by Sarah Price
What she noticed about his interaction with the fans was the fact that he had something to say to everyone. He made each one of them feel comfortable and important in his presence. His ability to maneuver among the fans, adapting to what they wanted, was amazing to Amanda. She couldn’t imagine being so at ease among strangers. She also couldn’t believe that this was Viper, a caring man who focused equal attention on each of his fans before the show, a show when he would sing songs about things that were intimate and inappropriate at times, songs that sometimes used language that she had never heard spoken before, and about relationships with women that were as unchristian as could be.
Still, she watched him with adoration in her eyes and love in her heart.
Even more surprising was when a few of the fans approached her, shyly at first, as they whispered to one another and stood before her. Amanda noticed them staring at her and turned her attention from Viper.
“Hello,” she managed to say. “Are you having a right gut time, then?”
One of the girls, who couldn’t have been any more than thirteen, glanced at her friends. “We were hoping that we could have a photograph with you,” she asked. Clearly, she was the spokesperson for the others.
“A photograph?” Amanda couldn’t imagine why they would want such a thing.
They nodded their heads.
“Vell,” she said slowly. At least they had asked, she told herself. “I reckon that it would be all right,” she acquiesced reluctantly.
The girls smiled and hurried to stand next to Amanda, but the next problem became clear. Who would take the photo? If one of the girls took it, they would not be in the photo.
“¡Ay, mi madre!” The cheerful voice that approached them could only be Viper. “I see that you ladies have found my Amanda, no? You have talked her into a photo with you? ¡Muy bien! Let me take the photo, then!” The girls flushed and handed their cameras to him. With great theatrics, Viper began to take their photos and asked them to pose, teasing them as he took photo after photo.
Amanda laughed at his antics, and the three young girls were ecstatic at the attention that Viper had given to them. Some of the other people in the room were recording Viper in action while a few others tried to get into the photos. Before long, he was no longer the center of attention as everyone was clamoring for a photo with Amanda.
By the time that the meet and greet was over, Amanda felt as though she had made new friends, even if she would never see them again. She had been hugged by the younger girls and fawned over by the older ones, who asked her questions about traveling with Viper.
Alejandro took her hand when it was time to leave. He kissed the back of it, then lifted it into the air, a gesture of departure from the gathering in the VIP Lounge. Then, with a broad smile and a wink, he said his good-byes and led her out of the room into his own private dressing room.
When the door shut behind them, he turned to her, his eyes staring at her and assessing the woman before him. For a moment, she panicked. Was he upset that the fans had shifted their adoration from him to her? She hadn’t asked for their attention; that was true. But she also knew that this was his show.
He took two strides toward her and reached out, grabbing her by the back of her neck. It didn’t hurt, but it was forceful. And it startled her.
He pushed her backward, her back against the wall. With wide eyes, she stared at him, frightened for the briefest of moments. His eyes looked different. They glowed so bright that she wouldn’t have been surprised if flames erupted. With his hand still on the back of her neck, he stared down into her face, his expression unreadable and void.
“Alejandro?” she questioned, trying to get a reading on him.
He responded by lowering his mouth onto hers, his lips crushing against hers as he kissed her with a fierceness that reminded her of that day in the buggy, oh so long ago. Unlike that kiss, this one did not end. It lingered and was full of passion that she had never even dreamed of feeling. She felt him pressing against her, trapping her against the wall. Yet, she didn’t feel threatened. She felt exhilarated.
When his lips finally left hers, he trailed them along her cheek and down her neck, until his breath was warm against her ear. “Dios mío, Amanda,” he mumbled. “What are you doing to me?”
She wanted to respond, but her knees felt weak. She was glad that he still held her neck, her body crushed against his. Without that, she might have stumbled from the sheer emotion of the moment. She felt his lips against her ear, and without being able to stop herself, she tilted her head back and shut her eyes. Everything tingled, and her breath was coming in short waves.
“You are so pure,” he said softly. “So good. Our worlds are so different and yet . . .” He pulled back and stared down into her face. His thumb traced a line down her cheek and lingered by her lips. “You are finding a way to fit in without even trying. My God,” he whispered and leaned his forehead against hers. “You are everything!”
“Alejandro . . .” she started to protest.
“Shh,” he said, pressing a finger gently against her lips that were slightly swollen from his kiss. “Don’t say it. Don’t downplay what just happened.”
Not understanding what he meant, she questioned him with her eyes.
“Don’t you see?” Alejandro said, laughing as he placed both hands on her cheeks, holding her face gently. “They adore you, and you connected with them! You didn’t even try, Amanda. Do you know how special that is? You have a magnetism about you that draws them in.”
“That is good?”
He laughed again and nodded. “Perhaps you’ll understand one day. But for today, let’s share the victory.”
His happiness was contagious, and she found herself smiling at him. He kissed her again, this time gently and without making her feel trapped. Although, she realized with a blush covering her cheeks, she hadn’t really minded when he had pressed her against the wall. She had been in his arms, and his kiss had told her all that she needed to know, giving her more than she had ever dared to feel.
The knock on the door interrupted the moment. “Security,” a voice called out.
Alejandro sighed as if reluctant to open the door and release her into their care. When he did, she felt more at ease, recognizing Mario and TJ waiting to escort her from backstage to the special seats reserved in the fifth row just for them.
“Take care of her,” Alejandro instructed Mario as she left the dressing room.
The audience at the MGM Grand was just as energized as the crowd from the previous evening. Her entry to the VIP section at the front of the stage created a stir among the audience, and Amanda walked closer to Mario and TJ, grateful for their presence. A few hands reached out to touch her arm as she walked to her seat—an invasive gesture that took her by surprise. But after she was seated, a security guard on either side of her, the attention of the fans returned to the stage.
When the moment came for the concert to start, Amanda felt her pulse quicken again, anticipating the power of his music and the beauty of his dance moves.
The lights dimmed and the crowd began to roar. Amanda tried to make out Alejandro at the top of the stage. It was too dark. Yet, when the lights flashed back on, there he was, standing on the tall platform, his hands modestly crossed behind his back, and his head bent down. He wore a black silk shirt and black slacks—everything dark about him, even his sunglasses, which helped to shield his eyes from the bright lights.
The noise from the audience was deafening. Overhead, on either side of the stage, his image was projected on large screens. She stared at those images, realizing that, indeed, Viper was larger than life. Under the heat of the lights, she could see beads of sweat starting to dot his forehead. By the end of the performance, he would be soaked in sweat, drenched. She knew that from having watched him the night before.
And then the music started, and he began to sing
.
Once again, she was amazed at how he transformed. Gone was her Alejandro. In his place was this new man: Viper. Viper, who danced and sang, moved down the stage, jumping onto platforms and reaching out to touch the extended hands of the fans. He laughed. He pointed. He even lifted his glasses and winked at the ladies. He was an entertainer, and they loved every minute of it. In return, she could tell that he was feeding off the energy from the crowd. It was a mutual love affair.
“We should leave now,” Mario shouted into her ear. “The last song is next, and he will want to leave right away.” Without another word, he touched her elbow and guided her through the dancing people, many who recognized her and took her photograph while they exited.
Once they had slipped through the draped black curtain and passed security, she felt Mario’s hold on her arm loosen. He was more relaxed when the crowds weren’t around.
She waited in the dressing room, sitting on the sofa and playing with the label on a bottle of chilled water that TJ had handed to her. The dressing rooms weren’t as nice as the ones in Los Angeles, a bit smaller and rather plain. She saw that his next outfit was already hanging up, ready for him to get changed into after showering.
Almost ten minutes passed before she heard the door open, and then he rushed in. As she suspected, he was drenched in sweat and looked exhausted. She started to go to him, but he shook his head and held up his hand to stop her. “Give me a minute, Amanda,” he said, his voice thick and hoarse. He walked past her into the small bathroom and shut the door behind him.
She heard the shower run and knew that he was washing away the show from his skin. Her heart broke for him, knowing that he must certainly be decompressing after such an energized performance. She took his clothes from the rack and carried them over to the bathroom door, leaning against it while she waited. After a few minutes, the water turned off and she could hear him moving about in the bathroom, sighing as he dried the water from his body.
Softly, she knocked on the door and said, “I have your clothes here, Alejandro.”
“Gracias, mi amor.”
He opened the door, and she handed the clothes to him, glancing away when she saw his bare arm reach for the hangers. While she had seen the tattoos before, it surprised her when she realized that his one arm was covered in blue ink from the elbow to the shoulder and along his back. She hadn’t noticed all of them before, even at the farm, for he always wore long sleeves or an undershirt. Of course, she had seen the ring of music notes that circled his wrist and his one arm, but she hadn’t given any thought to the rest of his body and whether he had any more tattoos.
When he finally emerged, he looked fresh and bright, full of energy again. He smiled at her and held out his arms, encouraging her to give him a hug. Holding her, he sighed into her ear. “That’s better, sí?”
She smiled, even though he couldn’t see.
“Did you enjoy the show, Princesa?”
She pulled back and stared at him, her eyes searching his face. “You give them everything, don’t you?”
Her response startled him, and he blinked, repeating her words in his head. “I never thought of it that way but sí, I think you are right.”
“It must be exhausting,” she said simply.
He laughed. “Exhausting and exhilarating at the same time. But all that matters to me now is that you enjoyed it!”
“Of course!” she exclaimed. “How could anyone not enjoy it?”
“¡Bueno!” He clapped his hands. “Now, we can go party in Vegas, Princesa! I want to show you the bright lights and crazy world that is Las Vegas!”
“I should think you’d want to collapse and sleep!”
He laughed at her. “¡Ay, Dios, Princesa! No one sleeps in Vegas!”
If she had thought that he was joking with her, she quickly realized that, despite the late hour, Alejandro was more than correct. With security guards trailing them, Alejandro managed to maneuver through the crowd and escape with Amanda into a waiting car. She wanted to ask where they were going, but he gave her a playful tsk-tsk and shook his head.
The driver pulled away from the MGM Grand, and Amanda glanced out the window. That was when she saw it: Las Vegas at night. The buildings were lit up, so the sky was as bright as if it were daytime. People were everywhere: walking on the sidewalks, crossing the streets, entering and leaving the casinos. As the car pulled past the Luxor Hotel, Amanda gasped at the brilliant beam of light that shot upward from the top of the glass pyramid into the sky.
He laughed at her expressions, her hand pressed against the window as she took in the bright lights and fancy buildings. The car made a turn and drove down another road until they were heading back down the main strip past Caesars Palace, the Mirage, Treasure Island. Alejandro said something in Spanish to the driver and, immediately, the car was pulled to the side of the road.
Alejandro opened the door and helped Amanda out, ignoring the looks from people who were on the sidewalk. He grabbed her hand and hurried across the street so that she could see the pirate ship battle that was just getting ready to begin. He smiled at the people as he moved through the gathering crowd, ignoring their dropped jaws as he positioned himself close enough so that Amanda could see.
“Stand here,” he said in a low voice so that only she could hear him. He pulled her in front of him, his arms wrapped protectively around her shoulders.
When the lights flashed onto the ships and the show began, Amanda gasped again and reached up to grab his hand. He laughed and pulled her closer so that her back was pressed against his chest. Neither one seemed to notice the people who began to take their photographs and crowd around them. Instead, they watched the show, oblivious to the attention they were drawing.
The show was almost over when Alejandro began to make his way through the crowd back toward the car, holding Amanda’s hand tightly in his own. “Ven aquí, Princesa,” he murmured into her ear. “It’s time to go back to the MGM now that you have seen Las Vegas.” He glanced at the crowd. The people were growing excited, and more were taking photos of them, not the pirate ship reenactment. “Besides, I have a special surprise for you back at the suite.”
Her sister seemed extra happy on Monday morning. She was smiling to herself as she set the table for breakfast. Amanda had helped her father and Aaron with the morning milking, but now, as she washed her hands in the kitchen sink, she noticed the extra spring in her sister’s step.
“What’s gotten into you, Anna?” she whispered when her sister reached into the cabinet by the sink for glasses.
Anna tried to hide her smile. “I don’t know what you mean.”
There was no time for Amanda to ask another question as the kitchen door opened and Aaron ran into the room, his cheeks flushed pink and his eyes sparkling. “I’m so hungry!” he said, hurrying to wash his hands. “I sure hope we have biscuits this morning!”
Their mamm laughed at his enthusiasm. “When do I not have biscuits? Ever happened before?”
“Sundays!” he replied and his two sisters laughed.
It wasn’t until the breakfast dishes were cleared and Aaron was off to school that Amanda had a chance to corner her sister upstairs. “I see that smile,” Amanda said. “What are you so happy about?”
Anna bit her lower lip, trying to contain her happiness, but she finally burst out laughing and grabbed Amanda’s hand. “You won’t ever tell?”
Amanda shook her head. “Nee, never.”
“Menno Zook brought me home last night after the singing!” Anna exclaimed with a bright smile on her face.
Even Amanda had to gasp at that one. “Menno Zook?” He was the youngest son of Jacob Zook and the last of the Zook kinner at their farm. It was one of the largest farms in their church district, and since he was unmarried, Menno was an attractive prospect to many a single Amish girl.
“I was just as surprised as you a
re! Menno! Can you imagine?”
No, Amanda thought. She couldn’t imagine.
If Menno Zook had asked to take Anna home in his buggy, he had something serious on his mind and that was most certainly marriage. It dawned on Amanda that since Anna was almost two years older than she, her sister was almost of the marrying age. In a few years, she would certainly be married, and that meant Anna would leave the house and start her own family. Without Anna around, Amanda would have to do more chores, both inside and outside of the house. Plus, she realized, it would be lonely without Anna.
But as it had been established by the Ordnung some five centuries ago, when her Amish ancestors’ beliefs stemmed from the Anabaptists’, Amanda needed to fight those thoughts of a personal nature and reflect more on what would make her own sister happy and wholesome. Indeed, feelings of jealousy or envy, if entertained for more than an instant, could easily lead to lack of modesty and to nonconformism; and modesty and conformism were but the two most important pillars sustaining the community. Such were the ways of the Amish.
So instead of saying what she was really thinking, Amanda merely smiled and said, “That’s just wunderbar, Anna.”
When he opened the door and stood back, waiting for her to enter first, she immediately noticed the soft music playing in the background of the suite. Then she noticed the table. It was set with white linens and crystal glasses. At one end, there were two place settings with silver domes covering the plates. In the center of the table was a tall candelabra, the burning candles casting a soft glow. There were people in the room, and from what she could tell, they appeared to be waiting for Alejandro and Amanda.
“What is this, Alejandro?” she whispered.
“It’s dinner.”
She laughed at him. “It’s after midnight!”
He raised an eyebrow and tilted his head toward the table. “I don’t see a clock in the room,” he teased. “Now, let’s sit, Princesa. I think you will be most pleased.”