by Brooks, Tori
“Jess, stay center,” John spoke into his microphone.
Jess ignored him and wrapped an arm over Dev’s shoulders. Dev turned out of the embrace and meandered back toward the center. Jess backed up carefully to follow, testing for trip lines as he went. Kenny nodded in approval, they knew this routine by now. If Dev did try to trip Jess, he’d wait until the guitar solo coming up when the focus would be on Kenny and Jess wouldn’t miss a note.
“Jess!” John snapped louder.
Jess waved to him but continued his pursuit of Dev. John motioned him back toward center but it wasn’t necessary, Jess was slowly getting there on his own. Of course Dev was almost behind Kenny now. Kenny didn’t hesitate to cut across the front of the stage to get out of the line of fire. He heard Bryan’s laughter behind him and worried what Bryan might be seeing that he wasn’t.
Kenny turned as he started his guitar solo. He wouldn’t really be watching, he was concentrating on the riff, but he wanted to give the two pranksters the impression he was keeping an eye on them. For all the good it did.
As soon as Kenny started his riff, Dev was free to release the hold his guitar. He ducked behind Jess and quickly gave him a wedgie that made Kenny wince in time with Jess’s pained expression.
“Devin!” John yelled into his mic, drowning out Jess’s response and the wail of Kenny’s guitar.
“No worries.” Jess held up a hand to stay John’s wrath and Dev started playing again on his cue, although now he was center stage.
Kenny nodded for Dev to return to his own place, but Dev shook his head. Crossing step over step in time with the music, Dev edged carefully to Kenny’s original position. Of course Jess was there at the moment.
“Psst!” Kenny caught Jess’s attention and motioned with his head toward Dev. Jess didn’t look, he just quickly made his way back to center. He was walking a little funny, but otherwise the song finished with no musical interruptions.
“Kenny!” John came their direction as Jess threatened to strangle Dev and Dev stood there laughing. “If you can’t keep them under control –”
“They’re fine, John, chill.” Kenny lifted his strap over his head and leaned his guitar in its stand by the drums.
“This is not fine. This is unacceptable. We will have –”
“X million viewers across the country, yeah, yeah. They know this routine inside out. Stop making them rehearse it. The more you drag them out here with the lovely young ladies watching or running around scantily clad and exuding pheromones, the more you can expect this behavior.” He didn’t want to point fingers and single out Dev. Jess started it from John’s point of view and he was fine with being labeled the trouble maker. They all knew the truth, like an inside joke. It wasn’t bad for their image either. Although Kenny understood the antics their fans loved on tour weren’t welcome on camera in this particular instance.
“But we have to get this down.”
“Yeah. We’re off until the dress rehearsal.” Kenny motioned to Dev and Jess. Dev shed his guitar and took off, Jess on his heels to distract any female obstacles.
“But –”
“John, listen: I know this is a big deal. I know you have a bunch of girls backstage who are novices and nervous as hell. We’re not novices, we’re not nervous, and this isn’t a big deal to us. Sorry, it’s two songs in front of a calm audience. Jess can do this in his sleep, all of us can. They’ll be perfect at the dress, I promise. Leave them alone. Focus on your other problems. I’ve got this one covered.”
John stared up at him in indecision.
“Not a request,” Kenny added. He motioned for the stage hands to wheel back the platform the drums and guitars stood on. Bryan hopped off, and waved goodbye to John as a gesture of support for Kenny.
“Right. I’m holding you personally responsible if they’re not absolutely perfect.”
“Fine.” Kenny turned and walked out, reaching for the slim phone in his pocket before he was off the stage. The problem was, Dev was going to hide in his room until the dress rehearsal, and Kenny needed him to help Paige with her number. Dev played the piano better than Kenny, and Paige needed practice.
Not that she really needed to practice. They’d been there long enough now that Kenny had ample opportunity to scope out the competition. The other contestants were better than Kenny expected, but then again, so was Paige. On the other hand, Paige wasn’t going to win. They were going to eliminate her anyway so all the extra practice was a wasted effort.
For Kenny, it was a matter of pride. If her name was going to be associated with his, she was going to put on a good show. Her voice was good, excellent really, and her song was fine. Fine wasn’t nearly good enough and he subtly tweaked it to play on her vocal strengths. But he needed Dev now to help Paige relearn the song.
Turning on his phone, Kenny nodded to Bryan standing by the elevator signing autographs. He pushed the button and broke away as Kenny arrived and stepped in. Two contestants from Mexico and one from Canada were in the elevator. Kenny kept his phone in his hand but didn’t dial. This wasn’t a conversation he wanted witnesses for.
“You calling who I think you’re calling?” Bryan asked.
“Most likely.”
“Expecting genius from on high?”
“Never let me down before,” Kenny answered, knowing Bryan was referring to Flynn. At least Bryan let his dislike of Flynn mostly go after Teri died. Now if they could just get Dev to do the same.
“Think John will back off?” Bryan asked.
“I don’t plan on giving him a choice.”
“Yeah. With you on that. You’d think he’d be more concerned a quarter of his contestants can’t sing or play their instruments and leave us alone.”
“I didn’t want to say that. Besides, not all of them have to.”
“Right.”
The elevator opened and the girls got out. Unfortunately four more got in, including Paige followed by Jess dragging Dev along behind him. Almost literally, Kenny noted with apprehension. They only went a floor, but how did Jess and Dev beat them there? Kenny once again briefly envied their longer legs before pushing the thought aside and turning to Paige.
“Good afternoon, Miss Great Lakes.” Kenny smiled.
“Hi. How did practice go?” Paige asked.
“John’s driving us crazy.” Kenny shrugged.
“Jess and Dev started their routine, it was funny.” Bryan smiled. “You would have loved it.”
“I’m sure.” She smiled at Kenny.
The elevators in this hotel were unforgivably slow, in Kenny’s opinion. He wouldn’t mind if it were just him and Paige. Dev trapped in a small space with a handful of beauty queens was a recipe for disaster. Even wedged in the corner with the rest of them trying to shield him, the girls noticed he was there. In fact, a couple craned their necks to try to get a better look.
“Oh, you have got to be kidding!”
Kenny jumped as Paige stamped her foot and turned on her counterparts. She pointed a finger at Dev huddling in the corner. “He’s got a serious girlfriend. I’ve met her. She’s possessive and more than slightly bitchy. Sorry, Dev,” Paige said, looking over her shoulder. Turning back to the girls in front of her, she pointed to Bryan next. “He’s married; he’s got an almost permanent headache and knows better than to touch any of us; and he’s not going to be worth the trouble he’ll cost you,” she finished pointing to Kenny then Jess in turn.
“Hey!” Jess protested.
“She’s right on all accounts,” Kenny said, nudging Jess to shut up.
The girls sighed. One protested that they could look. But that stopped all conversation and looks their direction. Paige rejoined the contestants on their side of the elevator, almost as if there battle lines drawn down the middle.
When the elevator stopped, the girls got off, but Paige stayed. Kenny gave her a questioning look.
“One more thing,” she said, then waited for the doors to close.
“What?” he
asked.
She pulled him to her side of the elevator. “Hopefully that will help. It shouldn’t be happening at all. I mean they all know better.”
“Apparently the forbidden fruit is the one everyone wants,” Dev said from his corner.
“I could have told you that,” Jess said.
The elevator stopped again and a coordinator got on, raising her eyebrows at Paige alone in the elevator with four men.
“Miss Hart?”
“Just clearing something up.” She turned back to Kenny. “Dev,” she said.
Kenny looked over to where Dev stood, briefly making eye contact with him. He looked uncomfortable.
“Yeah?” Kenny asked, looking back in Paige’s blue eyes.
“He has a girlfriend and he’s being hounded by girls. The solution is pretty obvious, you just don’t want to see it.”
The elevator stopped again and the doors opened, but the coordinator made no move to leave. Paige glanced at her, but let it go. Kenny didn’t really didn’t know what to think.
“Why do you always wear blue?” Jess asked.
Paige might ignore the event coordinator not exiting, but she couldn’t ignore Jess. She stared at him. “You can’t be serious.”
“It’s just you always seem to wear blue. One shade or another,” he said with a shrug.
“Jess, sweetie, you’ve known a lot of women in the last few years. Probably more than are in this building if your reputation can be believed. Think about why I might choose blue for a moment, and we’ll come back to it. Okay?”
Suddenly Kenny was on the hot seat again. “Thoughts on Dev?” She leaned forward just enough to whisper in his ear when he didn’t answer quickly enough. “Call his girlfriend, honey.”
“I really don’t want to do that.”
“I know.” She squeezed his hand. Until that moment, Kenny didn’t realize she was holding it hidden in the folds of her dress. It helped reassure him.
“So why the blue –” Jess started.
“Because she has blue eyes, idiot,” Dev snapped.
Jess glared at him. “I have blue eyes and I don’t wear blue all the time.”
“If you wanted to emphasize their color you would. Hello! She’s Miss Great Lakes!”
“You’re grumpy,” Jess said and leaned against the wall as the elevator doors closed again.
Kenny turned back to Paige. “You’re right. I’ll take care of it.”
“Thank you.” She looked up and pushed a button for the next floor. The event coordinator followed her off the elevator and they returned to their rooms alone.
○ ○ ○
Dev sat at the baby grand piano pushed into a corner of one of the hotel’s lounges. It was late, so there were few people drinking their problems away now. He played the score from memory, listening to Paige’s clear alto voice as she sang her piece one more time for Kenny and Francois.
He liked Paige okay, but he was going to start hearing this song in nightmares. She was good enough already. Kenny said she wasn’t going to win, and Paige already accepted that, so why the hell were they spending time on a song that was already fine?
Paige stopped singing unexpectedly and Dev looked up to see what the problem was. A slender hand slid seductively over his shoulder and down his chest, caressing him, and Dev felt two small, firm breasts pressed against his back.
“Did you miss me?”
Dev smiled at the sound of Lindsay’s voice in his ear. He caught her in his arms and pulled her onto his lap, delighting in the way she giggled at his immediate response.
He tried to ask why she was there, but Lindsay’s lips on his pushed the thought from his mind for the moment. She tasted like raspberries and felt like velvet against him.
“I did miss you,” Dev said. “I’m glad you’re here. Although why are you here?”
Lindsay laughed at his confusion, reaching up to smooth away his furrowed brow. “Kenny called me. He said the girls were giving you trouble and having me hanging around was desirable for a change. I think he’s concerned you’re going to have a breakdown, so I’m the lesser of the evils.”
Dev grinned. “I’ll have to threaten him with a breakdown more often. I wish I’d thought of it before. Or at all, actually.”
“Word of warning, Jess is not happy. He’s putting up with me and apparently the favor is on Kenny’s tab, not yours. But you guys had to share rooms?”
Dev nodded, then realized the problem. Due to short notice, Alec could only get two rooms in the same hotel as the pageant. Kenny was adamant, so they dealt with it. Alec had to take a room at another hotel altogether.
“Yeah. Bryan’s moving in with Kenny and Jess. Hence Jess’s displeasure. My bags are already in your room.” She kissed him again. “Hi, roomie.”
“Hi, yourself.” Dev kissed her back.
“Dev?” Kenny called. “Can we do this one last time before calling it a night?”
“Sure,” Dev answered. Lindsay sat beside him and he ran through it one more time, forcing himself to concentrate on the music instead of the woman beside him.
○ ○ ○
Lindsay prided herself on her talent in a variety of areas, not the least of which was how well she knew her boyfriend and how deftly she could handle him. She didn’t need Kenny to tell her Dev was having trouble, Lindsay knew it already from his phone calls. She knew it was going happen when Dev first told her about the show. In an effort not to scare him, or jinx it for him, she didn’t mention her suspicion. Maybe she should have said something to Kenny. Or Bryan, therefore passing the warning on to Kenny.
As she watched Dev play for the final rehearsal, Lindsay couldn’t help noticing the women loitering to watch. Wasn’t this supposed to be a closed session or something? Yet there were contestants, each one wearing less material than the last; employees from the hotel; show coordinators who surely didn’t need to be there; and Lindsay swore a few people looked like they wandered in from off the street.
Dev seemed okay, Lindsay decided when she turned her attention back to the stage. Although, his eyes kept flickering to the women in the skimpy robes and swimsuits. She would assume that was with nervousness.
So far Lindsay had been by Dev’s side almost every minute since she arrived. The women on the sidelines staring at him optimistically probably thought that was pretty possessive of her. That brunette of Kenny’s that she met in Chicago was the only one who could see the truth. It was in the little smirk behind her smile. Like it was somehow a gold star on her forehead that Dev was sticking to Lindsay like glue.
Whatever. Lindsay didn’t care as long as Paige did see the truth, and she seemed to. The leggy brunette had Kenny in her cross-hairs and treated the rest of them as if they were her prize’s minions – to be tolerated when necessary and tended to as needed. Lindsay wasn’t entirely sure how she felt about that. The attitude seemed appropriate for Jess. In fact, it was a step up from how she viewed him. Bryan was Brenda’s problem, although she thought both he and Dev deserved more respect.
Dev either didn’t notice or didn’t care about Paige’s attitude. He seemed completely at ease with her. Considering Miss Beauty Queen’s list of assets, Lindsay wished Dev would have retained just a little of his normal discomfort around women. Lindsay was okay with his sweaty palms pressed against hers, or his fingers accidentally crushing hers. And those nervous little twitches in his thigh muscles that she could only feel because he held her so close. Poor baby, this has really taken its toll on him, Lindsay thought.
The second song ended and Lindsay watched as Dev smoothly walked off stage as directed. Then, as soon as he was officially out of the camera’s view, he removed his guitar, put it in the stand, and reversed course. He almost ran into Jess and Kenny who, each taking an arm, carefully guided him back along the line of contestants. Lindsay didn’t even notice them leaving the auditorium and heading back to the stage area. On the final night curtains would hide the disaster-in-the-making she could so easily see now.
Passing the line of women, Lindsay saw they were behaving themselves just fine. They were all leaving Dev alone, although Jess was smiling a little broader than he probably should at a few. Did he just wink at that redhead? Lindsay was going to get Brenda to knee him again! Jess was the reason they were slow getting by the line and Dev was simply over-reacting to the proximity of so many women.
Reaching her boyfriend, Lindsay stepped up to him and slid her arms around his neck.
“Loved it. Does this mean you’re free for a while?” she asked.
“Yeah.” Dev put his hands on her waist, but he wasn’t making himself comfortable with the embrace. That was fine, they weren’t staying.
“Then let’s get out of here,” she invited.
Dev smiled, but it was a sliver of what it should be. Lindsay would take it. The whole exchange was just a pretense. She doubted Dev would appreciate it if she just walked up, took his hand, and informed Kenny she would take him from there. Kenny wouldn’t care for it either.
Stepping away again, Lindsay smoothly took Dev’s hand and led him along the line of girls only as far as necessary before angling away to find another way out of the stage area. Maybe she’d fly back to Boston with Dev again after all of this was over. Just to make sure he was okay.
○ ○ ○
Paige sat in the plush leather seat on the sleek private plane with a sigh of relief. It was over. And she made the top ten; that was unexpected. She couldn’t win, she’d accepted that, but it was almost like they’d played fair.
Looking around the rich interior of the plane as Jess passed to sit as far back as possible, Paige decided she could get used to this. Kenny sat beside her, carefully keeping his body language neutral. It was highly irregular for Paige to fly back to Chicago with Kenny, and when he offered, Francois nearly had a stroke.
