Page 54 of Blind Attraction

Mitch leaned into the couch and sighed in relief when she directed her attention to Mason and some of the erotic lyrics in their upcoming album. The voices began to fade again and he settled into his own thoughts, concentrating on leveling out his breathing. He fucking hated interviews. He hated the horror which filled his gut when he was asked a question. Blake knew that, and still his friend couldn’t keep his mouth shut.

When performing live, confidence consumed him. The stage was his home. His guitar an extension of his body. The songs a part of his soul. Nothing dragged him down.

Places like this were different. The atmosphere was sterile. The questions intrusive.

Quiet descended again, and the bright lights burning his retinas snapped off, leaving them with the dimmer house lights.

“Thanks for everything, guys.” The woman rose to her feet, and the five of them followed.

He grabbed his cell out of the back pocket of his jeans and turned it on. He’d promised to call Alana when the interview finished, and damn it, he needed to see her. He stepped off the stage and began searching his contacts for her number. Not only did he want to speak to her, but he had to get away from Blake. He didn’t have the restraint to confront him.

“I thought you liked her,” Sean asked from behind him.

Mitch heaved an impatient sigh and continued to move around the cameras to the back exit where their bodyguards waited. “I do like her, but as I said, I don’t need the distraction right now. None of us do. It’s hard enough for me to remain focused on promotional shit without obsessing over a woman twenty-four-seven.”

Sean clapped him on the shoulder. “Seriously, you need to pick up some tampons next time we go shopping. You’re starting to sound like a chick.”

“And yet I’ve still got a bigger cock than you.” He shrugged off Sean’s touch and pressed Alana’s name in his phone index.

Sean chuckled. “Are you heading off to see her?”

He placed the phone to his ear, listening to the ring of the connecting call as he turned to Sean. It was already after lunch, and he’d expected they would’ve been finished earlier. He hoped she had the patience to wait around and not go without him.

“What’s it to you?”

“No need to get aggressive, sugar plum. I thought you might want some back up. I can come with you and help out if she goes all psychotic-fan-girl.”

“She won’t.” He was sure of it. She didn’t have an irrational bone in her body. He pushed open the exit door, squinted at the bright midday sun, and made his way down the back entrance stairs toward the waiting car. Fans screamed from behind the mesh fence and called out his name. Their excitement grew when Sean followed him outside.

The call connected and he paused, his chest clenching the slightest bit at the sound of her voice.

“Hey, Allie. The interview’s finished. Did you get in contact with the Bowens?”

“Yeah, I did. I’m actually standing out the front of their house right now.”

He hated that his heart began to pound. He was too damn protective of her. “You said you’d wait for me. Where are you?”

“It’s all right. Kate and I did our research this morning. Mr. Bowen is a retired lawyer from one of the biggest firms in Richmond. I’m no longer concerned about his sincerity. I wouldn’t have come if I didn’t feel safe.”

“Give me the address and I’ll head straight there.”

With a sigh she relayed the details, which he spoke aloud in the hopes Sean would remember. “All right, I’m on my way.”

They said their goodbyes and he disconnected the call. “Can you give me directions?”

“Do I look like the type of guy who memorizes the street directory?”

Mitch let out a huff and turned his back to Sean. The car would have a GPS. He stalked forward and opened the driver door to the hired car.

“Doesn’t mean I can’t help,” Sean added, speaking over the roof of the car. “It’s the same suburb where Mason’s parents live. I might not know the roads, but I know how to get there.”

Mitch eyed the computer screen in the middle of the dash, then glanced up at Sean. He didn’t need anyone holding his hand, yet if Sean came with him, he’d be sure to stick to his mantra of making a clean break. Nothing made a guy man up more than having a friend watch.

“Fine. Tag along. But you’re staying in the car.”

Alana sat on the Bowens’ sofa, sipping coffee from fine China.

Whiplash from her rubbernecking left her reeling. Originally she’d expected a dilapidated house from a couple who planned to con her out of a non-existent fortune. Reality didn’t come close to her assumptions. Theirs was an immaculately clean, two-story mansion with extravagant furniture.

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