At 5:45, the biggest, blackest limousine she had ever seen whipped into the parking lot and stopped at the foot of the stairs. The moon roof slid open and Lily popped her head out. “Hey, Cinderella, your ride’s here,” she called. Beth descended as quickly as her strappy heels would allow, reaching the car just as the driver came around to open the door for her.
She piled into the seat opposite the couple. Getting a good look at her traveling companions, her mouth flew open in astonishment. Lily’s blond hair was polished and loose. In a short hunter green bandage dress with high stiletto heels, she looked every inch the globetrotting fashionista. “Wow, what a dress,” Beth said in awe.
“I thought so too,” said Ian, raising Lily’s hand to his lips for a kiss. “Isn’t she beautiful? You’re looking lovely as well, Beth. That outfit suits you to perfection.” Beth slid her hands automatically down the short dress, clutching a handful of hem.
“Don’t tug on it, you’ll stretch it,” Lily said, lightly smacking her hand. “Your hair looks beautiful swept up like that. Where did you find the ribbons? They’re gorgeous.”
Beth smiled and gave the ribbons woven through her curls a soft touch. “They’re from James. I thought maybe he’d like my hair like this.”
Ian surveyed her with a critical eye, reached out to reposition a rebellious curl then nodded his approval. “He’ll love it,” he assured her.
Beth turned to get a better look at him and inhaled sharply. “Holy shit, Prince, look at you. He cleans up pretty good, Lily. Did you dress him?”
Ian threw his head back and roared with laughter while Lily patted his knee affectionately. “You’d never know he was such a clothes horse. I never saw any of this stuff while we were dating,” she explained.
He pushed out his lower lip in a sensual pout, the gesture looking much like his younger brother. “I was trying to look like a regular working guy so you’d fall in love with me,” he replied.
Lily and Beth giggled in response. Regular working guy or not, Ian was decked out in slim-cut black Armani jeans, a charcoal gray silk t-shirt that showed off every sculpted muscle and leather boots Beth bet cost twice her monthly rent. His lion’s mane of curls was loose, forming an unruly auburn nimbus around his head.
Beth’s phone went off, and she reached in her purse to check the message.
where are you?
She bit back a smile.
we’re on the way now
James sent back one single word that spoke volumes.
hurry
About twenty minutes later, the limo rolled up and stopped in front of the Grand Regency hotel in downtown Tampa. The sidewalk and adjacent streets were packed full of fans and photographers jockeying for position to capture candid photos of the band departing for the show. On either side of the roped-off aisle, security struggled to keep the crowd back as they craned their necks to see who was arriving.
With a sharp rap on the partition glass, Ian asked the driver to wait a moment before opening their door. He turned to Beth and gave her a reassuring smile. “There’s a lot of press looking for a story out there, and you’re going to be the next big one,” he explained. “Just keep your head down and walk fast. Lily’s right here and I’m not letting anyone near either of you. You’ll do fine.”
The door opened and Ian exited first, extending his hands to assist both ladies. The crowd cheers were deafening, with plenty of hoots and whistles of appreciation. Hands possessively at the smalls of their backs, Ian propelled them forward toward the huge double doors. “I gotta say I am loving this. Walking in with the two most gorgeous women in Tampa on my arm,” Ian quipped with a wide grin. The camera flashes were both blinding and relentless. Beth turned her face in toward Ian’s chest to shield her eyes, spots dancing.
Dressed in his official staff muscle tee, Spider flew through the lobby doors as security converged on the visitors. “They’re on the list, let them through,” he confirmed to the nearest bodyguard, and handed Ian three laminated all access passes on nylon lanyards. Once they passed into the slightly quieter but still crowded lobby, Spider turned and clasped Ian’s hand in a firm grip. “Damn, it’s good to see you, Ian. It’s been a long time.”
Ian closed his other hand over Spider’s and grinned. “It’s great seeing you too.” He introduced Lily then added, “And this is Beth, but I’m guessing you knew that.”
Spider’s smile was warm when he took her hand. “James told me how beautiful you were, and I thought he had to be either lying or crazy. I’m happy to see that he was telling the truth.”
Both embarrassed and pleased at the compliment, Beth shook his hand, wondering what shade of red she was turning this time. “That’s very nice of you to say, thank you.”
“My mama raised me to always tell the truth.” He waved them to the elevator. “C’mon, he’s having fits for y’all to get here.”
The elevator chimed softly when the doors opened on the eighteenth floor. The muscle-bound security guards converged en masse. Disappointed by the brandished passes they resumed their posts, waiting for the next opportunity to flex their collective muscles. Spider led them about half way down the hall and knocked twice, waited a beat, then once more on the heavy door. After a moment’s pause he slid his key card then waved the three in when it swung open.
James’s well-appointed suite was beautiful, all navy blue and crimson. Several suitcases sat stacked next to the wall as if awaiting pickup. The door to the balcony overlooking the street was ajar, the curtains open to let in the late afternoon sun. “Found some visitors for you wandering around downstairs. You decent?” Spider called out.
Striding out of the bedroom James made straight for Beth, who had unconsciously started moving toward him. He pulled her to him, one strong arm around her waist, the other hand cupping the back of her head. Slanting his mouth over hers he kissed her like he expected the world to come to a crashing end any moment. Her purse fell forgotten to the floor and she entwined her arms around his neck to pull him even closer.
* * * *
Neither James nor Beth heard the door close. James couldn’t hear anything at all, so fiercely was his heart pounding. Beth leaned into him and he pressed his full length against her, trailing scalding kisses down her throat. She moaned softly in response when he slid his hand down to cup her bottom. “Ah, darlin’ but I have missed you,” he murmured against her throat, aching to thread his fingers through her heavy mass of red curls but reluctant to mess up the artistic arrangement.
“Missed you too,” she whispered. He stepped back slightly and let his hands fall to her waist. “Let me look at you.” His gaze swept over her, fingertips brushing the ruffles crisscrossing her dress. “Beautiful,” he said simply. He pulled her close again to brush his lips softly across hers, nipping lightly at her lower lip. They exchanged gentle kisses for a moment more until James looked up and scanned the room.
“We’re all alone,” he whispered in a husky voice then froze. “Wait, wasn’t there…”
He didn’t have to wait long. A tentative knock at the door derailed that train of thought. Ian called through from the other side. “Is it safe to come in now?”
James sprinted across the room to fling open the door, allowing the rest of his visitors to file in. Looking more than a little flushed, Beth smoothed her dress back into place. Ian turned to Spider and said in a low voice, “I was afraid we were going to need the fire hose to separate them.”
“I was too,” Spider chuckled. Pulling the door closed behind him, he announced over his shoulder, “I’ll be up by seven to get you to your car. Y’all enjoy yourselves now, hear?”
James turned his attention to Lily and gave her a light kiss on the cheek. “My beauteous sister, it’s a pleasure to see you. You too, old man,” he added before pulling Ian in a heartfelt bear hug. “Make yourselves at home.” He inclined his head toward the sofa, “I’ll just fetch us up a wee drink. Got wine for the ladies and a nice bottle of the uisce beatha for us, my brother.�
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Beth raised her eyebrows in question and Lily offered the translation in her burgeoning Irish. “Water of life, indeed,” she giggled, watching him pour the whiskey. As they sat, James stretched his arm across the back of the loveseat in invitation. Not needing to be asked twice, Beth scooted close to sit next to him.
They had been catching up for twenty minutes or so when another knock came at the door. At once Ian and James exchanged a look, tension crackling between them like an electrical current. “Just a minute,” James called, rising to answer it. He sucked in a deep breath before cracking it open cautiously.
Aaron peered around the partially opened door and his face lit up at the sight of the two beautiful women. “Evening, James. Looks like you’ve got some pretty company.” He beamed, voice rising at the end indicating he expected an introduction.
Something perverse in James rose up at the man’s oily tone. “Come on in and let me introduce you to these luvverly ladies. This is Lily,” he said, waving his hand toward the smiling blonde. “Lily is Ian’s wife. You’ll remember Ian, of course.” Aaron blanched, obviously disconcerted by not having seen the scowling elder brother when he first walked in.
James picked up Beth’s hand and kissed it, then brushed it against his jaw. “And this is my girlfriend, Beth Vargo. Ladies, Aaron Nicholson, the band’s manager.”
Aaron’s smile was tight. “Nice to meet you,” he said. “James?” He turned and went back out into the hallway without another word and James followed him. Once they were out in the hall with the door closed, Aaron whirled around. “Girlfriend?” he said through clenched teeth. “I thought we discussed this.”
“Girlfriend,” James nodded once and grinned. “You were the one doing all the discussing, Aaron, not me. Ain’t love the grandest thing?” Chuckling, he stepped back in the room and closed the door, leaving the opened-mouthed manager standing alone in the hallway.
Ian relaxed visibly when James sat back down. “I don’t trust that bastard, Seamus,” he muttered under his breath. “Best mind your back with him.”
“Well, that went well, don’t you think? He did remind me of something important, though.” James motioned for Beth to stay put and took off at a trot toward the bedroom. “Be right back,” he called over his shoulder. Within moments, he was back holding a velvet box. Sitting down next to her he opened the case, taking out a gold anklet. Made of intricate filigree, the tiny moons and sparkling stars dangled in varying lengths.
Beth gasped in delight as he knelt down to fasten the clasp around her proffered ankle. “I saw it and thought of you.” Bouncing up to his feet, he pulled her into a gentle embrace. “It makes me happy to make the people I love happy,” he whispered against her ear.
She pulled back to look at him. “Thank you,” she mouthed, her bright eyes searching his. He hesitated only a moment before claiming her mouth in a possessive kiss.
* * * *
Feeling suddenly like a peeping Tom, Ian stood and stretched. “Come on, you,” he chuckled, taking Lily’s hand and pulling her to her feet. They wandered over to inspect the view overlooking the busy downtown street. He wrapped his arms around and let his forehead drop to the crown of her head. “I know just how he feels,” he sighed. “That damn dress you’re wearing is making me crazy.”
Lily arched a deliberate eyebrow at that admission. “Want to know what I have on underneath?” she teased.
Ian groaned softly. “I’ll not be having that discussion with you right now,” he growled.
She looked up into her husband’s face, her eyes full of promise. “We can just talk about that later, milord.”
He grinned back. “And we will, milady. At length.”
* * * *
Beth and James were discussing the evening ahead when Ian and Lily sat back down. “I’ve seen you before,” Beth said, “but the closest I’ve gotten was ten or twelve rows back. You were amazing, though.”
James smiled. “Well, my darlin’, tonight you’ll be right on stage, watching from the wings.”
When yet another knock sounded, James jumped to answer it without hesitation. A stream of chattering people flooded in, the band and their significant others coming to say hello to Ian and meet Lily. Most of all, they came to get a good look at the woman who captured James’s heart. Beth and Lily were goggle-eyed at meeting the band they had idolized for so long. Clapping Ian on the back in greeting, Randy the bassist asked, “You singing with us tonight?”
With lips clamped firmly together, Ian blanched white and shook his head in an unequivocal no. James laughed. “I’ll get him up there again sometime,” he promised with a nod toward Lily and Beth, “but tonight he’s on guard duty.”
With impeccable timing, Spider stuck his head in the door to announce that the cars were ready to take them to the venue. Everyone filed out of the room, scattering in the hallway to attend to last minute details before heading down to the lobby. James checked his appearance in the mirror. With little more than a cursory glance at his skintight low rise jeans, gray Nike high tops, and a dark green and black muscle tee, he decided he passed muster.
Tugging on a plaid flannel shirt with the sleeves rolled up, James offered Beth his arm. “Shall we, my darlin’?” As soon as she slipped her hand in the crook of his elbow, he felt her tremble and pulled her close. “Don’t be afraid, sweet,” he whispered. “I’m right here with you. You see Spider over there? He might not look like much, but he’s a highly trained military type. Covert operations, like. He’s not going to let you out of his sight and if anyone were to manage to get by him, they damn sure won’t make it past Ian in one piece worth keeping. You’ll be fine. Just relax and enjoy the ride, beautiful girl.”
Swallowing hard, Beth smiled up nervously at him. “I’ll do my best.”
“It’s high time the world got the chance to witness my standards.” He winked and nodded to assure Ian and Lily that all was well. They made for the elevator where Spider stood waiting to escort them down.
The massive doors slid open with a muted ding. “Brace yourself,” Ian called back over his shoulder, placing a protective arm around Lily’s waist.
Beth stepped from the elevator and into a sparkling universe of camera flashes. Rendered momentarily blind from the unexpected assault, she stumbled into James as they made their way through the lobby. “Don’t worry, darlin’ – I got you,” he murmured, wrapping a supportive arm around her. “Just like the sun. Don’t look directly at them.”
When they stepped out onto the sidewalk, a deafening cheer arose from the waiting crowd. James grinned and waved to the fans as the bodyguards hustled them toward the waiting car. He kept one arm firmly around Beth, the other reaching out to shake hands and bump knuckles. A group of teenage girls screamed with excitement at his approach. He touched several of their outstretched hands–fireworks–then pulled Beth into his arms to give her a long, smoldering kiss to the delight of the onlookers. The waiting paparazzi couldn’t lift their cameras fast enough to capture the special moment from every possible angle.
When he pulled his mouth away from hers, his lips brushed her ear. “I love you, Lisbeth,” he whispered. She raised a stunned face to him as he helped her into the waiting limo. He met her eyes, wondering if the huge grin he knew he wore really would split his face in two.
Mine, his heart sang.
The car pulled slowly away from the curb, security barking warnings at the fans who had rushed forward to see the band. Lily was incredulous. “Is it like this all the time?” she gasped as faces pressed against the tinted windows, trying to peer inside.
James laughed. “Sometimes it’s worse,” he admitted with a shrug. “Still, if they weren’t there I wouldn’t have a job, right?”
Beth stared off out the window watching the police clear a path. “It’s all kinda scary, don’t you think?” she managed to squeak.
James took her hand and gave it a gentle squeeze. “Sometimes it is,” he agreed, lifting it to his lips for a reassuring kiss
.
With police escort, the limo caravan to the coliseum took only about ten minutes. Beth and Lily began to relax a little, while Ian remained watchful of the many covetous eyes on his wife and his brother’s girlfriend. A roadie ushered them to a chaos free zone near a speaker tower at the right wing of the stage. At that point, James blew Beth a kiss and excused himself to run through his personal checklist.
They watched in fascination while he read through the set list, offered to him by a clipboard-carrying roadie. Next came the chart of the spots marked on the stage where he was to stand for optimal lighting. Jogging in place, he scanned over copies of the lyric prompt sheets taped inconspicuously near the front of the stage. Alternately humming and singing while he read, he stretched and bent like he was gearing up for an athletic event.
“It’s like a fire ant nest back here, isn’t it?” Beth laughed when yet another technician ran by yelling into a two-way radio.
Ian nodded. “Just wait until the show gets started.” When the lights in the coliseum flickered on and off, Spider once again appeared at their side. He handed James an earpiece resembling a snug-fitting transparent Bluetooth, which he slipped on and flicked his hair back over to hide it. He listened for a moment, then turned and gave the thumbs up signal to someone Beth couldn’t see. Pulling off the flannel shirt, he handed it to Beth for safekeeping.
The lights went down as the first power chords of the evening rang out. James grabbed Beth for a quick kiss then moved to stand behind the speaker column, just out of sight of the crowd. Staring down at the floor, he shifted his weight from foot to foot while he listened, awaiting his cue. Beth’s anticipation rapidly turned to horror when he began trembling violently, fists clenching and unclenching, his chest heaving as he took in great gasping breaths.
Thinking something very wrong she moved forward, calling his name but Spider stepped in between them to stop her. “He’s in his zone, sweetie. He can’t hear you,” the roadie explained gently, guiding her back to where Ian and Lily stood. “He’ll be just fine in a minute. You’ll see.”
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