Play for Me (4 page)

“I get off at eleven,” said Nikki as she sidled up to Ian.

“Great. I’ll buy you a drink,” slurred Ian

“Hey, buddy. I think you’ve had enough,” said the bartender
with a frown for Ian.

“I’ll switch to Coke,” said Ian as Nikki sat down beside
him. “What would you like? Nikki, is it?”

“Nikki.” She turned to the bartender. “I’ll have a Captain
and Coke.”

“You were a big help today with that lady,” commented Ian. “Thanks
for going into the bathroom to check up on her.”

“No big deal.” Nikki shrugged. “She seemed really nice. If
it were me, I’d be yelling and screaming. But let’s talk about you.” Nikki
placed her hand on Ian’s leg. “What brings you to Los Angeles?”

“Business.” Ian tried to figure out how to get back on the
subject of the woman.

“Okayyy,” drawled Nikki. “What kind of business.”

“Tell you what, Nikki. I’ll answer your question if you
answer one for me.” Ian looked at her pensively

“Sure, what would you like to know?” Nikki pouted prettily.

“How old are you?”

“I’m twenty-four. I just graduated from college. I plan to
be an actress.” She tossed her long, blonde hair to the side. “I might be
getting a break. Someone is hooking me up with
Girls Next Door
.”

“Man, that’s big,” commented Ian, not at all impressed.

“So, what’s your business?”

“Houses. Design and remodel.” Ian took a drink of his Coke.

“Who do you design them for? Are you planning on somewhere
around here?” asked Nikki.

“Nope. In Maui.”

“So, what are you doing here?” asked Nikki.

“That’s another question,” said Ian. “I get to ask another
one.”

“You’re funny,” laughed Nikki. “I like you.”

“Thanks.” Ian patted her hand like he would a little girl's.
“Here’s my question; the lady in the bathroom? What’s her name?”

“Why do you want to know?” Nikki became suspicious.

“Here,” said Ian to the bartender. “Nikki needs another
drink.” He turned his attention back to Nikki. “Do you ever have the feeling
you know someone, but can’t remember where you saw them let alone remember
their name?”

“Of course. So you think you know this person?”

“I do. It’s really weird, you know? But now that’s another
question.”

“I have to watch you,” laughed Nikki. “Okay, one question at
a time.” Another drink had appeared in front of Nikki, and she had no problem
downing that one, too.

“I could make this worth your while.” Ian settled into the
chair, this thought just popped into his mind. “Do you have a business card?
Have you ever watched
Cradle of Lust
?”

“Why, what are you talking about?” Nikki looked at him
suspiciously.

“Let’s just say my client?” He didn’t even have to finish.

“Jett Robinson?” shrieked Nikki. “No way! Really?”

“Yup. If you give me your card, I’ll give it to him when I
see him tomorrow.”

“Ohmigod! You’d do that for me? This is awesome!” Nikki dug
in her purse and pulled out a business card with her picture on it. “Here, take
three of them in case he loses them. I can’t believe this.” She quieted down
for a moment. “What’s the catch? Sex?”

“Nope. Just the lady’s name.”

“That’s it? No sex? Bummer! I am h-o-t!” She took her index
finger and ran it along her leg and then blew on it.

“I’m saving you for Jett. I hear he’s insatiable.” Ian
winked at her.

“I can’t wait! The lady’s name is Samantha Stevens and she’s
in room two-twenty-one. Don’t tell her I told you.”

“You are a sweetheart, Nikki. Here, have another drink on me
and I’ll make sure Jett gets a chance to meet you.”

“You’re great. Are you sure you don’t want some hot sex?”

“Positive. I’m too old for you.” Ian kissed the top of her
head and walked away.
Samantha Stevens, Stevens.
“I know that Stevens
name from somewhere, but where?” Sighing hopelessly, Ian went to his room in a
funk.

Nervously, Sam kept checking her reflection in the mirror to
make sure she presented the ‘right’ image as if she knew what image she wanted.
She wore a navy blue suit, a white silk blouse with a v-neckline. The jacket
hung long over her short skirt. Sam wore a long silver necklace with matching
earrings and a silver watch. Her hair draped down round her face and lightly brushed
with curls. Her makeup had been done tastefully with just a touch of mascara
and a nude color lipstick. Sam knew that Jett wasn’t tall, so she wore only two
inch heels. Jordan wasn’t that tall, either, and being around women taller than
him always bothered him. Okay, time for D-Day. Sam walked to the elevator and
took it down to the Lobby where she had been instructed to meet the limo driver
just inside the reception area. She scanned the crowd and didn’t see anyone who
resembled a limo driver, so she took a seat. As she watched the crowd, she saw
the Greek God walk into the area. Her heart skipped a beat and she prayed that
he wouldn’t notice her. Maybe if she didn’t pay attention and looked the other
way, he wouldn't notice her. Sam positioned herself so that her back faced him
and she stared at the potted plants in the corner. When she looked up at the
paintings on the wall, Sam could still keep an eye on him through the glass
reflection. Ian had dressed casually in long shorts, a Hawaiian theme shirt and
wore flip-flops. He carried a large circular tube under his arm which Samantha presumed
were blue prints. He scowled and he glanced at his watch. His eyes went to the
door and he headed right towards where Sam sat. Sam bent down to flick an
imaginary speck of dirt from her shoe, her hair falling down hiding her face.
Didn’t work. Ian smiled as he sauntered up to greet Sam.

“You didn’t show up last night,” pointed out Ian.

“I had other plans, sorry.” Sam smiled to be pleasant, but
her heart wouldn’t stop pounding in her chest. She had never been this nervous
with a man.

“Too bad, you missed a good time. Or so I think.” Ian smiled
when Sam rolled her eyes. “I didn’t mean that how it sounds. I’ll start over. Name’s
Ian. Ian Andrews.” He held out his hand.

“Samantha Stevens,” murmured Sam as she shook his hand. His
hand felt strong and firm. Sam blushed as she thought of his hands over her
body. Now where did that come from? She shook herself mentally trying to get a
grip. His hazel eyes had her totally captivated.

“Samantha Stevens.” Ian shook his head, not letting go of
her hand. “You know, that name sounds awfully familiar. And you look familiar.”
He stared at her intently.

“Well, according to my family, there’s only one of me. Maybe
I have a cosmic twin somewhere in the universe.” Sam reluctantly let go of his
hand.

“I can tell you’re not from around here,” commented Ian
trying to place her accent. “New York?”

“No, Chicago.” Sam felt uncomfortable as Ian stared a hole
into her. “You’re from around here?”

“Born and raised in San Diego, but I live in Maui now.” Ian
had taken a seat next to Sam.

“I’ve never been to Hawaii. Maybe one of these days,”
commented Sam.

“It’s a great place to live. Surfing there is out of this
world, and you can easily try one of the other islands. Do you surf?”

“I’m from the Midwest. There’s no ocean; only Lake Michigan,”
laughed Sam. “I’ve never even swam in an ocean.”

Sam's remark threw Ian a curve because he had never met
anyone who hadn't been in an ocean. “Really?” exclaimed Ian. He loved the way Sam's
eyes sparkled when she laughed and the little wrinkles around her eyes were
endearing. He wanted to always have Sam smiling.

“Really. I can do wake boarding, and I am pretty awesome at
snowball fights.” Sam raised her head proudly, waiting for Ian's response.

“Well there you go. I’ve never even seen snow. I’m pretty
much a water guy.” He stopped and regrouped his thoughts. “So, what brings you
out here?”

“I have an…” Sam stopped short when a burly man interrupted
their conversation.

“Ian?” The man clasped Ian’s hand to shake heartily.

“Toby, good to see you, my man. Is Jett ready for me?”

“You must be Samantha,” said Toby as he reached for Sam’s
hand. “Toby McEntyre, employee of Jett Robinson.”

“Pleased to meet you,” said Sam liking him already, but
appeared confused. She turned to Ian. “You have a meeting with Jett?”

After a couple of minutes of uncomfortable silence, Ian’s
curiosity won out. “I'm going to ask you the same question,” said Ian just as
confused.

“You both do,” laughed Toby. “Jett’s a busy man and his
touring schedule needs to get a few kinks worked out. Ian, he’ll meet with you
first and then with Samantha. Limo is right this way, folks.” Ian and Sam
followed him blindly and crawled into the back seat facing each other.

“What are you seeing Jett about?” asked Ian first.

“I have an interview with him.” Sam felt a little shocked
about both of them meeting Jett.

“Are you going out for his reality show? Because, honey,
you’re not dressed for the part. I don’t mean to be rude, but…” Ian shook his
head.

“How dare you?” accused Sam, defensively. “I’m not anything
like that. The job is a press assistant. According to the description, he wants
just the opposite and he wants someone who doesn’t like his persona.”

“Jett is an animal,” warned Ian. “He can turn nice girls
like you into vampires.”

“You don’t have a very high opinion of him, do you?” accused
Sam.

“Have you ever met him?” Ian challenged him.

“No, but my brother says he’s cool, and I know my brother
wouldn’t put me in danger.”

“Your brother?” Ian looked at her questioningly. “Your
brother knows Jett? Are you sure your brother likes you?”

“Well, he better, because he’s my twin,” stated Sam angrily.
Greek God had lost his shine in her eyes.

“That’s it!” cried Ian. “I know who you look like. You’re
Jordan Stevens little sister. Now I see the resemblance. You’re his twin?”
asked Ian incredulously.

“You know my brother? How do you know my brother?” asked Sam
astounded.

“He’s one of the best lead guitarists around. Twin? I thought
you were his little sister?”

“He always says that because he’s ten minutes older than me.”

“I’m going to talk to Jordan. Is he nuts?” asked Ian,
furious at Jordan.

“Hey, only I can say that about my brother,” exclaimed Sam. “Enough
about me. Why are you meeting with Jett if you dislike him so much?”

“I’m remodeling his house in Maui. He just bought it and
wants it totally revamped. It’s a challenge if anything, something I’m looking
forward to, but sometimes dealing with Jett can be a pain in the ass.” Ian
looked out the window to get a bearing where they were. “We’re almost here.” He
turned back to Sam. “I know we’ve just met, and I really don’t know you, but
please be careful.”

“I think I can handle myself,” said Sam still pretty miffed
at Ian. Toby had opened the car door and Sam got out first and Ian followed. “Oh
my Lord,” said Sam as she took in the size of the mansion. The white stucco
two-storied building loomed in a semi-circle with a massive fountain out front.
Looking closely, the figurines adorning the fountain were naked mermaids in
lewd poses. Sam’s jaw dropped to the ground.

“As you can see, I'm not kidding.” said Ian sarcastically,
reading Sam's mind. “This is an outrage to architects everywhere. Here you have
a classic style building to be defrauded as something as ostentatious as this
fountain. Jett and I discussed this and Jett promises the one in Maui will be
nothing like this.”

“I can see your point,” said Sam in agreement. “But I guess
it's part of his ‘persona’ for Hollywood.”

“Come on in,” said Toby jovially. “Jett changed his mind. He
wants to meet with Ms. Stevens first, Ian. He’ll call you in when he’s done.”

“Great,” said Ian, irritated already by the situation. “I’ll
take some water.” Ian followed Toby and Sam inside.

“Oh good Lord,” said Sam under her breath, She stared at the
foyer with its huge black and white tiled floor that looked like the board of a
chess game. A massive chandelier with pink crystals with lights hung from the
ceiling. Artwork depicting various sexual positions lined the hallways and along
with French Provincial furniture. Toby led Sam back into a recording studio
where chaos reigned with various guitars perched on their stands. Soundboards,
speakers, microphones and drum sets were placed strategically. Sam had been to
a lot of recording studios with Jordan so she could appreciate the excellent
pieces of equipment.

“Samantha?” A melodious voice came from behind one of the
massive speakers. Out stepped Jett looking nothing like what the gossip
magazines portrayed him as. He wore jeans with holes in the knees, flip flops
and a large oversized denim shirt. His signature black unruly hair was held back
conservatively by a bandana. His vivid blue eyes the color of aquamarine stared
intently at her.

“That’s me,” said Sam graciously, trying to hide her
surprise. “You can call me Sam.”

“You’re a dead ringer for Jordan.” Jett’s eyes never left
her face and he smiled at her warmly

“Well, he is my twin,” explained Sam. “Fraternal. He’s ten
minutes older than me, and he’s way taller, as you know.”

“I hope all of this equipment doesn’t intimidate you,”
explained Jett as he stepped over the wires to shake Sam’s hand.

“I grew up with Jordan. I’m used to all of this. I can’t
tell you how many concerts I’ve helped him with by setting up equipment.”

“Here, let’s go into my office,” said Jett as he led the way
to a private room off of the studio. Sam followed him inside to an office sized
room with a desk, a laptop and lots of filing cabinets. Papers were strewn
about and it looked totally chaotic. “Now, you see where I need help?” said
Jett not at all pleased. “I’m a musician and these details escape me. Gina?”
Jett threw his hands in the air. “What can I say, but she had no organizational
skills.” He stopped abruptly and Sam almost ran into him. “Let me rephrase
that. Gina
said
she was organized, but she had bigger things in mind, if
you know what I mean.” Jett looked at Sam pointedly.