8

Book:PLAY ME: Love With Sexiest RockStar Published:2024-9-6

SEBASTIAN
Her friend replies before she does.
“Wow. You guys are with… you’re the band.”
Jez grins that grin of his I’ve seen him lure thousands of women with, and reaches out his hand, “And you are?”
But she seems to know just the kind of smile Jez has given her, “I am… married,” she replies, matching his grin, but just for a moment, before she turns to Cadence. “Wait. He called you by your name. Do you two know each other? You told me you’d never heard of them before.”
I watch her, dying to know the answer myself.
Cadence looks up at me, her eyes locking with mine. I blame the sudden racing of my heart on the short jog Jez and I had just taken catching up to the girls. I cock an eyebrow, waiting for her answer, but she seems tongue tied.
“Um, no. We, er, we just met briefly today.” I speak up, just to break the silence.
“Today?” Her friend frowns a little, as if turning something over in her brain. “When did you meet anyone today? You were at work all day, until lunch time when you went to…” Suddenly, everyone turns to me. “You’re the bloody rosin thief!”
Cadence’s mouth drops open and her eyes grow wide, striking. She grabs her friend’s arm and shushes her. “Shut up, Sarah!”
Sarah just shrugs her off and turns back to me, her face excited. I wonder what I’m in for. “You are, aren’t you? The one who took the last rosin she needed for class. She’s been going on about that rosin all day. She didn’t mention how good-looking you are, though… or that you’re a freakin’ celebrity!”
I cover my face with my hand, unable to hide the smile at the news that I’ve been on her mind as much as she’s been on mine.
“Yeah. You really pissed her off.” Her friend adds.
Oh. OK, maybe not for the same reason though.
Cadence groans and the sound is seductive. I’m finding it hard not to try to commit every look, every sound of hers to memory.
“I promised you I’d make it up to you,” I say to Cadence, feeling like it’s a promise for so much more than pilfered rosin.
“That’s only if I give you the chance,” she finally speaks up. The challenge sends a chill through me. It’s been a while since a woman spoke to me this way. Most of the time they’re falling over themselves to tell me how much they love me.
Jez guffaws next to me and I guess he’s figured out who was the reason for my slip-up during our intro. Which means he’s enjoying her challenge to me a little too much.
“And why wouldn’t you?” I ask her, and hold my breath for the answer.
She looks at me, and I can see something in the back of her eyes, playful but dangerous. Who is this woman?
“Well, what chance does a thief have to make it up to me when I still owe him a spanking?” She shrugs a little to make her point and stares me down.
“Whooooa.” Sarah and Jez exclaim simultaneously, and Jez hops up and down a little out of pure excitement. I want to kick him in the shin, but I’ll save it for later when I’m not being scrutinized by this strange creature.
“Be honest, Mary, you kinda want to give me that spanking now, don’t you?” I grin at the way she cringes on hearing my nickname for her, but I can tell she won’t give into the urge to ask me about it.
“Only to teach you the lesson in politeness that you’ve obviously need.” She counters.
“Ooooh!” Our two spectators gasp.
“I’m plenty polite. In fact, I remember I thanked you with a kiss.” I say, pressing my finger to my temple as if in thought.
“What?” Jez yells out.
“Oh relax, it was just a kiss on the cheek,” Sarah tells him. And I flush at the knowledge that she shared that news with her friend as well.
“I’m not surprised that you think that an unrequited and unwanted kiss is polite.” Cadence comments.
“Was it?” I ask, taking a step closer to her and lowering my voice, the mood suddenly changing.
“Was it what?” She tries to back away but I follow her.
“Unwanted?” I whisper by her ear. The return of that orange blossom scent is making me dizzy.
The pause is felt by everyone and is only broken when the bell signaling the end of intermission rings.
“Fuck!” Jez grabs my hand and pulls me back to the door, “We’re gonna be fucking late!”
I wave him off and he shakes his head and run off, leaving me behind.
I need my answer.
“Cadence? Was it unwanted?” I press her for an answer.
I reach out for her, the uncertainty making me feel weak. I want to touch her, to know that this woman and what I’m feeling are something real.
The back of my hand skims her cheek. It’s warm. She says nothing.
“Cadence. We better go.” Sarah speaks up, forgotten by both of us.
The bell dings again and I can’t ignore it.
I tear myself away and run down the alley, and just as I wrench the door open to run inside, I think I hear a whisper.
A whisper that tells me, “No, no, it wasn’t.”
CADENCE
“What. The Fuck. Just Happened?” Sarah asks me when we’re back in our seats waiting for the second set to start.
“I don’t… I don’t know.”
“What happened between you two at the store?” She presses on.
“Nothing.”
“Come on, the way you two were talking and touching… it can’t have been nothing.”
“I’m telling you, it was nothing. We were there for about two minutes, and then he stole the rosin, kissed my cheek and ran off.”
“You seemed like… like… old lovers or something.”
“Oh, shush.” I brush away her words.