"Goodnight Mr. Harrison."
She sailed into the elevator without waiting for a response. He gave her a look of sheer determination as the doors slowly closed.
"Call me Bruce."
She didn't move an inch until the doors closed. And then she nearly collapsed.
The effort of holding herself together under his tender onslaught had been significant.
She wasn't sure if she could keep it up for much longer.
And then she'd have a whole new set of problems to contend with.
How to keep her job when he got tired of her for starters.
9
Bruce had started his day with a brisk workout in his hotel room. Jumping jacks, squat thrusts and 200 pushups before doing sprints from one end of the suite to the other. He didn't like gyms to begin with but in a hotel like this, he knew people would stare. Never mind the camera phones. He hated the damn things.
Every last scrap of privacy a celebrity had had been stolen by that particular invention.
He was sure that someone had already posted a picture of him with Katrina last night. Hopefully she wouldn't notice. It was fine, as long as TMZ didn't get a hold of it.
Now he was showered and ready to rehearse. It was Tuesday and the show opened in 48 hours. First they would walk through it and then do a soft run of the show, with another soft run tomorrow afternoon. Better to save everyone's energy and voices for the dress rehearsal tomorrow night and the big opening.
He was like a machine on days like this. But he was already distracted by one thing: the kiss. He'd staged a kiss into the end of his duet with Kat. It was clearly marked in the book so she must have seen it.
Today he'd get to kiss her.
He pulled on a pair of worn in jeans and a black cotton button down. He'd had most of his clothes forever. Expensive, but worn in. He smirked at himself in the mirror. Kind of like him.
Bruce headed to the performance space, aptly called 'The Joint'. Everything went smoothly during the dry run. He enjoyed watching Katrina move gracefully through her marks. When it came time for the duet, he winked at her at the end when they turned to face each other but didn't kiss her. Not yet. They broke for lunch and she snuck off somewhere. Elusive as usual.
Finally at 2 pm it was time for the first run through. Bruce felt oddly nervous. Not about performing. But about their song together. He wondered if Kat was going to finally let him kiss her for a moment and then he squashed the thought. It might be wrong, but kissing him was part of her job. She didn't really have a choice in the matter, did she?
He grinned and applied chapstick to his lips. He really could be a bastard sometimes.
**********
Katrina stepped into the light for her duets. Her stomach had been queasy all day, just thinking about this. Not the singing- that part she had down. It was what happened after the singing.
The song itself seemed to bring up strange emotions in her, especially today. It was about young lovers who were separated, only to find each other again as adults. Bruce's voice was husky and raw as he sang about loving a woman, wanting something he had lost. The way their voices blended was exquisite. Even she had to admit that.
As the song drew to a close she turned to face Bruce. He was in character, his eyes blazing with love and need. She gasped as he reached for her, pulling her close. His lips met hers and a shock of electricity went through her entire body.
She finally knew what people meant when they said kissing somebody made their toes curl.
Then the lights went out and she stepped away abruptly. His hands slid off of her and he cocked his head. Even in the dark she could see the smug look on his face. He knew he'd gotten to her.
As she stepped off the stage into the wings she realized she was trembling. Not just from the brief kiss though. It was the intimacy of singing together. He'd made her feel like his equal as they sang, their voices intertwining together.
Dammit. She was in trouble. If she wasn't careful she'd end up falling in love with him. That was the worst possible thing that she could do.
Betsy and Linda were staring at her as she tried to gather herself. They waved her over. She wasn't in the mood for their suspicions today. But when she got closer, she realized the look they were giving her was friendly.
"You guys sound great together."
"Thanks."
She took a deep breath. Might as well get this over with.
"But we're not. Together, I mean."
The other singers exchanged a knowing glance.
"Oh we saw you pull back. He sure looked sad."
"Looks like he wanted a lot more than that measly little peck."
"Look, I know what it looks like but I swear, I'm not sleeping with him."
"I believe you."
"Me too. He sure wants to though."
“He’s been so grumpy lately we just know he isn’t getting any!”
"Hmmmhmmmmm!"
Katrina blushed and glanced back to the stage where Bruce was singing another song, this time playing an acoustic guitar by himself. He played a number of instruments through out the show. He really was incredible.
"Don't worry. We won't say nothing when you give in."
"Not a word!"
"That's not going to happen."
"So she says!"
"I give you 48 hours before he wears you down."
"Oh, stop. I'm tougher than I look."
Betsy and Linda cracked up at that, their muffled laughs earning them a sharp glance from Harry.
Kat didn't mind a bit though. For the first time in a long time, she felt like she might actually have some friends.
10
It was early afternoon on Thursday. Opening night. There was something special about it no matter how many times you took the stage. Bruce still had a lot to do.
He'd already done a brief promotional appearance early this morning on the local Las Vegas Morning Show. He'd signed autographs on the way out and back in the hotel. He'd even turned down a few offers of quick sex from a some good looking fans.
He was used to it, but it still surprised him how forward some women could be. They were worse than men! He felt like a peace of meat sometimes. The reality was that most of them wanted him to treat them like a piece of meat.
He'd worked out again, but not too strenuously. He'd made phone calls, including one to his niece Lisa to wish her happy birthday. His sister Bethany was still back East and the only reason he ever went back there at all. She had three kids and he loved them all as if they were his own.
Hell, he'd even started college funds for them. It was the least he could do, considering he had money coming out of his eardrums. He and Bethy might have grown up with nothing, but these kids had everything they needed and more. He tended to spoil them a little.
Not a little bit. A lot.
He hung up, hearing the squeals of delight still ringing in his ears as little Lisa played with her new puppy. A rescue dog. He'd gotten her a new computer too. Both cleared with mom of course.
He stared out over the Vegas skyline as he showered. The bathroom had a wall of glass with unobstructed views in every direction. Nobody could see in, unless they were in a helicopter.
One last thing to do before he went down to the theater. He picked up the hotel phone and called the front desk.
"Hi, yes thank you we are all set for the show. I'd like to be moved to the Hard Rock Tower if that's possible. Yes. Some of my performers are staying there and I'd like to be closer to them. I don't mind a smaller suite. That'd be fine. Great, thanks."
It was only Kat who was staying in the Hard Rock Tower but he didn't need to mention that. He glanced around the opulent suite. He'd trade it all just for the chance he could convince Kat to come back to his new room with him tonight. Being near by made that much more possible. And more discrete.
He glanced in the mirror as he pulled on his favorite jeans and t-shirt for the show. Now all he had to do was make sure the lighting guy kept the lights on a little longer after the duet. She couldn't pull back if the lights were still up could she? Kat had responded to him during the run throughs on Tuesday and Wednesday but he hadn't gotten a chance to really explore what was happening between them. Or kiss her for more than a minute or two.
Tonight was the perfect chance for him to take things to the next level. If she got mad, he could just say he'd gotten caught up in the excitement. Plus the opening night party was sure to get everyone loose and relaxed. He wondered what Kat would wear to it- one of the mini dresses he'd gotten her hopefully.
Bruce hadn't worked this hard to maneuver around a woman since High School. No- ever. Not even close. But he knew she'd be worth it.
A knock on the door signaled that the bellhop was here to move his bags to his new suite in the Hard Rock Tower. Closer to his ultimate goal.
He took the elevator down to the lobby and headed to the theater.
It was show time.
**********
Katrina stood with Linda and Betsy taking some promotional pictures in the lobby. They were just wrapping up when Bruce strode through the lobby followed closely by a bellhop pushing a cart full of bags.
"Look at that."
"What?"
"Bruce is switching rooms looks like."
"So?"
Betsy and Linda exchange glances.
"I don't know. Why would he be moving to the same part of the hotel as one hot little mama we know and love?"
Katrina blanched. He couldn't. He wouldn't.
She sat down abruptly on one of the sofa's in the lobby.
He could and he would.
"Look out girl, he's comin' for ya!"
They laughed uproariously as Kat cradled her head in her hands. What was she going to do? Even if she gave into him, it was only opening pandora's box. She'd fall in love with him and he'd discard her, ruining her reputation in the process. She needed her career to work. Too much was riding on this.