by Lily Graison
"I thought Mick was lying when he said he saw you in the hotel."
The opening band was doing a good job at energizing the crowd and try as she might, Jessi had a hard time hearing what he said. She leaned toward him and yelled, "What did you say?"
He laughed and stepped closer to her and lowered his head. "I said, I thought Mick lied about seeing you in the hotel."
"Oh!" she said. "No, he didn't lie. It was a shock seeing him, though."
"About as shocking as it was to learn you were in Vegas," he grinned. "Not that I mind but if we don't stop running in to each other people are going to start talking."
This was definitely not the Christian Palmer she knew. Not once had he paused before speaking or diverted his gaze. He looked her dead in the eye and had angled his body so close to hers she could feel the heat from his skin. She wasn't sure what sort of rock star mojo had been worked on him but he'd been transformed from the shy frat boy she knew to a swaggering, cocky Jim Morrison look-alike. The new look and attitude suited him. The newfound confidence was an attractive asset as well, especially when the rest of the package looked so damned yummy.
Finally snapping out of her daze she smiled and said, "And what exactly would they say? These people that are going to talk?"
"Depends on what they see, I guess."
His gaze lingered on her face before traveling to her lips then lower. The shirt she'd paired with the brown leather pants was low cut. A new bra had pushed her breasts up and together, giving her ample cleavage. The effect wasn't wasted. Christian's gaze lowered and the corner of his mouth tilted just enough to let her know he appreciated the view.
"Are you sticking around for the whole show?" he asked.
"I had planned on it."
"Good." He looked back up at her and smiled. "I'd like to talk to you when we don't have to scream at one another."
"Christian!"
Jessi turned her head at the same time Christian did when someone yelled his name. The girl pushing her way through security wasn't letting the multiple arms grabbing at her stop her pursuit. She reached them moments later and Jessi raised one eyebrow when the girl threw her arms around Christian's neck and rubbed herself against him.
"Those clowns you have for security almost didn't let me through. You should tell them to stop trying to hold me back."
The girl smiled brightly and turned her head, her gaze running a quick path over Jessi before she rolled her eyes and looked back at Christian. "I have a few friends who would love to come to the after party. Do you mind?"
Christian smiled. "No. Curt has the villa booked. It'll hold several hundred people."
"Great! I'm in the front row, on your side of the stage. See you in a few."
The fact this unknown girl interrupted their conversation and practically climbed inside Christian's clothes hadn't surprised Jessi as much as the kiss she gave him before leaving. It wasn't an innocent kiss. This was full contact with tongue. Jessi was too stunned to do much more than blink before Curt, the band's manager, tapped Christian on the shoulder and motioned him over to where the other guys stood.
"I'll see you after the show?" Christian asked.
A nod of her head was all Jessi managed before Christian smiled at her and walked away.
"You're not going to let that hoochie move in on your man, are you?"
Jessi turned her head towards Faith when she spoke. She'd almost forgotten she was there. She smiled hesitantly and said, "He's not my man."
"He could be. I saw the way he was looking at you and you're a fool if you don't take advantage of it."
The guys moved to the side of the stage and she watched them get ready, her gaze lingering on Christian. She suddenly didn't want to be there. She wasn't prepared to fight anyone for a guys attention, especially a girl who acted as friendly with Christian as that blonde did. Were they dating? Was she the reason for Christian's transformation from shy, frat boy to badass rock star? Had she spent all evening getting ready for a "non-date" for nothing?
She glanced around the back stage and saw Holly and another woman walking straight for her. She forced a smile onto her face when they stopped beside her.
"Don't worry about her," Holly said. "He likes you."
"What?"
"Christian," she said. "He likes you. Delilah is what Roxy refers to affectionately as a `band ho.' She follows the band from city to city and latches on to whichever one of them that will give her five minutes of his time. Tonight Christian did. It won't last though. Once the concert is over, he's all yours."
"And if he's not," the brunette with Holly said, "I know exactly how to get rid of her. I'm Roxy, by the way."
"Nice to meet you."
"You're coming to the party aren't you?"
"Oh, I'm not sure," Jessi said.
Roxy gave her a pointed look. "Do," she said. "Christian has been waiting on this all day. Don't disappoint him."
The two girls walked away, stopping once they reached the guys. Christian had been waiting for this, Roxy had said. Waiting for what, exactly?
Jessi looked at Christian and felt her stomach flip over itself when he turned his head and looked back at her. A slow, lazy smile followed by a wink was the last thing she saw before the lights blazed and the guys took the stage.
At the first roar from the crowd, Jessi smiled.
****
Two hours of standing on way too high heels and having the loudest music she'd ever heard blasted through her ear drums left Jessi exhausted by the time Holly and Roxy led them through the maze of people backstage to the double doors leading to the parking lot. A stretch Hummer limo was waiting and they were ushered inside amongst the screaming of fans and she'd taken a deep, cleansing breath moments before the guys crawled inside the car. Everyone shifted, the guys moving inside the vehicle to find a seat and once the doors were shut and the limo started to move, everyone took a collective breath.
"Frellin' hell, you guys do this every night?"
Everyone looked at Faith when she spoke before laughing. "Pretty much," Holly said. "Although it's not every night."
Jessi grinned at Faith, not missing the fact her friend looked way too comfortable snuggled in between Mick and Devin. The girl looked like she was in heaven. Of course, Mick didn't seem to mind his current position either. He had one arm draped over Faith's shoulder and his gaze hadn't lifted from her breasts since he sat down.
Snuggling with a sweaty rock star wasn't Jessi's idea of heaven but she had to admit, the moment Christian slid into the seat beside her, she felt a small tingle of excitement. She glanced at him out of the corner of her eye and was surprised to see him staring at her. She blushed and leaned back, noticing then that his arm was slung across the back of her seat.
"Did you enjoy the concert?"
She turned her head towards him when he spoke. "Yes," She said. "It was my first."
"Your first?" Mick said. "Concert or seeing us live?"
"Concert."
Mick grinned. "Damn. If I knew I was going to be popping cherry's tonight I would have dressed up."
"Mick!" Holly yelled before laughing. "Do you have to be so crude?"
"Of course he does," Christian said. "He wouldn't be Mick if he wasn't."
"So true, my friend," Mick said before turning to look at Faith. "What about you, sweetheart. Did you get your cheery popped?"
"Sorry," she grinned. "I had that taken care of a while back."
"Oh man," Christian said, raising a hand and rubbing it across his face. "You'll have to overlook him. He's always like that after a show. There's no excuse for him."
The limo stopped a few minutes later and the door opened almost immediately. They crawled out, the night air refreshing after the close quarters inside the car. They were back at the hotel but on the back side of it. Jessi was surprised to see what looked like a large house surrounded by a stately courtyard.
"Welcome to the villa," Christian said, placing a hand on her lower back and guiding
her forward.
Jessi followed the others toward the building, glancing up at Christian. "What is this place?"
"It's owned by the hotel," he said. "It's more private than staying in the regular rooms. It has its own staff and pool, plus the cottages are all separate, which is good. Bedding down beside Luke and Roxy isn't very conducive to a good nights sleep."
The interior of the villa was huge. Jessi could have fit her entire apartment inside the main room. A large open archway was directly across from the door and she could see the pool and what looked like smaller houses behind it. She assumed they were the cottages Christian had mentioned.
"I'm going to go grab a shower," Christian said. "You're going to stick around aren't you?"
"Um, sure. If you'd like."
"Oh, most definitely." He gave her a bright smile before walking toward the archway and outside. She watched him walk around the pool to one of the cottages and disappear inside.
The band's music started playing moments later, people coming in the front door by the dozen and within minutes, the place was filled with partygoers. Jessi lost sight of Faith in the sea of bodies but saw Holly. She made her way over to her.
"Oh! I've been looking for you," Holly said. "Roxy always likes to gossip post-concert. Let's go."
Jessi followed her outside and they made their way around the pool. The bar was on the far end and the lights from inside the pool illuminated the area and left the stone walkway splattered with sparkling light.
"Who are all these people," Jessi asked, watching as a girl jumped into the pool, clothes and all. More than a dozen people were already in the water and not all of them had left their clothes on.
"Just groupies," Holly said. "Some are personal friends of the guys or Curt. Everyone here knows someone or they wouldn't be here."
"I see."
They reached the bar and Roxy was already downing a shot. She grinned when she slammed the shot glass down and called for a round before looking over at them.
The glasses were lined up and Jessi had second thoughts about drinking. The last time she'd drank she had nearly made a fool of herself. Of course, kissing Christian wasn't the most careless thing she'd ever done but she didn't have to face him the next day. Now she would and Lord knew where she'd end up before the night was over.
"You're thinking too much," Roxy said. "Just down it and don't think about it."
"Trust me," Holly said. "In another ten minutes you'll be begging for a drink."
Jessi looked around the pool at the people yelling, laughing and squealing and turned back to the shot glass. "When in Rome," she said, reaching for the glass. "Bottoms up."
"So," Roxy said after they'd taken their shot. "Let's cut straight to the chase. What are your intentions toward Christian?"
If she would have been drinking at that moment, Jessi knew she would have choked on it. She stared at Roxy and noticed the woman wasn't smiling. She was serious. "Um, my intentions?"
"Yes," she said. "Christian is the baby and we're a little protective of him. We don't want him hurt."
"I don't have any intentions of hurting him," Jessi said. "Why would you think I did?"
"We don't. We're just making sure. He likes you."
"So I've heard."
"It's true," Holly said. "Mick told us."
"And Mick knows this how?"
Roxy grinned. "Because Christian told him so."
"I see."
"Oh Lord," Roxy said, hissing a curse under her breath. "Skank at eleven o'clock."
They all turned and looked. It was the girl from the concert, the one who had kissed Christian.
"That girl just doesn't know when to quit," Holly said. "You'd think after what happened the last time she showed up at a house party she wouldn't have balls enough to show her face."
Roxy snorted. "She's brave. I'll give her that."
"Who is she?" Jessi asked.
"No one," Roxy said. "A hanger-on. She just stands around waiting for Christian or Mick to throw her a crumb."
"Oh. So, her and Christian aren't."
"Not in a million years," Roxy laughed. "Christian is just too nice to put her in her place. She's all but given up on Mick and her last attempt at Luke cost me a night in jail and two hundred bucks."
Jessi turned back to Roxy and grinned. "What did you do?"
"I showed her the error of her ways. Painfully."
Holly laughed and snagged a straw, chewing on the end of it. "The guys loved it though. A good old-fashioned girl fight. You should have seen them. They did nothing but stand back and watch. The pervs."
"Sounds like a guy," Jessi said.
"Oh, there's Christian," Holly said. "I've got a twenty that says Delilah jumps him before he gets the door completely closed."
Jessi turned and looked toward the cottage Christian had gone into earlier. He was standing at the door, looking around the pool area. If possible, he looked better than he had. His hair was still damp and tousled. Faded blue jeans, bare feet and a button-up shirt, left hanging open made her swallow the sudden lump forming in her throat.
"And the skank has spotted him! You're up, Jessi. Go get him before she can sink her claws into him."
Delilah made her move just as Holly and Roxy predicted. She nearly tackled Christian to the ground when she reached him, wrapping her arms around his neck and snuggling in close to him. Jessi saw Christian smile and reach up, grabbing her arms and pulling them away from him and held her at arms length, but he didn't push her completely away.
"Here," Roxy said. "Down this and go get him."
Jessi looked at the shot Roxy was holding before glancing up at her face. She was grinning.
"Delilah is a parasite. She won't stop until she has him running for shelter or giving in and no one wants that. Lord knows what he'd catch."
Jessi looked back at Christian. This is why you came, isn't it? To talk to him? Don't lose him now that he's within arms reach. She grabbed the shot and swallowed it, setting the glass down and walking around the pool before she had time to think about it. Her head was spinning from the shots but she focused her gaze and headed straight for Christian.
Four
Christian saw Jessi walking toward him and wanted to thank every god known to man. Delilah was persistent tonight and he wasn't sure he could fight her off without a scene. The fact he had to fight her off at all amused the hell out of him though.
Mick had given him a few "lessons" after the night Jessi had kissed him and once he got over the initial embarrassment of approaching a girl, he was surprised to find Mick's techniques worked. No longer was he the last man standing or the one blushing. Women approached him now with increasing enthusiasm and he found their tactics unbelievable. It was no wonder the other guys were so cavalier about groupies. They were a dime a dozen and from where the four of them were sitting, they could be as picky as they wanted to be. And they were.
Jessi slowed her steps as she neared him and he smiled, holding his arm out to her while motioning her forward. "I was afraid you left," he said.
She closed the distance and looked at Delilah. "Am I interrupting?"
"Not at all."
"Yes, you are," Delilah said, rolling her eyes. "Go find Mick. He's good for a fuck if that's what you want."
"It's not."
"Well, you're just shit out of luck then," Delilah said. She wrapped her arms around Christian's waist and held on. "I got here first. Come on, Christian."
"Actually, I asked Jessi to wait for me," Christian said. "I'll catch up with you later, though." He winked at her and disentangled himself from her grasp, placing his hand on Jessi's lower back and leading her toward the bar. "I could kiss you right about now."
Jessi grinned. "Oh, well it would only be fair. I kissed you last time."
"So you did," Christian said, laughing. "Should I go find the cards?"
"I think we're past the card stage, don't you?"
"I hope so."
They ended up back a
t the bar and Jessi bit the inside of her cheek when Roxy gave her a satisfied smirk.
"You should tell Curt to have that ho kicked out on her lecherous ass," Roxy said.
"If that were the only qualification for getting kicked out," Christian said, "half the partygoers would be gone. Besides, I think Curt is hitting it when none of the rest of us will."
Roxy snorted. "Figures. You guys want a shot?"
"That would be a big no," Jessi said. "A soda is fine."
"One soda coming up."
"I'll have the same," Christian said. He turned and grabbed one of the stools and slid it over. "Here, sit down. You stood through the whole concert."
"Thank you," Jessi said, sighing when the pressure was taken off her feet.
Roxy sat their drinks on the bar. Jessi grabbed a straw and took a sip, glancing at Roxy when she tasted the alcohol in it. From the look on Christian's face, his was the same.
"Where are Luke and Devin?" Christian asked, ignoring the alcohol.
"Talking to some reporter," Holly said. "The guy was begging for an interview."
"They haven't even showered yet, have they?"
"No," Roxy said. "Luke would have already found me if he were ready for that."
Jessi grinned and listened to them talk while she glanced around the pool. She hadn't seen Faith since they arrived and was starting to worry. Not that her friend couldn't take care of herself but she felt like she had abandoned her. Turning back to Roxy and Holly she asked, "Have you seen Faith since we got here?"
"She was with Mick last I caught sight of her," Holly said. "I'm sure she's fine."
"Speaking of fine," Roxy said. "There's our rock stars." She grinned and gave them a mock salute before walking away, followed by Holly.
Christian chuckled. "You won't see them again tonight."
"Somehow I didn't think I would."
Christian turned his head to look at her but didn't say anything. The silence stretched and grew thick until Jessi smiled for lack of anything else to do and concentrated on her drink. The alcohol, she knew, would be a mistake but if she didn't find something to loosen her tongue, they'd be there all night staring at one another.
