by Tamara Adams
"What is it?"
"I can't return the Fendi back pack I got you either."
Her jaw dropped and then she started to laugh too.
"You didn't!"
He shrugged.
"It's in the trunk."
"You are incorrigible!"
"Why, because I bought a gift for a friend? I want you to be warm Cerise."
"Oh."
"What is it?"
"That's nice. That you called me your friend."
He leaned over and took her hand.
"Well, I am aren't I?"
She nodded and smiled at him shyly.
That shy smile pierced his heart.
And that was it. He was a goner.
**********
Cerise was having trouble focusing on the notes. She was wearing yet another overtly sexy outfit. Justin was performing around her again, serenading her, trying to catch her attention.
But today was different.
This time she was supposed to let Justin distract her.
She felt unbelievably nervous pretending that she was falling for him in the video. In the video, he was just a guy, not a world famous musician.
Heck, he was a bonafide celebrity.
It was making her stomach tie up in knots as the director called for her to stop playing and let Justin pull her into his arms. Not because she didn't want him to kiss her.
Because she did.
Of course she was supposed to turn away at the last second and walk away. The song was about heartbreak after all.
But each time, he got a little bit closer. He stared into her eyes and she felt the world tilt. His hands brushed her cheek and her whole body got warm. He pulled her against him lightly and she wanted to grind into him.
What on earth had gotten into her? She'd never been overly libidinous.
But today she was feeling like a horny teenager. No- a horny teenage boy.
After three or four takes the director finally called a halt. She exhaled as Justin dropped his arms from around her. This music video business was harder than it looked. She'd earn every penny they paid her, just trying to keep her cool around the unbelievably handsome Pop Star.
The day was finally drawing to a close when he popped his head into her dressing room.
"Want to work tonight?"
She shook her head.
"I'd love to but I can't."
"What about tomorrow?"
"Sorry."
He frowned like a little boy who'd had his toy pulled away.
"Why not?"
"I have a gig."
He smiled suddenly.
"I want to see."
Her heart started beating wildly.
"No, no you do not. It's chamber music. At a reception at the museum."
"Which museum?"
She sighed.
"Justin…"
"Just give me a hint- is there artwork or dinosaur bones?"
She had to laugh. He was just so adorable. She shook her head.
"Art."
"Modern or classic?"
She titled her head to the side, considering.
"Both. But mostly classic."
"In the park or on the park?"
She shook her head again.
"In it- but Justin-"
"Perfect. Have a lovely evening. Oh and I'm leaving the limo to drive you home- don't say no."
He winked and was gone in two seconds, leaving her staring into the mirror in alarm.
Justin Westlake was planning on crashing her gig.
She swallowed nervously.
Now she definitely wouldn't be able to sleep tonight!
7.
Justin bounced his leg in annoyance, waiting to speak to the manager. He was starting to feel ridiculous. But he wanted to see Cerise play. Hell, he would do anything to be near her at this point.
He was addicted.
No, he was obsessed.
That was definitely a better word.
For the past thirty six hours he'd gone about his daily business. In his case that was meetings, interviews, the gym, and skyping with his mom. And he'd outlined some ideas for songs.
But the entire time, he'd been thinking about her.
If she looked too closely at the new song ideas, she'd probably figure that out.
He grinned suddenly. He was going to get to see her tonight. Come hell or high water.
The man who had been guarding the roped off area of the museum was heading back his way. The older man looked abashed. That's what happened on the rare occasion that someone didn't immediately know who Justin was or how famous he was.
It didn't happen often, but it was gratifying when it did.
Let the butt smooching begin...
"I'm sorry for the confusion Mr. Westlake, it's a private event. But the hostess would be honored if you would attend."
"I don't want to intrude, I just want to watch the musicians." "I see. I'm sure that would be fine. This way please."
He followed the usher into a crowd of people dressed for a black tie event. Toward the far corner, near the sushi there were four musicians softly playing.
It was basically background music for rich people. But Justin didn't care. He loved watching her play, the graceful movement of her hands, the delicate cure of her neck, the sublime look of concentration on her face.
She was glorious.
Her hair was curled into sweeping undo that only served to enhance her classical beauty. Her white blouse skimmed over her body and her black trousers hugged her legs.
She looked like a damn waiter.
A very, very beautiful waiter.
He decided that he would buy her a wardrobe of bright luscious colors. Silks, satins, whatever she liked. But nothing too prim. The thought of ripping those prissy looking clothes off her did fill him glee though.
Maybe he'd buy her one or two prim little outfits.
Just so he could tear them off her later.
A waiter brought him a glass of mediocre champagne but other than that, he didn't interact with anyone. He was wearing his shades so it took people a little bit longer to spot him. Once they did though, he knew that cat was out of the bag.
Cerise was winding down her set as the guests were being guided to the dining tables set up in a large empty space. Justin decided to get some air. Hopefully he'd be able to catch her for a minute before she went back in.
So he slipped out the service entrance, down a long hallway and into the night air.
**********
Cerise stretched her fingers as she stood with the other musicians outside the kitchen area. Supposedly they were going to get fed. That was good because as usual she hadn't had much time to eat between class and her gig this evening.
She'd been too busy running to the dry cleaner and getting her hair pinned back in an elaborate undo by her roommate Janice.
One of the cater waiters kept flirting with her all night. Tom was his name. He stopped by with a tray of used glasses and leaned in conspiratorialy.
"Did you hear?"
"What?"
"Justin Westlake is here."
Her jaw dropped. He'd actually come?
Her heart started hammering in her chest like a rabbit.
"Yeah but he just left."
Oh God. He'd probably seen her in her dorky little outfit and run for the hills.
Suddenly, she really really hoped that was not the case.
What did it matter what he thought? It shouldn't make one bit of difference to her. It didn't.
But it was a lie.
It did matter to her. Somehow, he'd become important to her.
She didn't like it. In fact, she found it alarming. But she had to find out or she'd go insane.
"Which way did he go?"
Tom shrugged.
"Out through the kitchen actually. Probably for security reasons. Hey- you don't know him do you?"
Cerise didn't answer. She just started running down the long series of hallways that
led to the outside of the museum.
She burst out of the door and stared around wildly. There was no one there. She shook her head, feeling ten times the fool.
Of course he'd left. Once he'd seen that she was doing nothing more than playing chamber music for rich people to eat cheese too. Heck, she would have left too.
A cool hand gripped her shoulder, spinning her to face him. Justin. Her breath caught in her throat. He hadn't left after all.
Justin was staring down at her with a serious expression. His hand reached out and brushed her cheek.
"Looking for me?"
"I thought- you left."
"Without saying goodbye?"
He gave her a small smile.
"Never."
His hands were still on her shoulders, lightly skimming up and down the tops of her arms. He pulled off his glasses and stuck them in his pocket. Then he stepped closer to her.
She inhaled sharply as the serious look came back to his face. His eyes were on her lips.
He was going to kiss her.
Justin Westlake was going to kiss her.
And God help her, she was going to let him.
Her eyelids fluttered shut as he leaned down, his lips brushing lightly over hers. Again and again he teased her, not pressing down or doing more than taking a small taste.
She whimpered in frustration and he groaned, yanking her against him. In that moment the kiss went wild. His hands gripped her face, urging her mouth to open. The moment it did his tongue delved inside, tangling with hers.
Cerise's mind was spinning as he took her mouth. He wasn't just kissing her. He was possessing her.
Her head fell back as he started kissing her cheek and neck. His arms were around her waist now and hers were wrapped tightly around his shoulders.
Oh Lord, what shoulders he had. Strong, thick, and blazing with heat.
Suddenly he pulled back. A soft teasing voice whispered in her ear.
"You were really good tonight."
She laughed. He was complimenting her performance? How could he joke after just kissing her like that?
She felt like the world was ending. He was literally the only thing keeping her from sliding into a puddle on the ground.
He leaned back and smiled at her.
"And you look beautiful."
"No I don't. I look like a waitress!"
His lips quirked up at the sides.
"Maybe just a little."
He kissed her again softly, still holding her firmly against him.
"Can I see you later?"
She shook her head. This time she wanted to say yes, but she couldn't.
"They have us until eleven."
"I can wait."
"Stop it."
"Tomorrow then."
She bit her lip and nodded.
"Alright."
He smiled at her as if he'd won the lottery. He pressed a kiss to her forehead and slowly stepped away.
"My place. Six o'clock. I'll send a car."
"Your place?"
She felt very nervous suddenly. Did he expect her to just fall into bed with him?
"Yes. And tomorrow, we work. You will have to stop distracting me with non stop demands for kisses."
Her jaw dropped open as he wagged a finger at her.
"No more shennanigans."
She was laughing as he made his way into the night.
8.
Justin moved the bowl of fruit on his kitchen counter again. He had juice, coffee, sparkling water and for later, some really good red wine. He'd even ordered in two dinners from Ciprianni's, due to arrive at 7:30 on the dot.
But for some reason, he couldn't sit still.
He wasn't nervous. Justin Westlake did not get nervous before a date.
He was excited though.
He'd worked out, showered, and even put fresh sheets on the bed. Not that he thought he'd actually get her into it, but he could hope, right?
A man could dream.
The buzzer rang and he pressed the intercom. He could see the face of Keller, the doorman who worked most nights.
"There's a young lady named Cerise here to see you Mr. Westlake."
"Thanks, send her up."
He took one last look around and checked his hair.
Okay, this was ridiculous. She liked him. He knew it. He just had to relax and manage not to scare her off.
That was what was really worrying him, if he was honest. He was afraid he'd get carried away and Cerise would disappear in a poof of smoke.
She was a very skittish little thing.
He grinned at the thought of her as a little bird. He just had to ease into it. He wouldn't even try to kiss her. Not right away anyway.
Ding dong.
He opened the door and smiled. Cerise stood there in her new coat and those same jeans. But dayum if she didn't look good in them. She had her new backpack on too. He reached out to help her with her cello and somehow she ended up in his arms in the process.
He gave her the briefest kiss he could manage and squeezed her hand, pulling her inside.
"Hey."
"Hey."
He reached for her coat, sliding it off her slender shoulders. He loved doing things for her, mostly because he could smell her hair. She smelled even better than usual.
"Do you want coffee or tea? Juice?"
"No thank you."
She shook her head as he led her into his kitchen which opened to the living and dining rooms. It was a ultra modern duplex, a corner penthouse high above the city. As a result there were two walls of solid glass. At the moment, the sun was just starting to set.
"Wow."
She stood there staring around the place in wonder. She was so cute he wanted to kiss her again. But she looked overwhelmed.
Actually she looked like she was ready to bolt. He followed her eyes and saw that she was staring at the large flat three piece sectional. Probably because it looked like a bed. His groin tightened, thinking of all the things he could do to her on that couch...
"Here."
He poured her a sparkling water and squeezed a lime wedge into it, handing it to her with an exaggerated flourish.
"So let me play you some raw tracks. Then we can play around with a hook or two to add in."
She nodded, clearly eager to focus on something other than sex.
God though, it wasn't easy for him to stop thinking about it.
He wondered how far she would let him get tonight. He had a very strong suspicion he was going to end up with blue balls. He'd been on edge since he met her.
He adjusted his package, grateful that the Carrera marble island that was between them.
Otherwise, he'd have a hard time not throwing her up on the surface and kissing her all over her body.
He played a track and watched her out of the corner of his eye. She listened politely, sipping her drink. He was staring at her lips when the track ended. She turned and saw where he was looking.
The hot red blush that lit up her cheeks was even more arousing than her lips were. "So, what do you think?"
She exhaled and walked over to her cello. She leaned it against her and held the bow at the ready.
"Can you play it again?"
He nodded, playing the track, watching as she closed her eyes and waited. During the refrain she played a short phrase that repeated and then doubled up on itself. It was perfect.
When the song was over she opened her eyes and looked over at him shyly.
"Maybe something like that?"
"I love it."
She smiled at him and he felt like the sun had just come out on a rainy day.
"But-"
She looked crestfallen for a moment.
"I think I'd like a solo in addition to the refrain. Do you think you could do that?"
She nodded eagerly and for the next hour they refined the melody, adding a few variations. She was amazing. So talented and hard working. He loved the sound they were getting. He almost would for
go kissing her to keep working.
Almost.
The buzzer rang and he talked to Keller again. She glanced up at him.
"Time to stop working little girl. Dinner is here."
**********
Cerise sipped her wine and surveyed the now empty plates in front of them. She was stuffed. Justin of course, was already jumping up to clear the table. He had boundless energy. She felt ready for a nap.
The soft lighting, the good food, the wine, Justin himself… they'd all served to relax her way more than she'd expected was possible.
He was obviously going out of his way to charm and flatter her. He wanted to take her to bed. She knew it. It made her nervous, but weirdly, not as nervous as she might have expected.
And some strange feeling in the back of her mind kept telling her that he wanted more than that. That he actually wanted her.
For more than just one night.
So when he led her over to the couch with their glasses and a fresh bottle of wine, she followed him willingly.
He sat down next to her, close, but not too close. Maybe he could tell how nervous she was. She sipped the wine and watched as he angled his body towards her, smiling.
"Well, you are full of surprises Cerise. Who would have thought you had such a good ear for Hip Hop?"
She shrugged it off. All the same, the compliment warmed her down to her toes.
"You told me what to do. It's not like I wrote a whole song. You are the one who wrote a whole album!"
"I write the lyrics but I have a lot of help on the music. I'm still learning."
He looked a little embarrassed when he leaned forward and whispered.
"I'm trying to learn the guitar."
Her eyes widened. He was so close. She could touch him with her knees or shoulders if a stiff wind blew through the room.
Of course, the room was temperature controlled, so that was unlikely to happen.
"That's great. I'm sure you'll be good at it."
He leaned back, making her feel at once relieved and bereft.
"I'm such a novice. It will be years before I let anyone hear me."
Then he was back, his hands brushing over her neck and shoulders.
"Maybe you could help me with my finger work."
