by Shawn Bailey
Brenton didn’t give a fuck about Tory or anyone else when it came to his personal life.
Carson threw open the door and marched out without staggering. Maybe he wasn’t that drunk. Brenton watched him get into his car and drive away. He shut and locked the front door and then went up to his room. He found Jonas sitting on his bed wearing one of his robes.
“Did your company leave?” Jonas asked.
“Yeah, it was Carson.”
“Yeah, so I heard. You need to soundproof your bathroom.”
“I think he knows about us,” Brenton said.
Jonas slipped out of the robe. “I don’t care. Come fuck me.”
It was an offer Brenton wasn’t going to refuse. He would deal with Carson later. He stripped again and crawled onto the bed.
“My pleasure.”
Chapter Fifteen
“You know I can’t say that I saw this coming,” Giovanni said as he stared at Brenton from across the room. “You’re not exactly Jonas’s type.”
“What’s Jonas’s type?” Brenton asked as he sat in the den of the Kerry house on Sunday afternoon.
“Nerds,” Gerard said, answering for Giovanni.
“Guys who will answer to his beck and call,” Adam Montgomery said.
“Fanboys,” Giovanni said. “Guys he can manipulate.”
These were the last guys he thought to find there when he entered the house less than an hour ago. He looked over to Jonas for some clarification or denial.
Jonas nodded. “True.”
“I hope I don’t have to remind you to keep this on the down low,” Adam said.
“Who would believe this?” Brenton asked. Frankie was dating his manager, Adam Montgomery; Gerard was dating French designer Giovanni Bassett; and now he and Jonas was dating. “Who would believe that all three members of The Kerrys are gay?”
“Welcome to the family,” Giovanni said.
“Thanks,” Brenton said, still feeling a bit in the dark.
“There are two other guys in this happy menagerie who couldn’t make it tonight,” Adam said. “Luke Austin and Noel Charles.”
Brenton sighed. This thing had thrown him for a loop. “Them, too?”
“Yes. They are secretly dating, too.”
“Not much of a secret,” Brenton said. “I saw the two of them making out hot and heavy in the parking lot after the meeting the other day.”
Gerard turned up his nose. “Hoochie.”
He didn’t reiterate on the outburst, and Brenton wasn’t one to pry. “Please tell me how this works, and does Tory know?”
“Yes, Tory knows,” Adam said. “But not about you two. And we make it work by not showing affection for our lovers in public. Yes, we know it stinks, but we need to protect these guys’ reputations.”
“What about your reputation?” Brenton asked.
“Giovanni, Luke, and I are out of the closet, and it’s no secret to anyone how we roll, that is why it’s strictly hands off in public. Luke is just an asshole when it comes to Noel. I will talk to him later about being more discrete.”
“You get along with Noel Charles?” Brenton asked. “I’ve met him only once, and he rubs me the wrong way.”
“Luke is The Kerrys’ publicist, and he’s been with us since the beginning. We don’t exactly like Noel, but none of us want their secret dating exposed,” Adam said.
The look on Gerard’s face was priceless. He frowned and had his nose turned up in distaste. There was probably something going on with the situation that he didn’t know about.
Frankie entered the den. “Dinner’s ready.”
Whatever the pint-sized singer had brewing in the kitchen filled the air with delicious aromas. Everyone stood up and followed him out of the den to the dining room. The table was beautifully set with a black tablecloth with green dinnerware. There was also a cartload of food waiting. Brenton offered to help him serve.
“Did you cook all of this yourself?” he asked Frankie.
“Yes. Thank you for helping out.”
“My pleasure.”
Adam eyed him curiously, like a predatory lion. Brenton ignored him. Frankie was nice but wasn’t his type. Both of them sat down after everyone had been served. Adam had pot roast on his plate, but neither he nor Jonas had any starches. He wondered if Adam had diabetes, too. He supposed he’d learn more as this relationship thing matured.
“Are you excited about the upcoming tour?” Adam asked Brenton.
“Yes, but it would have been nice to have more warning,” Brenton answered. “But I think it’s going to be a blast.”
“Aren’t you tired after being on a road for two years,” Gerard asked.
No doubt these guys had done their homework about him. “Yes, but this is an opportunity of a lifetime.”
“Frankie, baby, can you get me a beer?” Adam asked.
Frankie had just settled down to eat after cooking and serving, but he hopped out of his seat. “Do any of you guys want one?”
Only Giovanni raised his hand. Frankie dashed out of the room. He came back, placed the beers in front of the two men, and then sat down again. No doubt that Adam ruled the roost in the Kerry home. Frankie got up a couple of times during dinner to remove plates and take them into the kitchen. The younger man did have a lot of energy.
Frankie’s phone rang during dinner. He put on the speaker.
“Hello, Kalen.”
“Hey, Frankie. What are you doing?”
“Having dinner with some friends. Say hello to everyone?”
“Hello, everyone,” Kalen said.
The kid had a cute voice.
“Hey, sport,” Adam said.
“Hello, Uncle Adam.”
“Hey, mon petite,” Gerard said.
“Hey, G.”
“Bonjour, Kalen,” Giovanni said.
“Bonjour, G to the second power.”
Giovanni laughed at his nickname.
Jonas spoke next. “Hello, Kalen.”
“Hey, diva,” Kalen said.
Everyone laughed, except Jonas. “He and Frankie think they’re funny,” Jonas explained. “Say hello to him.”
“Hello, Kalen,” Brenton said.
“Hey, B-Dog,” Kalen replied.
“How did you know who that was?” Jonas asked Kalen.
“Uncle Adam and Frankie told me he was coming to dinner. They explained to me that he’s your new friend.”
The kid sounded a lot older and mature than five, Brenton thought.
“How is the sleepover?” Adam asked.
“Miss Amanda let me and William help her make cookies, and I’m teaching William how to work the runway.”
“Does he want to be a model now?” Adam asked.
“Yes,” Kalen answered.
“That’s good,” Adam said. “I’ll see you tomorrow. We have a big day with Brian.”
“Check,” Kalen said. “Don’t eat too much cake, Frankie.”
“Why not?” Frankie asked.
Kalen giggled. “‘Cause Jonas said your butt is big enough.”
Everyone chuckled, except Frankie. “I hope they put a lot of makeup on you at the photo shoot tomorrow,” Frankie said to his younger brother. “Bye, baby diva.”
“Au revoir, Frankie,” Kalen said. “Good-bye, everyone.”
Frankie disconnected the call. “I really don’t like that kid.”
“Yeah, sure,” Adam said. “Everyone knows that Kalen’s your heart.”
“He is not,” Frankie said. “Jonas is.”
Gerard chuckled. “That’s the truth. He dotes on Jonas.”
“Does he now?” Brenton asked.
Gerard nodded. “Frankie is the nurturing one, Jonas is the pretty one, and Kalen is the angel.”
“And you’re the BFF,” Jonas said.
“For life,” Gerard said.
“Hey, what about me?” Giovanni asked. “I thought I was your best friend.”
“You are, but you more my BFWB,” Gerard said.
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“What is that?” Giovanni asked.
“Best friend with benefits,” Gerard explained.
Giovanni and Adam chuckled.
Brenton just shook his head. These guys were hilarious.
The conversation turned back to music as they moved from the dining room to the den for dessert. Frankie had outdone himself with sugar-free, dark chocolate brownies and ice dessert made with frozen fruit that tasted a lot like ice cream. Afterward, they moved to the place out back that The Kerrys used to rehearse in.
“This is nice,” Brenton said.
“Yes,” Jonas said. “It’s our sanctuary.”
“Stop talking and start entertaining,” Adam said. “You guys said you have some new songs.” He walked over to a refrigerator and took out some beers and handed one to Brenton and the other to Giovanni.
“Thanks,” Brenton said.
“Come sit by me, B-Dog,” Adam said. “Let the kiddies work.”
Brenton left Jonas’s side. He sat next to Adam on one of the sofas. Giovanni sat to the right of Adam. The two men seemed so relaxed, like they were really a part of the Kerry family. Brenton had never felt that kind of contentment before, not even with the members of Vizio.
Jonas sat at the piano, Gerard sat behind his drums, and Frankie stood out front by the mic. The trio entertained them for about an hour with their new songs. By the end of the performance, Brenton knew that they were much more talented than the world knew.
“You guys were fantastic,” Brenton said.
“So are you,” Jonas replied. “Brenton has a new song, too.”
“Oh yeah?” Adam asked. “Will you play it for us?”
“Can’t,” Brenton said. “No guitar.”
“Can’t use that excuse,” Frankie said, walking over to a set of double doors and opening it.
“Oh, my word,” Brenton said. “The cabinet was loaded with guitars and other instruments. “Are you gents collectors?”
“Yes, and no,” Jonas said. “They all have different sounds.”
Brenton knew that much. He selected a guitar, and Jonas handed him a pick. Jonas turned away, and Brenton grabbed his hand. “Not so fast, diva. We’re in this together.”
“What does he mean?” Adam asked. “Did you guys collaborate on a song?”
“Not exactly,” Jonas said. “Brenton wrote it. I just helped him out near the end.” He walked over to the piano.
“That means collaboration,” Adam said to Jonas.
Brenton sat down with the guitar and Jonas went back to the piano. “Let’s take it from the top.”
The two of them began to play and sing. The guitar had an amazing sound, and Jonas obviously took good care of it. Halfway through the song Brenton realized how comfortable he felt singing with Jonas. Everyone clapped when the song ended.
“That song is just going to blow Tory away,” Adam said.
“You think so?” Brenton asked.
“Hell yes, and your fans are going to love it.”
“Whose fans?” Brenton asked.
“Yours of course,” Adam said.
“But it’s not heavy metal,” Brenton said.
“No, but that’s not a problem. You have evolved,” Giovanni said. “You wouldn’t have written a ballad knowing it didn’t fit your usual style.”
“And you guys sound great together,” Frankie said.
“Is it my imagination, or has Jonas’s voice change?” Adam asked. “I kind of noticed it at the concert.”
“I noticed it, too,” Giovanni said. “It’s mellower. Oh, my God. Is it because Jonas is happy?”
Gerard looked surprised. “The queen of mean happy? No!”
Brenton figured out that the two were just teasing Jonas. There was no way in the world he could be that much of a diva.
Jonas flipped his hair. “Bite me, you guys.”
Or maybe he could. Was the Jonas he knew and the Jonas they knew two different people?
“Something wonderful must have happened in his life,” Giovanni said.
“Or someone wonderful,” Adam said, looking directly at Brenton.
Jonas looked over at Brenton and smiled. “I have no idea what they’re talking about.”
The party moved back inside of the house. Frankie put on some music, and he and Adam got up to dance.
“Do they do this often?” Brenton asked Jonas.
“Yes,” Jonas answered. “It’s not like they can dance like that in public.”
“There are gay clubs in New Orleans,” Brenton said.
“Yes, but we can’t go there without fear that someone will discover who we are.”
“We have managed to find a private gay club that we can go without fear of being discovered,” Giovanni said. “If you’re going to hang with us, you’re going to need to apply for membership. I will sponsor you.”
“Merci,” Brenton said to the French guy.
A fast song came on, and Gerard hopped up and pulled Giovanni to his feet. “Let’s boogie.”
Brenton watched. The two French guys had pretty smooth moves. “I’m not much of a dancer,” Brenton said to Jonas.
“That will change,” Jonas said. “Sometimes we have to celebrate our victories the best way we can.”
“Can you dance like them?” Brenton asked.
Frankie laughed. “Better let me teach you, or Jonas will have you swinging from a pole.”
“Huh?” Brenton asked.
Jonas just shrugged and smiled sheepishly. Brenton smirked. That would explain the perfect lap dance in his bedroom the other night. He was dating a freak.
Frankie went off with Adam, and Gerard and Giovanni left right behind them, leaving him alone with Jonas.
“Want to see my room?” Jonas asked.
“There won’t be any ex-boyfriend things sitting out on display to make me nervous, will there?” Brenton asked.
“No,” Jonas answered. “Frankie has taken care of that. This house is cheat-free.”
Brenton guessed it would be all right. He would just have to take Jonas’s word for it. But the closet of exotic toys Jonas showed him later would take some getting used to.
Chapter Sixteen
“It’s about time you got here,” Carson said to Brenton when he stepped into the music room assigned to them at Albertson Entertainment. The rest of their bandmates were there, along with Tommy Davis, a lyrist responsible for writing most of their songs.
“Tory stopped me to talk,” Brenton said. It was the first time he’d seen Carson since early Sunday morning. “What do you have for us, Tommy?”
“Some rocking songs, B-Dog,” the long-haired songwriter said. He handed Brenton some sheet music. “You guys have two weeks to learn these songs, and then you’re in the studio.”
They still had less than a month before the Vegas concert, but they had worked with deadlines before. Brenton thought they could do it. Tommy went over to the piano and sat down. The members of Vizio sat down and listened for him to play and sing the first song. By the end, Brenton felt a little disappointed because it sounded like their usual songs, lots of music, but very little singing. The second song was just a tad bit better. He actually liked the third song Tommy played.
“This one is for Brenton and Carson,” Tommy said, continuing to play. “A duet.”
“I like that one,” Randall said when Tommy finished with the third song.
“What’s wrong with the other two?” Tommy asked.
“It’s an old sound,” Preston said instead of Randall. “The last one you played is more in the direction we’re heading.”
Tommy turned around to face them. “But you’re a heavy-metal band. Your fans are going to want to hear major guitar strumming and loud singing.”
“I’m not saying we won’t use the first two,” Brenton said. “We just want our songs from now on to have some feeling to them.”
“Like what?” Tommy asked.
Brenton rose and walked over to the piano. “May I?”
&nb
sp; Tommy stood, and Brenton sat and began playing Billy Ocean’s “There’ll Be Sad Songs.”
“Yeah, man,” Carson said, hopping out of his seat and hurrying over to him to help with the vocals. Preston and Randall joined him for the chorus and harmony.
Someone clapped at the back of the room when they finished. It was Tory, and he had The Kerrys with him. Jonas had his guitar, Frankie had his violin, and Gerard was spinning his drumsticks in his hand. Brenton figured they must be on their way to another music room to rehearse.
“Love the sound, you guys,” Tory said. “I had no idea you could sing R&B so well.”
He walked toward them. The Kerrys stayed at the back of the room.
“We are capable of doing other things besides heavy metal,” Preston said.
“Yeah, so you’ve told me,” Tory said.
“We still intend to rock for the concert, but we want to introduce one or two R&B songs to see how they will be received.” Brenton said to Tommy and Tory.
“You mean like the song you were singing, or something new?” Tory asked.
“Something new,” Brenton answered.
“Let me take my babes to their music room, and I’ll come back to hear it,” Tory said.
“Why don’t you let The Kerrys hear it and get their opinion, too,” Brenton suggested, even though they had heard one of the songs yesterday.
“You have me intrigued,” Tory said. “Okay, they have a few minutes before their rehearsal begins. Come on down, gents, and take a seat.”
Jonas, Gerard, and Frankie marched in. Randall, Carson, and Preston returned to their seats. Tory and Tommy sat down on the front row. Gerard claimed a seat next to Tory, and Frankie sat down to his left.
“Can I borrow your guitar?” Brenton asked Jonas before he joined them.
“Sure,” Jonas said. He walked over to the piano.
Brenton stood. “Why don’t you sit here and help me with this number?”
“Are you sure?” Jonas asked.
Brenton nodded. He knew he had only one chance to convince Tory to allow them to perform this song in concert.
“What?” Tory asked. “Jonas knows about your new song?”
“Why am I not surprised,” Carson said sarcastically.
Brenton ignored him. “Yes,” he said to Tory.
