"And if you lose..."
"I won't."
"If you do though?"
"I'll quit music."
"Bullshit."
"No shit. If I lose, I'll quit."
I held out my hand. Matt stared at it for a while then shook his head.
"No way. For all I know, you're lying about the whole thing. Setting it up to get me to work with you. But you're a temperamental bastard and I've got my own things happening."
"You mean you're scared to bet against me hitting it?"
"Ha, if I took this bet, I'd be responsible for that poor woman not getting a moment's peace."
I almost laughed, then I saw her enter the club. That damn photographer, with her cursed camera. God, that tiny dress she wore. It was so unstylish compared to most of the chicks in the club but hell, if it didn't make my cock twitch.
Alice
ELEANOR HAD TOLD ME I needed to be at the club, trailing Savage. I'd snorted.
"I'm a photographer, not a babysitter."
"Yeah, but this more than just some happy snaps. We need to have him on film at all times. Listen, I didn't tell you this up front but we need a story either way and, if Savage is about to fall into a heap, we want to be first with photos of that. We're going to look like idiots if we do a nice guy piece on him while everyone else has photos of him trashing himself. I'm not running a fluff piece here. We don't have to make him look good. The onus for that is on him."
I thought of those shots I'd taken today. They'd been good. They'd been super good. If Savage thought all photographers were evil then that was his opinion. I knew just from those, we could make him look like a hero rising from the ashes, if only he played along. But following him around like a stray puppy was not on my agenda.
"Kit Molloy," Madeline said. "He's interested in your work."
That was enough of a hint to get me to play stupid games.
"What's the address of the club again?"
I rushed around my tiny apartment trying to find a club-appropriate outfit. I didn't go to clubs. Rock clubs, for sure. The dark, dingy places that smelt like stale beer and bourbon. Not fancy clubs with doormen that judged you on your outfit and your hair. Madeline hadn't thought of that when she'd told me to go there.
My phone beeped.
"I've got you on the list."
Okay, she had thought of it.
I threw on a dress instead of my usual jeans. The only dress I owned. I'd borrowed it from a friend a few years ago when I'd need to go somewhere fancy. It was black and slinky. Definitely not designer and not the latest fashion but it was a dress and I'd get in wearing it, unlike my dirty jeans.
I put on some makeup and brushed out my hair.
That would have to do. I wasn't the polished and sophisticated type. No food stains on my clothes and no lipstick on my teeth was as fancy as I got. Maybe, if I got some decent shots of Savage, I could be at home in bed within an hour.
In bed alone.
Savage thought he had some magic charm but that would never work on me. I'm too cynical and too... but God, the sight of his body today. I didn't want to look but I couldn't resist. I'd had to let him believe I wasn't interested and that I was the one in charge. That meant staring him right in the eyes and not letting one sign of arousal show on my face.
But hell, I'd reacted. My body had buzzed right down to my core. Heat had flooded me. Well, more than heat. Jasmine wasn't wrong when she'd said juice box.
Those abs.
The hairdresser had said she wanted to lick them. I wasn't sure about licking but I'd fought the urge to touch them, to run my fingertips over each delicious bump.
It was only hormones. A normal, biological reaction to seeing a near naked man in front of you. Your eyes don't take in the annoying personality and the arrogant attitude.
I got to the club and, as expected, the bouncer gave me a dirty look and told me to get to the back of the line.
"I'm on the list," I said, not at all smugly. Okay, maybe a bit smugly.
He checked his list, then waved me through. Then he grabbed me and pulled me back.
"No cameras."
"The camera has clearance too. You can check if you like."
I thought he'd let it go at that but he actually pulled out his phone and called someone. Whoa, the security at this place didn't muck around. What did he think? I'd take photos of drunken girls dancing badly? I guess that's not something you'd want if you were one of the drunken girls.
He put the phone away and waved me through. Now, to get photos and get out of here.
The club wasn't too busy inside. That queueing up business was such a crock. Make the place look more popular bullshit. Now, if I was Savage, where would I be? Obviously somewhere in the middle of the room, prime position for catching as many female eyes as possible. I bet he just had to stand there and reel them. Not even bother with conversation or effort.
I couldn't see him anywhere, then I remembered the VIP bar around the corner.
And there he was, sitting at the bar.
He spotted me before I reached him and turned his back, as though that would stop me from seeing him.
"Hi," I said when I reached him.
He turned around.
"Hi. Bye." He waved.
"Huh?"
His friend moved away slightly, as though he thought this situation could get explosive.
"Huh, as in I thought we were through with each other for the day, then you turn up at this club."
I sat on the stool beside him. "It's not like I want to be here. I've been ordered to follow you around."
"Well, I guess there are worse ways to make money." His expression left no doubt that he didn't think that though. "What are you drinking?"
"Nothing. Well, you can grab me a Coke."
He called the barman over.
"I can't believe you need to be with me."
"You're a loose cannon. My editor can't be too careful that you won't do something to disgrace yourself and I won't be here to capture it.
He gave me a guarded look and a carefully prepared smile.
"True. You never know when I'm going to disgrace myself," he said. "I never even know myself. Maybe you'd better stick close to me."
What was with that? I was expecting him to try to blow me off. Surely, he didn't want me hanging around all night. That would cramp his style.
"You could try to rein it in for a while, then I could have some quiet nights at home. Nightclubs aren't really my thing."
He shrugged.
I picked up my camera and took a few shots, just Savage sitting at the bar. I asked his friend to join him then realized he was Matt Kinnett. Even better.
"Do you want to move into shot?" I asked.
"Hell no. This is his comeback, not mine. Probably best for my reputation if I don't have my name mixed up with his."
He laughed though and moved in closer. I got a few good shots of them both and then sat back down to my drink.
"Just continue on with your conversation as though I wasn't here."
Weird. Savage seemed to blush a little when I said that. The man had no shame so maybe I imagined it, or else they'd been talking about something really dirty before I showed up.
"You left him at the train station?" Matt asked.
Savage had obviously been talking about me to him. I don't know why that made me smile. I couldn't even imagine him having much nice to say.
"He just asked me for a lift back to the city. That was close enough."
"Ha, not many women would do that."
I shrugged. I wasn't like most women.
The music seemed to get louder as the club filled up. Why did people come to places like this? It seemed like torture to me.
"Not your kind of place?" Savage asked.
"Not one tiny bit."
"Where do you normally hang out?"
"Rock clubs, dive bars, grungy places you'd never be seen dead in."
"Don't be too sure. Sounds like fu
n." He finished his drink and sat the glass back down on the counter. "Let's go."
"Huh? What?"
No way. No damn way would I go to a rock club with Savage. I'd come to record him, not hang out. Hell, I couldn't even imagine walking into one of my usual hang-outs with this pretty boy. It'd look like we were friends or something. More edging into the "or something" territory.
"I'm fine here," I said.
I'm sure he'd only said it to test me out. He didn't' want to seriously go to some dive bar with me.
"I mean it. Come on. You have to follow me around all night, so let's do this your way. It'll be a lot more fun for both of us. This place is a total downer tonight."
"I said I'm fine."
He gave me a look.
"You're embarrassed. Hell, Matty, check this out. This woman is embarrassed to be seen in public with me. That's a new one."
Matt grinned and rubbed my arm. "I know the feeling."
"Come on, I'm not that bad."
God, that roguish smile with the dimples. I needed to capture that. The real smile when he joked around with Matt, not the fake smile he put on for the camera or the controlled one he used for charming woman.
"You're obviously not cool enough," Matt said. "You dress too flashy and you act like a chump. No wonder she doesn't want to be seen with you."
"We go to the rock club or I sneak out and do something really horrific that will be captured by some paparazzi. That will make your editor so angry with you. She might even throw you off the job."
God, was he five years old with these threats? I couldn't be sure he wouldn't go through with it though. He could be pretty damn crazy. Still, I couldn't imagine walking into one of my regular places with him, and while I was wearing this dress. On the other hand, the shots of him in a real rock bar would be a brilliant counterpoint to the story. I took a deep breath, not sure why I even considered agreeing to something so stupid.
"Okay, let's do it."
Savage
I NEVER THOUGHT ALICE would agree to going to the rock club. It wasn't just about getting her in bed. I was really curious. I'd never been to a real dive bar before. Clubs, yep, and concerts, but not a bar like that.
Matt had tactfully decided not to come with us.
"Okay, here are the rules," she said. "You do nothing to draw attention to yourself. You don't get rotten drunk and make a scene. And you do not use sleazy pickup lines."
I nodded my agreement.
"Hell, people at these dive bars are better behaved than I'd have thought."
"Nope, other people aren't, but you will be."
She shot me a grin. I hadn't seen many of them from her. Her eyes sparkled.
"Fine, my behavior will be beyond reproach."
When we arrived, I looked for the queue. There was nothing like that though. Alice walked up to a girl sitting at a table and slapped down some money for the two of us and we walked inside.
The place didn't smell the best, that's for sure. The smell felt honest though, not like the expensive perfumes and artificial shit they pumped out in the clubs I went to.
I stuck to Alice because the place was so dark. She went to the bar and got a couple of drinks.
"I can pay for myself, you know."
"No. You are not to draw attention to yourself."
I nodded and took the drink from her. It wasn't the greatest. Watered-down beer. I'd expected the place to be blaring with music but they were between bands.
"What were you and Matt talking about when I got to the club?" she asked.
"I can't remember. Why?"
"You looked embarrassed when I turned up is all."
Hell yeah, I'd looked embarrassed. I'd just been betting I'd get her in bed and she turned up in front of me, like I'd conjured her out of the air. I debated telling her. It'd be as risky as hell and would put her on the defensive but it might work. Once the idea was in her head, it might take seed.
"I bet Matt that I could get you in bed."
She laughed. "That is not going to happen."
I leant forward and stroked her arm. She could say it wouldn't happen but her body responded otherwise.
"Want to take on a bet yourself?" I said to her and shot her a cocky smile.
"Don't even think about it. There's a name for non-consensual sex, buddy."
I leant even closer, my mouth to her ear.
"Oh, by the time I get you in bed it will be way beyond consensual. You won't just say yes, you'll scream it. You'll be on your knees, begging for it. That's the fun bit, getting you there."
She pulled away from me, I almost expected her to slap me. Those green eyes glowered more than ever but she put her hand up to smooth her hair. That's when I knew I had her. She might resist, she might say she didn't want it but she couldn't fight that reaction forever.
"Yep, that will be around the time hell freezes over." But she laughed. Not the outraged reaction I'd been expecting. For all my talk, if she'd shown any sign of disgust or repulsion, I'd have back right off but that laugh, that was almost a green light.
"Anyway, we didn't shake on it."
"Not that confident, huh?"
"Actually, you turned up in person before we got that far."
I flashed her a grin.
The people around us all moved to the front. We followed along. Alice got into position near the stage. I stood behind her. Perfect strategy. When the music started, I could move forward. Not that I intended to maul her. That wasn't my style. I'd stand behind her, almost touching so she felt the heat of my body against her back. Letting her know what she craved but holding it back from her.
The band started. A simple three-piece set up. I wasn't expecting much but they were good. Melodic and stirring. The sound seemed much richer than you'd expect coming from those three instruments. Instead of moving forward to toy with Alice, I found myself moving in to see how they achieved that sound.
Alice went to the bar to get another drink. I leant against the stage and waited. This was a different scene to the club we'd been at but I enjoyed it. Sure, I'd been to a helluva lot of shows in my life. I scored tickets to all the big names, but this was something different. Gritty and rough.
Maybe my life would've been different if I'd started out somewhere like this. Somewhere to pay my dues and work out the things I wanted to do with my music, instead of having a staff of people telling me what I had to do every minute of the day. I'd become famous before I'd even realized what that meant. My mother talked me into going to an audition, told me it'd be fun. It was at first. I got through the audition process and was told to learn a few songs, some dance moves. Five scared kids, with people telling us our every move. Then it was performances and TV appearance and all those goddamn magazine shoots.
When most teenage boys were trying to score their first kiss, I had girls screaming my name, declaring their undying love, sneaking into my bed. Some of them weren't girls either. Older women. Older men. They all tried it on.
I didn't regret it but there had to be something more. I had money, I still had looks and I had enough fame that I could spend my days doing reality TV and guest appearances. What I didn't have was that thing that made you get out of bed in the morning. That drive. Well, I hadn't had it until I'd begun writing for this album. These songs were me.
And that was the scariest damn thing in my life. If the public hated them, they didn't just hate some random tunes or words, it was the real me that they hated.
Alice got back and handed me my drink.
The song finished and the singer embraced the microphone, talking to the crowd. Telling them about his upcoming album release.
His eyes scanned the crowd, fixing on me before moving on. Probably looking for his girlfriend or something. He saw someone and smiled then turned his attention back to me.
"Ash Savage?" he asked, then turned to the crowd. "Whoa, we have a celebrity with us tonight. Hey, man, how about you come up on stage."
I shook my head. I wasn't sure if
the guy was trying to make a dick out of me, but either way, Alice would kill me.
A few people in the crowd cheered. Someone whistled. A couple of people behind me began pushing me toward the stage steps. Then more people cheered, those cheers echoed around me. Hell, I did not want to do this but when more of the crowd began pushing, I had no choice.
By the time I got to the foot of the stairs, most of them cheered. I looked for Alice in the crowd. "Don't draw attention to yourself," she'd said. But I couldn't help this. It wasn't my doing. I hadn't asked to be singled out. Now I was in a spot where I couldn't back out. I was on that stage and I had nowhere to run.
The singer walked over to me.
"We do a few covers," he said. "Want to join in one?"
Hell, no backing out of this.
The guy named a few songs. I picked one I knew well enough to sing. He handed me a mic.
I spotted Alice in the front row. She had her camera out. Hell, if I made an idiot of myself up here, it'd be all over the place. But she smiled at me and that gave me the push I needed.
Alice
I CAN'T BELIEVE HE got up on stage, although it didn't seem he had much choice. He had to be fully aware that most of this crowd only wanted him up there to see him make a total fool of himself. It'd be a funny story to tell their friends, Ash Savage, the laughing stock.
I'm pretty sure his ego could do with a few knocks, but my stomach churned with nerves regardless. I pushed my way to the front row, holding my camera aloft. That camera loaned me some official authority that I didn't really have. I needed to get shots of this. It'd make for awesome photos.
Savage took hold of the microphone like he was caressing a lover. Then he thought better of it. He walked over and spoke to the guitarist. Holy shit, the guitarist handed over his guitar. Did he have any idea of the risk he took? Sure, he'd played well during the photoshoot but that was with an easy crowd. This crowd wasn't easy. This crowd wanted to slaughter him.
I sucked in my breath and watched him through the camera. He looked comfortable with that guitar.
"Stop mucking around and just play," someone yelled.
Savage held up his hand as though to say wait a minute. He strummed the guitar then played a bit with the tuning. He lowered his head, that hair flopping down. The lights shining behind him. I clicked my camera. Then he put his head up and flashed that smile at the crowd. I'd got all that in shot.
Rock Mayhem: 8 Complete Rock Star Romance Novels Page 4