CLASS ACT (A BRITISH ROCKSTAR BAD BOY ROMANCE)

by Julia Gardener

  “Is that where we’re going?”

  “No, the one we booked at is the Toyota Center,” Heath answered. “It’s almost ten times as large as the Arena Theatre. These days, we need a large enough venue to break even. Still, I miss the intimacy you get with smaller venues.”

  “Oh, the challenges of being a successful musician,” I teased with a smile. “Ever thought of visiting the Arena Theatre? I’m sure the place will look different these days.”

  “Some things never change,” he replied with a strange smile. “Would you like a tour of the Toyota Center, Charlotte?”

  “I’d like that,” I answered breathlessly. “Especially if it’s a private tour.”

  The Toyota Center was, like all things in Texas, big. It could seat nearly twenty thousand people for a concert. I had played before larger audiences in the past but never in an indoor venue.

  Toyota, the Japanese automobile manufacturer, paid a small fortune to win the naming rights for the arena. In addition to concerts, it hosted basketball and ice hockey competitions. The venue was most known for being home of the Houston Rockets, a basketball team in the NBA Southwest division. In recent years, it had seen MMA competitions occur within its walls.

  The arena itself was mammoth in size. Row after row of seats lined the base of the arena. There were also upscale private lounges for people willing to pay the premium. Several large telescreens made sure you always had a good view of the action.

  The Houston weather was, predictably, hot and humid. I normally preferred to play outdoors in front of a crowd. Nonetheless, I appreciated performing indoors in an air-conditioned building.

  As much as I despised studying, I had to admit it helped me literally see the world in a new way. I could make out the signs detailing the various concession stands. Before, they were a jumble of unreadable letters.

  Ever since that night, I had redoubled my focus on my studies. It was like Charlotte said, practice and patience was the key to success. I had to embrace the repetitive task of writing and reading until I got it right.

  I didn’t know why there was this fire in me. Was it because I had feelings for Charlotte and wanted to impress her? Was it out spite over learning about her secret conversation with Jared? I didn’t know the answer.

  Nevertheless, Charlotte appreciated my effort. For all she knew, things couldn’t be better between us. I was almost as a good student as I was a good lover.

  “It’s so big!” she said. “I didn’t believe the brochure when it talked about how wide it was.”

  I smirked at Charlotte. “Are you referring to the size of the arena or my-”

  She silenced me by placing a finger on my lips. I felt my blood turn sluggish when she touched me. “Not out loud!”

  Her voice echoed in the empty halls of the arena. The tutor blushed as her blunder bounced off the walls of the massive arena. I chucked and said. “Everyone does that during their first time alone in a big venue. Don’t worry, this place will be so loud in a few hours that it’ll be hard to have a normal conversation.”

  Charlotte leaned against me and whispered. “Think you’ll be able to spare some time for a… private conversation?”

  “I always have time for you, Ms. Rosen,” I teased, brushing away a strand of hair from her face. She didn’t like it when I referred to her by her last name. It made her feel old. “Tonight will be a performance that you won’t soon forget.”

  She loved the thrill of our illicit romance. I couldn’t blame her. Something about the whole thing made all the one-night stands I’ve had over the years seem hollow.

  Much of my adult life had been spent performing and promoting music. I had spent more time living in hotels and tour buses than my actual physical residence. There wasn’t time for any meaningful relationships with women. I’d be carted off to the next venue when things started to get serious.

  I felt more like some demigod than an actual human being. My fans seemed more like a religious congregation than actual people. They worshipped the ground I walked on. They paid ludicrous prices on eBay to buy an empty bottle of beer I had drank from. Until Charlotte, I had never met a woman who actually challenged me.

  It was yet another reason to keep our relationship a secret. The media would skewer Charlotte. If they could get dirt on me, then they’d dig through her history. Worse, my female fans would be murderously jealous of her.

  As it was, my life had enough drama.

  I took Charlotte by the hand. “Come on, I know a place we can have a bit of… pre-show fun.”

  The place was bigger than the Dell Music Center but it was much easier to navigate. Or at least it had better directions. Either way, I led her to a balcony outside one of the luxury booths.

  The Houston heat hit us when we came outside. It almost felt like walking through the drying phase of a car wash. Nonetheless, Charlotte murmured in awe. “What a view…”

  I gave her a boyish grin. “I’ve seen better… especially with you around.”

  I punctuated the statement by taking her in for a deep kiss. God, I was already so hard from this. My cock felt confided in my pants.

  A warm gust of wind hit us as we kissed. It gave our actions a surge of sexual energy. My tongue probed her and wrestled with her tongue. She had an uncanny ability to overpower mine.

  As our tongues tangled, our hands roamed each other’s body. It felt like I was a private performance. Each of us was simultaneously performers and an audience member. I kissed down her swanlike neck before nipping at her ears.

  Charlotte loved that.

  I placed my hands on her firm buttocks and felt them swell against my palms. I buried my head against her clothed breasts. She tossed her head back and moaned.

  Charlotte ground her crotch against me. I imagined that her pussy was as wet as a sieve. Her wetness would trail down her thighs. I wanted to spread her legs and fuck her moist cunt.

  I could just see it in my head. She would chant my name as I fucked her with complete abandon. The blazing heat of Houston would mirror the burning passion in our hearts. The only thing hotter would be the friction between our bodies as we made love.

  “Am I interrupting something?”

  We broke apart from our kiss and turned to face the source of the voice. Charlotte yelped in embarrassment. “Ah!”

  It was my bodyguard and the tour’s head of security, Mr. Han. From anyone else, I would have expected a quip about my secret romance with Charlotte. However, the ex-soldier was all business. “Sound check will begin in one hour. The venue is secure.”

  I knew that he always did a personal security sweep for each show. The venue owners hated the nosy bodyguard and the record label didn’t like how Mr. Han’s checks delayed the show. However, it paid to double check the venue when you had thousands of crazed fans entering the building.

  When Mr. Han was out earshot, Charlotte asked. “Is he going to tell the others about us?”

  I shook my head. “Not unless it affects security.”

  She gave a nervous giggle. “Is he always this serious?”

  “Tyler jokes he was born with a combat knife in his mouth,” I said with a grin. Mr. Han was the last person I wanted to piss off. “Let’s go back in.”

  You’d think we would’ve been blushing over getting caught like teenagers. However, Mr. Han seemed so disinterested that it was hard for either of us to be embarrassed for every long. Besides, the two of us didn’t need the gossip.

  Hand in hand, we walked back into the interior of the Toyota Center. There would time for some fun after the show. This little make-out session was just the equivalent of a sound check. “I’ll make some time for you.”

  “For business or for pleasure?” Charlotte teased. Then, her phone buzzed. She took it out and read it before putting it back in her purse. “Sorry, just some text message.”

  My eyes narrowed. “Who’s it from?”

  “Jared,” she answered. If it was a lie, I couldn’t tell. “He always thinks you’re o
ff studying with me when he can’t find you.”

  I didn’t want this to be a false romance built on a lie. I didn’t want to second guess every fucking text message I received. I wanted this to be real.

  I forced myself to smile. “I always hate when bad news interrupts our good times.”

  “See you after the concert, Heath,” Charlotte said. “Good luck!”

  I planted a small peck on her cheek. “You too.”

  I wanted to believe her.

  But I knew better.

  “Charlotte, Charlotte! Are you listening to me?”

  I looked up to see Jared Douglas glaring at me. My mind had been on Heath’s electrifying concert from earlier. The man continued to mesmerize me long after his performance was over.

  Nevertheless, I was in the middle of a business meeting. I couldn’t look like a brain dead fan girl replaying the image of Heath’s exposed pectoral muscles over and over again. Or how I made passionate love to him the night after the concert.

  “Sorry,” I blushed, straighten my skirt. I straightened up my back as well in order to look more professional. “What were you asking again?”

  He sighed. “How are Heath’s studies going?”

  I raised an eyebrow. “Didn’t you get his files? I sent them to your email account.”

  “I’m not a teacher,” he explained, thumbing over his phone. “I can’t make sense of this crap! Give me the layman’s version of it.”

  Maybe I should’ve made Jared participate in class as well. “At first, I thought he was on a collision course with failure.”

  He nodded. “Same with me-”

  I continued. “But he’s actually shown progress.”

  Jared did a double take. “He’s improving?”

  “Yes, he’s improved quite a great deal over the past month,” I explained, barely containing my excitement. I loved it when a student put in the work and was rewarded for it. “I don’t know what’s gotten into him but he’s starting to take his studies more seriously.”

  I honestly didn’t know whether Heath had genuine motivation to improve or our relationship had given him the boost he needed. If anything, I was the one who needed to focus. My attraction to Heath had made me forget I was here to teach him. The very notion sullied the romance we had but it was the hard truth.

  Jared looked shell-shocked. “I thought you said he had dyslexia?”

  “That doesn’t mean he can’t read or learn,” I stated a bit more harshly than I would’ve preferred. I never liked people who frowned down on students with learning disabilities. “Heath’s problem has always been an issue of motivation rather than disability. He needed the right environment to overcome his disability. With even enough focus and practice, we’re working through his problems with reading.”

  Although it had been a good teaching device, Heath had begun to read without the aid of sheet music.

  Jared ran a hand through his receding hairline. “He’s doing well in mock exams already?”

  “When we first started, he couldn’t even finish a test in time,” I continued. “Now, he can actually fill out all the questions. The last one he did actually had him receive a passing grade by a hair.”

  “Do you think he’ll be able to pass the upcoming GCSE?” he asked, looking concerned. “The first exam is scheduled in five months.”

  “If you asked me when I started tutoring him, I would’ve said it would take a miracle,” I admitted. “Now, I think we have a real shot. If the two of us can buckle down a month in advance and prepare with practice exams, I think there’s a good chance he’ll pass it. He might even earn his certification when all of this is over.”

  There was a strange silence in the room.

  I thought he would be ecstatic about Heath’s progress. He was the rock star’s personal manager. If Heath lost his job, Jared would have to join him at the breadline. Perhaps, the shock of potentially having a career in six months hadn’t sunk in just yet.

  “Keep me in the loop,” Jared said firmly. “And keep Heath out of it.”

  “Mr. Douglas,” I said in bewilderment. “Heath is my student. If nothing else, he’s going to obviously know how much he’s improving.”

  “I understand I hired you to teach him but he has to focus on his music for now,” Jared replied. “Don’t let his ego swell and allow him to think he can slack off when the test arrives.”

  “We’ve made such good progress in such a short time,” I argued. “Don’t you think we could do more?”

  Jared sighed. “Saving Heath’s career is as much about him doing well publically as it is about him doing well academically. We haven’t had any major scandals during this tour. We have a stretch in California before we’re done. Let him focus on his music and show he can behave while on tour.”

  I felt like I was talking to the parent of a student athlete. Their type always wanted to refocus on the athletics when the grades had gotten good enough. Nonetheless, the man signed my paychecks. “Of course…”

  “Good,” he said plainly before turning to leave. “Keep me updated.”

  I’d never understand managers. I suppose it was a bit hypocritical since I had put my students on a schedule and held their feet to the fire if they broke off it. However, I wanted what was best for Heath instead of his record label.

  I looked outside the hotel window and watched the Dallas sunrise. It was one of the perks of traveling. You get to experience new places or see a sunrise from another point of view. On the other hand, I wouldn’t miss the aches in my legs or the jetlag.

  The serious side of me knew I should focus on my job. If people found out that I was fucking Heath Lawrence, then my teaching career would come to an unceremonious end. Who would hire a teacher who fucked her student? It didn’t matter that Heath was voted the sexiest man alive by People magazine for three years running.

  Everything was falling out of my hands. My relationship with Heath was hot in the bedroom and cold in the classroom. I didn’t know how long we could go on, especially if he didn’t past the first exam or his label let me go.

  The man was a dream. He could be sexy one moment and tender the next. I had never met a man who was so charismatic yet vulnerable at the same time. Just being around him felt liberating. Next to him, I felt like I could take on any challenge.

  I knew the emotions we shared were genuine even if we both had our fair share of secrets.

  Suddenly, I heard a knock on the door. I guessed Jared forgot something. I wasn’t in a mood to see him again but I didn’t have much of a choice. I swung the door open and expected to see the middle-aged man.

  Instead, I saw Heath looking at me with a boyish grin on his face.

  “Am I interrupting something?” he asked, glancing back. “I saw Jared leave.”

  I shook my head. “No, just business.”

  It was the truth. Yet, I couldn’t help but feel like I was telling him that the moon was made of cheese. Indeed Heath noticed my nervousness. “Can I come in or are you busy?”

  I nodded. “I always have time for you.”

  After shutting the door, he sat on the bed next to me. “We’re heading to California tomorrow. I hope you remember to pack more sunscreen.”

  “I can’t believe the Texas portion of the tour is over,” I sighed. It felt like we barely had time to get settled in before traveling half way across the country. “I just don’t know how you guys keep moving from one place to another.”