by Joanna Blake
He wanted her to be his.
He stared down into the street below. The paparazzi had finally figured out which hotel he was in. He hoped Sabrina wouldn't be too upset when she realized they weren't just there for him.
They were there for her too.
"Got them!"
Nick turned and saw Marley holding a huge stack of newspapers and magazines. He
"Let's have a look then."
He picked up a magazine, flipping through it. It was mostly pictures of starlets and people he didn't recognize.
"Who are these people?"
Marley peeked over his shoulder.
"Reality TV stars mate."
Nick rolled his eyes and flipped back to the cover. It was split down the middle with two large photos on either side. On the right there was a picture of Sabrina at some event she must have gone to for the record label. She was wearing a black dress with those impossibly high heels she wore sometimes. She looked cold. Professional. Beautiful.
The other side of the cover was a picture of Nick accepting an MTV award a few years back. He frowned. He'd forgotten about that. Somewhere, in one of his houses, he had a stack of those moon man awards. A couple of grammys too.
Maybe if he settled down, he could put that sort of thing on a mantle. That sounded nice. Of course in his mind, she would be there too. Helping him polish his gold records.
He tossed the magazine back into the pile. He stared down at it and smiled grimly. Splashed across their pictures were the words "DATE NICK!"
In fact, most of the magazines had some sort of entreaty on his behalf. It was just the beginning though. He was going to war against the woman he was falling in love with. She was a worthy adversary but it didn't matter.
Soon she'd learn. He was playing for keeps. And he'd do anything to win.
Ten
Sabrina was stretching in her room after using the hotel gym. She'd pounded the treadmill for almost an hour, trying to clear her head.
It didn't work. Of course it hadn’t.
Her mind was full of recriminations, confusion, conflicting desires. On one hand, she was embarrassed that she'd been rejected. On the other, she was starting to suspect that Nick's feelings for her were sincere. She wasn't sure if she wanted to let him in after the fiasco last night. But she had a strong suspicion that he wasn't going to give up.
Never mind that she'd further jeopardized her career by even inviting him to her hotel room.
Her mother would not be pleased.
She felt nice and loose at least, for the first time since she'd found out she was going on this tour. If only it was just a regular scouting trip, or Nick was just a regular client. Or that he'd actually needed her there, instead of just wanting her.
He did want her though. That much was certain. If he'd turned down a quick roll in the hay then he probably wanted more than she'd initially thought. Right?
Three knocks sounded on the door.
She pushed her hair out of her face and opened it, half expecting to see Nick. Marley stood there with a basket in his hands. He held it toward her.
"Special delivery."
He grinned cheekily as she took the basket. Then he tipped his hat and left.
She carried it inside and set it down on the table. There was a folded note on top. She opened it.
Good morning love. I thought you would enjoy some reading material. I expect you to join me at Galvin at Windows after the show for a late dinner so rest up, relax, and most importantly, read.
Yours,
Nick
Christ, did he think that was funny? Even she knew that Galvins was on the 28th floor of the London Hilton. He already knew she was not a fan of heights. And besides, she hadn't agreed to dinner. She shook her head at his persistence and pulled off the napkin that was covering the contents of the basket.
And froze.
There were dozens of magazines and newspapers inside the basket. From she could tell, they all had the same thing in common.
Her face was on the cover. With his.
Dear God.
She sank to the chair and flipped through the stack. Everyone had a picture of them separately, or together. There were even some in the papers of him helping her out of the limo yesterday. He had a warm look in his eyes while she looked utterly preoccupied.
Crap. Had he really been looking at her like that? He had his heart on his sleeve.
This was more worse than she could have imagined. It took her a few minutes of staring blindly at the basket before she realized that all the headlines were nearly identical. It was the same message, listed over and over again. The message was for her.
DATE NICK!
She choked back a hysterical laugh. What on earth was he playing at? And how had he pulled this off? She picked up a copy of the London Mirror. It was a rag in the true sense of the word; pure sensationalism. Not surprisingly, they had used half the front page to cover the story. After all, this was Nick's home territory.
Lord knows, they adored their prodigal son. There was a picture of a younger Nick smoking a cigarette and looking wild and rangy. Inset inside the image was a close up of her. She was staring straight forward with a slightly aggravated smile. The picture looked familiar somehow. She gasped and ran for her purse, yanking out her wallet.
She fished through it until she found it: her work ID.
My god. They must have gotten it from someone at the label. This was bad. This was very, very bad.
She walked back to the table and sat down again. She picked up the paper and read.
Who is Sabrina Newton? This lucky girl is the object of gorgeous rocker Nick Falcon's affection. Only it seems, she doesn't want him! Nick was very candid last night on the Graham Norton show, stating that despite being unsuccessfully married three times in the past, he was ready to turn over a new leaf. If only Sabrina will let him!
Come on London! Let's convince the lady to give Nick a shot!
She strangled back a laugh. He'd done it. He'd really done it. He had her good and trapped. She was almost ready to give in to him. But this also smacked of bullying, didn't it? She'd been told what to do her whole life. For once, she wanted to make her own decision.
Just then there was another knock at the door.
She opened it, expecting to see Marley again. But it was a waiter with an enormous cart.
"Room service!"
"But I didn't order anything."
"Mr. Falcon thought you might need sustenance."
She stepped aside as he rolled the cart into the room. He lifted tray after tray, revealing an absurd number of breakfast dishes.
"It's too much!"
The waiter nodded proudly.
"He ordered the whole menu."
Her mouth opened as the waiter bowed and headed for the door.
"Wait- your tip!"
"It's been taken care of Ms. Newton. Oh and if I may be so bold, date Nick!"
She stared at the door after he closed it behind him, then back at the food.
It was going to be a long day.
**********
"You want another one?"
The crowd roared.
"I said, DO YOU WANT ANOTHER ONE?"
The screams from the Wembley Stadium were so loud you could hear them straight across town. Hell, you could probably hear it in Liverpool.
He grinned and signaled to the band. They were the regular blokes he toured with. Not a studio band, but a get up on your fucking feet and scream kind of band.
Nick was on fire tonight. All the pent up frustrations of the past few weeks were fueling a performance that was exceeding anything he'd ever done before. He had the crowd eating out of his sweaty, callused hand.
"Alright, but just ONE FUCKING MORE!"
They launched into one of his old songs, one of the best songs. The one about finally getting your hands on the woman you wanted. This was one song he could really relate to. He unleashed his sexual energy into the song and out onto the crowd.
He knew she was waiting in the wings. It was giving him an incredible boost, knowing she was there. Watching. Wanting him. Whether she wanted to admit it or not.
It's a good thing Sabrina hadn't asked him to stay the night with her tonight, because he would have taken her up on it. Oh yes, he would have gladly spent the night in her bed. And then he'd have to convince her to let him stay in it.
This way was easier. They would have dinner together. They would eat, and talk. He wanted to know more about her. And then he would lay down his ground rules. She was going to be his. She would be going on the extended tour to Asia as well. She would make herself bloody available to him whenever he bloody well wanted!
He sang his heart out. When the song was over he left the stage to collect his prize.
But she wasn't there.
Marley was smiling at him, clasping his sweaty shoulder as they walked to the dressing room. A throng of decidedly young looking girls stood outside, preening for him. He ignored them.
"Send them home."
Marley nodded and whispered to the security guard in the hallway. Nick leaned over the makeup counter and stared into the mirror.
"Where is she?"
"She already went back to the hotel."
"When?"
"The minute it was over mate."
So she had stayed. She had been there to watch at least. That had to count for something, right?
Marley shifted on his feet uncomfortably.
"So, do you want me to get the girls back?"
"No mate. Let's just call it a night."
Eleven
Sabrina opened her eyes slowly. It was only 5 am. Why was she up? It must be nerves, she decided. She had to do prep work for Paris. They left in 24 hours. She sat up and screamed.
A strange man was in her room.
No- it wasn't a stranger. It was Nick.
"Jesus!"
"Shhh… do you want the hotel security to show up?
She shook her head vehemently.
"What are you doing here Nick?"
He grinned at her.
"I'm abducting you."
She just stared at him, not sure what to think. He'd broken into her room. Then again, he hadn't actually done anything once he was in there.
"What time is it?"
"It's early. I can never sleep after a show. It's too bad you didn't make your offer last night. I would have taken you up on it."
He smiled at her sensually.
"But I would have ignored your silly rules."
"Nick I'm tired. How did you get in here anyway?"
He lifted an eyebrow.
"A good pirate never tells."
She giggled and clasped her hand over her mouth.
"Pirate?"
He nodded and climbed onto the foot of the bed, fishing around under the sheets for her ankle.
"Arrrrr!"
She kicked at him as he grabbed her feet, tickling them.
"Stop! Eeek! Nick!"
He lifted his hands and she glared at him. He was sitting on her bed, grinning at her roguishly.
"You're very ticklish aren't you? That's a good sign."
"Sign for what?"
He just wiggled his eyebrows at her suggestively. She glared at him.
"It's 'Yar'"
"What?"
She sighed and sat up.
"Pirates say 'yar' and 'ahoy'. Zombies and mummies say 'arrrr.'"
"You're quite the authority on this aren't you?"
"I baby sat in high school."
He grinned at her.
"I wish you would have baby sat me. I was such a bad boy."
She pushed herself out of bed and padded into the bathroom, ignoring him. He was craning his neck to see as she shut the door.
"There's still time!"
**********
Nick waited patiently while Sabrina showered and changed in the bathroom. He had almost hoped she might ask him to join her but no such luck. At least she was going along with his scheme. He ordered up two coffees to go. He'd remembered how she liked it; black, with half a packet of raw sugar. That was a first for him. He'd had trouble remember his ex wives birthdays, let alone their likes and dislikes.
Everything about this was a first if he was honest with himself.
He had a grand day planned for them. They'd start with breakfast at E Pellicci in East End. Then they'd go to the park and Camden Market, all the places he would hang around in his youth, causing trouble. Then he was taking her home.
By tube.
All incognito.
He wondered what she would think of it.
She came out of the shower looking fresh as a daisy. She had on tight worn in jeans and a oversized black t shirt. She pulled on a black jacket, cut in a military style. He handed her the coffee and she smiled gratefully.
"Thanks."
"Come on then love."
"Where are we going?"
"I'm showing you London. My London."
He pulled her out into the hallway and waited while she checked that her door was locked three times. He rolled his eyes. She was so adorably persnickety.
She stopped when they passed the elevator banks.
"We're not taking that elevator. We're taking this one."
He pushed open a door at the end of the hallway revealing the less than pristine service elevator. Inside was one of the door men waiting in full livery. He held out a shopping bag.
Nick ushered Sabrina inside and opened the shopping bag. He handed her a plain khaki baseball hat and a pair of cheap sunglasses. She stared at the items in her hands.
"What's this Nick?"
"Your disguise."
He grinned and pulled out a checkerboard cap and red sunglasses. He gave the doorman a look.
"Is this the best you could do?"
The door man shrugged and hid a smile. Sabrina was laughing at him as he pulled on the cap and glasses. She reached out and touched his head.
"Wait- you still have your tags."
He grinned at her goofily as she pulled the tags off and stuffed them into her jacket pocket.
"Thanks love."
He handed the door man a couple hundred pounds as they left. The man smiled broadly and whispered to Sabrina as they hustled out the elevator.
"Date Nick!"
**********
Sabrina watched as Nick joked around with the owners of the incredible cafe he'd taken her to. It had been there since 1900 apparently and in the same family the whole time. They remembered Nick from the old days, when he'd been a half starved teenager with long hair.
He hadn't often been able to afford eating out, but when he did he came there. She couldn't help but laugh, imagining a skinny, scruffy bad to the bone little Nick Falcon coming into this place and getting a scone.
Something new she learned about Nick: he loved scones.
He was demonstrating the proper way to eat one. His eyes closed in ecstasy as he dipped it in his tea and nibbled daintily on the tip. She would have laughed but she was feeling something else entirely at that moment.
Desire.
She swallowed her tea too quickly, burning her mouth a little. She'd been imagining him touching her. Nibbling on her.
Oh god. She was in trouble. She couldn't just run away this time either. Worse yet, she didn't want to. Even though she knew he was going to end up hurting her in the end. It was inevitable.
So was her losing her heart to him.
He was grinning at her while he finished up the rest of his scone. She put on a brave face and smiled at him.
"Where to next?"
"My old stomping grounds."
"Where's that?"
"Where else? Camden Town."
**********
Nick slipped his hand into hers. Sabrina glanced at him and he squeezed her palm. He heaved a huge sigh of relief when she didn't pull away.
He told himself it was only because he didn't want to lose her in the crowd. But it was more than that. H
e wanted to touch her so badly that holding her hand was making fireworks go off in his head.
They were walking through the stalls at Camden Market. Nobody was recognizing them at all. It was bliss.
So far, they are having a bloody perfect day.
They'd already perused a few record stalls and bought several of the albums that had influenced Nick, plus a few she wanted him to try. They both shared a love of music that surprised him. She had seemed all business to him, but there was a reason she chose the music industry.
Other than the added bonus of dating rock stars of course.
He grinned to himself.
She'd said something about loving the escape of listening to records up in her attic bedroom growing up. Her parents had refused to buy her a stereo. They'd needed the money for other, more important things. But they'd had the old 1960's record player left behind by the previous tenants. They'd left a lot of records behind too. She'd go up stairs and get lost in the music.
He smiled at the image of uptight little Sabrina Newton laying on her bed listening to Joni Mitchell or the Mama's and the Papa's.
"What was your favorite?"
She grinned at him.
"Creedence."
A loud laugh had exploded from his chest, causing other people to turn and stare. They'd had to quickly put their heads down and get lost in the crowd to avoid detection.
It was only later, while he watched her pick out an old concert t shirt that he realized she hadn't said what she needed to escape from.
He'd been clinging to her hand all day, finally letting go to pay for a cone of fries for them to share. Her eyes had widened as he'd poured vinegar straight onto the fried potato crisps. Gingerly she had picked one up with her fingertips and crunched the very end of it. Her eyes had widened as the tangy flavor exploded in her mouth. She took another tiny bite. And then another. It took her a half an hour to eat a handful of crisps.
But he wasn't annoyed. He was enamored.
Nick stopped short when it hit him. She was imperfect. Bossy, overly self sufficient, fussy, bloody adorable. And his.
