Picture Perfect (6 page)

That gave me pause.  What did he mean that HE would take me back to the hotel?  "What happened to my driver?"

He looked embarrassed, which was my first clue that he'd let him go.  "I told him to go hours ago.  I'd always intended to be the one to drive you back."

There were a million and one things I could have said at that moment.  I could have asked a bunch of
inane questions, but the truth was that I already knew the answers.  He felt the pull that I did, and he wanted to spend time with me.  The teenage version of me would have been on the floor in front of him genuflecting, but the adult version of me was skittish.

It was as he walked me through the living room and into the kitchen
toward a door that clearly led to the garage that I realized that the cold and unfriendly house belonged to him.  The words were out of my mouth before I could hold them back.  "Dear lord Flynn, this is
your
house?" 

Halting his steps, he turned
to study me as he nodded.  "Yeah…  I bought it when we hit it big.  What do you think?"

Looking around, I tried to think of something positive to say.
  Unfortunately, the kitchen was as ridiculous as the living room.  The cabinets were gray and accented with steel, and there was literally nothing comforting or inviting in the entire room.   I assumed that the wait staff must have just cleaned it, but it was so horribly unwelcoming and sterile that I couldn't imagine a few dirty plates would have made it more home like.  Turning to him, I said the only honest thing I could. 

"It's big."

She hated the house.

It was alarming how relieved I was to know that.  Tessa was the first person I'd met in years that wasn't bullshitting me just to get closer, and I liked it.  I liked it a lot. I was starting to wonder if I'd had even one authentic moment in the last decade that wasn't with my family, my band mates or our manager. 

Delighted with her honesty and the
feelings it evoked, I couldn't help but laugh.  "Oh Tess, that's classic.  I hate this house.  Every girl I've ever brought here has gone on and on about how stunning it is, and it's the biggest fucking turn off. Buying this house was just one more thing that I did when I got money that was ridiculous. I was twenty and I thought it would be a great bachelor pad.  I made the mistake of hiring the world's tackiest decorator and she just made it worse.  I'm done here. I love the area though, so I’m thinking that I’m going to have the house demoed to have something built from scratch. Something homey that doesn't give me the chills when I walk in. My manager had a house built last year and it’s the most incredible thing I’ve ever seen. I’m going to set up a meeting with the firm that did his and have them build me something amazing."

Tessa looked relieve
d that I wasn't offended.  "That’s awesome!  Building a house from the ground up would be an amazing experience. I’m glad you want something friendlier. I was thinking that whoever lived here had to be a really cold person, and that doesn't seem like you at all."

Smiling at her, I turn
ed and walked the rest of the way through the kitchen before entering the garage.  Hustling to the passenger door of my black Cadillac STS, I hold the door open for Tessa to get into the car, enjoying her fresh scent and the feel of her as she brushed ever so gently against me before sliding into her seat.

Just the hint of a touch from her
and I was so hard that I could steer the car with my dick.  How did she
do
that? I'd be annoyed if I didn't know that for sure that she
wasn't
trying to get me to fuck her.  If anything, I got the impression she was reticent to explore our chemistry.

In the la
st decade I’d never had to work at bedding the women I wanted.  Whether because they were groupies, or because they were attracted to my money, seduction had been effortless.  I’d actually worked harder to get rid of women than I ever did to attract them.  Tessa wasn't all over me, and I just knew she wouldn't be throwing herself at me. 

Walking around the car, I realize
d that I was whistling.  Something about Tessa made me feel really light.  With a mile wide smile on my face, I opened the door and slid into the driver's seat.  It was nice, being in the car alone with Tess.  Our conversation flowed effortlessly, something I'd never experienced with a woman.  Not even close.  When I pulled into the front drive of the Mondrian, I was reluctant to let her go.  It wasn’t a purely sexual thing either.  As badly as I wanted to slide into her, I wanted to spend time with her just as much, if not more.  Getting out, I briskly walked around the car to open her door for her. 

Once she was out, I threw my key at the valet and took the
receipt for it.  Tessa smiled at me tentatively, a little worry showing on her face showing for the first time all night.  "You don't have to see me up Flynn."

After taking her arm, I walked into the hotel with her.  "
Rumors to the contrary, I'm a gentleman Miss Hamilton, and I'm going to see you to the door."

Her breathless little laugh was my on
ly answer, and I relaxed.  She wasn't going to push me away, and that made me feel really good.  I followed her lead as she walked us through the lobby to the elevators.  Just like in the car, it was just the two of us in the elevator.  It was unusual to spend significant time alone not having sex with someone I was interested in.  Everything about Tessa was unique and interesting to me, and it was a whole new experience.  I liked it.

We got to her suite too quickly, and I was less than happy to have the night come to a close.  The wheels in my brain turned quickly, and I smiled at her.  "Tess, would you have dinner with me
two nights from now?"

My heart almost stopped when I saw
the look on her face.  She wasn’t sure!  What the fuck?  I knew she wasn't one night stand material, but I hadn't read her as not being interested.  Shit, did she have a boyfriend after all?

Licking her lips, Tessa considered me for a moment before turning and sliding her keycard and opening the door to her suite.  "Come in Flynn.  We should talk."

Damn.  I'd been relationship free for over ten years, but I knew enough to realize that "we should talk" was NOT a good sign.  She flicked on the lights as we walked into the sitting area and I took a seat on the couch.  I enjoyed watching the graceful way that she carried herself, absolute beauty in motion. 

After sitting tentatively next to me she was silent for a minute before blurting out, "
This is really embarrassing, but I feel like I need to give you an explanation. I'm a huge fan of the band Flynn.  Worse than that, you've always been my favorite.  When I was younger, the walls in my bedroom were covered with pictures of you, and only you, Flynn.  It was never the other guys in the band.  I spent a ridiculous amount of time fantasizing about you.  I learned what getting turned on meant when I looked at you.  The first time I had an orgasm, I was staring at a picture of you.  So you see why this would be a horrible mistake.”

I tried to follow her logic, but I was getting nowhere.  Maybe the problem was that the blood in my body had coalesced in my dick when she said she had her first orgasm staring at a picture of me. 
I wasn’t turned off by any of that in the least.  In fact, it was one more thing we had in common, because my last orgasm happened while I was staring at a picture of her, just a few hours ago.

"I don't get it. Why does the fact that you liked me when you were a kid mean that we can't pursue our attraction now?  You've totally lost me."

Tess looked at me like I was completely daft.  "Flynn, I'd be no better than a groupie or a stalker.  Doesn’t it bother you out that I used to like you that much?"

I cou
ldn't help my grimace at her use of the words "used to." 

"No
babe, it doesn't bother me at all that you’re a fan of my music.  It also doesn’t bother me that you find me attractive.  You have a completely backwards view of what a groupie is.  A groupie is a totally different kind of fan that comes backstage specifically to fuck. They normally don't even care which one of us they get. There's a big difference babe.  Just to be clear, by your definition, I might as well be a groupie for you.  I've been staring at the photos you're in for weeks, and yes, I’ve jerked off to them. As for being a stalker… unless you’ve been following me or breaking into my house, I hardly think you qualify.  I might qualify though, because I sought you out.  So what does that make me? Believe me… I've been working overtime on one fantasy of you after another.  If it makes you feel any better, my last orgasm happened while I was looking at you.  We aren't different from one another Tess.  Having a crush on someone you don’t know and have only seen in pictures is totally normal.  But this… this is different.  Don’t tell me you can’t feel it."

She really seemed to consider what I'd said
, but she still didn’t look sold.  All I could think about was how badly I needed to kiss her, how much I hoped that a kiss would sway her decision.  Sliding across the couch toward her, I gently pulled her into my arms.  I had to tell myself not to yank her into my arms like a sex mad lunatic.  The faint flush of her skin turned me on, big time.  Threading my fingers in her hair, I closed the remaining gap between us and covered her mouth with mine.

Right away, the difference was huge and noticeable.  T
urns out that there were kisses, and then there were
kisses
.  This was the latter, and in a huge way.  Our mouths moved together like they were made to.  She tasted like champagne and her, and I couldn't hold in the growl that escaped from me.  I was completely engulfed by Tessa and my need for her.  It alarmed me a bit that I'd never felt such passion for anyone before, much less such all-consuming need.

What was she doing to me?

When Flynn asked me to dinner, I thought I'd explode from the dueling thoughts that flooded my
mind.  One part of me was thrilled, and wanted to give a decisive yes.  Flynn had turned out to be a really interesting man, and I loved talking to him.  It was funny that I thought I'd be so conscious of the fact that he was one of the most famous rock stars on planet earth, not to mention being my own personal version of ecstasy, but I really didn’t feel that way at all until right then.  Up until right that second, I was with Flynn the man.  As soon as he asked me to dinner, I suddenly saw Flynn the rock star standing before me.

That wasn't thrilling.  I didn't want to be just another groupie
stalker throwing myself at him, the type who only saw what they want to see, fucking him just to say that they fucked Flynn Rand.  I decided that he needed to know why I was going to say no, and I'd brought him into my suite.

When I laid it out for him and explained the situation, I'd expected him to be turned off.  He didn't respond like that at all.  Instead, he told me that being a fan
or a groupie meant two different things.  And, he still wanted to have dinner with me!  Flynn's the hottest guy I've ever laid eyes on.  No stage gear necessary.  He's naturally hot, and I’m so hot for him that I can feel the arousal pulsing through my veins.  The fact that I was so attracted to him for so long actually deters me from him, as opposed to making me want to throw my panties in his lap.  If I met him at a party and knew nothing about him, I'd want him.  It isn't his fame or his talent that attract me.  It was
him
. 

Still, something held
me back.  It bothered me how pathetic I’d felt since the shit hit the fan with Lee.  I didn’t have sexual confidence, and Flynn’s seen a million faces and fucked them all.  He was used to a certain level of experience that I absolutely didn’t have, and for that reason I knew we would be a bad pairing. 

My brain was a riot of conflicting thoughts w
hen he pulled me toward him.  The feeling of his lips against mine made me feel like I'd combust.  I was drenched before his tongue entered my mouth, and it only got more out of control after that.  The taste of him was utterly intoxicating, and I was lost in it, along with the sensation of our tongues sliding together. 

Flynn had
achieved mastery status in kissing, and I tried not to let it bother me that he'd gotten as good as he was by honing his skills on masses of other women. 

I didn't have time to reflect on that thought fo
r too long because his mouth had given me a touch of amnesia.  Had he kissed other people?  Had I?  I could no longer remember.  Right at that moment, it was just the two of us.

Holding my head firmly between his hands, he took me on the wildest ride I'd ever been on.  Somehow, we fit.  The
heavy sounds of our breathing were punctuated from time to time by the sounds of us breaking apart to stare at each other before going right back to kissing.  My soul was revealed, layer-by-layer, to him as our tongues danced in the most carnal ritual of all.  I felt Flynn in an entirely different way than I'd ever experienced anyone before, and it melted me completely.  The kiss continued, both of us unwilling or unable to stop. 

The sound of Fly
nn's cell phone giving him a message alert brought me back to reality with a thud.  When Flynn finally pulled back, both of us were panting.  Setting his forehead on mine, he groaned.  "Jesus, Tessa! What the hell is this?"