by Joanna Blake
"For the entire tour."
"Hmmm… I'm not sure she's going to like that Nick. You're not her only client you know."
"Ah but Jerry, I should be, shouldn't I? Plus she can do some scouting. I have an opening act or two in every major city in Europe, and that's just the first leg of the trip."
"That's not a bad idea… but it's a long way to go to find new talent."
Nick could sense that the wily old bastard was wavering.
"I would really feel so much more comfortable with her as my handler. Otherwise, who knows if I can keep track of all the promotional appearance she so carefully lined up for me? I might just- not show- or even worse- I might show up drunk. You know she would never let that happen."
He held his breath while Jerry did the mental calculations. In just a second he'd come to the exact conclusion that Nick wanted him to.
Sabrina had to accompany him on tour.
Three bloody months to get her in bed. Once she was there it shouldn't take much longer than that to get her out of his system.
"I agree completely Nick. I'll have the head of A&R inform her in the morning."
"Thanks Jerry. Here's to being filthy stinking rich."
Jerry laughed again, the sound echoing around the limo's speaker system.
"Yes, here's to that. Have a good night Nick."
"Later."
Marley was looking at him as if he were extremely disappointed in him. He hadn't made that face since the time Nick pissed off his hotel balcony in Paris onto the the Rue De Le Paix.
"You shouldn't have done that Nick."
"Shut up Marley and let me enjoy my victory."
Nick leaned back in his seat and put his hands behind his head. He let his mind wander, imagining all the things he would do with her… and all the different ways he would do it. He'd be gentle with her at first. But then he'd unleash the beast. No woman had ever turned down a turn in his bed. Hell, he usually had to kick them out.
He didn't think he'd be tossing Sabrina out of his bed any time soon. He had a feeling he wouldn't get bored of tangling in the sheets with her for a long time.
Maybe ever.
Little Miss Sabrina Newton was in for the ride of her life. Whether she liked it or not.
Six
It was happening again.
Sabrina was staring in horror. Her mother was shrinking in front of her eyes. It was horrible to watch. She reached out to touch her, to stop it, to help.
To do anything.
She woke up just before her mother disappeared completely. It was always the same dream. Except sometimes, her father was there too. Both of them disappearing until they were only wisps of smoke.
Snap out of it!
She knew she had to be practical. People passed on. It was a part of life. She was an adult now and there was no excuse for wallowing in this stuff.
Besides, she had stuff to do.
Damage control from that interview last night for starters.
She sighed and pushed herself out of bed. Nick was leaving on tour tomorrow. She had a lot of work to do to make sure everything was ready for him. She had a terrific tour manager who handled the accommodations and travel arrangements, but she needed to make sure he was booked on the best TV shows and that the PR staff got his concert into the newspapers and blogs.
Not that he deserved her help after what he had done.
But could she really say she was surprised? He was like a caged tiger and she'd poked him repeatedly with a stick. It hurt though. She'd thought he was beginning to respect her at least.
Apparently not.
Last night she'd come home and just wanted to forget everything. Instead she'd had a brief conversation with her father. He'd wanted to hear all about her day. She'd done her best to talk fast, before the pain got too bad. He'd told her how proud he was of her success. He'd reminded her that her mother would have said 'Good. Now work harder.'
It was never enough for them.
Her Aunt had taken the phone away from him and given Sabrina a curt goodnight. She'd stared at the phone, wondering if it was the last time she'd speak to her father.
She always wondered that.
Eventually she'd just gorged herself on rocky road ice cream and crawled into bed wearing her mother's old nightgown. She'd tossed and turned half the night, imagining the fallout from last night.
She stretched and went into the kitchen. It was 6 am. Time for coffee and then she could do some emailing before heading into the office.
Her phone was flashing. She had missed a call. Already.
It was from her boss.
Oh crap.
She ran to her laptop and refreshed her inbox.
She had one new email. Just one.
The subject read: Nick Falcon Upcoming Tour
She took a deep breath and read it. It was beyond her wildest imaginings.
Dear God.
It was so much worse than she could have imagined.
Sabrina,
You've done so well with the Falcon account that we've decided that you should be more hands on. You will be accompanying Nick Falcon for the next six weeks on the first leg of his tour. Then you'll have a short break before the second half in Asia. We expect you to be on the lookout for fresh talent, as well as keeping Nick on track. You must be available to him 24/7.
Your salary will receive a 20% bump as well as a generous food and entertainment per diem.
Your other clients will be looked after when you are gone as a temporary measure. This is a really big step in your career Sabrina. Keep up the good work.
-Adam
Sabrina stared at her computer screen. Was this a joke? Did they really expect her to be 'hands on?' What did that even mean? 24/7??? It sounded like they wanted her to be at her clients beck and call for God's sake.
There was only one thing for certain. Nick Falcon was behind this. And there was no way she was letting him get away with it.
**********
"Twenty eight, twenty nine, thirty, thirty one- don't stop- thirty two- come on Nick!"
Sandy was leaning on his back, pressing down on him while he did resistance push ups. It was his fifth bloody set of the day and he was tired.
He hadn't slept well last night.
He'd been thinking about her.
"I'm done love. Tapped. Sorry."
He bent his arms and rolled onto his back. Sandy smiled down at him suggestively.
"Does that mean you aren't going to fuck me today either?"
He shook his head.
"Sorry love. It's just not in the cards. Not that you don't look delectable as always."
She rolled her eyes at him and handed him a towel.
"I saw you on TV last night."
He said nothing, just blotted some of the sweat off his face.
"You looked good."
"It's all thanks to you doll."
She laughed and tossed him a water bottle.
"Stretch."
He pulled hard on the water and tossed the towel around his neck. He reached for his toes, as Sandy came up behind him and pressed gently down on his back. It felt sublime.
"So was that true? About you having a girlfriend?"
He snorted.
"No love. Nothing of the sort."
"But-"
He was trying to think of a way to change the subject when Sabrina burst into the room. Marley was right behind her, waving his hands.
Good. He'd been expecting her. Hell, he'd looking forward to this.
"Sorry Nick- she ran past me."
He smiled at her. Jesus, the air went right out of his lungs at the sight of her. She wasn't dressed for work for once. She was wearing jeans and a white cotton button down. She looked good. No, better than good.
She looked bloody gorgeous as usual.
And angrier than a hornet.
"What the hell Nick? Did you seriously go above my head to get even with me? I'm trying to help your career in case you weren't aware. I
'm not doing this for my own amusement!"
He smiled at her. She looked spectacular with her eyes blazing and her cheeks bright pink.
"I am."
That brought her up short.
"What?"
He stood and took a long swig from his bottle.
"I'm doing this for my own amusement."
Her mouth opened and she stared at him, completely at a loss for words.
"You don't even know what you are doing to me do you? Can't you just call Jerry back and ask him to change his mind?"
He smiled patronizingly. He didn't have a clue what she was going on about. There was no way he was changing his mind about bringing her on tour. She could go on and be angry for as long as she wanted, just as long as she ended up in his bed. He knew he was being a cad. But he didn't care.
He was going to win.
"I'm going to need extra special attention during the tour. How else can the label be sure I'm actually showing up for my appearances? You're the one who set them up darling, so you're the best bet to handle my needs."
"Handle- your what?"
"You heard me sweetheart. Pack your bags, we leave in less than-"
He checked his watch, enjoying himself tremendously.
"Fifteen hours."
"But-"
"No buts darling. Accept your fate."
He grabbed her hand and froze, startled by the electricity that crackled where he touched her. Her skin was so soft… He lifted her hand to his lips, pressing a kiss there.
Christ she smelled good!
"Sorry sweetheart. But this is checkmate."
He smiled roguishly at the outraged look on her face. She yanked her hand from his and stormed out of the room. Marley threw his hands in the air and followed her out.
He turned around to see Sandy watching him with a calculating expression.
"So that's why you don't want to fuck."
"What are you on about now?"
She shook her head.
"You've got it bad, Nick. I've never seen you this way."
"I just like messing with her. She's got a rail up her ass. And what a nice ass it is."
"Uh huh. Sure. You know what they say about opposites."
"What's that?"
"They attract."
He said nothing. She was right of course. He did have it bad. His reaction to seeing her today was scaring the shit out of him if he was honest. He'd just have to nail the girl six ways from sunday. Then he'd be back to normal.
Whatever that meant.
"Oh come on Nick, don't tell me you don't want to fuck her."
Nick grinned at Sandy, raising his eyebrow.
"Well I didn't say that."
**********
Sabrina stared at her luggage, lined up on the living room floor. She never understood why people put luggage on beds. Luggage was dirty. Beds were clean. She shook her head. What the hell was she thinking about?
Oh right, anything but him.
Nick Falcon.
The bane of her existence.
He'd actually beat her once and for all. Getting her away from the office right after her promotion was career suicide, especially because it would just confirm what he'd said on TV about her sleeping with him.
Well, he hadn't said it flat out. But he'd certainly implied it. That made it seem more real.
Now she was leaving when both her job and her father's health were in critical stages.
Damnit.
Of course her father had supported her going. He'd found it all very exciting. He was a big fan of Nick Falcon, the legend. Little did he know that the legend had it in for his daughter.
No, that wasn't quite right. He had something for her, but it was more complicated than that. It was a crush.
An evil, evil crush.
It wasn't even flattering to be wanted by a guy like him. He was so well known for being a dog when it came to women. Sabrina knew she was just another spoke in his wheel.
A very big wheel.
She threw her hands up. She had no idea how to pack for Europe. She'd never traveled, except to get to and from school or to get home to see her dad every couple of months.
But she always drove when she could. It took thirteen hours to get from LA to Devil's Rock, Colorado. Each way. But she did it at least five times a year. Even if she just went up for the weekend.
That's how much she hated flying.
And now she was going to fly halfway across the globe.
Thanks to him.
Seven
Nick was peering out the window as they pulled up to Sabrina's house. He was trying to get a good look at the place. He wanted to know everything there was to know about her. He had sudden vision of himself peeking out of windows at her, like his mum used to do down the east end.
He was feeling like bloody busy body!
The house was small, cottage style. Painted a pale blue with white trim and neat as a pin. Just as he'd expected. There were flowers too, but they looked a bit forlorn. Not a gardener then.
That didn't surprise him either.
The front door open and Sabrina walked out, rolling a medium piece of luggage behind her. She had a garment bag in the other hand. The driver took the bags from her as Marley opened the limo door and got out. He stepped to the side and suddenly Nick could see her.
Ahhhhh. There she was. The sight of her was like drinking a tall glass of cool water on a hot day.
She walked toward the limo in skin tight jeans and a big camel colored sweater wrap. On her cute little feet were high heeled black ankle boots. She looked fantastic, even though too much of her was covered up.
She just hit the spot. There was no other way to put it. It reminded him of when he used to smoke. The first cig of the day had felt like this. He was already addicted and he hadn't even had her.
Yet.
He stepped out of the limo and whispered to Marley without taking his eyes off her.
"Marley, go sit up front."
"What?"
He just stared at him.
"Oh, okay Nick. Whatever you say."
Marley made himself scarce as Sabrina walked up to Nick. He was practically salivating as she got closer to him.
"Hello Princess."
"Don't call me that."
"Alright love, whatever you say. Shall we?"
She eyed him warily and then accepted his hand. He guided her into the limo, getting a quick view of her high round bottom. The girl was beautifully built.
It really was a remarkably grabbable ass. He resisted the urge to put both hands on it and squeeze.
He winked at Marley and climbed in behind her, slamming the door.
"Don't call me that either."
"What's that?"
He was distracted by the smell of her. She was sitting as far as she could get from him, but he'd gotten a good whiff when she passed him. She smelled like… lemons. And something else. Something soft and feminine.
Heavenly.
"Love."
"I'm sorry?"
He was mentally undressing her and outfitting her with a whole slew of provocative ensembles. For his eyes only of course. Nurses uniforms. Black lace stockings. The list went on and on.
"Don't call me 'love.'"
He tore his gaze from her thighs to her face.
"Well, we're off to a splendid start."
"Mr. Falcon, please I'm serious. I have a job to do here. It's important that people respect me. That starts with you."
He felt a flash of guilt. He had made her out to sound like a bit of a tart. He couldn't help it though. He wanted her to be a tart.
He wanted her to be his tart.
"Right. That sound fair. But no one's here right now are they buttercup?"
She rolled her eyes. He was deliberately baiting her to see what she'd come up wit next.
"Honestly, what would you do if I called you honey dumpling or something?"
"Honey dumpling?"
He started laughing. That
was the silliest thing he'd ever heard. She stared at him for a moment before a smile crept over her face. He'd never really seen her smile.
Jesus, she was even more beautiful than he'd thought. It wasn't just her face. It was what was inside her. It shone out of her like light a billion watt bulb.
She started laughing with him. The limo was speeding along the freeway toward LAX while the two of them slowly lost their minds to a giggling fit that simply would not stop.
"You are really-" he gasped as he tried to get enough breath to speak. "Really, bad at comebacks."
She was still laughing but his comment made her giggled uncontrollably again.
"It's true! I'm the worst. I never once won a fight in grammar school."
The laughter dried up in his chest. He found himself staring into those deep indigo eyes.
"No love you're not the worst. You're the best."
She stopped laughing abruptly. She swallowed and stared into his eyes. She looked away after just a brief moment. But he'd almost seen something in her eyes-
"All the same Mr. Falcon. It's a bad habit to get into."
He leaned forward and gave her his most serious face.
"Alright love, I'll make you a deal."
She cocked her head to the side, listening.
"I won't call you 'sugar britches' or any nicknames until you give me permission."
She was holding back another giggle at his mention of sugar britches, just as he'd hoped.
"As long as you stop calling me Mr. Falcon."
She sighed deeply, as if expecting some sort of a trick. Little did she know.
"What do you want me to call you?"
"Dumpling butter of course."
She gave him a disapproving look. He held up his hands in surrender.
"I'll call you Sabrina and you call me Nick."
"Alright."
"Do we have a deal?"
She nodded, clearly relieved. He felt like all kinds of a heel all of the sudden. He was manipulating her to get what he wanted. He was using any means necessary to get around her healthy distrust of him.
"Deal."
"Let's shake on it."
She held out her hand and his breath caught. She was so straightforward. So honest. So ready to believe the he would keep his word. She literally took his breath away.
