Bad Boy vs Millionaire (4 page)

“
If you've finished your coffee, let's go for a drive. I can show you some of the city.”

I
nodded. I thought sightseeing sounded good but I wondered why Tamaki had so much free time. Shouldn’t he be working? His father had been really insistent that he showed me around though.

When
we got out of the city, Tamaki put the top down on the car. I loved the feeling of the wind in my hair plus it meant I didn't have to try to make conversation. I felt as though I’d reached the limit of small talk for the day. We drove along the bay and I watched the ships with the backdrop of the city behind them.

Finally
Tamaki pulled over by the sea where they could look back to the city. We both got out of the car.

“
On a clear day, you can see Mount Fuji from here.”

I
looked in the direction he pointed, trying to imagine a mountain there. How does a mountain just disappear if it's not a clear day? How thick was that fog?

“
Let's go to see the giant Buddha.”

Yeah,
that sounded fun. Buddhas are all the same, no matter how big they are. My phone beeped and I rushed to get it out of my bag.

Are
you having fun? Ask Tamaki about his car. He likes to talk about his car.

That
pissed me off. It wasn’t as if I was expecting it to be anyone else or that my hopes had risen just a tiny bit. But really, I didn’t need dating advice. And I couldn’t ignore the sinking in my heart when I realised the message was just from Dad.

Tamaki
had moved beside me, his arm almost touching mine. I closed the message before he could read it.

“
What’s wrong?” he asked.

“
Nothing at all.” I turned my phone off and threw it back into my bag, thinking it was a bit rude of him to ask about my personal messages anyway. It was none of his business.

Somehow,
the day seemed a little less bright and I knew looking at a giant Buddha was not where I wanted to be.

After
taking some time to think about the phone call, I still couldn't decide what to do. I'd sent Hannah an email but she hadn't replied. I wasn't sure if I should tell her to come home or if I should try to deal with it myself. I didn't want to seem incapable but I didn't want to screw things up either. Maybe Hannah could phone them and sort things out that way. That would work. I cursed myself for encouraging Hannah to go away in the first place. It didn't matter about all that love stuff. Business was more important, surely.

What
to do next? I couldn't sit around my apartment waiting for Hannah's reply and it was far too early to get to class.

I decided
I'd go over to Jack and Eric and tell them about the offer. Why had not thought of that before? It was a genius plan. They'd be so excited, they'd shower me with food and awesome. Speaking of showers, how long had it been? Maybe I should shower first. And do hair and some makeup. Casual, “just popped around on the spur of the moment” makeup. Even though I got to hang out with them now, I still felt a stirring of fan girl excitement. And I’d never actually been to their place. Hannah had left me with the address in case of an emergency.

Clothes,
clothes? What would look best? Not too hardcore. Something cute and quirky. My vintage dress in red and white polka dot. That would be perfect. With ankle socks and black lace up shoes. And hair in two braids with a red flower clip.

Well
that was sorted at least.

Before
I even got to the apartment, I saw Jack Colt walking down the street. In his boots and skintight jeans, with a guitar slung over his back, he looked as if he'd just stepped out of a video clip. I hadn’t even thought about the possibility that they might not be home.

“
Hey, Bon Jovi, I was on my way to see you guys. I've got major news. Is Eric home too?”

“
I have no idea.”

I
looked Jack over. The dark circles under his eyes and the gauntness to his face would have ruined the looks of a lesser man but on Jack Colt, they just gave him an extra edge. My gaze wandered down his body until I remembered this guy was now off limits. The last thing Hannah needed while she was dealing with her dad was her friend making a move. And plus we had a deal, killer boots.

“
Well, no point going over things twice. I'll tell you both together.” Even though keeping the news inside practically killed me.

Jack
led the way inside, not talking. I thought he'd ask about Hannah and try to get some news but he didn't. Instead the topic hung between us like a giant wall, making all other conversation impossible.

He
really felt something for her, that was plain. It wasn’t just a fling for him or he'd not have any problem mentioning her name.

“
When's the new song going to be ready?”

Jack
shrugged.

“
Sheesh, don't just shrug at me. Do you know how annoying that is? People shouldn't just shrug. Do you have a time frame? Next week? Next month? And, even though you haven't asked, she's still in Tokyo. She's fine but just having some issues ― again ― with her father. She hasn't mentioned you either but that's because you are both a pair of stubborn idiots. In fact, she wanted to come home but I told her to stay longer.”

“
Why?”

“
Because there is a pair of killer boots in this shop in Harajuku that I need and if she doesn't buy them for me, I'll have to pay a small fortune in postage. In this life, if it comes down to me having killer boots or your love life, I pick the boots okay. Do you have a problem with that?”

I
glared at him to challenge his answer and, for the first time, I saw a twitch of a smile at the corner of his mouth and it made me soften a bit.

“
I told her to stay away for a while. Get her head together. The two of you, well things were getting a bit intense, you know. Not giving any advice here, except be careful. Hannah isn't the type to fool around. I think you need some space to work out what you want too.”

“
What’s going on?”

Eric
came out of his room, wearing a pair of Spiderman PJs. Did he have any idea how cute that looked? It made Jack’s rocker outfit seem contrived. And he had fluffy bed hair that flopped over his eyes.

I
turned back to Jack so I’d stop thinking about that hair. When they both sat down, I dropped the news on them.

“
A nationwide tour opening for Monkey Bride?
Fuck yeah we want to do it.”

Jack
sat on the armchair with his leg over the arm. A grin broke out over his face. You could tell his was the stuff a guy like him dreamt of. The kind of stuff that took a band from playing dingy bars to playing stadiums. Opening for a huge overseas act. He'd never say no to that.

Eric
looked less excited.

“
We need Hannah, don't we? We can't go into these negotiations without her. We've all heard the stories about bands getting totally screwed in situations like this. Ending up owing more money than they made.”

“
Technically, we don't need her. We could get a lawyer ourselves. Someone who handles this kind of thing. If she wants to be off travelling the world, then we shouldn't mess with that.”

Jack
had fallen so hard. He was totally pining away and trying to put on the “don't care” attitude. A light came into his eyes when her name was mentioned and he tried to avoid eye contact, as though he knew and wanted to hide it.

“
Jack, we need Hannah. She can deal with the lawyers. We have no idea.”

I
smiled at Eric. He knew sense. Hannah had been right about him. 

“
It's too late anyway, Jack. I've emailed her. She's not got back to me yet but I have no idea what the time difference is or anything.” I knew full well what the time difference was but had no intention of saying anything about Hannah hanging out with some Richy McRicherson rich guy.

“
Hey, if she comes home, she comes home. I'm just saying I’m not going to ask her.”

He
ran his fingers through his hair, still not making eye contact with me then he picked up his guitar and walked upstairs. As he got to his door, he turned back.

“
Opening for Monkey Bride, that's really something.”

Somehow
it seemed a bit awkward with just Eric and me left behind. Like I didn't quite know what to say.

“
I should go too,” I said. “Lots of work to do for school. And I bet you are busy.”

“
Actually, I've been working on some new graphics for the band. Do you want to see them?”

Hells
yeah I wanted to see them. Eric was a graphic genius. Everything he'd done for the band had been so fantastic. I couldn't even imagine how he came up with the ideas he had.

“
Are they super cool and amazing?”

Eric
scrunched up his face. “You'll have to decide that for yourself. Come see.”

I
nearly died when I saw Eric's workspace.

“
This is some sweet equipment. And I mean that in the nicest possible sense. Wow, I'd love to have a setup like this.”

Eric
blushed and bought up the graphics to show me. From the room next door, I could hear Jack playing guitar – a woeful, dirge-like song. The kind of song you listen to when you find out your dog has just died.

“
Fantastic. Cute yet cool. Chicks will love this. We'll sell a heap of stuff, especially during the tour.” I could just imagine the design on t-shirts.

“
I know. I really wanted to go for sparkles and glitter but toned back.”

“
Totally works. Maybe we should think about some sparkly outfits for the band. Rainbow sparkles for Jack.” I giggled. I'd like to see that.

“
I don't think…”

“
I was kidding,” I replied.

Eric
frowned at me. He had something on his mind.

“
Jack’s not good, you know. He keeps making mistakes at rehearsal. Sometimes playing the same riff over and over and never getting it right. Jack never makes mistakes. He’s the one always on our backs for not being able to keep up with him. Any normal person, you could ask them what was wrong and they'd tell you and you could talk it out. But not Jack. He'll walk around with this all messed up inside him, never saying a thing and getting all snarly if you mentioned anything.”

“
Hannah?” I asked.

Eric
nodded.

“
And now there’s all this tension with Spud as well. Spud says stupid things and the look in Jack’s eyes sometimes, would terrify anyone with a normal amount of nous. Spud, however, is oblivious. He hasn't noticed the way that Jack doesn’t contact him or answer his calls. He hasn’t even noticed the strained atmosphere in the rehearsal studio. I’m trying to keep it all sane but it’s not easy.”

“
Sheesh, that sounds shit but you aren’t their mother. Maybe they just need to figure stuff out for themselves.”

Eric
smiled at me, our eyes meeting for the first time in this confined space. Suddenly, it seemed that we were too close. I was sure he could hear my heart pounding.

I
sat up straight and looked at the artwork on the display board behind his computer.

“
You are a super talented guy, you know.”

“
Not really.”

“
Come on, look at this stuff. And you play bass. Plus you have fantastic hair. That's a lot going on.”

Eric
blushed.

Before
he could answer, the doorbell rang.

I
followed Eric downstairs and grabbed my bag. It was time I got to school anyway. I had hours of editing to do. Hours of editing and frantically checking my phone for a reply to my message. Hopefully, Hannah wasn't drugged and sold into slavery. That would be such a bummer.

A
tiny woman walked into the room and stared at me, a stare that took in everything ― the bright purple hair, the tattoos, the piercings.

“
I hope she's not your girlfriend, Eric. She has too much metal on her face.”

With
that, I was dismissed.

I
hadn't planned to have that last drink. Or the one before that either. But the champagne kept flowing and it'd be rude not to drink it.

“
Sing again, Hannah. I love your singing.”

“
You don't really want to hear me sing…” I giggled. I loved singing but after Jack and Eric had told me that my voice was awful, I'd been a bit self-conscious about going to karaoke with Tamaki. I didn't want anyone else saying mean things. But instead of telling me to stop, he encouraged me to sing more, clapping and cheering then pouring more champagne. All you had to do was ring the phone on the wall and they bought you more champagne. This place was amazing.

“
I've sung enough,” I said, flopping back on the plush couch.

Apart
from the microphones sitting on the marble coffee table, this was what I imagined a brothel looked like. The room, and the corridors we'd walked down, smelt of stale smoke and some kind of air freshener with undertones of debauchery and sex. All the red velvet and gold fittings and the walls lined with sofas big enough for an orgy, it gave off a dodgy vibe.

This
is going to get weird, I'd thought as we'd entered the room. I imagined scenes of seduction in the secluded room, like in a Regency romance. Me, the innocent victim screaming with no one to hear as I was deflowered amongst the debauchery. Well, maybe not deflowered…

But
Tamaki had picked up the phone near the door and ordered a bottle of champagne then got the controller and put some songs on. He'd not laid a hand on me, just passed me the machine so I could select songs myself. I'd scrolled through the song list trying to find something I wanted to sing, feeling a bit nervous about singing around him and trying to find a song that wouldn't sound too bad.

I'd
finally found a song but, by then, Tamaki's song had started and he belted it out. Totally off-key.

I
suppressed my grin, feeling so much better about my own singing voice.

After
that, I'd put on every cheesy song I could find ― Whitney Houston, Mariah Carey, Justin Beiber. We sang them all. Out of key and totally flat, it didn't matter. We had the room to ourselves and an endless supply of good champagne. The night was ours.

We’d
sung for hours and I thought I could sing no more but Tamaki handed me my microphone.

“
Come on, duet with me.”

The
opening bars of “I had the time of my life” filled the room. I wanted to rest but how could I resist “Dirty Dancing”. As I started singing, Tamaki moved his hips, trying to dance like Patrick Swayze. Trying so hard, but not succeeding. I tried not to laugh.

“
Stop!”

“
I like to dirty dance.”

I
picked up a cushion off the sofa and threw it at him. He’d completely changed from being so aloof and uptight earlier in the day. I liked this side of Tamaki. He was fun and crazy and easy to be around.

“
Hey, you missed your line.”

I
kept singing but no way was I going to dance with him.

After
the song, he high-fived me.

“
We are awesome, right. The best karaoke combi ever. We need more champagne.”

“
And maybe some cake. Do they have cake here?”

“
They have cake. Do you like The Beatles?”

“
Huh? Beetle cake?”

“
No, do you like singing The Beatles?”

“
I hate them. Boring.”

Tamaki
reeled back in fake shock, falling back against the cushions. “How can you say you hate The Beatles? Everyone loves The Beatles. They are the best.”

“
Boring. Ring for champagne. I want to do more Britney.”

“
Yes, and One Direction. I love One Direction.”

As
he phoned for more drinks, I wondered if he was gay. No straight man actually said they loved One Direction.

I
couldn't remember the last time I'd had so much fun.

When
the waitress arrived with the champagne bucket, I noticed her checking Tamaki out then giving me a dismissive look but Tamaki just ignored her.

He
poured me another drink.

“
This really has to be our last then. I need to sleep.”

“
Ah, yes. Poor Hannah, I'm sorry to keep you out so late. You are still not rested from your flight.”

“
No problem. It's been fun. Let's sing some more.”

“
You eat the cake first. You can't eat cake and sing at the same time.”

“
True words,” I said and picked up a fork to attack the cake.

Tamaki
sat down beside me, finally taking a break from singing. His knee touched mine but I wasn't sure if he'd planned it that or it was just accidental. I rested my head on his shoulder, almost ready to fall asleep, my body heavy with that sleepiness that made think it might be better to fall asleep here than to try to make it home.

Tamaki
put his arm around me and I wondered if he was going to kiss me. I didn't even care, maybe I even welcomed it a little. It felt so reassuring here in his arms.

He
tucked a loose strand of hair behind my ear but didn’t move any closer.

“
Hannah, don't fall asleep,” he said, shaking me slightly. “We will leave now so you can sleep.”

I
couldn’t help but feel a little disappointed.