Page 5 of Rock Hard
Chapter Two
Alice stared at thefrustratingly nice view of Rex’s broad shoulders and tight backside strutting away. He was a damn fine-looking man. If only he wasn’t such an infuriating, egotisticalass.
“You should do it,” said a quiet voice behind her.
Alice had been so focused on Rex’s retreating form that she hadn’t heard Carly emerge from the bathroom.
“Do what?”
“Call his bluff. It would serve him right. You’re so good to him, and he treats you like crap.”
Alice turned around to face Carly and summoned a small smile. “That’s part of the job, being a PA to your dad. It’s actually in my job description, I think.”
Her attempt to lighten the moment didn’t work.
“You deserve better.”
Yes, she did, but to walk away?
Over the last few years, she had come to care for the big jerk and his daughter. Carly was such a sweet, gentle soul, and so gifted! At fourteen years old, she was already taking college-level classes in biology and organic chemistry online. Alice wondered if Rex even knew how incredibly special she was.
“I’d miss you too much,” Alice told her honestly.
“I’d miss you, too, but it’s not right, Alice. You’re wasting your time and talent on someone who doesn’t appreciate you. He’s not going to change.”
No, he probably wasn’t. And itwasn’teasy having to pretend like she wasn’t bothered by his lascivious behavior. Every time he smiled and wrote his name on another groupie, she felt another hairline crack in her heart. The backstage after-parties were the worst. How many more times could she watch an adoring female tug Rex into the shadows to do God knew what before her heart shattered completely?
“I mean, when are you ever going to get another opportunity to work with someone like Johnny Prowler?”
Alice gaped at her. She hadn’t told anyone about the private offer she had received from the sexy panther shifter. Known for his haunting power ballads, Johnny was every bit as popular as Rex in the rock world. Unlike Rex, however, Johnny coveted privacy. His life off stage was strictly off limits.
“How do you know about that?”
“I was using your tablet to check out the venue for the semi-finals when the email popped up.” The girl shrugged unapologetically. “Seriously, Alice, it’s a once in a lifetime opportunity. You’d be crazy to pass that up. Not only that, but you’d be putting a heavy mantle of guilt on my shoulders for being the one keeping you here. You don’t want me to have to deal with that on top of everything else at my tender age, do you?”
Forget organic chemistry. The girl should join the debate team.
“You’re pretty smart for a spoiled rock star’s kid. Anyone ever tell you that?”
Carly smirked. “Only you. Besides, we’d still stay in touch, right?”
Alice sensed the insecurity behind the girl’s bravado. Being the kid of a celebrity was tough. Being the unplanned offspring of Rex Løve was damn near impossible. They were always on the road, and Rex didn’t exactly provide any kind of mature parental guidance. Alice was the closest thing Carly had to both a parent and a friend.
“Just think about it, okay?”
Alice agreed that she would, then said goodnight and went to her own room to get ready for bed, echoes of Rex’s insensitive words on repeat in her head.
“You don’t like it? There’s the door.”
She would like to think that she was indispensable, or at least not so easily replaced. Not everyone could put up with a divo or primo uomo like Rex. It was a daily challenge to get him where he needed to be and make sure his demands, some of them downright ridiculous, were met. Gazelle-flavored ice cream? Arranging for an entire safari-themed park to close its doors to the public so he could play big, bad lion for a day? Those kinds of things took considerable effort and connections to pull off.
Which was probably why Johnny Prowler was offering her twice what Rex paid her, plus a guaranteed eight weeks of vacation each year.
Working for Johnny would be easier on her, too. As sinfully delicious as he was, her heart didn’t speed up at the sight of him like it did for Rex. Every day with Rex was like being tempted by the devil himself. It would be so easy to give in to her hormones and have a little taste ...
But she couldn’t do that. Not now, not ever. As phenomenal as it might be, it would be fleeting. She would be just another conquest, and Rex would move on without batting an eye. She had often thought about giving in just for that reason. Because, once he got what he wanted, he would stop laying on the rough-edged, roguish charm in an effort to get her to sleep with him.
The problem was, if shedidallow things to get to that level, she wouldn’t be able to just walk away and put it behind her. Because, despite his ego, despite his attitude, she had gone and fallen for the insufferable bastard. As long as she refrained, she could fool herself into thinking the only reason he continued with all those other women was because he hadn’t hadher. That if hedidhave her, he wouldn’t want anyone else.
