***
Larry chose that moment to visit Colin. He met Kelly at the door, much to his delight. He knew today would be a good day.
“Hello,” Kelly greeted him.
“How is our rock star today?” Larry asked.
Kelly smiled. Larry liked that smile. Maybe more than he should. They had a business relationship. “Well he’s done having his tantrum so I guess he’s fine.”
“Tantrum? Colin? Not the type.”
“Well he did for me. Demanded that Tamra be his guard or he’d find some other company to do this.”
“For the record, he can’t fire you. I have no plans on doing that. I’m sorry for the behavior. It really is unlike him.”
Kelly glanced at the closed door. “If you say so.”
“Can I make it up to you?”
“No need, though you might talk to Tamra. She’s the one being inconvenienced.”
“Well, you’ve had to smooth some feathers this morning. I need to talk to Colin before his appointment, but could I meet you for lunch in a few hours?”
“Lunch?”
“Yes, to discuss your updates on the case.”
Kelly chewed her lip. “Sure.”
Larry grinned. “I have your cell. As soon as I can I’ll let you know when I’m available. You pick the place.”
“Okay.”
She got in her car and drove away. Then he did a happy dance. He was having lunch with a beautiful woman. Nice.
He pushed open the front door to Colin’s house to find the man standing there. “Got a date?”
“Sort of.”
“Should you be romancing the employee?”
“Look who is talking. You don’t think that having Tamra move in is obvious?”
“No, it’s not. I know what I’m doing.”
“So do I. You have that appointment this morning with the fragrance company?”’
“Yes and if I don’t leave soon, I’ll be late.”
“They probably are expecting you to be.”
“All the more reason to not be late. Let me go let Tamra know we have to leave.”
A knock sounded on the door. “Would that be your limo?”
Colin nodded. “You don’t expect me to actually drive in Manhattan? Especially not the Aston.”
“No, I guess not. I’ll tell the driver you’re almost ready. You get Tamra.”
“Deal.”
*
Tamra was just about finished unpacking when she heard soft footfalls in the hallway. She stiffened.
“Hey, Tamra. I have an appointment in New York. We need to go.”
She nodded, checked her gun and put it in a holster.
“You’re carrying?”
“Yes, I have a permit in several states.”
“Interesting. Will you take me shooting with you at some point?”
She eyed him. Shooting. “To the range? You’d want to do that?”
“Yes, of course, but we have to go. The car is here.”
“The car?”
“Yeah, I don’t drive in Manhattan.”
The car was a Lincoln Continental with tinted windows.
“I could have driven you.”
“Your car is in the shop.”
“I could have rented one. I had no time to clear this driver.”
Colin pointed to the driver. “He’s my cousin. He owns the place. Sean, meet Tamra. Tamra meet Sean.”
Tamra looked the man over, but so no resemblance to Colin. “Nice to meet you.”
She still would have done a background check or driven him herself. She could have rented a car if necessary. She slid into the back seat and Colin closed her door.
When he got it the car she said, “Let me get out first and get in last. It’s safer that way.”
“Okay. You’re the boss.”
“Remember that.”
She looked out the window, not wanting to speak to him. She had to be on alert. He was distraction that was not going to help her do her job. It made sense on so many levels to have some guy in the house but he would not have liked that. He’d insisted that she do the job and the customer had the final say in some things.
“I’m sorry that you’re inconvenienced.”
“It’s my job.”
“But you don’t often guard the client. You have people you hire.”
“Yes. I’m here. Under duress, so let’s stop talking about it.”
***
After a painfully silent ride into Manhattan, the limousine driver dropped them off in front of a high rise building. Tamra exited the vehicle first, looking round then motioning for Colin to follow her.
She hustled him into the building, not that anyone would have blinked if they’d seen him. This was New York City, home of those who were jaded. He’d walked down the street more than once in Manhattan without getting accosted.
He did dress differently than he did on stage. Maybe that helped.
Perfumery Solutions was located on the fifth floor of the building. A perky receptionist met them and offered them coffee.
Tamra sat next to him looking around.
“Roger already checked this place out.”
“Is he a professional bodyguard?”
“No.”
“Then I’m not completely comfortable here.”
“What do you think is going to happen? Do you think my stalker is going to force his way into a building in Manhattan at gunpoint?”
“You don’t know what this stalker will do. They usually are not stable and they assume a relationship with you that isn’t there. Doesn’t that bother you in the least?”
“Like I said, I’m not convinced this person is a threat.”
“Then why did you hold your breath until I agreed to take your case on personally?”
She had him there. Could he tell her? Would she run screaming from the building? “I may not believe it, but all of you do. Why not have the best?”
“Flattery will get you nowhere.”
“I’m finding that out.”
Damn. She was one tough lady.
***
Tamra didn’t go into the meeting with the fragrance company. It lasted an hour and she sat doing work on her laptop until Colin came out of the meeting, a smile on his face. He shook everyone’s hands while Tamra called for the driver.
She wondered what went on in the meeting but Colin was a chatty guy. She had no doubt he was going to tell her. During the whole trip back to New Jersey.
Lucky her.
The driver was there when the left the building. Colin slid in first then Tamra was in. The driver pulled back into traffic.
“That was a great meeting. I feel like they were listening to me,” Colin said.
Midtown traffic was at its usual crawl. They sat in a long line for the Holland Tunnel. Tamra was eager to get back across the Hudson. She’d spent enough time in her youth in a city. She preferred the quiet and clean air of the country.
She couldn’t breathe in the city.
“Listening to you?”
“Sometimes I feel like they want to pat me on my head and tell me to go play my guitar. I’ve had lawyers do that when I’ve sat in on negotiations. Larry has never treated me that way. One of the reasons he’s been my agent for so long.”
“You don’t think at this point you’d command respect?”
“Inside the industry, yes. Not outside. Too often stars use their fame as vehicles for other things such as political purposes. I don’t think that’s right and I’m not one to do that. I could get behind a charity but that’s it. Just because I can sing and play music doesn’t mean that my opinion matters more than anyone else’s.”
Interesting. Not really self-absorbed. Surprising. Or was he just handing her a line?
She didn’t want to make conversation. He clearly did. She sighed. “What did you talk about at the meeting?”
“I want to do a fragrance. Obviously I can’t create one so this company will. We talked about what
kind I wanted. I hadn’t thought about it before I went into the meeting.”
“For instance?”
“Well, did I want it musky or woody? I smelled a few raw materials but they are going to set up a meeting to smell some more and then I can decide what direction for them to go in. Then they’ll have a few samples for me to smell and I’ll choose the final product.”
“A men’s cologne?”
“Well, both men’s and women’s. They’ll give them a cool name and my name will also be on the bottle.”
Tamra didn’t wear anything like that so she’d never thought about the process of making them. Colin seemed to be excited about the whole situation.
He chattered away as she nodded and looked out the window.
Then they arrived home.
***
“Stay in the car,” Tamra commanded.
“What?”
“Your front door is open. In fact, Sean, please drive him around the block. Call 911.”
“You’re not going in there alone,” Colin said.
She glanced over her shoulder at him. “I’m paid to protect you. Chivalry is not needed in this situation.”
He put a hand on her arm. “Don’t. Stay in the car. There’s no threat to me right now.”
She seemed to chew on that. Then she closed the door. “Okay. Drive. I’ll call the cops.”
Colin’s heart pounded. He didn’t like the idea that his personal space had been invaded. It wasn’t his actual home but this was his temporary home. He thanked the stars above that Tamra had stayed in the limousine.
She didn’t need to be a hero. He needed her to be alive.
Maybe she and Larry were right. Maybe there was a threat to him. But who was the threat? Who near him wanted to terrorize him?
Sean drove them down the street and parked. The limousine had tinted windows so no one could see inside but Colin was a little antsy anyway.
At least Tamra was safe.
“You can calm down. You are safe here with me and Sean,” she said.
“I know. I’m just so careful about preserving my privacy that the thought of someone else in my place bothers me.”
“You were so eager for me to move in.”
That was different. “I considered your presence a necessity. Or at least I had been convinced of it.”
“And now?”
“Completely convinced.”
A cop car pulled into the driveway of the house Colin was renting. He wanted to get out, but Tamra had told them where she was. “They will tell us when it’s safe.”
“I know. I just want to see what’s been done.”
“I know. I want to look at the tapes. You did lock the door right? Larry was here. Did he forget?”
“Holy crap. He was out after us. Maybe that’s it.”
“Call him.”
Colin did.
“No, Colin, I closed the door behind me,” Larry said. “Do you want to find another place to rent? It might take me a few days.”
“No, we’ll see what went on here first,” Colin said. He disconnected. “No, he insists he closed the door.”
For the first time, Colin actually felt unnerved. He was also glad that Tamra had been here. He might have stormed into the house. She had never looked so sexy.
“We’ll see what the recording says.”
***
The cops let them back in. Nothing had been moved as far as Colin knew. Tamra reviewed the recording while he led the cops around the house.
What she saw made her wonder what was going on. She played it three times to make sure she was seeing what she thought.
“Damn.”
“What?” Colin said, entering the kitchen.
“Oh, there’s nothing substantial on here.”
She didn’t want to lie to him, but she needed to sort this out first. Before she told him what she thought the problem was.
“The cops left. Nothing’s missing. Looks like maybe the door wasn’t locked.”
“You’re still spooked?”
“Yes, I am. And happy that you are here.”
He stepped closer to her. Closer than she wanted him to be. He touched her arm. “Thanks.”
“I’m really just doing my job.”
“No, it’s more than that to you. If it were a job you would have overridden my tantrum and assigned someone else.”
“So you do admit you had a tantrum.”
“Yes, I did. For a reason. Several. One of them is that I don’t like many people in my space so I’d rather have someone I know.”
“You don’t know me.”
“After this I probably will.”
He wasn’t wrong. They’d be working closely together until this was over. She’d know him pretty well, not that she wanted to.
Well, okay she wanted to see him naked, but that was different. She’d seen most of him, but she was too embarrassed at the time to enjoy the view. She’d never had this instant physical reaction to anyone. Never.
Why now? Why him? Some spoiled rock star that she wouldn’t have a future with. Or maybe that was why. He was inaccessible. Maybe a fling would be a good thing.
No, it would be a distraction. Not if it’s just sex.
“You look like you’re trying to solve a major problem.”
He’d stepped even closer. Her eyes widened. What was he doing?
“Let me help with this dilemma.”
He leaned down and planted a sweet soft kiss on her lips.
CHAPTER 5
Colin was enjoying the sensation of Tamra’s lips on his when he felt a hand shove him away. Hard. He stepped back because he had no choice. She was stronger than she looked.
Her lips had been soft and sweet and he could have spent a day two with his against hers. Alas, that was not happening.
“What the hell was that?” she asked, her lips swollen from his assault. She stroked a hand across them.
Colin rubbed the spot she might as well have punched. He’d have a bruise for sure and he didn’t bruise easily. She’d been right to push him away. She had no idea what had been going on in his head. He’d needed to touch another human being to reaffirm he was alive. “I was just letting you know how I feel.”
That had been stupid.
Her eyes flashed at him. “Really? You think that was appropriate?”
Maybe humor was the answer. “Well, I think it was nice. A little short.”
“This isn’t funny.”
He knew that. He did, but he liked that he finally got a reaction out of her. He stepped farther away from her. Her eyes were on fire, her arms crossed, her lips pursed. She was pretty pissed at him.
And pretty when she was pissed, but he chose to keep that to himself. “I don’t think it’s funny. I just thought I was helping with whatever problem you were working through.”
She blinked. “And how would kissing me solve any problem?”
“Well if you were deciding to kiss me or not then I helped.”
“That wasn’t what I was deciding.”
She looked away for a moment and that gave him a spark of hope. She was lying. She was thinking about him. Maybe not kissing him, but something along those lines. He’d been in her thoughts and that’s where it all started.
He didn’t smile, didn’t gloat. He just took it all in. She would give in, eventually.
“What were you thinking about?”
“Maybe about this case? Maybe about how the stalker has now escalated things?”
He still thought she was lying. She didn’t look at him straight on. Instead she looked at her hands on her keyboard. She chewed her lip. He would bet she was having doubts about some things including her feelings for him.
“You saw something on the video?”
If he hadn’t been watching her so closely he wouldn’t have seen her hesitation. “No, I didn’t.”
She closed her laptop. “What’s next on your agenda?”
His head spun from the rapid change of subject. “Lun
ch.”
He turned away from her and he thought he heard her let out a breath. Was he that scary or was she that unsure about him? He was a good guy. She didn’t know that yet. She would.
He set about making lunch, meatball parmesan sandwiches. He gave Tamra her space while he did it. She didn’t open up her laptop. He assumed she watched him. Being on stage, he was used to people watching him.
The front door opened and Tamra was out of her chair as if she’d been shot from a cannon.
“It’s probably Roger. He’s here’s to help me with the clothing line.”
“Someone else will be here?” Tamra said from the door.
“Yes, a freelance designer who is helping me with a line of clothing.”
Her gaze roved over him and he knew what she was thinking. She’d only seen him in jeans and a t-shirt. He laughed. “It’ll be based on what I wear on stage.”
“You have a distinctive look?”
Her eyes never met his, but she stood in the doorway looking down the hallway.
“I do. I’m often on the best dressed lists,” he said which he found amusing since offstage he was a slob.
She crossed her arms. “You never gave me your schedule for the week.”
Roger entered the kitchen. “Just in time for lunch, huh?”
“Good thing I made one for you,” Colin said. “Roger, this is Tamra. Until this stalker is caught she’s my shadow.”
He thought over his words. Then he realized how that sounded. She was black. He was white, but she didn’t react to his so he let it go.
Roger clasped Tamra’s hand. “Nice to meet you, Tamra.”
“I need Colin’s schedule for the next few days,” she said.
All business of course. Hopefully their conversation from earlier was forgotten. He didn’t want her to be uncomfortable. He just wanted her.
***
Larry finished his business and then called Kelly. She didn’t answer right away and he feared that she was having second thoughts. Then she answered.
Her husky voice came through the phone. “Hello.”
“It’s Larry. Are you still free for lunch?”
“Uh, yes I am. Where are you? I can meet you.”
“I’m not far from you.” He held up his crossed fingers. Despite not liking to be out of Manhattan, he was willing to take a longer trip to see Kelly. “Do you know any restaurants near you?”
Rock Your Body: A BWWM Romance Page 7
