by Shawn Bailey
“No, but he wagged designer suits under our noses,” Randall answered.
Tory chuckled. “I would have sympathy for you guys, but you’re going to be working with supermodels. Plus, Frankie’s scheduled to perform.”
“I can’t wait,” Carson said.
Again, Adam looked at Carson like he wanted to strangle him.
“And Jonas is going to model,” Tory said.
That got Brenton’s attention. “And Kalen?”
Tory smiled. “Him, too. I swear that kid is going to be president of the United States one day.”
“Nope,” Adam said. “He’s going to be a hotel mogul.”
“When are we going to start on our new videos?” Carson asked.
“Hopefully by the end of the week,” Tory answered. “Ruby has your schedules, and she set you up for a photo shoot with Brian Brown. Try to behave yourself there, too.”
Breton smirked. So they took the photographer out on the town many years ago and got him drunk. Tory must have forgotten that he’d been with them, too. “Okay, we’ll be on our best behavior.”
“Thank you. I think that’s all I have for you gents today. Tory stood, and he and the rest of the managers followed him out of the room.
Brenton and his friends left, walked past the administrative office, and headed for one of the music rooms where they were supposed to get some rehearsal in. He heard one of his favorite songs—Phil Collins’s “I Wish it Would Rain Down.” The closer he got, the more he wanted to find out the singer’s identity. He stopped near the entrance. The door was open. Brenton peeked inside. It was Frankie Kelly. Accompanying him on electric guitar was his older brother Jonas, and Gerard Tyler kept the beat with his drums.
“So he’s a rocker now, is he?” Carson asked.
“It’s one song,” Brenton said. “A great musician is versatile. Let’s get to practice.”
He walked away from the door with Frankie’s singing serenading his every step of the way.
“Is it freaky that I think that Gerard is cute with all that curly, black hair?” Randall asked once he caught up with him.
“No,” Brenton said. “It’s only freaky if you want to kiss him.”
He smiled. The next few months on tour with The Kerrys were going to be interesting.
Chapter Nineteen
The Las Vegas Dome greenroom should have been empty except for Vizio and the female pop group Cinnamon, but for some reason, there were a lot of young women present. The door opened, and Jonas Kelly sauntered in with Adam and Harley. He looked fantastic dressed in a red suit and white shirt. The women immediately sprang from their seats and went over to greet him. One in particular, Jessica Peters of Cinnamon, pushed through the melee and gave Jonas a big hug.
The hair on the back of Brenton’s neck stood up.
Preston waved his hand in front of Brenton’s face to get his attention. “What’s wrong? You looked like you’ve seen something very distasteful.”
“It’s nothing,” Brenton lied.
“Give him breathing room, ladies,” Adam said. “And don’t mess up his makeup or his suit.”
Brenton nodded in agreement. That meant poor Jonas had to remain standing so he wouldn’t crease his clothing. Vizio had nothing to worry about. They were all dolled up in jeans, sleeveless vests, and T-shirts so they could boogie.
Ursula entered the door next and headed over to her group. “Ladies, leave Jonas alone. It’s time for you to go on.”
“Aw,” the members of Cinnamon said.
“We hardly ever get a chance to talk to Jonas anymore,” the lead singer Tierney Avery said as she followed Ursula back out of the door.
“Save a dance for me,” Jessica said to Jonas.
“Okay,” Jonas said. He looked in Brenton’s direction and smiled.
Jessica followed the others out of the door, leaving Jonas to the remaining women in the room.
“He’s very popular,” Preston whispered. “Must be the hair.”
Adam ushered the young women out of the greenroom. “It’s time for you ladies to leave. Get to your seats or you’ll miss his performance.”
This got met with a lot of moans and groans, but they left.
Adam took Jonas over to the other side of the room and talked to him. Brenton’s gaze met Jonas’s, and Jonas winked at him. Brenton got a sudden rise in the crotch area. The tight jeans emphasized the lump. Jonas absently ran his tongue over his bottom lip. Brenton trembled with desire. He didn’t know if it was the sexuality oozing from the young singer or the way Jonas looked tonight decked out in red that turned him on. The eye contact went on for about fifteen minutes. Brenton didn’t complain. He liked a guy who could flirt. It did surprise him that no one else noticed.
Harley entered the greenroom. “You losers are up next,” he teased as he walked over to them. “Hey, Jonas. Damn you look good.”
Jonas waved at Harley.
The members of Vizio rose.
“Tear this mother down,” Jonas said to them.
“We will,” Brenton said. “We’ll see you on stage.” They left the room.
Cinnamon had just finished their act, and the crowd was still clapping. The four young ladies came off stage and got swamped by reporters.
Harley led them past the melee. Roadies went on the stage before them to remove Cinnamon’s backdrop and replace it with theirs. The Kerry’s had performed earlier and were probably in the audience waiting for them to come on stage.
“Knock them dead,” Harley said. “I’ll be waiting for you guys in the wings.”
Brenton led the way up the stairs and onto the stage. He picked up his guitar and adjusted the amp. Carson did the same, but from the opposite side of the stage. Randall got to his drums, and Preston hurried over to his keyboard.
“Ladies and gentlemen. We have a real treat for you this evening, the emcee said. “Are you ready to rock?”
“Yes!” the audience screamed in response.
“I said, are you ready to rock?”
“Yes!” the crowd answered again.
“Ladies and gentlemen, coming up next is a band that for the last two years has been making a bigger name for themselves over in Europe. But they’re back home in the United States and ready to tear up this stage with songs from their old and upcoming CDs. Let’s put our hands together and give a great Vegas round of applause for Vizio!”
The applause and whistles began even before the curtain lifted. Brenton and Carson immediately got the crowd to their feet with the introduction to “Breezy,” a fast instrumental they recorded years ago that had become their signature song.
“Good evening, Las Vegas,” Brenton said as they moved into their second song. He introduced his band. “It’s good to be back in the US!”
The crowd roared.
“On the drums, we have Mr. Randall Newcastle!”
Randall played a drum solo.
“Next, on the keyboard is Mr. Preston Gaspar!”
Preston tickled the ivories.
“On bass guitar is the one and only Carson Hughes!”
Carson played a tune. The guy could make a guitar sing.
“And I’m Brenton Tremayne, and this is Mercy, my electric guitar.”
He played a tune, and the crowd continued to cheer and clap for them. The four musicians started playing again. They played another fast song, a new one that Tommy had written for them. The audience cheered through the entire number. They sang a couple of their old songs, and the audience sang right along with them. Brenton loved Las Vegas. The people knew how to party.
The first half of their act was coming to an end. Brenton saw Adam and Jonas coming up the stairs.
“Thank you,” Brenton shouted as they finished the song.
The crowd didn’t let them down. Brenton and Vizio continued to play an instrumental ditty.
“When we arrived back in Louisiana a couple of months ago, the last thing we expected our boss to tell us that he had signed us up for another tour. A
s the emcee announced earlier, we had been on the road non-stop for two years, and all we wanted to do was rest. We were tired of playing the same old songs, and the audiences were tired of hearing them, too.”
The audience laughed at his joke.
“Then I got this song in my head that I couldn’t shake, and the idea that maybe this was happening to me for some greater purpose in life. So I jotted down the words and composed the music, but the song was still missing something. Then one day a friend came along, and I played it for him. He thought it was good, but thought it was missing something, too. He asked if I’d mind if he gave the song a little tweaking. Of course my ego didn’t want to let some young kid show me up.”
The audience laughed again.
“But I’m a big guy, and I’m not afraid of a little competition. I said sure see what you can do with it.” He chuckled weakly. “Damn if he didn’t. Not only did he give it a tweak, but he also put some soul to it. Let me tell you, when he played it back to me with his little addition, it nearly knocked me to my knees. He not only made it better, but he gave it life.
“Now, this song isn’t anything like our normal songs. Hell, even I’m smart enough to know we couldn’t expect this next generation of kids to like our style of music, so we decided to do the next best thing and embrace theirs. We hope you agree.” He stopped, and the stage began to transform.
There was a hush over the audience. The other members of Vizio went away with the prop, and a baby grand piano appeared where Carson had once stood. An orchestra sat on another platform. Brenton began to play the song, and the orchestra joined him. Brenton sang the first verse of the song. The people in the crowd applauded.
Jonas began singing the second verse of the song.
“Ladies and gentlemen, the kid who helped me with this song—Mr. Jonas Kerry.”
Brenton never heard such a loud din as when Jonas walked out and sat down at the piano. “Good evening, ladies and gentlemen.”
More screams and whistles.
“I love you, Jonas,” some woman shouted from the audience.
“Thank you, darling. I love you, too,” Jonas replied.
That audience ate that shit up, Brenton noticed. The women were screaming at the top of their lungs, and any minute he expected the roof to come down from the vibration. Brenton pointed to the conductor, and the orchestra started the song over again. Brenton played his guitar and sang the first verse, this time with a little more feeling. Jonas accompanied him on the piano. He sang the second verse looking at Brenton instead of the keys. Their voices blended together beautifully for the third verse and the chorus. The audience clapped. Brenton sang the last verse, and Jonas joined him for the chorus. The song ended, and Jonas stood up. The two of them met at the center of the stage and shook hands. The applause continued. Jonas waved and left the stage. The stage transformed again. The piano and the orchestra disappeared, and the members of Vizio returned.
“Wow,” Carson said. “That’s going to be a hard act to follow, but we’re going to try. Our next song is ‘Kiss Me before I Die,’ and we’re going to perform it for you for the first time anywhere.”
He started playing guitar and singing, and Brenton and the others joined right in. They sang two more songs, and then Brenton spoke again.
“We’ve had a great time this evening,” Brenton said. “And thank you for welcoming us back in the fold. We’re going to take it down a notch. This last number is also from our up and coming CD. It’s a ballad, written entirely for us by Jonas Kerry. It’s called ‘Remember Me When.’ Take it away, Carson.”
The audience quieted again.
Carson played his guitar and began singing the beautiful love song. Brenton joined him from the other end of the stage. The other two members played their instruments and came in for the chorus. Their efforts were rewarded greatly with a standing ovation and cries for an encore when they left the stage.
Harley was waiting in the wings.
“We haven’t experienced anything like this in a long time,” Preston said excitedly. “Listen to them. They love us.”
“Then go back and give them what they want,” Harley said.
Vizio returned to the stage, and for the next half hour, they rocked the house with vintage Vizio—heavy metal.
* * * *
The last place Brenton expected to be was in a grand ballroom of a Las Vegas hotel having the time of his life with a bunch of young people. After the concert and the press conference, Harley hurried them to their rooms to change and then got them downstairs before Brenton could finish drying his hair.
The Kerrys had just taken the stage. He thought it strange that they would perform again so soon after performing earlier that night, but Harley told him that Adam and the hotel manager were friends and that the man’s younger sister loved The Kerrys.
Another costume change—black-and-silver, sparkly jumpsuits under matching jackets. Goddamn they looked so sexy.
The Kerrys performed a different show than they had performed earlier. They had slipped back into their pop persona and rocked the place for damn near two hours. It was three in the morning when they left the stage, much to the disappointment of the audience. Women flocked them when they returned wearing yet another change of clothing.
Jonas wore a black suit cut to fit his slender frame. He had his hair in a long ponytail. Gerard was all dolled up in black and emerald green. Brenton loved the design. Frankie wore black and gold. The young ladies from Cinnamon fought their way to the front of the crowd and dragged the guys off to the dance floor before they made it to their assigned tables.
“What’s that they’re dancing to?” Carson asked.
“Korean pop,” Luke answered. “It’s the rage nowadays.”
“Do they have to dance so close?” Brenton asked.
Luke chuckled. “Yes.”
“They dance like a bunch of pervs,” Noel Charles said.
“Ah, why don’t you go join them?” Preston asked.
Noel turned up his nose. “No thanks.”
Brenton didn’t think so.
“Jonas has some smooth moves,” Carson said. “Look at the way he has that filly shaking her butt at him.”
“They’re all good dancers,” Adam said. “They’re young and not afraid of breaking a hip.”
Harley laughed. “You got that right.”
“I don’t like my girls dancing like that,” Ursula said. “They’re supposed to be ladies.”
“They are ladies,” Harley’s wife, Ellen, said, “ladies who aren’t afraid to shake what the good Lord gave them.”
Brenton still thought they were dancing too close. The DJ put on something slow. He knew that song. He’d heard it at the photographer’s studio.
“Ooh, I love this song,” Giovanni said. “It’s called ‘Wedding Ring.’”
“It’s not in English,” Carson said.
“Still Korean pop,” Luke said. “You better get used to it. We’re going to hear a lot of it in Asia.”
Their young men still hadn’t returned to the table. In fact, they were still dancing with Cinnamon. Brenton wished he could be dancing to that song with Jonas. The song ended, and The Kerrys and Cinnamon returned to the table singing the song and laughing with each other. The DJ put on a Sam Smith song. Brenton liked the guy’s style of singing.
“Oh!” Gerard said excitedly.
Giovanni began singing the song.
“Don’t,” Gerard said.
“He can sing?” Randall asked.
“Apparently,” Adam said as he watched Giovanni.
Gerard sang the next verse.
“Another collaboration?” Randall asked.
“Apparently,” Adam said again.
Brenton looked at Adam, and then at Giovanni and Gerard again. He sighed. It was their song. Too bad no one else had figured it out. They did sound very good together.
“I think the two of you need to sing it together on tour,” Randall suggested when the song ended.
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Gerard hopped to his feet. “Excuse me. I need to use the men’s room.” He dashed away from the table.
“What’s wrong with him?” Carson asked.
“Pants are too tight,” Jonas said.
The DJ spun Meghan Trainor’s “Like I’m Gonna Lose You.”
“Let’s try it, Frankie,” Tierney Avery said.
She began singing. Frankie joined in for John Legend’s part.
“Goddamn,” Harley said. “Tory was right. These kids are talented.”
John Legend’s “All of Me” played next.
“I like this song, too,” Giovanni said.
Jessica asked Jonas to dance.
Jonas stood up and let her lead him to the dance floor.
“How cute,” Carson said. “They make a nice couple.”
Brenton probably would have punched the other guitarist if it weren’t true. They did look good together. They were about the same height, and they danced well together. Gerard returned to the table and sat down next to Giovanni.
“Is everything okay?” Giovanni asked him.
Gerard nodded. “Yes. I need a drink.”
Giovanni reached over and picked up a bottle of white wine and filled Gerard’s glass.
“Merci,” Gerard said. His hands shook.
Giovanni put his hand over Gerard’s to steady him. No one else seemed to notice because they were too busy watching Jonas and Jessica. Gerard eased his hand away. Brenton could understand. Sometimes love was a little crazy. The song ended, and Jonas escorted Jessica back to the table.
“Excuse me,” he said. “I’ll be right back.”
He walked away and headed for the men’s room. Brenton waited for a few minutes, then he eased his cell phone out of his pocket and texted Jonas.
“Can you sneak away in about an hour? I want to tour Vegas with you.”
He felt the phone vibrate. He lifted it and looked at the message.
“Yes. I’ll meet you out front.”
Brenton put his phone away. Sixty minutes was a very long time.
Chapter Twenty
“This has got to be the craziest thing I’ve ever done,” Jonas said as he and Brenton left the hotel and found what might have been the only gay nightclub in Vegas. Jonas couldn’t be sure since he’d never bothered to check it out. They were dancing to Ed Sheeran’s “Thinking out Loud,” after drinking a bottle of very expensive champagne.