Instead of looking directly at me, she looked over my shoulder and said, “I think you may have company.” A sly smile spread across her face. Afraid of who or what I was going to find, I spun around and saw the guy from the band headed my way.

He was even more gorgeous up close and personal than he appeared up on stage, if that was even possible. Unable to see his eyes from afar, I was then able to see the unusual steel gray color and his eyelashes that were so thick and long, it almost appeared as if he wore eyeliner and mascara. His facial features were strong and masculine, a chiseled jaw line and defined high cheek bones. He had a small lip ring on his lower right lip that I instantly wanted to reach out and touch. He had changed shirts to a solid red t-shirt so that he was no longer wearing wet, sweaty clothes and he smelled like he was fresh from the shower. Throw in the vibrant, colorful tattoos that covered a good part of his upper body and voila, my dream bad boy rocker had come to life before my eyes.

“Hey, I’m Mason, but most people call me Rat,” he smiled and stuck his hand out to greet me. He carried himself with an aura that exuded confidence and sex. He was used to being the center of attention and had probably never been denied by a female in his life. I knew that his arrogance should have turned me off and made me run the other way, but there was something about his cockiness that I found irresistible, and his drop dead good looks didn’t hurt either.

“Hi, I’m Scarlett,” I introduced myself and shook his hand. “It’s nice to meet you, Mason.”

“I overheard you saying that you were headed to get a drink as I walked up. Would you be interested in joining me for one at my table?” he asked pointing to the area where his friends sat.

I looked around for Evie who was watching my exchange with Mason from the lap of her newly chosen BB. I lifted my eyebrows at her and tilted my head towards the area where Mason’s tables were. She nodded her head understanding the message I was trying to relay. I turned back towards Mason and grabbed my purse off the table, “I’d love to.” I tried to keep my facial expressions and body movements in check as if I did this kind of thing all the time, but inside it was like fireworks were going off. I was overflowing with excitement and anticipation and I couldn’t wait to see Ash’s reaction to me sitting with Mason at his table.

Chapter 17

The daggered looks that were shot my way from nearly every other female in the warehouse as I walked across the room hand in hand with Mason didn’t end when we reached his bandmates and friends. We walked around the tables and I was introduced to the other members of Jobu’s Rum - Cruz, Aaron, and Sebastian. Mason dismissed several girls that were hanging around his stool. He slid up onto it and instead of pulling an additional one up for me, he positioned us as many couples throughout the warehouse were, with me on his lap.

It felt a little weird to be honest. I had just met this guy and I was perched on his lap like we had known each other for a while. Well at least more than five minutes. We hadn’t said much to each other except our names and to determine that I wanted something to drink, but something about being with Mason felt so natural. He had no reservations about touching me in front of everyone; it was never in a disrespectful way but he had his hands on some part of my body at all times, unless they were occupied with his beer. Being with him also made me feel so bad and I found that I loved the adrenaline rush.

Once we were comfortably settled with our drinks and before saying another word, he grabbed both sides of my face in his hands, looked into my eyes, and pulled my mouth to his. The kiss was much softer and gentler than I had expected. His lips felt like silk up against mine and his tongue teased ever so lightly as he traced my lips, requesting entrance to my mouth. I involuntarily groaned and my lips parted allowing him easy access to my complete seduction. I could feel the metal ring on his bottom lip pressed against mine and I couldn’t help but run my tongue over it. The guy oozed with pure, unadulterated sex. I was so out of my league.

He moved his hands down to my neck and broke the kiss, but kept his face close enough that his nose was nearly touching mine. “Why did you look away from me earlier?” he asked.

“I don’t know, I guess I was embarrassed that you caught me watching you,” I admitted shyly.

“Embarrassed, huh?” He kissed me again and laughed softly against my mouth. “That’s a new one.”

“What do you mean?” I pulled back from him just a little bit more so that I could get a better read on his eyes. My heart was pounding erratically in my chest and I felt a warm tingle throughout my body. My brain had turned to mush some time ago and I was having trouble processing and understanding the events of the last hour. I wasn’t sure of much, but there were a few things that I knew ~ 1.) Ash was somewhere in the warehouse on a date with another girl; 2.) Dylan was not anywhere near this place, but for all I knew he could be making out with some bimbo himself because somehow I had become his Saturday-only girl; and 3.) I was sitting in the lap of a sexy ass local rock star that wanted to spend time with me and make me feel good, which in turn should’ve helped me to forget about #1 and #2.

Mason leaned back in towards me, resting his forehead on mine. My hair fanned around us, forming a shield of sorts, blocking us from those around us. “Most girls, Scarlett, are dying for me to pay attention to them. They want me to catch them staring at me. And once I do glance their way, they usually do any stupid thing they can think of that will attract or seduce me. They don’t look away and try to pretend that I don’t exist.”

“Well, I’m not most girls,” I whispered. It wasn’t meant to sound seductive, but in the low, throaty voice that it came out in, it did just that.

“That’s exactly what I’m afraid of,” Mason replied and then claimed my mouth with his once again, with much more force than before. It surprised me how much I liked his roughness as he pressed his lips firmly against mine and his tongue explored my mouth thoroughly. We heard hoots and hollers from others around the table along with several “Get a room, Rat boy!” shouts. Mason and I both started laughing and broke apart to turn and face the others around the table. He gave his friends shit and teased them right back while I sat in his lap enjoying myself immensely. The only thing that I didn’t like was everyone calling him ‘Rat.’ I just couldn’t get used to that. It was one of the worst nicknames. Ever.

My eyes wandered over to where Ash and his friends had been and I saw that he had noticed my presence. He looked pissed as he stood next to the pool table, arms crossed over his chest, glaring at me and Mason. I had no idea how long he had been watching me but by the look on his face, long enough to see our last kiss. I flashed him a huge smile and gave a quick nod of the head as to say hi. He frowned and turned his back towards me. His reaction delighted me on so many immature levels.

Thinking of how I could make Ash even more jealous and bitter, I asked Mason how long of a break he had before he had to get ready for his next set. When he answered nearly two hours, I mustered up all of my inner-courage and asked him if there was somewhere we could go that was more private.

He nodded. “Yeah, are you sure?”

“Do you typically ask girls if they are sure when they ask to go somewhere more private with you?” I teased him, running my fingers in his buzzed hair. “Should I rethink this?”

He worked his way down my face with kisses, first my forehead and then my nose and then my mouth. “Well, no, but we’ve already established you aren’t the norm, remember?” He lightly kissed my mouth again. “I don’t know what it is about you, but there’s something different for sure, and I’m going to have to keep you around until I figure it out.” He lifted me by the waist and set my feet on the ground so that I was standing in front of him. He then turned me so that we were facing one another and pulled my body up taut against his, his arms wrapped around my waist.

I kissed his shoulder and then made my way up his neck until I stopped right below his ear and whispered, “Let’s go.” And with that he stood up, grabbed my hand and pulled me across the room to the door next to the stage. I couldn’t help but look back at Ash just as I disappeared with Mason, and just as I had hoped, he eyes were still on us.

The door opened into a well-lit hallway that led to four separate rooms. Inside the first door was an office where a dark-haired guy, who I assumed was Mason’s older brother based on their striking resemblance and what Mina had told me earlier, sat behind the desk working on his laptop. Still holding my hand, Mason stopped in the doorway and waited for his brother to look up from the screen and acknowledge our presence.

“Hey Rat boy, what’s up? Everything okay out there?” I cringed at the nickname.

“Yeah, yeah. Everything is fine. It’s pretty crowded but things appear to be running smoothly,” Mason answered and then looked down at me. “Marcus, this is Scarlett. Scarlett, this is my brother, Marcus,” he said and then paused for a moment so that we could both say hello to one another. “We are going to chill in the suite for a bit until I have to go back on, in case anyone is looking for me.” Marcus lifted his eyebrow in question at Mason, then he looked over at me and shrugged his shoulders.

“I’ll text you when you’re thirty minutes out,” Marcus answered and returned his attention to the computer.

As Mason led me down the hall, showing me the next two rooms which were dressing rooms, but more or less just rooms for the musicians to hang out in, my panic attack began to set in. What in the hell was I doing? Why was I in an empty hallway in a warehouse out in the middle of nowhere with some strange guy that I had just met less than an hour beforehand? Did I really suggest we go somewhere more private? Was he going to freak out when I didn’t want to have sex with him? Did I want to have sex with him? Was Evie worried about me? Did she even realize I was gone?

“Scarlett?” his voiced pulled me from my anxious thoughts. We were standing in front of the last door at the end of the hallway. “Do you still want to come in?”

“Yeah, sorry, lost in thought” I responded and followed him into the room.

The place was actually much nicer than I expected. There were two queen size beds on opposite sides of the room from one another. In the center of the room was a small kitchenette and breakfast table with two chairs nestled under a flat screen tv that hung on the wall and there was one full sized bathroom. The space was clean and functional. Mason explained that the suite served as a mini-apartment for him and Marcus for nights they worked late or had too much to drink.

“And a place to bring all of your unassuming girls to?” I joked.

Mason stopped walking and turned towards me. He face was serious… not mad or angry, maybe even a bit concerned? “I don’t usually bring girls back here, this is more a space for me and Marcus to escape.” Well, I guess that explained the funny look Marcus gave him when he said we were coming back here. “The dressing rooms are more my style for a quick fuck, and none of the girls that go in there with me are unassuming, I can guarantee you that.”