Page 30 of Hard Rock Tease

Noah grunted and remove his arm from my shoulder.

"We're not—" I began to say, before I was cut off by the man behind the bar.

"She a fan?" He gave me a scrutinizing look.

"Who isn't?" I quipped before Noah could make a smart ass comment. "I won't swoon over your bar patrons, I promise."

"You fucking?"

I choked on my own tongue, but recovered quickly. "Noah and I working together temporarily, that's all."

The man, Walt, seemed to relax minutely, his face relaxing. "Musician?"

"Of a sort. I'm not a rock star like Noah. I'm—" I looked to him. "—helping produce Darkest Days new album."

Walt nodded once and turned to put a glass away on the shelf behind him.

"I take it that's the end of the interview portion of our evening?" I murmured to Noah.

"Walt likes to know who's coming and going."

The hot corset girl, Jessie, came over with two beers, handing one to each of us, tops already off. I took mine with a nod of thanks. If I was going to work with a rock star, I'd supposed have to learn that happy hour apparently started just after lunch time.

"You and Noah are working together?" she asked. I thought she would gush over how cool that was. Instead she wrinkled her nose. "That sounds like the worst job ever."

I couldn't help laughing as he threw her a dark look. "The last few weeks have been a challenge, yes."

"I don't know how you haven't killed him already," she stage-whispered to me, with a grin and an eye towards Noah. "He's such a Mr. Cranky Pants."

I nearly died from holding in the laughter. It was the most accurate description of Noah I'd heard so far.

"We didn't come here to gossip." Noah sat on a stool in front of the bar. "We came here to drink."

I took a seat next to him and whispered in his ear. "I thought we came here to fuck?" The naughty part of me wanted to see how he'd respond after telling Walt and Jessie we were colleagues.

He placed a hand on the skin of my upper thigh exposed by my skirt. His thumb stroked my inner thigh, nearly brushing the fabric of my panties. His eyes pierced into me as he spoke out loud in a clear voice. "If you're so eager for my cock, I'll give it to you here and now."

I pulled back with a flush and took a flustered sip of my beer. Why did I try to play these games with Noah? He always won.

I sat next to him for several long minutes as he nursed his beer. His eyes were forward, staring at nothing.

"Are we really just going to sit here?" I asked tentatively.

"What were you expecting when I said I wanted a change in scenery?"

"I don't know. A walk in the park? Going to an art museum?"

He pinned me down with a flat look. "You realize who you're talking to?"

"You're right. Silly me. I should have known better. Of course Noah Fucking Hart would choose to sit in a dive bar to get inspiration for a song that reflects his heart and soul."

"And I'm sure you go on nature walks or whatever for inspiration."

Mostly I sat in my room, tearing my hair out and crying, trying not to have a nervous breakdown as I struggled to compose even a single note.

Noah eyed me. "You're thinking something deprecating about yourself again."

"Now who's the one who's psychoanalyzing?"