The Christmas Singer

by Cheryl Wright

  Derek turned his head sharply and saw the silhouette of a man leaning against a car as though he was waiting for someone.

  As he looked about, Derek noticed the glow of a cigarette end. It was unnerving. A shiver went through him as realisation dawned. If he hadn’t been out here waiting for Felicity, what might have happened to her?

  With no acknowledgement from the other man, Derek had no idea if he even realised someone else was there. “Evening,” he said, ensuring the man was aware of his presence.

  Strolling at a quicker than normal pace, Derek made his way back to his car.

  * * *

  Felicity wasn’t sure why she’d called Derek St James, she’d never intended to, but she felt inexplicably drawn to him.

  So here she was, two days later, in his office.

  She scanned the room as she sat opposite him – a man in whom she would place a lot of trust, a man who could change her life forever.

  Why did she have these feelings toward someone she’d only known for a matter of days? Was it the promise of a big career? He seemed so down-to-earth. Not the type of person who would lead her on or make false promises. But one never knew.

  It’s not like she’d heard of him before, because she hadn’t. And she didn’t even know who to ask, except perhaps her parents. But she barely spoke with them anymore. Whenever she did, their bitterness rubbed off on her. Their heart-ache only served to remind Felicity of her own failed relationship.

  Mike Singleton. A name she never again wanted to hear. A face she never again wanted to see. A man....

  Stop! She was panicking, and her thoughts were running away from her. She needed to take a deep breath and calm down. Felicity reminded herself where she was, and why she was there.

  Derek St James, and his once-in-a-lifetime offer.

  She’d just have to go by her gut feelings, and in this instance, she was pretty sure her gut was right in telling her to forge ahead.

  “......one year.” What did she miss?

  “Uh, sorry. What did you say?” He would think her a pure scatterbrain.

  “I was saying that we really need to allow several months to prepare for your big debut.” His brown eyes met hers. It was almost as though he was trying to look inside her thoughts. “Okay. This is what I have in mind. Look it over, get your solicitor to check it out too....” He handed her a contract and she balked. It was too soon for decisions. Decisions that could completely change her life.

  Sure, she wanted this, she needed it. Her career, her totally wrong career, was at a stand-still, and some days she felt as though she was peddling backwards instead of moving forward. Despite all her hard work, despite her father pushing her each and every day. Despite everything.

  As she reached out to accept the wad of paper he offered, their hands touched. Briefly. Just long enough for the melding of skin to send a thrill up her arm.

  Her head jerked up. Did he feel that too? His eyes told her he did, but she’d decided long ago to freeze out any efforts to thaw her heart. Her very broken and worn out, never to be opened again, heart.

  She had vowed to never again risk getting close to a man, and she would be true to her word.

  Felicity felt confused. Although this was what she wanted, she wasn’t sure she could do it. Surely it was better not to try than to fail? And what about these unwanted feelings she was having toward Derek? That wouldn’t help her career at all, but rather, it would complicate things.

  She stood suddenly, thrusting the papers at him as though they burned her, her eyes brimming with tears. “I can’t do this,” she said in a shaky whisper, and bolted for the door before he even realised what had occurred.

  What the heck......? Derek sat bewildered in her wake.

  One minute they were discussing strategies and contracts, and the next she was gone. Still, he’d been through this very scenario before. Selena Alexander would have been a star – a very big star.

  He shook himself. It was still too raw, and he couldn’t put himself through all that pain and angst again. He had to move forward, to take life by the horns and get on with it.

  Otherwise survival would be impossible.

  Derek looked down at the pile of papers Felicity had shoved at him. What was her problem?

  He thought over what had taken place.

  She seemed fine when they’d talked, but then she drifted into oblivion. Something triggered the episode, but what? No, wait... That wasn’t it at all. She’d reacted when he passed over the contract.

  That moment was etched in his memory. You could almost say it was burned there. Oh heck! Did she feel that too?

  Derek strolled over to the window and stared out. She was there, down on the pavement, pacing back and forth.

  When she glanced up and saw him there, she stopped momentarily, then headed for the subway.

  Chapter Three

  He knew he would find her here. In this sleazy smoked-filled bar.

  She’d avoided his calls and wouldn’t answer the door. He was positive she knew it was him, but wouldn’t let him in.

  He still wasn’t sure why she’d changed her mind, what had triggered her unpredictable reaction. But it was in her eyes. Her beautiful piercing blue eyes. Eyes that reached out and gazed into his soul.

  She was on the verge of tears when she’d bolted. Strangely enough, he’d known it was coming. It had something to do with her total lack of concentration while he explained the process. The long, drawn out process of moulding a star. Or in Felicity’s case, a super-star.

  “And now, Miss Felicity Montgomery!” The MC announced Felicity’s arrival on stage. Several patrons made a cursory glance her way, then returned to their drinks and conversations. How she was able to stand this lack of respect he had no idea.

  He sat at the bar, his back to the stage, not able to bear the thought of her singing here.

  The voice was unmistakable. It was ‘his’ Felicity. He slowly swivelled his chair around to face her. She glanced up, and he swore she looked directly at him.

  Lifting his glass in a silent toast, she acknowledged him with a terse nod. She was so not happy he was here.

  Oh, that angel’s voice. He had to sign her, he just had to! This could be the most important move of his entire career. And her career.

  Derek listened, mesmerised by the voice of the century. He closed his eyes, taking in the vibrations and the beat of the music, and the perfection of her performance.

  Opening his eyes, he watched as the lights played against her long white dress. It was slinky, sexy, and the spotlights sent shimmering cascades of colour along the length of her body. Highlighting every curve. Sending his nerve endings into a spin.

  He mentally slapped himself. Felicity was a potential client, and he needed to keep that in mind.

  The sudden applause brought him out of his revelry and back to the present. A standing ovation. In a place like this? Surely this would be enough to convince her she needed to sign with him?

  But Derek wasn’t convinced. Although he’d met her only recently, he’d already had a taste of her stubbornness. It was not going to be easy getting her to sign that contract.

  * * *

  She sat rigid, her lips pursed into a tight line.

  Just as he’d predicted, Felicity was being difficult. “Of course, you should have your solicitor look the contract over,” he heard himself say. “This is a big step in your career.”

  Her eyes penetrated his. “Of course,” she said. But she said it without conviction.

  He’d already lost her.

  He reached out and touched her shoulder. “I know how scary this must be for you,” he said. “But we’re in this together. I’ll be there every step of the way.”

  She smiled. But it was only window dressing. Just something to appease him and get him the heck out of there.

  She looked at the contract. It was a cursory glance – her eyes darted all over the place. First at the pages in her hand, then at him. Back to the paper, back
to him. What was she thinking?

  And what was he thinking, putting his hands on her? Last time they touched – skin to skin – a thrill shot up his arm and through his body.

  “Okay,” she folded the contract and placed it in her handbag. “I’ll check it out and get back to you.” With that she stood, effectively ending their meeting.

  But he didn’t want it to end. He felt good when he was with her. Life seemed to matter when she was around.

  * * *

  “And one, and two, and....” The choreographer was getting frustrated. Felicity could see it a mile off.

  “Sorry Joe. Can we start over?” Her lack of concentration was messing everything up. She had a big show Saturday night, and still didn’t know the routine well enough to perform.

  “Okay everyone. Let’s take ten.” Joe walked toward Felicity, motioning for her to wait. “This isn’t like you, Felicity. Come on, out with it.”

  Joe and Felicity had worked together for as long as she could remember. He was her mentor, her choreographer, and her best friend.

  Shaking her head, she backed away. But he could see right through her. “It’s a man! You’ve gone and got yourself a man. About time too!”

  Joe made kissy sounds at her, as he fixed his disorganised hair. “Maurice!” Joe motioned for his long-time partner and Felicity’s wardrobe manager to join them. “Our Felicity has got herself a man.”

  “Ooooh, you two!” Felicity knew they meant well, but they were always trying to match her up with the perfect man. It was soooo frustrating!

  “I do not want to talk about it,” she said. Then quickly added, “Anyway, you’ve got it all wrong. There is no-one.” But it was too late. They saw through her.

  “Yeah, right.” The men spoke in unison, and grinned at each other, nodding their heads. They didn’t believe a word she said.

  Felicity sighed. “If you must know,” she said quietly, “I’ve been approached by someone who wants to be my agent. But I’m going to say no. Now can we get back to work?”

  “Are you crazy?”

  “What are you thinking girl?”

  She waved them away and headed to left stage, her starting point, leaving the flabbergasted men in her wake.

  * * *

  She looked incredibly alluring up on that big stage, dressed in her skimpy outfit, and backed by an impressive band.

  Oh boy, she sure could wiggle that tiny butt.

  Derek had gone to see Felicity in action. And he sure did like what he saw.

  But he understood why this was not what she wanted. The skimpy outfits and lecherous men ogling her.

  This was her bread and butter job. For now. He intended to turn that around.

  Outstanding! The air was littered with electricity. The audience were on their feet, clapping, whistling, and yelling. They simply couldn’t get enough of her.

  Then the mood changed. The lights dimmed, and Felicity moved toward the edge of the stage, her microphone centimeters from her mouth, paused and waiting for the music.

  The applause began again as she began to sing. They couldn’t get enough of this incredibly talented performer. What on earth had she been thinking when she’d refused his offer? Derek was so grateful he’d call Joe, and the two of them had taken things into their own hands. Being the proactive guy he was, Joe had set up a meeting after tonight’s show.

  Not that Felicity had any idea, because she didn’t. He hated to think what her reaction would be, but Joe knew what he was doing. He was a good friend to Felicity and would ensure she did the right thing to enhance her career.

  At least Derek hoped he could.

  Chapter Four

  Derek sat nervously in Felicity’s dressing room.

  He wanted to arrive after her, making it almost impossible for flight, but Joe insisted she needed to see him and make her own decisions.

  Fair enough.

  Of course, devious as he was, Joe had said he’d block her way out, and Maurice would be on hand to help, so there was no risk involved anyway.

  “Brilliant!” he heard Joe say. “Absolutely brilliant – the crowd loved you, as they always do.” As the voices got ever closer, Derek became more and more nervous. He’d done this before, many times, so why the heck was he panicking over this?

  Because this could change your entire life, he reminded himself.

  Derek looked up as the door handle rattled. Sweat trickle down his face as the door opened. Felicity had a towel draped over her shoulders, and Joe had his arm around her.

  She stopped dead when she spotted Derek, pulling her lips into a tight little ball. If looks could kill...

  “It’s not what you think, my darling,” Joe said to Felicity, and then reneged. “Actually it is. This is what you’ve worked so hard to get, and now you’re going to let it all fade away?” Joe pouted momentarily, then smiled. “Yes, it was a damned conspiracy! So sue me.” He shrugged, grinned at Derek, and then backed off.

  Felicity glanced from one to the other of the men. “Really, you two. This just isn’t fair,” she said as she plonked herself down on a chair. “It seems I don’t have a choice, so say what you have to say, then leave,” she told Derek.

  Taking a deep breath, Derek pulled his chair closer to Felicity’s and took her hand in his. Big mistake! A shiver overtook him. As he stared into Felicity’s eyes, he knew she felt it too, but he had to push on, had to try and ignore it. After all, it was surely a result of anticipation – for both of them.

  “I know you’re scared, and I know what a bully Hector has been. I’m not like that.” He waited for her reaction but got none so pushed on. “What I’m proposing is to mold your career – your Blues career. The singing career you want, not the one your parents mapped out for you.”

  He leaned back in his seat and waited, and waited, and waited. She didn’t utter a sound for what seemed like hours but was only a matter of minutes. He could almost hear her mind churning over, weighing up the options, making her decision.

  After all, this would be a life-changing decision. Her life would never be the same once he unleashed her onto an unsuspecting public.

  “Ok—aay,” she said. “But with conditions.”

  Derek’s heart fluttered. She said okay? Okay!! He was in, he could feel the excitement rising up inside him. But he had to play it cool. He couldn’t let her see how much this meant to him. It had to be all about her. His heart fluttered in anticipation.

  “What sort of conditions are we talking about?” he said, trying to sound suspicious.

  “To start with, I will only work with Joe and Maurice. We’ve been together for years.”

  Derek looked across at the grinning Joe. “No problem. Done.” With his heart pounding in his head, he metaphorically rubbed his hands with glee. Yes! This is really going to happen!

  Felicity licked her lips and stared right into his eyes. Uh-oh. “The next condition is totally not negotiable.” He could feel the sweat dripping down his face. “My father cannot, under any circumstances, find out about this until I’m ready to tell him.”

  “But he’s not your manager anymore,” Maurice blurted out. “What does it matter?”

  Felicity shrugged her shoulders and glared at Joe, then eye-balled Maurice who now stood at a safe distance behind Joe. “I am going to get rid of him altogether. But in my time,” she said, determined.

  Derek’s gaze moved from one to the other of them. Joe and Maurice were nodding slightly, egging him to agree, but Derek wasn’t sure he wanted to. Hector had contacts in the business. Lots of them. He could bring Derek down in the blink of an eye. He could also ruin Felicity’s career before it even got off the ground.

  It was a risk he knew he had to take. “No problem,” he said, shaking her hand when he really wanted to pull her to him and hug her with all his might. “I’ll have my solicitor draw up a new contract, and you’ll have it in a couple of days.” He pulled out his handkerchief and wiped the sweat from his face.

  Standing, he wat
ched Joe and Maurice, whose expressions mimicked his feeling of relief.

  “And you two,” she said, poking the two men in the chest, “Are in deep doo-doo. You planned this whole thing, didn’t you?” Then she moved in and hugged them both. “Thank you,” she whispered, tears brimming to the surface. “I love you both for seeing what an idiot I’ve been.”

  Derek took the opportunity to slip away quietly before she could change her mind. Whistling loudly, he almost skipped down the corridor on his way out of the building.

  * * *

  In an effort to keep his promise not to let Hector know what was going on, Derek hired an old warehouse on the other side of town. They didn’t need a stage for rehearsals, but he would have to make some changes. At the very least they’d need a dressing room for Felicity, somewhere to store costumes, backdrops, and the list went on. He didn’t care about the outlay, that was the least of his problems, but Hector was another story altogether.

  Derek knew his career could be over in a flash if Hector found out and blacklisted him in the industry. Of course that was the worst possible scenario; surely Hector wouldn’t go that far. Or would he? Derek honestly didn’t know. But the man had a reputation for being ruthless when it came to his daughter’s career.

  What he did know was Felicity was about to become a star of the highest order.

  “Morning!” She’d arrived for her first day of rehearsals. The first day of her new life.

  “Good morning, Felicity.” His whole day brightened just seeing her here.

  He would keep things formal. He didn’t want the attraction he felt for her to interfere with their business arrangement.

  Before he knew what was happening, Felicity hugged him.

  “You were right, this is what I want.” With her arms around him, warmth seeped into him, but he didn’t reciprocate. He wouldn’t hug her back. He wouldn’t!

  But his body had a mind of its own, and before he could stop himself, his arms slipped up and around her. She melted into him as though they’d done this a thousand times before. He felt as though he’d come home, as though this was where he belonged – in her arms, with Felicity close to him.