by Aubrey Rose
Julian closed the door and pulled a chair out for her. Shannon sat down, in awe of the resplendent beauty. The table linens were topped with ornate silverware, and rose petals lined her plate.
A soft knock came from behind, and Shannon turned her head to see the back door of the cabin open. A man in a tuxedo entered with a bottle of wine clasped in his white-glove clad hands. Behind him she could just see steam rising from a stovetop.
“Mr. Brennan,” the man said, bowing and offering the bottle for inspection. Julian approved and the man poured him each a glass.
“Shannon, this is Chef Louis Cantrelle,” Julian said. The man bowed again as he poured Shannon’s glass.
“Tonight I am chef, waiter, and sommelier,” the man said, winking. “I trust you will enjoy this one, Mr. Bremmer.”
“Thank you, chef,” Julian said.
“Is there anything I should avoid preparing for your dishes, mademoiselle? Any allergies or dislikes?”
Shannon shook her head. This was all too much for her to take in.
“Very well, then I will bring you your appetizers presently. Thank you and enjoy.”
“Thank you,” Shannon murmured. When he had left the room and closed the door, Shannon stared at Julian, who picked up his glass of wine, swirling it in the glass.
“How on earth did you do all this?” she said.
“This?” Julian gestured around, the candles flickering under the movement of the air. “This was nothing. But Chef Cantrelle was hard to get. I’ve eaten several meals at his restaurants, but he is normally so busy that it was hard to pull him away for an evening.”
“I imagine.”
Julian leaned forward.
“Really, though, once I told him I was trying to impress a girl, he was very excited for it. I can’t wait to see what he makes.”
“You mean you don’t know?”
“Oh, no! I wouldn’t dare to ask. I’m sure it will be delicious, though, all of it.”
It was delicious.
The appetizer was bowls of mussels steamed in a garlic and white wine cream broth, with the flakiest, freshest bread Shannon had ever tasted on the side to mop up the leftover broth. Then came a course of braised lamb followed by a goat cheese and walnut salad. By this time Shannon thought she might burst to overflowing, but each course tasted better than the last. She had drunk two glasses of wine by the time the main dish arrived, and she felt as though the air in the room had been changed, transformed by the delightful food and the even more delightful conversation. It was a rarefied atmosphere, and the twinkling lights around her made her head spin even more.
“This next dish is a specialty of mine,” Chef Cantrelle said as he brought out the covered platter, raising the lid dramatically. “Coq au vin, just as my mother used to make.”
“It smells wonderful,” Shannon said.
“Please enjoy. I will be back afterwards to offer you choices for dessert.”
They tucked into the dish, neither of them speaking a word as they savored the first few bites.
“Thank you,” Shannon said. She took another sip of wine. “I can’t thank you enough, Julian. This is beyond wonderful.”
“No more than you deserve,” Julian said. “But I’m going to have to order dessert for you.” Julian’s face was serious, but his voice was teasing.
“Oh really?” Shannon raised one eyebrow and teasing back. “You just have to be in charge?”
“I’m always in charge, even if you don’t know it yet.”
“No you’re not.” Julian echoed her words along with her, and Shannon burst into giggles.
“That doesn’t mean you’re in charge,” she said. “That just means you know what I’m thinking.” She swirled her wine in her glass, watching the red rivulets break across the surface tension.
“It’s the same thing. I know what you want before you do.”
Shannon’s face twisted into a triumphant grin.
“So you can’t do anything you want. You can only do what I want.”
Julian smiled softly.
“Same thing.”
Shannon was not about to let him go this easily. She took another sip of her wine and leaned back in her chair.
“And if I don’t want what you want?” she said archly.
“I think I can convince you.”
“Julian, are we talking about dessert or kinky sex here?”
Julian laughed, spreading his hands in the air.
“Hey! Why not both?”
Their laughter subsided, and Julian’s expression became serious. Shannon prepared herself for another round of teasing, but this time he was serious.
“The band still has one more stop on this tour,” he said. “A couple of shows in San Diego.”
Shannon swallowed hard. The tender coq au vin seemed to stick in her throat, and she reached for her wine to wash it down. Her hand bumped the glass, and it tilted precariously. Julian caught it from falling, his hand wrapping around hers. Suddenly her eyes were wet with tears.
“I’m sorry,” she said. “I don’t know why…” Her voice trailed off into nothing.
“I don’t want to leave you, Shannon,” Julian said. “I’m not going to repeat my last mistake.”
“How?” Shannon said. Her voice was quavering, and she bit her lip hard to give herself strength to talk. “You’re on tour, and I’m here, and that’s that.”
As soon as she said it, she felt a sob rising in her throat. She had fantasized about the two of them, but that’s all it was - a fantasy. This beautiful dinner, the car ride up - all of it was just a part of a dream that she had to wake up from eventually. Shannon blotted the corner of her eyes with her napkin, willing her tears to stop.
“That’s what I wanted to ask you about,” Julian said. The words rushed out of his mouth, as though he couldn’t stop them from flowing. “In San Diego. The tour. We don’t have an official tour photographer right now. And since you’re so good at photography, I was thinking - I mean, I know you’re busy with school. And if you can’t come, that’s okay. But-”
“You want me to come with you?” Shannon couldn’t believe what she was hearing. San Diego wasn’t that far, but she had never thought Julian would want her to come along.
“Just if the tour doesn’t interfere with your classes. It would be for the next week, week and a half.”
Shannon’s mouth dropped open. It was true. He did want her to come with him. It was impossible, but it was happening.
Chef Chantrelle opened the door at that perfectly inopportune moment, three desserts displayed on his silver platter. He walked over to the table to show them off, but Shannon couldn’t tear her gaze from Julian’s face. Her heart was leaping for joy inside. To go on tour with Julian! As the official tour photographer! It was all she could do to keep herself from jumping on the table and screaming in delight.
“I’ll have the apple tart,” Julian said calmly. “And mademoiselle will have the chocolate ganache.” The chef bowed and exited the way he had come.
“Did I order right?” Julian said, his mouth curving into a half-grin. “Is that what you want?”
“Yes,” Shannon said, breathless. Chocolate something or other? She hadn’t heard. “Yes, that’s what I want.”
“And the tour?”
“Yes.” She clasped his hand tightly. It would be hard, but she would make it work. She could make anything work. Everything was right with the world as long as they were together.
“Yes,” she repeated, looking into Julian’s eyes. “That’s what I want.”
THE END
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Here’s a taste of the next book in the series, Big Girl Rocking in the Sun:
Julian walked to the tour bus quickly, his arms prickled with goosebumps. After sunset, the temperature had dropped fast. San Diego was part desert, after all. The fog coming off of the ocean rolled slowly through t
he streets and gave the streetlights strange halos. The tour bus too, parked alone in the back parking lot of the building, threw shadows from the curtained light coming from inside.
Julian was walking alongside the bus when he heard noises coming from inside. Talking. Strange. He had thought Shannon would be alone. He peered into the open door, not wanting to bother her in case she was on the phone with her mom. Maybe she was talking to that Jason friend of hers to see what was up.
As he looked into the bus, Julian’s heart dropped into his stomach. Shannon had her arms around Asher and was hugging him tightly, her eyes closed. He was hugging her back.
No. Not Asher. Julian froze, unsure of what he should do. He wanted to scream, to run in and hit Asher across the face, but every muscle in his body had turned to lead and his breath was shallow. As Shannon opened her eyes, Julian shifted back so that they couldn’t see him.
“Will you come with me tomorrow?” Asher said. Julian craned his neck to see the two of them better.
“I can’t,” Shannon said. “I have to go somewhere with Julian.”
“That sucks,” Asher said. Shannon reached out and put her hand on his shoulder, and Julian inhaled through his teeth, seething. He had never thought that Shannon would betray him like this. And Asher? Asher, the good guy? Asher, who didn’t have a single negative thing to say about anyone, ever? How could he do this to his bandmate?
“I wish I could be there with you,” she said.
“Me too,” Asher said. “But I understand. Thanks. And thanks for tonight.”
Shannon leaned in for another embrace, and Julian forced himself to keep his eyes open, watching as her hands moved slowly along Asher’s back, caressing his shoulders. Those hands that had held him just the day before, those hands that had run through his own hair, stroking his skin…
“You’re a great guy,” Shannon said.
“And you’re a beautiful girl.” Asher cupped one hand to Shannon’s cheek, and Shannon giggled. It was that sound, the peals of her sweet laughter, that broke Julian’s heart. He tore himself away from the bus door and bent over, his head between his legs. He stumbled to the front of the bus, gagging on the roiling pain in his stomach. His mind was blank with anger and betrayal.
Shannon. Asher. How could I have been so blind?
***
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AUBREY ROSE SERIALS:
Big Girl Backstage Pass - Book One in the Big Girl series
Big Girl Going On Tour - Book Two in the Big Girl series
Big Girl Rocking in the Sunshine - Book Three in the Big Girl series
Wilder Side - Alex and Jason’s Story: A Gay Erotic Romance
***
Table of Contents
CHAPTER ONE
CHAPTER TWO
CHAPTER THREE
CHAPTER FOUR
CHAPTER FIVE
Liked this book? Please leave a review! Knowing what readers like lets me decide which sequels I shou...
Table of Contents
CHAPTER ONE
CHAPTER TWO
CHAPTER THREE
CHAPTER FOUR
CHAPTER FIVE
Liked this book? Please leave a review! Knowing what readers like lets me decide which sequels I shou...