“It’s just...well, you’re you...and you don’t even know me…”
“That can change,” I say. I can see that she’s trembling and I want to pull her close to my body, to let her know that it’s alright, that this is meant to be. We met for a reason, I just know it. Slowly, she nods.
“Okay...I mean, I’m going to have to sneak out of here. I don’t want to get fired, even if I was just thinking about quitting for good.”
“Oh no, you’re not coming back here,” I growl. She blinks again. Everything I say to her seems to give her a new level of shock.
“W-what?”
“I’m not allowing you to come back to this toxic place,” I say, protectively. If I had my way, she’d never have to work again. I’d take her home and spoil her, treat her like a princess and make sure she was always happy. She’d never need to worry about anything ever again. But it’s too soon, and I don’t want to scare her off. She might be looking at me in awe, but it doesn’t mean she wants me the way I want her. Just because I’m a rockstar, it doesn’t mean that every woman wants me. Besides, I don’t want every woman to want me. I just want her to want me, even if she is half my age and way out of my league.
“But it’s my job. I have to make money,” she whispers. She must think I’m being ridiculous, thinking she can just give up her source of income with no backup, but that’s not what I think at all. I just want to help her find something better.
“If you could do anything in the world, what would it be?”
She wavers. “I...I’m a songwriter. I want to write music.”
“Then I’m going to make that happen for you,” I say. “Don’t you worry, I’ve got your back. I’m going to get you your dream job, and until then, I’ll pay you double what you earn here. What do you say? You want to get out of here with me?”
She looks shocked to the core, and who can blame her? Even I’m aware that this is craziness. I’ve never done anything like this for anyone else before, despite all my money and influence. No, I want to help her for selfish reasons. I want to have time to get closer to her. I want to spend time alone with her.
I want to make her mine.
“Okay,” she says, uncertainty clouding her voice. “Okay, let’s do it.”
“You won’t regret it,” I growl, taking her hand. “Come on. We’ve got all day before the show. I’m going to give you a day you’ll never forget.”
Chapter Two
Harper
I can’t believe this is happening. One minute, I was having a quarter-life crisis, wondering how the hell I was going to make it in the world. Now, I’m getting into a sleek black car with Clay Cooper, who wants to help me find success and is taking me out to breakfast.
As I sit beside him in the car, I feel like it’s forbidden to even look at him. This man who I’ve admired from afar all my life, whose music I’ve loved and cherished, whose face I’ve fallen for a million times over, is sitting right next to me. Looking at him for too long feels like looking into the sun. I’m blinded by his presence.
I can’t believe that he’s being so kind to me. I’m sure he’s just being polite after seeing me break down at work, but how many other people does he do this kind of thing for? Am I special or does he always use his spare time and money for good? I mean, he gives millions to charity every single year, and I know that he’s done a lot of humanitarian work over the years, but I’m just a normal young woman trying to get by. What interest can he possibly have in me?
My heart is racing. I won’t lie, I’ve fantasized about this man more than once. Clay was my first and only celebrity crush. In fact, he was my only crush, period. I’ve never felt anything for any other man except him. It’s stupid, thinking that I fell for him long before we ever met, but it was never even about his looks. I’m not some crazy fangirl like the rest. I fell in love with his music, his lyrics, his passion. I fell for the way he sings and the emotion he puts into every single song. But one thing occurs to me.
The one thing Clay has never sung about is love.
I guess that’s what made him stand out from the crowd over the years. He sings about poverty and world peace and domestic problems. He sings about animal cruelty and environmental conservation, but he’s never sang about falling in love. Does that mean he doesn’t believe in love?