Slay Me (Rock Gods #1) (4 page)

             
He had to think of a way to make it up to her.

             
Marley came running up with a cold beer. He knew Nick was going to need a celebratory drink after that.

             
"She didn't look happy. You probably shouldn't have said that Nick."

             
"I bloody well know that!"

             
"I thought you liked her anyway?"

             
"Yeah I do."

             
"You didn't bag her though did you?"

             
"No, Marley. Not yet. Christ, what a bloody mess."

             
"She's not going to forgive you for that. You blew it mate."

             
Nick grew thoughtful for a moment. Then a sly smile spread across his face. He wanted her. There was no use pretending otherwise anymore. She was angry. He didn't bloody care. He would make her want him back, whether she liked it or not.

             
"What if she doesn't have a choice in the matter?"

             
"What's that?"

             
He slapped Marley's shoulder hard.

             
"Get me Jerry on the phone will you? I have an idea mate."

Five

              Sabrina walked out of the building, avoiding the stares of the staff. It felt like hours had passed by the time she was outside in the dim light of the parking lot. Her cheeks were burning red with embarrassment.

             
She was humiliated, yes, but the phone call concerned her more. Her aunt was calling again. That meant her father was not doing well. They had been doing this for so long that they rarely spoke about anything else.

             
She fished out her car keys and calmly unlocked her car door. She wasn't going to cry. Not this time. This time she felt like screaming. She pulled out her phone and called Aunt Petra.

             
"Hello?"

             
"Sabrina. Your father was calling for you earlier. But he's resting now. Can you call back in a little while?"

             
"Yes, of course. How are you?"

             
The older woman sighed.

             
"He's getting worse. It's been a hard week."

             
"Alright, I'll call you later. In about an hour?

             
"Yes that will be good."

             
"Thank you Aunt Petra. Goodbye."

             
"Goodbye Sabrina."

             
Her aunt hadn't said a word about herself. That's what happens when you take care of someone you love. Someone who was dying.

             
That's something nobody understood who hadn't been through it. Both her parents had cancer while she was growing up. It had taken her mother a long time ago, when she was just a girl. But her father… she'd had to watch him suffer for years. Thank god for her Aunt Petra. Otherwise, Sabrina would never have even left home, let alone gone to college. Or business school. Never mind moving all the way to Los Angles on her own.

             
Her father had encouraged her, telling her to go. He'd been so proud of her accomplishments. But she still felt guilty for doing those things.

             
She felt guilty all the time.

             
Even though her salary was paying for her father's expensive at home hospice care. The paltry insurance he'd had from his job in construction had long since ran out. But he hadn't died quickly as they'd expected to.He'd just hung in there. For years.

             
If he could do it, then she could to. She had to.

             
It was the main reason she didn't date or socialize. Who could understand where she was coming from? The minute she opened her mouth to talk about any of it- it just sounded like a sob story. So she just didn't say anything at all.

             
Besides, if she have abandoned her father for her career, it was going to be worth it. She was going to be a success.

             
And now it was all for nothing.

             
Her phone rang again. It was Nick. She pressed a button, sending him straight to voicemail.

             
Damn it, if she didn't get out of here he would find her. She couldn't face him right now. His smug self assurance. His sense of his place in the world.

             
His bedroom eyes.

             
Right about now she couldn't decide if she hated him or wanted him to comfort her.

             
He'd looked guilty as hell when he'd come off stage. Not right away but all the same… He wasn't a complete monster. Then again, that could just be his charisma and the mixed signals he'd been sending her since they met.

             
She sighed and started the car.

             
What's done was done. Nothing she could do about it now. She'd run some damage control tomorrow. Maybe talk to the in house PR girl about placing some tidbits to debunk his story. It might help. A little bit anyway.

             
Either way, she'd forever be the girl who slept with Nick Falcon.

**********

             
"Hello Jerry!"

             
Nick winked at Marley who was sitting across the back of the limo looking nervous. Marley looked nervous a lot lately. Nick considered it part of his job to keep his cousin on his toes.

             
Maybe he'd take him on vacation after the tour. To a spa someplace exotic. Get him a massage. He'd earned it.

             
"Nick! Saw you on Conan- great job!"

             
"Thanks Jerry. It was all due to my new A&R girl. She's brilliant if you didn't know."

             
"Sabrina's great. I got to ask man- was that true what you said?"

             
"Now come on Jerry, you know I don't kiss and tell."

             
"Like hell I do!"

             
Jerry Dermott owned the whole label. And a telecom company. And a small island. He and Nick went way back. Nick had made him his first million.

             
Never mind the boatloads of cash he'd made for the bastard since then.

             
That's how Nick knew he was going to get what he wanted from him today.

             
"Strictly off the record, it was a bit of a fib. I've got to keep my reputation up, don't I?"

             
Jerry laughed.

             
"I bet you'll get an earful from her tomorrow."

             
"No, she was there with me. She's strictly professional- too bad for me!"

             
Jerry laughed even louder at that. He was quite the skirt chaser himself back in the day. Nothing even close to Nick's epic list of conquests, but nobody really stood a chance against him in that department.

             
"What can I do for you Nick?"

             
"That's the thing. I'm really concerned about this upcoming tour, the appearances, everything. Since Sabrina has done such a good job so far, I would feel much more comfortable if she was there with me. In person."

             
He grinned at Marley who was gaping at him with his mouth open. He looked like a fish.

             
"For the entire tour."

             
"Hmmm… I'm not sure she's going to like that Nick. You're not her only client you know."

             
"Ah but Jerry, I should be, shouldn't I? Plus she can do some scouting. I have an opening act or two in every major city in Europe, and that's just the first leg of the trip."

             
"That's not a bad idea… but it's a long way to go to find new talent."

             
Nick could sense that the wily old bastard was wavering.

             
"I would really feel so much more comfortable with her as my handler. Otherwise, who knows if I can keep track of all the promotional appearance she so carefully lined up for me? I might just- not show- or even worse- I might show up drunk. You know she would never let that happen."

             
He held his breath while Jerry did the mental calculations. In just a second he'd come to the exact conclusion that Nick wanted him to.

             
Sabrina had to accompany him on tour.

             
Three bloody months to get her in bed. Once she was there it shouldn't take much longer than that to get her out of his system.

             
"I agree completely Nick. I'll have the head of A&R inform her in the morning."

             
"Thanks Jerry. Here's to being filthy stinking rich."

             
Jerry laughed again, the sound echoing around the limo's speaker system.

             
"Yes, here's to that. Have a good night Nick."

             
"Later."

             
Marley was looking at him as if he were extremely disappointed in him. He hadn't made that face since the time Nick pissed off his hotel balcony in Paris onto the the Rue De Le Paix.

             
"You shouldn't have done that Nick."

             
"Shut up Marley and let me enjoy my victory."

             
Nick leaned back in his seat and put his hands behind his head. He let his mind wander, imagining all the things he would do with her… and all the different ways he would do it. He'd be gentle with her at first. But then he'd unleash the beast. No woman had ever turned down a turn in his bed. Hell, he usually had to kick
them
out.

             
He didn't think he'd be tossing Sabrina out of his bed any time soon. He had a feeling he wouldn't get bored of tangling in the sheets with her for a long time.

             
Maybe ever.

             
Little Miss Sabrina Newton was in for the ride of her life. Whether she liked it or not.

Six

             
It was happening again.

             
Sabrina was staring in horror. Her mother was shrinking in front of her eyes. It was horrible to watch. She reached out to touch her, to stop it, to help.

             
To do anything.

             
She woke up just before her mother disappeared completely. It was always the same dream. Except sometimes, her father was there too. Both of them disappearing until they were only wisps of smoke.

             
Snap out of it!

             
She knew she had to be practical. People passed on. It was a part of life. She was an adult now and there was no excuse for wallowing in this stuff.

             
Besides, she had stuff to do.

             
Damage control from that interview last night for starters.

             
She sighed and pushed herself out of bed. Nick was leaving on tour tomorrow. She had a lot of work to do to make sure everything was ready for him. She had a terrific tour manager who handled the accommodations and travel arrangements, but she needed to make sure he was booked on the best TV shows and that the PR staff got his concert into the newspapers and blogs.

             
Not that he deserved her help after what he had done.

             
But could she really say she was surprised? He was like a caged tiger and she'd poked him repeatedly with a stick. It hurt though. She'd thought he was beginning to respect her at least.

             
Apparently not.

             
Last night she'd come home and just wanted to forget everything. Instead she'd had a brief conversation with her father. He'd wanted to hear all about her day. She'd done her best to talk fast, before the pain got too bad. He'd told her how proud he was of her success. He'd reminded her that her mother would have said 'Good. Now work harder.'

             
It was never enough for them.

             
Her Aunt had taken the phone away from him and given Sabrina a curt goodnight. She'd stared at the phone, wondering if it was the last time she'd speak to her father.

             
She always wondered that.

             
Eventually she'd just gorged herself on rocky road ice cream and crawled into bed wearing her mother's old nightgown. She'd tossed and turned half the night, imagining the fallout from last night.

             
She stretched and went into the kitchen. It was 6 am. Time for coffee and then she could do some emailing before heading into the office.

             
Her phone was flashing. She had missed a call. Already.

             
It was from her boss.

             
Oh crap.

             
She ran to her laptop and refreshed her inbox.

             
She had one new email. Just one.

             
The subject read:
Nick Falcon Upcoming Tour

             
She took a deep breath and read it. It was beyond her wildest imaginings.

             
Dear God.

             
It was so much worse than she could have imagined.

             
Sabrina,

              You've done so well with the Falcon account that we've decided that you should be more hands on. You will be accompanying Nick Falcon for the next six weeks on the first leg of his tour. Then you'll have a short break before the second half in Asia. We expect you to be on the lookout for fresh talent, as well as keeping Nick on track. You must be available to him 24/7.

              Your salary will receive a 20% bump as well as a generous food and entertainment per diem.

              Your other clients will be looked after when you are gone as a temporary measure. This is a really big step in your career Sabrina. Keep up the good work.

              -Adam

              Sabrina stared at her computer screen. Was this a joke? Did they really expect her to be 'hands on?' What did that even mean? 24/7??? It sounded like they wanted her to be at her clients beck and call for God's sake.

             
There was only one thing for certain. Nick Falcon was behind this. And there was no way she was letting him get away with it.

**********

             
"Twenty eight, twenty nine, thirty, thirty one- don't stop- thirty two- come on Nick!"

             
Sandy was leaning on his back, pressing down on him while he did resistance push ups. It was his fifth bloody set of the day and he was tired.

             
He hadn't slept well last night.

             
He'd been thinking about
her.

             
"I'm done love. Tapped. Sorry."

             
He bent his arms and rolled onto his back. Sandy smiled down at him suggestively.

             
"Does that mean you aren't going to fuck me today either?"

             
He shook his head.

             
"Sorry love. It's just not in the cards. Not that you don't look delectable as always."

             
She rolled her eyes at him and handed him a towel.

             
"I saw you on TV last night."

             
He said nothing, just blotted some of the sweat off his face.

             
"You looked good."

             
"It's all thanks to you doll."

             
She laughed and tossed him a water bottle.

             
"Stretch."

             
He pulled hard on the water and tossed the towel around his neck. He reached for his toes, as Sandy came up behind him and pressed gently down on his back. It felt sublime.

             
"So was that true? About you having a girlfriend?"

             
He snorted.

             
"No love. Nothing of the sort."

             
"But-"

             
He was trying to think of a way to change the subject when Sabrina burst into the room. Marley was right behind her, waving his hands.

             
Good. He'd been expecting her. Hell, he'd looking forward to this.

             
"Sorry Nick- she ran past me."             

             
He smiled at her. Jesus, the air went right out of his lungs at the sight of her. She wasn't dressed for work for once. She was wearing jeans and a white cotton button down. She looked good. No, better than good.

             
She looked bloody gorgeous as usual.

             
And angrier than a hornet.

             
"What the hell Nick? Did you seriously go above my head to get even with me? I'm trying to help your career in case you weren't aware. I'm not doing this for my own amusement!"

             
He smiled at her. She looked spectacular with her eyes blazing and her cheeks bright pink.

             
"I am."

             
That brought her up short.

             
"What?"

             
He stood and took a long swig from his bottle.

             
"I'm doing this for my own amusement."

             
Her mouth opened and she stared at him, completely at a loss for words.

             
"You don't even know what you are doing to me do you? Can't you just call Jerry back and ask him to change his mind?"

             
He smiled patronizingly. He didn't have a clue what she was going on about. There was no way he was changing his mind about bringing her on tour. She could go on and be angry for as long as she wanted, just as long as she ended up in his bed. He knew he was being a cad. But he didn't care.

             
He was going to win.

             
"I'm going to need extra special attention during the tour. How else can the label be sure I'm actually showing up for my appearances? You're the one who set them up darling, so you're the best bet to handle my needs."

             
"Handle- your
what?"

             
"You heard me sweetheart. Pack your bags, we leave in less than-"

             
He checked his watch, enjoying himself tremendously.

              "Fifteen hours."

             
"But-"

             
"No buts darling. Accept your fate."

             
He grabbed her hand and froze, startled by the electricity that crackled where he touched her. Her skin was so soft… He lifted her hand to his lips, pressing a kiss there.

             
Christ she smelled good!

             
"Sorry sweetheart. But this is checkmate."

             
He smiled roguishly at the outraged look on her face. She yanked her hand from his and stormed out of the room. Marley threw his hands in the air and followed her out.

             
He turned around to see Sandy watching him with a calculating expression.

             
"So that's why you don't want to fuck."

             
"What are you on about now?"

             
She shook her head.

             
"You've got it bad, Nick. I've never seen you this way."

             
"I just like messing with her. She's got a rail up her ass. And what a nice ass it is."

             
"Uh huh. Sure. You know what they say about opposites."

             
"What's that?"

             
"They attract."

             
He said nothing. She was right of course. He did have it bad. His reaction to seeing her today was scaring the shit out of him if he was honest. He'd just have to nail the girl six ways from sunday. Then he'd be back to normal.

             
Whatever that meant.

             
"Oh come on Nick, don't tell me you don't want to fuck her."

             
Nick grinned at Sandy, raising his eyebrow.

             
"Well I didn't say
that.
"

**********

              Sabrina stared at her luggage, lined up on the living room floor. She never understood why people put luggage on beds. Luggage was dirty. Beds were clean. She shook her head. What the hell was she thinking about?

             
Oh right, anything but him.

             
Nick Falcon.

             
The bane of her existence.

             
He'd actually beat her once and for all. Getting her away from the office right after her promotion was career suicide, especially because it would just confirm what he'd said on TV about her sleeping with him.

             
Well, he hadn't said it flat out. But he'd certainly implied it. That made it seem more real.

             
Now she was leaving when both her job and her father's health were in critical stages.

             
Damnit.

             
Of course her father had supported her going. He'd found it all very exciting. He was a big fan of Nick Falcon, the legend. Little did he know that the legend had it in for his daughter.