Worth the shots, p.4
WORTH THE SHOTS, page 4
The guy’s got to be every bit of six foot two, dwarfing my five-three frame. I must’ve been too buzzed the other night to fully appreciate his impressive stature—tall, lean, and ripped. The black tribal ink decorating his chest is much more visible now beneath the bright lights. Those barbells I’ve obsessed so hard over have been exchanged for silver rings, dangling like tempting little treats from his nipples.
My eyes wander lower, to the faded black jeans that are open and slung low on his hips, revealing that delectable V I’ve read so much about but had never actually seen in person before now. Well, I’m pleased to report that the romance novels don’t lie…it’s truly a thing of beauty.
“You’re not wearing underwear,” I blurt. I regret the remark instantly, but there was no help for it. Not when I tracked that light dusting of hair from his navel south and nearly got rewarded with an eyeful of his business.
“Nope” His one-word reply is accompanied by a devilish grin. Swaying slightly, he edges closer, pinching his chin. “Are you?”
My mouth opens and closes, imitating a fish out of water, which is so very fitting considering that’s exactly what I feel like—vulnerable, and completely out of my element.
“Aiden…” Anika’s warning tone saves me from having to formulate a response. “She’s not here to entertain you.”
“No?” Brows furrowed; he brings his right hand to rest on his chest as if her statement physically wounded him. I try not to laugh when the unexpected weight of the cast he’s clearly not yet adjusted to nearly knocks him on his ass. “Well, that’s a shame.”
“Cut the shit, Addams.” Her nostrils flare. “I told you to meet me here for the interview. We’ve got to have someone trained to play in your stead by Saturday, and it’s already Tuesday.”
Aiden’s lips purse. His bloodshot eyes narrow on his manager, as if he’s working to solve a puzzle. “I’m aware.” He clucks his tongue. “Where are the applicants?”
“Right here.” She gestures to me with both hands, like a game show host displaying a most enticing prize.
The way his face furrows in disgust does nothing for my self-esteem. “You’ve already made a decision, then? Without me?” He tunnels his left hand through his hair, the veins in his neck suddenly bulging. “I thought that’s what we were here to do?”
“Don’t you recognize her?” Anika’s smug smile has me feeling like a pawn in a dirty game I never signed up for. “Take a closer look.”
My blood heats beneath his intense perusal. A flush works its way from my chest where his gaze lingers far longer than is appropriate, up my neck, to the apples of my cheeks, and radiates through to the tips of my ears.
“I’ve never seen this woman before.” He cannot be serious.
Anika scoffs. “Shall I pull up TMD to jog your memory?”
“What are you getting on about?” He rests the butt of his palm on his forehead, as if fighting off a headache.
“This is Veronica Vanderbilt.” She says my name slowly, enunciating each syllable as if it’ll somehow make a difference.
Aiden lowers his arm and looks at her as if she’s speaking in tongues.
“Oh, you poor, drunken mess.” To further patronize him, Anika smooths a hand up and down his arm, which he quickly jerks away. “She’s the one who won the duel at Bottle Grounds on Saturday.”
His nod is curt. Jaw ticking. “Can’t say I remember much from that night.”
My poor heart—it just keeps taking hit after hit.
“No,” his bestie replies, “I bet you don’t. At any rate, I figured who better to fill in for you than the girl who beat you so badly you resorted to punching a brick wall?”
Holy crap. She isn’t holding anything back.
“You just said we were here for an interview. Shouldn’t she, I don’t know…maybe play before you make such an important decision?”
The way they’re talking about me as if I’m not standing right here is beyond awkward.
“The viral YouTube video was enough for me. It was enough for Clint at the label as well,” she tacks on, giving him pause.
I have no idea who this Clint person is. But even a fool could see that she’s got him right where she wants him. Checkmate.
Aiden’s jaw goes rigid. “So, it’s settled then?”
“Very much so.” Anika looks entirely too proud of herself.
“Guess we’re gonna be working together.” Invisible smoke billows from the rock star’s ears as he reaches for my hand doing an awful job of concealing the way he’s seething inside. “What’s it gonna be, doll? Should I call you Ronnie, then?”
Mortification over his ability to affect me so deeply, then forget the connection we shared on that stage like it was nothing at all, has my defenses up. “I’d prefer you didn’t.” My tongue dips out to moisten my lips. “Veronica is fine.”
“Nah.” His head shakes. “Think I’ll call you Cherry.”
“Cherry?”
“Yeah, Cherry.” He strokes the side of my face tenderly with the knuckles of his left hand. “Because your cheeks go all red like a blushing virgin.”
My body, of course, chooses this precise moment to betray me with an ill-timed surge of warmth, proving his point. “Please don’t.”
He eyes me, giving the pretense of mulling it over before shaking his head. “Fucking adorable.” He goes to clap his hands, remembering at the very last second how unwise of a choice that would be and drops them with a hiss of relief. “Cherry it is.”
“Fantastic.” I don’t know what else to say. Clearly, he’s going to do what he wants anyway, and him giving me a nickname is kinda cute…if a little degrading.
“Glad you approve,” he slurs, walking back toward the couch where we originally found him.
“I didn’t say that…” But my denial falls on deaf ears, because he’s already engaged in a hushed conversation with the women who’ve taken to entertaining one another while awaiting his return.
“You’ll call me?” the bare chested one asks while slipping back into her shirt.
“’Fraid not, love.” He attempts to soften his denial with a kiss to her cheek. “You know I limit all encounters to one time only. I can’t afford attachments, but it was real fun. You’re great.”
He reached out to help the other girl to her feet. “You too.” He makes a display of sucking her fingers into his mouth, his eyes rolling back with delight. “Fucking delicious.”
“But we didn’t finish.” The whiny chick wraps her arms around his neck, staring up at him with lust-filled eyes that make me want to vomit. “So, it doesn’t count.”
Aiden’s throaty chuckle stirs something to life below my belt, a dizzying feeling I don’t want to acknowledge but can’t ignore. He’s so cavalier about the whole sex thing that I find myself revisiting the idea of letting him be the one to rid me of that barrier once and for all. I mean, the universe is practically demanding it with the nickname he just foisted upon me. Cherry. It has to be a sign.
“I don’t make the rules.”
“Actually,” Anika singsongs, inserting herself right into their conversation, “you do.”
I pull my lips inward and bite down to keep from giggling at the betrayal marring his face.
Aiden whispers something to the woman and waves them both off as they head out. Then, he reels around on his shit-stirring manager. “You know, you’ve always been a bit of a bitch.” His forlorn expression is no longer a laughing matter. “I used to consider it part of your charm, funnily enough. But I never thought you’d take such joy in watching me suffer.”
“That’s not what I’m—”
“Isn’t it?” he snarls pinning her with a hard look. “My fucking world is crashing down around me and here you are, smug as can fucking be.”
“I—I think I should go.” This has just become more than I can take. I spin around to make my retreat, but a large hand grips my arm, stopping me before I get my first foot off the floor.
“Stay.” He delivers the command without sparing me a single glance. His eyes are still glued to his manager’s. This man’s pain is palpable, and I find myself getting angry with Anika on his behalf, though I haven’t the slightest idea what the hell is going on between them.
The brunette’s eyes well with tears. “I never meant to hurt you.”
“Save it.” With that, he turns toward me. The fingers still wrapped around my wrist loosen, as if he’s just realizing how tight his hold has been. “You should stay. You’ll need to rehearse with the guys tonight, and I need to get the hell out of here.”
I bob my head, unable to speak for fear I might burst into tears. This entire day has been a whirlwind, and it’s wreaking havoc on my emotions.
Aiden releases his hold, trailing his fingers up the back of my arm to the side of my face. His mere touch sends a shiver dancing along my spine.
My eyes shut of their own accord, and my pulse takes off at a feverish pace. Eager for the chance to mate with his once more, my lips begin to tingle. And just when I think he’s about to kiss me, I feel a tug at the end of one of my braids.
My lids flutter open to find him watching me with a cocky smile. “Told you it looked better down,” he says, dropping a hair tie into my palm before yanking the other out. Aiden takes his time releasing the braids with a gentleness that has my heart skipping beats. He runs his fingers through the long tresses until it’s a mass of frizzy waves.
“Tomorrow, we shop.” He withdraws his hand, bringing it back to his side. “Meet me here at the same time.”
“Shop for what?” I blink hard, trying to gather my wits, which he just scattered.
His teeth clamp down on his lower lip as he once again assesses my outfit. “You wanna fill in for me?”
I clear my throat. “Ye—yes.”
“Then you need to look the part. This ain’t no country club, Cherry Girl.” He tips my chin gently before leaving me with a well-timed wink that has me swooning on impact.
“We’ll talk when I get home tonight,” Anika calls after him.
His only response is to raise his arm and extend his middle finger.
Until tomorrow, then…
CHAPTER 4
AIDEN
“You never came home last night.”
I’m pacing the floor of Booze & Bad Decisions, waiting to see if my replacement, who’s already ten minutes late, is gonna show for our shopping trip when Anika’s unwelcome voice has my entire body tensing. “So?”
Her heels click, grating on my nerves as she falls in step beside me. “So, I told you I wanted to talk.”
“And I didn’t.” I stop, so she’ll stop, and so that annoying clacking will stop ricocheting off the walls. “Stayed over at Josh’s place.”
“I know.” Her tongue darts out to moisten her lips.
“Checking up on me now?” I shake my head in disbelief. “You’re a piece of work.”
“Yeah, well, you’re no picnic, yourself.” Anika pinches the bridge of her nose, taking a moment to collect herself. “Do you have any idea how much trouble you’re in right now?” she finally snaps. “Do you even care?”
I stare just over her head, toward the stage, refusing to make eye contact. “Of course, I care. This job is all I’ve got.”
“That’s just cruel.”
“Oh, sweetheart,” I say, stepping into her personal space. “We both know life is nothing if not cruel.”
Her lip warbles. “I get that you’re angry about Talia—”
My loud scoff cuts her short. “I’m not angry about your girlfriend, Annie.”
“Well, you coulda fooled me.”
“I was confused and caught completely off-guard. And yeah, anger may have been my initial reaction, but I got over it quick.”
“When?” she challenges. “When you stormed out on me like a child? When you made a complete ass of yourself and the entire band by stripping on stage?” She cocks her head to the side, to meet my averted gaze. “Or when you decided to punch a brick wall because you couldn’t handle losing to a girl and broke every knuckle in your goddamn hand?”
“That is what you’d think.” I huff out a dry laugh. “It’s clear you don’t know me at all, friend.”
“I’ll tell you what I do know, friend.” She digs a manicured nail into my shoulder. “Clint has about had it with your shit. The other guys have all settled down and haven’t caused a lick of trouble in quite a while now.”
I jab my pointer into my mouth, pop it out and twirl it in the air, giving her a silent whoop-de-doo.
“He’s threatening to drop you.”
“Huh?”
“It’s why I came down so hard on you yesterday. I’d just gotten out of a meeting with him before picking up Veronica, and when I walked in and saw you…like that…” She sighs. “Even though it’s exactly what I expected, I got angry. Because unless you show some serious maturity over the course of the next few months, you’re out.”
“Out?” I repeat, bile rising in my throat.
Her expression softens. “I convinced him to give you another chance, but he’s at the end of his rope. You pull another stunt like that, and I don’t know if there’s anything I could say or do to stop it.”
The room spins as the reality of what she’s just disclosed sinks in. “I can’t…I can’t lose this.”
“Then it’s time to grow up,” Anika says. “And fast.”
I grapple for her arm as she turns to stalk off, panic making my heart feel like it’s about to burst through my ribcage. “What do I do?”
“Cooling it on all the partying would be a good start.”
“Done.” I bob my head, chewing the inside of my cheek raw. “What else?”
Her hand covers mine where it’s still gripped to her arm. “Just try to lay low for a while and maybe find yourself a girlfriend and stop fucking everything with a hole between its legs.” She quirks a brow, trying to make light of her suggestion.
Meanwhile, the acid in my stomach churns something fierce. No one knows better than Anika how deep-seated my fear of commitment lies. It sits hand in hand with my fear of rejection. I learned long ago the only way to avoid feeling that sort of pain is to never open myself up to it to begin with. “Annie, I—”
Anika’s hollow laugh interrupts my panicked plea. “You look like you’ve seen a ghost.”
“I don’t know how to…I—I can’t.”
“You can.” Her whiskey eyes shimmer as she flattens a palm to my chest. “Aid, you’ve carried the weight of others’ shortcomings long enough. You were a child, for God’s sake. It was never your responsibility to make your parents love you.” Her fingers dig in, twisting the fabric of my shirt. “You aren’t lacking, do you hear me?” A lone tear threatens to spill over, but she swiftly intercepts it with the swat of a hand. “They weren’t worthy of a heart as pure as yours.”
“Knock, knock.” The verbal interruption is accompanied by a few solid thumps on the bar top. “Sorry I’m late. My professor went off on a tangent and kept us after class.”
Tamping down the heavy load of shit we just unpacked, I plaster on a mask of indifference. You’d never guess the inner turmoil raging beneath this well-practiced facade. “No worries, Cherry.” My eyes take a leisurely stroll over today’s ensemble, which consists of a baby blue cashmere sweater, strikingly similar to the hue of her irises, perfectly pressed khaki slacks, and black Maryjane style flats. Her golden locks are pulled back in a half up, half down style. Pearl earrings and a matching necklace complete the look.
“What?” Veronica’s cheeks turn my new preferred shade of red as she looks down at her shirt to see what it is that I find so amusing.
“You get all fancy like this for school every day?” Leaving Anika lurking near the stage, I saunter over to join our guest at the bar.
“You make a habit of judging the clothing choices of every girl you meet so staunchly, or is this humiliating ritual strictly for my benefit?”
“Just you, Cherry.” Feeling bold, I reach out to run the back of my hand over her heated skin, a move that’s become somewhat of an obsession where she’s concerned. “I’ve taken a special interest in you.”
“Whatever did I do to deserve such an honor?” Blondie rests the tips of her fingers beneath her chin and bats her sooty lashes.
The move, meant to be comical, awakens the sleeping giant in my pants, leaving me with the need to adjust myself beneath the bar like a pubescent teenager lacking any self-control.
I can’t for the life of me figure out what it is about this buttoned-up debutant that gets me going. While certainly beautiful, she’s not at all what I usually go for. Perhaps opposites really do attract and I’ve been subconsciously chasing the female version of myself, knowing it’d never go beyond surface level.
Well, whatever the case, management has just made it impossible to avoid this unexpected temptation, and my restraint is about to be tested like never before.
“You accepted Anika’s offer to fill in for me. It’s nothing more and nothing less than that.” I don’t miss the spark as it fizzles from her eyes, nor can I ignore the pang of guilt arising in my chest. “Do us both a solid and refrain from reading into things.”
“Sure,” she answers flatly. “No worries.”
“Great, let’s get going.” Taking her hand, I tip my head in Anika’s direction to bid her farewell and offer a silent truce “We’ll be back in time for rehearsal.”
“Perfect.” My manager’s serene smile assures that all is forgiven and affords a sense of peace I haven’t felt in three agonizing days.
“You’re so full of shit.”
Veronica’s outburst takes me by surprise after what has been a mostly silent walk to the car.
I chuckle, pulling the door open for her. “You’ll have to elaborate, doll.”
The seething blonde climbs into the back seat ahead of me and fastens her safety belt, waiting with impressive patience until I’ve finished instructing Josh on where we’re headed.
“You made those comments about the country club, referring to my clothes, the night we met.”
