Soon, Leo took a moment to pull himself together before coming to me.
He was walking toward me.
I fought myself. I needed to act mature, like an adult and be cool about this.
I failed.
"Oh my god, you're Leo Rose, you're the best, I'm your biggest fan," I began, shaking like I was some innuendo-laden workout device. "I can't believe I''m getting to meet you."
Leo, on the other hand, was much more calm. Smiling, he finally spoke directly to me. "This is quite an improvement over the last dude telling me that I've sucked since my second album and I need to go back on the cocaine to make better music."
"Cocaine?"
"I was never on the cocaine, love. I don't know why on earth he thought I was."
"Always knew you were too smart for that stuff. It's why you're the greatest."
His smile turned into a smirk. "You're a bit young for a radio winner, aren't you?"
"It was the only way I was going to be able to see your show. I've wanted to see you live for years. To see you in person too, well, um," I blushed.
He looked me over, up and down. Was he checking me out? "You are?"
"Haley."
"Haley? That's a right beautiful name." He took in a deep breath. "Well, Haley. I don't have anything else planned for tonight outside some R&R. You're a bit more special I think than the rest of my random fans."
"Special?"
"Wrong word? You caught my eyes when I was performing. I wasn't going to forget you so easily, and now you show up right in front of me? This is like, destiny or something like that."
"Destiny?"
"Is everything a question for you?" He laughed. "Charming. Bright eyed. Not soulless, like a lot of the people I encounter in my life. You want to come back to my room and have a bite to eat?"
A shiver ran down my spine. Rationally, I thought about how scummy this could be. Me, a naive teenager following a rock star oozing sex back to his room.
The heart however, told me this was Leo Rose, the man who I had spent way too much time fantasizing about. "Of course," I said. "Dinner with Leo Rose? What idiot would turn that down?"
He waved me forward with a finger, and then shot a glance at security. "Bit of privacy folks. I doubt Haley here is hiding a blade on her to shank me."
The security guys, bald and bulky, nodded. What did they think was about to happen?
What did I think was about to happen? Was I about to become just another groupie? How many had Leo Rose indulged himself in over the years?
I shook my head clean of it as I walked into his room. It was exquisite for something that was clearly whipped up in a hurry. Soft leather couch, bottles of wine corked up and looking expensive, and roses all strewn about.
Leo took one and offered it to me. "I don't even emphasize roses in my promotional materials but places keep throwing them at me. Enjoy one for yourself."
I don't think there was a way for me to possibly blush harder than I had at that moment, being offered a rose from Rose. I took
it, inhaled it's fragrance, and slid it in my hair.
"Looks good on you. You some sort of fertility goddess?"
He was so overwhelming a presence that I was just smiles and laughs. I knew he was talented, I knew he was rich, I didn't expect him to be funny, and I really didn't expect him to be so into me like this.
He picked up a phone. "Calling my assistant to get some food. What do you want? She can get anything. Skies the limit. Want Pizza? Fine. Filet Mignon? She'll do it."