by Sedona Venez
“Yes, I didn’t tell you about who was responsible for your mother’s death, but would you have believed me? No! In fact, you would have thought I was crazy. This goes back to what I said about the things that you’re not ready for.”
“You mean you think that I’m not ready for.”
She grabbed my face softly, “So you have a dark side. I have one too. That doesn’t make us bad people or unlovable. It just means that we need balance, stability, and acceptance. The scales must be even for us to function.” She kissed my cheek, “You’re my balance, baby. Before you came into my life, I was ruthless and uncaring about anyone but myself.”
I laughed softly, “You, the blond goddess of beauty?”
She laughed as tears glistened in her eyes, “Don’t let the golden blond locks fool you, baby. I’ve done some pretty destructive things, but I hold no shame. I’ve made you mine, knowing that I had someone that needed me, as much as I needed you. You’ll find that balance out there, and believe me that everything will change if and when you accept it.”
Just like that, it clicked into place exactly why she couldn’t accept the vampire guy. “And that’s why you can’t accept your true mate, because his dark side will throw off your stability, your balance.”
She gave me one of her beautiful, proud smiles, “Exactly. I had a choice, to live in balance with you or succumb to my dark side with him. I choose you, each and every time, baby.” She pulled my face, grabbing it between her hands. “And when your time comes to choose, despite the temptation of the glitter and the lies that he will feed to you every time, I hope you make the right choice, and choose them every time.”
I gave her a puzzled stare, “What are you talking about, mom?”
“Don’t worry about that now. Just understand that the time for hiding is over, baby. You saw to that the minute you decided to take on the Collective by doing these concerts. Unconsciously, you wanted a way to out yourself as being special. To be honest, this is not what I wanted; in fact, I fear it more than anything. But you did, so I support your decision.”
I laid my head on her shoulder. “I’m still struggling you know—with staying off the Rejuvenators. It’s hard without it. With it everything was hazy, the buzz kept me sane. But without it, life seems too real, everything seems so damn real.” I groaned painfully, “Things were so much simpler when I was zoned out on Rejuvenators.”
“But you’re not a simple chick. You’re a ball buster, just like your mother. We face things straight up. You do that with your dreams, and things will change for you.”
I looked at her with a hopeful smile. “For the better, I hope.”
“For the better, yes, but I won’t fill your head with sappy shit and say your journey will be easy, because it won’t. But I think you know that already, right?”
“Yes, I know.”
“But I’ll be here fighting by your side for as long as they allow. Even when they drag my cold lifeless spirit away, I’ll still be by your side fighting. Nothing, I mean nothing, will take me away from you.” She grabbed my face looking at me fiercely. “You are my blood and my life. There’s nothing I wouldn’t do to protect you.” She pulled our wrists together showing our raven birthmarks side-by-side. “We are the same blood. Do you understand me?”
I didn’t even realize that I was crying until I felt the drops trailing down my cheeks. “Gawd, mom, that was cougar mama, ‘I’ll tear your throat out if you mess with my baby’ hot.” I laughed huskily wiping away the tears.
“Exactly, but it’s the truth.” She laughed, ruffling my hair. “It’s getting late, time for bed.”
I looked at her mischievously. “Last one in the house has to hear Anya bitch about the messy kitchen you left after dinner.”
“I didn’t mess up the kitchen. You did.”
“That’s your interpretation. Let’s see which one she’ll believe. Come on cougar. Move that skinny blond ass like you just spotted guy candy lurking in the bushes.” I took off running at top speed.
She sputtered, “You little.....” She took off after me like a gazelle, running gracefully as she caught up to me. She could have left me in the dust easily, that’s how fast she was, but I would have fought the race because I was just as fast.
I picked up speed dodging branches, jumping over fallen trees. She kept pace not breaking a sweat, her waist length, blond, rope-like ponytail swinging round her.
“Oh, baby, look at that blond ass go. See, just with a little hottie motivation…”
She laughed, pushing me, trying to make me trip over the fallen gnarly tree in our path. “Men are my pastime, baby.” She did a crazy air summersault over the fallen tree, landing a few paces in front of me. “See you at the house, Virgin.” She sped through the woods disappearing into the darkness.
I screamed after her. “That’s cheating, Cougar.” I could hear her taunting laughter. “Gawd, I love that woman.”
CHAPTER TWO
Infinity
Models, and Rappers, and Paparazzi, Oh My!
With thumbs moving at the speed of light, I whizzed through the unending stream of text messages all flagged with ‘urgent’. Savannah complaining about Mason ordering her to ignore all the concert changes I wanted—me responding back, tapping so hard that I thought my phone would snap: Ignore him. I. Am. The end all and be all…proceed as I instructed.
I grunted at her response to my question about Justin: No word….he’s still missing.
Another interesting text from the same number that had been stalker texting me for weeks: Stop fucking with the Collective, Infinity. Given my renowned gift for the written word, my blunt text response was: Fuck off!
Next…okay, this was the text that I’ve been dreading from my lawyer:
Get back to me ASAP. Rumor confirmed. He wants to be made conservator of your affairs.
I felt my heart literally stutter. He wanted a judge to hand over control of my fortune and almost every other aspect of my life, to him? I could barely control the angry trembling of my fingers as I texted: Mason. Call me ASAP. We need to talk!
I rubbed my eyes, blinking back the angry tears. Yup, all was well in my world of money, fame, and family deceit. I continued to scroll through my texts refusing to let yet another setback take me to that dark place. Work was my solace now, and I refused to let him take what I worked so damn hard for. I repeated ‘Sweat, blood, and tears’ over and over as I totally zoned out and went into super texting mode until I heard the hundredth “Humph” made by Diego. I guess it was his version of a verbal slap behind the head for me to move my ass.
For which I responded again with, “Issues?” Utter silence, but I could feel his penetrating stare as I continued to text.
Then the fingers started to drum on the leather seat in a hip-hop rhythm, he hated to be ignored. I shot him the WTF face as he stared at me with hazel eyes rimmed with sexy black lashes, his dark tanned skin flushed with exasperation, his chiseled face tight with annoyance, his smoky black hair impeccable—he was a perfect, hot wet dream until he opened his mouth to actually speak, which he did after he made a point to shift his long legs encased in dark blue designer jeans, banging them impatiently against mine over and over again like an impatient child.
“This is ridiculous, are we leaving the car or bringing the party here?” He asked with a petulant glare, leaning over to grab my cell which earned him a sharp jab in the chest.
“Ouch! That wicked, boney elbow hurts.”
“Good. Now stop being such an ass. We’ve only been sitting here for fifteen minutes. They can wait.”
Zoe raised a perfectly manicured brow as she crossed and uncrossed her arms. “It’s so obvious that you don’t want to be here. So what possessed you to even agree to have this party?”
I looked up mid-text and snarled, “Mason. He got all whiny about my recent bad press and pressured me into throwing this celeb circus event.” I didn’t add that this was one of the last things I would allow myself to be pressured into
by him. Business relationship was over, and maybe our personal one too.
Looking through the window at the celebrities grinning and posing as the cameras flashed in rapid fire while paparazzi screamed their names, I pinched back the instinct to hurl. This I didn’t miss, the celebrity feeding frenzy and the ridiculous, whimsical celebrity packed parties. But here I was, sitting in my chauffeur driven SUV with my two best friends ready to join the circus.
Diego grimaced, “But who gives a shit at this point? Your concerts are sold out. Let’s ditch this party and go out to Brooklyn to that new club that we’ve wanted to check out.”
Zoe perked up, and started clapping her hands with enthusiasm, “Yeah! I need to check out some new dance moves. Hang with the real people and get pissy drunk anonymously.”
Slumped against the seat, I was seriously contemplating their suggestion. I laughed, because I could picture all those uptight celeb’s faces if they found out about all of the times I actually partied disguised out in the clubs that they wouldn’t be caught dead in. But that’s what we did. We enjoyed partying with the real people, checking out the latest street dance moves, clothes, or just like Zoe said, getting drunk and partying anonymously without the media glare and scrutiny.
I sighed, nope, I had to be responsible. “I would love to, but I committed to this circus. Besides, I love to see the media squirm as they speculate if my comeback is real or all hype.” Hitting send on my last text, “Everyone wants to see if I will crack under pressure….again.”
Zoe snorted, looking at the paparazzi swarming and jockeying for position along the red carpet as they waited for me to arrive. “You’re not the first singer to stumble under pressure, and you won’t be the last.”
“Zoe, call it what it was, well documented media coverage of my mental shutdown.” I felt no shame, didn’t need to. It happened and as far as I was concerned, the book was closed on that reality show. A reality show that starred me, with the press leaving no stone unturned in digging up the dirt from now ex-employees about how I barely made it off tour without going completely insane from the combination of Rejuvenators, sheer exhaustion and the lack of sleep. By the time the drama was over, mom and Mason forced me to a six month hiatus to get my life in check. Much to my annoyance, Diego and Zoe feeling tore-up with misplaced guilt for not doing enough to stop my slow slid into ‘madness’, moved into the K compound to babysit me.
During those touch-and-go months, there was none of the normal fun, in fact, it was unusually somber and doggedly consumed with their ‘let’s get Infinity well, rested and sane’ campaign, practically treating me like I was at a rehab center for fragile, unstable superstars.
More cameras flashed. Thank goodness they didn’t notice me, which gave me a little more time before I was forced out. It was ridiculous, me the most famous singer in the world, sitting in here, dreading the moment I had to step into my party at the hot New York club Shift-Rawr-Rock. After being away for so long, I really couldn’t believe how much that I actually use to eat, shit and breath this whole celeb party scene. Now, I didn’t miss this shit at all. I hummed the circus theme song aloud, while tapping my fingers impatiently.
Zoe laughed, joining the humming as she bumped me with her shoulder. “Welcome back to the circus…with models, and rappers, and paparazzi, oh my!” She mocked in her melodic Caribbean accent.
I rolled my eyes. “Yup, nothing says welcome back like the feel of a camera being stuck straight up my ass.” Nothing changed in the celeb scene; it was like a bad dream being painfully regurgitated.
I swatted her hand away when she pinched my cheek. “But you’re so cute when you give them the WTF look as they clamor for the famous booty shot.”
I scrunched up my nose with disgust before responding, “Please, like having a firm, well-endowed ass is a new phenomenon.”
Diego chuckled, “But it’s not a natural occurrence in their world of fake enhanced asses.”
Zoe pointed at me with a cheesy smile. “Exactly! And you give them that ethnic swagger that entices them like no other.” She shoved Diego’s arm roughly, “Remember that reporter guy who was stalking her on tour?”
He gave me one of his dimpled model smiles. “How could I forget, he was the one who started that whole Ice Princess crap. Dude was fucking crazed.”
I groaned painfully. Yup, ‘Ice Princess’, the label that stuck to me like glue just because one reporter that I pissed off royally when I rebuffed his advances decided to start a one man smear campaign.
In a horrible thick French accent, Zoe mimicked the reporter. “Oh, Infinity! You are so beautiful. My readers love you, with your dark exotic features and beautiful, black hair with the sky-blue, how you say? Highlights….and your beautiful mocha skin…” She wiggled her eyebrows before continuing. “We learned that you are one of the many orphans from the horrific Fire and Ash war and were uh adopted, by beauty guru, Kara.”
I burst out laughing at how she pronounced Kara, dragging the name out to sound like comma. “Our readers would love to, uh, know so much about you: like what are you?” Zoe shoved the invisible microphone in my face which I promptly swatted away.
Diego mimicked a facial expression of being thoroughly pissed off by stupid ass questions. I slapped his arm. “Hey, I don’t look like that!”
He responded, “Oh, yes you do. You get that hot, smoldering look on your face. It’s hot, believe me.”
Zoe looked at us annoyed, “You two are disrupting my interview with the sexy and very unavailable Infinity.” She paused before going back to her French accent. “Please answer the question.” She held out the invisible microphone in front of Diego.
He mimicked my voice with an exaggerated high pitch to accompany the dramatic eye roll. “What, like race?”
Zoe’s big brown doe eyes widened with fake excitement. “Yes!”
Diego smirked before mimicking me again with another eye roll. “Come on, that’s so irrelevant....”
Zoe blinked, looking around with a fake shocked face making her long purple bangs swoosh around haphazardly. “Uh, irrelevant?”
He huffed loudly, his voice even higher, “From what I’ve been told, my mother was Native American and African descent and my father was Caucasian.”
Zoe leaned in, “That is, uh, what they call bi-racial, no?”
He pretended to shove away the invisible microphone with distain, “What the fuck man, this stupid ass interview is over.”
Their performance had me howling with laughter because it was spot on. It was those types of dumb ass reporter questions that cemented my ‘no interviews, ever’ decision. “You two are hilarious. And award goes to....”
Zoe blew air kisses as she waved her hand with a mock beauty queen wave. “Now if you think that’s acting check out that hot mess.” She pointed over to the scrambling reporters and cameras flashing.
We watched the cameras flash again. Leaning in to see a couple that we recognized step out of a limousine. The woman was a red head, wearing a skirt so short that her pale ass cheeks hung out as she swung around giving everyone a full show as she posed, smiling for the cameras.
Zoe nudged me in the side.
“Uh, really?” Giving her an evil look as I rubbed my side, “Yes, I see her skanky ass cheeks.”
Diego pressed his nose to the window like a drooling dog. “Angelique. Damn that’s a mighty fine ass.” He wiggled his eyebrows suggestively at Zoe, who looked at him with disgust. I busted out laughing. Angelique was one of our running jokes, and Zoe’s nightmare, because of Angelique’s eclectic sexual taste which now included her dogged pursuit of Zoe as her next sexual conquest.
Zoe looked at him snidely. “Who are you talking about? Angelique, or the yummy Basketball player?”
I high-fived her, “Good one, Zoe.”
Zoe blinked her eyelashes prettily, looking at him with fake innocence. “What? It was a legitimate question given your sexual taste.”
He gave Zoe a nasty look, “You know that I w
as talking about Angelique.”
Zoe smirked, reaching over and rubbing his muscular thigh soothingly. “Sure you were.”
He snarled, swatting her hand away.
I looked at them incredulously. “This is crazy. She looks about thirty years younger than she did a week ago.” Angelique was notoriously known for working hard at looking young, and she wasn’t shy about letting people know about her multiple cosmetic surgeries. But this? This was definitely something else which was confirmed when she spun around with a flash of something…unnatural in her eyes.
I scooted forward, staring as my stomach rolled like I was going to hurl. “Oh, be dazzle, I think we have a problem.” Looking over at Diego curiously, “You slept with her, right?”
Zoe interrupted giving him a look of disgust. “Several times as I recall. One time he had me call him pretending to be his sick aunt just so he could escape after an all night sex-a-thon with her.”
He leaned in, lowering his voice sexily, “I had you call because I was really hoping to convince you on a threesome. You. Me. Her. It would have been like a delicious multicultural sandwich, and I would have licked and ate every crumb.” He stuck out his tongue mimicking a dirty sexual move.
I smirked, knowing full well how much Diego loved to ruffle Zoe’s feathers. Not because he wanted her sexually, but because he could. They were like big sister, little brother with Zoe smacking him down and keeping him in check and Diego rebelling and causing havoc with every woman he slept with. Most of the time, she was left as the cleanup crew, fixing the shit he got in. For that matter, most of the time, I was part of that cleanup crew. It was exhausting, but all family love.
Zoe punched him in the chest as she made gagging sounds. “That’s never going to happen.”
“Once you go Diego, you’ll never go back to those boring business guys you date.”
She rolled her eyes. “I don’t date them. I fuck them. There’s a big difference.”