CLASS ACT (A BRITISH ROCKSTAR BAD BOY ROMANCE) (12 page)

I followed Heath to the back of the venue. I was so exhausted from the event. This was just as a guest rather than a performer.

I couldn’t imagine what it was like to do this for a living. Double Damage was known to go on lengthy tours. Like clockwork, they would get up early, practice, do a sound check, play at the venue, and meet with the press. Then, they would go back on the tour bus and repeat it.

I looked so out of place in this rock concert. I wore a modest button down dress and a long skirt. In spite of my young age, I looked more like a mother chaperoning her teenage daughter.

It felt like I was dressing conservatively to thwart what little prurient interest Heath had in me. I wanted our relationship to stay strictly professional. If anything, it seemed to make Heath more interested in me. Not that I minded the attention. It’s not too often a sexy British rock star asks you to have a private conversation with him.

The rock star poured himself a glass of champagne and led me out of the after party. He chuckled and said. “I tell you, these parties are the worst part of touring.”

We entered a balcony that overlooked the outdoor venue. I scanned the horizon before I replied. “I thought you’d like the free booze.”

“Only if I don’t have to pay for it by listening to idiots,” he muttered. “These parties are just business meetings with better catering. The people here make me want to shoot myself. I don’t know whether I hate the managers or the marketers more.”

The other band members had told me this was when groupies came to spend a night with Heath. “Did you meet any interesting women?”

He leaned against the railing and took a swig of champagne. “No one was interesting as you, Charlotte. Sure you don’t want something harder?”

Turning flush, I said. “I just have to get my lesson plan in order. We just have so many subjects to cover in such a short period of time.”

Suddenly, there was a serious expression on Heath’s face. His charming grin was long gone. “Charlotte, be straight with me. What of my chances of passing the GCSE?”

“I’m not too familiar with the British education system and its qualifications,” I replied, delaying the answer. He wasn’t going to like the answer to his question. “Your arrangement is most unusual in that-”

“What are my chances?” he interrupted, his blue eyes glaring at me. “Don’t act like my record label and keep secrets from me.”

“As of now, I’m not even sure you could finish the test in time,” I answered, looking downcast. On the other hand, rage flashed in Heath’s eyes. “These tests are made for people who are finishing their secondary education and heading to college. Your current skill level is somewhere between an elementary school and secondary education. Based on the British learning system, I would say it is second form at best.”

Second form would put him at the skill level of an average twelve year old.

“Those fuckers are setting me up to fail,” he yelled, throwing the champagne glass against the wall. It shattered into several pieces. “They’ll milk me dry for a couple of tours and then cut me loose!”

I placed a hand on his shoulder as if to keep a wild dog on a leash. “Don’t give up hope, Heath.”

“Hope? There wasn’t any to begin with,” he spat back. “I’ve always been a living, breathing bag of money. My record label lied to my face. My own parents’ treated me as a fucking tax break. You’re on a damn fool’s errand trying to educate me.”

“You have to try,” I said, not letting go of him. “You can prove them wrong. We can do this.”

“What the point?” he said, slumping down onto the floor. “I’m already living on borrowed time. You said yourself, I’m as smart as a boy whose balls haven’t dropped yet. I can barely read better than a toddler. Why should I even try?”

“Because you love performing,” I replied, joining him on the floor. “Because you’re an egotistical perfectionist who never settles for less. Because you want to show those bastards in management that they underestimated you.”

It got a small smile off him. “Woman, you know the right things to say to me…”

“I won’t lie,” I said, biting my lower lip. “It’ll be an uphill battle but we can do this if we work together.”

Heath leaned against me. “What the hell? It’s not like I have anything left to lose.”

God, the man looked so gorgeous. His hair was a wild mess after hours of performing. His sweat shone under the moonlight.

Yet, I was seeing a different side to Heath. After our conversation, his eyes looked strangely somber yet all the more attractive for it. He looked less like a Sex God, which he still was, and more of a regular human with his own doubts and insecurities.

I knew it was inappropriate but I never wanted a man as badly as Heath. He wasn’t just your average, every day student. The man was a fucking rock star. I wanted to go town with him in bed.

From the expression on his face, Heath had similar thoughts. His eyes eagerly drank in my body as if I was some sexy diva instead of a frumpy tutor. His lips yearned for mine.

Just like that, we kissed.

I inhaled in his scent as if it was a powerful drug. His lips tasted of liquor. His facial hair rasped against my bare skin.

My arms moved of their volition and took him into a passionate embrace. I forgot that I was kissing a student and breaking everything I had been taught in school. I forgot that I had been paid to tutor this man.

Heath pulled me in even closer. His hands roamed my clothed body. His fingers brushed over my hard nipples before grasping my shoulders. I could even feel his erection press against me through his faded jeans.

He broke the kiss and trailed his lips down my neck. His breathing felt like gusts of hot air from an open furnace. His tongued marked a wet path across my collar. Perhaps, he would be the one to do the teaching.

With that thought, I broke away from him.

This wasn’t in the curriculum.

I could get fired for this.

Besides, I was the authority figure here. I wasn’t supposed to fall for the charms of my sexy student. I wasn’t supposed to grind my body against his rock hard abs.

Heath looked at me with a teasing smile. “Charlotte, why don’t we go somewhere that’s quiet-”

Turning red as a rose, I got to my feet and said. “N-no thank you! I’m heading back to the hotel.”

Like Roadrunner from Looney Tunes, I double-timed it out of here.

I was supposed to teach Heath Lawrence.

He wasn’t supposed to be the one to teach me.

Last night had been awkward. I almost welcomed the pounding headache I felt.

Almost.

I welcomed the pounding on the door even less.

Gathering all of my strength, I opened the door to my hotel room find my manager waiting outside. To no one’s surprise, he was upset. “Heath, you blew off a meeting with Adidas last night!”

“And a good morning to you too, Jared,” I groaned. “Tell them to reschedule. A rock star needs his beauty sleep.”

Jared sighed and rubbed his nose. “Just freshen up and get downstairs.”

It would be a tall after last night. I had barely slept since the concert. Usually, I was out like light after a hard day of work and a harder day of partying.

Yet, Charlotte dominated my thoughts. Our kiss still burned on my lips like a shot of high proof alcohol. I felt her body become limp in my embrace. My cock hadn’t been this hard in months.

The woman kissed me back as if I was her lover instead of her student.

Then, she remembered that I actually was her student. I recalled the look of panic in her lovely eyes as she broke off the kiss. With that, my teacher left me when I was hungry for more. I should have gone to bed after that exchange.

That would have been smart.

Instead, I drowned myself in free venue liquor courtesy of the Dell Music Center’s management. Some groupies made it past security. They offered to stay with me for the night.

However, I didn’t feel anything for them. I brushed one of them aside rather roughly after she tried to cling onto me. It would probably be all over the internet by now. I didn’t give a fuck.

I wanted Charlotte.

I didn’t know how I would face her for the rest of the tour. The woman was supposed to help me keep my job. Not only that, Charlotte was kind and sweet to me. She was the only one who actually gave a damn about me.

And I had fucked it up.

She had every right to hate me for the lusty, ungracious jackass I was.

I finished up showering. There was no point in wallowing around when I was at the first leg of the tour. The show had to go on no matter how much of a fuck up I was.

Well, I’d try to be a little less of a fuck up for Charlotte’s sake.

As I exited through the doors of the elevator, I saw that the whole crew was waiting for me. Tyler shot me a look of disapproval. Jared glared at me while talking to some business partner over the phone.

I didn’t care what they thought. I only wanted to make amends with Charlotte. I spotted her having a glass of orange juice in the lobby.