Wilde Velvet

by Deila Longford

  “Would you like some help?” he says as he rises from the seat. I nod, cheeks still blushing. He glides over to my side and he flicks a switch and the machine lights up. Man. He makes it look so easy. He grabs the bag of coffee out of my hand, and he fills the machine. He flicks another switch and the machine begins to power up. Steam and the scent of fresh coffee fill the air around us. He slides over and grabs the two cups. The machine begins to pour out the coffee and soon we have our drinks. He switches off the machine once it’s finished and he makes his way back over to the seat. I follow him, and I sit down next to him. We sip our coffees in silence and then I break it when I let out a soft giggle. “Why are you laughing?” he says in a smooth voice.

  “I’m laughing at how pathetic I am.” I laugh again and this time Tyler can’t hold back his own chuckles. We laugh together and I like it. I like how he has made me less serious. I feel young and carefree around him. I smile. I am really going to enjoy getting to know him more.

  “Well you were a little pathetic, but you’re a cute pathetic you know?” I blush at his comment.

  “Well thank you, I guess.” We laugh again and then he checks the time on his watch. He quickly downs his coffee and then he stands up in front of me.

  “I gotta bounce.” I smile, I like his slang. He’s cute.

  “Okay,” I say smiling at him. He smiles back and then he pushes his hands into his pockets. He looks as if he would like to say something and I blush. Knowing what it is.

  “When can I see you again?”

  “I’m guessing the next time I need a ride.” he rolls his eyes at my sarcastic comment. “Sorry.” I say holding my hands in the air.

  “How about we go and see a movie one day next week?” Dam it. I knew that was coming. My mind starts to rush. I have made a pact with myself that I wouldn’t date. But oddly I am considering dating him, but why? Is it because he is the opposite of everything that I know? He isn’t dangerous and he doesn’t make me feel like Brandon or even Mr Gucci does. He doesn’t set my pulse racing and he isn’t drop dead gorgeous. But somehow I feel drawn to him. I sense that there is something in his eyes that makes me believe that he would never hurt me. I have been through so much shit in the past with guys. I have been hurt, scared and emotionally abused. I don’t trust men and I am terrified that I am set to repeat the past. I usually go for the tall, hot dark haired guy that melts my entire body with just one look. But maybe average Tyler is just the guy to break me out of my bad habits. Maybe I should give him a chance.

  “That sounds … great.” I accept his offer. Be proud of yourself Ashley. You have agreed to go out with a guy that you would normally never even consider. You changed. You have finally moved on from the girl that you used to be.

  “Cool. How’s Saturday for you?”

  “Saturday it is!”

  Tyler leaves and I am exhausted. It’s still early and I have a few hours yet before Mr Gucci comes over to talk music. So I make way into my new room and I flop down onto the extra soft bed. I pull the covers over my body and I quickly drift into a deep sleep.

  There is a loud knock at the door. I jump up in terror. I stumble across the bedroom floor and I push my way through the open door. The knock persists and I run across the living room floor towards the front door. I stand on my tip-toes and I frown when I see Jonathan standing in hallway. Crap why did I have to sleep for so long? I run my fingers through my knotted hair and I smooth out my white shirt. He knocks again and I reluctantly pull open the door. He smirks when he sees me and I gasp. Why does he have to look so good? He is flawless in his dark slim fit jeans and Gucci high-tops. His smile is wicked as he greets me.

  “Wow. What’s up with you?”

  “I was sleeping. Sorry if my appearance isn't up to your standards.” he sighs at me as he pushes his way into the apartment. I scowl. Man he's annoying. I follow him into the living room. He flops himself down onto the sofa removing his brown leather jacket to reveal a tight polo shirt. He folds his arms across his chest as he stares at me. I feel a little uneasy but I try to maintain my composure. I sit down next to him on the sofa. He smiles and turns to face me. I blush and his smile deepens.

  “So let’s talk music.” I say trying to bring the focus away from my fiery cheeks.

  “Okay well there are a few things that I would like to go over with you.”

  “Okay shoot.”

  “Your tone for starters, it's a little up and down. You have good balance, but all the karaoke has made your voice lazy. You miss out words because it’s convenient. Pronunciation is everything. What's the point in singing if the listeners don't know what you’re saying?” I take a deep breath. It's hard to hear criticism, but he is the professional. He knows what's right and wrong and I need to take all of his advice on board.

  “Okay so what do you suggest I do then?”

  “I've already called the best vocal coach I know. I have arranged a meeting with her tomorrow.”

  “Okay. Is there anything else?”

  “Yeah, there's plenty.”

  “We'll go on then.”

  “You're a pushy little thing aren't you?” I press my lips together. Is he flirting with me? “You have a good style. I like that your voice has depth. And that little husky thing you do is stunning. But I must make it clear that we have a lot of work to do. We are about to embark on a journey together and I need to know that you’re committed.”

  “Absolutely. I want this more than anything. I'm willing to go the extra mile to achieve my dreams.” Mr Gucci laughs. He likes my reply.

  “Good. A girl after my own heart!”

  We talk for ages about my music and all the talking has gotten me excited. He makes everything sound amazing and I can’t wait to get started. We have discussed my sound and I was surprised that he has already started looking at few possible songs for me to record. He doesn’t want me to do a cover and that was also surprising. I have written so many songs over the past year. All of them about my secret pain and what I went through with Brandon. Writing really got me through everything. It helped me to express myself and let out my inner pain. There were days when I was really down and I couldn’t open up to anyone about how I was feeling. So I would sit on my bed and write. Writing about how you feel can be more satisfying than talking about it. It certainly helped me and I was blessed that I was able to find comfort in my music.

  “Would you like a drink?” I say as I slide myself off the sofa. Jonathon stretches his legs out in front of him, resting his feet on the glass coffee table. He runs his tanned fingers through his hair as he replies.

  “Yeah, what ya got?”

  “Coffee,” he scowls at me.

  “Do you have something a little stronger?” I shake my head.

  “No, its water or coffee, take it or leave it.” he doesn’t look happy.

  “Then I guess it’s gotta be coffee.” I nod at him and then I make my way into the kitchen. I quickly make some coffee. Making sure I remember how Tyler did it, so that I don’t embarrass myself in front of Mr Gucci. Once the coffee is brewed, I pour it into two cups and then I join him back in the living room. He takes the coffee out of my hand and he begins to sip it slowly. I sit back down next to him and I have to hold back my nervous giggles as he stares at me. I sip my drink and then I meet his stare. His eyes are dark and intense. I wonder what he’s thinking. I would love to see into his mind. Love to read his thoughts and see into his inner soul. I would like to know how he feels about me –if he feels anything at all for me. “Have you eaten today?” I have to think about it. When was the last time you ate Ashley?

  “Not since this morning.” he shakes his head at me.

  “I asked you to eat more healthily not to starve yourself.”

  “I’m not starving myself. I just feel asleep and forgot to eat.”

  “Well are you hungry?”

  “Not really.” I confess. He places his cup down onto the side table and he takes his BlackBerry out of his pocket. He searches h
is contacts and then he presses send when he finds the right one. He holds the phone to his ear –in a sexy manner no less. He presses his eyebrows together when someone answers him.

  “Hey it’s Jonathon, I need an order.” he says casually. “Yeah I’ll have my usual times two. Oh and throw in a bottle of Merlot.” he listens intently as I sit motionless. “I need you to deliver it to the studio penthouses. You know where that is, right?” he nods his head as the squeaky voice talks to him. “Thanks,” he says and then he hangs up the phone. He slides it back into the pocket of his jeans and then he fills me in. “Food’s on its way.” I smile at him, trying to hold back my annoyance. He didn’t have to order food for us. I could have easily of ordered a pizza if was hungry. I am not a child and I do know how to feed myself. He makes me really angry with his over the top behaviour. I would love to slap the control freak out of him.

  Dinner arrives and we have started to eat. Jonathon ordered us Italian food consisting of, chicken and tomato pasta with peperoni and pancetta. It’s really nice and the wine compliments the food wonderfully –at least I think it does. I am not much of a wine expert, but I do know what tastes nice and the combination of the food and wine, certainly tastes good. We are eating at the dining table and I can’t believe that this is the third time that I have sat down and had a meal with Mr Gucci. And what surprises me the most is that, it doesn’t feel awkward. When we are eating, I feel comfortable around him. It’s easy and effortless. We don’t say much, but we don’t need to. We somehow know what each other is thinking and that means we don’t have to fill the air with unnecessary words. We are free to just eat in peace.

  “The food is wonderful, thanks.” I gush. Jonathon meets my stare.

  “You’re very welcome.” I smile at him. He smiles back. We eat again in silence until he breaks it by surprising me –again. “Eres hermosa!”

  “You speak Spanish?” I ask as I place my fork down onto the plate. He laughs at me as if were asking a stupid question.

  “I am Spanish, well half.” I smile and then my mind rushes, what did he just say?

  “What you said… what did it mean?” he laughs at me.

  “Never you mind.” I scowl at him and he laughs again. I wish that he would stop doing that. It’s not only annoying, but when he laughs, I find him irresistible. He has a line that forms in his cheek when he laughs and the sight of it makes me go weaker the knees. When he laughs, he looks so young and playful. It’s as if all of his stresses and worries disappear. He becomes this whole other person, a person that I could see myself falling for. No Ashley no thinking about him, remember?

  “So you’re really not gonna tell me?”

  “No,” he laughs again and I look away. A knock comes to my door. I stand up, who could that be? I excuse myself and I make my way over to the door. I look through the peep hole and I relax a little when I see Tyler standing in the hallway. I pull open the door and he smiles when he sees me.

  “Hey,” he gushes.

  “Hi, what’s up?” I say in a cool voice.

  “Did I leave my cell here by any chance?”

  “I haven’t seen it, but feel free to come in and have a look around.”

  “Thanks,” I move out of the way and Tyler enters the house. He looks tense when he sees Jonathon sitting at my dinner table. Oh crap what if he takes this wrong way? What if he thinks I am on a date with Jonathon? “Mr Wilde,” he greets Jonathon in a kind manner. The same can’t be said for Mr Gucci, he looks furious. He doesn’t speak instead he nods and shoots me a cold look. Tyler rushes into the kitchen and he laughs when he finds his cell phone. He holds it up proudly. “I must have placed it down when I was showing you how to make coffee.” He laughs and I chuckle along with him. Jonathon exhales. I am sensing that he’s over Tyler being here and he wants him to leave. I walk Tyler back over to the door and he steps out into the hallway. He shoves his phone into his pocket and then he says goodbye. “So I’ll see you on Saturday?” he asks referring to our date. I blush. Man this is awkward. I can feel Jonathon’s eyes burning through my back. I focus. The sooner I give Tyler his answer, the sooner he will leave and this awkwardness will be gone with him. I clear my throat.

  “Yeah see you Saturday.” He smiles at me and I return his gesture. He turns and walks along the hallway, but he pauses and looks back at me.

  “Thanks again,” he says in a sweet voice. I smile at him again and then I close the door. I can feel my cheeks blushing as I make my way back over to the dining table. Before I have the chance to sit, Mr Gucci is shouting at me.

  “What was that all about?” he screams in a cold voice. I am shocked.

  “Excuse me?” I say looking confused.

  “I said what was all that about it? Why was that grungy-nothing in here with you?” his words are icy and so out of line. I can’t bear to look at him let alone give him an answer. I roll my eyes and walk into the living room, he follows me and grabs onto my arm. He spins me around and my eyes are blurred as I try to focus on his face. “I said why was he in here with you? And what’s Saturday?”

  “Well the last time I checked Saturday was a day. You know it comes after Friday.” he clenches his teeth at my sarcastic words.

  “Don’t get smart with me. Now explain why that loser was in your place?”

  “It’s none of your business.” I say breaking free from him. I scramble over to the sofa and I sit down. He follows me again. Dam he’s persistent. “Okay you wanna know why he was here?” he nods at me and I shoot him my iciest look. “He gave me a ride home from the studio and I offered him a drink as a thank you.”

  “I see, so what’s Saturday?” I blush, he isn’t going to like what I am about to say.

  “We have a date, okay, you happy now.” he narrows his eyes at me.

  “A date? Really?”

  “Yeah, why is that so hard for you to believe?” he paces the room and looks uneasy.

  “No reason, it’s just I never would have thought that he was your type.” I scowl at him.

  “And what exactly do you think is my type?” he looks uncomfortable. Inside I am smiling. I love to see him uneasy. It makes things feel more even.

  “I don’t know. Not him that’s for sure.”

  “Okay well I’m over this conversation.” I state. He agrees.

  “Yeah me too, I think it’s time that I left.”

  “Yeah I think that would be for the best.” He grabs his jacket from the sofa and he throws it over his shoulders in a sexy move. I gasp and he smiles.

  “I’m sorry that I lashed out at you.”

  “It’s okay.” I accept his apology.

  “I’ll pick you up tomorrow around seven. We’ll hit the gym and then head straight to the studio.”

  “Okay,” I escort him to the door and I watch as he leaves. I slam the door shut and I make my way back into my room. I am exhausted and sleep is all that I can think about right now. I shower and then climb into my bed. My head hits the pillow and I fall asleep with images of Jonathon and Tyler rushing through my head.

  Eight

  Its six thirty and I am all showered and dressed for my day ahead. I have eaten a bowl of cereal and filled myself up with caffeine. I am buzzing and really excited about getting into the studio. I can’t wait to start recoding and I am really excited about meeting my new vocal coach. I hope she likes me and that she is easy to work with. The door buzzes and I grab my bag and rush towards the sound. I press the speaker and wait for his voice.

  “You ready?” Jonathon says in a smooth voice.

  “I’ll be right down.”

  I run down the stairs in my white shorts and plain black t-shirt. My hair is loose around my painted face and my shoulder bag is slung over my body. I push myself through the glass doors and I see Mr Gucci’s car. He is sitting in the driver’s seat and wait a minute who’s that? I walk closer towards the car and I can see bright blonde hair blowing in the hot wind. I reach the door of the car and Jonathon dips his head to greet me.
He is dressed in dark jeans and a tight, purple polo shirt. His hair is hidden under a Gucci cap and his eyes are masked by black aviator sunglasses. The woman sitting opposite him is dressed in a neon pink mini dress and her eyes are hidden under massive sunglasses. She has a hot body, with two huge surgically enhanced boobs on full display. She looks as if she has had some lip fillers and her face has that ‘frozen look’. She smiles at me as I take in her appearance. I smile back at her out of politeness and then I focus on Jonathon. He looks as if he is about to talk.

  “How are you this morning, Miss Harper?” I narrow my eyes at him. How many times must I tell him to call me Ashley?

  “I’m fine,” I state. He grins at me as he jumps out of the car. He flips the seat forward and he offers me his hand as I go to climb into the car. I take his offer and my body electrifies at his touch. I blush and I fall into the back seat. Crap not a good look. I somehow manage to compose myself and I lean back against the leather seat. Jonathon gets into the car and he turns around to face me.

  “This is Candy, Candy this is Ashley.” he introduces me to his friend. Of course she has a name like Candy. I wouldn’t have expected anything else from a blonde, plastic surgery filled girl like her. Now Ashley don’t be jealous of Mr Gucci’s hot date.

  “It’s nice to meet you Ashley.” Candy says in one of those bubbly baby voices. I force myself to smile at her as I reply.

  “Likewise,” Jonathon smirks as he starts the engine of the car. He speeds off into the busy street and when he is forced to stop at a red light, he makes me feel super uneasy. With one swift motion he has pulled Candy towards him and they are playing tonsil tennis right in front of me. I look away as their lips smack together. I can’t believe what he’s doing. Any thoughts I had about him liking me are now long gone. Angry people behinds us start to toot their horns. Jonathon was so distracted by Candy that he sat for almost five minutes at a green light. He gestures apologetically to the other drivers as the light flashes green again. This time he pushes his foot down onto the gas pedal and the car speeds forward. We drive around the busy streets and I feel like a third wheel in Mr Gucci’s date. He hasn’t spoken to me. Instead he has given his full attention to Candy. I am not jealous, but I do feel that he is being a little rude. I would never blank him in the way he is blanking me. I feel a little mad at him. I am completely shocked that he has a girlfriend. I don’t understand why he hit on me at the bar and then kissed me in my apartment, if he was seeing someone. That thought erupts through me. I feel awful as I sit in the company of his girlfriend. Jonathon has been super flirty since we met and things between us are complicated. I don’t know if I am coming or going when I am in his presence. He makes me feel awkward, stupid and giddy all at the same time. He reminds me of the girl I used to be and that feeling is tempting. But I don’t want to revert to my old ways. I am a changed woman and I am going to stay that way. I an odd way, Mr Gucci having a girlfriend is actually a blessing in disguise. Now I can stop fantasizing about him and just focus on the job in hand. Creating a wonderful record and having my dreams come true.