Page 7 of Grip Me Tight
I keep my eyes forward as the car rolls up next to me, not wanting to encourage anything.
“Hey, princess? Do you still drink iced coffee?”
I slide my gaze to the right. Tanner has the window down on whatever this low-slung, fancy looking black sportscar is, his elbow resting on the door. I wonder if Mom has seen this car yet. It looks like something she’d give her left arm to drive. He pulls his aviators down, his gaze travelling the short distance from my head to my runners. I resist the urge to jump in the nearest hedge, self-conscious from my sweaty boobs and messy ponytail. This guy is always going to see me at my worst, isn’t he?
Claire perks up next to me, her perfect dark red ponytail, long legs and tiny sports bra looking like a Nike ad for long distance runners. She jogs in place, flashing her one-hundred-watt smile. “She definitely does. I like something with a little whipped cream myself.”
Oh my god. What happened to my brainiac best friend? Yesterday, she lost the ability to speak when he first sat down and now, I’m embarrassed for her with that obvious double-entendre, but Tanner seems to think it’s cute. He smirks, “Noted.”
“Why are you going out for coffee?” With the party coming up, Mom has everything locked and loaded, including coffee for “her favorite boys”.
He shrugs. “I don’t know. Something happened with the fresh ground this morning – Hugo punctured the bag?”
Ahh, that could have happened. Hugo’s our cat. A huge grey furry thing who loves coffee. Mom is always trying to keep him away from the foil packs because he digs his nails into them and then licks the holes. He’s weird, but so cute and he’s a popular feature on Gordon’s Instagram so if he needs his coffee fix, I’m cool with that. I can imagine Mom freaking out at the thought of Hugo’s cat hair anywhere near something we might eat or drink, so I can picture her panic this morning.
“Anyway, Emma sent me out with a list. I figure you might like a cold drink after your workout.”
“That is so thoughtful of you,” Claire says looking in my direction with her eyebrows raised so high they practically disappear into her hairline. “Isn’t that kind, Sterling?”
“Why are you going? Don’t you need a full security complement to keep all the desperate women at bay?” Jesus Christ. I bite down hard on my tongue. I need a better filter between my inside voice and the words that come out of my mouth. I would much rather never have the ability to speak again than to let Tanner think I cared about his popularity.
“It’s a mobile order and I’m happy to run an errand for your mom. The list is just for me to check when I get to the café. If I’m lucky, I’ll only run into one woman, if a woman happens to be dealing with the order. I’m under a pretty tight deadline to bring back coffee and pastries, but it’ll take a couple of minutes for your iced coffee and something with extra cream for your friend,” he winks at Claire. “What do you think, Red, the extra time might work in my favor for a parking lot quickie if she’s a fan?” He glances around the street before turning back to look at us. “It’s a pretty posh zip code though, which means there might be a desperate housewife or two looking for some excitement if I can’t get laid at the café.”
Tanner turns back to me and even though his sunglasses are firmly in place, I can picture exactly the way his dark eyes are flashing with his sardonic comment. I don’t know what it is about Tanner that brings out the worst in me. “Depends on how fast they are with the iced coffees. Should I tell Mom she might have to wait on her coffee to give you enough time? Ten minutes should just about do it, right?” I make a big show of flashing up my watch and swiping the face over to the timer.
His mouth tightens before he tilts his head towards Claire. This time he slides his sunglasses down, peering over the tops as he gives her an indecent once-over. “What do you think, Red? Would you be satisfied after ten minutes?”
Poor Claire. I can hear her shorts melting off her body from where I’m standing.
I clap my hands against my thighs. “Well, as fun as it’s been running into you this morning, you should probably get going.”
He sighs, putting his glasses back in place. “Already with the demands, princess. Iced coffee and something creamy for Claire. Got it.”
“I never asked—”
But the car is already moving, the low, rumbling purr a subtle vibration in my tummy.
“Uh. What just happened?” Claire asks, dazed.
I have no idea, but I don’t like the way my heart is racing. Clearly, I need to work out more.
4
Tanner
Two more days. The party is set for tonight and then I’ll stick around for tomorrow and head out for our Chicago shows the morning after that.
I like to help out with cleanup, even though the Whitlocks hire a company to take care of everything like dishes and chairs and restoring the lawn. When I first started coming out here in the summers, I didn’t even know you could hire a company for a backyard party. Emma loves to prepare a few dishes herself, and Stella’s signature baked goods make an appearance too. Don likes to throw on an apron with a cheesy saying, like ‘the BBQ isn’t the only thing getting lit’ and spend some time flipping burgers, but a catering company handles the rest, so he can also relax with his guests. The company comes back the next day to haul everything away and clean up the grounds.
My phone buzzes in my back pocket and I take off the work gloves I’m wearing to stack firewood before checking to see what’s happening. It’s another number I don’t recognize. This is starting to piss me off. It’s not like this number is public, and I just changed it after the Allflix Natasha mess. I answer the phone. “Hello?”
Nothing. Not even some theatrical heavy breathing. I punch the off button angrily. Who even makes calls like this anymore?
“Something wrong?” Don stops near me with a wheelbarrow of log splits, his brows drawn together in concern.
Don is the closest thing I’ve ever had to a real father but there is no way I’m going to worry him – and Emma by extension – over some stupid phone calls. It’s bad enough I had to call them and explain the Natasha situation. It’s been a tough year and a half for us. Some crazy person broke into Noah’s place and tried to take Gordon, Slade got dragged for that sex tape surfacing and then Natasha and her boyfriend hit the news with their fantasy about me. I don’t need anything else to worry about. I just need to keep the label happy, pull some award-winning music out of my ass, keep the guys out of trouble long enough to get through our upcoming break and focus on the European Tour.
Piece of cake. I stuff my phone back in my pocket. “Nope. Just a wrong number.”
