Page 8 of Rockstar Retreat

4

Sharon

What was I thinking?

I didn’t let my inner voice stop me. I stared at Jerrik, who was looking at me blankly, and I wondered why I had bothered to come here at all.

I’d heard, of course, from my fellow staff members of the kind of terror Jerrik was being. I’d come to his scheduled session, hoping the threat of his agent would bring him out, and instead of walking away quietly when I saw he was at least trying to behave, I let him see me and even approached him. And told him things that I probably shouldn’t have. I was getting too involved when all I wanted to do was avoid him like the plague, not get up close and personal with him.

“I don’t believe you, Sharon!” Jerrik said while narrowing his eyes as if he was trying to see through me.

I scowled right back at him, second guessing myself.Why had I wanted to offer this man comfort? He didn’t want it, no matter how badly he needed it. It was true that I understood his pain, to a certain extent. I didn’t have a long line of family members, but that didn’t mean that I didn’t know what it was like in our small town. I had been the subject of gossip during high school and even after we’d left, that didn’t stop them talking.

“You can believe what you want, Jerrik. Someone will be here to help you with your session; you’re a little early,” I said nervously. “So you’ll have to wait. I just wanted to let you know.”

Well, not quite. I had my motives, even though I was confused as to what they were. Also, no one had thought he would just come out. The sessions were part of the package at the retreat for everyone; they were never forced. Jerrik, apparently, needed to go through them, but no one would outright force him to do it, but we did have to insist, his manager had made it an obligation.

I did not need his instructor to find me there when they arrived, so I needed to leave. I wanted to, so I turned to walk away, but then his voice stopped me.

“Leaving so soon, Sharon? But I’ve wanted to talk to you since we first met.”

I turned to give him a light scowl. “You have more important things to think about than talking to me, Jerrik. Isn’t that why you’re here?” I said with a sarcastic tone, so that he would leave me alone.

He scowled for a moment, before willing it away and replacing it with a smile. “I was hoping you’d thought about our last talk and came here to give me an answer.”

My mind had blanked before I realized what he was talking about and I knew that I had to get out of here as quick as possible. The conversation was going in his favor and I didn’t like it.

“You might be a big name now, but that means nothing to me. I work here, and you’re a client, so I wouldn’t even think about giving you a back rub.”

My protests didn’t seem to bother him, because his smile grew wider. He started closing in on the space between us. I saw what he was doing, but I stood right where I was.

“You don’t expect me to think you just came out here as part of your job, do you? You didn’t have to approach me at all. In fact, after our last conversation, I was pretty sure you would be keeping away from me.”

“And I should have,” I retorted, my voice sharp. “I don’t intend to stay here in any case; I have work to do elsewhere.”

“But won’t you at least keep me company for a few minutes? I’ve been so lonely here with no one to talk to. Just humor me for a little bit.”

If his eyes weren’t hooded in desire and roving all over my body, I might have felt a little sorry for him. As it was, I was pretty sure the last thing on his mind was talking.

But even knowing that, even as he drew even nearer to me, I couldn’t turn away from him. The same thing that made me freeze the last time he backed me up against a wall kept me where I was, my heart starting to pound a little faster in my chest.

“You came here for one reason only, Sharon,” he murmured, and the way he said my name had a shiver running through my body. I refused to think too much of it, but he continued, “Do you want to know what that reason is?”

No!

It was what I wanted to say, what I intended to, but when I opened my mouth no sound came out, and Jerrik moved even closer to me. Why wasn’t I doing anything? Why did I just stand there and let him advance on me, instead of getting out of there as quickly as possible.

“You’re not talking, so I’ll tell you anyway,” he said decisively. “It’s because… you want me, Sharon. Plain and simple. And guess what? I’m interested in you too.”

That stilled my distressing thoughts, and my eyes widened slightly in my alarm. The look in his eyes, on his face, looked almost joyful, like he’d just unlocked all my secrets. The words also had me looking him over as well.

He looked good, actually better than when I last saw him. His reputedly unhealthy lifestyle didn’t show on him at all, though that probably just made it easier to hide. With him so close, I could smell some alcohol on his breath, but his eyes were clear, and there was a healthy flush to his cheeks. His body looked firm under the tight T-shirt he wore, and when I realized my eyes had dropped to his chest and where my thoughts were moving, I flushed and looked up at his face with a scowl, stumbling a couple of steps back.

Jerrik looked even happier that I was backing away from him, and that annoyed me a little.

“Of course not, Jerrik,” I said derisively with a snort. “I’m flattered you think me good enough to take to bed, but no thank you. Considering how you’ve been the past two days, very few people here actually want to be around you.”

“And yet you’re here,” he pointed out.