Angel Eyes

Ruby Rose gazed out at the crowd beyond the stage lights, a smile flickering on her lips as she tossed aside a strand of her long pink hair hanging over the ebony fret of her Violet PRS SE Custom Electric.

Hundreds of phones waved in the dark.

Her fingers slid along the fretboard, forming the opening chords of Taking Me Home, her signature encore number and a fan favorite.

"Rubeee!" a guy in the audience shouted.

"I'm here, baby," she grinned into the mic. The noise level rose, cheers sounded, whistling and foot stomping filled the air. More phones glowed in the night.

Dean, on drums, beat the sensual rhythm with his snare, bringing in the bass, driving the pulse of the tune. She sang to the fans, making love to them with her voice and her purple guitar.

We met in a whirl wind

And felt the world spin

Our hearts beat as one

Under the sun

We flew to the moon

And around the stars

The world was ours, baby,

And ours alone

Taking me home, yeah, taking me home

With you, oh baby, with you.

Thousands of fans sang along, swaying to the beat, hands raised toward the stage and the young woman singing to them. As the number ended stage lights flashed, the crowd roared her name and Ruby threw her pick out into the swirling mass of bodies.

"Goodnight, Philly! Thank you, we love you! Let's do it again next year!" she blew kisses out to the audience then exited the stage with one last wave.

She handed her guitar off to Stan the Man Crenshaw, her crusty long-time guitar tech, one of the best in the industry.

"Great show tonight, Rube," he took the violet guitar from her by its neck, repeating the praise he gave her after every show.

"You're the man, Stanny," Ruby winked and gave him a thumbs-up. Stepping away from the hot amps she lifted her long hair from her damp neck and shoulders attempting to cool off, looking forward to a shower and a fresh change of clothes before the after party.

Kaine, her manager, approached. A stocky fit man in his early thirties with cropped light brown hair, he seemed older than his years.

"What was that thing in the middle of Roll Me?" he asked, concerned.

"Not sure," she answered. "Maybe a loose peg. I'll ask Stan to restring her tomorrow."

She knew she was fortunate to have Kaine as her manager, he was dedicated, intensely focused on her career, all business and honest. But at times like this, when all she wanted was a quick cleanup, she was reminded of why and how he'd earned his reputation as Kaine the Pain. She was tired and didn't need a technical discussion about the performance of her beloved lavender electric at the moment.

"I'll be in the Greenroom after I shower," she kissed her fingertips and pressed them to Kaine's mouth. He frowned and folded his arms across his chest as he watched her walk away.

In the shower room she pulled off her top and slipped out of her jeans. Stepping into the stream of warm water, she closed her eyes and let the spray wash away the sweat and tension of performance.

She felt a pair of rough hands smooth over her small perky breasts. Dean's long pulsing dick pushed between her thighs, his naked body pressing against her back. He kissed her shoulder and pinched her nipple.

"You're lucky I didn't fuck you right there on stage," he growled in her ear. He pushed up into her from behind, spreading her hips and tilting her toward him as he powered into her willing pussy. God, he was good. He was always good.

She'd written Taking Me Home about him after they'd met at a private party at a small Greenwich Village club. The attraction was immediate and they'd found themselves welcoming the dawn on a park bench in Washington Square, their bodies connecting on a deep level. That was over a year ago when the band had been looking for a new drummer. Dean was hired and the Diamond Dreams tour launched a few months later. He and Ruby continued to spend time together even though they weren't official as a couple.

Dean wasn't handsome but he was every inch the sexy rock drummer, tall, dark hair, intense blue eyes, long and lean, built in all the places that counted and blessed with an innate sense of rhythm that made him very popular with groupies and rock chicks alike. Ruby counted herself among his fans, even though she wasn't sure where exactly they were going with this thing.

"Yeah, baby," his low voice murmured in her ear as he released himself inside her, feeling her tighten around him. "Fuck me, baby, come on, fuck me." He kept pumping as his fluid flowed out of her and down her thighs.

He grabbed a bottle of lemon body wash and squeezing a good amount into his palm, he slipped his large hand between her thighs and washed himself off her, slipping a finger or two into her pink folds as he did so.

"Beast!" she giggled, elbowing his arm away.

"What?" he protested with fake innocence.

"We've got people waiting," she sighed.

"Fuck 'em," he whispered, adding a third finger. "One more time," he coaxed, curling his fingers up against her front wall. Sure enough, under those talented fingers her head tilted back into his shoulder and her body arched against his hard chest. Oh Dean.

Not long after, she waltzed into the backstage Greenroom, already filled with VIP pass fans, Lex, the band's bass player and Sloane, who played lead guitar, as well as a throng of invited guests. Kaine was deep in conversation across the room with a tall man who seemed familiar but she couldn't quite place him.

Ruby looked every inch the pop star in tight white jeans clinging to her long slim legs, Gianvitto Rossi black leather ankle boots with stiletto heels and a black satin jacket cropped at the waist. Her green eyes, pouty pink lips and silky pink hair completed the look like the cherry on top of an ice cream sundae. Her practiced greeting-fans smile effortlessly slid into place.

Dean's arm had been draped across her shoulders as they left the dressing rooms. Now, he dropped his arm to her waist as Kaine spotted them and made his way over. Kaine, always looking at Ruby from the perspective of her career and her fans, wasn't a fan of her relationship with Dean, if it even was a relationship beyond an on-tour fling of proximity. Sure, some good music had come out of the connection but Kaine had bigger things in mind for his star than the hot drummer boy in her band.

"Dean, will you excuse us?" he said as he took Ruby's elbow in his hand. Dean stepped back as Kaine escorted Ruby through the crowd, he knew what Kaine thought about him. Tough shit, he wasn't going anywhere, not any time soon, and definitely not pushed out by Kaine the Pain. His mouth pulled to the side in a humorless grin as he grabbed a drink and began to work the room.

"Loved your show tonight, Ruby!" Two girls in ripped jeans and Ruby Rose Diamond Dreams Tour t-shirts greeted her along the way, their hair spray-dyed pink in tribute to Ruby's emblematic long pink locks.

"Thanks, ladies!" Ruby grasped their outstretched hands as she stopped to speak to them.

"We love you, Ruby!" they said, tears of emotion filling their eyes as they gazed at her.

"Love you too." She did, she loved her fans most of whom were young women between fifteen and twenty-five. "You girls be careful getting home tonight," she squeezed their hands warmly before Kaine led her away. She was as protective as a mama bear about her fans, who looked up to her as a role model of success in an industry dominated by male artists.

"I've been talking to Jax Jerome," Kaine spoke low in her ear as he looked in the tall man's direction. Of course! How had she not recognized Jax Jerome of all people? Leader and lead singer of Wicked Roses, one of the most influential, most beloved rock bands ever to come out of the Pacific Northwest.

What was he doing here in Philadelphia and at her show of all places? Who had invited him backstage - Kaine? Although he needed no invitation, his presence at any concert was such a compliment he'd be welcomed as a matter of course by any band anywhere.

Ruby stopped for a moment, turning to face Kaine as a sudden shyness came over her. "You have? What about?"

"He wants to talk to you, possible business idea."

"With me?" she squeaked, before lowering her voice to almost a whisper. "What about?" she repeated.

"You're going to have to talk to him to find out, Ruby," Kaine took her elbow again and nudged her toward the rock god who was not only looking in their direction now but looking directly at her, waiting for her to approach with a twinkle in his gorgeous dark eyes. She felt giddy, like a fangirl, at the prospect of meeting the Jax Jerome in person backstage at one of her own concerts. She took a deep breath. Calm, stay calm, he's just a guy. Oh who was she kidding? He wasn't just a guy, he was Jax Jerome!!

"Ruby Rose meet Jax Jerome," Kaine introduced matter of factly as they stopped in front of Jax. How could Kaine sound so calm, so controlled?

She extended her hand to Jax, somehow she wasn't trembling.

"So nice to meet you, thanks for being here tonight, I'm a big fan." God, she sounded so composed when he was even better looking in person than in pictures.

He grinned, flashing perfect white teeth.

"I'm a big fan of yours, great show tonight," he held her hand in both his large ones for just a second before releasing her.

"What brings you to Philly?" she asked, noting his thick dark hair, almost black, waving crisply around his face and down the back of his neck.

"We flew out to New York to meet with the label."

URA, Universal Recording Artists, Ruby knew their label. Who didn't? It was one of the most active organizations in music, everyone wanted to sign with URA. She was also aware that Kaine had his eye on getting her into the URA stable. Is that what this meeting was about?

"Since we were on the East Coast anyway, I came down to check out the venue for our tour next year. Was I ever knocked out to find Ruby Rose packing 'em in tonight. Lucky me."

Okay, so not only was he gorgeous and tall with great hair, he was also charming.

"We're honored, Jax," Kaine's smooth voice came in. Ruby was so grateful for Kaine at the moment, he always kept his cool. Who had ever dared call her wonderful manager Kaine the Pain? She made a mental note to look into it tomorrow.

"Is there anything we can do for you before we call it a night and go our separate ways?" Kaine looked meaningfully at Jax.

Jax wasn't only the lead singer in a phenomenally successful rock band, he had a sharp head for business. Wicked Roses hadn't gotten where they were on luck and talent alone.

He turned his high-intensity gaze on Ruby.

"I've had a crazy little idea rolling around my head for a while. And Ruby Rose just happens to be part of it. A big part." He leaned in slightly.

"Is there a quiet place we can go to talk?"