In The Spotlight: A Rockstar Romance

by J. L. Ostle

  “I love you too.” I don’t know what else to say. I don’t feel like I’ve changed much but if she sees it, it must be true. “Thank you for looking out for me, for being there for me.” I see tears glaze her eyes and hug her again. A knock sounds at the door, the person on the other side telling us we are on in five minutes.

  “You go out there and rock their socks off.” I chuckle at her comment and we head towards the stage. Before the crew has a chance to start fussing over my head piece, I hear my name. Turning, I see Jensen leaning against the wall. Does he always need to lean against something? Does he always have to look at me with those dark eyes?

  “I’ll be right back.” Lake nods and walks off, talking to the crew. Jensen eyes up my outfit as I walk towards him and when his gaze finally lands on mine, I can see the desire there.

  “Jensen,” I say his name and just like with Dominic, his eyes dilate.

  Do I say names strangely or something? Men are weird. When I’m close enough, he grabs hold of my hand and pulls me towards him before pushing me against the wall he was leaning on. He surprises me when his lips land on mine. His lips are soft but the kiss itself is rough and hard. He is showing me how much he wants me. Just like that, he’s the second person I have ever kissed.

  My body reacts to him and I kiss him back with the same intensity. I let out a moan in his mouth and he growls in return. He pulls my hair back exposing my neck, biting and licking it. I arch my body towards him, gripping his hair into me. I’m so lost in the kiss I forget that we are surrounded by people. I like how he’s kissing me like he wants to devour me. He pulls back, both of us breathing hard. Pure instinct has me slapping his face hard, causing a sting across my palm.

  Don’t ask me why I did it. I’m turned on but I’m also angry at the same time. I thought he would be angry that I hit him but his eyes go darker and he licks his lips like he wants to savor the taste. We both just stare at each other until he pushes me against the wall again, this time harder, causing that ache between my legs to intensify.

  “Fuck, I want you so badly. I am going to have you,” he promises, pushing himself closer to me.

  “Never going to happen,” I say, trying to control my breathing. I feel his fingers go under my top, caressing the skin there before moving to stroke the part on top of my jeans.

  “I do like a challenge.” He pulls my jean hoops so I fall into him, causing his erection to press into my core.

  “I am not a challenge. I just have self-respect. I am not going to sleep with you. Get that through your thick head,” I seethe at him.

  “We shall see. Have a good show.” He kisses my lips again quickly and walks away, giving me a wink. My whole body is shaking. I can’t believe what just happened. I press my fingers to my lips and I can’t help but smile.

  God what is happening to me?

  Watching them kiss is like being kicked in the stomach over and over. Seeing her grip his hair, kissing him back. I feel like some creeper watching them but I couldn’t look away. She said no again but since we’re going on tour with them, he knows he has plenty of chances to try and get in her pants. I watch Sky leave and quickly run after Jensen. I need to speak to him. I want to kick his ass but that would do no good. I see him entering their bands room but I quickly yell out his name before he goes in.

  “I thought you had to get on stage?” He looks at me, confused, wondering why I’m here and not ready to play in front of thousands.

  “I need to speak to you about Sky,” I say sternly, crossing my arms and he does the same.

  “Go on then, tell me how I’m not good for her. To leave her alone. That she shouldn’t go near a guy like me.” He rolls his eyes. I just want to punch his face in. How the fuck did I idolize this dick?

  “Yeah, all of those reasons, but I know you won’t listen. I know what you’re thinking; I’m the same way. You see her as a challenge, you want to prove that you can get her to say yes.”

  “You telling me to stay away so you can have her?” he interrupts me.

  “No, we’re good friends, very good friends. She’s a good person. She doesn’t deserve to be fucked over. She’s an innocent, pure person. I’m telling you now to leave her the fuck alone so she doesn’t get her heart broken.”

  “What, it’s not like she’s a virgin.” He chuckles but when he sees my face his eyes widen. “Fuck, she’s a virgin? How can that be? Have you seen her?” He shakes his head. Yeah I have, but I know I would hurt her in the end, just like I know this guy would. She deserves better than men like us.

  “She believes in true love, happily ever after’s. She has a good heart, and I don’t want to see that heart shattered into a million pieces. I am telling you now that she needs a man who will fall for her. Who will catch her when she falls. Not just a quick fuck to boost your ego. You feel me?” I look him in the eye so he knows how truly serious I am.

  “Yeah, I get it. Fuck. I thought she was just playing hard to get; you know like women do?” I nod. “She isn’t like other girls is she?” I shake my head.

  “No, she isn’t. She’s one of a kind.” I hear my name being called. “I need to go but I hope you understand that you can’t give her what she needs. So leave her alone,” I say, then turn around and walk away, praying he will listen.

  We rocked.

  We played our hearts out and the audience loved it. They screamed and shouted, demanding more. I’m full on sweating, my clothes clinging to my body, but I don’t care. I push my hair away from my face, smiling at the crowd. We did it. We played our first show and they are begging for more.

  We whisper amongst ourselves and decide to play one more song, even though it’s not rehearsed. We’re on such a high, we aren’t ready to come back down. We do a cover of Amy Studt’s Just a Little Girl. I feel it’s fitting since it talks about people underestimating you and that there is a lot more to you. I feel like I’m singing this song to Jensen and his band. The crowd eats it up and we leave the stage high fiving each other.

  Jensen and his band saunters on to the stage like they own the place and if I thought the screaming was bad before, now it’s deafening. I’m almost off the stage when I feel my hand being tugged and I turn to see Jensen smiling at me. I look into his eyes and they seem different. His smile isn’t one of his cocky ones, it’s an actual smile and it makes him even more beautiful. Why don’t men smile more? It makes them seem more human.

  I’m dragged into the middle of the stage and Jensen doesn’t let go of my hand. I see flashes going off and women screaming at us. I have a huge smile on my face, shaking my head. God, this is crazy.

  “Did you enjoy Risen Knights?” Jensen screams into his mic and the crowd screams louder. “What do you think of their lead singer, Sky?” He points his mic into the crowd and they scream even louder. “How many of you think she should give me a good luck kiss before she walks off stage?” I look at him and he turns, a huge smile on his face. The crowd is chanting “Kiss, Kiss, Kiss!” over and over. I cover my face with my hand, shaking my head, not believing he is doing this in front of thousands of people.

  He turns his body so he is fully facing me and his hands cover my cheeks as he looks down at me softly. How has this guy changed from an egocentric ass to this warm, sweet man in such a short amount of time? He strokes my bottom lip with his thumb and leans down, kissing me so softly, so gently. Nothing like how he kissed me before. He pulls back and he has such an adorable smile that I can’t help but smile back up at him.

  “Now you ready to rock?” he yells back to the audience and with that, I wave to the crowd and walk off, not believing he did that.

  “Holy shit, Jensen Ryder kissed you in front of everyone! I bet that will be all over the internet within seconds!” Lake is screaming at me.

  “I can’t believe he did that,” I say in disbelief, shaking my head.

  “Who cares? He’s hot. I saw how he was looking at you, he has it bad,” she shrieks. I look over and see Dominic shaking his head before
walking away. What is that about?

  “Right, I need a shower. I stink.”

  I go to my dressing room and head for the small shower. As the hot water falls down on me I still can’t believe we did it. It all feels like a dream. I quickly dry myself and put on a dark purple dress that hits my knees. It hugs my top half and flares out past my waist. I’m about to put on a cardigan, but I hold it in my hand, take a deep breath, and leave it.

  I blow dry my hair and put on some lip gloss before heading to a room we were told to go once we were ready. The guys are already there helping themselves to the food and drinks on the table. I see a wide screen TV on the wall showing AA playing. I watch them for a moment and they are really good, so in-sync with one another, but my eyes are glued to Jensen. His voice is so raw and masculine. He flirts with the fans, smiling and winking. I’m pretty sure I saw someone throw their panties at him. Fans actually do that?

  I grab a bottle of water and talk to Lake but my eyes keeping wandering back to the TV, watching the band play. After they sing their last encore I watch them exit the stage. They join us about ten minutes later, all showered and dressed themselves. I feel eyes burning into me and keep telling myself not to look but my damn body messes up and I turn my head. He’s looking straight at me as I knew he would be. Lloyd and Kym are talking to him but he isn’t paying attention to them. He is solely looking at me.

  I am in deep trouble.

  I just don’t know if it’s trouble I wouldn’t mind getting into.

  We drive to the club in a limo. A freaking limo. It’s huge and I can’t stop looking around as everyone chats. Jensen makes sure to sit next to me and he smiles when he sees me looking around in amazement. I’ve seen my parents ride in a few, but I’ve never seen one as long as this.

  We show up at the club and the bouncers let us right in. A girl who looks the same age as me walks us to the VIP section that is up some stairs and roped off so no one can enter unless you’re on the list.

  We have our own bar and can see down to the dancefloor. A few women scream when they see Jensen and the band and a few even try to touch them. They just smile and wave. Jensen makes sure to sit next to me again and Lake is on my other side.

  A woman wearing a tight white blouse and a short black skirt comes to the table with glasses of champagne for everyone and I was going to decline but, since everyone was toasting, I felt like I should join. I’ve been trying to do what my sister always tells me. Just let go and have fun. So that’s what I do. My first sip of alcohol isn’t as bad as I thought it would be. It’s very sweet and I enjoy it.

  The woman, our server, comes back after we finish the champagne and asks what we want to drink and everyone orders a beer, except Lake who asks for a gin and tonic. When the server looks at me, I falter, not knowing if I should just get a coke or something a little stronger.

  “Do you not drink?” Jensen asks me. I feel a little embarrassed that I don’t have any idea when it comes to alcohol.

  “I’ve never really drank before so I’m not sure really what to get.” I look down and start playing with my hands and he reaches out and grabs them, giving them a squeeze. When I finally look up, his head is turned, studying me.

  “How about a cocktail? It’s a fruity type of drink; I think you’ll like it.” I nod. “She’ll have a cocktail, something with passion fruit.” The girl nods her head and walks off to get our order.

  “Thank you, I bet you think I’m a weirdo.” I chuckle.

  “Not at all. It’s nice to meet a girl who isn’t just after a party all the time. Look at Kym, she drinks like a fish and never knows when to stop,” Jensen says and the way he is smiling, I know he is just making fun.

  “I like the buzz, so sue me.” Kym throws a coaster at him. “So you’ve never drank alcohol? Not even once?” she asks me and I shake my head.

  “The champagne was my first. I was brought up not to so...” I shrug.

  “Wow, well I hope you enjoy your cocktails.” I hope so, too.

  When my drink arrives, I take a hesitant sip and am surprised that I actually like it. It tastes more like juice than anything else. For the rest of the night I try different flavored cocktails and after a few hours, I feel relaxed and happy and Lake looks the same, telling everyone how much she loves them. I head to the bar, wanting to order another round for the table, when Kym comes next to me, smiling.

  “You want to try a shot?” she asks me. A shot?

  “What’s that?” I ask, smiling back at her.

  “It’s a mini drink; you down it in one go. We’ll start off with a lemon drop.” I nod my head. I’m in the kind of mood where I feel like saying yes to everything. She orders our shots and where mine is yellow, hers is clear. She taps my glass with hers and I follow suit, swallowing in one go. I feel the burn go down my throat and cough, not used to the sensation.

  Lake, Kym and I have a couple more drinks and shots and I feel so wired, so awake, so full of energy. I look down below and see everyone moving to the music and I want to join in. I grab Lake and Kym’s hands and drag them down the stairs, them giggling behind me.

  We head to the middle of the dance floor and I start moving my hips to the music. Lake eventually goes back to Leon but Kym stays with me. We are laughing and swaying, our arms up in the air, and I shriek when the next song comes on and its Poison. I hear my voice singing through the system.

  Kym shrieks with me like we’re teenagers and I start to dance. Kym presses herself into me, dancing slowly, so I follow her lead. She smiles at me, her short brown hair shining in the lights, her skin bronzed compared to my paleness. I look into her chocolate brown eyes and before I know it, her lips are on mine.

  We keep swaying to the music, her body moving with mine. She cups my cheek and strokes my neck. My head feels so fuzzy and blurred. Her lips and touch are gentle; treating me as if I’m fragile. Her tongue presses against mine and I know I shouldn’t be doing this, kissing a girl, but it feels so nice.

  She pulls back and smiles at me and all I can do is smile with her. We dance for the rest of the song and, as it ends, she tells me she’s going to the bathroom. I want to go with but I tell her I’ll stay here. She nods and leaves and I dance to the next song, not caring that I’m on my own. I just close my eyes and follow the beat of the music. Music has always moved me but, right now, I feel like it’s in my soul.

  The next song comes on and I feel arms go around me, pulling me so that my back is to their front. I keep my eyes closed and lean my head back, knowing instantly that it’s Jensen when his smell surrounds me. His hands are on my hips, his body moving with mine. I can feel his erection press against my ass and I moan, hoping it was drowned out by the music, but I’m sure he heard it.

  He moves my hair off my right shoulder and his touch causes goosebumps all over my body. His stubble scratches my cheek but I’m starting to like that feeling. I feel his breath coming in heavy near my ear. I don’t know if it’s the alcohol or my need but I start grinding my ass against him and he growls in my ear. My panties grow wet. His grip on my waist tightens.

  His hands glide further down and then he lifts one side of my dress up. I open my eyes and look around to see if anyone can see, but no one is paying us any attention. Everyone looks too drunk and in their own worlds to notice the two of us. I feel his fingers slide up my thigh close to my soaked underwear. I so badly want him to touch me there but I can’t. I’m not this type of girl. I step away from him and turn to look at him. We stare at each other, our breathing coming in fast.

  “I have to go,” I tell him and walk away.

  He calls out my name but I ignore him and head outside to get some fresh air. My head is all over the place and I can’t think clearly. I walk around the corner, being sure to stay in sight of the bouncers, and press my back against the wall, sliding down into a crouch. I can’t believe I was going to let him touch me there. That I wanted him to. I wanted him so badly to touch me. I can still feel the ache between my legs. I hear footst
eps coming my way and look up to see Dominic standing there, giving me a warm smile, putting out his hand for me to take. I place my hand in his and he pulls me up into a hug.

  “Let’s go home.” I nod in response. I do feel really tired now and my bed is exactly what I need.

  I’ve noticed a big change in Jensen and wish I never said anything to him. He seems softer with her now, staying close to her, and his dickhead attitude has changed. I don’t know if it’s a game or if he is really trying. No matter which one it is, I hate it. I see Sky looking at him like she used to look at me.

  Seeing her get drunk for the first time is something I will never forget. She looks so cute, giggling and smiling. Relaxed and stress free. I keep my eye on her to make sure she doesn’t do anything silly, but when she goes to dance with her sister, I relax myself and enjoy having a few. When I see Lake return, I stand near the balcony and look down, watching her sway her sexy hips.

  I swear I don’t think I’ve ever been as turned on as I am right now, watching her kiss Kym. I know it’s the alcohol, Sky would never have kissed her otherwise, but God it’s hot to watch.

  Kym leaves and I watch her dance alone, badly wanting to join her, but Jensen must have thought the same thing and I watch him walk towards her, her back to his front. I should look away but something is telling me to stay just in case. I’m glad I did as I see her walk away from him a few minutes later. I followed to make sure she’s okay. If that dick touched her in any way, I swear I will kill him.

  I find her kneeling down against a wall, looking so lost. When her eyes land on mine, I see how relieved she is knowing it’s just me. I take her home and she falls asleep against my shoulder during the drive. I pay the cab and carry her like I did when Sherry hurt her. I walk up the stairs and head to her room, lay her on her bed and cover her with the sheet. I’m about to walk out when she calls my name. I turn and she sits up, pulling her dress over her head and throwing it across the room. My mouth hangs open and I can’t stop staring at her perfect creamy breasts that are covered in black lace.