help rolling my eyes, but a part of me felt proud. All these people, there to see Jerrik, and I was the one he would be taking home.

  He talked some more, calling out for appreciation for the guys on the instruments, who waved in response to all the noise they received, and it was enough to have me cave in and cover my ears. Then he waited for the room to quiet down before he went on.

  “Now, I have a little surprise planned for the audience and someone very close to me,” Jerrik said.

  Instead of more screaming, the crowd went so silent it was eerie. But I wasn’t paying attention, my mind replaying his words. I wondered if he meant me, and at that moment, as I looked at him up on stage, he looked down. Our eyes met, and he smiled at me.

  “The guys and I are going to play a brand new song, one that hasn’t even been to the recording studio yet, so you all get to hear it first, live.” He had to pause while the crowd showed their appreciation. “This new song is dedicated to this someone, who is very special to me, so I hope she likes the song.”

  I barely heard the crowd; my mind focused on Jerrik’s voice as he began to sing, straining to catch all the lyrics. I changed my plan just slightly; I would have Jerrik sing this song specifically to me when we were alone at home. I swayed a little to the music, a smile forming on my face to match the one he had on. We were surrounded by hundreds of people, and there were plenty more watching live. Not to mention the people that would catch the replay. But just then, it felt so much like there was only the two of us.

  Jerrik didn’t look away from me the entire song, his eyes sliding closed in some places, only to open again quickly, like he was afraid I’d disappear. Near the end of the song, he looked off to the side. I was a little sad to lose his attention, but then I felt someone touch my arm.

  I started, but it was only Jerrik’s agent. He gave me a smile and gestured for me to follow. After some hesitation, I did.

  I was pulled onstage, feeling incredibly confused. I would have rather stayed off it, but it wasn’t like people didn’t know we were together by then. We had been for a few months already. When Jerrik went back into his career better than ever, of course, more attention was paid to him, and I just happened to be caught one day. Somehow, I was still given plenty of freedom, so I didn’t mind it much.

  But Jerrik had never done something like this before, so it was something of a surprise when I was brought right to his side, and he took one of my hands in his.

  My eyes widened slightly when he suddenly went down on one knee, right there on the stage, in front of so many people. Later, I would probably think back and feel some mortification, because I was a woman that liked her privacy, and it was such a special moment. But, right then, I was unable to make a coherent thought, because there was onl
y one thing this could mean.

  Jerrik was going to propose.

  Sure enough, he reached into his pocket and pulled something out. Funny how I hadn't spotted it during the concert, when he had only been a few feet away from me. He opened the small box with his one hand to show me the ring, simple gold with three small diamonds, the middle one slightly bigger than the other two.

  I was crying and smiling, and I wanted to laugh, but I didn’t think I would hear myself. It was so loud, louder than ever, and I didn’t think he’d even hear me if I said yes. So I just gave him a rapid nod.

  “I love you, Sharon,” he said, and I could hear it all around us, so I knew he’d used his microphone.

  I pulled back with a pout because that was cheating. But I took his hand that held the mike and brought it to my mouth, taking a deep breath so I could say it clearly;

  “I love you, Jerrik.”

  Author’s Note

  Thank you for reading Rockstar Retreat.

  This book also contains free stories for your enjoyment. Please refer to the Table of Contents to find out more.

  Exclusive Freebie

  I

  Breaking the Bosses

  BBW Menage Romance

  1

  She was already running late, and today was not the day for things to start going wrong so early. April clutched her coffee mug and ran as fast as she could in stiletto heels, trying not to let the coffee spill onto her cream blouse and pencil skirt. Whistles sounded from a nearby construction site and she flashed them a smile. It seemed like everywhere she turned, someone was telling her that she needed to be stick-thin and pouty-lipped, but the fact of the matter was that her curves and her smile drew appreciative grins wherever she went.

  She slowed her run as she approached the doors of the Zenith Tower. Home to Houston & Co., her employers, it was a vision of glass and steel, modern and sleek, and sometimes April wondered exactly why she was working here. Sure, the pay was good and her coworkers were nice, but the fact was that the majority of the employees were snappish and her bubbly, romantic-comedies-and-wine personality didn’t exactly mesh with people whose idea of casual Friday was a navy suit instead of a black one.

  And today, as she slipped into the elevator and punched the button for the top floor, she especially wondered why she was here. She could be a secretary absolutely anywhere—her recent promotion to the CEO’s secretary had given her a resume a lot of people would kill for—and she didn’t exactly need to be putting up with bickering shareholders. The idea of three days spent smoothing egos and defusing fights left her exhausted, and the men hadn’t even shown up yet.

  “April!” Jane, the CFO’s secretary, smiled as April strode off the elevator. “Wow, you look gorgeous.”

  “Thanks, Jane.” April smiled. Five foot eight, slim, and stunning, Jane was one of the girls April would just have written off a few years ago. In fact, when she first showed up at Houston & Co., she’d thought Jane’s compliments were insincere, meant to make her feel ugly and incompetent. But Jane was a real sweetheart, somehow managing to survive as secretary to the meanest person at Houston, and her blue eyes were alight with envy as she looked over April’s outfit.

  “I wish I had the courage to wear things like that,” Jane said, heartfelt. Her usual black suit was offset with a crisp white blouse and a pink bracelet April had only just persuaded her to buy. “But I don’t think I’d look very good in it.”

  “All you need is confidence and a smile,” April reminded her. Someday, she promised herself, she would help Jane realize how pretty she was. “You’ve got the smile. Now you just need to fake it ‘til you make it with the confidence.”

  Jane laughed.

  “You’re sweet.” Her voice dropped and she craned to look down the corridor. “Are they here yet?”

  “Oh, crap!” April had managed to forget that she was late. “Probably. Wish me luck.”

  “You’ll need it. And if you need a drink, we’ll take you out at lunch.”

  Jane disappeared and April walked down the hallway, heart pounding. Now that she was here, she didn’t have any desire at all to go into the CEO’s waiting room. Nathaniel Bryan and Dave Hines were trying at the best of times, and that was when there was an entire table full of board members between them and a team assigned to run interference. Now, the two largest shareholders were going to be in town alone, and the CEO had asked April to show them around town. He’d even asked pleasantly, as if he wasn’t throwing her into a pool full of hungry piranhas.

  “Hello?” she called as she came around the corner of the room.

  For a moment, she thought it was empty, and a weight lifted from her heart. Then:

  “Hello.”

  April turned around, and dropped her coffee.

  “Oh, my God—I’m—I’m so sorry.”

  “Not a problem.” The man stooped to pick up the cup and throw it away, and retrieved a handful of napkins from the sideboard. A few he threw into the puddle of coffee, and with one or two, he dabbed at her blouse.

  “Ah, um…I can get that.”

  “Let me.” His voice was like velvet, and he looked up from his task to flash sapphire-blue eyes at her.

  April tried not to faint. He was hands-down the most gorgeous person she had ever met. His hair was a deep brown, his features looked as if they had been chiseled from stone by a master sculptor, and he had a dimple on his chin. Tall and slim, he nonetheless had broad enough shoulders to taper elegantly under his suit jacket, and the hands presently wiping at her blouse had long, elegant fingers and the faint calluses of someone who played guitar.

  And no wedding ring. Interesting.

  April told herself not to be ridiculous. She was gorgeous and sexy and utterly charming, but the fact of the matter was that executives never went for women like her. They preferred women like Jane, and frankly, she was fine with that. Executives didn’t make great boyfriends.

  Only, it was difficult to breathe around this man.

  “So, uh…are you…” Her voice was coming out too high.

  “Dave Hines.” He stood and gave a regretful look. “I’m afraid that blouse may not be able to be salvaged.”

  And he would know, because he had been very, very thorough. April tried not to blush as she shrugged.

  “I think I’m more upset about the coffee, really. Not a great start to a Monday.”

  He laughed. He had a wonderful laugh, one that made awareness flare all down her spine, and his teeth flashed white as he smiled.

  “Well, let me get you another cup.”

  “Oh, no, that’s all right.” Having one of the top shareholders get coffee for the secretary would be exactly the sort of gaffe the CEO had warned her to avoid. “I’m April Thornton, by the way—Mr. Jeffries’s secretary. We’ve touched base over email.”

  “You’re April Thornton?” Surprise rang in his voice.

  “Yes.” April looked over her shoulder from where she was stirring sugar and cream into her coffee. “Why?”

  “You seemed…” He waved his hands, searching for the words. “I guess I would have figured you were farther up the ladder than that.”

  “I will have you know,” April said loftily, “that secretaries run all companies.” She grinned at him.

  “Oh? Do tell.” He folded his lanky height into one of the leather chairs by Mr. Jeffries’s door and raised his eyebrows, taking a sip of his own coffee.

  “I,” April informed him, “am the gatekeeper. I control who sees Mr. Jeffries, who he knows is in town, and whose teams get first pick for the conference rooms.”

  “A pity I couldn’t bribe you to keep Jeffries from knowing about Mr. Bryan,” Dave said with alacrity.

  April paused. This was the sort of slight she had been expecting, and she wasn’t good at dealing with it.

  “Ah, don’t worry—I’m joking.” Even though the look in his eyes said that he clearly wasn’t, he was, just as clearly, trying to set her at ease. He leaned forward with tha
t sparkling smile. “So, tell me. Do you ever abuse your power?”

  “Sir, I would never.” But April leaned forward as well, looking down the hallway first to make sure no one was coming. “Maybe once. Or twice.”

  “I have to know. I promise I won’t tell.” He held up one hand in a mock oath.

  “Well, a few years back, one of the executives was planning to run off to our competitors with a whole bunch of secrets. He kept asking his secretary to get him information for projects he wasn’t on, that sort of thing. When she asked why, he fired her and pretended it was for the same thing he was doing.” April raised her eyebrows. “His last months here were…not pleasant. Somehow, Mr. Jeffries was always busy when he wanted to meet. He kept getting dropped from projects. For some reason, he didn’t know his phone number had changed, and—such an embarrassing mix-up—his company cell phone got cancelled.”

  Dave was laughing silently.

  “You really did that?” he asked, when he recovered.

  “Oh, not only that.” April grinned. “Somehow, in amongst all the other paperwork for the day, Mr. Jeffries signed a piece of paper acknowledging that the secretary had been wrongfully terminated. That’s the sort of thing that would sit in his inbox for six months waiting to be signed while she had to go get a different job. You know, if he had a different secretary.”

  “Ms. Thornton, you are a treasure.” Dave lifted his coffee cup. “I won’t even ask what happened to that executive.”