“She was tough and quiet. Smart as a whip and that got her in trouble in our neighborhood.”
“What was a white boy doing in the projects?”
“Getting his butt kicked. When Tamra and I became friends, she defended me. She was always tougher than I was.”
“And you still love living in the city?”
“Living the way I do in New York is very different than the projects of Newark.”
“I guess it could be. So how did you meet Colin?”
“He walked into my office with his demo tape. I was going to throw him out, but my admin thought he was cute so she let him in. He can be pretty charming.”
“I bet. He’s charmed Tamra and that’s pretty hard.”
“She is a tough nut.”
“He was crushing on her at our first meeting. She had no idea.”
“She’s never looked at herself that way. She probably never will.”
“Will Colin hurt her?”
“More likely she’ll hurt Colin, but he’s a big boy.”
“Well I still would hate to see Tamra get hurt.”
Larry shrugged. That wasn’t his concern. “Let’s not talk about them. That is work.”
“Okay. What shall we talk about?”
“This wine is excellent. The restaurant is pretty good.”
“There are good restaurants outside of Manhattan.”
“I’m not sure, but I guess this is true.”
“So, you are a New York snob?”
“I’m seeing that New Jersey had its merits.”
Her face lit up. Her smile a ray of sunshine for sure. Right now he felt like the luckiest man
alive.
***
She sat at her computer updating the website. Colin’s fans would be happy.
She wasn’t. Who was that woman with him? Really another one? When would he notice her? See that they were perfect together? He had to.
This one might be harder to get rid of. She wasn’t a celebrity so there weren’t so many things she could blackmail the person with. But she had a name. Tamra Johnson.
“Tamra Johnson, enjoy your time with Colin, because it will be short.”
She seethed. How dare he take another lover? She was right here. Ready to go and do whatever he needed.
She was perfect for him. She knew this. She’d knew everything about him. Did this woman know every intimate detail about Colin’s rise to fame? No. She probably had never heard of him. So she wasn’t worthy.
She shook her head, but having a name, she’d find something about this woman and nail her. She couldn’t have Colin. Colin was hers.
Hers. She would have him.
CHAPTER 12
Tamra packed her bag the next morning. Muscles were sore on her that she didn’t know existed. Or that she ever used during sex. With no threat, there was no reason to stay here.
She’d had her fun and now she had to get back to reality. What would become of her and Colin, she had no idea. She doubted he wanted a relationship. He had so much going on.
“You could stay,” Colin said.
He leaned up against the door, his hands in his pockets. He wore only jeans. His tattoos really stood out against his pale, Irish skin. Something stirred in her. She really did find him attractive. She hadn’t really looked at him that way until recently.
She’d miss him. She hated that she would. She didn’t want to be beholden to any man, but Colin had wormed his way in. He was charming and confident. He’d been so sure he could woo her.
He’d certainly gotten her into his bed. Where had he learned those skills? He was the best lover she’d ever had. Not that she’d had that many, but he was at the top of the list. Her body wanted him again, but she had to go to work
He was no longer a client. She frowned. “I can’t, Colin. You aren’t in any danger.”
“You don’t have to stay as my bodyguard.”
She zipped up her suitcase. “And how would I stay? What would I stay as?”
“My girlfriend.”
She stared down at her suitcase, pondering his words. “Even if we pursue a relationship, I’m not moving in here this early in the relationship.”
“You could have your own room.”
“And what happens when you’re done here? I don’t want to live in New York.”
He shrugged. “You’re arguing location when that’s the easiest part of this. Hell, Peter Frampton lives in Ohio.”
She sat down on the bed, her arm resting on her suitcase. This was a lot to take in. Could she really be a part of his life? Touring, groupies? In the public eye.
“You think it’s been easy to be part of a fairy tale sequestered in this house? I have a business to run. Other clients. You have an album to record. Docta Hop is coming today. It’s all surreal to me.”
He stepped into the room only stopping a foot from her. “You get used to it.”
She laughed. “My mother used to say you could get used to hanging if you did it long enough.”
“I hope all this is better than hanging.”
He raised his eyebrows and cocked his head, a grin on his face. He must know how adorable he was when he did that. “Come on Tamra. Let’s give us a try.”
“I can’t stay here.”
“Fair enough. I’ll even take you on a real date. In the public. Wherever you want to go.”
“Not tonight. I need to sleep. In my own bed,” Tamra said.
She stood. He reached out and took her hand, intertwining their fingers. “I could help you sleep.”
“You wouldn't do anything to help me sleep.”
He cocked his head as if thinking that over. His grin was a dirty and sexy. “Okay, I wouldn’t. I’ll miss you.”
“You can call me.”
He nodded. “I will. I’ll call you to say goodnight. What time do you go to bed?”
“Ten.”
“Then I’ll call you before ten.”
***
Kelly’s ex, George, called her the next morning. She never looked forward to talking to him. Every conversation involved conflict. She tried to bite her tongue, but that was not in her nature.
“I got a notification from that talent contest.”
Kelly sat, sipping coffee in her office. She had to leave in a few minutes to oversee the removal of the cameras at Colin’s place. She was disappointed that Larry had done this. She wasn’t sure how she was going to deal with that.
The last thing she needed was more of George’s bullshit. Or Sophie’s drama. The girl still hadn’t spoken to her.
“I don’t need to know.”
He sighed. “How about I admit that I handled this badly.”
“That’s good, but it doesn’t change my mind.”
“Just listen. I know you’re pissed at me. I know. You have a right to be. I should have talked to you and tried to convince you to let her do this.”
His attitude surprised her. He wasn’t one to say he was sorry. So she listened to him. “Go ahead, but I hope you are truly sorry and not just softening me up.”
“No, I am sorry. And Sophie is the one who got hurt in it. You’ll be thankful to know, she didn’t win a spot. My thinking in letting her do it was that she probably wouldn’t win. She’s young. Maybe if we let her and she was not successful, she’d be put off by the whole thing for a while.”
Sound reasoning. “Okay, you might have convinced me with that argument.”
“Yeah. I know. I’m pissed at myself for being such a dick.”
Kelly had to laugh. George was not known for being self-deprecating “I know this is none of my business, but are you dating someone? Maybe someone who is calling you on your bullshit?”
George’s turn to laugh. At that moment, Kelly remembered why she’d fallen in love with him. He had a sexy laugh.
But her feelings for him were long gone.
“Uh, yeah. She’s kicking my butt.”
“Don’t screw it up. She seems to be good for you,” Kelly
said. A happy George would be much easier to deal with.
“I’ll try not to. I’ll think about it every time I write that child support check.”
Kelly laughed as she disconnected the phone call.
***
Colin sat at the piano in the studio, drinking his Diet Coke. He was fine-tuning the song he’d written the other day, when the doorbell rang.
Had to be his appointment. His pulse went up a little, but he wasn’t nervous. He was excited, hoping Docta Hop would agree to work with him.
Colin made his way to the front door. When he opened it, no one was there. Only a bunch of flowers sat on the doorstep. He smiled. Would Tamra have given him flowers? That was sweet.
He brought the flowers into the kitchen to find a vase. He pulled out his phone to call her when he read the card:
From your biggest fan. Stay safe.
The person hadn’t signed the card. Creepy so he continued dialing Tamra’s number.
“Hi, can I call you back. I’m in the middle of something.”
“Tamra, I’ve had a weird flower delivery.”
“Colin? Really? Talk to Larry.”
“No, I think this is something.”
She sighed. “Look, I’m dealing with a crisis. Lock the doors and call the cops if someone you don’t know shows up.”
She wasn’t concerned. Should he be?
“What’s your crisis?”
“The building I live in is on fire.”
Damn. Docta Hop was due any minute or he’d run to her side. “As in burning down?”
“Yep.”
“Are you hurt?”
“No, I never made it back here in time.”
“So you only have the clothes in your suitcase.”
“Yep. Look. I have to find a place to live and all other sorts of things. If you’re concerned about this note, put it in a plastic bag and I’ll have Kelly pick it up. It’s the best I can do.”
“Come here.”
“Here? To your house.”
“The place is big enough. You don’t even have to stay in my room. I’ll give you space.”
He crossed his fingers. He really wanted to help her.
“I’ll stay tonight.”
Good. He’d count the hours until she got there and he could see for himself that all was okay with her. “Then we’ll talk when you get home.”
***
Tamra looked at her phone when Colin hung up. She didn’t think it a good idea to stay there, but Kelly only had two bedrooms. She could sleep on her couch. She’d done it before and remembered how uncomfortable it was.
Colin was offering her a bed. Well, probably his bed ultimately, but that wasn’t a hardship.
Tough choice. Lumpy couch or a bed with a warm body. A hot body with muscles and hands that could do magic. Damn.
“Crap.”
She dialed Kelly’s number.
“Hey, Tam.”
“Hi. My building is burning down.”
“You okay?”
“Yeah, fine. I never had a chance to get back to my apartment yet.”
“You need a place to stay?”
“Colin has offered.”
“You’ve already been on the phone with him?” Kelly said.
“He called me about something else. Which is the reason I’m calling you. Are you on the way there?”
“I am. We’re taking down the cameras.”
“Look at the video tape. Someone left him flowers with a message that is creeping him out. Can you check it all out before you remove the cameras?”
“You don’t think it’s Larry again?”
“No, I doubt it.”
“Okay. I’m on it. I’ll call you after I see it.”
“Thanks.”
“Anything else I can take care of?”
“No, but I have to get some clothes. I only have casual stuff since I was only going to be at Colin’s and not in the office,” Tamra said.
“Guess there’s a shopping trip in your future.”
“You know how I love doing that.”
Tamra didn’t do too many traditionally girly things.
“I’m jealous.”
“I’d trade places.”
“We’re not shaped the same.”
“No, sadly we are not. Let me go talk to some fireman. I need to see if I can get in the building at all today,” Tamra said.
“Good luck.”
*
Kelly arrived at Colin’s house. He was waiting on the porch for her. He seemed to be just taking in the sun.
“Hi, Tamra said you had some flowers delivered this morning?”
“Yes. They’re in the kitchen.”
Kelly followed him down the hall. He handed her the card in a plastic bag. She read the words. “It is kind of creepy . I’ll talk to Tamra. Also let me look at the video. That might put it in context.”
“Context?”
“If you hadn’t thought you had a stalker up to this point, you wouldn’t have seen this as threatening,” she said. “We wouldn’t be here talking.”
She booted up her laptop and clicked into the video feed, rewinding to an hour ago. She watched for a few minutes.
“Have you seen Tamra?”
“No, we just talked on the phone.”
“Are you going to see her?” Colin said.
He looked like an eager puppy.
“You need me to pass a note to her?”
“No, I just want to make sure she’s okay.”
“I’m sure she’s fine, Colin. She’s a big girl and can take care of herself. Besides the building was on fire when she pulled up.”
“I know. I’m just a little antsy.”
The doorbell rang.
“You expecting anyone?”
“Yes. I have an appointment.”
She paused the video. “I’ll get it.”
She looked out the peephole and saw only bling., the person was tall. She opened the door slightly.
“Yes?”
“I’m looking for Colin Brennan. We have an appointment.”
She opened the door fully. “You are?”
He looked at her as if she were joking. Then he finally put out his hand. “Docta Hop.”
“Kelly Lambert. Come on in. Sorry to be so suspicious.”
“No, I understand. Are you his assistant?”
“No, just a security consultant. Colin’s in the kitchen.”
The two men greeted each other, and then disappeared, she assumed, to the studio. She continued to watch the video. She saw a flower delivery truck put the flowers on the doorstep and ring the doorbell before driving away.
She was able to get the name. “Petals.”
She looked them up on her phone then clicked the number to dial them.
“Petals, how can I help you?”
“This is Kelly Lambert. Your store delivered flowers to an address an hour ago.”
She gave them the address.
“What about it?”
“We think that the person who ordered them is a stalker and I need to know the name,” she said.
“Let me look it up.”
The man put her on hold. Strangely a Colin Brennan song came on. She almost laughed. That was cool hold music. Finally the man came back on.
“I have no name. The person paid cash.”
“The flowers were paid for in cash?” How convenient. “Did you take the order?”
“No, I didn’t. One of my part-timers did.”
“Is that person there today?”
“No, he took a few days off.”
“Could I have his phone number?”
“You a cop?”
She sighed. “No.”
“Then no.”
“How about you give that person my number and have them call me?”
“Okay I can do that.”
She told him her number, then disconnected. She wouldn’t have thought it was odd except that the person paid cash. That smacked of trying to co
ver up what you’re doing.
What if Colin really did have a stalker? She called her electronics crew and told them to wait a few days before taking down the cameras.
***
Larry waited on Colin’s doorstep. He rang the doorbell and was pleasantly surprised when Kelly answered.
“Hi.”
“Hi, you.”
“What are you doing here?”
“Colin got some flowers this morning with a strange note on them.”
“I promise. It wasn’t me,” Larry said
She let him in, then he followed her to the kitchen. “I think you’re smarter than that.”
She showed him the bag with the card in it.
“Probably innocuous, but in light of your mind-set because of my antics, he probably saw menace in it.”
“I’d rather assume it’s dangerous and it not be, than the reverse.”
“Good thinking. Where’s Colin? I have to do a big mea culpa.”
“He’s with Docta Hop, I think in the studio.”
“I better go see him. Will you be here when I get done?”
“I could be if you need me to be,” Kelly said.
“I don’t need you. I’d love to talk to you. Ya know, maybe figure out another date.”
“Date?”
“I thought the first one went so well we should try for a second.”
Kelly nodded as he left. He found Colin and Docta Hop jamming. Well, sort of. Colin was doing a beat on the drums while the other artist was doing what he does best. Larry had never been a fan of hip hop, nor did he have any artists like that in his corral.
He didn’t understand Colin’s need to do this, but he couldn’t argue with his wanting to expand his audience. That could only make Larry more money.
He stood in the doorway listening. He was no judge of the music, but he found himself tapping his foot.
When the music stopped, Colin looked his way. “Larry.”
The greeting was neutral, but he knew Colin was mad at him. He’d have to do some groveling and then they’d be back on level ground.
Rock Your Body: A BWWM Romance Page 15
