Starstruck (25 page)

* * * * *

Sam exited the taxi at the New York Yacht Club while Jesse
bribed the driver with an extra three hundred and asked him to meet them at the
front of Harbor Court at 10:30 p.m.

Dinner turned out to be as uneventful as she’d expected—if
she discounted the laser-like glares between Jesse and Mr. Johnson. Solely with
his eyes, Mr. Johnson made his attraction clear the moment she boarded his
boat, and although she didn’t like the attention and tried her best to ignore
the heat of his gaze, she
did
enjoy the air of jealousy it brought out
in her date.

Jesse’s hands never left her. If he wasn’t holding or
kissing her hand, he had his arm tightly wrapped around her waist or caressed
the small of her back. That part, she didn’t mind at all.

The taxi driver was waiting as promised and during the
drive, Sam pestered Jesse to tell her whose party they were attending. Her
anxiety level inched higher each time he refused to spoil the surprise.

“You’re really enjoying this, aren’t you?” She slapped his
chest.

Thirty minutes later, they arrived at their destination. She
had no idea where they were other than in the middle of an industrial area, a
few scattered streetlights lining the long, dark street.

“Where are we?” she asked as the yellow taxi disappeared
into the night.

He smiled and hugged her close as they crossed the road.
“Just a short walk. We’re almost there.” He turned down a smaller street by the
river.

“Jesse? We’re in the middle of nowhere.” She tugged his
hand, trying to get him to slow his step. Her new shoes weren’t meant for
speed-walking—well,
any
walking for that matter.

Jesse slowed when a faint bass beat came from somewhere
nearby. It only lasted a moment, and then the night was eerily quiet once more.
She could hardly make out the path but he seemed confident, as if he’d been to
this place before.

He stopped in front of a narrow glossy-red door outside an
old factory. The building stood three stories high, the windows covered with
matte-black shutters. Whatever was inside remained a mystery.

He tugged her to the wall near the door and cradled her
face, kissing her tensed lips. “You ready? How are your feet holdin’ up?”

“Let’s just say you’re carrying me if we have to walk back
to that road.”

“Okay, I think you’ve suffered enough,” he said, grinning.
“This is your favorite pirate’s party.”

She straightened and waited for the punch line. “You’re
shitting me, right?
Right
?”

He simply stared with
that
smirk.

No. Fucking. Way!

He held her hand and knocked on the door. A small panel slid
open with a gruff greeting.

“Rumplestiltskin,” Jesse muttered to the close-set eyes
scrutinizing him through the narrow slot.

She was too nervous to laugh at the ridiculous password. The
locks disengaged and the heavy door swung open.

She and Jesse were led to a reception area where a small
middle-aged woman with wire-rimmed glasses demanded their invitation. The room
could have passed for a surgical suite if not for the four burly men in
expensive black suits.

The woman ran a bright-blue light over the embossed card and
a tiny white pirate ship magically appeared in the top corner. “Welcome, Mr.
Maurello,” she said with a thin smile. “Please go through with your guest and
enjoy your evening.”

Two of the men opened a set of heavily padded black doors as
Jesse and Sam approached, music booming from within.

Bright strobes and thumping music assaulted her senses. She
had to pinch herself to check she wasn’t having an out-of-body experience as
adrenaline coursed through her system. She found sympathy for Dorothy’s Tin Man
as Jesse swept her through the sea of famous faces—her joints could have done
with a good oiling.

He led them straight to the bar and offered her a high stool,
taking the one beside her. After ordering cocktails, he turned to scan the
room. Live music pumped from the large oval stage in the center of the ground
floor.

It seemed no expense had been spared. The building was
hollow down the center with huge landings on both the second and third floors,
glass balconies surrounding them. No matter where a person sat they could view
the stage. There were several bars to choose from depending on the mood, each
one specializing in different exotic drinks based on their flashing neon signs.

“Jesse! Glad you made it, man,” said a familiar voice.

She turned on her stool and almost choked on her cocktail.
She was sure Jesse introduced her, was sure she shook her idol’s hand, but
after that she slipped into a daze. By the time she’d cleared the fog in her
head, she was staring at his back as he sauntered away and couldn’t remember if
she’d spoken to him let alone what she might have said. She was officially,
unequivocally, star struck.

Jesse hovered over her, kissing her softly on the lips as he
stared into her eyes. “I do believe you’re blushing, Miss Raven.”

“Oh shut up.” She slapped his arm. “God, I was
so
nervous. Now I’m glad you didn’t tell me before we got here. It would’ve been
far worse if I’d had time to think about it.”

Rick approached the bar and nudged Jesse out of the way so
he could take her hand. “I believe you owe me a dance, sweet cheeks.” Not
waiting for an answer, he pulled her off her seat.

“Look after my jacket…and my drink,” she shouted to Jesse.

Sam was shocked. Rick could really dance. He spun her,
clearly enjoying himself, flashing his dimpled cheeks, but by the second song
he gave up trying to dirty dance. Whenever he’d gyrated his hips against her
she got the giggles so he took her hand instead and put his arm around her
waist—ballroom-style.
That
felt right.

“I think this is more our speed, li’l sis,” he said, cheek
to cheek.

They burned up the dance floor, Rick insistent they do their
own take on the popular dance from the film
Pulp Fiction
. “Just without
the drugs,” he joked.

Jesse was alone at the bar when she returned to his arms.
She quenched her thirst, downing her drink in one gulp. “So, rock star, when do
I get a dance out of you? Your drummer boy over here has set the bar pretty
high.”

“
Ha
!” Rick said, dripping with sarcasm. “That boy
don’t dance. Haven’t you seen him jiggy his li’l ass onstage? Or try to,
anyway?” He ribbed Jesse with his elbow.

Sam laughed easily enough, but her head was suddenly heavy
on her shoulders and the lights stung her eyes. They seemed much brighter than
before.

Have they turned up the lights? Why would they do that?

She shook her head, trying to clear it. “Ah, excuse me,
fellas. I’m a bit dizzy. Going to find the ladies room. I’ll be right back.”

“You okay?” Rick asked.

“Yeah, I’ll be fine. Just need to splash some cold water on
my face. Jess, can you get me another drink…and a bottle of water too? I’ll be
right back.”

She tunneled to the other side of the room in the direction
of the neon sign advertising the bathrooms. The hard beat of the music vibrated
straight through her bones and rattled her teeth.

She became disorientated, moving through the crowd on the
dance floor, the flashing lights burning her sight. Her feet wouldn’t move as
quickly as she asked them to. Her shoulders slumped of their own accord. The
crowd around her slowed to half-speed. Every
thing
, every
face
developed a funny haze around the edges, similar to an aura but not quite the
same. She laughed but didn’t know what was funny.

An episode of
The Simpsons
flashed through her mind.

Lisa Simpson…hee, hee, hee. Lucy in the sky. Ha!

She waved her hand in front of her face and her skin moved
as if it were breathing.

Am I high? Shit! How did that happen?

Suddenly she didn’t care. Shoving into the ladies room, she
somehow managed to stay on her feet. She spied a vacant cubicle, stumbled
inside, sat on top of the closed seat and locked the door. She collapsed back,
her body numb, her muscles dead weight.

With a humming in her ears like she had them pressed to a
large fluorescent globe, she closed her eyes.

* * * * *

“What’s Jeff doin’ here?” Rick shouted over the music,
pointing toward the entrance.

Jesse followed Rick’s finger. “Looks like the whole band’s
here. They must be playin’ tonight. Hey, I wanna ask him somethin’. You mind
waiting here for Sam? I’ll be right back.”

Another band hit the stage, taking over from the last. The
country’s current number one song bellowed from the speakers scattered
throughout the club.

Jesse burrowed his way toward his old friend, hugging him
like family once he was within arm’s reach. “I didn’t expect to see you here,
you son-of-a-bitch. How the fuck have ya been?”

Jesse stepped back and shoved his hands in his pockets,
assessing Jeff’s attire from head to toe. “You’re lookin’ good for an old man.”

“Watch ya mouth, kid. I get invited to the openin’ of a
fuckin’ cereal box. I just don’t usually show up. You know me, Jess, I’d rather
kick back home with the boys or the missus than face this kinda crowd. These
scenes don’t really cut it for me anymore. Huh, you’re right…maybe I am getting
too old for this shit.”

Jesse spent a good ten minutes discussing potential roadies
who could replace Travis. Jerico’s tour was around the corner and he wanted
only the best. Since Jeff was taking a break from touring for a while, he
suggested several men who were available.

With a fond farewell, Jesse headed back in the direction of
the bar. As he passed the two cloakrooms off to the right near the entrance, he
was wrenched backward by a set of hands, one on each elbow.

Someone pulled him into the dimly lit room and the lock
clicked behind him. “What the—”

Becky flung her arms around his neck, planting her lips on
his and plunging her tongue inside his mouth. She rubbed his groin, pushing her
huge breasts against his chest.

He swam in shock and several heartbeats passed before his
brain registered what was happening. He shoved her away.

“
Becky
? What the
fuck
? Get
off
me!” He
slapped her hands from his belt.

“Aw c’mon, baby. You know you want me. Let Beck show you
what you’ve been missing.” She grabbed his belt again.

“Jesus Christ, you’re fucking crazy! Don’t
touch
me.
We were over months ago and you know it.” He pushed her away with a little more
force. “For God’s sake, I’m in love with someone else. So please deal with it
and leave me the fuck alone. Move on, Becky. You know we’re done.”

He unlocked the door, turning back one last time. “And if I
find out it was
you
who broke into my house, I’ll make damn sure they
lock you in the nuthouse and throw away the key. You so much as
breathe
on Sam and you’ll regret the day we ever met. Oh and Becky? That’s a threat,
just in case you don’t recognize those either.”

He stormed out, her blubbering beginning before he even
slammed the door behind him. Why did she keep doing this? Had she never heard
of pride? Dignity?

He finally joined Rick at the bar, quickly downing his new
drink and ordering another. “Where’s Sam?”

“Still in the bathroom, I guess. I thought she must have
found you.” Rick quickly scanned the first floor.

They waited another five minutes before searching the club.
Outside the bathroom, Jesse pushed the door ajar, yelling Sam’s name over the
music. He looked worriedly at Rick before the door swung inward, pulling Jesse
halfway inside.

“Jess, what are you doin’ prowling the ladies room? That’s
not usually your style,” Susan said.

“Hey, babe. How have you been?” He kissed her cheek. An
accomplished ballet dancer, Susan had appeared in Jerico’s last video.

“Great! Got my first movie premiering this summer so I’ll
send you some invites. It’ll be here in New York if you’re free.” She stepped
past him.

He gently pulled her back by the elbow. “Hey, do me a favor?
I think my date’s in there.” He jerked his thumb at the bathroom door. “Could
ya check for me? She wasn’t feeling well and I’m gettin’ kinda worried.”

“Yeah, sure thing. What’s your lady’s name?”

“Sam. She’s blonde, wearing a black and white dress. Thanks,
Susan.” His worry elevated as she turned and walked back through the door.

He and Rick waited, and with each passing minute Jesse’s
concern grew even more.

“What could they be doin’ in there?” He paced back and
forth. When he couldn’t wait any longer, he reached for the door but it flew
open before he touched it.

“I think you’d better call an ambulance.”

Chapter Sixteen

Rick immediately dialed 9-1-1 on his cell as Jesse pushed
into the bathroom in a pure panic. He found the cubicle Susan had crawled under
and unlocked. Sam was slumped over and drooling…unconscious.

He lifted her limp body and cradled her against his chest,
kissing her cold forehead. “Dear God. What happened, baby?”

He carefully carried her from the bathroom as Rick held the
door open. Jesse didn’t know what scared him more—the dread on his best
friend’s face or the pale serenity on Sam’s.

He rushed her to the front lobby to wait for the ambulance,
placing her on a long red sofa. Taking her jacket from Rick, Jesse draped it
over her, laying her head on his lap, stroking her hair. She was so cold.

The paramedics arrived quickly and Jesse rode in the van
with her. Sam stopped breathing on the way to the hospital and was given a shot
of adrenaline to revitalize her heart. Rushing her straight through to
Emergency, the ER doctors pumped her stomach clean, giving her more drugs to counteract
the ones already swimming in her system.

Jesse and Rick could do nothing but wait, not allowed into
the room as neither were family.

“What happened, Jess?” Rick asked. “She was fine on the
dance floor.”

Jesse turned to his old friend, glaring fiercely. “Did you
give her something? God help me, Rick, if you’ve—”

“
Hey!
Fuck, man, it’s
me,
remember? I haven’t
touched that shit in years, Jess. You know that. And I wouldn’t hurt Sam
either. I’m offended you would even think that.”

“Then what the
fuck
happened?” he asked coldly.
Leaning his elbows on his knees, he dropped his head into his hands and ran his
fingers roughly through his hair.

An hour later, a tall, thin doctor with rimless glasses
walked the corridor and stopped in front of Jesse. “Mr. Maurello? How long has
Samantha been using and does she always take such a lethal combination?”

“What? She doesn’t
use
anything.” His gut churned. He
was seething. How could this man insinuate she was an addict? He only had to
look at Sam to know she wasn’t.

“Tell that to the concoction we found in her system.” The
doctor read off the chart. “Heroine, ecstasy and cocaine, Mr. Maurello. She’s
damn lucky the medics got her here in time. She’d taken enough to bring down a
horse. The rest we found in her jacket,” he said, his face a frozen mask of
sobriety. ”I can assure you, I see this several times a day.”

“No. That’s impossible!” Jesse shouted. “She doesn’t
do
drugs.”

“Please keep your voice down. Regardless, she did tonight
and she’ll be charged with possession, I’d say.”

“Can I see her?” Jesse asked between clenched teeth.

“Yes, but only for a few minutes. The police will be here
soon. Room 237 just down the hall.” The doctor rushed back to the nurse’s
station.

Jesse stood in the doorway of her room. He didn’t care about
the people in the corridor who stared and gaped as he walked past. With the
face he wore, no one dared ask for something as stupid as an autograph.

Sam’s eyes were shut. The color of her skin had improved a
little since the last time he saw her, but she was still pale and appeared tiny
and fragile beneath the blankets.

He crossed the room and stood beside her, caressing her
hand. How had everything turned so bad so quickly? He couldn’t believe she was
a user of any kind, but if they found the evidence in her pocket she must have
put it there…right?

She stirred from his delicate touch. Her confusion was
evident when she opened her emerald eyes, skittish as she glanced around the
room. He tried to soothe her, telling her she was okay, she was safe and in the
hospital.

“Jesse? What happened? The party…I don’t remember.” Her
words were hoarse and barely audible. She looked down at her chest, and then
scanned the hospital room again, this time with determination. “Where are my
clothes?”

“Sam, you overdosed in the bathroom. Don’t you remember
anything?”

“Overdosed? On two drinks?” She rubbed her throat, swallowed
and breathed deep.

“Who gave it to you, Sam? They found something in your
pocket. Did someone at the party give it to you?” he said, fearing the answer.

Was it a friend of mine?

“Jesse,
what
are you talking about? I’ve smoked all
of one joint in my entire life. You think I did this to myself?”

The only other possibility he could think of involved the
drinks she’d had at the party. The drugs had to have gotten into her system
somehow and she was fine before then.

“Okay, well…then…what if someone spiked your drink? But if
that’s what happened, how did the drugs end up in your pocket?”

* * * * *

Two uniformed officers of the New York City Police Department
entered the room and approached her. One questioned her for several minutes
while the other jotted down notes as she recalled what little she could
remember.

“If you suspect you’ve been drugged, why were substances
found on your person?”

“Maybe the person who spiked my drink put it in my jacket
while I was dancing with Ricky Bradshaw. I was away from both my drink
and
my coat for at least twenty minutes. I left the bar to dance while Jesse minded
my things.” She looked at Jesse for the first time since the officers had
entered.

“Mr. Maurello? Did you?” the officer asked.

“Yes, of course I did. Our drinks were on the bar right in
front of me and I was holding Sam’s jacket so…” He scowled before his eyes
brightened.

“Yes, Mr. Maurello?”

“Well, I did speak with a friend at the bar. I put Sam’s
jacket on the stool behind me, but my back was only turned for a few minutes.”

The two police officers huddled at the door, whispering. A
moment later they returned to her bedside.

“Miss Raven, we ran a search and contacted the Australian
authorities before we arrived. Considering you’re here on a temporary work
visa, it’s normal procedure concerning drug-related charges,” the taller of the
two said. “We’re aware you have a clean record and, under the circumstances, we
won’t be charging you.”

He glared at Jesse. “Consider this a warning, Miss Raven.
Perhaps in the future you should mind the company you keep. You don’t want to
be involved with the wrong kind of people in a strange city.”

He turned back to her. “I hope you feel better soon, miss.”
He tipped his hat and they left without another word.

“What was that supposed to mean? Did you see the way he
looked at me?” Jesse spouted with disbelief.

“Well he obviously thinks you’re a bad influence on a nice
girl like me.” She tried a smile, but every muscle protested. “And I wasn’t
going to argue. I wasn’t charged and that’s all I care about right now.”

She flung the blankets off her legs and swung them over the
side of the bed. “Help me get out of here. Where are my clothes?”

Jesse jumped up from the plastic chair by the bed and sped
to the open door. He murmured to someone around the corner to his left. Ricky,
she suspected, and then walked off in the opposite direction.

Finally alone, the realization of what had happened daunted
her. She was suddenly homesick for her family. She could remember tiny snippets
of conversation from the medics and doctors who’d helped save her life, but her
emotions were all mixed up.

She was angry with herself for not foreseeing the taint of her
drink. She had been warned before, many years ago at Charli’s party, so why had
her visions chosen to abandon her tonight when she was in such grave danger?

She was also angry with Jesse for letting this happen.
Though he wasn’t really to blame, she was angry all the same—however illogical
her reasoning.

She wanted to cry but wouldn’t allow her tears to fall.
Instead, they formed a hard lump in her already sore throat, aggravating the
walls of sandpaper even further.

* * * * *

Jesse’s feet dragged as he walked back into the room with
the doctor.

“You’re free to go, Samantha. Your clothes will be brought
in shortly. Now, let’s hope we don’t see you back here again.” The stiff doctor
cracked a half-smile as he turned and strolled back out the door.

Jesse tried to embrace her, but she flinched before he even
touched her. He dropped his arms to his sides and stared at his shoes. Her
rejection stung, but he regained his composure and lifted his head—keeping his
face a blank canvas.

“I’m sorry, Jesse. I just feel like hell right now. My skin
feels funny, weird, just… wrong,” she said, smiling, but it didn’t fool him.

“It’s okay. I understand.” He fought every instinct to just
go ahead and hold her anyway. “C’mon, let’s get you home.”

It was the early hours of the morning by the time the taxi
dropped them at his home. Sam had fallen asleep in the backseat and was out
cold. He carried her all the way up the long winding driveway to the front
door, took her straight upstairs to bed and gently removed her clothes and shoes.
After a quick shower, he lay beside her, extreme trepidation filling him as she
slept.

He’d nearly lost her. The fear he’d experienced at the
hospital had overwhelmed him and come utterly unexpected. The thought of losing
her terrified him. He couldn’t let her walk out of his life. Not now, not ever.
He never wanted to experience that fear again.

Somehow he had to find a way to make both their lives fit.
He had to tell her he loved her and couldn’t live without her. He had to tell
her how he couldn’t wait to open his eyes each morning just to simply gaze upon
her face. He had to tell her how just the smell of her sent his heart racing so
fast he thought he’d die. That even the blessed life he had couldn’t compare to
her walking into the room. He had to share his heart with her.

Tomorrow. I’ll tell her tomorrow.

He worried over her for hours while she slept. He still
wasn’t convinced she was okay and wanted to stay awake in case she woke and
needed him, but his eyelids eventually dropped and didn’t reopen for some time.

When they did, it was eleven in the morning. Sam was still
sound asleep. He slowly moved off the bed, emerging from the bathroom twenty
minutes later. He left her sleeping, quietly closing the door.

Sitting at the kitchen counter with a coffee, he jumped when
a soft knock rattled the front door. He raced to the foyer before whoever it
was knocked again.

He didn’t want Sam waking before her body was ready. She’d
been through hell and back and needed the rest. Knowing it could only be one of
few people, he opened the door without delay.

“Shhh… Come in, man, but try to keep it down. She’s still
sleeping upstairs,” he whispered.

Rick stepped inside. They moved into the kitchen and Jesse
closed the doors so they could talk above a murmur.

Rick poured himself a coffee from the pot. “So…how is she?”

“I think she’ll be okay. Tell you what though, Ricky, last
night scared the fuck out of me.” Jesse rubbed his swollen eyes. After downing
the rest of his coffee, he quickly poured a fresh cup. “Hey, aren’t those the
same clothes you wore last night?”

“Yeah. Haven’t been home yet. I went back to the party after
the hospital to try find out who could’ve spiked Sam’s drink. Nobody’s talkin’,
but you should have seen J go off. Man, he was furious. He wants you to call
him later, by the way, let him know how Sam’s doin’.” Rick popped some fresh
bread into the toaster.

“Listen, Ricky, I was a real asshole before. I shouldn’a
said what I did. I know it couldn’t have been…well, you just wouldn’t. I’m
sorry, man.”

“Already forgotten.” Rick settled the issue with a grin.

“Hey, you think Becky had something to do with this? Was she
still there when you went back?”

“Nah, I didn’t see her. Didn’t even know she was there.”
Rick shrugged as he grabbed a plate from the cupboard.

Jesse filled Rick in on Becky’s cloakroom antics.

“I got talkin’ to Mick after you left to dance with Sam. My
back was turned toward the bar the whole time. Becky could’ve slipped behind me
before you came back. It was crowded enough and she had time.” Jesse checked
the fridge for ingredients. He wanted to cook Sam something nutritious when she
rose.

“Speak of the devil,” Rick greeted Sam as she walked into
the room, wrapping her in a huge but delicate hug. “Glad you’re okay, sweet
cheeks. How’s your head doin’?”

“I’ll live I think. Thanks.” She dragged her feet to the
stove to put the kettle on. “But I could really use a cup of tea…badly.”

“Sit down, baby. I’ll make it.” Jesse offered her his seat.

She wore his fluffy blue robe and fiddled in the pocket next
to her hip. “Here. Your phone woke me.” She handed him his cell.

A familiar number was on the display. “It’s Vince. I’d
better call him back in case it’s important.” He hit the call button and walked
into the living room.

* * * * *

Rick eyed her closely as she put a teabag in a mug and stood
beside the kettle, waiting for it to boil.

“We’ll find out who did this, Sam. You know, Jesse was
really freakin’ out last night. In all the years I’ve known him, I’ve never
seen him like that before and it was scary. He thought he’d lost you
and…well…so did I for a while there. Did you know you stopped breathing on the
way to the hospital?” There was genuine sadness in his eyes and voice.

“Yeah, I heard something like that. Someone at the hospital
told me, I think, but I don’t remember much.”

She poured boiling water into her cup and turned back to
Rick. A single tear slipped down his cheek. He quickly wiped it away, but she
noticed anyway. She hobbled close and hugged him.

He squeezed her tight when she placed her head on his chest.
“I’m okay, Ricky. It’s okay. I’m fine now,” she reassured him.