“I don’t drink and drum,” he said reaching around her. His arm grazed hers and she wondered if that was by accident or design. He sipped the drink that was her special concoction.
“Mmm,” he said, gazing at her with mesmerizing eyes.
He probably had a gazillion people crushing on him, but as of now David Hansen had one more. Cara enjoyed the moment for what it was—a break from reality.
Chapter Two
David
There was an after-party that followed the show at a guitarist named Barney’s house in Sea Cliff. It was one of the richest neighborhoods in San Francisco. David accepted the invitation reluctantly because of the rumblings about his being a snob, and that he thought he was better than everyone else which wasn’t true. At thirty-four, he was tired of the games.
Driving up to the address in Sea Cliff plucked his envy string bad. He should be living in a house like this. While he had more than most people dreamed of, a part of him felt like he’d been shorted. A part of him had, thanks to Jay and his seedy business dealings.
He knew the after-party house well; attended many a gathering here. Barney’s house was perched on the cliff and had a hauntin
gly beautiful view of the ocean. There were two terraces, one the size of a small room and one just a walk-out.
David’s car angrily took the incline of the smooth driveway that wound up to Barney’s front door. As soon as the door opened, he put on his happy face and glad-handed his way through the crowd. It felt so phony, he detested himself by the time he got halfway across the room. His plan of attack was to get to the bar for a drink and then get some air.
Out of the cluster of people, emerged a woman named Nina, dressed in the tight, short skirt and low-cut tank that was the unofficial groupie uniform. She had a decent singing voice and was the type to know how pretty she was and use it to her advantage, although she was basically harmless. Some of the other guys liked to keep her around as a backup bunny in case at the end of the night, nobody better came along, but David wasn’t attracted to her and made it a policy not to get involved with fans.
“Hi, Nina,” he said as he walked by.
But, she wasn’t letting him go She sidled up next to him, too high to notice he wasn’t in the mood. “Hey, sexy.”
“How are you tonight?” he asked and tried to just keep moving.
Her fingers raked down his arm which felt nice for a change. Fortunately—or unfortunately—she had a few too many which was a total turn off. Otherwise, she might have gotten to him. Being wasted made her completely off limits.
“Why don’t you have Barney go fix you up a pot of black coffee?” he suggested.
“I already had something to drink,” she slurred. “Jay brought it to me.”
David stopped like he’d slammed into an invisible wall.
“Do you remember where he is?”
She pointed toward the crowd.
He walked her to a friend he could trust would keep her safe. “Stay here, can you do that for me? I’m going to take care of Jay,” he growled. All he wanted was for the asshole to leave.
Through the glass of the French doors, David spotted Tommy’s cupcake, as Jay called her. He warmed instantly at the sight of her. He stepped out, not realizing he walked into the middle of something.
“Hey,” he said.
“Leave me alone!” she shouted, dancing away from him.
David was startled until he got that she wasn’t talking to him. She was talking to Jay who was tucked into a dark corner. Jay moved forward, circling her. He had the cupcake hemmed between the rail and the door. He seemed buzzed as well.
Everything happened so fast. Cara shoved Jay. He stumbled and whined. He played like he was hurt, but Jay had a body made of steel and a heart made of stone. David knew first hand that he was a cutthroat business man. Jay didn’t stumble. Everything he did was calculated. Even when he bought the rights to some of David’s songs out from under him.
Jay stepped forward menacingly and Cara tossed her drink in his face. If it was the same type she had back at the concert venue, it had a lot of lime in it. Hopefully with any luck, Jay’s eyes were burning.
“You bit—!” he cursed.
“That’s enough,” David hissed. “Leave her alone.”
“You have dibs on the fresh meat?” asked Jay.