She hadn’t told Carly about it yet, hoping to surprise her, preferably when Rex was performing and there was little to no chance she would run into him. Rex always made everything about him, and Alice didn’t want to spoil a much-needed day of shopping and girl talk with any of that.
She sighed, reminding herself that it was for the best. That distancing herself from that kind of toxicity was not only good, but healthy.
Johnny was thoughtful and generous, as well as a sympathetic ear when she needed one. He was also her oldest and dearest friend.
“Come in,” she called in response to the soft knock at her door. “Well, think of the devil and he appears.”
Johnny grinned, gifting her with the sexy, predatory half-smile that had cemented his place in many a woman’s (and man’s) private spank bank. It wasn’t intentional, though. It was just his feline nature.
“Good thoughts, I hope?”
“Of course. Is that what I think it is?” She looked pointedly at the rolling cart he had pulled in behind him. It was covered in white linen with a huge silver domed serving dish on top.
“Maybe.” He lifted the lid, revealing an assortment of every type of breakfast food imaginable. “I wasn’t sure what you were feeling today, so I got one of everything.”
“You could have just asked,” she told him, smiling back in amusement.
“What’s the fun of that? Besides, you know how I feel about wasting food. I’ll feel compelled to be a responsible citizen and finish off whatever you can’t.”
She laughed. “Devious.”
“Hey, I’m a panther. Sneaky is what I do.”
Johnny pushed the cart out onto the balcony then proceeded to serve her breakfast, as if she were the celebrity. Not for the first time, she wished the two of them could be something more than great friends. It would certainly make her life simpler.
“Hm, what is that look, I wonder?” he mused, fixing his own plate and settling down beside her. “Either you were thinking of that time you saw me naked, or you are thinking of him again.”
Alice blushed, embarrassed that she was so easy to read. “Get over yourself, Johnny. We were six, and you had just shifted back from scaring the bejesus out of poor Mrs. Applebaum.”
“Poor Mrs. Applebaum!” he snorted. “We’re talking about the same woman who wore a cross the size of her fist and splashed us with holy water every time she saw us because she thought we were possessed, right?”
The memory didn’t hurt as much, now funnier than it was painful. It hadn’t been entirely their housemother’s fault. The older woman hadn’t known about shifters, so shining a flashlight into the glowing eyes of two hungry kids caught raiding the kitchen had been a terrifying moment for her. Mrs. Applebaum had been absolutely convinced they were demon spawn.
Ironically enough, it had been Johnny who had advised Alice against working for Rex in the first place. Having crossed paths with him many times over the years, Johnny knew what he was like. Even then, Alice had had stars in her eyes when it came to Rex Løve, and she hadn’t listened.
Johnny was watching her closely now, his unique blue eyes hypnotic. “So, it is him you’re thinking about.”
“Just a little,” she admitted. “Carly said things aren’t going well. I’m worried about her.”
Johnny’s eyes darkened. He, like Alice, was especially sensitive when it came to shifter kids. “Has something happened?”
“No, no, nothing like that. It’s just ... well, she’s such a smart, special girl, and now that I’m not there, she doesn’t have anyone.”
“She has her father.”
Alice smiled sadly. “Rex is too selfish to think about anyone besides himself.”
“I won’t say I told you so,” he said softly. “What about her mother?”
“One of Rex’s groupies. Died of an overdose when Carly was ten. He didn’t even know. Rex was listed as her father on the birth certificate, so Social Services tracked him down. DNA testing confirmed it. She’s been with him ever since, but it hasn’t been smooth sailing. They’re so different, yet so alike. Neither one understands the other, but they’re both too pig-headed to do anything about it.”
“Makes one wonder why he even keeps her around,” Johnny said thoughtfully. “It would be easy enough to send her off to boarding school.”
“I often wondered that myself,” Alice admitted, though she would never have allowed it to happen. “I think, deep down, he likes having her with him. She’s the one constant in his life. But he doesn’t know how to relate to her. He’s a big kid himself and in some ways, she’s more mature than him.”
“Is she in danger, Alice?”
“No. Rex would never hurt her physically. Emotionally, though, he’s not giving her the support she needs. He thinks five-star hotels, million-dollar tour buses, designer clothes, and gourmet meals make him a responsible parent.”
“It’s more than we had,” Johnny pointed out.
“True”—she frowned—“but none of that compares to having someone care about you.”
“She has you.”
“Yes, but I’m not there,” she said, frustrated. Alice pushed her plate away, her appetite gone.
“Do you want to go back?” he asked quietly.
Alice shook her head adamantly. “No. I think me being there actually caused her more stress.”
“Why?”
“Because she worried about me,” Alice admitted. “Carly’s the one who told me I should leave.”
“Smart kid,” Johnny murmured.
“Very smart.” Alice sipped her coffee. “Actually, I was thinking that, while we are at Animals, I could take her out for the day.”
“Sounds like a great idea. Aren’t you worried about running into Rex, though?”
“No. He’ll be busy all day.”
“They only perform for an hour.”
“Yes, but he’s got a twenty-four-hour pre-show routine he follows. Massage, hair, nails, makeup, wardrobe—”
“Jesus. He is a male, right?”
Alice laughed. “He’s a lion. Vanity is in his DNA.”
“You’re a lion, and you’re nothing like that.”
“Yeah, well, he doesn’t know that.”
Johnny stilled, the glass of juice halfway to his lips. “He doesn’t know?”
Alice shook her head.
“How could he not know you’re a lioness?”
Alice shifted in her seat. “I told you, he’s self-absorbed.”
“So, he thinks you’re a human?”
She nodded.
“Well, that explains a lot. Why haven’t you told him?”
“It’s complicated.” In truth, it wasn’t complicated at all. If Rex knew that she was a lioness, as an alpha male, he would feel completely entitled to mount her anytime he damn well pleased. As long as he thought she was human, he would respect the boundaries she had defined.
And then there was the small problem of her not wanting to be just one of a pride of females he serviced on a regular basis. She wanted exclusivity—not the norm for unmated couples—and Rex would never agree to that.
No, it was better, and easier, for everyone involved to let him continue thinking she was just an odd, capable human.
“All right, Alice,” Johnny told her. “I don’t understand it, but I’m sure you have your reasons.”
“Thanks, Johnny.”
“Anytime.”
Chapter Five
Rex growled in warning as the so-called stylist worked on his hair, glad he had upped the insurance on his mane to two million. The way the female’s hands were shaking, he would be lucky to come out of the session without looking like a common zoo animal.
“Give me that!” he roared, snatching the boar bristle brush out of her hands. “You’re completely useless! Get out and go groom a poodle or something.”
Her bungling was the latest in a series of fuck-ups. The last few months had been plagued with one disaster after another. On this stop alone,
he’d had to endure terrible hardships. His bedsheets were less than an eighteen hundred thread count, and he had barely slept more than ten hours a night. Instead of rare prime rib, his performance day breakfast had been some kind of budget cut sirloin. And, to add insult to injury, the en suite Jacuzzi only fit four, and the essential oils provided were over the counter.
It wasn’t rocket science, yet not one of the six personal assistants he had hired since Alice had left him high and dry seemed capable of carrying out the simplest of tasks.
As the stylist ran away in tears, Rex glared at his latest personal assistant, who was growing paler by the second. “Are you trying to test the limits of my patience?”
“N-no.”
“Then fix this. Now. Get Stef in here to fix this travesty. Order me some decent food. I want prime rib, not dog food. And for God’s sake, I want pure argan oil. Got it?”
She swallowed and bobbed her head in a jerky nod.
“GO!”
Rex shook his head in disgust as she bolted out the door. This was all Alice’s fault. If she hadn’t gotten her panties in a twist over—well, he still wasn’t sure exactly what she had been so pissed about—he wouldn’t be forced to deal with these idiots.
For the thousandth time, he wondered what Alice was doing now. Whatever it was, it couldn’t be as good as working for him.
Every day he rolled out of bed and wondered if it would be the day she would come to his doorstep, begging for her job back. No doubt she had realized her mistake early on, but swallowing her pride might take some time. For a human female, she was incredibly stubborn and strong-willed. But she would be back. And when she did come around, he might consider taking her back. Maybe.
He must have voiced his thoughts out loud, because Carly appeared and challenged his logic. “Don’t count on it,” she said, picking her way through the mess toward the room service cart, or what was left of it. She scowled at the mess then salvaged a few items and put them on a plate.
“What’s that supposed to mean?”
“It means, Alice is not coming back. She got a better job.”
He laughed at his daughter’s juvenile attempt to trick him into thinking such a ridiculous thing. “Not likely.”
She shrugged as if she couldn’t care less what he thought.
She was about to disappear into her room again when he blocked her path. He narrowed his eyes and pinned her with his alpha gaze.
“How do you know what she’s doing now?”
“Duh. She told me.”
“You are in contact with her?”
“Yeah. We talk every day.”
Well, this was news. Alice hadn’t contacted him once. Not that he knew of anyway. It was entirely possible one of the fidiots around him had failed to deliver any such messages. If he found out that was the case, he was going to forget room service and gnaw on one of them for his pre-show meal.
Rex briefly considered asking how Alice was. Then he reminded himself that he didn’t care. She was the one who had left him.
“What could possibly be a better job than being my personal assistant?”
“Being Johnny Prowler’s personal assistant.”
“Johnny Prowler? She left me to go work for Johnny Fucking Prowler?”
“Yep.”
Carly slipped back into her room and left him standing there in stunned shock, at least until the rage started to take over. Then he really roared, making the walls shake and sending artwork crashing to the floor. He toppled furniture and scored whatever was within reach of his sharp, deadly claws.
How could Alice do that to him? She knew how much he hated the shifty black panther.
By the time he finished, the room was in complete and total shambles.
Rex was breathing heavily, feeling only slightly better after wreaking havoc. Hands on hips, he looked around at the devastation, his eyes catching on one of the promo posters for the Animals of Rock tour. He picked it up and took a closer look, his eyes narrowing to mere slits when a certain name jumped out of the lineup.
Johnny. Fucking. Prowler.
He hadn’t paid much attention to the other acts performing. Why would he? He was the top draw.
But, if Johnny Prowler was at Animals, then Alice was going to be there, too.
He hated the way his heart sped up at the thought of their paths crossing again. Maybe that had been Alice’s doing—to devise a plan that would put the two of them in the same place at the same time.
The more he thought about it, the more sense it made. Alice was a proud woman. Too proud to come to him outright and beg for her job back. Setting up a “chance” meeting was exactly the kind of thing she would do. She would find some way to him, apologize for the way she had acted, drop some hints about wanting to come back.
Yeah.
Feeling better that he had worked that out, he opened the door and spoke to the crowd of cowering humans assembled there. “Someone get in here and clean up this mess. Ah, Stef, there you are. Let’s get started. We don’t want to keep my adoring public waiting too long, now do we?”
Chapter Six
Alice waited patiently in the trendy coffee shop, sipping a cappuccino and biding her time. Right on schedule, she watched as a stretch Hummer pulled into the private parking garage of the luxury hotel across the street.
Rex was a creature of habit, and there were certain demands that had to be met prior to his agreement to do any show. One of them was that a stretch Hummer had to take him to the venue. In that custom limo, she knew, would be a bottle of Lagavulin, lambskin seat covers, and a minimum of two, preferably three, busty, willing females who had signed an NDA.
The familiar pang shot through her chest at the thought of Rex with other women, but she had become so accustomed to it over the years that it barely registered anymore. He was a big rock star, and he embraced the rock and roll lifestyle with the same passion he poured into his music. Everything was voluntary and consensual, and Rex always made sure each encounter was a one-time, no-strings deal. He didn’t do relationships, and he didn’t do repeats.
When sufficient time had passed, Alice got up, gathered her things, and took a slow walk across the street.
“Pst.”
The soft hiss drew Alice’s attention to a cluster of indoor palm trees surrounding a tranquility fountain and the toothy grin of her favorite teenager.
“What are you doing down here?” Alice admonished softly as they exchanged a warm hug. “Where is your security?”
“With Dad or watching the tour bus,” Carly said.
Alice frowned. She had always made sure that some security was left behind at the room. Crazy fans would, and sometimes did, go to extraordinary lengths to get something belonging to their favorite celebrities, including posing as hotel staff to get into the room. Since Carly rarely attended her father’s live performances, she was usually in the suite.
“You shouldn’t be up there alone.”
Carly shrugged then hooked her arm in Alice’s. “You’re the only one who cares.”
The matter-of-fact way she had said that made Alice’s heart ache.
“Your dad cares, Carly. He’s just ...”
“Full of himself? More concerned with his vintage guitars than his daughter? Sorry he didn’t pull out?”
“Carly!”
The teenager grinned, but her eyes remained sad. “Hey, it’s true. I know it, and you know it, too.”
The ache in her chest increased, because there was some truth in Carly’s words.
“Besides, work crews are up there repairing all the damage after Dad’s pre-performance temper tantrum. Hey, it’s okay,” Carly told her, seeing the concern that had to be clearly etched on her face. “It is what it is. I’ll be a legal adult in a few years. Until then, I’ll just have to make do with five-star hotels, international travel, and all the material affection my father can buy.”
“You are far too jaded for your age.”
Carly laughed. “That’s rock and r
oll for you. So, what are we doing today?”
“How do you know I came for you?”
The girl rolled her eyes. “Please. Like you’d be in town and not sneak in to see me. Give me some credit, will you?”
“Excellent point,” Alice conceded with a grin. “Well, I was thinking that there’s a huge amusement park with epic thrill rides about thirty miles away, but I don’t know if that’s cool enough for a seasoned, hardcore rock chick like yourself.”
“Are you kidding? That sounds awesome! And we’re totally eating junk food all day. Corn dogs, burritos, ice cream—”
“What about the dangers of chemical additives?”
“Pft. I’m not human. What do I care?”
“Ugh,” Alice mock-moaned, grabbing her stomach. “Okay, but only after we’re done riding everything.”
“Deal.”
The afternoon passed in a blur of screams and laughter. Alice had scored VIP passes for them so they never had to wait more than a few minutes in any line and got to ride all the good stuff at least twice. They stuffed themselves on bad food and had a wonderful time.
Alice was glad she could give Carly a day of normal in her otherwise insane world. It was so nice to see her smile and hear her laugh. She had missed her so much, more than she had even imagined. The daily FaceTime helped, but it wasn’t the same.
The sun was long past the horizon when they finally left the park. Neither one of them was anxious to see the day end.
They sat up on a quiet hilltop, enjoying ice cream while looking out over the lights of the city below. To the left, they could see the massive Ferris wheel of the park they had just left. Far off to the right was over-the-top pyrotechnics and lasers from the venue as the Animals of Rock continued well into the night.
“I can’t remember when I’ve had so much fun,” Alice told her.
“Me, either,” Carly agreed.
As the evening had progressed, the teen had become less animated, more thoughtful. Alice guessed Carly was thinking the same thing she was—that their time together was quickly drawing to a close.
Rock Hard: BAD Alpha Dads Page 3
