by Lisa Lewis
It was guaranteed their affair would be a short one. If it ever got off the ground, that is. The tour’s run of bad luck over the past week seemed to extend itself to Tom and Beth’s relationship as well.
Not a single opportunity had arisen where they could do more than kiss. Now that their interest in each other was common knowledge, the band and crew members appeared to be sabotaging Tom and Beth’s attempts to be alone.
She wasn’t sure whether it was deliberate or not, but the end result was the same: No sex yet.
And she was getting more frustrated with each passing day.
“I’d love to take you fishing in the Adirondacks. Our drummer, Dylan, grew up in New York, and he knows the best places to go. I think you’d like it.”
Beth was jerked back to the present at Tom’s comment. “Excuse me?”
“I said, I want to take you fishing in upstate New York. Dylan could tell us where to go.”
That’s what she’d thought he said. What the heck was he thinking?
“Uh, Tom. I’ve never been fishing in my life. Unless you count those mechanical carnival games with the floating plastic fish. But that was almost twenty years ago, and I sucked at it anyway.”
She was babbling, but Beth didn’t know what else to say. Hadn’t she made it clear to Tom that there was no future for them after the tour?
Apparently she hadn’t been clear enough.
But, since she didn’t want to upset the general amity of the moment, Beth decided not to push the issue. She would just play along with him.
“Like I told you, I haven’t gone for a long time, either,” Tom was saying. “I think it’s like riding a bike—you never forget once you master it. And I was damn good, if I do say so myself. I’d enjoy showing you all the tricks I know.”
Beth knew he was referring to fishing, but she chose to believe he knew quite a few sexual tricks as well. God willing, she would learn some of those very soon.
“What did you do for fun growing up?”
Huh? The man jumped from one topic to another like a slingshot.
“What?”
“You didn’t fish. You didn’t play miniature golf. So what did you do for recreation?”
Tom waited patiently for her reply while Beth tried to wipe the astonished look off her face.
Didn’t he realize that her entire adolescence had been a recreational experience? And not by her choice.
She’d had to work very hard to remain focused on schoolwork, but Beth had been determined to get in to a respectable college. She’d been accepted to Stanford, so at least part of her life had gone to plan.
“Um, I was on the road with my dad, remember?” Beth fumbled for a nice way to remind Tom that her childhood hadn’t been remotely like his. “We didn’t exactly have a lot of leisure time.” And it still hurt to think about all she’d missed out on growing up.
“Hey, we’re on tour now. And if you have time to be with me, then I’m sure when you were young, George had time to spend with you.” Tom’s chiding tone didn’t sit well with Beth. What did he know? He hadn’t been there.
Memories of her teenage years crowded her: Trying to study on the bus as spontaneous jam sessions broke out. Being watched by a hotel maid-turned-babysitter while after-concert parties transpired down the hall or on another floor. Crying herself to sleep because she had no friends or mother to confide in.
She’d only survived her first menstrual period because the bassist of a long-defunct all-girl rock band had helped her through it.
It had been nothing but hell growing up on the road, and she never wanted to live that way again.
“My father dedicated his time to his job. There wasn’t anything left for me.” The words tumbled out of their own accord, but Beth quickly tried to bluff her way out of it. Tried to mask how deeply the truth of her upbringing had hurt her.
She flashed Tom a weak smile. “Good thing he could call in favors to get me a job, huh? All that dedication paid off in the end.”
Tom’s probing stare said she hadn’t fooled him in the slightest. But he decided to let it rest for now, moving on to yet another topic. “Do you need another soda?”
He stood up, drawing her gaze once again to his sexy body, adorned as usual in jeans and T-shirt. This one was a dark blue color which matched the shade of his electric guitar.
Oh, yeah, she couldn’t wait to get some of that. Soon, please.
Beth shook her head. “No, thanks. Break’s almost over anyway. We need to get finished so you guys can awe your next crowd of fans.”
Tom’s eyes scanned the activities in the theatre before returning to Beth. “I’ll grab you another in case you change your mind later. It doesn’t feel like the AC is working right in here, and the afternoon’s only gonna get hotter. June in the south is a nightmare.”
With that, Tom strode away toward the refreshment table that had been set up for the crew and band members. The iced drinks had come in handy during the last few concerts. He was right about that, at least: Summer in the south sucked. After living in San Francisco seven years, Beth was used to cool weather, fog, and drizzle. She didn’t know if she would ever adjust to the heat and humidity of the southeast.
But what was she thinking? In three weeks she’d be back on the West Coast. Searching for a job … searching for a life.
Okay, maybe that wasn’t such a cheerful thought. Better to think about the present. Her roadie responsibilities. Tom. Sex.
Sex with Tom.
Beth didn’t think she’d ever wanted physical intimacy with a man as much as she did right now. What was so attractive about him anyway?
Yeah, he was gorgeous. And funny. And sexy.
But he also drove her nuts with his presumptions about her life. She thought they’d gotten past that the first day they’d met, but his chastising words about her childhood proved her wrong.
Maybe he loved the musician life so much that he didn’t want to hear her badmouth any part of it. If she had any real dreams at the moment, she wouldn’t want anyone to bash them into the ground, either.
So okay, she wouldn’t say anything else about her dysfunctional upbringing, and Tom could idealize the lifestyle as much as he wanted. It was fine with her.
It wasn’t as if she’d be around him forever.
And maybe, if pressed, she would be able to remember a few good times on the road with her father. Maybe.
But she doubted it.
A weary sigh escaped Beth, and she rubbed her aching neck. At least while she was on the road this time she was doing something productive. But after years of academics and office work she wasn’t used to manual labor, even the comparatively small amount she was directed to do.
She felt better knowing the rough times of the tour seemed to be past. They’d had no equipment, vehicle, health, or weather problems since arriving in Baltimore this morning. Tonight’s performance looked to be another success. And maybe, just maybe, she could convince Tom to sneak away with her after the show. To someplace private.
Beth closed her eyes, her body shivering with anticipation of what hopefully would occur that night.
But then a muted conversation to her far right cut through the pleasant images running through her head.
Beth looked over to see Tom talking to two guys in dark suits. She’d never seen the men before, and curiosity kept her watching the trio.
Tom gestured to Beth with one hand, easily holding two full soda bottles in the other. The men observed his directive and then started toward her with Tom just a step behind.
What now?
Beth should’ve known things couldn’t get better so quickly.
But she hadn’t imagined they’d get horribly worse.
•
Tom felt no qualms in following the two men back to Beth. Although they hadn’t introduced themselves, he knew they must be here in an official capacity. They couldn’t have entered the theatre without showing identification at the entrance.
What did th
ey want with her?
If Bethany didn’t want him to know, she could tell him to leave. But until that happened, he was staying close.
Beth stood and stepped into the aisle as they approached. She looked to him and raised an eyebrow. Tom shrugged his shoulders and shook his head in response. He had no idea what they wanted either.
“Ms. Miller?” The older of the two men held out his hand to Beth. “I’m Detective Halsey with the Baltimore PD.”
His head glinted in the light where it wasn’t covered with thinning gray hair. Halsey looked like he could’ve retired years ago but had enjoyed the doughnut shops too much to leave.
Beth hesitantly shook the man’s hand, flashing yet another inquisitive look toward Tom, who was just as clueless as she was.
Halsey nodded toward his companion. “This is Detective Chen.”
In contrast to his partner, the trim Asian-American officer looked fresh out of the academy. He smiled and offered his hand. “Ms. Miller.”
Evidently neither detective felt the need to greet Tom, so he simply deposited the drinks he carried into a vacant seat, moved to Beth’s side, and waited for them to explain their presence.
“Do you guys have identification?” Beth’s tone indicated she didn’t trust the men. But she got the results she wanted since they pulled out their badges for her to study. “What do you want?”
Tom hadn’t seen such a poor attitude from Beth since their first meeting, and the unfamiliar agitation he saw in her triggered his own. Just what the hell was going on here?
“Ms. Miller, we need to speak with you.” Detective Halsey shot a look at Tom. “Alone.”
Bethany seemed to steel herself. Against what, he wasn’t sure. “Whatever you need to say to me can be said in front of Tom. Now, what is it you need to tell me?”
Tom slowly let out the breath he didn’t know he’d been holding. Maybe now he’d find out what was behind Beth’s hesitancy about their relationship. Sure, she still wanted to get physical, but nothing more.
And, for some reason, that bothered the crap out of him.
Any other guy would jump at the chance to have a purely sexual relationship with a gorgeous, unattached female. But no, not him.
Ever since he’d met her, Tom had wanted to know all he could about this guarded woman. And he was about to discover another piece of the puzzle that was Bethany Miller.
The younger detective spoke up. “It’s about Eric Sharpe.”
Beth’s face paled at the name, and Tom quickly put his arms around her, thinking she might faint.
Who was Eric Sharpe? And why did Beth have such an intense reaction to the mention of his name?
An unfamiliar wave of jealousy swept over Tom, accompanied by a touch of hurt when Beth pulled out of his hold.
She cleared her throat with a rough cough. “Um.” Another cough. “What—what does that have to do with me anymore? I was cleared of all charges.”
What?
Tom’s jaw dropped, and he snapped his head to stare at Beth. She refused to meet his gaze, keeping hers trained on Chen.
The two detectives exchanged a look, and Halsey took over again.
“Ms. Miller. Beth, if I may. We aren’t here to question you. We’re here to warn you.”
“About what?” Tom could keep silent no longer. “What the hell is going on?”
“Tom…” Beth laid a cool hand on his arm. It was strange that she was now trying to comfort him when a minute ago he was trying to protect her. From what, he still didn’t know.
“Detective, please. Just spit it out.” Beth’s weariness came through loud and clear. “What do you need to warn me about? It can’t have anything to do with Eric. He’s in jail.”
The detectives’ silence spoke volumes.
Beth stood straighter, spoke louder. “Isn’t he?”
Her posture demonstrated assertion, but her voice wavered. Damn, he wished he knew what was going on here!
“Beth, I hate to tell you this, but Eric Sharpe is not in jail at this time.” Halsey’s voice gentled even as he delivered the worst news of all.
“He escaped custody en route from the county jail to the state prison. And based upon the threats he shouted in the courtroom, we think he’s coming after you.”
Chapter Seven
Beth still couldn’t believe what the police detectives had told her.
They’d left thirty minutes ago, and she remained in a state of semi-shock. Eric was free and may be after her? She doubted it.
Detective Chen had explained how the San Francisco PD had tracked her down through her father and the record company. When officials contacted Freestone Records, they were informed of the tour schedule. The Baltimore PD was then put in charge of finding Beth and warning her of possible danger.
“Feeling any better?” Tom’s soothing southern drawl washed over her, warming Beth from the outside in. He hadn’t left her side from the moment the detectives had arrived.
They sat in the same seats they’d occupied earlier, yet everything had changed. There was no going back to the relatively carefree banter they’d had before.
Tom hadn’t said a word about what had transpired, but Beth knew she owed him an explanation. She just didn’t know how to begin.
“I’m doing okay,” she finally answered. “Thanks.” The words weren’t exactly true, but, for some reason, she wanted to reassure Tom. He was so concerned about her that she worried about him!
But no matter how much she cared for Tom, she couldn’t force him to return the feeling. And he wouldn’t. After Beth told him the truth about Eric and what happened in San Francisco, any tender thoughts he harbored for her at the moment would definitely disappear. No sane man would want anything to do with her after knowing all that.
And Tom was definitely sane.
A little annoying at times, but definitely sane.
With his career on the rise, he wouldn’t want even a short fling with her. Her bad history was not a selling point.
But he deserved to know it, regardless of the consequences. And no matter how irritated Tom had made her feel earlier, there was now a heaviness in her heart.
Convinced their relationship was over before it had really begun, Beth turned to face him.
•
Tom waited patiently for Beth to speak. Finally she said, “I suppose you want me to explain all of that to you.”
Inside, Tom shouted Hell, yes!
But realistically he knew Beth needed to divulge things at her own pace. So he restrained himself and spoke calmly.
“You don’t have to explain anything to me. But if you need to talk about it, I’ll listen.”
And, slowly, she began to tell her story.
“I think I already told you I was on the road with my dad until I turned eighteen. That year I was accepted to Stanford. I worked my butt off and earned my MBA in five years instead of six.”
“My years in college—and before that, on the road—weren’t very conducive to forming lasting relationships. Of any kind.” She glanced up at him, obviously trying to determine if he got her message.
Yeah, he understood. No boyfriends or lovers until after college.
Got it.
“So …” She cleared her throat. “I had an internship at a really prestigious accounting firm, and they liked me so much they offered me a job right out of school.”
Beth looked him in the eye, unblinking. “Eric worked at that firm.”
All right. Now they were getting down to the nitty-gritty.
Maybe.
Tom prodded carefully when silence lengthened and it appeared Beth’s resolution was fading. “What happened with this Eric guy?”
She took a deep breath, let it out slowly.
“You know that saying about office romances never working out?” The rhetorical question needed no reply, so Beth continued on. “Well, I learned it the hard way.”
She settled more comfortably in the padded seat, seemingly preparing to tell a long,
heart-wrenching tale.
“I was hired as a junior accountant. Eric was my immediate supervisor, a senior accountant. He was handsome, charming, and hardworking.”
Tom didn’t like him based on that statement alone.
“Eric had been at the company for almost fifteen years, and he wanted badly to make partner.”
Beth gave him an embarrassed look. “Yeah, he was a lot older. And I admit I was bowled over by all the attention he gave me. At first I thought he was just being nice. Trying to show me the ropes since I was new to the firm and the industry in general. But then things changed.”
Uh, oh. Tom knew he wasn’t going to like this.
“After working there about six months, I was staying late one night. I didn’t think anyone else in my section had stayed, but it turns out Eric was still in his office. On his way out he noticed I was at my desk. He suggested we have dinner together, and I agreed.”
Now Beth looked completely away from him, gazing blindly toward the stage. What was she so ashamed of?
“From there things happened really fast. Like I said, I was bowled over. Eric and I had dinner together almost every night for the next three weeks. By the end of that time, we’d ended up in bed.”
Still she refused to look at him.
“Eric said he cared for me, but we had to keep our relationship secret at the office. Company rules and all that.” She shrugged a shoulder. “I believed him.” Beth finally turned to meet his gaze, her blue eyes full of pain. “I believed him about a lot of things.”
He couldn’t take this much longer. Tom reached out to take Beth’s hand, hoping to give comfort and at the same time encourage her to continue talking.
“What did he do to you?”
Another heavy sigh escaped her, but Bethany didn’t remove her hand from his grasp. If anything, she seemed to hold on even tighter.
“We were lovers for nearly a year. I thought our relationship was really going somewhere. Especially after I got a promotion and we had more or less equal responsibilities. Technically Eric remained my supervisor, but I’d been given some different projects to handle. A couple small firms and one huge one. JCM, Inc., a hot new cyber-technology firm. It was a multi-million dollar account which, I guess, was supposed to be my ultimate training ground.”
