The Heart Series: Complete Boxed Set (75 page)

“Oh poor diddums, I’m pretty sure the girl you will be banging tonight will give you a much needed ego boost,” Micha added sarcastically.

“I’m sure she will. I think tonight I might go for a blonde, depends on what’s on offer, but whoever it is will be screaming their approval tonight. You might want to invest in some earplugs, Corinne.” He winked, popping the last bit of brownie into his mouth.

“Ewww, why the hell did I have to get a room right next to yours? I am putting in a complaint. I want one that’s the farthest away. I seriously do not need to hear the moment you shoot your load.”

Seriously?

“Well, that’s put me off my brownie,” I remarked, pushing the plate away. I never thought I’d find friends that were equally as graphic as Elijah but right now he had met his match. I was pretty sure he would want to hang out with these girls sometime soon. They could maybe even teach him a thing or two.

“Sorry, Iz,” Corinne apologized, giving me a look.

“Waste not, want not.” Josh grabbed and threw half of the brownie into his mouth.”

“Pig,” Micha hissed, nibbling on her own.

“Oh you love me really, darling.” He flashed a smile and Micha glared back. I couldn’t help but think that this guy was deluded.

“Yeah, about as much as I love having the shits.”

“Seriously, Micha.” Corinne pushed her plate away, only for Josh to clear hers too. He reminded me of Joel in the way that nothing went to waste around him.

“You all try to deny it, but I know you all love me really,” he jested.

Yeah, seriously deluded.

“Haven’t you got somewhere to be so us girls can chat in peace. There must be someone else you can go and irritate. We just can’t be the lucky ones,” Micha said, scowling.

“I’m sensing some sarcasm to your tone there.” Josh laughed. You had to give credit to the guy, he gave as good as he got.

“That’s what I love about you, Josh, you’re as sharp as a pin,” Micha scoffed.

“Well seeing as though my services here are no longer required I may have to go and help some other damsel in distress.”

“Which damsel is that?” Corinne suddenly looked intrigued.

“The hot blonde sitting alone at the table. She’s caught my eye a few times now, I think it’s time I make my move. I wouldn’t want her to get the impression that I would be tied down to any of you lot. No offences Izzy.” He winked as I looked on rather bemused by it all. “Laters, losers.”

Micha shoved him hard, and he almost tripped but managed to recover to slide into the vacant seat opposite the girl.

“That poor girl, she doesn’t know what is coming,” Corinne mumbled.

“Err I think she does,” Micha quipped.

I spluttered on the remains of my latte. “So Josh is interesting.” I tried to be as vague as possible without being rude.

“You know you can be truthful with us, Iz. We abuse him all day long so we are more than happy to let you into the fold.”

“He reminds me of my brother a little.” He had that level of annoying arrogance about him.

“Is he a cocky arrogant prick too?” Corinne asked.

“He used to be, he’s toned it down a lot but he shagged his way around and talked non-stop about his conquests. It really was quite disgusting at times, no one wants to hear about their brother’s bedroom activities.”

Micha pulled a face. “Why are some men so crude, do they really think that’s what we want to hear?”

“Not all are, Joel sounds like a lovely guy.” Corinne smiled.

“He was once my brother’s pulling partner,” I admitted.

“No,” they both replied in unison.

“Yep, but that’s way back in the past, I don’t like to discuss it. He only has eyes for me and back then, well, sex was used as a distraction for a lot of hurt he was going through in his private life.”

“Oh poor Joel, but now he has you, Iz.”

“Yeah.” I smiled staring at the perfect ring on my finger thinking about the troubled path we’d taken to get us to this perfect part of our lives. That Joel to me now was someone now I couldn’t even imagine.

“See my relationship is totally different. Me and Luke well we were each other’s fists, we’ve never been with anyone else.”

“Oh that’s sweet,” Corinne said, smiling and I couldn’t help but agree. There was a part of me that was envious that they had only ever been with each other. There were still times I wished that the same could have been for Joel and I but the past was in the past and the present was all that needed to be concentrated on.

“Sometimes I think I’ve missed out on loads. I don’t know. I love Luke but a part of me wonders what sex would be like with someone else. I guess the longer you are together, the more of a routine it becomes. I’ve never looked at anyone else in that way. I wonder what it would be like to play the field a little before you tie yourself down with the one.”

“You think you’re missing out, but you’re not. Luke is the one. I see your face light up each time he calls and texts. I know the distance is hard, but don’t let the doubt eat away at the special love you have.” Corinne smiled reassuringly.

“Awww, you are going to make me cry, and I’m not wearing waterproof mascara.”

“Think of something totally unsexy. . .banging bones with Josh,” Corinne scoffed.

“Eww, I think my coffee is about to make a reappearance.” Micha turned green.

“Yeah, I might have just threw up a little in my own mouth there,” Corinne muttered, looking slightly queasy herself.

“She seems very interested.” I motioned my head towards the blonde who was gladly lapping up all the attention that was being sent her way.

“Oh, he gets more than his fair share of attention, and boy, does he love it. You only have to spend a few minutes to watch that ego grow in front of you.”

Corinne wasn’t wrong there but I liked Josh, he had a cheeky charm that you couldn’t help liking. Maybe over time he would start to grate, but right now, he was just what I needed to lift my spirits a little.

Corinne stood up. “I think we need to get back. I don’t think I can take much more of this floorshow. You ready, Izzy? We can show you around the theatre and where we get ready. There’s no performance tonight but we’ll be practicing. We can go through any scenes you’re uncertain about. But they did say that you were an awfully quick learner and that you had pretty much cracked it during your intense practice run.”

“Yeah, that was hard, but I do have the ability to learn fast. It is a good trait to have as it’s a hell of a lot to take in.” It was still overwhelming, but I was almost there.

“You’ll be fine, of course you’ll have the first performance jitters. We all do, and we’ve all made mistakes. It’s just how you handle it, so that the audience has no idea that you done a big oopsie on stage.” Corinne winked.

“I’m sure mine will be a blinder, no doubt.” I could feel my nerves soar at the mention of messing up on stage. It was something I prayed would never happen but the possibility that you would was always pretty high.

“Oh I tripped in the middle of one of the dance routines. It was lucky Simon was quick on the mark and grabbed me before I tumbled as that would have been an absolute belter of a blunder. I still have nightmares about it reoccurring, but I try not to let the fear take over. Once you’re on stage and the adrenalin kicks in, you’ll forget about your nerves and just lose yourself in the music,” Micha added reassuringly.

“I hope so, practicing is one thing but performing it in a theatre packed full of people is pretty daunting.” It was going to take time getting used to it all.

“Izzy, it was what you’re born to do. Don’t give in to the fear, once you have tomorrow night’s performance under your belt, you will be flying.” Micha grabbed her bag, throwing it over her shoulder.

“She’s right, the nerves will be there right before you go on, but the buzz you will get once it all starts, it’s just the best feeling, there are no words to describe it. I am blessed to have a job I love so much.” Corinne balled up the napkin tossing it down onto the plate. “Now, come on, let’s introduce you to the rest of the cast. They should all be here now ready for rehearsals.”

“Oh god,” I murmured, feeling sick at the thought.

“You’ll be fine, Izzy, come on you have us to support you, Wwe promise they won’t eat you alive.”

My eyes widened at Corinne’s words, but the twinkle in her eye was enough to suggest she was more than pulling my leg.

The next twenty-four hours passed in almost a whirlwind. I had been introduced to everyone, lots of smiles and hugs had followed. I had tried to not appear too awkward, but it was something that wasn’t within my control. In the end, I think I had done a pretty good job masking it to appear friendly enough. Corinne and Micha had been great, they’d come to my rescue on more than one occasion. Then once we got into rehearsal, it had all flowed rather smoothly. I received lots of compliments for how well I had managed to blend in as a newbie to the cast. I took that as a positive thing that I’d remind myself every time I felt the nerves stir inside me.

We were almost an hour away from the performance, and I’d thrown up twice already. I’d barely eaten but concerned about my energy levels dropping mid-performance, Corinne forced me to eat a banana. I was nibbling on it slowly, barely tasting it as the nerves took their strong hold. I knew that I could do this—that this was what all the hard work was about but that didn’t help the little demons inside my head telling me what could go wrong.

We were soon bundled into our opening costumes, followed by makeup and hair. I smiled at myself in the mirror at the person staring back. Now I felt fully in character. I stood there with the steps going through my head as I went over each and every number. I was tapping along to the beat when Josh came over to me looking concerned.

“Hey, you’ll do fine. Just go out there and give it your all.” He smiled reassuringly.

“Thanks, just last minute nerves, that’s all.”

“We’ve all been there. I puked several times before my debut, but now it’s just something I don’t even think about. Once you’re out there and the music blasts out, the energy takes over and it will seem like the most natural thing in the world.”

“Thanks, Josh.” I hoped he was right.

“Do you fancy coming out for a cheeky few after the show?” he asked smiling.

I scrunched my face in confusion. “Are you not spending time with the hot blonde you were happily flirting with yesterday?”

“Darling, been there and done that. I don’t grace the same bed twice.” He grinned, shooting me a wink as I shoved him away in disgust.

“Wow, ever the gentleman I see,” I scoffed.

“Hey, I make no promises, just give them a night to remember.”

“I think I’m going to puke again,” I said mockingly. He really did remind me of the old Mike and Joel, with no intention to ever settle down. I was just glad that things had worked out the way they had. No way could I have handled them acting like that now, they would have pushed me over the edge.

“You love me really, but seriously, Iz, if you ever want to talk I’m here. It’s not easy being the newbie of the group. We’ve all been there so if you need to confide in anyone or just chat about anything that you’re unsure about I am here for you.”

“Thanks, I may take you up on that offer,” I replied, smiling. I knew there was a nice guy underneath all that bravado.

“Anytime darling, anyway got to go and have a quick pee before the lights go up.”

Ugh, men!

“Smooth, Josh, smooth,”

“Just telling it like it is,” he mused before walking off. What was it with guys being overly graphic about going to the bathroom? Sometimes I think they just said it to get a rise.

Corinne and Micha came over and hugged me, looking rather alarmed. “Oh  Izzy, you are looking a little peaky even under all that makeup.” Micha frowned.

“I’m fine,” I bit out. I did not want to discuss it. I just wanted this first performance to be over and then hopefully the nerves would go away, and I could enjoy the rest of the tour without the jitters totally taking over.

“It’s okay, Iz, not long now, break a leg.” They winked walking off as I breathed deep. With barely minutes to spare, I knew my moment of truth was finally here.

* * *

I gasped in delight as we made our final bow. The audience was alight, clapping hard, whistles filled the room as I smiled before the curtain dropped down in front of us. I barely had time to catch my breath before Josh grabbed me and hugged me hard, spinning me round. We were both slick with sweat and all I wanted to do was take a shower, but I knew I needed to cherish this moment. I had done it. I’d gotten through it. Apart from a few minor errors with my footwork, my dancing was pretty flawless. It was true, once the show started, all my nerves went out the window and I became absorbed in everything. It was electrifying, the thrill of performing on stage to a room full of theatregoers was exhilarating. I loved every second of it, and I knew in my heart this was what all the hard work had been about. To just have this experience over and over again for the rest of my life, I would certainly die a happy person.

“Put her down, dick wad and let us have a celebration hug too.”

I laughed at Corinne’s no nonsense approach and was soon enveloped in each of their arms as they squeezed the life out of me in a celebratory hug.

“You were amazing,” Micha added, standing back smiling.

“I made a few stumbles here and there,” I grumbled.

“Seriously, I never noticed. You were flawless to me. I think if you asked anyone out there, if they even guessed this was your first performance then I would be surprised.”

“You deserve to have a big celebration. Come on, let’s get showered and changed and then we can have some drinks,” Micha piped up.

In truth, I was tired and just wanted to go back to my hotel room, but I could hardly be the party pooper when the drinks were on my behalf. I smiled and nodded, heading towards the changing rooms, ready to strip out of this unforgiving costume.

* * *

A quick shower change later, we were dressed and hair dried and straightened heading for the pub. Josh had went ahead, complaining  he needed a beer and was not waiting for all of us to get ourselves pretty, so he took off with barely a goodbye. That was fine as his petty complaints were getting old, we were happy to wave him off so we could continue in peace. Adding a little lip-gloss, we checked each other over before walking through the doors. There was quite a crowd from the theatre, they all burst into an applause leaving me with a face as red as a beetroot. Josh laughed hard walking over.

“Oh, you are so fucking cute when you blush. It might be my new favourite thing,” Josh remarked, making me blush even more. He hugged me hard, and I had no other choice but to go with it. “Excuse me, mate, is there a problem here?” Josh asked as I pulled away in confusion to find a sapphire blue pair of eyes shooting him daggers.

“Joel,” I shrieked, leaping into his arms. He chuckled at my overly enthusiastic welcome, but his eyes still remained on Josh. I pressed a kiss against his lips just happy to have him here.

“How did you, were you—?”

“Yeah, I was ten rows back from the stage to the side so you wouldn’t see me. I had to be there at your first performance, nothing was going to stop me from seeing you up there.”

“How was it?” I asked frowning, suddenly worried I hadn’t done as good as I thought.

“You were amazing, Iz, you were born to be up there. I couldn’t take my eyes off you the moment you walked on stage.”

“You are slightly biased though, Joel.” I chuckled as he tickled my ribs lightly.

“You were fantastic. Take the praise you more than earned it. I came to see you backstage, but they wouldn’t let me through. Then I got told you all had headed here for drinks, so here I am.”

“Would it be mighty rude if we just disappeared and you showed me over and over in private just how proud you are of me,” I whispered, already feeling turned on before he’d barely touched me. I felt my cheeks go red at the fact I hoped to hell no one else was noticing this quiet exchange going on between us both.

Obviously I was wrong.

“So you must be Joel. Jesus, that photo does not do you justice, because holy shit I could spread you on a cracker right now. Fuck me, those arms, those abs, those thighs.” Corinne was positively drooling. I had to laugh at her reaction but seeing Joel for the first time always brought on the same kind of disbelief that a guy actually as perfect as him was stood just inches away.

“Are all your friends this forward?” Joel asked, but the amusement was there in his eyes. He knew he was hot, having more people pointing it out was nothing new to him.

“Trust me, if you were not taken by the lovely Izzy, I’d be far more forward.” She winked, taking another sip of her drink as her eyes feasted over every inch of him.

“I’m actually taken, but even I would contemplate kicking him to the curb to end up wrapped around that hot body,” Micha added, grinning.

“Seriously?” I asked looking slightly annoyed, it was starting to grate a little they had more than made their point.

“I’m off to the bar, Izzy, ladies, do you all want the same?” he asked, smiling.

“Please, Joel.” They both purred together as he looked on in amusement. They were taking it too far now.

I gave them a look.

“Oh shush, Izzy, let us have our moment. You have him for the rest of your life. We need time to do some serious perving.”

I stood there feeling completely shocked by their directness. I suppose I should give them that, after all they were only human, and nothing could withstand the mighty force of Joel. He always managed to captivate a room, always remaining oblivious to the attention he was attracting. The fact his eyes were always firmly planted on me was a good reminder, despite all eyes being on him. He came back moments later with a tray of drinks. Everyone grabbed theirs as they stood staring. Oh, now it was just getting ridiculous.

“So this is Corinne and Micha,” I said, introducing them to Joel as they still continued doing their best goldfish like impressions.

“Hey ladies.” He gave them that killer smile of his.

“Hey,” they purred back.

“Girls, I think you might be actually drooling,” I added sarcastically.

“What?”

“Huh?”

“Yeah, that snapped you out of it,” I snorted.

“Wow, I didn’t have you down as being mean, Izzy.” Micha stuck her tongue out then immediately got distracted by her phone.

“So Joel, do you have any brothers that are preferably single?” Corinne asked, grinning.

“Sorry, just me.” He shrugged, taking a long draw of his beer.

“What a waste. They need to clone you. Every girl should have a Joel.” She sighed.

“Okay.” Joel looked away awkwardly.

I gave Corinne a look, and she almost spluttered on her drink. “Okay, I might need to pee. Hold my drink, will you, Izzy?”

“Wow, she’s kind of over the top,” Joel muttered once she’d left.

“Yeah, just a little but I like her. They’ve made me feel welcome since I got here.” I really hated to say anything mean especially as they had all been so nice.

“Well, that’s good to hear. Now, about tonight, do I get to sleep in your bed?”

Like he even needed to ask.

“Where else would you be sleeping?”

“I didn’t want to presume.” He grinned wickedly.

“I can quite categorically tell you your body will be pressed up tight against mine.” That was a guarantee.

“That’s how I like it, so no complaints here,” he breathed, leaning in to kiss me.

“How long are you staying?” I asked in between kisses.

He pulled back. “What are you trying to get rid of me already?”

“As if, I’d have you chained up in the bed if I could.”

“Well, that’s a little kinky,” he remarked, grinning.

“You know I like to take control.” I winked making him smile harder.

“I hope you take the lead tonight, I’ve missed your commanding side.”

“Oh, trust me, I will be.”

Joel pulled me close again. It wasn’t hard to see the lust that was beginning to grow inside his eyes. It never did take much to turn him on.

“Can we not sneak away now? We could have our own little party just you and me.” Joel looked more than ready to leave.

Did he have to ask twice?

“We need to be discrete, you leave first and I will then foll—”

“Hey Iz,” Josh remarked, walking over with a beer in hand. His eyes surveyed Joel for a few moments, almost like he was sizing him up. I could feel Joel stiffen beside me. I wasn’t happy about the peacock brigade that was beginning to play out in front of me.

“Hey Josh, this is my fiancé Joel.”

“So you are the guy that put that rock on Izzy’s finger?”

“Yep, that’s me.” He lifted my hand and kissed the ring as if to drive his point home even further,

“Aren’t you a little young to be settling down?” Josh scoffed.

“Josh—”

“It’s okay, Iz, I don’t need to stand here and explain myself, but when you meet the right person, the one who is your soulmate, who completes you in every way then you never have to question it, and that’s how I feel about Iz.”

I think I might have swooned a little.