CLASS ACT (A BRITISH ROCKSTAR BAD BOY ROMANCE) (11 page)

There was a woman sitting next to me. She was a daughter of a millionaire who bought her way into the VIP section. Heath had reduced her to tears. Her expensive looking mascara was utterly ruined from her bawling.

I couldn’t blame her.

Heath’s sheer virility made me hot under the collar. I crossed my legs like I needed to waddle to the bathroom. I felt as if the man was giving me lap dance in public. It was strange to think of a student this way.

I was here to teach him.

I wasn’t here to be seduced by him.

I was so lost in his performance that it was a shock to me when it finally ended. I felt exhausted as though I had run a marathon. My mind reeled from my first rock concert.

With the encore finished, I followed the other VIP members to the backstage. It was one of the perks of buying a VIP ticket. Or, in my case, being a contracted worker for Sterling Record.

I didn’t know whether all rock concerts were like this or Double Damage was simply extraordinary. I had always been more of a fan of operas and classical music. They were elegant if boring affairs. They didn’t have the sheer energy of a rock concert. Or the frenzied fan girls for that matter.

The strangest thing was that everyone here had only had a glimpse of the man known as Heath Lawrence. These people didn’t know about his tumultuous childhood. Or the pain his best friend’s death caused him. They only saw a manufactured image of him by Sterling Records.

Hell, even I barely knew anything about the man. Each day was a new revelation. I always had to reinterpret the man after each conversation I had with him.

Who was Heath Lawrence?

Did I really know what kind of man my student was?

I had merely scratched the surface.

Another day, another victory.

The applause of the crowd was a drug I was in constant withdrawal from. I’d even say I liked it better than a good fuck. It even had the same elements. I started with some foreplay to loosen up the audience. Then, I moved in when they were all hot and sweaty. I took them from the crest of one climax to the next. Finally, I finished them off with an encore performance.

Thankfully, there were other people there to handle the cleanup.

I may have been bound by a contract but I was in charge here.

Pleasing an audience was a lot like pleasing a woman. You have to keep them happy and they would keep you happy in return. Nobody would pay money to come back time after time to a shit show.

I had seen quite a few beauties in the crowd. Some of them held up marriage proposals. Too bad I wasn’t exactly the type to go steady. I was much less promiscuous in my professional relationships than I was with my personal ones.

Not that I was in the mood for any groupie willing to spread their legs.

Strangely enough, I had thought of Charlotte throughout the performance. My teacher had been on my mind since our last conversation. From time to time, I even glanced at the VIP booth where she sat at.

She was probably backstage with the other special guests. I wondered what she thought of my music. I hadn’t been so self-conscious of my performance in years. I usually had a simple policy. If you didn’t like my music, I’d give you back your money and tell you to fuck off.

I walked with the others to the backstage. From there, we would go to a small media event with the press. There would be as much free liquor as there would inane questions from reporters. “You did well, Ryan. You really pulled through for us.”

The drummer smiled knowing that he had been a last minute replacement. “Thanks, I’m just happy I could play, Heath.”

Tyler elbowed him in the ribs. “That’s high praise coming from Heath.”

Dave laughed. “Enjoy it while it lasts!”

I rolled my eyes. “I can’t wait to get away from the two of you. In fact, I can’t wait for this press party to be over.”

“Got a honey waiting for you backstage?” Tyler smirked. “Just save some for the rest of us.”

I could get a damn harem waiting at my beck and call. However, I wasn’t in the mood for a screaming fangirl. I wanted someone quiet and smart. It had to be someone I could have a decent conversation with.

Someone like Charlotte.

Tyler shot me a concerned look. “Hey, Heath? Where are you off to?”

Dave chimed in as well. “Isn’t too early to meet with the VIPs?”

I waved off their concerns. “I have some… homework to take care of.”

The two guitarist shared a dumbfounded look.

“Well, more women for the rest of us,” Ryan joked. It earned him a playful slap on the shoulder by Tyler. “We’ll meet you at the press party.”

I wasn’t in the mood to make small talk with lusty fangirls. Honestly, the whole playboy act was getting a bit stale. You could only have so many one-night stands before it wore out its luster.

Unfortunately, they had other plans.

“On my God!” a girl said as a gaggle of her friends cut off all angles of escape. “It’s Heath!”

“You look so much hotter in person!”

“That performance was amazing!”

“I cried so much!”

“I hadn’t cried like that since the end of The Notebook!”

“Please marry me Heath!”

“Pleased to meet you ladies,” I said, trying to keep my composure. I didn’t know how they kept slipping past security time and time again. “But you should be in this area. It’s restricted to staff-”

“I jumped the gate to get here!” one of them squealed. “I don’t care if I go to jail. I got to meet Heath Lawrence!”

I brushed one girl aside to make myself an exit. Perhaps it was a bit rougher than I intended but I was no mood for it. “Sorry, but I have an important meeting to attend to. Glad you enjoyed the performance.”

The girls snapped photos of me with their phones. By morning, there would be stories about how much of a rude asshole I was. Not that I cared at this point.

My bandmates would’ve been bewildered by my decision to ignore a group of cute girls. I could’ve sweet-talked them into coming with me to my dressing room. I could’ve shagged them one after the other.

Yet, I only thought of Charlotte.

I didn’t know what it was about her that attracted me. Sure, I liked a woman who played hard to get but there was something else about her. I had never told another soul so much about my life since Howard passed away.

It felt so easy to talk to her about my past. She didn’t judge me or call me a delinquent who deserved to be beaten and belittled. She didn’t pity me for being some unwanted orphan.

Or maybe it was the fact that our professional relationship couldn’t last. We would part ways in three years. It would be even earlier if I didn’t pass my first exam in six months. Considering my current academic abilities, it was practically a death sentence. That damn contract meant I would lose my job.

It also meant that I would never see Charlotte again. There wouldn’t be a reason for her to tolerate my presence if Sterling Records wouldn’t pay her. Hell, no soul alive would stay with me for very long unless that got a nice paycheck for their trouble.

Eventually, I found my teacher nursing a glass of club soda with the other VIPs. The woman was a born wallflower who didn’t mingle with the others. With luck, we could go somewhere more private.

However, Jared noticed my entrance. That manager had an uncanny ability to corner me when I wanted to do something else. “If it isn’t the man of the hour. The press party is waiting-”

“Don’t care about the press party,” I said rather curtly. Another group of VIPs and managers swarmed around me. “Now, if you’ll excuse me-”

“Heath, one of the Sam Ash executives wants to talk to you about a new deal.”

“Rolling Stone wants to do a spread on you.”

“Rock & Folk is here from France. They want a special interview with you.”

“Adidas wants to extend our contract with them,” one said. I didn’t know how or why a rock star got shoe deals like a basketball player. “They just need us to drop any Nike endorsements.”

“The governor of the state wants to meet with you, Heath,” another chimed in. “His daughter is a big fan of you. He’ll pay us to have you at her birthday.”

God, they were even worse than the groupies. At least I could fuck them. In this case, management fucked me and made me ask for seconds.

I pushed myself through the crowd and made it towards Charlotte. Thankfully, my bodyguard, Mr. Han, stepped in to help me. For a short guy, he sure knew how to control a crowd.

My teacher giggled at me as Mr. Han swatted off a junior manager. “It looks like you’re just as popular backstage as you are in the front.”

“Story of my life,” I muttered. “How are you holding up?”

Charlotte took a breath. “My first rock concert has been… an interesting experience.”

I asked for her opinion. “Did you enjoy the show?”

She smiled. “I loved it.”

I smiled back. “Come on, let’s get some privacy.”