Surrender to Me (2 page)

Chapter Two

Lucas

Once I hear Samantha’s set come to an end, I start to put on my microphone and other gear.  There is a half hour break between my set and hers so they can move stuff around, but I like to be ready to go.  My dressing room door opens and I glance up to see Samantha leaning back against the now closed door.

“So, did you watch the show, Lucas?”

I hate that the label chose her as my opening act.  First off, she really isn’t that talented as a singer, but she’s “hot” and dances like a stripper, so apparently that means you can be a star.  The other reason I can’t stand her being on tour with me is that she’s convinced I want her and I’m just playing hard to get.  From what I’ve heard, she’s had more rides than a merry-go-round and I wouldn’t touch her with a ten-foot pole.  Mike told me before that the media thinks we’re together; if they only knew the truth.

“No, Samantha, I didn’t.”

She sticks her lip out so she looks like she’s pouting and then struts over to me.  “Why?  Do you not like to get excited before a show?”  Her hand makes its way down my arm, and across my leg but I push it away before she can grab my junk.

“I’ve told you before I’m not interested, okay?”

She huffs and storms away, slamming my door as she’s leaving.  Not only is her reputation a turn off, but she is
so
immature and selfish.  I pick up my phone and type “nice places to eat in Philadelphia” into Google.  I find a restaurant called The Chart House; it’s right on the river and seems like a more low-key place, but definitely better than a diner.

I’m actually looking forward to this date, which is something new for me.  Something about Rebecca is different than what I usually come across.  Once girls find out I’m famous all they want to talk about is the business or what I own.  No one really ever cares about me; they just want to see what they can get out of me. I’m hoping, though, that she’s different; I definitely need to tell her about myself tomorrow.

Rebecca

“Why do you have that look on your face? It’s just a t-shirt, Becca.”

She sits down next to me but I still can’t bring myself to form words.  Luke
is
Lucas Masterson; he’s famous.  Why the hell does he want to go out with
me
?  I definitely can’t do it now.  I was nervous when I thought he was just a regular guy.

“Hello, space cadet!”   I look over at Jen and she’s staring at me like I’ve lost it.  “What is up with you?”

“I…um…I had to go to the liquor store for my mom earlier, and this guy was in the parking lot.  His battery died and he needed a jump. I let him hook the cables up to my car and before he left he asked me out on a date.”  I run my fingers through my hair, still trying to process the information I’m about to tell her.  “He only told me his first name, which is Luke.
That
is him.”  I point to the t-shirt and Jen looks down as if she thinks there will magically be another face on it.

“Wait, are
you
telling
me
that
Lucas Masterson
asked you out to dinner in a liquor store parking lot today?”  She starts cracking up laughing and I really don’t see what’s so funny.  “Becca, I’m sure it was just someone who looked like him.”

I pull out my phone and click on the picture he snapped of himself earlier.  I hold the phone up to her and watch as realization crosses her face.

“Ahhhhhhhhhh!”  She throws her arms around me and hugs me.  “Lucas Masterson asked you out to dinner in a liquor store parking lot today!  This is amazing, Becca!  You’re going out with one of the most famous and hottest singers!”

“No, I’m not.”

“What do you mean you’re not?”

“Jen, I can’t go out with him now!  I was stressing about it when I thought he was just a regular guy!  I mean, he said he wanted to take me somewhere nice earlier.  What am I going to do?  Have him pick me up at the house but forbid him to come in so he can’t see my crazy mother?  Then go to a nice dinner in my Wal-Mart tank top and shorts?”  I’m getting anxious just thinking about it.

“You’ll come over my house—I can lend you something to wear—and the Hollywood hunk can pick you up there.”

Can I really do this?
  I’m not the girl who likes a lot of attention and that’s all Luke’s life is.

“Stop over analyzing it, Becca, it’s just one dinner.”

“I guess so.”

When the lights go off I know Luke is coming out.  He starts singing and his voice sounds even better in person.  When he steps onto the stage he’s in ripped, faded jeans, and a fitted white t-shirt.  He’s just as gorgeous as he was earlier and I can’t believe this is all real.

Halfway into the second song, he’s in front of me and Jen.  When he looks down and sees me I know he recognizes me. Throughout the rest of the concert I feel as if he’s almost singing to me.  He keeps looking at me out of the corner of his eye and smiling.  I think I’m just imagining it until Jen leans over and yells, “He looks like he has it bad, girl!  You
have
to go to dinner with him now!

I look back at Luke and feel like he can either be my savior or my destruction.

Lucas

Performing is definitely what I love most about my job.  Being able to go out in front of thousands of people and connect with them is what keeps me sane sometimes.  I’m not in it for the attention or the girls, because let’s face it, I can get the girls on my own.  I’m in this business for the music and the people that listen to it.

I’ve just started the second song in my set when I look down into the crowd and see those eyes I haven’t been able to get out of my head.  She’s
here
?  I could’ve sworn earlier that she didn’t know who I was, especially when she suggested we go to a diner.  Most of the time, if I ask someone where they want to go they pick the most expensive place in town.

I find myself constantly looking for her in the crowd.  She looks surprised half the time so maybe she
didn’t
know about me.  I’m definitely going to text her tonight and make sure we’re still on for our date.  I didn’t tell her about myself earlier because I thought it might scare her off, and judging by the look on her face, I think I was right. 

I’m almost at the end of the set and the song I recorded with Samantha is up next.  The label insisted that we do something together because it would be good for the tour.  It’s definitely my least favorite song.  There’s supposed to be a lot of pain and emotion behind it, which usually I would thrive on, but all she knows how to do is shake her hips, so I feel like it comes off as some bi-polar love song.

The song is also supposed to be the next single we release, which means I’m going to have to shoot a video with her. 
Lucky me
.  The music starts to play, and judging by the crowd’s reaction, Samantha has come on stage.  I’m sitting at the piano, when out of nowhere she jumps on top of it and starts grinding. 
Does she not have any sense?
  This is a slow song about a love that went wrong, not porn music you hear in the strip club.

I immerse myself in the music and completely tune her out because it’s the only way I can get through this song.  Once I play the last chords I look up and she’s inches away from my face.  Before I can move, she grabs me and kisses me. 
What the fuck?
  I pull away nicely, when all I want to do is push her ass off the piano, and I peer out into the crowd.  They all love it except for the girl in the second row and her friend, who is now shooting me a look that says she wants to castrate me.

Samantha leaves the stage and I finish the final three songs in the set list, noticing the whole time that Rebecca doesn’t even look my way.  I don’t know why I feel so guilty—it’s not like we’ve even gone out before—but I didn’t
want
the kiss to happen, either.

When I exit the stage I head straight for the dressing room and find Samantha waiting for me.  “What are you doing in here?” I seethe, the disgust evident in my tone.

“I was waiting for you; that kiss was seriously hot, Lucas.”  She saunters over to me.  “Want to pick up where we left off?”  She leans in and I turn my head away from her.

“No, I don’t.  I just want you to leave right now and never try to pull that shit again.  I’ll see you in a week.”

“In a week?  Did you forget about the extra show they added tomorrow?” 
Shit, I did forget.
  “See you tomorrow, Lucas.”

Once she leaves, I immediately check my phone, hoping for a message from Becca, but all I have are missed calls and messages from no one of greater importance at the moment.  Why do I feel like I owe Becca an explanation?  This is not normal for me; I
never
worry about how girls feel when I’m with them.

Me: Hey
, so I just realized I have another show tomorrow. I still want to do dinner, though. Can we change it to five?

Rebecca: Maybe we should just forget about it.

I knew this was going to happen after Samantha’s little stunt; it’s scaring her off.  I can’t say that I blame her, though.  Who wants competition before anything even starts?

Me: Come on, give me a chance to thank you for the jump in person.

Rebecca: I don’t know, Luke.

Me: I already made reservations. You’re not going to make me look like some loser who has to cancel cause his date ditched him are you?

She doesn’t respond for at least five minutes, and I’m about to give up that she will…

Rebecca: Ok you win. I’ll text you my address later.

I find myself sporting a goofy grin.  When Mike walks in he gives me a questioning look.  “What’s going on with you?”

“I’m going out to dinner tomorrow before the show.  Don’t worry, I’ll make sure that I’m here on time.”

“You’re finally giving in to Samantha?  Thank God!  The label has been waiting for this.”  He looks thrilled and grabs his phone to text someone.

“No, it’s
not
her.  I’ve told you before that I can’t stand her.”  He just doesn’t want to hear it.  They all want us together so that we can be the new “power couple” in the music industry, but I refuse to let my career run my personal life.

“If it isn’t her, then who are you going out with?”

“Just a girl, Mike, don’t worry about it.”

I don’t want to give him a lot of details about her because I know he won’t approve of me dating someone who isn’t in the industry.  I know Mike only wants the best for me, but this time I’m doing something
I
want to do.

Rebecca

As we’re pulling up to my house I can’t stop thinking about Luke.  Jen said she heard he was involved with that Samantha girl, so why is he still asking me out?

“Alright, I’ll come get you tomorrow around twelve and we’ll have a girls’ day, okay?”

Jen said she wants to take me out to get my hair and nails done tomorrow, her treat.  She wants me to be able to feel and look my best.  I thank God every day for a friend like her.  Most of my childhood I wished I could be a part of her family instead of mine.  “Okay, I’ll see you then.”  I give her a hug and go inside.

While lying in bed, I decide to text Jen’s address to Luke so he’ll have it for tomorrow evening.  I still can’t believe that this is all happening to me.  I definitely have no idea why he wants to have dinner with me so badly when he can have any girl he wants.  I feel my phone vibrate and look down at the screen.

Luke: So, I’ll see you tomorrow at five?

Me: Yeah, that sounds good.

Luke: Ok, goodnight beautiful.

Me: Goodnight.

I know I’m setting myself up for trouble with this whole thing, but there’s something keeping me from saying no to him.

I wake up around ten o’clock and get dressed quickly, not caring what I’m wearing because Jen is planning on turning me into her own personal Barbie doll tonight.  When I walk downstairs I have every intention of grabbing something to eat, but then I see Mom’s “sometimes boyfriend”, Wyatt.  He comes around once in a while and usually stays for a week or two at a time.  He’s always staring at me and making weird comments so I try to avoid him as much as possible.

“Hey there, if it isn’t Becca Chase lookin’ all sexy.”

Now, most
normal
mothers, at this point, would tell their boyfriends that they’re an asshole and to get the hell out. 
My
mother does nothing like that, but she
does
turn to me with a look of disgust in her eyes.  “Can’t you dress a little less like a slut, Rebecca?” her voice drips with disdain.

I look down at what I’m wearing; a V-neck t-shirt and a pair of denim shorts.  I know it’s no use to even respond, so I go upstairs, grab my phone and purse and leave.  I drive over to Jen’s and when she answers the door, she’s still in her pj’s.

“Hey, I thought I was picking you up at twelve?”

“I know, but Wyatt was there when I woke up and I had to get out.”  She steps to the side to let me in.  “Thanks, Jen.”

“It’s no problem, Becs, but why won’t you reconsider letting me talk to my mom?”

Jen has been trying to convince me to let her talk to her mom about me moving in.  I’m not comfortable with that, though.  I don’t want to be anyone’s burden and I feel like I spend so much time here already.  “No, I’m fine…I promise.”

“Ugh!  Whatever.  Maybe Lucas will be your prince charming and take you away from all this bullshit.”

“I wouldn’t count on that, Jen, he’s only in town for a week.”

“Hey, a lot can happen in a week.”