by Twyla Turner
She kept walking until she reached the elevators. Candice was sharp on her heels. Once they stepped inside the elevator and the doors closed, Candice gave Lyris a high-five.
“As an entertainment lawyer, I’d say what you did was crazy and that you should’ve taken the offer and then once your first album was a success that you negotiate to have more control of the second album. But as a woman, fighting for all womankind, what you did back there was so badass.” Candice said honestly.
“Thanks. I don’t know how to be anyone but myself. And I refuse to be miserable while living my dream. That’s not a dream to be honest.” Lyris shook her head.
“You have integrity. It might not help you get off the ground in this industry, but once you do find success, it will give you longevity.” Candice smiled.
Lyris nodded and breathed deeply. She knew she’d made the right decision.
“Now, how about we go see what these other labels are offering?”
“I’m game.”
~~~
“So, how’d it go? Are you a newly signed artist?” Gage asked when he opened the door to his home nestled in the Hollywood Hills.
“I’m going indie,” Lyris said as she walked through the door.
“Shit! What happened?” Gage said as he closed the door.
His Spanish style home was small and modest compared to the house in Rio. He’d said he spent the money from his first album on building the Rio house just the way he’d wanted it. It was the place he wanted to spend most of his time anyway.
“They all wanted me to change in some way, shape, or form. I refused.”
“Change how?” Gage scowled.
“They wanted me to lose weight. Change my sound. Get a new image. They basically wanted me to be someone else. And how can I live my dream as someone else?”
“I have a studio in this house. We can mix an album right here. The internet has made it easier to release than ever before. There are a ton of platforms that let you self-publish your music. We have enough followers on social media to spread the word about your album and every social media platform has ad space you can buy. You don’t need a fucking label. And I’ll help. I’ll put my own damn money down to invest in you. And you wanna know the best part?”
“What?” Lyris smiled at how pissed off he was on her behalf.
“You don’t have to pay me back a cent of it like you would the label.”
“But I would anyway. This will not be a handout.”
“Just buy me a Bugatti when you go triple platinum and sellout Madison Square Garden.” Gage said as he walked up and wrapped his arms around her.
“Done.”
“Now, let’s discuss your move-in date.”
“Gage, come on in! It’s good to see you. I’m glad your tour went better than expected,” Don said to Gage.
Gage walked into the office the day after Lyris’ meeting with the record exec.
“Close the door, would ya?” Don asked.
Gage looked at the older, balding, rotund man before doing what he was asked. It still burned Gage that this man had asked Lyris to change how she looked when he looked the way he did.
“What’s up?” Gage said as he sat down.
“Well, even though the tour went great and you seemed to have found love, I think it’s best if you part ways with Lyris.”
Gage immediately moved to stand.
Don held his hands up to stop him, “Wait! I meant business wise. I think you should get another backup vocalist.”
“I’d planned on it. She has her own career to pursue.”
“So, she cut a deal with another label?”
“You could say that.”
Gage didn’t want to give the man any more information than needed. Don had a lot of clout in the industry and he didn’t want him doing anything to sabotage Lyris’ plans to go indie.
“Hmm…” Don steepled his fingers. “Look, Gage. Natasha is threatening to sue the label for pushing her to perform with you on tour even after the success of your duet with Lyris. She’s also threatening to leave the label. She makes us more money than all of our artists combined. Even you.”
“And what does that have to do with me?” Gage frowned.
“She wants you to make nice. To give her another chance.”
“You mean she’s losing her fanbase without her little boy toy?”
“However you put it, I think it would be in everyone’s best interest if you tried to make amends.”
“Whose best interest? The label’s? Natasha’s? Certainly not mine. And certainly not my current girlfriend’s.”
“You dated Natasha for two years. And you’ve dated this new chick…Lyris,” Don reworded his statement at the look of rage that crossed Gage’s face, “for all of, what? Two months? Surely, you have more feelings for Natasha than Lyris.”
“I assure you, I don’t.”
“Well, if she goes ahead with this lawsuit, I’d hate for us to have to release you from your contract or cut your royalties to make up for the loss.” Don threatened.
“You can’t do that shit!” Gage stood up.
Don scratched his cheek offhandedly, “Maybe I can’t. But maybe I can. The choice is yours.”
Gage’s nostrils flared. His teeth clenched making the muscle in his jaw tick. He wanted to smash his fist into Don’s face so badly he could taste it.
Instead, he strode from the office and slammed the door so hard the walls around it shook from the force.
~~~
“Gage, I won’t let you risk your career and everything you’ve built for me,” Lyris pleaded with him.
Gage had told her everything that Don had said and threatened.
“You’d actually be okay with me going back to Natasha?”
“Well, no. But…”
“But what?” Gage railed.
He shot up from his couch and paced back and forth in front of Lyris.
“But what choice do you have? Your contract with them isn’t up yet. If you break it, you’ll owe them millions.” Lyris reasoned.
“So, then I let them release me from the contract. Or let them cut my royalties. I don’t care. Fuck them!” Gage growled and raked his hands through his hair.
“Gage it’s not just the record label. I was at the grocery store and almost every tabloid had us plastered on the cover. We’ve only been back for a few days and everywhere I go paparazzi are following me asking me personal questions about our relationship. I can’t scroll through social media without seeing twenty think pieces on our relationship. Everyone wondering if the big girl can keep the hot guy. If it’s all a publicity stunt to sell records because ‘there’s no way that Gage Walker would choose Lyris over pop diva Natasha.’ Lyris listed off.
“Who cares?!” Gage stopped pacing and knelt down in front of Lyris. He clutched her hands tightly. “I don’t care about what anyone out there thinks about us being together. They’re not in this relationship with us.”
“But aren’t they?” Lyris looked at him sadly. “Public opinion affects all kinds of relationships not in the public eye. Ours is being examined, pulled apart, and dissected by anyone with an opinion. And unless we decide to start living under a rock, it’ll be virtually impossible to avoid it.”
“So, you’re saying that you want to break up with me?” Gage looked up at her feeling a sadness so deep that it felt like his soul was being crushed.
“We might have no choice.”
“We always have a choice. My choice is to fight. You’re worth it.”
“Gage, don’t do that.” Lyris shook her head. “Don’t make this into who loves who more. Or who’s more willing to fight. I love you. I don’t want to walk away from this. You make me happier than any person who’s come into my life. Ever. But right now, I may have to choose between love and my mental well-being. Even if walking away from you might break me.”
“Then how is that choosing your mental well-being?” Gage asked incredulously.
“I can
walk away from you now, amicably. Or slowly watch our love deteriorate under the pressure. I don’t want us to walk away despising each other. And you resenting me because your career was ruined because you chose me.”
“But if you walked away, my career would still be ruined. You wanna know why?” He answered before she could speak. “Because there’s no way in hell that I would get back together with Natasha! Ever! Not after knowing what it’s like to be with you. So, for me this is a lose-lose situation.”
Gage clasped her face. Her big brown eyes glassy with unshed tears.
“Look… Let’s not decide anything right now. Let’s work on recording your album. Let me at least do that for you. Once the album is finished and ready to be released, then we’ll talk about how you feel and what steps to take next. Does that sound good?”
“Okay,” Lyris whispered and a single tear slipped down her face.
“It’ll all work itself out.”
“I hope so.”
Lyris tried to lie low the next several weeks as they recorded her album. Gage hired the band to play in the studio. Lyris, Gage, Rainey, and Mack did the background vocals. He recruited the help of some of his producer friends willing to do him a solid. And Lyris recorded a duet with Gage, even against her better judgment. If things didn’t work out, she feared the duet would make ending things that much harder and painful.
And she feared she really was going to have to end their relationship. Gage had hoped that time would make it better. But it had only gotten worse.
Lyris absolutely had amazing fans. Many more of them than those who hated her. But those who hated her worked hard at trying to make her life miserable. She’d logged off all social media aside from The Gram. And she was seriously considering stepping away from that too. But she needed someplace to promote her very first album.
She may have been able to log out of her social media or shut off her phone. But she couldn’t log off her life. One night a week ago, she and Serena had gone out for drinks. Lyris went to the bathroom and while she was washing her hands a woman who looked like a model walked out of a stall, passed by her, and said, “Fat bitch,” under her breath as she left the bathroom. Aside from being disgusted that the woman had shitty hygiene, Lyris was enraged.
The worst part was that she couldn’t do anything about it. Any other time, someone disrespected her, she’d be ready to throw down. But people were looking for any reason to make her look bad. Her career would be over before it started if she beat some bitch’s ass in a public restroom. And she’d probably sue.
That wasn’t the only time someone had thought it was appropriate to approach her with commentary. Or made sure she was in earshot of nasty remarks they made to their friends and family.
“You know you’ll never be as good as Natasha!” Said as Lyris parked her car and they walked by on the sidewalk.
“No one wants to hear your music.” Said when she was in the toothpaste aisle.
“God, I miss the days when fat people covered up and stayed in their lane!” Said when she was seen wearing a crop top with her high-waisted jeans.
“Her album is gonna tank anyway.” Behind her while in line to get coffee.
“He’ll get tired of the nappy-headed hoe and go back to dating his own.” Said while she was listening to satellite radio. Luckily, that disc jockey was fired for his comments.
None of the comments were ever said when Gage was with her, which made her feel crazy when she told him. But because he never cried bullshit, Lyris had a feeling stuff was being said to him when she wasn’t around. She had no doubt that the women who could so easily say shit in passing to her, would absolutely hit on him when she wasn’t around.
But of all the crappy things she had to deal with, none of it was as bad as the nasty messages she’d been getting in the mail at her old place.
Every few days, she’d get a typed letter from some man who would describe the things he wanted to do to her. He listed in detail the way he wanted to hurt her. He claimed to be a white supremacist, who believed that the races shouldn’t mix. It was obvious the man hadn’t seen Gage’s parents.
“Is it another one?” Serena asked as Lyris balled up the letter.
She’d come to have a girls’ night in with Serena and their honorary member Sebastian.
“You’ve gotta tell Gage,” Sebastian said.
“He’s already stressed out enough as it is. He knows I’m at my breaking point. He barely wants to let me out of his sight, thinking that I’ll leave and never come back. He looked distraught when I left tonight.” Lyris sighed and took a giant swig of wine. “And the sex…”
“Oh, do tell.” Sebastian leaned forward.
“I’m not about to tell you about our sex life. Well, not like that anyway.” Lyris shook her head. “It’s hard to explain, but the sex has reached this crazy intensity that wasn’t there before. But it’s always been intense, so that’s not the way to describe it. I guess it’s desperate. Like he wants to crawl inside me or something. He’s just terrified of me walking away. And I really don’t want to. But it’s just gotten out of hand. I can’t take this shit.”
Lyris folded her arms on the table and dropped her head down onto them. Serena reached over and rubbed her back.
“But still, Lys.” Serena said softly. “This dude sounds crazy. You have to take the letters to the police. You hoped he’d give up, but the letters are only coming more often now.”
“I know. I will soon. I just didn’t want anything to taint the release of the album next week. It comes out next week and Gage has a performance at Coachella the week after that. He was supposed to find another singer to replace me, but after they cut his royalties because he wouldn’t get back with Natasha, he decided to keep me on. His way of saying ‘fuck you’ to the label. We’re going to perform our new duet there to help boost buzz and sales. If I file a report, it’s going to spread like wildfire that I’m being harassed and stalked. There will probably be copycats and everyone will be talking about that instead of my album. This is just an absolute clusterfuck.” Lyris rolled her eyes up to the heavens.
“How is it even legal that they’re cutting his royalties because he won’t date some trash ass has-been?” Serena grumbled.
“Supposedly there’s some ‘clause’ in his contract that says he has to participate in any promotional things the label tells him to do. They’re trying to say dating one of their most popular acts is part of that clause. They’re full of it, but the owner is a powerful man in the industry. No one would cross him. So, Gage has kept his mouth closed and just waiting for them to release him from the contract or waiting out his contract.” Lyris explained.
“That’s some bullshit.”
“You see why I decided to go the independent route?”
“Smart move for sure, girl.” Serena said holding up her rum and coke.
“Cheers to stepping out on your own!” Sebastian held up his vodka with a twist.
Lyris held up her beer and they clinked their glasses.
They decided it was as good a time as any to get wasted.
~~~
A weight on top of Lyris ripped her from her alcohol induced sleep. Her eyes flew open and a shadow in the shape of a man hovered over her. Lyris parted her lips to scream and a gloved hand smashed down over her mouth. She felt the cold sharp tip of something at her neck.
“If you scream. If you fight. I will kill you and your friends in the other rooms.” A sinister masculine voice hissed.
His breath was foul and Lyris tried to turn her head away.
“I said don’t fight,” he growled as the tip of the blade nicked her neck.
Lyris whimpered and stopped moving.
“That’s better,” he said.
The man rolled his hips and Lyris could feel his little erection on her leg. She felt sick to her stomach.
“I told you to go back to your own kind, but you didn’t listen. So, now I’m going to teach you a lesson. And by the time I’m fini
shed with you, he won’t want you anymore.” The man threatened.
As he began to fumble with the fly of his jeans, Lyris felt the sting of tears at the back of her eyes. She felt like she was going to choke on her terror. A sob bubbled up in her chest, but she swallowed it down.
Don’t you dare, Lyris! You’ve got two options. Lie down and die. Or fight.
She took in a deep shaky breath to slow her mind. And then she waited.
“Now, you’re going to suck my dick, bitch. If you even think about biting me, I’ll slit your fucking throat. Got it?” He sneered.
Lyris nodded her head. It was as good a shot as any.
“Get on your knees, dirty whore.”
Lyris did as she was told. The man sat on the edge of the bed. Lyris’ eyes had finally adjusted in the darkness. There was some light through the window from the streetlights. She could just make out his average dick.
“Now, suck.” He said as he gripped her jaw so hard that it forced her mouth open.
He made the mistake of laying the knife on the bed next to his hip, so he could use his other hand to grab the back of her head. He pushed her down towards his crotch.
Not today, asshole!
Lyris’ hand shot out and grasped his cock and balls and twisted as hard as she could. A screech louder and higher than any woman’s burst from his lips.
“AAAAAAAAH!!!!” He screamed and bent forward.
Lyris held him in a death grip, refusing to let go. While he was distracted, she grabbed the knife and held it to his neck.
“How do you like that motherfucker!” She shouted.
Lyris heard footsteps running and suddenly the room was drenched with light. She looked up and it was Serena and Sebastian. They both panted with fear and Sebastian was holding a bat over his head ready to beat the shit out of whoever was intruding in their home.
