Stereo (6 page)

“I am excited,” she said, attempting to smile.

“Yeah?  Because you look…”  He tilted his head. “Kinda sick.”

Shaun waved a nonchalant hand, and quickly hid it behind her back when she saw it was shaking wildly.  “No, I’m good.  Just a little surprised that I was the first one you called.”

“Why wouldn’t you be?  You’re my
girl
…” He said the word with a slight hitch that only made sense to the two of them, tightening his football hold around her neck.  “And guys do favors for their
girls
, right?  Don’t go getting all misty eyed on me.”

“What happened to the original model you hired?”

“Irrelevant,” he answered quickly.

Shaun glared.  She’d spent the better part of the night Googling him and had learned that he was nothing if not a ladies man. “You slept with her, didn’t you?”

Adam’s eyes narrowed ever so slightly, but Shaun caught it.

“You slept with her and then called her ‘Sally’ when her name is actually ‘Sue’--or just plain didn’t call her at all.  Am I right?”

Adam held her glare.  Had she been Googling him all night?  “Irrelevant,” he whispered.

Zizo chimed in, skeptically. “And which agency you work for?”

Shaun and Adam’s heads both snapped over, appearing to have forgotten Zizo had been there at all.  Shaun looked down at their feet and wondered when during their exchange they’d come face to face with each other.  Turning to Zizo, she crossed her arms over her chest.  His disapproval of her was blatant and made her instantly uncomfortable.

“Uh… Wilhelmina Models,” she announced.

“And why do I never heard of you?”

Shaun opened her mouth to lie but was surprised when Adam beat her to the punch. “Is there a problem or what?”

Her eyes flew to Adam in surprise. The protectiveness in his tone had caught her off guard and the once playful arm he’d had around her shoulder was now holding her a little tighter, closer, as if to shield her.  Shaun found herself staring up into his angry face, his eyes still riveted challengingly to the director, even as someone came up beside her and took her arm.  With hesitation, she looked to the person who was gently tugging her and couldn’t help but smile up at the flamboyant blonde man attempting to pull her away from the fire.  He had kind brown eyes, a platinum faux-hawk and a face full of flawlessly applied make-up.

“Hey sugar, I’m Max, the hair and make-up artist.  Follow me and we’ll make you beautiful.”

“Okay…” Shaun said, happy to allow herself to be pulled away by the only smiling face in the vicinity.  As she followed Max to the line of trailers parked along the far ends of the lot she turned back to Adam.  He and Zizo were arguing and she knew it was about her.  Feeling terrified and rejected, she already wished she had just stayed home.

--

Adam’s three band mates looked on from their stools as he and Zizo went head to head.  Shaun was long gone, having been thankfully dragged away by the colorful make-up artist.

“What’s your problem with Shaun, Zizo?  She’s a professional, she’s contracted at Wilhelmina, she’s beautiful.”

Jon Baca, The White Keys’ guitarist and Adam’s oldest and dearest friend, looked up—brought to full attention at the sound of Adam using the word “beautiful” to describe any woman, let alone the woman he’d just dragged onto the lot.

“What more do you want?” Adam held his arms out. “What? Is it just because she’s black?”

Zach Kernoodle and Yoshi Cho, bass player and drummer, both stood from their folding chairs and inched a little closer to Adam and Zizo, sensing that this interaction probably wasn’t going anyplace good.

Zizo threw his head back with a cringe. “
Ay
, is not because she’s black… is because she come to my set with hair messy, eyes puffy, wearing sweatpants? 
Sweatpants!”

Adam eased back, chewing his gum wildly.  Looking off towards the make-up trailer in distress, he ran a hand down the back of his head. “All right, okay.”  He held his hands out in peace. “Maybe I just overreacted.”

“Maybe?”  Jon grumbled from behind Adam, throwing his shoulder length, curly brown hair out of his eyes and turning away when his friend looked at him with a death glare.

“You got some big hairy ones to call anyone out for being a racist dude,” Zach said, with a scoff. “Pot, please meet kettle.  Seriously bro.”

Adam hissed before shoving his hands in his pockets and walking off.  He made it about five feet before turning back to his band mates and stomping toward them. “I’m
not
racist and I know I’m an asshole for what I said in that interview.  Please believe no one on the fucking planet has made that more clear to me than the girl in
sweatpants
sitting
in that make-up trailer.  So if anyone on this lot is allowed to give me shit it’s…”  Adam’s words dragged to a stop when he realized that not only were none of his band mates listening to his rant, but they were all entranced by something over his shoulder. Turning his head, he took in the sight, looked away, then looked quickly back. The anger on his face collapsed into pure shock.

Shaun was strutting towards them in a skin tight red mini-dress, the bright fabric making her brown skin glisten and leap out dramatically. With every step she took the muscles in her legs flexed ever so softly, giving them an air of strength and femininity.   Breasts that she’d mastered hiding away sat perfect and plump at the top of the swooping sweetheart neckline and, as she walked, she tugged at the bottom of her dress, eyes riveted to Adam.  It was the eyes that got him—that held him.  To the casual observer Shaun’s orbs looked dark brown, almost black, but the shadow on her lids was so smoky and deep that it made the secret of her bronzed brown eyes jump out and wrap around his neck, claiming him. A small smile touched her red lips as she tossed her flat ironed hair out of her face.  It fanned around her curvy body like a jet black wave before coming to a luscious rest at the delicate curve of her waist.

“Holy shit.”  Adam’s eyes fell from her head to her feet, and back up, again. 

Shaun’s face curled in horror when she tripped over the heels Max had insisted she wear, successfully tumbling and falling oafishly into the chest of a man she’d never met.  She jammed her eyes shut and laughed at herself as she stood tall, using the man’s arms to steady herself.  Looking up into his almond eyes, she smiled, and he smiled back, making his eyes shrink and highlight his Asian descent.

He clutched her arms.  “Hi. I’m Yoshi.  Drummer.”

Shaun nodded, still leaning on him breathlessly, before motioning to herself. “Hi. I’m Shaun.  Liability.”

Yoshi laughed.

“Thanks for catching me.” She looked at Adam. “Was that a good ‘holy shit’ or a bad ‘holy shit’?”

Adam opened his mouth to answer, his eyes still roaming her body.  He couldn’t speak.

Zizo, having gotten deeply engaged in a conversation with the lighting tech, turned to Shaun, took her in, and threw his arms up in the air. “Oh thank god!” he cried, kissing the tips of his fingers and approaching her before taking both of her shoulders in his hands and nodding vigorously.  “Yes, yes, you will do.  This will do.  Ay dios mio,” he exhaled, hurrying back to his chair. “Okay people we are back in business… let’s go, let’s go!”

The hundreds of people who had become chatty and distracted during the long interlude jumped to attention at the sound of Zizo screaming, and everyone began taking their place.

Shaun watched Zizo saunter off and when she looked back to Adam she was flattered to find that he was still staring.

With his mouth agape, Adam pointed behind him. “Uh, these are my band mates?” he said stupidly, his eyes roaming her body once more before peeking at Yoshi. “You’ve met Yoshi.”  His gaze lingered on his longtime drummer, before he dragged it over to Jon. “And this is Jon, guitar. He’s been my best friend since…”  Adam held a hand out, eyes wide, trying to think, “Forever.  And that’s Zach, we call him Noodle.  He’s a fuckin’ idiot.”

“Fuck you, dude!” Zach spat, glaring at Adam.  Finally, he looked at Shaun and his face lit up with a crooked smile as he held up a hand in greeting.

Shaun considered Adam out of the corner of her eye, amused, before waving to the three men.  She took them all in. “I would approach you but…”  She looked down at the heels on her feet, “I don’t want to fall and ruin the moment.”

Though his band mates stood confused behind him, Adam was watching Shaun from under his eyes and a tiny smile was playing at the edges of his lips.

--

Shaun pretended to slap Adam across the face as best she could, fighting back a smile when he pretended to be thrown back by the blow.  He fell dramatically onto the empty street while The White Key’s fast paced, upbeat single played in the background.  Watching him collapse onto the ground in response to her “punch”, Shaun gave Adam a look of approval. He was a great actor.

“Cut!”  Zizo hid his face from his high chair.  After taking his red cheeks out of his hands, he held them out in claws. “Adam, you are a
terrible a
ctor.”

“I guess that’s why they’re paying me the big bucks for the singing and not the acting,” Adam said, taking the arm Shaun offered and allowing her to pull him to his feet.  He stared at her.  They had been at this for the last four hours and she’d had four costume changes, all of which he highly approved of.  The tight skinny jeans, black sandals and sparkly dress top she was wearing now was his favorite so far--probably because he hadn’t had to catch her fall for the entire scene.

Zizo circled the camera and approached Shaun and Adam, squinting against the bright sun. “This isn’t a love story in the street.  This is a brawl in the street! You are supposed to hate him okay?  You hate him, but
not really,
” he said to Shaun while grabbing Adam and pulling him close. “You want him, but you don’t--” He pushed Adam away before pulling him back in. “You love him, but you want to kill him…”  He pushed Adam away, again.  “Listen!  Change of plan. I don’t want you to
pretend
to hit him, I want you to really hit him.  Beat the shit out of him if you have to…”

Adam was now making a face. “Wait. What?”

“That I can do,” Shaun agreed with a smile.

“Great, then do that,” Zizo said, making his way back behind the camera.

Just before Zizo called action, Adam and Shaun stood facing each other. Adam smiled at her. “I think we both know you’re not really going to hit me—“

“Action!”

Whack!

--

“Jesus.”  Adam sat hunched over in a high chair holding a frozen pack of peas against his cheek and glaring up at Shaun from under his eyelids.  Though he had to wonder about how random it was that someone had a pack of frozen peas on a music video set in the first place, he was hesitant to object to anything cold and hard after taking the beat down he had for the last two hours.

Shaun was smiling like a schoolgirl in the high chair across from him, wiggling impatiently in her seat as workers and extras hustled around her in their haste to set up the final scene. “You know, Adam, I am
really
liking this.”

“Liking this?” Adam mumbled against the pack of peas. “Who the hell are you kidding?  You’re
loving
this.”

Shaun attempted to look apologetic, but a glorious smile broke across her face.

Adam took in the sight.

“Okay,” she admitted, giddily. “I am.  I’m loving it!”  She clapped her hands together, then gasped dramatically.

Adam’s eyes widened at her enthusiasm.

Shaun spoke animatedly. “And this is perfect for us.  You know, me appearing in your video.  Very boyfriend and girlfriend like.  I’ll be honest, when Celia first told me about this idea that you and Janelle came up with I had my doubts.  But if I’m the star of your video in addition to you and I being seen around town,  it’s only a matter of time before your name is cleared and I…”  Shaun caught herself in the nick of time, biting her tongue.

Adam, however, had been listening closely.  “You what?”

Shaun pretended to look off for a few seconds, and when her eyes met his she feigned confusion. “Huh?”

“You said ‘it’s only a matter of time before your name is clear and I….’” His eyes bore into her. “You what?”

Shaun couldn’t help but glare at him.  When in the last two days had he started listening to her?  “And I’ll… get to watch as all my dreams come true.”  It wasn’t a lie.

“Yeah?  And what are those?”

“What are what?”

“What are your dreams?”

Shaun was surprised by the question and even more surprised by how intently he was waiting for an answer.  It was as if he really wanted to know.  “You don’t have to do that.” 

Adam took the peas off of his face. “Do what?”

“That.  What you just did.”  Shaun motioned between them.  “I read that interview.  You don’t have to pretend that you actually… give a damn about me.”

Adam sat tall.  “I just spent the last two hours getting the shit beat out of me
… by you—“