Groupie/Rock Star Bundle by Ginger Voight Read Free Book Online Page A

it was literally in a knot and I
didn’t feel that vomit would make a very good addition to my
otherwise stylish ensemble.
    About a half hour after the party
had started, and nearly an hour after Iris and I had arrived, Vanni
entered with Lourdes on his arm.
    His hair was styled and fairly
controlled for the mane that it was. He wore close-fitting pants,
no leather, and a long silky shirt. All his “bling” was in place,
rings on every finger, black and jade bracelets on either wrist,
with two necklaces visible above the unbuttoned top of his
shirt.
    As hot as he looked – like any rock star would
– my eyes were riveted to Lourdes. She was at least five-foot-ten,
and her stiletto heels put her at almost eye level with Vanni, who
I already knew stood six-foot-three. Her hair was teased even more
than mine, flowing all around her bare shoulders exposed from her
halter dress.
    The red number cut across each breast,
revealing substantial side-boob from either angle, and then
criss-crossed across her tanned and toned abdomen. The hemline was
short, which made her long legs seem even longer.
    She looked ready to lounge across a
luxury car in a 1980s music video, the quintessential asset on the
arm of any rock star.
    I tried not to feel frumpy in comparison, but I
became acutely aware of each bulge over my ample frame. I tightened
the shawl around my shoulders and stopped just short of covering up
my cleavage.
    It wasn’t the arsenal of sex appeal that
Lourdes may have possessed, but I knew how to work what I
had.
    And I already knew that he was a big
fan.
    He smiled our direction when he caught sight of
Iris and me, and herded his arm candy our direction. He kissed Iris
on the cheek and me very dangerously near the corner of my mouth in
greeting. He then turned to introduce me to his date.
    “Andy, this is Lourdes. Lourdes, this is my
friend Andy I told you about.”
    The word “friend” hit me like a punch in the
gut. I also had a hard time overlooking the fact he had talked to
her about me, but not vice versa. I plastered a smile on my face
and stuck out my hand. “Nice to meet you.”
    She smiled as she limply put her hand in mine.
“You’re the writer I’ve heard so much about. I can’t wait for us to
sit down for an interview.”
    “Me either,” I said, and that was the God’s
honest truth.
    “No business tonight,” Vanni decided
as he plucked a couple of glasses off of the waiter’s tray. He
handed the extra one to Lourdes. “Tonight we enjoy the fruits of
our labor.” He smiled at Lourdes before he took a swig from his
glass.
    Something unspoken and intimate
passed between them, and it was very hard to read. Objectively, at
least. If they were announcing an engagement I was taking my ball
and going home.
    Mercifully they glided over to where Jasper and
Athena stood, where the four of them laughed gaily and engaged in
an animated conversation I couldn’t hear. I turned to Iris but she
had already flitted away to work the room.
    Iris never stopped working, even when she was
having fun.
    I stood rather conspicuously in the
middle of the room whereupon I plotted my escape. The heels I was
wearing weren’t especially high, I could probably get away with
shimmying down the fire escape if I could just inch my way over to
the window. I turned around and right into Yael, who looked as
uncomfortable to be there as I was. It probably had a lot to do
with his carefully cultivated Goth image, but at that moment I was
relieved to know I wasn’t the only one who didn’t quite fit
in.
    Yael was a music nerd. He didn’t care much
about success and all the trappings. I had to respect that. More
importantly he was also a great backup strategy to my epic fire
escape plan. After an uncomfortable moment I blurted, “You want to
go somewhere and get our interview out of the way?” I offered, even
though I hadn’t packed my interviewing material anywhere in my
gown.
    “Shit, yes,” he sighed in relief. Like me