The Essential Jagged Ivory (Jagged Ivory Boxed Set)

by Lashell Collins

  Cory couldn't fight the sudden lump in his throat, and the tears came without warning. The words would never make up for the lost time. But they went a long way toward healing the pain.

  After that first night, Charles took him up on his invitation and showed up backstage at the following two shows. And each night Cory watched as his father came out of his shell a little more. The chemistry between his parents was easy to see, and he wondered if anything would come of this reunion or if the pair would remain star-crossed lovers forever.

  Jagged Ivory played to a packed house for all three shows, and the crowds went nuts to see Benji back in action. Mercy took plenty of photographs of the concerts and of the soundchecks for later posting on the new and improved Jagged Ivory website tour journal. And when those kickoff shows were over and they prepared to hit the road in their custom tour bus, Cory felt a longing for Donna that threatened to drive him insane.

  They were still in daily contact by phone and video chat, but he missed her in the worst way. God, what he wouldn't give to feel her in his arms! To kiss her soft, full lips. To hold her and touch her and make love to her like there were no tomorrow. It had been a month since she had left to go shoot the movie, and who knew how much longer it was going to take? Cory knew enough to know that the big budget blockbusters, like the one she was working on, always took a little more time to shoot than the smaller budget and indie films did, but he was growing more and more anxious with each passing day. That's why he believed that getting back on the road was going to be a good thing for him. Give him something else to concentrate on. But for now, he needed to see her and hear her voice.

  It wasn't their usual time for a video chat, but he took a chance anyway. Holding his breath as he dialed the phone, he silently prayed that she'd be able to answer. He was just about to give up and put his phone down when her face suddenly appeared on the screen before him.

  “Cory?” she smiled at him.

  “Hi, baby,” he smiled back. “I know this isn't our usual time but, I just took a chance. You got a minute?”

  “For you? Of course I do. What's going on?” she asked, looking suddenly concerned.

  “Nothing. I just needed to see you and hear your voice,” he said quietly. “We hit the road bright and early in the morning and I just wanted to tell you I love you.”

  “Oh, baby. I love you too,” she answered softly. “I've been following Mercy's updates on the website. Those opening shows looked amazing! I wish I could've been there, and met your dad.”

  “I wish you'd been here too. But hopefully you'll have a chance to meet Charles in the future. If we stay in touch,” he shrugged.

  Donna frowned. “Has he given you reason to think he won't stay in touch?”

  “No. I'm just … trying to be cautious,” Cory explained. Then he changed the subject, saying, “You know, I wish we were hitting Toronto on this leg of the tour but, we've already been there.”

  “I know,” she said sadly, wishing she could somehow get just a few days off so that she could fly out to a show near her. But that wasn't likely to happen, and she didn't want to get his hopes up, so she wouldn't mention it.

  Cory heard her name being called in the background, and he saw her glance away with a slight roll of the eyes, and then she sighed.

  “I know, you've gotta go,” he said, looking at her sadly. “It's okay. Like I said, I just wanted to tell you I love you.”

  “I love you so much, Cory. Thank you for putting up with me and my crazy career dreams,” she said as she watched him.

  He smiled sadly at her. “I would do anything for you, baby.”

  They hung up then. And Cory went to bed and tossed and turned the entire night.

  *****

  “So sweet thing, what's it like being on a tour bus with five big, smelly guys?” Otis asked Mercy with a smile as they sat backstage in the dressing room at a stadium in Detroit, Michigan. She had been traveling with the band as part of her new job for Holland Management, continuing the tour journal she had started on the last leg of the tour.

  “Disgusting,” she replied without hesitation or humor as she looked up from her camera and met his gaze. Otis laughed out loud. “I love you all dearly, but you guys are pigs!”

  “Hey,” Noah looked at her with an amused frown. “How is it any different from being at home with me?”

  Mercy giggled at him. “Because it just is! At home with you, it's just you. And there's a whole lot more room, and much better amenities. At home, each of you are perfectly charming to be around. But there must be something about that pack mentality … when you guys are together in such close quarters, you all turn into pigs! I'm sorry, but it's true. I'm seriously thinking about renting a car and following the tour bus for the rest of the tour!”

  “Oh, I don't think so, Ms. Holland,” Noah said, wrapping his arms around her and pulling her close. “I'm afraid you are stuck. You're not getting off the tour bus without me!”

  He proceeded to tickle her as he held her close, and Mercy giggled and squirmed delightedly in his arms. And Cory smiled as he watched the scene play out. He was pleased that his friend had found love. He had never seen Noah this happy before, and he was truly happy for him. But seeing the two of them together sometimes made him feel so lonely. And on the bus, there was no escaping them. It was easier once they stopped at hotels. They had their room and Cory could retreat to his. It made him feel like a jerk sometimes though, and he didn't want them to think he was avoiding them. Which, of course, sometimes he was.

  They were about two weeks into their trek across America, and so far Cory's belief that being on the road again would somehow magically make missing Donna more bearable was proving to be totally false. He still thought about her constantly, even when he was onstage, wondering what she was doing at any given moment, and whether or not that asshole she was working with was behaving himself. But at least being on the road made it a little bit easier to avoid the media's unrelenting coverage of “the kiss.” They seemed hell bent on dissecting every part of it, and the statements released by the parties involved. Before he left home, he saw where one entertainment news program even ran a panel discussion asking the question “Did they or didn't they?” where their expert talking heads reviewed the so-called evidence and Donna's and Radcliffe's past behavior. He knew that he shouldn't watch it, but he couldn't help himself. It really was like watching a train wreck in slow motion – he simply couldn't make himself turn away. It was pathetic, and it only ended up pissing him off even more.

  He shook his head slightly as he thought about it. Then he sighed and stood up and stretched a bit. It was only about ten or fifteen minutes or so before showtime and they were chilling in the dressing room, having completed their pre-show interviews and the like. Cory wandered over to the mirror at one of the dressing tables and examined his appearance for a second. The lines at the corners of his eyes appeared to be growing. He was much too young to look so stressed out all the time. Those were Charles Dutton's eyes looking back at him.

  “You look mighty damn fine to me, Mr. Dutton.”

  The sound of her voice kickstarted his heart and he froze as it pounded wildly in his chest. Glancing away from his own reflection in the mirror, his eyes lit on the most beautiful sight he'd ever seen. He whirled around to face her, almost afraid that his mind was playing some cruel joke on his heart.

  “Donna?” he whispered in disbelief, and she smiled brightly at him.

  Without warning, he rushed forward, lacing his hands in her soft blonde curls and bringing her lips to his abruptly. He kissed her long and passionately, completely ignoring the many cheers and howls of everyone in the dressing room as he let his tongue explore her sweet mouth, drinking her in and savoring the taste and the scent of her. He forced himself to pull away from her lips just long enough to look into her eyes.

  “Are you really here, Mrs. Dutton?” he whispered, his lips grazing hers as his hands caressed her face.

  “Yes, Mr. Dutt
on. I'm really here,” she whispered with a smile.

  He kissed her hard, their tongues thrashing and writhing together as his arms tightened around her like a vice. He felt her hands in his hair as she held him just as close, and they got lost in their kiss. For several minutes, they stood in an unhurried loving embrace, tender and erotic all at once as they kissed, and Cory thought he might drown in it. When they finally came up for air, he spent several seconds just looking into her eyes and softly touching her face, just to reassure himself that she wasn't a figment of his imagination.

  “What are you doing here?” he finally exclaimed, and Donna could easily hear the wonder in his voice.

  “Surprise!” Her voice was soft and playful, and her smile was huge as she stood in his embrace.

  “Yeah, I got that part,” he laughed as he held her. “But I'm serious, baby. What are you doing here? How did you make this happen?”

  “I just told Ken that I had to see my husband,” she explained, referring to Ken Watts, the director of the movie she was shooting. “And then I left and hopped on a plane, and here I am!”

  “And that was okay with him?” Cory asked, and Donna shrugged her shoulders as she glanced briefly at the floor.

  “It didn't matter if it was okay or not,” she said quietly, looking up into his eyes. “You were so close, and I wasn't going to let the opportunity pass by without at least trying. The flight from Toronto took just an hour. It took longer getting here from the airport. The traffic was so crazy.”

  “Well, you didn't come all this way completely alone, did you?” he asked, suddenly worried as he scanned the dressing room for her bodyguard.

  “No, I've got Ron with me,” she confirmed, pointing near the entrance. Then she looked at him and bit her lip anxiously for a second. “Are you happy to see me?”

  “Are you kidding me?” he asked as he stared at her. “Baby … happy to see you does not even begin to describe how I feel right now! You are the most beautiful sight I have seen in so long, and you feel so damn good in my arms. I don't know how I'm going to let you go so I can get onstage.”

  “Um, I don't mean to eavesdrop,” Noah said as he inched toward them, “but speaking of getting onstage, I'm not sure if you heard the five-minute call just now.”

  “No, I didn't,” Cory admitted with a distracted roll of his eyes. “Thanks, man.”

  “Yep,” he answered as he lightly kissed Donna's cheek and then left them alone as the dressing room began to clear out.

  “God, I don't want to let go of you,” Cory whispered as he held her close to him.

  “Well you have to,” she giggled. Then she fixed him with that sassy smile of hers that he loved. “Now you just listen here, Cory Dutton. I flew all the way here to see a Jagged Ivory concert, sir. So you better damn well get your sexy ass up on that stage! And make sure you shake it a few times for me, okay?”

  “I ain't shaking a damn thing unless you promise me you'll be here when I get back,” he smiled.

  “Oh, I'll be here. I will be waiting in the wings the minute you step off the stage,” she promised. “And then, Mr. Dutton … I am going to let you take me back to your hotel and make love to me all night long.”

  “I have missed you so much, Mrs. Dutton,” he murmured as he kissed her lips once more.

  “Cory, let's go!” Otis shouted almost angrily from the doorway. Then he looked sheepish as he watched Cory pull himself away from his wife. “Sorry, Donna,” he smiled.

  “It's okay,” she smiled. Cory took her hand and he led her out of the dressing room and through the maze of hallways to the back of the stage. And as she watched the band assemble and start the show, she felt a wave of excitement and nausea mingling in her belly.

  Cory was so elated, it all felt like a dream to him. Was Donna really here? Did that really happen or did he imagine it all? But a quick glance to the left of the stage assured him that it had been very real and his wife really was there. Each time he looked over at her, she smiled brightly. And Cory couldn't remember feeling this hyped up in a long time. He could barely contain himself onstage, and when the music began, he played like a man on fire.

  Donna watched the concert from the wings, completely mesmerized by the sight of her hot, sexy husband. He was really right in front of her, on that stage. She still couldn't believe it. Couldn't believe she had done what she did. Storming off the set and taking off like that. But she just couldn't take any more of that pompous ass, Tad Radcliffe, speaking to her as if she were a five year old and being just plain mean. Their last exchange ran through her head as she watched the band play absentmindedly.

  “The line is, 'the trajectory of the bullets don't lie, there were obviously three shooters not two, so who is our third mystery man?' My God, how many tries before you get it right, Ms. Devlin? This is not TV, you know. No one here is going to hold your hand while you learn you lines like a big girl. Honestly, who was in charge of casting this film?” he said condescendingly as he tried to embarrass her in front of the entire crew.

  “Oh, I was under the impression you chose me because you thought you could get into my pants, remember?” Donna shot back quietly, so only he could hear. “I believe you said I was a joy to work with before you discovered I wouldn't sleep with you.”

  He looked at her in shocked surprise. “Growing a backbone, Ms. Devlin? Hmm. Perhaps there's hope for you yet in this business.”

  She simply couldn't stand it anymore. She had to get out of there. His vile presence had made her ill and she had to get away from him in order to breathe. She walked off the set and went straight to her trailer, telling her assistant to get her on the first plane to Detroit. And when Ken Watts came knocking on her door five minutes later, she told the director that either she was leaving to see her husband or she would go insane and kill someone – probably Mr. Radcliffe. He had laughed at her, and tried to talk her out of it for the sake of staying on schedule, but ultimately he let her go, saying they could shoot around her for one day.

  Ever since she had confronted him about the doctored photos, Radcliffe had been a major jerk to her, at times making it almost impossible for her to do her job. And she knew that's what he wanted – for her to give up and quit, and run away with her tail between her legs. All because she refused to be seduced by him or stroke his ego. But she was determined to stick it out and complete the movie. She would not let him chase her away. Well … not permanently anyway.

  “He is so happy you're here.” Donna turned to see Mercy standing next to her, camera in hand, as she watched the action on the stage. She smiled at her words and looked back at Cory doing his thing as the band rocked out to “Surrender.” It was one of Donna's favorite songs.

  “I'm so happy I'm here,” she said with a smile.

  “Can I get a shot of you for the tour journal?” Mercy asked.

  “Of course!” Donna smiled as Mercy took a couple of poses of her watching the band.

  They stood watching the guys in silence for a while, both enjoying the music as they watched the men in their lives entertain a stadium full of screaming fans.

  “He's been a mess, you know.” Mercy said, turning to look at her, and Donna was startled at her frankness. Mercy looked at her apologetically and continued. “I know it's none of my business, but with the scandal and being apart from you … he's been a mess. He tries to hide it.”

  Donna wasn't sure what to say. She knew that Cory often confided in Noah about a lot of things, but hearing Noah's girlfriend tell her about her husband's state of mind made her feel guilty somehow. Like Cory being a mess was all her fault. She knew that's not what Mercy was implying, but she couldn't help but feel guilty just the same.

  “I know. And I wish there were something I could do to make that whole stupid kiss thing go away but … I can't. It's out there, through no fault of my own.”

  “Oh, I think he knows that,” Mercy offered.

  “Does he?” Donna asked, looking at her. “Because sometimes I get the feeling t
hat … he's not so sure. Like maybe he thinks I really did sleep with that jerk.”

  “Donna, you can't be serious.”

  “Not all the time,” Donna replied. “But every so often, something in his voice will falter, and I just think … that there's something on his mind that he's not saying. Something he wants to ask but he's afraid to.”

  She looked very sad all of a sudden, and Mercy was puzzled by the expression in her eyes. Taking a deep breath, she asked, “He doesn't have any reason to be afraid of asking questions, does he?”

  “No. Of course not,” Donna answered.

  “Then why not confront him?” Mercy shrugged. “Ask him to tell you what's on his mind.”

  Donna looked thoughtful for a moment as she considered Mercy's words. “Because maybe I'm the one who has reason to fear questions.”

  “What do you mean?”

  Donna said nothing as she heard Radcliffe's voice taunting her, implying that Cory hadn't been faithful to her. She gave her a sad smile. “We date rock stars, Mercy. Sometimes we even marry them. But there are a million girls out there,” she said, motioning to the crowd. “All of them ready, willing and able to be here when you can't. You've never had this worry because you've been traveling with Noah since your romance began. You know, I don't know if you've worked it out yet but, your daddy was really looking out for your relationship when he gave you this job, giving you the opportunity to stay by Noah's side at all times. Mike knew what he was doing; you should thank him for it. But for the rest of us … well, we don't have that luxury. And sometimes the wondering gets the best of you.”

  “Well, I don't know about all that. I mean, granted … Mike does have a tendency to be overprotective, so you may be onto something there,” Mercy smiled at her. “But I have to tell you, Donna … they may be rock stars, but that doesn't mean they can't be faithful when they're truly in love. In fact, I had a conversation about this very thing with Buz and Otis during the European leg of the tour, and do you know why?”