Page 25 of Grip Me Tight
“Is Jake still calling you?” Claire asks, anger in her voice.
“Yeah. He is.” I pick at a small thread on my jogging pants before flopping back onto the soft pillows of the hotel bed. I flew in yesterday, spent the day shadowing Avery before she goes off, and then worked with Emil, the tour photographer after the show to sort through some content. I’m exhausted and happy I didn’t have to head to the after-party with the band last night. I’ve seen the guys in concert before, but maybe only once or twice and I never took advantage of my sibling status to head backstage. It would kill me to see Tanner with a bunch of groupies, see them touching him, kissing him and have him dismiss me as the little sister.
One night only was a stupid thing to agree to. When I hear his voice, my body perks up like Pavlov’s dog, salivating at the thought of having his hands on me again.
Watching him from the production room last night forced me to think about him in a whole new light. Yeah, he’s a rock star, but to me, he’s always been Tanner, just a guy I’ve got a wicked crush on. The guy who wolfs down grilled cheese sandwiches and cheers when I win at Mario Kart.
The guy who broke my heart when he walked away.
Here in his element, I have no choice but to see him as a whole other entity.
A god.
His take-charge, in-command attitude is evident in the way he controls everything happening around him. The guys goof off a little bit, but once they hit the stage, whether it’s rehearsal or the main event, it’s all business. Watching Tanner focus, seeing his passion, it’s a total turn-on.
During the flight to Chicago, I swore I’d give this job my everything. I can be a success and getting an ‘in’ with a band like Kingmaker is an amazing launchpad. I don’t want anyone to think I’m only here because of my connections.
After the guys left, I kept all of my communication with Laird only. No way am I ever giving Tanner the chance to think I used this opportunity to get close to him. He said one night only and I’m just going to have to be happy with what I got.
Which was a mind-blowing orgasm that has likely ruined me for anyone else, ever.
“Just tell him to fuck off,” Claire says.
I jump, forgetting Claire’s on speaker. “Who?”
“You realize jet-lag between Boston and Chicago isn’t a thing, right? I’m talking about Jake. You can’t let him keep calling and screaming at you. It’s nuts. And it’s not like you owe him anything. He treated you badly, you left. He needs to let you leave.”
I nod, even though she can’t see me. “I know. I know.”
“You totally tuned me out, didn’t you? Unless there’s something else on your mind?”
I sigh. “No, I’m just tired.”
“You’re also a shitty liar. I saw you come back to the party with Tanner the other night, and it didn’t look like fighting from where I was standing, either.”
I don’t say anything. Claire is my best friend, but I’m not ready to share the details from the night with anyone. Plus, I kind of feel like a total idiot for admitting I want him. Tanner clearly has more self-control than I do because he was able to get me naked, turn me into a puddle of molten lava, and then head back to the party when I was ready to beg him to have sex with me.
Maybe he didn’t want to? Oh, god. Am I some sort of pity case? I squeeze my eyes tight.
“Hello?”
“I’m still here.”
“Not going to give up the goods are you?”
“Claire…”
“What? I have eyes and ears. The tension between you guys was off the charts hot. Like Jamie and Claire Outlander hot, even if you claim you guys don’t get along.”
I laugh. “I haven’t been in the same place as him for five years for more than an hour and in that timeframe, I’m not certain we’ve actually spoken more than twenty words.”
“Well, maybe you guys don’t need to worry about talking, if you know what I mean.”
If only she knew. “Speaking of tension, I don’t know that I got a full rundown about that Tristan guy who was hanging all over you.”
Claire launches into a description of Tristan’s thighs when there’s a knock on the door.
“Hang on,” I say, hearing a knock at the door. I grab the phone off the bed and walk across the room, noticing a piece of paper by the door. Bending I pick it up and see it’s a schedule. “Super old school.”
