by Twyla Turner
“And we’re back in 5…4…” the producer called out and then fell silent as she held up her fingers signaling the last three numbers.
“Let’s give a round of applause to Gage Walker…featuring Natasha!” Jimmy shouted and gestured towards the stage.
Natasha walked out like a shimmery dream and the audience lost their minds. Brandi kicked off the song with a bass guitar riff. Riley followed with the drums, and then Gage and Neal came in.
The moment the first notes fell from Lyris’ lips she forgot about her nerves. She watched Gage for his non-verbal cues. She also watched the way he interacted with Natasha.
It was obvious that the chemistry they’d once had for each other was still there. It radiated throughout the studio. The audience was enthralled. Lyris’ stomach turned, but not because of nerves. The way they looked at each other as they sang to one other, there were still plenty of feelings between them.
Why do you care? He’s not yours. Lyris thought as she waited for her cue.
Lyris, Rainey, and Mack swayed from side to side like they’d practiced. The song was sexy, angsty, and panty-melting.
Lyris would love to sing the duet with him. Natasha sung it well, but Lyris knew she could bring something to it that the seasoned popstar, who was set in her ways, couldn’t. Soul.
As they ended the song, Natasha stunned Gage and the audience when she leaned in and kissed him directly on the lips.
The crowd lost their minds and gave them a standing ovation. Lyris held her jaw tight as Gage tried to shrug it off. Looking around, it didn’t look like the other band members were amused by the pop diva’s antics. Brandi looked like she was ready to drop kick her in the back.
“Give it up again for Gage Walker and Natasha!” Jimmy clapped and as he walked over to the couple.
Natasha wrapped her arm around Gage’s back and squeezed into his side, playing to the cameras as the show went to commercial break.
~~~
As soon as the cameras stopped rolling, Gage unwrapped himself from her clutches.
“Not cute, Natasha,” he growled low.
“You and I both know that the publicity from this will make our albums soar to the number one and two spots on the charts, and stay there for weeks. Besides, you know you still want me.”
“Hardly,” Gage gave a fake smile and waved to the audience before turning to head backstage.
“If you want me to cool it with the jealousy stuff, I will. I know there’s no one else like me that you’ll find to compare anyway.”
Gage spun around once they got out of earshot of the audience.
“Be careful. The insecurities that you hide behind that massive ego are showing.” As Natasha’s mouth flapped open and closed, Gage continued on. “And it’s not just about your jealousies. I also got tired of how it’s always about you. We dated for two years, Nat. Do you know anything about me other than the size of my dick?”
Everyone backstage, including the band, fell silent at the crude question. A few people tried to stifle their laughter.
“I know enough.”
“Then tell me something… That isn’t general knowledge I’ve given in interview after interview.”
“I…” Natasha huffed and then flipped her long dark hair. “Look, it’s not my problem that you didn’t talk much and when you did you never wanted to talk about yourself. Besides, it’s not my fault that all you wanted to do was fuck, so that the only thing I do know about you is your dick size.”
“I figured if my dick was in your mouth you’d finally stop talking.” Gage barked, immediately regretting the words the moment they left his mouth.
Crack!
She was a tiny thing, but her slap left a harsh sting across his cheek.
“FUCK YOU!” Nat screeched before storming off.
Everyone in the hallway stood in complete shock over the last few seconds of their exchange. Gage rubbed his cheek as he turned to see everyone staring. His eyes found Lyris. She shook her head and walked back into the green room where they’d left their belongings.
Gage squeezed the bridge of his nose with his thumb and index finger. He sighed deeply and started to walk to the dressing room where all of his stuff was. As always, Nat drained every ounce of emotional energy he had.
She was beautiful and tempting. But at what cost?
Not when he had someone else just as beautiful and tempting in his life. Someone he could legitimately share his deepest and darkest with.
Passion and chaos.
Or passion and calm.
“You’re free to move about the cabin.” The disjointed voice of the captain sounded from the intercom.
The band, Jesse, his assistant Tabitha, and a few others were on a private jet provided by the record label. They were headed to New York City. It was Lyris’ first time on a private jet and it would be her first time in the Big Apple. They had another round of shows on the East Coast to do.
Lyris sensed the shadow that fell over her and she looked up to find Gage looking down at her. His cat eyes bordered more on the pale gray side this morning. And per usual, they pierced her gut.
“Can I sit?”
Lyris shrugged, “Sure.”
Gage slid down into the aisle seat next to hers. Lyris tried to ignore him by focusing on the world below as they passed over it.
“About last night…”
“You don’t have to explain anything to me,” Lyris looked at him.
“But I do. I’ve actually apologized to everyone else already.” Gage roughly rubbed his hands down his face. “She frustrates me so bad. That’s how a lot of our arguments are.”
“It’s obvious you two still have a lot of passion and emotions between each other. You’re exes. Which means at one point you were lovers. And you were lovers for a reason.”
“True. But the passion stems from me wanting to choke her out. You’ve heard the term ‘a crime of passion’ before.”
Lyris chuckled.
“You laugh, but it’s true.”
“Calm down there. I don’t need you going to prison. I need a paycheck.”
“Oh, so that’s all I am to you, huh? A paycheck?”
“If the money clip fits, wear it.”
“That’s just cold.”
“So…changing subjects. I had no idea your mom is Brazilian.”
“Yup. My parents met in Rio, when my father was there on vacation with some of his friends. They fell in love, and my dad brought her back to the States with him.” Gage paused to reach for his phone in his back pocket. “Wanna see a pic?”
“Of course.”
Gage pulled out his phone and brought up his photo app. He found what he was looking for and handed Lyris his phone. On the screen was a photo of his parents when they must have met. His dad was young and handsome. Brown hair, light eyes, a square jawline, and a fit body. His mother was drop dead gorgeous. Her hair was jet black and silky like Gage’s. Her eyes were also the same cat eyes. Her skin was a burnished bronze.
It was obvious that Gage took after his mother the most. His skin wasn’t as dark, but now Lyris realized the toasted tan look to his skin had more to do with heritage than being in the sun.
Gage reached over and swiped his finger across the screen to scroll to the next photo. Lyris assumed it was of them currently. His dad was all gray now and a little fuller, but still handsome. His mother was as gorgeous as ever. Her hair was cute in a short and sassy salt and pepper cut. The lines on her face showing nothing more than she’d had a long, good life where she smiled often.
“They’re a beautiful couple. Your mom is stunning! When she was young and still now.”
“Thanks! I’ll tell her you said that.”
“So, how did your dad’s parents feel about him bringing home a brown girl?”
“They didn’t like it. They had some girl with a country club upbringing they wanted him to marry. They didn’t know he’d find some Brazilian beauty while on spring break. When he came home with h
er, they disowned him.”
“Seriously?!” Lyris’ eyes widened.
Gage nodded solemnly. “I never got to know my grandparents on my dad’s side. Supposedly they saw me once when I was little and we were out and about in the city. My dad’s from Chicago. But that was it.”
“Wow! That’s just crazy. But their loss, right?”
“Yeah,” Gage nodded. “But we spent every summer in Rio visiting my mom’s parents. So, I still got to experience having grandparents. My parents actually decided to retire there. It’s one of the reasons why Rio is one of the tour stops. I have to see my parents while I’m there. That’s why we’re there for a week. Some relaxation and family time.”
“Do you have dual citizenship?”
“I do.”
“Can you speak Portuguese?”
“Claro que eu consigo.” he said in his mother’s native tongue.
Then Gage leaned in closely to Lyris. She couldn’t help but come closer. It was his damn eyes. They got her every time.
“Eu já estive em muitos lugares do mundo e deixe-me te dizer, que você é uma das mulheres mais lindas que já vi em toda a minha vida. Se algum dia eu tiver a chance de fazer amor com você, seria tão ardente que iria fazer você esquecer qualquer namorado, coração partido e qualquer cara com quem você esteve antes de mim.” Gage finished and sat back with a secret smile on his face.
Lyris hadn’t the slightest inkling of what he’d just said. But whatever it was, the deep timbre of his voice, the inflection of every word, and the way each word caressed her lips as they passed through his, set fire to Lyris’ nether regions. She could literally feel her arousal trickle down to soak her panties.
“What did you say?” Lyris said breathlessly.
“I said, ‘Of course, I can. My mother made sure I could.’”
Lyris gave him a dubious face.
“You’re full of shit! What did you really say?”
“I don’t know what you’re talking about.” Gage hunched his shoulders. “That’s what I said.”
“Oh, whatever!”
He stared at Lyris for a few moments. She was sure he saw the amazement in her eyes.
“You thought I was just some regular ol’ white dude-bro, didn’t you?”
Lyris choked on her laughter. “Maybe a little,” she held up her thumb and index finger.
“Serves you right for judging me.” Gage said self-righteously.
“Oh, simmer down, woke bro.” Lyris pumped her hands up and down, gesturing for him to calm down. “You still get special privileges because you’re white passing and gorgeous.”
Gage’s eyes lit up like a Christmas tree. Lyris internally smacked her face.
“So…you think I’m gorgeous?” Gage waggled his beautiful dark-winged brows.
“Oh, please! As if you don’t know it.” Lyris rolled her eyes.
“Is it weird that I know what others see when they look at me, but I still feel and often see in my reflection the big guy I used to be? I forget all the time.” Gage admitted seriously.
Lyris placed her hand on his forearm. The skin was soft under the dusting of dark hair.
“Well, you did spend your formative years one way. And your whole life, people treated you a certain way because of it. I’m sure it’ll take a full decade before you get used to it. And maybe not even then.”
“Just keep calling me gorgeous and I’m sure I’ll get used to it sooner.” Gage smirked trying to bring levity back to the conversation.
“I can’t take you anywhere.” Lyris smacked him with her airplane pillow. “I’m taking a nap.”
“Fine. Be that way,” he grinned.
Lyris shoved her pillow against the wall of the plane and laid her head on it. They’d gotten up early to catch the plane to NYC after a long night the night before. It wasn’t long before she drifted off.
~~~
Gage had started nodding off next to Lyris. Pressure on his shoulder pulled him out of his light sleep. He looked down and saw Lyris had shifted and unknowingly laid her head on his shoulder in her sleep.
A sleepy smile spread across his face. Gage leaned his head to the side and rested his cheek on top of her downy soft curls. He closed his eyes and quickly fell asleep with that soft smile still on his lips.
The plane hit a little turbulence and Gage was jerked awake. He wasn’t sure how much time had passed, but Lyris was still using him as a pillow. She’d even wrapped her arms around his bicep. Another jerk of the plane must have woken her, because she jerked up and looked at him bleary-eyed.
Their faces were only an inch or two away from each other. Gage could feel her warm breath against his lips. Her sleepy eyes looked so welcoming as they searched his. He moved closer. Her lips parted. Their noses touched. The space between their lips was warm and damp with anticipation. Gage moved his head slightly from side to side, sweetly rubbing his nose across hers. Eskimo kisses first. Hopefully, French kisses next. Lyris’ eyes fluttered closed.
Gage lifted his lips towards hers. Lyris followed. Their lips brushed gently. Something crackled between them. Gage flicked his tongue out to touch the seam of her mouth.
“Ladies and gentlemen,” the pilot’s voice startled them and made them jump apart guilty. “We’ll be coming into New York airspace in just a few minutes. We’ll begin our descent into Teterboro Airport in about ten minutes.”
Lyris cleared her throat awkwardly as she adjusted her clothes. Gage was tempted to slide his hand behind the back of her neck and pull her back in for the kiss her warm brown eyes had promised. But the spell had broken for her.
She’d come to her senses.
To get her back to a place where she was mindless with need would take longer than the fifteen minutes or so they had before the plane landed.
“This conversation isn’t over.”
“We weren’t having a conversation,” she said quietly.
“Weren’t we?”
Gage was almost sure he heard her gulp loudly. Lyris also shifted restlessly in her seat.
Gage’s habit of studying people didn’t stop once he’d lost all the weight and was thrust into the limelight. He probably observed people even more once he became famous. He wanted to know who was genuine or who just wanted something from him. And he knew Lyris wanted something from him.
It was in the flush of her cheeks. The rapid rise and fall of her chest. The way she couldn’t look him in the eye. And the way she kept stirring in her seat.
Gage wasn’t a betting man, but he’d bet his entire career that the beautiful woman next to him was throbbing and wet. What she wanted from him, Gage was ready to give to her in excess. She could have all of him.
He wanted to get drunk off her scent. High off her taste. They could OD on each other.
But instead, Gage had to sit back and take deep breaths to control his own arousal.
Soon…
The next few weeks before the tour kicked off, Lyris did everything she could to avoid Gage. Or at least avoid being around him alone. Although that didn’t stop him from finding ways to touch her, sending goosebumps across her skin. Or giving her looks that set fire to her loins.
Yes, loins. I’ve never thought of my lady parts as loins. But Gage has me thinking all kinds of impure things.
“It has been so very long since I’ve been with anyone,” Lyris said to Serena and Sebastian as she fell over onto the couch.
She grabbed a pillow, put it over her face, and screamed at the top of her lungs.
“Feel better?” Sebastian asked once she removed the pillow from her face.
“Marginally.”
“Why don’t you just get it over with and fuck him?” Serena asked bluntly.
“Umm…because he’s my boss. And he’s a rock star who’s probably fucked countless women. I’m not going to be another notch on his belt, headboard, or any other place one might think of to document their conquests.”
“He dated Natasha for two years and as far as anyone knows
in this town, he was faithful. I don’t think he’s the guy you’re making him out to be,” Sebastian said.
“I just can’t see anything coming from it,” Lyris tossed up her hands.
“Sweetie, it’s just sex. Or is it that you’re afraid you’re going to fall for him and he’s going to break your heart?”
“Well, isn’t it obvious? I don’t need a crystal ball to tell me that.”
“Why would you think it’s obvious?!” Serena exclaimed.
Lyris held up her hands defensively, “Before you freak out on me, let me preface my next words with, I know I’m a beautiful woman and a great catch. But…with that being said, I know what I look like. I know what he looks like. And I know what society expects of the two of us in regards to love. Outside of race, in regards to beautiful men like him, he is expected to be with a near flawless woman. In regards to women like me, I’m expected to die alone or settle for mediocre. And if two people who don’t fit societally decide to get together, society always has a way of sabotaging that. And that’s just your regular old, average Joe or Jill. Not someone who’s famous.”
“He’d be lucky to have you,” Serena crossed her arms over her chest.
“I didn’t say he wouldn’t. It’s not about how I feel about myself. It’s not about my self-esteem. I have worked hard my entire life to love me. I don’t want a relationship to destroy that.
“And answer me this. What super-hot male celebrity, who wasn’t married before he became famous, has married a plus-size woman? Singer, actor, athlete, or otherwise? I’ll wait.” Lyris sat back and looked at both of her friends.
Serena and Sebastian both remained quiet as they really thought about it. After only a few moments, Lyris could tell they were coming up blank.
“As I said. Society won’t allow it.” Lyris shrugged. “They’d be more okay with us as an interracial couple than an intersized couple.”
“Intersized?” Serena scoffed.