star was in town filming, something ignited in her mind. He was recently divorced from his wife and because she was now officially divorced and had drooled over him in his latest spy thriller, Nikki made the decision to stand at the edge of the dating cliff and jump off.
“See if he wants to come to my show on Friday,” she’d said to her assistant, Merilee. “Offer one ticket.”
Merilee looked excited to be in on this momentous occasion. “What if he wants two?”
He didn’t.
After the show, he waited for her in the green room. Nikki ran off stage from her last encore and Merilee handed her a fresh towel.
Sweaty, and still buzzing from the performance, Nikki patted her face and steeled herself for the possibility of something wonderful. She sauntered into the green room flanked by her bodyguards.
His eyes sparkled at the sight of her. “Nice to meet you, Goldy.” He stood and lifted her hand to kiss it, just like the characters he played on the big screen.
Oh my God, he’s gorgeous! “Did you enjoy the show?” She knew the answer.
After showering, she changed into jeans and a simple T-shirt and stepped through the bathroom door looking more like a farm girl than a rock icon. His face froze. Hadn’t he ever seen a photo of what she looked like out of costume?
“Where’s your leather and chains?” His British accent would’ve been an aphrodisiac in itself, if he hadn’t sounded disappointed.
“They’re too hard to get out of…quickly…” Oh God. How cheesy was that?
He grinned, appeased for the moment.
They shared a glass of champagne, then, just before they left the Amphitheater, Nikki pulled on a pair of black leather stiletto boots, darkened her eye makeup, teased her hair and they walked out with his hand on the small of her back.
Dining on the hotel suite’s balcony, with the ocean in front and the lights of Miami spread out to the north, they eventually found conversation. Usually ravenous after a concert, Nikki was only able to push the savory dinner around her plate. The possibility of sex hovered between them like a party gift not yet opened.
“You are beautiful without the rock star package, you know that?” He grinned over his wine glass.
“Thank you.” Nikki reminded herself that she could handle this man even though Goldy was the huge flirt. As the rocker, Goldy had a plethora of provocative witticisms that Nikki had no idea she even knew. As Goldy, flirting had always been easy when words didn’t need to be backed up with action. But tonight, Nikki was willing to try.
By the time dessert was served, Nikki’s flirting muscle had loosened and flexed. “Tell me about your new movie. Are you dangling from high wires, dodging bullets, and fashioning guns from tin cans?”
“Of course. What would be the fun in anything else?” He was a beautiful male specimen, even though he was slightly reserved conversationally. Stiff. Nikki sensed his words were well-rehearsed material. Talking about his new movie relaxed him though and, in watching him talk, she found herself aching to touch him. Most women in the world who’d ever gone to the movies probably had the same idea—that the man in front of her had the most perfect face she’d ever seen. Studying it with the tips of her fingers would be heaven. The wine was making her heady. She hardly noticed that he hadn’t asked anything about her. Until this.
“I always wondered what the life of a rock star would be like.”
“It’s a wild ride.” This was not a question, but a good start. “Do you sing?” she asked.
He laughed. “Not unless I’m being tortured.”
Nikki laughed, even though she’d heard this answer countless times. Giving herself a two-minute time limit to explain the life of a rock star, she chose words like “hectic,” “thrilling,” “pervasive,” and “fantasy.” It was her standard answer, crafted especially to avoid boring anyone with a short attention span. Her dinner companion did not