Chapter Thirteen
Owen
I was thrilled that Nalia had shown up after all. And damned if she hadn’t worn another outfit that drove me crazy. She had on those tall, black heels again and a black, high-waisted pencil skirt that hugged her hips and ass perfectly with a cute top that showed off her voluptuous chest. I could hardly take my eyes off of her, and I was struggling to keep my fantasies about her from just totally taking over my thoughts.
Damn, I was beginning to think I was going to have to require her to wear baggy clothes if I intended to get any work done. I suddenly wondered if it would be such a good idea having someone so distracting around. How could I maintain my focus on the music and the tour schedule when she was near me?
Then again, where was I going to find someone capable of doing the job and not going all fangirl every time they were around us? I was just going to have to deal with my attraction and do my best to put it aside.
She followed me out to the parking lot, and I couldn’t help looking back at her a few times, just to watch her walk. At one point, I almost walked into a door. If she noticed, though, she was polite enough not to laugh at me. I led her out to my black Porsche and opened the door for her before making my way around to the driver’s side. I slid into my seat and smiled at her until I realized how cheesy I probably looked just staring at her.
Nonetheless, she returned the smile from the passenger seat. I almost melted at the sight of those gorgeous eyes staring deeply back at me. I turned on the ignition switch and gave the powerful motor a good rev, eliciting a grin from her.
“Nice car,” she said. “Didn’t really take you for the muscle car type. Black is one of my favorite colors on cars.”
“Thanks,” I replied, grinning like a schoolboy. “This was the first car I bought after the band signed with Capitol Records. Reminds me of one my granddad had when I was a kid.” I caught myself before I teared up. Talking about Gramps had a way of getting to me. “But enough about my car; let's go!” I said, changing the subject.
The ride was mostly silent on the drive to my place, but I noticed her looking around the car and out at the hills as we drove. When we reached the gate that led to my house, she let out a quiet gasp, and I smiled, knowing she was at least a little impressed by the size of it. This is what happened when you were successful but didn’t have someone else to spend all your money on.
I liked my mansion, but it did tend to get lonely at times. Perhaps it was even lonelier than an apartment would have been. I mean, I had a shit ton of rooms, a ridiculous span of land, and just myself to occupy them most of the time. I frowned as I thought about it, but immediately did my best to push the thoughts out of my mind. Why the hell was I feeling so sentimental all of a sudden? Now wasn't the time for such things.
“And this is my humble abode,” I commented as I opened the door for her.
“Humble, huh?” she teased, grinning at me.
“Okay, maybe not so humble. Come on. Let me show you around.” I crooked my elbow out, offering it to her. She slid her hand in and rested it on my arm. She followed along, taking in everything. I led her through the foyer, showed her the living room, the game room (mostly made for me and Talon to shoot pool and bullshit or play PlayStation), and then I showed her the practice space and the recording studio.
“So, how come you guys practiced at the record company today?”
“It’s more centrally located for the guys,” I answered, leading her upstairs. I showed her the bedrooms and the balcony upstairs that overlooked the backyard and the hills. Then led her back downstairs to the kitchen. “Do you like seafood?” I asked.
“I love it,” she replied, following me into the kitchen and letting out another little gasp as she stepped through the entryway. Even I had to admit it was fairly impressive, considering the professional setup I had going on in there.
I loved my kitchen, and I loved to cook, especially with company. So, making a meal for someone other than myself would be a treat for both of us.
“Great! I picked up salmon and veggies from the store this morning. Want to help me cook?” I asked her, pulling the food out of the fridge.
“I love cooking. Sure.”
I was getting more and more into her by the minute. The more we interacted, the more I wondered if she could have been more perfect for me. Still, I did my best to keep my emotions in check. After all, I had to be professional about this situation. Not that it was going to be easy, but I couldn’t allow anything to get out of hand.
“There’s an apron over on that hook, so you don’t get anything on your blouse,” I nodded toward the aprons just before I pulled out a few pans and utensils. She grabbed an apron, put it on, and then pulled the veggies to the area on the counter in front of her.
“So, what am I doing here? Chopping, slicing, or dicing?” she asked, waving the knife back and forth playfully.
“Well, as long as you’re talking about the vegetables, slicing. We’re going to grill them,” I replied with a chuckle.
She starting to slice them up and, while she was busy with that, I started prepping the fish. I took a break from it after a few moments to pull a bottle of wine out of the wine cooler, pouring us both a glass. She sipped hers and watched me.
“You must really love to cook to have this kind of kitchen.”
“I do. It's a great way to relax and a good way to get creative at the same time. While music is my first love, cooking is definitely high up there among my list of passions. I think if being a musician hadn't worked out for me, I might have even been a chef.” I smiled at her, seasoning the fish and placing them just so into a pan to sear.
“So, are you excited about organizing this tour?” I asked. “It should be pretty big. We’ve been getting millions of hits since we announced the tour on our Facebook and Twitter accounts, not to mention the band’s website.”
“Millions? Wow, that’s crazy. Though, I suppose I shouldn’t be surprised. And yes, I'm definitely excited. Maybe even a touch nervous, but only because I’m excited. All you need to do is fill me in on details, and I can guarantee you everything will go exactly as planned.”
“We’re going to start on the West Coast. Seattle is the first stop, then we’ll come down the coast, do a show here in L.A., next San Diego, then head toward the East Coast, stopping in Vegas, Dallas, Austin, and a few other spots. Then it’s on to New York for a couple of shows. After that, we'll just take it down the East Coast, with the last show being in Miami.”
“Wow, that’s quite a cross country trip. That’s going to be one hell of a drive.”
“And, that’s why we hire a professional driver and a luxury tour bus,” I winked at her. “Back when we were still indie, though, we would drive ourselves from one gig to the next in a van all day and then played shows that night. Some weeks, we had a show every single night. It was exhausting and a pain in the ass.
“A driver is well worth whatever they cost so we can focus on music and resting up for each show. Trust me, the last thing you want to do is have to concentrate on the road when you've been up half the night drinking after playing a hard show and having only had three hours of sleep—every night for a week. Looking back, it was pretty stupid, but we were young.”
Nalia nodded thoughtfully. “I can see how that might not have been the best of situations,” she said with a grin, taking another sip of wine. “But, bright side, you’ve learned a few lessons since then. Like, hire a driver and a few beds on wheels.”
I laughed, “And, an assistant who just might keep us halfway in line.”
“Oh...I have a whip, and I’m not afraid to use it,” she announced. Then her face turned a little red. “Wait. That did not come out the way I meant it.”
“Are you sure?” I joked. “Because I might be a little disappointed if you don’t have a whip.”
She tossed a piece of vegetable at me from across the counter and smiled that breathtaking smile of hers. I was rather glad that I had the counter to hide behind because everything about her was getting to me. The kitchen was heating up, and it had more to do with her than the heat from the stove.
I finished cooking, and we sat at the island on barstools, eating our dinner and discussing the upcoming week.
“Tomorrow and Thursday, we can plan to get together and go over all the details I have down on paper so you can start wrapping up the final schedule, get all of the accommodations together, and start working on the radio promotions and PR appearances for the tour.”
“That sounds great. I can’t wait to get started,” she smiled at me over her nearly empty glass of wine. I poured each of us a refill, starting to feel it just a little.
I watched her, overwhelmed by how beautiful and genuine she was. Not to mention how perfect she was going to be for the tour. This woman was the total package. She came across as being very level-headed and completely together. I had total confidence that she would really have everything under complete control. I was excited to get to work side-by-side with her over the next four months, prepping for the tour then going on the road with her. But I wasn’t looking forward to having to keep my promise to the band. The more I looked at her and the better I got to know her, the more difficult the idea of keeping that pact began to seem. Still, she was on board now, and I would just have to keep it together for four months. Then it was fair game.
Nalia looked up and caught me watching her. I just didn’t manage to look away fast enough. She tried to hide a smile by taking another sip of wine. I had a feeling she was feeling a little buzzed as well. Her eyes glistened brightly as she studied me, taking another bite of food.
“This salmon came out delicious,” she praised my culinary skills after she dabbed at her mouth with a napkin. “Do you plan on cooking while we’re on the tour bus? Because I’m definitely in if you are.”
“I thought you said you were already in,” I teased.
“I am, but if the food is going to be this good? That’s a huge perk.”
I laughed. For her, I’d gladly cook. Unfortunately, on tour buses, there was usually extremely limited space in the kitchen. Because of this, there was usually a lot of eating at restaurants and fast food joints.
We finished up dinner and the first bottle of wine, so I took out another bottle, pouring us each another glass. I liked having Nalia there, and if I hadn’t been looking forward to the tour before, I certainly was now. We talked more about random things. She told me about her older brother, as well as her best friend Grace, whom I knew of from seeing commercials for the soap opera. We headed back upstairs to the balcony off the lounge and took our wine glasses with us.
“Oh!” Nalia let out a cute little squeak as she tripped in her heels. I caught her around the waist and helped her steady herself. I was guessing she was more than feeling the wine.
I held my arm out to help her as I led her to the edge of the balcony where there was an ideal view of the sun as it set. Everything was perfect out—the weather, the atmosphere, the temperature, the scenery, and the buzzing chemistry between us. She let out a little sigh and without realizing it, leaned against me a little for balance.
“It’s so beautiful.”
Having her so close and so comfortable there with me was more than enough to lower my defenses. I leaned in, my hand still on her hip, and whispered in her ear, “You’re beautiful, Nalia.” I let my lips brush against her neck. Everything logical in me knew what I wanted was a bad idea, but logic didn’t seem to be enough at that moment to stop the words from spilling out. “Stay the night with me?” To hell with the pact.
She gasped and pulled away, the look on her face a bit more surprised than I’d expected.
I bit my lip. Had I misread things?
“You’re my boss,” she stated in a rather matter-of-fact tone. Her expression was hesitant, but she didn’t come across as repulsed by the idea.
“And?” I responded, figuring the worst she would say was no.