Chapter 8
“Hold on. Take this piece and thread it through there.” Chance drapes himself shamelessly across a blond sitting in his dressing room. I roll my eyes. “Grab this end and twist.”
Her eyes are focused on his. “Like this?”
He laughs. “No. Don’t pull it so hard or you’ll snap the string.”
“This is hopeless,” she looks at him wide eyed.
“Am I interrupting?” Chance jumps away from her when he hears my voice.
“Oh, it’s just you.” He pushes off the couch. “This is Karen. Karen, Katrina.”
Her smile lights up her whole face. She’s way too good for him. “It’s nice to meet you, Katrina. I’ve heard a lot about you.”
“I wanted you to be the first to see this.” I don’t acknowledge his latest conquest. I’m living up to the bitch he thinks I am. I hand Chance the newspaper that will hit newsstands in just a few hours.
He takes the paper from my hand and reads it slowly. I bite my lip. Why am I nervous? His jaw relaxes as he reads the story of Liquid Regret’s bass guitarist who saved Harley’s life and singlehandedly saved the group in the process.
When he’s finished, he looks at me with a look on his face I’ve never seen before. “I’m not sure what to say.”
“Wow,” Karen giggles from the couch. “I’ve never seen you speechless. What is it?”
He smiles at her and hands her the article I stayed up all night writing. After hitting a brick wall interviewing Chance, I spent a few hours getting Harley’s take on that fateful day in the cemetery. Joshua filled in a few blanks and a quick phone call to Rachel provided me with the last piece of the puzzle. When it was finished, it brought tears to my eyes. It’s the most powerful piece I’ve ever written. Part of me had an intense desire to run to him and make him talk to me. I had an overwhelming urge to know everything I could about him.
Looking at him now, I really see him. He’s gorgeous and I understand the appeal. His bright eyes shine with the promise of pleasure. His lips are perfect and beg to be kissed. His strong jaw and chiseled body make my breathing change. No matter how much I think I hate him, something in me shifts.
“This is amazing. I didn’t know all of this. Why haven’t you told me this?” Karen’s eyes are full of tears as she talks to Chance.
“Kind of what the article is for.” I brush the front of my shirt, willing the wrinkles to go away. “Their manager hired me to tell the true stories instead of what other reporters are telling. I’m sure a girl like you isn’t interested in all the fluff pieces. I’d bet you’re much more interested in what ole’ Chance here has to offer you. So, I will leave you to it.”
Karen stands. “I’m very aware of what Joshua hired you for. I had a big part in the decision making to put you on the tour bus.”
“She’s upset with me. She has a hard time seeing past that.” Chance is making excuses for me and I realize I’m doing it again. He hugs her and I want to scream. “I’ll see you tomorrow. Make sure you take one of the guards with you when you leave.”
She stares at me for a minute before leaving the dressing room. If I see her again, I will apologize.
“What the fuck is your problem? Being an asshole to me is one thing. But taking it out on anyone associated with me? That’s a whole new level of fucked up. I’m done with this. You want to keep interviewing us, this ends right now.” Chance is fuming.
When I keep silent, he grabs the paper off the couch. “You write this and it’s beautiful. It makes me sound like a hero. It’s completely opposite of how you actually see me. Why? What is it about me that pisses you off so much that you attack Max’s sister for just being in my presence?”
He grabs my arm and I try to pull away. “Let go of me.”
“No. Not until you answer me.”
He’s just inches from me. His bright green eyes bore into me. His grip on my arm burns my skin. He’s too close and it’s getting hard to breathe. His face is red with anger and his breathing is shallow.
“Answer me!” he yells. His voice is demanding.
His grip tightens on my arm and he pulls me closer. I’m overcome with a mixture of fear and desire. The man in front of me is the definition of gorgeous and I lose my mind.
My lips crash against his and he pulls away instantly. I’m breathless as I stare into his wide eyes. He studies my face and shakes his head trying to make sense of what just happened.
“What the hell was that?” He lets go of my arm and takes a step back.
I’m snapped back to reality and cover my mouth with my hand. “Oh my God. I’m so sorry. I have no idea why I just did that.”
The room is silent as we stare at each other. I need to get out of here.
“I have to go.”
I stand on the roof of one of the fanciest hotels on the Vegas strip. The nightclub is packed with fans trying to get close to any of the members of the band. We have two nights off before their next show and we decided to head to Vegas early. It’s the perfect place to spend a few down days.
I look out at the lights of the strip and sip on my glass of champagne. It’s been two days since my gigantic lapse in judgment. Chance doesn’t seem phased at all but I’m all screwed up in my head. The minute my lips touched his, everything changed for me. I’m still angry but now it’s because he had no response. He pushed me away. The man whore, screw anything that moves member of the band pushed me away. How far have I fallen?
The minute it happened, I called Ray. I needed her advice. She was too interested in whether or not it was going to happen again. I wanted to yell at her but I know I would have been the same way. The only other person in my life is Lorenzo and he talked me down from the ledge. Hearing his voice helped put everything in perspective. It doesn’t hurt that he’s gorgeous and most of our time together is spent naked. Hearing I was desirable was all I needed.
I take a deep breath and finish the last sip of my champagne. I make my way through the crowd to the elevator. The bouncer presses the button for me and I wait in silence. When the doors open, I duck inside and hit the button to my floor about a hundred times.
“Hold the elevator.” I hear his deep voice and I shiver. This can’t be happening.
He steps inside, his bodyguard hot on his heels. When he sees me, he grins. “Princess.”