Leather Pants

  With a deep breath, he pushed his head back into the headrest of the driver’s seat. “Fucking amazing,” he said with a whoosh of breath.

  “Colt, what the hell happened to you?”

  It was the equivalent of coming. Musician style. A complete release. “I just got a head start on the fun.”

  “Ewww…in your car? It’s the middle of the day. I hope you’re somewhere private.”

  He laughed. “You’re crazy.” And he loved it.

  “I’m not crazy. That’s the problem. It’s why I need you.”

  Nice. She thought he was crazy. “All right, Sarah. Let’s get you crazied up. I’m sending my private jet to bring you here to LA. I’ll have my assistant call you with instructions on where to go.”

  “You have a jet?”

  “It’s a small one. Seats six.” Of course, he only used it for domestic trips. The record company leased him a bigger plane when he had to do the long international hauls for the world tours. But when he traveled for pleasure, he drove one of his cars or rode his Harley. Alone. It gave him time to think and decompress. Open road. Peace and quiet.

  That’s not what Sarah wants. She wanted the image. The rock star. The glamour. So that was what he was going to give the woman. But only for one night.

  Then the two of them were going to have to get real.

  CHAPTER THIRTY-TWO

  Sarah had never felt so excited. For once in her life, she was going to be the wild woman and have some wild fun. Honestly, the more she thought about it, the more she realized how much her soul had been craving this.

  And then there was Colt. Sigh…Colt. She’d been thinking about him nonstop since he asked her out on a real date, and the thoughts weren’t all good. Mostly she thought about how much she liked him and how badly it would hurt if she liked him even more. Plainly put, she was going to prison. It was bad enough to have lost her career and to endure the public humiliation of everyone doubting her word regarding the events that transpired; however, she could see herself falling in love with Colt if she got to know him a little bit more. Because from what she’d already seen—that nice, nice guy, who had a passionate, fearless side—well, it wouldn’t take much to push her over the edge from like to love. And then where would she be? Her life was about to be ripped away. She couldn’t handle getting close to Colt and then losing that as well.

  No, it was too much for one heart to take.

  So yes, she wanted to see him. Yes, she wanted to go on a date. But she had to be realistic. Tonight could only be about fun and couldn’t lead anywhere.

  This had to be a hard rule.

  Okay, that and making sure they slept together tonight. There was absolutely no way she should pass up a chance to experience the hard hot fuck-stallion known as Colt Young again.

  No emotions, of course. Just fun…

  After hanging up with Colt and still in the garage of the hospital, Sarah called Holly, who lived in San Francisco, and told her that she’d be coming to stay while she sorted out her life. They were like sisters—Holly, Sarah, and Taylor—so it wasn’t out of the ordinary to lean on each other when life got tough.

  “Of course! I’d love to have you stay with me,” said Holly. “I mean, you know I travel most of the time and no one’s home, but it would be nice to see you when I’m here. I would look at taking a few days off, but in all honesty I wanted to save those vacation days for your trial.”

  Sarah thought about it with a heavy heart. “Yeah. I think I’m going to need you there, too.” Sarah really couldn’t face the trial without her two best friends. “I don’t mind camping out at your apartment alone when I get back from my trip.”

  “You know, if you’re interested, Aunt Glady’s house in Berkeley is still available. She’d let you stay there for next to nothing as long as you keep up the place.” Aunt Glady had a small, but adorable two-bedroom house that had been vacated when Glady retired to Arizona last year. She’d planned to rent out the furnished house for income, but Aunt Glady was kind of crazy and didn’t trust strangers.

  “She still hasn’t leased it to anyone?” Sarah said.

  “She just did!”

  “But you know I might not be there for long…” Sarah swallowed. They had the pretrial coming up in a few weeks; then a formal trial date would be set.

  “Don’t think like that. You’re going to get through this. And you’re going to need a longer term housing option while you pull your life back together. This is a win for you and Glady, who makes me drive over there on my days off to work in the garden and clean the place. I swear, she thinks because I’m single that I don’t have a life. Anyway, you’d be doing me a huge favor, too.”

  The house was only a few minutes from Taylor and a quick ride into the city. That would be convenient during the trial.

  “Okay. Well, tell Aunt Glady I’m grateful and I’ll be back in a week. Where are you off to next?”

  Holly sighed. “Paris. To appraise the world’s biggest ancient dildo collection.”

  “Dear God. Why?”

  “The collector wants to auction it.”

  Holly was an art appraiser for a big auction house in LA. With her dual fine art and anthropology degrees, Sarah was sure Holly was about to hand in her resignation over this one.

  “Can you bring me something back as a souvenir?” Sarah asked.

  “Sure. Like what? They have really nice scarves at a little market I love to go to.”

  “No. I meant from the collection. I’m hoping they’ll allow a few personal items in the big house. I’m sure a dildo would score me some smokes for trading.”

  Holly laughed. “You don’t even smoke.”

  “Not yet. I’m thinking of taking it up, though. It will make me look tough.”

  “The Hammer doesn’t need smokes to scare people.”

  “What?” Sarah barked with a laugh. “How is this possible everyone knew I had a nickname but me?”

  “Sorry. I thought you knew.”

  “I thought you guys were my friends.”

  “Nope. We were only using you to get out of parking tickets.”

  “Nice. Okay, I have to run to my hair appointment or I’ll miss the plane.”

  “What plane?” Holly asked.

  “I’m heading to LA to have a little wild fun.”

  “Is it a book festival?” Holly asked.

  Why did everyone keep throwing her love of books in her face? “I’m going to party with a certain famous rock star.”

  “Nuh-uh. Getthefuckout.”

  “Yuh-huh. You get out.”

  “Wait. So you’re going to be with the man who you’re accused of being with?”

  “I have never once lied, nor will I, about being with him. It’s something I’m not trying to hide. The question is: When was I with him? And did I abuse my power and give him leniency in his sentence in exchange for hot sex? Really, really hot sex.” She sighed appreciatively. “I did not. I gave the exact sentence Wright demanded. I also disclosed my new relationship and asked him to reassign the sentencing, but then ended up blackmailed.”

  “Then why are you so convinced you’re in trouble?”

  I should’ve pushed back on Wright. I should’ve gone straight to the judicial commission. But I was a coward. “It was my responsibility to avoid any impropriety,” she said, not wanting to discuss the matter any further. Right now, she wanted to forget all about her troubles and have some fun.

  She glanced at her watch. “Darn it. I’m running late. I’ll send you pictures! Love you. Bye.” Sarah ended the call and started the car, finally exiting the hospital garage. Deep in her gut, she felt nervous, knowing she was about to leave behind—for good—the last piece of the woman she once was. She would no longer be stable, uptight, workaholic, boring Sarah who attached her entire identity to her job. She was now a bad girl looking for some fun.

  Standing next to his limo, Colt waited for Sarah on the tarmac as the plane door popped open and the staircase rolled into place.
He expected to see her usual jeans and a plain T-shirt, her beautiful brown hair pulled into a ponytail, her makeup-free face glowing with that smile he found himself thinking about absentmindedly. She had natural beauty that radiated from the inside out and that was what he loved most about her. She was real.

  His heart accelerated in anticipation—something he did not feel pleased about because he’d already decided she and he might be having some “fun,” but he would not be digging himself into a hole. No fucking. No getting himself more attached. Not until she got to see the real him. Too many women only wanted the image, and given how much he liked Sarah, he was not about to set himself up to have his heart stepped on. She would get to have her fun; then they were going to do things his way.

  The only issue was their chemistry. Not sure I’ll be able to keep my hands off her. He would have to treat her like a…like a…like a sister! Yes.

  Wait, no!

  Dammit. He’d slept with her, so that was a horrible strategy and five different shades of wrong.

  All right. I’ll pretend she’s a recently converted nun. Off-limits. A sacred woman not to be touched. Colt gave himself a mental pat on the back. That’d do the trick.

  Sarah appeared at the top of the stairs.

  What the…? Colt removed his sunglasses, unable to believe his eyes. “Sarah?”

  The woman standing there with a wicked little smile looked like Sarah—same facial features, height, and build—but this person had on tight black leather pants, spiked heels, and a low-cut black tank top with a leather corset. And some serious cleavage—boobies. I love boobies. Wait. Stop that. The most shocking of all: hot pink streaks in her long hair. Her lips were cherry red, and her blue, blue eyes were framed with black smoky makeup.

  Colt swallowed down the libidinous thoughts clogging his throat. That’s definitely not a nun.

  CHAPTER THIRTY-THREE

  I am finally free! At a quarter to eight, Sarah strutted down the narrow staircase, being extra careful not to let her three-inch black patent-leather heels trip her, while she savored the look on Colt’s face. His square jaw had gone slack. His eyes were zeroed in on her chest—men, they so love boobies—and his posture was rigid as if his body had gone into high alert and his brain waves were scrambled.

  She smiled with satisfaction. He likes the new look. Wild. Sexy. Bad girl. Sandra Dee, eat your heart out. In all honesty, though, this was the same look that had caught Colt’s eye the night at the club.

  She sauntered up to Colt, a sex-kitten smile on her candy apple red lips and a promise of “fun” in her eyes.

  “Sarah,” he said, more serious than a heart attack, “what are you doing?”

  “What do you mean?” she said coyly.

  “You know what I mean.” His lust-filled eyes swept over her body, making her feel vulnerable, exposed, practically naked.

  She lifted her chin. “I decided to get all leathered up. Don’t you like it?”

  “Uhh…well…” He shook his head, his face flushing. “It’s not what I’m used to.”

  “Ah! That’s because you’ve never seen me let go.”

  He reached out and grabbed a lock of her hot pink hair, running the strands through his fingers. “Of what?”

  “The old Sarah.”

  He gave her a pained look. “Why the hell would you do that?”

  “You lived for an entire year free from your past. Didn’t you find it liberating?”

  “I found it challenging. I happen to like who I am.”

  “Well, I used to think I liked who I was, too. But now I know I’ve wasted my adult life, trying to be perfect and upstanding. Look where that got me.”

  “I understand. More than you know, Sarah. But…” his voice trailed off.

  “But what?”

  “Never mind.” He blew out a quick breath. “Let’s go have some fun.” He turned and headed for the waiting limo. “It’s going to be a long night,” he mumbled.

  “What was that?” She’d heard him, but didn’t understand what he meant.

  “Nothing.” He opened the back door of the limo and waved his hand. “After you.”

  Sarah studied him for a moment, wondering if she should push for a real answer, but the thought quickly vanished as her mind shifted to something more important: Him. Sexy, sexy him. The way his jeans rode low on his hips. The way his chiseled pecs and ripped biceps stretched the fabric of his black T-shirt. The way his long hair fell down to his broad shoulders. And those hazel eyes. Intense at times and filled with adorable mischief at others. She wondered what his eyes looked like when he was in love. They probably sparkle and light up like—

  Wait! No. I’m not interested in any of that. Fun only.

  How about limo sex? That’s fun, right?

  She smiled and slid past him, intentionally letting her hip brush across the front of his jeans as she passed. A rush of heat hammered through her body and flooded her core.

  She slid into the seat and waited for Colt to follow her inside. Instead, he simply stood there, holding open the door.

  “Colt?”

  He didn’t answer, but she clearly saw his torso and—yum, yum—hips.

  “Colt?” she called out again, leaning forward to see his face, but he was too tall.

  All right. She slid over to see what was up. The moment he came into view, she understood something was wrong. His jaw muscles flexed, his hazel eyes were locked on the horizon, and his fists were clenched.

  She hopped out and stood in front of him. “You okay?”

  He glanced at her, but nothing more.

  “Did I do something wrong?” she asked.

  His Adam’s apple bobbed as he swallowed. “No.”

  “Then why are you standing there?”

  He cleared his throat. “I can’t do this.”

  “Do what?”

  His eyes moved down to meet her worried gaze. “I’m sorry, but I can’t show you a good time. Not like that.”

  Oh. So he didn’t want to get frisky tonight. That sure stung a little. More troubling, however, was the irritation or frustration or something rather sizzling in his eyes. “Do you want me to go home?”

  He gave her a hard look. “No. Not at all.”

  Okay. Confusing. Sarah was about to ask him to elaborate, but pulled back. She sensed if she did, things would get heavy. For example, maybe he’d finally realized what she had. She wasn’t going to be around for much longer and why bother getting closer? However, they could still have tonight to simply enjoy each other. If that meant no sex, she supposed she could handle it, though she really wished he would change his mind.

  Maybe he will. The night was still young and their chemistry was off the charts. She could easily see herself spending the rest of her life with—

  Whoa. Hold on there, Jail House Betty. Remember? Fun only?

  “I understand.” She stuck out her hand. “Fun friends?”

  He looked at her hand like it could possibly be a land mine.

  “I get it, Colt. This isn’t…” she inhaled and exhaled, “the ideal situation for anyone. But I’m here and you’re here and you made a commitment to help me live a little before I go to prison for sleeping with you.”

  He gasped, and his eyes filled with guilt.

  “Oh, sorry,” she said. “I meant that as a joke.”

  “It wasn’t funny.” He looked severely agitated.

  Great. The last thing she wanted was for him to feel bad. Yes, technically she was going to prison for sleeping with him, but that had been her choice. Not his. She would never blame him for any of this.

  “Maybe this was a bad idea.” She shook her head at her heels. “I’ll just go back to San Fran—”

  “No. Nope, I’m fine. My apologies. I owe you some fun, and you’re getting fun.”

  “But—”

  “I insist.” He gestured for her to get back inside the limo.

  Did that mean he’d changed his mind about the sex? Don’t push it. Let’s just see ho
w things go.

  She tilted her head and smiled, reaching to stroke his chin. “Thank you, Colt.”

  He nodded. “You’re welcome, Sarah.”

  She slipped into the back of the car, and he followed, shutting the door behind him.

  After about twenty minutes of awkward silence, Colt tapping away on his phone, Sarah felt like it was time to turn this night around. Set the tone to “wild and crazy” versus “we’re so complicated that a Rubik’s Cube’s got nothing on us.”

  Sarah put on a smile determined to make it happen. “So, where to first?”

  “We’re going to a party—I’m confirming we’re on the guest list.”

  How exciting. “Anyone I know?”

  “Jim Ripper.”

  “Oooh!” She clapped. “The lead singer of the Iron Crossed? I love that group! Jim is an incredible singer.”

  Colt gave her a disapproving look.

  “Not as good as you, of course.”

  “Uh-huh.” He lifted his brows, not believing her. But Colt really was the best. His deep voice sounded smooth and sensual regardless of whether he belted out rock anthems or strummed an acoustic guitar while singing a carefully crafted love song. His voice was an aphrodisiac. Move over Lady’s Viagra, there’s a new fluffer in town. Not that Colt was new.

  But my leather pants sure are. She tugged at the side seams, trying to unwedge those bad boys from her crack. They weren’t nearly as comfortable as she’d thought. Probably require a little breaking in, that’s all.

  “Hey, are these clothes okay for the party?” Sarah asked.

  “Yeah. You’ll fit right in.” He kept his eyes forward, as if avoiding temptation.

  Sarah smiled. She loved that he was into her new look. The expression on his face when she’d exited the plane had been priceless.

  “Good,” she said, feeling her nerves building a bit. She’d never been to a Hollywood party. “They’ll have tequila, right?”