She tried her best not to get caught staring. The freaking guy looked like he'd just stepped off of a photo shoot for GQ magazine, which was amazing since he had on cargo shorts and a T-shirt. She could see why Michael started smiling at the sight of him. It was almost impossible not to smile.
"In walks Jason Lane," Michael said.
"What, that guy right there?" Hannah asked, peeling her eyes off of the beautiful beach bum to look at Michael.
"Yep, that guy right there." Michael scooted back in his chair and stood up. "Sorry Hannah, I need to talk to Jason for one quick second," he said. He tapped the table as he turned to walk away then he looked back at her, smiling. "We obviously still have some things to talk about. I'll just be a second."
Chapter 5
"Hey Jason, I'm glad I caught you, man." Michael said. He approached Jason with an outstretched hand, which Jason shook, giving him a warm smile.
"How's it going, Michael?"
"We're doing well. Hey, uh, my wife wanted me to be sure to tell you what a rock star you were for pulling them backstage at the concert the other night."
"Oh, it was no big deal, really."
"It was to them. My ten-year-old hasn't stopped talking about it. She and her friend think I’m famous now."
"I thought you were famous," Jason said smiling.
Michael touched Jason's shoulder. "Seriously, man, thank you. Those two little girls—you pretty much made their year."
"I was glad to do it. I'm just glad your wife recognized me and said something."
"Can I get your coffee today?" Michael asked.
"No, no, no. I'm good."
Michael looked at the girl working the register. "Anne, I've got his," he said pointing at Jason. Anne gave him a thumbs up and Michael shook Jason's hand one more time before heading back to the table where Hannah was waiting, watching the whole exchange. She expected to hear that he was some big country star even though he looked more like he belonged on a surfboard instead of a horse. Jason Lane. She racked her brain, but couldn't come up with anything.
"Jason Lane," Michael said. He was still grinning from ear to ear as he once again sat down across from her.
Hannah shrugged apologetically, letting Michael know she wasn't sure who that was.
"He comes in here at least three times a week. Always about this time, and always orders the same thing."
Obviously that didn’t help Hannah much. "Did he used to work here or something?"
Michael laughed. "No. I'm surprised you've never heard of him. He's a songwriter. His dad, Mack Lane, is one of the most famous songwriters this town has ever known, so he's just following in his footsteps."
"Wow. That explains why your daughter was excited to meet him."
"Oh, no, it wasn't Jason my daughter was so excited to meet," Michael said. "She saw him at the Cam Bishop concert the other night, and Jason got them back stage. My little girl's crazy about Cam Bishop."
"My little brother is too," Hannah said. "He actually went to that concert—only he didn't go backstage."
"That's what happens when you run into his best friend before the show," Michael said.
"That guy is Cam Bishop's best friend?"
"Yeah, but he was Nashville royalty long before that."
"He doesn't seem like—"
"I know. He's a super nice guy. You'd never know he's a ka-zillionaire."
"His dad must have written some classics."
"Oh, you have no idea. I can't believe you've never heard of him—songs like Who's Leaving Who and My Only Love—but he doesn't need his dad's money. Luckily for him, he inherited his talent."
"Oh, that's right. You said he's a songwriter too."
"He's already had a few big ones and he's super young. He's the one who wrote that song Cam Bishop recorded called Our Time to Shine. That one got really popular."
"Oh my God, he wrote that?" She thought about the song she'd heard like a million times over the past year. She couldn't imagine how someone who looked like that could write the cheesy country song everyone blasted from their truck stereos in the high school parking lot.
"Thanks for the coffee, Michael," she heard.
It startled her, and she jumped a little as she turned to see Jason looking at them smiling. He was way too gorgeous to write country music. She couldn't believe someone who looked like that even liked country music, much less contributed to it.
"It's the least I can do," Michael said. "Thanks again for the other night."
"You're welcome," Jason said. He started to turn toward the door, but before he could, his eyes made contact with Hannah's. He gave her an easy smile, and they proceeded to stare at each other for several long seconds before Hannah got antsy and broke the eye contact. She looked over at Michael shyly before glancing back at Jason, but by that time he had turned and was headed out the door.
"You'll have to get in line behind about five other girls who work here."
"What? You mean me? You mean him? No, I don't even know who that is."
"You'll see him all the time if you work mornings."
Hannah didn't know what to say. "I think that's gonna be up to you."
Michael opened the binder. "I guess that's one thing we need to talk about."
****
Jason drove to Cam's downtown apartment instead of going to his office on music row like he normally did on weekday mornings. Cam had a week off, and was officially in party mode. Jason got into his share of trouble, but he really wanted to be taken seriously as a songwriter, so he was doing his best to work as hard as he played.
Cam had a penthouse apartment in one of the most exclusive buildings in Nashville. There were quite a few other A-listers living there as well, and they had a separate entrance around the side of the building that required security clearance. Jason spent a good deal of time there, so when he passed the guard on his way in, they just waved at each other. The lock on Cam's apartment door used thumbprint technology, and it turned green when it sensed Jason's print. He knew he'd find booze and girls when he went inside—he just didn't know how much of either.
The place was a freaking wreck, and Jason grimaced at the thought of cleaning it up. His eye swept the room. It was a total mess, but seemed to be devoid of all human activity. When you're famous, people don't leave your house until you kick them out, so Jason knew Cam kicked everyone out at some point in the night. He vaguely wondered how many people must have been there to cause that scene. Suddenly, he saw movement on the couch. He squinted into the living room, trying to focus on the person. It was definitely not Cam. It was a girl. He had to take a few steps in her direction to see who it was.
"Hey Reagan, where's Cam?" he said.
She gasped and shot up on the couch, shrinking away from him instinctually.
"It's me, Jason."
"God Jason, you scared me half to death! I didn't hear you come in."
"I'm sorry. What happened in here?"
Reagan sat up on the white leather couch and blinked to clear her eyes as she took in her surroundings.
"There were quite a few people here at one point," she said. "Cam kicked everybody out besides me and Porsche."
"Where are they?"
"In his bedroom."
Jason started to take a step to go wake him up, but Reagan stopped him. "Jay, come here for a sec." She patted the seat next to her and he walked over.
Jason, Reagan, and Porsche went to the same private high school. It was only a place the richest of the rich could afford. It was sort of a mix between a private school and a boarding school. They didn't stay on campus every night like you would at a boarding school, but they took frequent, long trips as a school in an effort to make the students well-traveled.
He had a good relationship with the people he'd gone to school with including Reagan and Porsche. Actually, his relationship with Reagan and Porsche went way deeper than his other classmates. Jason had been sexually active with both Reagan and Porsche since they were all in tent
h grade. He'd never had an exclusive relationship with either of them, but he'd done just about everything in the book to them both sexually. Neither of the girls ever made a fuss about wanting a relationship, and he knew how lucky he was to find a couple of lovely ladies who wanted to experiment. They didn't meet Cam until two years before when he first came to Nashville, but it quickly became obvious that he was up for whatever, and he was freaking hot, so he got added to the mix. Jason sat down next to Reagan on the couch, but didn't sit back like he was planning on staying there.
"I thought you were gonna come party with us last night since Cam's got the week off."
He shot her a regretful smile. "It's Tuesday right now, Rae. I can't just go crazy on random Monday nights."
She stuck out her lower lip. "You used to go crazy on Mondays all the time."
He smiled and put a hand on her naked thigh. All she had on was a blue plaid shirt and pair of lace panties. "I know. I'm just trying to be taken seriously, you know? I don't want to just be Mack's son my whole life."
"I'm just Roxanne Dyer's daughter. So what? Our parents made enough money for us, and our kids, and our kid's kids. You don't have to go punch a clock."
"I want to, though. I have fun writing, and I like making a name for myself in this town."
"I can respect that," she said with a resigned sigh. "I think I'm just a little frustrated because I haven't seen you in a while, and well, to be honest with you, nobody does it for me like you do."
"Oh come on, you can have your pick in Nashville."
"You're right I can, but none of them are as good as you. You don't realize what an anomaly you are, Jay. Most of the other guys our age are total idiots in bed. Not many of them have the experience we do, and quite frankly, it's like fucking amateur hour when I'm not doing it with you."
"Cam's good, isn't he?"
"He's good, but Porsche has been talking about how she wants to spend more time with Cam alone. Nick's good too, when he's in town, but he's never here. But you three are the only three young guys on the face of the earth who know what they're doing, and I haven't been with any of you lately. My last five orgasms have been fake."
"So are you not going to be with Cam anymore at all?" he asked, focusing on the very scary topic that Porsche could be developing feelings.
Feelings—the true F word.
"No, I'm still going to be with him," she said. "I could have been in there with them right now if I wanted. Porsche said she's good with all three of us being together, but she just asked me not to be with him without her. It's something I've asked of her in the past when I was having some feelings, so of course, I'll return the favor."
Jason did not ask who Reagan had asked Porsche to stay away from. He was the obvious candidate, and if it was him, he really didn't want to know. He reached up and ruffed up her hair playfully. "We'll have to make a date here soon," he said. "I'll set you straight." He started to stand.
"How about you set me straight right now?" she asked. "If you give me twenty minutes, you can go to work feeling a lot better."
He laughed.
"I'm not kidding, Jay. Let's help each other out." She raised her eyebrows, challenging him. "You know you want to."
Now that she mentioned it, he did want to. (Who cared if his inspiration was the little cutie at the coffee shop?)
"Go brush your teeth," he said.
Without a word, she sprang off the couch and padded to the guest bath. She was back three minutes later, but this time she was only wearing the panties.
Not even twenty minutes later, they collapsed onto the couch together.
"You have no idea how bad I needed that," she said.
"What's the matter, you can't get anybody to pull your hair for you?"
She giggled. "Not like you."
"I have to go wake Cam up," he said. He searched around for his shirt, and once he found it, he pulled it over his head and shrugged into it.
"I know," she said. She gave him a smile that said it's no big deal. "I'm glad I ran into you up here."
"Me too," he said. "That was fun." He smiled at her, and she returned it.
"As always."
"Tell your mom hi for me," he said.
"I will." Reagan gave him a little wave as he tightened the canvas belt that went around the waist of his shorts and took off for Cam's bedroom.
He knocked on the door as he opened it. It really didn't matter what the state of affairs were in there. It wouldn't be anything Jason hadn't seen already.
"Cam, you really need to learn how to return a phone call."
Cam moaned from the bed as Jason crossed the room to open the blinds, continuing to talk as he walked. "If you would just learn that one little thing, you could avoid having me come over here to wake you up like this."
"What, dude? What is it that couldn't wait?"
"I have lunch with Daisy in less than two hours and I need you to tell me if it's a pass on that one song, because if you don't want to record it, I'm gonna pitch it to her with the other songs."
Cam let out a frustrated groan. "Are you kidding me? You didn't have to wake me up for that. If you wrote the song for me, all you have to do is tell me to record it, and I will. I trust you Jason."
"So, you want to do the song?"
"Yeah, of course I do."
"Have you even listened to it?"
Cam hesitated, deciding whether or not to lie.
"No, I haven't listened to it per say, but if you say I'll like it, then, I'll like it."
"Okay fine, you're doing it because I know it's perfect for you, but I shouldn't have to tell you that. Next time listen to it like I ask you too. You need to care about whether or not you identify with your music, Cam."
"I do care, boss. Don't act like I don't work my ass off."
"I'm not saying that."
"What time is it?" Cam asked.
"Just after ten," Jason answered.
Cam let his head fall back onto the pillow. "I've only been asleep for like four hours," he said. "Close the damn blinds."
Jason hit the button, and the room went dark again.
Cam sighed. "Thank you. And, put me down for that song. I'm sorry I didn't listen to it. I meant to and I forgot."
"No worries, I'll just take it out on you on the court."
"I'm not playing basketball with you until I get about twelve hours sleep, but then I'm game."
"Just call me later."
"Alright. Good luck with Daisy."
"Thanks."
Jason waved at the girl who was cuddled up next to Cam. Even though the room was pretty dark, he could still see enough of her to know her eyes were open. "Hey Porsche," he said.
"Hey," she said sleepily. "I think Reagan's here somewhere."
"She's on the couch. The place is a freaking mess out here."
Cam threw a pillow at him. "Get outta here and let me get some sleep. I'll take care of that later."
Jason didn't need to be told twice. He closed the door on his way out.
Reagan was either sleeping or pretending to be when he passed through the living room, and he didn't bother finding out. He just walked quietly past so he wouldn't disturb her.
Jason had some emails to take care of, so he went to his office for a little while before heading to his favorite sushi bar for his meeting with Daisy Lee.
Chapter 6
Hannah left the interview in an utter state of shock about how good everything had gone. Of course, she had imagined walking in there and having them say her application was amazing, they were in love with her, and they wanted to hire her on the spot, but she never thought that would actually happen. She was so excited she smiled on her way home even though she was walking alone. She wanted to wait until she got home to tell her mom, but she couldn't make it. Halfway there, she fished her cell phone out of her purse and called.
"Well?" her mom asked.
"I got the job," she said.
"I knew it."
"It's just pa
rt time, but the manager said I'll be able to pick up shifts."
"Aw, I knew it, baby. Did they like your application?"
"They loved it. The guy I met with, Michael, said he was tempted to frame it."
"Are you serious? Is he going to?"
"I have no idea," Hannah said, laughing. "All he said was that he wanted to."
Rebecca laughed too. "I guess even thinking about having something of yours framed classifies him as a fan, though."
"Oh, he was really sweet about it for sure. He said he almost hired me over the phone without an interview."
"Seeee? I told you it was awesome. I'm so happy for you, and proud of you too."
"Thanks. Hey mom, is Nate with you?"
"He sure is. He's coming with me on a job this morning."
"Can I talk to him real quick?"
"Sure. And congratulations, Baby Girl."
"Thanks Mom."
There was a brief pause and some rustling.
"Hey."
"Hey bubs. Guess what? I got that job."
"Really? That’s cool. Do you like it?"
"I haven't started it yet, but I think I will. Don't worry about it if famous people are gonna be coming in there."
"Seriously? Like to drink coffee?"
"Yeah to drink coffee. I saw Cam Bishop's best friend today and they told me he comes in there all the time."
"Nu-uhh!"
"Yes-huh!"
"Does Cam go in there?"
"I don't know. I'm sure he does if his best friend does."
"Can you get me his autograph?"
Hannah chuckled. "I'm sure I can sometime, Peanut. Love you. Take care of Mom and Dad, okay?"
"Okay, love you too."
Hannah hung up the phone smiling. She wasn't nearly as star struck by Cam Bishop as her brother was, but she loved hearing him excited, and thought she just might be able to pull off an autograph at some point if that guy Jason came in as frequently as Michael said he did.
The first thing Hannah did when she got to her apartment was open her laptop and search Google for images of Jason Lane. Some of them were of random guys, but the majority of photos were of the guy who came into the coffee shop that morning. She clicked on one of them that caught her eye, and took a minute to study it. He was simply the most beautiful creature she'd ever seen.
You're Dangerous Page 4