He was dressed in black jeans, a sapphire-blue shirt, black boots, and a black leather jacket. His hair was loose as usual, but somehow it looked softer and shinier. The color of his shirt set off the blue in his eyes, making them seem to glow.
“Wow, Mom!” Ryan said as Nicolette walked past Jerith and into the living room. Jerith caught the smell of her perfume; it was soft but spicy in a way. He was sure he’d die by the end of the night.
They left the house a few minutes later. Nicolette was surprised when she saw that a limousine sat at the entry to her driveway. Jerith’s car was there too. She looked over at him. He shrugged. “I drove over, but I figured we’d be more comfortable in this. We wouldn’t fit in my car anyway.”
“We would have in mine,” Nicolette said, but the grin on her face told him she wasn’t mad. “But this’ll be fun.”
Jerith turned out to be the perfect host. He told them about the show, and when they arrived backstage, he introduced them around, showing them the stage and explaining the setup. He showed them the laser portals and the mirrors they bounced off. When he had to check his guitars for tuning, which he told them he always did himself—and which according to one of the roadies was rare for someone of Jerith’s caliber—he even let Ryan put one of them on, a Les Paul.
“About a two-thousand-dollar piece of equipment there,” the roadie, Damien, told Nicolette and Mandy. Nicolette’s eyes widened as she prayed her son wouldn’t drop it.
Once his guitars were all checked out, Jerith showed them to the green room and told Nicolette he needed to go and make sure Billy had indeed appeared as promised. He’d told Nicolette earlier in the day about not being able to find her, and her subsequent phone call, so she understood his tense jaw as he left to go look for his errant lead singer.
****
Jerith found Billy in her dressing room, with two other people.
“Kid,” Billy said, holding up her hand. “Before you take my head off, let me introduce you. This is Skyler James Kristiani and his daughter Chelsea.”
Jerith extended his hand to the other man and nodded to Chelsea. He was looking at Skyler as if trying to remember something. “Skyler James?” Jerith said, then looked over to Billy. “The Skyler James Kristiani?” Billy nodded.
Jerith glanced back at Skyler with a different look in his eyes. Skyler recognized the wary expression, and knew that Jerith knew about his and Billy’s previous relationship. Skyler didn’t look away; he stared back at Jerith, his eyes revealing nothing.
“It’s nice to meet you,” Jerith said, his tone light but the look in his eyes belying it.
“You too. Billy’s told me a lot about you,” Skyler said evenly. “It sounds to me like you’ve been responsible for keeping her generally on the straight and narrow.”
Jerith narrowed his eyes just slightly, as if trying to decide if there was any hidden meaning in what Skyler had said, but then grinned. “Guess I haven’t done so hot lately, though.” He looked at Billy.
“Kid, don’t start with me right now, okay. You know I don’t need it before a show.” Billy’s look of defiance told him she was serious.
“Billy…” Jerith said, narrowing his eyes at her. He knew that having Skyler and his daughter there was a ploy to keep him from yelling at her. Then he blew his breath out, shaking his head. “Never mind. Just don’t hit that too hard before you go out.” He indicated the bottle of brandy on the dressing table.
“I’ll keep her away from it,” Skyler said, his expression sincere.
Jerith glanced at him, nodding after a moment. “Thanks,” he said, then looked pointedly at Chelsea. “It was nice to meet you. I’m sorry I don’t have more time right now.” Then he looked over at Skyler again. “Maybe you two could join us in the green room in a little under thirty minutes. Billy, we have that radio thing…”
“I know, I’m just about ready to go. I’ll meet ya, and I’ll drag these two down there too,” Billy said, grinning at Skyler as he rolled his eyes.
“Great, I’ll see you in a few.” Jerith walked to the door. He turned around, looking at Billy. “Fifteen, okay?”
“You got it, partner,” she said, grinning impishly.
Jerith nodded and walked out. Chelsea let out a loud sigh. “I cannot believe Kid Michaels just talked to me!” she exclaimed, starry-eyed.
Skyler looked at Billy. “I can’t believe you told him about me.”
Billy grinned and shrugged. “What did ya expect?”
“Some modicum of privacy?” Skyler shook his head. “Never mind. Get ready—we’ll wait outside.”
Fifteen minutes later, Billy walked out of the dressing room. Skyler took one look at her and wanted to walk her right back into the room and lock the door behind them. She was wearing red and black in her usual style—skin-tight black jeans, black knee-high boots that laced up, and a red gypsy-style top that cut off right below her breasts, exposing a black lace and satin bra. Her eye makeup was charcoal gray and black eyeliner, accenting her blue eyes incredibly, and her lips were the same deep, rich red as her top. Her blush made her face appear even leaner than it already was. She looked like a cross between a gypsy and a harlot, but in a way that would drive any man with eyes crazy. That was her style—lead them to water and defy them to try and drink. Skyler felt extremely pumped up that she had been with him a number of times that day. He realized as they walked down the hallway toward the green room that probably every guy in the place only got to dream of being where he’d been with her. It made him feel very cocky, and pretty damn young again too.
All through the radio promotion she and Jerith did with the rest of the band, Billy kept looking at Skyler. He was leaning against a wall, watching her. Her stares bordered on profane a couple of times, but she knew better than to try and parade him around for the media. She knew Skyler well enough to know that unlike a lot of men, he didn’t really want to be in the limelight. She could see, though, by the look in his eyes, that he was feeling pretty good about being with her that night. Billy was surprised that the thought made her feel even more for him. He was proud to be seeing her, but didn’t need the whole world to know it to make him feel that way. It was different for her; most of the guys she’d dated since she’d become famous wanted everyone to know she was dating them. Half the time, the men called the press themselves; other times, they just made a point of posing for the cameras or pawing her in public. She hated that—she didn’t like a man to mark her like she was his territory.
After the radio gig, she went over to Skyler. She knew many people in the room were watching, but the press had left by this time. In her usual style, Billy walked straight up to him and, pressing close to him, she reached up and kissed him passionately on the lips in front of God and everyone. It was her way of declaring him hers, especially since she had noticed a lot of the women in the room—a lot of them groupies with loose morals anyway—looking hungrily at Skyler. It didn’t seem to matter to the groupies that he wasn’t a member of the band; even if he didn’t know the band, he was a gorgeous man with a brooding, almost dangerous look about him. It attracted women like bees to honey.
Billy turned around, leaning back against Skyler, and looked around the room, pinning a number of young women with a stare that told them Skyler was hers and anyone stupid enough to try anything would pay. Billy had grown up the hard way, and she didn’t take people messing with her lightly. She was known for her temper and the fights she’d gotten into over small things. Skyler James Kristiani was no small thing to her; any woman trying to get to him would rue the day.
Billy took him by the hand and led him over to where Jerith stood with Nicolette, Ryan, and Mandy. Chelsea followed, still a little awestruck by the whole thing.
“Hey, Billy,” Jerith said, nodding to Skyler and Chelsea. “I want you to meet Nicolette Harris and her son, Ryan, and his date, Mandy.”
Billy looked at Nicolette for a long moment, then held her hand out to her. Nicolette took it but kept her eyes steady on the
other woman. She knew Billy was trying to size her up, and she had no intention of being intimidated by it. After a moment, Billy grinned, nodding as if Nicolette had passed her test. She shook hands with Mandy, who was staring at her, wide-eyed. Then she turned to Ryan, who looked totally dumbstruck.
“Ms. Montague,” Ryan stammered. What did one say to the most sexy woman alive?
“Call me Billy,” she said, reaching up to kiss him on the cheek.
Nicolette glanced at her son and saw the look of awe on his face. “Oh, God,” she said, rolling her eyes and looking at Jerith. “He’ll never wash that side of his face again.”
“Mom!” Ryan said, turning the same shade of red as the lipstick on his cheek.
“Hey,” Billy said, reaching up to touch the lipstick. “I’d be upset if you did.” She grinned mischievously, staring up at the young man.
Jerith rolled his eyes. Ryan was probably about ready to explode—Billy had that effect on full-grown men, so God knew what a fourteen-year-old kid would do. He knew he needed to take the focus off Ryan lest he embarrass himself.
“Nicky, you probably know Skyler Kristiani, don’t you?” he said, his voice a little louder to get the group’s attention. He’d already caught the stricken look on Ryan’s face.
“Yes,” Nicolette said, looking over at Skyler. “I thought I recognized you when you walked up.” She extended her hand to him and he shook it, smiling.
“PD, right?” Skyler said. “Narcotics, isn’t it?”
“Yes. In fact, I think you were running our aerial surveillance just the other day, weren’t you?”
“Yep, caught my little jailbird’s mad dash.” He nodded toward Billy.
“Jesus, I’m never gonna live that down, am I?” Billy said, narrowing her eyes at Skyler as he grinned. “If it wasn’t for that fucking dog…” she said ominously.
“Oh, there was a dog?” Jerith said. He nodded. “I get why you stopped then.”
“She’s scared shitless of dogs,” Skyler told Nicolette, who looked a little bit lost in the conversation.
“Oh… That would be Rowdy then,” Nicolette said, nodding. “He’s actually a pretty nice dog, so long as you don’t run from him.” She grinned at Billy.
“Yeah, so I heard,” Billy said, returning the grin. She already liked Nicolette; she seemed pretty cool, and she didn’t look like the hungry type Jerith usually got stuck with. And with a teenage son no less, but Billy couldn’t exactly talk—her date not only had three kids, but two grandkids. Things were getting interesting.
****
The concert went well, Billy and Jerith working as the same great team that had made them so successful. Nicolette watched Jerith with interest. His personality made him absolutely charismatic on stage—she could see why his band was so popular. He had a presence that couldn’t be ignored. During the course of the concert he dropped the leather jacket first, then eventually his shirt as the stage lights seemed to burn hotter and hotter. Nicolette realized he really did have a nice body; without his shirt he looked lean and tanned, with just enough muscle tone to keep him from looking skinny—he certainly wasn’t that. Nicolette found that she was much like the teenagers all around her; she wanted him too—he made all the ladies want him. She felt a little jolt in her spine when, during one song, he actually knelt at the edge of the stage and stared directly at her. When he caught her eye, he smiled, raising an eyebrow at her. She smiled back, shaking her head.
Skyler was, to his surprise, enjoying himself. He hadn’t seen Billy perform before, and she was definitely interesting to watch. Skyler found himself the focus of some dirty looks as well as some envious ones when Billy tended to sing toward him. He remained outwardly unaffected, but Billy could see from the look in his eyes that he was far from it, and it made her smile a lot.
Chelsea, Ryan, and Mandy were sitting together in front-row seats. They were enjoying themselves thoroughly. Before the concert had started, Chelsea and Ryan had had words about whose parent was dating or with whom, and what business was it of the other one anyway. But they all enjoyed the concert together. Ryan leaned over a couple of times and impulsively kissed Mandy on the lips; one time she responded by grabbing him and kissing him deeply, obviously caught up in the fervor of moment. Ryan thought he had died and gone to heaven, and when he looked up he saw that Jerith was grinning at him and nodding. Chelsea watched the exchange and wondered what was going on. She thought Jerith was the absolute end of the world, and she wanted him to smile at her, which he did a few minutes later—he even winked. Chelsea was sure she would die, as every girl around her turned and looked at her as if trying to figure out who she was.
Jerith and Billy leaned against each other, bumping into each other on purpose. She’d often throw an arm around him while he played a guitar rift. Other times she’d play the vixen and he’d play the target of her attention. It was a theatrical and electrically charged show, and it was obvious that both of them expended great amounts of energy. The other members of the band were basically background—Billy and the Kid were it.
There were three encores, and even then the crowd didn’t want the concert to end. Skyler escorted Nicolette, Ryan, Mandy, and Chelsea to the backstage door, making sure no one accosted them. It had become obvious during the concert that they were friends of the singers, and that seemed to garner them a great deal of attention as fans now feverishly tried to get to the band. Skyler found himself grateful that he had his duty weapon at the small of his back under his jacket. He had no intention of using it, but he had a feeling that if things got intense, he could brandish it and his badge and clear a path quickly enough. Judging from Nicolette’s stance, and the fact that her hand continually hovered near her back as well, Skyler suspected she was also carrying. Finally they made it to the backstage entrance without a major incident.
Jerith and Billy were talking to the band, both of them soaking wet from sweat and still breathing a little heavily from their exertions on stage. Jerith caught sight of the group first and beckoned them over. He smiled at Nicolette but made no move to touch her, due to being sweaty. He had his shirt on again, but it wasn’t buttoned. Billy moved to Skyler’s side. She didn’t touch him either, but she did stand on her tiptoes to kiss him.
“You guys were fantastic!” Ryan said. Mandy and Chelsea nodded their agreement.
“You were really good,” Nicolette told Jerith.
Jerith grinned down at her. “Yeah?”
“Oh shut up! You know you were—you don’t need me stroking that ego.”
Jerith laughed. “Sure I do. I’m a big star—I need a lot of reassurance.”
“And what did you think?” Billy asked Skyler.
“I think you know the answer to that already,” Skyler said, his eyes on hers.
“Do I now?”
“Tell you what,” Skyler said, leaning down to whisper in her ear. “If you don’t, I’ll show you later.”
Billy grinned widely. “Promise?” she whispered back.
“Promise,” Skyler said aloud.
“Promise what?” Chelsea asked, coming over to stand near her father.
“Nothing,” Skyler said, straightening up.
Billy watched him but couldn’t contain her smirk. “Your father just wants to tell me how fantastic I am in person later, that’s all.”
“Billy…” Skyler said.
“Hey, I just told the truth—I didn’t say anything about sex,” Billy said, sounding outrageously young, and Skyler knew she was doing it on purpose. She was determined to prove to his mouthy fifteen-year-old that he was not the old man she seemed to think he was.
Skyler leaned down to kiss her, just to keep her from continuing down the path she was headed. Her hands moved to his chest, even if she couldn’t press against him. When they parted, she smiled up at him, her stare holding a lot of promise. He just shook his head at her, rolling his eyes.
Half an hour later, Jerith walked Nicolette, Ryan, and Mandy to the back doors. “Is it o
kay if I come over when we’re done here?” he asked Nicolette, not wanting to push but wanting to see her. He didn’t consider seeing her and seven thousand of his closest fans really seeing her. Nicolette looked at her watch. It was already 10:00 p.m.
“If you really want to,” she said hesitantly, shrugging.
Jerith grinned. “I really want to. Besides, I have to come get my car, remember?”
“Oh, yeah. I just didn’t know how tired you’d be—I didn’t want you to feel obligated.”
“I’ll be there in maybe an hour and a half. Is that too late?”
She smiled. “Not for a Saturday night, no.”
Just as he had said, he was there in an hour and a half. Ryan let him in—he’d just gotten back from Mandy’s house. He’d asked the limo driver to drop him off there, telling his mom he’d walk home. Nicolette hadn’t been pleased, but she hadn’t wanted to embarrass her son in front of his date. She was asleep on the couch when he got home.
Jerith looked over and saw her lying there. He glanced at Ryan. “So, how’d it go with Mandy?”
Ryan sighed. “I think she’s going to make me crazy.”
“Why?”
“Man, she gave me a kiss that lasted like a half hour.”
“Yeah?”
“By the time I left… well, you know…” Ryan’s cheeks colored with embarrassment.
“Tell me, I know,” Jerith said, rolling his eyes and laughing lightly. “Don’t worry about it, man, you’ll get used to it. She’s pretty nice looking—think it’ll go anywhere?” he asked, watching the younger man closely.
“I don’t know. I’ve heard stuff, ya know, that she does, but I don’t know if she will with me.” Ryan looked down. He knew if he was Kid Michaels, she would in a minute.
“Well, if it happens, you protected?” Jerith said, trying to approach the subject carefully.
Ryan looked at him as if he didn’t get it, and then understanding seemed to dawn, but he shook his head. He sighed hopelessly. “I wouldn’t even know where to start to get something.”
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