Backstage Demands

by Kristina King

  “Georgie, you know as well as I do that all that’ll do is get me fried quicker,” Jasper shot him a glare for even suggesting it. He looked around his small cell. It contained a toilet and sink, a cot and a small table. That was it. The state was kind enough to loan him these for things under a lifetime lease. He pinched the bridge of his nose trying to think fast. His words were just chatter through the air, “Georgie, you've known me since I was a kid. Hell, you were with me when I got my first tattoo and when we both got blown by Susie Kay under the high school bleachers. I’ve done some shit throughout my years. I’ve given some beatings out that’s for sure, but I didn’t kill that guy.” Jasper looked at Georgie through the bars for another minute before adding quietly, “Look I don’t know what happened to that guy after he left the bar. I couldn’t tell them even if I wanted to.” Jasper casually dropped the balled up paper on the side of the bed out of Georgie’s line of sight, tucking it against his far thigh.

  Georgie never even noticed. He just sighed hopelessly for Jasper, but then a mischievous grin passed his lips as he gave Jasper a knowing glance, “Great head, that Susie Kay.” They both laughed a bit thinking of her somewhat fondly. “Man, she was wild. Who knew she’d go pro?” Jasper nodded, but the last thing he wanted to do was think about Susie Kay’s lips wrapped around his cock at the moment. He knew given the chance, the state would fry him for the murder of Lucas Jackson.

  Jasper stood up and went to the bars, “Georgie listen, just do me a favor and keep your ears and eyes open. I’ll figure out a way to get out of this mess. You know I will.” Jasper reached a hand through the bars to shake Georgie’s. Georgie took it, crossing palms and uttering so only Jasper could hear it,

  “Brass First.”

  CHAPTER 2:

  DARLA IS A DIVA

  Lauren Holden stuffed her mailbox key into the lock and tried to turn it, but she had her cell phone clamped between her chin and neck plus half a dozen shopping bags she was attempting to juggle rather than do the logical and set them down, “Yes mom … no, I’m not worried. I’m excited. It’s the opportunity of a lifetime!” Her mother prattled on while Lauren battled the mailbox. She’d make a mental note to tell the building super about it sticking. . Lauren had moved to the city to follow her dreams of being a big city attorney. She wasn’t quite there yet, but she did land a first-year associate’s position at the top firm, “Bliss, Lovell & Wiseman.” Tomorrow was her first day and she wasn’t sure who was more excited, her or her mother.

  “Mom really I’m fine. I just need to get past first day jitters. Hey, can you hold on? You know what, let me just call you back – I have too many bags in my hand and Peter isn’t home to help me.” Her mother reluctantly agreed to let Lauren hang up as long as she promised to call her right back. Lauren promised to call her mother right back, knowing full well that she wouldn’t. She would just call her tomorrow after her big day and give her all the details. Dropping the phone in one of the shopping bags, Lauren grabbed her mail and headed toward the elevator.

  Lauren poked the “down” button and waited for the doors to open. When they did, she took her first step to enter but a tall blonde emerged from the doors, nearly knocking into her, “Oh Lauren! I’m so sorry!” The woman’s hands were on Lauren’s arms as if to steady her.

  Lauren looked up surprised and smiled, “Darla! I mean … Ms. Lovell! How are you? Do you live in this building too?” Lauren was shocked to see one of the founding partners from her the law firm bumping into her here of all places. She juggled her bags while she waited for Darla to respond.

  Darla Lovell was a tall curved drink of water. It was as if she was born during the wrong era. Clearly if this was the golden years of Hollywood, Darla would have given Monroe or Mansfield a run for their money. Her hair was a soft, nearly platinum blonde color with gentle perfect flowing waves. Her blue eyes were like crystals that caught the light. Her suit was Prada, along with her bag and heels. Every inch of her reeked of powerful, high-class, man-eating (and probably woman-eating too), style and grace, but with an underlying note of pure vixen. Darla was a notorious criminal defense attorney and had she not been so stunning, she would have mostly been known as the “Cruella Deville” of the courts. She was charmingly ruthless.

  Darla smiled warmly at Lauren, her teeth were perfect rows of pearly whites.

  “No-no-no-no-no.” The words were fast but assuring as if Darla Lovell would live in this dump, but what a lovely little dump it was. She continued, “I have a client on the 4th floor. Just dropped off some papers to be signed, on my way home. I live over on Park Boulevard – Triumph Towers.”

  Of course, she did. Triumph Towers were the top echelon of living in this city and how Lauren could place her living anywhere else was a thought defined as “beyond crazy”. Darla patted Lauren’s cheek and began moving away from her, her black business stilettos tapping along the stone of the lobby floor.

  “Good luck tomorrow! Bring your A-Game.” Darla did a little spin without missing a step to give Lauren a confident wink. Then she was gone, lost in the light of the last rays of sun shining through the glass doors.

  *

  The elevator doors opened on the 3rd floor and Lauren made her way out. As she approached apartment 313, she noticed the door was open. At first, she simply stared at it, frozen in the hall, bags hanging from her arms as if she was some kind of urban scarecrow attempting to scare off intruders.

  She glanced around the hallway, no one else was in sight. With her shoulder, Lauren nudged the door open wider.

  “Hello? Is anyone here?”

  It was at this moment, she wished she hadn’t lied to her mother and did, indeed, call her right back. As she took another step into the apartment, she heard a noise toward the bedroom. Quickly she dropped the bags at the door and grabbed an umbrella from the stand next to it. Her free hand rummaged each bag for her cell phone, but she forgot which bag she dropped it in.

  “I’m calling the police!” She shouted it toward the bedroom and the door swung open in response!

  Her eyes went wide as she saw her fiancé, Peter standing there in a towel. His hair was wet and slicked back. Droplets of water still dripping down his chiseled, tanned and waxed chest.

  He looked from Lauren’s face to her hand with the umbrella and laughed.

  “What in the world are you doing and why are you calling the police?” He took the towel from around his waist, standing there naked as he nonchalantly wiped down his body. He knew she had a touch of paranoia, but he couldn’t help but tease her, “Are you going to assault me with a dangerous weapon?” He pointed to the umbrella and added, “Just so you know, that one is actually broken. You should have grabbed the red one, instead.” He smirked then laughed.

  Lauren sucked in a deep breath. She hadn’t realized she was holding it the whole time.

  “I thought you were an intruder! Why was the door open and what are you doing home?” She set the umbrella back into the rack near the door as her heart rate returned to normal, but she didn’t take her eyes off him. How could she? He was magnificent looking and Peter knew it, too. He stood there aloof, not a care in the world that he had scared the hell out of her. Deep down, he might actually have liked it.

  Peter tossed the towel to the side and grinned at her, his manhood now at half mast, “I thought I’d come home early and surprise you.” He said just as he made his cock twitch. Lauren couldn’t help but laugh at his playfulness. She moved toward him now feeling playful herself. Peter was the perfect man for Lauren. He was smart, well-educated, incredibly handsome and athletic. People loved Peter. They flocked to him and he had a presence that just shined – especially in the courtroom.

  He proposed to her last Christmas. It was exactly the kind of proposal you would imagine a “Prince Charming” type of guy to stage and Lauren completely lost herself in the moment. First, he collected her from her job as a paralegal in a small law office. He had prearranged with her boss for Lauren to have the day off. She
went to work like it was business as usual, but once she walked in, Peter was there waiting to sweep her off her feet in front of all the other girls in the office.

  He flew her to Paris and proposed on a balcony of their hotel room which faced the Eiffel Tower. The balcony was covered in rose petals, a bottle of the most expensive champagne chilling off to the side and a three-piece band was playing on the balcony next to theirs. He had rented both rooms. They played classical music while Peter and Lauren sipped champagne and gazed at the Eiffel Tower. After the first glass, he dropped to his knee and proposed. The diamond was three carats of gorgeousness and sparkle. It glittered in the light of the Eiffel Tower and it fit her finger like it was Cinderella’s glass slipper. So, of course, she said yes.

  Now, Peter stood before her, the epitome of the perfect man with his tanned, toned skin, his smooth, clean-shaven face, and bright smile. His eyes sparkled with lust and he was motioning her toward him.

  “Come here, my little princess.” This was his nickname for Lauren and her feet were already moving toward him, arms reached out and her nipples pert against the soft lace of her bra as she anticipated his touch.

  Peter reached out and touched her cheek with the back of his fingertips, then he unfolded them and wrapped them around the back of her neck as he pulled her even closer to him. Lauren inhaled the fresh, clean scent of his skin. Her fingertips were already caressing away some of the wetness that still lingered over it. His skin was warm to the touch and his breath quickened when she touched him.

  He slid his free hand up the front of her thigh, his fingertips hooking under the hem of the business skirt she wore and pulling it up with them as they trailed toward the round of her bottom. As his other hand made its way down from her neck toward her waist, he paused along its trail to caress her breast through her sweater. Lauren moaned softly feeling his thumb graze around her nipple. Peter liked to tease her. He liked to bring her to a point where she was begging him for more.

  He licked his lips before kissing her. His mouth tasted like mint and Lauren savored it. The tip of her tongue touched the inner curve of his upper lip. Both of Peter’s hands were now cupping and kneading her ass, the hem of her skirt now pulled up over the curves of it, resting just below her waist. He pulled Lauren flush against him and she laced her arms across his shoulders. Her mouth open now, kissing him more intently. His tongue probing and teasing hers.

  She could feel his hardness pressed against her mound. The thought that he would soon be inside her dampened her thighs and Peter knew it. He could feel her body reacting to it. His hands on her warm ass, squeezing it. His finger strayed toward the crotch of her lacey panties and moved it to the side, exposing her slit. Then he grabbed her by the waist and spun her around until she was pressed up against the wall. Lauren gasped sharply and bit her lip. He already had his throbbing cock in his hand and was rubbing his swollen member against her wet folds.

  “Need me, Princess?” His body was pressed hard against hers, sandwiching her between him and the wall.

  Lauren parted her legs and lifted her ass up a bit as she tried to angle him inside her, but he was controlling the situation – as usual. She nodded as she licked her lips. Her breath coming in short quick pants now.

  “Yes Peter. I need you inside me.” He flicked his tongue over her ear as he pushed deep inside her, separating her warm, wet walls. Once he was deep inside, he flexed his pelvic muscle so she could feel his steely member jump inside her.

  “Needy little princess.” He growled the words against her neck then rocked his hips in rhythmic thrusts.

  The pleasure inside her was building quickly. She was excited and stressed about her new job, but Peter knew how to make that all go away and all it took was him between her folds. As he pumped into her, his hand slid around her waist then dropped below her belly button, caressing her mound lower until he found another “button”. He rubbed it fast in sync with his thrusts. He could feel how slick she was with need and it made him want to explode inside her. Lauren whimpered at his touch and braced herself against the wall, her flushed cheek pressed against its cool surface.

  Her body thumped against it while he thrust, the picture frames on the wall shaking as each thrust became more powerful.

  “Now my needy little princess. Do it now.” Lauren cried out as a gush of pleasure poured from her! Peter quickened his pace as he felt her walls contract around him, “That’s it, baby … let it all go.” He was slapping against her harder now as the pleasure coursed through her entire body, licking her nerve-endings and making her twitch against him. She gulped air quickly as she tried to catch her breath, her eyes squeezed shut as if trying to push every bit of powerful orgasm out of her body.

  A thrust or two later and Peter was folded against her, his own body convulsing as he ejaculated deep inside her; ropes of his love, coating her walls. He breathed hard against her as he moved his hips now slowly.

  “I love you, Princess.”

  CHAPTER 3:

  EARLY BIRD GETS THE WORM

  They ordered in Chinese food and made love into the night, but now it was morning and Lauren was up and about. She had to be at work in two hours and the excitement was making her stomach flip. She sat there on their sofa, quietly having a cup of coffee. In her mind’s eye, she went through her day trying to foresee events and prepare herself for what the day could potentially hold. Peter was still in bed. He has been with his firm for years so he was way past the point of nervousness and first-day jitters. She envied him.

  Her legs bounced as she sipped her coffee staring at the clock, second hand ticking away. Committing to appear as an overachiever, Lauren set the cup down and gave herself one last look over in the mirror before heading out. Being early was better than being late.

  Lauren was pleased with her reflection. Her auburn hair was smooth and fell straight, just below her shoulders. She tucked a stray strand behind her ear as she further examined herself. Her skin was a soft porcelain, dappled with freckles that matched her hair. Her green eyes sparkled brilliantly under dark, lush black mascara covered lashes. She probably wore a little more than she should have, but she decided to leave it. No sense in causing raccoon eyes in trying to take some of it off. She couldn’t risk it now.

  Her suit was a dark charcoal colored pants suit with a matching single-buttoned blazer. It was perfectly tailored to her slightly curved frame. Her buttoned down shirt was a soft cream color that accented her skin tone and hair color. To Lauren, she felt she looked the part. Now she just needed to act it. It was time to go.

  She left a note for Peter thanking him for de-stressing her, grabbed her things and headed out the door. Thirty minutes later, she’d be standing in front of the impressive law office with its glass doors and windows accessorized with brass trim. Staring up at it, Lauren thought about how she had bumped into Darla Lovell yesterday and how the building itself reminded her of Darla, “Tall drink of water.” While she couldn’t put her finger on it at the moment, Lauren felt uneasy about seeing Darla in her modest apartment building. Darla was just so out of place there. She buried that uneasy feeling in the back of her mind. Now she had more important things to do – like start her new job.

  *

  Upon entering the main lobby, Lauren confidently flashed her ID as if she had been doing it every day. She always tried to give the impression that she belonged. Today she did, but it was something she struggled with her whole life. Now, she felt as if she finally made it. She had a handsome fiancé, the perfect job and while it was no Triumph Towers, she did have a nice place to live. Lauren was on the path to success and happiness – the kind any princess could ask for. As she rode the elevator, she contemplated getting a dog. That was, after all, the logical next step.

  Bridget Muller was waiting for Lauren at the reception desk.

  “Lauren Holden?” She asked. When Lauren offered a smile and a nod, Bridget introduced herself, “Excellent. I’m Bridget Muller, the office administrator. I’ll show you t
o your desk.” Lauren followed Bridget dutifully and glanced around the office. She offered simple but friendly greetings to all that caught her eye. Once at her desk, Bridget would help her get settled in, “Now you have a staff meeting at 10 am in the conference room. Be sure to be on time.”

  Lauren laughed at this warning since both she and Bridget were apparently early birds.

  “I don’t think that will be a problem.”

  With that, Bridget gave her a stoic nod and walked her through everything else Lauren needed to know to get through her busy day. When Bridget finally left her, Lauren pulled out the engraved desk sign that her mother had given her as a gift. It read, “Lauren Holden, Attorney at Law.” She put it on the desk and took a selfie with it. Only when she looked at the photo did she notice Darla Lovell in the background. Lauren had shot the photo from her desk seat, the sign turned toward her, but the camera was facing the open door. Across the hall, Darla stood in the conference room watching her. When Lauren turned her head to look at the door, Darla was gone. No trace of her except the photo now in her phone. Lauren frowned to herself, “Great … first embarrassing moment on the job.”

  CHAPTER 4:

  THANKS FOR THE JOB, DARLA

  The glass doors of the conference room swung open and Darla stopped mid-sentence. She glared at the secretary standing in the doorway. She did not like intrusions.

  “What is the matter, Marta?” she asked without attempting to mask the dissatisfaction in her voice.

  Marta stammered as she attempted to answer, hoping she wouldn’t get her head chewed off.

  “Uh … I’m … I’m very sorry to interrupt, but there’s a Jasper Connor on the phone calling from prison and he insists he needs to speak with you.”