Page 20 of Howl for Me
I step out of the studio and see Stacy leaning against the wall, a cigarette hanging from her lips. “Johnny, baby,” she purrs, flicking ash with practiced ease. “Can I get a ride?”
I roll my eyes. The last thing I want is to be stuck in a car with her, but Hector’s words ring in my head. How impossible I’ve been to work with lately.
“Fine. Get in,” I grunt, walking away before I can second guess it.
Her heels click quickly behind me, sharp and persistent. When she slides into the passenger seat and slams the door, I almost gag. The smell hits me like a fucking freight train. Too much perfume, stale smoke, and desperation clings to the air. I nearly wrench the door open again, but instead, I crank the window down as far as it’ll go.
“Thanks, sugar,” she says with a sweet edge. “My boyfriend was supposed to pick me up, but of course he’s late. Luckily you’re here.”
She scoots closer, breath hot against my skin. I recoil from her, fighting the urge to kick her out of my car immediately. “Roll down your window. Now.”
Her eyes narrow. “Geez, okay.” She complies, the glass sliding down with a whine. It barely helps. The smell clings stubbornly, but at least I’m not ready to puke.
Fuck, I know exactly what this means. No, it can’t be. I’m just coming down from something. That’s all.
The car hums around us, but the air between Stacy and me feels heavy, loaded with unspoken shit. She shifts in the seat, eyes flicking over like she is finding the right moment to speak.Finally, she asks, voice soft but with that teasing edge, “So, Johnny, when are you going to take me out?”
I don’t even look at her. “Not interested, Stacy.”
“Mmm. Maybe that’s got something to do with that new little pet of yours. When did she show up, anyway?”
I stare ahead, gripping the wheel tighter. “That would be my new assistant Hector saddled me with. That’s all she is.”
Stacy hums, like she doesn’t buy it. “Sure. Well, I know that’s not why you never asked me out. She’s too plain. Little thing like that? She’s too vanilla, she couldn’t handle you. Not your type.”
I slam the brakes harder than I need to at the next red light. The car jerks forward and I finally glance at her, slow and deliberate.
“You done?” I ask, voice cold. “Because if you’re gonna sit in my car talking shit about people, I can pull over right here and you can walk your ass home.”
She flinches like I slapped her.
“She’s not plain,” I add, quieter now but sharper. “She just doesn’t need to try so hard, like some people.”
That does it.
“Let me out,” she snaps, already grabbing for the door handle. “Right here. You’re so fucking uptight. You know that Johnny?”
I pull over without a word. She doesn’t even wait for the car to stop before she’s out, heels clacking against the pavement, slamming the door.
I watch her walk off, disappear into the glow of some corner store’s sign, and let out a breath.
That was supposed to be me being nice. Trying to be easier to work with. Guess that’s shot to shit. But I’ll be damned if I let someone talk about Cassidy like that. She’s not some blank-slate assistant. She’s sharp and fiery. She smells like fucking lightning in a bottle.
“Yeah, I’m fucked.” I say to the empty car, still reeking of Stacy’s perfume.
Chapter Ten
Cassidy
After a week of putting up with Johnny, I’ve stopped bothering to knock before entering his dressing room. He hates being interrupted, but he hates people tiptoeing around him even more. And today, I’m too tired to deal with whichever version of him I’m going to get.
He’s already there, sprawled on the couch like a bored god, cigarette hanging from his lips, eyes closed like the world’s a burden he can barely carry. His shirt’s undone, and for some reason that feels more deliberate than lazy.
“You’re late,” he says without opening his eyes.
“I’m not,” I reply, sitting next to him and setting my coffee on the table. “You’re just early for once.”
He grunts, and I take that as a win.
