Saved: BBW Contemporary Romance (Seductive Interns Book 1)

by Ashe, Karina

  “Perfect. Let me direct you to my real room so you can get started. We don't want Dan to have an aneurism or anything.”

  I giggled as he led me out of the guest room and down the hall. He entered a bedroom that I had not yet been to, and it was instantly obvious that it was his room. The guitar that made him famous was sitting on its stand beside his bed. His bed covers looked like they were well slept in and hadn’t been made in forever. His dresser was covered with CDs and guitar picks scattered about. There were posters all over the walls from his band and other bands that he admired. It was exactly the kind of room that you would expect the lead guitarist of the band Love’s Addiction to have.

  “Okay, so I admit things are a bit of a mess in here, but to be honest, I rarely let anyone in here. The maid lost my favorite pick one time and I couldn't sleep for a week. I'm sure it just got misplaced, but it was devastating. Now she, or anyone for that matter, can't clean in here. I get to it when I get to it.”

  I laughed. “Yeah, that's understandable. People like their own chaos. I’m the same way.”

  “Why, thank you, Sadie, because most people think I'm insane.”

  “Oh, I never said you weren't insane. I just said I understand.”

  He burst out laughing and I felt a slight blush come to my cheeks. “Wow, the girl has wit. We like that around here.”

  I grinned. I couldn't have felt better about being there and being part of the team. Eli was making me feel very much at home, and the way he stood so close to me, still half naked, was intoxicating.

  “Well, Sadie, I am going to leave you to this and go back to the guest room to get changed and chill out. Let me know if you need anything.”

  “Sure thing, and thanks for everything.”

  He smiled and turned to leave the room. I watched his sexy frame as he left. He was lean and tall, very muscular. He instilled an instant attraction in a female just at the sight of him. I wiped my brow, suddenly feeling increasingly hot. Only you, Sadie. Only you think it's wise to get all hot and bothered over your new boss. Not the smartest thing that you could do.

  I couldn't help it, though. There was a part of me that wished he would have come out of the shower without a towel on at all. I would have loved to have seen what he was packing underneath that towel. Better yet, it would have been nice if he would have dropped the towel as soon as he saw me. What a message that would have sent. I wouldn't complain if a man like Eli Oliver wanted to ravish me on the spot. The more I thought about it, the more turned on I got. My panties were getting wetter by the second.

  What I really needed to do was focus. I had to pack up a man's room, not daydream about him. It would be bad if Dan came to find me and realized that I had accomplished nothing yet.

  I knew enough that most of Eli's things would stay behind. However, I would need to pack up his best guitars, clothing and toiletries. I also knew by his fan pages that he loved to read. I needed to ensure that whatever he was currently reading would also be packed, as well as a few extra titles. That would be nerve wracking trying to determine what other books to pack. I had no idea what on his shelf of books he had already read and what he didn't.

  I would just do my best. I could always go shopping for him while on the road if he wanted any new clothing or books. They couldn't expect me to know my boss that well on my first day. Or maybe they did...

  I went to his closet and pulled out his suitcases. They definitely looked nothing like mine. I opened them up and set them on his messy bed. I decided to start with his clothing and began opening drawers. Being an assistant was a very personal undertaking. You were put in a position where you knew some of the most intimate things about your boss and you had to act professional while doing so. Currently I was digging around in his underwear drawer trying not to talk myself into 'accidentally' forgetting to pack him any underwear. What? Not me!

  After his underwear were packed neatly in the suitcase, I proceed to get him the t-shirts and jeans he would need for the trip. I packed up some shorts and a few pairs of shoes. I wasn't entirely sure what the weather would be like in all the different cities, but it was better to be safe than sorry.

  I looked in his suitcase and mentally took check of all that I had packed thus far. I was fairly certain that I had everything pertinent that he would need clothing-wise.

  Smiling, I couldn't help but feel absolute bliss in that moment. I lived for music. It was my passion, and I was lucky enough to embark on a journey in the music business with a hugely popular band. I had to restrain myself from getting up on Eli's bed and jumping for joy. I was the luckiest girl in the world and it was just the beginning for me. I was going to miss home and miss my friends, but considering what I was gaining by leaving, I wouldn't regret it for a moment.

  I looked around the room, deciding what to do next. I went to his bedside table and opened it. I grabbed some guitar picks and a book that had a bookmark in it. It was probably the one that he was currently reading. My eyes drifted to the shelf as I scanned the book titles on them. How was I going to choose a title? How to choose...how to choose? Surprised to find a few books by Leo Tolstoy, I grabbed one of them to pack. Chuckling, I picked up a book called Nikki Sixx: The Heroin Diaries. I scanned the back of it and decided to add it to the collection. I brought all three back to the suitcase and packed them away.

  I wondered what touring was going to be like. Being on the bus all the time was going to get old really fast, but I still wanted to do it more than anything. I planned on keeping a diary the entire time to ensure that I would never forget even the smallest of memories of the trip I was about to have. I had a feeling that I would be writing a lot about Eli in there as well.

  I headed to his en-suite bathroom to pack his toiletries. Luckily, someone had mostly beat me to it. All of his things were nicely set in plastic bags on the floor. I grabbed them all and placed them in the final suitcase.

  The last thing I had to do was pack up the three main guitars that he used while touring. They were all currently on stands and I needed to find the cases for them. I went back to the closet, which was so much more than a closet. It was one of those walk-in closets that girls only dreamed about. What I could do with a closet like that. I found the three cases immediately and headed back to the bedroom. I unzipped all the cases and very gently put each guitar in its own case. I zipped them back up and smiled. My first assignment was complete. A wave of pride went through me as I looked around the room. I could do this job easily, I just knew it. No problem. All I needed to do now was to get everything downstairs and find out what was next.

  Chapter Four

  As I walked back downstairs, I thought the buzz of people was even crazier than before. “Chef, don’t forget the peanut butter cups. And you, costume girl, make sure he has t-shirts. The intern packed his stuff.” Dan was shouting orders at everyone.

  I looked around and saw the leader of the band sitting on Eli’s beautiful black leather sofa. He was picking at something on the fabric.

  I approached him to introduce myself. “Hi Jarrod, I’m Sadie, the new intern.”

  He barely lifted his eyes to meet mine, instead taking in the rest of my curvy physique. When his head finally came up, he had a smug look on his face that made me feel small.

  He made me feel the way I often had when I was in high school. I wasn't a thin girl. In fact, I was probably nothing like most of the girls that walked into that apartment. The women I knew Eli dated in the past were supermodels or actresses. They were all tall and skinny for the most part. That just wasn’t me. I had always been heavier, very curvaceous, but personally I’d never had a problem with it. I had a big booty and I liked the curves that my body had. It just seemed to be other people who didn't like it. High school had been really rough, and with my mom working two jobs, she hadn’t really been there to back me up. I hadn’t had a ton of boyfriends, or a date to prom. Instead, I’d spent a lot of time with music, perfecting my craft. Jarrod’s voice brought me back to the present.<
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  “Sadie, I want some coffee before we go.”

  Startled, I stared at him for a moment. We were literally minutes from leaving the apartment and Jarrod wanted coffee? Shit!

  “Ummm...yeah sure. What would you like in it?”

  “Three sugars and some cream.”

  I didn't bother waiting for a thank you or even a please. It never came anyway. I hurried to the kitchen and literally made a fresh pot of coffee just to pour Jarrod one cup. It took five minutes; I mixed in his sugar and cream and headed back to the group. I could tell that the whole team was annoyed with having to wait for the coffee. But no one would tell Jarrod that he just couldn't have it right then. There was probably a coffee pot on his bus. I was sure he was just trying to torture me. Famous people always got what they wanted, when they wanted it. I handed Jarrod the cup and watched as he took a sip.

  “Fuck! There's only two sugars in this coffee. I said three. Make it again.” He was glaring at me, disgust in his eyes.

  What a jackass! “But I did...”

  “Are you actually arguing with me?” he interrupted. The room grew quiet. My head was beating furiously and I willed the tears that threatened to pop up in my eyes to not come up. I had made his coffee perfectly. I knew I did. I hung my head, there was no point in arguing with him. I felt like I was being bullied in high school all over again. I was that fat girl again that no one liked. They wouldn't ever let me be part of their group and they teased me mercilessly. I couldn't lose the job, however. It was a paid gig. I needed to think about that.

  “No, of course not.”

  “Good, I suggest you don't. It's a good way to get left on the side of the road.”

  My mouth dropped open. How dare he talk that way to me? Why is he being such a bastard to me?

  I looked up at Jarrod. I wouldn’t let him beat me. I turned and was met with Eli's dark green gaze from across the room. And I saw in his eyes something that made me feel even worse. Pity.

  I turned quickly on my heel and headed back to the kitchen. I thanked my lucky stars that I hadn't poured out the rest of the pot last time I got him coffee. Wiping at the tears that had sprung from my eyes, I vowed to be stronger against Jarrod. I couldn't let him get to me or it was going to be a miserable three months. I poured a cup and very carefully added three sugars and a little bit of cream. It was perfection, dammit!

  I carried the cup back to Jarrod. Although people were talking amongst themselves, the tension in the room was high. They all wanted to leave and yet they knew Jarrod was, well...being Jarrod. They turned to me when I walked in to see how Jarrod would handle his second cup.

  He took a sip, “It's still not right, but I guess it will have to do for now.”

  “Okay people, let’s roll,” yelled Dan. Everyone made their way to the elevator.

  Jarrod walked away from me without even a thank you. I wouldn't even look at Eli. I didn't want to see any more pity from him. Chapter Five

  The night of the first show was hectic to say the least. There were hundreds of people around doing their own separate jobs to make the show run smoothly. It was amazing how many people it took to get a concert underway.

  Watching them practice before the show was exhilarating. The band was getting ready for their concert and it was hard not to get excited right along with them. As the show got underway, the boys all headed back to their dressing rooms. The amount of groupies that were around was surprising. I had expected that whole thing to have disappeared, but there they were, sneaking backstage to get in the dressing room with the boys. Dan was constantly pulling them out and reminding the band that they had to get ready to go out. Jarrod seemed more than happy to skip the whole thing and stay in his dressing room with some of the girls.

  I watched the entire concert backstage and it was true what rockers always said; there was no drug like performing in front of ten thousand people. The crowd was going wild and the girls just threw themselves all over the band members, especially Jarrod and Eli. I felt a twinge of jealousy every time I saw a girl near Eli. I wasn't sure what I expected but it bothered me nonetheless.

  Now the after party, that was hands down a great time. I didn't know where all the people came from, but the room was filled wall to wall with them. I walked around the room looking for Eli, but he was nowhere to be found. I hoped in the back of my mind that he wasn't off with some girl. It was stupid to be jealous, but in my gut I knew that’s what it was.

  I saw Jarrod amongst a group of people and I headed towards him. Maybe he would know where Eli was. As I got closer, I heard something that stopped me in my tracks.

  “She's ugly as fuck! I don't know what Dan was thinking when he hired her. I was hoping for a hot honey as an intern, some skirt I could rail in my spare time, ya know. But who in their right mind would want to even touch Sadie, much less have sex with her?”

  Tears filled my eyes. What the fuck was his problem? How could he feel okay about saying things about a person he hardly knew? I hadn’t even seen him much since the coffee incident. Why did he hate me so much? I turned from them and fled, looking for an escape, any escape.

  I found a stairwell that led to the top of the building and eventually up to the roof. The night air was warm and inviting. I could barely catch my breath. Tears streamed down my face and everything just felt so hopeless. I had been a fool to think that I could fit in to the same world as Eli. I was an even bigger fool to think that Eli would ever really like me. I was just a chubby intern, like Jarrod said.

  I stepped closer to the ledge of the building and looked over. I was dizzy from a little too much booze at the party, but the breeze felt so good on my face...

  “Sadie, what are you doing?”

  I stumbled a bit at the sound of the voice but I caught myself. I turned to find Eli standing shocked behind me.

  “Oh, Eli, go away.”

  “Sadie, please come down from there. It's not worth it. Jarrod isn't worth it.”

  “You heard?”

  “Yes.” He sighed, “I was right behind you. I’d been looking for you all night. He's like that to everyone, Sadie. He's an asshole, even to me. You just have to ignore him because he's caught up in his own hate and he's never going to change.”

  “I just feel so alone sometimes.” Tears continued to fall down my cheeks.

  He nodded. “I know that feeling. Will you please come down? Jesus, you’re making me nervous.”

  I stepped off of the ledge and he was by my side, instantly pulling me in for a hug. My heart was pounding in my chest and the hug lasted a tad longer than it should have. When we parted, I looked up into his eyes and longed for him to kiss me. There was something in the way that he looked at me that made me want him to take me right there on the roof. There was a spark between us that was undeniable.

  “Sometimes I feel invisible too. But I'm not, and neither are you.”

  Chapter Six

  I called Delilah before we set up for the next show. I had more responsibility than before, and I kept my nose to the grindstone while doing my best to avoid Jarrod.

  “So wait, Eli actually said that? Then what did you do?”

  I could tell she was excited to hear I spent more time alone with Eli. She had only gotten the gist of our first encounter through text. “He was just kinda honest, ya know?”

  “You’re both not invisible. Ugh, so freakin’ cute. So do you think it’s going anywhere?”

  “What me and the rock star? No. This isn’t some movie. It’s real life. Though let me tell you, being in his arms felt real good.”

  “Ugh, do it again, do it again!”

  “What go up on a roof and make him think I’m going to jump?”

  “Whatever it takes to get you back between his arms, or him between your sheets.”

  “You’re crazy. So tell me about you, how the job? The new roommate.”

  She sighed. “The job is fine. I work long hours, but the money is seriously so good.” She lowered her voice to a whisper. “
The roommate is so goddamned clean I think I’m living with my mother. Please tell me you’re coming back soon!”

  I laughed. “As soon as I can. Six more weeks. You’ll survive.”

  “So will you. Fuck Jarrod and his arrogance. And just fuck Eli.”

  That was the thought I couldn’t get out of my mind. I saw the sound guy waving to me and I hung up quickly and got ready to work another show.

  Leo, the guy who I never saw without headphones, looked frantic. “Eli has his mic on and something is up in the dressing rooms. Get there now.”

  I sprinted as fast as I could through the rows of chairs and was close to the dressing rooms when I heard yelling. It sounded like a huge uproar and I hurried towards the sound. I walked into Jarrod's dressing room where Dan, Eli and a few girls were hanging out. Jarrod was up in Eli's face and they were both screaming a slew of curse words at each other. Their faces were beet red and I hoped it wasn't going to get physical.

  “I am sick of your shit, Jarrod. You really think you're something special, and to be honest, your whole attitude makes me sick. You have let the biz get to you. You never used to be such an asshole to everyone around you. Why don't you just grow the fuck up?”

  “For a rock star, your holier-than-thou attitude is somewhat contradictory. Get out of my face, Eli. You're just jealous that the best girls only want me. You only get my leftovers. Hell, even my leftovers don't want you.”

  Eli looked like he wanted to hit Jarrod, but instead turned and walked past me and out of the room. I wasn't about to stick around and become an object of Jarrod's ridicule, so I followed Eli instead.

  He made a sharp turn and headed outside into the evening sun. I didn’t know what to say.

  “Your mic is on,” I said blandly.

  “Huh?” He turned and looked at me.

  “Your mic is still on from sound check. Leo heard the fight. What was that all about?”

  He shrugged. “I’m sick and tired of him. He’s toxic to all of us. I heard Jack, our drummer, wants to leave because Jarrod made some crude joke about sleeping with his wife. I don’t blame him. I want out too.”