At this point, I couldn’t even see Drake doing that if the worst were to happen. No, I needed to be much smarter than I had been. No matter how attracted I was to him, no matter how much I craved his body, I had to be smarter. Not to mention, he was my boss and our escapade was highly unprofessional and could get me fired on the spot.
I couldn’t even look at myself in the mirror. Every time I went into the bathroom, I kept my eyes averted so I couldn’t see my reflection. Every time I op
ened up my laptop, I shut my eyes until the screen came on. I avoided anything that could possibly reflect my picture as we traveled into New Orleans but having Drake on the bus as a reminder didn’t help.
“I told you, it was two cinnamon rolls,” I said.
“Bear claws are similar,” the concert coordinator said. “Don’t worry. They’ll make due.”
“No. They won’t make due. I called you twice to confirm this. This isn’t on my shoulders, and when Landon comes stomping out here because he sees bear claws instead of cinnamon rolls, you’ll be the one making the run.”
“I’m not going anywhere. Your band is way too demanding for this kind of stage. This concert isn’t a big deal.”
“Not a big deal? Why don’t you turn around and say that to the man standing behind you?”
The concert coordinator turned around and came face to face with Drake. It had been hell trying to fix their blunders before the concert kicked off and Drake was pissed. His eyes were flaring with anger and his arms were crossed over his chest. He somehow seemed taller than normal, and the concert coordinator began trembling in his own boots.
“I believe the lady requested you fix some issues on your end,” Drake said.
“I’m sorry, Mr. Blackthorn. I’ll go see if I can track down some cinnamon rolls,” the man said.
“And while you’re at it, find your manners. If I’da talked to a woman that way, my momma would’ve slapped me stupid,” Drake said.
My eyes connected with Drake and I saw a shadow of a grin play on his cheeks. That was probably the worst part of all of this. Not the fact that I’d broken my promise to my mother or the fact that I had given my virginity to a man who didn’t give two shits about our encounter.
It was the fact that I wanted more. Damn it, I wanted so much more.
Once Landon got his cinnamon rolls, the concert was back on schedule. Hank and I were running around trying to put the last pieces in place and fix everything New Orleans was determined to screw up. I watched the show from the back this time instead of staying on the bus, and I was mesmerized by his stage presence. Drake really was a force to be reckoned with, and it made everything even more confusing.
He had hardly talked to me on the bus from Birmingham to New Orleans, which made me feel even worse. It pretty much solidified what I already figured; he had gotten what he wanted from me and that was it. I wasn’t going to be anything more than a one-night stand. And even though I knew it was for the best, it still hurt.
If he kept his distance, it would certainly make things easier. I had a job to get done, and I was only contracted to work with him through this tour. After that, I was on an on-call basis, whatever that was going to mean for me. And I hadn’t even started to try and help him get clean yet. I’d only tried to keep him away from his band buddies after the gigs, so he didn’t go get smashingly drunk.
I found myself tapping my foot to his music as I studied him on stage, his ass in those threadbare jeans and his arms twitching with excitement. He was a force to behold, just like he had been on the ranch, with sweat dripping down his brow and his shirt clinging to his chest.
I drew in a deep breath and tried to shake the memory of him from my mind.
“You ready to try and wrangle him?” Hank asked.
“The concert’s almost over, right?” I asked.
“Yep. Whatever you did last night to keep him at bay, it worked. See if you can try it again tonight to keep him sober.”
I clenched my jaw as I tried to keep the memories of his naked body at bay.
“What a fuckin’ show!” Landon, said as he came off stage
“I knew you’d nail it once you got those damn cinnamon rolls. How fucking hard is it to find cinnamon rolls?” Stone asked.
“Harder than you’d think when someone’s determined to be an ass,” Drake said.
“Hey, we’re goin’ to get a drink, then we’ll be back,” Landon said.
“Oh, hell yeah. A beer after that concert is just what I need,” Stone said.
“I’m right behind you guys,” Drake said.
“Actually, I need to talk with you for a second, Drake,” I said.