by Shawn Bailey
Sean cleared his throat. “I’ll be looking forward to that.”
Adam laughed. Nothing embarrassed those two.
Frankie, on the other hand, sipped his cider and didn’t comment.
Gerard entered the room.
“What are you doing here?” Luke asked him. “Is something wrong?”
“No,” Tory answered for him. “Meet the Kerrys’ new drummer and their wardrobe person.”
“What?” Luke asked. “No one told me.”
“We wanted it to be a surprise,” Gerard said.
“What about school and your job?” Luke asked.
“I can take classes online, and I quit my job this morning.”
Adam chuckled. “Welcome to the family, Gerard.”
He didn’t miss the smile on Frankie’s face either.
“Thanks,” Gerard said. “And yes, those leather outfits do come in red and navy. I had them delivered to the hotel ballroom this morning, too.”
Jonas groaned. “They make my thighs itch.”
“I’ll rub you down in baby powder before you squeeze into them,” Gerard said.
“Really?” Jonas asked.
Sean looked fit to be tied as his beau flirted playfully with Gerard.
Luke looked a bit upset, too.
“My thighs are chafed, too,” Frankie said.
“I will powder yours, too,” Gerard said. He winked at Frankie.
Frankie grinned from ear to ear.
Adam hadn’t seen him do so much smiling, ever. He didn’t care what Luke said, he was going to keep his eye on those two.
“I have to go,” Gerard said. “I just came over to congratulate you guys and to sign my contract. I have to turn a report into my Physics professor. I’ll see you tomorrow at the festival.” He gave Luke a kiss good-bye, faked a kiss at Frankie, and left.
“What’s that all about?” Luke asked Frankie.
“He’s just being goofy,” Frankie answered. “Friends kid that way.”
* * * *
The last person he expected to see at the festival was Myron, or the rest of his goon friends. Frankie had spotted them as soon as he and Jonas took the stage on the first evening of the festival. They were scheduled to perform for forty-five minutes. At the middle of autumn and at six o’clock in the evening it was still hot as hell in New Orleans. Just a couple of days ago it was cool enough for jackets. Luckily Luke had dressed them in cotton outfits to absorb some of the heat.
Gerard showed up with Luke, and he caught a glimpse of Adam and Sean in the crowd. While his big brother and Sean would be all lovey-dovey tonight after the release party, he would be going to bed alone after he put Kalen to sleep.
Myron blew a kiss at him.
Frankie shook his head and got ready to perform. He drank some water from his bottle and sat it down away from the speakers.
The MC announced them and the crowd went wild as soon as they began to perform. Forty-five minutes later Frankie had to pee like a race horse…an old New Orleans saying. The crowd wanted them to continue playing. Frankie didn’t think he was going to make it if they had to do an encore.
“The Kerrys will be back tomorrow,” the announcer said. “Please enjoy the rest of the show.”
Frankie wobbled over to Jonas. “Pack my violin for me. I have to pee badly.”
“Okay,” Jonas said.
Frankie left the stage in search of the nearest portable toilet. The last person he expected to see at the festival was the first person he saw when he stepped outside the Port O’ John.
“Hi, Frankie,” Myron said.
“Hey,” Frankie responded.
“I enjoyed your performance.”
“Thanks,” Frankie said. It was the first time he’d seen Myron since the barbecue. He’d gotten rid of his dreadlocks for an Ivy League cut. He looked good and civilized like this. He was also dressed nicely in slacks and a shirt instead of having his jean hanging off his butt like he usually did. “You look different.”
“Do you like it?” Myron asked. “I got a new job and they have a dress code.”
“Yeah, I like it,” Frankie said. Myron had on some nice-smelling cologne, too.
“Are you still dating that hotel guy?”
“Yeah,” Frankie answered. “But we’re kind of on a break?”
“Really?” Myron asked, trapping Frankie by a tree.
“Yeah,” Frankie said as Myron moved in closer.
* * * *
“Where’s Frankie?” Adam asked Jonas as they were about to leave the festival.
“He went to pee,” Jonas said. “But he’s been gone a while.”
Panic set in. Frankie wasn’t just a regular festival attendee anymore. He was one of the star attractions. “Which way did he go?”
Jonas pointed to the right.
Adam headed in that direction to look for him. There were so many people there, and it was getting dark, making it hard from him to see. He started to run, looking in both directions. He had to find Frankie before something happened to him. Adam stopped to catch his breath. He heard a familiar laugh. Adam squelched his eyes so he could see better. He spotted Frankie by a tree, and he wasn’t alone. He was with Myron. What were they doing together? He crept up on them to eavesdrop on the conversation.
“He’s too old for you anyway,” Myron said, running his hand along Frankie’s cheek. “You know I’ve always been in love with you.”
“Yeah, I know,” Frankie said breathlessly.
“Come on. Let’s leave this place.”
“Where would we go?” Frankie asked.
“My place,” Myron answered. “I changed the sheets and everything.”
Frankie chuckled sexily. “You’re so crazy.”
“I’m crazy about you,” Myron said. “I want to fuck you so desperately.”
Adam had heard enough. “Frankie’s not going anywhere,” he said upon approach.
“Your lover’s here,” Myron announced.
“Ex-lover,” Frankie said.
“Get to the van,” Adam said loudly.
“Don’t tell me what to do,” Frankie shot back at him.
Adam glared at him. The old Frankie had returned. The street-smart one. “Don’t play with me, Frankie. You don’t want to mess with me when I’m mad.”
“What the fuck are you mad about?” Frankie asked. “I was just talking with a friend.”
“He’s no friend,” Adam said. “He wants to fuck you.”
“That’s no secret,” Myron said smartly.
“Walk away while you can,” Adam said to Myron. “This is between me and Frankie.”
“Go back, Myron,” Frankie said. “This might get ugly.”
Myron shook his head. “I’m not leaving you here with him. He might try to beat up on you or something.”
“He won’t,” Frankie said. “He likes this pretty face. It will be okay. Go.”
Myron stepped away. “I’m leaving, but I’m going to find Jonas.” He left.
Frankie glared at him. “Speak.”
“What do you think you’re doing out here with him?”
“Talking,” Frankie said.
“It looked more than that to me,” Adam said.
“The ways you perceive things are wrong sometimes.” He paused. “You hurt me, Adam.” Frankie walked away.
Adam caught him by the arm and pulled Frankie to his chest. “Don’t walk away from me. Just give me a chance to explain.”
“Forget it,” Frankie said, pulling away. “I know what I saw.”
Adam watched him walk away and headed back to the area where he’d left Jonas.
Adam kicked the ground. “Damn brat.” He followed behind him to make sure no one laid a finger on him. Where the fuck were the bodyguards anyway?
“Are you okay?” Jonas asked Frankie when they got back to the group.
“Yes,” Adam said. “I didn’t lay a hand on him.” He didn’t see Myron. “Let’s get out of here.”
Gerard winked at Frankie.
<
br /> Luke grabbed Gerard’s hand and hauled him toward the van.
Adam made sure he got in a separate vehicle from Frankie before he choked him.
Chapter Fifteen
Frankie checked out his reflection in the full-length mirror. A white tuxedo and blue cummerbund made his eyes pop.
Jonas was in the mirror next to him primping. He wore a black tuxedo with a blue vest. “Adam was pretty mad at you this evening.”
“That’s his problem,” Frankie said, admiring the cut of the suit. “Nothing happened.”
“You know better than to toy with Myron. You could have gotten him killed.”
Frankie chuckled. “He was waiting for me outside the toilet. He should have known better, too.”
Jonas shook his head. “Don’t fuck with Adam, Frankie. I never saw him that angry before.”
“I’m not fucking with him. I’m just letting him suffer like I’ve been suffering.”
“I understand you’re hurt, but Adam is a good guy and he loves you,” Jonas said.
“Well he had a funny way of showing it,” Frankie said. “He didn’t come behind me that day, you did. And when was the last time he came over to the house to see Kalen? For all I know he could be sleeping with Nico every night.”
“You know better than that,” Jonas said. “Adam’s hurting, too. I see the way he looks at you. Don’t mess this up. Let the man apologize.”
“I’m not stopping him,” Frankie said, hearing their intro music. “It’s time for us to go.”
“Just remember what I told you. True love doesn’t come around that often.”
Frankie checked his appearance one last time. Jonas didn’t know what he was talking about. He walked out of the dressing room with Jonas close on his heels. He would get through this night and tomorrow with a smile on his face. He wasn’t going to give Adam the pleasure of seeing how miserable he truly was.
* * * *
“Ladies and gentlemen, the Kerrys.”
Adam stopped talking to Tory and put his eyes on the stage. The curtains opened, and Jonas and Frankie appeared.
The audience gave them a rousing round of applause.
“Thank you, ladies and gentlemen,” Jonas said. “We’re going to kick this off with a song from our first CD. So sit back and relax and enjoy the show.”
Frankie stepped up to the mic, and Jonas and the orchestra began to play and Frankie began to sing. Adam never seen him look so grown up or sing such a fitting song, Bobby Womack’s “If You Think You’re Lonely Now,” while looking directly at him.
The crowd went wild as Frankie got down on his knees and then stood up and did a spin.
Luke peeked at him.
Adam rolled his eyes.
The song ended, and they followed it up with one of their other new songs, the soul one that Frankie and Travis Miller had written together. Frankie moved to the piano while Jonas played the guitar.
Women in the audience started swaying and waving their arms the air. One screamed Frankie’s name. Frankie continued to play the piano and sing.
The Kerrys livened up the audience up with a fast number. This time Frankie and Jonas stood in front of mics and singing to the audience. Then they started to dance.
Adam moved around in his seat. Both of those guys were so hot. He wondered what Frankie would look like if he grew his hair down to his butt like Jonas wore his. No, must not think about it. That song ended quickly. Thank god.
The Kerrys performed for nearly an hour, and then a disc jockey took over. They came down into the audience and began socializing with the crowd.
Gerard found his way over to Frankie. He was dressed in a black suit with a red shirt that looked like he’d been poured into it.
Adam was talking with Tory and some of his friends, but he kept his eyes on the curly haired demon that had guys hovering around him like flies. He wanted to walk right over there and snatch Frankie away and up to his room, but Tory said not to make contact in front of the crowd. Shit. He’d come out the closet long ago and didn’t give a care what people thought about him, but he would respect his friend’s wishes.
A young lady walked up to Frankie and asked him to dance.
Frankie escorted her to the dance floor and danced a slow number with her. Frankie smiled and talked to her while they dance.
Adam grumped. Frankie wouldn’t know what to do with a piece of pussy even if it was offered to him.
“You need to smile,” Luke said to him, after Tory went off to hobnob with some of his other guests.
“Why?” Adam asked.
“Because frowning will give you wrinkles.”
“Frankie’s dancing with a girl.”
“So is Gerard,” Luke said. “You can dance with a female if you want to.”
Adam scowled. “My mother only,” he said.
Luke chuckled. “You’re still mad about earlier, aren’t you?”
“Yeah. You should have seen that kid Myron all over Frankie. It took everything in me not to knock his lights out.”
“And what good would that have done besides got you arrested? Frankie is a nice-looking young gay man. And he’s arrogant as hell. He’s going to have guys and girls throwing themselves at him from now on. You need to get over it.”
“But you don’t understand. Myron is one of Jonas’s friends and he’s been in love with Frankie since they were kids. If I wouldn’t have gone to look for Frankie, no telling what might have happened.”
“Probably nothing,” Luke said. “You took his cherry and put him up on this throne. You took him off the street and put a roof over his head. Frankie is not crazy. He’s not going to do anything with Myron. He has too much to lose. And surprising at it may seem, he’s smarter than he looks.”
“Hey, he’s gorgeous,” Adam said.
“Yeah, and you love him. So let him have center-stage attention tonight and then apologize. Kiss his ass if you have to, but don’t lay a finger on him.”
“When did you get so smart?” Adam asked Luke.
“Do you see who I’m dating? My heart skipped a beat the first time I saw him walking across the college campus a couple of years ago. He was still in high school then and had just come to pick up some information from the registrar’s office. Imagine him at sixteen. He had hair down his back like Jonas, big blue eyes, and a beautiful face.”
“Yeah, I can imagine him,” Adam said.
“And I’ve cheated on him so many times I’m ashamed of myself,” Luke said.
Adam stared at him. “And he’s still with you.”
“Yeah,” Luke said. “It took me almost losing him to realize it was time to straighten up my act. Oh, I still flirt, but his arms are the only one I want to wake up in.”
Adam blew out an exasperated breath of air. “I will kiss his ass,” Adam said finally. “I like waking up in Frankie’s arms, too.”
* * * *
“That was some very heavy stuff this evening,” Gerard said to Frankie when they were alone and both nursing a glass of soda. “You okay?”
“Yes,” Frankie said. “Adam just blew everything out of proportion.”
“Did he?” Gerard asked.
“Yeah, I was only talking to Myron.”
“I’ve seen Myron,” Gerard said. “He’s someone to get angry over.”
“It wasn’t like I was going to kiss the guy or go to bed with him,” Frankie admitted. “I just wanted to feel special for a couple of minutes. You have no idea what I’ve been going through.”
“Yes, I do,” Gerard admitted. “Luke and I have had some pretty rough times, too. I was sixteen when I met him. He wasn’t really my type at first, but then one day I woke up and was in love with him.” He sighed. “Look at Adam. He’s just a few years older than Luke, but the two of them could be brothers. We have the two best-looking guys in the room and we’re sitting here feeling sorry for ourselves.”
“I thought we were the best looking guys in the room,” Frankie joked. “You were dancing with a
girl.”
“You, too.”
The both shuddered.
“She gave me her number,” Gerard said. “She wants me to call her tonight.”
“Will you?” Frankie asked.
Gerard shook his head, laughing. “I put it in the trash when she wasn’t looking.” He stopped laughing. “Adam is glaring at me.”
Frankie looked up. “Don’t worry about him. If he wants me back, he has to apologize.”
“Is that all?” Gerard asked.
“No, I want flowers, too,” Frankie said.
“Ooh, high-maintenance.”
“Sean’s given Jonas flowers for no reason. I should at least be worth a long-stemmed rose.”
“At least,” Gerard agreed. “We’re going to have so much fun working together and traveling. Just think about it. We might get to go to England or Japan to perform.”
“Hey, that’s right. You start rehearsing with us on Monday.”
“And designing your costumes.”
“No leather pants,” Frankie said.
“Oh why not? You have the cutest little booty.”
“No, I have junk in my trunk,” Frankie said. “Jonas is the one with the little butt.”
“I like a guy with a nice butt,” Gerard said. “Luke’s ass is amazing.”
Frankie chuckled. “You’re so silly.”
“What about Adam’s?”
“It’s great, too, but I’m more of a chest man. I like to see all those muscles ripple.” Frankie pouted. “I miss that. And he always smells so good.”
“Stop thinking about him. You’re just going to make yourself miserable,” Gerard said.
“I want to dance with him,” Frankie said.
“You know that’s against the rules.”
“Shoot,” Frankie said. “Then he’ll never be able to dance with me in public.”
“I’ll throw a party and I’ll invite you guys,” Gerard said. “You can dance with him all you want to at my house.”
“Speaking of which, how can a kid your age afford a house?”
“My father is a politician,” Gerard explained. “As soon as he found out I was gay, he bought it for me to get me out of his.”
“He’s not too keen on the idea of you being in love with a guy?”
