Dance (14 page)

Fenix
understood what the producer was saying, and he knew he was right, but he was
not in the mood for arguing right now. Fenix would never use his relationship
with Jared to promote
Poison
no
matter what anyone thought the benefits would be.

“I
have to go, Mr Goodwin. The ad break is over and they’re waiting for me,” Fenix
said, his voice becoming flat.

If
the producer had caught the change in Fenix’s voice he didn't comment on it.
They said their goodbyes and Fenix returned to the studio to find Dan and Jared
chatting with a caller.

“No,
Jenny from Kingston, I don't have any tattoos,” Jared said playfully, obviously
answering Jenny’s question. She giggled and fired back,

“How about Fenix?
Does he have
any?”

“No.
And I’ve checked. Thoroughly,” Jared said with a smirk as Fenix took his chair
and put on his headphones giving the thumbs up to Dan.

Jenny
giggled again and Fenix found the sound extremely annoying through the
headphones.

“I
haven’t seen it myself yet, but I bet if you come to see the show Fenix will
treat you to a few shirtless scenes and you can check for yourself. Right,
Fenix?”

“Oh, yeah.
There are
shirtless scenes involved,” Fenix replied without hesitation. He might have
reservations about using his personal relationship to promote the show, but he
had no such qualms regarding his own body.

“Alright,
Jenny, that was a lot of personal questions even though I warned you about
those,” Dan interrupted Jenny’s annoying giggle and disconnected the line. “I’m
afraid that’s all for tonight, folks. Thank you so much to our special guests
Jared Hartley and Fenix Bergman.” The sound engineer cued in the applause
again. “Don’t forget to go see
Poison
when it opens at Queen Victoria on the twenty second of September.”

The
ad break signalling the end of the show started and Dan stood up taking off his
headphones. He shook hands with both Fenix and Jared, and thanked them for the
great guest appearance. He wished them good luck with their shows and invited
them to come back any time.

Out
on the street, it was already dark and a bit chilly. Fenix shivered in his
t-shirt and wrapped his arms around himself. Jared hugged him around the
shoulders and pulled him close as they walked.

“Steven
Hamilton texted me when you went out to take your call. He says he’s happy, and
I quote, with the development. He thought I was using the opportunity to
promote my own musical while you are promoting yours,” Jared said and shook his
head disbelievingly.

“Yeah,
I guessed,” Fenix replied, and summarised his conversation with his own
producer. “I refuse to use
us
to
promote anything, Jared. I’m ready to whore myself out to the media – give them
their interviews, pose shirtless for their photo shoots, smile while we discuss
the same thing over and over again. But I refuse to use our relationship as a
promotional stunt.”

“I
know, love, me too. I’ll set my team straight tomorrow in person. While we’re
not going to hide, we’re definitely not going to do a reality show either,”
Jared said and hugged the shivering Fenix closer. “Let’s go home. I want to
warm you up properly,” he said with a cheeky grin.

“By taking off my clothes?”
Fenix asked, raising an eyebrow in amusement.

“Exactly.”

Chapter thirteen

Jared

The following
two weeks flew by in a blur. Fenix was busy promoting the show, doing
interviews and chat shows, photo shoots, and guest appearances. Jared had been
right – the media absolutely adored him. He managed to charm every single
journalist, photographer and talk show host, and there wasn’t a day when he
wasn’t in the papers. Fenix was quickly becoming one of London’s promising new
stars and they haven’t even seen him in action.

Jared
accompanied him whenever he could, and while everyone was quite curious about
their relationship, Fenix let it be known he wouldn't discuss it publicly. Most
people respected that, and those who didn't were stonewalled with charismatic
smiles and clever conversation until they either gave up asking or the
interview was over before they knew what had hit them.

Fenix
was born to be in the spotlight. He was getting better and better every day and
Jared couldn't have been more proud of him. He was quite happy to step aside
and let Fenix do his thing, offering support when he needed it, but otherwise
not meddling. Fenix was capable of fighting his own battles and paving his own
future.

Jared
was falling deeper in love with him with every single day that passed.

They
were both busy with Jared performing four days a week and supervising the
renovations on his home, and with Fenix running around London on promo gigs.
There were days when they could barely see each other and Jared couldn't wait
to get home to Fenix at night.

It
was perfect. Fenix was perfect. And Jared was so happy.

Everyone
seemed to notice the positive change and complimented him all the time. Even
Adam admitted Jared looked good and ‘maybe his relationship with Fenix wasn’t a
hoax’. Jared took his friend out for a beer that evening after the show. Fenix
was filming a chat show so Jared had a couple of hours to kill before he got
back, and Adam seemed... lonely.
For the first time since
he’d known Adam, Jared realised his best friend was in desperate need of having
someone not just for the night.
And it wasn’t his pink new relationship
glasses talking. The loneliness was rolling off Adam in waves, even though he’d
never admit it. He’d never been a relationship guy – the more, the better was
his motto. Had he finally had enough? Was Adam finally ready for a
relationship? Jared wasn’t about to ask. He knew Adam would only get defensive
and they’d get nowhere. But he made a mental note to keep a closer eye on his
friend and be there for him if needed.

Before
they left the pub, Adam suggested they go to a club the following weekend.
There would be live music at
Lono’s
and they all needed
a night out. Jared agreed, promising to let everyone know before he hugged Adam
goodbye and headed home to Fenix.

Lono’s
was crowded.
Nix
– the band that was
playing that night – obviously had a lot of local fans, even though Jared had
never heard of them before. Adam seemed in a better mood than earlier that week
when they’d gone to the pub. He led their group to a private table with a
crescent shaped sofa big enough for all of them.

 
Fenix had readily jumped at the idea for a
night out when Jared mentioned it. He’d invited Joy and Ned along, as well as
some of his other co-stars. Both Jared and Fenix needed a night off to relax,
have some fun, and not think about work. Fenix’s big opening night was only two
weeks away, making him more and more
anxious.
Jared
offered his quiet support all the time, reassuring him that he’d be great, that
people would love the show. When that didn't work, he’d proceed to make love to
Fenix until he let go of all the worry and anxiety, his body and his mind
consumed by pleasure.

Jared
could not get enough of his lover. The more he fucked him, the more he wanted
to fuck him. He craved their nights together like air after he’d been
underwater for too long. The feel of Fenix’s willing, pliable body underneath
him was addicting, and Jared had long ago decided to give in to his addiction.

“Hey,”
Fenix whispered in his ear, snapping Jared out of his increasingly erotic
thoughts. “I’m going to get us a drink,” he said and squeezed past Jared,
dragging his palm along his stomach as he did so. Jared watched him saunter
away, admiring his grace and beauty, his perfect ass in those tight jeans, his
long legs and lean muscled arms...

“I
know, it’s nauseating,” Jared heard Adam say and unwillingly dragged his eyes
away from Fenix, trying to pay at least some attention to the conversation
going on around the table.

“What
is?” he asked absentmindedly.

Joy
giggled and Adam rolled his eyes, throwing an arm around her shoulders and
whispering something in her ear. The rest of their party was engaged in an
animated conversation – Ned was trying to be the centre of attention as usual,
waving his arms as he told some story that had everyone staring at him with
amusement.

Fenix
returned to the table with a tray full of drinks and passed them around. He
squeezed to sit next to Jared as everyone picked their drinks and raised their
glasses in salute. Jared clicked his Cuba
Libre
to
Fenix’s, took a long sip and, after leaving his glass back on the table, cupped
Fenix’s neck and brought his mouth to his. There was no slow introduction to
the kiss. Jared thrust his tongue inside Fenix’s mouth and felt him yelp in
surprise, but it quickly turned into a moan of pleasure. Jared tasted the
alcohol on Fenix’s tongue and for some reason that urged him to explore deeper.
Harder.
Fenix responded equally, gripping the front of
Jared’s shirt and tugging him even closer, licking the inside of Jared’s mouth
and tangling their tongues together.

“Hey!
Hey!” Adam shouted over the music, and amazingly Jared heard him over the lust
filled haze of his brain. His hold on Fenix loosened, and with one last nip at
his lower lip, Jared released him. Fenix’s eyes were dark and he looked dazed,
as if he didn't know where he was or what was happening. Jared pulled him into
a hug and as Fenix buried his face in the crook of Jared’s neck, he could feel
the short, frantic breaths Fenix was taking against his skin. “What the fuck,
man? Nobody is nearly drunk enough to witness your necking,” Adam said, trying to
sound as if he was joking, but watching them with a carefully blank expression.

Jared
took a look around the table – nobody was paying them any interest. Ned was
still being an attention whore, having drawn Joy into his circle of admirers as
he continued to talk and gesticulate, and the club was dark and loud enough
that nobody at the neighbouring tables would mind their kissing either.

“Get
on with it, then,” Jared nodded towards Adam's drink.
“Because
there’s a lot more where that came from.”
He smiled sweetly at Adam and
tangled his hand in Fenix’s hair, tugging him off his shoulder and bringing his
mouth to his again. This time he went slow and gentle, and Fenix didn’t resist.

It turned out
Nix
were great. Their sound was an
interesting mix of alternative rock, techno beat, and classic rock solos. The
lead singer was something else – the guy’s voice was strong and smooth, with a
unique tilt at the end of the high notes. He was no taller than five nine, slim,
with wild black hair with blue streaks. Even from afar, Jared could tell he was
an arrogant motherfucker.

Jared
was dancing with Joy, who had complained that he only had eyes for Fenix and
she wanted ‘a piece of that too’. Fenix had laughed and pushed Jared her way as
Ned appeared out of nowhere and snagged Fenix around the waist, taking him
away.

Jared
spun Joy in his arms, enjoying her skilful dancing when she didn't skip a step
or lose her balance. She twirled gracefully a few times before Jared pulled her
back into his arms as she giggled. His eyes scanned the overcrowded club in
search of Fenix and Ned. He spotted them a few feet away, dancing and laughing
about something. Jared’s gaze fell on Adam next, who wasn't dancing, but was
sitting at the table, nursing his beer and staring at the singer. Jared knew
that stare. He didn't even know if the guy was gay, but he would bet he was
going to end up in Adam's bed tonight. Sparing a glance in the direction of the
stage, Jared noticed that the singer was also staring at Adam, and quite
challengingly at that. His eyes were an unnerving deep grey, their intensity
brought out even more by the dark eye liner he was wearing.

Adam
must have felt Jared watching him because he dragged his eyes away from the
stage and looked straight at him, raising his drink in silent cheers and
smirking. Jared shook his head and laughed, giving his friend the thumbs up.
Singer boy looked like he could provide a decent night of
fucking,
and Adam seemed like he needed that.

Jared could
barely contain his desire for Fenix on the cab ride home. The air between them
had crackled with sexual energy all night long, and being confined in a car
with Fenix, not able to touch him, was excruciating. The moment the front door
closed behind them, Jared pounced, taking Fenix’s mouth in a rough, demanding
kiss. Fenix responded by completely submitting to Jared’s need, pressing his
body to Jared’s and weaving his arms around his neck. Jared growled, grabbing
the back of Fenix’s thighs as he picked him up, without interrupting their
frantic kissing. Fenix wrapped his legs around Jared’s waist, grunting as Jared
slammed his back against the door. Jared kissed along his jaw, nipped at his
chin, bit his earlobe, all the while trying to hold Fenix and undo his jeans at
the same time.