Mirage saw Mr Rich enter the dance studio in the mirror as she finished the track with her backing dancers. It was like being stabbed in the gut with an icy blade for him to appear so unexpectedly, cheerfully greeting those in her crew that he knew from previous tours, casual and easily confident, as if he had every right to be there. She took a drink from her water, and wiped herself off on her towel, ignoring him until he crossed the dance floor to her. “F-k off,” she told him, without looking at him. “You shouldn’t be here.” “Now, that is a bit hostile,” he replied smoothly. “You have had a bit of a bad attitude over the last twelve months, as your music demonstrates. Become a bit sour. You know what they say, sugar catches more flies than vinegar.” “I am not interested in flies. Buzz off.” “I am here as a favour, you would be wise to be more polite,” he leaned against the wall. “My car is out front. Join me for a meal, and we will talk business.” She rounded on him. “You thin
She took her time in the shower. She was a bit sore from dancing she thought as she dressed in tracksuit pants and one of Vice’s t-shirts that she had taken a fancy to, and that he had given to her as a result. She could hear the men talking as she came down the hall between the bedrooms and the living area. As she entered, they fell silent, standing around the kitchen bench with open beers in their hands. “Drink?” Victor asked her. “I shouldn’t,” she said. “I need to lose a couple of kilos. You guys are really bad for my waistline. But pour me a red, please. What were you all talking about?” She slid onto one of the tall stools that lined up on the outside of the kitchen island. “The label has asked for a meeting tomorrow,” Aaron said to her. “Oh, gawd, no,” she rolled her eyes. “Just what I need. What about this time?” “I am thinking your contract renewal,” Aaron replied. “Ugh,” she pulled a face. “They haven’t issued any terms.” “No,” Aaron turned his beer thoughtfully withi
Alexei was the biggest man she had ever seen, Mirage thought looking up at him from under her eyelashes. Victor was big – broad shouldered and tall – but Alexei’s biceps were thicker than her thighs, and he was at least half a head taller than his brother. His black t-shirt with the logo of his company on the left breast and back, was stretched to its limits on him. He had a handgun holstered on his hip, and an earpiece permanently installed in his left ear. His blonde hair was cut military short. He caught her looking at him and grinned. “Alright?” “All good,” she looked straight ahead, flushing. Caught checking out her boyfriend’s brother, she scolded herself. At least it had not been the leery sort of checking out, more the holy shit, you are big, sort of looking. Her mental self-talk was not helping, but she reasoned it was better embarrassed about being caught gawking then nervous over the meeting. The limousine pulled to a stop, and Alexei stepped out first, standing at the d
When they were in the lift, Aaron let out a breath. “Well, I wouldn’t want to be Mr Rich right now.”“No,” Mirage smirked. “Gabriella is going to rip his balls off.”“He is vindictive,” Aaron cautioned her. “Stay wary.”“Always.”They dropped Will and Aaron back at their offices before taking the limousine to the rehearsal studios. Mirage checked her phone. There was a message from Vice which simply read. “All good?”She wrote back. “Kicked Mr Rich in the balls.”His reply came swiftly, indicating that he and Victor were on a break. “Good girl.”“That Richard guy is a dick,” Alexei commented mildly.“Yeah,” she agreed, sliding her phone away.“My mother wants to meet you.”She flushed. “Does she?” She was not sure what Victor had said about the relationship.“She keeps telling Victor and Vice to bring you to a family lunch.”“There are family lunches?” She was surprised. Vice and Victor had not been to one during the time she had been staying with them.“We try for weekly, but it is r
Mirage laughed breathlessly, her ability to draw in a deep breath limited by the constriction of being slung over Victor’s shoulder. He turned his head and bit her behind, making her shriek and giggle like a maniac.“Shit,” he said. “The door is closed.” He released his grip on his jeans so that he could open the door, and they slid down to his ankles.“Oh, goody,” she seized onto his arse. “Someone skipped their underwear this morning.”He laughed, stepping out of the jeans, and kicking them into the room. “I went for a swim,” he told her. “They are out on a chair, drying.” He lowered her onto the bed and laid his body out over hers, as he kissed her, his tongue stroking against hers. “I do like it when you wear skirts,” he reached between them, pulling her underwear to the side so that he could slide against her intimately and she drew in a shaking breath.“I probably need a shower,” she said. “I have been dancing all afternoon.”“You taste salty,” he dragged his tongue along her co
She slid into the limousine and felt a twinge. Three days so far, she thought with a small smile, at the memory, and her body had not forgotten them. Just the thought of it made her hot, despite her exhaustion. She lay out along the seat as Alexei slid into the back. “You really shouldn’t lie like that when he is driving,” Alexei commented as he put on his seatbelt. “If there is an accident, you would get seriously injured.” She groaned and dragged herself up before dropping into the seat on the other side of the car to Alexei, leaving the middle seat empty. She put on her seatbelt and dropped her handbag onto the spare seat. “So tired,” she told him, leaning her head back against the headrest and closing her eyes. “I am not surprised,” he replied with sympathy as the limousine driver started the engine. “Your schedule is pretty hard core. Radio interviews in the early hours of the morning, photo shoots and TV appearances midday, sound checks in the afternoon, and then the show fro
It took about an hour, during which the news stations had gathered, and crime-scene tape extended around the area. She stayed in the limousine at the behest of the police, until they were ready for her and Alexei to leave. As she moved from the limousine to the back of the police car, she could hear the yelled questions of the reporters rise in pitch, reacting to the realisation that she was there, and saw the flash of their cameras. The police eased the car through the crowd as they pressed their cameras to the windows taking photos. “Idiots,” the policeman muttered. “Are you in trouble?” Mirage whispered to Alexei. “Me?” He looked surprised. “For shooting,” she prompted. He grinned and shook his head. “Nah. It is easy to change plates on a car, harder to hide bullet holes. I did the police a favour. They have taken my gun for forensics, but they will have it back to me in a couple of days. In the meantime, I have my back-up weapon in the safe at the hotel, so it is all good.”
Alexei opened the door to her room and did a quick tour of the interior. “All good,” he told her.“Thanks Alexei,” it no longer seemed odd to have him check her room before she entered it. “Where is the damn light?” She felt for the light switch and could not find it. It seemed that every hotel kept their light switches in different places, designed to baffle her in the darkness.“Here,” he turned on the switch. “Ah, no that is the bathroom one.” At least she was not alone in her bafflement.“It is okay, hotel lighting always makes my eyes funny after a busy day,” she told him. “I will just be brushing my teeth and going to bed anyway.”He shrugged. “Alright, I will see you in the morning?”“Thanks. Goodnight,” she saw him to the door and waited until he got onto the elevator before closing and leaning back against it with a sigh. It had been a gruelling day that had begun very early in the morning with a red-eye flight, followed by radio interviews for the commuters on their way to