CLASS ACT (A BRITISH ROCKSTAR BAD BOY ROMANCE) (20 page)

“Look, what the cat dragged in,” Tyler said. “Got tired of flirting with the flight attendants?”

He shook his head which sent his wet hair tumbling. “No, I took a shower.”

“Wait, this jet has a shower?” Dave asked incredulously. “What the hell!”

“Just have to ask one of the flight attendants to unlock it for you,” Heath replied. “It’s quite hygienic. Touring can be such a dirty business.”

Ryan chuckled. “The miracles of technology. Do they give you free sponge baths while you’re at it?”

“They do but the copilot gives it to you,” Heath joked, taking a seat to my side. He turned to face me. “Enjoying the flight, Charlotte?”

I blushed at the question and chugged down my orange juice. “I should’ve started tutoring rock stars earlier.”

“Houston is a nice place,” he said, nursing his vodka. It was our destination. We would visit Dallas and Austin was well. After that, we would head to California. It went without saying there would be a detour to Las Vegas for a night of gambling. “We’ll arrive in a couple of hours. I can’t wait to hit the road again.”

“Have you toured here before?”

“In our early days, we played as an opening act for a much more popular band,” he replied. “That was when Howard and I were nobodies working for free. We had our first show at this place called the Arena Theatre.”

“Is that where we’re going?”

“No, the one we booked at is the Toyota Center,” Heath answered. “It’s almost ten times as large as the Arena Theatre. These days, we need a large enough venue to break even. Still, I miss the intimacy you get with smaller venues.”

“Oh, the challenges of being a successful musician,” I teased with a smile. “Ever thought of visiting the Arena Theatre? I’m sure the place will look different these days.”

“Some things never change,” he replied with a strange smile. “Would you like a tour of the Toyota Center, Charlotte?”

“I’d like that,” I answered breathlessly. “Especially if it’s a private tour.”

The Toyota Center was, like all things in Texas, big. It could seat nearly twenty thousand people for a concert. I had played before larger audiences in the past but never in an indoor venue.

Toyota, the Japanese automobile manufacturer, paid a small fortune to win the naming rights for the arena. In addition to concerts, it hosted basketball and ice hockey competitions. The venue was most known for being home of the Houston Rockets, a basketball team in the NBA Southwest division. In recent years, it had seen MMA competitions occur within its walls.

The arena itself was mammoth in size. Row after row of seats lined the base of the arena. There were also upscale private lounges for people willing to pay the premium. Several large telescreens made sure you always had a good view of the action.

The Houston weather was, predictably, hot and humid. I normally preferred to play outdoors in front of a crowd. Nonetheless, I appreciated performing indoors in an air-conditioned building.

As much as I despised studying, I had to admit it helped me literally see the world in a new way. I could make out the signs detailing the various concession stands. Before, they were a jumble of unreadable letters.

Ever since that night, I had redoubled my focus on my studies. It was like Charlotte said, practice and patience was the key to success. I had to embrace the repetitive task of writing and reading until I got it right.

I didn’t know why there was this fire in me. Was it because I had feelings for Charlotte and wanted to impress her? Was it out spite over learning about her secret conversation with Jared? I didn’t know the answer.

Nevertheless, Charlotte appreciated my effort. For all she knew, things couldn’t be better between us. I was almost as a good student as I was a good lover.

“It’s so big!” she said. “I didn’t believe the brochure when it talked about how wide it was.”

I smirked at Charlotte. “Are you referring to the size of the arena or my-”

She silenced me by placing a finger on my lips. I felt my blood turn sluggish when she touched me. “Not out loud!”

Her voice echoed in the empty halls of the arena. The tutor blushed as her blunder bounced off the walls of the massive arena. I chucked and said. “Everyone does that during their first time alone in a big venue. Don’t worry, this place will be so loud in a few hours that it’ll be hard to have a normal conversation.”

Charlotte leaned against me and whispered. “Think you’ll be able to spare some time for a… private conversation?”

“I always have time for you, Ms. Rosen,” I teased, brushing away a strand of hair from her face. She didn’t like it when I referred to her by her last name. It made her feel old. “Tonight will be a performance that you won’t soon forget.”

She loved the thrill of our illicit romance. I couldn’t blame her. Something about the whole thing made all the one-night stands I’ve had over the years seem hollow.

Much of my adult life had been spent performing and promoting music. I had spent more time living in hotels and tour buses than my actual physical residence. There wasn’t time for any meaningful relationships with women. I’d be carted off to the next venue when things started to get serious.

I felt more like some demigod than an actual human being. My fans seemed more like a religious congregation than actual people. They worshipped the ground I walked on. They paid ludicrous prices on eBay to buy an empty bottle of beer I had drank from. Until Charlotte, I had never met a woman who actually challenged me.

It was yet another reason to keep our relationship a secret. The media would skewer Charlotte. If they could get dirt on me, then they’d dig through her history. Worse, my female fans would be murderously jealous of her.

As it was, my life had enough drama.

I took Charlotte by the hand. “Come on, I know a place we can have a bit of… pre-show fun.”

The place was bigger than the Dell Music Center but it was much easier to navigate. Or at least it had better directions. Either way, I led her to a balcony outside one of the luxury booths.

The Houston heat hit us when we came outside. It almost felt like walking through the drying phase of a car wash. Nonetheless, Charlotte murmured in awe. “What a view…”

I gave her a boyish grin. “I’ve seen better… especially with you around.”

I punctuated the statement by taking her in for a deep kiss. God, I was already so hard from this. My cock felt confided in my pants.

A warm gust of wind hit us as we kissed. It gave our actions a surge of sexual energy. My tongue probed her and wrestled with her tongue. She had an uncanny ability to overpower mine.

As our tongues tangled, our hands roamed each other’s body. It felt like I was a private performance. Each of us was simultaneously performers and an audience member. I kissed down her swanlike neck before nipping at her ears.

Charlotte loved that.

I placed my hands on her firm buttocks and felt them swell against my palms. I buried my head against her clothed breasts. She tossed her head back and moaned.

Charlotte ground her crotch against me. I imagined that her pussy was as wet as a sieve. Her wetness would trail down her thighs. I wanted to spread her legs and fuck her moist cunt.

I could just see it in my head. She would chant my name as I fucked her with complete abandon. The blazing heat of Houston would mirror the burning passion in our hearts. The only thing hotter would be the friction between our bodies as we made love.

“Am I interrupting something?”

We broke apart from our kiss and turned to face the source of the voice. Charlotte yelped in embarrassment. “Ah!”

It was my bodyguard and the tour’s head of security, Mr. Han. From anyone else, I would have expected a quip about my secret romance with Charlotte. However, the ex-soldier was all business. “Sound check will begin in one hour. The venue is secure.”

I knew that he always did a personal security sweep for each show. The venue owners hated the nosy bodyguard and the record label didn’t like how Mr. Han’s checks delayed the show. However, it paid to double check the venue when you had thousands of crazed fans entering the building.

When Mr. Han was out earshot, Charlotte asked. “Is he going to tell the others about us?”

I shook my head. “Not unless it affects security.”

She gave a nervous giggle. “Is he always this serious?”

“Tyler jokes he was born with a combat knife in his mouth,” I said with a grin. Mr. Han was the last person I wanted to piss off. “Let’s go back in.”

You’d think we would’ve been blushing over getting caught like teenagers. However, Mr. Han seemed so disinterested that it was hard for either of us to be embarrassed for every long. Besides, the two of us didn’t need the gossip.

Hand in hand, we walked back into the interior of the Toyota Center. There would time for some fun after the show. This little make-out session was just the equivalent of a sound check. “I’ll make some time for you.”

“For business or for pleasure?” Charlotte teased. Then, her phone buzzed. She took it out and read it before putting it back in her purse. “Sorry, just some text message.”

My eyes narrowed. “Who’s it from?”

“Jared,” she answered. If it was a lie, I couldn’t tell. “He always thinks you’re off studying with me when he can’t find you.”

I didn’t want this to be a false romance built on a lie. I didn’t want to second guess every fucking text message I received. I wanted this to be real.

I forced myself to smile. “I always hate when bad news interrupts our good times.”

“See you after the concert, Heath,” Charlotte said. “Good luck!”

I planted a small peck on her cheek. “You too.”

I wanted to believe her.

But I knew better.