That’s when things get weird. The first girl pulls out her phone and leans right in to take a selfie with a scowling, growling Cal.
And the second one... pulls a pen from out of her back pocket and yanks her top down exposing the entirety of her tits and shoving them right in Micah’s face.
His expression is one of pure horror, and my own eyes widen.
“No,” Micah says, shaking his head. “I’m not signing those.”
Cal snorts as the woman then turns to him expectantly. “Fuck no. We’re here on a date. Put your tits away.”
The woman’s eager expression drops into one of irritation. “Fine. A regular selfie then?”
“Still a no,” Cal growls. For the first time since I’ve known him, I can see why some people think he’s scary. I mean, I don’t. But I get to see a softer, cuddlier side of him.
The woman freezes, and then immediately steps back. “Right. Sure. Sorry to have bothered you guys,” she squeaks before grabbing her friend’s arm and high-tailing it out of the restaurant.
Well, that was certainly something.
“Are you all right?” I ask Micah, who’s staring down at his arm distastefully. I wonder if she wiped her boob sweat all over him.
“That fucking sucked. Sorry, Sin,” he says.
I shake my head vehemently. “Not your fault.”
I glance down at my mostly empty plate, but the disruption has zapped my appetite. Instead, I wipe my mouth with my napkin and sit back in my seat.
“Shit. Seems like word’s got out,” Cal says, his attention on the front windows of the restaurant.
Sure enough, there’s a crowd already gathering outside. My stomach drops as people press up against the windows, leaving greasy smear marks as they peer inside. Then the telltale flashing starts up and I can see a couple of paparazzi through the windows, their cameras pointing directly at us.
“Do you mind if we call it, sweetheart?” Micah asks softly. “Iri can pick you up from around the back and we’ll make our escape before more of them descend on us.”
I nod and paste on a smile, which is something I’ve not had to do in ages.
It’s not their fault. It just sucks that our night got cut short. Cal pushes to his feet, standing between me and the window so I’m shielded from view, and I squeeze his forearm in appreciation.
Iri must have been waiting close by. Only a minute or two after I message him to let him know what’s happening, he texts back to say he’s waiting around the back.
Life with the band seems to involve a lot of back entrances and alleyways, and not in a fun way.
“Ready, Sin?” Iri holds the car door open for me and nods at the others over my shoulder.
I twist around and am instantly pulled into a hot, wide chest as Cal’s arms wrap around me in a warm hug. Micah wraps himself around my back and presses me between the two of them, pressing a gentle kiss to my neck before squeezing my ass.
“Tonight’s not over yet. We’ll see you back at the hotel, sweetheart,” Micah murmurs in my ear, sending a frisson of excitement through me.
Then I climb into the car, and the door slams shut, leaving me alone with Iri.
“So, where are we going?” I ask, trying to keep my tone light.
“Are you all right?” He frowns at me. “I don’t know how anyone found you all. It’s not like it’s a known haunt for any of us.”
“I’m fine. I mean, it brought the date to a premature end, but I guess that sort of thing must happen to you guys all the time.”
He sighs, leaning in to adjust my seatbelt where it’s twisted—I dunno what’s happening with these guys tonight and their obsession with belting me in safely.
“It’s a big part of the reason we’re at the end of our tether. There’s this lack of privacy that comes with fame that shouldn’t be surprising but still is, somehow. It’s like you’re a public commodity and you’re not entitled to your own time and space any longer.”
“That sounds terrible,” I reply, causing him to snort.
