My Fake Rockstar Boyfriend (Rock and Rogues, #1)

by Remy, Cate

  Tracy guessed the decision was already made for her. She disappeared into the lounge to find the red top and gold skirt. She took off the blue dress and put on the other two pieces. She walked back outside.

  “Yes,” Deacon announced. “This is what you need to wear tonight. Turn around.”

  As she did, Tracy resisted the urge to tug at the fitted pencil skirt. It had a high walking vent in the back that she wished was a few inches smaller. Not to mention the top was a little too low cut for her taste.

  “She’s going to need shoes,” Maeve observed. “I brought these.” She went to the second rack and reached down to pull out a pair of five-inch black heels with red soles. “Christian Louboutin, yes?”

  “No. Forget it.” Tracy was adamant. “I’m not breaking my neck in those.”

  “I see.” Maeve glanced at her sneakers she had taken off and set by the lounge entrance. “You’re not used to wearing heels. Maybe we can find you a pair of starter ones.”

  “How about a pair of flats?”

  Deacon picked up one of the black Louboutin heels “You’re dating me now. You’ve got to look like the girlfriend of a rocker.”

  Tracy didn’t like how he kept giving his input. It was too controlling. “I will. One who has her own fashion preferences and isn’t out to seek approval from everyone.”

  “Feisty.” Maeve laughed. “I see why you like her, Deacon. How about these shoes?” She held up a pair of open toe booties. The heel was about two inches and was thick.

  She was willing to give them a try. “I guess I could manage in those.”

  Deacon made room for her to sit down on the couch to put them on. “Does she need anything else, Maeve?”

  “Gold earrings. I have a pair. We haven’t talked makeup yet.” The stylist brought out a suitcase from the rack. “She has good cheeks. Maybe a little highlighting and some contouring around the nose to create the appearance of a more prominent bridge.”

  “I like my nose the way it is.” Tracy zipped up the booties.

  “So do I,” Deacon agreed. He gave it a little tweak, to her shock. “It’s cute.”

  Her hand went instinctively to her nose to cover it.

  “Can you see without your glasses?” Maeve asked. Tracy moved her head to motion no. The stylist sighed in resignation. “Well, let’s see what other features we can draw attention to.

  You have full lips.” She withdrew a tube of lipstick from the suitcase. “Try this shade of red called Apple Zinger.”

  Tracy let her apply the lipstick with a brush. It went on cold and wet and smelled like plastic. She didn’t think it could possibly look good.

  “Well, Deacon?” Maeve asked for his final approval, not hers.

  He gave her another long observation. Tracy planted her feet to keep from fidgeting. “Tracy’s lips look kissable.”

  She tucked her bottom lip in.

  “No,” Maeve cried out. “The lipstick needs another few minutes to set. And Deacon, I meant how does she look as a whole?”

  “She looks great. Thanks for helping us, Maeve. We’ll call you again soon.”

  The stylist smiled and then packed her clothes to go. Deacon offered Tracy a hand to get up from the couch. As much as she hated to admit it, she could use the assistance. She had yet to gain her footing in the heels. She stood taller. She could look him right in the eyes.

  “Ready for Tap Rocket?” he asked.

  “Sure. I’ll meet you there.”

  “We go together. We’ll take my car.”

  “It’s already after seven. I don’t want my car locked in the parking deck overnight.”

  “I’ll get Ash to drive it back to your place. Give me the keys.”

  Tracy got them out of her bag and handed them to Deacon. She didn’t like the idea of having to turn her car over to someone else to drive home for her, but his manager was reliable. Besides, she was wearing impractical shoes. “I guess I’m all set for Tap Rocket then.”

  She made her way to the elevator with him and took it to the bottom floor. This time, he had a valet get his car from the lot and drive it up to the entrance. “I’ll be nice since you’re wearing heels.” She saw the teasing glint in his eyes.

  “How thoughtful of you.”

  Once the car was brought around, they got in and Deacon hit the gas to get them to the restaurant. He drove to the valet line there and waited for someone to come take the car. Tracy watched as he checked the front of his black button down short sleeve shirt. “Deacon, there isn’t going to be paparazzi here, right?”

  “They’re always here. This is a place where all the celebrities go to be seen when they come to Atlanta.”

  She slid down in her seat as people walked by the car, trying to get a good look at them.

  Maeve would have adored some of outfits the women wore. Maybe she even designed a few of them.

  A valet came to the car. Deacon left the keys in the ignition and handed the man a fifty dollar bill. “Take care of it for me, will you? I just had it waxed.”

  He came around to Tracy’s door and held out his hand to help her get out of the car. She didn’t want to take it at first. She stepped out, but then the heel of her shoe got caught in metal grating on the ground. Deacon’s hand was steady on her arm. “You got it?”

  “We’ll see, won’t we?” She felt like a gawky horse as she clomp-clomped on the asphalt.

  “Remember, we’re dating,” he said as he walked close to her on the sidewalk. He slipped his arm around her waist.

  Unprepared for the sudden contact, she stumbled a little then regained herself before almost bumping into another couple as they came out of the restaurant. She apologized.

  “You win.” Deacon kept his arm around her as though he were afraid she was going to fall if he let go. “I’ll tell Maeve you’d like to have flat shoes to wear next time.”

  She concentrated on putting one foot in front of the other, embarrassed that she came close to doing yet another face plant in front of him.

  They went inside the restaurant. Spanish guitar music filtered through the restaurant. People looked up at them. Tracy could tell some recognized Deacon. He paid them no attention as he addressed the host. “My manager called ahead for me. Westmore, table for two.”

  The host found his name on the list immediately. “Yes, sir. We have the table waiting for you.”

  Tracy felt Deacon’s hand on the small of her back as he walked with her and followed the host to their table. She told herself to keep staring straight ahead. She felt all eyes were on them. Deacon was right about this place. It was for people watching. Famous people watching. She could have sworn she saw the new Superman lead chatting it up in a corner booth with a sultry brunette.

  The host pulled out of chair for Tracy to sit down at a table. Once she and Deacon were situated, he handed them menus. “Your server will be with you in a moment.”

  Deacon perused the menu. “Ever have tapas before?”

  She glanced at the menu, printed in Spanish. If the word meant small plates and big prices then she was in trouble. “A long time ago when I was a college freshman.”

  “A long time ago?” He looked at her over the menu. “Did you go to college when you were twelve? You don’t look like you graduated yet.”

  “I graduated last summer. It took me a little longer to get my bachelors because I had some family obligations.”

  “So you’re eighteen now?” He kept with the jokes.

  “Very funny. I turned twenty-three last month.”

  He smirked. “I’ve got song lyrics in spiral notebooks older than you.”

  “Right. I had a roommate who owned your first album. You weren’t more than six or seven years older than we were.”

  “Try about ten years. And the cover of that album was awful. I had just turned twenty and signed my first record deal. I dyed my hair a lot back then.”

  “Peroxide tips, right?”

  He winced. “Don’t remind me. That was my first taste
of artistic freedom.”

  “It was the style then.” Tracy had a moment where it occurred to her that she truly was talking to a celebrity musician whose songs were played on the radio and in her old roommate’s stereo. Too bad she lost touch with her over the years. If she sent her a text right now to let her know with whom she was eating dinner, her former roommate would definitely flip. “Do you know what you’re getting? I wish I paid more attention to Spanish back in high school so that I can read this menu.”

  “The first three appetizers are made with chorizo sausage and Manchego cheese. The next three are a little spicy, with green chiles and salsa.”

  “You know Spanish?”

  “I can get by. It’s easier than English sometimes because the words can be broken up into sounds.” Deacon set his menu to the side. “You ever watch a telenovela called La Fuego Amor?”

  “No. Was that how you learned Spanish?”

  “I had to pick it up because I was in it. I played the teenage rebel Armando.”

  That was unique. Tracy said her menu down, too. “I did not know that.”

  “Most people don’t unless you search for it in one of those online encyclopedias. That’s how I made it out to LA when I left Chicago.”

  The server came by to take their drink orders.

  “I think we’re going to start ordering food, too,” said Deacon. “Tracy, is it okay if I go ahead and order for us?”

  “Go for it.” She scanned the menu and came across a tapas dish with a long list of letters and a lot of Rest. “I want this dish.”

  He read the name of dish to the waiter with no problem. Then he ordered a couple more dishes. “Can you add chips and guac? We’re expecting a third person.”

  Tracy waited for the server to leave. “I have a confession. I wanted you to order that dish for me just to see if you could pronounce it.”

  Deacon’s pleasant expression vanished. “Well, I didn’t get a funny look from the waiter, so I guess I did okay.”

  She had given him a compliment on his command of Spanish. Why did his face turn so glum all of a sudden? “You sounded good to me. But then again, I never could roll my R’s.” Something flashed in the corner of her eye. She turned and saw a guy with a cell phone pointed at them. He set it back down on the table and looked away. “Did he just take a picture of us?”

  “Probably. Like I said before, this is a place to see and be seen.”

  And just like that, Tracy remembered the true purpose of why she was here.

  “Hey, Deacon, my man.” A guy came up to their table dressed in dark wash jeans, a designer gold shirt, and matching bling around his neck and wrist.

  “Frost, how’s it been?” Deacon got up from his seat and did an elaborate handshake with the man before clapping him on the back in one of those man hugs. “I want you to meet my girlfriend, Tracy. Tracy, this is DJ Frost. You may have heard his samples in a lot of music.”

  She smiled and extended her hand. “Nice to meet you.”

  “Hey Tracy.” DJ Frost gave her a warm handshake before he settled down in the third chair provided by the server. “What are you doing in town, Deacon? I thought you’d be out in LA recording another album.”

  “I’m still signed with Peachtree Records. I bought a house outside Atlanta a couple years ago.”

  “You like it here?”

  “It’s a good place to live. No smog, but I still gotta deal with traffic.”

  DJ Frost helped himself to some chips when the server came back with them and the tapas dishes. “You got a new album coming out?”

  “That’s the plan.”

  Tracy nibbled on a cheesy sausage appetizer while the two men went back and forth talking and joking.

  “That’s why I wanted to meet with you tonight,” said Deacon. “You got some new cuts. What do you think about putting a sample on one of my new songs? It could use a fresh beat.”

  DJ Frost agreed. “That I can do. Just send me a copy of the song and I’ll get a beat for you.”

  “I appreciate it.” Deacon stopped the server as he went by and ordered himself a refill on soda. DJ Frost ordered something with tequila. Tracy shook her head when the waiter asked her if she wanted a refill.

  DJ Frost picked up one of the cheesy sausage tapas. “Tracy, are you singing on the album?”

  “Me? Nook. What made you think I could sing?”

  He glanced sideways at Deacon. “I remember Rita singing backup on a Deacon Wonder song.”

  A look came over Deacon’s face. DJ Frost straightened up in his chair. “My bad. I just assumed you were a singer, too.”

  “Tracy’s a photographer. She’s doing photo shoots for the band.” Deacon bit into an appetizer. “You can see her work on Photogram. She’s good.”

  She gave a polite smile while she dunked a chip in guacamole. His reaction to DJ Frost’s comment about Rita got a little tense. She supposed if she were in Deacon’s place and someone mentioned her ex, she’d get a weird look on her face, too.

  DJ Frost changed the subject to talk business with Deacon. The two of them went back and forth for the next twenty minutes. Tracy found herself so out of the loop that she kept quiet.

  DJ Frost wiped his mouth on a napkin. “I’m heading to Club Indigo. I’m spinning there tonight. You and your lady should come out and hear me.”

  “Sounds like a plan,” Deacon agreed. “We’ll be there.”

  “I’ll get you a VIP table.” The DJ did another elaborate handshake with Deacon and then waved to Tracy. “Good meeting you.”

  She noticed his gaze lingered on the front of her shirt. She wished she hadn’t worn such a low-cut blouse. Too bad she didn’t think to ask Maeve for a safety pin.

  Once DJ Frost left, she finished the last appetizer. “Your friend sound like he’s got a lot of new projects going.”

  “He’s prolific. He needs to bottle some of those creative juices and sell them.”

  “You’re making an album, too, though.”

  Deacon sighed. “It’s been slow going. I’ll get it ready before deadline somehow.” He glanced at his watch. “We better finish eating so we can make it out to Indigo.”

  Tracy took out her phone and looked at her calendar. “We can’t. Ash just emailed me your schedule. We have a six AM photoshoot tomorrow for your album cover.”

  He did not look alarmed at all. “And?”

  “And it’s a location shoot in Jasper. Six o’ clock is really early in the morning to go out in the country and take pictures.”

  “That’s what coffee and energy drinks are for. It’ll be fine, Tracy. We’ll only be at Club Indigo for an hour or two. Then I’ll take you home.”

  She looked at the time on her phone. It was already close to ten. She never ate dinner this late. Now Deacon expected her to go clubbing. On a weeknight. Well, she guessed this was part of the territory that came with her new job. “I guess if it’s just an hour or two.”

  “Let me take care of the bill and then we can go.” Deacon flagged down their server.

  Tracy thought she saw more phones not-so-discreetly angle their way. At least it would be darker in the club. People wouldn’t be so obvious with their picture-taking.

  After Deacon paid, she walked out of the restaurant with him. He wrapped his arm around her waist again. This time, she succeeded in not tripping on her feet.

  THE MUSIC AND CROWD were already going at Club Indigo by the time Tracy and Deacon arrived. The space was dim with blue lighting. The shiny surface of the dance floor looked like a sapphire lit from within.

  A hostess in a trendy one-shoulder dress took one look at Deacon and led him to the VIP section. Tracy held onto his hand as he navigated through the crowd. The music was so loud she could feel it thumping through her chest.

  “You ever been here before?” Deacon raised his voice over the music when she sat down next to him on the cushioned bench.

  “No. I’ve heard of this place, but people say the cover charge is sky high.”
r />   “What cover? I didn’t pay anything at the door.”

  “I guess the cover is for us non-famous people.” Tracy had to raise her voice.

  The hostess set napkins and coasters down in front of them on the table. She made eyes at Deacon. “What can I start you out with to drink? We have a bottle service if you’re expecting more people.”

  “I’m going light tonight. It’s just me and my girlfriend.”

  “Oh.” The woman turned her eyes to Tracy. She wore false lashes with rhinestone tips. “Do you want to see our cocktail or wine list?”

  Tracy asked for a ginger ale. Deacon ordered a vodka tonic and a can of his favorite energy drink. The hostess went to get their drinks.

  “You sure you don’t want anything?” Deacon asked her.

  “I have to get up early tomorrow and so do you,” she reminded him.

  “I’m just having one drink. As soon as I talk to DJ Frost, we can go.”

  Tracy looked towards the turntables, but didn’t see anyone manning them. “Where is your friend?”

  “Probably networking. He’ll turn up soon.”

  Sure enough, DJ Frost headed their way after the hostess came back with their drinks. He sat down opposite from Deacon and Tracy. “You two made it after all.”

  “Of course.” Deacon tasted his vodka tonic. “Is this one of the new beats you’re going to use on your album?” He gestured toward the speakers.

  “One of them. Tell me what kind of music you looking to add on to yours.”

  The two of them launched into a lengthy conversation about music sampling. Tracy sipped on her ginger ale while they kept going on and on, virtually ignoring her. Deacon finished his vodka tonic and then opened up the energy drink can. How many of those things did he drink in a day?

  She took her phone out of her purse to check the time. It was a quarter to one. If she stayed out any longer, she wouldn’t be able to make the drive to Jasper for the photoshoot. She looked at Deacon, deciding which moment would be good to grab his attention. Now he was laughing loudly with DJ Frost. The energy drink must be kicking in. She tapped him on the shoulder.