By Degrees by Elle Casey Read Free Book Online Page B

understand, leaving me to my thoughts.
    As soon as he shuts the door, I drop my face into my hands and cry, unable to keep the memories at bay any longer.

Chapter Seven

    TARIN COMES SAUNTERING DOWN THE dock wearing board shorts, boat shoes, a white surfer t-shirt, aviator sunglasses, and a blond on each arm.   One of them is the ding-a-ling I saw outside Mel’s office falling out of Tarin’s car.   Jelly is her name if memory serves.   That kind of name is hard to forget.
    She looks much better today than she did in her mug shot.   It’s amazing what makeup and a hairbrush can do for a girl.   I try not to dislike her on sight.   It’s not her fault she’s a groupie.   Like so many other girls before her, she’s caught up in the image and the music.   I’m willing to bet she really has no idea what it’s like to live with and love an artist.   She’s living in a fantasy world right now, and I can hardly blame her for holding on with both hands.
    Tarin’s swagger is perfect, no drunken swaying or stumbling to mar the effect.   He walks like he has a golden prick between his legs and he wants all the women of the world to know it.   I force myself to think of other things as the giggles from the girls carry over to us on the ocean breeze.   Memories of him in the restaurant with his cocky casualness overlaying a crazy intensity make me go uncomfortably warm.
    “We’re not letting those women on, are we?” Mel asks quietly as we watch them approach.   He shifts from one foot to the next, nervous about our plan for Tarin.   It’s strange to see such a powerful man so worried about a simple thing like taking on a rock star.   It makes me just a little nervous too, which pisses me off.   I cannot afford to be nervous right now.   I conjure up an image of Austin, wasted on the couch, to solidify my resolve.   I have lots of those memories to prop me up when necessary.
    “No, they are definitely not coming,” I say.   “You take Tarin into the salon and I’ll escort them off the boat.   He’ll never know they’re not with us until we’re gone.   Make sure you put some music on kind of loud in case they yell.”
    “He’s going to be angry.”
    “Good.”
    My goal is not to avoid emotional outbursts, believe it or not.   Tarin has a lot of things going on that are torturing him; the sooner I can get him to exorcise those ghosts, the better off we’ll all be.   Guys like him do it though music and sometimes yelling if the mood is right. If he yells at me and Mel today, I’ll consider that a win.
    “Well, well…if it isn’t little miss uptight,” says Tarin, sneering at me as he lifts his glasses and leaves them on the top of his head. They settle into the messy, spiked hair.   He looks like a cover model advertising cologne for bad boys, his arm tattoos and dark beard stubble standing out in stark contrast to his white shirt and pale skin.   He’s thin … too thin, and it makes his shorts slip down too far.   Without the shirt on, I’m sure I’d be seeing way too much.   I’m glad for the shirt.   I don’t need any more distractions than he already offers.
    “Tarin … manners,” chides Mel.
    “Yeah, whatever.”   He turns to the girl on his left, the one from the car.   “Why don’t you go find the bedroom, love.”
    “What about me?” asks the one on the right, pouting.
    “You find the bar and mix me a drink.   Then come join us.”   He smacks her on the butt and she practically coos.
    Working really hard not to smack her myself for being so stupid, I put on my cruise director smile. “Actually, if you two could just come up to the front of the boat for a couple minutes, the captain wants to be sure you know where the lifejackets and things are.”
    “What’s that all about?”   Tarin is suspicious.
    I shrug.   “It’s not my boat.   I don’t make the rules, the captain does.”   I turn around and wave at the man in uniform who’s standing up