Star Struck, page 5
Ethan certainly had an unmistakable on-screen presence whether it was a stage performance or one of their dark, entertaining music videos. The Strum was an impressive over the top band, but they’d successfully reinvented themselves for the MTV generation from their days as an unknown indie group. Now all three of them, Jaime, Ethan, and the more reclusive drummer Henson were the undisputed Kings of Rock. Mandy was beginning to understand just how big a deal it was to be following them on their London gig in a few days and she became breathless thinking of what this could mean for her career-wise.
Ethan did cut a larger-than-life image, especially during his rapid-fire shred guitar solos, with his white blonde hair streaking fire as he head banged to the all-consuming beat. He exemplified a wild and theatric persona when he was in front of a live audience and while he was no less the ‘bad boy’ in person, Mandy saw a flicker of something more…a deeper, perhaps darker side of Ethan. She could feel that beneath his styled-up image, there was a real person she would have liked to get to know.
Too bad all he thought about was turning her into yet another booty call or groupie rather than treating her with the respect that she deserved.
Mandy turned off her computer and lay down on her bed, for once letting her mind roam back to those searing moments in Ethan’s closet. She smiled at the thought of what her closest friends would say about what had happened between them when she suddenly realized that that she had no interest in ever telling them. But then her smile died as she sighed deeply, wishing the day with Ethan hadn’t ended with that cold distance between them. She admitted that it had hurt, but there was nothing that she could do about it. Her thoughts growing fuzzy, she fell asleep with the thought that she really didn’t care what some self-absorbed rock star thought of her in the first place. Or did she?
* * *
The buzzing of her cell phone caused her to sit up in bed, confused and panicked. She mindlessly reached for the source of the noise and found her phone under a pillow. Still half asleep, she groaned as she hit the ‘Accept’ button.
“Mandy?”
“Huh?” She blinked, wiping the side of her face, feeling the faint moisture. She never dribbled. She must have been exhausted after the day’s drama. “Who’s this?”
“It’s me. It’s Ethan.”
Mandy froze, suddenly registering that raspy, stirringly distinct voice. “Ethan? Are you okay? Is something wrong?” Mandy asked, clearly surprised to hear his voice on the line. She was suddenly wide awake and when she glanced at her bedside clock, her jaw dropped in bewilderment. Why was he calling her at...one a.m.! She had to be dreaming or…
“Yeah. I mean no, nothing’s wrong. Are you alone?” he asked lightly.
“Alone? Yes, I’m alone. What are you…why are you calling? How did you get my number?”
“The same way I got your house address. But never mind about that. Can you – come out with me for a second?”
Mandy was unable to process his request for a few seconds. Ethan, calling her in the middle of the night, asking her to go out with him. What was he thinking?
“Ethan, are you drunk?” Mandy asked suspiciously.
“Drunk? No! I may have had a few at the club, but I’m not drunk at all. No. I just needed to talk to you. About yesterday. Or earlier today – I was an ass. I don’t want you thinking I’m like that. Wanting to get into bed with every woman I meet. It’s just not true, Mandy. I respect women. Very much. And I didn’t want you to come away with the impression that I wanted you on the London team just to get you to sleep with me. Crazy as it is, I like you, Mandy. I don’t even know why. It’s just how I feel when I’m around you. There’s a…peace. Something that I can’t explain to you or anyone really, but it gets to me in a good way and I need that. So, are you coming down? I’m in the black Lambo parked in front of your house.”
Wait…what? Mandy scrambled off the bed and to the nearest window overlooking the front of her house. Sure enough, there was a black, sleek-as-sin Lamborghini stationed in front of her house. In the driver’s seat was Ethan, his distinct blond hair and tattoos visible through the open window. He looked up, saw her, and smiled, lifting a hand.
Mandy gasped, stared for a moment, and turned sharply from the window. Still clutching her phone to her ear, she began to pace her room. “Ethan. I can’t. It’s just…crazy. Why would you even…?”
“I’ll be on my best behavior. Promise. I just want to see you. Half an hour, tops. We’ll just go for a short drive. Anywhere you want, Mandy. Just to talk.”
His voice was like molten hot honey.
“You aren’t going to make me beg, are you?” he said in that low, growly voice that sent shivers down her spine.
Mandy didn’t know what to say or think. There she was, standing in the middle of her room while Ethan Tyler, the most recognizable face of The Strum, was downstairs waiting to take her for a drive in his sexy sports car.
“No, I don’t think it’s a good idea,” she said wryly. “And Ethan, what about your security? You’re out alone in the middle of the night. Is that even safe?”
She heard him huff. “I’m not worried about the streets…I grew up on them, Mandy. I didn’t always have such an easy life, you know. So don’t worry about me, princess, I can take care of myself…and I can take care of you. You’ll be safe with me. So, you coming? I really need to see you.”
Whoa. Mandy’s stomach clenched into a tight ball, her breathing hitched. There was more than a hint of desire in his voice and she found herself lost in it. Then she sighed deeply. “I’m sorry, Ethan, but…I can’t. I wish I could, but…”
“Right. I understand. It was crazy of me to think you’d want to see me. But I was at the club with all these people and I just…I didn’t want to be there anymore. For the first time in a long while, I felt like the loneliest person in the world. And then I thought of you, how you are so real. And how you don’t treat me like I can walk all over you. I admire that. It’s actually one of the reasons I like you. But you’re right. It was wrong for me to show up in the middle of the night. Really selfish…and I’m sorry. I’ll let you get back to sleep.”
“Ethan – wait!” Mandy bit on her lip, her nostrils flaring as she sucked in air. Pausing for a brief second, she whispered into the receiver. “I’ll be right down.”
“I’ll be waiting.”
Mandy heard the smile in his voice and couldn’t help smiling herself. She moved quickly, dropping her phone into her purse before quickly changing into a pair of her most comfortable jeans, a simple tank top, and her favorite black leather cropped jacket. She skipped down the stairs and within minutes she was climbing into the sexy automobile.
Even as she questioned her sanity and what the hell she was doing, she turned to look at Ethan, who was looking her over with stark admiration.
“I can’t believe I’m doing this,” she said, breathless from the rush as well as the flash of white in his grin and the gorgeous sight of his face. The annoyed, short-tempered, and thwarted Ethan from earlier that day was gone.
To her surprise and inner delight, he leaned in and kissed her gently on the cheek, a gesture she felt to her toes. It wasn’t suggestive at all, but it still drove a pulse of heat to her groin and she felt her body throbbing from the heat of his touch. Even when he was being gentle, he still exuded strength and power.
“Thank you for coming out, especially after the way that I treated you. I wanted you so badly that I didn’t think for a minute about what that would do to you. I wouldn’t blame you if you thought the worst of me, Mandy.”
“I don’t,” Mandy replied softly, realizing that she meant it. There was a good side to everyone, right? And beneath the many foibles that set him apart from everyday people, she knew that there was much more to him than she first thought. True, she was awestruck as ever by him – after all, he was a rock star, but he also came off as someone with depth. He couldn’t make the beautiful music he did without having that special something.
She couldn’t help but think about his words from earlier that day. When he’d told her she might be in his life for a reason, to redeem him. She didn’t really understand what that could mean or if it had all been part of his master plan to soften her up for the kill. But for now, well, she just felt honored that though he could be with anyone right then, he’d sought her out. And it felt right. Here and now, with him, as they shot off into the night to some unknown destination.
Mandy pushed thoughts of her boyfriend Marcus from her mind and assured herself she was doing nothing wrong. Ethan Tyler was an important client, and right now he needed a friend.
She just needed to keep things in perspective. She’d spend a bit of time with him, and then he’d bring her right home. End of story. No disaster looming on the horizon. He just wanted to go for a drive, talk to a ‘normal’ person…surely she could manage that. Couldn’t she?
Mandy felt cocooned inside the impressive car, with the windows tinted dark and covering them in mystery as Ethan drove off into the night.
“Shall we listen to some music?” he asked lightly, reaching for the gadgets on the well-lit dashboard.
“How about something from your band?” Mandy suggested, settling further into the plush seats and thinking she’d never felt anything so comfortable. Damn, but these rock stars knew how to live it up.
Ethan grimaced good-naturedly. “Like most actors who don’t like watching themselves in a movie, I don’t like listening to myself either. I mean, I love each song and the music we make but…tonight, I think I’d like something different. I’m sure you’ll agree,” he murmured.
Mandy wasn’t sure how to reply; she didn’t know how thick-skinned rock stars were. Did he really want to hear what she thought about the band’s music? In her mind’s eye, Mandy could just see her boss Jessica with her fists readying to strangle Mandy if she ended up saying anything out of turn about The Strum to Ethan. He might get offended again like he had when he realized Mandy hadn’t ever heard any of his songs. But things were different now.
The truth was, his music was starting to grow on Mandy, especially since she had a special interest in Ethan. There. She’d said it. He did interest her, very much. He was undoubtedly sexy and incredibly talented. And he said he liked her. Wow. She still felt a little lightheaded from that and she couldn’t help but admit that he made her feel protected, desired, and cherished. No other man had ever made her feel that way.
It was nice to be needed – especially by Ethan. They’d barely just met, and even with all the sexual tension between them, she felt comfortable sitting alongside him, his hands fluttering over the wheel as he thumped his fingers to the beat of the music.
Maybe this was a good idea after all. Stylists often became great friends with their clients since they spent so much time together. Some even became like family, able to keep their most trusted secrets. Perhaps she could be that to Ethan.
Besides, if she was careful to do the best job possible, she could finally get Jessica Charles the coveted chance to be the full time stylist for the entire band. She knew what the opportunity meant to both her career and to Jessica’s. But it was more than that…much more. She truly liked being around Ethan. He was such an interesting person who lived a crazy, wild life unlike anything she could ever imagine. And he was frighteningly confident at times while other times he seemed so unsure of himself. The mixture of emotions was potent to a woman like Mandy, who felt the same way about herself. Confident, yet always so unsure.
But deep, deep down, she knew her job had nothing to do with it when she’d agreed to come out with Ethan.
He’d said he just wanted to go for a short drive with her to talk. Hanging out with her rock star client hadn’t exactly been in her job description, but Mandy figured Jessica would certainly approve. Anything to make Ethan happy, her boss had said. Emphasis on anything. But Mandy pushed that thought out of her head and simply focused on the moment.
Ethan let her thumb through the stations as they rode fast through the night. Mandy still couldn’t believe she was doing this. It was not like her at all. Spontaneous, even reckless. Because even though Ethan was now seemingly calm and in control, he was still the most dangerous man she knew.
Still hot, still damnably magnetic. She eyed him, a smile spread across his face when he turned to her for a brief moment before his eyes turned back to the road. He was dressed in a fitted black short-sleeved t-shirt with tight black leather pants. His hair was left in loose waves at the back of his neck. Her eyes tripped over his muscular, inked-up arms bared by the short sleeves, at his hands gripping the wheel, the wrists covered in statement bands. Mandy swallowed inaudibly and sank back into her seat, once again letting the realization dawn that she was taking a midnight drive – with Ethan Tyler. Definitely dangerous as hell.
For one thing, Ethan was a charmer; he had all that sexy, dark presence. He liked to talk and she enjoyed listening to him. He told her about the upcoming London trip and how he enjoyed playing the Wembley arena the last time. Then about his recent injury that had his arm in a cast for a month and about his latest tattoo. No deep dark secrets; just light conversation as he drove.
“So how’s the boyfriend?” Ethan asked mildly. Mandy shifted uncomfortably as she mumbled something about a business trip.
“So that’s your type, huh? The corporate mogul. I should have guessed. Girls like you always have a thing for those three-piece charcoal gray suit types. What are you afraid of, having too much fun?” he teased with a grin.
Mandy half bristled, half smiled. “We have fun! But I guess next to a rock star, a banker might seem all shades of boring. But Marcus is cool. And he’s very good to me.”
“I’m sure. I hope he knows just how damned lucky he is,” Ethan said, eyes turned to hers for a few intense moments that caught Mandy’s breath before he suddenly grinned and said, “Hang on, beautiful.”
Mandy’s heart pummeled as he shot them off into the night at a speed that had her feeling as though the car was flying. Mandy felt the hard vibrations of the powerful engine rumbling beneath her while she watched, very impressed, as Ethan handled the powerful car with ease as it ate up the miles.
Mandy didn’t know how far out of the city they’d gone, but with a car like this, Mandy couldn’t blame him for his need for speed and long, open roads. She had to admit it was kind of exciting - Mandy felt like she was in a Fast and Furious movie. Damn, this car could move like the wind.
“Where are we, anyway?” she asked curiously.
“We’re not that far out of town. We’re actually close to the place I used to live in when I was a kid. That is, after I was adopted.”
“Oh,” Mandy said slowly. She’d read up a little about that. There wasn’t much there, just that Ethan had lost both his parents when he was five and then moved from foster home to foster home before being adopted at age ten by a successful writer. Robert Tyler had just lost his wife at that time and had two daughters of his own.
By the time Ethan was twelve, Robert remarried the starlet Kylie Barnes, who was fifteen years younger than the forty-year-old Robert. Mandy had seen pictures of the woman who became Ethan’s mother; Kylie had been a beautiful, winsome redhead and one of the most desirable women in the industry. Now, she worked mainly in theater and was still making all the sexiest-women lists at age thirty-five.
Mandy was sad to hear that Robert had died a couple of years ago from some kind of cancer. She couldn’t help but feel for Ethan, thinking of his tough upbringing, his rough background, and how far he’d come despite it all. Not many people really knew he’d been an orphan and then adopted, taking Robert Tyler’s name. And now, here Ethan was, a very talented member of an insanely successful band. Each one of them was famous in their own right, but Ethan had always stood out in so many ways - his sinful blond beauty, his on-stage fearlessness…now she understood where it all began. The desire to be loved, to be accepted, and wanted. The desperate need to feel as though he had family…from the hardcore fans to the soft, loving groupies, he found what he needed in everything and anyone around him.
“It must have been hard for you, losing your father.”
“He was the best person I knew. When he died, my sisters – his daughters – put the house on the market. They didn’t want to keep it because it was too big and they have homes and families of their own. So I bought it, did some remodeling, and turned it into a kind of secret hideaway where I can go when I need to just get away from it all. It’s only just finished and no one but me has really had a look yet. I was hoping you’d like to see it.”
“Ethan, I’d love to, but I don’t know that I should be brought into that part of your life. The private part of your world.” She glanced his way cautiously. “I mean, considering that you and I barely know each other, it’s rather,” she fought for the right word, “inappropriate, and...”
“Because I want you?” he asked, his tone calm. “I won’t lie, Mandy, I do. So much that it’s hard to think straight. I haven’t been able to stop thinking about you ever since we met and for some reason, no other woman remotely interests me now. There I was with the usual handful of groupie chicks tonight and all I could think of was, I wonder what Mandy is doing.”
Mandy went hot and cold at the same time. Her mind had sort of shut down halfway through and she had to remind herself to breathe and get the oxygen running through her brain again. She turned to stare at him, but all she got was his profile, his expression sober.
“I’ve never really had a crush before,” he murmured thoughtfully. “It feels…great. But frustrating. Because now I want to be with you all the time. I want to tell you all my deep, dark secrets, want to take you all around the world and show you the beautiful places I’ve seen and have always wanted to share with someone special. I want to make you laugh and cry…but in all the best ways. You’re the first woman to push me to extremes – half the time I want to be your hero, and the other half all I can think about is fucking your brains out. So yes, Mandy – this is all totally inappropriate.”
