Groupie/Rock Star Bundle (6 page)

I tried to pry it out of Iris as we sprinted in
and out of different boutiques and salons, but she wasn’t
forthcoming. She either didn’t know or she didn’t feel it was her
place to share. Vanni was her friend, after all, and she had to
protect his confidence.

So I remained aggravatingly clueless as I was
plucked, primped, and pampered for a major event thrown by one of
the most important entertainment moguls in the country.

By the end of it all I could hardly
begrudge the miraculous efforts put forth by what I affectionately
dubbed my “pit crew.” I wore a long plum colored satin dress with
black lace overlay. It had an empire waistline enhanced by a
jeweled band with black rhinestones just under the bodice, to catch
the light around my rather prominently exposed cleavage. My skin
was pale but dusted with a shimmering powder to give it a rosy
glow. My hair, still in its two-toned bob, was trimmed and teased
till it lifted off my head like a Technicolor halo. Everyone vetoed
the glasses, so the only real mask I got to wear was a darker
periwinkle gray eye shadow they used for a smoky effect.

They provided a lace shawl for my creamy
exposed shoulders, which helped detract away from any perceived
“flaws.” When I stepped out of the car in front of the luxury
apartment building where Jasper Carrington lived with his famous
wife Athena, I felt almost as if I belonged to Manhattan high
society.

The minute I entered the posh
penthouse apartment I took another glass of champagne from a
uniformed waiter to fill my tank of confidence. The music thundered
around the elegant living room where several familiar faces
lingered.

Was that…? Could that be…? I didn’t
know he was dating her… and where is her husband?

Iris would bend toward me every now and then to
fill me in on all the hottest gossip. But the only real story I
wanted to hear was about Lourdes. Would she make it to this
glamorous affair?

And would I be demoted from Cinderella back
down to the Ugly Stepsister the minute she walked through the
door?

Alana and Iain arrived, arm in arm,
looking like normal people in love amidst all the Celebots that
were milling around trying to network. I got a quick peck on the
cheek from both Alana and Iain before they made their way further
into the fray.

Jasper came by with Athena draped on
his arm. She was an exotic creature with long, black hair and big
brown eyes. Her lips were full and her curves were luscious as they
undulated under her silk mermaid dress that dipped low in the
front. She murmured her hello graciously, but it was fairly evident
she didn’t bother to even learn my name before she went on to the
next guest.

All the players were in place except
for one. Okay, two. And the longer I had to wait for their
appearance the more anxious I got. I snagged another glass of
champagne as the waiter went by, but avoided the hors d'oeuvre
tray. My stomach felt as though it was literally in a knot and I
didn’t feel that vomit would make a very good addition to my
otherwise stylish ensemble.

About a half hour after the party
had started, and nearly an hour after Iris and I had arrived, Vanni
entered with Lourdes on his arm.

His hair was styled and fairly
controlled for the mane that it was. He wore close-fitting pants,
no leather, and a long silky shirt. All his “bling” was in place,
rings on every finger, black and jade bracelets on either wrist,
with two necklaces visible above the unbuttoned top of his
shirt.

As hot as he looked – like any rock star would
– my eyes were riveted to Lourdes. She was at least five-foot-ten,
and her stiletto heels put her at almost eye level with Vanni, who
I already knew stood six-foot-three. Her hair was teased even more
than mine, flowing all around her bare shoulders exposed from her
halter dress.

The red number cut across each breast,
revealing substantial side-boob from either angle, and then
criss-crossed across her tanned and toned abdomen. The hemline was
short, which made her long legs seem even longer.

She looked ready to lounge across a
luxury car in a 1980s music video, the quintessential asset on the
arm of any rock star.

I tried not to feel frumpy in comparison, but I
became acutely aware of each bulge over my ample frame. I tightened
the shawl around my shoulders and stopped just short of covering up
my cleavage.

It wasn’t the arsenal of sex appeal that
Lourdes may have possessed, but I knew how to work what I
had.

And I already knew that he was a big
fan.

He smiled our direction when he caught sight of
Iris and me, and herded his arm candy our direction. He kissed Iris
on the cheek and me very dangerously near the corner of my mouth in
greeting. He then turned to introduce me to his date.

“Andy, this is Lourdes. Lourdes, this is my
friend Andy I told you about.”

The word “friend” hit me like a punch in the
gut. I also had a hard time overlooking the fact he had talked to
her about me, but not vice versa. I plastered a smile on my face
and stuck out my hand. “Nice to meet you.”

She smiled as she limply put her hand in mine.
“You’re the writer I’ve heard so much about. I can’t wait for us to
sit down for an interview.”

“Me either,” I said, and that was the God’s
honest truth.

“No business tonight,” Vanni decided
as he plucked a couple of glasses off of the waiter’s tray. He
handed the extra one to Lourdes. “Tonight we enjoy the fruits of
our labor.” He smiled at Lourdes before he took a swig from his
glass.

Something unspoken and intimate
passed between them, and it was very hard to read. Objectively, at
least. If they were announcing an engagement I was taking my ball
and going home.

Mercifully they glided over to where Jasper and
Athena stood, where the four of them laughed gaily and engaged in
an animated conversation I couldn’t hear. I turned to Iris but she
had already flitted away to work the room.

Iris never stopped working, even when she was
having fun.

I stood rather conspicuously in the
middle of the room whereupon I plotted my escape. The heels I was
wearing weren’t especially high, I could probably get away with
shimmying down the fire escape if I could just inch my way over to
the window. I turned around and right into Yael, who looked as
uncomfortable to be there as I was. It probably had a lot to do
with his carefully cultivated Goth image, but at that moment I was
relieved to know I wasn’t the only one who didn’t quite fit
in.

Yael was a music nerd. He didn’t care much
about success and all the trappings. I had to respect that. More
importantly he was also a great backup strategy to my epic fire
escape plan. After an uncomfortable moment I blurted, “You want to
go somewhere and get our interview out of the way?” I offered, even
though I hadn’t packed my interviewing material anywhere in my
gown.

“Shit, yes,” he sighed in relief. Like me he
didn’t feel comfortable unless he was doing something aside from
just holding down the floor. He followed me as we wound our way
through the crowded room out onto the balcony.

He took a deep breath as he closed the door
behind him. “I hate parties,” he stated unnecessarily. “I’d much
rather have stayed at the studio.”

“Command performance?” I asked with
a slight grin.

“You know it,” he said as he leaned
onto the concrete balcony wall overlooking the view of Manhattan.
It was on fire with a million little lights, and the breeze gently
lifted our hair from our shoulders as it drifted by.

“You hit the fast lane pretty quick,” I stated
as I looked out over the city. “Is it everything you thought it
would be?”

He smirked. “Unfortunately.”

“Vanni seems to enjoy it,” I
mentioned offhand.

“That’s because he’s meant to be the
star. He gets off on the fame and the adoration. That’s why we
don’t get in his way much.”

I glanced at Yael, to see if there was any
underlying bitterness. But the comment was issued more
matter-of-fact. Resigned, even.

“I just want to play. As long as nothing gets
in the way of that, we’re cool.”

“You’ll pardon me for saying so but I think
that the band is big enough for more than one star. You bring a
polished edge to the music.”

He looked away, clearly uncomfortable by the
praise. “I could be better. I want to be better. That’s what it’s
about, you know? Music is evolution.”

I nodded. I totally got what he was
saying.

“As long as I learn, as long as I grow, that’s
all that really matters to me. Success just means we have the money
to keep doing it.” He glanced back at me then, looked me straight
in the eye. “That’s what I want my interview to say.”

I smiled. “And it shall.”

He gave me a small nod and then glanced back at
the party in full swing behind the patio doors. “I guess I gotta
get back. You coming?”

I shook my head. After several glasses of
champagne I liked how the night air was clearing my head. “I think
I just want to gather my thoughts.”

He gave me a small smile, perhaps the most
genuine I’d ever received from him, and left me alone. I sucked in
a big deep breath. Maybe Yael nailed it. It was all about getting
paid to do what you love, simply so you could grow and do it
better.

I couldn’t begrudge my career, as slow moving
as it was. I got paid to do what I liked to do, and combine my
passions doing it. It was a pretty sweet life.

I had a smile on my face when a voice came from
behind my ear. “Penny for your thoughts.”

I turned to fall headlong into Vanni’s dark
eyes, still rimmed black with eyeliner. I knew that look was soon
going to be the death of me. “Just thinking about life,” I
murmured.

He held a hand to his chest, looking
emotionally wounded. “And here I thought you were thinking about
me.”

I laughed. “Get over yourself, pal.”

He didn’t stop smiling as he brushed my hair
out of my face. Just the touch of his hand on my skin sent an
electrical charge right to my core. “I was thinking about you.” His
eyes traveled over my face, stopping briefly on my mouth, then
lower to my dress and all it revealed. “You look amazing,
Andy.”

I scoffed. “Say that to someone who hasn’t seen
your date.”

He leaned forward on the railing much like Yael
had done. “So is that it? You’re mad about Lourdes?”

I leaned forward too. “How could I be mad about
Lourdes? I didn’t even know about her until yesterday.”

He turned to face me. I tried my best not to
look at the wisps of hair poking out of his unbuttoned shirt.
“There wasn’t anything to tell.”

“Oh I think there’s plenty to tell,” I
corrected. I turned toward him and leaned on my elbow, mirroring
his body language. “Jasper was all too eager to hand me a giant
file full of press clippings about your whirlwind
romance.”

Vanni didn’t even look chagrined by the news.
If anything, he looked amused. “That doesn’t surprise me in the
least.” He leaned a little closer. “Tip number one: everyone wants
something. You have to know what that is to really know what’s
going on.”

“And what do you want?” I asked before I could
stop myself.

He leaned even closer, until our
torsos touched. I was mesmerized by the look in his eyes, and the
close proximity of that full mouth I had only dreamed about
kissing. For a second I couldn’t even breathe. “I want a lot of
things. Success. Acclaim. Happiness. You,” he added softly, and
potently, as his gaze drifted to my mouth. I knew he was thinking
about kissing me, I could see it in his face.

The intimacy of the moment was
electrically charged.

I wanted to scream, “Why?” but all
words were locked in my throat. All I could do was think about the
remaining few inches between his mouth and my own. This wasn’t a
dream. It wasn’t a fantasy.

His kiss was mine to take.

The wind blew my hair across my face, and he
was quick to brush it away. It interrupted the moment enough I
could gather my wits and say, “You have a funny way of showing it,
Mr. Carnevale.”

With a chuckle he leaned in and kissed the top
of my nose. “Before you go back to Nashville,” he promised, “You
will have no doubt.”

He gave me a wink and disappeared
back inside. I stood for a few minutes, trying to process exactly
what had happened before I could muster the wherewithal to follow.
By the time I rejoined the party, both Vanni and his date had
vanished.

Somehow or another, I had let the ball volley
back over to his side of the court. He used my stunned reaction to
his amorous confession to do to me here what I had done to him in
Philadelphia.

For this, he would pay.

Though I wanted to retreat back to
the hotel room, I stayed with the rest of the band (sans Yael, who
had already split,) as well as Alana and Iris until the party was
nearing its end – which was near dawn. The champagne flowed and I
even managed to get onto the dance floor with Felix, who was
extremely animated after he had indulged in a little herbal smoke
break in one of the back rooms. Sure I could have taken the time to
interview him or Iain and actually do the work no one was paying me
the big bucks to do – something the old Andy would have gladly done
without complaint – but it seemed a lot more fun to dance to the
heavy beat with people I had only read about in
magazines.