Page 76 of Deeper

“Nonsense, we’ll wait right here,” Teddy insisted.

When he spoke, he had a slow, deep voice. The sound of it made me think of syrup. His English accent was nowhere near as thick as Zander’s, but distinct enough all on its own.

“Frankly, I’m surprised he could find his way outside,” Teddy mumbled as he eyed the studio door with the tiny window and imagined Zander inside.

“He’s got a new song out,” one of the men offered with a shrug.

“So, I guess we’re onhistime, then, huh?” Teddy asked the woman with the iPad.

With his back to me, I could see redness on the back of one of Teddy’s arms. He’d just gotten fresh ink. On his left tricep, he had a tattoo of crossed arrows, and between each axis was a letter:J, O, V,andZ.

He turned and faced the window again, not paying attention to the woman’s reply.

His lips were pressed into a fine line, while a very serious expression hung on his face as he concentrated on watching through the glass.

Soon, Teddy reached up and raked a hand through his messy curls and found a seat next to me. The crease in his forehead deepened as he took me in, and slowly I watched as a corner of his mouth curled up until a dimple embedded his cheek. A devilish dimple that definitely saw him out of trouble more than a few times.

Teddy Sykes was a charmer. I could tell by the way his brown eyes peered into mine. He was reading me, plotting and planning, in almost a predatory fashion.

“Bianka,” Rajaa spoke up. “Want to trade seats?”

That smile broadened as Teddy set his attention on Rajaa, silencing him. I didn’t know Rajaa that well, but he didn’t seem like the confrontational type, hence his quietly going back to his phone.

I wasn’t the most comfortable, but I also didn’t want to make a fuss. Like the receptionist said, Zander would be out at any moment. He’d spent a good thirty minutes talking already.

A pretty redheaded girl popped into my head and I knew I couldn’t let this opportunity pass me by.

I cleared my throat, anxiously turning my body towards Teddy. “Um, excuse me, I hate to do this, but…could I have your autograph? A friend of mine is a huge fan and she’d never forgive me if I didn’t do this.”

Teddy coolly shrugged. “Sure.”

And then I realized I didn’t have anything for him to sign. In my purse, I found a receipt from the local grocery store. How pathetic was that?

“Do we have anything fun to sign, Fiona?” Teddy spoke to the woman with the iPad across the room.

Quickly, she dug around in her briefcase-style bag and procured a magazine. It was aRolling Stone, and upon her coming and handing it to me, I examined the cover. Naturally, Teddy was gracing it in an impeccable closeup shot. His hair was wet and slicked back, and the plain look on his face as he stared into the camera made the image that much more appealing. There was no denying Teddy Sykes was a handsome guy. Movie star good looks, rock star rebellion, and the voice of an angel—or so his fans opined.

I ran my thumb over the subtitle.Teddy Sykes, Confessions of a Young Rock Star.

Wow.

I handed the magazine to Teddy. “Her name’s Holliston, H-O-L-L-I-S-T-O-N.”

Fiona had handed him a Sharpie and he was quick to prop his leg up and lean over to write a little message to Holly before signing his name.

When he handed the magazine back, I read over what he’d written and grinned.

Hey, Holliston :) Perhaps we’ll meet some other time and it’ll be extraordinary – Teddy Sykes

I opened my mouth to thank him, but the words never managed to escape my lips.

The studio door was open and Zander and Paul were leaving. Zander had been smiling along with Paul at something Eddie had shouted out to them, but all traces of humor evaded them as they set eyes on Teddy. Zander’s dark gaze bounced from Teddy to me and back as Paul tried to get a hold of his arm.

Tension set in the air quick. I got high off all the testosterone in the ether.

Beside me, Teddy’s smile turned Cheshire as he rose to his feet and we all collectively caught our breath, watching him walk straight up to Zander without a care in the world.

As if it were possible, the waiting area got smaller. Across the room were Teddy’s people seated in a row of chairs, while we sat on our side in our seats. The two men on their feet had all of our attention. Watching them, it was like the clash of the titans.

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