Текст книги "Strings Attached"

Автор книги: Stephanie Julian

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She scowled at him. “You don’t have to look so damn surprised.”

“I’m not.” He raised his hands in the air. “Okay, maybe I’m a little surprised. Sue me. It’s just . . .”

She raised defensive eyebrows at him. “Just, what? Surprised someone would want to ask me out?”

He looked genuinely nonplussed at that. “No! Of course not. I’m just surprised you said yes.”

“Well, I did. And you can just leave now.”

“Tru—”

“No.” She sighed. “Look, we can talk later. Okay? I do have work I need to get done so maybe I can have a few hours off this weekend.” She held up a hand. “And before you tell me I work too hard, I’ll just say I know that. And I’m trying not to. So go listen to Sebastian’s music. It really is good and I think you’ll like it.”

Greg didn’t move. “This isn’t over, babe. I wanna know what’s up. I worry about you.”

Then he disappeared down the hall and Tru took a deep breath.

And sniffled.

Damn it. Just . . . damn it.

What the fuck had made her say that? Sebastian probably thought she was a royal bitch and he had every right to think so.

Jesus, she needed to apologize. But what the hell did she say?

Sorry I told Greg you don’t mean a thing to me and last night was just about sex? And tonight I have a date with another man, which I made before I had sex with you.

When the hell had her life become the plot of a romcom? And a bad one, at that.

Throwing herself into cleaning the messes of her professional life, she got up and closed the door to her office so she wasn’t enticed by going down the hall to see what Greg and Sebastian were up to.

Then she opened her e-mail and prepared to do battle.

*   *   *

Baz wanted to slam the door closed behind him but he didn’t want to give Tru the satisfaction of knowing she’d gotten to him.

Because she hadn’t.

So maybe he’d thought last night had meant a little more than a good fuck to her. But it didn’t bother him that she didn’t think so.

Alright, maybe it bothered him a little. Fuck. It bothered him a hell of a lot.

Damn it, he liked her. And he’d thought she liked him but obviously he was a complete idiot who didn’t know what the fuck he was talking about. She’d just dismissed him like a . . . like he was a groupie and she was a rock star on her way to the next show.

Christ.

Maybe he really did need to get the hell out of here and back where he belonged. On the road with his band.

His chest tightened as if someone had stuck him in a vise and started to twist the screws.

It’d been so damn long since he’d played in front of an audience, just the thought made him want to puke like he was a rank amateur at his first gig.

And maybe it wouldn’t matter because Nik still hadn’t called him back and he’d had more than enough time to listen to the music Baz had sent. Maybe Nik would never call back.

At what point did he throw in the towel?

Fuck that. It wasn’t time to throw towels or anything else. Was he fucking nuts? Obviously, he was because it’d only been an hour or so since he’d called Nik.

He needed to get his head on straight. And fucking around with Tru wasn’t going to help.

“So, you wanna tell me what the hell happened last night or do I have to drag it out of you?” Greg stalked into the studio, pushing the door shut behind him with more force than Baz had used. “And don’t fucking tell me nothing.”

Uh-oh. “I made new music. I thought you wanted to hear it.”

Greg shook his head, his expression dark, something he rarely was. “Bullshit. You know that’s not why I’m asking. What the hell happened between you and Tru?”

He stared straight at Greg. “Did you ask her?”

Greg’s response was immediate and fierce. “No. Because I’m asking you.”

Shit. “Maybe it’s none of your business.”

“Maybe. But you and Tru are my friends. And whatever’s going on is making both of you act like crazy people.”

“Maybe I already was to begin with.”

Greg smirked, raising Baz’s blood pressure. “Oh, fuck that, Baz. You’re not crazy. But you are pissing me off. Jesus, you’re so fucking talented and you’re pissing it away. And if you think I don’t see what’s going on between you and Tru, you’re a fucking idiot and that doesn’t mean I think you’re stupid, so don’t even go there. I think you’re gonna let a damn good thing get away from you because you’re too damn stubborn.”

“What the fuck am I being stubborn about?”

“About the fact that you want her and you’re not gonna go after her?”

“And who says I haven’t?”

Shit. He knew the second he said it that it was exactly the opening Greg was looking for because he started to smile.

“You’re a sonovabitch.” Baz pointed at Greg, who crossed his arms over his chest and just stared at him.

“Yep,” Greg started to smile. “But I’m your goddamn friend. Now, what the fuck happened?”

Baz sighed hard and loud. “More than me recording music last night. Alright? Happy? But I’m not saying any more because Tru and I haven’t fucking talked about it and maybe we won’t. According to her, there’s nothing going on between us.”

Now Greg had the decency to look uncomfortable. “Don’t take that as gospel. I was pushing her and she probably just told me that to shut me up and put me off. And I’m sorry about that.”

“Yeah, well, she probably meant every damn word. It’s not like she was begging me to take her back– No, never mind. Just let it go, Greg.”

“Is that what you’re gonna do? Let her go?”

“Not exactly my call, and she’s not breaking down my door to get to me either.”

“Then maybe you need to be a little more proactive, because you’re not the only one with a thing for her.”

Baz winced, knowing it was true. “So you’re telling me I should ask her out.”

“Damn straight that’s what I’m saying.” Then he paused. “Just not tonight because she’s already got a date.”

Baz blinked, pretty sure his ears weren’t working. “She’s got a date? With another guy?”

“I assume that’s what she meant when she said she had a date. And I guess it’s not with you so, yeah, with another guy.”

Well . . . fuck.

“Who with? And when the hell did she agree to go out with this guy?”

“All questions I don’t have answers to. And maybe you don’t want to know, either. Maybe you just want to ask her to dinner and make sure she says yes.”

Chapter Eight

“So you have a date with Cory tonight? Really? When did that happen?”

“He called me Thursday at work. I said yes before I really knew what I was doing.”

Sabrina shook her head, her expression bemused. “Okay, so what’s the problem?”

The first problem, Tru griped silently, was that she’d screwed up. The second problem was that she wasn’t exactly sure how she’d screwed up.

Was it by having sex with Sebastian? Or having sex with Sebastian knowing she had a date with Cory? Or that she hadn’t canceled her date with Cory after having sex with Sebastian?

Tru sighed. “What I’m about to tell you goes no farther. You have to promise.”

Sabrina’s gaze narrowed and Tru could see the girl’s gears working. “Okay, that sounds kinda ominous.”

“It’s not ominous. It’s just . . . complicated.”

“Well, you’ve got my interest, so now I have to know. I promise. Spill.”

Tru had called Sabrina this morning and asked to meet her for coffee, just not at the hotel. She so didn’t need to run into Sebastian until she’d had her coffee and sugar.

So here they sat at a table in the Reading Terminal Market, sipping coffee and eating Nutella-filled crepes.

All the sugar and caffeine would probably make her jittery as hell the rest of the day but hopefully by tonight, she’d reach a plane of existence somewhere in the realm of stability.

And who are you kidding now?

“Sebastian and I had sex last night.”

Sabrina’s mouth dropped open. Luckily she didn’t have any food or hot chocolate in it. That would’ve been gross but Tru didn’t think Sabrina would’ve even noticed. Her expression reeked of shock.

After several seconds, Sabrina finally shook her head. “Say that again.”

“You heard me the first time.”

“I know that. I’m just . . . You and Baz. Holy shit.” Then Sabrina started to smile. “Ho-lee shit.” Sabrina reached across the table and smacked Tru on the arm. “I knew there was something going on between you two.”

Grimacing, Tru looked down into her coffee. “Don’t sound so thrilled. I screwed up badly. This is awful.”

“Wait, why is this awful? Did you guys fight afterward?”

“No, we didn’t fight. We barely talked. I didn’t know what to say. Jesus, Rina, I screwed up and now I don’t know what to do about tonight with Cory.”

“Do you know anything about him?”

“We talked at dinner the other night. He seems nice, doesn’t he?”

Something flashed in Sabrina’s eyes but it was gone in a blink. “Yes, he is. I mean, I haven’t spent a lot of time with him”—and now a blush pushed into Sabrina’s cheeks—“but he’s good friends with Jared so you know he’s not a serial killer or anything like that. He’s gorgeous, yeah, but . . .”

“But what?”

Sabrina grimaced. “But you know how I feel about Baz. I think he’s one in a million and I don’t want to see anyone screw with his head.”

That hurt and Tru sat back in her chair, which immediately made Sabrina shake her head.

“I’m not saying you are. Not at all. That’s not what I meant. Damn it. I’m sorry, Tru. You’ve become one of my best friends in such a short time and I wouldn’t do anything to hurt you, but Sebastian . . . he’s special. You know that. I don’t want to see either of you hurt.”

“So what are you saying?”

“I’m saying, I think you’ve been wrapped up in work way too long and you need to get out and meet people. You need more of a life outside of work.”

“I came to your place last night and look what happened.”

“And that was the first time you’d been out in weeks, wasn’t it? I mean, even the dinner we were at Wednesday night was work– Wait, you and Sebastian disappeared then, too. Did you—”

“No, we didn’t.” She sighed. “But it wasn’t completely innocent, either.”

“And . . .”

“And we fooled around. No big deal.”

“Except it is. Neither of you has been with anyone in months, and then suddenly you’re all over each other? And now you’re trying to tell me it doesn’t mean anything?”

Tru wanted to stomp her feet in frustration. “I didn’t say it didn’t mean anything. It just means I don’t know what the hell it means!”

Shit, that was kind of loud. Tru glanced around to see if anyone was giving them the evil eye but no one seemed to notice them.

And she obviously hadn’t offended Sabrina, because the girl just sat and stared at her with a knowing look on her face.

“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to yell at you.”

Sabrina’s smile returned. “I get that you’re frustrated, Tru. But why? Because this doesn’t fit into your plan? Trust me, I get having a plan, but sometimes you really need to let go a little or you’re gonna miss the really interesting stuff that’s happening outside the plan.”

“And I understand, but that still doesn’t tell me what I’m supposed to do about tonight. Do I cancel on Cory or don’t I? I mean, Sebastian hasn’t asked me out. Maybe it’s just all about sex with him. And I’m not saying that the sex wasn’t good, but maybe he doesn’t want to have anything to do with me outside of sex. And I’m worth more than that.”

“I totally agree. But sometimes, you can be a little, um, intimidating.”

Tru felt her eyebrows rise. “You think I intimidate Sebastian? Seriously? The man gets under my skin every chance he can. He deliberately makes me crazy.”

“That’s how Baz is with everyone.”

“Now we’re back to the idea I’m not really all that special to him.”

“No, see I don’t think that’s right, either. He hasn’t had sex with anyone else since he got out of rehab. He didn’t tell you that, did he?”

No, he hadn’t. And yeah, that might change things. “Of course he didn’t tell me that. We talked about music and the band a little and his relationship with Nik.”

“Things he doesn’t really talk about to anyone. But he talked to you, which is kind of amazing.”

“So you’re telling me I should break off the date with Cory and wait around for Sebastian to maybe call me?”

Sabrina wrinkled her nose, her consternation clear. “Well, no. So maybe Baz needs a little kick in the ass and this date will do it.”

“So I use Cory to make Sebastian jealous?”

Sighing, Sabrina rolled her eyes. “Jeez, is this how your brain works all the time? How do you ever get anything done when all you do is look at all the angles?”

Tru slumped back in her chair, picking at her crepe with her fork. “And now you see my dilemma.”

Silence fell between them, although the bustle of the Friday-morning crowd in the market provided a dull roar around them.

After at least thirty seconds, Sabrina huffed and stuck her tongue out at Tru. Combined with the high ponytail and no makeup, she looked about sixteen. Tru felt at least five times that age.

“So I guess we need to figure out what you’re going to wear tonight.” Sabrina eyed her. “Do you think you could really like Cory?”

“That’s the six-dollar-question, isn’t it?”

Sabrina’s mouth quirked into a grin. “Where do you come from that questions only cost six dollars? Around here, they’re worth at least a few thousand.”

“Life’s a lot simpler in the Midwest, honey.” She let loose the drawl she’d worked so hard to lose in Hollywood and watched Sabrina’s eyes brighten with amusement. “And a hell of a lot cheaper.”

“Well, the little I know about Cory is that he won’t take you somewhere cheap. The guy’s a lawyer, a Philly assistant district attorney, who Jared thinks is going to be a federal prosecutor one day. He’s worth millions, or at least his family is, although I believe there’s lots of family friction and drama. If Greg ever decides to do a thriller, he could use Cory’s life story.”

“Really? He seemed pretty levelheaded.”

“Oh, he is. Totally. But he’s also the kind of guy who likes to bungee jump off cliffs and ski down mountains they have to drop you on top of from a helicopter.”

“Seriously? Wow, I didn’t get that vibe off him at all.”

“Me, either, the first time I met him. I thought he was this buttoned-up lawyer. And then he smiled.”

Yeah, and then he smiled. Tru remembered that smile from Wednesday night. It’d hit a chord inside her. But it hadn’t made her want to rip his clothes off.

Maybe all she needed was to spend time with him.

But why do that when you’ve already met the man who makes you wet with just a grin?

“Maybe I should just call it off.”

“No.” Sabrina shook her head decisively. “I think you should go. And I totally think you should knock him on his ass because you can. But . . . I don’t think you should write off Baz. I think he really likes you. And I’m pretty sure the feeling’s mutual.”

*   *   *

Baz tried to keep busy in the studio while he waited for Tru to return but wound up pacing the halls.

Greg had gone somewhere and Baz had decided to record a little more of the music floating around in his head, but he gave up after half an hour. It didn’t sound bad. It just didn’t sound . . . right.

Setting his guitar in the stand, he headed out into the hall. He gave some serious thought to hitting the gym Greg had had installed in the complex but mindlessly running on the treadmill wouldn’t be good. If he wanted to run, he’d go to Fairmount Park.

What he really wanted to do was talk to Tru.

And say what?

Good fucking question.

“Shit.”

Still standing in the hall, he reached into his pocket for his phone. Old habits died hard. He realized he’d been about to call Nik and see if he wanted to get together, play some music, shoot the shit. But Nik still hadn’t called him back.

Christ, he wanted things to go back to the way they’d been before he’d nearly killed himself. He wanted to get a drink with Nik and the rest of the guys, bitch about women and talk music. He wanted to be on tour, playing shows for thousands of fans and sucking up the adrenaline rush.

He wanted his fucking life to go back to normal.

Yeah, and what exactly was so normal about your life?

Nothing. Abso-fucking-lutely nothing. And that’s the way he’d liked it.

“Sebastian? Are you okay? Is something wrong?”

He turned to find Tru in the hall behind him, staring at him with worry in her eyes.

She had her hair pulled back in a ponytail, which showed off the adorableness of her features. She wore a blue skirt that covered her thighs completely and most of her knees and a white top with a pale pink sweater over top.

She looked like the most normal girl in the world.

The most beautiful girl in his world. So damn pretty his heart began to pound and he had the almost undeniable urge to close the space between them and kiss her until she lost the stiffness in her body and the wary look in her eyes.

Damn it, he wanted her to look at him the way he felt about her. Like he wanted to devour her. Strip her naked and hold her body against his and kiss her until she melted against him.

He’d never felt this way about another girl. And he wasn’t sure he liked it. Especially when he couldn’t read her.

Groupies and fans were easy to read. He knew what they wanted. Sex. A good time. A party.

Tru confused the hell out of him. And made him want things he probably shouldn’t.

Because this wasn’t permanent. Nothing in his life right now was permanent. Maybe he needed to remember that.

“I’m fine. What’s up?”

Did he imagine a blush on her cheeks?

“Nothing. I just . . . didn’t know you were here.”

A few seconds of silence fell as they stared at each other and he remembered what Greg had said. She had a date tonight with another man.

And yeah, that pissed him off.

“So, what are you doing tomorrow night?”

He purposely didn’t ask if she had plans for tonight. He didn’t want to hear her say yes. Or lie.

She blinked a couple of times, like she hadn’t been expecting that from him. Good.

“Mm, I don’t really have any plans.”

“Come out with me. We’ll get some dinner and maybe catch some music. A couple guys I know are playing at the TLA on South Street. Not too far from your place. I think you’ll like them.”

She sucked her lower lip between her teeth and bit down. And his cock got hard.

Fuck.

He couldn’t ever remember being this anxious about a girl, because for so many years, he hadn’t had to wait for an answer. It’d always been an immediate yes. An enthusiastic yes.

Even Roxy– Hell, probably better not to think about her now. Or ever again.

Finally Tru nodded and Baz felt the weight lift off his chest. And when her lips lifted in a tentative smile, he knew pursuing Tru was going to be so much better than pursuing anyone he’d ever wanted before.

“Yes. I’d like that.”

“Great. I’ll drop by your place around seven. We’ll get something to eat and hit the show after.”

“Okay.” Her smile became a little more assured now. “I’ve got phone calls to make. I have to get back to my office.” She paused. “Are you recording anything today?”

“Maybe. I’ve got some stuff in my head I’m gonna play with a little.”

“Let me know if you do. I’d like to hear it.”

Now he couldn’t help his own smile. “Sure.”

After a quick nod, she walked toward him, heading for her office.

But she stopped when she got to him, leaving only centimeters between them.

“I love to watch you play.” She brushed her fingers against his, the barest hint of contact but, holy hell, it made him want to strip her down, hold her against a wall, and pound into her until neither of them could see straight.

Fuck, he didn’t care if Greg saw them. He’d be returning the favor from when he’d caught Greg and Sabrina fucking on the table in their suite.

He bent so he could speak into her ear. “And I love to play for you. And with you.”

She pulled away to look into his eyes and her smile turned downright sexy, holding a promise for what was to come.

“Have a good day, Mr. Valenti.”

When she walked away, he swore there was a little extra sway to her ass.

*   *   *

“I can’t believe I agreed to go out with him tonight. I should know better. Fridays always turn into a clusterfuck.”

Sabrina laughed, her amusement loud and clear through the phone line. “Well, you’re about an hour later than I thought you’d be. And I thought we already decided what you were going to wear?”

Tru stuck her tongue out at Sabrina, even though she knew the other woman couldn’t see it. “I’m not calling about what to wear, although I admit I’ll probably change my mind before I leave. I’m calling because I had to put out two fires this afternoon and now I’m running behind.”

“I assume you don’t mean literal fires.”

Tru sighed as she opened her closet door and rifled for the outfit she wanted for tonight. “Of course not. No, it’s those two new contracts Greg signed. We ran into a few snags. Now funding for one of them is going to be delayed and I’m going to need to do some maneuvering to get everything ready to go on time.”

“I have faith that you’ll be able to pull it all together. So what’s really bothering you?”

“Nothing. Everything. I just . . . Oh, it’s completely stupid. Forget I called.”

“I’m sure it’s not stupid. Just spit it out. What’s going on?”

“No, it’s really stupid of me to even be thinking about this. I mean, Sebastian and I had sex once. I’m going on a first date with Cory. I totally shouldn’t even be thinking about what’s going to happen five months down the line.”

Sabrina huffed. “But that’s who you are. And you know it. So what exactly are you thinking about?”

“That Sebastian’s going to leave. He’s going to get back together with his band and he’ll walk out the door and I’ll never see him again. So I should just break things off with him now.”

She’d had that realization sometime this afternoon while her brain had been working overtime on various other problems. And once it’d crossed her mind, it wouldn’t leave.

“Wait, explain that rationale to me again.” Sabrina sounded highly skeptical but Tru was convinced she was right.

“In the very near future, he’s not going to be holed up in the studio just down the hall. He’ll be out on tour and moving back to wherever it is he lives when he’s not on the road.” Then she had another thought. “Oh. hell, I don’t even know where he lives.”

“Tru—”

“No. Just . . . don’t. Okay?” She flopped onto the bed, half-dressed and not sure she wanted to continue. She wanted to put on her comfy sweats and curl up on her sofa and nurse her grumpy mood with ice cream and wine. “I lived in Hollywood long enough to know how this story is going to end. Even if you’re crazy in love with someone, it doesn’t survive the reality of spending two months on set with some hot babe who wants to give you head in your car on your way to dinner. Relationships take work. They take commitment. They take day-to-day contact and nourishment. And Sebastian isn’t a commitment kind of guy.”

Sabrina paused for several seconds. “Do you want him to be?”

Did she?

“I don’t . . . I mean, I don’t know what I want. But I do know there’s no reason for us to even start dating because it won’t amount to anything.”

“And how do you know that?”

Tru rolled her eyes as she forced herself to her feet and started pulling clothes out of the closet. “Oh, please. Sebastian’s not looking for long-term.”

“And you are?”

“I . . . Well, I mean . . . shouldn’t I be? Isn’t that why you date? To find a man you want to spend time with? Why should I get wrapped up in someone who isn’t going to be around for a while?”

“Um . . .”

“I mean, Cory seems like a really nice guy and I should give him a fair shot, right? And if all I do is think about hot sex with Sebastian, I’m not really giving Cory a decent chance.”

“Well . . .

“But sex with Sebastian is . . . Oh my god, it was so good. Our chemistry is off the charts, so why should I give that up? I mean, it’s not like I’m getting married anytime soon. Hell, I don’t even know if I want to get married. Like, ever.”

“Okay . . .”

“Jeez, Rina, come on. I need some guidance here.”

Sabrina laughed. “It sounds like you just need someone to vent to.”

“Ugh. I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to wig out on you.”

“Hey, I get it. You’ve got a lot on your mind. But I think you’re missing a huge point.”

“Oh, yeah? What’s that?”

“How much you like Sebastian. And don’t bother to tell me you don’t know him well enough to know how you feel about him. I know you, Tru. You’ve probably already made a list of all the pros and cons of dating Sebastian.”

Tru grimaced. She hadn’t actually put it on paper but she had been thinking about it.

“Listen,” Sabrina continued, “just have fun tonight. And don’t make any decisions until after your date with Baz.”

“I won’t. Oh my god, I’ve gotta run.”

“Let’s meet for lunch tomorrow. I work until seven tomorrow morning but I’ll stay awake if you promise to meet me around eleven, ’kay?”

“Absolutely. But let’s go somewhere out of the hotel. I don’t want to run into Sebastian by accident. Oh, I know. Why don’t you just come to my place? I’ll make coffee and you can bring donuts. Bring lots of donuts.”

Sabrina laughed. “Sounds like a date. Just don’t add me into your life-plan calculations.”

“Ha-ha. Greg wouldn’t share you anyway.”

Sabrina gave a choked laugh. “You have no idea. Alright, I better let you go. I’ll see you tomorrow. And Tru . . . try to have a good time.”

Sighing, she hung up. She hoped she would have a good time.

And also kind of hoped she wouldn’t.