Under Her Skin (8 page)

As if on cue, there was a knock on her door. She grabbed her perfume from the counter and sprayed a light mist in front of her, then walked through it. She put the bottle back on the counter and grabbed her purse.

When she got to the door, she took a deep breath before turning the handle. The door opened wide, and she was glad she had taken that breath a few seconds ago. Seeing Tobias took her breath away. His blond tipped hair was spiked and gelled to perfection, giving a whole new meaning to the messy, bed head look. His gray satin-like shirt flowed over every ripple of his muscled body, and his black pants fit him to perfection.

When Tobias saw Marlo, he was stunned. She looked phenomenal in her deep purple outfit, and in that moment, he knew he had been right in asking her to be his date. He could already tell it was going to be a great night. He had to clear his throat a few times before finding his voice. "Ready to go?"

"Absolutely. Are you ready?" She asked.

Tobias knew that she meant more than she asked. "I'm nervous, but I'm ready." He held his elbow out to her, which she took right away. They walked to the elevator together, and when they got there, they both looked at their reflection in the floor to ceiling mirrors that made up the elevator doors. For the first time, they saw themselves as a 'couple'.

He knew instantly that he liked what he saw. He knew that this was his chance to show Marlo that he could be the man that she had been looking for. He knew that he had to give this 'date' everything that he had, to show her that they could be good together.

Marlo on the other hand started to freak a little bit. Sure they looked great together, but was what she saw in the mirror and actual portrayal or was it all smoke and mirrors? She was determined to find out, whether it be tonight, tomorrow, or next year.

The ding of the elevator brought them back to the moment of reality, and the doors parted, splitting up the image that they were both carefully studying. In the elevator, they clung to each other, looking for the support to get through the nerve wracking night. Each one felt a little better for having the other there, but also wondering what the night had in store for them.

Chapter 9

Marlo and Tobias were the last to get to the limo that was waiting for them in front of the hotel. They got in and Marlo looked around. She saw Sammy and AJ, semi-dressed up, along with their dates. She knew that Kevin had arranged their dates, in order for them to portray the right image, since neither one had any girls that they wanted to bring.

Dusty's date however, struck something in her memory. She looked at her brother curiously. It was the same girl from the bar a few weeks ago, and even then she looked familiar, but she couldn't put her finger on where she knew her from. With all the people that she had met touring, and in college, names and faces tended to blend together.

"Lola, you remember Carly, right? We went out for a while in high school." Dusty told her.

The moment of realization hit Marlo hard. "Oh, I'm so sorry! Yes, I remember you Carly. How are you?"

"I'm great, thanks." She smiled, feeling a little awkward. "You look great, by the way."

"Thanks, so do you." Marlo returned the compliment. "So, tell me how you and Dusty ended up in contact again." The limo began moving, giving a little jolt to all of them. Tobias reached out to steady Marlo, who wasn't prepared for the movement.

"Well, I travel a lot for my company. I'm a Business Development Manager for a large consulting firm. So I'm all over the country trying to persuade companies to use our services. I ran into Dusty at a restaurant a couple of months ago. I wasn't sure it was him at first, but then he recognized me and we started talking. Now whenever we are in the same area, we get together and hang out." Carly informed her. She sure wasn't shy, a simple 'we ran into each other a couple of months ago' would have sufficed.

"Wow, that's great." Marlo said, wondering if she really felt that way. If she remembered correctly, Carly was the girl who turned Dusty loose thinking that he'd never make anything of himself. She turned to AJ and Sammy's dates and introduced herself to them. They seemed rather nice, and she hoped that AJ and Sammy would have a good time with them. They deserved some happiness.

The limo began to slow, and Marlo looked out the window to see what was happening. The sides of the streets were barricaded, and there was security all around. They sat still for a few minutes, then crawled forward one spot. The cycle repeated until they were at the drop off point.

Marlo looked at Tobias and nearly laughed. He was chewing on his lip nervously as he waited for the doors to open. "You ready for this?" Marlo asked.

Tobias turned to her, as if there was a delayed reaction to him hearing her. "I think so, just smile the whole time, right?" He asked.

"You got it. Piece of cake!" Marlo said cheerfully.

Tobias reached out and grabbed Marlo's hand as the door to the limo was opened from the outside. Everyone filed out of the limo, leaving Tobias and Marlo to get out last. He crawled out as gracefully as possible, and turned to offer his hand to Marlo. He helped her out of the vehicle, never dropping her hand.

Seeing all the flash bulbs go off, and hearing all the reporters calling his name, Tobias froze. He forgot what he was supposed to say or do. He wasn't smiling, and he wasn't walking. Marlo gave his hand a reassuring squeeze, bringing him back from whichever other world he was in. The cocky smirk graced his face as he led Marlo down the red carpet entrance.

All around them, people were yelling and asking how it felt to be nominated for their award. Microphones were shoved in their faces, and flash bulbs spotted their eyes. They stopped at a few of the well-known interviewers, and politely answered a few questions. The whole time, they were eagerly making their way to the doors of the American Airlines Arena.

Once inside, the flash bulbs stopped, and even with everyone talking at once, it was a lot quieter than having the reporters all yelling their questions at once. Marlo looked down and realized that Tobias still had his hand intertwined with hers. For some reason, it made her smile.

The others headed to their seats, while Tobias and Marlo stayed in the lobby for a few minutes. Tobias looked like he was going to be sick, and Marlo realized exactly how nervous he was. "Hey, you okay?"

"You know, I don't think I've ever been this nervous. This is such an important moment for us as a band, and for our future. I know that it's a long shot for us to win, but I am going to be so crushed if we don't. I know it's just a bunch of metal, but it's important metal." He looked around the room. "Look where we are Marlo. Look at all these people. We don't belong here, we are so out of our league."

Marlo watched as the panic flooded his body. She didn't know what to say to calm him down, so she did the only thing she could think of. Her lips crashed into his, taking him completely by surprise. It took him a minute to realize what was happening, but once it hit him, Marlo felt his whole body relax.

His hands reached up, cupping each of her cheeks, and taking the opportunity to deepen the kiss. Bells went off in Marlo's head, warning her about what was happening. All she wanted to do was calm Tobias down, not turn him on. She wanted to pull away, to break their embrace, but she didn't want to upset him, or at least that's what she told herself.

Only when he sensed the flashes behind his closed eyes did he pull apart from Marlo. A photographer had chosen them as his subject, and invaded their private moment.

Tobias looked to Marlo and saw her cheeks redden, just before she hung her head a little. Tobias placed his hand back on her cheek and caressed it softly, after lifting her chin. Out of embarrassment, Marlo turned to leave, but Tobias caught her arm and stopped her. Their eyes met, and he whispered, "Thanks." Marlo nodded her head. "Come on, let's go in now."

His hand reached for hers again as they walked down the aisle to their seats. Making their way to their spot, Marlo looked at everyone in the crowd. She couldn't believe all the famous people that she recognized, and it gave her a little jolt in her stomach. The realization hit her in that moment, how truly momentous this night was.

Tobias was also humbled. He saw so many people that he had idolized, and never thought that he would see them in person, let alone be sitting next to them at an awards show. It was so unreal, as if he was dreaming. He even pinched himself discretely a few times to make sure that the night was real.

They found their seats, and anxiously awaited the beginning of the awards. The opening band came on, and the crowd got pumped. Marlo could feel the heat radiating off Tobias's palm that was joined with her own.

They sat through presentation after presentation, performance after performance. The night seemed to drag as they waited for their category to be called. It was hard to concentrate on everything that was happening, as they sat in sweet anticipation.

Finally, their moment came as the band that won the award the previous year went to the podium. "Tonight, we're presenting the award for Best New Artist, and for the first time, the winner has been picked by the fans. For the past week, MTV has accepted your votes and let you pick this year's Best New Artist. And the nominations are…" The screens came alive, showing the videos of all the nominees. The presenters announced each nominee as their video played. Each video felt like a full length movie, as they sat there waiting to hear the winner.

Finally, all attention went back to the presenters. "And the winner is…" One of them opened up the envelope slowly. "That's great, I love these guys." He said, more to himself than anyone else. "PLEASURE POINTE!"

The crowd went wild, but no one moved. They didn't realize that their name was being called. The group in front of them turned around and stood to shake their hands, and the producer waved frantically, trying to get them moving.

In a delayed reaction, the group finally stood and hugged each other. Tobias turned to Marlo when she stood up, and pulled her into a deep kiss. He backed away rather quickly and let out a shout of joy. He looked into her eyes for a tender moment, before starting to head down the aisle.

Marlo hugged each of the guys as they passed her. Dusty was the last one. He pulled her tight and lifted her in the air. "I saw that." He whispered in her ear, then ran to join the rest of the guys. She sank back into her chair, a little embarrassed by the kiss, but so ecstatic and proud of her boys.

The guys all gathered around the microphone. "Wow, this is great! We didn't prepare a speech, because honestly, we NEVER thought we'd be up here." Dusty told everyone. He looked at the little moon man, holding it tight in his hands.

"First, we need to thank our fans. You're the ones that put us up here, and you're the ones that keep us going day to day. Next, we need to thank all of our friends and family, everyone who has supported us since day one." Dusty went on. He looked to the other guys for help, as he got caught up in the moment.

"All the production crew, Kevin, Pete, the guys at the recording studio, our record company…" Sammy added.

"And most importantly, a special thanks to my sister Marlo. Thank you so much for always keeping us in line, and being there for us whenever we need you." Dusty announced.

"We love you Marlo!" Sammy and AJ yelled together.

Tobias took the mic then. "Thanks for being my sparring partner, as well as my teddy bear." He looked out to the crowd and spotted Marlo.

She looked back at him and blew him a kiss, as well as the rest of the guys. The music came on to usher them off the stage, but before they moved, they saw their biggest fan give them a standing ovation. Marlo stood, with tears pouring from her eyes, clapping like there was no tomorrow. Her heart swelled, knowing how deserving the band was. Their hard work and long hours were finally paying off, and she couldn't be happier for them.

The guys made it back to their seats, just as the show was ending. They had been kept backstage for pictures and interviews. After the cameras stopped rolling, they were able to get out of their seats and head to the front lobby.

Once there, Marlo hugged all the guys again, telling them all how proud she was of them. Her brother held her the longest. "What was that all about?" He whispered.

"What are you talking about?" Marlo whispered back.

"I saw the kiss." Dusty told her quietly.

Marlo's face reddened. "It was nothing. He was just excited."

Dusty nodded. "Sure." He taunted.

Marlo smacked his shoulder, hoping that he would drop the subject. She moved away from him rather quickly, to avoid any further conversation about the topic at hand. She went and talked to AJ and Sammy's dates again, as the three of them faded into the background. They watched as different singers and actors came over and congratulated the band, giving them their moment of glory. Of course, Carly stood right by Dusty, making sure she was both seen and heard by everyone who stopped by.

Neither of the other two girls seemed to like Carly much. They got along well with Marlo though. They kept themselves entertained as the guys basked in the joy of the night. Tobias kept motioning for Marlo to stand next to him, but each time, she smiled and shook her head.

The guys were able to meet some of their idols, the bands that they patterned their music after. It gave them an unbelievable high, something that no drug could ever match.

Tobias had enough of Marlo holding up the wall, and went over to her. In one swift movement, he wrapped his arms around her waist and picked her up and spun her around. Marlo tossed her head back and laughed, feeling so carefree at the time.

An hour later, they were back in the limo, heading to the post-party that their record company was throwing. Tobias had his hand back in Marlo's, as they talked about all the famous people they had met that night.

At the party, the champagne was endless as the eight of them celebrated the success of the band. No one's glass was ever empty, and they were all plastered at the end of the night.