“Oh. I didn’t know.” The taller one bit her finger, a practiced pout. “Carl here was walking by where we were standing, and he invited us back.”
“Uh-huh.” I narrowed my eyes at him. Ezra might have an everyone is adults sort of hands-off policy on band behavior, but I wasn’t about to let security concerns slide
“Let’s go find Kate. Get you ladies the right credentials.” Carl’s tone was butter smooth for the women, but his sarcastic look in my direction made it clear how ridiculous he found my complaints. “We’ll leave Ezra to his lecture.”
“Don’t be too mean,” the shorter woman tittered as Carl led them out.
“Yeah, don’t be too mean,” Ezra echoed as he hefted himself out of his chair to shut the door behind the other three. He leaned against the closed door, barricading me in like he was the one who needed a word, not the other way around. “Leave me at least a little skin.”
“This isn’t a joke.” I moved to stand in front of him. Two could play at the intimidation game.
He shrugged. “I didn’t say it was.”
“Ilene’s probably on the phone right now with her bosses, all of whom have likely already seen that video.” I’d run into her on my way backstage, and she’d had a cellphone in one hand, a tablet in the other, and an epic frown, all traces of her earlier flirty openness gone.
“Can’t have that,” Ezra drawled, keeping up the too-casual act, but the tension around his eyes and jaw said he had to work at the devil-may-care attitude. “Must keep the label happy at all costs.”
“You keep making it hard for me to do my job and no one’s going to be happy.”
“Is that you threatening to quit on night one?” He tilted his head, considering me through narrowed eyes.
“If I quit, you’ll be stuck with whomever the label sticks you with,” I pointed out. I was frustrated, but I hadn’t truly considered tossing in the towel until he mentioned it. I wasn’t a quitter. I’d said I’d do the job, and I would, but if it helped get Ezra in line, I could stomp around and eye the exit. He wasn’t the only one with acting chops.
“If you quit, you won’t get that referral Ilene keeps dangling.”
“No referral is worth sacrificing my professional reputation.” There was no playacting my harsh tone. “This is all a big joke to you, but if you get hurt, that’s on me. Not you, not the label, not even your rabid fans. Me. And I’ll happily take that responsibility, but not if you keep acting like a spoiled kid handed a curfew.”
“What did you call me?” He poked me in the chest, but I wasn’t cowed.
I leaned in, enunciating each word carefully. “Spoiled. Kid. You’re what, twenty-seven? Twenty-eight? You’re not a teenager anymore, Ezra, so how about you stop acting like one?”
“I think we both know damn well I’m not a kid.” Finger still on my chest, he flicked it upward, dancing along the unbuttoned collar of my shirt. He held my gaze like he had a direct link to every stray thought I’d had about him.
“Quit avoiding my point.” I schooled my expression and dug my heels in against the chipped floor, determined not to let on how that one finger on my shirt made heat gather in my stomach. “It wouldn’t kill you to work with me here.”
“Is that what you want?” He smiled slyly.
“You to cooperate? Hell yes.”
“But is that all you want?” Lowering his voice, he regarded me with hooded eyes, transforming from insolent royal to seductive serpent. He tugged on my collar, not hard enough to hurt, but the slide of the fabric made me shiver nonetheless.
“What kind of game are you playing at here?” I demanded in a harsh whisper.
“The fun kind?” He phrased it as a question, a test of sorts. I had no illusions that he truly wanted me. This was entirely about him getting the upper hand by thinking he could lead me around by the dick.
“I’m not here for fun,” I ground out.
“So you keep saying.” His wicked, wicked fingers found the bare skin at my throat. “But you could be.”
“No, I couldn’t. I don’t fuck around on the job, and I’m not about to let you think a little flirting will make me look the other way when you pull another stunt.”
“Maybe I want you looking. Looking right at me.” He held my gaze with an intensity I wasn’t sure anyone else ever had. It felt like gazing into a volcano when every instinct said run, but instead, I was riveted to the spot, unable to look away. “Like this. Your eyes don’t lie.”
“Bodies are fickle as fuck.” Trying to deny being turned on would be a pointless exercise. My cock was raring to go because arguing with Ezra apparently did it for me, but luckily, my dick wasn’t in charge. “I’d rather trust my conscience.”