Facing the Music (A Broken Lives Short Story #1) Page 2

  I rolled my eyes at him, but kept my mouth shut, getting an approving nod.

  He turned back to the director. “I’m so sorry, Monica, he has no filter.”

  “Don’t worry, you did warn me, and although I haven’t seen that interview, I’ve seen his Twitter comments.”

  I sniggered at that, getting another dark look from Jade, my comments on Twitter a sore point.

  “You are so immature,” he sniped. “You’re almost twenty-five. It’s about time you grew up. You’re like a teenage boy in a grown man’s body.”

  “My dad’s in his forties and he’s even more immature than me, so you might as well give up on tryna change me.”

  He gave me a grimace, then turned to the director. “I’ll sit with you to make sure Dante doesn’t give you any trouble.”

  “I won’t cause trouble.” I refocused on the director. “Just tell me where you want me to stand, dar—” I yelped as Jade elbowed me, cutting off my darling. I hadn’t said it intentionally; it was just the way I talked. I gave him a scowl, continuing with what I was saying, “I’ve read the script, Monica, so I know what to do, just need a pointer on where to go.”

  She bit her lip, looking like she was trying not to smirk, what Jade had done clearly amusing her. “Okay,” she said, directing me over to a spot. “All you need to do is sing like you’re performing in front of a stadium full of people. I’ll edit the audience in at a later point. By the way, did you watch that Led Zep video I mentioned in the script?”

  I nodded. “I’d already seen it, but watched it again anyway. Robert Plant wuz off his face. If you want me to perform like that, gimme some tabs and I’ll be right into it.”

  “I’m presuming you’re talking about drugs, and that’s a no.”

  I shrugged. “Worth a try, yeah?”

  She smiled. “You must be a nightmare for your manager.”

  “More like a dream, love,” I said, the last word slipping out. “So, back to good ol’ Robbie. I’m fine with what you want, but still wanna throw in some of my own moves. I’m not into copying.”

  She nodded, choosing to ignore my love slip-up. “As long as you make it work, I’ll be more than happy. And if you do anything that’s not quite right, I’ll tell you. Also, I hope you’re fine with the dancers touching you.”

  “No worries, it’s only acting,” I said, not fazed at all, women always touching me.

  She nodded her approval. “Well, it looks like you’re more prepared than what Mr. Park said you would be.”

  I rolled my eyes. “Jade’s a drama queen, always makes out like I’m trouble, but when it comes to work, I don’t piss ’bout. I’m more interested in gettin’ back to my woman and baby than wasting your time.”

  She patted my arm, looking like she was warming to me. “Then, I think we’ll work well together.” She indicated to the cameras in front of the stage. “I’ll be down there, giving you instructions when you need it, but I’m sure you’ll be fine. I’ve seen your other videos and you’re made for TV, a right natural.”

  A smile pulled at my lips. “Thanks,” I said, liking this chick. The last director had been a bastard well before assaulting L, patronising me like I was a dumb-fuck who didn’t know my left from my right. It was the only reason why I gave him such a hard time during filming. But this new director... looked like we were going to get on just fine.

  Monica walked off, stopping next to L for a moment, probably giving her instructions too—or her number. I sniggered at that.

  “Hello,” someone said behind me.

  I turned to find two men and two women staring at me like I was all their dreams stuffed into a cream bun, because they sure as hell looked like they wanted to lick me out, especially the two men. I winked at one of them just to play with him. He straightened excitedly, making me snigger. Dudes had no chance with me, but their reactions were always entertaining.

  The chick who’d said hello, repeated it, probably wanting me to wink at her too. She was a hot number, with tawny hair that was pulled back into a tight ponytail, and a physique that spoke of hours in the dance studio. She could probably crush me between her powerful thighs like that Onatopp chick from James Bond. But even though she looked sexy in her silver hotpants, the matching bra, and chainmail singlet, my dick said, Yeah, nah, which basically meant No! with extra emphasis. Though, for her, I was a Hell, yes! Like the male dancer, her gaze licked all over my body, pretty much telling me I could fuck her when and wherever I wanted, which was nowhere.

  “My name’s Jody,” she said, holding out a slim hand, her nails neat and tidy.

  “Dante,” I replied, giving her hand a quick shake.

  “That’s more than obvious.” She licked her lips. “My crew is going to enjoy working with you very much.”

  “Sure,” I said, my eyes straying to the other chick. The blonde pushed out her chest, giving me a flirtatious smile. I lifted my chin at her in a friendly hello, not interested in flirting back. She reminded me of one of my exes, which was not a good thing since Kara was a bunny boiler of epic proportions.

  The director called out, “Okay, everyone, let’s get started!”

  A stagehand, whatever you called the helpers, came running over to me. He was a twitchy little fella with thick-rimmed glasses and a bad case of dandruff, his black shirt looking like someone had shaken salt all over it. He handed me a microphone. “No miming, sing for real,” he said, tapping the top, the sound reverberating around the auditorium.

  I nodded at him, preferring that. Jade had attempted to get me to mime a few times, which I always refused to do.

  A guitar rift started a few ticks later, L getting warmed up before getting down to business, the chick a seriously good player. The two male dancers glided over to her, while the female ones framed me, waiting for L to begin the song for real. A second later she did, setting off the dancers. The two birds swayed their bodies, getting all up in my space. I took the cue and started singing my Demon in Disguise song, something I’d written as a kid. Though, this version was a hundred times better, because the original form had sucked kumara, especially the part my dad had helped me with. I hadn’t even planned on recording the song until he’d mentioned it to Jade. Jade had liked the concept, telling me to add some parts and take out others, my dad’s lines getting the chop pretty quick. He still didn’t know about it, asking eagerly when he could listen to his song. Jade was probably going to get a bollocking when my dad found out he was responsible for tossing his lines.

  I belted out the first verse, the song having a heavy metal vibe instead of my usual rock trope, L’s taste affecting it majorly. She’d put my lyrics to her music, doing a bloody good job of it too, because right now I was loving it, my voice suiting the style. I thrust out my hips, grinding the air, hoping the woman I’d written the song about would see the video. I’d been thirteen when she’d dumped me, using some piss poor excuse that I was too young for her. Yeah, Lavinia had been sixteen at the time, but that wasn’t the real reason she’d left me, even though she pretended it was. She’d told me we had to break up because her mum didn’t want her dating someone so young, but my brother had found out later it was because she’d had the hots for her stepbro. She’d run away to Australia with Joel, the stoner apparently having gotten her pregnant.

  The director below gave me the thumbs-up, looking very happy with what I was doing. The two female dancers moved in even closer, practically masturbating against me. The blonde dropped down, using my leg in ways I was sure would get the video banned, while the other dancer shifted behind me. Jody lifted up my chainmail singlet, showing off my six-pack to the camera, which the director was no doubt zooming in on, getting it all in for my horny fans to drool over.

  I tipped my head back and lifted the microphone higher, belting out the chorus as Jody ran her hand over my stomach. Her fingers crept lower, dipping under my waistband. I stiffened as she grazed my cock, what she was doing not in the script, but I continued singing, not wanting to ruin t
he video. Plus, she’d already shifted onto my arms, running her hands over my tattoos. Regardless, she was going to get a right bollocking after the video, because no one but Clara was allowed to touch the goods.

  I closed my eyes and continued singing, imagining that Clara’s hands were moving over me instead, a slow, sensual caress, the type that always got me going. Just the thought of Clara touching me made me smile. That smile fell a second later as Jody ran her hand over my crotch, groping me through my leathers.

  I’d snapped my eyes open and jerked away from her, yelling, “What the fuck!”

  “Dante!” the director called out. “Why’d you stop? You were doing so good.”

  I indicated to Jody angrily. “That bitch palmed my cock, and don’t get me started on where her fingers were seconds ago.”

  “I did tell you the dancers would be touching you.”

  “Not my fuckin’ cock! This is a music video, not a bloody porno!”

  The director’s gaze shifted to Jade, who was sitting next to her. She said something to him that I couldn’t hear. He snapped back, “I didn’t say that! And those videos were illegal.” I didn’t hear the rest of what he said, Jade lowering his voice, but I knew damn well what videos he was talking about. One of my exes had filmed me having sex without my knowledge, placing cameras in my bedroom so her boss could sell the footage on the dark net. I’d only become aware of it after Jade, who I hadn’t known at the time, approached me, thinking I was a paid porn star.

  Monica’s gaze returned to me. “I’m so sorry, Dante, a colleague told me you used to be a porn star. She showed me her collection of your videos. Of course, I didn’t watch them, but it’s why I assumed you’d be fine with a more raunchy take. I was going to make both censored and uncensored versions for different time slots.”

  I narrowed my eyes at her. “Everyone assumes shit ’bout me,” I said, angry that those fucking videos were still causing me grief.

  “I shouldn’t have assumed anything, it was totally unprofessional of me to do so. I just hope you can forgive me.”

  I grunted, not willing to let her off the hook that easily.

  She continued, probably worried I was going to blow the video off. “Please don’t let this affect the filming. You were doing absolutely wonderful. Not only do you have an amazing voice, your stage presence is out of this world.”

  I didn’t reply, not sure whether she meant it or was just buttering me up so I didn’t leave.

  She cleared her throat. “Let’s just start over, make a video that you’re happy with. After all, you’re the star of the show, Dante.”

  “Fine,” I muttered. “But if that bitch touches my cock again, I’m outta ’ere.”

  Monica nodded her head vigorously. “Of course. Are you fine with the dancers touching you elsewhere? We need some contact for the video to work.”

  “Legs, arms, stomach, shoulders, those are fine, but nowhere else. And if you wanna make it sexy without tripping into porno territory, get Jody to thread her fingers through my hair, yanking my head to the side right before I sing the final demon in disguise line. Also, have her claw my throat with her other hand while she looks over my shoulder at the camera. You’ll probably only see her eyes, but that’s all you need. If anything, it’ll work better that way, cos you can do some freaky CGI shit to her eyes in editing, making out that she’s the demon in disguise. Change her fingernails too; give them a more claw-like appearance if that’s possible.”

  Monica beamed at me. “That’s very possible, Dante, and it’s a fantastic idea. I love it! I think it would work perfectly.”

  “Sweet,” I said, unable to hold back a grin, totally stoked that she thought my idea was a good one. The last director had ignored all of my suggestions, making me feel like a moron for even mentioning them.

  Monica’s attention shifted to the dancers. “Okay, girls, do what Dante said. Let’s take this from the beginning.”

  L started playing her guitar, the male dancers much more professional, the two men not touching her inappropriately at all. Actually, they didn’t even touch her, other than one of them lining his back with hers.

  I started singing where I was meant to, performing as instructed, relieved that the females dancers did what was asked. By the time I’d finished the song, I was smiling again, the performance having been fun. After a few more takes of me singing next to L and the drummer—a new guy with a penchant for eyeliner, the director called it a day, which was good, because I was dripping wet, and not from sweat. The crew had sprayed us with water to make out like we’d been working up a sweat, plus the director had said it would look good on camera.

  I took a towel from the stagehand and wiped my face and hair, then pulled off my chainmail top, chucking it at him so I could wipe my torso down. That was when I noticed the dancers were watching me. Well before I’d become famous, people eye-fucked me all the time, but now they didn’t just eye-fuck me, they fucking eye-raped me, their interest bordering on obsessive. It was as though they thought I was just there for their entertainment, everything I did a performance, regardless of whether I was working or not, like I owed them because they were fans. Fuck that, I owed no one.

  I turned to L, preferring to focus on her than the dancers, because she never looked at me inappropriately. She didn’t even pay me attention, more interested in wiping herself down than eye-fucking me. Not like she would anyway, since she treated me like a younger brother.

  I indicated to the cameraman with my head. “You gonna hit that, L?” I asked. “Cos he’s defo interested.”

  She glanced over her shoulder at the man, who was packing up his camera. “He’s not beautiful.”

  “So? He’s what chicks would call hot.”

  “Hot doesn’t do it for me, only beautiful does.”

  My eyebrows winged up. “Talk ’bout fussy.”

  She shrugged. “Everyone has their preferences.”

  “And yours is my bro. I don’t know what’s goin’ on between the two of you, but if you love him as badly as I know you do, stop bein’ a pussy and go for it. That’s unless you’ve already tried and bombed.”

  She dropped her head. “What Ash and I do is none of your business, Dante,” she replied, the chick having the kicked-puppy look down pat.

  “So, you did try?”

  She didn’t reply, pretty much confirming it.

  “Knowing you, you pro’bly didn’t try hard enough, and knowing Ash, he pro’bly didn’t even realise. He can be oblivious with chicks sometimes, which I totally don’t get. He looks like me, so he should know he can pick and choose whoever he wants.”

  Her bottom lip trembled. “Which means he doesn’t want me.”

  I indicated to her clothes. “He will if you turn up on his doorstep dressed like that. Even that clueless bastard wouldn’t turn your arse down. He’d tap it so fast you wouldn’t be able to sit for a week.”

  She shook her head at me disapprovingly. “Ash means more to me than a quick...” she lowered her voice, “fuck.”

  “I didn’t say he didn’t, and I fuck Clara all the time and she means the world to me.”

  “If she truly means the world to you, then you should treat her better.”

  I stiffened. “What the fuck does that mean?!”

  She shrank a little at my bite. “Don’t get offended, I can clearly see you love her, just... you act more like a horny teenager than an adult in a serious relationship. After that argument you had with her in my office, you made up by having sex instead of talking it through. That’s not healthy, Dante, especially since sex won’t really fix anything, it’s just a bandage applied to a festering wound.”

  “That wuz months ago, and you’re wrong, cos we did talk it through.”

  “It didn’t look like it back then and it still doesn’t look like it now. The way you acted when she came to the studio the other day wuzn’t right.”

  “What did I do wrong?” I asked, not having a clue what she was on about.

 
; “You should ask Clara that, not me.”

  I frowned. “Did she say sumpthin’ to you?”

  “No.”

  “Then, why are you gettin’ on my case over some imaginary thing you think I did?”

  “It wasn’t imaginary, and if you can’t see how your behaviour affects other people, you should go back to therapy.”

  “That’s rich comin’ from you,” I snapped. “You’re just as fucked up as I am, but at least I try to deal with my demons instead of cowering like a coward.”

  “Don’t be horrible!”

  “It’s true, and even though you’re pissing me off right now, I still care enough ’bout you not to sugar-coat things cos, darling, that’s a bandage over a festering wound. So step up to the mark and deal with your issues. Start with the biggest one, my bro. Take some of your own advice and go talk things through with him, cos if you fix your issues with Ash, I reckon everything else will fall into place. Clara helped me a lot, while Ash can do the same for you. I’ll leave ya with that thought.” I saluted her, and headed for the edge of the stage, jumping down off it. I glanced back at my manager, waving at him. “See ya at home, boss man,” I called out.

  Jade gave me a scowl and headed for L, probably thinking I’d said something horrible to her, because L was now covering her face, looking like she was crying. Shit, I hadn’t meant to upset her, especially since I’d only intended on giving her advice. Regardless, the chick really needed to start toughening up. She was too sweet-natured for a world overflowing with cunts, ones that would suck her up and spit her out without a second thought.

  I headed up the aisle to my bodyguard, who was standing at the door, looking like a mafia hitman in his dark suit, the thin scar running down his cheek adding to the look.

  “You’re L’s bodyguard now,” I said.

  Nike’s eyebrows winged up. “You’re not happy with me?”

  “Quite the opposite, I tried to keep you, but there’s only enough in the budget for one personal bodyguard and L needs you more than I do. Just be aware she’s incredibly timid, especially around men, so tread carefully with her. Also, don’t leave her alone with anyone, unless it’s a person she trusts like me, Jade, and Ash. Everyone else be wary of. She was sexually assaulted by the previous director, which is why Jade wants you to protect her.”