Somehow she finally managed to get some tweets out, and then turned off her iPad and went to the kitchen to make some coffee. It was after lunch already, but it still felt like breakfast. It was a travel day so there was no show tonight, which she was glad for.
Kate sat in the front lounge with Tommy and Shane. The TVs were on but they weren’t watching. They were all looking at something on Kate’s iPad.
“I got more than you, ha!” Shane said gleefully, raising his tattoo-covered arms overhead in triumph.
“No way! I demand a recount,” Tommy said.
Kate laughed and rolled her eyes. “I’ve already counted it twice. You guys can count again if you want, but as of right now, Shane is in the lead.” She handed her iPad to them and picked up the remote.
“What’s going on?” Eve asked as she searched the coffee pods for Dark Roast.
“They wanted to see who was in the lead for the lap ratings today,” Kate said.
“I haven’t checked that yet. How many are they up to?”
“I’ve got a total of three thousand, five hundred, twenty three,” Shane announced to her smugly.
Eve raised her eyebrows and smiled. “That’s a great start.”
“Yeah, Tommy is pretty close to that too…” Kate said.
“Hang on now, hang on. I’m still counting,” Tommy said. He was crouched over the iPad poking at the numbers on the screen as he added, “Ha! Just got two more likes right now.”
“What about Drew?” Eve asked absently. She couldn’t seem to find the pod she wanted.
“Ha! Drew’s way behind…not even a blip on the radar,” Shane told her.
“You know,” Kate said innocently, “You’ll get even more hits if you respond to some of the comments.”
Eve exchanged a secret smile with her. Getting clients to learn how to handle their own social media was usually a struggle. A little competition should shorten the learning curve nicely.
“We will?” Shane and Tommy asked her simultaneously.
Kate nodded.
They looked at Eve and she nodded somberly as well.
There was a brief struggle for the iPad, which Tommy won.
Shane sighed, “Fine, I’ll go use the one in my bunk.” He stood to go. “Hey, Devon, you better get your super groupie picture up there soon. You’re already way behind.”
“Yeah, I’ll get on that right now,” Devon said as Shane passed by.
Eve turned to find him standing right next to her. Their eyes met. This was the most alone they had been since the kiss. He held out his closed fist to her. Turning his hand over, he slowly uncurled his fingers to reveal exactly what she’d been looking for, a Dunkin’ Donuts Dark Roast coffee pod. She reached out and took it carefully from his hand. “Thanks,” she whispered. A slight flush warmed her cheeks. “Where did you get it?”
“I always keep one stashed for emergencies,” he said with a slight smile.
With that, the constant tension she’d been feeling since starting the assignment, eased. It was the familiar easiness they had shared before. Strange, how it could just snap back into place. Well, at least that was something.
Smiling back, she put the pod in the machine. That’s when she noticed her phone was vibrating. She pulled it from the pocket of the white, velour Juicy jacket she had on. “Hello?”
“Eve? It’s Clayton.”
“Hey, Clayton,” she glanced at Devon. He had turned to look in the refrigerator.
“I just wanted to tell you that, so far, I’m really impressed with what you and Kate have done. The crew and I have been browsing through everything. Those lap rating pictures are hilarious.”
Eve shot a smile at Kate, who was listening. “Thank you.”
“When are you guys going to get one of Devon up?”
“We’re going to take care of that tonight. We meant to get to it before leaving Vegas, but we ran out of time.”
“Yeah, tours can be a little chaotic. I’m looking forward to seeing it.”
“I’ll text you as soon as we put it up,” she said.
“Great. I also wanted to ask you about something else.”
“Sure, what is it?”
“I’m not going to mince words here. I’m sure you already know you are very…um…photogenic. I wanted to see if you would be interested in being part of a music video we’re putting together for Can’t Sleep. We already shot some of the footage before we left––just candid stuff from rehearsals and so forth. But I think it would be great to mix in shots of ‘Super Groupie’ with it. It’d definitely give the fans more to talk about. What do you think? I would pay you guys for that separately, of course.”
She was speechless for a moment and then felt very honored. They normally used models and dancers for roles in music videos. A thrill sparked inside her at the opportunity and the additional money. Aside from that, it sounded like fun.
“Really? Yes! Thanks so much. I would love to do it. Let me put Kate on so you can talk about what you want to capture. She’s the video expert.” She handed the phone to Kate then went back to retrieve her coffee cup. That’s when she remembered, the Can’t Sleep song was about a lost love. It was a ballad. They had played it at last night’s concert. She frowned as she stirred her coffee, thinking about what it would mean in terms of video footage.
Several hours later she regretted agreeing to the video. After Kate got off the phone with Clayton, she explained what he was looking for. There were to be several intimate scenes between her and Devon. They were flashback types of scenes where he was supposed to be recalling certain memories about their lost love. She was fine with an easiness between them returning. Anything more was an entirely different matter, even if it was faked. But it was too late to turn back now.
They went straight to the mall when they arrived to get ‘costumes’ for the clips. Clayton had been very generous with a clothing budget. He wanted footage with a couple of different looks. They were supposed to get several outfits, one of which was to be lingerie for a bedroom scene.
Her steps dragged as they went from store to store, Eve feeling less than enthusiastic. It didn’t take very long before Kate noticed.
“Are you going to be okay doing this video?” she asked, looking concerned.
Eve shrugged. “As long as they know I’m no model. It should be fun.”
“Oh, please. Have another look in the mirror. You could definitely be a model, but you know that’s not what I’m talking about.”
Eve ran a hand through her hair. “I know, I know. I’ve been trying not to think about it.”
“You could always back out, you know,” Kate said casually as she peered in the windows of the stores they were passing.
“No way! This is an opportunity of a lifetime. Who knows what could happen if I do it?”
Kate nodded. “Good. I’m glad to see you fighting back a little, at least.” She led them into a lingerie store.
She looked at her friend closely. “What do you mean by that?” Kate might look like the girl next door but that was just an innocuous cover for her sharp mind.
It was Kate’s turn to shrug. “Well, I mean I’m not going to pry, but from your reaction before, I’m guessing this guy broke your heart at some point.”
“Yes, he did.”
“So, I’m thinking that this video might be a good opportunity to make him pay,” she said idly as she examined a very skimpy lace teddy.
That’s when the light bulb went on in Eve’s head. Kate was right. Up until now, she’d been trying to be polite, keep her distance. Maybe it was time he saw what he was missing. She wrapped an arm around her friend’s shoulders and squeezed. “You are a genius!”
“I do what I can,” Kate laughed.
“I pity the man that marries you. He’ll definitely be happy, but he’ll never know what hit him. All right, let’s shop.” She surveyed the sexy displays in the store with a new enthusiasm.
Suddenly, the shopping trip was a whole lot more fun.
****
Devon squeezed his biceps, counting pull-up number twenty, as his chin reached over the bar. His tank top was already damp with sweat and beads of it rolled down his temples. After rehearsing a bit with the others, he’d hit the hotel gym to get some exercise. He’d been in the mood for a killer workout and had punished his muscles with a full-body routine.
Damn, but he wished he could get Eve alone for a little while … but there were people constantly around. He especially despised the groupies now. Whenever they were present, Eve stayed even further away than usual. There’d been one girl in particular, named Giovanna, who had been getting pretty aggressive with him last night. He’d had his hands full fending her off. She’d kept trying to touch him, sliding her hands under his shirt and into the waistband of his pants. After he’d blown off her wheedling offers to plug her phone number into his cell, she’d shoved a piece of paper into his pocket with the number on it.
Last night, he’d felt more than a little jealous of the roadies Eve had spent an hour chatting with. She’d looked happy and relaxed and he’d wished he were the one she was smiling and laughing with. But there wasn’t much he could do about it. She was still mad at him and he was doing his best to be patient, to make strategic moves with her. It wasn’t like he could just throw her over his shoulder and force her to listen. It was a tempting thought, but that would never work with Eve. So instead he’d bided his time and entertained his fans. Maintaining the rocker image was part of his job. Besides, they’d barely started the tour. There would be plenty more time to try to get her to come around.
He smoothly pulled his chin up to the bar again. He hadn’t realized how much of his feelings he’d stuffed away all these years. So much of his time had been spent focusing on his craft and trying to survive and make something of himself. It had been easy to convince himself that he’d done the right thing, especially now. But then, seeing Eve again, being in her presence, everything he’d stuffed down had sprung out. What they had had been special, and regret washed over him at the time that was now lost to them forever.
Releasing the bar, Devon dropped to the ground and headed for the locker room. He picked up a towel from the side table as he went, to wipe himself down. They had a free night tonight, which meant less people around. There had to be a way to get her alone. The first step would be to separate her from her friend Kate. He undressed, leaving his sweaty clothes in a locker, and headed for the showers.
He wondered how long Kate and Eve known each other. It wasn’t anyone he’d met when he was going out with her. He turned the water on and let it stream over his head and down his body. Had Eve told Kate about him? She must have. Women shared everything. Actually, the thought of her telling someone about him perked him up. If she was talking about him, then that meant he’d been on her mind, which meant she still had feelings.
He mulled that over, rubbing his face with his hands, and wiped water from his eyes. Through the blur he was startled to see the edge of the shower curtain move to the side and a figure slip through.
“Hey! Can’t you see I’m using this one…” he started to say, but his train of thought stopped as the figure registered as female, and blonde. She smiled at him and then opened her towel and let it drop to her feet exposing her naked body.
“Hi, Devon.” A slow, feline smile spread across her face and she looked him over. “I missed you.”
He covered his privates with a hand, suddenly feeling violate. It was Giovanna, the aggressive groupie from last night. Before he could overcome his shock, she ran her hands up his chest and then tried to wrap them around his neck and press herself against him, but he regained his senses in time to back away.
“Stop! What are you doing?” he exclaimed in a low voice, not wanting to make a scene.
“I thought it would be nice to shower with you,” she said, advancing again.
He sidestepped her, slapped the curtain open with his arm, and grabbed his towel.
“Look, Giovanna, this isn’t right. You shouldn’t be in here.” He snatched her towel from the tiled floor and handed it to her, not caring that it was sopping wet.
“What do you mean? I thought we had a nice time last night,” she purred. She accepted the towel but made no move to cover herself. He couldn’t help but notice her enormous boob job. The skin of her nipples was stretched tight over the bulging orbs.
“It was nice,” he said, trying to placate her. “We all had a nice time partying together. But look, I’m sorry, this isn’t going to happen. Not here.” He said it in a gentle voice to ease the humiliation for her. She was buck-naked and offering herself to him. Helping her salvage some of her pride was the right thing to do.
“Oh, okay,” she said with a little pout.
He guessed she thought it was sexy but the scrunch of the full collagen lips just reminded him of cauliflower. She slowly covered herself, but the whole time her hungry eyes lingered on the towel now wrapped around his waist.
“Maybe another time, then,” she said, running a hand slowly down his arm, feeling every muscle. Then she slipped out of the shower and quietly down the hall.
Ugh. He’d heard stories of groupies doing things like this but had never imagined it happening to him. Instead of it being a turn-on, as he’d imagined, he felt…disturbed. He stepped back in the shower, setting it to hot, and began to wash the feel of her fingers off him while he made a mental note to speak to Clayton about security.
****
It was amazing how quickly a person could become nocturnal, Eve thought as she lined her upper eyelids with black liquid liner. Only a few days ago she was making herself go to bed on time in order to preserve her eight-to-five schedule, and now, here it was eleven o’clock and she hadn’t even had dinner yet. She supposed part of it had to do with her not having Chloe around to remind her.
She was too nervous to eat anyway. They were moving forward with the plan. Tonight Kate would be taking her photo with Devon for Facebook, and then tomorrow they were going to start working on the video.
She put on one of the new dresses they’d bought. It was a shimmering gold material that hugged her body and had a peekaboo cutout to give an enticing hint of cleavage. The shoes were divine. They were also gold with beautiful interwoven straps and four-inch heels. Deep down she was glad for the chance to wear sexy clothes. When they’d dated, Devon had really only seen her in the jeans and sweatpants that were requisite for a college freshman.
“Okay, we’re all set,” said Kate, walking into their bedroom.
“Is he here?”
“Yup. He’s all ready and waiting in the living room.”
Eve stood and examined herself in the closet mirror.
“Wow, you look hot!” Kate said, high-fiving her. “Let’s go make him sorry he was such an idiot.”
“Thanks.” Eve smiled, feeling glad to have Kate as her friend. Devon wouldn’t stand a chance, between the two of them.
She followed Kate out the door. The suite was just as large as the one they’d had in Los Angeles but was single-story and the decor was Southwestern. She couldn’t remember exactly what hotel it was, just that they would be there one night. They were leaving directly after the concert tomorrow and sleeping on the bus.
As they walked down the hall she noticed how quiet it was. “Where is everyone?”
“They went out to eat and check out the local scene,” Kate said. “We can catch up with them after. Shouldn’t take too long to get the shot.”
They emerged into the living room and there he was, lounging on the couch, in a black t-shirt that looked soft to the touch, and jeans. His hair was damp from a recent shower and the dark stubble on his jaw gave him a dangerous look. His eyes glinted dark blue as his gaze fastened on her.
“You look nice,” he said mildly. “New dress?” But she could almost feel his eyes burning through it.
She nodded. “Courtesy of Clayton. Looks like we’re continuing this groupie thing longer than I expected. Did Kate
fill you in on the video?”
He nodded. “I can shoot some stuff in the afternoon. We have rehearsal in the morning.”
There was an awkward silence.
“Okay, so I’ve already taken care of the lighting,” Kate said to her. “Devon was nice enough to sit there while I ran a few test shots. Go ahead and take your spot, Eve.”
She mentally squared her shoulders, preparing herself for what she was about to do, and approached Devon. His eyes did not leave hers. She gracefully eased herself onto his firmly muscled thighs and put her right arm around his neck. Her fingertips rested on the lean muscles lining his collar. It felt strange and not strange to be sitting on his lap after all this time. There were things she remembered that felt like home, but there were also new things. His cologne was different, and he had more stubble on his jaw than she remembered.
She felt him carefully wrap his arm around her to support her back and rested his hand on her thigh. All the contact was beginning to cause a dance of sensations along her skin.
“Okay, Devon, so it’s up to you to beat the other guys. Feel free to move Eve around and use your imagination,” Kate said as she looked through the viewfinder of her camera. “She’ll help you. Just try to keep your eyes on the camera, and give us your best sexy look.”
****
She felt light and sleek in his arms. The feel of her round bottom on his thighs caused a rush of blood to his penis, giving it enough life that he hoped she wouldn’t notice. It felt nice to hold her again, feel her leaning against his chest, like back in the day. She was trying to act relaxed but she wasn’t, really. The observation gave him just a little bit of satisfaction, as she couldn’t completely shut him out.
“What do you think we should do, Eve?” he asked quietly. Maybe, if it were her idea, she would relax. He didn’t want to make this more uncomfortable for her than it already was. Well, maybe part of him did.
Her face was so close to his. If she just turned her head the slightest bit their lips would meet. She looked so hot, like a shimmering golden queen, and he was glad none of the others were around to ogle her.
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