Chapter 3
Damon could still feel the heat of Skylar’s tongue, and his lips tingled from that nip she’d given him when she sauntered into his interview. Not only that, but she’d smelled like some kind of flower, which was not what he had expected at all. He paused in front of his manager after the show had wrapped, a bit shell-shocked at what the hell had just happened.
Jimmy didn’t look much better; his eyes had narrowed and a scowl had taken over his face. Damon’s manager rarely looked angry, but the cleanup from this fiasco was going to be one hell of a mess. “What the fuck?” Jimmy muttered, low enough that the nearby crew likely didn’t hear it.
Skylar did from where she still clung to Damon’s arm. She finally dropped it, running hands covered in rings through her hair and bumping them into more metal from the multiple piercings in her ears. “Look,” she began.
Damon grabbed one of her hands, linking their fingers as he smiled up at her despite not feeling it. “Not here,” he murmured, tugging her forward. He didn’t trust that the room for the interview guests wasn’t bugged, so he pulled her into the stairwell instead. Both of their managers followed. Only when the click of the door closing echoed around them did he drop her hand.
He took a breath, for once completely unsure of how to handle the situation. “Why did you do that?”
Skylar cocked a hip covered in skintight leather, the hand that she perched on it making her breasts in their torn-up, black top stick out. “Don’t you mean, ‘Thanks for saving my ass’?”
When Damon had been pressed against her cleavage, that was where the flower scent had come from. Damon shook his head; what a pointless thing to remember. “I should thank you for blowing up both of our careers?” There was no way her punk rock image would be helped by linking her name with a softer rock singer like him.
Her manager cleared her throat almost delicately. “‘Up’ is the right word.” She turned her phone around to face them. “Social media is already reposting the kiss from the live interview, and it’s gone viral.”
Damon didn’t have to wonder how the hell he’d looked when she’d kissed him. It was right in front of him, playing on loop. Despite being too shocked to kiss her back, his eyes were locked on hers and didn’t appear wide-eyed at all. He blushed as he remembered how quickly his erection had risen.
“Shit, you really are a schoolboy.” Skylar snorted as she poked his heated cheek. “Fucking me will be good for your reputation.”
He wasn’t unaffected by the idea, and was glad that his jacket hung down far enough to cover his instant response to it. Someone like Skylar would sweep him up like a hurricane, and he wouldn’t have time to overanalyze his possible poor performance. “But we’re not having sex. I don’t like lying to my fans.”
Skylar stepped closer. “It doesn’t have to be a lie. I’m always up for a quick fuck.” Her eyes flicked down his body. “You’re not my usual type, but you are hot.”
There was a dismissiveness to her look that cooled his ardor and made him irritated instead. “I don’t like to be quick.”
She threw back her head, her laughter surprisingly joyful. Her metal-clad fingers wiped at her eyes. “Oh, you are adorable.”
“I thought you called him a tiger,” Jimmy said, his more typical smile back, but Damon was surprised to see his fists clenched at his sides.
Skylar shrugged. “I don’t remember exactly what I said. I was all worked up after the kiss.” Her lips pursed to blow one at him. “I like a guy letting me be in control.”
Jimmy looked away. “That’s why this will be another hit to his reputation. The stalker stuff already revealed him as a wimp.”
Damon flushed, but couldn’t dispute the accusation.
“So you really have a stalker?” Skylar asked, her humor fading. “That’s shitty. I’m sorry.”
She looked serious. Damon had no idea what to do with actual sympathy from someone like her.
She snapped her fingers then, startling him. “That’s what that story was! Fuck, whatever they were saying made you seem dickless. Even I lost interest.”
“You were interested?” Damon asked. His cheeks heated again when she smirked at him.
“You’re hot. That’s enough sometimes.” She shrugged. “Look, I can help with the wimp stuff. No way would I fuck someone limp in the sack, and I’ll let everyone know how awesome you are at getting me off. You just tell me if I need to take the heat for a breakup or if you want to continue with the lie for a while.”
The idea of linking his name with hers, even in a lie, didn’t bother him as much as it should have. Not after he’d seen her with her fan the night before. “What if I really am a lousy lay?” Damon asked. His last girlfriend had accused him of it, even though he doubted the pulsing he had felt deep inside her had been faked like she said. “Wouldn’t that hurt your reputation if it comes out later?”
Skylar shrugged. “I’ll just take the credit. I’m awesome in bed.”
“Skylar,” her manager cut in. “I’m not sure we should continue this long-term. You’re already taking some heat.”
Skylar shrugged. “Haters gonna hate.” She raised her arms above her head in a stretch before waving one of her hands between their managers. “You both look at the numbers later and tell us what to do. I’m used to disappointing people, and this is all on me, so we’ll just make sure I’m the one falling on the sword or whatever.” She started toward the stairs. “Come on, Mandy. I’m craving something sweet before we head toward the plane.” She looked back at Damon with a wink before clomping her way down the TV station’s stairwell.
Damon moved to the railing, his eyes following her progress. It was ridiculous that her teasing had made him hard again. The lower-level door clanged as it opened and shut behind her.
Jimmy had moved up beside him. “You lucky bastard. She totally wants to fuck you. Pisses me off.”
Damon glanced at his manager, but he didn’t seem to be kidding. “I—”
“Whatever, man. No way Skylar would ever glance twice at me.”
Damon took in Jimmy’s dapper outfit. His manager always looked more like the typical hot rock star. “What are you saying? You look better than me.”
Jimmy”s hand tightened on his phone, but he continued to scroll, his eyebrows drawing together. “She’s right about this helping. Already you’re hotter. I’ve been telling you, you need to fuck around more. Can’t be a sex symbol living like a monk.”
The term made Damon think about his friends back home. He was sure to hear about it from them. With the flight later, maybe they’d all drink together in person that night.
“I should go change.” Damon turned back to the door they’d initially come through.
“I don’t know, man,” Jimmy said as he followed while still looking at his phone. “With how viral this is, your normal layman’s costume might not work. Maybe we should book a private plane for once.”
“We’ll figure it out.” Damon wondered how someone like Skylar traveled. She was so dynamic, he doubted she ever blended with crowds. Meanwhile, he could take out his contacts and hide his platinum hair under a ball cap and gazes passed over him. If she knew exactly how dweeby he’d been as a teenager, thinking about fucking him would have made her laugh in a different way—and then she’d probably run.