Maid for the Rock Star (11 page)

Serge shook his head. "No, that thing exploded. It's too dangerous."

"Were you or your client flexing your muscles during the training session?"

He snorted. "Weights training. It builds and flexes muscle. Of course. I'll show you, if you like." He dropped his cleaning cloth and took an eager step toward the dumbbells.

Audra waved him away. "I believe you. Some other time, maybe. Penny's easily distracted. She probably put too much shampoo into the machine, wasn't watching the foam and the pressure popped the reservoir. It's not the first time it's happened, though it wasn't quite as messy then."

Together, they finished cleaning the gym with the now-operational carpet shampooer and switched the gym sign from open to closed while the carpet dried. Afterwards, they walked back to the staff accommodation together to shower and change into their civilian clothes for dinner.

When they met again outside, Audra eyed his wet hair and her thoughts strayed to what would happen if she took Penny's advice and shared a shower with Serge. She'd never done anything aside from wash in a shower before, given how both hot water and shower time had been rationed at home in a house with seven people and one bathroom.

Serge gave her an exaggerated bow. "I owe you my eternal servitude for saving me from that mess."

"Don't you mean gratitude? You know, you're grateful for what I did? Servitude is like slavery and that was abolished years ago."

He waved a hand airily. "Either. Both. If you ever need a favour, just ask me." He grinned. "Now, the least I can do is take you to dinner."

Audra laughed. "The finest the staff dining room has to offer, I'm sure. I wonder what's been burned tonight."

Mango chicken, as it turned out, and they talked and laughed through the meal, as easily as if they'd known each other for years. Scrubbing blood off a ceiling together evidently did that to people.

After they were finished, Serge wanted to check on the dampness of the gym floor, so Audra bade him goodnight and headed back to the staff accommodation on her own. She glanced at the empty helipad, wondering if the pumping music and the shriek of the shampoo machine had drowned out the sound of Jay's return to the island. She hoped he was safely ensconced in his villa, entertaining his guest. If he needed her, he'd surely page her, but her wristband had remained mercifully silent since Serge's emergency call just after lunch.

Hoping to get an early night, Audra trudged back to her room and locked the door. She figured she'd check her emails and messages on her laptop, then go to sleep. Most of the messages were advertising, so she scrolled down the list, deleting as she went, until she came across an email from her sister, Sam, asking if she'd be free for an online video call. She'd sent it twenty minutes earlier, so Audra quickly responded that she was free now, if Sam wanted.

Five minutes later, Sam's excited face filled her screen. "Guess what, guess what!"

Thinking of her conversation last night with Serge, she said, "Mum finally won the lottery?"

Sam giggled. "She won thirty bucks last week – her first win in months – but no, she didn't win the jackpot, even though Mum still buys a ticket every week. No, better than that."

Audra couldn't think of anything better that she'd want to voice to her fifteen-year-old sister. "I don't know, Sam."

"Josh kissed me today!"

"Oh...but that's not your first kiss, is it?"

Sam rolled her eyes. "No, of course not. I'm fifteen, not ten. But it's my first French kiss with the captain of the Year Ten basketball team. And he didn't drool much!"

Audra fought laughter. "So this Josh is a good kisser?"

"Well..." Sam scrunched up her nose. "He wasn't at first, but we got better with practice. He only licked my nose once. After a while, like, all of lunch, my tummy felt all fluttery. Almost like I was in love. Tad laughed and said it was all the saliva exchange making me sick, but he's just jealous. Maybe he's right, though. Does kissing make you sick? Because I can't be in love with Josh."

Aw, first love. Audra couldn't hold back a happy sigh. "Why not? Love's not something you can control. It just sort of..." Creeps up on you, wrenches at your heart and breaks it when he leaves you.

Sam groaned. "I'm so not a kid any more! I'm in love with Jay Felix. Kissing Josh doesn't make me anywhere near as hot as kissing Jay would. I mean, just kissing his poster..." She blushed.

Audra fought to find the right words. "Rock stars like Jay aren't worth your time, Sam. He wouldn't notice normal people like us over his enormous ego." Even as she spoke, she knew it was a lie. Jay had poured out his heart to her, read her a story and even ordered her breakfast. He was worth her time, and not just because she got paid for it. "Don't pin your hopes on something that'll never happen," she finished lamely.

"One day it will. Ooh, they announced concert dates for Chaya's next tour. Jay's coming to Perth for their farewell tour next year. Guess that means he won't be a rock star any more and I'll have even more of a chance. Do you think if I..." Sam continued, but Audra stopped listening.

Chaya's farewell tour.

The missing pieces fell into place. No wonder he kept insisting he was a rock star – when Chaya broke up, he'd be just an ordinary bloke again. No longer rock royalty. He was running out of time to impress this girl with his rock star charms. Poor Jay. Audra hoped the fondue she'd left would help. To lose your identity and the girl you loved all in one hit would be quite a blow to anyone. If he needed help with anything...

Audra's eyes darted to her ID, but the display was still dark. She wasn't wanted in Maxima tonight.

"So what d'you think?"

Audra blinked. "Um, sure," she replied, hoping it was the right thing to say.

Sam cheered. "Awesome. I'll pay you back, I promise. Tickets go on sale for the concert tomorrow and if you're coming, then you can drive us."

"The Chaya concert? Yeah, okay." Standing in the audience, watching Jay and his band perform for the last time. As long as he didn't spot her in the crowd, it would be fine. The tickets wouldn't come cheap, though. There goes this week's pay, she thought.

After a few more minutes of small talk, Audra ended the call and closed her ageing laptop.

She could ask Jay for tickets. Maybe even the chance to go backstage. She wouldn't ask for herself, but she'd do almost anything for Sam. The worst he could say was no, and then she'd just buy them like she'd planned. But she'd have to do it tonight, before tickets went on sale in the morning, because if it was anything like other Chaya concerts, they sold out fast.

Audra slipped on her shoes and headed for Villa Maxima.

TWENTY-TWO

How were you supposed to see the road when it was the same red dirt as the bush on either side and there weren't any street lights? Every road should have fucking street lights, Jason fumed as his car bounced over another rut. So much for the best four-wheel-drive the dealership had to offer. The suspension on this was shit. He may as well have been driving the little shitbrick of a hatchback he'd owned before Chaya made it big. And where was the damn hotel, anyway? The helicopter flight hadn't taken half this long and he couldn't see a single building anywhere.

Jason floored the accelerator, trying to get the stupid car to go faster, but all it did was bump harder down the unsealed road. Maybe he should call the helicopter to come and pick him up. It couldn't be that hard for it to find him – the headlights of his car had to be the only lights for miles. He fished around in his pocket and withdrew his phone, glancing between the screen and the road as he searched for the pilot's number. Or the hotel's. He didn't care as long as he got back.

Jo's number came up. That'd do. She could fix anything. He hit the call button and held the phone to his ear.

It emitted an irritating beep, followed by silence. Why wasn't it calling?

He glared at the screen. "No mobile access – emergency calls only," he read, then punched the dashboard. "It is a fucking emergency! I need to get back to the hotel so I can...can..." Tits. Something about tits. Scooping them out of a skimpy French maid's uniform and...

No, there weren't any frills. He didn't want her in her maid's uniform, French or Aussie or fucking Chinese. He wanted her naked. Wanted to see if her arse was as sweet as her tits.

Wondered what she'd taste like – salty like the sea around the island, or sweet like the mango beer? Fuck. If it wasn't an emergency before, it was now. His pants were too tight. He needed her now.

He tried, but the phone only beeped and beeped again, until he threw the stupid thing into the back seat. Fuck the phone. Fuck the helicopter. No, wait. He wanted to fuck a woman. Sweet and sassy and sympathetic and on call...

He'd never gone without sex so long in his life. Not since high school, anyway.

What the fuck was that in the middle of the road?

Jason squinted at the tall shape. Was some fat bloke standing in the middle of the road? Nah, no one'd be that stupid. Or that huge.

Jason found himself staring at the biggest cow he'd ever seen, lowering its horns and charging his car. Fuck.

Jason wrenched the steering wheel right, taking the car to the other side of the track. Lights blinded him and the deafening blare of a horn sliced into his head. It sounded like a car, not a cow.

There was a jarring crunch, accompanied by the sound of a million tinkling bells before he was in flight, spinning like a skydiver in freefall. Only what skydiver took their car with them and opened their parachute in the car? Parachute everywhere. In front of him. Beside him. Sticking out of the dash like a big balloon. Holding him in his seat so he couldn't move.

Upside down. Sideways. Right way up. No, sideways again. Fuck. Upside down in a car full of parachute, but the landing was gentler than he expected. Skydiving in a car was awesome. Jason unclipped the straps holding him upside down and slid to the roof of the car. Pain flared in his hand, but he ignored it. Adventure sports came with a bit of pain, didn't they? And chicks dig scars.

Ooh, there's one.

A moving blue blur outside resolved into a woman bent double so she could see into the car window. Purple. No, blue. Purple again. Why was her shirt changing colour? She looked concerned. "Can you hear me? You hit me with your car! You could've killed me!"

He'd landed on a hot chick? Cool. Jason grinned lazily, hoping she looked as hot as she sounded. He couldn't see so clearly right now. There was something in his eye. Probably his hair. He reached up to casually flick it away in the sexy way he knew melted any woman's underwear, and tried to catch the niggling thought in his head about car crashes. Car crashes and rock stars. Numbers! That's what he had to get. Give. Whatever.

"Get me out of here and I'll give you my number, babe," he said.

Lights were flashing. Why were they flashing? They made it hard to think. Lights only flashed at concerts and he couldn't see his guitar, or the rest of the band. And why did his hand hurt?

Jason held up his fingers so he could see them better. Something black was oozing over his hand. Like tar, with sparkling diamonds in it. The light flashed red and the ooze wasn't black any more. It was ruby red. Like...blood. Fuck. It couldn't be. When he saw blood, he...

"Sir! Can you hear me? Are you all right?"

All the lights at the rock concert in Jason's head went out.