Tempting Flame (Raining Chaos #3)

Chapter One

Michelle…

“Hi honey, I’m home.”

“I’ve got a surprise,” Teresa yelled from the kitchen with a laugh. “Get out of your school clothes and meet me in the living room.”

School clothes? She sounded like a mother, or my grandmother.

Bending down to pet Sylvester and grab my laptop, I headed to my bedroom.

Staying in Cyn’s apartment was definitely the best idea she’d come up with before she left.

It made perfect sense since it was paid for and we could stay rent free.

All we had to do was cover the utilities and keep it clean.

No biggie for a couple of women whose men were far away. All we did was work and miss them.

Staring into the mirror as I washed off my makeup, I wondered if Flame missed me half as much as I missed him.

It’d been almost four months since we’d seen each other.

He called and sent texts but it wasn’t the same.

Hell, even the sexting only did so much for me.

I wanted him, his kisses, his hugs and most of all his hot naked body holding me close.

At Christmas, I’d thought he would propose but he didn’t. No mention of a commitment at all. But even busy as he was on tour he still kept in touch—sounded like commitment to me.

“Hurry up, Michelle. Geesh! What are you doing in there?”

“I’ll be right out.” Smirking into the mirror, I shrugged and dropped my clothes in the hamper. Grabbing a pair of yoga pants and a t-shirt, and pulling my hair into a pony tail, I put my daydreaming on hold.

“Surprise,” Teresa said as soon as she saw me.

I was surprised too. “Are we celebrating something?” A platter of sushi and two bottles of wine on the coffee table had me wondering if I’d missed something.

“No, well maybe. You’ve been having such a hard time at work, and I finally finished the story that’d been kicking my butt. I figured why not a little celebration since I was actually out of work early for a change. I stopped and picked it up. I hope you’re in the mood.”

My stomach growled and I hoped I wasn’t drooling.

We both laughed at the loud gurgle. I dropped onto the couch and almost landed on Sylvester, who’d snuck up between us.

He too was a fan of sushi, big surprise there.

“Are you kidding me? Not in the mood. This is great, and congrats on finishing the story.”

“Thanks. I’m so happy it’s done. I was worried my editor wouldn’t like it but he gave me the all clear and I took off. Figured why give him a chance to change his mind.”

“I don’t blame you,” I said as I reached for one of the wine bottles and the corkscrew.

As good as the sushi looked I needed a glass of wine.

The tension in my shoulders was getting worse by the day.

I needed to figure out what do to about work, and definitely before Raining Chaos got back from their tour.

Pouring our favorite pinot noir, I handed Teresa a glass. We toasted to her finished project and the end of the week. I wanted to toast to the demise of a certain pain in the ass bitch, but I kept it to myself. At this point even if she died it wouldn’t fix anything, the damage was done.

The sushi was excellent. Teresa picked a great selection, including my favorite the rainbow roll.

Sylvester got his share, there was no way not to.

He’d reach up and try to knock it out of our chopsticks.

One of these days we’d need to catch him on video.

It was hysterical to watch. I didn’t remember him being like this when Cyn’s mom was alive. I guess we’ve been spoiling him.

“Do you have any plans for this weekend,” I asked as I shoved another piece of sushi in my mouth, breathing slowly as the wasabi burned my nasal passages. Congested? Wasabi was the answer!

“Nope, how about you?”

“Only the usual. I wasn’t sure if you were going to visit your mom or not.”

“Nope not this weekend, she’s doing some kind of craft fair with Jack and Sally. I figured maybe we could go to a museum to get out of the apartment. Or maybe go to Central Park if the weather holds.”

“Sounds good. I’m getting tired of being inside. Winter was a bitch this year.” Turning on the six o’clock news we watched for the weather when familiar faces appeared on the screen.

“Oh turn it up,” Teresa said, bouncing on the couch with excitement. I understood, I really did. We missed our men. We’d made a pact not to whine about it except over ice cream and wine once a month. But the longing for them was always there.

Clicking the remote to raise the volume, we listened to the reporter gush about the concert—their last one in London.

Last one? Last one! “Did you know they were done with the tour?” I asked Teresa. From the look on her face she was just as surprised.

“Nope. I was about to bitch you out for not telling me.”

“Do you think they kept it a secret on purpose or did something happen?”

“I’m wondering the same thing. When did you talk to Flame last?

“Two days ago. How about Wrath?”

“The same.”

“Hmm. I wonder…”

“Me too.”

Suddenly the sushi didn’t taste as good, it was like all the happiness in the room had been sucked out. We sat on the couch, holding our wine glasses, and staring at the television.

I was wondering if it was a live report when the “Live” graphic flashed on the screen. The reporter was backstage and about to interview the band. Maybe we’d find out what was going on. As far as we knew they had another month of touring before they were due home.

The dressing room looked the same as almost every other venue they played in.

I guess it didn’t matter what country they were all alike.

But there was something different this time—a blonde chic hanging all over Flame.

What the hell? I squinted at the TV. Maybe giving her the evil eye would stop her from pawing at my man.

“Hi, I’m with lead singer Chaos of the band Raining Chaos. As you can see the after the show party is in full swing. Your performance was brilliant tonight. The fans loved it.”

“Thank you. The welcome you’ve given us here in England has been great. We look forward to coming back on our next tour.”

“Do you know when that will be?”

“Our next album should be coming out by the end of this year. After its release we’ll post the tour dates on our website, .”

“You’ve been touring non-stop and we know you got married at Christmas. Has married life been difficult on the road?”

I was gnawing on the end of my chopstick and Teresa grabbed it out of my hand. I’d been hanging on Chaos’ every word, and even saw him pull Cynda in front of the reporter. But I couldn’t take my eyes off the bitch mauling Flame. Why wasn’t he tossing her ass?

“It’s been great. Like a long honeymoon with lots of music,” Cyn replied to the reporter.

I reined in my jealousy long enough to pay attention to what she was saying.

She looked great too. Happy. I couldn’t remember the last time I’d seen her so happy.

Good for her. She’d been through hell the last few years between nursing her mother through the cancer, and then the rocky beginning of her relationship with Chaos.

“They look good don’t they?”

“Chaos and Cyn? Or are you drooling over Wrath?”

Teresa’s cheeks turned pink and she stuck out her tongue. “All of them, well except for the slut hanging on Flame. What’s up with that?”

“I’d love to know. I hope this isn’t a public break up.”

“Why would you think that? Did something happen the last time you talked to him?”

“No. Everything was fine, at least I thought so.” It was wasn’t it?

I didn’t miss some innuendo he’d dropped, did I?

We’d been chatting a lot and it was obvious how tired he’d been lately.

So instead of a little phone sex I’d let him get to bed the last time we spoke.

Maybe I shouldn’t…fuck that shit. I’m not going to second guess myself.

He either wanted me or he didn’t. Nothing I could do about it right now and driving myself crazy wasn’t going to help at all.

I’d just have to wait ‘til we talked again.

“I’m sure it’s nothing. He probably doesn’t want to make a big deal while the cameras are on. You know how Joe is. He gets his manager voice on ‘don’t do anything to embarrass the band, remember this is our brand.’”

“True.” I laughed at her impression of Joe. He was a great guy and an even better manager, and had been her mother’s boyfriend since Christmas.

The interview ended and the local news came back with the weather forecast for sunny and mild for the weekend. Deciding I wasn’t going to sit around and mope until I heard from him, we planned on a day in Central Park. We’d work on our suntans so we wouldn’t look like two ghosts.

“Want to watch a movie? It’ll take your mind off the slut and Flame.”

“What movie?”

“’The Avengers’. C’mon with all those sexy guys, you know you’ll be drooling and Flame will be the last thing on your mind.”

Laughing as I agreed, nothing like a little man candy for a distraction. Who the hell wouldn’t want to drool over Chris Hemsworth and Robert Downey, Jr. “Go ahead, put it on and I’ll put the rest of the sushi in the fridge, unless you want more?”

“Nah, I’m good. Leave the wine though.”

It surprised me at first how well the two of us got along.

We didn’t know each other very long and yet she read me so well.

Cyn would always be my best friend, but Teresa was now a close second.

We understood each other, maybe part of it was our upbringing—both of us raised by women, her mother and my grandmother.

Either way I was glad to have her. These last four months would have been almost impossible to get through without her.

While putting the leftovers in plastic containers and the dishes in the dishwasher, my mind wandered back to Flame and the slut.

Was it like Teresa said, he didn’t want to make a big deal on camera?

Or was he tired of me? It would totally suck with everything else going on.

But then it would be typical Murphy’s Law.