Page 15 of Her Beastly Billionaire Rock Star
Chris didn’t seem to fit the mold of the typical rock star. He was shorter than Malakai by a few inches, his hair was close-cropped, and he was beefy. Not overweight, but thickly built. Now that she was seeing him up close and in person, he looked extremely familiar, only she couldn’t quite figure out why.
When she’d researched Malakai, the rest of the group naturally pulled up as well. Chris had joined the band a couple of years ago when the original bass guitarist decided he was done with all the nosey reporters. Chris’s following had quickly eclipsed the last guy, and now that Charlotte had heard him speak, she suspected it had something to do with his accent.
Malakai’s gaze followed Chris’s, and his smile faltered a moment before he returned his attention to Chris. “That’s my jailer, Charlotte Gooding.”
Her heart sank a little that he’d refer to her like that, but she understood. In his mind, that’s exactly what she was. She made her way down the stairs, and when she reached the first-floor landing, she stayed by the banister.
“I’m Chris.” He approached her, taking her hand and kissing the top of it. “You are simply adorable.”
“Uh.”
Malakai smacked him on the bicep. “Would you cut it out? If you get me sent back to that rehab facility, I’m keying that sweet little Jag you’ve got.”
Chris laughed, rolling his eyes. “Don’t listen to him. He’s all bark and no bite.” He winked.
Malakai side-eyed her, the corners of his lips lifted just slightly. “I do bite.”
Charlotte laughed, tucking a piece of hair that had fallen out of her ponytail behind her ear. Now that she knew who had come to visit, she could go upstairs and text Octavia. “I’ll go so you guys can visit.”
Chris shook his head. “Oh, sweetheart, no. I’ll be heartbroken if I have to look at his ugly face the whole time I’m here.”
She glanced at Malakai. “I don’t want to intrude.”
Malakai rolled his eyes and then caught her gaze. “It’s fine if you want to supervise. I know you have to.”
That was his way of saying Chris had no idea he’d hired an image firm. She gave him a slight nod that she understood. “I hate to do this, but can I see your pockets?”
Chris pulled the insides of his pockets out. “See? No contraband. I’m clean as a whistle.” He winked again.
“Thank you,” Charlotte replied. “I promise I’ll keep everything said confidential.”
Malakai waved for Chris to follow him. “Come on in and take a seat.”
Chris bowed dramatically. “Beauty before fame.”
Charlotte’s cheeks heated with the attention. She tucked her chin to her chest and trailed behind Malakai with Chris keeping pace with her.
“So, Charlotte, how did you land this horrible gig?”
“It’s not been that horrible.”
Malakai reached the sofa and sat down, putting his ankle over his knee. “See? I’m not that bad.”
Chris leaned in. “You’re horrible, and you know it.” He plunked down in the chair adjacent to the couch with his leg hanging over an arm.
Charlotte scooted past them and curled up in the chair, hoping to make herself as invisible as possible. She discreetly pulled out her phone and texted Octavia, setting it to silent before slipping it back in her pocket. The last thing she needed was her phone to chime or for Malakai to find out she was reporting back to Octavia.
At least it was rather benign. Of course, Malakai’s bandmates would visit him. That made her feel less like a fink. Well, just marginally less. She had no idea how she was going to get to know him without feeling pulled in two. Hopefully, she’d find out how Octavia stole the company before things got much deeper.
Chapter 7
Malakai tried to ignore Charlotte by keeping his focus on Chris. “So, why are you here?”
“I wanted to see how you were doing.” The man cut a glance at Charlotte. “And I wanted to meet the woman given the chore of babysitting you.”
“Shut up, you jerk.”
“Fine.” Chris straightened in the chair. “How are you doing?”
