There were a ton of chairs that were obviously part of the coffee shop's furniture set that were lined up in front of the stage. In addition, after a few rows, they had used a bunch of metal folding chairs. I recognized them as the ones that James kept in his apartment in his own little studio.
Immediately, I heard James' voice. It was the same authoritative tone that he used when I heard him doing business over the phone. “It's still not working, Ryan. Fucking get this thing fixed, and fast. We have two hours until this show starts and if you've got to bring in your little sister's karaoke set to get a working mic, you do it.”
I saw him tapping a mic as he yelled. There were a couple other people up on the stage, frantically running wires or adjusting lights. He hadn't seen me yet, so I thought I'd go up and get his attention. Someone else got my attention first.
“Hey there!” Anne said, her eyes lighting up as she saw me. I remembered those intense eyes from the last time I had seen her, two weeks ago.
“Oh, Anne!” I said, definitely sounding excited. “I like what you've done with your hair.” Two weeks ago, when I had last seen her, her short hair had been jet black with a streak of red through it. Now, her hair was still that jet black, but instead of the red streak, the tips of her hair were dyed a shimmering green. It was beautiful.
“Oh, thanks!” she said, pulling a strand of hair from in front of her face behind her ear.
She looked a little nervous, and I suddenly remembered that during our conversation from the other day, she had implied that she was a lesbian. I was definitely flattered that she found me attractive, but I had never done anything with a girl, and I didn't think that I would start now that I was with James.
“Sorry I missed your show the other night,” I said.
She smiled. “Don't worry about it. I know that you guys with Coleman Corp have to fly back and forth between here and California a lot. I looked for you, but was kind of glad that you didn't see it. It wasn't my best performance.”
I smiled back, feeling very relaxed around her. “I'm sure it was fine, but I would love to see one of your concerts some time.” I made a point of grabbing a new flyer from the stand next to the counter. If James and I would be seeing more of each other, I'd find myself out here more and more, especially when school was out.
She smiled and opened her mouth to talk again, but her gaze lifted up to someone behind me. “Mr. Coleman,” she said.
I turned around and saw James there. His gaze swept over my body, and I watched the pupils of those green eyes dilate. He was close enough that he could just lean down and give me a kiss, and for a moment, I thought he was going to.
He looked like he was considering it, then shook his head and broke eye contact. “I see you've met Ms. Dean, my loveliest employee.”
Anne rolled her eyes. “Look at all this sexual harassment I have to deal with, Allie. It's a wonder Mr. Coleman doesn't call me 'Toots' and make me light his cigarettes for him.”
James shrugged. “All the other girls down at the office are okay with it, though I have different demeaning names for each of them. I guess the difference is that I actually like you, Ms. Dean.”
She fanned herself with her menu. “Be still my heart. Are you just here to bug me, or do you want some coffee?”
“I was actually just wondering if you'd take Allie to my apartment real quick so that she can drop her bag off.”
I turned back to him and glared. He wasn't going to take me back himself? It had already been two weeks since we had last had sex, and I was looking forward to a little tension relief, followed by me asking him about Audrey. “What?”
Anne interjected. “Oh, she's staying with you?” she asked. She sounded a little disappointed.
I whirled around and looked at James. I felt like James must have when Nicole was quizzing us the other night. Had he already said anything?
“Actually, Allie is my stepsister,” James said, making the decision for us. I wasn't one hundred percent sure it was the decision I wanted, but it would work.
“Oh,” Anne said very simply. I turned back to her and smiled.
“So can you take her over there? I'll have Ryan cover the register until you get back. He's worthless at setting up a sound system anyway,” James said, looking back at the stage and shaking his head.
“Sure thing,” she said, then reached under the counter to grab her jacket and purse. She skipped around the counter and went to the door. “Coming?”
I looked back at James, biting my lip again. He gestured to the door. “Go,” he said. “We're going to party after the concert and then I'll be yours for the rest of the weekend.” It sounded innocent enough, like something a big brother would say to his visiting sister, but I knew what it really meant. The “I'll be yours” made me shiver with want.
I nodded. “Okay.” He nodded and moved back toward the stage, yelling at people as he walked. Poor Ryan, I thought.
Anne was waiting by the open door, ushering me out. I smiled and walked out.
Chapter Twenty-Nine
I
immediately shoved my hands in my pockets as soon as I was out the door. I regretted not wearing more clothes.