Then
* * *
“So now that you’ve popped your cherry, you gonna partake in the pussy that’s on offer?”
Johnny, the drummer in my first band, wasn’t known for his subtlety, but I still cringed. “I dunno, man. Not looking to just stick it anywhere now. Looking for something special.”
He glanced around the party that was packed with hot, scantily clad women. “I can find you someone special in about ten seconds. What’s your type?”
I was about to blow him off, laugh and deflect like I always did…but then I saw a goddess in a blue dress that was tight to the waist and then flared out into a flowy skirt. She was the embodiment of sophistication. Helen walked into the party with that self-possessed, relaxed confidence of hers…and my heart literally skipped a beat.
She was stunning in the most fundamental sense of the word.
I’d gone quiet, so Johnny turned to see what I was looking at, then he roared with laughter.
“The virgin’s got taste. I gotta give you that.”
Was he really going to keep calling me “the virgin” now? Why had I ever opened up to this asshole?
“You know her?” I asked casually.
“That’s Helen.Everyoneknows her.” He raised his eyebrows suggestively.
I didn’t like what he was insinuating. Not so much the idea she might’ve been with everyone, but the idea that he was shaming her for it. The guy took random women home by the dozen and was applauded for it.
Before he could say anything else, I got up and wove my way through the party like I was being drawn to her by some otherworldly force.
When she saw me, there was a split second where her eyes lit up, but she quickly shut it down and painted an indifferent expression onto her face. Even indifference looked good on her.
I guess she wants me to play it cool?
I gave her what I hoped was a charming half smile and said, “Fancy seeing you here…”
“Zane…what are you doing here?”
Does she think I’m stalking her? Oh shit, I don’t want her to think I’m stalking her.
I grinned. “I work here.”
She gave me a skeptical look.
“My band is opening the show,” I said, still not used to the fact I was finally on a real tour as the opening act for Hail Fire, a band I’d idolized since I was a kid.
“Of course you’re a musician.” She sighed heavily and gave me a wink. “I’m working.”
Did that mean she was already here with someone or trying to find someone who was interested? I felt like such an inexperienced kid. How did any of this work? The lead singer of Hail Fire had arranged everything for our rendezvous when I’d told him what I wanted to do, so I didn’t really know how it came about.
I said, “I was hoping I could see you again…and here you are.”
She assessed me. “I don’t usually socialize with clients outside of work.”
I nodded, promising myself I’d walk away if she asked me to, but nothing about her body language said she wanted me to leave. She was giving me a playful, challenging look, like she was waiting to see what I’d do next. She had no problem telling me where her boundaries were the night before, so I trusted she’d tell me.
I took a chance. “Okay, well let’s pretend we just met then. Nothing wrong with talking to a random guy at a party, right?”
Her eyes flashed with amusement. “I usually charge extra for roleplay…”
I laughed. “Tell me to leave and I will.”
