Groupie/Rock Star Bundle (15 page)

“And thank you for the gift,” I said. “But I
think I might be offended you thought I couldn’t pick my own
clothes.”

She laughed. “But was I right? Had you brought
the same old tired dresses you already wore?”

“Of course,” I remarked with a
smile. “But what you call unfashionable I call practical. I can’t
carry a full wardrobe on the road.”

“Baloney,” she said. She knew me too well. “You
just want a neat little life you can pack in one bag.” She paused
and I tried to gulp past the comment. Finally she added softly,
“You’re well past that now, honey. Embrace it.”

We signed off with our standard, “I love you,”
and I turned back to Graham.

“Said friend for whom you are doing a favor?”
he asked.

I nodded. “She’s a bit of a dynamo. I think she
could have done this job herself from New York while juggling four
other clients, chewing gum, patting her head and rubbing her tummy
at the same time.”

“I hope they are paying you well for your
service. You do a lot of work for this band. If you get into the
habit of doing it for free then certain people will expect they can
shortchange you in the future.”

He wasn’t saying anything I didn’t already
know. But I couldn’t really betray my loyalty to Jasper, especially
when he had given me my break into the field I wanted. “I can take
care of myself,” I said. “But thank you for your
concern.”

“Okay,” he said. “But if you ever need a
job…”

I laughed. “I have enough as it is.
But thanks. Speaking of which…” I checked my watch. I had a full
schedule and I had to cut the breakfast short, though I found I
really didn’t want to. Graham was comforting company.

He rose slightly from his chair as I stood.
“Thanks for sharing breakfast with me, Andy,” he said, this time
reaching in to give me a peck on the cheek. “See you
tonight.”

I nodded and rushed toward the door, just in
time to see Vanni and Lourdes walk in. Didn’t anyone eat at Las
Vegas buffets anymore?

I paused only briefly to say hello,
and I couldn’t miss that Vanni had already noticed Graham at table
behind me. He didn’t say anything but his mouth thinned in a line.
Was he pissed? Was he jealous?

Or was he just pouting that I might have
casually slept with someone other than him?

“I’ll see you later,” I offered as I rushed out
the door to begin my crazy day.

While I was out and in between
errands I decided to stop into a clothing boutique all on my own.
Iris had given me one dress for a special occasion, but suddenly I
felt woefully unprepared for the rest of the weekend. The only
other special dress was one I had already worn, which normally
wasn’t a problem for me but I supposed Iris’s fashion neurosis was
wearing off.

When I left an hour later I juggled three bags
between two arms, figuring I had already checked a bag so I might
as well fill it.

I was able to change into something more
appropriate to be seen in public with the band as I ushered them
over to the television station for the early afternoon news. By
6:00 p.m. I had completed three costume changes and was on my way
back to the box office for the next concert, this time wearing an
outfit of my own design.

I followed the example set by the other people
who had gone to the concert the night before, with studded jeans,
and a black top that had six silver link chains that held it
together in front.

With my new bra that plunged deep and held the
girls up high, I had cleavage that turned a few heads as I stalked
through the casino in strappy, high-heeled sandals. I topped the
ensemble off with big silver loop earrings and a black cadet hat –
the only contributions to the night from Iris.

Graham was out of his V.I.P. seat in the
balcony the minute I stepped in. “Wow,” he remarked as I took my
seat beside him. “You could stop traffic in that,” he grinned as he
gave me a friendly peck on the cheek.

Before we had a chance to settle into our seats
Lourdes arrived in a leopard print dress that clung to her like a
second skin. I tried my level best not to feel ridiculous, which
was a lot easier when I realized Graham barely noticed her even
though she clearly recognized him. She gave him a smile, which he
returned politely before turning back to me.

Twenty minutes later the lights went down for
the first act, and that was when I spotted Jasper enter our area
and take his spot next to Lourdes. He didn’t notice Graham or me
where we sat in the second row, but he greeted Lourdes with an
affectionate kiss on the cheek before they both turned to face the
stage.

For as annoyed as he looked the
night before, he seemed positively cheerful tonight, even though
Athena was still noticeably absent. Her show started that weekend
at another hotel, and odds are she was there rehearsing and putting
the final touches on her project.

This was clearly Jasper’s baby, because of all
the time, energy and expense he had sunken into DIB. But oddly, he
didn’t stay for their act. The minute the guys launched into “Make
it Happen,” he made a very discreet exit.

Graham sent me a look, and I simply shrugged. I
had no idea where he went. Possibly he went backstage or to oversee
the technical aspects of the show. I soon ceased to care as Vanni
took center stage. No matter how many times I had seen him perform,
he still took my breath away. I forgot everyone else in the balcony
and just lost myself in the experience.

I nearly came out of my skin when
Graham touched my hand during, “Baby, Say My Name.” That was the
song we danced to, and he used the opportunity to make contact with
me, to express his ongoing interest.

I quickly shot a glance over to
Lourdes, so she couldn’t see me getting cozy with Jasper’s
competitor, and that was when I realized she was gone
too.

Where would she go? I thought the point was to
put on the show she was the devoted girlfriend?

I walked with Graham down to the
after-party, somewhat cautious that Jasper and Lourdes would
already be there and he would find my choice of companion
inappropriate. However they were nowhere to be found, even though
the guys from the band were already set up at the bar.

Unlike the rest of the trip, Vanni actually
looked in good spirits. He laughed and drank, and had an immediate
smile for me when I walked up.

Until he saw who was behind me.

I made somewhat awkward
introductions; I was sure that Jasper would walk in any minute and
assume the worst. The anxiety had me wound up so tightly I thought
my skin might split in two, so much so I literally jumped when the
music came on.

Vanni grabbed my hand and led me out onto the
dance floor. I didn’t even have a chance to accept or
decline.

Being thrust up against his body to the music
really didn’t help me much.

“So what’s up?” he asked as his eyes
bore into mine.

I shrugged. “You should know. You’ve been here
the entire time.”

“We’ve been busy,” he said, in his own special
code referring to Lourdes.

“And you’ve been a surly bear,” I commented.
“What’s wrong?”

He sighed. “It’s complicated. But hopefully it
will be over soon.” His eyes traveled over my face. “God, I’ve
missed you.”

I looked away. I didn’t know how to respond, or
even if I should. Instead I glanced over at Graham, who watched
Vanni and me thoughtfully from the bar. I started to pull away, “We
should probably stop…”

He responded by pulling me tighter.
“Not tonight,” he said.

“Why tonight?” I asked.

“You’ll see,” he said cryptically. “Don’t give
up on me yet, Andy.”

The next song was his song, playing
in the same order as the night before. “Tonight’s our night, shut
the door. It’s something I’ve been waiting for. Fill my arms, taste
my kiss, let heaven fall from your lips. Say my name, and say it
once more. Baby, say my name, I’ve got what you’ve been waiting
for.”

My eyes locked on his lips and I couldn’t help
but remember lying on the bed under him, hearing him command the
same thing he demanded in song. Fire raced through my veins when he
leaned toward me and said breathlessly against my ear, “I wrote
that in December.”

It was then I decided that he must
be trying to kill me. Why else would he tell me this? Why would he
do this to me after a couple of months of innocent interaction? Why
would he test my crumbling resolve, when he already knew he
couldn’t give me what I needed? “I gotta go,” I muttered as I
wrenched away from his arms and stalked out the door.

Aside from Vanni, who stood helplessly where I
left him, only Graham seemed to notice or care that I was leaving.
But if either of them thought about chasing me, they must have
reconsidered. I was halfway out to the strip before I stopped
running.

And it was there that the mystery was suddenly,
and accidentally, solved.

A limo pulled up to the doors, and
the door was opened to Lourdes. As she stepped out she adjusted her
dress back down around her knees and smoothed her mussed hair.
Jasper followed, wiping away the dark red lipstick from his face
with an expensive handkerchief.

I blended with the crowd going back
into the hotel so that the clandestine lovers wouldn’t see me. It
suddenly clicked, everything that Vanni had tried to say but
couldn’t, and Jacob had alluded to but stopped short of
saying.

They weren’t using Lourdes to sell Vanni’s
music. They were using Vanni’s music to conceal Lourdes.

And that was why Jasper was so angry the night
before, watching Lourdes cuddle with Vanni right in front of him…
like she was punishing him.

And Athena was willing to take up roots in
Vegas rather than continue reigning in New York as a pop diva. This
threw a wrench in the machinery and left Jasper at the mercy of his
women, who were probably ready to make him choose.

“Don’t give up on me yet, Andy,” Vanni had
said. Tonight! Would he be free tonight? Free to do the things he
couldn’t do before?

I beat Jasper and Lourdes to the club but by
minutes only. Vanni was out on the dance floor with someone else, a
raven-haired beauty who had no problems grinding against him to his
own suggestive music. I searched the darkened room for Graham, but
I didn’t see him anywhere. I felt bad for running out like I did,
but it wasn’t like I owed him any explanations. And I wouldn’t know
what to say to him if I did.

Lourdes came in the club first, and she prowled
right over to her man on the dance floor, staking her claim. The
brunette pouted as Vanni twirled into Lourdes’s arms, who went
easily from her backseat tryst with Jasper to grinding herself
possessively against Vanni.

He didn’t look especially happy about it, but
he didn’t fight it either. He glanced my way and his eyes widened
when he realized I was watching. There was nothing he could do to
communicate what was going on under the façade, and nothing I could
do to let him know it was no longer necessary to hide
it.

Jasper came in a few minutes later,
looking unruffled and lipstick-free. He saw me standing by the bar
and indicated for me to join him at a private table.

My heart nearly beat a hole in my chest as I
approached him, feeling a bit like I’d been busted, though
technically I wasn’t the one screwing around on my wife.

“Andy, sit,” he instructed and scooted his
chair to the side so I could join him. I did, though I still shook
in my shoes waiting for the bomb to drop. “You’ve done excellent
work for the band and branding their image. I just really couldn’t
be happier with the results you’ve had to your campaign. I think it
is going to be especially important as we move forward and the
album is released to keep all negative press to the absolute
minimum.”

“Of course,” I agreed. “But what negative press
could there be? The band is getting excellent reviews.”

He waved his hand. “That’s the music. I’m
talking about the public perception of the group as a whole, and
Vanni in particular.”

I said nothing as I waited.

“It hasn’t escaped my notice that you are fond
of Vanni,” he announced as he gave me a very direct, meaningful
look. “I just want you to remember that there are two different
sides to stardom. The one that goes towards it and the one that
goes away.”

“What does that mean?”

“It means that no matter what you hear, or want
to believe, his relationship with Lourdes is as intact as ever. And
must remain so to get… maximum benefit out of my
services.”

My mouth dropped open. Was he leveraging
Vanni’s career against this fabricated relationship?

He couldn’t do that, could he?

He leaned forward. “They’re going to be making
a very important announcement during the show tomorrow night. Be
prepared to cover it exactly as it is presented.”

He patted my hand and without another look out
onto the dance floor where Lourdes gyrated against Vanni, he left
the club.