by Desiree King
"We're gonna need help, keeping us apart is apparently not the best idea. David, your brother found his soul mate do you think he could help?" Victor spoke fast but strong, all business.
"No, he met married and knocked Alice up in four hours…I don't think he could help." David had finally clued in.
"Oh, well…" Victor still held me in his arms but not as tight.
"I think we should keep her close but you both need to keep from tearing each other's clothes off. Don't forget, the press is here too." Johnny said sitting in a chair.
"I agree, it seems to help…" Victor laughed as I spun in his arms to face everyone else in the room.
"Alright let's get going!," David smiled. We all had full schedules but mine and Jenny’s were cancelled and we were set up to stay with the guys. We made it through two radio interviews, three meet 'n greets, and a TV interview without incident. As for the cameras, they were following different people. One followed David, another Jaime, there were others as well but those were the two I was afraid of. The last thing I need was for there to be footage of Victor and I a little too close on tv for my family to see. Sure I understood that sooner or later Joey would have to be told, but I hoped it would be much later. Finally we were all hanging out backstage waiting for No Man's Land to come off the stage for our set to start.
"I'm proud of you guys…You were very well behaved today. I think you guys can be left alone for twenty minutes." Johnny smiled wrapping his arms around Jenny.
"Oh come on that's not fair…," Victor groaned as Johnny led Jenny away.
"Get over it!" Jenny called over her shoulder and they disappeared around the corner. I was stretching out for the show in my angel outfit minus the wings. Victor sat back in his seat on the large sofa and pretended to not be watching me, but I knew when he was. I could feel his eyes on my skin.
"Alex…" He finally spoke.
"Yeah?" I stood up straight and met his eyes dead on.
"Come here," Victor said and reached out, grabbing my arm and pulled me into his arms. His arms rested perfectly on my waist. I looked down into his eyes and like so many times before, it almost as if I was mesmerized by the deep green pools. I turned my face down and kissed him and within seconds I was in his lap straddling him. We were now a tangle of arms, totally lost in ourselves. Somewhere in the middle Victor peeked to the side looking straight into a video camera. He froze. Without words we got up out of the chair, headed into the nearest dressing room, and closed the door.
"Where the hell did that come from?" I asked spinning to watch him as he walked over to the cooler by the door. "Water, no Jack, Victor."
"I know…The real question is who sicked them on us?"
"What does that mean?," I asked, feeling confused as David burst in the door.
"You two are not supposed to be here left alone," David growled.
"Oh relax, we're hiding in here." I snapped sitting on the couch.
"We're still very much in control," Victor added then took a swig of water.
"What happened?" David laughed.
"We were…Anyway a camera snuck up on us," I explained.
"Huh? Oh! When?" David caught on.
"A minute ago…Why?" Victor answered.
"Well, the only camera crew operation for the next twenty minutes is the one following Jamison." David smiled and that's when Johnny burst through the door with a robe tied shut.
"Vic! You guys were doing so…Dave?" Johnny was confused.
"For the last time! Behaving, just hiding!" Victor sounded annoyed.
"Oh…Well you got this…Bye!" and Johnny disappeared back out the door.
"Oh…My…God!" I exclaimed.
"What?" Both men turned to me.
"We have to get that tape!"
"We can't, that's the deal, they get to air whatever they catch on film." Victor collapsed beside me.
"Oh…Joey's gonna see it…" I sounded hopeless.
"Play it off." David chimed in.
"What?" I was caught off guard.
"Publicity stunt…tell family that's what it is. Which means if more of this crap is out there, and I'm sure there will be it won't be such a big deal," David spat out.
"That's actually a good idea…" Victor laughed.
"Yeah that might work." I smiled.
"How do we out ourselves enough so we're not hounded with questions," Victor thought out loud.
"I know exactly what will work…" David grinned.
"What?"
"Oh don't worry about it! I'll set it up…it will work better if you don't know it's coming," David said quickly and flew out the door.
"Well, you better call Joey…" Victor smiled leaning back to lounge on the sofa.
"Okay…" I groaned and pulled out my tiny cell phone.
"Hey…what's up?" Joey answered almost instantly.
"Hey I don't have a whole lot of time to talk right now, but I wanted to give you a heads up." I was careful of my wording and my tone.
"Okay, what's going on?"
"We're gonna pull a stunt…you'll know it when you see it…but it's just to get attention."
"Wait, stunt…like Pete and space or like Jacob and Stacy."
"The second…" I gave.
"Who?"
"Vic and I."
"And it's just a stunt?"
"The press is here, its been crazy I …I gotta go." I avoided the question. When I finally told him I did not want there to be lies in the way.
"That seemed fairly painless," Victor laughed.
"Well, Jake pulled a fake relationship once. Joey believes this story. I'm surprised Dave came up with it."
"Well let's get the show on the road." Victor smiled, kissed me on the forehead, and we headed for the stage. I stood waiting for my cue to go out when Jenny ran over from her side of the stage between David and Victor.
"Alex can we trade please?"
"Why?"
"Dave…" was all she said and I ran to take her place. So instead of dancing near Mike I danced right in Victor's line of sight and before we even reached the half-way point, Victor stopped playing altogether twice and missed a move to center stage. The end to the first half of the show was marked by a song in which David plays rhythm guitar on a custom acoustic guitar which Jenny would have taken out to him and he would make a joke about loving this part of his job. Before Jenny joined us, I had the terrible chore of doing this but I passed it off on Jenny. Dave and Johnny were talking on the stage when the guitar tech walked up to me and thrust David's guitar into my arms.
"No…Jenny does this now." I smiled then realized it was time and Jenny was nowhere to be seen. "Damnit…She'll pay for this." I plastered a smile on my face and walked out to center stage.
"This is the best part of this job." David laughed gesturing in my direction. I glanced over to see Victor switching off his pickups and slowly inching his way toward where David took me into his arms.
"I mean look at her…but I think I should pass her to her man…" David laughed and spun me playfully to land against Victor's chest. I met Victor's eyes and felt a huge smile spread across my face to match his. I wrapped my arms around his neck and pulled the white and black hat from his head. He kissed me passionately. I was giddy and a little dizzy when our lips parted and I looked into his eyes again, the crowd was losing it's mind and David laughed and spoke into the mic.
"You think you can focus a little better now?"
"Ha!" Victor laughed stepping up to his mic. "I'm not sure anything could make me forget her but I'll try!" Victor took the hat from my hand and put it on my head. "What do you think guys…should I keep her?" He smiled and I put that bombshell, pinup pout on my face and pulled a sexy little pose and listened to the men in the audience hoot and holler and whistle as I smiled kissed him on the neck and sashayed off the stage. For the second half of the show Jenny and I switched sides again, so the next time I would get within touching distance of Victor would be at the after party that the radio station hosting th
e show put on. It was close to midnight as we all loaded up into the three limos sitting outside. In the first limo was Mike and the kids headed toward the hotel for the night but the second had David and the camera crew. The last limo had Johnny, Jenny, Victor and I as well as the two shock jock radio hosts, Paul and Eric. The car ride would be at least an hour. Within a few minutes I was in Victor's lap with my face pressed to his neck, just breathing in his scent as his hand ran slowly up and down my thigh.
"So…Victor we thought you were marrying Lisa," Paul spoke up as Johnny got in and the engine fired up.
"That's been over for a while now." Victor laughed.
"So you and Johnny both have girls on the bus with you," Eric smiled.
"It ended up that way didn't it?" Victor laughed.
"You smell so good," I whispered in his ear and ran a hand against his chest suggestively.
"Right back at you babe." He smiled and leaned back enough making it impossible for me to hide my face against his hair. So I leaned back and looked at the two strangers for the first time.
"Weren't you dating Jamison from No Man's Land and Jacob Totem?"
"Yes…I'm also a dancer." I answered.
"Alex…" Johnny smiled.
"No, let her speak." Paul said.
"I just don't understand why men are remembered for what they do but women are remembered for who they do," I continued on my soapbox.
"Well, get used to it cause now the world knows about you and it's gonna get crowded," Eric answered.
"Yeah, you outed yourselves on tv. People will be talking about this for weeks," Paul laughed.
"We know…" Victor said sounding almost relieved.
"Why'd you do it?" Eric asked point blank.
"Do you know what it's like having a relationship and trying to hide it…Well for a rock star it's a million times worse. The press is everywhere and everyone knows your life story whether you want them to or not. So you know what, it's a relief that we're out. That means we can touch in public and not cause a rumor mill, besides the press has been saying that Alex and I had been sleeping together since the first video…now they don't have to make shit up. They have facts to write about," Victor finished.
"What about the age difference? You know it will bother people," Paul asked politely.
"The age difference is not that large…When people think about it no one will make much trouble over it," I spoke up.
The rest of the long car ride was spent with benign questions that Victor and Johnny had been asked a million times. We got to the club and went inside to find a packed house with heavy metal music filling the air. It was quite the party. We drank and danced for hours surrounded by fans and press. I got out of the circle of security somehow and was trapped in the crush of bodies. I could not see over the crowd. I was panicking as my eyes darted around just trying to find an opening to escape.
"Victor!" I cried out trying to get his attention. Suddenly I felt him toss me over his shoulder and carry me through the crowd. I looked up at the people, moving further away and I had a shock as I met Victor's eyes about 50 feet away and getting farther, but the snarl and rage in his eyes told me to stay calm he was coming. The stranger carrying me moved fast for a back door. We went out and the door closed behind us. It was dark and isolted with nothing around but the desert landscape behind the building. I hit the dirt on my back to see a large angry looking man looking down at me and I was frozen. As I looked up at him, I found myself thinking that he was completely unremarkable, not a man that would ever be noticed. Someone who was forgotten before he ever left. I was starting to panic again when I heard Victor's growl and the man turned to face away from me.
"Butt out man! I'm just trying to get with my lady!" The unremarkable man snapped.
"She's not yours!" Victor snarled.
"Fuck off!"
"No!" Victor growled and pounced on him. The stranger did not stand a chance. Victor beat him unconscious then picked me up from the dirt and looked me over again and again saying, "Are you okay?" I was shaking in his arms but as I breathed in his scent, felt the calming effects it always had. "Alex baby talk to me!"
"I'm fine…Vic, god I love you so much." I sobbed.
"I love you too…I'm so sorry…" Victor whispered.
"Take me home." I sobbed into his shoulder. He gathered me into his arms and carried me to the limo.
The driver opened the door and asked, "Where to?"
"Take us home, Van Nuys," Victor answered, setting me inside the empty car then climbed in beside me.
"But Mr. Greene that's over five hours what about a flight."
"I'll pay you 10 grand. Just drive," Victor said wrapping his arms around me. I sobbed into his chest but before too long I was asleep. When I woke up I knew it was late. The full moon was falling on the zenith but it was at that moment that I realized we could control ourselves if we wanted to. The sun was rising over the hills and that's when I felt like everything was perfect. The panic of what I was gonna do was setting in. Today we would get back to the house just in time to pack up my things and put me on the plane to Orlando, but we had the morning left to ourselves and more importantly we had and last night together, a night to sleep in his arms one last time to hold me over till the break was over. It was a dream come true. I knew if we had stayed in Phoenix till this morning it would have never happened. I snuggled back close into the curve of his arms and just enjoyed the heat of his body against me as he slept.
Chapter 11
California
The house was empty and stagnant from being shut up for months. Only about an hour a week did anyone come by. A housekeeper would come by to dust and air the place out. "I hate that smell," Victor complained as he headed straight for the back door.
"What is it?" I asked.
"Recycled air…" Victor answered as we both made the rounds opening doors and windows.
"What time is my flight?," I asked just to be talking to him.
"Two hours…John should be here in about twenty minutes with your bags from Phoenix,' Victor answered.
"What would you say if I asked to stay…?" I smiled and walked up to him sliding my arms around his waist.
"I would be ecstatic! But what about your brother?"
"Oh yeah…you're right." I pouted.
"Its only four weeks…maybe I can meet you once or twice…and I got you something." Victor smiled walking over to the kitchen counter.
"Really what is it?" I asked as he pulled a huge box from the floor and set it on the granite counter top.
"Laptop…and web cam." He smiled.
"Oh…and what would I use that for…" I smiled pressing myself against his back.
"Well I have one of those cams too…" He laughed.
"I figured…" He turned around to face me where he leaned against the counter.
"Should we make sure they work?" I grinned.
"And how do you think we could do that." He sneered suggestively.
"Hello…" Johnny screamed from the front door.
"Oh damnit!" Victor groaned.
"We're back here!" I called taking a step away from Victor who was obviously excited and pissed off that they arrived early. Seconds later both Johnny and Jenny came into the kitchen.
"You ready to go home?" Jenny asked.
"No…but I better get moving. Vic, wanna help me pack?" I asked pulling Victor behind me.
"Okay," He answered taking my giant bag from Johnny and tossing it over his shoulder and following me up the stairs.
"What's wrong with them?" Jenny asked confused.
"I think we interrupted…" John laughed picking up the web cam.
"Oh…oh…Alex!" Jenny took off at a dead run. "We don't have time for that!" She yelled climbing the stairs. Both my door and Victor's were wide open but the heavy breathing was coming from my room. Jenny burst into my bedroom where Victor had me pressed against the wall. "ALEX!" Jenny snapped annoyed.
"Go away!" I snapped back as Victor's hands ran
down my back squeezing my ass, lifting me onto his body.
"No! Flight in less than two hours!" Jenny crossed her arms standing firm.
"Out!" Victor gasped as my hands slipped between us opening his pants as quickly as I could.
"No! Separate! Victor put her down!" Johnny snarled walking up behind Jenny.
"God Damnit," Victor groaned and let me down keeping his back to our guests.
"No! Vic…Please…" I pressed myself to the front of his body and running my hands down his chest.
"Alex! What the hell is wrong with you two?" Jenny asked as I raised myself on my tip toes, running my tongue up his neck. I still could not reach his lips without help.
"Help me…" Johnny said grabbing Victor's arms and pulling Victor towards the door. Jenny held me in place.
"What the hell is going on?" Jenny was confused and I was struggling against her.
"I don't know but I'll take him downstairs," Johnny said struggling. As soon as Johnny got Victor downstairs we seemed to go back to normal. Upstairs, Jenny turned to me as I stopped fighting her hold.
"What the hell was that?" She hissed almost angry.
"Oh my God?" I shuddered walking over and sitting on the bed. "I'm not sure…"
"Alex…I've never seen you act like that…" Jenny was concerned.
"I…Um…I never felt like that…I'm not sure I liked it." I was almost panicked.
"ALEX! Are you okay?" I heard Victor shout from downstairs.
"Yes!" I called to him and without any consious thought and found myself on my feet. Jenny dove, knocking me to the floor.
"No! Vic! Shut up!" Jenny screamed. But all she heard in response was the back door slamming.
"Jenny…I'm okay." I said from flat on my back.
"You sure?"
"Yes…Help me pack please or we'll never make it," I said as she let me up.
"Alright let's get to work," Jenny answered as she emptied my bag and gathered all the dirty laundry, stuffing it in the hamper, while I was pulling clothes out of the closet. Within twenty minutes I was in Victor's room going through his duffle bag from the road. I needed a few of his dirty shirts to take with me so I could sleep. Finally, I was packed and Johnny loaded Jenny and my bags into his truck. All three of us were standing in the entryway, we had fifteen minutes till we absolutely must leave the house.