Chapter 25

Reid was out of his mind. He paced the suite like a madman. This was something he found himself doing frequently as of late. There was a pain in his chest, which he knew to be acid from stress. Colt was going to be the death of him; he knew it. Now Chelsea was missing, and he had a feeling they were together. He’d seen the looks between the two and felt the tension. However, he never thought in a million years that she would fall for the rock star. Colt was not exactly the romantic kind … was he?

“Shit!” he cursed as his blood pressure shot through the roof. “I don’t know how much more of this I can take.”

It was not only the fact that his assistant and client were missing, but there was supposed to be a press meeting, and the reporters were beginning to speculate. He gritted his teeth and took a deep breath, squared his shoulders and stomped out of the hotel room. The passages seemed clear, but as the elevator closed, he thought he saw Carl Benson. He was too late in trying to the open the door; he had already selected his floor, and the thing started moving down.

“Nah, could be another fellow,” he murmured.

A sinking feeling came over him the minute he stepped from the elevator. The conference room where the press was waiting was fraught with excitement. As he neared it, he could hear the cackle of voices. The minute he entered the room, they rushed toward him.

“Mr. Richardson, is it true that Colt is gone into hiding … again?”

“Has he gone to rehab, Mr. Richardson? Are you covering up his drug habit?

A headache was pending. The voices were maddening. Reid stood at the small podium, waiting for the crowd to calm. He glared at the reporter who asked the ridiculous questions about Colt being in rehab. It took several minutes for silence, and that’s when he began to speak.

“We would appreciate the same respect we give to you. Don’t make ridiculous and damning assumptions about Colt. At this time, the Purple Crush is resting and sends his apologies for not making this meeting. He …” Reid’s voice trailed off as his eyes rested upon a figure leaning against the back wall.

Carl Benson was staring at him with amusement written all over his face. Reid knew he was the center of all the media drama about Colt. After a few minutes of a stare-down, the journalist moved off and disappeared through the door. He had the mad urge to dash after him, but another set of questions were being thrown his way.

“Listen,” he addressed them. He tried to remain as calm as possible, but the vein in his forehead was ready to pop. “Colt is not in rehab, he was not kidnapped, and no, he’s not in trouble of any kind. He needed rest after the fiasco on stage a couple of nights ago. That’s what he’s doing. Now, we have a concert to prepare for. We’ll talk at the next media meeting.”

As he stepped from the podium, someone grabbed his arm. He spun around, ready to give them an earful when he met eyes with soft brown ones. His eyes traveled lower to the familiar scarlet lipstick. His shoulders began to relax as a whiff of her familiar lilac perfume penetrated his nostrils.

“Ella, what are you doing here?” His voice softened as her name rolled off his tongue.

“My company is buying a small business in the area, and I just happened to be staying at this hotel. Imagine my surprise seeing you here.”

He grinned. She was his first love, maybe his only love. They’d dated briefly in college but never went past first base. He had not forgotten her, though he knew through acquaintances that she’d married.

“How have you been?” His heart was doing backflips looking at her. Her wavy raven hair was hanging loosely off her shoulders; it glimmered in the fluorescent light of the room. His eyes drank in her heart shape faced and settled on those slightly up-curved lips.

“I’m great. How about we catch up over drinks, in my suite?” She was looking at him strangely, and his breath stopped for a second.

Reid cleared his throat. “Are you here by yourself? Where is the hubby?” he asked.

“With his new mistress, I suppose,” she casually replied.

He stared at her in disbelief. Was it his lucky day or what? However, he had no time to find out as Colt was missing, and everything was coming apart in the band. The boys were frustrated about the constant bad publicity and Colt’s continual mood swings. On the other hand, he needed the distraction, and Ella was hooking her arm through his.

She started moving forward, and like a teenage boy with his first crush, he was apt to move along. Her suite was three floors above theirs. Imagine that? Reid wondered how many times during the last few days they passed each other as they went about their business.

She ushered him into the much smaller suite than theirs. Hers was a one bedroom with living area and large balcony. It was ideal for the businessperson to hold meetings and not have guests see where they sleep. She walked to the small fridge in the kitchenette area, pulled two wine coolers, bringing them back to the living area. He briefly wondered if anyone actually used these little kitchens provided by most hotels.

“So how have you been,” he heard her ask as she handed him a bottle.

He took the cold bottle while he replied, “Good. So what happened?”

He had to divert his attention away from the curve of her hips in her tight suit skirt. She had peeled off her jacket as soon as she entered the suite and threw it over the arm of the sofa. Her sheer baby blue blouse stretched across her voluptuous chest.

“You know you don’t really want to know that,” she replied, watching his eyes.

He looked away while sipping from the bottle. The cold liquid hit his hot tongue and slid coolly down his throat. He finished it in one gulp then placed the bottle on the counter near the fridge. Ella was watching him, which made him quite awkward. She walked up beside him and sat her half-empty bottle on the counter.

“Now, why are you acting so shy?” she said. “If I remember correctly, you had a huge crush on me in college.”

“Ha-ha.” He chuckled nervously.

“Don’t deny it,” she said, placing her hand on his chest.

He grabbed her hand to pull away, but a rush of current gripped him at her touch. She stepped closer to him, her body almost touching his. Her three-inch heels making her stand almost as tall as he was. Their eyes locked, and he lost his train of thought for a minute. Without a planned thought, he pulled her close until her breasts crushed into his chest.

“It was more than just a crush, Ella,” he replied in a gravelly tone, dipping his head.

His lips were just a breath away when his phone began to ring. “Ignore it,” Ella whispered.

“It could be Colt,” he answered in a low tone.

“Colt is a big boy; he can take care of himself. I can feel your big boy needs attention,” she said as she tipped and pressed her lips to his while her hand caressed his bulging crotch.