He was wildly cocky, in an annoying yet charming way. And somehow it snapped me out of the spell.
I raised a brow in a very Scarlet O’Hara-ish kind of way. “Is that right?”
He grinned harder. “If you leave, I will be forced to abandon this gig and chase after you.”
“And why on earth would you do that?”
“To find out your name.”
I folded my arms. “You could just ask me.”
His lovely mouth opened into a stunning smile. It was so beautiful it caught my breath in my throat.
Ugh!
“I have to go,” I said, suddenly panicked. This guy was too much.
“Then I don’t go back on stage.”
“Really? You’re going to blackmail me, thirty seconds after meeting me?”
“If it means you’ll stay.”
Again I raised a brow. “You don’t play fair.”
“No, I don’t. I play hard.” He smiled, a big white beautiful smile that I felt from the tips of my toes through to the top of my head.
“Harlow,” I said, surrendering with a smile. “My name is Harlow.”
His half-smile tugged on his amazing mouth. “Nice to meet you, Harlow.” He lifted an eyebrow and hit me with those baby blues. “I’m Heath Dillinger.”
He grinned.
And everything changed forever.
* * * * *
He went back on stage to finish the set. The rest of the band looked at him with silent questions, their eyes searching across the crowd to find me. Jesse smiled and shook his head as if this unpredictable behavior was somehow typical of their lead singer.
Thankfully Piper found me, no doubt courtesy of my rather public encounter with Heath, and we watched the rest of the set together. This time, she looped her arm through mine so she wouldn’t lose me.
When the last song ended, Heath, in true rock star style, thanked the fans for their enthusiasm. His glorious deep voice filled the room with a promise to return after a short break.
“C’mon,” Piper squealed. She grabbed me by the wrist and dragged me through the club.
By the time we made our way through the throng to the band’s table, they were all sitting down and ordering drinks. Fans crowded the table making it hard for us to get through. But I had underestimated Piper’s desire to reach her man and she parted that crowd as if she had some kind of magic power. I put my head down and braced myself as she led me into the crowd of fans.
Jesse appeared and lifted Piper up into his arms. “Did you see me babe?” He swung her around and kissed her. “Now that rocked!”
I kind of felt out of place but smiled at their public display of adoration. It was obvious Piper and Jesse were made for one another and the way he held her tight was adorable.
“You are the best baby,” Piper said and kissed him all over his cute face. She giggled and then remembering me standing beside her, turned his chin to look at me. “This is my friend Harlow.”
Jesse offered me a hand and grinned. “How you doin’, Harlow? Enjoy the show?”
I felt incredibly aware of how I didn’t fit in. My plain dress, cashmere cardigan and string of pearls screamed Catholic school. But I smiled and shook his tattooed hand. He seemed really nice, very friendly. His hair was short and dirty blonde. He had a kind face and even kinder eyes.
“You guys were amazing,” I said truthfully.
He winked. “Thanks!” Then he looked down at Piper in his arms and kissed her again.
You couldn’t help but smile around them. Their affection for one another was sweet. But it did make me feel a bit like the third wheel. Slipping into a chair next to them I looked around. Across the table Heath was surrounded by girls. Two bottle blondes, attractive and wearing skin-tight clothing that did nothing to hide their big boobs and Californian tans, flanked him. A few steps away, a group of girls did their best to attract his attention.
I wondered how I was going to slip out unnoticed. I didn’t belong there. And as nice as these people were, I would never fit in with them. They were a popular band with an entourage of very cool friends; I was fresh off the plane from Savannah and dressed like I had just come from church.
Feeling awkward and out of place, I excused myself to find the bathroom where I had to line up to use a rather scary looking cubicle. Afterwards I washed my hands in a grimy basin that could challenge Ebola for a top level CDC rating. Then I managed to dodge a request for a tampon from a girl in a pair of barely-there denim shorts and a see through net top. She wasn’t wearing a bra and her dark nipples poked out through the mesh.
After she left I was alone. I stared at the good girl in the mirror, fighting the feeling of not belonging and the desire to slip out of the club unnoticed. But I hadn’t come to California to stay at home.
I met my eyes in the mirror. It was time to stop being such a flake.
Back at the table, Piper was sitting on Jesse’s lap and they were laughing about something private. The crowd around the table had thinned. Heath was, for the first time, devoid of groupies draping themselves over him like blankets, but didn’t seem to notice because he was so entrenched in a conversation with the drummer, Zack.
Looking around the dimly lit club, with luminous writing on the wall, I saw Heath’s girls on the dance floor whipping up a display of tongues and body grinding for his benefit. But when I looked back to Heath he was completely unaware. He was too busy animatedly explaining something to Zack and talking with his hands.
My curious eyes were drawn back to the bottled-blondes who were working up a frenzy against each other’s bodies. Tongues. Hands. Wet lips. I’d never really seen any girl-on-girl action before. Except in a porno I’d watched with my ex-best friend back home when we were fourteen. And I’d never experienced any girl action, unless you considered me dreaming I was Anthony Keidis and I was nailing an Egyptian princess who had a magic urn.
I turned away from the spectacle on the dance floor and was startled to see Heath looking at me from the end of the table. Heat flared in my cheeks. Before I knew it, he had claimed the seat beside me, bringing with him the energy of a frenzied shark attack.
Before I could even open my mouth I was fully aware of his charm. It seeped from every pore that was Heath Dillinger. He smiled at me and I was almost dazed by his attractiveness. White teeth. Dimples. The hint of a cleft on his chin. Eyes like sunlight on the Arctic Ocean. He was the whole package and he knew it.
While my head seemed determined to be unaffected by him, my body had its own idea. I felt an involuntary pull against my chest as he smiled at me and fixed me with those baby blues. I sucked in a deep breath trying to stop the physical reaction taking place all over my body.
“So. Harlow,” he said simply. “That’s a very cool name.”
I nodded but I was so busy trying to seem unaffected by him, I came across as totally affected by him. I started to hate myself a little for it. This guy was used to having this effect on women. And it made him a little too confident that I would drool after him too.
But I wasn’t about to be one of those girls. He couldn’t just charm me out of my panties. Even his spectacular introduction was laced in cocky arrogance. Like he could just have me, if he wanted me. Well that wasn’t going to happen. Ever. I didn’t care who he was. He’d have to work a little bit harder than that to impress me. But I didn’t want him to. Because this guy was obviously trouble and I had just left a big ol’ bag of trouble back home.
It was time to let him know.
“As in Jean Harlow?” he asked.
I shook my head, looking across at him; it was time to start behaving a little more awesome. Cue the raised brow. Cue the look of disdain.
“No. As in I’m-not-interested-in-falling-into-bed-with-you,” I said smoothly, like I was some goddess of awesomeness.
Heath whistled and fell back in his chair with a disarming grin. “Shot down!” He made an explosion gesture with his hands. “You’re a goddamn H-bomb!”
Damn. I couldn’t help but smile. He smiled back and leaned his elbows on the table.