The Rock Star Next Door, a Modern Fairytale (5 page)

“I was born in Eagan, Minnesota,
just a few miles s
outh of there
.” Lex commented as he pulled into the driveway of Beau Rivage. “It’s a ‘burb of the Twin Cities.
We moved to Phoenix when I was twelve because of my Dad’s job.
”

Jessie was stunned. The Rock Icon be
side her was born in the Midwest, just as she was
an
d he liked the Chieftain
s
’
music?  Maybe this wasn’t going to be as awkward and uncomfortable as she imagined. He seemed like just a regular guy.

Lex turned off the engine. While Jessie was searching for the handle on the classic collector vehicle, Lex came around to the passenger side and opened the door for her. She blushed as he offered her his arm, just like in the old movies. He escorted her up the walkway as gulls squawked and fluttered about them.

“I managed to get
a ocean-view, so we can watch the sun set.”

The Maitre’d lead them to the outdoor dining area, to a secluded table on the end, discreetly screened by lush foliage and flowers as it overlooked the Malibu shoreline. A pianist caressed the ivory keys
before him, evoking a romantic atmosphere
.  The waitress came to inquire about drinks from the bar and left menus. Jessie ordered a wine cooler, not quite comfortable enough
with her companion to order a m
argarita.

“You are twenty-one, aren’t you?” An ebony brow
rose
.

Jessie stifled a laugh. “Try twenty-four.”

His eyes swept over her. “Not on your life.”

“Afraid so.” Jessie smiled, realizing for the first time that his eyes wer
e a pristine, crystal blue
framed in a deeply tanned, sensually carved face. She found herself mesmerized by their seductiveness.

“And how ol
d is your brother?”

“
Oh, Gee, let me think.
” Jessie grinned
. “About fifteen minutes older. H
e
never lets me forget it.”

The waitress brought their drinks and took their order.
Lex opted for the filet mignon
and Jessie decided upon the linguine that was served with half a Maine lobster.

“You are paying, aren’t you?”
She teased. “Otherwise, I’ll just go for a grilled cheese sandwich.” It seemed easier to treat him like one of the guys in the band rather than an honest to goodness date. She felt less thr
eatened, less
gauche.

“I suppose, just this once, since you’re new and all.” He returned with a grin.

Dinner went by quickly. Lex plied Jessie with question after
question regarding her music
career, so she found she really didn’t have to worry about what to say.

“So, you ran away
from home when you were sixteen . . . ?
” Lex repeated, tryi
ng to get it straight in his
mind, “Played the clubs in Frisco and LA, made your big break when you were twenty by ope
nin
g on tour for
Hot Pink
Stillettos
and now you can’t go to the groc
ery store without fans mobbing
you. Ah, the
steep
price of fame
.” He set down his fork
and pushed away his plate. “Didn’t your parents worry? Didn’t they look for you?”

“No.” Jessie swallowed hard as a rock seemed to form in her stomach at the mere mention of her parents. “They never
even
reported us missing.”

The silent regard in her
companion’s eyes brought guilt
and the need to elaborate further.  “We called them after we
turned eighteen. A
fter we
made our first big break, a record deal with StarSign,
a major company, you know
. I guess we wante
d their approval
. We wanted them to be proud of us
. They’re attitude was ‘so what.
’ They didn’t even w
ant us to come home to visit at
Christmas. It’s been
that way for the past six
years. We send them
money every month. My dad has l
eukemia. He had to retire early because of it.”

“That’s sad.” Lex murmured, resting his chin in his hand as he studied her with those enticing baby blues. “I’d be lost without my mom.”

“You mentioned growing up near
Minneapolis.” Jessie turned the subject away from her family problems. “So, you
must
have memories of fifty
below wind-chills, too
.”

“More N
ightmares.” Lex laughed, leaning back in his seat. His fingertips caressed the empty martini glass. “Californians have no clue
as to the real meaning of cold.
”

“I liked the snow
fo
r Christmas
. Once January hit the temperatures drop to zero with between twenty and fifty below wind-chills, and never warm up again until February.
Then it was just a teaser around Ground Hog Day, and another Arctic Blast would hit us from the North.”

“Then you have your first Christmas here in California and you miss the cold stuff. It doesn’t seem quite right.” 

“Exactly.
”  Jessie looked at him with amazement. “Our first Christmas here was a real downer. We barely had a dime between us, living in a dump, singing at some dive. At least they gave us free meals. It helped.”  Jessie smiled, looking down at th
e remains of her linguine
. “And then Jack and Darrell, the original Dumb and Dumber, almost got us signed on with a song shark.” 

“D
id you know its California’s official state animal?
They’re doin
g a film about them for Nat Geo
, ‘The charming yet deadliest of predators’.”

Jessie laughed at his clever quip
and then grew serious. “There are so many kids on the streets here, hoping to get noticed, hoping t
o make it big, just like us six
years ago.” She waved her hand expansively to emphasize her words. “It floors me to t
hink where we could have landed
if Steve and I hadn’t figured the guy out.”

“How did you?”  The waitress came then. “Another Dirty Martini,
and a wine cooler for the lady. A
re you sure
you
don’t want something stronger?”

“Thanks. A Banana Kiwi co
oler.” Jessie told the waitress and continued to answer his question
regarding their encounter with the song shark. “Jack and Darrell had picked him up, or rather, he latched on to them.  They had Kyra convinced that this was the big deal. Steve and I started dicing up the details.
Had we signed with him
we would have been releasing all rights of our music to him. We were signing our own creations straight away. And he wanted almost 50% of the royalties. Imagine, him getting half, and the five of us having to split up the other half.”

“It sounds like you had your heads on straight.” Lex agreed as his hand inched perilously close to Jessie’s. 

“Steve is the ultimate Rocker Biography Junkie. He’s read every biography published, from Elvis to
Linkin Park
. Fortunately for us, he remembered reading s
omething about one of them
being taken to the cleaners by a bad r
ep
in their early careers, losing millions because of bad contracts.”

Relaxing more and more, Jessie warmed to the familiar shoptalk of the music industry. 
Lex leaned forward
so their faces were close as both sat with their chins
in their hands, a cozy coop.
His eyes became a luminescent azure blue as he
reached up and
stroked Jessie’s hair reverently with his forefinger.

A peculiar feeling twisted her insides at his intimate gesture. He leaned closer.  His breath caressed her ear. “
Shall we move on to
dessert
?” Lex made the question sound sensual
. He had that way of speaking so that just one word would seem full of suggestion.

“I don’t know.” She stalled, embarrassed by the hot flush that crept up her face, and other places she’d rather not acknowledge. “I’m pretty full.”

“Come on, just a taste of sweetness?
I’ll make sure you’re satisfied.
”
His breath caressed her face as electricity surged within Jessie.

For a moment,
she thought he might kiss her.
She hoped he would.

He didn’t. But his face lingered close to hers, so close she could feel his breath on her lips, teasing her, giving her cause to hope. “
How about we share
something silky- sweet?”

Jessie
instantly
sat back in t
he chair, pulling back from the heat of him
as his seductive whisper seemed to reach right down and stroke her between the thighs. She squeeze
d her eyes shut to block out the erotic impression of his sensuous tongue licking her in places that had never, ever been licked before. And damn if she didn’t wish his well placed words were not a suggestion directed toward the dessert menu.

When she opened her eyes again, she noticed Lex has also sat back in his chair. He had the dessert menu in his hands. “Let’s see, Tiramisu,
Crème
Brule
, Almond Silk, what’s your pleasure, sweet thing?”

“Ah . . . you pick.” Jessie sighed, still battling that lovely image of Lex going down on her that had flashed so effortlessly into her head. “What’s your pleasure?”

She groaned. As soon as the words were out of her mouth, Jessie wanted to snatch them back. She glanced awkwardly at him for a brief second before diverting her eyes to the scented candle on the table beside them. She reached up with a
trembling hand to caress the smooth, waxy shaft, attempting to distract herself from her raging libido. There was nothing at all sensual or seductive about his words--it was all just her imagination. Jessie picked up the candle and lifted it to her nose, inhaling the sweet, spicy scent of
vanilla bean. As her eyes met his over the wavering flame, she caught the sly smirk tilting his lips, and realized she wasn’t imaging it after all. He was playing with her a little bit.

The waitress came to take their dessert o
rder. Lex ordered Almond Silk
with two spoons. He leaned forward
again,
placing
his elbows on the table. He
studied her.

Jessie surveyed the room, feeling like a skinny kid with braces standing next to the Homecoming King. She fiddled with her napkin, dabbed her neck, and wondered why the room seemed suddenly so hot and steamy.

The waitress brought their desser
ts, bringing an end to the queer silence
between them.
Lex sho
ved his spoon into the pile of a
lmond fluff, and held the spoon out for her to take the first bite. Jessie leaned in, curious. She’d never had the dish before.

It was heavenly. No words could describe the lush, rich, sweet beaten cream tinged with just the right amount of almond. She fairly swooned as the delightful concoction melted on her tongue.

“
Told ya.” He winked, satisfied by her near orgasmic reaction to his offering. “You want I should order my own and let you have this one?”

“No--mmmm--no thanks.” Jessie demurred, reaching for the ice water to help wash down the rich dessert.

The s
un dipped into t
he sea
and the place
emptied. Lex paid the waitress
and they walked to the car
.
He opened the door for Jessie
and closed it firmly before
moving to the other side. “Feel a little better going with me to the party now? See, I don’t bite. Never on a first date.
”

“Yes.” Jessie smiled at his quip.
“
I have to admit,
I
was terrified, at first.”

“I know.”  Lex turned the engine.  Irresistibl
e dimples framed his
smile.
“Fo
r the first half hour, you looked like
the girl on the cover of
Night of the Living Dead
.”

“I did not
.
”  Jessie grimaced, hoping her indi
gnation hid the truth of his observation.

Lex
winked at her, letting her know he was teasing her. And t
hen his voice became
a  perfect imitation of
Bela
Lugosi
. “But darling,
you look so lovely when you are frightened, so alive
.
”