Release Me

by Farrah Rochon

  Sienna led the way up the wide, winding staircase, with Jonathan following and Toby bringing up the rear. At the top of the staircase, Jonathan took the lead, guiding them to a small round table in the corner. It was lit by one of the basketball wall lights.

  “The décor is absolutely amazing,” Sienna said.

  “Thank Toby,” Jonathan said.

  “Toby?” Sienna turned to him. “Since when do you decorate?”

  “I gave him Indina’s number,” Toby clarified.

  Nodding, Sienna laughed. “That sounds more like it. She sure outdid herself this time. As much as I love basketball, I could have never imagined it could be used in such a tasteful theme.”

  “I’m happy with how it worked out,” Jonathan said, nodding as his eyes roamed over the bistro.

  “It looks as if everyone is enjoying it.” Sienna followed his gaze. “I’m not sure if it is the novelty of this being a new club, or what, but to have this kind of crowd an hour before the opening performance is pretty amazing.”

  “Speaking of that performance, did you have a chance to drop in on Aria?” Jonathan directed his question to Toby.

  He shook his head, taking a sip of his drink. “Not yet. She gets nervous if I hang around her too much before a show. I’ll stick my head in a few minutes before she goes on just to give her a little encouragement.”

  “I heard her rehearsing earlier today,” Jonathan said. “With the jokes they have signing record deals today, I don’t know why this girl has not been discovered yet.”

  “Excuse me,” Toby said. “She has been discovered. We’re just taking the scenic route to stardom.”

  The waitress, cloaked in a sequin basketball jersey dress, took their order.

  As they sipped drinks while their food order was being prepared, Jonathan laid the charm on Sienna as thick as peanut butter on sliced bread. And, worse, she seemed to be falling for it hook, line, and sinker.

  Why should he care? Sienna was a big girl. She could take care of herself. What was wrong with two of his best friends hooking up?

  It no longer seemed like the brilliant idea Toby had once thought.

  “So, Jonathan, of all the business ventures you could have chosen, what made you choose a nightclub?” Sienna asked.

  Jonathan tilted his shoulder in a nonchalant shrug. “I had been on the club scene for a while, and had grown tired of it. I figured there were a lot of people out there like me, so I thought, why not open the kind of place I’d like to go to after a hard day at the office.”

  “That makes sense.”

  “What made you go into marketing?” he returned.

  “I’ve always been good at making the mundane seem magnificent and putting a positive spin on anything, no matter how disastrous.”

  Jonathan shot out a bark of laughter. “You should have become an image consultant. You could have made a killing in D.C.”

  “Is that where you’re from?”

  Jonathan nodded.

  Toby didn’t trust the smile that tipped up the corner of his ex-teammate’s mouth. The two of them had practiced that smile together. Toby knew exactly what it did to women.

  A Brian McKnight ballad cruised out of the speakers tucked unassumingly against the bistro’s tall ceiling.

  “Oh, I haven’t heard this song in years,” Sienna purred.

  There she was with the purring again. Didn’t she know what those little seductive sounds did to a man?

  “Do you want to dance?” Jonathan asked.

  “In the restaurant? We can’t do that.”

  “Remember, you’re talking to the owner, baby.” Jonathan kicked the smile up a notch.

  “Our dinner will be here in a minute,” Toby reminded them, his voice terse.

  “We’re not going to Africa,” Jonathan said. “Just right over there.” He gestured to a miniscule area between the only set of empty tables in the restaurant. It guaranteed a very snug dance.

  “Watch my purse, Toby,” Sienna said as she placed her hand in Jonathan’s and allowed him to pull her from her chair.

  Toby watched in frustrated silence as Jonathan placed his hand on the small of Sienna’s back. As low cut as the dress was, Jonathan had no choice but to touch skin. All Toby could think about was how soft it must feel.

  Where were these thoughts coming from? Sienna was like a sister. Of course, she wasn’t his real sister, and Toby was enough of a man to acknowledge a beautiful woman when he saw one. And tonight, in that dress, Sienna wasn’t just beautiful, she was amazing.

  He glanced around the restaurant, searching for someone who even compared. A half-dozen fine women sat two tables down. A couple of them were pretty cute. One was damn cute.

  Toby caught her eye. She smiled.

  Now, that’s what he was talking about.

  It had been way too long since he had made any type of connection with a woman. That’s probably why his mind had been focused on Sienna. She was about the only female, other than his mother and Aria, that he had been in contact with in the last couple of months. He needed to find himself some additional options.

  And the first option of the night was sending some pretty serious signals with the look she shot his way.

  Toby nodded toward another small area that had been created between two tables that had just been vacated. The woman smiled. She whispered something in the ear of the friend on her left, who looked over at Toby.

  Toby grinned. She could be next.

  Opportunity numero uno rose from the table and sauntered toward him like sex for sale. The night’s outlook got a whole lot brighter.

  Toby stood and matched her seductive smile. “Hello. I’m Tobias.” He reached out his hand.

  “Amneris.” She placed her hand in his, and Toby brought it up and offered it a gentle kiss.

  “A beautiful name for a beautiful woman. Would you care to dance?” He asked, just as the ballad ended. Thankfully, the deejay was in his corner, slipping on another slow tune.

  Toby settled his hands at the curve of her waist, and irrationally hoped Sienna and Jonathan were both catching an eyeful. He cautioned a quick glance their way.

  The two were rocking from side to side, lost in conversation.

  “So, Tobias, are you from around here?” the woman in his arms asked. What was her name again?

  “Born and raised,” Toby answered. “Although I’ve moved around a little bit over the past few years.”

  “What do you do, if you don’t mind my asking?”

  Toby looked down and realized she really was hot. If he had any sense, he’d get his mind off those other two and concentrate on the sure thing pressing her body more firmly against his.

  “I manage recording artists,” he answered. “I also do a little producing and songwriting.”

  “Yeah, right,” she said with a look that said she didn’t believe a word of that. “Is that the answer you give every woman you pick up?”

  Toby laughed. “It’s the truth. One of my artists is performing tonight.” He glanced at his watch. “In just about a half hour, actually.” Toby noted the waitress bringing three steaming plates of pasta to their table.

  “Are you talking about Aria Jordan?”

  He nodded.

  “That girl can sing. I was too excited when I heard she would be here tonight.”

  “Let her know it when she walks out on stage.”

  “I most definitely will. So, you’re really a record producer. That must be exciting.” She pressed a little closer.

  Jonathan and Sienna headed for the table.

  Stop thinking about them.

  The song ended and his dance partner reluctantly pulled away, dragging her hands down his arms in a slow caress. “I should probably get back to my table. We’re celebrating my sister’s birthday tonight.”

  “Tell her I said happy birthday.” Toby smiled.

  “I will. And,” she slipped her fingers into the low cut bodice of her skin tight dress and came out with a small, folded
paper. She certainly was prepared, wasn’t she? “If you’re looking for something to do later, why don’t you hit me on my cell?”

  Baby girl was definitely a sure thing. But, for reasons he would probably debate for the rest of his natural born life, Toby was more turned off than anything. What was up with that? When had he ever turned down guaranteed sex?

  Toby gestured toward his table where Sienna and Jonathan had already started on their food. “I haven’t eaten since yesterday, and if I don’t get to it now, I probably won’t have time to eat anything until after Aria’s performance.”

  “That’s fine. Just. Call me.” She stood on the tips of her toes and kissed his cheek. “I will blow your mind,” she whispered in his ear.

  Have mercy.

  It had been a long time since he’d had his mind, or anything else, blown. Toby sent her a smile and headed in the opposite direction to his table.

  “Welcome back,” Sienna said as he approached.

  “I was about to send for a bucket of ice from the bar. That was some hot and heavy dancing,” Jonathan said.

  Yeah, he could say the same about the two of them. Thankfully, Sienna had not pushed all up on Jonathan while they danced. Toby knew he would have lost it.

  “She did get kind of close, didn’t she,” Toby said, taking a bite of his pasta before he was even seated.

  “You had better watch yourself, Toby. I doubt Aria would be too happy hearing about you snuggled up with some random chick.”

  Here she was again, mentioning Aria, as if she were his girlfriend or something.

  The light bulb went on.

  Damn, he could be stupid sometimes. Hadn’t Eli thought the same thing? Maybe it was because it was the furthest thing from the truth that it didn’t even cross Toby’s mind that people would automatically assume he and Aria had something going on. It’s not as if he intentionally flirted with her. Sure, they kid around a bit—those days in the studio could get long—but Toby had never intimated to Aria that she was anything more than his client.

  Before he could correct Sienna’s erroneous assessment of the relationship between him and Aria, Toby heard, “Mr. Holmes?” It was the waitress in the sparkly jersey dress. “Ms. Jordan is asking for you.”

  “Hmm.” Sienna murmured, a knowing smile creasing her eyes. “You see, she’s psychic. You are in for it.”

  “It’s not like that,” he said as he rose from the table.

  “You need me?” Jonathan asked.

  “No. Finish your dinner.”

  Unsure what could have Aria calling for him when she usually didn’t want to see him before a performance, Toby practically raced to the back of the club where Jonathan’s office was located. He rapped on the door.

  “Aria?”

  “Come in.” Toby heard the slight tremor in her voice. He found Aria perched upon Jonathan’s desk, her fisted hands rubbing against her thighs.

  “What’s wrong?” Coming to her side, he put his arm around her shoulder and gave her a squeeze.

  “I’m just a little nervous.”

  “Why? You’ve played to bigger crowds than this.”

  “I know, but tonight’s different. This is my first performance since being picked up by the show. The cameras aren’t even out there yet, and I’m still nervous.”

  “Even if they’re not there tonight, you will eventually have to perform in front of the cameras, Aria. And in front of much larger audiences.” Toby stepped in front of her. He grasped her shoulders and stared into her eyes. “Tell me one thing. Is this what you really want?”

  Aria nodded.

  Toby shook his head. “No. You tell me. Do you want this?”

  “Yes.”

  “Do you want everything that goes with it? Do you think you can handle the press? The fans?”

  “I think so. Maybe.”

  He shook his head again. “There are no maybes. Either you can do it or you can’t. We’ll drop out of the show if you’re not ready.”

  Toby hoped she was, because he sure as hell was ready. Turning down this opportunity would be the absolute hardest thing he would ever do.

  “I’m ready,” Aria said.

  “Are you sure?”

  “Yes. I can do this. I promise I won’t let you down.”

  “Don’t do it for me. This is all about you.”

  “But it is about us,” she said. A sense of dread shot down Toby’s spine at the way she said us. Maybe Sienna wasn’t the only one getting mixed signals. “Besides,” Aria continued. “This is your friend’s big night, too. When I get up on that stage, I won’t be thinking of just me.”

  There was a knock at the door.

  “Hey.” Jonathan stuck his head in. “Everything all right in here?”

  “We’re good,” Toby answered.

  “Okay, then. It’s about that time.”

  Toby focused his gaze on Aria. “Forget about everybody else. Just do what you do best.”

  She nodded. “Okay.”

  He turned back to Jonathan. “All right, man. We’re ready.”

  Chapter Seven

  Sienna dug into the pitch-black earth with the shovel, working around in a circle until she was able to lift the shrub out of the ground. She picked it up at the base and placed the roots in the soil she’d prepared in a huge terra cotta pot. Packing the dirt over the tiny roots, Sienna closed her eyes and relished the sensation of the cool earth sliding between her fingers.

  It had been a hellish week. Hellish, but exciting. The pressure of having her own account had kept her awake at night, devising innovative strategies to make Aria Jordan a household name. She had come up with a couple of ideas that she hoped would broaden Aria’s appeal to a wider audience, but she still had not found that one thing that would really make her shine.

  Last night’s performance at the Hard Court had solidified the fact that the girl had the talent. Her spots at local clubs were a great way to grow a following, but they were working on an accelerated timetable. Sienna needed to find something that would catch the attention of more than just a few hundred people.

  One thing. If only she could find that one thing.

  Her job was one problem, but it wasn’t the only stress maker in her life. Seeing Aria and Toby together added its own dimension of distress. As much as Sienna hated the thought of the two of them together, she was offended by the way Toby treated Aria. As a manager and producer he was everything the girl could want, but as a boyfriend?

  If being his girlfriend entailed Toby practically ignoring her and showing no type of affection whatsoever in public, Sienna was better off by herself.

  Aria’s feelings could not be more obvious if she wore a T-shirt with I “heart” Toby across her chest, but Toby hardly ever returned the smiles she sent his way. Sienna hoped he paid her more attention in private. Then again, she didn’t want to think about the two of them in private.

  Sienna packed the last bit of soil around the shrub’s base and turned to her rose bushes. She slid the pruning shears from the protective sleeve and knelt in the grass. Hers was one of the few front lawns in the Faurbourg Marigny. One of the neighborhood’s unique features was that most of the homes butted right up to the sidewalk.

  A honking horn interrupted Sienna’s peace. Toby’s midnight blue Acura pulled up the short driveway next to her car.

  “What are you doing out here?” he yelled from the open driver’s side window.

  “Dyeing my hair,” Sienna sarcastically replied, shielding her eyes from the sun.

  “I’ve been calling your cell phone all morning.”

  She motioned toward the house. “It’s on the charger. The battery is going out, so I’m having to charge it up every day.”

  “Buy a new battery. There are some parts of this city you do not want to be caught in without your cell phone.”

  “I know. I’m going to trade the phone in when I get a chance. Now, what was so pressing that you had to drive half way across the city at,” she looked at her watch,
“nine in the morning.”

  “I had a revelation,” Toby answered as he strolled up to her.

  “Care to elaborate?” Sienna asked. She rose, dusting dirt from her hands.

  “How do you feel about attending the Greater New Foundation Full Gospel Baptist Church tomorrow? Damn, that’s a mouthful.”

  Sienna slapped him on the arm. “You do not say church and damn in the same breath.”

  “You just did.”

  Sienna made a get on with it gesture with her hand. “What about the church?”

  “Their eleven o’clock service is televised throughout the entire Gulf South. As far as Pensacola.”

  Sienna knew where this was headed. And she was so there.

  “Please tell me Aria grew up singing gospel?”

  “Since she was six years old.”

  Yes. This was a market they had not even considered.

  “How do we get her on program?”

  “The great Margo Holmes to the rescue.” Toby’s face lit up with a smile. “One of the ladies in some pottery class Mama just started attends the church. She was bragging about Aria and the show—”

  “Of course,” Sienna interjected.

  “Of course,” Toby agreed. “And the woman suggested Aria sing at their eleven o’clock service.”

  “Where’s the church?”

  “Out in Slidell. Can you make it?”

  Sienna nodded. She was astounded that she had not thought about the gospel arena, as popular as the music was these days. She could only imagine Aria Jordan’s soulful voice belting out a gospel spiritual. After her performance last night, Sienna had to give the girl her due. She was better than half the singers out there today.

  And, since he was the one who had discovered her, it was only fair to give Toby his due, also.

  “She really is amazing, Toby.”

  “I know. Mama comes through for me even when I’m not expecting her to.”

  “No, I mean Aria. This is going to work out for you. Even if it’s not with this show.”

  His smiled broadened. “So, you enjoyed the performance last night, huh?”