Zane stared at them. “It’s the plan. We pretend someone’s out to get me. Threatening phone calls, nasty letters. Blackmail. Maybe a bomb threat. Something dramatic that happens with our last few concerts. Charlie won’t leave if my life’s in danger.”
“Cocky… But I like it.”
“You’re insane. She’ll skin you alive if she finds out the truth.”
“She won’t.” He flashed a smile. “And if either of you tell her, I’ll make your lives a living hell.”
“What about Benji?”
“We can’t tell him. You know how he is. Besides, he and Charlie are buddies; he’d let it slip. So he’s out of this loop.” Zane’s tone was matter-of-fact. “We can pull this off. We’ll set it up, go through with it at the next gig. We’ll put on an act, I’ll hire Charlie as my personal bodyguard. By the end of the tour, we’ll find some groupie to pretend to be the psycho. We’ll choose not to press charges, Charlie will be in love with me, and that’s the end.”
“Fuck.” Micah shook his head. “Insanity at its finest.”
“But brilliant as hell, you have to admit.” Parker grinned. “But love, Zane? That’s a big word.”
“Let me worry about that part. You guys help me. I’ll make it worth your while.” He glanced between the two men, taking a deep breath.
Parker slapped him on the back with a reckless grin. “Danger. Intrigue. The possibility of news coverage? Hells yeah, I’m in.”
Zane turned to Micah, who looked a mixture of astonished and pissed off. “You in? I don’t know if I can pull this off without you.”
“Yeah. I’m in, but if she finds out, there’ll be hell to pay. She’ll probably neuter your ass.”
“Probably,” Zane agreed. “But maybe she’ll do it out of love.”
He just hoped like hell she’d never find out.
***
The night was a restless one, spent bumping and rolling all over the place as the band and entourage traveled to their next location. High Velocity was set to perform the following evening at eight and usually she was up and at it for a twenty-hour day. Security had been setting things up since they arrived, securing the perimeters while checking clearances for people coming in for various vendors. Charlie had already explained to Conner that morning that she was going to be staying for the rest of the tour as backup while he adjusted to his new duties.
But being idle was already threatening to suffocate her.
The beast paced just beneath her skin, fussing at being caged. Charlie, who enjoyed being active when it came to tasks at hand, bristled at an idle day spent staring at a walkie-talkie, hoping for it to buzz and send her on her way to do something important. Instead it stayed quiet, mocking her in its silence, and frustration began to pool at the center of her soul.
She tried to sate the feelings dancing through her body by cleaning. Pulling on a pair of yellow rubber gloves and donning the Windex, she scrubbed away at any stain she could find, both inside of her trailer and out and before long, the place was spotless. But as the day wore on, aggression started building up and an irrational sense of martyrdom began to flow freely through her veins. Her wolf fanned the flames with her displeasure of being cooped up and soon, Charlie went from sitting to pacing the floors, her strides choppy with anger.
How could she have let herself fall for Zane’s smile and smooth charm? She had become just as brainwashed and simpering as the thousands upon thousands of fangirls that stood in the stands every night, screaming for the chance to maybe—just maybe—make eye contact with the lead singer.
She just couldn’t do this.
She had to get him to release her from her promise and then she was going to go, just drive away and find her own little place to live. And, if the feelings inside of her kept escalating the way they were now, maybe check herself into a psych ward for a forty-eight hour evaluation. She needed to get her emotions and her hormones back in check before she did something outrageous.
The staccato rhythm of pacing, a symphony of frustration, pounded in Charlie’s mind. He’d given her a smile and a line and she had fallen into heel like a love-struck puppy. Stupid! No. Worse than stupid, she was being spineless. His majesty hadn’t given her a list of approved activities and she was going crazy doing nothing. She needed to get out and…
Her mind whirred and a slow smirk spread across her face. Well then, she could work with that. She would get Zane to grant her freedom, and if he refused? Well then, maybe it was time to have a little fun.
Fueled by conflicting desires, Charlie was banging on the door to his trailer before she even realized she’d arrived. Her mind was racing through possibilities: Sex, drugs, alcohol, and oh yeah, rock and roll. The groupies lived on them, so why couldn’t she? Excitement trilled through her veins, a siren’s song calling her deeper.
“Alexander! I know you’re in there. Open the flipping door!”
Only then did she glance down at herself. Great. In her haste to release her aggression on him, she hadn’t bothered to take the time to clean up. It looked like she just rolled out of bed—and she had. Her normally restrained black curls flowed down her back in a wild mane. Remnants of yesterday’s makeup had smeared and lent the appearance of a smoky eye, not to mention her clothing looked barely legal out in public. And she smelled of window cleaner.
Oh well, too late now. Pulling her black short-shorts down and her matching tank top up, Charlie jerked to attention as the door swung open. “‘Lo?” Zane’s bleary reply let Charlie know that he’d been enjoying downtime before he went out on stage to wow the crowd with his hypnotic voice.
The same voice that had led Charlie here—smooth as silk and dangerous.
“We need to talk. Now.”
Zane’s eyes flicked down to take her in, then darted back up to her face. “Sounds good. Would you like to come in, or are you going to take my suggestion to flash people completely literal?”
She shoved past him into the trailer, wrinkling her nose at the stale scent of smoke and alcohol. “All this money and you can’t afford to have someone clean up once you’re done partying?”
“I didn’t realize I was dealing with a princess. I’ll be sure to keep that in mind for next time you show up at my door, unannounced.” His tone was wry.
“Yeah, whatever. About the whole ‘next time’ thing.” She took a deep breath and stared him in the eye. “I can’t do this, Zane. I’ve been off duty and following security around like a lap dog for less than two days now and I’m ready to climb the walls. I can’t do this. I know I said I’d stay, but I can’t. I don’t have a purpose here anymore and I’m losing my mind.”
“Okay. I’ll fire Conner. You’re hired. End of discussion.” He waved a hand, dismissive.
“You can’t be serious. You can’t fire Conner just because you’re trying to placate me into staying for a few more shows. I’m leaving, whether it’s right now or after the tour. If you fire him, you’ll be completely hosed afterwards. Not to mention how completely inappropriate it is to fire someone after two days on the job.”
Zane flopped down on a blue recliner, every bit a lazy, sated animal, and Charlie knew that with the smug look on his face, she’d not be going anywhere anytime soon. “Take it or leave it, but you’re staying, sweeting.” His voice was smooth, confident.
She took a deep breath, trying to quell the anger building inside of her, threatening to boil and froth to the surface. Without thinking, she snatched an empty glass off the counter and flung it, enjoying the satisfying tinkle of glass as it smashed against the wall beside Zane’s head. He jerked and sat up straight, alarmed.
“Listen up. You’re not going to just sit there and tell me I have to either screw one of my friends out of a job, or go crazy doing nothing in the process. If you wanna keep me here when I don’t want to even be here, you’re going to deal with my crazy. You’re going to clean up after my messes for once, because I’m done. You hear me, Zane Alexander? My crazy? Now yours.” She stomped once f
or good measure, feeling like a very bad child.
But it felt so good.
He looked stunned, sitting there, his lips parted. He started to shake his head, as if he couldn’t quite wrap his head around her new changes, and Charlie felt the smug satisfaction at seeing Zane Alexander unbalanced. About damn time. She’d never raised her voice around him. Hell—she had never screamed or smashed things in her entire life.
“Charlie. I think we need to just tone it down a notch, maybe just take a deep breath and then we can find something for you to do. Something that will keep you busy and uh…not sociopathic.”
The ornery gleam in Charlie’s blue eyes was the only clue that she was planning on making mischief versus being batshit crazy. She shook her head, hair flying wildly around her face, and took a step towards the trailer door, simultaneously rolling her shirt into an obscene tube top and hiking her shorts up far enough that he could easily see her ass.
“Oh, it’s on, Alexander. It’s on.”
“Char, wait a minute. You can’t be serious right now…”
“No, you’re right. I agreed to stay, but I’m bored out of my mind.” A sly smile crossed her lips. “I think I should get out and have a little fun. It’s been a damn long time since I’ve gotten to feel any real burn.”
“Fuck, if you want fire, you and me, we can burn it up.” His smile was wicked, but wariness flickered in his eyes. “Jesus, Charlie. I don’t know where this is coming from.”
“Enjoy, baby.” With that, she was through the door and down the steps of the trailer, fighting back a well of laughter. The expression on Zane’s face was worth it to have her shorts pulled up her butt and cleavage bared to the world. He’d looked horrified at the prospect of goody-two-shoes Charlie Banks acting like a wild child, but hell. If he hadn’t been so damned condescending in his chance to find something real for her to do, this wouldn’t even be happening. He’d just pushed a button. One button too many.
And now it was time to give him a little show.
Chapter Five
The only thing flashing through his mind was: Oh, shit.
Charlie had flipped her lid, plain and simple. Miss Conservative, One-Piece Suit had turned into a reckless teenager in less than two minutes flat, showing enough tits and ass to pique the interest of any straight man in a thirty mile radius. Which riled his beast, spiked up the hair on the back of his neck, and made him feel possessive.
But hot damn, she had a nice figure when it wasn’t tucked away inside a work uniform. She was lean and powerful like her inner wolf, but her curves were gentle, her breasts round and ripe for the taking, and as he watched her sashay those hips down the stairs, Zane was hit with a wave of lust that made his head spin. Damn, Alexander, chill. Yeah, try telling that to the sudden pressure in his cock.
He took a deep breath. There was still time to fix this, but he had to act now. The idea of Charlie going nuts and partying, getting smashed and getting laid by some guy who didn’t know his ass from a hole in the ground set his teeth on edge. He had to swing her back around to his side. Hire her as a bodyguard. Give her something worthwhile to do so she didn’t act like a raging fangirl…
He scrambled around in his trailer, dragging on a pair of jeans and a T-shirt, speed-dialing Micah’s number. He waited for his friend to pick up. He expected groggy and grumpy, instead he caught him wide awake. “Dude, Zane, please tell me you saw that.”
His gut dropped. “Saw what?”
“Charlie…in the flesh. Literally. Damn, man. She’s hot when she shows it off a little.”
Zane grumbled. “Yeah, just wish she wasn’t showing the whole world. She’s on a rampage and we need to move our plan up a notch. Meet me at Parker’s in five.” He pressed the end button, stuffed the phone back in his pocket, and rocketed down the steps. Three strides and he hit Parker’s trailer, rapping on the metal door.
A moment later, it swung open, only to reveal Lola Maguire—fangirl, groupie, and one of his many exes—in lace panties and a clingy camisole. Her eyes were rimmed in kohl, her lips were pink and glossy, and her blonde hair fell around her face in untamed curls. She always looked innocent, like an angel, but deep down she was the devil’s mistress. She was also a wolf—and one Zane had screwed around with plenty of times. But Lola had always wanted more. A mate.
And Zane had never been ready for that.
Not until Charlie.
“Hey there, Zane.” Her voice was a husky purr. She stepped closer, fingertips brushing against his chest, bringing with it plenty of memories that meant everything to her, but not much to him.
He flashed a small smile and strode past her, towards a huffy looking Parker, who was probably getting ready to get lucky. “Sorry for this,” he said by way of apology as he gathered up the feminine clothes strewn across the floor and shoved them into Lola’s arms. Her surprise was enough to make him nearly laugh as he ushered her out of the trailer.
She stood on the stairs, looking up at him in shock. Like how dare he throw her out? Well he just did. “Sorry, pack business. See you at the show, Lola,” he said and promptly shut the door in her face. He heard her squeal and stomp off, but a minute later, heavy knocking made him peek back out.
Micah shouldered past and Zane locked the door behind him for good measure. “Damn. First Charlie, now Lola. What is it with women these days?”
“Someone was going to luck out.” Zane jabbed a finger in Parker’s direction.
“You don’t want her,” Parker said, his brows pinched together in a frown. “Don’t see why I can’t sample her.”
“You can, just another time. I’m sure if you lay on the charm, she’ll forgive you, but right now we’ve got business to attend to. In case you hadn’t noticed, Charlie flipped her shit. She’s parading around in short-shorts and a very revealing top, acting worse than a hormonal groupie.”
“He’s not lying, you can see everything,” Micah said.
Parker perked up. “Where do I sign up?”
Zane shot him a death glare. “She’s bored. When young wolves get bored, they get destructive, and that’s exactly what she’s doing. She’s trying to teach me a lesson, make me let her go. But I know if she leaves, I’ll never see her again.” And that was a shot to the heart. “So I need to give her a job to do. Keep her busy. So we’re moving up Plan A—some crazy stalker trying to kill me—to tonight.”
“What’s Plan B?”
“We’ll figure it out when we need to.”
Popping open a couple cans of beer, they sprawled out on Parker’s couch and together, the three of them burrowed through ideas. After about an hour, they settled on one.
“This could be dangerous, Zane.”
“It could be, but it won’t. We’ll make sure the bomb won’t go off until the crowd has cleared out a bit. If we do this right, no one will get hurt. But we need to scare everyone and you’re the only one with this kind of experience.” He wasn’t sure, exactly, why Micah knew anything about explosives, but he was always the one to plan and oversee their light and fireworks shows. “I trust you, Micah.”
“Great.” He didn’t sound pleased.
“This will work,” Zane said firmly.
“The God of Rock has spoketh.” Parker smirked.
“Damn right.”
“And where do I come in?”
“Take some red paint and fuck with my trailer. The more dangerous it looks, the more threatening, the better. Remember, the stalker is out to get me.”
“And Benji?”
“I’ll worry about Benj. I’ll keep him busy. You just do what you have to do. Let’s make this work, guys. Let’s give Charlie exactly what she wants—a job.”
“I still wanna see her half-naked.”
Zane huffed. “You probably will, Parker. Just don’t drool or else I’ll kick your ass.”
“No promises.”
“This is an awful lot of work for a girl,” Micah said.
But it wasn’t just any girl… “It’ll be worth i
t, guys. Now let’s get ready for the show.”
***
“I am not insane.”
Charlie chanted the words over and over, both out loud and in her head, as she left Zane’s trailer behind. Her new mantra both emboldened and terrified her. Weren’t crazy people usually the ones that had to reassure themselves of their sanity? Since when did she wander around looking like she should come with her own pole? Never. She wasn’t that sort of person, but…
She shook her head fiercely. Screw it. Tonight was hers. She was going to let loose, have a little fun, and show Zane who was boss in the process. Even if she did look a little…different.
Giddiness rushed through her veins like a shot of adrenaline, a mix of panic and delight at the prospect of tonight’s show. For the first time, ever, she was going to be able to enjoy the concert as just another fan. Sure, she was a fan with full security access and backstage passes that other people would kill for, but tonight she was just another face in the crowd.
A gorgeous face, but hey, who was keeping track?
Pursing her painted lips and smiling at herself in the mirror, Charlie added a few dramatizing finishing touches to her make up before taking a deep breath. She could do this. She was not insane. She just wanted to see what the other side of the coin was like. The more dramatic, less sophisticated side of the coin.
On the way back to her trailer, she’d run into an equally underdressed and totally pissed off Lola. They’d eyeballed each other once—Lola was a skanky little thing who was always hanging on Zane’s arm and they’d never quite seen eye to eye—and then Charlie smiled brightly at the groupie. Kill them with kindness, especially when you wanted something from them.
“Got anything sexy I could borrow for the concert?”
“Depends on who you’re trying to impress.”
“Tonight? Anyone.” Charlie grinned wickedly.
She’d felt the other woman’s relief cut through the tension like a knife and Lola smirked right back. “I think I have just the outfit…”
Resisting Velocity Page 4