Rock All Night(134)

“And he might try telling you he’s not Derek Kane, that he’s Arthur Lee, but Miles really, really needs those contracts – ”

“Okay – ”

“And tell him Ryan Miller approved of the contracts,” I added, just for the finishing touch.

The guy was starting to get seriously annoyed. “Okay. Hold on.”

Classical music purred in my ear as he put me on hold. It was supposed to be soothing, but nothing could calm my nerves at this point.

I waited for what felt like the length of the Ice Age.

Finally the music cut out and the man returned. “Wow.”

I didn’t know what that meant, so I just decided to gamble. “I know, right?”

He gave a little laugh. “You weren’t kidding about him being unhappy. But he said you could have the messenger service send it to 4029.”

“Thank you SO much,” I said happily, and had to suppress a squeal.

I was back in business.

This was going to be an epic surprise.





111




First I said goodbye to Ryan. Actually, he was still on the phone, so I just mouthed I’m going to go as I pointed at the door. He winced and mouthed back Sorry and I waved gaily and mouthed No problem as I skipped out the door.

I then went shopping real quick. I had it exactly in mind: I was going to wear one of those wraparound dresses, the kind you tie like a robe – with nothing underneath. Then, when he came to the door, I would flash him right there in the hallway with a big grin.

I found the perfect one, a sexy black number, at a boutique near the MGM Grand, and paid with some of the cash Miles had given me. I changed in my room, made myself up perfectly, left everything but my purse, and caught a cab to the Wynn.

On the way I was giddy. This was going to be perfect. I would make amends for all the shit that had happened over the last few weeks… all the fighting, all the jealousy, all the distrust…

My heart was pounding as I entered the hotel. At every step I thought security was going to rush over and tackle me, as though they had figured out the whole ruse to get his room number. But nobody gave me a second look.

Well, that’s not entirely true. I got a lot of looks from nearly every male in the place, which I took as a good omen for how Derek might react.

I found the elevator to the upper floors and got in. It rushed upwards in a burst of speed, but it didn’t bother me at all.

Now I wasn’t nervous anymore.

I was just overjoyed that everything was going to be back to the way it had been weeks before.

The way it had been back in Athens, in that magical night we spent together four years ago.

I got out at the 40th floor and walked until I found Derek’s room. I waited until there was no one else in the hallway, and then I uncinched the ties on the dress. I held it closed with one hand and knocked loudly with the other, then prepared to flash him when he answered.

The door opened.

I froze in utter shock.

A woman was standing in front of me. She was absolutely gorgeous – like Playboy Playmate of the Year gorgeous.

She had long, black, tousled hair. And she was tall. Taller than me by several inches. She was also tanned and thin and toned – and naked.

Well, she was beneath the white sheet she held clutched to the front of her body, anyway.

She looked at me, slightly puzzled.

I stared back at her in complete and utter bewilderment, not a thought in my head except, Huh?

“Can I help you?” she asked politely. She had the most sex-kittenish voice I’d ever heard in my life.

I was just about to answer Um, I must have the wrong room when a voice spoke out from behind her.

It was unmistakable. Low and rumbling.

“Is that the messenger guy, babe?”

Derek.

And in that instant, my entire world crumbled.





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HARD AS ROCK (Part 3 of the Rock Star’s Seduction) should be available in fall or early winter of 2014.





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Afterword



I would like to take this opportunity to thank my readers. I originally said that Rock All Night would be ready by January 2014, but the universe had other plans. In late November 2013, I had a recurrence of a particularly nasty health issue that wiped out my writing time in December, January, and February, and continued to linger months afterward.

When I told my fans I was sorry, that Rock 2 was going to be delayed, you know what the almost uniform response was?

“Take care of your health, Olivia. That’s what’s most important. We’ll wait for the book.”

I don’t think I would have ever heard that from a publisher.

Things have definitely improved since the truly dark days, and I have returned to writing full-time – so Part 3 (which I am pretty sure will wrap up the Rock Star series) should arrive a whole lot sooner than Rock 2 did.

But I am left with the countless outpourings of support, and love, and prayers, and well-wishes. It was beautiful – and incredibly humbling. I had never imagined that so many people could be so kind to me, and that I had touched so many people in some small way.