Chapter Two
Alice stared at the frustratingly nice view of Rex’s broad shoulders and tight backside strutting away. He was a damn fine-looking man. If only he wasn’t such an infuriating, egotistical ass.
“You should do it,” said a quiet voice behind her.
Alice had been so focused on Rex’s retreating form that she hadn’t heard Carly emerge from the bathroom.
“Do what?”
“Call his bluff. It would serve him right. You’re so good to him, and he treats you like crap.”
Alice turned around to face Carly and summoned a small smile. “That’s part of the job, being a PA to your dad. It’s actually in my job description, I think.”
Her attempt to lighten the moment didn’t work.
“You deserve better.”
Yes, she did, but to walk away?
Over the last few years, she had come to care for the big jerk and his daughter. Carly was such a sweet, gentle soul, and so gifted! At fourteen years old, she was already taking college-level classes in biology and organic chemistry online. Alice wondered if Rex even knew how incredibly special she was.
“I’d miss you too much,” Alice told her honestly.
“I’d miss you, too, but it’s not right, Alice. You’re wasting your time and talent on someone who doesn’t appreciate you. He’s not going to change.”
No, he probably wasn’t. And it wasn’t easy having to pretend like she wasn’t bothered by his lascivious behavior. Every time he smiled and wrote his name on another groupie, she felt another hairline crack in her heart. The backstage after-parties were the worst. How many more times could she watch an adoring female tug Rex into the shadows to do God knew what before her heart shattered completely?
“I mean, when are you ever going to get another opportunity to work with someone like Johnny Prowler?”
Alice gaped at her. She hadn’t told anyone about the private offer she had received from the sexy panther shifter. Known for his haunting power ballads, Johnny was every bit as popular as Rex in the rock world. Unlike Rex, however, Johnny coveted privacy. His life off stage was strictly off limits.
“How do you know about that?”
“I was using your tablet to check out the venue for the semi-finals when the email popped up.” The girl shrugged unapologetically. “Seriously, Alice, it’s a once in a lifetime opportunity. You’d be crazy to pass that up. Not only that, but you’d be putting a heavy mantle of guilt on my shoulders for being the one keeping you here. You don’t want me to have to deal with that on top of everything else at my tender age, do you?”
Forget organic chemistry. The girl should join the debate team.
“You’re pretty smart for a spoiled rock star’s kid. Anyone ever tell you that?”
Carly smirked. “Only you. Besides, we’d still stay in touch, right?”
Alice sensed the insecurity behind the girl’s bravado. Being the kid of a celebrity was tough. Being the unplanned offspring of Rex Løve was damn near impossible. They were always on the road, and Rex didn’t exactly provide any kind of mature parental guidance. Alice was the closest thing Carly had to both a parent and a friend.
“Just think about it, okay?”
Alice agreed that she would, then said goodnight and went to her own room to get ready for bed, echoes of Rex’s insensitive words on repeat in her head.
“You don’t like it? There’s the door.”
She would like to think that she was indispensable, or at least not so easily replaced. Not everyone could put up with a divo or primo uomo like Rex. It was a daily challenge to get him where he needed to be and make sure his demands, some of them downright ridiculous, were met. Gazelle-flavored ice cream? Arranging for an entire safari-themed park to close its doors to the public so he could play big, bad lion for a day? Those kinds of things took considerable effort and connections to pull off.
Which was probably why Johnny Prowler was offering her twice what Rex paid her, plus a guaranteed eight weeks of vacation each year.
Working for Johnny would be easier on her, too. As sinfully delicious as he was, her heart didn’t speed up at the sight of him like it did for Rex. Every day with Rex was like being tempted by the devil himself. It would be so easy to give in to her hormones and have a little taste ...
But she couldn’t do that. Not now, not ever. As phenomenal as it might be, it would be fleeting. She would be just another conquest, and Rex would move on without batting an eye. She had often thought about giving in just for that reason. Because, once he got what he wanted, he would stop laying on the rough-edged, roguish charm in an effort to get her to sleep with him.
The problem was, if she did allow things to get to that level, she wouldn’t be able to just walk away and put it behind her. Because, despite his ego, despite his attitude, she had gone and fallen for the insufferable bastard. As long as she refrained, she could fool herself into thinking the only reason he continued with all those other women was because he hadn’t had her. That if he did have her, he wouldn’t want anyone else.
Yeah, she was delusional that way. Rex Løve didn’t, and wouldn’t, ever love her. As he had proven time and time again, Rex Løve was only capable of loving himself.
“There are any number of women who would love to have your job, and they’d be glad to suck my dick any time I asked them, too.”
She stared at herself in the bathroom mirror, wondering what Rex saw when he looked at her with those glowing gold and amber eyes of his.
She was no great beauty. In her late twenties, she didn’t have the slim, tight body like the young women who drooled over him, willing to do anything for him and be glad for the chance. She was curvy and sturdy like the lioness she was.
Of course, Rex didn’t know that. As a general rule, shifters were adept at concealing their animal sides. It was a skill necessary to live and work among the human population. And while Rex had trusted Alice with his beastly nature, she hadn’t reciprocated. In fact, the only one who did know the truth was Johnny, and he certainly wasn’t going to tell anyone.
Maybe Carly was right. Maybe she should gather what was left of her shattered pride and move on. There was no future for her here but heartbreak. And, as Rex had pointed out, he could have her position filled before she even landed at LAX.
She would miss Carly, of course. The two had grown close, but they could stay in touch. Maybe even get together frequently. Carly was exceptionally clever, and when she wanted to, she could be every bit as charismatic as her father. Alice had seen the girl charm the ever-present bodyguards into a state of lassitude, then slip out for ice cream or to stroll the mall. Carly was brilliant, but she was also fourteen and wanted to do the kinds of things regular teenagers did.
Carly’s proficiency at slipping away was how they had become allies in the first place. Growing up in a Catholic orphanage as she had, Alice was quite adept at sneaking out herself. Alice caught on to the girl’s tricks and tracked her down, promising not to tell Rex if Carly always told her when she was planning her next escape so she could take the necessary precautions.
If Alice did decide to leave, she would have to make Carly promise to continue to keep her informed. Even if she wasn’t around physically, she could still ensure Carly was taken care of.
Alice paused, realizing where her musing had taken her. Was she really going to walk away?
Yes, she realized sadly, she was.
She climbed into bed then pulled out her laptop before she could change her mind. With a few clicks of the keys, she reserved herself a seat on the five-a.m. flight to LA and arranged for a car to pick her up downstairs. Then she packed a small overnight bag. She didn’t have much.
Using the hotel-provided stationary, she penned a quick note and left it in plain view. Alice paused only briefly to look at Rex on her way out, smiling a little when she heard his room rattling snores. Then she took a deep breath, stepped out into the private elevator, and began the next chapter of her life.
> Chapter Three
Rex stared around the living room in disbelief then roared. The sound was loud enough to rattle the artwork right off the walls.
“Carly!”
Carly opened the door and stared at him, managing to look both bored and pissed-off at the same time. “What?”
“It’s twelve-thirty, and my breakfast isn’t here!” he ranted. “And neither is Stefanie! We’re leaving for Detroit in six hours, and my mane is frizzy! Tell Al to get her ass out here right fucking now!”
His daughter stared at him with all the disdain a teenager could muster. “She’s not in my room.”
“Then, where the hell is she?”
“Maybe she finally got tired of putting up with your crap and left.”
He stared at her as if she had lost her mind. “Impossible! The woman adores me!” Even if the vexing female did like to pretend otherwise.
Carly rolled her eyes and turned to go back into her room.
“Wait. Are you being serious right now? She’s not in your room, helping you with your schoolwork or brushing your hair or some other girlie shit?”
“No. I haven’t seen her since you told her to leave.”
He stilled, quieting his rumbling, hungry lion while rewinding the prior night’s conversation in his mind. “I never told her to leave.”
“Yeah, Dad, you kind of did.”
“I told her there were plenty of females who would kill to be in her shoes.”
She rolled her eyes again.
“What? It’s true. You heard them.”
“So did Alice.”
If his cub was trying to make a point, she was failing spectacularly.
“So?”
“So, you let her think she doesn’t mean any more to you than those starry-eyed, empty-headed ho-bags who scream every time they see you.”
He gaped at her. “Yeah. That’s what fans do.” He was a fucking rock star; what did she expect? For a kid who was supposed to be so smart, she was woefully ignorant sometimes. And as far as her guessing what Alice was thinking, well, she was just way off base. Alice knew she was different, for one very important reason.
“She refused to sleep with me, and I still kept her around. What does that tell you?” he shot back.
Carly made a noise of feminine disgust as she closed her door.
Rex turned around and stalked back to his room, his frown deepening with each step. He would never, ever understand females. Not his daughter. Definitely not Alice. In fact, the only ones he did understand were his fans. They adored him. Wanted to please him. They appreciated the fact that he sang for them. Played for them. Wanted to do all kinds of things to express that appreciation.
But Alice? She pretended she didn’t want to climb him like a tree and have her wicked way with him. She was his personal assistant, the most coveted position a female could have. She got to spend every day with him, taking care of him, and all without having to give him any sexual favors in return! Clearly, she had no idea the lengths he was willing to go to keep her around.
And Carly ... Carly had everything a kid could ask for. Clothes. Shoes. Jewelry. Tech. She was the envy of every teenage girl, shifter or human. She was his daughter, for fuck’s sake. But was she appreciative? No! Instead of basking in the glory, she preferred to stay in her room, reading, of all things. Studying. As if any of that stuff was important.
Ingrates, both of them.
His daughter, well, she could just sit and scowl in her room until it was time to leave. That was what she did most of the time anyway.
But not Alice. Alice needed to get over herself and get back to doing her job. Namely, taking care of him.
He grabbed his high-tech phone and stabbed at the screen. His scowl deepened when it reached a second ring, then a third, before it was picked up.
“Where the fuck are you?”
Alice’s exhale from the other end of the connection was clearly audible. “You didn’t read the note I left for you, did you?”
“What note? I didn’t see a ...”
His gaze landed on a folded note card sitting atop a notebook-sized laptop on the dresser. Alice’s laptop. She was never without it. What was it doing here? An odd feeling, one he wasn’t used to experiencing, tightened his chest.
“What does it say?”
“Read it.”
He didn’t want to. “Tell me.”
She exhaled. “I’m sorry, Rex. I just can’t do it anymore.” Then the call was disconnected.
He stared at the phone in shock. She did not just hang up on him. Stunned, he reached for the card and opened it, growing increasingly incensed as the words leapt off the paper ...
Resignation ... Effective immediately ... Schedule on laptop ... Goodbye ...
He roared again, shredding the card with the sharp claws that had extended from his right hand.
Alice really was gone. She had left him. She had left him, after everything he had done for her!
He grabbed the laptop and threw it against the wall with enough force to bury it in the plaster. Then he swiped out with a hand that had now gone full paw and sent the massive dresser crashing to the ground.
This was the kind of shit he got for being lenient. For letting her get away with things he wouldn’t tolerate from anyone else. He should have just fucked her, given them both what they wanted.
Lesson learned. No more Mr. Nice Guy.
She would be back. She didn’t realize how good she’d had it, but she would. And when she did, he wasn’t going to make it easy. No. He was going to make her beg for her job back. Crawl on hands and knees. And there would definitely be cock sucking involved.
Chapter Four
Alice sipped her coffee and stared out at the incredible view. It felt strange, having a suite of her own. Rex had always wanted her close by in an adjoining room in case he “needed” something. Rex always needed something.
Johnny wasn’t nearly as demanding. For as big of a star as he was, he was a very quiet, soft-spoken guy off stage. Unlike Rex, Johnny wasn’t into the scores of adoring fans or insane trash-the-hotel parties when he was on tour. He preferred to decompress in a quiet, low-lit space after a high-energy performance. He said it kept him grounded.
The last three months had flown by. Johnny’s former assistant had made a mess of things, and it had taken Alice a while to straighten it all out. Now that everything was running like a finely tuned machine, she found herself with more time to sit and reflect.
That wasn’t necessarily a good thing. Having time to think meant actually thinking about things she didn’t want to think about, facing truths she didn’t want to face. She preferred to be busy, concentrating on someone else’s needs. Taking care of someone else’s life was a lot easier than taking care of her own.
Rex hadn’t contacted her once since the day she had left. Alice had conflicting feelings about that. On the one hand, she saw it as a positive. It certainly simplified things and made for less stress in her life. Focusing on Johnny would have been more difficult if Rex had been calling, texting, or hell, even showing up on her doorstep.
Not that that would ever happen. Doing so would imply he actually cared for her, and he had made it very clear he didn’t.
On the other hand, some part of her had foolishly hoped he would have made some kind of attempt. That her abrupt departure would have resulted in a minor epiphany on Rex’s part, making him realize she wasn’t so easily replaced. That maybe he did see her as more than someone who scheduled his hair appointments and interviews and photo shoots.
That hadn’t happened, though, and the fact that it hadn’t was one of those things she didn’t like thinking about.
At least she knew Carly missed her. They video-chatted nearly every day, even if it was only for a few minutes. They kept each other up to date on what was happening in their lives. Carly told her about her latest independent study projects, and Alice told Carly about all the wonderful places she was getting to see. With Rex, she had alway
s been too busy catering to his needs to do any sightseeing, but Johnny insisted upon it, often donning a disguise to accompany her.
In those daily conversations, Alice never asked about Rex. Sometimes Carly mentioned him, though.
Like last night, for example. After hearing Rex’s series of angry roars through the connection, Carly had confirmed that Rex’s tour wasn’t going well. It had been plagued by one problem after another. More than once, Rex’s pre-show demands hadn’t been met, and he had refused to perform until they were.
Apparently, things weren’t much better off stage, either. Carly had told her that there had been a parade of assistants since she had left. Most didn’t last more than a few days. Either they quit, unable to handle Rex’s foul temper, or Rex fired them when they failed to meet his lofty expectations.
Alice wasn’t proud of it, but she had taken some satisfaction in hearing that. Being Rex Løve’s PA was a thankless, difficult job, unsuitable for anyone who didn’t have thick skin, a global list of contacts, and a knack for getting seemingly impossible things done. The only reason she had put up with it for as long as she had was because she was in love with the narcissistic bastard.
And Carly, too.
Rex’s daughter was one of the main reasons she had tried to stick it out. Alice had never really had a family of her own, and Carly was like the little sister she’d always wanted. Being on the road so many months of the year and being the quiet, smart girl she was, Carly didn’t make a lot of friends. It hadn’t mattered because they’d had each other, but now, Alice worried for her. Sure, they still talked every day, but that wasn’t quite the same as being there.
If things went according to plan, Alice would get to see her again soon.
Rex’s band and Johnny were scheduled to perform at the upcoming Animals of Rock tour. The daylong event included seven big names and seven up-and-comers, sure to draw record-breaking crowds. The back-to-back show schedule would be fast-paced and chaotic, and with luck, she and Carly could spend most of the day together while everyone else was otherwise engaged.
Rock Hard: BAD Alpha Dads Page 2