Maid for the Rock Star(16)

"Sure, we got the results back. It shows some residual alcohol in his blood, but not enough for him to be over the limit." The Inspector raised his eyebrows. "Mr Felix, under the circumstances, I'm going to let you off with a warning. Once the paperwork's sorted, and provided you don't pose a threat to my constable here without your car, I think we should all forget the whole incident. No charges, no reporters, no lawyers and no hard feelings."

Jason eyed the two police officers. No charges and no reporters would be a relief for him, but the Inspector was worried about his lawyers. So he bloody well should be. If he had no evidence against him, he could sue the police for this.

What would a rock star do?

Jason hitched up his grin and drawled, "Well, that sounds reasonable. If you bust me out of this place and help me get back to my hotel, I think we have a deal. Inspector – " He wracked his brain for man's name and dredged it up. " – Burgess," he finished triumphantly.

Burgess nodded. "Uncuff him."

Constable Nelson drew in a deep breath, making her boobs swell so Jason couldn't possibly look anywhere else. "Inspector."

"Now, constable."

Metal clinked as she produced the keys and set to work on Jason's restraints. "This isn't over," she hissed. "If I ever see you driving in my town again, I'll have the breathalyser out before you can blink. If you blow over the legal limit, I'll have you slapped with a drink-driving charge faster than you can take your keys out of the ignition. Take a good look at these handcuffs, because you'll be seeing them again." She held them up and jingled them ominously.

Jason wanted to rub his wrists, but he was in full rock god mode now. "Oh, I see them, Constable Nelson. But next time you use those on me, make sure you're wearing your sexiest underwear because you'll need to be at your best when you go to bed with me." He winked again. "I've never slept with a real policewoman before and first impressions stay with you forever, you know? I am pretty unforgettable, after all."

She turned bright red and couldn't seem to formulate a reply.

"Thanks for coming in, constable. You enjoy your days off." Inspector Burgess dismissed her. She nodded curtly and left. Burgess dropped his tone so it wouldn't be heard outside the room. "She's a good officer, Mr Felix. If she said you were drunk, you're a lucky son of a bitch you had time to sober up before she thought to breath or blood test you. Not to mention the blood transfusions you had while you were unconscious. Diluted your blood alcohol quite nicely, I'll bet. Next time, she won't make the same mistake. And neither will I. You put one foot over the line of the law in my jurisdiction again and I'll have you in the lockup. You won't get a nice private room like this. Not even a pillow. And most of the guys we have in the lockup are in for drunk and disorderly, violent crimes. Looking for a fight and someone else to beat up. So you'll have a roommate from hell. And my first call will be to the press. All the money and lawyers in the country won't get you off. Are we clear?"

Jason nodded. He understood, all right. "But you're busting me out of here, right? No more nurses molesting me?"

Burgess flashed a feral smile. "Sure. As soon as we're done with the paperwork."





TWENTY-SIX



Audra finished restocking the milk and coffee in Albina, trying to hide her shock at how much the executives had consumed in less than twenty-four hours. Between them, they'd consumed enough caffeine to stay awake into next week. What was wrong with these people?

Shaking her head, she turned her trolley toward Maxima. Empty Maxima, she already knew. She didn't want to go inside the lonely villa. Last night she'd seen the photos on social media of Jay drinking and enjoying himself with some of the tourists in town. He'd evidently decided the loneliness and isolation on Romance Island weren't for him and he'd stayed in town. Probably shacked up with half a dozen of the bikini-clad tourists from the photos. Always the rock star, up for a good time. It made the last day of her work week much easier. In exactly ten minutes' time, she'd end today's shift and start two, much-needed days off, during which she intended to finish her job application and submit it before the deadline on Friday. Only four days away. There was a weather station with her name on it waiting for her next year, she was certain of it. No more cleaning floors or dealing with unruly guests who invaded her erotic dreams. She swore nothing would make her miss this year's deadline. Nothing.

Her wristband beeped and she glanced at the display.

URGENT CALL. RECEPTION.

The phone in Maxima was closer, so she swiped her ID and entered the villa. Picking up the phone, she punched in the number for Reception.

"Hel – "

"Heloise, it's Audra. You said it was urgent?"

"It is. He refuses to speak to anyone but you. Putting him through now."

Audra's heart sank. It had to be Tad. She hoped he hadn't hurt himself yet.

A male voice cleared his throat.

"Tad?" she began. "Tell me you haven't done anything stupid. Please."

A snort. "It's Jay, not Tad." Far more self-assured, too. Not to mention sexy. "Most girls don't forget me that easily. And stupid really depends on your perspective. Reckless, yes, but I'm a rock star. It comes with the territory." Jay's laughter was deep and infectious.

Her heart slid out of her throat and back into place as Audra's panic faded. "Mr Felix. What can I assist you with?"

If he said he wanted his things packed up and sent to town, she'd eat the strawberries herself. Yes, with the chocolate. She'd only had fondue once in her life and she'd make the most of this one. He'd never know.

"My recklessness has landed me in hospital and the matron will only release me if I'm kept under observation for another forty-eight hours. She's threatening to send a nurse with me. Can you talk to her? I don't want to spend another night in hospital. Save me, Audra."

He knew her name. Jay Felix, rock god who could have any woman he wanted, actually remembered her name. As for saving him...

"Audrey?" The voice belonged to an older woman, not Jay. "Audrey, your boyfriend here's been in a car accident."

Audra spluttered. "He's not my – "

The woman wasn't listening. "He lost a lot of blood and he might have a concussion. The doctor wants to keep him under observation for another two days, him being a high-profile patient and all. We want to make sure he's okay. But he says you'll stay with him the whole time, won't leave him alone for a minute."

That was taking twenty-four-hour, on-call maid service way too far. "Look, I – "

"Do you have any first aid training, Audrey?"

"Yes, but – "

The matron launched into a list of symptoms she needed to watch out for and continued with instructions on what to do if Jay showed any of them. Audra grabbed the notepaper and pen from the counter and started scribbling furiously. She'd have to rewrite the whole mess later for someone else to be able to understand it, because there was no way in hell she'd stay in Maxima with Jay Felix.

"Have you got all that, Audrey?" The woman paused for breath, then ploughed on, "If he loses consciousness, I want you to call the hospital immediately and ask for Helen. That's me. I'll talk you through what you need to do until the Flying Doctors arrive."

Audra found herself nodding and making affirmative noises. All she was agreeing to was ensuring that one of the hotel's VIP guests was well taken care of, she told herself. Not that she'd take care of him personally. No one worked forty-eight hours without cease. And tomorrow was her day off. She wouldn't give that up for anyone, not even Jay Felix. As for masquerading as his girlfriend...

Finally, the woman shut up and Jay came back on the line.

"Audra, you still there?" he asked.

"Yes."

"Thank you. I swear, I owe you huge for this. Whatever you want, just name it."

A rock god who owed her a favour. Audra sighed. If only he'd said that before she'd forked out for concert tickets to see his show. Ah, he probably didn't mean it, anyway. He'd forget the offer as easily as he forgot her name. Sooner, maybe.

"Can you get to the helipad? I'll have the pilot pick you up before he comes to get me. They're taking me to the airport in an ambulance and if you don't come, they'll send a nurse with me. I don't want a nurse. I want you."

Her stomach did a sort of flip-flop of excitement. It couldn't be because of his words. No, it was the thrill of new things. Audra had never been in a helicopter before. Staff usually took the carrier boat back to the pearl farm and caught a lift into town from there. Helicopters were for rich guests. "All right."

She was going to regret this, she was certain of it. But first, she'd enjoy the flight.





TWENTY-SEVEN



Audra hurried to get her trolley back into the linen room. A stack of towels fell off, but she didn't have time to pick them up. She broke into a run, already twenty metres down the path before the door clicked shut on the mess she'd made. The helipad. Would the helicopter already be waiting for her?

Hospital. Her niggling worry had been right – Jay hadn't been enjoying himself on the mainland. He'd been lying unconscious in hospital, injured, just like Leon. And if the medical staff wanted him under observation...what state would he be in? Would he be able to walk? What if...

She pulled up short as she reached the gates to the helipad. The helicopter was nowhere in sight and she couldn't hear even the faint thumping of rotors that told her when one left the pearl farm. That meant she had at least five minutes, maybe even ten. Time to get out of her horrible work uniform and don civilian clothes, seeing as she was officially off-duty now. If he'd told the overbearing nurse that she was his girlfriend, she'd better dress the part. As if she owned the sort of designer labels a rock star's girlfriend would wear.