Beautiful Noise

Chapter 20

CHAPTER TWENTY

E zren.

I watched Kori’s eyes run through a plethora of emotions as we neared the hotel. We’d managed to slide into Houston undetected but after the clips of the performance there along with the VIP meet and greet went viral there was no way to avoid the media lineup waiting for us outside the hotel in Dallas.

The coverage never bothered me. Years of existing in this world made me numb to the intrusive nature of those who paid their bills by capturing details that exposed my life, but this was new to Kori. I should have considered how she would fit into this equation when I booked at my favorite spot here.

Not that it would have mattered. If people wanted information and were willing to pay, there was always someone willing to risk their job to offer details they were sworn to keep private. Case in point, the frenzy of paparazzi stationed outside the hotel.

“I can have them drive us to docking stations in the back if you would be more comfortable.”

“If we’re together, I can’t hide. This is your life.” Her eyes left me and darted to the sea of bodies that already had their cameras aimed at the SUV as we approached before they slowly rolled back over to me.

“Wanting privacy isn’t hiding,” I assured her. As comfortable as I was with this life, there were also days when I couldn’t fucking deal and craved the seclusion of being Ezren and not Eccentric.

“If I weren’t with you, would you go to the docks in the back or deal with them ?” She pointed to the window and I smiled.

“I’ve been doing this for years. Dealing with them takes a lot to get used to. I’m okay with whatever you decide.” The driver glanced at me through the rearview mirror, searching for instruction on what he was to do.

“We can go through the front.” She offered the most confident smile she could muster and I glanced at the driver who offered a short nod of understanding as he turned into the hotel parking lot and navigated to the front of the building under the carport.

Once we were parked I glanced out of the window, watching as the four security guards moved to the SUV prepared to create a human barrier as soon as we were out of the vehicle.

“Don’t stop, don’t react, no matter what they say, because they’ll say crazy shit just to get your attention. Their goal is to get a clear shot of your face and a video clip of your reaction. Don’t make it easy. Keep your head down and stay close to me and don’t stop moving unless I do.”

“Well shit, maybe we should have gone to the docks.” I grinned and kissed her cheek.

“You’ll be fine. It’s a lot but I’ve got you.”

I tugged at the hem of my hoodie, yanked it off my body, and handed it over. “Put this on and bring the hood up.”

“You sure you don’t want this?”

“Nah, I’m good. Put it on.”

I waited while she shuffled next to me, pulling my hoodie over hers. It swallowed her upper body before she yanked the hood up and slipped an arm through the strap of her purse.

“We’re ready,” I tossed out to the driver who moved from the driver’s seat and neared my side of the truck. He opened the door, shielding us while security created a wall to protect him. Once I was standing next to the vehicle, I extended a hand to Kori, helping her out while ignoring the flashes from cameras, buzzing movement, and shouting from the paparazzi hopefuls.

I grabbed Kori’s hand, interlocking our fingers, and moved with long strides toward the entrance. Security moved with us and blocked the doors once we were inside. The noise was buffered as we kept going through the lobby, bypassing the massive escalators, toward the front desk.

Normally I would have someone checking me in to avoid most of this, but Kori and I traveled alone against my team’s wishes. I didn’t want or need the extra bodies around. Since I was doing this solely as a favor to Clay, I kept things simple.

Check-in went smoothly and we made it to our suite without incident. While Kori toured, I took a few calls that couldn’t wait, then found her sitting Indian style on the sofa after I finished my last one. She was still in my hoodie but her legs were bare which meant she was in it by choice. She had changed. Wearing my clothes was a choice and one I thoroughly approved of. While her focus was trained on her poetry journal, I shamelessly stole a few photos with my phone, needing to hold onto every single memory of her that I could.

Yet another reason I knew I was totally fucked when it came to this woman. I didn’t catalog memories connected to anything but my family and my music. Not even the women from my past retained space in my mind after the lyrics were recorded and attached to the melodies they inspired. This fucking woman had me desperate to not only notice all the little things but to commit them to memory for safe keeping.

She was so enthralled in the way her pen glided over the weathered pages of her journal that she hadn’t caught my obsessive moment. Instead of disturbing her, I settled on the floor, bypassing the spot next to her. I sat silently, scrolling through my phone to see if the chaos from our arrival at the hotel had taken flight yet, and of course it had.

Normally, I didn’t check. There was always one post or another but now that Kori was attached to me, I found myself searching my name and hers to be sure nothing outlandishly crazy surfaced. The longer it lingered, the more challenging it would be for me to eradicate. In no way possible could I keep her in a protective bubble but I would do my best to minimize the exposure she received.

“Most thought I looked adorably cute in your hoodie even if I was wearing it because you’re ashamed.”

“Is that what they think?” I didn’t bother looking up from my phone since I’d shifted to Leijah’s page on my social media app. She had several clips of the performance in Houston but the one I focused on was the clip of us at the VIP meet and greet.

I heard her journal close and the soft thud when she tossed it to the corner of the sofa before she slid off the cushion and settled next to me on the carpeted floor. “Are you sure you’re not embarrassed? Because according to some very credible sources, my plain Jane appearance is beneath your very high standards.”

The smugness of her voice brought a smile to my face. I cut a glance her way then dropped my eyes back to the clip I was watching. “The only credible source on what my standards are is me and I damn sure didn’t send statements to any of those sites.”

I felt her move beside me and watched as she dropped between my legs and folded hers in front of her. “I don’t think they like the idea of you having a girlfriend.”

I tossed my phone next to us and grabbed her ankles one by one and placed them over my thighs before I yanked her forward until we were chest to chest. “I don’t give a fuck what they like. The only opinion that matters is mine.”

“And what happens when those opinions mean the women who live for the Eccentric experience no longer buy into the idea of you being their fantasy because you have a girlfriend?”

“My girlfriend is about to become the most famous songwriter in history. So since she’s derailing my career, she can support us. I can fuck with being a kept man.”

She threw her head back and laughed. “You a kept man?”

“Yeah, that might actually be a good look.”

“Hmm, I don’t know about that. And if that’s your plan, you surely have a girlfriend tucked away somewhere because there’s no way in hell you’re thinking I can afford to keep you in your current lifestyle.”

She would be right. Songwriters didn’t make shit in comparison to the money I generated from touring. Streaming was decent but most of my money came from ticket sales and partnerships with major companies.

“Why are you so determined to make a liar out of me?”

“How am I making you a liar?”

“You’re a first and only. I plan on keeping things that way but that’s a conversation for another day because I was fucking lucky to get you to agree to giving me a chance.”

She playfully rolled her eyes. “You act like you had to drag me into your life kicking and screaming. I had reservations, as would any intelligent woman well-versed in your past. No relationships, no attachments, not even a leaked puppy love situation from your teen years. I was well within my rights to believe you and commitment were an impossibility.”

“I have no valid argument but for the record your ass was kicking and screaming which was overkill.”

“A woman being dramatic. Hmmm, sounds about normal to me.”

I chuckled and pulled her closer. “You can be as dramatic as you want as long as you do it within close enough proximity that I can use the proper tools to combat the dramatics.”

I thrust my hips upward and she smiled sinfully slowly.

“I might be agreeable to that deal.” Her smile was teasing before her brows pinched. “Does this make sense?”

“This as in us?”

She nodded slowly. “No, but that’s why it works. Things that make sense often come together without rational thoughts and emotions are the most irrational shit to ever exist.”

“Then why are you so sure about us?”

“Because as irrational as my feelings are, they’re very fucking real. I might not be able to explain them, but they exist and I refuse to deny what I feel for the woman who makes me happy.”

“A lot of women have made you happy.”

I grinned and shrugged. They had, no sense in denying the obvious, but…

“Physically, yes, but that’s not what this is…” I paused, sliding my hands down her waist to cup her ass enough to edge her closer. “Even if you physically make me happy.”

When those pretty eyes rolled, my smile expanded before I continued. “But my point is, sex has been a necessary catalyst to my career. It has also been plentiful and relevant to my creative process. I’m not going to play with your intelligence by denying the truth but we’re more than sex, Ri. We’ve been more than sex since day one. I can fuck anybody I want. That has been my life for as long as I can remember. I want more.”

“Why now?”

I considered the many reasons I could cite. There were several but the most relevant was what I decided to share. “Music was the only thing I deemed worthy of committing my heart and time to.”

She frowned slightly. “That’s not answering my question.”

I dropped my head back against the base of the sofa. “I was young as hell when I signed my first deal. People think this life is easy, full of perks, and it can be. What no one glorifies is this life is also hard as fuck to navigate while keeping your head level. You can easily get lost in the mix of people fighting for the same thing you want. Success . Back then, women weren’t a priority, they couldn’t be. I had goals and didn’t need distractions that weren’t temporary. The label was on my ass about their expectations. Eventually things shifted enough for them to invest time and money in my career because I was making them money. But when that happened, they wanted something in return, so I still didn’t have the luxury of distractions.”

“They wanted more music.”

I nodded. “Which was the issue. I hadn’t really lived; so I didn’t have shit to write about. No true life experience. My dad would always tell me to write what was in my heart, what I felt. What I felt at eighteen didn’t fit what the label was trying to sell. I was so damn close to letting this shit go because I didn’t have a clue how to deliver what they were expecting.”

“But you didn’t quit…”

“Nah, I didn’t. One night I was at the studio waiting my turn to lay some vocals. Clay was working on something with another artist who was into some wild shit. I experienced things I probably shouldn’t have that night.” I grinned, shaking my head. “I wrote ‘Passion’ a few hours after that experience , played it for the label the next day, and they were hype as hell.”

“You had sex with some scheming ass industry hoe?”

I laughed and nodded before I gripped the back of her neck and stole a kiss. “Sex, yeah, she was cool people though. She didn’t want shit from me but my dick and she was too damn old for me to be busting my first nut with honestly but shit happens.”

“Wait, she was your first?” Kori’s eyes went wide.

“Yeah.”

“Your first sexual encounter was in a studio with an older woman?”

I nodded and she frowned. “How much older?”

“I don’t know. Late twenties, maybe early thirties.”

“You were eighteen ?”

“I was also very aware of what I was doing and who I was doing it with. No one took advantage of me, but we’re getting sidetracked by the point.”

She narrowed her eyes. “Which is?”

I grinned and kissed her again. “That was the first of many. Women served a purpose in my life. My career was the priority so I never wanted commitment. And before you ask why now again, the answer is, my career is and has always been the one constant in my life until now. There has to be more than just music. You inspired lyrics before I ever touched you which proved there could be more than just music. I needed to explore the possibility and I’m glad I did because whether we make sense or not, everything about us works.”

“And what happens when it doesn’t work?”

“We adjust because that’s how relationships work . People change and grow, together and apart, but when you’re with the right person, your person, the growth is a bonus. We’ll work, Ri, as long as we’re both willing and want this. I’m promising you I’ll do my part. For the first time in my life, the priority extends beyond just the music.”

“Such a poetic declaration. Keep it up and I might just believe you really want something serious with me,” she teased, reaching for her phone and frowning at the number that flashed across her screen. “I wonder why Chantel is calling me? I sent my notice before we left for Houston but I wouldn’t think it matters with everything going on. Maybe she wants to officially fire me.”

I froze, realizing Kori still didn’t know her old boss was the reason her face and personal information was leaked all over the internet. Nor did she know the reason Chantel was calling had to do with my team pulling up on her with a threat of a federal indictment as soon as Kori filed the official report. A report I also hadn’t mentioned to her.

Things were good after we left for Houston. She was happy and I didn’t want to fuck that up by revisiting the reason I wanted her here in the first place. Well not the only reason, but one of them. I wanted her with me and using the trip as a reason to keep her detached from the bullshit that ensued prior to us leaving was only a small part of the plan. She was, however, about to find out what I’d learned from Wil after we made it to the hotel and he called to let me know he’d set things in motion back in Atlanta.

“Hello…”

I could hear a woman’s angry, high-pitched voice screaming through Kori’s phone but the way her expression turned hard was proof enough that the call wasn’t friendly.

“I don’t have a clue what you’re talking about and you need to lower your damn voice and stop screaming at me before I end this call.”

I hadn’t been able to move quick enough to prevent her from answering but I managed to get the phone from her hand and place the call on speaker in time to catch Chantel going in.

“Bitch, I helped you and this is how you repay me. You send people to threaten me. These are federal charges; I can go to prison.”

“That’s exactly where the fuck you’re going because it’s what you deserve. You put Kori’s personal business out there and put her life in danger. Do you know how crazy things could have gotten if someone decided to pull up on her just because you wanted to make a few dollars?”

“What is she talking about?” Confusion settled on Kori’s face but Chantel wasted no time offering clarity.

“So this is him and not you?” she sneered.

“Yeah, it’s me and I’m only getting started. Call her again and you’ll see just how far I’m willing to go to fuck up your life for messing with hers.”

I stabbed my finger against the device to end the call and slammed it on the floor next to me.

“What is she talking about?”

“I told you I would figure things out. My people did some digging and learned Chantel Dior was the person who leaked your information online but she also sold it to several media outlets.”

“She’s the one?”

“Yeah.”

“How long have you known?”

“Since it happened. It didn’t take long to track the source. It wasn’t like she tried to cover her tracks, and if she did, she damn sure didn’t do a good job.”

“Why didn’t you tell me?”

“Because shit was already fucked up and I didn’t want to make it worse. I promised you I’d do my best to fix things…”

“And by fixing things, you threatened her?”

“It wasn’t a threat, Ri. She leaked your personal information online. It crossed state lines and she also sold the same information to people who posted it online, all of which is a federal charge. All you have to do is file the report and they’ll prosecute her.”

“Which means she goes to prison?”

“If you want her to, yeah she will. My lawyers will make sure she’s prosecuted to the full extent of the law and she deserves that shit, Ri, after what she did to you.”

“I agree but…”

“You can’t feel sorry for her, baby. She damn sure didn’t care about you when she put you in harm’s way. What if you had still been at that apartment and some crazy muthafucker used the information she put out there?”

The realization settled into her soul for a brief moment before her shoulders deflated. She had a good heart. Regardless of how fucked up this situation was, she was considering the livelihood of the person who turned her life upside down. My life was always exposed in one way or another. There was rarely a moment when someone wasn’t attempting to capture parts of my life on camera.

The invasion of privacy was annoying but had long since become a layer I accepted as a consequence of my success, but even still, with this being Kori, it felt different. It pissed me off. I wanted Chantel to suffer the worst fate possible. If this wasn’t what she wanted, I wouldn’t force her hand. I had already considered she would be torn and came up with an alternative.

“I don’t feel sorry for her but I also can’t say I want her to go to prison. As messed up as things were, they’re good now. I don’t know that they would be if she hadn’t placed me in the spotlight.”

I frowned so damn hard my face hurt from the tension of my jaw muscles locking so tightly. When she noticed the shift in my expression, she quickly clarified, “I’m not saying that I’m good or we’re good because of what she did, only that being exposed and out there made it a lot easier for me to accept things I normally wouldn’t.”

“Like?” I grit.

“Going on stage at SipLicity and accepting the offer to write for Leijah.”

“So you got on stage that night because of her?” I arched my brow and she smiled so damn big, rolling her eyes at the same time.

“No, I said yes because you were begging me but I also said yes because I figured what the hell else did I have to lose. My life was shit…” I glared and she added, “my life outside of you was shit, and I decided for once, just say fuck it and do what felt good to me without fear of what others might think. Even those hateful and cruel people who hate me because I have you.”

“They don’t hate you.” She mirrored my last move and arched her brow, bringing a smile to my face.

“They don’t fuck with you because you have something they want and could never acquire but they fuck with you heavy when it comes to your lyrics.”

“Poems…” she claimed.

“All the same and as for ol’ girl, I considered you wouldn’t want to take things that far and came up with an alternative that might work.”

“This feels like you telling me you know me.”

I leaned in and brushed my lips over hers. “Because I do. You’re mine to know.”

She smiled and I pressed a kiss to her lips before I offered the solution I felt she would agree to. “Financial restitution.”

“Huh?”

“She needs to pay. And if you don’t want to prosecute, which would mean her not going to prison, which is exactly where the fuck she belongs…” I narrowed my eyes and she huffed. “Then she needs to pay for the stress and the disruption in your life she caused.”

“She’s not going to do that.”

“If the alternative is you pressing charges and her going to prison, she damn sure will. If you promise you won’t then I’m sure she’ll give you whatever the fuck you ask for.”

“And what do I need to ask for because it feels like you already have that worked out too.”

It seemed that we knew each other because I knew exactly what she should ask for. Chantel had a few assets. A decent house, two high-end vehicles, but the most appealing of her assets was Elite Cleaners.

With some behind the scenes maneuvering, Wil was able to get the company appraised and it appeared that even though she was a terrible, morally corrupt person, she was damn good with business. Elite was valued at a little under a million dollars based on the accounts she held, the equipment, and potential for new accounts. Elite was the most sought after, high-end cleaning service in Atlanta.

“Nine hundred and eighty-three thousand dollars.”

Kori stared at me like I had lost my mind. I smiled, knowing she surely thought I had. “It’s reasonable.”

“In what universe?”

“The one where she used her business to help her execute identity theft.”

“I don’t follow.”

“You’re going to ask for profit from the sale of Elite and she’s going to agree.”

“And why would she agree to selling her business and giving me part of the money?”

“Not part, all of it, and she’s going to agree because giving you the money is better than going to prison. I get that you don’t want to take it there and wouldn’t but she doesn’t have to know that. She won’t know unless you tell her and and you’re not going to fucking tell her, Ri.”

“I…” The argument was there but I cut her off before she could debate me.

“You’re going to agree and you’re not going to feel bad. People like Chantel Dior do unethical shit like this all the time with little thought or consideration to the lives they’re disrupting and ruining. Sometimes you have to make an example of people. For once in your life, put yourself first. Be selfish. It’s the perfect alternative to you letting me help your stubborn ass.”

“I never refused your help.” She frowned.

“Technically you haven’t, but you damn sure don’t want it. The money will be yours to do what you want which means independence from me, your parents, hell any fucking body. You get to be in this relationship as an equal and don’t say it doesn’t matter or that you don’t weigh my situation against yours, because you do. I love that about you; so say yes so I can call Wil and tell him I have your permission to move on this.”

She worried the corner of her lip, moving it between her teeth before she exhaled a sigh and leaned closer to kiss me. “You can call him but that doesn’t mean it will work. She has to agree. She might decide to fight this.”

“There’s no fighting this. Either she agrees or you prosecute…”

She opened her mouth to debate me but I quickly clarified. “I know you won’t but as far she’s concerned you will. My team can be very convincing with shit like this. They’ve had a lot of practice.”

“I bet they have,” she mumbled, causing me to laugh.

“Some things are what they are. Now are we done? There are much better ways we can spend our evening besides talking about Chantel Dior.”

A smile slid across her face slowly and I felt a sense of satisfaction knowing I was the one who put it there.

“Oh, that’s right. You were supposed to be utilizing your tools for when I’m not agreeable.” She leaned into my chest, grinding her pussy against my very hard dick, smiling softly when I groaned my approval at what she was insinuating. “Thank you.”

“You’re welcome.” My hands moved under the hoodie and slowly glided up her back. I pressed my mouth to the column of her neck and almost got lost in the low hum of the moan she released.

Everything about her pulled the rug from beneath me over and over again, knocking me off balance, but she also centered me like no one ever had. A reminder that I was willing to relinquish control as long as she was the reward.