Maid for the Rock Star (31 page)

"Maybe I will. I guess if I have a whole weekend to kill..." First, she'd go back to her old room and clean it properly. Pamela shouldn't have to clean up her mess.

Heloise passed her a guest wristband. The waterproof kind that didn't beep, display urgent messages or record her conversations. "Room 123. I can send the porter up with your bags, if you like."

Audra shrugged her backpack off her shoulder. "Yeah. That'd be nice. Thank you."

A flash of lightning illuminated the skylight, drawing Audra's eye. She'd never photographed a thunderstorm before. "Actually, I might go and see if I can get some pictures now." Leaving everything but her camera bag with the porter, she headed outside and dashed through the rain for the first bit of cover – the veranda of the staff accommodation. She waited, her eyes on the sky, but it looked like the storm had discharged its electrical fury already. Sighing, she headed to the communal bathroom for some cleaning supplies. The light in the cupboard had died, so she grabbed a bucket and a bottle of detergent and took them to the sink to fill them. She needed a cleaning cloth, too, so she reached into the cupboard and found a damp cloth.

The door to her old room gaped open, already looking deserted. She set the bucket on the desk and dropped the cloth into the hot water. A green streak leaped out of the bucket and smacked into the wall, making her jump. A frog! The little bugger slipped behind the desk.

Audra swore. She wouldn't miss the frogs, that was for sure. Had it been hiding in the bucket or the cloth she'd been holding? Shit, what did it matter? She had to get the bloody thing out of there. Dumping her camera bag on the bare mattress, she dropped to her knees to crawl underneath the desk just in time to see a tiny, green foot disappear between the skirting board and the narrow strip of laminate at the base of the desk.

"Little bastard," she muttered, looking for something she could use to pry it out of its crevice. The plastic pen looked like it'd do, so she grabbed that and thrust it into the gap, levering it up to lift the frog out of its hiding spot.

A white corner emerged and Audra dropped the pen in surprise. Was that the envelope with Jay's money? Had it slipped behind the desk?

Carefully, she inserted the pen again, but nothing came up. Oh, this was useless. Audra clambered to her feet and shoved the desk aside. The frog made a flying leap for the door and landed with a splat on the veranda. The fat envelope lost its fight with gravity and keeled over on its side, spilling out yellow notes.

Audra fell to her knees and gathered them up. It was Jay's money, all right – every dollar. She wouldn't have to repay him from her savings, but she would have to take it to him personally. This much cash was a temptation to anyone. Not like a cheque.

Swallowing, she tucked the envelope into the bottom of her camera bag. She would return it. Today, she promised herself. But it could wait a few hours while she dredged up enough courage to face him. At dinner in the restaurant.

FIFTY-NINE

"Table for how many?" the bored waitress asked without looking at her.

"One. Just me," Audra replied.

"ID." She stabbed her finger at the scanner.

Audra scanned her wristband as the waitress nodded.

"Pick any table you want. We switch to a new a la carte menu tonight, so no more buffet. I'll send a server over to take your order when you're ready."

She ordered the first thing she saw on the menu and a beer to help relax her wound-up nerves. What would she say to him? Here, let me refund your money because I didn't sleep with you? I can't keep this because I'm a liar? She couldn't tell him the truth – that she wished she could go back to that night and take what she'd really wanted. Him.

That was the hardest part. Admitting to herself that the money was the only reason she hadn't slept with him, because she had wanted to. She'd wanted to lose herself in everything he had to offer.

Serge's final words to her rang in her mind: "If life offers you another opportunity, don't hesitate. Grab it by the balls and climb on top."

Not that she intended to assault Jay and sit on him. Well, unless by some miracle he asked her to. She'd hurt him enough already. Hadn't she driven him back to drinking bourbon out of the bottle?

Her entrée arrived and she dug in, barely tasting it as she fixed her gaze on the door. Even if Jay ignored her, she'd throw the envelope on his table.

A well-dressed couple arrived and the waitress guided them to a corner table lit by a candle. Audra glanced at her casual clothes and wished she'd thought to wear something better. If she'd had anything more appropriate. All her good clothes were back home in Perth.

Her waitress returned, switching her empty entrée plate for the one containing her main course. Audra glanced at her wrist to see how much time had passed, but her wristband was mute. She should have put her watch on, but that was tucked into her backpack in her hotel room. Time didn't matter as much any more when you weren't working on the clock. Still, she missed knowing. The restaurant wasn't open all night. What if Jay came late, or didn't come at all?

He didn't eat in the restaurant because he didn't want fans interrupting his meal, she remembered now. Room service only. Shit. She'd have to go up to his villa whether she liked it or not. Suddenly Audra wasn't hungry any more. She shoved her plate aside and stood up. Throwing her napkin down, she lifted her chin and forced herself to leave the restaurant.

The humid evening air didn't clear her head at all. It curled around her in a caress that reminded her of Jay's hands on her. How she'd wanted to beg him not to stop, to coax burst after burst of pleasure from her willing body. If he appeared in front of her now, she'd drop to her knees and...

Make a fool of herself, Audra thought angrily, striding out into the rain. The drops pelting her head matched her mood, making her wish she could go into the gym and hit something, but Serge was gone and Adam wasn't anywhere near as accommodating. Even if she did have a guest ID today...

No. She'd go for a walk with her camera instead. Maybe photograph the stars here, if the clouds parted for long enough to let her.

Parting is such sweet sorrow...

The line of Shakespeare popped into her head as if someone had spoken it. Why Shakespeare? Was it because of Jay and the lines he'd splattered on the wall of his villa? He hadn't quoted
Romeo and Juliet
, though – his lines had come from a different play. One she hadn't been as familiar with, though she did remember a few lines of it.

"All the world's a stage,

And all the men and women merely players;

They have their exits and their entrances,

And one man in his time plays many parts..."

She muttered the lines to herself as she strode through the downpour. Why had Jay written that quote? He'd said it explained everything, but it didn't mean a damn thing to her except that it compared life to a play. But life wasn't like fiction. Only romance novels had happily-ever-after endings. The chapter of her life here had a happy ending – or it would, once she left for Antarctica.

Cold comfort now, she told herself, smiling at her inadvertent pun. She wished she could ask him the name of the play. Or she could just search for it when she reached the laptop in her hotel room.

The rain seemed to have stopped. Audra glanced up. No, it hadn't stopped. She had marched her reluctant feet all the way to Villa Maxima, and the light glowing through the frosted glass door told her Jay was inside. Before she could think about the consequences, Audra rapped on the door.

"Who is it?" his deep voice purred.

Audra glanced down. Her soaked clothes clung to her as if she'd gone for a swim. This wasn't the way she'd wanted to look when she saw him again. If she reached into her camera bag for the money, her precious camera and the notes would get wet. "It's me." Even as the words left her lips, she cursed herself for her stupidity. "Audra." She almost added that she was from Housekeeping, but she held her tongue. She didn't work here and she wasn't from anywhere right now. She was just plain Audra Zujute, soon to be Audra from Antarctica.

The door flew open and Jay stood there, a delighted grin on his face. "You finally came!" He grabbed her and folded her into a fierce hug, wet clothes and all. "Talk about leaving it to the last minute."

Audra stiffened. This wasn't how she'd imagined things at all. She struggled out of his embrace. "Don't. You'll get wet."

His grin turned devilish. "I can see you are." His hand slid between her thighs before she could stop him, awaking desires that she tried to ignore. "Not wet enough, though. We can fix that." He rubbed his hands together.

"Jay." His name sounded so pleading, so needy on her lips. If she didn't tear her gaze away from his, she was going to drop to her knees and beg for what she didn't deserve. Not from him. Audra swallowed and unzipped her camera bag. "I have something for you."

"I have something for you, too, but ladies first."

The corners of the envelope were crumpled, but she slid it resolutely out from under her camera.

"How do you like your present? I wasn't sure what model you wanted, but this was the best I could get at short notice in town."

"It's fine, thanks. Better than I would've bought. I haven't really had a chance to use it until today."

"Well, better get a good one of us together, then." He seized the camera and clamped an arm around her shoulder as he raised it in front of them. "Smile." The flash blinded her. She blinked through the retina burn as Jay flipped the camera around. "Not bad."

At least she was smiling, Audra thought. Jay looked like he was posing for a shot with a fan, which he probably was. A fake smile for a photo of a moment that meant nothing to him.

"Can I get you to send me a copy? I'll give you my email address later. Afterwards." His grin didn't falter in the slightest. Fine. She'd wipe it from his face with the envelope.

"If you want." Audra wet her lips. "I have a confession to make." She thrust the money at him. "I lied to you."

He shrugged, shoving his hands in his pockets. "I know."

SIXTY

Rain pattered on the roof as the silence swelled between them.

"What do you mean, you know?" Audra asked finally.

"I've been with a lot of women. Your body tells me way more than your lips do." Jay's gaze travelled down. "I felt you lose control. Utterly lose it. That's when I knew I'd won the bet. It didn't matter what you said. Your body knew what you wanted, even if your head was a mess."

"I was in complete control of my actions!" Audra snapped.

"No, you fucking weren't. You took a blow to the head and a beating, remember? It didn't feel fair, taking advantage of you when you were confused. I figured you'd be back, and here you are!" He spread his arms wide. "I admit I was pissed off for a moment when I saw you'd taken the money, but I figured you needed it for something. It's true, isn't it?"

Audra bit her lip.

"Yeah, I'm a rock star now, but that place in Cottesloe...I shared that shithole with five other guys and their occasional girlfriends. The place was falling apart and the landlord wouldn't repair it, not for the dirt-cheap rent he charged us. Some days the water at the beach was warmer than what came out of the so-called hot water system. I slept on a mattress on the floor that was so stained it had probably come from a brothel. If it had, the brothel had thrown it out." His eyes bored into hers. "I remember weeks when all I could afford was a packet of instant noodles for dinner. First year uni. First and last year, too." He gazed down at the tiles. "I failed everything. All I wanted was to play and drink and smoke and shit. So they kicked me out of uni and I had to move back home, because I couldn't get welfare payments. Unemployment ones, instead of student ones. So many times I nearly sold my guitar. I was still living at home when Chaya got our first recording contract. Fuck, I would've done almost anything for a couple hundred bucks, let alone five grand."