by Twyla Turner
“Yes, boss.”
~~~
The crowd roared as they played their last song. Lights flashed and sparks rained down creating a curtain in front of the stage.
“Thank you, Memphis!” Gage called out.
And like all the other cities they’d been to before, the Memphis audience began the chant. They had been more insistent, having heard about the previous shows. They started the chant at the beginning of the second set. Their chant was deafening.
Gage turned to look at the band. Then he glanced at Lyris. Lyris looked over at Brandi and the bassist nodded.
Lyris looked back at Gage. Finally, she nodded. His eyes lit up and a happy grin turned up one side of his face. He looked at everyone in the band and they nodded. Then Gage turned to the audience.
“Memphis!”
They roared.
“You asked for it. Probably the loudest of any city so far.” He turned back to the band, “Should we give it to them?”
They thundered even louder.
Neal played the first chords of Sex & Sweat and the audience lost their minds. Brandi came in, Riley followed, and Gage lifted his guitar and began the lead guitar chords. His lyrics came first. Lyris stayed put while he sang. The crowd was looking for Natasha, so Lyris didn’t want them to start booing before she could begin or she’d freeze.
I wasn’t prepared for you,
I’ve tasted the sweet, of passioned heat.
But your salt on my tongue, I’ve come undone.
Your sweat. Your wet.
You could never be a hit and run.
The chorus came and Lyris sang along with Gage from her place in the background. As the crowd tried to figure out who was singing, Lyris sang her heart out.
[chorus]
It wasn’t supposed to be,
Not you and me.
But I couldn’t stay away,
I couldn’t fight,
Not after that forbidden bite.
You will always be mine,
What we have will never be polite.
By the time the chorus had finished they’d spotted her. Some looked confused. Some cheered as she belted out the words. Some withheld judgment, while several held up their phones. But now it was her turn. Her moment. Gage turned and waited for her. Lyris pulled her mic from the stand and walked forward as her verse began.
Think I was ready for you?
My predator bringing me to my knees to prey.
But your tongue on my cum, I can’t help but succumb.
Your sweat. Your erect.
You will never be just for fun.
By the time Lyris had finished her verse, she’d forgotten the crowd. It was just her and Gage. She sang to him. The words hit close to home. What he wanted from her. And what she wanted from him if she’d just let go. The tension in the song was the tension between them. It was palpable.
Gage moved closer to her. Their mics and mouths only inches apart as they moved into the chorus.
[chorus]
It wasn’t supposed to be,
Not you and me.
But I couldn’t stay away,
I couldn’t fight,
Not after that forbidden bite.
You will always be mine,
What we have will never be polite.
[bridge]
Sex.
Sweat.
Taste.
Forget.
Sex.
Sweat.
Heat.
Roulette.
Sex.
Sweat.
Succumb.
I’m done.
[chorus]
It wasn’t supposed to be,
Not you and me.
But I couldn’t stay away,
I couldn’t fight,
Not after that first night.
You will always be mine,
I cannot stop this insatiable appetite.
The song ended and the thunder of the audience pulled Lyris from the spell she was under in Gage’s cat-like eyes. Gage clasped her hand and brought it up high. He began to bow and she followed him. The fans cheered and stomped happily.
Then Gage stepped back and raised his hands in Lyris’ direction. Signaling for her to take a victory lap. She’d sung her heart out and the crowd responded. Lyris shyly and awkwardly curtsied. The arena went wild. Lyris smiled harder than she’d ever smiled before.
“Memphis, give it up for Lyris Wright,” Gage introduced her.
She bowed a few more times and then waved before walking off stage. The euphoria flowing through her veins made her feel high and like she was walking on clouds. As she made her way backstage, she high-fived and hugged the band and several members of the crew she’d begun to recognize and get familiar with.
“You were incredible,” Rainey squealed with delight.
“Thank you! I thought I was gonna puke at first.”
“You had nothing to be worried about. Your voice was blessed by the gods!” Brandi pulled her in for a one-armed hug.
“Thank you for pushing me, Brandi.” Lyris smiled brightly.
Suddenly she was pulled into a warm sweaty hug. It was Gage. He was drenched from head to toe. Any other time, Lyris would’ve pulled away and scolded him. But with the joy radiating from her entire being, she could care less.
Instead she turned into him and hugged him back. His sweat smelled clean and masculine. Lyris had a feeling she’d smell him hours later even after she showered. His scent imprinted on her mind.
Talk about Sex & Sweat.
“You were so fucking amazing, Lyris!” He pulled back to look down at her. “Thank you so much for doing that for me. For the show.”
“You’re welcome.”
“So…how did it feel?”
“Unlike anything I’ve experienced in my life.” Lyris breathed in deeply and then did a little happy dance. “I feel like I’m walking on air.”
“So, does that mean you’ll do the duet with me every show?” He smiled hopefully.
“Hell, yes! I’m gonna be chasing this high as often as I can.”
“I’d say, let’s go celebrate, but we have another show here tomorrow. So, no partying the night before a show. But since we have a day off between Memphis and Chicago, we can celebrate your first successful performance tomorrow night.” Gage suggested.
Everyone nodded their agreement. Then they headed to the large shuttle bus that would take them back to the hotel. Gage sat next to Lyris on the way back.
“Are you even going to be able to fall asleep?” He asked.
“Hmm…let me think,” Lyris tapped her chin. “Probably not.”
“I didn’t either the first night I performed in an arena. Honestly, I didn’t sleep for much of the first half of my first tour. I’m not sure how I functioned that first leg.” Gage had a faraway look in his pretty eyes as he thought back to the beginning.
“What do you do to come down? A drink? Medication? Yoga?” Lyris rattled off her questions.
“Sex.”
“Come again?”
“I’d like to, trust me.”
Brandi and Riley who were in front of them burst out into laughter.
“Sex calms you down after a show?”
“Yep.”
“Oh.”
“Exactly.”
It was no wonder why Gage always looked at her like a porkchop more than ever after a show. She knew he was riled up, but she had no idea it was the one thing to calm him down.
“So, uh…what have you been doing to get to sleep so far this tour?”
Why the hell did you ask that if you’re not willing to jump in bed with him, dummy?!?!
“I haven’t been.”
“You haven’t been what?”
“Sleeping.”
“Oh.”
“Exactly.”
“Have you tried-”
Gage laid a hand on her leg, effectively cutting her off.
“Let’s not talk about this. I promised I wouldn’t push you.
But if we keep talking about it, I’m not so sure I can keep that promise.”
“Got it.”
Why am I fighting this so hard?
“Lyris! Lyris! Wake up!”
Lyris jerked awake. Her heart pounded in her throat.
“What?!”
Brandi was standing next to her bed. She had her phone in her hand and was scrolling through it.
“Thousands of people filmed your duet with Gage and you’re a fucking trending topic on pretty much all social media outlets.” Brandi turned her phone and showed Lyris the screen.
Brandi had pulled up all the posts with #LyrisWright and #GageWalker. Lyris scrolled through and video after video popped up with hundreds if not thousands of likes and comments depending on how popular the account was.
“Oh my God! How did they even know how to spell my name?”
“They looked you up on Gage’s website. All the members of his band are listed,” Brandi said.
“This is insane.”
“Girl, so many people are saying that you sang the song better than Natasha. They’re also happy to see a curvy woman, especially a curvy black woman represented on a rock stage. Hell, some people who never gave Gage’s music a second look finally even noticed me. They’re giving him props for hiring a black lesbian bassist, and helping introduce new black artists to the world. He’s getting a whole new demographic of listeners because of you. I told you your voice would change everything.” Brandi held out her fist.
Lyris bumped her fist against hers.
“I’m overwhelmed.” Lyris sat frozen, only able to blink.
“Well, you better get used to it because everything you’ve dreamed of is about to come your way.”
~~~
“So, you’ve become a viral sensation, huh?” Gage grinned down at Lyris.
She was sitting outside next to the hotel pool. She wanted to spend time getting down some lyrics to a new song she was working on.
She looked up at Gage and as always, her stomach flip-flopped. He sat down on the side of the lounge chair so he could face her.
“I guess so.”
“Your life is about to become a whirlwind. I’ve been there.”
“I’m scared and excited. Were you?”
“Of course. You’d have to be a robot not to feel all the things when your life’s on the precipice of big change.”
“Well, it’s changing alright. I had to turn the notifications off on my phone and then turn my phone off altogether. People have found me on The Gram, Lookbook, and MusicCloud. They love my sound and want to hear more.”
“Give it a day or two. Trust me, the labels, especially our current employers, will be looking to see just how popular you get as the tour progresses. In a few days’ time, I’m sure you’ll be hearing from them.”
“When a few months ago most of them wouldn’t even see me in person. And the ones who did took one look at me and dismissed my talent because I didn’t have the right look.” Lyris rolled her eyes.
“They don’t have vision for anything other than the same tired shit,” Gage shook his head.
“Well, with my sudden rise from obscurity, I’ve been thinking about something.” Lyris dropped her journal in her lap and fidgeted with her pen. “I don’t know if it’s doable, but I want to invite my parents and brother to the Chicago show. It’s the closest one to Indiana. And now that I’m really part of the show, I thought it would be nice if they could see it.”
“Absolutely! We always leave tickets open for family. I’ll let Teri know and she’ll set aside three tickets for them. They can be left at the box office for your family to pick up.” Gage instructed her.
“Thank you so much. For everything.”
“No, thank you. You saved the show when you didn’t have to.”
“I highly doubt I saved it.” Lyris scrunched her face in disbelief.
“The fans can get pretty rabid. They were ready to cry mutiny. You single-handedly made them forget all about Natasha,” he chuckled.
Lyris grinned.
“That’s some next level shit.” Gage chuckled and smiled. “I bet she’s spitting nails right about now.”
“Oh, Lord! I don’t need some diva with a vendetta out on me.” Lyris dropped her face into her hand.
“You’ll be fine. She’s not gonna do shit. She better not,” Gage growled.
Lyris couldn’t deny that her heart fluttered and her lady bits flexed at the protectiveness in his voice.
I’m so basic, Lyris internally rolled her eyes at herself for being such a sap.
“Hey, Mom and Dad. I’ve left you a few messages but haven’t heard back from you. Let me know if you’re gonna come to the show this weekend. I’d love to see you. Okay, hopefully I’ll talk to you soon. Bye.”
Lyris hung up her phone and stared out the window at the lights of the city passing by as they left Memphis and headed towards Chicago. She’d left them voice and text messages, but had yet to hear back from them. Lyris knew they’d been mad that she left to pursue a dream that didn’t fit what they saw for her life. They never thought she’d make anything of music. But now that things were looking up, she figured that they’d at least be somewhat supportive.
“Still nothing?” Gage asked as he sat down across from her at the kitchen table.
“Nope.”
“What about your brother?”
“He texted me back and said he’d try to make it.” Lyris shrugged. “He probably won’t. He always did what my parents asked him to. I was the rebel.”
Gage reached across the table and clutched Lyris’ hand. At first, electricity ran up her arms. Then it settled into something warm and calm. He had the power to energize her or calm her.
“No matter what happens, your dream is coming true. You kicked ass again tonight and everyone loved you. It’s up to your family on whether they want to be a part of it. To witness it too. But you will still have people around you who love you, regardless. If you want it.” Gage said with sincere sea-green eyes.
Lyris swallowed at what he was insinuating. Is he saying he loves me?
They stared at each other for a few intense moments.
“Thank you,” Lyris said softly.
Brandi got up from her seat on the couch and headed towards her bunk. As she passed, she grumbled, “I wish you two would fuck already.”
“What was that?” Lyris’ head jerked in her direction.
“You heard me,” Brandi called back as she climbed into her cubby.
Gage chuckled deeply. Lyris turned back to him with her mouth open in shock. Gage lifted his hands up in surrender and then got up from the table.
“I’m innocent. And I’m also going to bed. Or will try to anyway. And with that, I bid you goodnight.” Gage bowed his head before heading off to his private bedroom.
“Goodnight,” Lyris whispered back.
“He really does care for you,” Neal said from his spot sprawled out on the black leather couch.
Lyris hadn’t even realized anyone was there. His voice startled her. Neal looked back at her and grinned.
“I’d even go so far as to say he’s in love with you. But that’s none of my business.” Neal went back to watching the TV.
“Does everyone think this? Is this what you all have been talking about?” Lyris raised a brow.
“We don’t need to talk about it. It’s obvious to everyone with eyes but you. But yeah, we talk about it all the time. There’s a running bet on which city you’ll finally hookup in.”
Lyris was surprised her jaw didn’t hit the table, she opened it so wide. She closed her mouth and then opened it again. Her mouth flapped open and closed like a fish out of water as she tried to find words.
“I…I’m going to bed,” she blurted.
Nice! What other witty comebacks do you have under your sleeve?
Lyris quickly got up and went to her bunk. She slid inside and closed the curtain.
Sleep alluded her as her mind whirled between her
rising stardom, Gage, and her family. But more often than not, her mind wandered to Gage. And what it would be like if she gave in.
Lyris felt like she was living in a constant state of fear. Fear of getting hurt. Fear of walking away from something that could be so good for her. Fear of never finding someone who sets her soul on fire again. Fear of not being good enough. Or not deserving enough of that kind of love. And definitely not deserving enough to have it all. Love, success, health, family, and financial security.
Who gets to have it all? Me? I can’t even see it.
“Lyris! Lyris! Lyris!” The audience in the Chicago arena chanted loudly.
They’d switched from chanting Sex & Sweat to chanting her name. They didn’t just want to hear the song anymore, they wanted to hear her.
After the second night in Memphis, they’d decided that they’d close every show with the duet. As the show was coming to a close, they’d started shouting her name knowing it was coming. Lyris couldn’t help the goofy grin on her face.
Gage started the song and the crowd went nuts. He stretched out his arm in her direction. Lyris removed her mic and walked forward as the cheers went up a few decibels. They turned and faced each other as they sang the chorus. That same intensity between them was there for everyone to see.
Gage reached out and stroked his thumb over Lyris’ cheek and the audience went bananas. At the end, he took her hand and lifted it to his lips. He kissed her knuckles, sending tingles up her arm. His fans ate it up.
Lyris took her bow, waved, and walked off stage. She could hear Gage saying goodbye. He jogged up next to her a few moments later. Lyris held her tongue as they walked through the corridor and outside towards the awaiting bus to Philly.
“What was that, Gage?”
“What?” He asked, surprised.
“Are you trying to start rumors that we’re dating? Have I become a pawn in getting back at Natasha or to get more record sales or to fill more seats?” Lyris accused him as they walked through the maze of trucks that were there to haul the tour stage.
