Chapter 6
Her head was swimming. Part of it was the alcohol but the most intoxicating side effect was due to him. He kept watching her but not really saying much. It was oddly weird and comforting at the same time. She sensed that she was being studied in some abstract way.
She wasn't sure if that was his thing or if it was directly correlated to being alone with her. The interaction had taken place since she’d eased back into the passenger seat of his Jeep after delivering Sheree to her husband.
A husband who appeared to relax the minute he pulled his wife into his arms.
The two of them were adorable. Sheree pulled away from him, then hugged Samari one last time before kicking her shoes off and creeping into her home, mumbling something about kissing her baby. That left Cantor to tell Samari good night, but not before she delivered her concerns.
Once she spoke her piece, questioned him about cheating, and shared his wife's meltdown at the club, his face fell.
The man was visibly upset, assuring Samari that he loved Sheree more than anything.
He wasn't cheating. I would never hurt her that way, ever.
His words were felt in her core. She believed him.
There was a confession about things being off lately, with no real clarification why, but a promise that it would be settled and there would be balance in their relationship again. Samari believed that as well.
Cantor had pulled her into an embrace befitting his wife's one and only trusted friend, kissed her cheek, and thanked her for being so good to the woman he loved. Her heart was lighter after she left him but now…
"You make me nervous. I don't know why but I feel like I'm being judged." Her words were soft and his eyes roamed her face once more before that deep, exhaustion-filled voice danced around her.
"Judged?" A sexy smile pulled at the left side of his face. "Nah, I'm not judging. Just trying to figure you out."
"How? You're not talking. Just staring at me, it feels weird." Intense.
"I would rather you talk." His voice was even lower than before. She liked how it made her feel things.
"About?" Those hooded eyes of his dropped briefly. When they lifted, she followed them to her hand.
"Tell me about that tattoo." The way his fingers moved across her skin created a warm flow of energy that started with her hand but slowly moved through her body.
Again, weird. It took her a minute to regain her senses.
Did he know? Her mind flashed back to the memory of her first and last video.
It was sensual, damn near erotic. Samari alone in a bed covered with only a white satin sheet.
The camera focused on different parts of her body seductively.
Her tattoos were a huge part of the mystique.
People recognized them more than they did her face.
Absentmindedly, her hand moved to her neck. The way the motion pulled his eyes with it felt erotic. All she did was move.
Seconds after, his large hand tugged at her wrist so he could examine her neck before his gaze traveled down her shoulder. Is this his first time noticing? Maybe it is. He doesn't know me.
It took a minute before she could look at him, and when she did, she wasn't sure how to read his expression. It was curious but he seemed to be deep in thought. "What do you do?"
"Huh?"
Her nose crinkled and his loaded gaze held her captive.
"Sing, play, write? Ink like that is inspired by something. You didn't just show up and pick something out of a book."
Her teeth sank into her lip while she considered just how much she would expose. While she processed the thought, her head moved from left to right, which she followed with, "All of it."
"You're an artist?" She could see his mind working.
"Used to be?" This was a touchy subject for her. She felt a plethora of emotions when people who didn't know found out. Sad, cheated, devalued, but telling this man made her feel…raw, exposed, worthy, like he could somehow understand and help her through it.
"Why used to be?"
Inhaling, she let it go slowly. Her face fell and she directed her attention from him.
"I made a big mistake. One that cost me everything. I didn't know what I was doing when I got my first deal. I signed with a label more interested in using me than nurturing my career. I released a few singles. They went platinum then I got shelved."
"Sing for me." The demand was strong. He wasn't asking and the look in his eyes meant he wasn't going to accept anything other than his demand.
Her pulse quickened and she felt her breathing pick up in intensity.
She was nervous. Forget nervous, she was terrified, which didn't make sense.
She had performed in front of hundreds of thousands of people but something about singing for this very complex, beautiful, and sexy man had her palms sweaty and her stomach in knots.
"I don't think I can do that." She laughed nervously and looked down at her hand. Her eyes traced the notes inked there, and when she felt his finger graze the side of her face, she was sure she would lose it.
"Why not?"
Her eyes rolled up to find him staring intently, brows dipped in like he was frustrated. Maybe he was. Maybe he was used to getting his way and she wasn't following suit. With a face, eyes, and lips like his, she was sure he got whatever he wanted.
"You make me nervous. I don't think it will come out right."
He held that intense stare for a moment longer before that handsome face of his eased into a sexy grin.
"I'm harmless. I want to hear your voice. You have to be able to sing with this kind of commitment." His fingers brushed across her neck and shoulder and her eyes closed. When she opened them again, his were waiting, begging her to do as he’d asked.
Never, knew a love so strong until you
Never knew a love so dangerous, had no clue
Never knew I could feel so secure and then you claimed me
Never wanted anything more until you changed me
If only, if only, if only you could see
That your heart, your heart, your heart belongs to me
Kiss me once and it's guaranteed a life of sin
’Cause when your lips are on mine is when I let the devil in
Before she could find the courage to open her eyes and see what he was thinking, his mouth was on her.
Her chin, her cheek, and lastly, her lips.
It was soft and gentle and perfect until it grew intense and hungry and even more perfect.
When he finally pulled back, her chest heaved, her eyes were low, and her lips were slightly parted.
He simply stared like… Shit, she had no idea, but it felt good.
When he smiled again, her heart pounded in her chest so erratically that she was sure he could see it. Hell, he could probably feel it.
"You just gonna fuck up my whole world like that?"
"What?"
He chuckled and leaned back in his seat, head resting against it while his eyes closed. She watched his hand move to his lap and his fingers wrap around the now visible thick swell.
"You heard me. Did you write that? Is it yours?"
"Yes." She couldn't help the smile that surfaced. He liked it.
"Was it Cobra?"
"Huh?" She lifted her eyes, feeling like she was invading his space. His were still closed when he spoke again.
"Cobra? Is that who you were signed to?"
Her face went rigid at the same time. "Yes, how did you—"
"Did you fuck him to get your deal?"
Her eyes stretched wide and she felt heat radiating through her. She knew why he was asking. Everyone asked because they wanted to know but she would never…
"No. Sometimes I wished I had and my career might not be over, but how dare you assume I did."
He laughed lightly, turning his face toward her, those low hooded eyes peering intensely like they had been all night.
"I didn't assume. I asked and gave you the option to tell me. That's what he does. It's what he's known for. You're beautiful and so is your voice. There was no doubt in my mind that he’d tried, but what I didn't know was if you’d let him. So I asked."
"Do you believe me?"
He laughed in a cocky manner. "Yeah I do and your career is not over. Fuck him and that bullshit ass contract. He can’t stop you from making music, Mari."
"He already has."
"Because you let him. You want my help?"
"Your help? How can you help me? I signed the contract. He has lawyers—"
"And you can have me. I'm asking if you want my help. That's a yes or no question."
She stared at the face of this beautiful man. This confident and sexy man who stared back at her like he just knew he could fix her life.
"Yes."
"Then let's work this shit out."
"How…"
"I don't have that figured out yet, but I will."
She wanted to be hopeful. But who was he to make those types of promises? Regardless, she agreed.
"Don't you think I should know your name before you go making promises to fix my life?"
He grinned sexily. "Asao."
As in…
She narrowed her eyes, taking him in. How had she missed this very important detail? "Shit, you're Aso."
"To the world, yes, but right now, I'm just a man intrigued by a beautiful woman who needs my help. Now let me get you home."
She swallowed her nerves and gave him her address. This was either a blessing or a curse, but whichever it was, was happening.
Samari woke up the next morning with a smile on her face, exhausted but happy and feeling content.
Asao drove her home, walked her to her door, and kissed her before promising to hit her up soon.
She didn't know if she believed him. When he left, she took a shower, got comfy, and settled onto the couch with one of her many lyric notebooks.