Christmas with a Rockstar (Rock Revenge Trilogy 3.50)

My phone rang right as I finished packing. When I saw Ferris’s name scroll across the display I thought about letting the call go to voicemail, but my conscience kicked in and I decided to answer it. It was a good thing I did, because Ferris had news. Apparently, his father had flown in from New Jersey and was surprising him with Christmas at one of the local ski resorts. This meant that he wouldn’t be able to go to Aspen with us. I was crushed, not. Thankfully, he’d chosen to call me instead of Jayne. Had it been the other way around, Aspen would be a no-go, I would lose my temper, and there would be hell to pay. While Ferris droned on about song choices for the finale, I came up with a plan to cut Jayne out of the loop. If I offered up my personal car service to Ferris and his father, I would be able to control their departure. More importantly, I would be able to keep them away from Jayne. Damn, this was perfect. Fate, the fickle bitch, was shining her luminous smile on me, and for the first time in what felt like forever, I was smiling right back at her. After wishing Ferris a Merry Christmas, I ended the call. Then, I planned.

Tomorrow morning, I would make up an excuse to see Jayne. While Jayne was occupied, I would have Ferris and his dad whisked out of town and have Wynne deposited at the jetport. By the time Jayne figured out that Ferris wasn’t with us, it would be too late. Ferris couldn’t have given me a better Christmas present if he’d tried.

With him now out of the picture, I would be free to pursue Wynne at my leisure. It wasn’t as if the network could really do anything about it. When Jayne informed them that I wanted to take the contestants off campus, they not only refused to pay for it, but they’d had each of us sign documents clearing them of liability if anything should happen. That was before Ferris had bailed, though. If Jayne found out that Ferris wasn’t going and that Wynne and I were going to be alone together, she would lose her mind. I didn’t exactly want on her bad side, but we both knew the truth. Million Dollar Musician was successful because of one reason, and one reason only: me. At the end of the day, a slap on the wrist was well worth five days alone with Wynne...

The next morning, fate did me another favor. While Ferris and his dad departed for the mountains and Wynne was in transit to the plane, Jayne was stuck in traffic. I wasn’t supposed to travel alone, but since the show was technically on a break for the week, I took it upon myself to skirt the rules and call an Uber. Jayne pulled into the studio right as we were driving out. I held my breath as we passed her by, fully expecting to see brake lights or hear tires shriek. When neither occurred, I exhaled the pent-up air from my lungs and relaxed into my seat, giving myself a mental pat on the back. I was a fucking genius. Of course, I’d had years of experience under my belt. Years of skirting the rules and riding that line between right and wrong. Years of bucking authority. This was child’s play in comparison.

On my arrival at the jetport, I was pleased to find Wynne and our luggage already loaded onto the plane. I took a moment to speak to the pilots and inform the stewardess that we wouldn’t be needing her, before heading up the steps.

“This is just...wow!” Wynne exclaimed on my entry, her blue eyes watching me, not with disdain or anger, but with trust. Misplaced trust, whispered through my head. Dismissing the thought, I paused for a moment to take her in. What was it about this woman? I’d been with more women than I could remember. I’d even been in love before, but not one of them had managed to pull this potent of a reaction from me. I shifted my gaze to her hair. My fingers itched to release the flaxen mane from its loose knot, to bury my hands in it while I tasted her glossy, lush lips. She crossed her legs, calling my attention to what she was wearing. I wanted to strip her obscenely tight leggings from her body and slowly, inch by fucking inch, sink my aching cock deep inside her. As if sensing my wicked thoughts, she sucked in a harsh breath, her eyes dilating with what looked a hell of a lot like lust. Just you wait, baby girl.

Advancing in her direction, I asked, “I take it you approve?” Two perfectly sculpted brows shot up as I collapsed onto the sofa beside her.

“Do you travel like this all the time?” she asked as she scooted to put a little distance between us. Slowly shifting my position, I grazed my thigh against hers, intentionally bridging the gap between us. Thankfully, she didn’t challenge me. If she had, she would have found herself sitting on my lap. We weren’t ready for that just yet, but we would be... Visions of Wynne straddling my lap, her core pressed against my cock, danced across my mind. As her scent permeated the small cabin, I tried to place it. It wasn’t floral or citrus. Whatever it was, I liked it. By the way my cock was standing at attention, he apparently liked it too.

Bringing my focus back to the question at hand, I thought about how to answer it. The old Sander wouldn’t think twice about lying. Why? Because the truth only resulted in trouble. Unfortunately, in my line of business, honesty came at a cost. I’d learned the hard way that relationships were nothing more than a liability. Still, something made me want to tell Wynne the truth. I settled for somewhere in between.

“Let’s just say I’m conscientious about how I spend my money, now more than ever before.”

“Why? Because you don’t have as much of it, or because you’ve learned to value it?” Her question was surprisingly perceptive. At times I had more money than I knew what to do with. Money that I’d blown on drugs, booze, women, and who knows what else. Sobriety had taught me many things, one being that fortune, like fame, was a fleeting thing. Her question hung between us as the jet’s engines whirred to life.

Frowning, she jerked her eyes to the closed hatch and then back at me. “Wait. Isn’t Ferris coming?” The fact that she didn’t know meant that Ferris hadn’t gone running to her room last night to tell her. This made me extremely happy.

Mustering up a look of disappointment, I answered, “Unfortunately, Ferris’s dad arrived late last night and is taking him skiing. He won’t be joining us.” Then, completely fishing, I added, “I hope you’re not too disappointed? I know how close the two of you are.”

“Ferris and I are just friends,” she clarified. And that is all you will ever be, I thought.

The captain let us know that we had five minutes until take off, and I asked, “Would you care for a drink? There’s bottled water, wine, champagne, sodas, or if you’d prefer a mixed drink, I can make you one.”

“Are you having anything?” she asked. Ahhh, I wasn’t the only one fishing. Fair enough.

“I think I’ll have water.”

“That sounds good, I’ll have the same.”

“I’m more of a weekend drinker,” I added as an afterthought. Then, as I rose to grab the waters, I thought about how easily the lie had slipped off my tongue. This got me thinking about how often I lied. The answer bothered me. So much so, that I found myself wanting to amend it with the truth. Before I could stop them, the words were out. “Actually, that’s not really true. I used to be a day and a night drinker. To the point that it landed me in rehab a few times.” I didn’t bother to mention the pills. With the waters in hand, I returned to the sofa and reclaimed my position next to her. “I haven’t had a drink in exactly two years and two days.” With my eyes on hers, I waited. For what, I wasn’t really sure. Her silence was all it took for me to second guess my moment of truth. What the fuck was I doing? Telling Wynne this was tantamount to committing career suicide. I might as well open the hatch and jump.

My gaze dropped to her mouth as she nervously licked her lips. “I Googled you,” she admitted. Her guilty expression and hesitant tone told me how uncomfortable she was in her admission. Poor girl. The whole world had Googled me. I would be shocked if she hadn’t.

“So, you already know of my sins. Hmmm, this changes everything,” I teased.

“I know what the tabloids say. I also know that most of it is gossip,” she offered with a shrug. I’d already spilled enough personal truths for one day. It was time to change the subject.

“I have to admit, I’m glad that Ferris couldn’t make it. I have nothing against him, but I would much rather be spending the next five days with you.”

“Oh? Why is that?” Her breathy response made me smile. My eyes dropped to her neck, her pulse fluttering like tiny butterfly wings. I bet her heart was racing just as fast. I liked that I had this effect on her. Fuck knows she affected me. A piece of hair had escaped from the knot. As I leaned over to tuck it behind her ear, my focus drifted to her chest. Well, what do we have here? Like two ripe berries waiting to be plucked from the vine, her nipples poked through her shirt. Ripe berries? I thought. I even sounded like an old man. A lecherous old man. Her tits are suckable. There, that sounded better.

Slowly lifting my gaze, I discovered her watching me. As I stared into her gorgeous eyes, eyes so blue that I could almost see through them, I told her the biggest truth of all. “I’m intrigued by you, and I haven’t been intrigued by anyone for quite some time.” When she didn’t respond, I asked, “Does that scare you?”

“Yes, but I have to admit that I’m intrigued by you as well.” The quiver in her voice gave her away. She should be afraid. I was a rule breaker and she was a rule follower. I was about to lead her down the rabbit’s hole. If she was smart, she wouldn’t let me, but we both knew she would. Dumb girl. The need to touch her beat at me. Like a song that was waiting to be written, it pulsed through my veins and drummed against my skin. Giving in to the madness, I trailed a finger down her arm. When I got to the top of her hand, I flipped it over and traced a line across her palm.

“Hmmm, what shall we do with these...feelings?” I could think of one particular thing I’d like to do.

“Sander—” The desperation behind that one word let me know exactly what it would take to tip her right over the edge. It wasn’t much.

Threading our fingers together, I looked into her eyes, and said, “No one will know. Right here, right now, it’s just you and me.”

Uncertainty flickered across her face. “And then what?” Her question made me pause.