by Price, Sarah
Geoffrey saw her first. He hesitated, just a moment, before motioning for her to come join him on the wing of the stage. She left Charlotte’s side and walked over to Geoffrey, worried that people were watching her. But when she glanced around, everyone was too busy with their jobs to be paying any attention to her.
“Amanda,” Geoffrey said and leaned forward to give her a quick hug and kiss on the cheek. “It’s good to see you.”
His warm greeting did little to set her at ease.
“It’s been a long day,” she said as she looked around, her nerves on edge. The noise of the crowd was louder than the noise from the music onstage. The opening act. Alejandro wasn’t onstage yet, and they would need at least thirty minutes to change the sets.
“You flew in this morning?”
She nodded her head. “Ja, this morning.”
She looked around, taking in the activity and organized chaos that surrounded them. She peeked at the audience and saw the arena packed with fans, some anxiously awaiting Viper’s appearance while others took the opportunity to leave their seats to purchase refreshments or visit the restroom. She did not see Alejandro. “Where . . . where is he?” she asked, hating the way her voice sounded so unsteady.
Geoffrey hesitated before responding. His pause caused her to look at him.
A moment of panic washed over her. “What is it?”
“He knows you’re here,” Geoffrey said in a matter-of-fact tone.
She swallowed. Was that good or bad? “I . . . I’m not surprised. Dali arranged so many appointments for me.”
A man dressed in jeans and a black T-shirt walked up to Geoffrey and handed him a clipboard with some papers on it. Geoffrey scanned the three pages, nodded his head, and handed it back. “Alejandro should be just wrapping up the Meet and Greet.”
Of course, she thought, he would be attending the beloved sessions where fans paid money to spend thirty seconds in his presence. In the past, he had liked meeting with his fans and it seemed to put him in a good mood. Now, since she hadn’t considered exactly how to approach him, she wondered if meeting him outside the Meet and Greet area might be a good idea.
During the flight over to London, Amanda had thought through a dozen different scenarios. She had wanted to catch him before the show began when he was alone, perhaps reviewing the set list or having just finished the sound check. She had imagined that he would see her standing in the wings of the stage. He would stop what he was doing and walk toward her, surprised by her presence. She worried over his reaction. Would he be cold and standoffish or would he be angry? But she had known that she needed to explain herself in person to win him over. That was why she had traveled so far just to be reunited with him.
Of course, Dali had ruined any of Amanda’s preconceived reunion scenarios by arranging all of those appointments beforehand. And Charlotte. Teaming Amanda up with Charlotte had been another exhausting surprise. Her mind seemed to move as fast as her body. Several times throughout the day, Amanda had wondered how anyone could have so much energy and be on the constant go like Charlotte.
Now that Alejandro knew she’d arrived in London, all Amanda’s previous scenarios were moot. Her losing the element of surprise had certainly given him the upper hand; he’d had time to prepare for her arrival. Amanda had no idea what to expect when she saw him. Rather than put it off, Amanda decided it was best to just get it over with.
“Might I go to him there?” she asked.
To her surprise, Geoffrey shook his head and glanced at his phone. It was a nervous tic acquired by many of the people who worked for Alejandro. She could never tell if they were checking the time or looking for new messages. In this case, it must have been the time, for he slid his phone into his back pocket and looked at her. “He instructed me to take you to the greenroom.”
Instructed. The word sent a shiver down her spine. It sounded cold and calculated, a reminder that he was in charge and she was in his territory. Not only did he know she was there, but he already had a plan for how their first meeting would play out. That was something she hadn’t considered.
“I see.”
She followed Geoffrey off the stage and down a narrow corridor to the greenroom, where people gathered to watch the concert and eat the catered food and drink provided by the venue as part of Viper’s rider. Amanda had learned every performer had different demands on their riders, but, apparently, Viper’s played it straightforward, not demanding special accommodations for himself or his crew, with the exception of the brand of vodka that Alejandro preferred. She wasn’t surprised to walk into the room and find it already filled with strangers who mingled among each other while sampling the food and partaking of the bottled beer that lined a linen-covered table.
“Make yourself comfortable,” Geoffrey said as he guided her into the room. He didn’t stay, but left her standing just inside the doorway.
And then she was on her own.
It took a second for the conversations to fade. First one person noticed her standing there and then a second person glanced in her direction. Amanda stood in the doorway, uncertain what to say or do. Although she recognized none of these people, they clearly recognized her. She glanced at the television screen, startled to see Enrique performing. She had not known that he was Viper’s opening act on the European tour. The idea of seeing him again made her feel unwell.
When she turned her attention away from the television screen, everyone was still staring at her in silence. Just as she took a deep breath and garnered enough courage to walk into the room, she felt a strong hand press her shoulder.
“Ah, there she is!”
Alejandro tightened his grip on her and guided her into the room. If he hadn’t been holding her so firmly, Amanda knew her knees would have given out. She tried to turn and look at him, but he was focused on the gathering in the room.
“My Princesa!” he said cheerfully, his voice sounding as if they had never been separated. “She has arrived just in time!”
The people smiled, their eyes flickering between the two of them. Amanda started to open her mouth, wanting to say something to him, but Alejandro kept his hand upon her shoulder as he concentrated on greeting the people in the room. Most of them were from the press, and Alejandro glided his way through them, shaking hands and introducing them to his wife as if not a day had passed since they’d been together. The natural ease with which Alejandro moved among the people, Amanda held tightly at his left side, confused Amanda. Was this it? she wondered. Was reuniting with Alejandro that simple?
“Are you enjoying London, Amanda?” asked a woman in a gray dress with a thick black belt.
“It’s . . . it’s quite nice,” she heard herself say. She couldn’t keep herself from looking at Alejandro. “So far.”
Alejandro gave Amanda’s shoulder a slight squeeze as he answered the woman. “She’s only just arrived. She’ll see much more tomorrow, sí?”
Swallowing her trepidation, Amanda forced herself to smile. The casual air with which he had greeted her might have initially caught her off guard, but she had traveled with Alejandro long enough to know what he was doing: playing the part of their image. Two can play at that game, she told herself.
“Ja, tomorrow Alejandro has promised to take me sightseeing,” she said, hoping that her voice sounded more confident than she felt. “It will be right gut to spend some time together, won’t it, Alejandro?”
He had no choice. The group of people, especially the reporters, waited for his response. Amanda stood beside him, her face turned upward toward Alejandro until he had no other option but to look at her, his blue eyes meeting her brown ones for the first time. In the seconds that passed, no one else stood in the room. They were alone, standing side by side. There was a hunger in his expression, an element of excitement that suddenly caused his eyes to light up. He dropped his gaze from her eyes to her lips, and then she saw him tense his jaw.
“Sí, Princesa,” he replied, his voice suddenly low and husky.
“But first we have much catching up to do, sí?” His eyes met hers once again. “Mucho.”
If the color had drained from her cheeks before, now she knew they flushed pink. From the way that he lifted his eyebrow and slightly pursed his lips, she knew he had felt the same trepidation over seeing her as she had felt. The intensity of his look, so full of longing and desire, caused the feeling of weakness to return to her knees. But just as quickly as that look was there, it disappeared, and he returned to being Viper, his focus on the business at hand.
He talked with everyone in the room, spending at least one minute in private discussion with each person, keeping Amanda at his side the entire time. And then, when he had just fifteen minutes before he needed to be onstage, his hand slipped down from her shoulder and grasped her hand. As his fingers entwined with hers, she glanced up at him, her large brown eyes searching his face. But he did not look at her.
“Enjoy the show, sí?” he said to the people as he backed out of the room, taking Amanda with him.
Once outside in the corridor, he walked briskly toward his dressing room. She felt the grip on her hand tighten as she struggled to keep up. Someone stopped him and asked a question in Spanish. Alejandro replied and then continued toward the room.
After he opened the door, he pushed her inside, a bit more roughly than she anticipated. She turned around in time to see him shut and lock the door behind him. He stood there, studying her in silence. She wondered what he was thinking and was just about to speak when he lifted a finger and said, “Shh.”
Startled, she stood and waited, for what she did not know.
He took three steps, each one slow and calculated. He walked around her in a steady manner. When he stood before her again, he reached out his hand and brushed a stray strand of hair away from her cheek.
“You came here,” he said, his words slow and even. “To London.”
She felt her heart racing, especially when he let his fingers linger by her neck, gently caressing her skin. “Ja, I did.”
His eyes traveled down her body, that look of desire returning. He turned away from her and walked toward the sofa, leaning against the back of it. “That is a long trip, Amanda.”
“Ja, it is,” she said, her voice faltering.
He made a noise deep within his throat. He crossed his arms before his chest and continued to study her. If she wondered what he was thinking, he did not torture her curiosity for long. “Why?”
His question took her by surprise. “Why what?”
“Why, Amanda,” he said, a dark shadow seeming to cover his face, “did you make such a long trip?”
“I . . .” She hadn’t expected that question. Wasn’t it obvious to him? If not, would her answer be enough? She knew it would take only one word from Alejandro for security to rush into the room, and Princesa or no Princesa, they would escort her out of the O2 arena in London, take her back to Heathrow Airport, and put her on the next plane scheduled for the United States. The truth, she thought. Simply tell him the truth. “I came because I love you,” she whispered.
He shut his eyes and, after a moment, slowly nodded his head. But he did not speak. He just stood there, eyes closed with a deep, thoughtful expression on his face.
When she realized he wasn’t going to respond, she took a step forward and, reaching out, grasped his hand. “Alejandro?”
At once he opened his eyes and moved forward, so quickly that she fell backward. He reached out, wrapping his free hand around her waist, and pulled her forward so that she pressed against him as his mouth sought hers. As he kissed her, he moved toward the wall, pushing her backward with his body until she could move no farther. Only then did he let his lips leave hers and trail a soft, gentle line down the length of her neck.
“Amanda,” he murmured into her ear, her name rolling off his tongue with his Cuban accent: Aman-tha. His warm breath on her neck and the light pressure of his lips against her skin sent a familiar sensation through her body.
Oh, how she had longed for such a greeting! She shut her eyes and enjoyed the gentle kisses that he bestowed upon her. She could smell his cologne, so musky and so . . . him! She breathed in deeply, trying to remember the last time that she had inhaled Alejandro. Feeling his hand holding her waist while his hips pressed against hers made her give a soft sigh of contentment.
When his lips left her skin, she opened her eyes, partially surprised to see him staring at her, his blue eyes looking back and forth as he seemed to study everything about her face. “I forgot how beautiful you are,” he whispered.
She blushed.
“I forgot many things, it seems, except for one thing: the reason I left without you.”
Stunned, Amanda frowned. Had she heard him correctly? She raised her hands to press against his chest, trying to put some distance between them. “What did you say?”
He kept her pinned against the wall, his strength blocking her from escaping. With his face just inches from hers, he leaned forward so that his forehead touched hers. “It is not good that you came, Amanda,” he said in a low, sultry voice, his words conflicting with the fire in his eyes. She knew that reaction only too well. Knowing that she had only one opportunity to win him over, she raised her hand and placed it against his cheek. He leaned against it, his hips still pressed against hers to keep her from moving away. But she had no intentions of going anywhere.
“Nee, Alejandro. It is very good that I came,” she countered in a soft voice. “How could I not?”
“Ay, Amanda,” he murmured. “You do not belong here.”
She let her hand fall so that she gently brushed her fingertips down his neck and to his shoulder. “There is nowhere else that I belong more than here,” she said. “With you.”
He kissed her once again, only this time his lips were not soft and gentle but probing and passionate. She responded to his passion, letting her arms wrap around his neck, her fingers entwining with his thick hair. He tugged gently at her lower lip as he pulled away, his eyes holding her gaze. “What you do to me. What you make me want to do to you.” And then he lifted his hands, placing them atop hers so that he could free himself from her embrace. “But not now. I must perform. We will continue this particular discussion later, sí?”
Alejandro did not wait for her response. He brushed his lips against her forehead and released her from his hold.
“I’ll see that Geoffrey arranges for a car to take you to the hotel,” he said abruptly, moving toward the rack of clothes so that he could switch into a fresh outfit.
“No.”
He paused and looked over his shoulder at her. “¿Qué?”
“I said no.”
Now it was his turn to be stunned. He walked back toward her. “No what?”
“No,” she repeated firmly. “I will not go back to the hotel.”
He almost laughed. “No?”
“Simply no.” She paused, hesitating after her response. She felt uncomfortable standing up to him, but she knew that, unless she did, she would not win this battle. “I . . . I am staying here, and I am watching your show,” she said, lifting her chin just enough so that he knew she would not be persuaded otherwise. “When you are ready to return to the hotel, I will go with you. That is what I want to do. As your wife and your partner. I will not leave you again and”—she swallowed as she said the words she had practiced over and over again in her head—“and you can’t make me.”
He crossed his arms over his chest and looked at her with an expression of great amusement. That only made her more determined.
“I’m not an object, Alejandro. I’m not a possession that can be left behind or called for at will.”
“I did not call for you.”
She felt anger swell inside her, and she hated the feeling. Anger was an emotion she had never experienced in her life, not until she’d met Alejandro. Anger made her feel far removed from God. It made her think things that forced her to pray for forgiveness later. Right now, the anger she felt took over h
er words.
“I am well aware of that fact, Alejandro!” she snapped. “You left me with no discussion, no choice. You made the decision that I should stay there, and once you left, you never looked back. Do you know how that made me feel? Waiting each day and praying each night for a phone call or a letter . . . something . . . to explain to me why you decided I should not be by your side?”
He raised an eyebrow, watching her as she vented the frustration of the previous weeks without him.
“It was a horrible feeling, let me assure you!” Her voice had risen just enough that she had to take a breath, willing herself to regain her composure. “And I am determined to show you that my place is by your side, no matter how you feel. So, no, I will not return to the hotel, unaccompanied by my husband. I will see this evening through”—she paused before she quickly added—“and every other evening through as a true wife should be: beside her husband and not cast away!”
He seemed to assess her, mulling over her words. She prayed that she had not gone too far. She had never spoken so sharply to anyone; the feeling of anger brought her immediate regret.
He smiled, the one corner of his mouth lifting just a touch. “Who is this woman? So fiery and outspoken?” he asked in a mocking tone. “Where is my Princesa?”
“She is right here,” Amanda replied as she spread her arms out to her sides, “standing before you, and she is not going to leave your side again—not by your choice or by hers. I have a purpose, Alejandro. And that purpose is to be with you and to help you! To love you and support you!”
Someone knocked at the door. “Five minutes, Viper!”
“¡Sí, sí!” he called out, sounding irritated.
“I am not leaving,” she whispered.
“Ay, Amanda,” he said as he started to unbutton his shirt, exposing his chest. “I must get ready.”
Brazenly, Amanda took a step toward him and reached out, helping him with each button, her fingers brushing against his bare skin. Show or no show, she was not going to let her husband brush her off without realizing that she, too, had a say about their relationship. She would not let the media plant seeds in his mind that created a divide between them. Instead, she wanted to plant another seed in his mind: that together they were more powerful than apart.
