DD 302 Ch 6

“Wonderful,” Bellaire told me as I finished the gauntlet of questions and they finally wrapped the episode.

She held her arms out, and I nearly fell into her embrace, so glad to be done.

“That was a lot harder than I expected,” I admitted, not even conscious of where my face was pressed against her as she wrapped her arms around me for the whole studio to see.

“There, there,” Bellaire purred. “It gets easier, and frankly, this was the easy one. So please, don’t relax just yet. We’ll have several more preparation rounds, but we’ll be able to prepare for each one. Don’t you worry.”

She pulled me out of her embrace to stare deep into my eyes.

“I’m counting on you, Bellaire,” I said, feeling oddly vulnerable. This was not my strength, and that fact was likely clear to everybody around.

“You didn’t do terribly. You could have done far worse,” Helen told me as she strolled past, pulling out a packet of what looked like baby wipes and immediately starting to clean off her face.

I raised an eyebrow. “Makeup removers?”

“This stuff is caked on, and I hate it. I can feel it coating my face.” She wiggled her nose, but I gratefully accepted one of the wipes and mimicked her, sans the complaints.

“I’ll take one,” Des said, sliding up next to Helen, only to get a glare.

“Find your own,” Helen scowled.

“Oh, I see how it is.” Des drew the words out. “You only want to share with Ken, is it?”

That question caused Helen to glance at the wipes, then at Des, and then at me in a long moment of silence. “Screw you. I do what I want. And in this case, I pitied Ken, because he’s clearly not used to all of this.”

The wipes somehow soured in my hand now that it was a pity gesture.

“What?” Helen said sharply at my expression.

“Nothing. I’m just not fond of receiving pity.” The word came out even a little more acidic than I intended. I realized my makeup was only half off and I would have to use the cleaner regardless.

Luckily, Bellaire pulled out a similar packet, which had a far fancier design on the front. “Well, these aren’t steeped in pity,” Bellaire said, handing me one. “Hopefully they’re more to your liking, because you deserve the best. ‘You could have done worse’ is the kind of compliment you give to someone out of jealousy,” Bellaire added, with a pointed look toward Helen.

The two of them matched gazes. Helen’s fiery, explosive temper was pitted up against Bellaire’s cold, reserved calm, like a steel blade just peeking from its sheath.

Candice cleared her throat, clearly not as comfortable with the current tension. “As much as this is amusing, overall I think our performance was subpar. Myself included. There’s a certain dynamic we don’t have, at least not yet as a group.” Candice then turned more formally to Bellaire. “If you are going to prepare Ken, I would ask for the chance to join you, so that I may get accustomed to answering questions beside him.”

My thoughts suddenly jumped to Bellaire’s unique way of adding pressure, and I cleared my throat. “Maybe it would be better if we just did a separate practice session beforehand. I do think I need a little more help than the rest of you, at least need to get the basic message down.”

Helen snorted, she was particularly combative this afternoon. But it was also possible she disliked these interviews as much as the rest of us, and her bad mood was determined to shine through.

“Let’s get out before we cause a scene,” Des said, holding up a hand and ripping open a portal back to the hotel. Though, I thought it was already a little late for that.

She stepped through while the entire studio gawked at her display, and the rest of our group filed through.

The second we were at the hotel, Bellaire stood ramrod straight and turned. “While I was going to encourage us to leave soon anyway, as a celebration for your first successful round, I was going to treat you all to a fine meal. That is if it’s comfortable for you to join.” She cast a nasty look toward Helen.

“Of course I’ll join,” Helen said sharply, and charged ahead of all of us toward the obvious five-star dining establishment courtesy of the hotel.

I turned to Bellaire. “How did I really do? Be honest,” I asked, my own confidence still shaky after that show, there was just something in being so… fake that I struggled with.

Bellaire had a soft expression on her face. “Better than my first. And I am not only saying that because you’re my employer.” She winked. “Though I would certainly be willing to do whatever it takes to stay employed.”

The innuendos were a little thick for my taste, though I was slowly getting used to them. Between Des and Bellaire, I was either going to have to either toughen up or give in to temptation every waking moment.

Helen had already beaten us to the restaurant and was giving my name to the hostess when we arrived.

“Not an ounce of self-awareness, is there?” Des said. “One moment you’re doing your best to pick a fight with him, and the next you’re using his name to check in at the restaurant. Shameless.” Des clicked her tongue and shook her head.

Helen returned Des’ dig with a droll look. “I don’t want to hear that from you. If I’m shameless, then I have absolutely no idea where your brazen attitude lands on the scale.”

I cast Des a look. We were about to sit down to dinner after a hard day, and I was not sure antagonizing each other was necessary. While obviously Helen and I struggled to get along, most of the time we were in this together and it would be easier if we acted like it.

“Fine.” Des caught my expression and rolled her eyes. “Consider yourself rescued,” she said sharply to Helen, before focusing on finding her drink for the night on the menu.

I couldn’t help but agree with that order of importance. I started picking out my own options as I made small talk. “So, where are we going next?” I asked, distractedly.

“They planned these sessions as if you were going to take planes,” Bellaire laughed. “So, we’ve got two more in New York before we’ll head anywhere else.”

I nodded along. “If that was the easy one, tell me how hard does the hard one get?”

“The jist is the same for all of them,” Bellaire said. “It’s the host and how hard they dig that becomes the problem. Some of them have more of an agenda than others, and it is their entire job to twist words to suit their sponsors. You never quite know who exactly they’re pitching for that week. Because if they stick to the same routine, it gets obvious and old.”

“All right,” I said slowly. “We’ll have to be careful, but I don’t know what exactly more we can do.”

“Practice,” Helen answered, putting down her menu and looking up at the waitress as she approached. “And I don’t mean whatever fucked-up thing you, Des, and Bellaire get to in the evening—because that sure as shit won’t prepare you for anything. When they really try to nail you to the wall…”

I ignored her and turned to Bellaire, who calmly put a hand on my arm. “Don’t worry,” she said. “We have a plan.”

“Wonderful. That is much more confidence-inspiring than ‘you’re going to fuck up,’” I said, shooting a sharp look at Helen.

But she only snorted and shrugged. “I look forward to the moment where I can say ‘I told you so’ and you realize I was right all along.”

Helen turned to the waiter. “I’ll take something strong, please. Something for the headaches that they’re going to cause.” She gestured at me.

I rolled my eyes at her antics.

“One painkiller coming right up,” the waiter said. This was clearly not her first rodeo with a diva like Helen.

Des chuckled. “If only she understood what we have to deal with every day. Maybe she would’ve offered to bring us all a round of painkillers. What do you think, Helen? You’ll buy us the round to make it up to us?” Des taunted.

“What are you suddenly poor?” Helen had a little extra bite in her this evening.

“No, I’m celebrating. And I’d just like to celebrate with someone else’s money rather than mine.” Des laughed while Candice watched us warily, and Bellaire pursed her lips.

“The tour will be a little blunted if people catch you talking like that,” the influencer warned, with a sharp look at Helen, who at least had enough awareness to feel embarrassed and look away.

“It certainly won’t help us come off as a cohesive group,” Candice added. “So perhaps Helen’s default way of interacting is through antagonization, and there’s not much we can do about that.”

“It’s not like I’m doing it on purpose,” Helen grumbled, only to get dull looks from the whole group.

“Uh-huh,” I said, not believing that in the slightest. “I’ll just take your word for that one, Helen. Because you could’ve fooled me.”

“Whatever. Let’s just order and get some sleep. We’re gonna be too busy to argue here soon enough.” She grumbled and looked down at her hands under the table.

***

“Well, that was certainly an interesting evening,” I said, lying on the bed while Bellaire and Des joined me in my room afterward.

“If only she used that temper of hers for something more productive.” Bellaire glared at the wall as if she could find and burn Helen with her gaze.

Oh what I wouldn’t give to be a fly on the wall if someone put Bellaire and Helen in a room together to duke it out after that dinner.

“Well, she’s going to be around for the rest of the press tour,” Des said, having to be the voice of reason. “So we better find a way to play a touch nicer.”

“That’s not something we can solve now. Rest would do us far better. I’ll get ready to sleep tonight then,” Bellaire said and began unpacking a suitcase in my room.

I paused, staring at the suitcase and then back toward Des. Who only had a full-blown grin as she enjoyed my reaction. “Bellaire,” I cleared my throat, “are you staying with us?” I asked as casually as possible.

“Of course. I’ll be around twenty-four-seven for whatever you need. I’ll keep your schedule and make sure you have time to see New York as well as make all of your appointments.” She answered my question without turning back, still focused on her suitcase.

I glanced at Des, whose head just bobbed up and down excitedly.

“Ah, I see. I was unaware you would be joining us.” I stated robotically as I processed this new information.

“Is that a problem?” Bellaire asked in such a way that I knew the answer was supposed to be no. While women were somewhat a mystery to me, I could still tell when there were correct answers to be said.

I glanced around the room. There was only a single bed.

“We’re adults, we can share,” Bellaire said. “And besides, I want to be completely available to you.” She said those words with a pair of come-fuck-me eyes, and I swallowed as I felt my throat, and other parts of my anatomy, grow tight.

“Isn’t this going to be great?” Des said. “Bellaire is so knowledgeable. Having her available to us and helping the whole time will make all of this go so much smoother.” The way Des looked at me told me this was already a done deal. Apparently Des thought it would be fun to test out my will.

“If you two don’t mind, I think I’ll hop in the shower before we settle in for bed. I think there’s still plenty of that makeup on me.” I told them as I slid out of the room without waiting for their response. It hadn’t really been a question. I thought it was a decent excuse given I had to come up with something quickly.

As soon as I saw the shower, I immediately slammed the handle into the coldest position I could and hopped in.

Only to hear murmurs of Bellaire and Des talking in the other room, but over the pounding of the shower, I couldn’t quite hear what they were saying.

******

Des giggled at Bellaire. “You’re going to kill him,” the temptress said and leaned on the bed, doing her best to exude comfort and confidence. Having Bellaire in the mix definitely made her step up her game.  She needed to make sure the other woman knew she didn’t feel the slightest threat from her.

“Well, that’s good,” Bellaire said, her dress falling to the floor around her ankles now that Ken wasn’t here or perhaps she wanted him to walk in on her. “I so desperately want to make sure you and Ken know I’m available for anything.”

Now Des was suddenly having trouble staying focused with words and gestures like that flying around. “And what exactly is it you’re hoping Ken will avail you of?” Des decided to get to the point.

Bellaire turned from her suitcase, still nude with a damn fantastic body. She was all natural, which only made it even more impressive. Des has to keep herself composed. Even if she wanted a piece of it, Ken needed to go first and he needed to agree. Right now she saw Bellaire’s current tactic still startling him away.

It would take a little more for it to get through the dungeon head’s skull that could be a little thick to romance. Bellaire was giving him the full court press and more.

“The same reason that I joined the Silver Fangs,” Bellaire said. “A woman in my position knows when there's a headwind and how to angle herself to catch it.” Bellaire’s eyes shifted to the bathroom, where Ken was undoubtedly trying to use a cold shower to calm himself down. 

However, Bellaire’s words made Des slightly angry. “So you just want Ken for the advantages he can provide, is that it?” Des pushed.

“I expected better of you.” Bellaire’s rebuke was harsh, and Des found herself recoiling ever so slightly.

“And what else would you have me take from a comment like that?” Des argued back.

“That we’re both intelligent women capable of making decisions for ourselves,” Bellaire said smoothly. “It’s not that I wish to take advantage of him in any way. No. I simply hope we can take advantage of each other.” Then a sly grin slid across Bellaire’s lips. “Struggling to resist temptation is its own special kind of fun. I’m struggling just as much as he is. I want this because Ken is who he is. Admittedly, I’m very attracted to men of power and influence.”

Now Bellaire was speaking Des’ language. A wry smile tried to spread across her lips before she squashed it down. She wasn’t here to flirt with Bellaire, even if the woman was practically a walking sex icon. She was a woman interested in Des’s Ken and that had a very different connotation to it.

“Careful,” Des warned. “If you talk like that, I can tell you that you won’t succeed. Ken…” she sighed, “Doesn’t look at relationships like that. They’re certainly not transactional. Though if you play it like you want, you might get the satisfaction of him finally caving. He might even take you for the best night of your life.”

Des’s eyes glimmered with challenge. “But it’ll be like a drug. It’ll frustrate you like a drug you can never have again. Because I’m telling you, Bellaire, he is such an experience that there’s no way you won’t come back for more. But, oh wait, you’ll have ruined your chances because you wanted something out of this rather than wanting him.” Des watched as several emotions flickered across Bellaire’s face before she finally settled with a small nod.

“Thank you for your advice,” Bellaire said. “It’s similar to what Crimson already told me, and, admittedly, I didn’t believe her. Not until you confirmed it.”

Des blinked. “Wait, did you just test me?”

Bellaire smirked. “Only if that’s what you want to see it as. I saw it more as due diligence. After all, the world of show business is full of a lot of blowhards, hot air, and ,quite frankly, scammers. A woman like me doesn’t walk around with her heart on her sleeve nor is it easy to believe someone with the power that Ken has would be so honest.”

Des clicked her tongue. “At least tell me the whole giving into temptation bit was real.”

“Oh, that.” Bellaire smiled, bright white teeth flashing as sharp as a shark’s. “That, I can confirm, was very real.”

“Phew.” Des wiped her brow dramatically. “I was worried for a second that you got me excited for nothing. That would have been the real travesty.”

Bellaire looked Des up and down. “You’re not jealous?”

“Oh, part of me desperately wants to be a catty bitch and claw your eyes out,” Des said easily. “But if I’m ever at risk of actually doing it, I’ll warn you first, so make sure you’ve got a pair of safety glasses on hand.”

Bellaire laughed, though Des didn’t join her. Instead, she deadpanned and stared at the woman long enough that Bellaire started to look uneasy.

“That was a joke, right?” Bellaire asked.

Des shrugged. “In a way. I wouldn’t really claw your eyes out. Demonic mages burn people with fire.”

Des smiled sweetly and flopped down on the bed. “Now, are you going to sleep on Ken’s other side? I’m curious to see just how far you’ll go before you break his will.” She paused. “But if you break his heart, you won’t be around to see it.”

Bellaire slid on a near transparent night gown. “Understood. I think I’ll enjoy this tour more than I thought. How about we swap tips on our own respective expertise?”