Page 52 of Love on Tour
“What do you mean?”
“Are you walking away both personally and professionally?” he asked.
“Of course not. Rick would fire me. But you know as well as I do that most pluggers do not become best friends with their artists. They have a friendly professional relationship, but they aren’t necessarily friends. We are not the norm.”
“So, you’ll still send me songs. You won’t pawn me off on a coworker?”
“Austin, there may be places in my life where I’m insecure, but my brains and work are not two of them. I’m damn good at my job. Rick would lose his mind if he thought I’d risk you going somewhere else. I remain your faithful song plugger.”
“Would it change your mind if I said I’d cut one of your songs?” Austin asked, a grin on his face.
“It would make my year if you said that. But I’d still insist we take a break on a personal level. I have to,” Christine said, holding her breath and hoping he was serious about cutting her song.
“Okay. We do it your way,” Austin said, not mentioning her song.
Christine drew in a deep breath and let it out. Now wasn’t the time to beg him to record it, no matter how much she needed it.
Austin reached for Christine’s hands and pulled her up. He held her hand as they walked to the front door. He hugged her and she hugged him back. He ran his hands up and down her back, massaging it.
Christine melted. She longed for affection. She’d never been with a guy who she really cared about. And she really did care about Austin. He wasn’t Matt and she didn’t see a romantic future with him, but they were both consenting adults. And maybe he could help her forget Matt.
He read her body language, sliding his hands down to her lower back. He reached for her hair, turned her head toward his, and dropped a light kiss on her lips.
Instead of pulling away, she leaned toward him. She had a fleeting thought that she wished Matt were kissing her but willed it out of her head. Matt had a girlfriend. She needed to let that fantasy go.
Austin spun them around so her back was against the door, and she couldn’t contain her moan when he slipped his tongue into her mouth.
She reached her hands under his shirt and felt his rock-hard abs. His body was perfect. She’d have to be a reptile not to want him. She tensed up, visualizing them both naked. She didn’t have a perfect body. But he wanted it anyway. She relaxed for just a second until she thought about the next morning. The next day. The next week. In this moment, they were both emotional. This would be a night. She stopped kissing him.
He nuzzled her ear. “Why’d you stop?” he asked in a light tone.
“I’m not a one-night-stand kind of girl.”
“I know.”
“And you’re not a commitment kind of guy.”
He buried his face in the crook of her neck. “Maybe I can be.”
“And most likely you can’t. At least not now. You’re just starting your career. You have women throwing themselves at you every night. Beautiful young women. This is not the time for you to be in a relationship.”
He started to protest, but she stopped him. “This,” she said, motioning between them, “is not a good idea.”
He pulled back and looked her in the eye. “But you’re the coolest chick I’ve ever met.”
Christine’s head snapped back. “Right. I’m the coolest chick.”
“Like it or not, you are. I don’t think I can stay away from you,” Austin said.
“For now, you have to. My safety and sanity depend on it.”
He held her face in his hands and stared at her. She stared back. He bent down and kissed her nose. With a silly grin and his best Arnold Schwarzenegger voice, he said, “I’ll be back.”
Christine snickered. “I hope you will.”
Austin left with a salute.
Christine sank back in her chair and let the tears flow.And there goes the best thing that’s happened to me in years, she thought. She thought of all she was giving up by letting Austin go. Sure, she’d keep the professional side of their relationship going, but his friendship had given her a confidence she’d never had before. And Austin was her connection to Matt. Even though he had a girlfriend, Christine still wanted him. She never thought the day would come when she’d be all googly-eyed over a guy. It wasn’t her style. But here she was lying in bed and staring at Matt’s socials just so she could look at him and feel closer to him. She put her phone down and fell into a fitful sleep knowing her exciting new lifestyle had just come to a halt.
