Rock Your Body: A BWWM Romance (12 page)

CHAPTER 9

Colin surveyed the boardroom. Roger had shown up not long after he reached the company’s floor. His assistant sat to his right. Across the table was the perfumer who would make the fragrances he’d choose from. Several other people sat with them, but he wasn’t completely sure of their jobs.

Anyway, he’d smelled a few things and knew what he wanted in his perfume. Well, both perfumes, for men and for women. He’d liked the process. The perfumer, a guy with a mustache and aviator glasses, had explained things in terms even Colin could understand.

This was going to be fun.

The perfumer and Roger were comparing notes of what ideas they had, though Colin had the final say no matter what they wanted. He cleared his throat and Roger, knowing what that meant, stopped talking.

“I’ve decided musk and wood in the men’s fragrance and citrus and musk in the women’s fragrance.”

Roger typed that into his tablet. He never went anywhere without it. Roger’s tablet had saved Colin more than once when he’d forgotten some appointment.

Colin’s mind wandered to Tamra. Was she out there working feverishly to come up with dirt on the president of his fan club? Probably. She was thorough, if nothing else. She’d probably appreciate him being thorough, too.

He’d remember that when he got her in bed. Leave no inch of skin unkissed. He blinked as he realized the room had gone silent and all the inhabitants were looking at him.

“Sorry. Drifted off.”

“We asked if you had any other preferences,” Roger said.

“No, I think that’s it. When can I smell the final product?”

“We’ll give you three options to choose from, but this will take me a week to get them done,” the perfumer said.

“Then I’ll come back, then. You can make an appointment with Roger.”

Colin realized that he’d gotten so caught up in having dinner with Tamra that he’d never played that piece of music in his head. It was now back again and he had no way of recording it. Wait. He’d brought his iPad with him this time.

He smiled, shaking hands as he left, but his mind was already on the song. He walked past Tamra, forgetting that she was there for him.

“Colin, wait.”

He stopped, but his mind was gone. The music was in his head. So clearly, he could see the notes and hear the riffs.

Tamra came up beside him, but he must have had a strange look on his face, because she didn’t speak. She took him by the arm and led him to the elevator. When they reached the lobby, she had already called Sean to pick them up.

Colin climbed into the limousine. Tamra followed. Roger poked his head in.

“Bad news. Photo shoot is today, not tomorrow,” he said.

Colin frowned. “Okay. I just need my iPad.”

Roger pointed to Colin’s backpack he’d carried from his apartment. “Tamra, it’s in there.”

She looked at Roger then slid it out of its pocket, handing it to Colin.

“I’m right behind. In fact, Tamra, ride with me.”

“No way. I stay with Colin.”

“Then don’t speak,” Roger said before he closed the door.

Colin heard the conversation as if it were in the next room not in the same car he was in. His iPad finally booted up as he shifted away from Tamra in the car. They had enough room to not be anywhere near each other.

Turning on the keyboard app, Colin got to work.

***

At first Tamra had been concerned that Colin was having a seizure or stroke, but when she looked back at Roger, he’d mouthed that Colin was fine. Just get him to the car.

She did and was still a little spooked. She watched him over her laptop. She was writing a report about Carie. The woman’s record was clean, but Tamra wondered about someone who was a president of a fan club.

Seemed odd to Tamra, but she wasn’t known to have passion for much. Tamra kept herself reined in well.

Her past lovers hadn’t liked that. Oh well.

Now Colin sat with his head over his iPad, his fingers playing a tune. Over and over. Each time there was a subtle difference. She was fascinated, observing him. She’d never seen such concentration. Was he this detail-oriented in everything he did?

She saw his fingers glide over the screen, producing the music flawlessly. As far as she could tell. She wasn’t musical. She couldn’t play an instrument nor did she listen to much music, but what he produced was sensual and sexy.

It reminded her of a dance. Or the give and take of good sex.

Damn. She really needed to either get laid or use her vibrator. She’d brought it with her to Colin’s house. Could she use it without him knowing it? The walls weren’t thin so she thought she could. Or take it into the bathroom which was against the opposite wall from his bedroom.

She felt like a teenager again. Instead of stealing away to read a book, she was stealing away to get her rocks off.

Right before they reached his house, Colin looked up at her and smiled. “Thanks.”

He slid his iPad into his backpack.

“For what?”

She’d merely not spoken.

“For letting me do that. I really had to get that song down.”

She nodded. Should she tell him what she thought of the song? No, he didn’t need his ego stroked.

“That’s been in my head since yesterday. Sometimes the song just has to come out.”

“Is that for your new album?”

“Probably not. It isn’t hip hop. It’s more of a love ballad. It will have to wait for some other album.”

“You’re doing hip hop?”

“If I can get Docta Hop to record with me.”

                                                                    ***

Colin mulled over his photo shoot. Inkblot Magazine was interested in his tattoos. The shoot would probably be naked or mostly naked. Not that he minded.

If he could walk around naked all the time he would. The only part of this he was a little concerned about was Tamra. What would she think? Would she stick around for the shoot? Would she watch?

He’d never been shy about performing and this was just a different style of performing. A little more intimate than a concert hall. Even with all the lights and technicians. Would it all be too much for her?

And he had to be sexy. Maybe it would work for her. Maybe she’d be turned on. The prospect lightened his mood.

When he arrived, Roger had somehow beaten them there. The man was going to get a speeding ticket one of these days.

Tamra went into the kitchen. Roger pulled Colin into the living room. “The shoot will be in here. They like the furnishings and the light.”

The furniture had been rearranged and lights were set up all around the room. He half-expected them to want to shoot in his bedroom. This was enough of an intrusion already. He would have turned them down if they’d insisted on his bedroom. Even if it wasn’t his real home, his bedroom was by invite only.

Two painfully skinny women in their underwear lounged on a couch. Damn.

He should have been turned on by them, but he wasn’t. He was going to have to pretend. He sighed. This would be good exposure to a different audience. That had been his vow this year. To get a broader audience.

A woman with a clipboard approached them. In her hands was a pair of black boxers. Guess that was his wardrobe.

“Hello Roger,” she said and air kissed him.

Colin tried not to laugh.

“Hello, Winnie. This is Colin.”

She handed Colin the boxers. “This is your wardrobe.”

“Hm. Spared no expense.”

“What?” Winnie said.

“Never mind. I’ll get into these right away,” Colin said.

He went to the bathroom at the back of the house to change. When he walked back through the kitchen, Tamra looked his way. Her mouth opened slightly and she licked her lips. He had the distinct impression that she thought he looked good.

She didn’t say anything so he walked back to the shoot.

“The idea is that you’ve met these two women and they’ve come back to your house after a concert,” Winnie said.

Wow. That story has so much depth. He cleared his throat. “And I’m trying to get them into bed.”

“Of course.”

She looked at him as if he had two heads.

“We want to highlight your tattoos, of course. That is the focus of the shoot.”

“Then why the women.”

“Just some additional eye candy.”

***

Tamra’s curiosity got the better of her. She tiptoed down the hallway to look into the living room. From the hallway she could see Colin in the underwear he’d been sporting. Two blonde women, wearing less that he was, had their hands all over him.

Someone gave the directions. Colin didn’t seem to be into it. His eyes said his mind was somewhere else, but she kind of saw the art in it all.

He glanced her way at one point. She smiled, but was not sure why. She didn’t know if he was doing a good job or not.

“No, this isn’t working. Come on, Colin. We’ve worked together before,” said the man holding the camera.

“I’m sorry, Jett. Guess I’m having trouble getting into this.”

“Take a break. Everyone take five.”

The women stepped away from Colin as if he were a pole instead of a sexy man in his underwear. Guess they saw half-naked men on a regular basis. Colin came over to her.

“What do you think of all of this?” he said.

She looked around. “Just, uh, wow.”

She tried not to look all over him, but she couldn’t help it. His body was toned and sinewy and beautiful.

“Wait,” the photographer said.

He strode over to where they stood, handing his camera to someone on the way.

Colin turned to him. “You have an idea.”

The man stopped close to Tamra. “You’re perfect.”

She looked at him, then at Colin to see if he could interpret what the man meant.

“What?” Colin said.

The man looked her over as if he were buying her. “I’ve got a great idea.”

Tamra stepped away from the man. “Huh?”

“No, seriously. Inkspot isn’t about emaciated models. We’re about real people. With tattoos.”

“Do you have a tattoo?”

Tamra swallowed hard. She did have one. It had been a bet that she’d lost. She hadn’t shown it to anyone in years.

“Uh, yes.”

Colin’s eyebrows went up.

“Perfect.” The man stalked away. “Where’s wardrobe. I need a white bra and panties to fit this woman.”

“What the fuck?” Tamra said.

The photographer spun around. “Yes. You need to be in the shoot.”

                                                                     ***

Colin watched as every emotion that Tamra was feeling crossed her face. He would have laughed, but he knew she was uncomfortable.