The Man You Need (Love on Tour #4) by Kay Harris Read Free Book Online

mental note that Joe was not worth the effort.
    That was before he’d smoked that joint. It seemed that for some reason, he’d completely forgotten about his fear of my brother once he was good and stoned. I was taking advantage of his short-term memory loss.
    By the time we hit the hotel lobby, Joe was all over me. I’d noticed when we pulled up that bus one sat dark and quiet in the parking lot. This was good. It meant that Hank and Sean were most likely tucked away in their rooms with their wives.
    We walked into the lobby attached to one another. Joe hit the elevator button, leaned against the wall beside it and pulled me to him. He was kissing me and his hands were roaming. I gave a little groan of encouragement.
    Then I felt two large hands on my shoulders. They wrenched me back. Joe’s half-lidded eyes flew wide. A long-fingered, brown hand shoved Joe into the elevator just as it opened.
    “Goodnight Joe,” Jack said sternly.
    I watched as the elevator closed on Joe’s shocked face. Then I whirled around to confront Jack. “Seriously?”
    “Come on, let’s get a drink.”
    Jack grabbed me by the upper arm and escorted me to the hotel bar that sat just off the lobby. We didn’t speak to each other until he’d placed me on a barstool beside him.
    A kindly looking bartender approached us as soon as we sat down. “What can I get you?”
    Jack turned and looked at me.
    “A whiskey sour,” I said, trying not to let my irritation with Jack seep over to the nice middle-aged man in front of me.
    “Same,” Jack said.
    I looked at him. “I’m surprised you drink.”
    “Why would that surprise you?”
    “A professional stuffed shirt like you.”
    He didn’t look like a stuffed shirt right then, though. He’d abandoned the slacks and fancy shirts for jeans and T-shirts as soon as the tour had begun. Right then he was wearing a plain black T-shirt that hugged his muscles.
    “I’m not on the clock.”
    “Oh, but you are. You are so on the clock. You’re working right now, keeping a watchful eye on my vagina,” I retorted.
    A few people in the bar turned their heads toward us.
    Jack rolled his eyes. “I had no idea what a big job it was when I took it on.”
    “Whatever, you should mind your own business. Just tell Sean whatever he wants to hear. It’s what I do.”
    “I don’t believe that for a second.”
    I stared at him. “Why not?”
    “Because while it’s apparent that you do some pretty crazy shit in your personal life, I don’t think you lie to your brother. In the short time I’ve known you, I’ve been paying attention, and if there is one person in this world who has your complete respect, it’s Sean.”
    Holy shit. In five seconds flat, this guy had figured something out about me. I did not like that.
    The bartender brought our drinks. I took a small sip. Jack took a long gulp. “Here’s what I don’t get,” he said, slamming the glass down on the bar. “You are obviously a fairly intelligent woman, you’re beautiful, and I know you’re talented…”
    “How do you know that?”
    “I saw one of your plays. The one where you played a detective.”
    I gaped at him. “That piece of shit. It was off-Broadway.”
    “I thought it was good. You were good.”
    “My leading man was a total tool. He couldn’t act his way out of a paper bag. He only got the job because he was sleeping with the producer.”
    “And yet, you carried the play.”
    “How did you end up seeing that, anyway? When was that, like three years ago?”
    “I was in town with a tour. I had my girlfriend along and we had a free night. She said she wanted to see a play. So I picked that one.” He took another sip, set his glass down gently this time, and looked me in the eye. “I picked it because your picture was on the ad.”
    “I hope you didn’t tell your girlfriend that.”
    He shook his head and chuckled. “No, I’m not that dumb.”
    “You still got this girlfriend?”
    “No, she’s been long