by Dawn Ryder
Taz launched into a list of what he wanted.
And it was long. The waitress laughed at him before he finished, but she wrote it all down and bowed before leaving with a little wink for him. She was back within moments with the first tray sent over from the chefs.
“Syon hates it when he does solo interviews.”
“Really?” Kate looked up from her plate. “Then why does he do them?”
Taz was chewing and had to finish before answering. “You know, Cid is new to us. He’s got what he calls ‘fresh ideas.’ We’re all trying to give his marketing a chance. But it’s not good to split us up. Makes for friction. That could lead to trouble. I’m glad we went to the pub the other night. We need to be more than just party animals. I’m a serious musician.”
“Cid seems to steamroll right over that point. I’ve mentioned it to Syon. The fans love you guys for more than your image.”
Yoon nodded.
“You guys are tight,” Kate said. “It’s pretty awesome to see.”
Taz stopped before putting something in his mouth. It was clutched between his chopsticks. “You think so?”
“I do.”
“See, that’s why you and Syon work. You get it.” Taz looked at his plate and selected another piece of sushi. “So many chicks don’t understand. They get jealous. Don’t realize the…” He was searching for the right word.
“They don’t realize that being in a relationship means accepting each other for who they are,” she said. “Not trying to gain personal self-worth through getting you guys to split off from one another.”
Taz’s eyes widened. “Exactly. But that’s a lot easier said than done for most people.”
That was a solid truth. It was a balancing act, and it meant being flexible enough to deal with things like Ramsey walking through their bedroom from time to time.
It was all a part of Syon, and she’d be a liar if she said she wasn’t fascinated by him. That meant all of him.
An hour later, Kate stared at Taz and Yoon in awe. “Where are you two putting it?”
They laughed at her and tried to feed her. She blew her cheeks out and shook her head. The restaurant was fuller now than it had been when they’d arrived, with parties of people waiting outside for a table to open up. Waiters were carrying food around while waitresses brought out the beverages and condiments. The tables were so close, anytime someone got up, the chairs bumped together. English was the odd language. Most everyone around them was chattering away in some Asian tongue. The table behind them finished, and within moments, it had been cleaned and reset.
Taz raised his hand to call the waiter over but suddenly stiffened. His good nature evaporated in a flash. Kate turned to see a woman standing in the walkway. She’d been on her way to sit at the table behind them. Her face was white, her mouth open in a little expression of astonishment.
They were both frozen, staring at each other. Someone behind the woman suddenly noticed. An older woman came up beside the young one, grabbing her shoulders and hissing at her in Korean.
Kate didn’t have to understand the language to know when someone was cussing, or at the least being insulting.
Taz’s expression tightened. But he watched the girl, waiting to see what she was going to do. The older woman was chattering away and even pointed at Kate.
The younger girl suddenly broke out of her trance, turning her back on Taz.
“Time to go,” Taz said.
Taz pulled his wallet from the inside of his leather jacket pocket. He carelessly dropped three crisp one-hundred-dollar bills on the table and got up.
He was ten feet away before he turned, his face a tightly controlled mask of fury. He went up to the owner and passed the man several more hundred dollar bills. The owner looked back at the table where the girl was sitting with her family. She was looking at the tabletop as everyone seemed to be taking digs at her. She looked up, feeling Taz watching her. It seemed to be what he was waiting for. He raised his hand toward her, offering his open palm to her in a gesture that was overly gallant. He jerked his head toward the door when she only stared at his hand like she was really contemplating the offer.
She looked like she really wanted to take his hand. Taz hadn’t moved; if anything, he looked like he was leaning toward her.
Her family noticed, and one of them stood up to block her view of Taz. His expression hardened. He looked back at the manager.
“Don’t tell them until after they’ve eaten that I paid for their meal.” He tossed another hundred dollar bill onto the counter and started for the street.
He was lost in thought on the way to the hotel. He pulled out of his thoughts only long enough to look at Kate.
“Thanks for dinner,” he said.
He was gone a moment later, grabbing a key card from Cid’s second in command and making his way to the elevators.
It sucked.
Ramsey had his family, and Taz seemed to have a girl who wouldn’t cross her family to be with him.
Seriously sucked.
Kate made her way to her suite, realizing she was relieved to discover Syon’s stuff set up inside it.
How long was it going to last?
Don’t.
She needed to answer that question, but she couldn’t. Doubt was a cruel little bitch, chewing on everything she thought she knew and twisting it. Time crept by. She checked her cell phone, but there was no text message from Syon.
She’d told Taz she got it. The lifestyle. The demands.
So she couldn’t bug him when he was working. Instead, she slid into bed and told herself to let it go.
Which was another bit of good advice she completely ignored.
* * *
“The Marquis!”
Kate sat up. The space in the bed beside her was empty.
“You’re so hot!”
“Come party with us!”
A round of giggles came from outside the suite door. Kate tripped as she fumbled to get some clothing on. By the time she opened the door, Syon was at the end of the hallway, surrounded by fangirls. Music was blaring, shaking the hallway. He plowed through the door, obviously eager to get inside the suite. It felt like the floor fell out from under her feet.
Members of Cid’s team were still moving around. The early hours of the morning were just normal work time for them. A door suddenly opened, and Yoon popped into view, still shrugging into his suit jacket.
She retreated to the suite she shared with Syon, feeling like the bodyguard was a leash to keep her in her place.
Inside, it was dark, the candles unlit tonight. Her composure was crumbling, and there was no amount of willpower that could stop it. Her confidence was a puddle at her feet, even as she tried to go back to sleep.
You’re overreacting.
Maybe.
A round of loud laughter made it through her closed door. She cringed, unable to fend off the feeling of loneliness.
Well, you can just go down there.
No. She wasn’t going to chase him.
No matter how much she wanted to.
It was the final blow to her pride. The wound that left her without a plan of action, because she knew she’d defeated herself.
* * *
Someone was pounding on doors.
Kate rubbed her eyes. They burned as she blinked and realized she’d slept on the sofa. She stumbled into the bathroom but knew she was alone in the suite. It was well after two, and Cid’s team was getting everyone off to the show. What had been exciting madness in the first few weeks was now a recognizable pattern.
Syon hadn’t come back.
It crushed her. But she wiped her face and opened the suite door. She needed to be sure of her facts, not jump to conclusions.
“Okay, ladies…I need him back now.” Cid was ushering a trio of half-dressed girls out of the suite at the end of the hallway. Their hair was mussed, their lipstick smeared, and one was still topless. Two of Cid’s team members took over, herding them toward the e
levators while enjoying the exhibition. No one gave her anything to cover up with.
Just a little more publicity.
It was nauseating.
“See you at the show!” one called before the doors slid shut and she was gone.
Kate’s temper sizzled. Syon appeared in the suite doorway, drowsy, looking like he’d just crawled out of bed.
“What was that all about?” she demanded.
Cid was trying to cut her off, but she ducked around him.
“What?” Syon shrugged.
“Don’t say ‘what.’” Kate pointed at the elevator doors. “One of them was topless.”
Syon’s eyes narrowed. “We’ve been over this ground. You either trust me or you don’t.”
“Oh, like you had such complete faith in me when you pulled up to see me with Conan?”
“That’s different.”
She scoffed at him. “Different because it’s you versus me.”
“Boys and girls, we’ve got a concert to do.” Cid shouldered his way in front of her. “You know, that thing we’re all here to do? To bring in the money? You’re already running behind because of your late night.”
Syon cussed but turned around and stormed toward the elevators. Cid turned on her, blocking her path. “You’ve been here long enough to know how it goes. He’s not going to play by the same rules as everyone else. Take it or leave. As you see, there are plenty who will take it.”
There was more than a little pleasure in his tone and a glitter of victory in his eyes. She wanted to not see it. Wanted to tell herself she was jumping to conclusions.
Kate turned away, unable to watch anymore. Tears stung her eyes, completing the moment.
She shut herself behind the door of the suite and curled into a ball, trying to contain the hurt.
It was impossible. It felt like she was being ripped in two, the agony increasing as the hotel quieted down, telling her that everyone was gone.
Yoon was waiting on her.
But that wasn’t enough to make her get up. Honestly, she didn’t think she could manage to see Syon. Not on stage with the hordes of fans willing to do anything he wanted.
She wanted to think of him as being deeper.
Having more character.
Yeah, right. He doesn’t have to hold himself to those standards.
Your standards.
No, he didn’t. And it hurt like hell to see him abandoning their relationship. Maybe he’d just been checking it out. Seeing what a good girl was like. Enjoying all the offerings the buffet of life had for him.
She leaned her head back against the wall and felt the heat from the crash and burn.
She was pretty sure she could feel her skin blistering.
As well as her heart breaking.
* * *
Syon warned off his makeup girl with a finger. She stood poised with a blending sponge in her hand as she debated whether or not to heed him. Cid turned and gave her a sharp look. She flinched and started toward him again. Syon brushed her hand aside, irritated by the way Cid ran the crew. It was what he expected, but at the same time, there was something irritating about it tonight. Like he was a show monkey.
“Give me my phone, Cid,” he demanded.
The road manager dropped the cell phone into his pocket. “You know how I feel, mate. It’s concert time. All focus on the show. Toys later.”
“I’m making an exception,” Syon said.
Ramsey looked over at him from where he was warming up. There was already a thin film of perspiration on his chest, his features slightly tight as he let himself flow with the beat. Syon could feel the pull, but the way he’d left Kate was getting in the way. He couldn’t drop it.
“I just need to touch base with Kate.”
“Kiss-and-make-up time will have to wait,” Cid said.
“Yeah,” Ramsey added. “Kiss and make up when you have time to fuck out all the wrinkles.”
“Watch your mouth, Rams.”
Ramsey turned, still working his guitar, but his eyes were open now, his gaze keen as he tried to read Syon.
“Kate’s not a fuck,” Syon clarified.
Ramsey’s lips slowly curved into a sensual smile. “That’s what I’d be doing with her.” But Ramsey shrugged, his gaze sharpening for a moment of seriousness. “I hear you.”
At last, a tiny measure of satisfaction went through Syon.
It wasn’t enough though. He turned back to Cid.
“You’re not even dressed.” Cid took a pair of pants from one of his girls and held them out. “Ramsey’s got a point. You might need a little more time with your girlfriend than a quick check-in.”
It made sense.
Syon took the pants, still not happy with the circumstances. “One text. Then I’m all yours.”
Cid handed over the phone. Syon flipped it open and typed in a line of text.
* * *
Kate stared at her phone, blinking as she read the message.
I was a dick. Explain after the show.
You’re in love.
Shit.
She was.
There was no other way to explain the rush of happiness, pure giddiness that went through her. Her fingers were trembling, for Christ’s sake. She read the message once more and stood up.
Yeah, she might be in love, but there was no way she was going to let Syon steamroll over her. She marched into the bathroom and prepared for war.
Yoon was waiting for her. He checked his watch but didn’t say anything about her late arrival. She was used to arriving with the band. Now, she was stuck in the traffic that was slowly being guided into the massive parking lots that surrounded the FedEx Forum. It was a line of brake lights following the hand signals of parking lot attendants. Traffic signals were turned off, blinking red because of the surge of cars trying to make it to the concert on time.
Darkness had descended, lending the perfect backdrop to the fans wearing more leather than cloth. They had spiked hair and piercings in every imaginable place. The parking lot lights shone down on them as they howled with growing excitement. They held up their cell phones to take selfies and pictures of one another.
“We’d better go into the seats,” Yoon advised her after a quick look at his watch.
She nodded, filing in behind the fans holding tickets. Yoon flashed their VIP card. It raised a few eyebrows and earned him two winks from hopeful fangirls. Her escort never even blinked. He guided her through the seating, down to the floor, and up to the base of the catwalk.
One of Cid’s security guys spotted them as they took over the two reserved seats. He reached up and pressed a button on his headset before saying something into the tiny microphone latched onto his polo-shirt collar.
She didn’t have time to think about anything else as the huge spotlights over the stage began to fan out over the crowd and up to the ceiling. The fans roared with approval, thrusting their fists into the air as Drake leaped into view and took command of his drums. He started up with a beat that made her pulse. Taz joined in next, laying down the bass notes, looking like the cheers were soaking into him.
It was wild and raw.
Syon and Ramsey completed the descent into total sensory decadence, their music yanking her into its current like a flash flood. Her personal dilemmas melted away, overshadowed by the sheer abundance of emotion being stirred up. She was at the edge of the catwalk, moving with the beat as Syon moved toward her. By now, she knew the show, knew the spots he like to hit at certain cues.
Tonight he broke from the norm, strolling down the catwalk, prowling toward her. There were thousands of people around them, but all she saw was him. He had his hand curled around the mike with a strength and confidence that thrilled her. It was frankly breathtaking. She heard his soul in every word. He hit his knee, closing the distance between them and making her breath catch. For just a moment, he was inches from her. She caught a glimpse of his eyes, the intensity in them searing. She shuddered, feeling it shoot down her body.
She reached up to touch him and watched his eyes widen with surprise.
He pushed back to his feet, shifting his body for a moment. It was the only outward sign he gave that something was off as the song began climbing to its climax. He had to lean back with it, tipping his head back as his body bowed out with the emotion.
Which gave her a glimpse at the open inseam along his thigh.
Her breath froze in her lungs, horror freezing her.
No way.
Just no fucking way!
Chapter 7
“Your work fucking failed.”
Cid chucked the pants at her the second she made it into the backstage performers’ room. She caught them and peered at the hole, her breath stuck in her chest. She was trapped in the moment. A horrible place where she was staring at a failure she was so sure couldn’t have happened.
But something caught her eye. She blinked and drew in a breath.
“Like hell it did.” She pulled the pants inside out to take a second glance at the garment in her hands, making sure she wasn’t seeing what she wanted to see instead of what was there. She held them back up. “Someone pulled up the stitches…halfway down the inseam. They’re cut with a ripping needle. You can see the indention from the point.”
Cid rounded on her, his entourage backing him up. “So you did it on purpose? At least you admit it. That makes it a lot easier to deal with.”
“I can’t believe you think I’d compromise a performance.”
“My lead singer’s fucking pants opened up on stage!” Cid made a cutting gesture with his hand. “Which is why you’re leaving. Got a car waiting for you now.”
He had four crew members backing him up. He snapped his fingers, and they filed around him, starting toward her. But she was looking at Syon. He had that hard glitter of business in his eyes. His arms crossed over his chest as he leaned on the corner of a dressing table and studied her.