Taking Stage 3: A Night With the Rock Star by Emma Rose Page A

company for lunch or some other triviality. She looked at the computer screen. This could wait. “Um...send her on back.”
    Natasha paused for a moment, then said. “Okay.”
    She saved her work on the computer. It was too early for lunch, so maybe her sister wanted her to buy her a Starbucks coffee or something. Footsteps approached the door of her office. She stood up, expecting Nikki to walk back there with her mouth going a mile a minute. Instead, Max Stone walked into the room.
    “Hey,” he said.
    Therese felt the breath huff from her threat on a note of surprise. She sank abruptly back down in the chair. And stared. Max was wearing his usual black boots, jeans, and white shirt combination. If it worked, there was no reason to change it, right? But this time, his hair was loose, a thick waterfall of darkness hanging to his shoulders and down his back. He had a pair of sunglasses hooked in the neck of his shirt.
    He looked sinfully fuckable.
    “Sorry I didn’t call first,” he said with a crooked smile. “But I don’t have your phone number.”
    Therese just felt her mouth open and close, like a goldfish, in surprise. Max Stone was here. In her office. Okay, she said to herself. Get it together.
    “How did you know where to find me?”
    “I asked your sister. I told her that I had a thank you gift I wanted to give you but couldn’t have it sent to your apartment.” He looked pretty pleased with himself for coming up with that one.
    Therese shook her head. “I don’t even want to know how you have Nikki’s number.”
    Max shrugged. “She passed it around the night of the concert. I kept it in case I couldn’t get you to give me yours.” He shoved his hands in his pockets, watching her with his dark and slumberous eyes. He looked tired but happy.
    “You should have at least called the store to let me know you were coming,” she said, slowly getting her bearings back.
    “I didn’t want to give you a chance to say no to seeing me.” He shrugged, a charming devil’s smile on his full mouth.
    I could never say no to you. The thought came and went. And it was true.
    “So you’re here just to see me?”
    “There’s no just about it. I’m here to see you, period.”
    His smile widened. It was great to see him. He knew that. His already tanned skin had a hint of a deeper hue, perhaps he’d spent the day in Miami before his concert laying out on the beach. Wait a minute, wasn’t he supposed to be somewhere else?
    “You should be in Los Angeles now,” Therese said.
    His mouth twitched with laughter, like the thought of her knowing where he was supposed to be both flattered and amused him. “That’s true. But the second LA show isn’t until tomorrow night. I have at least a day to kill.”
    His words slowly registered in her mind. It was Wednesday. He had had a show in the Hollywood Bowl on Tuesday night and had another practically sold out one on Thursday night.
    “I want to spend the day with you,” he said, his voice deep and rough. “Can I?”
    She didn’t have enough reasons in the world to tell him no.
    “Let me get my things.”
    Therese grabbed her purse, her cup of hot chocolate and left her office with Max in tow. At one of the dress racks, helping a customer pick out something for a wedding—or at least that was what Therese heard as she approached—Natasha stared at her and at Max.
    “Natasha, I’m going to step out for a while. Call me if you need anything at all. I’ll keep my cell phone on.”
    The girl’s eyes darted between Max and Therese, shock on her face.
    “Um…okay.” She stared at Max again as if she wanted to ask something, then shook her head. “Okay. I guess I’ll see you tomorrow then.”
    “Yes. I left Josephine a message letting her know I’m leaving, but please remind her if she calls looking for me.”
    “I will.”
    The customer, a pretty woman in all black, was too busy looking in the mirror to pay Max any attention. Therese and Max walked out