I couldn’t stop looking at her while I plugged my guitar into the small amp I use when I’m trying not to make too much noise. There’s something in her eyes and I can’t figure out what it is.
“I don’t know how to begin to thank you for all the shit you’ve done for me,” I admitted to Sunny truthfully. “I don’t even know where I’d be without you.”
“Sleeping on Mike’s couch and playing at Rabbit’s for two hundred bucks a week,” she laughed.
“I have such a problem accepting the fact that you’ve put your own career on hold to help me with mine,” I said as I powered on my MPC. I wanted to play this song for Sunny while I was onstage one night but this is a better moment. We’re hardly ever alone.
“Don’t worry about me, Aiden. I’m doing this because I want to. It’s fun for me.”
“Okay, but you have to promise me that you’ll let me help you when the time comes.”
“Sure,” she said.
“Okay.”
I strummed out a chord or two and Sunny shifted on the floor like an anxious kid.
She’s going to love this!
I hit play on the beat machine and the drum beat that I’d recorded days ago accompanied me, making Purple Rain everything that Sunny deserves it to be.
Prince is not the easiest guitar player to cover. His solos are so melodic and mesmerizing that it’s hard to mimic. Not impossible, just difficult. Usually I don’t try to play exactly how the original was played, but you don’t fuck with a Prince song. Play it the way he wrote it, or don’t play it at all.
When I looked at Sunny, she wasn’t sitting anymore. She was actually kneeling with one hand over her heart and the other wrapped around her waist. She was smiling and crying as I sang.
The energy in the room was electric and intense as the final notes reverberated out of the amplifier. I took in Sunny’s reaction as she crawled closer to me until she was in between my legs and looking up at me. She took my guitar out of my hands and sat it on the floor.
“That was beautiful,” she whispered. “Thank you.”
I grinned at her, overcome with an unfamiliar feeling...a feeling I never had around Sunny. I feeling that I’ve never felt...ever. Before I could say anything, Sunny was sitting on my lap, staring into my eyes with such a warm and inviting look that I couldn’t stop myself from leaning in and kissing her.
She inhaled sharply at the touch of my lips against hers, and then kinda melted into the kiss. For what seemed like an eternity I was lost in Sunny’s eyes and relaxed by the soft touch of her hand rubbing against my thigh while the other tangled itself in my hair.
I pulled her closer, allowing my hands to glide along her smooth back. Her mouth...her lips...her tongue taste faintly like toothpaste and alcohol. She smells like a bed of roses. The urge to continue to explore her mouth and her body is the only thing dominating my thoughts.
Sunny’s hand slid underneath my shirt and grasped at my chest as the intensity of our kissing grew. My hands continued stroking her back. When I discovered that she was not wearing a bra, my other hand gently cupped one of her perky breasts.
Eagerly, Sunny began to unbutton my shirt. I kissed her neck and nibbled on her earlobe as she moaned softly. Expertly, Sunny slipped off my shirt and unfastened my pants. When she pulled away from my lips, her eyes were inviting as she pulled her small tank top over her head and tossed it on the floor. She slid her shorts down to the floor and stood, radiating confidence, in front of me.
Sunny’s body is a work of art.
Her curves are exactly where there should be, and her body is tight, with gorgeous caramel skin, and tattoos strategically placed...perfect. She looked at me anxiously until I stood up and slid off the uncomfortable slacks and freed my erection from its cotton boxer brief prison.
I walked towards Sunny, wanting to feel her naked body pressed against mine. With every step I took, she cunningly took one step backwards until she was up against the wall. I began to kiss her again. She moaned and trembled slightly as my fingers grazed the inside of her thigh.
She wrapped her leg around my waist as her small hand wrapped around my erection and guided me inside of her.
“Sunny,” I gasped as I entered her tight, warm body. She felt so good, I felt like my heart was going to explode. Even if I had wanted to stop myself, I wouldn’t have been able to.
I moved slowly inside of her as she breathed heavily and moaned. This is definitely crossing the line and we both know it.
Live for the moment...worry about it later.
Sunny lifted her other leg and greedily pulled me deeper inside her. I steadied her up against the wall as I continued to plunge deeper into her. She pulled at my hair and bit down – hard – on my shoulder as she climaxed over and over.
All I could hear was her breathless voice whispering my name. It sounded like a song.
Fuck the consequences.
Chapter 29
“Aiden, can we talk?” Sunny poked her head into my room.
I slipped my watch on my wrist and picked up my wallet. I was supposed to be at the airport twenty minutes ago. Roxy is going to kill me if I miss this flight.
“Sunny, I’m sorry,” I said, “I can’t talk right now. If I miss this flight, I’m gonna be in a lot of trouble.”
Sunny sighed. She’s irritated but there’s nothing I can do about that right now. I know what she wants to talk to me about. Every text and every email all end with her asking to sit down and talk. I don’t want to. I’ve been avoiding this conversation for six months on purpose. I don’t want to talk about what happened after my album release party.
It was a bad idea. I get it. We haven’t done it since so I don’t know she keeps bringing up the subject.
Thankfully, having a platinum album is keeping us both too busy to actually dwell on the biggest mistake we’ve ever made. We’re barely even home at that same time.
Limited Edition is the number one album in the country!
I hate when people ask me how it feels to have the number one album. What a stupid question! How the hell do they think it feels? This feels so much better than having a number one single. That’s just one song. You can download that on iTunes for a buck.
Limited Edition is twelve of my original songs on one CD. People are buying it because they know good music. They’re buying it because they appreciate the talent on it.
This is why I have to be on that plane. I have to get to New York. I have to perform on the Today Show and Saturday night I’m the musical guest on Saturday Night Live.
“I’ll take you to the airport,” Sunny offered as I brushed past her and grabbed my backpack out of the hall closet.
“Roxy sent a car,” I told her.
I began throwing things into my bag in a hurry, trying to get out of the apartment as quickly as possible. I can’t have this conversation with Sunny, even though I know that one day, we are going to have to talk about what happened. There’s this tension whenever we’re around each other that’s driving me crazy, and it’s not just sexual.
“Aiden, you can’t keep avoiding me,” Sunny trailed behind me as I walked from room to room, looking for my iPod.
“I’m not avoiding you, Sunny. I see you every day.”
“Yeah, but it’s been months since that night and you have yet to acknowledge what happened.”
I spotted my iPod on the living room table, grabbed it and stuck it in my pocket. I turned around and looked at Sunny.
“What do you want me to say, Sunny?” I asked. “We had sex. That’s it.”
“That’s it?” she asked with raised eyebrows.
No, that’s not it, I wanted to say but didn’t. I’m certainly not about to tell Sunny that having sex with her was the most mind blowing experience I’ve ever had. I’m not about to tell her that for the last six months, she’s dominated practically every thought and dream that I’ve had.
“Yes, that’s it,” I lied. “So don’t make a big deal out of this, please.”
Sunny stared at me for just a second. Then she turned around and walked down the hallway.
“Sunny!” I called after her.
“You’re going to miss your flight,” she yelled then I heard her bedroom door slam shut.
The entire ride to the airport and on the flight to New York, I couldn’t get Sunny’s tortured expression off my mind. For the brief second that she looked at me, she looked like I had torn out her heart and stomped on it.
What have I done?
That night wasn’t just about the sex, although it was incredible. There was something there; a connection that I didn’t even know existed between me and Sunny. That scares the hell out of me. This is Sunny, my best friend! I can’t have feelings for her. I respect our friendship too much for that. What if we got together and it didn’t work out? We couldn’t just go back to being friends. That shit never works. Then what? Sunny’s out of my life?
Hell no!
I can’t even begin to imagine what my life would be like without her. I don’t even want to think about it.
****
“Sunny’s here,” Erica said to me while we were sitting in the Green Room on the set of Saturday Night Live. “They’re bringing her back here now.”
“What the hell is she doing here?” I groaned – by mistake – out loud.
“Roxy probably sent her to keep you from fucking every whore in the city,” Erica laughed. “We all know that was on your agenda.”
“Shut up, Erica,” I snapped. “I swear, you are more interested in who I sleep with than Sunny has ever been. What is it about my dick that fascinates you so damn much?”
Mike and Eddie broke out in fits of howling laughter. It’s times like these when I regret two things; sleeping with Erica and having her in my band. Joey’s the only one who can keep her mouth in check. But Joey isn’t here this time. Erica is so lucky that I don’t have time to look for a better sax player. If I did I’d replace her sarcastic ass in a heartbeat.
“Boy, please,” Erica waved her hand. “Ain’t nobody worrying about you or your dick. Sunny’s got that shit on lockdown anyway.”
Mike spit Pepsi across the room. Eddie looked at me and shook his head slowly. I glared at Erica. She isn’t supposed to know anything about that!
“You slept with Sunny!” Mike howled. “When?”
“Why?” Eddie asked.
“The night of his album release party,” Erica blabbed.
Before I could choke Erica, Sunny walked through the door. Everyone stopped talking. I’m sure Sunny knew that we were talking about her.
“Why were you talking about me?” She looked around at our four guilty expressions.
“Blame your friend,” I answered angrily. “Maybe you shouldn’t tell her all of your fucking business.”
“Whoa! What the hell did I walk into?”
“What are you doing here?”
“We’re all here,” she answered. “Me, Roxy, Rayshawn and Dre.”
Even though I refuse to show it, seeing Sunny in New York calmed me down. What I’m about to do is huge! Performing on Saturday Night Live is an honor. Only the best musicians are asked to do this.
I’m a nervous wreck!
Sunny came and sat down next to me. She picked a piece of lint off my shirt and frowned.
“This isn’t what I told them to send here. Where are your clothes?”
“All they had was a couple pairs of jeans and some weird shirts. I want to wear my own clothes, Sunny.”
At first she looked like she was about to argue but one quick glance at my expression and Sunny shut up.
“What’s wrong?” she whispered.
“Nothing.”
She was quiet for a minute then she slid her arm behind me and started rubbing my back. After a few minutes Sunny slid off the sofa and pulled me to my feet. She led me to the back of the room, out of the hearing range of the nosiest band on Earth.
“What’s really wrong?” she asked in a low voice. “Are you really that nervous about going on?”
“Yeah,” I admitted. “Everybody I know is going to be watching tonight. I can’t perform under that kind of pressure.”
“You’re going to do fine, Aiden. Don’t worry about it. As soon as you walk on the stage all of your butterflies are going to go away. You’re at home on stage. You know that.”
Sunny...my God, what would I do without her? Her presence produces a weird calming effect on me. I pulled her closer and hugged her until she wiggled out of my arms.
“Aiden...” she sighed. I can’t ignore the tortured expression on her face...not a minute longer.
“Sunny, I know what you’re thinking...about what happened...about us.” I paused and looked around the room. The others were staring at us, just like I expected. I kept my voice low.
“I don’t want to ever...I mean ever hurt you, Sunny. And if we take this thing any further, hurting you is inevitable.”
“Why is that?” she whispered.
“Because I’m not good enough for you,” I confessed. “I’m not even half of what you deserve in a guy. You deserve so much better than me.”
“What if I don’t want anyone else?” she questioned defiantly.
“Then you’d be selling yourself short,” I replied. “I won’t let you do that.”
Sunny stared at me with her hands on her hips and a puzzled expression.
“So that night...” she paused. “That night meant nothing, huh?”
I shook my head. “That’s not what I’m saying. That night meant a lot...maybe too much. But I know myself. I know there’s no future for us.”
Sunny’s eyes were hopeful when she asked what it meant to me.
But I’m not going to tell her. Not when there’s more riding on us remaining friends than ever before.
I started over to the other side of the room and Erica shook her head at me. She walked across the room to where her best friend was standing. I watched them out of the corner of my eye.
Sunny’s sad now...maybe even a little pissed off but she’ll get over it. She’ll realize sooner rather than later that I’m right. It’s not like she confessed her undying love to me.
We just had sex.
Even though I’ve never felt more connected with anyone in my life, I can’t tell her that.
It was just sex.
Despite the fact that my own heart is in pain because as much as I would like to, I can’t be with Sunny. I know I can’t do anything good for her. I don’t want to be in a relationship...not now, not when I’m just beginning my career. There’s too much to see, too much to do.
Sunny’s smart. She understands that. She’s been my best friend for too long to not understand that.
The Green Room door opened and the entire band, including myself looked up anxiously.
“Five minutes, Aiden.”
My stomach churned. I know Sunny’s right. As soon as I step on stage, I’ll be fine.
I always am.
****
“Aiden, get up!” Roxy screeched.
Thank God for hotel blackout curtains or else my eyes would have been ruined forever and it would have been all Roxy’s fault. The long legged redhead lying next to me moaned.
“Who’s that?” she asked. “Your mom?”
“Little girl,” Roxy warned. “Aiden, you have exactly five minutes to get your ass down to that meeting room. Rayshawn and Dre are waiting for you and have been for the last half hour. Where the hell is Sunny? Why the hell did she even come if she wasn’t going to do what the hell I told her to do?”
“Get up!” Roxy yelled again.
She stormed out of the hotel room and slammed the door behind her. Redhead burst out laughing.
“Well, that was not fun,” she said after she slipped out of the bed. “So, are we going to get breakfast like you promised?”
Breakfast? Is she crazy?
“Did you not just hear the insane black woman yelling at me?”
“But Aiden, you
promised we’d get French toast,” the girl whined.
I rolled my eyes and tossed her dress towards her.
Three minutes.
“I would have promised to go to France and get you French toast to get you back here with me,” I told her. “You gotta get out of here. I have a meeting.”
I threw on my jeans and t-shirt while she slipped her dress over her head.
I ushered her out the door while she juggled her shoes and purse, whining the entire time.
Two minutes.
We walked to the elevators as the blood rushed to my head. What the hell was I thinking last night? I had way too much to drink. I don’t even remember half of what happened.
My head was pounding when the elevator doors opened and we stepped on. The poor girl beside me looked crushed that she wasn’t going to get any French toast. She should be happy with cab fare. I gave her enough to get her own damn French toast.
When the elevator doors opened, I scanned the area quickly...hotel entrance to the left, conference rooms to the right. I steered the girl – whose name I can’t remember – to the left.
“I’ll call you later!” I called over my shoulder while when I went right.
“You don’t have my number.”
One minute.
“I’ll guess it,” I answered and hurried around the corner.
I broke into a sprint and burst into Conference room B thirty seconds before Rayshawn and Dre left.
“Where you been, A.T?” Dre laughed.
“Groupie?” Rayshawn guessed.
I knew that Roxy was overreacting. Of course Dre and Rayshawn would understand why I’m late to their meeting. They know I’m not a Boy Scout.
“I’ll tell you later. What’s this about?” I asked.
Roxy frowned. “Sunny didn’t tell you?”
I shrugged. I have no clue what Sunny told me yesterday. After my sixth shot of Patron, I didn’t hear anything Sunny said. By her sixth shot, she wasn’t exactly coherent anyway.
“I’m sure she said something,” I answered. “I forgot.”
“We’re adding you to the Power Jam Summer Tour roster,” Dre announced.
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