by Naomi West
Lola made a noise of distaste, or maybe disbelief. “Don’t you mean the man who shot at you? Because I have a hard time believing you would waste any time or energy on me.”
“As a matter of fact, I have. I don’t like the idea of someone pulling off an act like that in my town.”
“You’re certainly possessive of it.”
“What do you care?” Bishop was getting frustrated, something that seemed to happen a lot around Lola. “Look, do you want my help or not?”
“I never asked for it, just like I never asked for it yesterday. For some reason I can’t fathom, you keep popping up in my life and acting like you belong there.”
Bishop was starting to wonder himself why he was spending time on her. She was trying very hard to prove she wasn’t worth it. He grabbed her by the shoulders. “Whether you like it or not, I know something that may prove helpful to you. You may not understand why I would waste any time on you, and I’m starting not to understand it myself, but I already have. And it wasn’t a small task to get in here, I might add. You might as well reap the benefits, shut up for a second, and just let me tell you what it is!”
She pressed her lips together, pretending not to be fazed by him. “Fine.”
“As I was saying earlier, one of my guys did some poking around. It turns out there was some information leaked to the media about your location.”
Lola waved her hand in front of her face and rolled her eyes. “Oh, that. That was just my manager. He wanted to do this big press release after the incident, thinking it would get a bunch of reporters to start begging for an exclusive. That’s not a big deal.”
What the hell was wrong with this woman? “No, I’m not talking about you being here at the hotel. I’m talking about you being at the bar.”
“Oh.” She paused, her eyes wide and innocent for a moment. He liked her that way. She was always fighting so hard to get one up on him, but he definitely had her now.
“Yeah. Oh. Someone let everyone know that you were at the bar, which not only explains the mini paparazzi session but why the gunman knew you were there. Do you understand what that means?” He had certainly understood it, and it had pissed him off.
Realization slowly dawned on her. She brought her delicate fingers up to cover the pink tulip of her lips as she looked up at him. “Someone is doing this on purpose?”
“That’s what it looks like to me.”
“But couldn’t it just be that some random person happened to see me when I walked in? I mean, a lot of people know what I look like, and I did walk in with a bodyguard on either side. It’s not that hard to figure out.”
It was cute that she wanted to deny it, but apparently Bishop was taking this far more seriously than she was. “I don’t think so. Ditch said the way the information was timestamped makes it look like someone released the info before you were even at The Dive. Did anybody know you were here before the shooting hit mainstream news?”
“Ditch?”
Bishop sighed. “One of my guys. Can we focus on the matter at hand?”
Lola nodded. “I’m sorry. I’ll try. I’m just having a hard time wrapping my head around this. There were a few people that knew I was here, and I still think there’s a possibility that someone just spotted me. Celebrities don’t just have professional paparazzi to worry about these days, you know. There are bloggers and people constantly trying to get pics for their social media accounts. It’s crazy.”
A knock came at the door, making both of them freeze. “Hey, what’s taking so long in there?”
“Shit! It’s Chris,” Lola whispered.
The door swung open to reveal the glaring visage of the younger bodyguard. “What are you still doing in here?” he asked Bishop. “You’re supposed to just drop the cart and leave, not hang around and try to get autographs.” He started in, his chest puffed.
“For your information,” Lola said before Bishop had a chance to come up with a lie, “I’m asking him about a few amenities I’d like while I’m here. First, he’s going to start by fixing the leaky tap in the bathroom for me.”
Chris looked at her with a condescending snarl that Bishop would have liked to wipe right off his face for him. “He’s a food service guy, not the maintenance man.”
“It turns out he’s rather good with his hands.” Her face blushed prettily as she realized just what she’d said. “And he’s also going to take down a list of several other things I need. If I’m stuck here, then I’m going to enjoy it. I’ve got this taken care of, so go on.” Lola waved him toward the door with her fingertips.
He looked dubious as he glanced back and forth between the two of them, but he gave a curt nod and left.
Lola and Bishop looked at each other for a long second before they both burst out laughing.
“That was so close!” she squealed. “If he had any idea who you were or what had happened yesterday, he would have gone absolutely ape shit.”
“That was a pretty good scheme,” Bishop had to admit. “Although I’m a little surprised he bought it.”
“He’s not all that smart,” Lola replied with a cute wrinkle to her nose.
It was good to laugh like that with her, too good. He didn’t want to return to the matter at hand or figure out where they were going to go from there. Bishop just wanted to stand there with her and stare into her eyes until he couldn’t take it anymore, and then lead her to the bed.
But that wasn’t what he was here for, and it wasn’t a good idea. He cleared his throat. “Anyway, we need to talk about this leak.” Life had been so much less complicated before Lola had come into it.
Chapter Nine
Lola
She had been furious when Bishop had walked in on her in the bathtub like that, and the smirk he’d worn on his face hadn’t helped. Maybe Lola should have screamed and let Chris drag him out of there, but there was something about his man that commanded she listen to him. She didn’t have to like it.
But she did like it. She liked that he was so concerned about finding the gunman, and she liked that he seemed to be doing more about the situation than either Butch or her manager. He was a crazy-looking biker, but he was quickly turning into the most dependable person in Rolling Hills.
And she had to admit, as she stood there chest-to-chest with him, that he looked ridiculous and adorable in that outfit. She wanted to laugh at him, with the shiny fabric of the vest such a contrast to his faded tattoos, but it showed her that he really was doing everything he could to help her. No, she couldn’t think about it that way. He just happened to be in the right place at the right time, and he was only doing this because he thought of Rolling Hills as his town. Lola wondered what he would think if he realized that it had been her town at one time, but she wasn’t about to tell him.
“Is there anyone who would be trying to kill you? I know we talked about it a little yesterday, but things were a little crazy and I thought you might have time to think.” He watched her closely, those dark eyes of his boring into hers.
She looked away and pressed her fingertips to her forehead, not wanting to think about any of it anymore. “I don’t know.”
“And what about the person who’s leaking your location? If it’s happened once, then it may have happened before. And it could happen again. We need to get to the bottom of this. I have my men working on it, but if there’s anything you can tell me, we can probably make this whole process go a lot faster.”
It was just too much to handle, and doubt was quickly creeping up her spine. Lola had let herself get in over her head for just a moment too long, thinking that it was fun to have Bishop around. It was time to put a stop to it. None of this was real; it was just a little side trip on her way back to the new life she had built for herself.
“The only thing I really want to do is leave, and I’m sure you can understand that. But I have no idea who would do any of this to me. As far as I know, everyone is loyal. And I think you’re putting too much emphasis on pegging down a certain p
erson. It could easily be that some random stranger happened to recognize me.”
Bishop glanced at her sideways. “Lola …”
“No. I just don’t even want to think about it anymore. It’s been a rough couple of days, and I’m tired. But I do appreciate everything you’ve done.” She marched across the room to her designer purse where it sat on the desk and fished out her checkbook. It had been silly to wonder why Bishop had been working so hard to help her. It was obvious from the beginning that he had the same motivation anyone else did, and he just wanted money. That was fine; she could give it to him. “How much do you need?”
“Excuse me?” He stood frozen in the middle of the room, watching her from a distance.
“How much do you need? Or want? Whatever. What will tide you over until I’m out of this stupid town?” She was going to be nice about it, but Bishop was making it difficult.
“I don’t want your money.”
Lola sighed and rolled her eyes. “Bishop, there are only a few things people are looking for in life. From me, they just want money or entertainment. You’ve already made it quite clear that you don’t like my music, so just tell me how to make the check out and we can get this over with.”
He strode across the room so quickly that she flinched, uncertain of what he would do. Bishop raised his hand, and Lola nearly screamed, but he only slapped the checkbook out of her hand. It tumbled to the floor, the pen flying out of it. “What if I won’t accept that?”
Now it was her turn to be confused. “What are you talking about?”
“I’ll let you pay me,” he said with a nod, those mysterious eyes sweeping up and down her face. “But I don’t want money.”
Her throat went dry, and she realized just how close they were standing to each other. Through the thin fabric of her robe, she could feel the heat rising off his skin. It matched the heat that was building inside her, that had been building inside her ever since he had so casually slid into the booth seat next to her. Lola’s lungs demanded that she breathe faster, but she was acutely aware of how it made her chest heave. “I only have so much to give,” she whispered.
“Trust me. It would be plenty.” With a slowness that was painful, he tipped his head down and pressed his lips on hers. He was gentle, probing, giving her plenty of time to slap him away or fight him off. Chris was just outside the door, and it would only take a shout to bring him running in. But she didn’t need anyone to protect her, not now. She kissed him back, parting her lips as his demanded, delighting in the way his tongue felt as it slid against hers.
Those strong hands, the same ones that had brought her body to life in the alley behind the bar, slid down her arms, to her shoulders. They slowly descended, feeling every curve and muscle and rib on the way down until they reached her waist. The belt of her robe magically came undone, and Bishop released her from the confines of the fabric. Lola’s body was pressed against his, held there not just by his hands but by her own desire. She felt the fabric of his borrowed hotel vest against her sensitive nipples, and the hardness in his trousers pressed against her lower abdomen.
Lola had tried so hard to resist this man, but she knew now that there was no point. He wasn’t just some fan who wanted an autograph and a picture. He wasn’t a manager who thought he could manipulate her and make money off her. He was a man, a real man, and he did things because he knew what he wanted. And now she finally understood what she wanted.
Her fingers reached up to undo the fabric-covered buttons of his vest, followed by the ones on his shirt. The bare skin of his chest was even warmer now, and she spread her hands across it, exploring the fine dusting of hairs that covered the expanse.
Bishop didn’t break their kiss even as she undid the clasp on his pants, and when their bare bodies were pressed against each other he lifted her up onto the desk behind her. His hands pulled at her lower back, arching her toward him as she parted her legs around his hips. Lola gasped as the tip of his member pushed at her. She had wanted this, and she couldn’t say she was a virgin, but it was all so different with him. It was like something out of an erotic movie, and she was wet and ready for him.
He filled her with his shaft, pulsing slowly as his tongue explored every surface of her own. She moaned in his grip, entranced by the sensory overload. Her body was responding to his already, throbbing toward him with every thrust. Moving his lips away from her mouth to trail along her jawline, he gave her the chance to whisper his name. “Bishop …” She leaned her head back, allowing him to move down her neck to her shoulder. The air was cool on her skin where he had kissed it, raising goosebumps in the wake of his lips.
Her hair brushed against the curtains and she froze, realizing just how close they were to the window. The very last thing she needed was to have her fans see her naked ass pressed up against the glass while some tattooed biker fucked her.
But she didn’t need to say anything. Bishop’s hands were underneath her, keeping them joined as he lifted her up onto his hips and moved across the room. He laid her down on the bed, finally sliding his member out of her as he bent to pull her nipple into his mouth.
Lola watched with ecstasy as he teased it to a hard peak, alternately tickling it with the tip of his tongue and encasing as much of her breast as possible into the heat of his mouth. She wanted him inside her again, but she didn’t dare stop him as he turned his attention to the other nipple. He suckled until it, too, was hard. Just as Lola thought he was about to come inside her again, he moved even further down the bed instead.
“What are you doing?”
He paused, raising one eyebrow. “Don’t tell me you’re so innocent that you don’t know.”
“I just didn’t expect—oh!” She flung her head back and closed her eyes as he kissed her in her most private spot, making out with her sex like nobody ever had. He kissed and licked, teased and bit, tantalizing her until she didn’t think she could take it anymore without screaming. He buried his tongue inside her, delving into her just as he had in her mouth. Lola gripped the comforter on either side of her, her spine arching of its own volition as her insides shook. “Bishop!”
“That’s right. Say my name,” he growled, the vibrations of his voice continuing the job he had been doing with his lips and tongue. He attacked her savagely, bringing her to her climax.
“Bishop,” she repeated, fighting against screaming it out for the world to hear. “Oh, God, yes. Bishop!”
With a roar, he launched himself up on the mattress until he was once again on top of her, plunging his cock right back where it belonged. Lola spread her legs wide and wrapped them around his waist, needing him to be all the way inside her. The bed creaked dangerously as he plowed her, his hips thrusting and the hardness of his body hitting her in just the right way. Crackles of electricity sparked in her body from her fingers to her toes, jolting her into yet another round of orgasm. She clawed at his back, believing for a moment that there could never be anything more powerful than this.
His girth expanded as he gave one more powerful slam of his hips, and the two of them were suspended in time for a moment as their worlds exploded with pleasure. There was nothing in the room or even the universe but their two bodies, and the way that his made hers feels was exquisite. It was a cloud she didn’t want to come back down from, but as the tension of orgasm slowly relaxed and the room became visible around her once again, Lola realized just what was happening. Chris could come in at any time. There would be almost no way for her to keep this a secret if someone caught them.
Bishop seemed to sense it at the same time she did. He pushed himself off of her, dropping one last kiss on her collarbone before crossing the room to the bathroom to get towels. He tossed one to her while he began yanking his clothes back on. He didn’t say anything though, and that concerned her.
“Is everything all right?” She’d had more pleasure in that moment than she’d had in a long time, or maybe ever. It was hard to know anymore. Lola only knew that she hadn’t wanted it t
o end, and she was disappointed that it had. But the grim look on his face told her that he was regretting something.
Bishop looked up and smiled. For a moment, it was a kind smile, almost caring, but it quickly switched to that familiar cocky grin. “Absolutely. I’m pretty sure it was good for you, too.” He yanked on his trousers and buttoned them.
Lola wondered where he had left his real clothes, but that wasn’t the issue at hand. “Will I be seeing you again before I leave?”
He shrugged and pulled his arms into the sleeves of the white shirt. “I guess that depends on when you leave.”
He was talking, but there was still something wrong. Lola stood and picked up her robe where it had fallen into a silky puddle on the floor near the desk. She smirked to herself as she caught sight of the window out of the corner of her eye. If those fans down there had any idea what she had just been doing, they would go absolutely crazy. Bishop had understood her concerns without having to voice them, making her believe for a moment that they had a true—if odd—connection. But now he just seemed like he was desperate to get out of there.
