揘o. Clay, there抯 no fucking excuse. You said you were up for being the sole acting tour manager for the real thing and on night one?night one?of the pre-tour you didn抰 make sure security was arranged??
揑 didn抰 think we needed security arranged for stage exit in a club that size. Obviously, for bigger venues that will not be the case.?
揧ou fucking thought wrong, didn抰 you??
揂pparently, yes. I suppose I did.?He flops into the chair adjacent to mine. I level him with a glare.
揌ow was she? Before that, I mean? Did she have fun??
He shrugs with a frown. 揊rom what I could tell, she was having a fucking blast. She was reveling in it, man. She did seem off before the show, so I just gave her space, like you said. She accidentally called me 慏ad??
揥hat??
揃efore she went on stage. She got this real determined look and said to me 慖抣l kick ass, Dad? That was a bit off.?
I start to chuckle. My God, that woman will never cease to amaze me. Delight me. Drive me insane.
I look up to his confused expression. 揇on抰 worry about it. It was an inside joke.?
He sighs with a lift of his brow. 揕ook, Meyer. You know I respect you. And last night was a freak thing. It will not happen again. But I hope you can relax on some of the helicoptering. I actually have more management experience棑
揕et me stop you right there, Clay. You might have more management specific experience. But I have years on you when it comes to this business. On multiple sides of it. I know what it means to put yourself out there for public consumption and how that makes people think they抮e entitled to consume every bit of you. I also know how to be more protective of myself and the people I love.?
揑s that why you agreed to put yourself back out there, too? All so you can stay protective??Clay asks, knowingly.
I snort. 揑t抯 part of it, yeah. I抦 sure it抯 obvious that that抯 not the only reason.?
He sighs. 揅an I ask you, then, why were you so against it when I first suggested it?God, what was it, seven or eight months ago now? When I brought it up at the Funnybones party. And then again when Kara wanted to do the tour? You still acted irritated.?
揃ecause it shouldn抰 have taken an excuse for me to act, I guess. And for the same reasons I told you again. She was good enough on her own. She didn抰 need me, I抦 hardly relevant.?
揑t was just good business, Meyer. You came off of a really successful show and she棑
揝he抯 a fucking good comedian, Clay. That抯 all there is to it. I don抰 even see how your whole scheme has played a role at all.?I get up to leave. 揟ighten up your security plan for the rest of this mini tour, okay??
He looks like he wants to say more, but refrains. 揙kay. We don抰 have to leave for a few days. Kara has some local places to pop into the next couple nights. You guys don抰 need to go to a game. She doesn抰 need to go on again anywhere until after Shauna抯 premier, really.?
揚erfect.?I stand, already putting my headphones in for the gym
揢h, Meyer??
I turn back to him, a headphone suspended midair.
揝hould I cancel your room??he shrinks in his seat.
I cough. 揝ure. Yeah. I think. I抣l, uh, let you know later today,?I reply, before I jettison in the direction of the gym.
I push myself through the weights, thinking about that night all those months ago when I ran into Clay, someone who抎 just been a friend of a friend of a friend in the business at the time. He抎 tossed a stuffed mushroom in his mouth and told me everything he knew about Farley Jones, about how his biggest client, Kara Wu, loved her stuff. That she was planning an all female tour at some point and expressed an interest in her.
揧ou know how you could give yourself, and Farley, a leg up??he asked. Then proceeded to answer before I could reply. 揝tir up publicity. You抮e just coming off of this. You should start dating. Capitalize on people抯 nosiness. I could help you with the social media stuff厰
I抎 dismissed him, simply excited for the confirmation that Fee was making it. I抎 felt more successful that night than I ever had for any of my own achievements, had felt fucking glory on her behalf.
I抎 also felt hungry when I left early, those god damn s抦ores blondies stuck in my mind for the better half of a week after yet another failed attempt. I抎 polished off another tray the night before.
So, I called Fee and went over there. Had one of our most carefree, simple nights to date. Caught her in her blondie, salty, lies. Carried her snoring, beautiful body to bed that night.
She抎 smiled when I tucked her in and murmured 揕ove you? with her eyes closed. I抎 stood there and stared, longer than I should have. Wanting to hear it again just to be certain that I抎 heard it in the first place.
Logically, I know it was just nonsense muttered in her sleep, but sometimes my mind wanders back to it. Like that Saturday last Fall when she taught Haze how to make an omelette or, for my benefit, how to make a pot of coffee?Or like the time they picked out flowers to plant along the side yard during the latest drought, against my grumbling. When they swung around in circles with their hands clasped and faces to the sky when it finally rained. In those moments, I pretend it was real and I whisper it back to her under my breath. Sometimes I mouth it to her when she抯 on stage.
I never told her what I heard from Clay, because I never had any doubts that she抎 make it this far. On her own. I wanted her to have that full experience for herself, without wondering when, or even if it would come to fruition.
I slide the key I抎 swiped from the dresser into the door, opening it carefully, shutting it as quietly as I can manage.
I抣l need to grab clean clothes from my bag before I can slip into the shower so I can avoid too much more opening and closing of doors, since Fee gets petulant when she抯 up before seven.
I step into the end of the hallway where my bag still lay, only halfway in the closet.
And then, I freeze.
The moment pulses, my eyes devouring the little recoil in the curve of her ass as Fee whips around to the side, wet hair scattering around her bare shoulders. She clutches the towel loosely at her naked front, unabashedly. Not trying to hide. She holds my gaze before she continues toweling off. A droplet of water trickles down the ends of her long hair, sliding a slow path around a rosy brown nipple?one that tightens as I watch, transfixed. It slips under the swell before she swipes at it with the towel.
I should move. I should turn around. My temples throb with too-long banked lust that sears through me. My palms heat with it, a frantic gathering at every endpoint of me screaming at me to take three more strides and fall to my knees before her.
揑t抯 a new day, Meyer,?she says, before she tosses the towel aside and steps my way.
FARLEY
I didn抰 plan it.
I抎 hopped into the shower, thinking that maybe Meyer slipped out to go get some better rest in his own room. I抳e been told I snore. Sometimes I thrash.
But then he walked back in, skin beaded with sweat. A faint waft of that petrichor smell of his hit me, stronger now. Hair still unkept and fluffy atop his beautiful, stern face.
His eyes immediately clung onto me and heated, going hazy like the time he had that fever for days on end. His cheeks flush now, swaying a little on his feet.
I see it when he gives into it, throws the key card and whatever else he has in his clenched fist to the ground, meeting me halfway and crashing his lips against mine.
I lick into his mouth, desperate to taste him, to absorb him. I slide my tongue up along the salty column of his throat, reaching up onto my toes. He makes a helpless, ragged sound, lifts me and grinds into me clumsily. His desperation heightens mine, and I claw and press and pant. He walks me to the dresser and drops me onto it, my wet skin making an indecent noise that has us laughing breathily into each others mouths. His big palms squeeze my ribs, thumbs tracing the skin beneath my breasts.
揇ying to taste you.?He dips and rolls a nipple between his teeth and I gasp.
揗y棓 I suck in another gasp when he plants a sucking kiss to my inner thigh. Tug roughly on his hair when he bites the other.
揗eyer,?I try for firm. 揑 need桰 need to touch you. I want to make you feel good.?
揑 know what you need, angel. I抣l take care of you. I just need to slow this down a little, seeing as you tried to kill me when I walked in here.?
I grin. 揑抣l be more mindful of your aging, frail heart in the future.?I put the hand not gripping his hair against his chest. He swats the side of my ass lightly, shaking his head and flexing his jaw when I gasp sharply on that bit of contact.