“I get Tuesdays.”
He grabbed my hand, kissed the tip of my finger and crossed his heart before he gathered me up in the crook of his arms. I rested my head on his shoulder and did what I did best.
I hoped for the best.
Chapter Twenty
Even though we didn’t go out again that week, Jonah and I talked every single night. We waited until our families had gone to bed before we’d call. The conversations covered everything, from business at the club, to future dreams, to all the sexy talk we got to indulge in lieu of being together. He told me in exquisite detail what he wanted to do to me. Since my body still hummed with all the things he had already done, it didn’t take much to get the motor running.
With Cody in the room, I couldn’t really do anything. My whole body was one giant nerve as I drove to Southern Nights that Thursday. Jonah was parked along the far wall, sitting in his truck, waiting for me. I shook away any thoughts of Tony Paul and his parking lot rendezvous. I walked cautiously towards Jonah’s truck. His eyes were dark and intense as he watched me approach. “Happy Thursday,” I said with a smile, my heart racing as I drew ever closer.
“It is now,” he drawled. “I got something for you,” he added before he nodded toward his lap.
I leaned over, expecting to see that majestic cock, hard and ready for me. Instead he lifted a single white rose from his lap. I chuckled as I accepted my gift. “That’s not what I was expecting.”
“You’ll get that later,” he promised. My whole body trembled in anticipation. He got out of the truck and grabbed me close for a passionate kiss.
“I missed you, too, Ace,” I said with a smile. We headed to Southern Nights, hand in hand. I spotted Gay and Jacinda at the bar. They sent a derisive glance our direction before they whispered together. I had already warned Jonah that they would not be pleased with our paring. He said that he didn’t care what they thought, but that was easy to say when Gay wasn’t pulling on her strings. I suspected that was coming, so I wasn’t surprised at all when Gay called Jonah, and Jonah alone, up to her office.
Jacinda glared at me as I carried my rose to the stage and affixed it to the mic stand.
I rehearsed on my own until Jonah joined me. We didn’t speak again privately until we both headed to the dressing room to change. There was no reason to change separately anymore. There wasn’t one inch of each other’s bodies we hadn’t seen.
The minute the door closed, I asked him what Gaynell had wanted.
He shrugged as he slipped out of his shirt. “She wants me on the Internet now of all things.”
He looked annoyed, but I just smiled. “That’s how it’s done in the 21st century,” I quipped.
He glanced at me. “Is that how you do it?”
I shrugged. “I put a few songs up on YouTube a few years back. It got me a couple of jobs.” I left out the part that I had dropped those jobs because those that booked me wanted to maximize their investment by sexing me up for the stage.
It was the one reason I dropped social media altogether.
But when I got home that night, it was worth another look. I did a quick search for Jonah, and he wasn’t kidding. Gay had set him up on every single social media outlet there was. She didn’t do it for “Blaze,” but I didn’t expect her to.
That didn’t mean that I couldn’t do it for myself. It took about an hour before I had a presence everywhere that Jonah did. I also followed every single person that Gay had Jonah follow, including Jasper and Ariel.
I didn’t stop there, however. If Jasper didn’t want me, he wasn’t the only music producer in the world. I searched for the only man that could rival his influence: Graham Baxter. In doing so, I also located Giovanni Carnevale.
It was odd to see his face again. I had avoided anything about him for years following our meeting, simply because it reminded me too much of Tony Paul. In a lot of ways, meeting Vanni was the beginning of the end for me. Without him, Tony Paul and Gaynell would have never known I could sing. Without Vanni’s promise to call Jasper Carrington, they wouldn’t have used me as bait to get Tony Paul his coveted contract.
Vanni swept into my life for five minutes before he ducked back out again, completely forgetting the Texas bartender as he rose to fame. After a while, I convinced myself that he only wanted what every other guy wanted… to get in my pants.
That wasn’t the guy I saw represented on his social media. Instead I saw pictures of Vanni with his wife, the thick and curvy Andy, happily showing off the life they shared with their little girl, Renata.
He tweeted about his new job, judging the contestants on Fierce. He was supportive and encouraging as he kept tabs on them even after they were voted off the show.
Maybe I had judged him all wrong. Clearly I was guilty of doing that. So I followed him and friended him. He couldn’t get me a contract with Jasper Carrington anymore, but he seemed like a genuinely nice guy.
There were too few of those in the world for my taste. It was always good to find one of these hidden gems.
Gaynell kept us busy throughout the weekend, so aside from a few stolen kisses, Jonah and I were focused completely on the music. Our dedication was well rewarded. The crowds loved us. More than that, the ladies loved Jonah. It was hard to watch him play to them like he was instructed, but I knew this was his onstage persona. He wasn’t a womanizer like Tony Paul. I could trust him.
But the sooner we got to spend time together, the better. It was getting harder and harder to deny ourselves as we got closer to Tuesday. Being half-naked alone in a dressing room didn’t help. I could barely tear my eyes from his body as he stripped down. When I complimented him on his performance, he pulled me into his arms, tracing his hands over the parts of my body that my skimpy underwear didn’t cover.
“Chalk it up to sexual frustration,” he drawled before he bent for a kiss. He lifted me up until I was straddling his waist. “Come home with me tonight.”
I shuddered. I wanted to, more than anything. “You know I can’t.”
“Why?” he asked as he nuzzled my neck. “You live with your mom, right?”
It was like a splash of cold water. I had been deliberately cryptic about my living arrangement, simply because I didn’t want him to know I still lived in that craphole of a trailer. I was certain I had never mentioned living with my mother, despite telling him that she babysat while I worked. I pulled back to look him in the eye. “How did you know that?”
He realized his error instantly. With a sigh, he rested his head against mine. “Jacinda.”
Ah, yes. The pillow talk. I made a face as I climbed down his body and slipped into a pair of jeans.
“I’m sorry, babe,” he offered instantly.
I shook my head. “I’d rather have a harsh truth than a beautiful lie.” I finished dressing quickly. Being reminded that he was with Jacinda instantly made me uncomfortable. “So what else did she tell you?” After a beat, I changed my mind. “Never mind. I can figure it out.”
He grabbed my arm. “It doesn’t matter what she said.” He forced me to look into his face. “You hear me?”
I lost myself again in those cool amber eyes. I wanted to believe him more than anything. When he pulled me towards him for a kiss, I didn’t resist.
Neither of us heard the knock on the door, or the door opening.
“I’ve got a surprise for you, Jonah,” Gay said as she entered.
I instantly pulled away to grab my robe. I wasn’t wearing a bra, so my aroused state was unmistakable.
Jonah turned to Gay, who was pulling a pretty blonde through the door.
Jonah recognized her immediately. “Courtney,” he breathed.
The blonde’s smile faltered as she surveyed the scene, including Jonah in his half-naked state. His arousal was just as obvious as mine. “Surprise,” the woman offered with a small smile.
Jonah swallowed back any surprise and reached for a hug. “What brings you to Austin?”
She wrapped his arms
around him. “You, silly.” After a beat she unwound herself to face me. “Hi, I’m Courtney.”
Courtney, I thought. I remembered that name. It was the last girl he dated, the one who wanted him to settle down. “Lacy,” I said as I shook her hand.
“You were great,” Courtney complimented me warmly. She turned back to Jonah. “Far cry from Mount Olive, huh?”
“Mount Olive?” I echoed.
“Baptist Church,” he filled in. “Courtney and I used to sing together.”
“Oh,” I said. I turned to grab my other clothes so I could change into something more decent.
Jonah nodded and herded everyone out into the hall. The minute the door shut, I landed in the makeup chair with a thud. I stared at my reflection, taking note of all the modifications I had made to my appearance, just so I wouldn’t look like that pretty blonde standing on the other side of that door with Jonah.
I was still stinging over Jacinda. This was another blow to my ego I didn’t need. I scrubbed away all my makeup and changed back into my street clothes. I felt even frumpier as I joined them in the hallway.
Courtney had an immediate smile for me. “If y’all are available, I’d love to take you for a late night supper somewhere.”
I shook my head. “I can’t. I have to get home.” I glanced at Jonah. “You’ll just have to have all the fun for me.”
He didn’t appear happy about it, but he accepted it. “See you tomorrow,” he offered, without so much as a hug.
“It’s a date,” I managed through the lump in my throat. I turned to Courtney. “It was very nice to meet you.”
“You, too,” Courtney said. “I really did enjoy the show.”
“Thanks,” I said before I flagged down a bouncer to escort me to the car. The minute we opened the door, the fans went crazy as they spotted their new idol. “Jonah!”
As I surveyed the mostly female group waiting by the stage door, it dawned on me I really didn’t need an escort anymore.
Jonah was the star now. It was clear.
I put my hoodie up and parted through the crowd basically unnoticed.
A lot of unwelcome thoughts followed me home. I wondered if Jonah had ever taken Courtney to that spot on his ancestral land, right next to the creek, where he had planned to start a family one day.
I could almost picture their children, with his tawny eyes and her blonde hair.
I shook it away as I reached for the radio. I tried to sing my blues away, but I kept trailing off as I pictured Courtney so at home in Jonah’s arms. Their hug was warm and familiar. I had no doubt they had an intimate history. Every time I blinked I could see them together in his truck, just like Tony Paul and his groupie from long ago.
In fact, several girls appeared in this masochistic vision, from the groupies by the door to Jacinda.
It dawned on me that Jonah didn’t belong only to me. I had to share him with everyone from Gaynell and Jasper to every single fan on the Internet.
It nagged at me all the way home. I expected him to call me that night, but the longer my phone went without ringing, the more depressed I became. Despite my better judgment, I opened my laptop and went to his fan page online. It was the first time I had checked it in days. Already his followers had jumped up into five digits. Meanwhile I languished around 200. I sighed as I checked my notifications.
Surprisingly I realized that of the 200 people who had added me, Jonah wasn’t on that list.
Giovanni Carnevale, however, was.
I noticed that I had a direct message, so I opened it. It was from Vanni. “Hey, you!” it read. “Love your new look and the videos are great. Good to see you’re still chasing the dream.”
I blinked in confusion. He remembered me? How was that possible? We met once, for like ten minutes, years ago.
Maybe he just does this for everyone, I thought at once. But there was a familiarity to his words.
I replied. “Surprised you remembered me. Glad to see you’ve caught your dream.”
As it turned out, Vanni replied to me before Jonah did.
“Of course I remember you. How could I forget that voice?” My breath caught. Someone with his talent remembered someone like me? I was sure I was as generic as they came. I read on. “Still at Southern Nights I see.”
I gulped. Yes, I was at Southern Nights, but the clock was still ticking on Gaynell’s probation. It was becoming clearer by the week that she was limited in what she was willing or able to do for me. She was focused on Jonah now, as was Jasper. My hands shook as I replied. “For now. In a month or two, who knows?”
I held my breath until he replied. “Let me know if that changes. I might have a spot for you on my show.”
I made a face. “A talent show?”
“The talent show,” he was quick to correct. “Your alternative look would fit right in. Give it some thought and let me know.”
I didn’t reply and he said nothing further. Instead I stared at my computer screen, rereading his offer a dozen times. It was three o’clock by the time I finally closed the computer and went to bed.
It didn’t escape my notice that Jonah never called. I slept fitfully most of the night. I dreamed about Tony Paul for the first time in a long time. Worse, it was a sex dream, where I was once again being romanced and seduced. I woke with a start, all those old wounds ripped open. I checked my phone. It was only five o’clock.
Jonah still hadn’t called.
By six o’clock, Cody had awakened. He was cranky as he climbed into my bed. His face was flushed and I placed my hand on his head. He had a slight fever and a cough. By noon, his nose was running and he once again pulled at his ear. I didn’t have time to think about Jonah, Vanni or Tony Paul as I nursed my poor little boy as his cold took hold. I was tired and tried to nap when he did, but he was miserable, sleeping only an hour or so at a time.
I was exhausted by the time I headed back to Southern Nights Sunday evening. Jonah was instantly attentive the minute he saw how pale I was and how bloodshot my eyes were. I kept blowing notes all over the place, my own voice scratchy. Finally Jonah signaled for a break. He fetched me some tea.
“You okay, baby?” he asked softly.
I nodded. “The show must go on, right?”
He mirrored the nod.
The closer we got to show time however, it was clear I wouldn’t be able to perform some of our more vocally challenging songs. We slowed it down with an unplugged set we sang from our stools. The female groupies down front didn’t care. They got to see their idol; that was all that they really needed.
After my dreams, I was too raw to deal with it. I was so relieved when the set ended and I could escape to the dressing room. He sat in the makeup chair and watched me as I changed. I passed him to reach for my clothes, and he grabbed my wrist to pull me into his lap. “I missed you last night.”
I looked him in the eye. My voice was hoarse as I asked, “Did you?”
He gently cupped my face with his large hand. “How can you still ask me that?”
I shrugged away his question as I tried to rise, but he held me tight. He reached for a kiss but I shook my head. “I don’t want to get you sick. You still have another show to do.”
He studied me for a moment. Finally he kissed me gently on my forehead. His eyes were concerned as he pulled back. “You’re running a fever,” he said softly. “You should go home and rest.”
I nodded and pulled away. He let me go without a fuss. I left the club as quick as I could and headed home. I was unconscious by the time I hit my pillow.
Blissfully there were no dreams.
Chapter Twenty-One
Jonah gave me space until about two o’clock Monday afternoon. His voice was warm in my ear when he finally called. “God, babe. You sound horrible.”
No shit, Sherlock, I thought. I had spent all morning at the clinic with Cody, who was fighting off another ear infection. That I was sick myself made the whole ordeal more grueling. “Thanks,” I managed before yet anot
her coughing fit.
“Get it all out of your system now,” he murmured. “We’ve got big plans tomorrow.”
“We do?”
“How would you feel about a photo shoot?”
I really must have been sick. I thought he said photo shoot. “What are you talking about?”
“Gay set up a photo shoot for the band tomorrow.”
My eyes narrowed as I listened. I knew a lie when I heard one. “For the band? Or for you?”
“Aren’t they one in the same?” he shot back. “Then, after you dazzle this hot shot New York photographer, I’ll take you to a nice, four-star hotel. We’ll order room service and make love all night long. At least until midnight, when the coach turns back into a pumpkin.”
I chuckled softly. He did paint quite the picture. There was just one problem: I was felt like death warmed over. “There’s no way I could take photos looking like this, Jonah. My hair is ratty. My eyes are bloodshot. My nose is swollen and red. They’d have to change the name of the band from Blaze to Rudolph.”
He chuckled. It still did a number to my senses. His voice was soft. “I bet you look adorable. God, I wish I could be with you right now.”
I shook my head. It was torture to hear him talk like that when we couldn’t do anything about it. “Jonah.”
I could almost feel his tremor in his deep voice. “Girl, what you do to me.”
I cradled the phone. As sick as I felt, even as emotionally off-kilter, Jonah Riley was one of the few good things in my life. “Do me a favor.”
“Anything.”
“Sing for me.”
He sang for an hour, every single song that I loved. I drifted off for a nap next to Cody after we disconnected.
By the next morning, both Cody and I were feeling much better. We ate our favorite cold cereal and watched our cartoons, and then I chased him through the house for his bath. I sang to him all the songs Jonah had sung to me the day before. I decided they were magical tunes that had healed me.
I thought about calling him and taking him up on his offer for the photo shoot. That would really chap Gay’s hide if I showed up to cash in on the publicity. I decided I wasn’t that catty or vindictive. If she didn’t want me there, I simply wouldn’t show up.
Southern Rocker Chick Page 27