Chapter 10
“You ready to do this?” Deacon said when he popped his head into Chynna’s dressing room later that evening. They were at the Honda Center in Anaheim, California, for Chynna’s first concert since news of her and Blake’s supposed affair broke out over a month ago.
Kenya nodded. She still couldn’t believe that in less than half an hour, she was going to be on stage in front of thousands of people. Sure, she knew all the songs and now with hours and hours of practice had most of Chynna’s dance moves down, but it seemed so surreal.
Just a few weeks ago, she’d been living a ho-hum life in New York, waiting to hear if her critically acclaimed dramedy would be picked up for another season, and now, here she was in Hollywood living her sister’s life! How things could change on a dime. But the funny thing about all of this was of all the parts she’d been asked to play, she was made for this one. Who knew Chynna better than her? Who had powerhouse singing chops like Chynna? And most of all, who had Chynna’s face when they stared in the mirror? Kenya.
Convincing Chynna’s adoring public, however, that she was still the same diva they’d all come to love would be difficult. But Kenya had always known she was born to act, and this time would be no different. She would go out there tonight and give it her all.
“Yes, I am,” Kenya said authoritatively as she stood up in a bondage outfit. She’d tried her best to pare down the sexy image, but the costume designer insisted she knew what would look best on stage.
Kenya, on the other hand, just hoped that her breasts didn’t pop out from the leather bandages of the mini-dress, paired with fishnet stockings and stilettos, she wearing. She’d hated the collar of the dress that wrapped around her neck because it reminded her of a dog collar, not to mention the dress left very little to the imagination.
She inhaled a deep breath and marched out of the room. She found her dancers and the band waiting for her in the hall.
“Chynna,” Deacon said.
She stared at him and the rest of the group blankly for several minutes. It didn’t help that when she glanced up, she saw Lucas and Eli walking toward them. She had avoided Lucas since that night in the limo when they’d almost made love. He must have felt the same and been furious with her for leading him on because he hadn’t shown up to her dance practice or contacted her staff in days. Seeing him now did little to alleviate her tension. Instead, she felt more wound up than ever.
“Aren’t you going to say something?” Eric, one of her dancers, asked. He was the one with whom Chynna had had a one-night stand.
That’s when Kenya remembered what Chynna told her—that she’d always said a prayer before going out on stage. “Let’s bow our heads, everyone.” She lowered her head and grasped one of her female dancer’s hands. “Lord, please be with us tonight as we perform in front of the good people of Anaheim. Help us have a great show and entertain the masses in Jesus’s name, Amen.”
“Amen,” they all said when the prayer was over.
“Let’s go out there and give it our all,” she yelled. There were lots of hoots and hollers as the group began walking toward the back of the stage.
“Chynna, a word.” Lucas grabbed her by the arm and pulled her away from the group.
“Yes?” She raised a quizzical brow.
His eyes assessed hers frankly as if he wanted to say something, but thought better of it. She did, however, catch his roving eye over her body, which hadn’t missed an inch of the bondage dress she was wearing.
When he was finished, she asked, “You like?”
“Absolutely.” He stunned her by brushing his lips softly across hers and smacking her on the bottom. “Go knock ’em dead, baby!”
His actions were not missed by the band or the dancing troupe and several of them hooted and hollered again.
Two hours later, sweating and delirious from the cheers and yells of Chynna’s screaming fans, Kenya made her way down the hall to her dressing room after accepting a towel from security to wipe the sweat away.
She’d done it! She’d given the performance of her life and convinced them all that she was Chynna James. She couldn’t resist going over to the ice bucket where champagne was chilling and popping off the top. She couldn’t wait for someone to do it for her.
That’s how Deacon found her, swigging champagne straight from the bottle. This kind of fame was heady and could totally be addictive. Kenya threw back her head and took another swig of champagne.
“What’s gotten into you?” Deacon asked, laughing as he closed the door.
“Oh, I don’t know,” Kenya said, smiling, her voice rising slightly as she spoke. “Wasn’t that an awesome concert?”
“Hell, yeah,” Deacon said, taking the champagne bottle from her and taking a swig himself. “I haven’t seen you that energized in years.”
Kenya paused for a moment to study him. “Really? Why would you say that?”
Deacon shrugged. “Oh, I don’t know. Guess you had kind of lost the joy of it all recently. But tonight, tonight you were on fire. I haven’t seen you like that before. It was infectious!”
Kenya broke into a wide-open smile at the compliment. “Thank you. I was feeling it.”
“And the crowd sensed it,” Deacon said. “When you came back out for the last song, I thought they were going to tear the stadium apart.”
“Do you really think so?” Kenya asked hopefully. She’d given the show her all and had never felt better. She felt like she was on top of the world. Invincible.
“That was one helluva show, huh?” Lucas commented to Eli as they left the skybox where they had VIP seats to watch the concert.
“Yeah, it was pretty cool,” Eli said, rubbing his chin.
“Why don’t you sound more hyped?” Lucas asked. “Chynna gave a great performance. The fans were on their feet nearly the whole show.”
“Oh, yeah, man, I’m not saying she didn’t do a fantastic job.”
“What then?” Lucas noticed that Eli appeared deep in thought.
“Oh, I don’t know,” Eli said. “There was just something different about her tonight.”
“She was on fire is what she was!”
“No doubt. No doubt.”
Lucas didn’t like the tone in Eli’s voice. “Is something wrong?”
“No, it’s just that our girl Chynna seems different somehow, and I just have to figure out why that is.”
“Why, when she’s doing so great? Ever since she got back from the spa, she’s been rejuvenated. Clearly, the time away was exactly what she needed.”
“Yeah, you must be right,” Eli replied, but in the back of his mind, he wasn’t so sure. Lucas was right about one thing though: Since she’d gotten back from Arizona, Chynna had been a changed woman, and it wasn’t that he didn’t appreciate her renewed interest in her career, but she was much more vocal and he preferred his artists to be seen and not heard. If Chynna continued in this vein, Eli wasn’t sure he could convince her to do things his way.
Kenya let the hot shower run over her body the following morning. The pulsating water was exactly what she needed to prepare her for the day ahead. Last night’s concert had been exhilarating, but afterward, she’d had to board a red-eye flight to New York. She was exhausted, which didn’t bode well for the day, given that today would test every one of her acting abilities. Today, she and Lucas were going to set the record straight by appearing on Good Morning America and Live with Kelly and Michael to talk about their relationship, then back to California for their final appearance on Ellen.
The press had besieged her mansion and R&K Record’s offices since Lucas’s birthday party several nights ago. They were desperate for any shred of information about the new darling Hollywood couple: When did the relationship begin? What was their first date? Where did they go? Endless questions were being thrown at her each day, but she’d remained mum per Fi
ona’s instructions. By not revealing any info, the paparazzi had been lathered into a fever pitch. The plus side was that she and Blake were no longer the main topic of conversation. Hallelujah!
As she soaped her body with the loofah sponge, she couldn’t get Lucas Kingston out of her mind. And as the sponge touched that sensitive part of her flesh, her mind instantly wandered to the moment Lucas’s hand had been under her dress in the limo, and the fevered pitch he’d brought her to. He’d been right about one thing: If that car ride had taken longer, she would’ve succumbed and had sex with him in the back of the limo and then what would he think of Chynna?
Despite her wanton behavior that night, Kenya felt that over the last week, he’d begrudgingly given her some props for standing up to him and her team. But she also didn’t want to take two steps back in his mind and have him think of her as a floozy he could sex on the backseat of his limo. If she let him take her to bed, and that was a big if, he’d have to romance her. Kenya stood under the showerhead, and the suds slowly eased off her body. Being so close to Lucas today would not be easy, but she was determined that he would treat her with respect.
When she’d done showering, she wrapped a fluffy bath towel around her body and exited the bathroom. She found Megan had already taken the liberty of taking out a sleeveless, cream-colored sheath with matching pumps for her to wear on camera. Several other outfits were laid out for her to take for the other guest appearances. Apparently, she couldn’t be seen in the same outfit on a different show.
Kenya sighed. Now, she could see how Chynna could get weary of everyone making decisions for her every day.
She’d been nearly done dressing and spritzing her wrists with perfume when she heard a knock on the door. “Come in.”
It was Fiona. “Are you ready?”
“Of course, Fiona,” Kenya said testily. “I’m a pro.”
“I’m sorry, Chynna, I didn’t mean ...,” Fiona began, but Kenya walked toward the other woman and patted her hand.
“I’m sorry,” Kenya replied. “I shouldn’t have jumped down your throat.” It wasn’t Fiona’s fault that she was about to be bound to Lucas Kingston for the next few hours.
“I just wanted to let you know the limo has arrived to take you and Lucas to your first interview, on Good Morning America.”
Kenya’s stomach churned over in knots at the mention of Lucas. They hadn’t been alone since that night, and today they’d have to pull off that they were a couple newly in love.
“Thanks, Fiona.” Kenya smiled back at her publicist. “You’ve done a great job at putting this press tour together on short notice. I promise I’ll nail this.”
Deacon and Fiona accompanied Lucas and Kenya fifteen minutes later in the limo and chattered on so incessantly about what they should say and how they should react, that Kenya had no time to be nervous.
Lucas had remained quiet for most of the drive until he’d finally said, “I think we get it, Fiona,” effectively shutting up the frazzled publicist. He seemed to be as much on edge as Kenya.
Kenya fiddled with the clutch in her lap, desperate for something to do so she wouldn’t have to look at him. She pulled out her lip gloss to touch up her mouth, and when she did, she found Lucas staring at her intently from across the limo. Her throat began to feel dry from his scorching gaze. “Fiona, pass me a bottled water, would you?”
Fiona pulled an Evian from the small fridge in the inside of the limo and handed it to Kenya. Kenya quickly unscrewed the top and took a long gulp.
The limo came to a sudden stop, and Kenya heard fans calling Chynna’s name, which indicated they’d made it to their destination. Several bodyguards came around from the front seat to escort Chynna and Lucas from the limo with Deacon and Fiona following in close pursuit.
Kenya signed autographs and took a picture with a fan before she was hustled inside the studio toward the greenroom. She walked inside, followed by Lucas, who stopped Deacon and Fiona from entering at the doorway.
“Why don’t you give Chynna and me some time alone, eh?” he asked, but Kenya knew he wasn’t really asking. He was telling them he wanted to talk to her alone.
“Sure thing, Lucas. We’ll be around.” Deacon glanced at Kenya, who nodded her assent from behind Lucas.
Lucas closed the door behind him and turned to face Kenya. She stepped backward and folded her arms across her chest.
“Chynna, please.” Lucas gave an exaggerated sigh. “I’m not about to attack you.”
“I know that,” she said defensively.
“You could have fooled me,” Lucas replied as he walked toward her. “In the limo, you were like a tiger ready to attack if I made one move toward you. And given what we’re about to try and pull off today, that’s not going to work.”
Kenya inhaled sharply. He had a point. She had to get over her skittishness because they were about to act like they were an adoring couple. “You’re right. So what do you suggest we do about it?”
“This.” One of Lucas’s hands reached across the short distance between them and pulled her by the neck until she was inches away.
Kenya closed her eyes, ready for some sort of attack, but instead, Lucas gently brushed his lips across hers. Her eyes fluttered open just as he deepened the kiss, and his tongue surged inside her mouth to collide with hers. They mated together as one, tasting and devouring each other. His other hand caressed her hair, cheek, and the curve of her hip, bringing her closer to him until her breasts were pressed firmly against his chest.
Sparks grew, but instead of taking the kiss further, Lucas pulled away.
Kenya stared at Lucas blankly. “Why did you do that?”
“Kiss you?” he said. “Because I needed you to have that look in your eye.”
“What look?” Kenya turned to stare at herself in the mirror but couldn’t see anything different other than her smudged lip gloss, which would need repair.
“The look you have right now that says you want me,” Lucas said. “It will play well to the camera.”
Kenya opened her mouth to say something, but nothing came out.
“We have to convince the public that we’re the real deal,” Lucas said. “And we couldn’t do that if you’re scared for me to touch you. Now you’re more relaxed.”
Kenya felt anything other than relaxed. She felt like a cat on a hot tin roof. Lucas hadn’t kissed her because he’d wanted to. He’d done it so he could heighten her awareness of him to play up to the interview. And it had worked. She was very aware of him.
Lucas opened the door to the greenroom and allowed Deacon, Fiona, Derrick and Daisy in. They immediately ushered her into a seat.
“What happened to your lips?” Daisy asked as she set about touching up her makeup.
Kenya glanced up to find Deacon smiling knowingly at her, but he didn’t comment on how her lip gloss had gotten smudged even though Lucas had a hint of sheen on his lips.
The interviews on all of the shows went well. Kenya was surprised at just how good an actor Lucas really was. He acted like an adoring new boyfriend who couldn’t get enough of Chynna. He had one hand around her shoulder and the other held one of hers. And several times during each interview, he’d leaned over to give her a quick kiss on the cheek. He was so good at it that if Kenya didn’t know otherwise, she would believe he was a man in love. Is this what Lucas does with the women he dates? Does he make them believe he is in love before he dumps them?
“I’m glad that’s over,” Lucas said when they were on the plane heading back to Los Angeles.
“You guys did fantastic!” Fiona gushed. “You were really convincing.”
“A little too convincing,” Deacon muttered underneath his breath.
“What was that?” Kenya said from beside him.
“Oh, nothing,” Deacon replied. “Great job!”
“Good,” Lucas said. “Now Chynn
a can focus on the movie without fear of the press hounding her about Blake.”
“You know this isn’t the end,” Fiona replied. “We’ll still need the two of you to go out on a few public dates before we can release that the two of you broke up.”
“That won’t be a problem,” Lucas replied.
“Excellent!” Fiona was happy with her handiwork, but Kenya was not looking forward to spending more time in Lucas’s company. Today had shown her that Lucas had a way with women— he’d easily made putty of her today in the greenroom after all. If he really put on the charm, just how long would she be able to resist it?
Kenya was nervous as she sat in her trailer a couple of days later. Daisy was making her up for one of the first scenes she would film with Blake. Her whole team had come to the set, but Kenya would have preferred quiet so she could run her lines again in her head. It was imperative that she not screw this up. Chynna was depending on her to pull through some of these scenes. Since they were filming out of order, some of the more dramatic scenes would be taped in advance. Thankfully, when Chynna returned, she’d have less acting to deal with because Kenya would do all the heavy lifting.
What didn’t go so well was her wardrobe fitting. The film’s wardrobe had already been selected weeks ago when Chynna had been fitted. Unfortunately, Kenya was an inch or so larger in the midriff than Chynna, and the costume designer wasted no time making a point of the weight gain.
“She needs to lose five pounds,” the designer said, glancing over at Deacon as if Kenya wasn’t in the room.
“I’ll take care of it,” Deacon said.
Kenya glared at Deacon as the woman rushed off to let out the snug-fitting mini-dress. He will take care of it? He isn’t the boss of me.
Deacon must have sensed her fury, because he said, “No carbs. We’ve done this before, Chynna. You know how the camera adds fifteen pounds. It’ll be fine.” He patted her shoulder as if she were an inconsolable child.
Kenya hated being patronized and shrugged him off. “Take a break. I need some privacy.”
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