Jaded (Music City Moguls Book 5) Read online

  Jaded

  Book Five in the Music City Moguls Series

  Cheryl Douglas

  Copyright © by Cheryl Douglas

  All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced, including photocopying, graphic, electronic, mechanical, taping, recording, sharing, or by any information retrieval system without the express written permission of the author and / or publisher. Exceptions include brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.

  Persons, places and other entities represented in this book are deemed to be fictitious. They are not intended to represent actual places or entities currently or previously in existence or any person living or dead. This work is the product of the author’s imagination.

  Any and all inquiries to the author of this book should be directed to:

  [email protected]

  Jaded © 2014 Cheryl Douglas

  Jaded

  After a bitter divorce, the last thing Josie Denton wants to think about is getting back in the game. But when her best friend, Cassidy, begs her to go on a blind date with one of her friends, Josie agrees. After all, it’s not like a big celebrity would be interested in a plain Jane like her and if it will get Cassidy off her back, it will be worth it.

  D.J. Stevens is still trying to get used to his new-found celebrity status. After playing dive bars for ten years, he can hardly believe he’s finally making a record with famed producer, Drake Elliott. When Drake suggests he go out on a blind date with a cute friend of his, D.J. feels obligated to play along. But when D.J. meets Josie for the first time, he’s not playing. He tries to convince her he’s nothing like her dead-best ex, but is she too jaded to give love a second chance?

  Chapter One

  Josie Denton stood in the entrance of Jimmy’s bar wondering how she’d ever let her best friend, Cassidy, talk her into a blind date. A blind date! She was thirty-something, divorced, and attractive, by most accounts. If she wanted to date, which she didn’t, she could find her own dates. And if she had to choose, it certainly wouldn’t be a sexy country singer with trouble tattooed on his forehead.

  Even as she watched eager fans gather around D.J. Stevens’ table, asking for autographs, Josie considered the possibility of sneaking out. But she knew that would only lead to more embarrassment down the line. Their paths would likely cross again at some party Cassidy and her husband, Drake, were hosting, and D.J. would question her about why she’d stood him up. More importantly, Cassidy would be disappointed in her. No, better to get this out of the way now. She could fake her way through this evening for the sake of her friendship.

  With newfound resolve, Josie made her way through the crowd, shoulders back, fending off the advances of drunk cowboys who wanted to buy her a drink or lead her to the dance floor. These guys were the reason she kept her drinking to a minimum.

  D.J., engrossed in signing anything and everything his adoring public threw at him, had his head down when she approached the table so it took him a moment to realize she was even standing there. But when he did… holy hell. His eyes travelled up and down her body, paying attention to every little detail until she wished she’d worn an overcoat.

  Josie told herself she didn’t appreciate his perusal, but the heat gathering in her belly to join the flitting butterflies told her otherwise. She’d chosen a sleeveless, black, wrap dress with a low-cut neckline and high-heeled sandals because it was comfortable, not because the male salesperson told her it enhanced her amazing rack. Though at this very moment, it seemed D.J. and the pimply-faced teen whose mom owned the boutique where she bought the dress seemed to be of the same mind.

  “Hello,” she said, smiling faintly as her eyes darted from one enthusiastic fan to another. There had to be a dozen of them crowding the small table and they didn’t even seem to notice she was standing there, trying to get the attention of their object of interest.

  D.J. scraped his chair across the worn hardwood floor as he stood. Although people were still thrusting things in his face, he walked around the table, stopping right in front of Josie as his hands settled on her upper arms.

  Uh, a handshake would have sufficed. “It’s a pleasure to meet you, D.J.” She cast a quick sidelong glance at the eight women staring at them in wide-eyed shock as D.J. leaned in to brush his lips across her cheek.

  “Believe me, the pleasure is all mine, darlin’.”

  Oh, Cassidy didn’t tell her about the sexy southern drawl. It wasn’t as pronounced when he was singing and Josie had never seen any of his TV interviews. “I’m Josie Denton, Cassidy’s friend.” She felt her cheeks catch fire when he chuckled.

  “I know exactly who you are.” He stepped back, giving her another thorough once-over. “But damn, girl, Cassidy’s description didn’t do you justice. I’m gonna have to send her flowers tomorrow.”

  “That’s sweet of you to say, but—”

  “Hold that thought, sweetheart,” he whispered, winking at her.

  Sweetheart? She’d been dating her last boyfriend three months before he called her sweetheart. Josie told herself she was reading too much into it. D.J. was a notorious player. He probably called every girl he met sweetheart.

  “I wanna thank y’all for keepin’ me company until my beautiful date arrived,” he said, turning to the rapt group. “But now that she’s here, can we ask y’all for a little privacy? It’s not often I get to take the night off and just relax, and when I do, there’s nothin’ I like more than spendin’ my down time in the company of a gorgeous woman. Y’all understand, don’t you?”

  The few men standing amongst the women gave D.J. salacious grins as their eyes travelled over Josie. When D.J. looked at her that way, it elicited a tingle, but when the other guys subjected her to the same treatment, it made her want to throw a drink in their smug faces.

  “Yeah, we get it, D.J.,” one of the guys said, grinning. “Guess you have to be pullin’ in a few mill a year before you get to tap an ass like that, huh?”

  D.J.’s demeanour changed from amiable to hostile in the blink of an eye. He was a big man at well over six feet with shoulders that would put most linebackers to shame, so when he fixed the big mouth with a warning glare, the man’s smile fell and he took a step back.

  “Apologize to the lady. Now.”

  “I… uh… didn’t mean any disrespect,” he said, raising his hands as his eyes flew between D.J. and Josie. “I’m sorry, okay? I’m sorry.”

  “Get lost,” D.J. said, his voice still low and menacing. It didn’t take long for everyone to scramble as he took a deep breath and turned to her. “Jesus, I’m sorry about that. Some people shoot of their mouths without even thinkin’ twice. It pisses me off.”

  “That’s okay,” she said, smiling. She felt appreciation swell into something more. Respect, maybe? “I appreciate you coming to my defense like that, but you didn’t have to. I’m used to dealing with jerks like him.”

  “Well you shouldn’t have to,” he said, holding her chair out. “If there’s one thing my mama drilled into my fool head growin’ up, it was to treat a lady with respect, always.”

  Josie couldn’t deny she was surprised by the chivalry. All the stories she’d heard about D.J. claimed he was a fun-loving, hard-drinking player who was with a different woman every night. Even though Cassidy claimed those stories were grossly exaggerated, Josie still had her doubts. She learned the hard way, where there’s smoke there’s usually fire. And she’d already been burned once, badly.

  “I wish I could have taken you somewhere a little nicer for dinner,” he said, claiming the seat across from her. “Not that Jimmy’s isn’t great, but now that I’ve met you, I wanna get to know you better and the music makes it a
little harder to talk.”

  She smiled as she reached for the plastic menu. “Jimmy’s suits me just fine.” She’d been the one to suggest it. That way, if they had nothing to talk about, the loud music would fill the awkward silence. “What do you feel like having tonight?” She scanned the menu. “Let me guess, you’re a burger and fries guy, right?”

  He treated her to a heart-stopping grin that split his tanned face. Oh my, if Colgate needs a new spokesperson, I’ve found their man. Perfect teeth should look out of place with the rugged cowboy thing he had going on, but somehow it only enhanced his appeal.

  “How’d you guess?”

  She forgot the question. Scrambling, she finally found her wits and remembered her last comment. “I can always tell. You’re probably all about the meat and potatoes too.”

  He smirked. “Nothin’ better than a juicy steak on the grill.”

  Josie shied away from red meat most of the time, but something about the picture he painted made her mouth water. An image of D.J. shirtless in the backyard manning the grill flashed through her mind.

  “Penny for your thought, gorgeous.” He smiled at her as though he could read her mind.

  “Nothing,” she said, shaking her head. “I was just thinking about the last time I had a good steak. It’s been a while. I try to stick to chicken and fish.”

  “That’s right,” he said, resting her forearms on the table as he leaned in. “Cassidy said you were a health nut.” He laughed. “No offense.”

  She raised an eyebrow, trying to keep a straight face. His charm was undeniable, which made him even more dangerous. No veering from the plan, she reminded herself. A quick dinner followed by a chaste kiss on the cheek to thank him for a lovely evening and home in bed by ten.

  “None taken, cowboy.”

  He chuckled. “So tell me about yourself, Josie. Cassidy filled me in on the basics. You own a fitness center. That’s where y’all met, right?”

  “It is.” It seemed like only yesterday Cassidy walked into Transformations looking for a personal trainer who could help her shed the ten pounds of baby weight she insisted were stubbornly clinging to her butt in spite of all the cardio she’d been doing.

  “She’s great. I don’t know what I’d do without her.” When he looked curious, she explained. “I moved to Nashville after my divorce. I needed a fresh start. Cassidy was one of the first friends I made. She’s helped me through a lot since then.”

  “Cassidy mentioned you were divorced.” His full lips slid into a half smile. “Though I can’t imagine any man bein’ stupid enough to let you go.”

  Knowing it was time to lay her cards on the table to avoid any awkward mention of a second date, Josie said, “Look, D.J., I’m sure you’re a great guy, but I’m not really interested in dating anyone right now, so please don’t feel you have to lay on the charm.” She felt a stab of guilt when his face fell. “I’m sorry if that sounded rude. I didn’t mean—”

  “It’s okay,” he said, raising his hand. “I get it. You’re not that into me.”

  “It’s not you. I’m not into dating anyone. Period.”

  Her last boyfriend had been a sweetheart, the antithesis of her ex-husband, but when he started pressing her about a more serious commitment, she decided she would rather be single. She liked being on her own, without having to answer to anyone, which is the reason first dates rarely led to second dates.

  “Who did the number on you?” he asked, scrutinizing her. “The ex-husband?”

  She tried to hide her surprise that he’d zeroed in on the truth so quickly. She hadn’t expected him to be so perceptive. “My marriage was a bit of a nightmare.” She tried to laugh it off, but could tell he wasn’t buying it. “But I’d rather not bore you with the gory details.”

  “I’d like to hear about it.”

  Before he could invite her to continue, a waitress approached their table, apologizing for the delay, but claiming they were short-staffed and she could barely keep up with the demand.

  “Don’t worry about us,” D.J. said, glancing up from his menu to lock eyes with Josie. “We’re not in a hurry, are we?”

  Yes, yes, we are. In bed by ten. That’s the plan. But of course she couldn’t say that, so she simply smiled politely at the waitress, hoping her telepathic message of, Please hurry before this handsome cowboy charms the pants off me, reached her. “I’d like the grilled chicken salad, please.”

  “Can I get you anything to drink?” she asked, accepting the menu Josie offered.

  She normally kept drinking to a minimum, especially when she was driving, but she decided she could make an exception tonight. “Sure, a chardonnay would be great. Thank you.”

  “I’ll have a beer, whatever you have on tap is fine,” D.J. said, handing over his menu. “And the classic burger with everything.”

  “Fries with that?”

  “You know it,” he said, winking at Josie. “I guess you’ve got me all figured out already, don’t you, gorgeous?” he asked when the waitress walked away.

  She knew he was talking about more than just the food order. “I hope I didn’t offend you earlier,” she said, tucking her long, straight blond hair behind her ears when it fell forward as she leaned in. “I just wanted to be honest with you. I didn’t want you to think I was leading you on.”

  “Leadin’ me on?” he asked, his lips twisting in a wry smile.

  “Not that you were expecting anything,” she said hastily, wishing she’d just kept her mouth shut. She had a bad habit of digging herself a deeper hole once she got started. “I just wanted you to know I’m not into one-night stands and I don’t do second dates.” One night stands? God, where had that thought come from? The poor guy hadn’t even suggested anything remotely inappropriate.

  “That’s a shame.” He grinned. “About the second date rule, I mean.” He was teasing her and seemed to be enjoying every second of it. “So if this is gonna be our one and only date, we’d better make the most of it. You were tellin’ me about how your worthless ex ruined you for all other men?”

  Josie didn’t want to think about her ex, much less talk about him, but she got the sense D.J. didn’t intend to let this go. “Bryan was my high school sweetheart. We were inseparable all through high school and college, married right after graduation.”

  “Sounds like the All-American love story. So what happened?”

  “He started going out with his buddies after work and drinking too much. He was never home.” She shrugged, trying to feign indifference, though it still stung to admit she hadn’t been reason enough for him to want to come home. “I heard rumors he was messing around on me.”

  “No way.” His eyes toured her upper body again before finally coming back to rest on her face. “He must have been out of his mind. I know guys who’d give their right arm for five minutes with a woman like you, and that dumb ass had you waitin’ in his bed and was stupid enough to go lookin’ elsewhere?” He shook his head in disbelief. “Stupidity knows no bounds.”

  Josie couldn’t deny the ego-stroking was nice, though she couldn’t tell if he was being sincere. He was obviously used to turning it on for the cameras and she suspected he may be doing the same to entertain her. “Thank you, but it was probably for the best. I’m much happier now, on my own, than I ever was with him.”

  “It was definitely for the best. If he hadn’t been a jerk, you wouldn’t be sittin’ here with me right now.”

  ***

  Down, boy. That’s what D.J. kept telling himself all through dinner, but he couldn’t help himself. Something about this woman drew him in, made him say things he knew he shouldn’t and think things that would prompt his sweet mama to slap him upside the head.

  “So tell me about your business.” Watching the way her light hazel eyes lit up when she laughed or her dimples flashed when she smiled made him wish the night would last forever. One date, huh? We’ll see about that.

  She wiped her mouth with a paper napkin. “Well, I worked as a p
ersonal trainer back in Chicago, led some fitness classes, so when I got a bit of money from the house my ex and I sold, I figured I’d invest in a new business. I love the fitness industry,” she said, her eyes lighting up. “There’s nothing better than helping people change their lives.”

  “Must be rewarding,” he murmured, his eyes transfixed on her lush mouth as she spoke. He was distracted, imagining what those lips would taste like, how they would feel…

  “It is.” She smiled. “Tell me about your career. Have you always wanted to be a country singer?”

  He flashed a quick grin. “Growing up in the south, country music is like the soundtrack to our lives. It’s everywhere.”

  “I must admit, I wasn’t a huge country music fan until I moved here, but I’ve come to like it.” She winked. “It’s not my grandma’s country music anymore.”

  He laughed, impressed by the fact she wasn’t trying to indulge him by blowing smoke. “No, it’s not.” Pushing his empty plate aside, D.J. leaned closer. “I have to say, I never thought in my wildest dreams I’d be where I am. I was happy just playin’ the honky-tonks, entertainin’ people with my music.”

  “So how were you discovered?”

  “The president of Titan Records, Evan Spencer, walked into a little bar I was playin’ one night. He liked what he saw and asked me to meet with him the next day. The rest, as they say, is history.”

  “You’re getting ready to bring out your…” She frowned. “Second album, is that right?”

  He liked that she didn’t seem to know much about his rise to fame. It was a refreshing change from most of the women he dated, who seemed to know his bio better than he did. “Yeah, it drops in about eight weeks.”

  “Cool.” Her phone vibrated and she reached into her purse to grab it. “I’m sorry, it’s work. Do you mind if I take it? A new girl is closing tonight and I just need to make sure she isn’t having any problems.”