I slammed my guitar case closed with a thud, spooking a couple of seagulls that had been scrounging for food on the dock. The seagulls took to the air with a squawk. A white stream of poop streaked across the sky and landed with a satisfying plop on Billy's head. He cursed and let go of the rope rail to check his hair. We all watched the scene unfold in slow motion, and like a beautifully-orchestrated cosmic prank, Billy flipped backwards over the rail.
He screamed like a girl when he hit the water. Andre lowered his sunglasses and looked over their edge at Billy treading water. "I'll take the bet," he called.
Someone threw a life preserver in, and the bartender jumped up on the bar, yelling, "That makes six," as he ticked off another mark on the chalkboard.
CHAPTER FOUR
Swimming in the Chesapeake had a surprising effect on Billy. It seemed to make him a little nicer. As Andre fished him out of the water, Billy eyed me warily. Ashley rushed over and flitted around helping him dry off.
"I am so sorry about my sister," she said, rubbing him down with a towel as if he was one of her kids. "She doesn't have the best of manners, and she's always been protective of me. I don't know why because I can take care of myself," Ashley added, shooting daggers at me.
I stood back on the sidelines, quietly waiting to be told to pack up and move out. The band was already breaking the rig down. The producers stood next to Billy, barking into their phones in search of a new band. Looked like I had really messed this one up.
"Yeah, I got five big sisters hen-peckin' me whenever I get within a hundred miles of them," Billy said, taking the towel from Ashley and wiping off his face.
I decided to give it one more try. "Look, I'm sorry about this. We got off on the wrong foot." I paused to let that understatement sink in. "I shouldn't have taken the bait. This is totally your gig, and if you want to act like an ass, it's none of my business." I bit my lip and met his crystal-blue eyes. They were laughing.
A smile twitched around his mouth as he answered, "My sister, Lucille, would've picked me up and thrown me in the bay if she'd heard me. I guess I had it coming. When I start believing my own press, my sisters bust me down to earth. Guess the good Lord sent you in their place today." He turned to the band and the producers. "Let's play some music!"
An hour later, we were back on stage and rocking out to a Billy Prescott song. As the afternoon wore on and the temperature climbed, Ashley decided to take Aunt Pearl back to my place. "I don't need to go home! I like the heat. Why I never had air-conditioning until I was near sixty years old, and it didn't kill me. You're just trying to get rid of me," she complained. Ashley lured her back to the van with promises of wine and some quality time with my laptop once she was home.
Billy Prescott didn't seem to hold a grudge. He was still sniffing around Ashley, but we had connected musically during the warm-ups, and all seemed forgiven. Besides, the set was now bulging with extras and crew members. There wasn't time for fussing.
A helicopter flew in above the water, capturing another aerial view of the band on the deck beside the bay. We were full into filming at this point, and the producers were breathing a sigh of relief.
As the helicopter turned and flew off, Roger yelled, "Take fifteen!"
I dabbed at my forehead with a wet rag and angled for some shade in an attempt to cool off. Andre approached with two cups of ice water, saying, "I should be buying you a real drink."
I took one of the cups. "I was surprised you didn't stop me. Aren't you the bodyguard?"
"Yeah, well, sometimes I have to do what's best for my clients, even when they don't know it's for the best. This was one of those times," he said with a smile. He raised his cup, and I clinked mine against his.
"So where you headed tonight after this wraps up?" he asked. He had shed his jacket as the temperature had climbed. His broad shoulders and wide chest looked like chiseled rock. The gun holstered on his back completed his dark and dangerous look.
I glanced up at him. I pictured his eyes twinkling suggestively behind his sunglasses. Was this a come on? "I have a gig tonight in Rock Hall at the Full Moon Saloon."
"You and the band?" he asked smoothly.
I shook my head. "No, it's a small place on the water. Not enough room on the deck for a full band, so I just do my acoustical thing there."
"We're staying in Rock Hall, too. Billy rented a big farmhouse at the Marina Point Inn," he said casually. But I got the feeling he was fishing. "Your sister coming back to see you play?"
Ah-hah! Now I got it. "Yes," I said. "Are you trying to help Billy score with my sister?" I asked suspiciously.
He grinned. "I'd never do that. But Billy asked me to find out where you two would be tonight."
I put my hands on my hips. "So your job description includes procuring women for Billy?"
He raised his hands. "Calm down. Don't throw me in the water," he chuckled. His laugh was warm and rich. "I don't 'procure' women for Billy, but when he asked me to find out more about your plans, I figured it was a win-win."
I looked at him. "How's that?"
"Well, it'll make Billy happy, and it'll mean I get to spend more time with you," he said stepping a little closer.
There was an electrical charge that surged between us. For a moment it felt like we were alone on the pier. "So you're doing your own procuring?" I asked with a smile.
"Something like that," he replied. "This'll wrap up in an hour. How about a limo ride to Rock Hall? Tell your sister to meet us there."
I looked up at him and knew I was in trouble. His dark hair was ruffled by the breeze, and I had this insane urge to suck on his full lower lip. "Deal," I said before I could chicken out.
* * *
"I am so pissed at you!" Ashley yelled through the phone. "I'm taking care of Aunt Pearl and walking your snooty dog, and you're riding in a limo. Once again little sister is getting stomped on by big sister."
Andre raised an eyebrow but said nothing. Billy was laughing. "They can hear you, Ashley. You need to calm down. And, by the way, you sound just like Mom," I said. I heard her suck in her breath in outrage.
"You couldn't wait another thirty minutes?" she sputtered.
"No," I sighed. "Filming's done. It's six o'clock. We're all hungry and tired, and I have to go on at the Full Moon in two hours. We couldn't sit around waiting for you just so you could ride in a limo!" I ground out.
Billy waved at me to hand him the phone. I sighed and handed it to him.
"Ashley darlin', it's Billy," he said seductively. I could hear her gushing at him on the other end. "Get your tail over to the Marina Point Inn, and we'll go for a little ride—just the two of us—and I'll take you to dinner and over to see your sister. How's that? Okay, sweetie. Here's your sister back," he finished smoothly.
I took the phone back. "Guess you have a date," I snarked at her.
"It's not a date," she insisted. "He's just being nice. I'll see you at the Full Moon." I shook my head as I ended the call. This had t-r-o-u-b-l-e written all over it.
The ride to Rock Hall passed quickly with Billy telling story after story about life as a newly crowned rock star. Andre was quiet, but I could feel his gaze settle on me every few minutes, and I had to suppress the urge to giggle like a schoolgirl.
Marina Point Inn was situated directly on the water with an unobstructed view of the bay. The quaint, white clapboard farmhouse Billy had rented was down the drive from the main inn. Billy offered me the use of a bathroom in order to get freshened up for my gig. "Come have a drink and get relaxed before headin' over to the Full Moon." I glanced over at Andre, who smiled and nodded.
"I'd love to, but I've got to get over there and set up," I replied.
"I'll give you a hand," Andre said easily.
Completely unnecessary, but I couldn't resist. "That would be great. Thanks."
CHAPTER FIVE
We finished setting up a little after seven. I didn't have a lot of gear because the Full Moon had a nice sound system. A monit
or speaker, a mike, and a guitar were all I needed. However, sound checks outside on the deck were time-consuming. Having a second set of ears was helpful.
"You make a fantastic roadie," I complimented Andre.
"You make an even better rock star," he replied, handing me a martini.
"Hah," I said with a laugh and took a sip of my drink. "I'm a long way from rock star. In case you haven't noticed, this isn't exactly Hollywood." I waved my hand around the deck of the Full Moon.
"No," he said, looking out at the boats in the marina with the setting sun in the distance. "It's better."
I made a face. "Maybe better to look at, but not better for my career."
"So why do you stay?" he asked with interest, pulling up a chair for me along the railing and taking a seat beside me. His sunglasses were gone, and his dark eyes were staring into mine. I lost my train of thought. Career? What career? All I could think about was what he would look like with his shirt off.
"I don't know. Habit, I guess," I replied with a sigh and looked away.
"No boyfriend keeping you here?" he asked.
I shook my head. "Nope. Just my dog, and frankly, he's more of a rock star than I am. He'd probably do great in Hollywood." Andre laughed and touched my hand. I felt warmth spread in all directions.
"How about you?" I asked. "Why a bodyguard for Billy Prescott?"
He shrugged. "Got out of the military a couple of years ago and couldn't seem to get into the groove of a nine-to-five job. This suits me right now. When I settle down I hope to find somewhere like this," he said quietly.
I nodded. "So where you headed after here?" I asked.
"Billy has a show in Baltimore tomorrow, and then we're going back to California," he replied. "I wish we were staying longer," he added, holding my gaze.
"Me, too," I said with a sigh.
The evening was a blur. I played to a packed audience. My sister sat with Billy and his entourage at a prime table on the deck. Drinks were flowing, and I broke my two-drink gig rule as I fell under the spell of living like a rock star. Billy called "The Rum Song" my "ticket to the big time" and told Roger and Phil that they should produce it. Those two were hard to read. They'd barely said a word to me all evening and kept to themselves at a small table near the back of the deck. I don't think they had quite gotten over my involvement in their meal ticket ending up in the bay.
The evening culminated in Billy and me performing one of his hit songs. The audience loved it. Cell phone cameras flashed everywhere, and I was sure that more than one YouTube video would be circulating tomorrow. Billy agreed to close out the night with a couple more songs, and I gratefully handed him my guitar and took a seat beside Andre.
"I'm pooped!" I said, fanning myself and dabbing at my forehead with a napkin. "And a hot mess," I complained.
"You look amazing. I couldn't take my eyes off you, and neither could the audience. You're a natural, and your original music is great," he said sincerely.
I blushed under the praise. "Thanks so much," I replied. "This ain't my first gig," I added with a laugh. "I play out constantly."
"It shows," he said. "Want to dance?" he asked suddenly.
Billy was singing a ballad, and the dance floor was filled with tipsy couples swaying to the music. Guess one more couple wouldn't matter. "Sure," I said, standing up.
He took my hand and led me to the dance floor. His hand was on the small of my back, and each time my body brushed against his I felt a tiny shock. Talk about attraction. Wow! He leaned down and whispered against my neck, "Stay at the farmhouse tonight."
I looked up at him. It was so tempting. I thought about my three rules for dating: no coworkers, no musicians, and no one I'd met in a bar. Well, we didn't work together, and he wasn't a musician. But technically I had met him on the deck of a bar. Hmmm.
I looked back at Ashley, half-drunk and shooting moony eyes at Billy on the stage. "I'd like to take you up on that, but I need to get my sister home and out of the danger zone. She's married with three kids. She doesn't need Billy complicating her life." And I didn't need her sticking me with three kids if she decided to run off with Billy. Not saying she would, but I wasn't taking any chances.
Andre laughed. "He wouldn't complicate it. He wouldn't be around long enough. Let her have her fun," he said, adding, "she's a grown-up."
"I'm sorry," I said softly. "I'm not a 'just stay over' kind of girl."
He sighed. "I was afraid you'd say that." He kissed my forehead lightly and said, "Well, I'll go get your sister's van and help you pack up, and I'll even buy you a cup of coffee for the road."
After the song ended, I got the keys from Ashley, and Andre and the chauffeur went back to the inn for the van. Ashley was not happy.
"I don't want to go," she complained.
"It's time, Ashley. Remember your husband and three kids?" I asked.
She put her hands over her ears. "La-la-la-la, I can't hear you."
I rolled my eyes. "Real mature. You are not having a fling with Billy Prescott on my watch."
She took her hands off her ears and stared at me. "Who said anything about a fling? I have no intention of 'flinging' with him. I just don't want this night to end. I'm finally having fun and living my life," she said dreamily.
"This isn't your life," I pointed out. "Your life is in Dover, Delaware. And you may not have any intention of getting in bed with Billy, but I can guarantee you that is his only intention. We need to leave now," I said firmly.
"Oh, I forgot," she began sarcastically, "you're the only one allowed to live like a rock star. I'm supposed to stay in the kitchen barefoot and pregnant."
I pinched the bridge of my nose. "You chose to be barefoot and pregnant," I reminded her.
She glared at me. "Well," she said, taking a sip of her drink, "I've changed my mind."
What could I say to that?
Billy was thanking the audience that had grown over the last hour as word had spread that he was in town. The house lights came on as he finished, and I made my way through the crowd to start packing up.
With Andre's help, the job took only a few minutes. I enjoyed watching him move with leopard-like precision around the stage. Man, did he have some muscles. I collected my pay from the bartender and headed over to Billy's table to collect my wayward sister.
"It's midnight, Cinderella," I said to Ashley. "Time to get back to reality. Aunt Pearl is home alone, remember?"
She waved me off. "Leave me be. I talked to her an hour ago, and she was already in bed."
"Yeah," Billy said. "Leave her be. Better yet," he said brightly, "come back to the inn and have dinner with us. They have the most amazing prime rib."
"It's midnight, Billy," I said. "The restaurant is closed."
He smiled like a kid in a candy store. "Not for me."
"The chef was here to watch Billy," Ashley explained. "He overheard Billy saying how he was dying for a steak and offered to open the kitchen for us. I've never had dinner after midnight," she added wistfully.
I knew the chef at the inn. He came out to see me once in awhile when I was playing in Rock Hall. He did make amazing food…my stomach rumbled.
"Okay," I conceded. "Dinner and then home. I mean it, Ashley," I said, pointing a finger at her.
She made a face. "You know you look and sound just like Mom."
* * *
I glanced around the dining room of the Marina Point Inn. Billy's entourage took up six of the large, round tables topped with snowy-white linens. The lights were dim. Candles flickered on the tables, casting shadows on the wall—the china and crystal table settings glittered in the soft light. It looked just like any other time I'd had dinner at the inn. Except it was one o'clock in the morning. And I was having dinner with a rock star who wanted to get my sister in the sack. Not to mention, his hunky bodyguard had his hand on my thigh under the table. I'm pretty sure I had bumped my head at some point and this was all a dream.
"We need champagne!" Billy said and jumped u
p unsteadily from his seat. "Roger, see if the chef can get us some."
Roger and Phil were a couple of tables away with their heads together, deep in conversation.
"I'll go check," I said, standing up suddenly. I needed to put a little distance between Andre and myself. I glanced over at him. He leaned back, crossing his arms, and gave me a sexy smile.
I could feel his eyes on me as I walked to the kitchen.
"Knock, knock," I called, peeking my head in. Sean had three burners going—bins and containers littered the counter. He was busy chopping onions and mushrooms. "Need some help?" I asked.
He looked up. "This is what I get for openin' my big mouth," he grumbled.
"Well, Billy can be pretty persuasive," I agreed.
"Didn't do it for him," he said ruefully. "I had this fantasy of luring you all back here under the pretense of dinner and then getting you alone in my kitchen." Sean was a big flirt. He had been the chef at the inn for the last three seasons, and I was sure he had worked his way through most of the local ladies.
I looked around the messy kitchen. "Well, it worked," I replied.
"Yeah," he agreed, "but not quite how I pictured it."
"Billy's asking for champagne," I said.
Sean threw the onions and mushrooms in a hot pan. "Jesus, what an ass," he said. "Here's the bar key," he said, handing me his key ring. "I'll inventory the cabinet tomorrow and put whatever's gone on his tab."
"Thanks," I replied. "Sure you don't need any help?" I asked.
"No," he said. "I just called in a busboy who lives close by. He'll be here in a couple minutes."
"Okay, if you're sure," I said, backing out of the kitchen.
"Hey, Diana."
"Yes," I replied, knowing what was coming next.
"When we going out?" he asked. "I'd like to make you something special. A little romantic dinner for two."
He seemed earnest enough, but Sean was a player and definitely not my type. No sense in pissing him off, though. I played private gigs at the inn a couple of times a year, and they always paid well.
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