by Jenna Jacob
He’d taken me to the park one day when I was about six years old. My nanny was sick or something, so Sylvia enlisted her driver to deal with the little urchin and get him out of my hair. I was crawling around on the jungle gym when another boy and his three sisters raced toward me. I could tell by the clothes they wore they were really poor. They were laughing and having so much fun, but I stayed as far away from them as I could.
Bernie asked, “Why aren’t you playing with the other kids?”
“Because they’re nasty. Look at them. They’re gross and dirty,” I’d replied.
He gripped me by the shoulder and marched me back to the limo, then opened the door and yelled for me to get in. It was the first time I’d ever seen him angry, and it was because of me. Bernie knelt down and looked me straight in the eye.
“You might have more money than god, you spoiled little shit, but you’ll never be rich until you start counting the things in your life that money can’t buy. Things like love, respect, and happiness.”
He slammed the door and took me back to the penthouse, but to this day, his words stayed with me.
I glanced at the beauty beside me as a cold chill slid up my spine.
If Harmony thought I was trying to rub her nose in my meaningless wealth by taking her to Sylvia’s palace of prestige, I was fucked.
“Oh, hell. Our limo’s here. Let’s go, ladies,” Mia announced before planting a long, sizzling kiss on Ozzy’s lips.
“Buy something sexy,” Burk instructed, waggling his brows at Sofia before cupping her neck and claiming her mouth.
Harmony turned to me. I would have given my left nut for her to press the pretty bow of her lips to mine. But she didn’t. She smiled with a shit-ton more gratitude than I deserved and whispered, “Thank you again, Ross.”
“Will you do something for me?”
“Sure.”
“Buy yourself something…frivolous.”
“O-okay.” She smiled and nodded.
“You’ll have to show it to me.”
“All right.”
I squeezed her hand and lowered my voice. “Buy anything you want…spend as much as you want. This day is all about you. Understood?”
“Thank you, Ross.”
If I hadn’t been sitting down, the quiver in her voice and bewilderment stamping her face would have taken me out at the knees.
As soon as the three women left the restaurant, I turned to Quinn.
He held up his hands. “I know. I know. Ava is having some debit cards delivered to the front desk. It’s already handled.”
“It should have been handled before now.”
“You’re right. I’d been so focused on getting Harmony here in time, it slipped my mind.”
“In time for what?”
“The tour, of course.”
Quinn’s reply was disturbingly too nonchalant. He was hiding something, but before I could begin my interrogation, the waiter appeared and handed him the bill. Quinn quickly signed his name and stood.
“I’ve got some work to do, so I’ll meet you all in the lobby at three?”
“Sounds good,” Burk confirmed.
“Tell Ava hi for us,” Darren added as Quinn nodded and strolled away.
I was next to leave the table with a wave. But before I headed up to my suite, I stopped by the front desk and dragged the ragged twenties from my pocket.
“Can I exchange these for newer bills, please?”
The young brunette with big brown eyes tried to be professional, but as she reached to take the money from my hand, she purposely dragged her fingers slowly over mine and held me with a purely inviting stare.
“Is there anything else I can do for you, Mr. Walker?” she asked, placing the crisp, flat replacements in my palm.
“Actually, there is. Would you have a few minutes to join me…upstairs?”
“Yes. Oh, yes. I-I’d love to,” she answered breathlessly before turning to her male co-worker. “I’m taking my break, Chaz.”
The young man nodded as she darted from behind the counter and rushed to my side.
“Shall we?” I gestured toward the elevator.
“Oh, my god,” she gushed, practically running to the conveyance.
The young girl excitedly prattled on and on while I merely nodded and forced a fake-as-fuck smile. I probably should have felt bad for what I was doing, but I didn’t. My mind was focused on one thing, and it wasn’t sex…at least, not with this girl.
When we reached Harmony’s suite, I arched a brow. “Do you have a pass card to unlock the door?”
“Oh, yes.” She shoved a hand into the pocket of her pants and pulled out a key card, then quickly opened the door.
I could tell by the fresh track marks on the carpet that Housekeeping had already been in to clean the room. My plan was falling into place perfectly. Though I didn’t invite the hotel worker to follow me to the bedroom, she stayed right on my heels. And when I breached the portal, Harmony’s sweet, flowery scent, still clinging in the air, slammed me like an aphrodisiac.
I stopped at the edge of her bed and my mind started filling with images of her silky wheat-colored hair spilling over the fluffy pillows and her naked body writhing in ecstasy as I devoured her succulent virgin pussy.
“Um, excuse me, but I don’t believe this is your room,” the desk clerk blurted, pulling me from my trance and pointing to the sexy stilettos Harmony had worn with that cock-hardening dress yesterday.
“Never said it was.”
“T-then what are we doing… Whose room is this?”
“My girlfriend,” I lied. “She stays with me, but we always book separate rooms for the tax write-off. I need all the expenses I can get. Uncle Sam likes to fuck me hard every year, so—”
“Y-you mean we’re not going to…you know?”
“Not going to what?” I asked, straight-faced. “You didn’t think I asked you here to…have sex with you, did you?”
“Oh, heavens no. That would be highly inappropriate of both of us, Mr. Walker. Of course not.” The lies were rolling off her tongue as fast as she was back pedaling.
“Good. Because I don’t need any ugly accusations splashing the tabloids or anyone trying to come between me and my baby girl. She’s…amazing.”
Yeah, I was pouring it on thick, but the fewer people who knew I’d invited her up to Harmony’s room, the better. Especially Harmony.
“Of course not, Mr. Walker. I would never… I-I think its best if I just let myself out, and…”
“You go ahead and do that, but thanks for your help.”
She nodded, failing miserably to wipe the disappointment from her face, and hurried out of the room.
I glanced at the bed again, barely cognizant of the front door snicking shut. Visions of coaxing endless orgasms from Harmony’s luscious body and listening to her scream my name until her voice was reduced to a whisper charged my brain.
And if I didn’t get the fuck out of her room soon, I was going to cop a nut on the bedspread. That wasn’t at all the surprise I’d intended to leave her.
After placing the three crisp twenties on her pillow, I opened my wallet and laid out three one-hundred-dollar bills alongside them. Then I grabbed the notepad and pen from the nightstand and started writing.
Harmony—In case there’s ever anything you want or need. Ross
After placing the note next to the cash, I closed my eyes and dragged in a deep breath—filling my lungs with the lilac and honeysuckle saturating the air—then turned on my heel and left.
Chapter Twelve
Harmony
“I’m not sure wearing this is such a good idea,” I blurted, staring at my reflection in the mirror inside Sofia and Burk’s suite.
“Of course it is,” Mia countered, sidling up beside me, eyeing the shimmering sequin fabric hugging my body. “You look shit hot.”
“But it hardly covers me.”
“Yours covers more skin than mine,” Sofia reminded.
; I compared her equally short black, strapless dress to mine in the mirror.
The muted animal print hugging her body looked like a cross between a jaguar and a black tiger. It had a strange iridescent quality that shimmered every time she moved. Her breasts were covered in black lace and beads. The delicate decorated filigree trailed down one side of her torso and meshed with a hem of pure lace.
“You’re both wearing a hell of a lot more than the band bunnies.”
Band bunnies? I was afraid to ask Mia to explain.
“It’s rock wear, sugar. It’s not supposed to cover you.” Sofia grinned.
Earlier today at the boutique, I’d been fearless when I’d slipped into the champagne-colored cocktail dress. But now, I was a ball of angst. My boobs were practically spilling out of the plunging neckline. And if one of the three thin straps stretching across the open back—keeping my protruding cleavage covered in fabric—happened to slip, I’d be giving the Licks of Leather fans a show they’d never forget.
The skimpy bustline wasn’t my only problem. The sequin material—what little there was—hugging my hips, draped from one side of my waist to the hem and crisscrossed with another layer of fabric right below my crotch. If I had to walk up or down any stairs, I’d be flashing my jay-jeena—which was completely bare now thanks to Mia talking me into getting a Brazilian wax at the spa we visited—for the whole world to see.
And as if that wasn’t bad enough, Sofia had insisted I go to the concert sans panties, to keep from having lines on my backside.
Except for the half-moon foam things stuck to my ribs and the underside of my boobs, keeping them standing up high and proud, I was completely naked under the dress.
Sofia eased in on the other side of me, critically eyeing the outfit along with Mia and me. “I think you look gorgeous.”
“I think Ross is going to have a hard time focusing on the music with that extra stick he’ll have between his legs.” Mia giggled.
I felt my cheeks warm. “Oh, hush. He won’t even notice what I’m wearing.”
Both women began laughing hysterically.
“Keep telling yourself that, honey.” Sofia winked, patting me on the shoulder.
“Son of a… Help,” Mia moaned, lifting her long blonde-and-purple-streaked hair as she turned around. “This damn corset came undone again. Can one of you please tie those fucking laces in a double knot for me? I really don’t want to have a wardrobe malfunction on stage tonight.”
Sofia moved in to remedy the issue, grinning as she secured the black strapless leather bustier with tiny silver spikes covering the front. “I’m not going to tie it too tight, or Ozzy will pull out his pocketknife and cut you out of it after the show.”
“Oh, that might be fun,” Mia quipped with a sassy grin. She smoothed her hands over the black leggings hugging her slender legs before sliding into a pair of black leather stiletto boots that went all the way up to the middles of her thighs. “Ready to head out, ladies?”
“Almost,” Sofia replied, snagging the tube of bright red lip gloss off the bathroom vanity. The same one she’d applied to my lips earlier after the duo waved their wands of brushes and flat irons and turned me into a princess again. I paid attention and asked a ton of questions this time in hopes of one day being able to weave their same magic by myself. “Even though it’s lip stain and not supposed to rub off, you never know.”
Excitement and anxiety bounced through me as we took the elevator and strode through the lobby. Near the front door, two burly, solemn-faced men dressed in dark suits stepped forward—in tandem—blocking the exit.
“Miss Jackson?” the scary goon on the left asked.
Sofia lifted her chin as she protectively tucked Mia in behind her. “Who wants to know?”
“My name is Cole, and this is Brad, ma’am,” he said, motioning to the man beside him. “Mr. MacKinnon hired us to ensure you ladies arrived at the Garden safely.”
“Oh, for the love of…” Mia groused with a heavy sigh. “Quinn didn’t hire you. Ozzy did.”
“Why?” Sofia asked. “We’re just going a few blocks down the street.”
“Because Oz keeps insisting that I have a bodyguard when he’s not around. And I keep trying to tell him I don’t need one because we’re always together.” Mia rolled her eyes.
Bodyguards? Wow. While the pair certainly looked intimidating enough, I felt a lot safer when I was with Ross.
“Why didn’t he send them with us the last two days we went shopping?”
“He did,” Cole sheepishly confessed. “We…kept our distance. But we’ve been instructed to ride with you and escort you into the building.”
“Fine,” Mia bit out, tossing her two-toned hair over her shoulder. “I’ll deal with Ozzy, later.”
Silently, the two men led us outside and into the sleek black limo parked at the curb. After we climbed inside, Sofia pulled out a thick plastic badge attached to a lanyard.
“What’s this?” I asked, reading the words; VIP.
“It’s your pass to go anywhere at any venue on the tour,” she explained, handing one to Mia. In unison they both draped the lanyards over their heads. Taking their cue, I did the same.
“You know, it’s not a bad idea to have protection,” Sofia stated softly, taking Mia’s hand. “There’s a lot of crazy people out there…stalkers who seem to keep getting bolder and bolder.”
“I know. I just hate looking weak. I can take care of myself. I’ve been doing it for years.”
Weak was the last word I’d ever use to describe Mia. She was as sassy, feisty, and self-assured as Sofia.
“Yes, but you’re at the top of the charts now. You’re also touring with Licks,” Sofia calmly reminded. “Everyone knows you and Oz are together… It only takes one delusional fan, yours or his, to steal the happily ever after you guys plan to share.”
“You’re right. I’m being a bitch.”
“No. You’re being forced to give up pieces of your independence,” I interjected. “Just remember, no one can steal what’s in your heart and soul. That’s all that matters.”
A huge grin spread over Sofia’s lips. “I wondered when you were going to start sprinkling your seeds of positivity.”
My heart clutched. Panic spiked. Dread climbed my spine. I swallowed down the ball of terror lodged in my throat and sucked in a deep breath. “W-what do you mean?”
Sofia clutched my hand and gave it a squeeze. “Don’t worry, sugar. Your secret is safe with me…well, me and Burk.”
Oh, god. They knew. They knew the real reason I was here, pretending to be Ross’s girlfriend.
“What the fuck is going on?” Mia’s brows slashed in confusion.
“H-how did you…”
“Burk started digging into some archives online.”
“But why?”
Sofia scoffed and eyed the two beefy bodyguards seated at the back of the limo. “Quinn is…a slippery little sucker at times. While he only wants what’s best for the guys in the band, he sometimes goes about things a little…”
“Underhandedly,” Mia supplied. “Again, what the fuck is going on?”
“Quinn hired me to help bring light and love back into Ross’s life,” I murmured.
A slow smile stretched her lips until it turned into a huge grin. “No shit?”
“No shit.” Sofia nodded.
“Whoa, damn.” Mia gaped. “And Ross has no clue?”
“None.”
“You can’t tell him, please,” I begged, pressing a hand to my roiling stomach.
“I’m not saying shit.” Mia held up her hand.
“You can’t.” Sofia cringed. “Ross threatened to quit when he found out Harmony was here to be his girlfriend.”
“Yeah, I was there.” Mia nodded. “It nearly killed Oz to think Ross was leaving.”
“If Ross ever finds out Quinn dreamed up this scheme, he’ll kill him, and we’ll all be out an agent,” Sofia added.
“This is bad…so bad,” I
murmured. “I knew better. Lying is wrong. It pits the universe against you, and… Oh, god. This is all going to blow up in my face and Ross is going to end up being inundated with even more hate.”
“I’m sorry, Harmony. I never should have opened my big mouth, but Mia won’t say a thing, will you?”
“Absolutely not. Pinky promise.” She held up her little finger.
“None of us will,” Sofia assured, wrapping her own little finger around Mia’s. Without thinking, I did the same, squeezing my digit with theirs. “If the guys can have their sacred bro code, then we can have our consecrated chick charter, dammit.”
Their vow of silence made me feel slightly better, until the limo pulled to a stop in front of Madison Square Garden. Then the butterflies started having a heyday in my belly when I saw the sea of fans already lined up, waiting.
Brad opened the door and stepped out first.
“Stay close,” Cole instructed before helping each of us from the vehicle.
I tried not to gape at all the people milling around, but it was impossible. The energy filling the air was like a spring storm on the mountain, charged with a dynamic force that defied words.
Someone screamed Mia’s name, and the echo of feet, like a heard of stampeding horses, filled my ears.
“Double time,” Brad barked out.
“Shit,” Sofia spat under her breath as she looped her arm in mine.
We were practically running to keep up with the two bodyguards, who had Mia pressed between them and were barking at the fans closing in around us to get out of the way.
Trying to quell the panic rising inside, I ached for Ross’s strong arm around me. Longed for his body to protect me from the swarm of screaming fans.
“How much farther?” I murmured to Sofia.
“Just up ahead is our VIP entrance. See?” She pointed to a big man wearing a black shirt with the word Security emblazoned in white letters guarding a metal door. “That’s where we’re going.”
“Thank goodness.”