Love's Back Pocket (8 page)

Chapter 15

A knock at her door made her snap out of the random thoughts swimming inside of her mind. She blinked once, wondering how long she had been sitting there. Did Tommy really affect her as much as it seemed? Surely not. She was a professional, wasn’t she? He had definitely hurt her. Well, fine. Maybe she could turn it around and make him take her seriously … or at least, persuade him to. So he wanted to sleep with her, hmm? Holly knew that she couldn’t just sleep with him; he definitely wouldn’t consider her professional for that, and he might even kick her off the bus afterwards. But she was also a woman, and knew what power that held considerably over the opposite sex. She could dress a bit more provocatively, couldn’t she? Maybe it wasn’t the most professional thing she could do, but drastic times called for drastic measures. She wouldn’t just give up when Holly knew she could win.

Another knock on her door caused all thoughts to completely vanish, and she got up and walked over to it. After checking who it was out of the peephole, she opened the door to find Tanya standing there, an expectant look on her face. Of course! If anybody could help her dress proactively, it would be Tanya.

“Well?” her friend asked Holly expectantly. Holly had a blank look on her face, not quite sure what Tanya was waiting for. “Well aren’t you coming?” Tanya tried again. If it could get any blanker, Holly’s face would have. “To the show!” Tanya exclaimed, raising her arms up in frustration. She bustled in without Holly’s permission, and Holly slowly shut the door behind her, eyeing her friend warily. “God, Holly, you know
The Futurists
are on tour.”

“Oh,” Holly murmured, crossing her arms over her chest before shaking her head. “No, actually I think I’m going to stay here and do some research on Tommy Nye.”

“What happened between you two?” Tanya asked, taking a seat on the couch and looking over at Holly. “After your first session, which ended quite abruptly, if you ask me, he came barging into Mitch’s room and had this sort of look about him. Like he was upset, but I’m not quite sure in what way.”

“We had a discussion,” Holly said flatly before rolling her eyes. “He basically told me he just wanted to have sex with me and wouldn’t take me seriously. So I told him to get out of the room.” She glanced over at Tanya and subconsciously crossed her arms over her chest. “Why? What did he say?”

“Nothing,” Tanya replied and then sighed. “So what’re you going to do about the situation, Holl? You already told your professor you’d be doing your hours here, and I highly doubt you could call a psychologist practice and ask to take part in their thousand-hour program on such short notice.”

“This may sound odd,” Holly told her friend, “but I need your help. I’m thinking about dressing more … Oh, you know, feminine, I guess. He wants to sleep with me, right? Maybe if I get him to pay attention to me this way, I might be able to persuade him to do just that.” She bit her bottom lip. “Does that make sense?”

“I think so,” Tanya said with a grin. “And of course I’ll help you.” She stood. “But for right now, I have to go watch Mitch bang on those drums of his and…” Tanya looked as though she was getting flustered at such a thought. “Anyway, I gotta go.” And with that, she all but dashed out the door so she wouldn’t be late.

--

The first thing Holly did when Tanya left was throw on some workout clothes. The hotel they were staying at had a gym that she wanted to work her frustrations out on. She grabbed her laptop and a towel, and headed to the second floor, claiming a treadmill and signing on to their free WiFi. She tied her hair into a high ponytail and threw her towel over the side of the machine before setting it to a speed. Holly had always been good at multitasking, so when she found a website, she hopped on the treadmill and started to run as she began to read all of the information she could find on Tommy Nye.

Tommy Nye was born on July 3, 1976 to the parents of George Nye and Barbara Tosh. He was born in Manhattan, New York, but his family almost-immediately moved to Los Angeles afterwards. There, Tommy entertained the idea of going into acting. However, as he continued to go out for the high school plays, he and his friends started a band. Tommy always loved to be the center of attention, probably because he was an only child, and as a result, was the lead singer. Originally, the band was called
Crossbones Anonymous
, but once Tommy turned seventeen and recorded the band’s first album, they decided to rename the band to
The Futurists
. They immediately skyrocketed to fame. The band’s first single, a new take on the classic “
Vacation”
, reached Number 1 on the Billboard Charts, and stayed there for five consecutive weeks. Their follow-up single, “
Hot in the City”
, did just as well.

The day after Tommy graduated high school,
The Futurists
went on their first tour. This is where Tommy met Delilah, his first-ever long-term relationship. It would turn out to be his last. Delilah was a bit older than Tommy, but the six-year age difference didn’t seem to bother either person. They met backstage after his first concert, and from then on, they were inseparable. She was quite the beauty, with straight dark hair and midnight blue eyes. Tommy seemed smitten with her, and at the time, it appeared that she felt that way for him. However, things weren’t always what people believed.

The first cracks of the relationship started showing two years later.
The Futurists
second album debuted at number one, with “
Cradle Robber”
playing on every rock station. Tommy and Delilah were at a bar, celebrating the album’s success when things went downhill. Nothing has been confirmed even now, but it appeared as though a man was hitting on Delilah. We’re not quite sure if she was reciprocating or not, but it caused Tommy to get into his first brawl. He spent three nights in jail and had two years on probation. He and Delilah still remained a couple.

Despite the success of their third album’s single “
John Wayne”
, it wasn’t doing as well as the band’s first two releases. This was causing obvious stress between the band mates, especially the perfectionist Tommy Nye. The band’s original guitarist, Spike, left in the middle of the tour, which resulted in
The Futurists
having to cancel the tour. The next year was spent trying to search for a new guitarist. As
The Futurists
popularity dwindled, the relationship between Tommy and Delilah became strained and Tommy began dabbling in alcohol and drugs. At twenty-three, he entered rehab and stayed there for ninety days, seemingly having completed the program successfully. However, once Tommy hooked back up with Delilah, he continued doing both drugs and alcohol, and got into numerous fights. A year later, Tommy reportedly walked in on Delilah and
Futurist
drummer Dan engaging in acts of a sexual nature. Due to the drugs and alcohol inhabiting his system, he wasn’t able to control himself, and as a result, he sent Dan to the hospital. Tommy was sentenced to sixty days in jail and to rehab, as well as an AA program, followed by numerous community service activities.

Tommy hid out during the nineties. However, he continued to party and explored many different sexual relationships. While at the recent MTV Video Awards, he told MTV VJ Donny that he never intends to settle down.
The Futurists
were presented with a silver cup of appreciation for their unique music videos. Unsurprisingly, Dan and Spike were no-shows.

In 2008, Tommy announced that
The Futurists
were back in the recording studio, planning their fourth studio album, as well as a comeback tour—their first in fifteen years. Tommy, thirty-nine, is still unattached and seemingly happy. As far as we know, he is clean and sober. Spike has been replaced with Mitch, twenty-six, and Dan has been replaced with Sean, twenty-five. Tommy’s manager has assured the public that Tommy would not be on the road without a licensed psychologist in case he is tempted to slip up. Time will only tell if
The Futurists
can make a comeback.

It had been two hours since Holly first entered the gym, but she barely even realized that she was running as she read numerous sites containing similar information. She had no idea what to ask Tommy about—if she should ask Tommy about anything or wait for him to start talking about it on his own. Maybe Victor would be able to assist her.

For now, she really needed a shower.
     

Chapter 16

“How do I look?” Holly asked, stepping out of her Las Vegas hotel room and into the living room. Today would be the first day Holly would be trying out her new appearance. She was wearing tight, low-cut jeans and a black spaghetti strapped tank top that hugged every curve her body had to offer her. There was a sliver of flesh between the hemline of the shirt and the waist of her jeans that was revealed in a teasing manner. On her feet were sexy black flip flops, and her long red hair tumbled down her back messily. Her face still was free from makeup save the Chapstick on Holly’s full lips, and her skin was protected by sunscreen. There was an obvious look of discomfort and self-doubt on her face, but her focus was on Tanya, hoping for her approval.

“You look hot, Holl,” Tanya said, her eyes intricately taking in every inch of Holly’s body. Finally, dark eyes met dark ones, and any mischievousness that may have been in them before Holly went to change had vanished. Instead, a look of seriousness occupied the dark orbs. “The thing is, you have to
believe
you’re hot. Let’s face it, Paris Hilton isn’t the hottest person on the planet, but because she owns her look and her style, she looks that much sexier.”

Holly rolled her eyes and crossed her arms over her. “Could we possibly compare me to someone who’s not as in touch with her sexuality as you are?” Holly asked, tilting her head to the side and looking at her friend pointedly.

“Um …” Tanya placed her long index finger on her chin, rolling her eyes up to the ceiling. “What about Rachel McAdams?”

“Rachel McAdams is gorgeous, though,” Holly said, pursing her lips.

“Right,” Tanya replied, nodding once. “But she’s even
more
gorgeous because she has this humble confidence about her.”

“Humble confidence?” Holly asked, tilting her head to the side. “Isn’t that an oxymoron?”

Tanya rolled her eyes and growled in frustration. “Oh Holly,” she murmured under her breath. “There is so much to teach you about getting a guy to want you.”

“I don’t want him to want me,” Holly said with a sneer.

“Of course you do, Holl.” Tanya touched her forehead with her fingertips. “You want him to want you. But you don’t want him to know that you want him in return.” Holly’s mouth dropped open, about to respond, when Tanya stuck her hand up. “And before you say that you don’t want him, just go with me here, Holl. Oh, if only there was a flirting class you could have taken back at UCLA. Anyway, I will have to do.” She reached over to her friend and gently gripped Holly’s shoulders in her hands. “Okay, first thing’s first. Let’s figure out your motive for this transformation.” She perked her brow, looking at her friend expectantly.

Holly realized Tanya was waiting for her to respond. “I … Well, I want him to take me seriously.”

“Good,” Tanya replied, clapping her hand together. “And to do this, you want him to open up to you, right? During your sessions, I mean. Sad as it may be, Tommy seems to pay attention to women who dress rather provocatively, though, on a side note, Holly, even when you’re in sweats, he seems to pay attention to you. But that’s beside the point. You are in tighter clothing that isn’t too provocative but works. So you have the look, sweetheart, but you need to make sure you believe it. Luckily, you have me as your teacher. Now, the first and biggest way to get a guy to want you is to pretend to not want him. Don’t even look at Tommy today. Instead, give Sean your attention. Make Tommy jealous.”

“Are you sure, Tanya?” Holly asked doubtfully. “I mean, how do you know it’ll work?” She saw Tanya’s pointed look and rolled her eyes. “Okay, okay, I get it. You know what you’re talking about …” She then sighed through her nose. “Teach me!”

--

“So, Sean,” Holly said, glancing over at Tanya before gazing over at the guitarist and giving him her full attention, “when did you know you wanted to be a guitarist?”

They were walking toward Shut Up and Eat, a swanky new restaurant with dim lighting, small food portions, and an outrageous selection of alcohol. Their waiters were all dressed in suits with slicked-back hair, and there were red velvet ropes that diners walked through in order to make them feel like very important people. From the information she was able to gather before leaving, Holly thought it would be was a bit much, but at least there would be no thumping bass permeating the restaurant.

Tanya, the genius she was, managed to arrange everybody in a certain position at the snazzy Las Vegas eatery without being too obvious about it. Sean was at the end, next to Holly and then Tanya herself. Next to Tanya on her left stood Mitch, then Drew, and finally Tommy himself. Tanya wasn’t stupid when it came to the game of love. Holly may not notice the way Tommy looked at her, but Tanya did. Though Holly thought she was merely helping her in order to get Tommy to take her seriously, there was more to it than Tanya revealed. Only Mitch new his lover’s little plan, and he agreed that Tommy needed a good girl on his arm after his disastrous affair with Delilah.

When Tommy first laid eyes on Holly after the two women had met them in the lobby of the hotel, he had to do a double-take. Where was the shy, demure girl notorious for her hoodies and loose jeans? She looked beautiful then, but now … he could see the curves of her body, but then again, so could everybody else. God, she had a nice rack, didn’t she? And her tight ass that had been hidden in sweatpants was now being shown off in tight denim. Her hair cascaded around her much like a lion’s mane, and it was slightly messy, making him think about what it might look like after a night of sex. Wait, wasn’t she upset that he only wanted to have sex with her? And now she was dressing like … Was this some kind of trick? And when did she suddenly become so interested in Sean?

“… I was eight when I taught myself to play, and I’d always been a fan of
The Futurists
,” Sean was saying.

Tommy scrunched his nose at this. Was Holly even paying attention? He cast a glance over his shoulder, hoping to catch a glimpse of the woman, and though her hair was masking the majority of her profile, he could tell there was a large, genuine smile on her face. He felt his heart skip for whatever reason at the sight, and instantly wished that it was he who was making her smile that way.

Because smiling led to … well sex
, a voice tried to rationalize. There was no other reason why he might want her to smile unless it led to sex.

But she does have a nice smile
, another voice pointed out.
You know, I wouldn’t mind seeing her smile even if it didn’t lead to sex.

“Yeah right,” he muttered under his breath.

“What was that, Tommy?” Tanya asked, tilting her head forward and catching his eye.

“Nothing,” came his response, quickly looking away. There was glint in that woman’s eyes he wasn’t exactly sure about. In fact, there were a lot of things going on around him and inside of him that he wasn’t too sure about.

Before he could ponder this any further, he heard Holly laugh aloud. Beyond his control, he felt his head snap in her direction, and a territorial growl lost itself in his throat. Holly was stopped on the sidewalk, sharing a laugh with Sean, who had his hand placed on the small of her back. So she didn’t want to sleep with him, but she was okay with Sean touching her there? What, was it because he was older than Sean was? Was it because he was honest with his intentions? Maybe he shouldn’t have been too blunt when she asked him. Okay, these thoughts were beginning to worry him. Maybe it was guilt over the last session. Yes, that was probably it. He should apologize. Tommy’s eyes narrowed when Sean’s hand gently gripped her side. And there was no better time to apologize than the present.

“Hey, Holly,” Tommy said, backing up out of the line and going over to the woman, “can I talk to you for a minute?” He shifted his eyes over to Sean, who immediately released his grip on Holly and caught up with the other band mates after giving Holly a smile.

“Yes?” Holly prodded, perking her brow as she crossed his arms over her chest.

Don’t look down
, Tommy’s voice instructed, but his eyes refused to listen. Her arms pushed up her breasts, causing even more of her cleavage to show.
Oh my God, what was I going to talk to her about?

Holly immediately saw where his eyes went and she had to force herself not to say anything or drop her arms. Tanya had instructed her how to use her body as a means of getting what she wanted. It probably wasn’t the most ethical way to do it, but it did seem to be working.

“Um, I wanted to …” He let his voice trail off as his eyes found hers, and he suddenly remembered why he needed to speak to her. “Apologize. Yes, I wanted to apologize for the way our first session turned out, and I hope that you’re open to maybe doing another one sometime in the near future.” Yes. Perfect.

“Sure,” Holly said, and with that, she headed back over to Sean who immediately resumed conversation with her.

Tommy paused in the middle of the sidewalk, his mouth dropped open slightly. He wasn’t sure if it was because he liked the view from this angle of her backside or if he was affronted because she hadn’t really paid much attention to him even after apologizing.

Tommy Nye never apologized if he could help.

And he was never confused about women. Ever.

Except now, of course
, he mused with a sigh.