by Ema Bancroft
Ethan looked back. "Shit. Mini B is right. I think there's a pap smear back there.
"Hey guys? " Elias called the driver and bodyguard in the front seat - he wasn't sure if it was Craig or Brick. "We have company."
"He was already on it, Mr. Lynch - the driver replied, turning sharply to the right and then to the left, going in and out of the cars like an action movie hero. I grabbed the seat, my stomach roaring wildly, and I hoped not to vomit.
Again.
This was starting to be a pattern. Maybe he needed to invest in Dramamine or something.
The driver took a quick turn and stepped into an alley, stopping with his eyes in the rearview mirror. We all watched silently through the rear window until we saw the black SUV pass, and then the driver slowly stopped forward, working his way back to traffic.
"Wow,"I said quietly. "Does that happen often?"
Roland shrugged. "Sometimes. We usually let them follow us, but I think we've all earned ourselves a night off, right?"
"So, B,"Ethan said with a smile, leaning back in his seat. "Gayzer or Straytster"?
"Shit,"Elijah moaned. "Neither do you."
Ethan continued as if Elijah had not spoken. "Personally, I lean on Gayzer. I mean, shit... look at the guy's hair!"?"
Raul laughed and even Roland silenced a laugh.
"Very funny, motherfucker."
"Dude, the debate's heating up,"said Ethan, his lips crackpot. "You got girls ready to draw blood fighting for the team you're playing on."
Elijah just threw Ethan out and looked out the window.
"So,"I said, trying to change the subject. What can I expect at the show on Friday? How's L. A. different from New York?"
Raul grinned. " Girls wear less... and they have tanning"?
"Fuck, yeah,"Ethan howled, clutching his fist in a punch.
"Nothing like Miami fans,"Raul added. "Man, those girls are wild!"
"But what about Seattle? " Roland stepped in.
"Oh shit! " Ethan shouted, pointing at Roland.
"Spiderfan! " all shouted in unison - even Elijah - before laughing out loud.
"Spiderfan? " I couldn't help but smile.
"There's a fan in Seattle,"Roland explained. "What's her name?"
"Ruby... Ruby something,"answered Raul?
"Yes, Ruby,"Roland agreed. "Anyway, she's one of the most enthusiastic fans we've ever had.
"She followed us from Portland to Vancouver and we camped out of our hotel for two days when we were in Seattle."
"That doesn't sound so bad,"I said.
"Yeah, but that girl was persistent,"Ethan interposed. "She dressed like a bellboy to try to get up to our rooms. When that didn't work, she tried to get into the kitchen and bring back room service."
"She reached our apartment before Brick intercepted her that time,"Elijah said with a smile.
"But she didn't give up,"Roland added. "Somehow that girl got hold of the scaffold of a window washer and headed to the top floor of the hotel!"
"You're kidding!"
"No. " Elias laughed. "We were sitting in my suite looking at some promotional photos, and I looked up and saw a girl outside the window jumping and screaming."
"She starts banging on the window,"Ethan added, panting through the air. "But the windows don't open, so we can't let her in."
Raul jumped in. "And she doesn't know how to run the engine to get down, or she's stuck or something. We had to call the fire department to get her down.
"Oh no! " I felt so bad for the girl.
"Oh, yes,"Roland replied. "It ended up live on the news. And when she was finally brought to the ground, she didn't let go of the scaffolding. She just wrapped her arms around the metal railing and kept screaming how much she loved 5Point.
"The police finally had to come looking for us. " Elijah shook his head, remembering. "We went downstairs to take some pictures with her and sign some autographs so she'd drop the damn scaffold."
"Did you arrest her?"
"No. The news teams were everywhere, and the poor girl twisted her ankle or something,"Elijah shrugged. "The hotel didn't want to be a hard-hearted asshole."
"I think it was pretty harmless,"Raul added.
" Just... a little passionate"?
"The girl is crazy,"Roland said quietly, spreading the last word.
"I'm sure she'll be on the Seattle show,"Ethan told me. "You'll see for yourself."
"I can't wait."
0
The burgers were amazing. The potatoes were better. And the beer flowed freely at night, blessedly free of mush. By the time we got back to the hotel, I was delightfully encouraged and wanted Elijah to finish what I had started that afternoon in my room.
That's all I could do to keep him from jumping in the limo. I think Roland might have felt my inhibitions of relaxation, because he did his mission to distract me with the talk about the commercial shooting the next day and the interviews Cecil had set up with the local stations.
It didn't work out very well.
Throughout the journey, I felt Elijah's eyes burning in me. Could have been my imagination, I guess. He had put on his sunglasses when we left the restaurant and he sat down in front of me, sat on the seat, relaxed and possibly asleep.
Still, I felt it. Like the tip of a finger that ran smoothly through my skin, my awareness of its proximity made me tremble, and I struggled to concentrate on what Roland was saying.
So... they're closing the whole place down for us? "I babbled, only half paying attention to the answer. Shooting would be at Starbucks center the next morning.
I stretched out to release some of the tension in my muscles and rubbed my neck. I thought I saw Elijah change imperceptibly from the corner of my eye, but I could have been mistaken.
"Yes," replied Roland, his eyes catching Elijah's movement. "Most of the day. Security's gonna be a nightmare. I guess they're bringing in a bunch of cops off duty to keep things under control.
"It'll be a madhouse,"Raul yawned. "Long fucking day."
We stopped at the back entrance of the hotel and Brick came out, staring at the scene before we opened the door. We started piling up outside the limo, but Elijah grabbed my arm before I could get out.
My breath was warm in my ear.
"My room,"he said abruptly before he let go of my arm.
I felt dizzy... passed out... and grabbed the edge of the door when I got out of the limo and followed the others through the back door. I could feel Elijah behind me as we walked through the kitchen to the service elevator.
"Does anyone want me to call him at night service? " Ethan asked, breaking his knuckles.
"I'm inside,"Roland replied.
"Me too, just for a while,"Raul added.
Elijah leaned lazily against the wall, pushing his sunglasses to the top of his head. "Not for me,"he said, without looking at me. "I'm going to bed."
"B? " Ethan turned to me. "Do you feel like getting your ass kicked?"
I swallowed thickly, feeling Elijah's eyes on me. "Not tonight,"I answered quietly, trying to keep my voice from shaking. "I think I'll try to get some sleep."
Roland's lips were ridiculous, and he gave me a brief glimpse before looking at the elevator's floor indicator.
I followed his gaze, watching the numbers shine, as Elijah's voice echoed in my skull with the beat of my heart.
13…
My room.
14…
My room.
15…
My room.
Roland's interruption earlier in the day had sufficiently quenched our little encounter. Elijah and I had spent the next few hours clicking on several blogs and Twitter and Facebook while trying to reassure him that he had nothing to worry about.
By the time he finally felt relaxed, the boys had called with dinner plans. I thought maybe Elijah had lost interest after all the madness.
Yeah. I was wrong."
21…
He approached me infinitely, close enough for his arm to to
uch mine, and my breath got stuck.
22…
"Are you okay, B? " Raul looked at me carefully, and I tried to stabilize my heartbeat.
I nodded. "Fine. Just…tired."
23…
Every time Elijah exhaled, I felt the slightest handwheel in my hair. Did your breath fade through the threads, causing vaporous memories of that breath... that mouth... elsewhere...?
24…
If the elevator didn't move faster, I was pretty sure it would burn spontaneously.
I pounded my fingers against my thighs anxiously as we approached our floor, biting my lip and trying not to look back and pull Elijah towards me.
The elevator stopped, shaking slightly, and I stumbled, falling down again.
I was speechless at the obvious erection that pushed me on my back.
"Are you all right? " Elijah asked, a humorous glow in his eye.
"Yeah... sorry, man," I muttered, I straightened up - but not before Elijah dragged his fingers once slightly over my ass. My eyes turned to the other boys, but they were piling up from the elevator and hadn't noticed our little shooting session.
"Stop it,"I hissed.
Elijah simply chuckled and walked past me into his room, turning to wink at me before yelling at others and entering.
E. C. Lynch was going to be my death.
E. C.
Daisy was driving me crazy.
I loved her all the time. She was consuming all the fucking thoughts, and I couldn't help but look at her every time I saw her.
I had to start wearing my damn sunglasses non-stop so the other kids wouldn't notice me.
If Roland hadn't interrupted us with that damn picture, I would have had her bent over the desk in about two and a half seconds... which was probably not the most gentlemanly way to do things, but after two days without touching her, I could hardly blame myself. The whole Gayzer/Straytster thing killed the mood. I mean, the fact that the world was debating my sexual orientation was a little disturbing. I didn't give a shit if people thought I was gay or not, but the vehemence of the arguments was a bit exaggerated?
The people were crazy. Well, not all of them. But a few definitely fit the bill.
But by the time we got to the restaurant, the picture was almost forgotten. I could only think about undressing Daisy. Immediately.
Instead I concentrated on trying to eat, and probably drinking too much beer. More than once I felt Daisy's eyes on me from the other side of the table, but when I looked up, she looked away quickly. Roland kept smiling at me with a fucking smile on his "everything I know, what I see, what you replenish"face the way he had, and that's all I could do not to kick him in the balls.
And then the damn limo ride back to the hotel. Jesus. Daisy sat in front of me, and I looked at her from behind my sunglasses, my jacket on my lap to hide the obvious reaction of little Henry.
At one point she stretched out, her shirt lifting up a bit and giving me a glimpse of her stomach.
Good God. If little Enrique could talk, he would have roared.
When we got back to the hotel, he was crazy. It wasn't a conscious decision, but my hand grabbed her like it had a mind of its own, and my mouth growled the words "my room" in her ear like a fucking caveman. She blushed, and that's all I could do not to drag her back to the limo and take her there.
I managed to maintain a little control and followed her to the hotel, my eyes trained like lasers on her ass and my mind was focused on the task at hand.
Once inside that little elevator, its smell swirled around me. I was so close that I felt the warmth of her skin, and I couldn't help but get a little closer so I could touch her.
She gasped, and I felt the slightest pain of relief, knowing that she was as upset as I was.
When the elevator stopped and she fell on me, I almost lost it. The only thing that kept me going was knowing I'd be in my room in a few minutes, and I'd finally have it for myself. I managed to open the door with trembling fingers and grabbed a beer from the mini fridge, staring at the door every two seconds. I turned the TV on and off, sat down and got up again... so I couldn't sit still.
Where was she then? What took you so long?
I checked my watch. Five minutes. Okay, maybe I needed to control myself. I collapsed back on the couch, pulling my hair down while the minutes were running away. I turned the stereo on at a low volume, adjusting the lights with the dimmer - trying to get some ambience, or whatever. I reached my phone a few times, and I was about to surrender and call her when I heard a tentative knock at the door.
I shot myself at my feet and had the door open before she finished knocking.
"What took you so long? " I scream, throwing her into the room and into my arms.
Who was this guy? Are you out of control Neanderthal who felt this overwhelming need to take Daisy Caldwell? To claim it?
I didn't recognize him and I didn't have the ability to control him.
Daisy's hands flew toward my hair as I walked back toward the bed, our mouths shut, tongues twisting and teeth gnashing. It was wild and uncontrolled when we fell to the bed, limbs tangled and clutching our clothes.
The jeans and shoes flew around the room as we tore each other apart, anxious to get our skin against the skin. Daisy's rubber dick bounced off the wall, throwing a lamp, and laughed at my neck.
"I almost regret giving you that thing,"I muttered.
"Hey! " She lifted her head back with an offended look. "Don't touch my dick. Shall I hit yours?"
I smiled, rubbing against her suggestively. "I like it when you hit mine."
She laughed again, pushing my underwear. "Elijah, don't make fun of me."
"I wouldn't dream of that. " I leaned down to lick her neck, reaching into the nightstand to get a condom.
We couldn't wait. For God's sake, we'd been through two torturing days of foreplay. So with shaky hands, I put on the condom and found Daisy's eyes with mine. I bowed to kiss her, and she moved her legs, opening up to me.
"Elijah asked," Now, her voice trembling a little.
Who was I to argue with?
I sank into it with a low lament, unable to contain the pleasure of being back where I belonged.
Where it belonged.
The thought fluttered through my mind for a second before taking root. Daisy was where she belonged. The realization shook my heart and I stopped.
"Are you all right? " she whispered, reaching down to caress my cheek. I turned my head to kiss the palm of her hand, my tongue turning to test it.
"Enjoying the moment,"I said. "I was beginning to wonder if we'd ever get here."
Daisy laughed, lifting her legs to wrap them around my waist. "You're so impatient."
I smiled, slowly sliding out and in again. "You're the only one who talks.
I saw how you threw yourself at me in the elevator."
"I didn't,"she insisted, but her indignant tone turned into a groan when I pushed her again.
"It's no use arguing,"I said grittedly, indulging in the warmth that enveloped me. "You know you love me."
"So arrogant,"she whispered, grabbing my ass hard and bowing to face my impulses.
"Fuck, Daisy."
"Yes,"she said ardently in my ear. "Fuck Daisy."
So I did it.
0
Later... long after... Daisy lay down against my chest, her breath floating on my skin as I played with her hair.
"Don't make me wait two more days,"I said grumpyly.
She laughed, her voice asleep. "Deal."
The song in the stereo changed to one of ours - Bedroom Confessions. It seemed strangely appropriate for our situation, and I found myself singing quietly as I stroked Daisy�s back.
You're lying next to me.
And I can't stop staring
I know I should leave you.
But I just want to stay
Your skin, I'm attracted to you in
Your lips, a sweet caress
I can't take my eyes off you
.
Girl, I gotta confess....
Daisy moved slightly, her breath escaping in a dream sigh.
You stir up something in me
I've never felt like this before.
You fill the gap in me
You're the one I love.
So I give you this confession
It's crazy, but it's true.
You've become my only obsession.
Girl, all I want to do
is to make love to you
Yeah, all I want to do
is to make love to you
I gently brushed her lips over her hair, enjoying the warmth in my arms.
"I love you,"I whispered.
The only answer was Daisy's quiet breathing. So I closed my eyes and joined her in my sleep.
Daisy
Elijah woke me up before dawn with gentle kisses along my neck and shoulders. I stretched out lazily as he stroked my spine, squeezing my ass and tapping it slightly.
"Time to get up,"he muttered against my skin.
"I don't want to,"I cried.
"The boys will wake up soon,"he said, his fingers drawing my side until he grabbed my chest. "We have to leave for the shoot in an hour, and you don't want to get caught leaving my room."
I bowed to his touch and he tucked my nipple into his fingers. "Can't we stay here? They don't need us all for shooting, do they?"
Elijah chuckled, clenching my chest before he walked away. He snuck out of bed. "Come on, Daisy. It's time to become Tim.
I will sigh with resignation. "All right."
An hour later, we were all in the limo on our way to Starbucks, and I tried not to think about the events of the night before.
Because if I thought about them, I inevitably thought about how much I wanted a repeat.
And that led me to think about how close Elijah was sitting next to me....
Which led to irritating blushes and hot skin and tingling fingers and yearnings... oh God, yearnings...
I had no idea I could yearn so well.
So instead, I focused on going over the lyrics of the Spiced Candy songs we would use for filming. We'd be tuning the lips, but I had to make sure the words were correct. We went over the song a couple of times to make sure we all had it, and our harmonies were in the air, despite the fact that this time we wouldn't be singing.
I was hoping I didn't get the wrong version at Friday night's concert.
