The Essential Jagged Ivory (Jagged Ivory Boxed Set)

by Lashell Collins

  He kept his playing to himself; he didn't even tell Otis. And he had sworn Cory to secrecy too. But then, when they were in their first year of college, two big things happened that changed everything. First, Otis, who was a year older than Noah and Cory, and also a fellow rock devotee, decided to start his own band, which he called simply Ivory. And after all those years of lessons, he conceded that he was a decent musician, but he was a better vocalist and songwriter. So, he joined up with a friend who played lead guitar and put out ads for a drummer, a bass player and a rhythm guitarist. With some trial and error, he eventually found Robert 'Buzzy' West and Benji Staffon for the drums and bass respectively. All he needed was a rhythm guitar.

  When Cory went to audition for the spot, Noah tagged along, feeling all types of mixed emotions. Part of him really hoped his friend would impress Otis enough to win the gig. But he also couldn't help the small pangs of jealously he felt either. Not that he wanted to play rhythm guitar in a rock band. He didn't. But he did want to play lead. Once he had moved out of his parent's house and into the dorm room he shared with Cory, he had purchased his own guitar and amp, and he and Cory often jammed together, making up their own tunes. They were a good team, and Noah worried that it would all stop once Cory became part of his brother's band. And he was right.

  Once they had their lineup set, Cory's whole world suddenly became all about the band and rehearsals. They began meeting every day to jam and come up with new material. They were good. But something prevented them from being great; they were missing some key element that none of them could put their finger on, even though they all felt it. Still, they played the occasional gig and they gained a small following of fans. And Noah watched it all from the sidelines, feeling like the biggest fucking loser on the planet while his brother and his best friend lived out his dream. By that time, Otis was well aware of his brother's skills – not to mention his abilities as a songwriter, seeing as how Cory had played him some of the stuff they had written together. But years of sibling rivalry and animosity kept Otis from making room for his little brother at the table. And Noah knew there was a part of his brother that really enjoyed watching his discomfort and envy. Otis had finally bested him at something and he was savoring it.

  They were in the middle of preparing for their first big headlining gig at a nightclub in Hollywood, when the second big thing happened. Ryan, who had been the band's lead guitarist, suddenly up and quit with no warning, saying that he wanted to go back home to Nebraska to be with his girl. Otis was furious about the timing because it meant they'd probably have to cancel that gig, but he respected his friend's decision. Still too stubborn to simply offer the position to Noah, he took out another ad, this time for a lead guitarist, while Cory tried to talk Noah into auditioning.

  ~~~~~

  “Why should I do him any favors?” Noah had said bitterly, feeling his anger boil over inside of him.

  Cory had given him a disgusted scowl. “You wouldn't be doing him a favor, jackass,” Cory shouted. “You'd be doing yourself a favor!” Noah had felt as though Cory had slapped him in the face, and he stared at him, not knowing what to say as his friend continued. “I have seen you … watching us rehearse … salivating every second, wishing it were you! Knowing that it should be you! Hell, Noah, you are ten times the guitarist Ryan is. Well, now is your chance, man. Show Otis what you can do!”

  They argued forever. And it had taken some convincing but, Noah had finally given in and agreed to show up at the audition. Otis gave him no special treatment. He put him through the same paces he would have anyone else, sitting by condescendingly while he listened to Noah jam with Benji, Buz and Cory. Noah didn't care. He kind of enjoyed his brother's patronizing attitude. It made it all that much more gratifying when he played his ass off during their jam session that day. And actually, once he started playing that day, he forgot all about Otis, because the chemistry he felt with the guys was simply too strong to ignore. He and Cory had always made a great guitar team, but when they came together with Buzzy's no-frills, straight-ahead rock and roll style of drumming, and Benji's wild and rambling approach on the bass, something magical happened. They clicked instantly. A band was born. For Noah, it was like … coming home.

  They played about a half dozen songs together that day, and at the end of his tryout, all the guys were practically welcoming him into the band – shaking his hand and patting him on the back, gushing about how easy it all felt when they were playing together and how their sound instantly elevated to a whole new level. That thing that they had been missing but none of them could articulate was Noah Ivory on the ax, and they all said so. All of them but Otis, that is. He said nothing as he watched the scene. And when all eyes turned to him, he just stared at Noah in silence for a few awkward seconds.

  “Welcome to Ivory, little brother,” Otis had said quietly, finally acknowledging Noah's talent. “Spot's yours if you want it.”

  With his brother's shitty attitude, Noah wasn't sure he wanted the spot or not. And for a split second, he really considered walking out. But his desire to play won out over his childish feud with Otis. “That's a stupid name,” he had said in response.

  Otis turned and fixed him with a bemused glare. “Well, it's the name I've chosen for my band.”

  “Oh. Your band. So, we're all just hired help in your band?” Noah had shot back. And he could see the wide eyes of his new bandmates as they watched the exchange.

  “You don't like it, you know were the door is,” Otis responded, clearly pissed.

  Noah smirked at him. “Well, maybe we'll all just go start our own band and hire a new singer. How 'bout that? Who the hell do you think you are, anyway?” He turned toward the other guys with a smile and asked, “Oh, what's that old musician's joke? How many lead singers does it take to screw in a lightbulb?” They all looked at him blankly, watching the scene play out in silence, and Noah turned back toward Otis as he threw out the punchline. “One. He holds the lightbulb, and the world revolves around him!”

  Even with his deep olive complexion, Otis visibly blushed in anger as he and Noah glared at one another amid the hushed snickers and muffled laughter of the guys.

  “If this band is a dictatorship, I'll pass,” Noah said bitterly. “Good luck.”

  He had begun packing up his guitar then, and he could feel the bewildered stares of everyone in the room. He could also see the other guys shooting agitated glances Otis' way, silently urging him to say anything to get Noah to stay.

  “This band is not a dictatorship,” Otis had said grudgingly as Noah stood up to walk out. “That's not what I want.”

  “What do you want?” Noah had asked, looking his brother in the eye.

  “I want…” He paused for a second to choose his words carefully. “I want us to be a team. I want to be part of a band to be reckoned with.”

  Noah had smiled slightly at his brother then. And after a beat, Otis returned the gesture.

  “Well, the first thing we gotta do is change that name,” he said, still smiling. And Otis rolled his eyes at him.

  “You got a better idea?”

  Noah shrugged his shoulders. “Just put something cool in front of it. Like 'naked,' or 'desert,' or 'jagged.' Something edgy.”

  ~~~~~

  And so Jagged Ivory was born. They hit the ground running, keeping their headlining gig at the Hollywood nightclub. After that, they secured a permanent rehearsal space at The Hut thanks to Buzzy's uncle, and they would gather there each day to rehearse and to work on new stuff. That was where they really began to gel and mesh and come together as a band. Noah and Cory had been writing songs together for a couple of years at that point, so they brought along a small arsenal of material to be fleshed out. Their stuff, coupled with the stuff Otis had been working on, gave them a boatload of original songs to play around with. And when they got together during those early jam sessions, their musical chemistry just flowed. The energy was palpable, and the creativity was like nothing any of them had eve
r experienced before.

  They started doing more gigs, and the more they played, the more they drew bigger and bigger crowds, gaining a larger following. Noah and Cory's studies fell by the wayside pretty quickly and, within two months, they had both dropped out of college. Otis soon followed, much to their parent's chagrin. Their father, while thrilled that his boys had fallen in love with music, was not pleased. It was the first time that Noah and Otis had ever been united against their father's wishes.

  Noah smiled at the memories now as he watched his brother sleep. Their mutual desire to take Jagged Ivory to the top had done more to solidify their relationship than any other event in their lives. They were closer now than they had ever been, Noah thought, as he finally drifted off to sleep.

  Chapter Three

  “Man, this place sure is a lot swankier than the one we stayed at the last time,” Cory noted, looking around the luxury hotel suite they were all lounging in. He was right. The hotel they had stayed in during their last tour stop in London had been a dive compared to this place. But Noah had come to realize that everything about this tour was upgraded, and he knew it was because Jagged Ivory's profile had grown since then. During that first tour, they had been green upstarts. They may have been old hats at the whole rock and roll scene, but they had been new to the big time. This time around, they were bona fide rock stars with all the trappings that entailed: the hotel rooms were nicer, the chicks were a little classier, and the booze and the drugs were all much higher quality.

  They each had their own suite on the same floor of the place, but they were all gathered in Otis' room eating breakfast and waiting to meet up with their manager, Mike Holland. They had arrived the previous evening and were all struggling to combat the jet lag this morning. Their first show wasn't until the following day, but Mike had secured them a small rehearsal space where they would go shortly to begin working on integrating some of the new songs into their setlist for tomorrow night.

  “Yep. Swankier and a hell of a lot more expensive,” Buzzy replied.

  “And please try to remember that before you go and trash the place!”

  They all smiled at the voice before they saw its owner. The words of warning came from across the room, and they all turned as one to see Mike Holland stride into the suite with a big smile. He was greeted warmly by all of them with handshakes and small hugs. But Noah suddenly couldn't bring himself to speak as he reached out and shook Mike's hand. His smile was frozen in place as he looked past Mike to the beautiful young woman behind him, and forgot momentarily how to breathe. It couldn't be!

  Trying desperately to reground himself, he pulled his attention back to Mike and the guys, as his heart struggled in anguish to keep a normal rhythm. This wasn't really happening was it?

  Mercy's heart somersaulted into her stomach when their eyes met. He had looked right at her with the strangest expression, and she couldn't help but wonder if he remembered her. Oh, who the hell was she kidding? Like that night would have meant something special to someone like Noah Ivory? Mercy knew she was really flattering herself if she entertained that thought. His womanizing was almost legendary. He was always in the tabloids with a different girl on his arm, so she was certain he would never remember the night they'd spent together. Still, she had felt a strange jolt of electricity when he looked at her like that. It was all too brief though, and he quickly turned away without acknowledging her presence.

  “Before we get started, gentlemen, I want you all to meet my daughter,” Mike said proudly, beginning the introductions. “The lovely and brilliant Mercy Holland.”

  Mercy smiled and gave a bashful wave of her hand as she glanced around at them. “Hi. I'm sure none of you remember me but, I was actually a big fan back when you were playing the club circuit in LA,” she gushed.

  “Well, it's always nice to meet a fan,” Otis leered, taking her hand as he barely concealed his obviously carnal thoughts, and Mercy blushed.

  “Okay, you can turn off the charm right now, tiger,” Mike advised, as he reached out and gently pulled his daughter's hand out of Otis' grasp. “She's a little young for you, okay? In fact, she's a little young for all of you so … from this moment on, I want you all to just think of her as your little sister,” Mike instructed as he glared at each of them.

  “Nice to meet you, sis,” Cory joked, giving her that easy-going smile of his while Buz and Benji laughed, waving at her.

  “No. That's going to be a little difficult for me,” Otis smiled, continuing to bait Mike as he looked Mercy over appreciatively.

  “Well do it anyway,” Mike responded, getting slightly agitated as he wondered if Otis was kidding around or not.

  “Mike! You are embarrassing me,” Mercy whispered loudly, rolling her eyes at her father.

  “I'm looking out for you, kiddo,” he replied.

  “Well stop it! I can take care of myself.”

  “Sweetheart, trust me when I say that these guys are a little too much for you, okay?”

  “Oh, we won't hurt her, Mike,” Otis smiled.

  “We might corrupt her,” Buzzy chimed in with a laugh, “but we'd never hurt her!”

  “Okay, I'm not sure if you're joking,” Mike glared at them, “but just so we're clear … I'm not!”

  “Will you stop with the over-protective father routine? I am an adult, you know?” she said, placing her hands on her hips as they squared off.

  “You may be an adult, but you are still my child and I will be doing the over-protective father routine for the rest of my life where you're concerned,” he answered. “Get used to it!”

  And as Mike and his daughter continued to have words, Noah sat back down in his chair, looking up at her in quiet disbelief. She was every bit as beautiful and fiery as he remembered. Same luscious figure and gorgeous brown eyes. Same million dollar smile. Only her hair had changed a little. It was slightly longer, and now her pretty, brown locks slowly transitioned to a warm, honey blonde at the very ends. It was sexy. She was sexier than ever, and as Noah gazed up at her, he felt like everything was moving in slow motion. Tiny beads of sweat began to form on his brow, and as he reached up to wipe his forehead, he realized that his hands were shaking. He couldn't believe she was really standing right here, in front of him. His muse. The one night stand who had haunted him in his dreams ever since. The almost mythical creature who had inspired the group's biggest hit to date. 'Ms. Enigma.' She was here, and her name was Mercy Holland.

  “For the hundredth time, will you please stop calling me Mike,” Mike said with a very exasperated roll of his eyes as he tried in vain to reason with his daughter. “And just trust that I am trying to look out for you!”

  “Will you stop acting like I'm ten?” she shot back.

  “The lady said she can take care of herself, Mike,” Noah heard himself saying quietly as he continued to stare up at her. And his words seemed to halt Mercy in her tracks. All the fight left her as she looked at him, her face suddenly blushing a pale rose color in the ensuing silence.

  Finally Noah dragged his eyes away from her and looked at Mike. “As entertaining as it is watching you and your daughter argue, we have a rehearsal space going to waste right now and time is money.” He didn't mean to come off sounding like a dick, but he wasn't about to apologize. He'd been thrown for a loop seeing this girl again and now he was just trying to keep his head straight.

  “I'm sorry guys,” Mike offered, looking embarrassed. “I apologize for my daughter. I know we're wasting your precious time and it won't happen again,” he said, shooting a scathing look at Mercy, who folded her arms across her chest with a roll of her eyes. Everyone else found her and Mike's exchange slightly amusing, but Noah was too preoccupied with erotic memories to see the humor of the situation.

  “Listen, before you head out to the rehearsal venue, I've got some news for you, which is why I called this little meeting in the first place,” Mike was saying. “I just got word yesterday … it's only been out for a month, but Thank Heaven for L
ittle Girls has officially gone gold. And with the way it's selling, it'll break platinum in just a week or two! Congratulations, guys,” Mike smiled at them.

  There were shocked smiles, high fives and pats on the back as they all congratulated one another. And Noah smiled at his bandmates, humbled by the news.

  “Also, 'Pin-up Baby' seems to have become a fan favorite and the downloads are flying off the digital shelves. The label wants it to be your next single. So at some point while we're over here in Europe, they want you to shoot a video for it. I'm going to start looking for available directors for you immediately. Any preferences or objections?” he asked, looking around at the guys. When they all shook their heads, he nodded. “Alright then. We'll leave you to your rehearsal. Mercy and I are going to have dinner in the hotel's dining room this evening. You are all welcome to join us. We'll make it a celebration of your soon-to-be platinum status!”

  Mike turned to leave then, and as Mercy moved to follow him, she couldn't help but steal another quick glance Noah's way. And she could feel herself blush softly once more as he met her gaze. Crossing the room to her dad, Mike turned to look at them all again.

  “And I meant what I said when I came in, guys. We are in a luxury European hotel; the price tag is large. If you trash the place, you will pay for it! Something to think about.” And with that, he turned and left the room as Mercy followed him out.

  “Alright, I saw her first. I'm calling dibs,” Otis said once Mike and his daughter were gone. Noah glared at him while the others cracked up laughing.