Rock Me Gently

By HK Carlton

Breaking News: Rock-God Jase West Quits the Music Biz!

Jase West has it all. Millions of adoring fans, money, women, cars and the talent that affords him the extravagant lifestyle he enjoys. But in reality, his life has become nothing more than a non-stop hazy binge of coke-fuelled sets, bright lights and endless travel. At one time, creating the music was the most important thing. Somewhere along the way he's lost the heart for it and himself in the process.

After fulfilling his contractual obligations, Jase quits the music business and goes back to school, re-emerging as Jason Westlake, history teacher.

During Jason's first set of parent/teacher interviews, he meets burned once, twice shy Lainey Clarkson, the single mother of one of his students, and he's immediately drawn to her. The country music lovin' mama has no idea who Jase West is and Jason wants to keep it that way. But secrets always have a way of coming out and building a new relationship on them is nothing but a heartbreak song in the making.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Totally Bound Publishing
• Release date: Mar 7, 2014
• ISBN: 9781781849699

HK Carlton

H-K lives in Canada with her hard-working hubby. She has two very handsome grown sons and a beautiful teenage daughter. She has been an avid reader all her life. Her first love is historical romance so it would come as no surprise that her favourite book of all time is Jane Eyre. But she'll read almost anything that captures her attention and imagination. She loves nothing more than to find a good book that she can't put down. She is a hopeless romantic and prefers happy endings.

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A Totally Bound Publication

Rock Me Gently

ISBN # 978-1-78184-969-9

©Copyright HK Carlton 2014

Cover Art by Posh Gosh ©Copyright February 2014

Edited by Sue Meadows & Sarah Smeaton

Totally Bound Publishing

This is a work of fiction. All characters, places and events are from the author’s imagination and should not be confused with fact. Any resemblance to persons, living or dead, events or places is purely coincidental.

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced in any material form, whether by printing, photocopying, scanning or otherwise without the written permission of the publisher, Totally Bound Publishing.

Applications should be addressed in the first instance, in writing, to Totally Bound Publishing. Unauthorised or restricted acts in relation to this publication may result in civil proceedings and/or criminal prosecution.

The author and illustrator have asserted their respective rights under the Copyright Designs and Patents Acts 1988 (as amended) to be identified as the author of this book and illustrator of the artwork.

Published in 2014 by Totally Bound Publishing, Newland House, The Point, Weaver Road, Lincoln, LN6 3QN

Warning:

This book contains sexually explicit content which is only suitable for mature readers. This story has a heat rating of Totally Sizzling and a Sexometer of 2.

This story contains 166 pages, additionally there is also a free excerpt at the end of the book containing 7 pages.

ROCK ME GENTLY

HK Carlton

People who don’t learn from their history are doomed to repeat it.

Rock-god Jase West has it all. Millions of adoring fans around the globe, money, women, cars and the talent that afforded him the extravagant lifestyle he enjoys. Until one day, when he takes a good look at himself and doesn’t like what he sees.

After fulfilling his contractual obligations, Jase quits the music business and goes back to school. Re-emerging as Jason Westlake, history teacher.

During Jason’s first set of parent-teacher interviews, he meets Lainey Clarkson, the single mother of one of his students, and he is immediately drawn to her. But Lainey is in the midst of a nasty divorce from a semi-famous pro football player and the last thing she wants is a relationship, especially with someone who is, or has been, in the limelight. However, Jason is pleasantly surprised to find that Lainey has no idea of his alter ego Jase West and decides to keep his celebrity status a secret for the time being until she falls for him. Reasoning that by then it will be too late for her to just walk away.

But when Lainey finds out that she has been lied to and manipulated again, Jason has to put on the performance of his life to win her back. Or for once, will the guy who’s used to getting everything lose out on the best thing that’s ever happened to him?

Dedication

To Jase’s girl

Trademarks Acknowledgement

The author acknowledges the trademarked status and trademark owners of the following wordmarks mentioned in this work of fiction:

New York Jets: The National Football League

New York Giants: The National Football League

Cheshire Cat (Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland): Lewis Carroll

Google: Google Inc.

Jacksonville Jaguars: The National Football League

Bugatti Veyron: Bugatti Automobiles S.A.S

Porsche: Porsche Automobil Holding SE

Born to Run: Bruce Springsteen

Hummer H3: General Motors

Sweet Home Alabama: Ed King, Gary Rossington, Ronnie Van Zant

Picture: Kid Rock, Sheryl Crow

Twitter: Twitter Inc.

Styrofoam: The Dow Chemical Company

I Never Knew Love: Larry Boone and Will Robinson

People: Time Inc.

Billboard: Prometheus Global Media

Chapter One

Jason Westlake waited for his last parent-teacher interview of the day. Not bad for his first round of conferences as a teacher. He looked around his classroom in awe. What a different direction his life had taken in the last few years. 

Six years ago he had been living the rock star lifestyle. On the road, a different girl every night, if he’d so chosen. Drugs, booze, anything for the taking. No one to say no to him. He could do, say, have, anything he wanted. Sounded like a dream for any guy. And it had been a complete blast for a while. Then one day he had looked in the mirror and he hadn’t even recognized himself. All his friends had gone, either dead, in prison or in rehab. He couldn’t do it anymore. He was tired. His body just couldn’t take the constant abuse any longer. So he’d finished up the contractual obligations that he had to honor and then he’d quit. Cold turkey. Gone home to his parents’ house in Florida, dried out and hid out for a month until his father had demanded that he go and address the press who’d been camped outside the whole time waiting for him to make some kind of formal statement or to snap just one picture of him that they could sell to the tabloids for millions. 

He’d done a lot of soul searching in that month while enjoying his mom’s home cooking and the way she had doted on him and supported him even when she thought he was being a dick. And he knew that he had been. But she had always been on his side. He knew she was proud of him but he also knew that she could be prouder. So, he’d thrown on a ripped T-shirt and gone outside, with his overlong hair and sunglasses, and announced to the world that he was finished with the music business and going back to school to be a teacher. It wasn’t what he’d intended to say, he hadn’t even consciously thought it until it was out of his mouth. He’d once toyed with the idea of being an educator. Once. In, like, fifth grade when he had a teacher that actually took him seriously and treated him like a human being instead of some dumb kid. He even felt comfortable enough to share that he wanted to play guitar and maybe even sing when he grew up. 

Mr Dempster. Jason still remembered his name. The one person besides his mom who had taken the time to listen and tell him he was good. And come on, how could he trust that his mom was telling the truth when she always made it seem like he was the best at everything? Mr D reassured Jason that he could be anything he set his mind to and doing something you loved was always the best route.

That kind of lasting impression was exactly what Jason hoped to inspire in his own students.

Then, at fifteen, Jase and some buddies had put a band together. The girls had gone wild when they found out he was in a band. From that moment on he’d eaten, slept and breathed music. Against all odds, they’d actually made it. 

Band members came and went. By the end, he had been the only founding member of the original five, and even then he’d thrown in the towel. Living the dream had its ups, but its downs could be killer. He’d seen it more times than he’d care to admit and realized he didn’t want to die that way, without having lived. That kind of existence wasn’t living in the real world. It was deceptive. It was all an illusion. He’d walked out that day to make a statement to the press as Jase West and he’d walked back into his parents’ house, the same way he’d been born into it, as Jason Westlake.

Excuse me? Oh, I’m sorry, I must have the wrong room. A lovely brunette, in a floral print dress, ducked into his classroom, bringing him out of his reverie. She glanced down at the sheet of paper in her hand.

What room were you looking for? he asked, smiling as he approached her, fully intending to point the pretty lady in the right direction.

I was looking for the history department and a Mr Westlake?

He grinned widely. You found him. He was pleasantly surprised that she didn’t already know who he was. There had been some press. It had died down considerably but it’d still made the local papers that the one-time rock star had settled down in a suburb near his parents to teach. The principal had warned him the day he hired him that if he created any negative media that threatened the school’s good name and reputation in any way, that he would have no problem firing Jason on the spot. He was forewarned and understood completely. The tabloids could be relentless and entirely false.

Her vivid green eyes widened slightly. Oh, she breathed on a laugh. I wasn’t… Huh… Jilly didn’…

She was flustered and he was delighted by her reaction. It had been a while since he’d had quite that effect on a woman who looked like Jill’s mom. It felt good. A guy didn’t attract as many screaming girls when his daily uniform was a three-piece suit and not a guitar and a cigarette. He would never have guessed that this was Jill’s mom.

Jill was the quintessential all-American, girl-next-door-looking kid. Blonde hair and blue eyes. Whereas her mother had rich-looking, long, thick, wavy dark hair that he’d love to get his hands tangled in, and dramatic green eyes.

You were expecting someone older I suspect. I know they call me Old Man Westlake. But they only do it ‘cause they know I’m just a little bit vain and it bugs me. It just makes them do it all the more, he confided. You must be Jillian’s mom. He offered his hand. She placed her smaller one in his. A current of electricity shot through him. Now he was flustered. His smile slipped a little as she continued to stare up at him. He felt a small tremor run through her or maybe it was him. Mrs Markham.

Taking a step backward, she removed her hand from his grasp and her mouth tightened. Body Language 101—he’d just said something wrong.

It’s Clarkson, she said, tersely. He’d seen the same look cross her daughter’s face a time or two.

Oh, I’m sorry. He wanted to smack his own forehead. Jill’s parents were getting divorced—he knew that. Jill had been having a difficult time with the situation. He’d overheard her talking to her friends about it. Only recently had she begun to open up and smile again. I knew that. I apologize again, Ms Clarkson. I should have been more prepared. God, she had him floundering.

Her face relaxed some and her mouth curved a little. I should apologize for taking up your time, Mr Westlake. I’m sorry I’m late. I had trouble getting out of work on time. I guess we should get to it, I don’t want to run long and annoy the parents who are after me.

You are my last conference today. Actually you’re my final interview this go around. He smiled and tried to return to some kind of normalcy. It would seem I saved the best for last. She ignored his attempt to flatter and maybe make up for his earlier flub. Jason pulled out a chair for her, and after she’d folded herself gracefully into it, he dragged another alongside so that they could browse through some of Jill’s work.

He took a deep breath as he reached across the desk to retrieve Jill’s file. I’m actually proud to say that I’ve survived my first set of mid-terms and interviews and I still want to teach. My professor at teacher’s college can now eat his words.

Little lines bracketed her full lips as she laughed softly. He had to remind himself where he was and that staring at a student’s mom’s lovely mouth was probably not a professional thing to do and that perhaps his professor had been correct all along. ‘You are on a different stage here, Mr Westlake. No one cares how charming you are or how much money you have, or how many Number Ones you’ve had in the charts. The parents of your students certainly will not. And neither do I. You came here to learn, not hit on every female in this lecture hall. Quit wasting my time, Mr Westlake, and get back on your tour bus.’ Jason shook his head slightly as the words rang through his head.

You’re a new teacher? she asked, assessing him, perhaps trying to guess his age. They had to be around the same, he estimated, considering her as well.

Yes, I guess you could say that I came to my calling late.

Well, feel blessed, Mr Westlake. Some of us never find our calling.

It’s Jason, please, he said, wanting to hear her say his name.

She looked away. Her mouth tensed again. Whoops.

Lainey, she returned softly.

Lainey, then, he said. Yeah, Lainey, that is perfect. She looks like a Lainey.

So how has my daughter been in your class, Mr…? she paused as he took a breath and prepared to correct her. Jason, she amended.

To his surprise his stomach actually clenched at the sound of his name coming from her lips. What the fuck?

Some of the other teachers are, well, rather worried about the decline in her marks, she continued.

Actually, I think she’s coming back around. I mean, I know I have only been here for a few months and some of the other teachers know her better than I do, but recently, she’s begun to get back into things. She’s participating in class more and handing in the majority of her assignments. He opened the file and selected her last test. See, this was our last quiz. She got a sixty-eight. Which is up from the fifty-twos she was rockin’ when we first started this adventure together.

That’s good. I’m glad to hear that. She’s had a rough time.

I’m sure you both have, he said, without thinking.

She looked down at the test, engrossed in the page.

The other teachers tell me I’m not being hard enough on her. That I need to push her. That submersing her in schoolwork would be the best thing for her right now. She was on the road to having her pick of any college or university of her choice and this little ‘speed bump’ that she is experiencing is going to obliterate any chance she had to get into the school of her choosing. She’s always been an excellent student. I’ve never had to push her. She pushes herself. At least she used to.

And what do you think? He turned to view her fully, his knee almost touching hers.

I think I understand why she just doesn’t give a damn right now. She inhaled sharply at the statement, her eyes darting, as if she hadn’t meant to reveal that to him. I mean, everyone goes through difficulties in their lives and they learn how to do what they have to do, despite the hardships. This is just another learning curve, a life lesson. Something that just might help her cope with things that may be thrown her way when she’s in college or university.

I think you’re right, he agreed. And you know your daughter better than any of us. She’s going to come out of this stronger. Better prepared. And so are you. Without thinking again he reached over and touched the back of her hand.

She took a deep breath and licked her lips, looking anywhere but at him. Obviously the divorce had not been her idea. She was just as wounded as her daughter. It was a shame. She was a beautiful woman. But she seemed weary.

What else have you got? She squinted at the desktop.

He slid the file over. Go ahead. Have a look. As I said, she’s steadily getting better marks. I was a little worried at first. I even went so far as to check on her other marks present and past. She’s a very smart young lady. She’s going to be fine with a little encouragement from home and from us. I don’t think we need to hound her but gently nudge her back to the girl that pushes herself. We don’t want to put any added pressure on her either.

Lainey flipped through the file then pushed it away. Well, things are looking up then.

Jason smiled. Yeah, things are looking up. Her gaze searched his. She had the most amazing eyes. He decided he wanted to erase all the worry that he saw in them.

Well, then, thank you for your time, Mr Westlake. It was nice to meet you, she rushed to collect her purse and stand. She was halfway across the room before he knew it, like she couldn’t get away from him fast enough. Jason found himself trailing after her, scrambling for something to say to keep her just a few minutes more.

You too, Lainey. She hesitated when he said her name, then peeked over her shoulder and gave him a small smile and a nod. 

You can call me any time. I mean, here at the school, he rushed. If you want to check in on her progress. And I will certainly notify you if I have any concerns.

I would appreciate that. Thank you.

It had been a long time since he’d had any connection with a woman like her. In fact, since he’d settled here, he hadn’t seen or dated anyone—so focused on teaching and being a good boy that he didn’t have