"You guys should be out mingling. The guests are arriving in droves."
"Is that code for stop hogging the make-out space'?" Shawna said. Virgil's head shot up and he turned around. His eyes darted between Rob and Mikki.
"I will stab you with an ink pen," Mikki said, darkly. "Try me."
Shawna laughed as she sashayed by, playfully bumping Mikki with her hip. Mikki smiled, shaking her head. They all went back to join the party. In the time it took for Mikki and Rob to stroll down the hall and back, the population of the venue had multiplied exponentially.
The father of the guest of honor approached Mikki and took both of her hands into his own. "This is wonderful," he said kissing both of her cheeks. "I'm seeing people I haven't even thought about in decades. This is fantastic. Mikki, you're a miracle worker. I need you and your magic in my life at all times."
"Oh, stop," Mikki said. She took a quick glance around the room, only stopping after she spotted the man's son. Mikki introduced the record executive to Rob, Virgil and Shawna, and he was knocked back by their look.
"I love it! Oh my god! I didn't even know we had goths any more. You all are just darling. I am totally excited for this little concert you're going to put on for all of us. I'm going to have to spike a few drinks to make sure I'm the first to get a crack at you. We're not currently looking for new clients, but I can make moves if you guys sound as good as you look. Oh! I see Marshal! Toodles!" The man speed-walked in the direction of a man wearing a black-and-red- checkered suit.
"What in the world?" Shawna said.
Mikki nodded and said, "Yep. This is life now."
"You're not going to sign us with the first person who offers, are you?"
"Of course not, Virgil."
Shawna cringed, waiting for the vicious snap of Mikki's attitude, but there wasn't one. Mikki was working really hard to be nice to Virgil. Shawna started to think of a nice gift to get her. The change in her attitude meant everything to Shawna.
The volume in the venue rose to a deafening roar as more guests piled in and flocked to the food tables. Shawna lost both Mikki and Virgil in the fray. She had the opportunity to speak with a handful of nice people who commented on her beautiful dress that was slowly starting to get too hot, despite the circulation through the low-cut back and high-cut slit. She pulled her hair in front of her, allowing the fake braids to cascade down her shoulder.
This was the future she was looking at and it looked an awful lot like the past. Charity events with lots of rich people schmoozing with each other, two steps from sucking up. Her boyfriend's band getting ready to play for a crowd. Her best friend raced around, shaking hands and chatting up strangers, becoming instant acquaintances. Shawna thought that she could easily slide back into the way things were before Virgil, with him being a lovely addition. As she watched the champagne swish around in her flute, a flash of blonde caught the corner of her eye.
Janet wore tight leather, high-waist, crop pants and bright red high heels. Her vintage leopard print top showed off a gratuitous amount of cleavage. Red painted lips, and a false mole topped off her look, as if she had just stepped out of a time machine and was ready to rumble. In her hand were a set of cards, and she had a folder stuffed under one arm. She was handing items to various guests as she made her way around the room. Suddenly, Shawna's future began looking a little bleaker.
Mikki pressed against Shawna's side, taking her champagne and drinking it. "I'm about to have her put in a ditch," she mumbled.
"How did she get in?"
"In all of my rushing around I forgot to take her off the list. It would've been the bomb to see her get dragged out of here kicking and screaming. That bitch got a lot of nerve."
A man in a dark brown suit sidled up to them and handed Mikki one of the cards. "Is this someone you are representing?"
"No, sir," Mikki said. A kind smile blossomed on her face. The cheap, laminated card with a Photoshopped picture of another band bent easily in Mikki's hands. She turned it over and looked at the contact information posted on the back. Janet had made a mistake, crossed out a number, and corrected it.
"So, the band who is playing here is not the band on the card?"
"Right."
"Okay, thanks," the guy said, walking away, still looking slightly confused. He spoke to a stout woman in all purple and together they tracked Janet down. Shawna and Mikki watched as the pair gave the cards back to her and refused anything else she had to offer.
"Ha! That turned out better than I thought," Mikki said.
Virgil's band's music played softly over the loudspeaker. Mikki went to the DJ booth and requested the music to be turned up.
Virgil and Glen came and stood on either side of Shawna. Glen had snagged an entire appetizer tray to himself and he and Virgil shared the goods. "Your ex is here," Shawna said gloomily.
"Yeah, I know," both men said. A short, fierce glance was shared over Shawna's head before they went back to picking apart the breaded things on the tray. As the music floated down to the crowd, the chatter faded and people held still, arrested by the sound. A sharp line was drawn between the actual musical aficionados and those who showed up because they heard there was a party. Hands went up to shush those who kept talking. Heads tilted as people turned their good ears to the harmony of Virgil's voice. One woman closed her eyes and nodded to the beat of Erika's drums.
Rob appeared behind Mikki as she requested the DJ to turn the music down again. "You are a smart cookie, poppet."
"I don't need that ratchet ho fucking things up," Mikki said, moving to rejoin the party. "You guys do your best, okay?"
"Hmmm. I may need a little motivating."
Mikki raked her fingers into Rob's hair and pulled his face down to hers. He puckered his lips for a kiss and she licked them with the tip of her tongue instead.
"Oh, yes. That's quite nice. Quite nice, indeed," he said as Mikki turned and walked away. His eyes followed her until she disappeared into the crowd. He'd play for her until his fingers fell off.
Virgil pulled Shawna into a hug as they got ready to hit the stage. As the band came together in the same space, Shawna felt dwarfed by their ethereal presence. She couldn't help the thumping of her heart as the scene slowed down and the five badass silhouettes split the crowd. The noise level of the crowd never recovered from being dominated by their sound. With the excited flip flop of her stomach, it might have been a group of popular untouchables on stage, not Shawna's goofy goth boyfriend and the people whom she’d learned to love as friends. They were haunting in the changed lights.
Shawna felt someone looming close to her, and thinking it was Mikki she turned around, smiling, only to find Janet glaring at her. "You're not welcome here," Shawna said, simply. "We're over you."
"No, bitch. I'm over you."
Janet stormed off and Shawna cocked an eyebrow. While probably the least crazy thing that woman had ever said to Shawna, it was still very strange. Shawna made another mental note of all of the exits just in case things got too serious. Putting her flute down on a passing empty tray, Shawna huddled with the crowd as they gathered around the stage.
She folded her arms and stared at the backs of the heads in front of her. The itching question demanded a scratch that she was reluctant to give. What was Shawna's last straw? She had been cheated on. That was pretty major. Virgil bent over backwards time and again to make up for his mistake. She shoved away any fear that something like that would ever happen again. Her mother's words came back to her: how Shawna and her father were the most unforgiving people her mother had ever met.
Her mother also taught her that it took two to tango.
She could still see Janet flitting in between people, making her way nearer to the stage. Dressed in jewel tones, with her bright hair, she looked like a firefly, and made Shawna feel earthbound and slow. Virgil introduced the band, and Shawna met his eyes. His didn't leave hers until the music began. The first words were sung toward her. Love and rage ignited in her be
lly. She wasn't going down without a fight. To prepare for it, Shawna removed her earrings, clasping them in a closed fist.
At concerts, the sound of the crowd is usually so loud that the band can barely be heard over the roar, but in a room full of record executives who wanted to find the next big hit, the venue might as well had been an empty bar. The audience smiled and murmured to each other as one song segued into the next. They were scheduled to play at least four songs before the event was over. Shawna pushed one of Janet's laminated cards to the side with her foot. The floor had become littered with them. She had told people that she used to manage the band on stage but had found someone even better. If these guys knocked their socks off, they should hear her new pet project.
Virgil sang his heart out and the band played hard. No new songs, only the ones they knew best. Someone tapped Shawna on the shoulder and complimented her on her choice of boyfriend. Apparently Virgil had been mentioning her to everyone he met. It was as embarrassing as it was sweet. Shawna squeezed the earrings harder. The moment the woman turned her back, Shawna dropped the jewelry down her cleavage and into her bra, shaking a little to get the pointy bits away from her delicate flesh.
The last song ended and the band took a bow. The guests clapped loudly, and some even whistled. Glasses were raised. People began to search out Mikki in order to put in their bids, vying to secure Virgil's band for their labels. A woman leaned in and whispered, "Who knew they were that good? They don't make bands like that any more."
Shawna beamed with pride, but it was short lived. As Virgil began taking questions on stage, Janet rushed up the stairs, wrapped her arms around Virgil's neck and planted a long, deep kiss on his lips. Glen and Erika pulled them apart, but it was too late, Shawna was on stage. Virgil was unable to grab her before she snatched Janet by her hair, yanking her off balance and throwing her to the floor. They became a tangle of arms and legs as Shawna slapped her face.
"Why won't you leave us alone?" Shawna screamed. "What is wrong with you?"
Virgil grabbed Shawna by the waist and lifted her off her feet. Shawna tried to kick Janet while being dragged away. The tip of her high heel grazed the other woman’s arm. Security came in with Mikki and she pointed at Janet.
"No! She attacked me!" Janet screamed.
"Get her out of here, please," Mikki said. The men worked for her. They removed whomever she said to remove. If Janet thought about pressing charges, Mikki had lawyers.
Janet jumped to her feet and snatched the microphone. "Don't you ever touch me or my unborn child again. None of you will touch me and Virgil's unborn child!"
Virgil threw his hands in the air and shook his head, slowly backing away.
"Leave," Shawna seethed.
"I have pictures. I have his promise to marry me on my voice mail." Janet took her phone out of her pocket and played the recording into the Microphone. Very clearly, Virgil's voice reverberated through the building. He said he was happy about the baby he and Janet were having together. He planned on leaving Shawna after the concert while the band's name was on the lips of all of the record companies.
Virgil snatched the phone from Janet's hand and turned off the recording. "I'm really sorry about this, folks," he said, apologizing to the crowd who were happy to see real rockers on stage and saw the fight as just a bit of entertainment. They were transported back to a time where music was a medium to defy authority, when rambunctious youth ruled the world. "Shawna, this isn't real," he said.
The tears rose quickly in Shawna's eyes. She wrapped her arms around herself, more embarrassed than anything. Not just by the news, but because she had betrayed herself with her own behavior. Shawna had never been in a fight in her life. She left that to Mikki, who was quick-tempered and ready to rumble at a moment's notice. And to have done all of that over a man! Her parents would be ashamed of her.
"It's not real," Virgil said again. Mikki pushed the security guards to hurry up and eject Janet. They seized her by either arm and Virgil handed another guy Janet's phone. "You see," he said as they took her away kicking and screaming, "Janet is an incredible sound engineer. She also had access to every interview we had ever done. Some of that sounded like she was also recording some of our conversations in the booth . . ."
Erika walked and wrapped her arms around Shawna's waist, putting her head on Shawna's shoulder. Shawna opened her arms and welcomed Erika's loving warmth. Mikki stood on her other side with her arms crossed and a leg stuck out. The fire in her eyes told a violent tale – if Virgil didn't clear this situation up quickly, he would be on the floor next. Rob rested his hand on the small of her back, coaxing her to listen steadily.
"It's all spliced together – very well, mind you. I, uh . . . I'm as impressed as I am disgusted. I don't know if she's pregnant. I don't plan on screwing any of you guys over," he said, waving at the crowd. "God, I'm so sorry," he repeated. Reaching into the breast pocket of his jacket, he pulled out a small box. "I was going to wait until all of this was over, but . . ." Virgil got down on one knee and presented the box. His vampiric eyes danced under the contacts. Shawna covered her mouth with her hands and Erika let her go. The already quiet crowd grew deathly silent. A pin drop could've been heard throughout the venue. Shawna stepped forward.
"Shawna . . . you are my entire world. I don't know how to exist without you. Will you marry me?"
Shawna's heart pounded in her ears and her head spun. The stage lights felt hot on her exposed skin. Virgil's eyes didn't move from her face. The world around them disappeared as if they were the only people on the planet. She tried to pull logic from beneath her emotions, but it wouldn't budge. She couldn't remember all of the faults that she had come up with. All she could see was Virgil on his knees. She hadn't even looked down at the ring, because the ring didn't matter.
"I never want to be with anyone else ever again," he whispered.
"Do it, honey!" Someone cried from the audience.
Shawna nodded and Virgil jumped to his feet. Pulling her into a loving embrace, he kissed her and the crowd cheered. Others weren't so quick to be distracted and started trying to get Mikki's attention.
"So, I guess you're stuck with me now, eh?" Rob asked her.
"It could be worse."
* * *
Virgil didn't believe in miracles in quite the same way that Shawna did. She believed everything from the birth of a baby to an early spring as an act of God, but when Virgil's mother, Miranda, came out of rehab a humbler, quieter, overall different woman, he would've praised the first deity that lined up to take credit.
He opened his door a month after the benefit concert and found her there. Miranda's hair was shaped in a nice, new cut. She wore a delicate looking sundress. Her skin glowed with sun. She removed her large sunglasses and he was transported back to a time when she had taken him and his siblings to the beach. It was one of the best days of his life. No yelling, no violence, no alcohol. He fell asleep with his head in his mother's lap listening to his father play an acoustic guitar.
"Hi . . . Mom," he said warily. He looked her over once more. Her posture was firm, not the shaky, wobbly posture of a drunk. The way her hands were folded in front of her, with her large purse dangling from her slight shoulders, made her look young and innocent. Virgil stepped aside and let her into the living room.
Shawna was out for the day, running around with Mikki to bridal shops and catering samples. They wanted a summer wedding, which meant that they had to get their bid in now. Miranda walked softly through the apartment, touching the small artifacts that made it uniquely Virgil's. Laughing, she picked up an old photograph of Virgil and his father drenched after a water fight. There had been good times. Often, after a fight, they both forget this fact. Virgil offered her a cola or water. She happily accepted the water.
"Did your father call you?" she asked.
"No."
"Did Mikki tell you?"
"Uh, no. That woman is a steel trap."
"I know. That's why I love her.
She is an absolute goddess. Well . . ." Miranda took another look around before taking the seat Virgil offered.
She had done 90 days. The communications between herself and her son were so broken that he hadn't a clue about what she had been up to. She explained to him the marvelous, cleansing process she had gone through in rehab.
"I envy you, you know," she said. "You were strong enough to kick that shit on your own. It's hard to ask for help, but Mikki, that darling angel, made me go. She's a ball-buster, isn't she?"
"I'm growing to like her," Virgil admitted. After the chaos of the last several months, he wouldn't have minded a stint in rehab just to get his nerves in check. He had drank a little more than his usual limit and he had started eying some of the hard stuff, especially when Shawna wasn't home. If he knew nothing else about Mikki, he knew that she could keep a secret and that she loved Shawna enough to make sure she got the best. Virgil rubbed the stubble on his chin. He was definitely not at his best.
"How is Shawna?" Miranda asked, wheeling the conversation around.
"We're getting married," Virgil said for the first time. There hadn't been anyone new to tell, and he hadn't thought about telling his parents. Miranda's eyes grew wide and her mouth fell open.
"Oh, my goodness, Alex! I'm so happy for you." She popped out of her seat and wrapped her arms around Virgil. "Oh my god, we will pay for everything. Tell her that she can have whatever she wants. I can't believe it!"
Virgil felt himself collapse in sections. His heart hammered away at his ribs and he tucked his face into his mother's shoulder. Where had this woman been his entire life? Miranda pulled away. She wiped stray tears from her eyes and sighed.
"It only gets better from here, right?"
BWWM Romance: Crossing The Line: Interracial Romance / Wealthy Love Interest Page 18