Taste of Love

chapter Nine




Bunny's party was interesting for Madison, to say the least. She was having a great time meeting people and dancing with Thomas, but one small thing bothered her. Any time that Cameron got close to them, Thomas would pull Madison in the opposite direction, saying he saw someone she had to meet. And of course, there would always be someone to introduce her to, but Madison saw the truth behind his efforts to keep her and Cameron apart.

After a few too many glasses of champagne, Madison went in the direction of the powder room, with a promise to Thomas that she would be fine on her own, and that she would be right back. The line at the rest room was a mile long, and Madison didn't think she could wait that long. Luckily, Bunny and Cameron were standing nearby.

Walking over, she gave Cameron a shy smile before talking to Bunny. "I really hate to ask this, but do you have another restroom I could use? I don't think I can wait it out through that line," she asked, almost timidly.

"Of course dear. Just go down that hall right there, and up the stairs. There is a bathroom at the end of the hall." Bunny counted mentally. "Fourth door on the right."

"Excuse me, please" Cameron interrupted. "I see someone that needs my assistance."

Bunny smiled at him, then turned her attention back to Madison. "Do you need an escort there, or do you think you can find it?"

"I think I'll be all right. Thank you so much." She air-kissed Bunny's cheeks, then set off in search of the other bathroom.

At the top of the stairs, she slowed, entranced by all the paintings adorning the walls. She'd never have the money to have a collection as nice as this. One looked like a Van Gogh, and knowing Bunny, it was the real thing. She was so lost in her admiration of the piece, she was caught off guard when a door opened, and she was pulled into a dark room.

Before she could scream, a hand covered her mouth, and a dim light came on. Cameron stood there, grinning at the shock on Madison's face. When her hand lashed out and smacked him on the arm, he started to laugh. "Calm down, it's just me."

"You ass! You scared the shit out of me."

Cameron chuckled. "Sorry, but I figured it was the only way we'd get to talk. Thomas seems to have tightened his leash on you."

Madison was about to protest, telling him that leashes were for dogs, but then she realized that Cameron was right. "It is getting a little annoying," she agreed.

"I have something important to tell you," he said.

"Oh?"

"I wanted to tell you that tomorrow will be my last night in town, and I was hoping you'd come to my concert. I've got two front row tickets and back stage passes for you, but there's a catch," he told her.

Her eyebrow rose, wondering what the catch was.

He grinned. "My only condition is that you don't bring Thomas."

Madison laughed. "I think I can handle that. I do have other friends, you know."

Cameron removed the tickets from the inner pocket of his jacket and handed them to her. "I hope you enjoy it. I don't even know what music you listen to."

"I like a little of everything," she told him, putting the tickets in her evening bag. "Thank you, I'm sure it'll be great."

There was a question she needed to ask. She didn't want to seem overly eager, but at the same time, she knew she would miss him. "How long does the tour last?"

"I'll be gone for at least two months, maybe more if it goes over well and we have to add more dates. There's also talk of an international tour, but I'd prefer to wait on that, not that my opinion matters much," he told her.

"Wow, two whole months." She gave a quick chuckle. "I've kind of gotten used to you being around. It'll be weird not seeing or hearing from you for so long."

He smiled. "I do have a phone, you know."

"Yeah, but you'll be so busy being Mr. Rock Star that us little folk will long be forgotten," she teased.

His eyes grew serious. "I could never forget you." He leaned in to place a kiss on her cheek, but she turned her head to ask what he was doing. Instead, his lips landed on hers. Before either knew what was happening, the kiss deepened, and hands started to roam.

"Madison?" A deep voice called out from down the hall, breaking the two apart.

Her hand flew to her mouth, touching her lips, which had just been sealed to Cameron's in such a divine kiss. "Oh, shit," she whispered.

Cameron laughed quietly. "It's okay, just tell him you were lost and went into the wrong room." Madison nodded, leaving so much unsaid between the two of them. "I'll see you at the concert tomorrow night."

Madison stood still and watched him disappear through a door on the other side of the room. She was torn; follow after Cameron, or return to Thomas? In the end, instinct took over and she went to Thomas.

"There you are! I've been looking all over for you. Bunny said you went to the bathroom and was worried that you'd gotten lost," Thomas said, reaching out for her.

"I did. I thought she said second door on the right, but she must have said fourth door." She continued down the hall towards the fourth door. "Excuse me," she said, slipping inside.

Thomas waited outside the bathroom for her to finish, then escorted her back to the party. And for the rest of the night, he didn't leave her side or let her anywhere near Cameron. But although Thomas may have kept her from him physically, after that kiss, Madison's mind was on Cameron the rest of the night.



Madison called Chase as soon as she woke up the next morning. "Hey bitch, you have plans for tonight?"

"No, but I'm not helping you clean your bathrooms. That's what tonight is, isn't it? I know it's not laundry night or kitchen night," he said, somewhat distracted.

"Well, you're right, it is bathroom night," she admitted. "But actually I'm calling to ask you to go to a concert with me. But if that's how you're going to be..."

"Concert? What concert? Is it that stud you're constantly drooling over now? And how much will it cost me?" he asked, now fully interested.

"It's Cameron's concert, and I haven't been drooling over him. We're friends now, that's it. He gave me two free tickets, and who better to take than my best friend?"

"What about Tommy Boy? You two have been rather cozy lately," he pointed out. He still fully believed Thomas was a 'closet queen'.

"Um, no, I'd rather have you there with me. Are you going to say yes, or are you going to make me beg?" she asked, starting to lose her patience.

"As much as I love hearing you beg, I love seeing hot, sweaty guys up on stage even more. So, I'll go," he told her. She could hear the big smile on the other end of the line.

"Great. I'll pick you up at seven o'clock then. Be ready and waiting," she warned, before hanging up.

She looked at her watch. Maybe she could squeeze in a quick bathroom cleaning before getting ready for work, but then she'd have to leave early as well, to prepare for the concert.

She sighed. Another crazy day.



Madison and Chase made their way into the huge auditorium, which was already packed with thousands of screaming fans. As they made their way to the very front row, she noticed a lot of attractive women giving them dirty looks, envious of their better seats.

She just smiled. If only they knew.

Chase scanned the crowd, looking to see if anyone piqued his interest. His eyes locked on a man, and immediately he tapped Madison's shoulder.

"What's up?" she asked.

"I'm going to go talk to him. He's going to be my new boyfriend," Chase told her, pointing to a man, who in Madison's eyes looked very straight.

"Chase, what makes you think he's even gay?" she asked, not wanting her friend to make an ass of himself, or get pummeled if the guy wasn't gay.

"Look at his hat. It has a rainbow on it. Hello!" He gave a wink, as if it was the most obvious thing in the world.

Madison looked more closely at the guy's hat and nearly died laughing. "Chase, have you ever heard of Pink Floyd?"

"They're a band, right?" he asked, and when Madison only nodded her head, he continued, not enjoying any of her laughter.

"What the hell do they have to do with this?"

"Oh, honey." Madison tried to get herself under control. "That may be a rainbow, but it's not a 'gay rainbow'. That was a symbol on the cover of one of their albums. It means the guy likes Pink Floyd, not that he's gay."

Chase narrowed his eyes, not really understanding, then his brows shot up in surprise when he finally comprehended. "No shit! Really?"

"Really."

Chase looked at the man with longing. "I'm glad you notice details like that."

Madison nodded and laughed again, just as the lights dimmed and the opening group bounded onto the stage to play. They were pretty good, no one she had ever heard of before, but they had promise. She was starting to get antsy by the end of their set, impatient for Cameron to get started. She'd never seen him perform before, but had heard his songs and couldn't wait to hear him live.

Finally, he took the stage. The man she thought she knew had been replaced by this other Cameron, a man filled with swagger and seduction. It was like nothing she had ever seen before. He was always full of energy and confidence, but when he was on stage, he was raw and intense. He created magnetism when he performed. She watched as he strutted up to the microphone and belted out a line from one of his most popular songs. It was no wonder he was so popular and successful.

Madison looked around the crowd and noticed that most of the women were singing along, and many were crying. Some were reaching toward him with everything they had, trying to touch his hand, his boot, his leg. The guys were jumping around to the music, pumping their fists and singing too. Everyone looked like they were enjoying the show, and it was no mystery why. She turned her attention back to the stage, and let herself be captivated by Cameron's showmanship.

After the encore, Madison and Chase showed their VIP passes to the security guards and were led back to a large room with a bar and buffet set up. The room was already crowded, and more filtered through after Madison and Chase arrived.

The party was full of half-naked women and a lot of questionable -looking men. It was a completely different crowd than Madison was used to, and she was beginning to feel uncomfortable. She had known there would be a lot of groupies, but she hadn't expected a scene like this.

Making their way further into the room, Madison finally found the one she was looking for. He was the center of attention. He was laughing at something that a woman had said, looking truly happy. He had a beer in one hand, and what looked like a cigarette or joint in the other.

She hesitated for a moment, not sure if she should approach him. Just when she was close enough to get his attention, a woman pushed her out of the way and went up to Cameron. The tall blonde, with legs to die for, stepped right into Cameron's face and shoved her tongue down his throat. Madison's mouth dropped open. Surely that wasn't welcome! You didn't just walk up to someone and kiss them like that!

But then, Madison watched as Cameron pulled the blonde onto his lap.

She'd seen enough. She didn't belong here. She didn't belong in this lifestyle of Cameron's at all. That was very clear to her now. With that realization came disappointment and sadness. They could be friends - really great friends, at that - but anything more would be out of the question.

"Let's go home," she said to Chase, who looked at her with wide eyes.

"Seriously?"

"Yeah." Her voice was so quiet that Chase realized she wasn't suggesting they leave, she was insisting on it. He didn't say another word, but just took her hand.

"Lead the way," he said.

An hour later she was in her bathroom, scrubbing the hell out of the toilet, and cursing herself for being so naive.