Dear Neighbor

by River Laurent

  ‘Very sexy,’ he says in his thick Italian accent.

  ‘They’re perfect. Get them,’ Britney says very firmly.

  I walk up and down the shop. He wants wild cat. He’s got wild cat.

  ‘Okay,’ I say.

  It is nearly two o’clock and we are very hungry so we stop for lunch at Caffè Baglioni across the street. Between us we polish off plates of eggs and truffle, steak tartare, smoked salmon, and wash it all down with a bottle of champagne.

  We arrive back at the hotel quite merry, a teeny bit tipsy, and with about two hours to go before we leave for the stadium. Already the adrenaline is flowing in my blood. I can’t wait to see Cash. It’s as if we haven’t been parted for just a few hours, but weeks.

  Britney is in her room with the music at dance level decibels and is busy trying on various outfits for later, so I decide to avail myself of the Jacuzzi. I lie back and close my eyes. As the lovely sensation of jets of water gently blast my body, an image of Cash the first time he cheekily came into my bathroom with his mouthwatering wares on display comes into my head.

  I remember his manly smell, his tanned muscular torso, his large hands as they spread my legs, and instantly my body starts aching for his brand of pleasure. My hands move of their own accord and start squeezing my breasts and caressing my nipples, anticipating how it will feel to be taken and fucked hard by Cash again.

  It seems an impossible dream that I will stand in the audience watching the hero of so many of my teenage wet dreams, and I will not scream or cry his name, but will go home with the real thing, Cash Hunter.

  I stand in front of the mirror, my hair loose and shining down my back, my eyes alive with excitement, my skin pink with all the blood rushing madly around my body, and with only one way to describe my dress: sexy, sexy, sexy.

  I just hope to God that Cash doesn’t think it’s too slutty.

  I go into Britney’s room. She is zipping herself up into a long sleeved shift dress with an A-line skirt, complete with black lace trim. I sit on the bed and tell her she looks amazing, but she takes it off and tries on two more outfits before I look at my watch pointedly, telling her if she carries on in this way much longer we will miss the concert.

  ‘Right. Be a devil and open the champagne bottle and I promise I’ll be ready in fifteen minutes.’

  I open the bottle that has been sitting on ice since we came in and grab two glasses, then return to her room. I pour the champagne and offer her a glass.

  ‘To a fabulous time tonight,’ Britney says.

  ‘To a fabulous time,’ I toast.

  ‘I’m so happy I am with you, Tori,’ Britney giggles.

  ‘And I’m so happy, Britney, to see you happy,’ I say. I almost can’t believe how the girl is changing. I barely recognize this good-hearted, warm girl.

  Fifteen minutes later she is all dolled up to the nines in the black and pink Moschino dress we bought earlier and we’re ready to roll.

  I call Fabio who says he’s already downstairs.

  She jumps to her feet. ‘Will I do?’ she asks doing a quick and slightly unsteady twirl.

  ‘I’ll have a hard time keeping the guys away from you tonight,’ I tell her.

  ‘Don’t you bloody dare,’ she warns and bursts out laughing.

  We leave the suite and go downstairs. In the foyer a group of young Italian guys blow kisses and call out, ‘Bella, bella.’

  We smile and keep moving. Fabio is right outside the entrance, smoking a cigarette, looking cool and relaxed.

  ‘Mediolanum Forum, Assago?’ he asks.

  ‘Si,’ I confirm.

  As we exit the hotel’s forecourt, I realize that I can barely wait to get there, but I dampen my enthusiasm next to Britney.

  ‘Vaffanculo,’ Fabio yells furiously as he slams on the brakes.

  Both Britney and I jump and brace ourselves on the seats in front of us.

  He meets our eyes in the rear view mirror. ‘Sorry. Every time big concert, very bad traffic,’ he says.

  ‘Will we make it in time?’ Britney asks in a panicked voice.

  ‘Don’t worry, Signorina. I know all the side roads. We beat the other cars.’

  Tori

  In the end it takes only half an hour before we are driving along a tree lined boulevard and catch sight of huge billboards advertising Alkaline on either side of the road. The band looks fabulous in the billboard photo, but my eyes are drawn to the larger-than-life image of Cash. He looks awesome. Fabio avoids the huge crowd that’s queued as far as my eyes can see and drops us off at the VIP entrance.

  We show our VIP passes to two burly security guards.

  ‘You’re with the band?’ one of the men asks.

  Britney cuts in before I can answer. ‘Where are the dressing rooms for the band? My brother’s the lead singer.’

  ‘The dressing rooms are on the other side of the Arena,’ the guy says with a shrug. ‘We’re on the South section and they are on the North.’

  Both of us look at each other in dismay. After what seems an awfully long way we finally reach the North side. We then have to climb a large flight of steps up another floor. My heart beats as hard from exhaustion as it is from the thought of seeing Cash.

  At the top of the stairs more security awaits us and more showing of our passes. It’s an absolute hub of activity now with people running around speaking into walkie-talkies. We stop outside a door that says: Band Dressing Room - Private - Do Not Enter. On a cardboard underneath the sign it reads: Cash Hunter. I feel my breath hitch suddenly and I tug at the hem of my tight dress. Britney raps on the door and shouts, ‘Are you decent? We’re coming in.’

  Cash calls, ‘Come in,’ and Britney turns the handle.

  Inside, Cash and Gavin are shirtless and sitting on chairs next to each other strumming their guitars. A number of empty beer bottles stand on the floor. They both look up and their eyes run down my body in my very revealing dress.

  ‘Hey,’ Cash says, smiling slowly.

  ‘Hey,’ Gavin echoes.

  Cash puts his guitar down and stands up. Strangely Brittany doesn’t run to him or throw herself at him. Instead, she bites her lip and says, ‘Sorry, I didn’t realize you weren’t alone.’

  ‘As if that’s ever stopped you before,’ Cash says, and beckons her with his hand. She goes to him and formally presses her lips against his cheek.

  ‘What’s come over you? Have you finally grown up?’ he asks, surprised and amused by the restraint she is showing.

  ‘Stop embarrassing me,’ she hisses.

  Cash flashes me a wickedly sexy smile and I suddenly feel very awkward with both Britany and Gavin around. I don’t want either of them to sense anything, but every primal instinct screams to me to run to him and jump into his arms.

  ‘Want a beer, Tori?’ he offers, his eyes alive with sexual lust.

  ‘No thanks. We drank the champagne that was in the suite. It said compliments of the house,’ I say.

  He laughs.

  Gavin turns towards Britney. ‘How was your trip and hotel?’ he asks conversationally.

  ‘Everything was perfect,’ she says.

  ‘That’s great.’

  ‘And for you, Tori?’ Cash asks softly.

  ‘I’ve never been so spoilt in my life,’ I reply truthfully.

  ‘Yeah?’

  I look deep into his eyes. Sexual chemistry throbs between us. ‘Yeah.’

  ‘Where are the rest of the band?’ Britney asks.

  ‘In their dressing rooms further along,’ Gavin replies.

  ‘And when do you go on stage?’

  Cash drops his eyes to his watch and shrugs his shoulder. ‘Less than forty-five minutes.’

  He fixes his green eyes on me again and comes across the room, and with his hands in the front pockets of his jeans, leans his muscular frame against the wall. What a gorgeous hunk he is. He is so close I smell his skin. ‘First time you’ll be seeing me perform live, eh? Are you excited?’

  I f
eel my face blush at the lie I am living. I will tell him the truth. Soon. ‘Very,’ I reply as coolly as possible.

  ‘How are you feeling?’ I ask, shifting the focus.

  He grins and leans a little forward. ‘Fantastic. Bring on the bright lights.’

  ‘No nerves?’ I ask, my skin tingling with his nearness.

  ‘We drank those away earlier,’ Gavin says.

  My eyes move to the empty bottles. He doesn’t seem drunk, but there is a kind of tension in him.

  ‘Anyhow, you girls have a great front row seat with your own balcony right above the stage. Sean, my roadie, will take you there just before we come on,’ he says as he walks back to his chair.

  There is a rap on the door and then Octavia walks in. She takes in the scene in a glance and her mouth tightens. Cash casually reaches for his guitar and strums some chords.

  ‘Let’s move it guys. It’s time for your make-up and wardrobe check. You’re on in thirty minutes.’ She turns to Gavin. ‘Gav, isn’t it time you were back in your own dressing room?’ Her stern voice turns the chilled, sexually charged atmosphere, into one of turbulence and activity. A girl carrying two black make-up cases walks quickly into the room and starts opening them.

  Octavia turns to me with a fake smile plastered on her face. I realize she is enjoying her position of power. ‘What’s your name again, honey?’

  ‘Tori,’ Britney innocently supplies not realizing that Octavia knows exactly who I am.

  ‘Right. Sorry Britney and Tori, but I can’t have my stars distracted so close to the gig, so I’m going to have to ask both of you to leave now,’ she says, as a crackly voice comes through on her walkie-talkie.

  ‘For fuck’s sake. I’m fucking coming,’ she snaps into it.

  ‘Leave them alone, Octavia. They’re just getting a bit of behind the scenes. Not doing any harm at all,’ Cash says as he repositions his chair so he is facing the mirror.

  She seems to burst a gut at this statement. ‘Really, Cash! I have enough on my plate without this bullshit. You know the rules. No one other than the artists, make-up team, and management are allowed in the dressing rooms one hour before the show starts.’

  She is talking to Cash but her eyes are focused on me and clearly the irritation on her face is all for me.

  Cash looks like a thundercloud and I sense she has pricked his pride a little too much and he is about to let rip.

  ‘I’m off,’ Gavin says to no one, and hastily leaves the room.

  ‘Come on, Brit. Let’s go get comfortable in our front row seats,’ I say, hoping to defuse the explosive situation by making a quick exit. After everything Cash has done for us, the last thing I want to do is cause a scene just before he goes on stage.

  ‘Have Sean come and show the girls to their seats,’ Cash tells Octavia coldly.

  She speaks on her walkie-talkie and no sooner has she finished speaking when there is a knock on the door. It is a young man who must have been in the corridor. As he takes us out, I hear Cash say, ‘Not so fast, Octavia. I want a word with you.’

  Cash

  ‘I’ve got a million things to do. So this better be good.’ Octavia gives me a ferocious look, but that’s not going to fucking wash with me. Not when my blood is boiling.

  ‘I think you may have misinterpreted the job of band manager, so let me spell it out for you. You get to organize, arrange, and book everything that involves this band. Recording, publicity interviews, live tours, parties, and hotels. What you don’t get to do is talk to me in that bullshit condescending way you just did. I can tell you now, the next time you do it will be the fucking last time. You’re out on your ear,’ I tell her.

  She licks her lips and looks at the makeup girl who pretends to be very busy cleaning her brushes. ‘Look, Cash. I’m just trying to do what’s best for the band, okay? Sometimes I’m a little rough around the edges, but it’s my high standards that have brought this band to where it is today.’

  I fold my arms across my chest and stare at her with raised eyebrows.

  ‘I’m sorry I spoke to you in that way,’ she says with a forced smile.

  ‘Apology accepted.’

  She widens her smile. ‘The most important thing now is that you guys go out there and slay them.’

  ‘We’re on the same page there.’

  ‘Okay, great. I’ve got a couple of things to sort out, I’ll see all of you before you go on.’ She puts her hand on the handle and turns it.

  ‘Oh, one more thing. Don’t take that bitchy tone with Tori again or you’ll be looking for a new band to manage.’

  She is not quick enough to conceal the hatred that crosses her face at the mention of Tori’s name. Why she should hate her so much is a mystery to me. She’s never hated any of the other girls I’ve been with. She nods once tightly and walks out of the door.

  After she is gone, the makeup girl moves forward with her container of foundation. I stare at my reflection in the mirror and think of Tori. Fuck, she knocked me for six when she came through the door in that dress. Hell, I wanted to slam her against the wall and take her there and then. Just thinking about it makes me hard.

  The only problem is, I was not the only one lusting after her.

  I saw something in Gav’s eyes that made my blood boil. I’ve already warned him off once so I hope it’s not what I think it is. He fucking knows better than to try it on with Tori. Challenge me and fuck with what’s mine and you’re on a collision course, dude. Sooner or later I’ll meet you head on and it ain’t going to be pretty.

  ‘Look down please,’ the girl instructs.

  I drop my eyes and she starts painting black eyeliner on my eyelids.

  I divert my attention to the only thing that matters right now. Pleasure. I’m going to give that tight, sweet, eager, little pussy all it can handle.

  Tori

  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YgFyi74DVjc

  Written In The Stars

  ‘Shit. I’ve never seen Octavia act that way. What a witch. She had no right to make us leave. The cheek of it. I’m his sister for God’s sake,’ Britney grumbles furiously as we make our way to our seats. ‘Bloody hell, she wouldn’t even have a job if not for my brother.’

  ‘Look,’ I say, ‘I wanted to slap her too, but Cash has taken so much trouble to organize everything for us that the last thing I wanted to do was cause a scene just before he went on stage.’

  ‘But Cash wanted us to stay,’ she insists.

  ‘I know he did, but does it really matter in the bigger scheme of things? You’ve had an amazing time so far and it can only get better. Remember the twin with dung?’

  She grins. ‘You’re right. We’ll have a wonderful time.’

  Cash was spot on, we have one of the best vantage points in this arena reserved entirely for us, and Sean has arranged for drinks and snacks to be brought to us as well. The excitement is mounting in the stadium and everyone is full of expectancy and energy as the time moves closer to the band’s appearance. Eventually the entire audience of more than 15,000 people is chanting for the band.

  The chanting stops and the crowd erupts into a loud roar of excitement as five figures, more shadow than real, saunter out on to the darkened stage. Flashbombs explode around them as the driving beat of the band starts and stage lights bathe the band in a breathtaking kaleidoscope of fast moving color. Huge screens surrounding the arena catch every move they make.

  ‘Bonasera Milano,’ Cash shouts, his hand lifted high above his head.

  The fans scream the greeting back to him, and the air literally vibrates.

  ‘Are you ready to get down and dirty?’ he asks.

  The applause and shouts of si is instant and deafening.

  Gavin says something to the audience too, but I don’t hear it because Cash is looking directly at me. My heart stops beating. I can’t move. I just stand there transfixed and staring until he winks and turns away from me. I watch him energetically run to the other end of the stage as the intro to the
first number, Let’s Hang Out, starts playing. The crowd goes crazy. Cash’s deep rich voice sparks more wild screaming.

  Britney, like most of the fans, has jumped to her feet clapping, cheering, and dancing to the beat. The atmosphere is so electric with the throbbing of the powerful beat and the grinding of all the people below that it is infectious and I find my body reacting to the vibe too.

  I remember that first time in Atlanta being there right in the heart of the energy and how good I felt, seeing Cash up on that stage, so close but so unobtainable. Now here I am with a VIP seat right at the front of the stage and he’s just as gorgeous as ever, but this time around he’s mine.

  At least for tonight.

  I look around at the sea of young girls swaying to the beat and filled with wild excitement at the sight of these handsome, virile young men and for the first time I understand what it must be like for these performers. Out on that stage they are larger than life. Heroes. Buzzed up with alcohol and out of control hormones, they look out across the arena at the adoring fans and see prey.

  Although the band members are all handsome and have good voices, Cash has that something extra. He exudes confidence, presence and raw sex appeal. He’s also the most gorgeous. Hearing Cash’s name being screamed by so many beautiful girls makes me slightly insecure and I have to remind myself it’s me he has chosen to be with him tonight.

  For one hour the band struts and performs dance moves with seemingly unlimited energy, lapping up all the love coming from their fans, as hit song after song reverberates across the packed arena. Britney is still boogieing next to me, trying to encourage me to join in using various facial expressions, but the heat all around is so intense I have to sit to cool down a little.

  Then it is time for the finale and Tinie Tempah dressed all in black with a red jacket joins the band on stage. To Britney’s delight Tinie wishes her a happy birthday. I look at her with a grin and she is red with exertion, pleasure and excitement.