Here With You (A Laurel Heights Novel) - By Kate Perry Page 0,41

talk about you and me."

Great. Just what she needed. Not.

"This is important." He stood straight and gestured to her room. "Can I come in?"

No way. "I'm kind of tired, Dad."

"Rachel, be a team player."

She hated when he talked corporate to her. She crossed her arms. "You have to be part of a team to be a team player."

He nodded. "I deserved that, but that doesn't mean you're getting out of this talk."

She really couldn't deal with this now. "Fine, but tomorrow."

"Tomorrow morning, before school." He pointed at her. "Don't think you can avoid me. I'm serious, Rachel."

"Okay." She rolled her eyes. "I heard you."

He rolled his eyes, too, muttering something about teenagers as he left.

Closing the door, she pressed her ear to it, listening to make sure her dad left. When she couldn't hear his footsteps, she quickly reapplied her makeup before Aaron arrived.

Did she look old enough? Rachel frowned at herself in the mirror and then decided to add a little more eyeliner. She wore all black, figuring it'd help her blend into the background, but really she mostly only had black anyway.

Griffin Chase wasn't going to notice her in black.

She'd make him notice her, she vowed silently. Not in a romantic way but because she wanted him to have what she'd written. She wasn't an idiot—she knew she was too young for Griffin Chase to like in any way other than just friendly. Unless he were into the Lolita thing, and based on his dating history she doubted that.

Plus, she had a feeling Nicole was into him. Rachel could totally see him digging on the lingerie lady. She was hot, with her skirts and boots.

Maybe one day Rachel would be hot like Nicole. She wondered what Aaron thought.

Her phone buzzed with a text. Aaron was here.

Nervous and excited, Rachel snuck downstairs, checking in her coat pocket to make sure her lyrics was still in there. She sighed when she felt the folded page.

At the top of the stairs, she heard voices from her dad's room. She paused, listening but not understanding what he was saying because he spoke so softly.

Who was he talking to? She frowned as her dad laughed, low and intimate.

Her phone buzzed again, and she hurried down the stairs and outside.

A black car waited at the curb. The car's door opened, and Aaron stuck his head out. "Your carriage, Cinderella."

Glancing back to make sure her dad hadn't seen her, she hurried to the car. "This is your dad's?"

"Uber," he said, scooting over to make room for her. "It's a driver service app."

"Spiffy." She nodded at the driver as she closed the door.

Aaron gave the driver instructions, and the car slowly pulled away. He turned to her. "Are you ready to live on the wild side?"

His face was so close to hers in the darkness that her breath caught. She looked into his eyes and swallowed thickly, only able to nod.

"Good." He grinned. "I've got a plan."

He had the driver drop them off around the corner and took her around the back of the club. There was a door open with a man guarding it. From inside, music poured onto the street, the energetic beat not helping her nerves.

"Wait." Aaron tugged her against the building, watching the doorway.

She shifted her weight from foot to foot, having doubts. Apparently she wasn't cut out for a life of crime.

"Now." Aaron pushed her toward the door. "Act natural."

Right. She rushed inside, noticing that the man who'd been guarding it was gone. Aaron tugged her down the short hall and right into the thong of people on the dance floor.

It was hot and stuffy, the air smelling like pot. She blinked, not sure what to think about that. She'd only been around pot once, at that party that changed her entire life.

Focus, she told herself. Taking her coat off, she craned her head to look for Griffin Chase. It was dark, and the bar went all the way back and was packed with people. She stood on her tiptoes. She couldn't see anyone.

"This is great," Aaron said close to her ear. "I didn't know you liked Eric McFadden and his band."

She didn't even know who they were. She paused in her search to listen to the music. Actually, they were pretty good. She felt her feet start to tap to the music.

No, she needed to focus. She knew Griffin Chase was going to be here.

"Are you looking for someone?" Aaron asked, his breath tickling her ear.

She was going to deny