What to Read After FSOG: The Gemstone Collection (WTRAFSOG Book 9)

by Kristine Cayne

  Jackie’s frown turned to a scowl as she rested her hip against the counter and crossed her arms over her chest. “What is it with you?”

  “What do you mean?” Grabbing another sleeve of cups, Hanna rammed them into the second dispenser.

  “It’s like you can’t believe a man can truly want you. You’re beautiful. Haven’t you seen how men look at you when they come in here? It pisses me off sometimes to be brutally honest. I’d kill for your red hair, it’s so different. Or your perfect skin. Or your hourglass figure.”

  Hanna sighed, grabbing a wet rag and beginning to wash down the counter. “Look, it’s not just that. I’m trying to be realistic here. Maybe it was a fun few days, maybe it was more. I’m not even sure if his life on the road would be my cup of tea anyhow. Maybe a normal relationship with someone with a more orthodox profession is more my speed. I don’t like being the center of attention, you know that.”

  Jackie opened her mouth to respond, but was cut off with a ding in their headset signalling a car coming through the drive-thru. “We’re not done with this conversation, lady. We’ll finish once I get rid of these people,” Jackie warned, brushing past Hanna to take her position at the drive-thru station.

  “Looking forward to it.” Hanna was about to run out back to start the dishes while Jackie was preoccupied with the drive-thru when a half-dozen teenage girls came in through the front.

  Shit, and double shit. Walking over to the front counter, Hanna waited with a smile pasted onto her face as the girls approached the counter and began to jabber amongst themselves, periodically looking up at the menu.

  Oh great, I’m going to be here a while. Hanna tried to keep her expression bright and cheery, but as she continued to wait for them to order her agitation increased.

  “No way.”

  “I think so.”

  Hanna’s attention focused on the two girls towards the back of the group who were whispering and pointing towards her. Her smile began to fade as a couple more girls seemed to get into the conversation with the back two.

  “Is there something I can help you with, ladies?”

  All six of them were now into the conversation, eyeing her with intense scrutiny. As Hanna scanned the young women, she noticed one with an iPhone in her hand. The girl studied the screen, looked up at Hanna, and then back at the screen.

  “It’s her, I know it,” the one with the phone in her hand persisted.

  A feeling of dread welled up within Hanna. She knew where this was going. She’d hoped no one would recognize her, but her picture was plastered all over the tabloids. In truth, she was surprised she’d gone two hours at work without having to answer questions from people who’d seen the story about Bo and his “mystery woman.” Perhaps they couldn’t believe that Bo would be with a woman who was a simple coffee peddler, so assumed it wasn’t her.

  “Ask her!” One of the girls pushed the girl with the phone forward.

  The girl stepped up to the counter with hesitation and thrust the phone with the face pointed in her direction, towards her. Sure enough the picture that was taken of her and Bo outside of his building was on the screen.

  “Is this you? It looks like you,” the girl with the phone asked.

  “Are you Bo’s girlfriend?” a second one piped in.

  “I um….” Should she play it off as a coincidence, or downplay her involvement with Bo? Not like she’d be downplaying it too much since she had no definite idea of what the status was.

  Finished with her drive-thru order, Jackie came up behind Hanna, to stand next to her. “Yeah, she is.”

  Hanna’s eyes widened as she shot Jackie a foul look. “Jackie!”

  “We’re friends,” Hanna corrected.

  Maybe this won’t go any further than the girls. Maybe if I tell them a fun little story then they’ll be satisfied and this will be the end of it.

  “Oh my God! Bo’s girlfriend!” one squealed. “I can’t wait to tweet that I met Bo’s girlfriend!” As she said the words she pulled her phone from her handbag.

  “No!” Hanna lunged over the counter, but the girl stepped out of the way.

  “Why not?” the one with the iPhone asked.

  “Because. I’m not really his girlfriend, just a close friend. That’s all.”

  “Didn’t one of those newspapers offer a reward for information on his girlfriend?” Though the question was spoken in a hushed tone and meant for her friends’ ears only, Hanna heard nonetheless and shot the speaker a dirty look.

  “Look ladies. Please. I just want to be left alone. Please. Let me take your order. I’ll even throw in a free iced cappuccino.” She cringed at the desperation in her voice. The last thing she wanted was a media circus asking questions she didn’t know the answers to. She’d have to quit her job. And then what?

  She groaned inwardly. A small part of her wished she’d never gone to New York and gotten involved with Bo Savage, while another part wished she’d taken him up on his offer. She should have had the foresight to know this was going to happen.

  “What’s Bo really like?”

  “Oh my. What I’d do to spend time with him.”

  “His brother too?”

  “His brother is in the band too?”

  “Yeah, you didn’t know that?”

  Their questions were relentless, coming from all directions, regardless of Hanna’s begging them to get their order and take a seat. Jackie fended off the majority of the questions, seeming to enjoy the attention. A ding sounded in her headset and Hanna sprung into action, grateful to get away from the girls and rushing to the drive-thru station.

  She took and prepared the drive-thru order. Working out of habit more than anything else, she kept her ears perked at the multiple conversations going on behind her while she served a young couple in the Honda Civic at her window. Several more customers followed the young couple, keeping her busy for twenty minutes. Normally she’d have asked Jackie to help out, but she was simply grateful to hole herself up in the little corner and away from the excitement.

  Finished with the final car in the long line of customers, she spun around and gasped. Rolling into the parking lot of the coffee shop was a news van.

  “Oh my God, no…”

  The sound of the phone ringing awoke Bo from his deep sleep. He groaned as he reached for his cell phone sitting on the nightstand of his hotel room.

  “Yeah,” he grumbled as he hit the answer button. The previous night’s concert had felt extra long to him and he’d flopped into bed exhausted. The last thing he wanted was to have a chat with whoever was on the other end of the phone.

  “We have a problem, brother.”

  “Huh? Fuck, Jeremy. What time is it?” Sitting up, he glanced over at the clock on the nightstand. 3am. “Why are you calling me in the middle of the night?”

  “It’s Hanna and Jackie.”

  The sound of Hanna’s name brought him to full attention. “Is she hurt? What’s the problem?”

  “The press found them. They’re at the coffee shop now drilling them with questions. Jackie just sent me a text.”

  “Ahhhh fuck!” Bo thrust a hand through his dark hair, his mind jumping into action. “Alright. While I get dressed, call Victor. Tell him to get the chopper ready and pick us up on the roof. Cancel the concerts for the next three days and have him contact the restaurant owner. The girls are leaving whether there is someone there to replace them or not.”

  “Call Victor? Now? Cancel the next couple concerts? Bo?”

  “He’s our fucking manager. He makes enough money to get his ass up out of bed. And yeah, cancel them unless you want to sing the songs.”

  “Okay, man. I’ll call you when the chopper is here.”

  Pressing the end button, Bo tossed the blanket aside and made his way into the bathroom. He should have insisted she quit that damned job and tour with him, given her a job with the crew or as his assistant if she insisted on making her own money. He could have persuaded her, if he’d tried harder
.

  “Fuck, fuck, fuck.”

  Chapter Twelve

  Hanna’s head was beginning to throb as she fended off questions and requests for photos. This had been going on for close to two hours and the shop had become a circus of reporters, fans and general onlookers. It was shocking to see how many people a couple of news vans could attract in the middle of the night, especially during a weekday.

  “When will you be seeing him again?” a blonde-haired female reporter asked, thrusting her microphone under Hanna’s nose.

  “I’m not sure.” She looked over at Jackie, who was busy with another reporter. Unlike Hanna, who was frazzled and upset by the whole ordeal, Jackie seemed to bask in the attention, giving candid replies.

  “Are you in constant contact? When did you speak to him last?” another female reporter butted in. Hanna was about to turn to face the second reporter when a familiar thumping sound caught her attention. A helicopter. As the thumping sound grew louder, the wail of police car sirens joined in.

  Looking into the parking lot, the owner’s Mercedes rolled up. The owner and his wife hopped out and made their way through the sea of people and vehicles towards the front door of the coffee shop.

  “Excuse me.” Not waiting for a reply, Hanna walked over to Jackie and pulled her aside, out of earshot of the people on the other side of the counter.

  “Hanna? I was –”

  “What’s going on? Why are the owners here?”

  Jackie shrugged, her grin widening. “I sent Jeremy a text. They’re on the way. They must have called the owners.”

  Outside, a half-dozen squad cars and a police van pulled into the parking lot. The officers hopped out and proceeded to shepherd people to one side of the parking lot. They quickly put up barriers blocking off half the parking lot and taking up guard so no one crossed the barricade.

  “This is crazy! They’re on the way? Bo?” Hanna’s heart rate accelerated at the thought of Bo showing up. Her knight in shining armour, hopping out of the helicopter – which was extremely close now, she guessed minutes away – and rescuing her from the questions and crowds.

  Jackie nodded. “Yup.”

  “Jackie. Hanna. What is going on here?” Gary Ferris, owner of the coffee shop, demanded to know as he elbowed and pushed his way through the packed dining room, towards the front counter. His wife followed behind, close on his heels.

  “Mr Ferris, I can explain.”

  “I would damn well hope so,” Gary growled as he reached the counter. “Why are all these people here? And what’s this I hear about you and Jackie leaving?”

  Holy shit, Bo is on his way! A rush of relief flowed over her. This nightmare of people and questions was going to end. She was so relieved at the thought that tears began to form in her eyes.

  May we have your attention please. We need everyone to exit the coffee shop immediately. If you do not leave and gather at the designated section of the parking lot we will have no choice but to remove you by force, including making arrests for trespassing. I repeat, we ask you all to relocate yourselves to the designated area of the parking lot. Thank you for your co-operation.

  A silence came over the crowd, some moving to the designated area and some frozen in their spots as if deciding what to do. The thump of the helicopter became a roar as it came into sight.

  Loud murmurs within the gathered crowd erupted along with cheers. The people in the coffee shop began to file out, their interest in her and Jackie dwindling as the prospect of seeing Bo – in the flesh – became more appealing than a chat with his would-be girlfriend.

  Several police officers rushed into the coffee shop, ushering the remaining people and reporters out of the shop as the helicopter touched down in the area the police had designated for it.

  “I have to be dreaming this,” Hanna muttered.

  Jackie gave Hanna a nudge in the ribs with her elbow. “Isn’t this awesome!”

  Hanna didn’t answer. Instead, she watched as the doors to the chopper opened and several people hopped out. The crowd went wild, chanting, screaming and fighting to get closer to the barricade and their sexy idols.

  “Bo.” A smile crept onto her face at the sight of him, with Jeremy and his security team in tow. Bo and his entourage made their way towards the coffee shop, a couple of police officers escorting them, bodyguards taking up the rear.

  Bo waved at the crowd, taking a moment to give the odd person a high five, but his eyes were fixated on Hanna through the front window.

  “What is going on here, Hanna,” Gary asked a second time, his eyes moving back and forth from his two coffee shop hostesses to the rock stars making their way into the shop.

  “That’s Bo Savage.”

  “And Jeremy Savage,” Jackie added, her eyes glued to Jeremy as they opened the front doors and made their way into the shop.

  “What are they doing here? Why are all these people here?”

  “Mr and Mrs Ferris?” Victor, the band’s manager, approached Hanna’s bosses as Bo and Jeremy made their way around the counter to the girls.

  “Bo, what are you doing here?” Hanna gasped, wide-eyed, still having a hard time believing that he was there.

  “Crazy girl.” Bo slipped an arm around her waist and pulled her tight against him.

  Hanna hesitated, but the flood of flashes from the cameras outside of the coffee shop reminded her of the situation and she quickly held tight to him, burying her face against his neck. His cologne embraced her, and she sighed against his neck. After being hounded for the past couple of hours, being in the safety of his embrace felt nothing short of amazing.

  Bo held tight to her, kissing her temple. “You should have called me when they recognized you. Why did I have to find out from Jeremy?”

  Hanna pulled back a little, taking care to keep her face away from the window and the reporters. “I didn’t want to bother you.”

  “Baby, are you kidding me? Those people out there are harassing you because of me.” He frowned, giving her a stern look. “You should have called me.”

  “I didn’t want to bother you. I’m not your responsibility…”

  Bo slipped a hand into her hair. “Dear God, woman! I’ve never met a woman so reluctant to let me take care of her.”

  “Well, I just…”

  Bo lowered his lips to hers, as he urged her lips up to meet his. The crowd erupted outside, but Hanna barely noticed. His lips brushed hers, teasing hers. When her lips parted and she moaned softly, his tongue thrust into her mouth, deepening the kiss.

  Hanna fisted the lapels of his leather jacket, the crowd completely forgotten as her body ignited against him. She pressed herself against him, her groin brushing against his and his cock jerking to life as a result. To her dismay the kiss ended much sooner than she’d have liked, leaving her breathless and weak in the knees.

  With the ending of the kiss, she once again became aware of the hundreds of people outside. She became aware of the cameras and video cameras all recording every intimate second between them.

  “Bo, what are you doing? The cameras…” She looked nervously out into the gathered crowd as another round of flashes went off.

  “Now everyone in the world will know you’re the girlfriend of Bo Savage and so you’re going to be forced to stay with me and go on tour. And as my girlfriend, you don’t have to worry about supporting yourself or having the money for what you want or need because I’m here to take care of that.”

  “Bo, this is crazy. We barely know each other.” Despite her words, a rush of excitement and relief raced through her and a smile broke out on her face.

  “I know I’m crazy about you and I want you around. Since you’re pretty much fucked right now, until this media storm is over and they jump onto something else, I don’t see you having any other choice.”

  Taking one more glance over her shoulder at the gathered crowd, she knew he was right. “That kinda sounds like blackmail Mr. Savage,” she teased, flattening her palms against his chest an
d caressing the muscle under the cotton t-shirt.

  He grinned and shrugged. “As long as I get what I want, you can call it whatever you please, babes.” Pulling her against his chest, he lowered his lips to her temple. “Let’s go home and get you away from this craziness.”

  “Do you mind if I grab a shower before heading to bed?” Hanna asked as Bo ushered her into the bedroom. Her uniform and hair reeked of coffee and cleaner. The last thing she wanted was to snuggle up in bed with him smelling of bleach and coffee grinds.

  “It’s almost morning, sweetie.” Despite his words, he headed for the bathroom, Hanna hurrying after him. “But if you like.”

  “Oh, and I just thought of something.”

  Bo bypassed the shower and headed for the large two-person Jacuzzi tub. “What’s that?”

  “I have no clothes except for the uniform I have on.” She looked down at the shit brown-coloured uniform. They were form-fitting, so despite the disgusting colour they accented her curves nicely and looked good on her. But certainly not something she could wear out and about.

  “Good thing we’re in Manhattan then.” He looked over his shoulder and grinned at her as he started to run the water.

  “I… Bo. I can’t afford to buy new clothes.”

  Happy with the temperature of the water coming from the faucet, Bo straightened up and closed the distance between them, pulling his t-shirt up and over his head as he walked and tossing it to the floor. “You’re not buying new clothes. I’m buying you new clothes. We’ll make a day of it. I’ll have several clothing stores closed for an hour or so, that way we can shop without being harassed.”

  Hanna sighed as he pulled her into his arms and backed her against the white marble bathroom counter. He swiftly undid the button and fly on her polyester pants and pushed them down her hips. They puddled on the floor at her feet. Lifting her up, he set her on top of the counter.

  “But, I don’t want you supporting me.”