The Gypsy Ribbon Page 14

  “Of course I’m not having you followed,” he soothed. “These pictures came from somebody working for one of the supermarket rags. I just wanted to make you aware you had been seen and photographed in what was obviously a private moment with your…ah…friend.”

  With a genial smile, he deftly redirected the subject. “James, you are living every teenaged boy’s dream, did you know that? Every single one of them wants to be you. They want to be the one up on stage, having their pick of screaming women and partying hard all night, just like you.”

  He waved a dismissive hand toward James’s muscled body, now safely hidden away behind a thin layer of cotton. “I mean, Christ, just look at you. All the girls want to be the one you take back to your hotel room. You’re not like everybody else, son. You’re larger than life. You’ve got to keep your image in mind. These kids look up to you, and they’re the ones buying the CDs and lining up for tickets to see you. “

  He stood up and put the pictures back into the folder. As he walked to the door, he said over his shoulder, “Of course you get to have a life. It’s a pretty damn great one too. See that you don’t lose sight of that.” Without another word, he exited the room.

  James stood by the bed for several long moments after Aaron left. He snatched up the tableside lamp, hurling it against the door and shattering it into a thousand pieces. The oppressive tension made it hard to breathe. He pressed a shaking hand to his aching chest and slumped down on the floor next to the bed, the sickening suspicion Aaron was never going to let him go suddenly a fierce reality. He sat with head bowed for a long time, struggling to get his anger back under control and taking gulping breaths to force himself to relax.

  While the red haze slowly cleared from behind his eyes, he began to think about the confrontation with Aaron. “You’ve got to keep your image in mind,” the bastard had said. A slow smile curved his face as another vision formed in his mind’s eye. He turned to look at the clock. Time difference, he thought. I’ll have to call her tonight, right after I call Beth.

  * * * *

  Looking at the clock and doing some quick math, James saw his life flash briefly before his eyes as Ian’s groggy voice answered the phone. “Seamus? Everything all right?”

  Deciding it was too late to hang up and try again later, he plunged in. “Yes. Wake up, you big bastard; I need to talk to you. Well, not you, really. What I’m wanting is…”

  Click.

  James exhaled loudly in exasperation when he called back. “Do not hang up on me, Ian. Where are you?”

  There was a long-suffering sigh. “I’m in bed, ya feckin’ eejit. Sleeping. You oughta try it.”

  “What country is the bed in, Ian?” James said through clenched teeth.

  “It’s in Scotland, and it’s not even 8 a.m. yet. Is everything all right?” he repeated.

  “Everything’s fine,” James said then blurted out, “Don’t hang up again!”

  Ian chuckled. “So you’re just calling to see how we are, then? How lovely.” He turned his mouth from the receiver. “How are you, my sweetheart? Seamus needs to know.” He could hear Lily giggling in the background. Ian spoke into the phone again. “She’s grand, thanks. Anything else you need? I’d like to go back to sleep now.”

  “Yes,” he said, each word slow and deliberate. “I need to talk to Lily.”

  “For what…” There was a long pause then James heard a deep rumble of laughter as Ian handed the phone to Lily. “Seamus wants to chat with you, mo chuisle. Something to do with Beth.”

  A soft rustle, then Lily came on the line. “Good morning, James,” she said brightly.

  “Good morning, sister dear. Jaysus, but he’s a right bear in the morning.” He laughed. “Look, I’m sorry to…how the hell does he know it’s about Beth?” Without missing a beat, he continued. “Damn mind reading bastard. It’s an invasion of feckin’ privacy, so it is…never mind. Sorry to bother you so early, but I need to find out where you gals go shop for clothes and things like that.” He paused. “That’s not quite right. I need to know what stores you’d go to if…nope, that’s not it either. Damn.”

  Lily giggled. “Just tell me what you want, James.”

  “When are you coming home?” he asked, but didn’t give her a chance to answer. “You see, we’ve got a show coming up in Tampa, and I’m tired of…you did know that Beth and I have been seeing each other, right? I figured she would have told you…anyway, I want her to come, with you and Ian of course…you’ve seen us before, right? The band, I mean. I thought you said you had when–”

  She interrupted him, teary with laughter. “James! Focus, please.”

  He laughed. “Right. Beth and I have been seeing each other pretty regular, but we’ve had to be secretive about it. I’m tired of sneaking around. I want to show her off. I want the world to see how beautiful she is…”

  “James? Are you still–”

  “Yeah…I need your help, but she can’t know I had anything to do with it. I want her to have some new clothes, but I don’t want her to think that I don’t like the outfits she has, because I do. That sweet little gray dress she wore at the wedding rehearsal was just about the most–”

  “You want me to take her shopping and dress her in the manner befitting a rock star’s girlfriend? Something like that?”

  James sighed with relief. “I knew I liked you the moment I saw you, in spite of your dreadful taste in men. Yes, that’s exactly what I mean. If you tell me what stores, I can phone ahead to set up credit, if they’ll do that.”

  “There’s no need,” Lily assured him. “I’ll do the shopping; Ian can pay for everything–”

  James snickered at the fully anticipated muffled grunt in the background. “What was that? Ian’s paying for what?”

  “Hold yer wheesht, mon,” she said in an exaggerated Scots burr. “Like I said, Ian can pay for it and you can pay him back. How’s that?”

  “Sounds perfect,” he smiled. “I appreciate you doing this, Lily. Tell your man to give me a call when the two of you get back stateside, maybe we can all get together for dinner one night.”

  ****

  After they said their goodbyes, Lily replaced the phone on the hotel nightstand. Ian cocked an eyebrow and reached across the bed, pulling her to him. “So what is it I’m going to be paying for?” he murmured, tugging at the tangled shoulder strings holding her sheer nightgown up. “And if these don’t come loose by the count of three, I’m going to shred the feckin’ thing.”

  “A new wardrobe for Beth,” she replied. She lightly smacked his hand and undid the ties herself.

  “Oh…all right. And why will I be doing that, exactly?” he asked faintly, the sight of Lily’s now-naked body having captured his full attention.

  “Because,” Lily said, “your brother’s falling in love with her.”

  11

  In the early morning a week later, Beth answered her phone with a squeal of happiness. “Tell me you’re home,” she begged.

  “We are,” Lily said. “Come on over!”

  “Ten minutes, put the coffee on,” Beth said, running for her purse and keys. True to her word, she was at Lily’s apartment in just under ten minutes and was halfway up the stairs before remembering her friend didn’t live there anymore. “Aarrrgh”, she growled as she threw the car into reverse and headed for Ian’s apartment. Ian and Lily’s apartment, she amended.

  On the way, she marveled at her friend’s good fortune, marrying a man who was not only devastatingly handsome but also rich and worshipped the ground she walked on. At the exclusive gated community of Olde Towne the security guards waved her through once they saw the resident sticker Lily had given her. She parked in the guest area of the garage and sprinted for the elevator. These apartments are amazing, she thought as she rode up. An internationally renowned artist, Ian painted the interior of his himself, mimicking the stone walls and rose trellises he painted for the Castle and giving the impression of a huge medieval fortress.

  She
rang the doorbell then knocked hard. The door opened almost at once, and Lily flung herself into Beth’s arms. “I missed you so much!” they exclaimed in unison.

  “It was miserable without you, but I’ve got a lot to tell you about.” Beth said excitedly. “There have been…ah…developments…since you’ve been gone.”

  Lily grabbed her by the arm and pulled her inside. “And I’ll need to hear about each and every one,” she assured her.

  Hearing a noise behind them, they turned to see that Ian had joined them in the lushly appointed great room. Beth launched herself at him. “Prince, I’m so happy you’re home!” she said.

  He caught and held her in a tight hug, laughing. “We’re happy to be home,” he said. She gave him an extra squeeze for good measure before they all headed for the kitchen and the waiting pot of coffee. Ian took heavy ceramic mugs from the cabinet and after pouring all three took his in hand. “If you ladies will pardon me, I’ve a bit of catching up to do with the mail,” he said, excusing himself with a small bow.

  Lily blew him a parting kiss then turned back to her friend. “We got in late last night, I didn’t want to call and wake you.”

  Beth waved nonchalantly. “You wouldn’t have woken me. James and I were up talking on the webcam until around two this morning.” Lily’s response was a loud shriek of delight, which caused Ian to come running back into the kitchen.

  “What the bloody hell was that?” he gasped, but relaxed when he saw the two of them giggling. “You’re going to have to not make noises like that, wife. Least not in here, anyway,” he snickered, ducking back down the hall.

  Lily grinned and picked up her cup for a sip. “I want every last detail.”

  An hour later, Lily was sufficiently caught up, and even Ian who had come in to refill his coffee twice was up to speed on the relationship between his brother and Beth. “And James flew all that way just to have dinner with her,” she explained. “All that romanticness must just run in the family.”

  “Sweetheart,” he said in a gentle reminder, “don’t you have something for Beth?”

  Lily jumped up immediately. “We went shopping at Harrods while we were in London and brought you back a couple of things,” she explained.

  With Ian’s help Lily brought in their purchases. “That’s not a few things, dear,” Beth said, wide eyed at the growing pile of distinct green shopping bags.

  “So I can’t count,” Lily snapped, pulling her back to the bedroom. Beth tried on the numerous outfits, each one high fashion, flattering, and all but one fitting as if made for her. Both women wore the same size shoes, enabling Lily to get the matching footwear without wondering if they’d fit. “We can get this taken up a bit and it’ll be perfect,” Lily announced, inspecting the hem of the current dress.

  Beth grew quiet, knowing there was no way in hell she was going to be able to pay her friend back for all the expensive clothes. Hell, one of these dresses alone was probably worth more than her entire wardrobe. She heaved a disappointed internal sigh and steeled her resolve. “These must have cost a fortune, hon. I can’t–”

  Lily was firm. “Yes, you can. I seem to recall you buying me an outfit once and just look what happened.” The corners of her lips tilted up as Beth remembered paying for the new outfit that Lily wore on her first date with Ian and she relented just a tiny bit. The outfits were beautiful, and looked so nice on her… “I’ll do my best to pay you back,” she promised.

  “You’ll do no such thing. If it weren’t for you, Ian and I would never have met. So there. You’re stuck with them. C’mon, I need a refill and something to eat,” she ordered, taking Beth’s arm and pulling her back to the kitchen. After another few hours of catch-up conversation and vacation details had passed, Beth had to tear herself away to get ready for work. Clutching her gifts, she grinned and waved goodbye as the elevator doors closed.

  * * * *

  Ian stood behind Lily with his arms wrapped around her, watching Beth go. “What did you do with the receipts for James? I told him that you’d let him know how much we spent,” she reminded him.

  Dropping a gentle kiss on top of her head, he smiled into her hair and said, “Spent on what, my sweetheart?” Without waiting for an answer, he turned and went back into the apartment. Lily followed him, marveling at her husband’s generous heart.

  * * * *

  After that night’s show James went to the after party, but stayed only a few moments before he arranged for a car back to the hotel. “Overtired,” he explained, relieved that no one pressed him for more details. He didn’t want to talk to anyone about how his chest had started hurting the moment they pulled into the parking lot of the nightclub. There’s nothing wrong with me, he told himself firmly, I’m just tired. He immediately started feeling better when he got back to his room and turned on his computer, starting up the webcam. He sent a text.

  are you there?

  Within moments, her face flickered on his screen. “Hey you.” She smiled then frowned. “You don’t look like you feel well. Are you okay?”

  “I’m fine, just tired,” he said. “Show took a lot out of me tonight. I only stayed a minute at the after party. Hopefully Aaron won’t get wise that I blew it off.” He smiled at her, hoping the warmth of it would reassure her. “You are truly a beautiful sight after the day I’ve had. How are you doing, my darlin’?”

  She told him about visiting Ian and Lily that morning and the wonderful surprise they had for her. James perked up immediately. “Can I see?” he asked. She spent the next fifteen minutes modeling her new outfits for him, changing clothes out of his sight behind the computer screen. He silently vowed to thank Lily for her excellent taste. “You look spectacular, sweetheart,” he sighed happily. “Which one are you wearing to the show in Tampa?”

  “I haven’t decided, they’re all so pretty. Which do you like best?” she asked.

  James didn’t hesitate at all. “The short ruffly black one that looks like it’s all wrapped around you.” Because you’re a present I don’t plan on going much longer without opening, he added silently. “I’ve got a surprise for you too, although it’s not nearly as nice as a new dress,” he said. Reaching behind him, he pulled out an acoustic guitar. He placed it over his left knee in the classical style, brushed his hand over the strings lightly once then began to play. She was mesmerized by the beautiful melody. The renaissance-style piece he played was both intricate and sweet, and when he opened his mouth to sing softly to her, she was completely enchanted.

  And I would walk a thousand miles, o’er rolling hill, through darkened street

  For one of my dear lady’s smiles, and just a taste from her lips so sweet

  Her face, the sun to light my day; her eyes, the stars to light my night

  Her laugh, it calls my heart to play; her touch, it sets my world aright.

  O’er land and sea and mountains tall, through snow or storm or fiery heat

  For her I’d face and brave them all, just to lay my heart down at her feet

  Her face, the sun to light my day; her eyes, the stars to light my night

  Her laugh, it calls my heart to play; her touch, it sets my world aright.

  He played on for a moment more, then stopped. “That’s all I’ve got for now,” he shrugged. “It’s not finished yet. I’m not quite certain how it ends.” He gave her a big smile. “You inspire me, darlin’.”

  Her mouth formed a perfect o. “You wrote that? It’s…beautiful. I’ve never heard you sing like that.”

  She was right. He didn’t get to sing like that often at all. Screaming his balls off every single night hadn’t destroyed his voice yet, but he knew it wasn’t long in coming at the rate he was going. “In college, my principal instrument was voice. A lyric baritone, they called me. Seems like a long time ago. Anyway.” He shook his head, “I’m trying to serenade you here, and you’re supposed to be swooning. Why aren’t you swooning, lass? Am I not doing it right?”

  * * * *

  She
giggled in spite of herself, put her hand to her forehead and with a dramatic sigh slumped over in her chair. He nodded, pleased. “Now that’s more like it.” He continued to play and she listened raptly as he sang only for her, his warm, rich voice making her feel strangely soft inside. He had started playing another song when a sharp knock on the door made him swear under his breath. “Hold on, sweet.”

  He moved out of her line of sight, then a second or two later she heard him snap, “Who is it?” A muffled voice answered and she heard the rattle of a door lock. “What do you want? It’s late, Aaron,” James said. He sat back down in front of the computer again, but he was looking away from her and she knew they were not alone. In a very casual gesture, he reached up and touched a single finger to his lips, an unspoken plea for her silence.

  “Where the hell were you tonight?” Aaron growled without preamble. “You were supposed to be at the after party. The press was there. Everybody was looking for you. Where’d you disappear to?”

  James’s face remained impassive. “I was there for a little while. I came back early, wasn’t feeling well. I’m tired. Show took a lot out of me.”

  Beth heard movement off screen. James’s handsome face hardened. “Looking for something?” he snapped.

  She clapped a hand over her mouth to suppress a gasp of shock at the response. “Just making sure we’re alone. Next time I tell you to appear at a function you will damn well do so, is that clear? Is that fucking clear enough for you?” She heard what sounded like a fist smacking a tabletop for emphasis. As if to confirm her suspicions, the computer screen jumped from the sudden vibration.

  James bared his teeth in what only an idiot would mistake for a smile. “And exactly whose room is it you’ve mistaken mine for? I don’t take bullyin’ well, Aaron, best you remember that.”

  “Best you remember what it is you want from me,” came the caustic reply. There was a moment of tense silence then Aaron spoke in the condescending tone one would use to a small child. “I don’t want to come down so hard on you, James, really I don’t. I just need for you to do what you’re supposed to do so that we all benefit from it. When I didn’t see you at the party, I assumed you had slunk off to see that girl again.”