All Access (Brothers of Rock #1) (rockstar contemporary romance) (2 page)

The band had security detail and a driver.  Something about it rubbed Johnnie the wrong way although he understood its purpose.  For protection.  He grabbed his phone and made a call, ensuring the vehicle would be a standard size vehicle. 

No need to pull up to a small café in a stretch limo.

After all, he wasn’t going out to impress anyone.

(3)

“You have to come to this show with me.”

Jess hated to be that person in line with a cell phone stuck to her ear, but her friend, Marie, wouldn’t stop talking.  She regretted taking the phone call the second she did, but it was uncommon for Marie to call this early.  All Jess could think of was Marie’s grandmother, who had a stroke last week and wasn’t in good condition at all.

“Marie, stop talking for a second,” Jess finally said, cutting in.

“What?”

“I’m in line to get coffee.  I’ll call you back.”

“No.  Tell me you’ll go to the show tonight.  Please.”

“Marie...”

“Jessica, don’t do this to me.”

“I’ll call you back.”

Jess was one person away from being next in line.  She felt bad enough already for talking on her phone, there was no way she’d order a coffee while holding the phone.

“Why did you get two tickets?”

“It was supposed to be for someone else,” Marie said.  “But Ted thinks we’re moving too fast.”

Oh, damn.

“I’m sorry,” Jess said.

“I’m not.  I don’t know how I feel about him.  I’m not surprised through.  But with this and then my grandmother... I need a night out... Jess...”

“I’ll call you in a few,” Jess said.

“I’m taking that as a yes.”

Marie hung up and Jess shook her head.

Jess didn’t want to go to a show tonight.  She didn’t even ask Marie who the band was.  Jess enjoyed music like anyone else did, but Marie loved such a wide range from heavy music where the lyrics were screamed all the way to classical instrumental music.  With lots in between.

At the counter, Jess slipped her phone into her bag and placed her order.

Before the barista behind the counter could give her the total, a hand appeared at the counter with money.

“Add the same to that order,” a voice said.

Jess looked over her shoulder and saw what could possibly be the sexiest man she had ever seen in her life.  He was tall with a defined chin, piercing eyes, and the scruff of a face in badly need of a shave.  His lips were thin but curvy and as the right side started to move into a little smile, Jess felt her mouth start to open.

“On me,” the man whispered.  “Just do me a favor and bring the coffee to the table in the corner.”

Jess looked back to the money.  The stranger tapped the bill on the counter and then slithered away.

“Is that all?” the barista asked.

Jess eyed the man as he walked away, keeping his head down. 

“I guess so,” she whispered.

Jess carried the two cups of coffee to the back table.  There the stranger sat with his back to Jess, a hand near his face.  He looked like he was trying to disguise himself.  It worried Jess as she grew closer. 

Was something wrong with him?

Was he some kind of crazy man?

Her mind thought of things she’d seen in the news, not to mention the author in her that never stopped working. 

Couldn’t this be a book plot?

Strange guy in a café, eyeing people?

When he turned and Jess saw the outline of his face, she almost dropped the coffee.  He was gorgeous.  From the side, with the light of the sun glistening on his face, he had the look of a statue. 

But he could move.

And talk.

And he did.

“Ah, thank you so much,” he said, reaching for one of the coffees.

“It’s just black,” Jess said.  “Wasn’t sure how you liked it.”

“After last night, black will do the trick.”

He smiled, showing a set of dimples that formed more dimples.  His chin pulled when he smiled, and the power of his eyes starting to burn into Jess’s memory.

She swore to herself that she was memorizing the man’s sexy features for her own work.  She could use a guy like this in one of her novels.  But after a few seconds of gawking, she realized she teetered on the line of being creepy herself.

“Got change for me?” the man asked.

“Oh, change.  No.  I gave it to... the...”

“I’m only kidding,” the man said, smiling.  “Here.  Sit down for a minute.”

“No.  I don’t want to bother you.”

“Sure you do.  Sit down.”

His eyes were dark and deep.  A sense of honesty came through them.  Jess couldn’t believe how suddenly comfortable she felt, considering this was a total stranger.  But even still, she took a step to the small round table and sat down.

Her hands were folded around her coffee.  Her laptop bag still on her shoulder.

“You could put your bag down,” the man said.  “I won’t bite.  I promise.”

“Do you often bite people?” Jess asked.

“Only when tempted.”

He was fast.  He was smooth.

Jess’s mouth ran dry. 

Without breaking her stare from the man’s eyes, she lowered her laptop bag to the floor.

“Working today?” the man asked, pointing to the bag.

“Something like that,” Jess said.  “I’m a writer.”

“A writer?  What do you write?”

Why was this guy asking questions? 

Jess tried to lift her coffee cup but found her hands were shaking.  Shaking from what?  Fear?  Anticipation?  Because the man sitting across from her had a dreamy face?

“I write books,” Jess said.

“Write books or are they published?”

“What does that mean?”

“Okay.  I play guitar...”

Jess felt her heart jump.  Of course a man this sexy would play guitar. 

“... so that makes me a musician, right?”

Jess nodded.

“But am I recording musician?  Do I get to play big shows?  Make lots of money?”

Jess shrugged her shoulders.  “I don’t know.  You tell me.”

The man laughed for a few seconds.

“Are you published?” he asked.

“Yes,” Jess said.  “I have a publisher.  I’m not famous but I’ve had to sign a couple autographs.”

“Sign a couple autographs,” the man smiled wide.  He sipped his coffee. 

“You play shows?” Jess asked.

“I guess you could say that.”

“Are you in a band?”

“Yeah.  I’m in a band.  I’m the singer.  Go figure.”

Jess couldn’t believe how turned on she felt.  She fought the images coming to her, but she pictured the man standing on a stage, playing guitar, singing.  Sweating.  Staring at Jess in a crowd.  Controlling her with his eyes.

She had to look away for a second.

“So, let me ask you something,” the man said.

“Sure.”

“You have no idea who I am?”

“Why?  Am I supposed to?”

“Nope,” the man said.  “By the way, my name is Johnnie.”

“I’m Jess.”

“Jess,” Johnnie whispered.

Jess watched as Johnnie stared at her.  Like he was studying her, trying to find out if she was hiding something.  She didn’t mind him staring at her, not at all.  It was very hot...

“Thanks for helping me with the coffee,” Johnnie said.

“Thanks for buying me a coffee.”

“Heard you on the phone with your... boyfriend?”

Jess smiled.  If Johnnie had been listening, he knew it wasn’t a boyfriend.  What a cheap way to find out if she had a boyfriend.  But Jess respected it.

“Nope, not my boyfriend.  My friend, Marie.”

“Everything okay?”

Jess finally took a drink of her coffee. 

Just who in the hell was this guy?  How did he have so much confidence?

“With my friend?  I guess so.”

“Doesn’t sound good.”

“Her grandmother had a stroke last week.”

“I’m sorry to hear that.”

“Me too.  And the guy she has been seeing ditched her after she bought tickets to a concert tonight.”

“Concert, huh?”  Johnnie smiled big.  “Who’s playing?”

“I don’t know,” Jess said.  “But she wants me to go.”

“Why not go?”

Jess pointed to her bag on the floor.  “Have work to do.  Just because I’m a writer doesn’t mean I make my own schedule.  I have a book due sooner than later.”

“And I’m wasting all your precious time right now, aren’t I?”

“You said it, not me.”

Jess sipped her coffee, feeling more alive in the past two minutes than she had in the past two days.  She couldn’t believe she was flirting with a stranger like this.  A handsome stranger, for the record, but still, a stranger.  Of course, Jess chalked it all up to research.  The flirty banter between hot guy and pretty girl, something she could remember for her next book.

“You don’t have to sit here anymore,” Johnnie said.

“Am I bothering you?”

“Not quite yet.  Give it another minute... nope, wait... yeah, now you’re bothering me.”

“What does that...”

Johnnie pointed. 

Jess turned and saw a short, round man hustling towards the café.  His red tie shot up and over his shoulder.  Mostly bald with a big face, the man stared down at a cell phone, his fingers tapping at the screen.

“That’s my manager,” Johnnie said.  “Band meeting stuff.”

“Well, then I guess I’ll be going,” Jess said.

She reached for her bag, slowly, not really wanting to end the conversation with Johnnie.  She stood and hesitated for a few seconds.

“If I can offer some advice,” Johnnie said.  “Not that I want to barge into your life...”

“Advice?  Sure.”

“I’d go to the concert tonight.”

“I don’t know who the band is.  And my friend can get into some crazy music.”

“Or maybe it’ll be the greatest band you’ve ever seen,” Johnnie said with that smile on his face. 

“Maybe.”

“Sometimes it’s fun to take a chance, isn’t it?”

“Johnnie, are you...”

The other voice was the robust man, standing a few feet away, pointing his cell phone at Jess.

“No, it’s fine,” Johnnie said.  “Jess was actually leaving to go write the next bestseller.”

“Bestseller?  Not sure about that...”

“Autograph me a copy when it’s done,” Johnnie said.

“And how will I find you?” Jess teased.

“Good point.  Enjoy your concert tonight.”

“Maybe,” Jess said.

She had the urge to touch Johnnie.  Not sexually, but, yeah, maybe sexually...  She pictured herself hugging him, asking more about him.  He was mysterious but in such a sexy way.  After nodding to the man Johnnie said was his manager, she made her way across the café and looked around.  Most of the tables were filled now and Jess didn’t want to try to type elbow to elbow with other people.

She sighed and decided to go back home.

The morning wasn’t a complete failure though.  It wasn’t every day she got to meet such a hot guy.

(4)

“You’re lucky she didn’t announce you to the rest of this place,” Peter said, reaching into a briefcase.

“She had no idea who I was,” Johnnie said.

“Wow.  There’s something new.  Why don’t you put sunglasses on or something?  People are going to notice soon.”

“I’m not doing that.  The bigger the disguise, the more attention I’ll get.  Let it be, Peter.”

“Okay, great.”  He spread papers across the table and started to talk. 

Johnnie wasn’t listening.  He looked around the café, trying to find Jess.  When that failed him, he searched the outside.  There weren’t a lot of people walking about and of the few that were there, Jess wasn’t one of them. 

He instantly started to feel regret.

Time had given him women but had taken away his want to pick up a woman.  A relationship to him started at a concert, on a tour bus, or backstage.  There were a few times when an actress or model would have their agent call Peter, but none of it was as raw as what just happened with Jess.  When he saw her standing in line, something happened.  Her curly hair that looked really good messy, her bright blue eyes, her figure.  Everything about her screamed casual until he got close enough to smell her.  Not that Johnnie was some creep smelling women, there was just something about Jess that enticed him.

And yet he did nothing.

He did not say who he really was.  That was out of fear of Jess becoming either starstruck or simply not believing him.