“Hey fuckers, listen up!” Gael shouted with a grin. “I’m Gael Moreau from Cherry Lips and I’m a fucking rock star!”
With one smooth motion he dived off the roof, aiming for the pool. The crowd gasped. Cerise swore. My heart jumped into my throat. He was going to smack head first into the deck.
Gael hit the water, arms first, sailing smoothly along the length of the pool. He’d missed the edge by mere feet. Sighs of relief, along with groans of disappointment, swept through the crowd.
“I’m going to kill him,” Cerise said through gritted teeth.
“This isn’t the worst thing he’s done,” Natalie said, consoling. “At least he hasn’t punched anyone, or vandalized anything.”
“If he keeps pulling stunts like this we’re going to get a bad reputation.”
“Bad reputation?” I asked. “Aren’t rock stars supposed to act wild and crazy?”
“We’re not famous yet,” Cerise said grudgingly. “You’ve got to earn the right to act like hot shit. Otherwise you’re just an asshole loose cannon.”
“So he’s a bit of an attention hog,” Morris shrugged. “He just needs to let off some steam.”
“What he needs is a babysitter,” Cerise snapped. “I can’t watch him twenty-four seven. Too bad he’s too old for that youth center you work at.”
“I’m sure he’d fit right in,” I said. “We’ve got a lot of troublemakers with impulse control problems.”
A thoughtful look crossed Cerise’s face. “Hey Jessie...”
The calculating glimmer in her eyes made me pause. “Why do I have the feeling you’re planning something evil?”
A slow grin crossed her face.
“You ever do babysitting jobs on the side?”
CHAPTER THREE
* * *
I only said yes because I needed the money.
That’s what I told myself when I woke up the next morning.
It had nothing to do with gorgeous blue eyes. Or toned abs. Or full lips tilted into a cocky grin.
It was simply a business arrangement.
I convinced myself that was true until I got to work for the mid-afternoon and evening shift. Right up until a cherry red sports car squealed up to the youth center and a tall man was unceremoniously shoved out the passenger side door.
“Good luck, Jessie!” Cerise called from the driver’s side. She peeled away from the curb with a laugh.
Gael had stumbled onto the pavement with a groan, pressing one hand to the side of his head. Although he was hunched over, I saw he wore dark sunglasses. For a brief second I was disappointed I couldn’t see his pretty eyes.
His hair was a greasy, tangled mess, although it looked like he might have tried to comb through it with his fingers. His lips were bloodless and his face held a vaguely greenish tint. He swallowed convulsively, as if trying to not retch on the spot.
Gael was trashed.
Gael was also still sinfully hot.
I wanted to run my hands through his tousled hair. I wanted his lips on mine. I wanted to feel his hard length pressed against my hip. A full body shiver went through me at the memory.
No rock stars, I reminded myself. Although that cocky demeanor was nowhere to be seen this morning, I knew Gael was still bad news. I pushed back my raging hormones and leaned over to speak in his ear.
“Good morning!”
He winced and reeled back.
“And how are you feeling this fine day?” I made sure to use my brightest, perkiest voice, the one I reserved for three year olds.
His mouth pursed in disgust. “I feel like shit.”
“Poor baby. Maybe you shouldn’t have gotten so drunk you were ready to throw yourself off a roof.”
“It was a controlled dive,” he muttered.
Gael straightened his back and lowered his sunglasses, peering at me over the rim. They were squinty and bloodshot, but still held that vibrant blue that had first made me swoon. That threatened to make me swoon right then and there.
“Sweetness, let’s get this out of the way right now. I don’t need a babysitter.”
“Your sister thinks you do.”
“My sister is a control freak.”
“You jumped off a roof into a pool and nearly cracked your skull open.”
“I’m a rock star. It’s what we do.”
“The word star implies fame.”
He looked affronted. “We’ve done dozens of sold out shows.”
“In small clubs. Five hundred people, max. Wait until you’ve actually done a stadium tour. Then maybe you can call yourself a star.”
He pushed his sunglasses back up to cover his eyes and grunted. “So what exactly are we doing here?”
“I’m working. You get to follow me around.”
“I should be sleeping off my hangover.”
“It’s four in the afternoon.”
“Exactly.”
“Then rejoice, because you don’t have to worry about hangovers for a while.”
“What?”
“You’re not going to be drinking to excess anymore. Not on my watch.”
“You’re a barrel of fun.”
“You’ve had enough fun for a few lifetimes, I think.”
I turned my back and walked toward the front doors of Impact Youth Center, not checking to see if he followed. As much as I enjoyed the banter, my heart was pounding. It had been a while since I’d been this affected by someone. It was odd. I was usually turned off by overconfident, cock-sure types. And yet at the party I’d let him practically feel me up in public.
“Today I’m assigned to the study room,” I told him as I stepped through the front doors. He did follow me, surprisingly without protest. I’d been expecting him to fight the idea of a babysitter tooth and nail.
“Is that why you’re wearing such a stuffy outfit? Gotta look respectable in front of the children?”
“Stuffy?” I was wearing my usual blouse and skirt. “You make it sound like I’m dressed for church.”
“I didn’t say it was a bad thing.”
Gael had removed his sunglasses and perched them on the top of his head. He scanned me up and down slowly, just like he had at the party. I fought back a flush. A carnal grin crawled across his lips, but he didn’t say anything. He flicked his eyes away, taking in the shiny, freshly mopped floors and walls covered with children’s crayon pictures. That grin was replaced by a look of surprise.
“Cerise used to hang out here as a kid with her friends. When she told me you worked here I thought the place would still be a dump.”
I scowled, my cheeks heating with indignation now rather than arousal. “Why would you think that?”
“Not exactly in the best part of town, isn’t it? I should know, I grew up here. This area isn’t exactly the safest.”
“That’s the whole point. These kids need somewhere to go after school and on weekends so they don’t get into trouble. Many of them come from single parent homes, with mom or dad working two jobs. They need some sort of adult figure in their lives.”
He gave me an oddly piercing look. “And that’s you?”
“That’s all of us. I’m not the only one who works here. This place has gotten more donations and funding over the years, so we’ve been able to hire some more staff.”
“You got a background in education or something?”
“No. I just volunteered for so long I became a permanent fixture. I guess they figured they ought to start paying me.”
He looked almost impressed before a smirk crossed his face.
“Such a good girl. I bet you haven’t done a single naughty thing in your life.”
I arched an eyebrow. “You’d be surprised.”
“Now I’m intrigued.”
If he had any idea about the kinds of things I’d gotten up to as a kid myself... I laughed inwardly. There was a reason I’d decided to give back to the community. I knew exactly what kids got up to without adult supervision.
“I haven’t a
lways been the good girl you think I am.”
That wicked glint in his eyes made a reappearance. “So I was right. You do like it dirty.”
“Behave,” I told him. “No hitting on the teacher.”
I opened the door to the study room and found a dozen little faces looking up at me. I recognized most of them, but there were a few new ones. I smiled to the children and waved at them to continued working. I nodded to the volunteer from the morning shift I was relieving, letting her know her shift was over. As she passed through the doorway she stopped and gave Gael a startled look.
“Any problems so far?” I asked.
“N-no,” she stammered, still eyeing him.
“Cool.” I waited for her to move on. She didn’t. “I’ll take it from here.”
She nodded without saying anything and continued down the hall. She swerved around at the last second to gape at him. He noticed and threw her a sultry grin. She squeaked and hurried on.
“Think she recognized me?” he smirked.
“Probably wondered what the cat dragged in.” I ran my hand through his bedraggled hair, messing it up some more.
He caught my wrist in his hand gently, thumb stroking over the pulse. I swallowed hard. I had no doubt he could feel my pounding heartbeat. He opened his mouth to speak.
“No talking,” I interrupted.
He squinted, confused. “What?”
I tugged to release my wrist from his light grip and tapped on a sign on the door.
No Talking.
He followed me through the doors. “What do you mean no—”
“Shh.” I tapped the sign again.
“What, no talking at all?”
“Shhh!” One of the little girls looked up from her worksheet, shushing him.
Gael looked nonplussed. “But what if I—”
“Shhh!!” three more girls chimed in, whipping their heads around to glare at him. If there was one thing that upset the kids, it was adults breaking the rules they had to follow.
He snorted quietly. “Fine,” he mouthed. He perched his hip on one of the tables and pulled out his phone from his pocket.
I snatched it from his hand and pointed to another sign.
No Cell Phones.
“Are you shitting me?”
Gasps could be heard all over the room.
“You said a bad word!” the first girl stage whispered, accusingly. “You need to go sit in the time-out chair.”
“The what?”
With a snicker, I grabbed a tomato-shaped kitchen timer and shoved him to the far end of the room. A large refrigerator-sized cardboard box had been set up, with one open side facing the wall. A bright red chair was placed in the middle. As punishment, a misbehaving child would be forced to sit in the corner, closed in by three cardboard walls, so they couldn’t see their friends.
Gael looked at the chair, bemused. I set the timer, then stood on my tiptoes and leaned in close.
“She’s right,” I whispered in his ear. “Naughty boys must be punished.”
He turned to face me, our lips nearly touching. I backed away quickly.
“Do I really have to sit in the chair?” he asked, keeping his voice low.
“You broke the rules. You pay the price.”
“Will you keep me company?” he asked, a wicked glint in his eyes as he sat.
“That goes against the whole point of a punishment.”
Without a word, he tugged me down, forcing me off balance. I fell onto his lap, gripping one shoulder to keep steady. The chair creaked ominously, not meant to take the full weight of two adults.
“What are you—”
I cut myself short as he pressed a hand to the small of my back, shifting until our hips pressed together. My insides quivered.
“How long is this punishment supposed to last?” he murmured in my ear.
“Five minutes.” I tried to pull away, but his hand kept me firmly against him.
“Less than Seven Minutes In Heaven, but I’ll take it.”
“Why am I not surprised you’ve played that game?”
“Are you telling me you didn’t make out in closets in middle school?”
I snorted and put on a displeased expression, if only to keep myself from melting against him. The hard muscles in his shoulders were making my stomach do flips.
“Middle school? Just how early did you get started on the girls?”
“Early enough,” he admitted.
Shifting my hips, I put my weight forward, lightly rubbing against him. He hissed as I encountered a hardening length. I kept my eyes locked on his as I dragged myself upward, inch by inch, making sure to press against the seam of his jeans until I was standing fully.
He groaned as I stepped away. “Good girls don’t tease like that.”
“Naughty boys don’t get rewards.”
“Will you reward me if I’m a good boy?”
I laughed in his face. “Gael, I doubt you’ve been a good boy a single day in your life.” I threw the tomato timer at him. He caught it with one hand. “You’ve still got three minutes.” I gave the bulge in his pants a pointed look. “Get that under control before you traumatize the children.”
“You could help me take care of it,” he said, a wide smirk on his face.
The thought of it, of unzipping his jeans and taking him into my mouth right then and there, sent a flood of heat coursing through me. My breath caught. He noticed.
“Maybe you’re not such a good girl after all?”
I turned and walked away, leaving him laughing alone in the box.
To my surprise, he waited out the full five minutes. When he asked for his “reward” I gave him back his cell phone and told him to keep himself entertained for the next few hours.
I thought he’d get bored and complain, but he was surprisingly quiet. The few times I looked over, he was focused on the screen with intense concentration, tapping furiously on some mobile game or another.
When my shift ended I pulled him aside and told him it was time to go. He offered to drive me home because it was already dark out. I raised a skeptical eyebrow.
“Your home,” he clarified. “Although I won’t say no if you want to come to mine.”
I forced myself to frown. “You’ll never seduce me with your playboy rock star charm. I’m immune to it.”
He just grinned. I didn’t want to waste money on a cab, so I reluctantly agreed.
“What’s the plan for tomorrow afternoon?” he asked as we drove.
“Afternoon?”
“Of course. I’m sleeping in. I’m not getting up before noon if I don’t have to.”
I gave him a skeptical look. “I don’t know if I want to let you out of my sight for that long.” Who knew what kind of trouble he could get up to in that amount of time.
“You can come watch me sleep if you’re so worried. In fact,” he continued with a glint of amusement in his eyes, “Why don’t you sleep over? I’d love to see you in some cute little pajama shorts.”
I snorted. “You mean ragged sweatpants and t-shirts with holes in them? Sure, ogle away.”
Truthfully, I did have some sexy sleepwear lingerie, but he didn’t need to know that. It would only encourage him. He didn’t need any more encouragement. In fact, neither did I. My resolve was wearing thin enough as it was.
“I don’t have any plans for tomorrow. Just puttering around the house until my second job.”
“You work two jobs?”
“This one’s non-profit. Can’t pay all the bills on that kind of salary.”
“Where’s your other job?” he asked. “Working at an animal shelter? Feeding the homeless?”
I gave him a sweet smile, but didn’t answer the question. “I’ve got the late afternoon shift. I should be done by seven.”
“Perfect. I’m playing at a club tomorrow night, and then there’s an afterparty. We can go together.” He pulled into my apartment building with a screech of wheels. I winced at the sound. “I wasn’t
planning on getting out of bed until after three or four in the afternoon anyway.”
“Is that your usual sleep schedule?” I asked as I climbed out of the car. I closed the door and ducked to speak with him through the passenger side window. “How do you function as human being?”
He ignored my question, leaning over to speak to me. “Now that I know where you live, I’ll stop by and pick you up tomorrow.”
I eyed him. “You seem oddly okay with me babysitting you now.”
He gave me a wicked grin and flipped down his shades.
“Remember what I told you? Every prepubescent boy has fantasies about getting it on with the hot babysitter.”
With that, he stepped on the gas and peeled away, laughing.
CHAPTER FOUR
* * *
“No. Fucking. Way.”
Gael swore as I pulled open the car door and slipped into the passenger’s seat, wearing what I called my “work uniform.”
Tight, short, black leather skirt, knee high lace up boots, and a black corset with my breasts nearly spilling out. I’d caked on a heavy layer of thick black mascara and black eyeliner, and used grey eyeshadow to create a brilliant smokey eye. I’d taken my hair down from its loose bun at the back of my neck, letting it fall down my back in chestnut waves.
Gael’s mouth had dropped open.
“You look...” he trailed off.
I suppressed a smirk of my own, one that could have rivaled his usual. I looked hot and I knew it.
“Can’t wait tables at a biker bar looking like a schoolmarm, now can I?”
“Is that what you normally wear to work?”
“When I’m not working at Impact Youth Center, yeah.”
“If I’d seen you wearing that yesterday that I would have been a walking hard on all day.”
“It’s a good thing you didn’t, because that would have been wildly inappropriate around the children.”
Gael snuck glances at me the whole drive. He opened his mouth a time or two, but never said anything out loud. I was content to sit in silence, aside from giving the occasional direction. I didn’t need to know what perverted thoughts were running through his brain. I had a pretty good idea, anyway.
Rock Star Romance Ultimate: Volume 1 Page 155
