“I can’t.”
“Why not?”
“Tristan Knight wants to see me.”
Kara’s eyes widened with surprise. “What?”
Serenity shyly smiled and nodded.
“Are you serious?”
“Yes. He sent his bodyguard over here for me.”
“Well where the hell is he?”
Serenity pointed over to Tristan and wasn’t surprised to find he was still looking at her. He slightly smiled at her and she softly returned the smile, blushing. Kara shook her head and looked back at Serenity.
“No ma’am, uh-uh. Something’s not sitting right with me about this. Besides, you know the rules. We came together and we’re leaving together.”
“Can’t you just wait a second and let me see what he wants?”
“You know what he wants. Look at how he’s looking at you. He’s practically fucking you with his eyes.”
“He is not.”
“Serenity come on, he’s a rock star. All these rock stars are all alike, and they all want one thing. Pussy. They’re not looking for happily ever after. For your own sake, let’s leave.”
“You always think the worst of people Kara. You don’t even know him.”
“He’s a rock star babe and they’re all the same.”
“He’s a pop star and I just want to see what he wants. I’m not going to sleep with him.” The word yet rudely popped into her head and it scared the shit out of her.
“I know all about Tristan Knight and his reputation and it’s not good. Have you read the latest blurbs about him on the internet? Last week he was caught with- “
“Kara, I don’t care! I’m just meeting with the guy to see what he wants.”
Just then, an obscenely intoxicated guy with huge arms and beady eyes walked over to Serenity and loudly asked her to dance. Serenity shrank back and shook her head, leaning away from him. He lingered and stood directly in front of her, asking her to dance again.
“Look mother-fucker, she said she doesn’t want to dance,” Kara barked, pushing him aside with her bony arm. “Now leave her the fuck alone.”
The guy rudely assessed Kara and narrowed his eyes at her. She gave him a menacing look and held her glass up in the air, threatening to hit him over the head with it. As small as it was Serenity didn’t know what kind of damage it would do to him. But then Kara reached deep in her tight skirt pocket and discreetly pulled a pocket knife out the top. The guy’s eyes bulged as he looked down at it, as did Serenity’s. How the hell had Kara gotten a knife past security?
Serenity looked over at the guy wide-eyed, afraid that he would try to dominate Kara and take the knife away from her. But he got the message and walked away, calling both of them bitches under his breath. Kara casually put the knife back in her pocket and chuckled dryly.
Serenity stole a glance over at Tristan and saw that he was glaring in the direction the guy had gone, his jaw tightly clenched as he squeezed the glass in his hand. He looked back over at her and she gasped at the danger she saw in his eyes. Was he jealous? If so, for what?
“I don’t think this is a good idea Serenity,” Kara said, breaking her thoughts. “You know how naïve you are when it comes to men. Remember Caleb?”
Serenity blanched as she thought about her cheating ex. That was a sore spot with her, and Kara knew it. It was a cheap shot.
“I’m not leaving Kara.”
Kara blew through her lips and scratched her head. “Fine. Talk to him for a few minutes. You have forty-five minutes to be exact. After that, we’re leaving. I don’t care if his hands are midway down your panties, we’re going. Forty-five minutes. That’s it. Got it?”
Serenity frowned at Kara’s tacky choice of words and rolled her eyes. “Got it.”
“I’ll be back in forty-five minutes,” Kara repeated in a no-nonsense tone. “Let me go and see if that sexy papi is still around here.”
Serenity frowned after her as she sauntered off. Kara always loved telling her what to do. She was so damn bossy it got on her nerves. In a weird way, she also appreciated it. Kara was always looking out for her and it made her feel safe and protected, especially since her own mother was so bad at it. She hadn’t seen her mother in two days now. Years ago, her nerves would’ve been shot thinking about all the terrible, gruesome things that could’ve happened to her, but she was used to it now. She would turn up sooner or later, as she always did. Last time she saw her mother she reminded her she was going to the concert and would need extra money for food and souvenirs. She didn’t know why she asked her. Her mother never had any money. She always spent it on her habit. Whenever Serenity was desperate for cash, she either borrowed it from Kara or scrapped up pennies from the secret stash she had in her room. She worked at a temp agency from time to time but not often enough to make any real money.
Her mother got government aid now and again, but she’d already gone through it for the month. To supplement the income she carelessly spent, her mother had a part-time job waiting tables at a diner up the street from their house. The owner of the diner took pity on her and had a crush on her, so he was always letting her come back, even when she skipped work or didn’t show up. This wasn’t the longest she’d been gone. Last month she’d been gone two straight weeks. Even then Serenity hadn’t worried. She’d spent most of that time hanging out with Kara at her house. Kara’s mother Brooke knew what was going on with her mother and always let her know whenever she was ready, she could come and live with her and Kara if she wanted to. Although Kara and Serenity were out of high school, Kara still stayed with her mother and had a full-time job to help with the bills. Serenity knew they wouldn’t mind her staying with them, but she wasn’t too keen on the idea. Her mother was barely around but she still didn’t want to leave her. She had no one else. She was always afraid if she left her mother would die in the streets.
Serenity glanced up to see Tristan talking to the bodyguard who had accosted her earlier. He nodded in her direction and winked. Serenity bashfully looked away then looked back as the guard walked up to her. He was so big the floor seemed to vibrate with each step he took.
“Follow me,” he said as he walked towards a set of stairs across from the bar.
Serenity looked after him in question; then dutifully got up and followed him. Glancing over at Tristan, she felt the hair on the back of her neck stand up at the unmistakable lust she saw in his eyes. The man’s sexual magnetism was so strong it practically sucked all the air out of the room. She could feel the heat of his gaze on her back all the way across the room and up the stairs. Once they’d reached the top of the winding iron staircase, the bodyguard walked her down a dimly lit wall that was crawling with people and opened a door marked VIP at the end of the hall.
He opened the door and jerked his head for Serenity to go in. She hesitated, thinking about how stupid she was being. She didn’t know this man from a hole in the wall and she was blindly following behind him like she’d known him ten years. She didn’t know Tristan either for that matter. She should’ve asked Kara to go with her but there was no turning back now.
“Ma’am?” he called to her, waiting.
Taking a deep breath, Serenity walked into the room and looked around. It was a dimly lit room decorated with rich furnishings, autographed photos from celebrities local and worldwide on the walls, leopard print rugs and throws, a heavily stocked traditional bar unit, two long couches, and a few overstuffed chairs.
“Have a seat,” he commanded in his booming voice. “He’ll be with you in a moment. Would you like something to drink?”
Serenity shook her head no.
“He won’t be long.” He curtly nodded at her and shut the door.
Serenity blankly stared at the door for a few minutes; then walked to one of the couches and heavily sat down, crossing her feet at the ankles. Music vibrated from downstairs and she could smell the distinctive odor of marijuana wafting from somewhere nearby. The room was empty. It wasn’t a very big room,
but it was cozy and intimate.
She tapped her foot as she waited and mindlessly ran her fingers through her hair. Touching her hair reminded her that she needed to check her appearance.
Walking over to the wall-length mirror behind the bar, she opened her purse and took out her small makeup bag. She reapplied her lipstick, added some color to her cheeks, and brushed her hair. Satisfied, she put the contents back in her worn, beat-up purse, and snapped it shut. Humming to the beat of the song playing downstairs, she walked around observing the room. She admired a few of the photos on the wall, perused a few of the magazines on the coffee table, and stalked the refrigerator for a bottle of water. Opening it, she began pacing around the room. She walked back and forth; then sat down again.
She got up and paced once more; then sat down before getting up again. All this waiting was making her crazy. The longer he took, the more nervous she became. What the fuck was taking him so long? Was he still entertaining his trove of hoes downstairs? If so, she was wasting her time. She was not going to be last in a long line of groupies. That was so not her style. He was cute but not enough to make her wait up there for minutes like a woman starved for attention. In a minute she was getting ready to leave.
Ten minutes later, she got up to do just that. She sucked her teeth and threw her purse under her arm, tossing her hair over her shoulder in aggravation.
“This is some bullshit,” she muttered aloud. So much for spending her night with a pop star.
As soon as she put her hand to the door, it opened. Serenity’s eyes widened and her heart jumped in her throat as she locked eyes with Tristan Knight.
“You weren’t getting ready to leave, were you?” His voice was as smooth as silk as he addressed her. He pinned her with his eyes as he raised his glass to his lips and slowly swallowed the liquid inside.
Serenity nervously blinked and shook her head. She backed away from the door on shaky legs. “Um… N-No. I wasn’t leaving.”
His eyes appreciatively studied her curves before he teasingly smiled at her. “Good.
Because the night’s just getting started.”
Tristan confidently walked into the room and closed the door, shutting the world out behind them.
SERENITY
No words were immediately spoken when the door closed. Confident eyes held her shy ones. His hand steadily held the glass, unwavering. Her knees buckled beneath her jeans. He was standing so close to her she could smell his cologne. Hear him breathing. She struggled to breathe. Struggled to stand. It was hard to look into his eyes. They were so penetrating. So intense. He looked at her like he could see inside her soul. Like he knew what she looked like naked. It was very unnerving. So unnerving she couldn’t stand still.
She backed away from him and walked on shaky legs to the other side of the room. She felt like if she didn’t, she would lose every ounce of morals she had in that moment.
“This is a nice room,” she breathlessly replied.
He paused before answering and took another leisurely sip of the liquid in his glass. “It is.”
“You ever been to this club before?”
“I haven’t.”
“How’d you get them to give you the room?”
“I’m famous.” It wasn’t said with arrogance; he was merely pointing out the obvious.
She swallowed and tucked a stray hair behind her ear. “Oh.”
“Are you out of school yet?”
Her head snapped up and she widely look at him. “Huh?”
“Are you out of school?”
“College?”
“No. High-school.”
She bit her bottom lip and vigorously nodded. “Yes, of course. How else would I get in here?”
“I met quite a few underage young ladies downstairs. The guys at the door are assholes. All a girl has to do is flash their tits and they’re pretty much in.”
How did he know they were underage? Did they flash their tits at him? “Yes, I’m out of high-school,” she attested, avoiding his smoldering eyes. She studied an autographed picture of Missy Elliot on the wall and moved her foot around a leopard rug. “Two years now. I’m 18. I graduated early.”
He was still standing at the door studying her. “You must be very smart.”
She indifferently shrugged and stifled a cry as she bumped into a corner of the bar. “I guess.”
“Did you come here alone tonight?”
“No. I’m with my best friend. She’s downstairs somewhere.”
He said nothing else so she looked at him and immediately wished she hadn’t. If he didn’t stop looking at her like that she was going to get undressed right here and now.
She leaned against the bar and tried to look sophisticated. “What are you still doing here in Charlotte? I thought you guys have a show in Atlanta tomorrow.”
“We do.”
“I thought you would be on the road by now so you could… you know. Rest up for
tomorrow?”
“Normally we would be. But I wanted to wait. I didn’t want to leave without meeting you.” He took another sip, hiding a smile.
Serenity’s neck involuntarily lifted at that admission and her chest heaved. She took her foot out of her shoe and put it back in. “M-Meet me?” She hated when she stuttered. It was a nervous tic she’d had since childhood and no matter how hard she tried, she had a hard time getting rid of it.
He nodded once. “Yes.”
“But… you didn’t know I was coming here.”
“I had you followed.”
Shock blanketed her flawless features. “R-Really?”
He chuckled softly, showing off a set of adorable dimples. “No. This club is close to the Coliseum… I heard it was a hot spot, so…” He shrugged. “I saw you not long after I got here. I recognized you from the concert.”
“You did? I didn’t see you looking at me. I tried to get your attention- “
His eyebrow rose. “You did?”
Serenity faltered, realizing what she had just said. She pushed away from the bar and started perusing the room again, still on the other side of the room. She couldn’t stand close to him now. Not after what he’d just said. Shit was starting to get dangerous. “Wh-where are the other guys?”
He shrugged again. “Somewhere around here.”
“In the club? I’d love to meet them.”
Tristan’s jaw tightly clenched and he sucked his teeth. “Well, you can’t. They’re not here. I meant they’re still in Charlotte, they’re not at this club.”
Why did he sound so pissed off? “Oh.” She yelped as the side of her foot thumped against the leg of one of the couches.
“Are you okay?”
“Yes,” she winced, rubbing her foot.
Tristan pushed away from the door and gestured at the couch with his drink. “Sit down.” It was a command, not a request.
Serenity guardedly looked at him a moment; then walked around to the front of the couch and stiffly sat down. Her shoulders involuntarily rose as Tristan slowly walked over to her and sat down beside her. He sat his glass on the glass table in front of them and threw his arm over the back of the couch, sitting closer to her.
Without realizing it, she scooted away from him.
“You mind if I sit beside you?”
She shook her head. “N-No.”
“Then why did you move?”
“Did I? I didn’t realize I had. Sorry.”
Her breath hitched in her throat when his other hand lightly grasped hers. Trembling, she stared down at their joined hands, mesmerized. His finger traced the inside of her palm and she loudly swallowed.
“Relax,” he whispered. “I don’t bite. I promise.”
What if I want you to?
She chuckled and shyly looked up at him. “Okay.”
Her clit throbbed as she gazed into his dark bedroom eyes. Her nipples puckered and pressed against the ratty material of her bra and her breath racked her ribs. In this moment, nothing else mattered. All
she was aware of was him and the present. She prayed 45 minutes hadn’t passed yet.
“Why did you want to see me?” she meekly asked him.
He waited a beat before answering her. “To get to know you.”
Serenity shakily inhaled as his finger continued tracing lazy patterns on her hand.
“Did you enjoy the show?” he quietly asked.
She bit her bottom lip. “Mm-hmmm.”
“Was it your first time seeing us live?”
“Yes.”
“What did you think?”
Mine All Mine : Book One Page 14
