by C. R. Jane
past Len to the helicopter. “We’re flying on that,” I said shakily. “I told you I was going to show you the city,” he said with a smirk. I stopped and pulled on his sweatshirt. “I’ve never flown before,” I told him softly. “You’ve never flown in a helicopter,” he asked, still grinning. “I’ve never flown at all,” I told him, still whispering for some reason. He looked shocked for a second, and then pulled me into his arms. “If you don’t want to do this love you don’t have to, but its going to be amazing. You can hold my hand the whole time.” I melted at his use of the word ‘love’. No one important in my life had ever had a sweet word for me and now Damon and Mason threw them at me all the time. “I want to do it,” I said, getting more excited now after getting his reassurance. “Come on,” he said, smiling widely again and pulling me into the helicopter.
Once we were inside he helped me buckle up the harness and put my headphones on so we could hear the pilot and talk back and forth. After shaking hands with the man in the coveralls who Mason has told me was his private mechanic, the pilot started up the helicopter and soon we were rising in the air. My stomach dropped as we got higher and higher but I soon forgot my fear as I stared in awe at the view of New York City I was getting. Len maneuvered the helicopter down the coast, pointing out sites along the way. Mason explained that some parts of the city we wouldn’t be able to fly over but that we would get as close as we could to some of the main sites.
An hour passed quickly as both Mason and Len pointed out famous landmarks around the city. My eyes would tear up from time to time as we went along. I couldn’t believe that I was in a helicopter above New York City, sitting with one of the most gorgeous men I had ever seen. I realized as Len turned the helicopter back that Mason had been holding my hand the whole time. I blushed when he looked at me at that moment,
looking away from his gaze awkwardly.
Once we landed Mason helped me unbuckle and then assisted me out of the helicopter, pulling me into his arms and sliding me down his body as he helped me down. A rush of heat pulsed down my body, puddling into my core, and Mason’s eyes darkened with a look I hadn’t seen before. We stared at each other for a second before Mason seemed to shake himself out of it. He smiled at me before pulling me towards the car. “Thank you Len,” I called out behind me as I was pulled along. Len had of course been checking out my butt as Mason pulled me away and chuckled when he saw that he had been caught.
Once we were in the car and out of sight of the helicopter and Len, Mason pulled off to the side next to one of the cargo buildings. “Eva, I know this is sudden, but I really want you to be my date to the Grammy’s tonight.” My mouth opened in shock. That was about the last thing I could have ever imagined him saying to me. “I can’t go to the Grammy’s,” I said, now panicking because I saw that he was serious. “Why not,” he asked. “You will be hundred times more gorgeous than anyone there I guarantee it.” “You barely know me,” I said, stating the obvious. “You can’t just take a stranger as your date to the Grammy’s. I could be a serial killer,” I said firmly. He was smiling that gorgeous smirk of his at this point. “Are you a serial killer?” he asked, pretending to be serious. “Well of course not, but that’s not the point,” I answered him, still believing that he had lost his mind.
Mason got out of the car, walked around to my side, and opened my door. He got down on his knees and asked dramatically, “Eva Taylor, are you really going to make me embarrass myself by going to the Grammy’s alone? Please take pity on my poor pathetic self and be my date tonight.” I was laughing hysterically at this point. Mason, in all of his
rockstar badassness glory, was on his knees in front of me, acting like a complete lunatic. I looked at my phone. “It’s already 1:00pm and I don’t have any clothes with me,” I said, pointing out the obvious. “How are we even going to make it in time?” “Leave that to me!” he said excitedly, getting off his knees and surprising me with a quick kiss before closing my door and jogging back to the driver’s side. He looked so excited as he started the car and grabbed my hand, peeling out of the dock area.
Faster than I thought possible we had arrived outside the city at what Mason explained to me was a private airport that the band frequently flew in and out of when they were visiting New York. A large jet was waiting for us. It had a giant The Riot logo painted on the side. As we walked into the plane I suddenly realized once again how just out of my league I was with these men. The interior was a mix of cream and black. There were groups of six large comfy chairs with tables in between them. A few black leather sofas were near the back of the plane and there were large flat screen televisions everywhere playing various shows. Mason still hadn’t let go of my hand from holding it in the plane. He had stopped and was staring at me expectantly, as if he were waiting for my opinion. “You know this is amazing right,” I said smiling. He seemed almost relieved by my answer and pulled me to one of the couches.
More snacks than I had ever seen were laid out on a table by the couches, and Mason started pushing food towards me. A smiling woman dressed in a professional all black skirt suit came up to us and asked if we needed anything to drink. I noticed she couldn’t take her eyes off Mason and she was staring at him hungrily. Mason didn’t look at her and requested two waters. “Do you want anything else,” he asked me. “I’m good with water,” I answered. “Thanks.” The
woman continued to stand there expectantly until Mason told her gruffly that was all he needed. At that point she glared at me as if seeing me for the first time and stalked off. Mason cleared his throat and launched into a story about his first time going to the Grammy’s. It was obvious that he had some kind of history with the flight attendant. I smiled and settled back into the couch to listen to his story. It was cute that he was so flustered.
As Mason continued with this story my thoughts drifted to Damon. A flash of guilt went through me. I had left him on such bad terms and here I was flying across the country with his roommate. I was a terrible person. I wanted to come clean to Mason but didn’t know how to explain my relationship with Damon. We hadn’t even kissed and had never ventured very far from anything that could be construed as more than friends. Except for the night before I met Mason I mused, remembering how right his arms had felt. Mason’s touch brought me back to his story, along with the sudden movement of the plane. “Did I lose you?” Mason asked me with a grin. “Sorry” I said bashfully, pushing my thoughts about Damon out of my mind and vowing I would think about it later on and give my full attention to Mason for the rest of the trip.
As the plane began to takeoff I looked out the window and watched the city get smaller and smaller behind us. Mason pulled me into his arms and put on a movie. The humming of the engines, the lack of sleep from the night before, and the warmth of Mason’s arms around me soon had me slipping into a deep sleep.
Chapter 36
Mason gently woke me up as the plane began its descent. “I can’t believe I slept the whole way,” I exclaimed, sad I had missed my first trip on a plane. “You obviously needed the sleep,” he said sweetly, stroking my hair. “It gave me a chance to pen some new songs.” The way he was looking at me gave me the distinct impression that those songs had been about me. I broke his gaze and sat up, straightening my clothes. I realized I was still wearing my workout clothes. Hopefully Mason was right about taking care of getting me clothes. As the plane taxied down, the flight attendant appeared again. I wondered if she had come back to talk to Mason after I had fallen asleep. Her sullen expression seemed to suggest she had not.
I followed Mason down the steps to the tarmac where a limo was waiting for us. The air was gorgeous and balmy as we walked to the car. Since we had flown to LA with only a few hours to spare before the show, Mason had arranged for us to stay at a hotel close to the venue instead of going to the house he used when he was in California recording. I barely had a chance to glance around at the palm trees before we were rushed into the limo by a few strangers, and Kevin, who Mason h
ad referred to as his “handlers” for the night.
Mason had arranged for his stylists to come by the hotel and help me get ready for the show. They were waiting for us as we walked into a hotel suite that looked like it was the size of Damon and Mason’s New York penthouse. We walked through room after room filled with gorgeously appointed cream and gold furnishings. Mason didn’t look impressed and I wondered what his life must be like to not be amazed at so much opulence. My stomach was in knots as
Mason introduced me to the two stylists that were waiting for us in one of the bedrooms.
Dez was an outgoing, vivacious man who by the looks he had been throwing at Mason, was definitely more interested in men than he was in my barely clothed body that he was currently sharply scrutinizing. His cocoa complexion was perfect and rivaled any woman’s I had ever seen. He was wearing bright green pants with a paisley pink shirt which he somehow managed to pull off perfectly. The other stylist, Darla, was an immensely tall woman with vibrant red hair that was styled into an outrageous Mohawk. Looking at the two of them I felt dubious that I would like anything they had to offer but Mason said he always used them for award shows in L.A., and I definitely was not an expert in fashion, so I was quietly cooperating.
Dez looked like he was about to have a seizure or an orgasm, I couldn’t be sure. “I swear,” he said in an exaggerated voice. “It is the oddest feeling to be attracted to you when I have never wanted to bone a girl in my life.” I flushed embarrassingly and Darla and Dez both laughed at me. Dez winked at me. “Not to worry my darling. Impressive though your powers of seduction seem to be, I will endeavor to stay strong. Now go try this on before I change my mind,” he said, shoving a silky blue dress into my arms, and pushing me towards the hotel suite’s enormous bathroom.
I walked into a bathroom that was three times the size of my dorm room. There was a tub in the center of the room that looked like it could hold ten people. A shower was off to the side, filled with so many nozzles that I wasn’t sure I would be able to figure them out to actually get water running. A long gold full length mirror leaned on one of the walls. The blue dress fell around my curves as I slipped it on. It was a one shoulder strap design and fell quite low over my
breasts before cinching in tighter around the waist. Gossamer fabric fell to my ankles. It was lovely. Dez and Darla came abruptly waltzing in and examined me for a moment in silence. “It’s gorgeous but we can do better,’ said Dez affirmatively.
Dez returned to the bathroom with an ebony dress that was covered in crystals that sparkled in the bathroom lighting. I pulled on the dress and inwardly squealed with delight. The straps of the dress hung off both shoulders. It had a waist that tied like a corset in the back and a bottom that clung to my body until it reached the floor. It was stunning. Looking in the mirror I barely recognized myself. The black offset my gold hair perfectly and made my lavender eyes pop. Dez was jumping up and down at this point while Darla simply had a small smile on her face. “This is the one,” yelled Dez with a fist pump. We heard a knock on the door. Dez opened it just enough to pop his head out and talk to someone. I heard the deep timbre of Mason’s voice which erupted in laughter at something Dez said. Dez stepped back and shut the door again. “I told Mason he wasn’t allowed to see you until you were all the way done getting ready,” he explained.
Darla began to tie the corset strings in the back while Dez pulled out various heels and accessories from a suitcase I hadn’t noticed they had brought in with them. Another knock sounded on the door and this time Dez let in a gorgeous Asian woman with large hazel almond shaped eyes and shiny black hair that was cut expertly in a bob around her chin. Her eyes went wide when she saw me. “Please tell me that she’s the one I’m getting ready,” she said excitedly. Dez put an arm around her shoulder and they both just stared at me. “She’s a life-size Barbie doll, isn’t she?” he commented. “This is Rey,” Dez introduced the newcomer. “She’s going to be doing your hair and
makeup for the show.” While Darla finished pulling
and tucking on various portions of my dress Rey began to pull out various creams and containers out of a large bag.
She got up close to my face and just stared at me. “This is a first, “she said. “But I don’t think I’m even going to use foundation on you. I literally don’t think you even have pores. Your face is so perfect, you bitch.” I blushed at her examination but said nothing as she didn’t seem to be waiting for a response. She began to apply various powders to my face, making me purse my lips at times, other times making me look up or down while she applied things to my eyes. I had never been allowed to wear makeup while at the Andersons and I didn’t know the first thing for what any of the things she was applying did besides mascara. “Mascara is almost too much on you,” she said. “I’ve never seen such long, thick, and dark eyelashes on a blonde before. Do you dye your hair or something?” “If she dyes her hair than her hair dresser should be running the country,” Dez replied. “Look at her hair Rey, there is no way to do this with color.” Rey pulled a lock of my hair into her fingers and examined it. “Makes you want to cut a piece off and sell it doesn’t it,” Rey replied. I jerked back at her statement. “Juuust kidding,” she said airily with a grin.
Rey must have finished on my makeup because she began to wrap my hair around a curling iron that had been heating up on the counter. After another fifteen or so minutes she, Dez, and Darla stepped back and examined me. “We thought our careers were made when Mason hired us, “Darla said. “Every celebrity on the planet will want to use us after they see her,” she exclaimed eagerly. Rey turned me around to face the mirror. I gasped when I saw the girl staring back at me. Rey had made my eyes smoky and my lips perfectly pink. The image staring back at me looked haunted and ethereal, like a princess from another realm that was
hiding secrets.
My hair fell in waves of gold down my back with just a bit more curl than it had naturally. Everything perfectly complimented my dress. Dez knelt in front of me with a pair of black heels with red bottoms for me to put on while Darla fastened some black crystal earrings into my ears. I was grateful that my ear piercings hadn’t grown in during the 4 years I wasn’t allowed to wear earrings. Dez stood up and started bouncing. “I cannot wait until Mason sees her.” “Maybe he will start ravaging her in front of us and I’ll finally get to see more of that gorgeous man’s body than just his chest,” he announced theatrically. I grinned at him and then allowed him to help me to the door. “Mason,” he called. “She’s ready.”
Mason was waiting in the large living room that we had passed through when we first entered in the suite. He was sitting at a large grand piano and playing a song softly. He turned around on the bench…and promptly fell off. A laugh burst out of me. One thing about Mason and Damon was that they both were extremely elegant in everything they did. I hadn’t seen either of them so much as trip during my time with them so to see Mason brushing off his knees with an extremely embarrassed look on his face, and hearing the stylists shocked gasps, this was definitely out of the ordinary.
“That bad?” I asked jokingly. Mason stood up, with that same heated look he had given me on the plane and marched towards me. He pulled me into his body and attacked my mouth. Kissing me so passionately and aggressively that I lost my breath. Pulling away from me he too seemed out of breath. “You are the must stunning creation I’ve ever seen,” he said fervently. “The whole world is going to want every piece of you they can get after tonight,“ he said almost sadly. “Are you sure you are ready for this?” I
didn’t really understand what he meant. I didn’t know
why anyone would want to know anything about me except for why Mason was taking a nobody to the Grammy’s with him. I gently kissed him on the cheek.
“Thank you for bringing me and making me feel like a princess,” I whispered in his ear. He pulled me into his embrace for another second before stepping back, grabbing my hand, and walking to the door. He began to walk fa
st as I had realized he was habit to do. I pulled on his arm and he stopped, looking at me questioningly. I turned around and looked at Dez, Darla, and Rey. “Thank you so much,” I said to them meaningfully. “You have made me feel so beautiful.” All three looked a bit teary-eyed at that moment and just waved us forward as Mason pulled me out the door, into an elevator, and out a side door where the limo was once again waiting for us. This time to whisk us to the Grammys.
Chapter 37
The crowd roared when Kevin opened the door and stepped out. Mason looked at me. “Are you ready for this?” he asked. I nodded, panicky excitement shooting through me. He was absolutely dazzling. He was dressed in a sharp black, very fitted suit made out of shiny material, with a black dress shirt underneath, and no tie. His hair was pulled back in a loose bun with some strands already out framing his face. I wanted him. He stepped out and straightened his jacket, the crowd going absolutely nuts at this point. He reached out his hand and smiled down at me. I took a deep breath, reached out to grasp his hand, and stepped out of the limo. The once hyper crowd went almost silent. Mason was looking at me with something akin to awe…and another emotion I couldn’t quite identify.
The red carpet was long as the throngs of people screamed his name, seemingly recovered from the weird silence they had fallen into when Mason had pulled me from the limo. Mason had to give interviews with various journalists as we walked down the carpet. He kept me behind him when he talked to the reporters, telling them firmly that he wouldn’t be answering questions about me tonight. I was nervous but tried to keep a smile on my face like his handlers had instructed me. Mason squeezed my hand reassuringly as we walked along. Various musicians and stars would frequently stop us as we walked, giving Mason hugs and asking about me. Mason introduced me to some, and others he simply ignored. I idly wondered what made him introduce me to some and not others.
