BWWM Romance: Crossing The Line: Interracial Romance / Wealthy Love Interest (18 page)

"Deal."

M
ikki rolled her eyes
. It didn't take long for her to notice that her best friend and lead singer were both missing from the fray. It surprised her how many of the guests actually showed up on time. If there were anyone she expected to be fashionably late, it would have been music industry honchos. She spied them at the door signing in with the pretty little receptionist Mikki had hired. She was really an amateur model Mikki had found online. She didn't need to do anything else other than sit at the table, make people sign in and look pretty. Her thick, red-dyed hair was pinned up in a prissy secretary style. Her flawless makeup and thick faux-glasses completed the elegant look Mikki wanted. If Mikki decided to pursue managing musicians, she would consider hiring the girl on as an actual secretary. Mikki enjoyed the aesthetic of it. She was sure the girl could learn the ropes.

Checking the time on her phone, Mikki figured it was time to crash the lovebirds' party. Any other night she would've let them have their fun, but this was neither the time nor place for kinky games. Just as the thought crossed her mind and she ponied up to go find them, Rob stepped into her path.

"Where to, love?" he asked, linking her arm into his.

"I have to go find the two fuck bunnies and break them up. You all are supposed to be mingling."

"Awww," he groaned. "I don't think anyone will mind them missing for fifteen minutes or so."

"Mmhmm, until that fifteen minutes becomes 50 minutes of putting all that shit back on."

She loved the way Rob was always warm to the touch as if he were suffering the onset of a high fever. His hot hands were soothing on the small of her back as he helped her navigate around a table.

"Mikki," he said quietly. Heat poured off the syllables of her name when he spoke. "I was wondering . . ."

"What is it, Robert?" she asked attempting to sound short, but too much of her iron will had been melted away by his intimate attention.

"I know you're in love with someone else," he said as they turned the corner toward the dressing room. "But do you think you could ever consider me a suitable placeholder? You know, just until she comes 'round?"

"Seriously?" Mikki asked. She tried to laugh but the colorless blush that rushed her cheeks cut her off. "I . . . I don't know."

"I promise not to hold anything against you. We don't even have to call ourselves a couple. We can stay the best of friends with benefits if you'd like."

"Let me think about it."

"No."

"Something tells me that my answer doesn't matter."

"Not particularly, no."

"We'll play it by ear."

Mikki opened the dressing room door without knocking and found Shawna sitting on Virgil's vanity. Her legs were crossed through the high slit in her dress. Virgil leaned forward, carefully checking his makeup. The second she walked in with Rob, she knew she had made a mistake. Mikki's arm was still interlocked with his. Quickly pulling away, she smoothed imaginary wrinkles out of her dress.

"You guys should be out mingling. The guests are arriving in droves."

"Is that code for stop hogging the make-out space'?" Shawna said. Virgil's head shot up and he turned around. His eyes darted between Rob and Mikki.

"I will stab you with an ink pen," Mikki said, darkly. "Try me."

Shawna laughed as she sashayed by, playfully bumping Mikki with her hip. Mikki smiled, shaking her head. They all went back to join the party. In the time it took for Mikki and Rob to stroll down the hall and back, the population of the venue had multiplied exponentially.

The father of the guest of honor approached Mikki and took both of her hands into his own. "This is wonderful," he said kissing both of her cheeks. "I'm seeing people I haven't even thought about in decades. This is fantastic. Mikki, you're a miracle worker. I need you and your magic in my life at all times."

"Oh, stop," Mikki said. She took a quick glance around the room, only stopping after she spotted the man's son. Mikki introduced the record executive to Rob, Virgil and Shawna, and he was knocked back by their look.

"I love it! Oh my god! I didn't even know we had goths any more. You all are just darling. I am totally excited for this little concert you're going to put on for all of us. I'm going to have to spike a few drinks to make sure I'm the first to get a crack at you. We're not currently looking for new clients, but I can make moves if you guys sound as good as you look. Oh! I see Marshal! Toodles!" The man speed-walked in the direction of a man wearing a black-and-red- checkered suit.

"What in the world?" Shawna said.

Mikki nodded and said, "Yep. This is life now."

"You're not going to sign us with the first person who offers, are you?"

"Of course not, Virgil."

Shawna cringed, waiting for the vicious snap of Mikki's attitude, but there wasn't one. Mikki was working really hard to be nice to Virgil. Shawna started to think of a nice gift to get her. The change in her attitude meant everything to Shawna.

The volume in the venue rose to a deafening roar as more guests piled in and flocked to the food tables. Shawna lost both Mikki and Virgil in the fray. She had the opportunity to speak with a handful of nice people who commented on her beautiful dress that was slowly starting to get too hot, despite the circulation through the low-cut back and high-cut slit. She pulled her hair in front of her, allowing the fake braids to cascade down her shoulder.

This was the future she was looking at and it looked an awful lot like the past. Charity events with lots of rich people schmoozing with each other, two steps from sucking up. Her boyfriend's band getting ready to play for a crowd. Her best friend raced around, shaking hands and chatting up strangers, becoming instant acquaintances. Shawna thought that she could easily slide back into the way things were before Virgil, with him being a lovely addition. As she watched the champagne swish around in her flute, a flash of blonde caught the corner of her eye.

Janet wore tight leather, high-waist, crop pants and bright red high heels. Her vintage leopard print top showed off a gratuitous amount of cleavage. Red painted lips, and a false mole topped off her look, as if she had just stepped out of a time machine and was ready to rumble. In her hand were a set of cards, and she had a folder stuffed under one arm. She was handing items to various guests as she made her way around the room. Suddenly, Shawna's future began looking a little bleaker.

Mikki pressed against Shawna's side, taking her champagne and drinking it. "I'm about to have her put in a ditch," she mumbled.

"How did she get in?"

"In all of my rushing around I forgot to take her off the list. It would've been the bomb to see her get dragged out of here kicking and screaming. That bitch got a lot of nerve."

A man in a dark brown suit sidled up to them and handed Mikki one of the cards. "Is this someone you are representing?"

"No, sir," Mikki said. A kind smile blossomed on her face. The cheap, laminated card with a Photoshopped picture of another band bent easily in Mikki's hands. She turned it over and looked at the contact information posted on the back. Janet had made a mistake, crossed out a number, and corrected it.

"So, the band who is playing here is not the band on the card?"

"Right."

"Okay, thanks," the guy said, walking away, still looking slightly confused. He spoke to a stout woman in all purple and together they tracked Janet down. Shawna and Mikki watched as the pair gave the cards back to her and refused anything else she had to offer.

"Ha! That turned out better than I thought," Mikki said.

Virgil's band's music played softly over the loudspeaker. Mikki went to the DJ booth and requested the music to be turned up.

Virgil and Glen came and stood on either side of Shawna. Glen had snagged an entire appetizer tray to himself and he and Virgil shared the goods. "Your ex is here," Shawna said gloomily.

"Yeah, I know," both men said. A short, fierce glance was shared over Shawna's head before they went back to picking apart the breaded things on the tray. As the music floated down to the crowd, the chatter faded and people held still, arrested by the sound. A sharp line was drawn between the actual musical aficionados and those who showed up because they heard there was a party. Hands went up to shush those who kept talking. Heads tilted as people turned their good ears to the harmony of Virgil's voice. One woman closed her eyes and nodded to the beat of Erika's drums.

Rob appeared behind Mikki as she requested the DJ to turn the music down again. "You are a smart cookie, poppet."

"I don't need that ratchet ho fucking things up," Mikki said, moving to rejoin the party. "You guys do your best, okay?"

"Hmmm. I may need a little motivating."

Mikki raked her fingers into Rob's hair and pulled his face down to hers. He puckered his lips for a kiss and she licked them with the tip of her tongue instead.

"Oh, yes. That's quite nice. Quite nice, indeed," he said as Mikki turned and walked away. His eyes followed her until she disappeared into the crowd. He'd play for her until his fingers fell off.

Virgil pulled Shawna into a hug as they got ready to hit the stage. As the band came together in the same space, Shawna felt dwarfed by their ethereal presence. She couldn't help the thumping of her heart as the scene slowed down and the five badass silhouettes split the crowd. The noise level of the crowd never recovered from being dominated by their sound. With the excited flip flop of her stomach, it might have been a group of popular untouchables on stage, not Shawna's goofy goth boyfriend and the people whom she’d learned to love as friends. They were haunting in the changed lights.

Shawna felt someone looming close to her, and thinking it was Mikki she turned around, smiling, only to find Janet glaring at her. "You're not welcome here," Shawna said, simply. "We're over you."

"No, bitch. I'm over you."

Janet stormed off and Shawna cocked an eyebrow. While probably the least crazy thing that woman had ever said to Shawna, it was still very strange. Shawna made another mental note of all of the exits just in case things got too serious. Putting her flute down on a passing empty tray, Shawna huddled with the crowd as they gathered around the stage.

She folded her arms and stared at the backs of the heads in front of her. The itching question demanded a scratch that she was reluctant to give. What was Shawna's last straw? She had been cheated on. That was pretty major. Virgil bent over backwards time and again to make up for his mistake. She shoved away any fear that something like that would ever happen again. Her mother's words came back to her: how Shawna and her father were the most unforgiving people her mother had ever met.

Her mother also taught her that it took two to tango.

She could still see Janet flitting in between people, making her way nearer to the stage. Dressed in jewel tones, with her bright hair, she looked like a firefly, and made Shawna feel earthbound and slow. Virgil introduced the band, and Shawna met his eyes. His didn't leave hers until the music began. The first words were sung toward her. Love and rage ignited in her belly. She wasn't going down without a fight. To prepare for it, Shawna removed her earrings, clasping them in a closed fist.

At concerts, the sound of the crowd is usually so loud that the band can barely be heard over the roar, but in a room full of record executives who wanted to find the next big hit, the venue might as well had been an empty bar. The audience smiled and murmured to each other as one song segued into the next. They were scheduled to play at least four songs before the event was over. Shawna pushed one of Janet's laminated cards to the side with her foot. The floor had become littered with them. She had told people that she used to manage the band on stage but had found someone even better. If these guys knocked their socks off, they should hear her new pet project.

Virgil sang his heart out and the band played hard. No new songs, only the ones they knew best. Someone tapped Shawna on the shoulder and complimented her on her choice of boyfriend. Apparently Virgil had been mentioning her to everyone he met. It was as embarrassing as it was sweet. Shawna squeezed the earrings harder. The moment the woman turned her back, Shawna dropped the jewelry down her cleavage and into her bra, shaking a little to get the pointy bits away from her delicate flesh.

The last song ended and the band took a bow. The guests clapped loudly, and some even whistled. Glasses were raised. People began to search out Mikki in order to put in their bids, vying to secure Virgil's band for their labels. A woman leaned in and whispered, "Who knew they were that good? They don't make bands like that any more."

Shawna beamed with pride, but it was short lived. As Virgil began taking questions on stage, Janet rushed up the stairs, wrapped her arms around Virgil's neck and planted a long, deep kiss on his lips. Glen and Erika pulled them apart, but it was too late, Shawna was on stage. Virgil was unable to grab her before she snatched Janet by her hair, yanking her off balance and throwing her to the floor. They became a tangle of arms and legs as Shawna slapped her face.

"Why won't you leave us alone?" Shawna screamed. "What is wrong with you?"

Virgil grabbed Shawna by the waist and lifted her off her feet. Shawna tried to kick Janet while being dragged away. The tip of her high heel grazed the other woman’s arm. Security came in with Mikki and she pointed at Janet.

"No! She attacked me!" Janet screamed.

"Get her out of here, please," Mikki said. The men worked for her. They removed whomever she said to remove. If Janet thought about pressing charges, Mikki had lawyers.

Janet jumped to her feet and snatched the microphone. "Don't you ever touch me or my unborn child again. None of you will touch me and Virgil's unborn child!"

Virgil threw his hands in the air and shook his head, slowly backing away.

"Leave," Shawna seethed.

"I have pictures. I have his promise to marry me on my voice mail." Janet took her phone out of her pocket and played the recording into the Microphone. Very clearly, Virgil's voice reverberated through the building. He said he was happy about the baby he and Janet were having together. He planned on leaving Shawna after the concert while the band's name was on the lips of all of the record companies.