“You are such a gigantic pussy, D! One of the biggest romantic fools in this entire world! Stop playing the game and get with it already. These conversations are finally starting to lose just the tiniest bit of their charge! I mean, let’s just evaluate your pitiful nature. First you invite Kevie to see our first concert, but that’s not enough! You then put a rose at her front row seat, and pawn Jillie off on your body guard for the evening! Damn, if you went any further to layer on the sweetness, Kevie’s ass would have been dipped in gold! But, when she asks what’s all this about, you choke! You actually have the balls to say you’re just friends and that entire evening was a thank you for just coming on tour?! I never thought I’d live to see the day when the Latin Lover would bomb out worse than Nick!” AJ raved as he paced around the central room of the penthouse suite they always booked in the fanciest of hotels. Usually, AJ would be relaxing in the giant hot tub, but after the first concert he was always ready to race the entire world. He was wired tightly from giant rushes of adrenaline from their recent concert, but the boys suggested they just go back to the hotel to relax for the evening. So, AJ decided to release a few spurts of sarcastic adrenaline on his best friend.
“Give Howie a break,” Kevin chuckled with a half-hearted chide, reaching for another slice of pizza before settling back beside Howie on the luscious couch. He offered a scornful smile toward AJ before he could open his mouth, knowing that it was cruel to torture Howie so much. It was obvious that Howie had deep affections for Keveney, which made him utterly nervous about confessing his feelings. However, that didn’t matter, because the boys loved to exploit his blunders of love. And Kevin may have been the oldest, but his authority was limited when it came to camaraderie.
“But—”
“Kevin’s right,” Stevie interrupted, briefly glancing up from her laptop after finishing the last thought of a paragraph. She had quickly fallen into harmony with the group, making fast friendships with all of the boys. And, to be at the first concert of their Black and Blue Tour was an absolute honor. She had loved their music from the very beginning and delighted in being so close to their lives. So, now she was furiously typing her first article from the road, eager to share with the fans an intimate view of what most people only dreamed about. “Stop harassing Howie, because Kevie is way too blonde to even realize the signals he’s throwing. Let’s face it, he’s going to have to go a distance just short of completely stripping to his bare skin with candlelight and—”
“A condom box tied with a purple bow?” Nick laughed.
“I’d nix the bow, she might think she forgot a birthday and rush to a Hallmark Store,” Stevie added.
Nick’s eyes widened with delight, “She—”
“She would. Trust me.”
“Not when a guy’s trying to throw down moves—”
“Oh, yes when a guy’s trying to throw down moves! I distinctly remember her telling me
about laughing hysterically at a man who comes out of her bathroom in a pink condom after thinking she gave the go ahead for a romp in the sack. He busted out of that bathroom like John Wayne and she died. She said it looked like a piece of chewed bubble gum and actually stumbled out of her bedroom, collapsing in the living room while I was having a private date. The poor guy probably never wants to have sex again...”
“You’re kidding!” AJ exploded with sheer delight.
“Do you think I could make something like that up?”
“What’d she say that made him think he was scoring?” Nick laughed.
“She was looking through her basket of clean clothes and found her favorite pair of boxers and exclaimed that she was scoring tonight. He heard her from the bathroom and put two and two together… Only it was the wrong two! I don’t think she’s ever looked at a piece of pink bubblegum without laughing hysterically—”
“D, didn’t you just buy a pack of pink Trojan condoms?” Nick piped, wiggling his light brows toward Howie with delight. “Extra sensitive if I recall. Thinks he’s such a sensitive lover—”
“Guys! She’s right in that bedroom with Jillian! Can you just shut up! For once I’d like not to turn beet red in front of Kevie! Please!” Howie exploded, morbidly embarrassed by his friends. He hated how they could be so crass about affairs of the heart – especially his heart and affairs.
“Don’t worry; she’s so dense that she’d never—”
“That I’d never what, Evie?” Keveney cooed, slipping into the main living room that the rest occupied. She arched her light brows with amusement as she reached for own slice of pizza, slightly surprised that any remained with the boys ravaging the various boxes. It had taken her awhile to soothe Jillian back into a deep slumber. But the startled faces intrigued her more. “Well?”
“Uh…” Nick trailed, his pupils constricting as his eyes widened in horror.
“Perfect explanation, Nick,” Stevie groaned with a sharp sarcasm. She thought about smacking him, but Brian quickly delivered the blow instead. Her eyes widened with delight at the thought of them thinking in the same manner. She actually smiled at him till Keveney kicked the back of her chair. Stevie yelped sharply, almost tumbling from the cozy position she had finally fidgeted into upon the chair.
“I’m waiting!”
“For what?”
“For my answer, dumbass!”
“We just thought you might be too blonde to analyze the deeper meanings of the songs!” Stevie blurted without warning.
“You mean like sadness is beautiful and loneliness is tragical?” Keveney snorted.
“Yeah—”
“Well, figure it this way. Sadness is beautiful because the only way you can be sad is to have something and lose it. It’s beautiful because you realize something that you really wanted and you hope that somewhere along the way you’ll get the chance to keep going. And loneliness is tragical because you never know what you’re missing if you’re always alone.”
“I never even thought about it like that,” AJ mused, “And I’m the dumbass that sings it.”
“She just pulled that out of her ass!” Stevie argued with annoyance.
“True, but I do have some serious arguments for the songs!” Keveney announced, plopping down beside Howie.
“Good Lord,” Stevie murmured knowingly.
“Just wait,” Keveney argued, “I think the concert was fantastic. All your fans absolutely adore you. And your voices are beautiful. But, some of those songs, what the Hell were you thinking?”
“What do you mean?” Brian laughed.
“Um…” Keveney paused for a moment, “I remember listening to some with the Double L—”
“Our twin sisters,” Stevie explained, glancing back to Keveney. She had never heard Keveney’s take on the boys’ songs. But knowing Keveney, it was purely insane.
“Right,” Keveney sighed, clicking her tongue at the interruptions. Even growing up, Stevie had been mouthy and quick to interrupt whatever Keveney was trying to explain. However, for once, Stevie quieted and Keveney pressed on. “Let’s start with The Call that’s the one with you guys are acting like major assholes with a girl you’re singing all the other love songs about, right?
“I don’t think I like where this is going…” Brian snickered.
“C’mon, seriously! Listen baby, I’m sorry? Just wanna tell you don’t worry? I will be late, don’t stay up and wait for me? You’re dropping out? My battery is low? We’re going to a place nearby? Gotta go? … Oh, hell no!” Keveney started to rave with a passion that caused all the boys to sit back within the various couches in awe. “Where do you get off? Honestly! Let’s not even begin to mention the fact that your ass is sneaking out and around, but the lamest excuse you can come up with to get off the phone is that you’re battery is going low? It’s called a car charger, asshole!”
“Damn,” AJ wheezed with laughter as Keveney fumed about a simple song that received great feedback from the fans. It was almost as if no one had really taken the time to analyze the situation, except for Keveney.
“You’re ass would be complete and utter grass! Don’t even think about coming home late after you’ve been lying in some other skank’s crusty bed—”
“What about All I Have to Give?” Howie prompted, thinking she might actually start swinging.
“The one where you talk about giving everything and anything for love?”
“That’s the one,” Kevin laughed, noticing the flicker in her soft, violet eyes.
“You guys are freaking loaded with cash and you’re singing about only being able to offer love? Please! Load me up with some trickles of adoration and a vintage mustang for flavor! We aren’t back in the 1800s where women jumped into a nearby bed as soon as she got a pack of pencils! Love takes commitment… And a growing bank account!”
The boys immediately glanced to Stevie for an explosive rebuttal. Only, Stevie shrugged calmly. “What? Haven’t’ you ever heard Madonna’s Material Girl? Kevie’s got a really good point. Girls love to be pampered and I intend to be spoiled rotten.”
“Your sister is quite the firecracker,” Brian announced into the dimly lit living room, catching Stevie off-guard. She had been propped upon the couch with her dainty legs tucked beneath her bottom. She leaned over the coffee table, the short piece of her chin length hair catching upon the rim of her glasses. She didn’t even bother to blow the bit of hair away, just leaning further to study her words. He smiled as she chewed upon the inside of her cheek, obviously lost within her thoughts. For a moment, he didn’t want to disturb her, but he heard the typing from his bedroom and couldn’t sleep. He wanted to speak with her so badly while he had the chance, otherwise he feared that he’d never be able to sleep again. Knowing she was just a few short feet away caused tingles to race down his spine. Their private conversation on the tour bus had been absolutely thrilling. After finding out her deepest insecurities, hopes, and dreams, Brian had come to an ultimate conclusion – he needed her.
“Brian!” Stevie yelped in surprise, almost knocking her laptop to the floor. She quickly reacted as the laptop wobbled, yanking it backward as she fell hard into the couch. She wheezed in shock, finding her heart pattering heavily against her ribcage. She hadn’t expected anyone to be awake at that hour. That’s why she had come to the living room, mostly to let Keveney sleep peacefully in the bedroom.
“Sorry,” Brian murmured, smiling softly with a sincere apology twinkling in the midst of his light blue eyes.
“No! It’s fine! You didn’t—”
“What are you working on?” Brian questioned, quickly stopping her rambling by allowing her to focus elsewhere. She smiled gratefully and patted the nearby cushion on the soft couch. He simply nodded with the same smile, seating himself on the couch.
“Just finished my article,” Stevie explained, running her fingers over the keys of her favorite laptop. “I was going to ask Howie to read it first, since he’s the one that worked and plucked all the strings to make sure I got the gig… But, why don’t you be my Beta?”
“Beta?”
“The first person to read the piece of work.”
“Oh! I’d be honored,” Brian quickly agreed with understanding, scooting closer to lean over Stevie. He inhaled the sweet scent of her perfume and licked his lips with hunger. She was absolutely intoxicating, making him yearn to do things his mother would blush over. Shivering slightly, he quickly averted the thought of kissing her delicate neck to the screen of words. He glanced to the title, smiling when he read: Five Daddies and a Baby. The statement was true enough, the boys were raising Jillian together whether they agreed to it or not. Howie needed all the help they could offer and they were brothers. His child was their child and they had fallen in love with Jillian just as easily as Howie had. So, agreeing with the title, he easily tumbled into Stevie’s tale of chance and honor.
“So?” Stevie blurted nervously, watching him click through the article at a slow pace. Usually, she never worried about critiquing before, because she was always revered for her excellent work. However, like always, Brian proved to be different in her heart. Not that she placed him upon a pedestal, but she wanted him to enjoy the article and she wanted him to love her.
“Hold on,” Brian laughed, feeling the energy zipping from her body into his own like a brilliant charge of electricity.
“But—”
“Hold on!”
“Bri—”
“I’m done,” Brian finished, causing Stevie to sigh dramatically. She collapsed against the back of the couch, pressing her hands tightly to her face. She felt Brian’s leg against her own, which immediately caused her to tense. However, the silence of the room made her rapidly uneasy. Cautiously, she peeked out from behind her hands to find him smiling sweetly to her reaction. “Do I make you nervous, Stevie?”
“Tell me what you thought first before I make an idiot out of myself.”
“I thought that the article was fantastic and I’m more than willing to give you all the dirt on each of the boys.”
“Really?”
“Yeah, if I could take you out for an evening.”
