We’d stopped by the center so I could say my goodbyes. Now, as I stood in the studio, waiting patiently to at least catch a glimpse of him, my body felt empty and my chest tight. I’d not only mentally prepared myself to be his wife, I desperately wanted it to be true.
The director, a short man who appeared to be permanently fused to the dingy brown cap he wore, came walking past with one of his assistants. “Let’s hope he responds better to the dancers this time. Christ, I thought the guy was dead from the neck down. How can you have six women pawing and clawing at you and not react?”
The assistant snickered. “Maybe he’s so used to it that it’s blasé.”
I knew they were talking about Exavier and the thought of him being with so many women in his lifetime hit me hard. It hurt. It wasn’t like I considered myself a jealous person but when it came to Exavier, I was. I could hardly point fingers and lay blame when I’d lived my own life as well. We both had a past and we’d both need to learn to live with that. If understanding wasn’t possible then my arrangement with him would be terminated. That was the only good thing about waking to find our mating was nothing more than an erotic fantasy I’d dreamed up.
Crossing one, khaki-color, stretch knit-clad leg over the other, I clicked the heel of my boot and wished us home. It didn’t work. The compulsion to continually touch the three-quarter length matching khaki blazer was maddening. Whenever I was nervous or on edge, I seemed to take great solace in fidgeting. Now was one such moment. Nervously, I smoothed the tight knit tank top I wore under the open blazer.
Shock of all shocks—it didn’t calm my nerves one bit.
The director clapped his hands and cupped them around his mouth. “Okay people, time is money. Get Loup Garou out here. Extras, dancers, take your places.”
I perked up and watched the dark set, made to look like a Goth-like prom setting, filled with people. The female dancers all wore corsets, long, layered shirts and heeled, old-fashioned looking boots. Their hair was swept up in various styles. Each one held a burlesque—beautiful quality that would look amazing with the right lighting.
Male dancers wearing black suit bottoms, suspenders, white cuffed dress shirts and top hats began to fill the area. It looked like a vampire ball. It was stunning. Near the back of the set was a raised stage where the band would no doubt be. Its backdrop was that of a cemetery. Vines and large stone pillars flanked it. Gargoyle statues were littered about as well as blood red velvet fainting sofas.
I watched carefully as three men walked out and instantly went to the stage. It was a little hard to see the raven haired man who seemed to be swallowed alive by the massive drum set but for a brief moment, he’d looked familiar. A tall man with long chestnut brown hair, tanned skin and a dangerous edge about him held a bass guitar and stared at the female dancers with nothing short of rapture on his face. The other tall guy with short, spiky hair, suspenders, an open shirt and a snug pair of vintage pants went towards a large triple keyboard set up.
The lights dimmed and smoke began to cover the floor, giving the stage a fog covered graveyard look. Someone bumped into me. I tripped and staggered a bit. Regaining my balance, I found myself staring at a woman who was my height with white-blonde hair that was styled high onto her head. She wore a bright red corset that left her breasts thrust obscenely to the surface. Her skirt was black where all the other dancers’ were white.
Her light blue eyes flickered quickly and I knew then she was no ordinary dancer. She was supernatural. It didn’t shock me.
The woman sneered. “Watch where you’re going.”
Me?
I just nodded, not wanting to argue with her. She needed to get her pasty ass out there and perform. Getting the shit kicked out of her by me wouldn’t help Exavier get his shoot over with today.
Turning her nose up, she laughed. “That’s what I thought.”
As she stormed off, I considered using my power to trip her. I held back. It was hard.
Whoohoo, for me.
The director stopped the bitchy dancer and smiled. “Hyde, you look lovely. What’s the matter?”
She looked back at me as a small grin spread over her face. “Exavier’s latest conquest is underfoot. I almost broke my neck because she walked right into me.”
The director glanced at me and shrugged. “At least she isn’t throwing herself at him every chance she gets. It’s rather tiring to have to continue to tell him not to bring his flavor of the week in, but you know him. He does what he wants.”
“I can’t work with her here. She’s disrupting my muse.”
Flavor of the week? Always dragging women in?
I shouldn’t have been jealous. I had no rights to Exavier. The only thing I had was an overactive imagination and a hell of an erotic dream. Nothing more.
Glancing around, I scooped out the nearest exit and headed in that direction. Someone grabbed hold of my arm, stopping me in my tracks.
“Hey, where are you going?”
I looked up at Exavier and for a moment could only stare at him. They had his hair done so it looked stylishly messy. More so than normal. Black eyeliner circled his blue eyes, drawing them out more. It was faint but needed, to keep him from fading in the camera’s eye. All of his stage make-up was subtle.
The black, long-sleeved, crew-neck mesh shirt he wore showed off his chiseled chest, making my entire body tingle. The snug black leather pants and boots only served to add to the dark sex appeal.
He arched a brow. “See something you like?”
“Yes, your eyeliner. What brand is it? I think it’s divine.”
Rolling his eyes, he chuckled and pulled me into his arms. “Ha, ha. Now, why were you leaving?”
I cast a wary glance towards the director and Hyde. “I think I’m underfoot. I’ll walk around and check back in a few hours.”
“Like hell you will.” His jaw hardened. “I want you here, with me.”
“Pull out your black book and call for backup. I’m sure one of the other ‘flavors’ will be more than willing to jump at your every whim. I’m not one of them.” Unsure where the outburst had come from, I looked away from him and forced a pleasant look to my face. “Sorry, I think I’m tired still. I had some rather odd dreams and didn’t sleep very well. I need some air.”
He kept hold of me and raked his dark blue gaze over me. “Dreams? What kind of dreams? And what the hell are you talking about with flavors?”
I shook my head.
“Linds? What sort of dreams?”
Heat rose to my cheeks. “They were nothing. Demons, death, do or die situations. You know—always with the spooky stuff.”
“What’s with the flavor comment?”
“Exavier, play with your little girlfriend later. We need to get this rolling,” the director said.
“Really, Exavier, I’m sure you fucked her in your dressing room like you do every other one you drag in with you so you should be okay for at least twenty minutes.” The very sound of the bitch’s voice made me want to send heavy objects pummeling towards her head.
I backed away and smiled at him, letting my fury show in my eyes. “They’re waiting.”
Exavier closed his eyes and shook his head slightly. “Linds, I, umm, I…”
I thrust power out at him, sending him stumbling towards the stage. I didn’t back down once. Finally, he gave in and walked backwards of his own accord, all the while staring at me with a hurt look on his face.
Oh well, I hurt too.
Hyde ran to him as he walked and tossed her arms around his neck. As she went to kiss his cheek, he put his arm up, pushing her away. She looked like someone struck her. I wished they had.
“Are we all set then?” the director asked.
Laughing at my own stupidity, I turned and headed towards the exit. How could I have been foolish enough to think I was anything more than another conquest? The one he needed to come into his full power. After he fucked me, he’d probably cast me aside and go back to fucking ev
erything in his path.
As I went to push the door open the music started, as did an ancient chant of the Fae.. I knew that voice. It was the one I lost myself in while dancing. The one who talked of wanting to dream to get to his loved one. Shaking my head, I glanced over my shoulder slowly. Exavier stood on the stage, holding the black wolf guitar I’d given him as a gift, with his mouth near the microphone, singing the deep chant and looking directly at me.
I tried to back up but I couldn’t, something held me in place. As I listened closer to the chant I knew why I was unable to move. It was used by the ancient Fae warriors to call their mates to them. To assure that they continued the race and found happiness. Covering my mouth with my hand, I fought back tears as his blue eyes stayed locked on me.
The dancers all moved fluently around the stage, dancing in the fog, dipping one another and caressing as they went. It was sexy, dark and alluring. Hyde came onto the stage and went to Exavier, pretending to be in awe of him. She made tiny motions to touch him and pulled her hand away fast. It was clear she was to act as though he was untouchable and powerful.
He was.
The lights began to simulate lightning and Hyde went to grab him. He stiffened and shrugged her off.
“Cut!”
Exavier stopped singing and the rest of the band instantly stopped playing. “What’s the problem, Pat?”
“I don’t know, Exavier. It could be that you look disgusted by the presence of the love of your life.”
We locked gazes. Fire ignited in my body, instantly making me feel as though he was buried deep within me. I gasped and fought to stay upright as the feeling of being fucked by Exavier continued. I could almost feel his cock sliding in and out of me, stretching me, filling me so completely that I knew I’d never long for another.
“Pat, I am far from disgusted with her presence. If anything, I’m obsessed.” Exavier licked his lower lip and it felt as though he were licking my pussy, tracing his tongue over my clit. I moaned and fought to stay upright.
“That’s funny because you just shrugged her off like she was a fly on your shoulder.”
“I did not.”
“Hyde, did he ignore you?”
She nodded as she glared at me. “He did. I think his newest screw is distracting him. We’re professionals here and need to get a job done.”
Exavier burst into laugher. “Oh…ha…you were talking about Hyde. I misunderstood since you said love of my life. Umm, yeah, Hyde’s touch makes my stomach turn. Always has.”
His band mates and half of the dancers started snickering. Hyde’s mouth dropped. She glared at him as though she was trying to burn a hole through the back of his head. “I will walk out on this project. Don’t think I won’t. I’m one of the highest paid models in the world. I agreed to do this because—”
“Agreed?” the man on the keyboards asked. “I heard you begged to get close to Exavier.”
“Children, we have a video to shoot and a schedule to keep. The studio will not be happy if we go over budget.”
All of them stared at the director like he was a moron. I agreed with their unspoken assessment. They nodded and the guys started to play again. The director mumbled something about lip syncing and Exavier flipped him off. I just stood in my spot watching the events unfold, doing my best not to laugh when Exavier growled as Hyde neared him again.
Two female dancers grabbed their stomachs and ran off the set. A few seconds later another ran off. Exavier glanced at me, clearly puzzled. I shrugged. The minutes ticked on as the director and his assistants spoke quietly amongst themselves. The second I saw the director throw his clipboard, I knew it was bad.
Storming out, Pat put his hands in the air and shook his head. “Apparently, some of these women were out late last night and decided to eat and come straight in. Too bad they ended up at an all-night dive. It looks as though they have food poisoning. I’m going to need two hours to get the other set prepared to do stills. I’ve got crew members over there now. I need the two of you,” he pointed at Exavier and Hyde, “to act like you are in love. I can’t have you clawing one another’s eyes out while you’re naked on the top of a crypt.”
Exavier’s eyes widened. “I never okayed naked on her with anything!”
“The rest of the band did it for you when you were late for the last meeting.”
His band mates laughed. He looked livid. Shaking his head, Exavier backed up from the microphone. “No. Forget it. I’m done. Call the label and bitch. I don’t care. Tell them to kiss my ass while they’re at it.”
“Exavier,” Pat said in a tone one would use with a child. “Your fans can’t get enough of you. You ooze sex appeal. Give them this. We can’t show any full frontals and to keep this playable prior to nine at night, we won’t show more than your upper body, hips, back, a profile of you from an angle that we won’t catch a glimpse of anything we shouldn’t.”
Exavier gave Pat a rather nasty look and smiled. “Well, Pat. I’m still going to have to go with no.”
“If it’s about your body I have it on good authority from the dancers and crew that it is more than acceptable.”
For a minute I thought Exavier was going to catapult the guy to Mars with his power from the look he gave him. Thankfully, he didn’t. “This has nothing to do with me. I’m fine with the way I am. I’m not lying on Hyde in a fucking snowsuit let alone naked.”
Hyde marched towards him. The long-haired bass player caught her around the waist, stopping her in mid-motion. “Let me go! I’ll have you know, Exavier, that men all over the world would die for two seconds with me. They—”
Turning his head, Exavier glared at her. “They can have you. I heard the shit you said to Linds and I don’t appreciate you putting your nose where it doesn’t belong.”
“Linds is just another flavor of the week for you and she knows it. I’ve know you a long time, you are a royal pain in the ass, and you’ve made using women an art form.”
“Are you pissed that I’ve had whoever I’ve wanted or are you pissed that I’ve never wanted you?”
My gut clenched tight as I listened to them go back and forth. I couldn’t deal with this. Not after spending a night dreaming that I’d not only taken him into me but had claimed him as my own. I didn’t wait to hear the rest. I moved quickly through the set, down the hall. I didn’t bother with the exit. It would only draw attention to me leaving and I wanted to be alone.
After running past several studio doors, I gave in and slowly opened one. Instantly, I was hit with the sound of hip-hop music. I knew the artist and couldn’t help but smile. I needed to see a friendly face. Slinking along the back of the set, I watched many of the dancers I used to work with move in unison behind Ruland.
Gina is going to be pissed she missed this.
With no shirt on, his cocoa-colored chest glistened, no doubt squirted with enough water that it itched. They had a tendency to want him to glisten. I knew why. Ruland kept his head shaved and treated his body like a temple. The man could move as good, if not better, than any male dancer I’d ever worked with.
The baggy light-colored jeans they had him wearing rode low on his hips as he did his portion of the dance. I covered my mouth to keep in the squeal that wanted to come out. I knew that dance. When he’d been the opening act with a group I’d toured with, he and I would spend endless hours dancing and talking. Ruland was amazing. His voice could go from hardcore rapper to angelic in seconds. We’d gotten along instantly. When I discovered his father was a were-jaguar, I knew then that supernatural attracted supernatural.
He looked directly at me and stopped moving. The director stopped everything and called for a break. Ruland smiled wide, making joy surge through me. I raced towards him as he held his arms out. Bear-hugging him, I laughed. “How are you? I can’t believe you’re here.”
He chuckled, holding me tight. “You can’t believe I’m here? You drop off the face of the earth three years ago and reappear in the middle of a torturous s
hoot and you can’t believe I’m here.”
Dancers instantly flooded us. After the first hug and freak out for me being there, I lost myself in the rest. Ruland just laughed as he kept his hand on my shoulder protectively. A barrage of questions from the dancers followed.
Putting my hands up, I silenced them. “No, I am not here to take over. I’m here to say hi to everyone.”
Ruland’s music continued to pump all around us. It had his lyrics still in it. He, like most artists, gave into the demand of letting the studios and the labels have their way by making him lip sync while he danced for the video. Taking hold of my hips, he pressed his body to mine and began to move. “I say we break her back in.”
The dancers all started laughing and agreeing. I took my blazer off and tossed it aside. “Mmm, trust you to have a song all about sex.”
“Hey, it's one of my favorite things to do. Is it still one of yours?” Ruland asked, rotating his hips as if he was taking me from behind.
Countering his moves, I leaned forward for him. “I have to admit that I still love it.”
Ruland began to sing along with his music and I shut-off, listening to the music and following his every move. He rubbed my right ass check, close to my hip as he sang about how he couldn’t get enough of the view of the girl from above, from behind. Pressing my palms to the floor, I thrust my ass in the air, knowing that it was aligned perfectly with his groin.
We’d known each other a long time and we followed the other's lead without question. He made quick thrusting motions as he continued on with his song. Sliding down, I did the splits until I was all the way the to the ground. Ruland followed my lead, knowing I’d turn to him and crawl up his leg.
I splayed my hands out and over his thigh and bit at his leg gently. His hand came to my head. I let him lead it around in a small circle before bringing it close to his leg and upwards. The second I got to my feet, we both launched into the dance steps. I went at him, backing him up a few feet while the dancers spun, gyrated and slinked their way around us. Ruland then came back at me with harder moves. He wrapped his arm around and hooked me to him. Tipping my head back, I felt his hot breath on my throat. I brought my head up slowly and the second our lips would have touched, I heard someone applauding.
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