“You can’t believe everything you see in movies, you know.”
“What? You mean you can’t make a time machine out of a DeLorean?”
I sit back against the stand and place my ankle on my knee. “Are you a Back to the Future fan? Tell me I just found the girl of my dreams.”
“Hardly. I was forced to watch them with my dad when I grew up. Now, if I hear the soundtrack I go into shock.”
I place my hand on my chest in mock agony. “You’re breaking my heart here, Blair.”
She laughs and it makes my aching balls hurt even more. “I’m afraid you’ll have to look a bit harder for a girl that’s a Back to the Future fan. Also, I think someone closer to home might be helpful. The commute to South Africa could get expensive.”
Her reminder of where she comes from also reminds me of her cozy chat with Kade, and I’m not enjoying the jealousy burning a hole through my abdomen. “So, you and Kade seem to get on well.” Smooth, Dean, so fucking smooth.
“Surprisingly, yes. Well, I shouldn’t say surprisingly because it makes me sound like I judge him, but he really is just like a normal guy, you know?”
She blushes to the shade of my skates which are lying in a discarded pile and will soon become part of a sacrificial fire where I hopefully will get my manhood back.
“Shit, that sounded… It’s not that I don’t think you’re a normal guy because you’re a celebrity. The same goes for Kade. It’s just that…” She runs her teeth over her bottom lip. “You expect celebrities to be different somehow. Like above having a normal conversation.” If at all possible, she turns an even darker shade. “Damn, I’m not trying to be a jerk here. What I’m trying to say is—”
I take her hand in mine to prevent her from picking the nail polish off her nails. “It’s okay, Blair. I get it.”
She blows out a breath, and her relief is evident. I, however, feel the panic grip hold of me. I don’t like that Blair thinks Kade is a cool guy, I’d much rather she thinks he’s an unapproachable jerk, but we can’t have everything. What I don’t like more is that this bothers me at all. It shouldn’t. It shouldn’t at all because I shouldn’t care about who Blair likes and doesn’t like. But I know if Kade wants her under him, it’s just a matter of time. And honestly, I don’t think Kade has given any other girl here the time of day since this season started. Not like he just did with Blair.
What did I say about being toast?
9
Dean
“Okay, so show me what you’ve been doing with Kade and Jeremy the last two days.”
We’re in week two, and for the upcoming battle against Kade’s team, we swapped contestants and worked on the songs with each other’s teams. Blair and Jeremy rehearsed with Kade, and Maxine from Kade’s team worked with me and Danielle. That way, both contestants have an equal chance of winning. The point is to have the teams perform against each other, and whoever gets the most votes wins fair and square.
“Okay.” Blair smiles shyly at me and nervously rubs her hands on her jeans. “Uh, how exactly do you want me to show you? Since Jeremy isn’t here, should I just use you?”
She’s blushing and it is sexy as fuck, and I’d like to know exactly why the pink glow has spread across her face.
“Sure.” I stand. “Where do you want me?”
“Back on the chair, please.”
I shouldn’t be affected by her quiet politeness, especially since I know how much fire is contained in that body of hers, but I can’t help it. It’s sinfully sexy, and I can understand why she’s so popular on and off the show. The guys in the house are drooling messes whenever she walks into the room, and I don’t think I like that.
“As you wish.” I give her a wink and sit back on the tall stool while she hits Play on the laptop. The first few strains of “Slow Hands” by Niall Horan fills the room, and I’m intrigued now. She starts swaying and I’m mesmerized by her hips. But more so by the words. I know she’s reciting them as Niall wrote them, but I’m having a hard time telling myself this isn’t an actual invitation. As she gets more and more into the first verse, she moves over to me and stops singing. “Um, so this is kind of where Jeremy sings and we do a little bit.”
I nod. “Okay, show me.”
She swallows and it makes my heart race.
She hits the button again and starts that seductive sway. She moves in close, her thighs touching my knees, and I instinctively open my legs wider so she can get closer and she does. I know Blair can turn it on when she’s performing, but it’s getting hard to regulate my breathing here and I’m dangerously close to panting like a cartoon character. She runs her fingers through my hair while she continues to seduce me with the music. Her hands trail down my arms, and then she places them on her hips and turns her back on me. Shooting me a smile over her shoulder, she continues swaying. It’s intimate and captivating, and I can’t take my eyes off her. My fingers knead her hips as she moves against me. She’s close, dangerously close to rubbing herself against my crotch, and I’m dangerously close to pulling her in that tiny inch that’s keeping our bodies from touching where I want her most.
Fuck! Is this what she’s doing with Jeremy? She still isn’t pressed against me, but damn, it’s all I can think about. My hands have moved to her ass, and I’m just about to make good on what I’ve been denying myself when the song ends and she takes a step back.
“What do you think?”
I think I’m going to fucking kill Kade.
Then Jeremy, then take a cold shower and maybe join a monastery because the thoughts running through my mind right now are sinful and wrong, but dammit if I don’t want to turn Blair around, make her hold on to the back of this chair that has kept me enslaved to her erotic little show, and fuck her till the only thing she can think about is my name.
I don’t know where this is coming from. I’m not that guy. The one who gets all caveman and possessive. I’m the guy that wants them out of my room before the orgasm haze has worn off. Yeah, I guess that makes me kind of a dick, but that’s what they sign up for.
“So, this is what you do with Jeremy?” Shit, my voice cracks like a prepubescent boy, and I clear my throat.
“Yeah, Kade says we need to make sure the audience is ensnared. He thinks if we put on a show, they will have a hard time voting and the votes will be closer. Do you think it’s too much?” She bites on her lip, and I realize I’m probably confusing her with my mix of turned on and horrified. I need to get a grip.
“No, it’s uh…great. He’s right…it will definitely make it tough to do anything but want you two together on the show forever.”
Fuck my life!
She smiles so wide, and her relief is palpable. “I’m a bit nervous. I haven’t done anything like that before.”
I really want it to mean she’s never seduced a guy before, but I’m not stupid. A girl who looks like Blair is definitely not a virgin.
I’m screwed.
We spend the next couple of hours working on Blair’s vocals. I don’t ask her to do the routine again. I’m not an idiot—I’m already dealing with a raging case of blue balls, and I’m near violent at the idea of Jeremy touching Blair the way I did and her moving that way for him. This is completely illogical since I’m not anything other than her coach, but I’m still feeling ragey.
When I literally can’t stand it anymore, I tell her we should call it a night. I also hand her some bullshit about not wanting to overtire her before the show tomorrow when I just need to get out of here and away from Blair for a few hours.
As I’m leaving, I bump into Kade. I’m pissy because all circulation to my balls has been cut off and it was Kade’s idea to have Blair do what can only be described as a clothed striptease. “Hey, have you got a minute?”
“Sure. Wanna head across the street for a beer?”
No, I don’t want to. I want to go home and release some tension, but I’d be thinking about Blair while I jerked off and
I need to get her out of my mind, not brand her in my memory under my jerk-off files.
“Sounds good.”
We head over to the bar, and Kade orders a round of drinks. The bar isn’t as packed as it usually is, but it’s loud tonight and the pheromones are bouncing off the walls. It doesn’t take long for a group of girls to realize who we are and head over. They flock around us, and usually I’d be up for a little distraction, but my mind’s not in the game tonight. Kade isn’t a player; he dates, but he is discreet about it. I also don’t think he bed hops either. I don’t know exactly what his story is because the guy keeps his private life tighter than a seal on a space shuttle, but it works for him.
We hang out with the girls for a while. We take a couple of selfies, and there’s a redhead who is definitely giving me vibes, but I keep up the polite conversation and ignore all the touching and rubbing as best I can. Kade is pretty much doing the same, and eventually, the girls get the idea and move off to guys who are set to give them the attention they deserve. When they move on, Kade tilts his head and takes a drink from his beer. “It’s not like you to pass up some company for the evening.”
I shrug. “I’m not in the mood.”
“Exactly, that. When are you not in the mood?”
I ignore him and order two shots. I’m mulling over how to bring the Blair situation up without sounding like a pussy when Kade asks, “So what did you want to talk about?”
Shit, I guess I’m not going to have time to gather my words. “I was wondering about the routine Blair and Jeremy are doing tomorrow. Do you think that’s really the right thing for Blair to be doing?”
The shots appear before us, and I pick one up, pushing Kade’s glass toward him with my own. We clink glasses and open the hatch. I signal for another two, but Kade shakes his head. “Not for me. We’re working tomorrow, and I’m not in the mood for sporting a hangover with all that loud music all day.
“Suit yourself.” I pour the other down the hatch.
“Back to Blair. I’m not sure I’m following. Do I think what is the right thing for Blair to do?”
“The routine with Jeremy—the one where she nearly dry humps him?”
Kade’s eyebrows shoot up. “You think what Blair does with Jeremy is dry humping? Damn, Dean, for a guy that gets a lot of tail, you’re coming across all virginal here. What are you doing with all these girls, playing Scrabble?”
“Fuck you, Kade. I’m serious. She’s a good girl, and she doesn’t need to be saddled with a crummy reputation.”
Kade chuckles and takes another sip of his drink. He swivels the last quarter of his drink and watches the yeast bubbles circle the bottom of the bottle. “Dean, it’s a show. Besides, it’s not anything more out-there than what she did for her audition. The way she moved on that stage, I’m gonna guess just about every guy in the place was hard, and I’d even go as far as to say that the majority of the girls were wet.”
Rage boils in the pit of my stomach, and I release my grip on the shot glass so I don’t splinter it in my palm.
“Don’t talk about her that way unless you want to be shitting out your teeth.”
Kade raises his hands. “I mean no disrespect. It was just a figure of speech. You falling for her?”
“No, I’m not falling for her. I’m her coach, and it’s my job to look after her well-being.”
“Whatever, man. For what it’s worth, you need to watch yourself, Dean. This could get dangerous for you.”
I hate that he’s right. And I feel like an asshole for behaving like some jealous boyfriend, so I do what I do best in these situations. I lash out. “You sure you’re not the one who has the hots for Blair? It’s pretty convenient that you have her putting on quite the show.”
Kade drains his beer and sits back in the stool. His arms cross over his chest “Damn, Dean. You’ve got it bad. The routine is perfect for her. It’s gonna have all the guys wanting her and the girls wanting to be her.”
He’s not taking the bait, and he’s right. Of course he’s right, but I’ll never admit it. But more worrying is that I couldn’t see it through my jealousy.
This is bad.
10
Dean
I sit on my hands so I can’t scrub them over my face in frustration for the hundredth time today. “Let’s try the other song you prepared.”
Danielle huffs and rolls her eyes, and I wonder if I read her age wrong in her file. It said she’s twenty-eight but she’s acting like a sullen teenager, not a woman my age. She stomps over to her coat and pulls another flash drive from the pocket. “Here.”
“Thanks.” I’m pretty proud of myself for keeping things polite at this point. This is week four and I figured her attitude would change, but no such luck. She’s been this way since I had a joint session with her and Blair. She clearly didn’t like Blair from the beginning, and it’s obviously all sour grapes and jealousy, but it’s wearing thin. Blair handled herself with complete professionalism where Danielle has been snippy and bitchy. I was the only judge who hit the button for her, and I think she wanted Kade. She’s got a gorgeous voice and has the potential to make it far in the competition, but she refuses to listen. She complained the entire time during the joint session that I wasn’t correcting Blair. She was right, I wasn’t, because Blair listened to the instructions and advice. Danielle is contrary and thinks she’s above all this. “Which song did you choose?”
“‘Bad at Love’ by Halsey.”
My eyebrows shoot up before I have time to stop them. “Are you sure that’s the right song for you?”
She balls her hands into fists and jams them onto her hips. “What’s that supposed to mean?”
I call on strength I don’t have anymore. “It’s not supposed to mean anything. I just think Halsey is edgy and you’re—”
“Oh, so now I’m boring?”
I can’t help it. I scrub my hands along my face and feel the stubble. Shit, I didn’t shave this morning. This competition between Blair and Danielle has been giving me sleepless nights, and Danielle is not likely to play fair. “Danielle, it’s always better to choose a song that suits your personality. Halsey is very out-there. You aren’t. It doesn’t make you boring, it makes you, you.”
“I’m doing the song, Dean. I want to show the viewers a different side to me this week.”
“Danielle—”
“I’m doing it and that’s it. You just don’t want me to because you’re scared I outshine your golden girl.”
I sigh and close my eyes. “Danielle, we’ve been over this. You are both on my team, and I give you what you put in. If you showed up for rehearsals on time and stayed later, I’d give you just as much time as Blair. She’s just willing to put more effort in at this point.”
Danielle snatches the flash drive out of my hand and walks over to the laptop where she inserts it and searches for her song. She ignores everything I’ve just said and waits for the first verse to start. She begins singing, and it’s all wrong. Her voice is sweet and crisp; it isn’t sassy or husky like Halsey’s, and I know the viewers are going to compare voices and find this one lacking. She’s trying to be edgy, and she’s overdoing everything. This is going to be a clusterfuck.
“Stop!” I raise my hands and walk over to the laptop. She glares at me, but she stops and drums her hands on the top of the music stand.
“What?”
I move over to the keyboard. “Let’s try this.” I adjust the key and nod to Danielle to start singing again. She does and this time it sounds better. It’s sweeter. But when she starts being theatrical, I stop her again.
She takes in a long breath and pinches her nose.
“Danielle, trust me, okay? Let’s do a completely different spin on the song. Instead of edgy, let’s try for heartbroken, sweet.”
She looks skeptical but eventually nods.
It sounds and looks better. More authentic. I think I might be able to work with this. I flick a glan
ce at the wall clock. We’ve already wasted three hours on the previous song, and starting with this one the day before the show is not a good idea. If we push, we might be able to make it work. She wraps up, and I smile. “Great, it’s better. We’ll have to pull an all-nighter with this one but—”
“Ah, I have a date tonight?”
“A date? I thought your boyfriend lived in Seattle?”
“Oh, he does. He’s flying in for tomorrow’s show, but we’re going out tonight.”
This is insane. It’s the night before she goes against Roger from Amanda’s team and she’s going out?
“Is there any way you can cancel? Make it up to him when the show is over? We only have tonight to get this down.”
“I haven’t seen him in weeks.” Did she just whine at me?
“Yeah, but he knows this is important, right?”
“Well, obviously he does but—”
I count to ten and then down an entire bottle of water to stop myself from saying something I’m going to regret. I don’t know if she senses how dangerously she’s treading, but she sighs. “Fine, I’ll call him.”
She leaves the room, and I take the time to calm my temper. I don’t expect her to turn backflips because I’m her coach. I mean, my shit stinks like everyone else’s, but this is my time too. And it’s not like I have an abundance of it. I’m right in the middle of finishing up with the album. It’s so damn close, but with Barry’s surgery to fix his tendon, things got held up for a few weeks, and as generous as the label has been, they want their album and they want it on time. Regardless.
I start tinkering with a melody on the keyboard, which always soothes me when I’m frazzled. I get lost in the music, so when I glance at the clock and realize she has been gone for over half an hour, I’m pissed. Are you kidding me?
I stand and am about to go find her when she casually walks back into the room, typing a text on her phone.
“Danielle, this is unaccept—” She holds a finger up, silencing me while she finishes her text. That’s when I realize I’m about to lose it. I walk out onto the balcony and gasp in a lungful of air. This is one of those times I wish I hadn’t given up smoking three years ago. I could really use a smoke right now.
Back Beat Page 5
