I stood on the street waiting for Fletch. He told me to put on something fun and meet him at the bus stop on Agate Street. It was right next to the Eloquent Spider and there was a lineup of people waiting to get in. I breathed a sigh of relief that he wasn’t going to make me go in there. I worked in the music industry. I didn’t need to go to a club to hear the music up close.

I texted him when I got there and he texted back to say that he was on his way, but it had been five minutes and a few guys from the lineup had started to take an interest in me. I eyed them wearily. I was so over their type.

When Fletch arrived, it was like he ran in from out of nowhere. He looked different. For one thing, he was wearing a white shirt with none of the buttons done up. His hair had been cut and he hadn’t shaved, so his chin looked scratchy in a stylish way. He had a black triangle inked on the side of his neck and a silver cuff on his ear. Returning my eyes to his hair, someone had done a top-notch job cutting it. I always knew Fletch was attractive, but before his look had been soft. He looked like the type of man you could cuddle up with. The new haircut gave him a completely different look. Now, the only word I could think of to describe him was cut. I hadn’t even known the muscles of his stomach looked like that.

I looked at him, shy and confused. “What happened to you?”

“Rin,” he said, reaching into the front pocket of his black leather pants. At first, I thought he’d taken out a condom and I was about to smack him when he put the package to his white teeth and tore at the side. The plastic was clear and he was opening a pair of earplugs. “I’m playing with Blades and Blasters tonight. I thought you might like to come if you didn’t have to cart a drum kit. We played last night and everyone loved us, so I decided to invite you tonight. But I’m not risking your sensitive ears, so I got you these. If you don’t have a good time, feel free to leave. It won’t break my heart, but as this is the last night I’m playing with them, I thought I’d invite you anyway. It’s kind of a once-in-a-lifetime chance. Can you put them in yourself?”

I shook my head, though it was a lie. I had worn earplugs more times than I could count, but I loved the idea of him taking care of me, so I watched him roll them between his fingers and slide each one into position. They were warm. They’d been in his pants.

“You look beautiful,” he said.

“I can hear you, if that’s what you’re wondering,” I said, trying to keep my excitement in check.

“Great. I’ll get you through the ticket gate.” He took my hand and got it stamped.

Inside, the opening band was playing, and Fletch turned me in his arms. He twirled me and pulled me against his bare chest. I wanted to ask him if he had always been the man who appeared in front of me, but a quiet question was impossible. Instead, I watched him as he danced and pulled me along with him. I moved my feet and wondered if I had just somehow missed seeing him because I was so caught up in my own act. Was I so focused on making sure that I came off right that I had missed that I was with a man who was sexy, confident, and exciting?

At that exact moment, someone tapped him on the shoulder and indicated the stage. It was time for him to go. He nodded, slipped his arm around me, and kissed the side of my head before he disappeared into the crowd.

With him gone, I was a little breathless and a little unsure of what to do with myself. It wasn’t like I knew anyone there. I looked around before deciding that I needed to get a view of the stage or I wouldn’t see Fletch performing. That had been one thing about the ballet. Everyone was well organized in their seats, so it was easy to see him in his tux.

However, once the opening band left the stage, everyone crowded toward the platform and I was swept aside.

Suddenly, I felt someone grab my upper arm. I turned to see Carver staring back at me. “If you can’t see, I can take you upstairs,” he called loudly over the din of the crowd.

I wouldn’t have gone with him, but I saw Renee at his elbow. Renee and I were business contacts and I’d spoken to her many times. She was clearly with Carver, so I nodded and went up the backstairs to a viewing room that had wide plate glass to watch the show from above without the ruckus of the club below.

Inside, Renee introduced me to Chase, the owner of the club. With one look at him, I could tell that the club scene was his whole life.

“So, you’re Fletch’s girl?” he said with an unpleasant smack of his lips like he was dressing me down.

I looked at him sideways.

He straightened and corrected himself. “Fletch told me he was inviting you tonight, but I didn’t know which one you were, so Carver and Renee pointed you out for me. Fletch and I are old friends.”

“Pleasure to meet you,” I said indifferently. “Is it really okay for me to watch the show from up here?”

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“Absolutely,” Chase said.

I thanked him and moved over to Renee, who was right up against the glass watching.

She whispered something to me, but I couldn’t hear her, so I pulled out an earplug. “Come again?”

“Are you really dating him?” she asked, pointing to Fletch, who had just come out onto the stage completely shirtless.

My heart caught on the sight of him and almost stopped. The other band members were moving around, taking their positions, but the drum set was lit by a spotlight and he was the only thing anyone could see. He took up the drum sticks and it felt like the show started with him. The rest of the stage lit up, showing two guitarists and the singer, but who was interested in them?

“Yeah,” I muttered to Renee. “He’s my boyfriend.”

“You need to watch out for Ringlet,” she warned. “She wants him so bad, it’s coming out of her ears.”

“She’s the singer? Isn’t he only playing with them tonight? How can it matter what she thinks of him after tomorrow when she moves onto her next tour destination?”

Renee rolled her eyes. “This warning isn’t for next week. It’s for tonight. It’s timely! Do not let that man out of your sight.”

I leaned against the wall. “He won’t cheat on me.”

Renee shrugged. “If you say so.”

Chase’s phone rang and after exchanging a few brief words with the person on the other end of the line, he stood up. “Renee, we’ve got a problem. Come back to the office with me. Please excuse us. We’ll be right back.”

As soon as they were gone, I again felt Carver’s eyes boring into me. Was he checking out my butt or killing me with the daggers in his eyes? I wasn’t overly curious, but my self-preservation instincts made me turn to evaluate the threat.

When I saw his expression, I was a bit taken aback. He was looking at me like the act of looking at me satisfied him. Which was weird. No one just wanted to look at me. Everyone wanted to touch. “What do you want?” I asked smoothly.

“Do you know, I never feel envious.”

“Really?”

“Yeah. I have never wanted something someone else has. I only want what I have or what I can get for myself. What other people have is none of my concern. Except, I do feel… what would you call it… rage when someone takes something that doesn’t belong to them.”

“Hmmm. What has been taken from you?”

“You.”

“How so?”

“You were supposed to put that gun into my back,” he said, fire in his voice.

“It wasn’t a real gun,” I said, with water in my tone.

He scoffed and took a step closer to me. “There was more going on that night than you are admitting. You or Natalie is lying to me. But why?”

I put up my hand to stop him from saying anything more. “Listen, none of that old stuff matters. I am no longer friends with Natalie and you gave her the chance of a lifetime signing her up with DJ Falconhands even though you know she’s violent. You saw her behave violently. I left that night with Fletch and he was so good to me, I never want to leave him, no matter how much or how little he has.”

“But if you had kidnapped me as you planned, I would have been the one you left with?”

“Ah. You feel cheated,” I acknowledged.

“You called him by my name, drove the barrel of a gun into his back, and made him go with you,” he explained with exasperation.

I regarded him curiously. “And you’ve always wanted a woman to do that to you?”

“I haven’t wanted just any woman to do that. I didn’t even know who you were, but the moment I saw you, I knew I was being cheated. It should have been me.”

I cocked my head to the side. “But, it wasn’t.”

“Listen, I did the cookie thing and asked for your number. You gave me that ridiculous slip of paper and I fell for it. I came to your office, I tried to make it clear that I want a date with you, and you shut me down saying you’re seeing this guy,” he whined, waving a hand at Fletch through the glass. “I just want one date with you. I’m sure I can put everything back to the way it is supposed to be if you’ll give me a few hours.”

“Carver, I don’t think you understand. Fletch did something to me,” I said conspiratorially.

Wide-eyed, he asked, “What?”

“He made me fall in love with him, and I fell… hard.”

“Oh? You like this little show? You must know that I am a producer for Blades and Blasters. Rin is one of my stars and I told her to ask Chase for Fletch to play at this show. Do you think he’d rather go on tour with her or stay here and date you?”

I looked down at the stage. He was twirling the drumstick he wasn’t using in his free hand. From his expression, his smile, and the way he thumped out the rhythm of the song, it looked like one of life’s highs. He had not looked like that when he played the triangle for the orchestra.

Carver came up behind me. “One’s fortune and fame, with a famous beauty at his side. And the other is what? What do you have to offer him, Shannon?”

What Carver wasn’t saying was that if Fletch turned down the offer, and Shannon didn’t come to Carver on her own, he would do everything he could to make sure that Fletch never got a decent job again.

Whatever Fletch thought of the deal, I had to handle things in my own way, so I turned to Carver and answered, “The barrel of a gun between the third and fourth ribs. I’ve heard that’s pretty desirable.”

“One date,” Carver continued. “Is all I’m asking for.”

I was tired of talking to him. He was boring and he was ruining the pleasure of watching Fletch. I sighed and pretended to relent. “Listen, even if you are only asking for one date, I think you want something rather specific. Why don’t you make me a list, describing your fantasy date in as much detail as possible and I’ll see what I can do for you?”

Color flooded his cheeks. “Do you want it by tonight?”

I leaned toward the band playing. “There’s no need to rush. It’s your perfect date. You don’t want to be too hasty. Take your time and really think about what you want.” I put my earplug back in and hoped that was enough to signal the end of our conversation.