Rock Star Romance: Dan (Contemporary New Adult Rockstar Bad Boy Romance) (Hard Rock Star Series Book 4) (44 page)

****

It wasn’t just the smell of her body wash or her
breakfast fruit that clung to Mads and drove him a little bit crazy, no matter
how much distance he put between himself and his pretty assistant. The first
time their hands touched, a chill went down his spine and he actually quivered.
In that moment, he knew two things for sure—one: he would absolutely hire her,
and two:
he absolutely had no business hiring her
.

She wasn’t even the most qualified applicant. A
recent graduate from a tiny state school out in the middle of nowhere with no
previous office or administrative experience, she showed up with a bright smile
and a recommendation from his previous assistant, Marie. He had to look up the
school to verify it was an accredited university and not just something she
made up for her resume. But her references had been effusive, her grades
perfect, and she looked him in the eye with a boldness that he hadn’t seen in a
long, long time. Maybe even in centuries.

Inviting her touch was not the best idea. Her soft
fingers cooled the fire constantly burning beneath his skin, bringing him a
moment of peace that the ubiquitous air conditioning never produced. She
soothed him and then it was over, and he was left with nothing but a deep
longing. Where else could she touch him? What other relief could she bring him?

He shook his head. No, no, no. He wasn’t going to
think about that, wasn’t going to allow those images—as delightful as they
were—to fill his head. He had too many other things on his plate to be distracted
by personal pleasure. Like Charles and Savannah Maelstrom, owners of the most
powerful media conglomerate in the nation and the assholes trying to negotiate
a hostile takeover of his own media interests. He only owned a handful of cable
channels and three newspapers, but he wanted to keep them.

The trip to California would be tedious at best.
They’d throw him a party and try to find a way to buy him, though their
billions meant nothing to him and they owned nothing he coveted. Strictly
speaking, April did not need to accompany him, but just being near her brought
him a sense of peace. And he would need all the help he could get if he had to
spend a long weekend with Savannah Maelstrom. The fact that the world hadn’t
yet figured out her secret was a miracle to him.

It took him nearly thirty minutes to reach the
club, and he resented every single second he spent confined in the car; if only
he could stretch his wings, he would have been there in less than five. He
would have soared over the skyscrapers and all of these little ants, scurrying
around in their little ant lives, ignorant of their own insignificance. How
terrified they would be to catch a glimpse of his immense power.

What would April do if she could see him? If he
shed his human suit and allowed her a glimpse of his true self, would she run
from him? Or would she take a step closer? Would she place her fingers on his
brow? Would she place a kiss on his inhuman lips? Would she fear him or would
she understand that she would never have anything to fear from him?

And how long would he be able to pretend that he
didn’t long to show her?

****

April had imagined the cocktail party as a
smallish event full of boring business talk. Why else would he want her to
accompany him, if not to take notes and keep track of who said what? But once
they arrived, she realized there was nothing small about the party, and there
would be no business discussed that evening. For the briefest of moments, April
considered that maybe he simply meant her to be his date, but that hope was
dashed when the most gorgeous woman she had ever seen attached herself to Mads’
arm.

“Darling, it’s so good to see you again.” Her long
red hair glowed under the chandeliers and her skin had the beautiful golden hue
of the California sun.

“Savannah, dear, it’s been too long.”

“You haven’t called on me in, well, eons!”

“I know, dear, and I have been remiss. But
business—”

She playfully hit his chest. “Oh, poo on your
business. I don’t want to hear another word of it. That’s all Charles can talk
about these days, and I’ll tell you, it’s perfectly boring.”

Mads chuckled good-naturedly and gestured at
April. “This is April Bancroft, my personal assistant. April, this is Savannah
Maelstrom.”

“Maelstrom? As in Maelstrom Media Group?”

Savannah laughed. “Of course, darling.”

“She is the queen of the empire. And a delectable
one at that.” He bent low and kissed her hand, prompting a giggle from her.

“Oh, you old flirt.” Her eyes flickered over April
and dismissed her just as quickly. “Have you met Angelica Preston, darling?
She’s come in all the way from Europe.”

“I haven’t had the pleasure. Angelica?”

“Yes, you know, Miles Preston’s daughter? Come,
she was dancing just a moment ago.” 

And just like that, he was gone. April tried to
track him through the crowd, but quickly lost sight of him and was unable to
find him again, even when she checked the dance floor. She did spot the open
bar and made a beeline to the only friendly face in the crowd—the smiling
bartender.  She ordered a champagne and turned to survey the party, feeling
more comfortable with a glass in her hand.

When they arrived in the town car Mads had hired,
she assumed they were at a hotel. A very large, opulent hotel. An impression
that didn’t change once inside—the sweeping stairs, the enormous chandeliers,
the fine marble, the gold leaf accents, and the plush, leather furniture were
all things she’d only seen in hotels. Well,
pictures
of hotels. She’d
never been so out of place, and she was certain everybody there knew she didn’t
belong.

April looked down at her dress, inwardly cringing
at the sight of her breasts and the swell of her belly encased in shiny,
emerald green. It was not her favorite color, but what could she do? There was
not an abundance of pretty dresses in her size 28.  This one fit her well and
covered enough of her breasts that she didn’t feel like she looked cheap. In
fact, for a brief moment at the hotel, she actually felt surge of pride at the
sight of her reflection. She’d had her hair, makeup, and nails done at the
hotel’s spa—on Mads’ insistence and his dime—and the dress
did
look good
on her. Mads’ smile when he saw her only reinforced her sense of pride. He had
looked genuinely taken aback by her, and he’d offered her his arm, and it had
all felt very real.

But now, she knew for a fact that she looked
cheap. Who else here was wearing off the rack clothes?

God, why did he bring me here at all?
 

“Hello there. I don’t believe I’ve seen you
before.”

April twitched and looked up into a pair of blue
eyes so bright the seemed to glow. “Hi, I’m April. I’m Mads Durkheim’s
assistant.”

“Assistant? Not his date?”

“No, um...just his assistant.”

“I’m Chester Maelstrom. And I’m sorry, that was
terribly rude of me, I just wanted to know before I asked.”

“Before you ask what?”

“Can I have this dance?”

“Dance? I’m flattered, thank you, but I’m not much
of a dancer.”

“Neither am I, to be honest. Can I buy you a
drink?”

“It’s an open bar.”

“Wonderful, I’ll buy you two. What’s your poison?”

“Champagne.”

“So how long have you been working for old Mads?”
Chester asked once he placed his order.

“Only eight weeks. It’s been...quite a learning
experience. But he’s been very patient with me.”

“Oh, I imagine so.” With a flute in each hand, he
nodded towards the patio door. Through it, she could see the yard lit with a
thousand golden lights. “Care to join me on the lanai?”

“Yes, I think I could use a bit of fresh air.”

April surveyed the party before she fell into step
beside Chester, and looked over her shoulder once more before stepping into the
warm, California night. They were high enough in the Hollywood Hills that April
could see a handful of stars, their light breaking through the pollution. The
air was still and quiet, and Los Angeles lay before her like a field of broken
diamonds, smashed emeralds, and crumbled rubies.

“Beautiful, isn’t it?” Chester asked.

“It’s gorgeous.”

“I always love coming up here. I don’t make it up
here nearly as often as I like, though.”

“Is this your house?”

“My family’s. Well, my mother’s, to be specific.”

“Is your mother here tonight?”

“Of course, it’s her party. I believe you met
her.”

“I met Savannah Maelstrom, is she your mother?”

“That’s her.”

April gaped at him. “No. Are you serious?”

“As a heart attack.”

“But she...I mean...did she have you when she was
ten?”

Chester laughed. “No, but I’m sure she’d love to
hear you say that.”

“I guess money keeps you young,” April said under
her breath. The woman did not look a day over thirty. Of course, she probably had
the finest plastic surgeons, not to mention personal chefs, trainers, and
fashion consultants. She must have had a whole army employed full time to keep
her looking so nubile. It was the only explanation that made sense, and yet,
April couldn’t quite believe it. Even an army of professionals could not stop
time.

“It certainly doesn’t hurt.”

“Mr. Maelstrom?” The server appeared out of
nowhere, startling her with his sudden question. “Ms. Piper is searching for
you.”

“Evelyn is here? Will you excuse me?”

“Yes.”

“Wait for me here?”

The dim light disguised the sudden flush of her
cheeks. “I will.”

“Perfect. I’ll be back before you know it.”

“Who is Evelyn Piper?” April asked as Chester
stepped inside.

“Mr. Maelstrom’s fiancée.”

“Oh.” The stab of disappointment wasn’t anything
new, but for a moment, she thought that Chester had actually been flirting with
her. She downed the rest of her champagne in a single swallow and handed the
server her glass. “Thank you. I think I’ll go for a walk.”

The further she got from the party, the better she
felt. What if she went back to their hotel? It would be easy enough to call for
the car, and Mads certainly wouldn’t miss her. She let her feet pick their own
path as she mulled her options. She would never just get up and leave the
office without speaking to him first, but this was different. Wasn’t it? It
seemed like she wasn’t there in any sort of professional capacity, but then
again, she didn’t want to risk angering him if he looked for her and she was
nowhere to be found.

April found a trail lined with stones, winding
around the house and up the hill. She couldn’t see where it led in the dark,
but she heard the sound of running water and assumed it would take her to a
fountain or maybe a small waterfall. As she approached, she heard the soft
whisper of voices. She nearly turned around, but the unmistakable sound of her
boss’s name drew her closer.

“The trap is set and ready to spring, don’t you
worry.”

That was Chester speaking, she was sure of it,
though she couldn’t see his face through the foliage. She ducked low, awkwardly
tugging at the hem of her skirt.

“He’s already met Angelica?” That was a woman’s
voice. Perhaps Evelyn Piper herself.

“They were dancing not five minutes ago.”

“And he has no idea?”

“None. He can sense her true age, but he doesn’t
know her human age. I’ll be sure to keep his assistant out of the way until the
deed is done.”

The woman laughed. “Is that who that woman is?”

“Of course. You didn’t think she was his date, did
you? Even Mads has standards.”

The woman laughed again. “I wonder if he’ll keep
up those standards once he’s in prison.” Her voice sounded closer now, and that
was followed by the clicking of her stilettos on stone. April ducked down
further, holding her breath as they passed by within a foot of her. She could
reach out and touch them if she wanted to, and the thought of grabbing that
bitch’s heel and sending her flying face first into the rocks brought a small
smile to April’s lips.

As soon as they were gone, she fished the phone
from her purse and called Mads. The phone rang five times and went to
voicemail. On the second attempt, the phone went straight to voicemail. “No,
no, no, you sonofabitch. Answer me.”

She texted:
Important! Please call me,
and
followed that up with:
Red alert. Please call me!

Neither prompted a response.

Her mind raced, searching for something, anything.

Wait for me here?

Of course. Chester. He was clearly the designated
distraction. She hurried back down the trail, rounding the corner of the house
just in time to see Chester reappear on the patio, with two fresh flutes of
champagne.

“There you are. I thought you’d left me.”

“I just wanted to see if there was a pool.” She
accepted the drink and touched his arm with her other hand. “Would you mind
giving me the grand tour? I’ve never been in a house like this before and I’d
love to have a look.”

He folded his arm around hers and turned towards
the house. “Nothing would give me greater pleasure.”

April searched futilely for Mads’ face as they
passed through the party, but he wasn’t on the dance floor, or by the bar, or
mingling with the other guests. Where would he have gone? And even if she
did
find him in time, would he believe her? Would he even understand what she
heard? True age? Human age? It all sounded crazy to her, but caught up in the
midst of the insanity was the one word that made perfect sense.
Prison
.

****

The music and voices faded until they were no more
than a distant murmur in the cavernous house. An opportunity to flee her escort
and search for Mads did not present itself—Chester kept a firm hand on her
elbow as he guided her through the corridors, describing everything from the
paintings on the walls to the pattern of the carpet in lush, exhaustive detail.

“What’s in here?” April asked, pointing at a
random door just to make him switch gears.

“I believe that’s a guest bedroom.”

She stepped closer and looked up at him through
her lashes. “Would you mind showing me?”

He hesitated, and she could see the war within him
before he smiled and opened the door. “After you.”

She could tell it was big before he turned on the
light, but she had no idea that it was more spacious than her apartment. She
could live there. She could live there with a roommate and still be perfectly
comfortable.

“Look at that bed; it’s as big as a boat!”

“It’s pretty roomy,” Chester agreed. 

“Who stays here? Special guests like the
president?”

“No, just friends of the family.”

“So, special guests like the president.” She
turned and stepped closer, reaching up to touch the back of his neck. “Thank
you, Chester, for giving me such a lovely tour.”

“The tour isn’t over yet,” he said, his voice
dropping, his hand settling on the small of her back.

“Won’t everybody start to miss us?” April asked
with a tilt of her head, hoping he would note the curve of her exposed neck,
her ample breasts pressing against his chest. 

He took the bait, lowering his mouth to drop a
series of kisses from her ear to her shoulder. She knew his job was to distract
her, but still, she couldn’t believe how easy this was. Was it always so easy
to captivate a man? She’d always been too shy to try, but if she’d understood
this power, her time in college would have gone very differently.

“They’re all too drunk to notice we’re gone.”

“What about Mads?”

Chester chuckled. “By now? He probably doesn’t
even remember who you are.”

“But maybe he’s looking for me.”

“He’s not.” His mouth was growing bolder, his
teeth scraping across her skin, cupping her breast with his other hand.

“Chester...stop...I’m serious.”

“Why? He isn’t looking for you.” He smirked, and
it might have been that obnoxious smile that finally pushed her over the edge
of patience. “Trust me.”

April reacted before he finished speaking,
catching him off guard with a quick knee to his groin. He tried to hold on to
her, but she wrested herself away, allowing him to collapse to the ground. She
couldn’t quite believe that she dropped him so easily. “Where is he, Chester?”

“Fucking bitch—”

April drove her foot into his stomach, her pointed
shoe pushing the air out of his body. Her heart thudded in her ears, cold sweat
drenching her palms and the back of her neck.
What the hell am I doing? I
can’t take down the Maelstrom heir!

 “Where is he, you asshole. I know you’ve got
something planned, so what did you do with him?”

She expected him to curse at her again. She did
not expect him to laugh—though a sharp kick to the ribs turned that laugh into
a moan. “Kick the shit out of me, if you want to, but you’re too late. By tomorrow
morning, the whole world will know that your boss fucked a fifteen year old
girl.”

April gasped. “He would
never
.”

“He already has. Don’t worry, though. You won’t
have to deal with the fallout.”

 He wrapped his fingers around her ankle but she
managed to step out of his hold before he could pull her down. She kicked off
her shoes and bolted out of the room, running away from the party, towards a
staircase that only went up. She ascended as fast as her dress would allow,
knowing that he would be on her ass very soon. April could only hope that she
made the right choice, running further from the party. She doubted she had any
friends in that particular gathering, and besides that, they probably wanted to
get Mads as far away from the crowd as possible.

A fifteen year old girl?
She knew in her
heart that he would never have sex with a child—and they must have known it,
too. Chester himself had said he would only sense Angelica’s true age—which was
what? What the hell did that even
mean,
anyway? She was missing
something, but now wasn’t the time to try to figure it out.

April expected to find another long corridor full
of art and doors, but the stairs took her to a wide, completely open space. It
ran the length of the house and was entirely encased in glass. To her left was
the view of the backyard and Los Angeles beyond; to her right, nothing but
stars and mountains. The only light came from outside, but that was still more
than enough to see that she was alone there. Alone and cornered.

She cast around for something blunt and
heavy—something she could use as a weapon. Her shoes would have been perfect if
she hadn’t left them behind with Chester, but it was a shame that she never
learned how to run in high heels. There were no weapons, there was nowhere to
hide, and nothing she could do.

April turned to go down, but Chester was already
at the bottom of the stairs. He glared up at her with fierce eyes and a curl of
smoke coming from each nostril.

Wait. What? Smoke? Is that smoke coming out of
his face? 

“Shouldn’t have done that, April. I would have
been nice to you, you know. Made you feel special on your last night. But now?”
He smiled at her and it took a second for her brain to register why that smile
did not look right. “Now I’m just going to
eat
you.”

His teeth—there were too many teeth. And they were
all three inches long.  Her brother had told her once not to run if she was
ever attacked.
Rookies run. Get close and finish it
had been his exact
words, but he had never mentioned what to do in the event of shark teeth. So
she ignored the wisdom of her brother and she ran, instinctively putting as
much space between her and the predator as she could.

“Run if you want. You’re not going anywhere and
all those endorphins will just make you taste sweeter.”

His voice boomed through the giant room, loud
enough to hurt her ears and make her teeth vibrate. She dared to glimpse over
her shoulder, and what she saw was enough to bring her to her knees, the
muscles in her legs giving out with the force of her shock.

Chester was gone. And in his place was a monster.
Not just a monster, but a
dragon.
Deep green and black, complete with
sharp horns and a long, whipping tail and
fire.
Fire that illuminated
every detail, branding it to her memory, forcing her to face the fact that she
was not dreaming.

She opened her mouth to scream, but she had no
air. Her whole body shook, but she forced herself to her feet, mindlessly
moving, though she had nowhere to run; nowhere that would allow her to escape
from the waking nightmare gaining ground behind her. Short of running through
the glass pane, she had no escape route. The glass pane had its own attraction,
though: at least if she plummeted to her death, she wouldn’t know what it was
like to be roasted and consumed alive.  

The sound of breaking glass did not immediately
register, but the subsequent roar brought her to her knees again. She looked
around, expecting the dragon’s mouth to be descending on her, but Chester was
no longer chasing her; he was too busy fending attacks from another, much
larger dragon.  Crimson and gold, its scales were the size of encyclopedias,
and its powerful tail whipped around with such ferocity that it drove Chester
back fifteen yards.

April gaped at the sight, too stunned to move.
This
can’t be real. How can this be real? This cannot be real.

But all five senses assured her that this was
truly happening.  The roars of rage and pain were real. Long hooked claws and
teeth tearing through scaly skin and flesh, blood pouring onto the hardwood floor,
thick and black in the moonlight. It sure smelled real. Not just the blood, but
the sulphur of the smoke and the
heat
of the fire they spewed at each
other. April had never smelled heat before, but she knew that’s what it was.
The heat was impossible. Even at her distance, the hairs on her arm curled and
the skin on her face pulled tight, moisture evaporating from her lips and eyes.
She even tasted the smoke and the soot and the slightly sweet char of burned
flesh.

Chester didn’t have a chance against the other
dragon, who not only had the advantage of surprise, but of size and speed, too.
The fight was over almost before it began, and Chester collapsed to the ground
with one last heave of his massive chest. The large dragon turned to April, and
her heart leapt to her throat.  She tried to move away, pushing herself
backwards on her shaking legs, but her dress had tangled around her knees,
effectively tying her in place.

The dragon loomed over her, wings outstretched,
sparks fluttering around its muzzle and head. A quick movement in the corner of
her eye caught her attention, dragging her focus from the creature’s face
downward. At first, she thought she was staring at the dragon’s tail, but as it
grew, stretching and reaching toward her, she realized it was not the tail at
all. It touched her knee and slid up her thigh, nudging at the hem of her
skirt. She gasped, frozen with shock. The dragon reared his back and roared,
its hot flesh still sliding along her thigh, reaching towards her core.

“Please don’t hurt me,” she whispered, shaking
uncontrollably. “I didn’t see anything. I don’t anything. I was just trying to
find my boss.”

“April. April, it’s me.” The dragon form wavered
in front of her and then was gone, replaced by Mads’ familiar shape. The heat
on her leg disappeared, but she felt marked by it, her skin throbbing with the
burn. “It’s me. You’re safe.”

“It’s...
you
?”

He knelt beside her. “Yes, it’s me. Are you hurt?”

“No, I don’t think so. He never caught me. He
just—wait, what’s happening here?”

“I’ll explain everything, I promise. But first we
have to get out of here.”

“No, we can’t go yet. That girl, Angelica—she’s
only fifteen. They were setting you up. We have to find the camera or whatever
they used. It’s not too late—”

“April, shhh.” He smoothed his hand over her hair
and cupped the back of her head. “I know, and they were not successful. The
Maelstrom clan is not as clever as they think.”

“But you didn’t answer your phone.”

“I didn’t have it. Come on.” He stood and put one
arm under her knees, the other behind her shoulders.

“What are you doing? I can walk.”

“April, do you trust me?”

“Of course.”

“With your life?”

“Well, you just
saved
my life.”

“Then hold on tight. Don’t let go, don’t look
down.”

“What are—?”

The dragon was back, holding her as gently as any
mother ever held a child, his massive wings lifting them from the ground and
through the broken ceiling, into the midnight sky. The time from when they
arrived until this moment seemed like an endless nightmare, and she gasped as
the cool night air hit her. Her stomach dropped all the way back to earth, but
she kept her long-held fear of heights at bay, focusing on the fact that she
did
trust him. Even though she couldn’t trust her own eyes and all of this, she did
trust him.

He had her. He would never let her fall.