The Essential Jagged Ivory (Jagged Ivory Boxed Set)

by Lashell Collins

  “I have been standing in that room watching you dance fucking my brother for the last half hour! And you have the nerve to get upset when I ask someone else to dance?”

  “Dance fucking? Dance fucking! Really?”

  “Yes, dance fucking! You know what I'm talking about,” he whispered harshly. “You think I like seeing Otis' hands all over you? Watching you grind your ass against him? Or maybe you get off on making me watch, is that it?”

  “Don't you dare talk to me that way,” she responded. “You don't have the right!”

  Noah laughed bitterly. “Well, that's certainly true, isn't it? I don't have the right because we're not together. You and me … we don't exist, do we? We are not a couple!” He was a little surprised by the level of disappointment he felt at those words, but it was true. They weren't a real couple, and he had no right to be this upset with her. Hell, they hadn't even slept together yet. Well … not recently, anyway. But still, he couldn't help it. He was angry. And frustrated. And horny as hell.

  Mercy looked at him with big, unbelieving eyes. “You agreed that we should keep 'us' a secret for the time being because of Mike. You said that you didn't mind keeping things under wraps!”

  “I know what I said!” Noah glared at her, and then shook his head slightly. He took a deep breath and sighed, and his voice softened slightly when he repeated, “I know what I said. And I understand your reasons for wanting to keep Mike in the dark for now. I even think it's best that most of the guys don't know right now. But you have got to cut me some slack here, Mercy. I hate watching you flirt with Otis, okay?”

  “Noah, I don't flirt with Otis!” Her voice was emphatic, but she rolled her eyes when he gave her a look that said he knew better. “Okay, fine! Maybe I have flirted a little with Otis in the past, I'll admit that. But it was just innocent flirting; it wasn't like I was interested in him. And that was before we …” She let her voice trail off for a second as she searched for the words. “Before you and I became a 'we.' And we are a 'we,' Noah! We are together. At least … I want us to be.”

  Noah felt his agitation slowly begin to subside at her words. “You do?”

  “Yes! Don't you?”

  “Yes, Mercy. I do.”

  She smiled slightly at him, feeling incredibly relieved at his answer. “I'm sorry you thought I was dance fucking your brother,” she said softly.

  He grinned, shaking his head at her. “I'm sorry I tried to make you jealous.” He stared into her eyes for a long moment then, thinking over their exchange. She looked so damn pretty right now, and he wanted to get her alone so badly. He reached out and gently ran the back of his hand over her cheek. Forgetting that they had a small audience of strangers in the kitchen, and that his bandmates and her father were all wandering around somewhere close by, he leaned in and kissed her deeply as his fingers tangled in her hair.

  Breathless when he pulled away from her, he glanced over to the side of the room and spotted a narrow staircase off to the left. “Come on,” he said, taking her by the hand and leading her over to the stairs.

  “Where are we going?” she asked as she followed after him.

  Noah stopped and looked back at her with a small smile. “I don't know exactly. But I have a plan. Trust me?” Mercy smiled at him and mutely nodded her head. His smile grew bigger as he squeezed her hand and led her up the staircase to the second floor.

  Mercy followed Noah without question, loving the way her hand felt in his. The way his fingers closed around the back of her hand, applying just the right amount of pressure. To her, it felt like a perfect fit, and at that moment, she had no doubt in her mind that she would follow him wherever he asked her to go.

  He meandered through the semi-deserted hallways as if on a mission, and Mercy wondered if he knew where he was going. When they had cleared the flight of stairs, there were all sorts of people milling about on the second story landing. But Noah moved through them and walked down a long hallway and around the corner, away from all the people.

  “Have you been here before?” she asked him, unable to hold her curiosity in any longer.

  “Yeah, once,” he replied as they continued to wander through the corridors. “Jagged Ivory played a rock music festival in Birmingham a year or so ago, and Ingo threw one of his over-the-top parties on that trip too. I don't remember much about the party itself, but what I do remember pretty vividly is that Ingo's wife caught him in the sack with some chick young enough to be their daughter. The blow up was amazing, and Ingo spent a lot of time running bare-ass naked through a house full of party guests while his wife chased him around with the biggest butcher knife I've ever seen, threatening to cut off his junk!”

  “Are you serious?”

  “I will never forget it,” Noah laughed. “Needless to say, Ingo's now single.”

  They came to a stop at the end of a long hallway, and he opened up a door and pulled her through. He closed the door behind them as Mercy ventured further into the room, taking stock of their surroundings. They were in a large, lavishly decorated bedroom, and Mercy wondered who it belonged to. The furnishings were decidedly feminine but edgy, all pale pink and leopard print, with a large, sumptuously appointed bed. There was soft, muted lighting and a large picture window that revealed the beautiful, nighttime sky outside.

  She was still looking around the space, taking it all in when she suddenly felt Noah's fingertips running slowly down her bare arm. With his other hand, he swept her hair over her left shoulder and planted a series of soft kisses on her neck. Mercy shivered at the contact. His arms circled her waist, pulling her gently against him, and she gasped softly at the feel of his broad, hard chest against her back.

  Reaching up with one hand, she caressed his head, allowing her fingers to run through his soft, curly hair, and moaning softly when he began to lightly suck on the delicate skin of her neck. She turned to face him, and he pulled her into his arms again as his lips locked with hers, kissing her deeply as their hands began to roam.

  Noah hadn't known where they'd end up when he brought her upstairs. He was simply hoping for a nice, quiet place where they could be alone for a little while without being interrupted by one of the guys or her father. He wanted to spend some time with her, one on one. He didn't much care where. But he had to admit, he was grateful for the bedroom. Not that he expected to wind up in that bed but, it was nice knowing it was there.

  He let his hands drift over her body as he kissed her passionately, and he could feel her hands on a similar expedition. Their tongues gyrated and danced as he slowly lifted the back of her shirt and let his hands run over her silky, soft skin. She moaned softly in his mouth, and the sound suddenly spurred something within him. He wanted her so badly. In one, swift movement, he took hold of her shirt and raised it up and over her head.

  Mercy didn't protest. When he had discarded her shirt to the floor, she reached for him eagerly, running her palms over the hard ripples of his abs as he slowly began walking her backwards toward the bed. She pulled at the fabric of his t-shirt impatiently as he kissed her, and Noah took the hint, breaking their lip lock just long enough to lift his own shirt over his head and drop it to the floor with hers. Then he pushed her gently back toward the bed, and Mercy yelped softly at the unexpected action as she fell backwards.

  Noah laughed slightly as he followed her down, and she smiled as she reached for him. And he suddenly remembered the first time she had smiled at him like that, the way it had taken his breath away. Was he really being given a second chance with this amazing creature? He couldn't believe his good fortune as he let his lips gently play over hers. He moved down to nuzzle her neck before sprinkling soft, wet kisses across her chest. Slowly, he ran the tip of his tongue down into her cleavage, tasting the sweetness of her skin as her fingers played in his hair. He wanted to taste more of her.

  With his hand, he took one full breast and gently began to squeeze, feeling the lacy fabric of her bra beneath his fingertips. And while his hand worked her over,
he ran his tongue over the lace covering her other breast, tracing the outline of her firm nipple beneath it, and Mercy whimpered softly. With his free hand, he tucked a finger around the lace edge of her bra cup, and lowered it, freeing her breast as he had done before. He wasted no time latching on, sucking hungrily as Mercy moaned, arching her back and forcing her breast into his face.

  “Noah,” she breathed, moaning softly as she rocked her pelvis against him. He teased her nipple with his teeth, making her shudder and moan louder. His answering groan was so freaking hot, and Mercy felt as if she were on fire. She ran her hands over the muscles of his back, lightly scrapping her fingernails across his skin. He looked up into her eyes and then kissed her deeply once more. And as their tongues writhed together furiously, they heard a loud and unmistakeable thud somewhere in the room.

  Breaking their kiss, Noah looked at her blankly for a second, and then frowned. “Did you hear that?”

  Mercy nodded at him, and whispered, “Yes. I don't know what it was but … I heard something.”

  They were quiet for a moment as they listened closely. They could hear the music of the party off in the distance downstairs, coupled with the frantic beating of both their hearts. But the noise that had interrupted them had gone.

  “Maybe it was our imaginations,” she whispered.

  “Both of us?” he questioned. Then he shook his head silently, still listening intently with a small frown on his face. He turned his head slowly as he concentrated.

  “It was probably just a party guest out in the hallway,” Mercy offered.

  “No,” Noah whispered. “Someone's in this room.”

  “What?”

  “Don't you hear that?”

  Mercy listened again, really concentrating. Then she shook her head. “No. Not anymore.”

  Noah moved then, slowly rising from the bed as he looked around the large bedroom. There was a set of double doors off to the left of a pale pink marble fireplace, and another, smaller door to the right of it, near the door they had entered through. The sound had clearly come from the right side of the room. So either Mercy was correct, and it had just been some drunken partier stumbling down the hallway outside, or someone was behind that other door.

  Mercy sat up on the bed, fixing her bra and feeling extremely frustrated at being interrupted once again, and she watched as Noah walked slowly over to the door. If there really was someone behind it, they had probably been watching them, and Mercy was suddenly mortified at the thought. She quickly scrambled up and gathered her top from the floor, rushing to pull it on before that door opened.

  Noah watched her pull her shirt back on and then turned back to the door. Raising his hand, he knocked lightly, feeling a little foolish.

  “Is someone in there?” he called out. There was no response, but Noah thought he heard something behind the door. Mercy stood right beside him now, gently clutching his arm as he slowly reached for the knob, and turned it, pushing the door open a crack.

  She gasped loudly when the feet came into view as the door opened. “Oh, my God!”

  “Benji?” Noah whispered in disbelief as time seemed to stand still for a few endless seconds. He was laying on the floor of the bathroom with a needle still in his arm and a spaced out look in his eyes. And Noah knew instantly that something was very wrong. “Fuck!”

  He moved urgently, stepping into the bathroom and over Benji's rigid body. Crouching down beside him, Noah sat on the floor and gently took his friend's head into his hands.

  “Benji! Benji, can you hear me?” Noah said loudly, lightly slapping his face with his hands. And he felt himself grow nauseous as he realized that Benji's eyes were fixed and dilated, his pupils resembling tiny pin pricks. His lips were blue, and Noah couldn't get him to respond.

  “Benji!” Noah yelled, shaking him slightly. “Fuck, man! Don't do this to me,” he muttered as he bent down to his friend's chest, listening for a heartbeat. He began to feel at his neck and his wrists, searching frantically for some small sign of life as Mercy watched the scene in horror from the doorway.

  “I can't find a pulse,” Noah mumbled tearfully, still searching. “I can't find a fucking pulse!”

  “Oh, my God,” Mercy repeated.

  “Go get help,” he yelled, looking up at her as he positioned himself on his knees beside Benji and began to check his airway. It had been many, many years since he had taken a CPR course, and he wasn't at all certain that he remembered a damn thing. But if it meant keeping Benji in the here and now, Noah would try anything.

  *****

  Mercy sat in a stiff, uncomfortable chair, staring at Noah, as scenes from the evening flashed through her mind's eye like a horrific slideshow. Seeing Benji lying unresponsive on the floor. Running through the unfamiliar house in search of help. The look of fear on Otis, Cory and Buzzy's faces. The look of disgust and anger on Mike's. Watching helplessly as Noah administered mouth to mouth. And the look of despair in his eyes as the emergency workers finally rushed in and took over. He wore that same expression now as they all sat in the tiny waiting room at the hospital with a small contingent of security at the area's entrance. She felt as if they'd been here forever. But she knew in reality that it had only been roughly an hour.

  Noah sat staring straight ahead, his eyes focused on a small, abstract picture on the wall and his thoughts filled with Benji. Why hadn't he kept better track of him at that party? Why hadn't he gone looking for him when he wandered off? He knew these questions would follow him for a long time to come. And if Benji didn't make it, Noah would always wonder if he had done something wrong, or if he could have done something more.

  “Well, I'm guessing it's a safe bet that keeping this out of the press is going to be damn near impossible,” Otis muttered quietly to no one in particular.

  “Are you fucking kidding me?” Mike replied with a disgusted scowl on his face as he looked at Otis. “They were posting, messaging and Tweeting about this incident before Benji was even loaded into the ambulance. News of his overdose is spreading like wildfire as we sit here!” Lifting his BlackBerry, he added, “I've just been notified by the office that they've already picked it up in the States, and some stories are reporting that Benji is dead!”

  “Shit,” Cory mumbled, as Donna placed her hand on his back and rubbed lightly, trying to comfort him.

  “Listen, guys,” Buzzy said. “I know no one wants to think about this right now but … what are we going to do about the rest of the tour?”

  They were all silent for a moment as they thought about his words. Then Mike spoke up with the voice of authority. “What do you mean what are you going to do? The dates are set, the venues are booked, and the tickets are sold. You are going to do what you have to do, and get your asses back out there and finish this tour!”

  “Mike!” Mercy looked at him in shocked disbelief. “How can you be so cold and uncaring at a time like this?”

  “Don't look at me like that, Mercy,” he answered, looking into her eyes. “I am not uncaring. I am scared half to death wondering what is going on behind those doors over there and praying to God that Benji makes it through this! But I am also doing my job, protecting the interests of the group. If they walk out on the rest of this tour, they forfeit all the proceeds from their ticket sales, and open themselves up to a myriad of lawsuits from tour sponsors and promoters alike. Not to mention their own damn record label. They've got no choice but to get back to work!”

  Mercy just stared at him, shaking her head. And then Otis spoke up beside her, taking her hand as he said, “You're daddy's right, sweet thing. We've got no choice.”

  Noah looked at Otis' hand, caressing Mercy's, and he felt his blood pressure spike. Why the hell did he have to touch her all the time? “That's bullshit!” He looked into Otis' eyes with a fierce scowl, knowing that his outburst was probably irrational, and fueled by his warring emotions. “We always have a choice! And I say we choose to stand by Benji. We can wait for him to get himself together before w
e move on. So, we'll lose a little money in the process. But at least Benji wouldn't feel like we were leaving him behind.”

  They all just looked at him for a moment. Then Buz spoke up, saying, “I agree with Noah. I don't want to leave Benji behind.”

  Noah nodded at Buz, appreciating the solidarity. Looking to his left, he asked, “What about you, Cory?”

  Cory was silent for a moment as he stared at him. And Noah could see the struggle in his friend's eyes. Finally Cory sighed and said, “You said we always have choices, and you're right. Benji had choices too, and he kept making the wrong ones. I'm sorry, Noah. But I don't think we should wait. All that's gonna do is plunge us into a world of financial and creative turmoil. I think we need to do what we gotta do, man.”

  Noah stared at Cory with a sad, almost defeated look in his eyes. He couldn't fault him for his opinion. Hell, part of him knew that Cory was right.

  “And we're not leaving Benji behind,” Otis added, looking from Noah to Buz. “We're just finishing this leg of the tour without him. That's all. We have a month and a half between the end of our European dates and the start of the next American dates. Maybe by the time that next leg rolls around, Benji will be back on his feet and right where he belongs.”

  “Assuming he makes it out of this alive,” Mike said softly.

  “And assuming he's willing to check himself in someplace. And stick to it, this time,” Cory spoke up. He looked around at their faces and shrugged. “You all know we can't make him do it. Even after this.”

  “We could give him another choice,” Otis suggested. “Us or the drugs. Jagged Ivory or the heroin.”

  Noah nodded his head. “Yeah. 'Cause like any good ultimatum, that'll work out so well,” he said sarcastically. “And then, of course, when he chooses wrong … because forcing you to make the wrong choice is what ultimatums ultimately do … then we'll have to enforce our terms. Which again, means leaving Benji behind. Great plan O!”

  “You got a better one?” Otis shot back.