Usually I avoided backstage right before a concert. Too much smoke. Too many groupies. Too much drinking. I skirted around huge black speakers and scattered microphones, the clack of my heels lost in the cry of the crowd, of the opening band’s music.
“Hey Daisy.” Trent glanced up from the clipboard he was holding. “You looking for the big man?”
“Yeah.” My fingers tightened around the phone in my hand. “I just need to check in with him real quick before my date tonight.” As predicted, my sunburn was worse the next day, then started to peel the day after that. I avoided Joseph for a full seventy-two hours. I also endured Jett, Chord and Turner’s colorful array of Hannibal Lecter jokes. It puts the lotion on its skin. When my burn had healed, I approached Joseph and we made plans for our date. Joseph had found a little restaurant rated in Seattle’s top five places to eat.
Trent eyes widened. “You’re going on a date? Does Billy know?”
“I’m about to tell him.”
Trent whistled. “Okay. Thanks for the warning. I’ll have a clean-up crew on standby.”
I scrunched my nose. “What?”
Trent’s gold tooth flashed in a part sneer, part grin. “For when Billy’s head explodes.”
My eyes narrowed. “It’s not a big deal.” A look of skepticism from Trent. “I can date, you know. I get to have my own life, everything doesn’t revolve around Billy Wanks.” Trent remained silent. I gave up on my reasoning. “Where is he?”
Trent pointed around a corner. “Just do me a favor and give me a two minute head start to get clear before you tell him.” The burly security guard darted off in the opposite direction. I gave his retreating back a dour look. Fraidy cat.
I found Billy exactly where Trent said I would. He was prepping for the concert. An earpiece hung around his neck. He wore jeans—the same jeans he wore the night he applied aloe to my face. I knew from personal experience the fabric was soft, worn in. His grey tee hugged his defined chest and arms. The black sparrow tattoos moved with his Adam’s apple as he laughed at something Jett said. Jett saw me first, Billy followed his bandmate’s attention.
“Flower, have you come to watch me perform?” Wow. He seemed happy. Like, really happy. Overjoyed at the prospect I’d watch him. His eyes ran the length of my body. I wore a pair of fitted black pants—almost leggings—with heels and a sleeveless, dark plum, silky shirt. I’d even left open a few of the pearl buttons to reveal the lacy camisole I wore underneath. I took a few steps closer, breaching the line of security surrounding Billy and Jett. Groupies lingered nearby, sending me surreptitious glances beneath fake eyelashes. When I was within reaching distance, Billy fingered the hem of my shirt, hand scraping against my hipbone. “I like that you dressed up for me.”
“You’re looking splendid, flower,” said Jett. “Glad all that face shit cleared up, the peeling was giving me nightmares.”
My face must have reflected my hurt because Billy slapped Jett upside his head. “Be more sensitive, asshole.” He turned back to me. “Don’t worry. You looked radiant with all that skin sloughing off your face. Like a butterfly coming out of its cocoon.” His words made me melt. Just a little. “Now, do you fancy watching the show from the side or from the audience? I can put a security guard on you.”
I sucked in an uneasy breath. “I didn’t come to watch the show.”
Billy’s handsome face dimmed with disappointment. “No?”
“No.” Why did I suddenly feel so nervous? It was Trent’s fault. He’d put ideas in my head, thoughts of Billy actually caring what I did or whom I went out with. “I came to check in and see if you needed anything before I headed out on my date.”
Jett exhaled hard.
Billy’s hands went to his hips.
I recognized this move as a sign of his displeasure. I hurried on, feeling the absurd need to explain myself. “Remember, I told you Joseph asked me out back in San Francisco. We would’ve gone sooner, but then I got the sunburn and I wanted to …” I trailed off as Billy’s scowl deepened. “I told you about it,” I finished in a small defensive voice.
Billy grunted. “I thought it was some kind of sunburn hallucination. I didn’t think you were serious.”
I toed the ground. “Well, I was and we’re going out tonight.” Awkward didn’t come close to defining the moment.
The missing two band members decided to join the party. “We’re on in ten,” Chord said.
Turner twirled his drumsticks in his hands. “What’s the matter?” he asked, taking in Billy’s face.
“Flower and me need a minute, yeah?” Billy said over his shoulder. He grabbed my wrist and pulled me off to a corner. A security guard followed and set himself up a couple feet away. Not close enough to listen, but close enough to ward off over-eager fans and prying ears.
When Billy didn’t speak, I felt the need to break the silence. I filled my cheeks with air, then expelled it. “Sooo, I guess if you don’t need anything, I’ll be on my way.”
“Where’s little bird?” he asked.
“Oh, she’s staying the night with Paula and Fiona.” Paula was the light engineer, Steve’s, wife. They had a little girl, Fiona, and lived in Seattle. Last tour when we came through, Fiona and Addy had hit it off, so I’d arranged a sleepover when we came back into town, thinking Addy needed more friends her age.
“Paula and Fiona?”
“Yes. You remember them, don’t you?” He should. He had a background check run on both before allowing Addy to have a play date the last time. Overprotective bastard. It had been so embarrassing asking Paula for her daughter’s fingerprints and social security number.
He shook his head, his nostrils flared. “Nope. Not happening, flower. I want Addy to watch the show tonight. Go get her.”
Indignation stomped its way up my spine. “You never care about her watching the show.”
His mouth settled into a line of much unhappiness. “Well I certainly give a fuck now. I want her here.”
“Fine,” I said, my voice challenging. “I’ll get her. She can watch the concert with Trent. Then I’ll go on my date and be back before it’s over.”
His eyes widened then narrowed into slits. “We’ve got a strict no-fraternization policy.” His tone was even, controlled and infuriating.
“Do we?” I arched a single, perfectly plucked brow. Along with dressing up, I’d done a bit of grooming too.
“Yes.”
“Seriously?” I sputtered.
“No dating, flower.”
“Like while I’m working?”
“No. Never.”
I scoffed. “I don’t need your permission to date.”
“Well that’s good because you don’t have it.”
“Billy.” I softened my voice into gentle reasoning. “I want to go out, have an adult conversation.” My social life had always been in a sad state, but over the last two years it had hit an all-time low.
“We’re having one right now.”
“No, you’re having some sort of temper tantrum. And I can’t figure out why. What do you have against me going out with Joseph?” Say you want me too. Say you have feelings for me. Say the groupies and the parties don’t mean a fraction of what I mean to you, I thought.
He swiped an aggravated hand down his face. “What if I have a tutoring emergency?”
Seriously? “A tutoring emergency?”
“Yeah, what if I need to know the square root of sixty-four or something?”
“It’s eight.” I threw up my hands. “You’re impossible. Addy is staying the night at Paula’s. I’m going on my date.” I went to pass him.
His hand darted out to grasp my upper arm. It took exactly three tenths of a second to register his bare skin on mine. Little shots of electricity zinged through my body.
“What about little bird? Addy comes first, isn’t that what you said? Gallivanting out with some random man puts her second, don’t you think?” He grated out against the shell of my ear. Two things registered at once. One, Billy had just recited verbatim the words I’d uttered to him after our kiss on Thanksgiving, which meant he remembered everything from that night. And two, he was acting like a colossal bitch. Oh yeah, men can be bitches, too.
I swallowed and jerked my arm from his hold. I stepped back, just a few inches. We were almost nose to nose. “You’re right I did say that.”
His chin jerked, all arrogant and self-congratulatory. He’d thought he’d won. “Glad you see it my way. Now, I remember requesting sparkling water and don’t see any here. Mind fixing that for me?”
Head meet explosion. Despite my raging anger, I kept my calm. “Of course, anything else you need?”
“No.” He sniffed. “Addy can stay the night at Paula’s I guess.”
“That’s good, she’d be disappointed if you made her come back. I’ll let Perry know you need your water.”
“Perry?” He seemed confused. Dummy. He didn’t actually think I was going to go along with his insane demands, did he?
“Yeah, he’ll be happy to get you whatever you need for the rest of the night. I’m going out with Joseph.” Ah, at last Billy was at a loss for words. I poked him the chest. “And don’t you ever throw that ‘Addy comes first’ bullshit back in my face again. I’ve put that little girl ahead of myself for almost two years. I’m going on a date. I’m going to have a fabulous time and you can fuck right off, Billy Wanks.” Even though my legs felt like Jell-O, I kept my spine straight and my head high as I walked away.