by Rae Spencer
“I shouldn’t have said anything, I’m sorry,” she said, her face bright red.
He laughed enjoying her flaming face. “Don’t worry. I won’t hold it against you.”
“Good to know. More coffee?” Arianna gestured toward his cup.
He smiled. “Fill her up.”
Chapter 2
Tom stayed the whole night chit chatting with her between her customers. They laughed and enjoyed each other’s company and conversation.
Surprised by the quick wit and gentle humor she possessed he found himself enchanted. He was falling harder and faster than he ever imagined possible.
Now at 5:30 a.m. he needed to catch his plane back to L.A. He glanced at her. She cleaned up the counter from her last customer. He didn’t want to leave. He wanted to stay. He wanted her with him. Forever.
“I enjoyed the company, Tom.” She chewed her lower lip. Her stomach tight, fingers sweaty and brow furrowed. She couldn’t believe how comfortable he made her feel.
He had to leave soon. She would never see him again. The thought bothered her. A lot. Stupid. And she knew it. She didn’t understand why she reacted so much to him.
“Me too.” He watched every move she made.
“Goodbye, Tom. I hope you have a safe trip back to L.A.” She looked away from him. She walked into the kitchen straightening her shoulders. She sighed closing her eyes struggling to regain some control over her emotions. Why did the man affect her this way? Terrifying, yet wonderful. But a one-time deal. He would be leaving forever.
She didn’t want him to go. She wanted him to stay! With her! She didn’t understand herself. Something about him made her want to be with him. He made her feel alive. Breathless.
Tom watched Arianna grab her stuff and his brows drew together. “It was nice talking to you, Arianna.”
She smiled and didn’t wait for the sheriff today. She couldn’t. She had to leave before she asked him something stupid. Or made a fool of herself. She was nuts. She gripped her purse strap and balled her other hand into a fist quickly leaving the diner.
Tom noticed during the last hour or so she had started to withdraw from him. She had tempered their conversation. Why? Did he affect her the way she affected him? He reached for his phone when out of the corner of his eye he saw her grabbed and dragged away from the side of the diner.
He jumped. Ran. Throwing the door open, it bounced off the frame as he charged out of the diner. He rounded the vestibule and found Arianna pinned against the shiny paneled wall with three men surrounding her.
Fear raced over her rounded cheeks and her eyes bulged. She tried to push the men away from her, but couldn’t.
Her fear drove Tom out of his mind. A harsh growl escaped and he grabbed the first man. He threw the man into a car. The man banged off the car door with a yelp and fell face first to the ground.
Tom grabbed the second man, the one who had the nerve to put his hands on her throat. He turned him around and slammed a vicious uppercut into his jaw knocking him off his feet with a thud. The man landed sprawled on the ground as Tom advanced on the third. The man saw the enraged look on Tom’s face and took two steps backwards. Tom continued to advance and the man turned to run away from him.
The other two got up and looked at Tom for a moment. Tom took a step toward them, his face contorted in rage and they raced for their black 4x4 truck. All three quickly slid in the seat, turned the ignition on and spun the wheels as they peeled out of the parking lot.
Tom swung around to check on Arianna. She leaned against the diner her eyes fixed on him.
“Are you okay?” Tom breathed heavy. His eyes ran over her checking for injuries. Her twisted shirt offered a glimpse of her bra-covered breast and her eyes revealed her fear, as did her erratic breathing.
“Arianna, are you okay?” He fisted his hands afraid to move closer, to touch her.
His voice penetrated the haze of fear covering her and she nodded not able to speak yet. John rushed over to them.
John bent forward, his hands on his knees as he gasped for breath. “Ari. Are you okay?”
She nodded again. Fingers shaking, she brushed loose strands of auburn hair behind her ear.
John glanced at Tom. “Thank you. I don’t know what to do about those boys. They won’t leave her alone.”
“Is this the first time they have tried to harm her?” His eyes never left her face. Her fear was still visible and it left a crushing weight on his chest.
“No. But they have been progressively getting worse.” John’s eyes were full of concern. He checked Arianna for injuries.
“Do you think they’ll be back to harass her?” Tom’s fists turned white, his voice hard, and his fury evident as he realized one of these days those men were going to hurt her.
John straightened. “Yeah, I do. Ari, I'll talk to the sheriff. He’s going to have to do something about them.”
Arianna swallowed repeatedly clenching her fingers. She tried to get her breathing and mouth under control. She was still reeling from the rockstar coming to her aide. Not once but twice. Tom saved her. Helped her. Her. She stared at him. Why? Why did he come to her aide?
“You can come with me.” Tom blurted out surprising everyone including himself.
“What?” she asked, her voice cracked as her eyes grew wider.
“You can come with me. I promise no one will hurt you,” Tom said. His mind raced. His need to protect her boiled in his stomach.
“I can’t.” Her words stumbled across her lips.
“Why not?” he asked, watching auburn tendrils blow onto her lips.
“I have work and an apartment.” She stared at the rockstar. Why would he ask her to go with him? She tilted her head trying to understand. So fast. So confusing. She straightened her spine. She had nothing to offer him. Nothing but a shady past, which was why those men kept bothering her.
His voice stirred the silent airwaves. “John. Do you think they will give up?”
“No,” John said.
“I can offer you a job,” he said, watching her.
“You want to offer me a job?” Her voice lowered and her back stiffened. She gripped her hips. Her nails dug into her skin through the black slacks.
Shocked. Hurt. She liked him. She he had thought he was different. A job! To be his whore! Like all the others. Poor ugly Arianna, she will never amount to anything not with her history, but she would make a good whore.
“Yeah.” He flinched at the hurt, disappointment, anger and fear glowing in her eyes.
“What kind of job?” Her tone cutting she yanked her head back. Her hair tumbled out of her bun to hang below her shoulders. She held her lip tightly between her teeth and her eyes narrowed as she stared at him.
What job? He didn’t need an employee, but he didn’t want to leave her either. Not when those men or others like them might hurt her. She was his. Damn it, she was! Arianna was his. The certainty reverberated through his mind. His to protect, to care for, and to provide for. He would do whatever he needed to make that happen and he would be damned if he would let anyone hurt her.
He couldn’t ask her to be his girlfriend or to sleep with him, not after her reaction. He didn’t want her to think he wanted a whore. He didn’t. He wanted all of Arianna.
“I need a personal assistant,” he said, knowing he was grasping at straws. He shrugged at her doubtful expression.
“What does a personal assistant do?” Was this just another way of phrasing whore?
“They help me with my daily schedule. My contacts and meetings. Organize my day.” He watched her eyes narrow even more.
He never had a personal assistant, didn’t need one. His adrenaline kicked in. His fear, his desire, his belief she belonged to him all merged into one.
Arianna looked over at John for help. She jerked surprised at the smile on his face.
“I think it’s a wonderful idea,” John said.
“What?” She gasped.
John glanced at Tom. “
It’s a good job. Good money?”
Tom would say whatever he needed to say to convince Arianna to agree. “Yeah, it’s good money. You would have to travel with me during the tour. We’ve three months left.”
“Ari, you would make good money and leave this town. Start over somewhere new,” John said.
“John. I don’t know how to be a personal assistant.” Her voice shook. She pulled strands of hair away from her lips. She balled her hands into fists shoving them behind her back.
“I'll show you. Isn’t hard.” Tom pretended not to notice her trembling fingers.
“You would be able to travel. Take the offer, Ari,” John said.
Arianna glared at John. Why was he pushing her? It was unlike John, out of character. John normally helped her fend off the men, not encourage her to hook up with one.
“John?” Her brow furrowed and she pursed her lips together. Why did John want her to agree?
“Ari. This is a chance. A chance for a better life. Take it!” John pleaded.
Arianna looked at Tom. He didn’t need a personal assistant he had his managers. She wasn’t stupid. She knew enough about bands to have a general idea of how they worked. Why? What did he hope to gain? What did he really want from her?
Her eyes glinted with doubt as she stared at Tom. There was more to this then he was saying. Rockstars didn’t offer girls like her, nobodies, a job. He wanted something and it wasn’t her nonexistent personal assistant skills.
“I don’t believe you need an assistant, not with your managers. Why are you saying you do?” Hands on her hips she dared him to lie to her.
Tom blinked then took a deep breath. He pressed his fists against his thighs. Caught. He would have to tell her the truth. But would she agree to come with him. Let him protect her. Care for her.
“Arianna,” he said, but hesitated when her expression darkened.
“You don’t need an assistant?” Her voice was slightly shrill she gestured wildly before her hands clenched and landed on her hips again.
He needed to be honest. “No, you’re right, I don’t. It was the first thing I thought of as an acceptable reason for asking you to come with me.”
She turned toward John. The shrillness left her voice and her hands relaxed. “John, he doesn’t need an assistant and he doesn’t want me to come with him, either.”
“Actually, I do,” Tom said.
“You do? As what?” Her nostrils flared as she swung to face him.
“My girlfriend.” He braced for the explosion forming on her face.
“You mean your whore!” Her eyes snapped. She turned, walking away. Disappointed. She shouldn’t be. She hated to admit it, but it hurt knowing he thought so little of her.
Tom groaned, closing his eyes. He arched his neck back and dragged his hands over his face trying to think of what he could say to alleviate the hurt he saw on her face.
“He didn’t say whore, Ari. Did you have to tell her girlfriend?” John snapped turning to Tom.
“I didn’t think I should lie to her.” Tom opened his eyes, watching her walk away, her steps crunching on the gravel.
“No. She’d never forgive a lie,” John said.
“Ari, wait, please,” Tom called out to her retreating figure.
Arianna turned toward him.
The expression on her face ripped into him. He clenched his jaw closing his eyes again. He forced himself to calm down and decided he would be totally honest.
“I do mean girlfriend. I came here tonight to try to find the girl who stole my attention at the show last night,” he confessed.
“Oh really?” Hands on her hips she continued to glare, but her heart leaped at the thought.
He took a step closer to her. “Yes. I saw you on the rail. I wanted to meet you but you were already gone. I had my security guys ask around and they found out the girl with you worked at Steve’s bar. I went there to ask her who you were. But you were there. You left and came here. I followed.”
“Why?” Shock coursed over her face, she couldn’t hide it. Her pulse took on a cadence of its own. She needed a clear head, but it was hard with him around. She shouldn’t believe him. But she wanted to.
“I wanted to talk to you, meet you,” he said.
“What for? I’m not going to whore for you,” she said.
“I’m not asking you to!” His brows furrowed lips thinning into a tight line.
“What are you asking me?” She tilted her head staring directly at him waiting for his explanation.
“Yeah, what are you asking her?” John asked.
Surprised he was giving explanations, Tom gritted his teeth before speaking. “I’m asking you to give me a chance. Let us take time to get to know one another and be my girlfriend. My life consists of lots of travel. I would like you to join me, no strings attached. If we don’t work out I will make sure you get back here or wherever you want to go safely.”
He let out a deep breath. A small smile tipped his lips as more strands of hair stuck to her cheeks. “I’m only asking for a chance.”
“Give it to him, Ari.” John grinned.
“Give up my apartment, my job, for what? A few days on a tour bus?” Her fingers grazed her cheek as she brushed hair behind her ear.
“Your job will be here if you need to come back,” John said.
“I would have to stay with you, together?” Her pulse pounded in her ears. She liked Tom, but could she trust and believe in him? Did he like her, the person, or was he only interested in sex.
“Yes, but you don’t have to sleep with me. You would share the bus with me, a hotel room. I wouldn’t pressure you for more. I just want the chance to get to know you.” He needed to allay her fears up front or she would never consider going with him.
“What about my apartment? My stuff?” Arianna hedged. She shouldn’t be thinking about agreeing to this but she was.
“I'll help you pack. We could get a storage unit for your stuff if needed,” John said.
“If you decide you want to come back here I will make sure you get another apartment.” Tom could see she wanted to, but was afraid. He needed to convince her to give him a chance.
“Come on, Ari. Take the chance.” John’s eyes pleaded with her.
Arianna clasped her hands into fists. She wanted to. She wanted a chance with Tom. She wanted to understand the way he made her feel. She wanted to talk to him more. She struggled with the idea. Her mind raced.
If she said no, she would never get the chance again. If she said yes, what happened once she was there? How would he treat her?
Tom saw her struggling and tried to make it easier for her. “I have time off. Three weeks before the next leg of the tour starts, I can stay here. We can get to know one another. Then if you choose not to go on the tour with me I'll understand and I will leave with no hard feelings.”
“Go for it, Ari,” John begged taking a step closer to her.
Ari looked between the two men her hands and body easing. Her eyes met Tom’s and the sincerity blazoned in the blue depths stole her breath. She had to take the chance. She had to find out and understand. Just once.
She took a deep breath and jumped in with both feet praying she hadn’t just made a huge mistake. “I'll take the chance with you.”
Chapter 3
Tom smiled at Arianna as they sat on the plane. It was her first flight. She was extremely nervous and kept shifting in her seat. He grabbed her hand, squeezing.
The last weeks had flown by. They had gotten along well, surprisingly well, and he convinced her to come on the tour with him. Together, they had packed her meager belongings.
Most women he knew were hoarders with tons of clothes and stuff. Not Arianna. She only had the necessities. She had given John her furniture, house wares and hadn’t needed a storage unit.
He had gone to work with her every night making sure those guys didn’t bother her. They had come in once, saw him and quickly left. They hadn’t come back. He grinned, remembering
how hard John laughed over their reaction to him.
She avoided talking about herself and always changed the subject. It annoyed him at times, but trust didn’t come easy. He would earn hers. He didn’t know how long he would be able to continue being this close without putting the moves on her. He hadn’t tried to touch her or kiss her yet, but he wanted to.
He had stayed for two and a half weeks sleeping on her couch. Then he had flown out to L.A. to handle his business. He had only gotten back early this morning to pick her up and now they were flying back out to catch the bus in L.A.
“Don’t be nervous.” He watched her chew her lower lip. He noticed she did that when she was nervous or worried.
She shifted in her seat. “I can’t help it.”
“It won’t be bad.” He twined his fingers with hers.
She shifted again, unsure of how she came to the outrageous decision to go with him. What had she been thinking?
He had helped her pack her stuff up without complaint. Then made arrangements with the police for an officer to be there with her the last three nights.
He was so sweet, so caring, and so protective. She loved it. He hadn’t tried to kiss her and seemed to want to get to know her. They had spent long hours talking mostly about him and the band.
The plane started to move. She squeezed her eyes closed gripping the arm of her seat and his fingers. He laughed softly squeezing her hand. Arianna squeezed back.
“You can open your pretty eyes now.” He stroked her fingers.
She peeked at him through her lashes.
“We’re flying.” He pointed to the window.
Arianna turned her head looking out the window at the white puffy shapes floating beside the plane. “Oh, beautiful.”
“Yes, very.” But he was not looking out the window.
She realized he was referring to her and smiled shyly.
He leaned back against his seat. “We haven’t talked much about touring, but life on the road can be fast paced and if you ever get overwhelmed, please tell me.”
She eased her shoulders against the plush cushion of her seat. “What do you mean fast paced?”
