Bad For Me (My Forbidden Rockstar) (6 page)

Annie is nodding furiously, as if taking everything in, and
I can see her eyes set into steely determination. I don’t know how I know it,
but I
know
Annie is going to kick major ass on our tour.

Even though she is one crazy hot bitch, she has serious
pipes, and she’s going to make our show even more fucking great than it already
is.

We both stand up, and try to leave the room at the same
time, blocking each other’s way. Annie giggles nervously and I give her a small
smile. We try again, and the same thing happens.

Annie is so close to me that I can almost taste her breath.
Her hair brushes against my bare arms, and it sends a violent shudder through
me.

Instinctively, I reach out to touch her, and the heat
between us is so raw that I rock back on my heels. Annie’s face whitens and I
know she feels it too. She’s also frozen because she’s not sure why I’m touching
her again.

I hold her in place, just so I can move around her without
bumping into her. If my body gets any closer, I think I may spontaneously
combust.

Well, maybe not spontaneously combust.

But I may very well shoot my load in my pants, and I would
never fucking recover from that kind of pussy humiliation.

Chapter Six

Annie

I’m not sure what to expect as I walk up to the non-descript
building. This is where I’m supposed to meet Ben Green, the vocal coach hired
to help me learn all of Diesel’s music. I check the address one more time, and
sure enough, I have the right place. The building sits strangely by itself on
the block, it only has a few windows that I can see, and there are no more than
two other cars in the parking lot. I hope I’m not being lured to my death.

I press the buzzer, and a voice crackles over the intercom.

“Yes?”

“Umm, my name is Annie Winter, and I’m here to see Ben
Green.”

There’s more crackling and then silence. The door suddenly
buzzes open and I hear a voice over the intercom again.

“Come on in Miss Winter and head to floor three, please.”

I walk inside the lobby, and my eyes adjust from the bright
sunlight outside. I notice immediately that the lobby is surprisingly cheery;
the walls are covered in bright yellow and white hues. I see a kind looking
older woman sitting in the far corner, she waves to me, and I assume she’s the
one I spoke to over the buzzer. I wave back, and make my way toward the
elevators.

I take a deep breath, step into the elevator, and smile at
the receptionist as the metal doors slide shut. I can see my reflection in the
glass, and I feel pretty pleased with how I look today. I’m not sure if I’m
going to see Dom or not, and I keep trying to convince myself that I don’t
care.

While getting dressed this morning I reached for my favorite
rocker jeans, but then stopped cold. I don’t want any reminder of Sid in my
life. He still plagues my thoughts daily, and that is bad enough. The last
thing I need now is to be wearing the pants he gave me as a gift.

So instead, I decided on a pair of faded jeans, and a
shredded white shirt. I wrapped my hair on top of my head in a messy bun, and
wore my favorite black boots.

I feel like I look pretty kick ass, and without trying too
hard.

The elevator doors swing open and I step out onto the floor.
The walls are bright white, and a dozen platinum album plaques hang along the
way. I notice Diesel’s latest album hanging among a dozen other records, it’s
covered with signatures of each of the band members and I notice Dom’s
autograph right away.
He would have the largest signature.

I smooth down my shirt, and try to calm my nerves as I round
the bend and walk into what seems to be an open concept music studio.

I can’t       quite believe how much has happened in less
than twenty-four hours. Even though I think Dom Dresden is an inconceivable
prick, he is hot as hell, and I did agree to go on tour with him in less than
two weeks.

Having to tell my mom that I won’t be coming to New York
will probably be one of the worst phone conversations of my life. On the plus
side, we’re scheduled to play two shows at Madison Square Garden, so I’ll still
be able to visit briefly with my mom and meet her new man.

I can’t figure Dom out, and I still can’t believe that I
agreed to go on tour with him. I tell myself that I agreed to it because it
will boost my career, and because I am in desperate need of work. But part of
me is excited to be close to Dom and to see if there’s more to him than just
his bad boy persona.

Sigh.

This is going to be one hell of an experience.

“You must be Annie!” Says a friendly looking man.

As he walks into the room the first thing I notice is his
long ponytail and goatee. “I’m Ben,” he says, extending his hand, “So great to
meet you.”

“Nice to meet you, too.” I say, as he takes my hand in his.

“Well, we’ve got our work cut out for us. Are you familiar
with Diesel’s music at all?”

“Yes, and I’ve been listening to their latest album on
repeat for the past twelve hours.”

Ben laughs. “Good, good. That’s a start. Here’s a list of
songs that they’ll be singing on tour. As you can see, it’s all their new
stuff, plus a few of the fan favorites.”

He hands me the list, and I scan over all the songs. I’m
relieved to see that I recognize all the songs. That’s a small relief.

Ben gives me a minute or so to look over the list, and then
he moves over to the piano.

“So, I thought we would just start from the top. I’ve
scheduled us until three this afternoon, but if you need to stop earlier, I
understand.”

Wow, it’s only nine o’clock, that’s six straight hours of
singing.
I am pretty sure I can handle it, but I know my voice will be
strained by the end of the session.

“Let’s see how it goes.” I give him a quick grin, and take
the sheet music off the piano. I stand alongside the piano and watch as Ben’s
expert fingers move across the keys. Out of the corner of my eye I notice how
wavy his ponytail is.

I wonder if he knows that he has great hair?

He’s handsome in an ordinary kind of way, but definitely not
my type; and I realize that I’m glad for that. Learning these songs would be
even more difficult if I were face to face with an attractive musician for six
hours.

It’s ironic because Ben is exactly the kind of guy that I
should
be dating. He’s obviously passionate about music but he also seems to have his
shit together, a rare combination. He’s clean cut and well dressed, though I
prefer my guys to be a little rougher around the edges.

Focus, Annie, focus.

I turn back to the music, push all thoughts out of my head,
and dedicate my entire being to learning Diesel’s songs.

* * *

“I think we should call it a day,” Ben says, stretching his
neck from side to side and giving me an impressed look.

“What? Already? You said we had until three.”

I can’t believe we’re stopping already! Am I not doing
well?

Ben chuckles. “Yeah, I did! And it’s already two-thirty. We
haven’t even stopped for lunch.”

“It’s two-thirty!” I screech.

I grab Ben’s hand, and turn his wrist towards me. Sure
enough, it is two thirty-three. I cannot believe that we have been banging out
music for five and a half hours.

“You’re a machine,” Ben says, raising his eyebrows and
grinning.

I can’t help but blush a little.

“Thanks. I guess I was just enjoying myself so much that I
lost track of time. I still can’t believe it’s that late already.”

We had gotten through all the songs but three. Some were
pretty rough, but I have the notes down enough to go home and work on it
myself.

“I’m going to call Dominic as soon as we leave here and tell
him what a great girl he found,” Ben enthused, “I’ve never seen someone work
like you. And your voice is incredible.” He pauses for a moment as his eyes
rake over me. “You should be doing more than backup,” he says softly.

I am flattered by Ben’s compliment, but I also feel a little
self-conscious. The way he just checked me out definitely felt more than
friendly, and this is supposed to be strictly business.

“Thanks, Ben. You’ve been really helpful,” I say, hoping he
doesn’t read into my words.

“Same time, same place tomorrow?”

I nod. We have one more day before I head over to rehearsals
with the band and the other two backup singers. It’s more than nerve-wracking,
so I try not to think about it.

“Let me walk you out,” Ben says.

I quickly cut him off, “Not necessary! I can manage. See you
tomorrow!” I hurry out of the room before he tries to follow me.

The elevator moves swiftly down to the lobby and I make my
way out of the building and back to my car. The weather is much more tolerable
today, and I’m glad that the heat wave is behind us. As I get into my car, I
decide that I should call my mother to share my good news and to gently tell
her that I won’t be moving to New York any time soon.

As I pull onto the freeway, I adjust my earpiece and hit the
speed dial for my mom. She answers on the first ring.

“Annie, sweetheart! I’m so happy to hear from you again so
soon!”

Yikes. She sounds way too ecstatic to hear from me. I’m
going to have to get this over with right away.

“Hi, Mom. I wanted to call you because I have some really
big news.”

“You do?” Her voice raises three octaves. “Did you book a
flight?”

I wince. “No, actually, I got offered a job last night.”

I can literally hear my mother deflate.

“Oh. Wow. That’s great, Annie. Really great.” She’s trying
hard to be happy for me, but I can hear the sadness behind her words. I know she
was desperately looking forward to seeing me.

“But,” I say cheerfully, “It’s a really great gig, a huge
job, and a wonderful career opportunity. I’m going to be on tour with Diesel,
and they are like, the biggest rock band in the world right now!” I rush on.
“And we are going to play two nights at Madison Square Garden and I want to
spend as much time with you and Sheldon as I can while we’re in town.”

“Two nights? Well, that certainly will be nice.” She sounds
a little happier, but not completely convinced.

I let out a loud breath. “Look, I’m really sorry, Mom. I
know that I haven’t been the best daughter lately, and I know I have done a
really crappy job of keeping in touch with you. I really was looking forward to
coming out there to visit you, and I know you were excited too.”

“Annie, it’s okay-”

“Let me finish, Mom. This tour is a really big deal and I
need the work. Once the tour is over, I want to come out and spend a couple of
weeks with you and Sheldon.”

I wait, hoping that I have made my mother feel better. I
meant what I said; I would like to visit her once the tour with Diesel ends.

“Annie, I would love that. And I’m happy for you, honey. You
deserve this tour, and I can’t wait to see you when you come through town.”

“Thanks, Mom. I love you.”

“I love you, too. Call me again soon and let me know before
you go on the road.”

“I will, Mom.”

“Love you, Annie.”

I hang up the phone and spend the rest of the drive humming
Diesel’s music to myself.

I pull up to my apartment building and it’s not until I get
out of the car that I notice the figure leaning against the wall.

I already know that tall, muscular body and dark hair. The
dark sunglasses don’t do much to hide his handsome face. I feel my heart
sputter and I swallow hard.

Holy crap, Dom Dresden is at my apartment.

I stumble along my sidewalk in disbelief and make my way
toward him.

He pulls his aviator shades down his nose just enough to
reveal his smoldering green eyes. This man is too damn sexy for his own good.

“Look at you,” he drawls, “You look a little more like a
rocker today.”

I’m not sure how to respond so I shoot back.

“What are you doing here?” I demand.

He waves the manila envelope in his hand. “Contract,
remember?”

“But, I thought one of your people would send it over?”

Something flashes across his eyes, and I wonder if I hurt
his feelings. The emotion is gone quickly, and he pushes his glasses back up
his nose and gives a careless shrug.

“Sometimes I like to do shit myself so I know it gets done.”

My skin is buzzing from being so close to him, and I am torn
as to what to do. I have to invite him inside now. I can’t stand out here and
sign the papers, but the idea of Dom being inside my home, and mere feet from
my bedroom, sends my mind into a tizzy.

I need to get a hold of myself. Dom Dresden is an arrogant
prick. Have I forgotten how he tried to kiss me without even asking last night?