by Ellie Norton
Kristen grinned, "Em took me to the Hollywood Walk of Fame."
I chuckled, "Nice."
Kristen pouted, "It was cool."
"I know, I totally went there my first week in LA. I was just giving you a hard time. What else did you guys do?" I asked.
"Mostly we just hung out. You know, catching up." Kristen said, turning her attention to her pasta.
Before we were done eating, a knock sounded at the door. I went to answer it, and saw Ava, dressed to kill. I grinned, and said, "Hey Ava! You look great. Come on in."
"Hey, Rach," she said, giving me a kiss on the cheek as she came into my apartment, glancing around to take everything in.
Kristen squealed and raced across the room to greet the younger girl. They hugged, jumping up and down. I smiled, watching the reunion. Emma joined us by the door, hugging Ava. We moved back over to the table with Ava taking the last empty seat.
"Can I get you anything?" I asked Ava.
"Sure a glass of wine would be great," she said grinning at me.
I was about to jump up and grab it, when Emma placed a hand on my arm stopping me, "Eat, Rachel. I'll get it for her."
I smiled, "Thanks, Em."
Ava watched us with a smirk. When Emma came back with the wine, she said, "Thanks, Em. This is an unexpected change from the last time I saw you."
Emma shot her a glare, but Kristen spoke up before she could reply. "What do you mean?"
Ava hesitated; obviously unsure of how much Kristen knew about mine and Emma's relationship. I answered, "The last time Ava saw us, Emma was in full domme mode and I was following her on a leash."
Kristen looked at me, her mouth hanging open and I knew she was trying to picture it. I turned to smirk at Ava and said, "I'm not collared tonight."
She laughed. "I can see that. It's just funny to see the great Bonita serving her sub."
With a thud, Emma set the wine bottle heavily on the table. I bit my lip, knowing what Ava's taunt had done to her. I didn't say anything, willing to let Emma exert the dominance I knew had swamped her. Instead, she took a deep breath, and said in a surprisingly calm voice, "Ava, I'm taking care of my girlfriend. She forgot to eat lunch and needs to eat."
Ava turned to me, her eyes showing her own inner domme rising to the surface. "Rachel, you should take better care of yourself."
I met her gaze levelly, not showing the least bit of subservience to Ava. "I know. It wasn't intentional. Besides, my mistress has already had this discussion with me," I said coldly.
Emma was next to me in an instant, her fingers curling possessively around the back of my neck. "Back off, Ava," she said.
Kristen, who wasn't unaware of the power play going on between the two dommes said, "Um, guys. You do realize that whatever this is, it's preventing Rachel from actually eating, right?"
They looked away and muttered apologies to me. Emma sat back down and I started to eat again. After a minute of silence, Ava turned to Kristen and said, "So, they did get up the courage to tell you about their kinkier side. I wondered if they would."
Kristen glanced over at Emma and me and smirked. I blushed realizing that she was imagining the staged punishment she'd witnessed. She let me squirm for a moment before turning back to Ava and saying, "Yeah, I didn't really take it that well. But, you just have to look at them to see how happy they are."
Ava raised an eyebrow at me and I could see the questions spinning in her mind. I decided my pasta was very interested and refused to meet her eye. "Yeah, I know what you mean. What they have is really special, I wish I could find something like that," Ava said, her voice almost wistful.
Emma reached over and ran a possessive hand down my back, and I smiled at her. "Sorry ladies, but Rachel's all mine," she said, proudly. I rolled my eyes and we all laughed.
Another knock sounded at the door. "That must be Harold," I said, starting to get up. This time Kristen stopped me.
"I'll get it, Rach. I don't want you to start another dominance battle," she said brightly, already moving to answer the door.
I laughed, "Thanks, Kristen."
Harold was dressed in jeans, a t-shirt and a blazer. He grinned at us and said, "Hey guys."
We all greeted him, and I pushed away my empty pasta container. "Ok, so now that everyone's here. I have to tell you a couple of things about tonight." They all settled in, Kristen and Harold leaning against the back of the couch facing me, with Ava and Emma still seated at the table. When I had their attention, I continued. "So, you guys will have access to both the main dance floor and bar as well as the VIP room. There are a lot of celebrities who are supposed to be in attendance. I've been asked to tell you not to approach them for autographs or pictures. The label has hired a photographer that will be circulating tonight. Next week, I'll be able to go through the photos and get copies of any I want. So, I'll get you guys copies of any photos of you. Also, we're previewing Brian's new album at midnight. If you see him before then, please just give him room, unless he approaches you. He has met Em, so after he plays one of his new songs, she can introduce you to him. I'll be spinning until 4am, so if you want to leave before that, feel free. I won't have my feelings hurt. Lastly, as a personal flavor, try not to get completely plastered. There will be champagne circulating the VIP room, try not to overindulge. Ok, that's it. Do you guys have any questions for me?"
Emma spoke up, "Will we get to see you at all?"
I smiled, "Yeah, I'll get a couple of breaks."
She returned the smile, "Good, cause I want at least one dance with you tonight."
"That can be arranged."
"So, what's his new album like?" Harold asked.
"Sorry, dude, I can't tell you. You're gonna have to wait until midnight."
He sighed, "Fine."
I grinned, then turned to Ava, "Hey, do you mind keeping Harold company while the rest of us get ready?"
"Not at all," she replied, her eye gleaming.
I rolled my eyes, "Behave yourself."
She laughed and went over to Harold, pulling him onto the couch.
I chuckled and moved to my closet to pull out the clothes I'd purchased for that night. I'd decided on a leather vest like the one I'd worn to Darrin’s party, but this one was a navy blue that matched my eyes, and a pair of artistically ripped jeans. When I was dressed, I turned around and saw Emma watching me with the familiar possessively hungry look in her eyes. I knew she recognized the vest. I grinned and moved over to lean into her. I pulled her down into a hard demanding kiss. I broke the kiss first, shifting so I could whisper in her ear. "I'll wear this again for you another night when I wear your collar. I'm yours, but tonight you have to share me with my job."
She sucked in a sharp breath and pulled back so she could look into my eyes. "I know, I'm sorry."
"It's ok, Em. I picked this out for you. I wanted you to have a reminder of the first night when I gave myself to you." She nodded her understanding and I moved over to my dresser to grab the finishing touch on my outfit. I brought the necklace back to Emma, "Will you tie this on?"
"Sure," she said taking the necklace. She glanced down at it and smiled. The necklace was a thin leather cord with small silver beads at either end. It was long enough to loop around my neck twice before being tied off, so the ends dangled down my chest. It wasn't a collar, but it was reminiscent of one. After tying it into place, Emma leaned down to kiss me before saying, "Thank you, love."
I smiled, "You're welcome. I knew you'd need this, Em. I will be the center of a lot of attention tonight, so I wanted to remind you that no matter what, I belong to you."
"I love you," she said giving me a look that was a combination of appreciation, love, and wonder.
"I love you too," I said smiling at her.
When I turned to finish getting ready, I caught Kristen watching us with a huge grin on her face. I smiled at her and headed for the bathroom. She intercepted me and said in a low voice. "That was exactly what she needed."
"I k
now," I said just as softly.
"I'm really glad you guys found each other. I never would have expected it, but you guys are really perfect together," she said honestly.
I chuckled, "I know. It's kinda amazing."
"Yeah, totes," she said earnestly.
We decided to take two cars, since I had to be at the club before everyone else. They all wished me luck, and I promised I would find them as soon as I got a break from the booth. Emma walked me to my car. "You're going to be great tonight, Rachel," she said with complete confidence.
"Thanks, Em," I said nervously. "I know once I get started, I'll be alright, but I am definitely feeling the nerves right now.
"I know, honey. But I know you can do it. And I'll be there fully supporting you," she replied, wrapping me into a tight embrace.
I leaned into her, breathing in her scent and I relaxed. She was right. I could do this. It's what I'd always dreamed of. I pulled her in for a soft kiss. "I'll see you later," I said, opening my car door and sliding in.
"I'll see you soon, Rachel," she said, shutting the door and giving me one last encouraging smile before I drove away.
When I arrived at the club, the staff was hustling around to make sure everything was set up just perfectly. Darrin stood in the middle of the lower dance floor, directing the chaos around him. I carefully picked my way across the dance floor to him. He had his back to me, so I said, "Hey, Darrin."
He spun around and I could see faint stress lines crease his cheeks. When he saw me, a grin broke out across his face. "Rachel, you made it." I smiled when his gaze tracked down my body to take in my outfit. His eyebrow raised in question as he looked back into my eyes. "You look nice, did Ms. Parker help you pick out the outfit?"
I laughed, "No, this was all me. But I thought it might help remind her that despite any attention I received tonight, I would be going home with her," I explained.
He chuckled, "An excellent idea." He turned gesturing to the small stage on one side of the dance floor, near the DJ booth. "So, that is where Brian will be performing his new song at midnight. You'll introduce him, then he'll sing, and then you'll preview one of the other tracks. After that can you transition into your own mixes."
I nodded, "Sure I can do that. I made some mixes for the first part of the night that are more in the genre of Brian's new album, so the crowd will be primed for his debut."
He nodded and said, "Sounds great. I knew you were the right DJ for the job. So, once you get set up, will you do a quick sound check with the mic Brian'll use?"
"Sure," I replied.
"Great, you've got 25 minutes before we open the doors," he said, turning back to the rest of the club's staff."
"Thanks," I said to his back before heading up to the booth. I quickly set up my computer and did a quick check on my mic in the booth. Then I grabbed the wireless mic for Brian, loaded up the music track for his song and made my way down to the stage. As the background track started, I noticed a few heads turn my way, but I ignored them. I got down to the stage just as the first chorus of the song would play, and I sang thru the chorus, listening to the balance around the club. I wasn't paying attention to anyone else as I did the sound check, so I was startled when applause rang out when I stopped singing. I looked around and saw everyone had stopped what they were doing and were now looking at me. I offered a small smile and waved at them before heading back up to the safety of the booth.
Once there, I glanced around and saw that most everyone had gone back to work, but I caught Darrin watching me predatorily. I raised an eyebrow at him and he grinned, making his way up to the booth. I watched him warily. He noticed and waved my concern away, saying, "You know, if you decide to record an album of your own, after the reaction you just got, I know I can find a market for your talents."
I relaxed, realizing that his look had been about business and not about ownership, but the idea of recording my own album made a different kind of nerves dance along my skin. "I don't know. The life of a musician has never appealed to me, I'd honestly rather stay here and produce music."
He smiled, "Well, think about it and let me know if you change your mind, Rachel."
"Will do. Thanks," I replied.
He left, and I focused on getting my first few songs queued up. I was interrupted by one of the servers. She stepped cautiously into the booth and said, "Um, hi, I'm Blanche."
I turned to her and smiled. She was wearing a tank top with the club logo on it and a pair of low riding jeans that made her hips peek out under the shirt. "Hey, I'm Rachel. What can I do for you?" I asked.
"Oh, yeah. I just wanted to stop by and let you know that it's part of my rotation tonight to get you anything you need," she said a little nervously.
"Cool, thanks," I replied, not entirely sure what she meant.
"So, um, do you want a drink or anything?" She asked awkwardly.
"Oh, yeah, a soda would be great," I said, finally understanding.
She grinned, "Ok, be right back." I smiled back at her and she left.
Darrin’s voice called out through the low din of noise. "Alright people, we're gonna open the doors. Get ready."
I started the music and watched as the crowd slowly filled up. Emma and the others arrived about half an hour later, and I waved at them when I saw them. They looked really impressed as they looked around and gradually made their way towards the stairs leading to the VIP room. I checked the time on the song, noticed I had about two minutes left, and hurried down the stairs. Emma met me at the bottom, her eyes shining with pride.
"Rachel, this is amazing. I'm so proud of you," She said beaming at me.
"Thanks, I can't stay long, but I had to say hi," I said quickly. She grinned, and I pulled her into a fast kiss. "Thanks for coming tonight, Em," I said when I pulled back.
"I wouldn't have missed this for the world," she said smiling.
"Alright, well have fun. I'll catch you later," I said.
"Ok, love you," she replied.
"I love you too," I said and hurried back up to the booth with about 30 seconds left on the song.
As the celebrities began to arrive, I watched with amusement as they made their way through the crowd. Some had bouncers with them that kept the fans at bay, but others stopped to chat with a few people as they made their way to the VIP room. Brian arrived at about 11. He was really gracious and talked to several people as he passed through the crowd, but he made a beeline for the DJ booth.
When he joined me, I turned to him and smiled. "Hey, Brian how are you doing?"
"I'm good, a little pre-show nerves, but I'll be alright. How are you doing?"
"Good," I said.
"That's great. So are we all set up?" He asked, betraying how nervous he really was.
I gave him an encouraging smile. "Yeah, dude, relax. I've got you covered."
He grinned, "Alright, I trust you. Is your girl here?"
I laughed, "Yeah she's upstairs, probably trying not to drool over Emma Watson."
He chuckled, "Should I go save her the embarrassment and introduce them?"
"Sure, she'd love that. But if you do, you might find yourself being drooled over by my other friends," I said with a smirk.
He rolled his eyes, "I can handle it. See you later."
"Later," I said and watch as he climbed the stairs up to the VIP room.
A little while later, I glanced up at the balcony overlooking the lower dancer floor. I was surprised to see Brian and Emma deep in conversation at the railing. I was curious what they were talking about. Emma glanced down and met my eyes; she smiled and winked. I returned the smile and turned back to the music, promptly forgetting their conversation as I got absorbed.
By 10 till midnight, the club was crowded, with people everywhere, dancing, drinking and talking. They seemed to enjoy the punk/dance mixes I was spinning. Blanche had stopped by several times with refills and she seemed to grow less nervous around me with each visit. Brian joined me in the booth a few minutes before sh
ow time to collect his microphone. He was a bundle of energy and couldn't stay still as he counted down the minutes. At three minutes till midnight, I transitioned to a song that would end at exactly the right time. The song was one of Brian's older songs. The crowd cheered as they recognized it, knowing that Brian was in the club. I glanced over at Brian and he grinned.
"You know that's either a stroke of genius or a horrible mistake," he said good-naturedly.
I smiled and shrugged, "I know. Go ahead and head to the stage. You've got about a minute."
"Thanks, Rachel," He said, turning to head down the stairs.
"Good luck, Brian." I said. He shot one last grin over his shoulder and left the booth.
I took a few deep breaths and readied my microphone. As the last notes of the song fell into silence, an expectant hush fell over the club. I turned on the mic and announced, "Hey guys, this is DJ Martel. You having a good time?" I paused while the crowd roared. I grinned, "Great, well we've got a special treat for you tonight. Some of you may have heard the rumor that Brian Zane is about to release a new album." Again cheers rang through the club. "Well, the rumors are true, and Brian would like to give you guys an exclusive preview tonight." I had to pause a third time for the screaming crowd. "Now, this new album is a little different from what you're used to, but I think you're gonna love it. So without further ado, I give you Brian Zane!"
Brian took the stage at a jog. "Thanks, Martel," he said looking up at me in the booth. I smiled at him and prepped the background track for his song while he greeted his audience. I waited for his nod before I started the music. While the intro played, I looked out at the crowd. I saw some smiles, a lot of surprise, and a little confusion amongst the crowd. When Brian began to sing, the crowd went crazy. It was awesome, everyone seemed to love the new song, and Brian killed it on stage.
When the song ended, Brian gave a little bow and smiled at the crowd, who was yelling their appreciation loud enough to give me the beginnings of a headache. Brian waved them into silence. Then he asked, "Did you like that?" He was answered with renewed cheers and he bowed again before gesturing for silence again. "I'm really glad to hear you say that. To be honest, I couldn't have done it without the musical genius of DJ Martel up there." He said pointing up at me in the booth. All eyes turned to me and I had to force a smile to my lips as a knot of anxiety formed in my belly. 'What is he doing?' I wondered. He just grinned up at me and said, "Now, since I owe my new album to her, I was hoping she'd sing the next song with me. Maybe if you guys give her a little encouragement, she'll agree."