All the Right Things (Love in LA) (19 page)

After the waiter left their table, she resumed their conversation, “Yeah, it seems like it. I’m having a great trip so far anyway. Have you been here many times?”

Trey nodded. “Yeah, I actually lived here for a few years when I was a kid. We moved to Huntington Beach after that, and we’ve been there ever since.”

“Oh, that’s cool,” she said. “Which do you prefer of the two?”

“SoCal all the way, of course,” he said, “but San Francisco has its pluses as well. Do you ever get down to Orange County?”

Chuckling, Annie shook her head. “Not that often, really. I think the last time I went down there was for my friend’s graduation from University of California Irvine.”

“That’s too bad. I was going to say we should hang out sometime.” Trey smiled at her charmingly, making her heart skip a beat.

“Oh, well um…” Annie hesitated. She knew how Casey felt about this guy; he’d said that Trey was trouble.

Fortunately, she was saved from having to respond as Casey chose that precise moment to return from the restroom. She really wanted him to stop leaving her to use the toilet. It seemed every time he left her alone in public, she was running into guys who tried to talk her into leaving him.

“Everything okay here?” he asked in a cool tone as he glared at Trey who just smirked back at him.

“Sorry, I’ve gotta get going anyway,” he said to Annie, giving a small wave before disappearing out of the restaurant.

“What did he want?” Casey grumbled as he sat down across from her.

“He was just saying hello,” she said. “That’s all.”

“Right,” he grunted before picking up the menu to look through it.

“I ordered your Cappuccino,” Annie offered in an attempt to change the subject and get his mind off of Trey. “It should be here any minute.”

Casey glanced up at her and his face softened as he smiled at her. “Thanks, princess,” he said. “Sorry, I don’t mean to take my frustration with that guy out on you.”

“Why do you hate him so much?”

Sighing, Casey shook his head as he stared at the menu. “Hate’s a strong word. I just don’t trust the guy.”

“Has he given you a reason not to trust him?” Annie knew she was pushing, but she was curious why Casey felt such animosity towards Trey.

“I have my reasons. Let’s just leave it at that.”

Biting her lip, Annie frowned at him, but she took the hint. It seemed best to let it go for now and move on. Their waiter returned and took their order, and less than fifteen minutes later, their breakfast was served. They’d both ordered the Eggs Benedict and managed to clean their plates in record time.

Annie giggled as she exchanged glances with Casey. “I guess we worked up an appetite,” she said.

“Guess so.” He waved the waiter over to their table and asked for the check. After billing the charge to the room, Casey signed the receipt, stuffing his copy into his pocket as he pushed back from the table. “You ready?” he asked.

“Yep, let’s go.” She took one last sip of her water and then got up from the table and followed him out of the restaurant.

It was a short walk to Chinatown from the hotel; however, at the pace they were going, it took them longer than it should have. Casey held her hand the whole way there. Whenever they stopped at a red light to wait for their turn to walk, he would pull her hand up to his lips and brush a kiss against her knuckles, making her go all gooey inside.

Every girl dreams about finding the kind of man who will cherish and adore her. And Casey just seemed to know how to say and do all the right things. Without a doubt, Annie was fully aware of how lucky she was to have found him.

Browsing through several stores together, each of them stopped occasionally to buy little souvenir gifts for their family and friends. After an hour of shopping, they walked back to the hotel. Since Casey was going to have to report to the venue soon for his call time, they decided to curl up together on the bed and take a short power nap. He pulled her close to him so that he was spooning her, and with her head tucked under his chin, Annie quickly fell into a deep, dreamless sleep.

When the alarm she had set for them went off, Annie jolted awake. “Ugh,” she groaned. “I feel like I just barely closed my eyes.”

Casey yawned and kissed her shoulder. “I know, me too,” he said. “I promise I’ll let you get some sleep tonight after we get back from the show.”

“Like hell you will,” she shot back, playfully elbowing him in the stomach.

“Oof, okay, no sleep for you tonight,” he quickly amended.

“Some sleep is okay, but only after you’ve satisfied me,” Annie said teasingly.

“Greedy wench,” he teased back, which got him another elbow in the stomach.

“Mmpf, okay okay, deal,” he said. Glancing at his watch, Casey sighed. “Alright, I need to get up. I have to be there soon.”

“Okay. What time should I head there and where am I going exactly?”

“Leave in about an hour,” he instructed. “It’s at Candlestick Park. Just tell the cab driver. He’ll know where to go.” Casey quickly changed his shirt and disappeared into the bathroom to freshen up. He returned to the bed to kiss her one more time before he left. “Your ticket and backstage pass are right here on the nightstand. After the show is over, just go to any of the security guards and show them your pass, tell them you’re my guest. They’ll bring you backstage to me.”

“Got it,” she said. “Break a leg, baby.”

Casey smiled at her. “Thanks. I’ll see you after the show.”

When she heard the door to their room close behind him, Annie sighed and pushed herself up to a sitting position. She guessed she should start getting ready. It only took her a few minutes to change into the clothes she’d brought for the concert: a sleeveless, gold, fringe shirt and skintight, black leather pants with black, high-heeled boots.

Deciding to head downstairs to the bar so she could have a drink before heading to the venue, Annie grabbed her purse and black leather jacket and left their room. She was just about to round the corner to the elevators when she heard two female voices. Hearing them mention Casey’s name, she froze in her tracks, listening carefully to catch the rest of the conversation.

“But what about that little Asian skank he brought with him?”

“Oh please, I hardly think she’s a threat. Casey will get bored with her in no time and then you can make your move.”

“You think so?” the first girl asked.

“Definitely. Casey doesn’t do relationships.” Annie couldn’t help but notice that she sounded a little bitter at this statement.

“How long have you known him again?”

“Maybe four or five years. We’ve done a few tours together.”

“And you haven’t wanted to make a play for him yourself?”

“Oh no, I have. Been there, done that. Like I said, he never dates any one girl for too long.” Annie swallowed hard as she heard those last words. “Trey seems to have taken an interest as well.”

The first girl snorted. “She can have him. That guy fucks anyone in a skirt, and I do mean
anyone
.”

The elevator dinged open, and a few moments later, the voices were gone. Just to be safe, Annie counted to ten before walking around the corner. Pressing the down button, she stood back to wait for the next elevator arrive.

Well, that was enlightening.

So Casey wasn’t into long-term relationships, and Trey wasn’t picky about the company he kept. Annie was feeling really great about herself all of a sudden…
not
.

Upon arriving at Candlestick Park, Annie joined the mob of people heading into the venue, pushing against each other as they moved towards the ticket takers at the entrance. With the ticket she’d gotten from Casey gripped tightly in one hand, she waited in line to have her purse searched. Glancing around, she noticed that the concertgoers seemed to be predominantly pre-teen to teenage girls—some in groups together, some with their moms; she even saw a few dads who had braved coming so they could take their little girls to see their favorite pop star.

A few minutes later, she was walking down the hallway, trying to figure out where she was supposed to go. Spotting one of the venue workers standing by an entrance, she scooted over to his side and asked if he could help point her in the right direction. He gestured to the left and indicated that she should go down to the next entrance.

Following the directions of two more venue workers, Annie finally found her seat. It was way down in the front, only two rows back and in the center. Casey had thoughtfully made sure she had an excellent seat. She’d have to be sure to thank him properly later. While waiting for the show to start, she pulled out her phone to take a few selfies. After picking her favorite, she applied a filter and uploaded it to Instagram and Facebook with a short caption:
Waiting for the show to start…

Katie and Teresa both happened to be online and liked her status right away. Teresa posted a comment:
You look gorgeous, honey!
Have a GREAT time!! Take lots of pictures!
Then Katie posted a comment as well:
Get phone numbers of hot dancers!
Laughing, Annie liked both comments and then posted a reply:
Thanks and okay, I’m on it! Will take pictures and get numbers of hot dancers!

The lights on stage suddenly flashed several times, warning everyone that the show was about to start. Concertgoers who had been standing around talking to each other started to make their way back to their seats. Turning the phone on silent, Annie tucked it back in her purse, then stood up to let a middle-aged woman and two teenage girls get past her.

The Top 40 music that had been playing from the loudspeakers faded out, and the lights in the stadium dimmed as people started to quiet down. Shivering, Annie grinned as the first song began to play, making goose bumps break out all up and down her arms. She couldn’t wait to see Casey dance on stage.

One by one, four groups of dancers were lit up by blue spotlights, each frozen in various poses. Then a larger, white spotlight was directed in between the groups, and the audience exploded in wild applause as Kayla Miles began to sing. Dressed in a tiny, silver, sequined dress, the short, blond bombshell made her way down the center walkway that came into the audience as she sang the first verse of her latest chart-topping hit. The dancers surrounded her, framing her with their sexy limbs as they followed her around the stage.

As the chorus began, Kayla was spun from the arms of one hot guy to another as she danced for a few seconds with each one. Annie shrieked and jumped up and down as she recognized the second guy Kayla was spun to. Casey looked amazing, so confident and sure of himself, his movements sharp and precise. He wore a light grey fedora, a pair of black pleather pants that clung snugly to his hips and a matching vest with no shirt. The vest hung open, displaying his fantastic washboard abs. Annie’s mouth went a little dry watching him dance, his ab muscles rippling as he moved.

All the women and girls alike around her jumped and screamed as well, some of them pointing to the sexy male dancers and swooning. Mixed feelings of pride and jealousy washed over her as the other women ogled Casey, making her frown momentarily. Then she shook her head free of the feeling and continued to clap and cheer for her man.

Most of the pictures she took of him turned out blurry, but she was able to get a couple of good shots. The next couple of hours flew by, and before she knew it, Kayla and her dancers were back on stage and performing an encore. She screamed herself hoarse, cheering with the rest of the crowd as the song ended.

After waiting for everyone else to exit from her row, Annie moved towards one of the security guards to show him her backstage pass. A big, burly guy with tattoos and short, spiked, bleached blonde hair who reminded her of a WWE fighter glanced at the pass and then beckoned for her to follow him. Leading her around to the side end of the stage, he stopped and spoke to another security guard, this one tall, black and lean with bulging biceps. He looked down at Annie, his eyes flitting over the backstage pass that hung around her neck and then nodded briefly. Turning back to her, blondie told her, “This is Tony. He’ll take you backstage.”

Nodding, she thanked him and then followed Tony as he walked up the stairs and onto the stage. He led her across and down the back side of the stage, through a maze of roadies, costume racks and other VIP guests until they finally reached a row of dressing room doors. Stopping in front of the third one, he knocked on the door twice and waited.

It was Trey who opened the door a few seconds later. He looked at the security guard first and then glanced at Annie, his eyes widening slightly before his lips curved up in a slow smile.

“Well hello there,” he said with a wink, making Annie blush uncomfortably.

Trey nodded at the guard and thanked him, then held the door open and stood back so Annie could enter the dressing room.

As soon as she walked through the door, Casey was right there, sweeping her up in a big hug.

“Hey princess,” he murmured before kissing her thoroughly.

Trey rolled his eyes and cleared his throat, excusing himself as he brushed past them with his street clothes in hand, and disappeared behind a changing screen. Annie had little doubt Casey was carrying on more than necessary for Trey’s benefit, but at the moment, she didn’t really care. She loved his kisses.