Conquest (32 page)
Evan stepped up to Jesse’s side. “It should be able to get out of its own way. It’s V8 is pushing out about four hundred and ninety horses.” He nudged Jesse playfully with his elbow. “And it’s yours.”
Jesse snapped his head toward him. “What?”
“It’s yours. It’s what you’ve always wanted, right? Well, besides a souped-up Honda S2000. Besides the fact that I couldn’t bring myself to purchase one of those, I thought this was a little more to your status now.”
Jesse quickly shook his head. “It’s perfect, but you shouldn’t have spent so much.” JJ snorted. “If he hasn’t already, you need to have him show you his bank statements, Jess.”
Jesse glanced at JJ, then back to Evan. “It doesn’t matter. It’s too much.”
Evan gave him a warm smile. “Gorgeous, JJ is right. And what difference does it make? Do you like it?”
“This is one hell of a present for that,” Jesse chuckled. Without Greg to stop him, he wrapped Evan in a tight embrace. “Thank you.”
“You’re welcome.” Evan glanced at Trish over Jesse’s shoulder and allowed a shadow of smugness to come into his expression. He drew back from the hug and opened the driver’s side door for Jesse.
Jesse looked at the others as he hopped in. “You guys follow us. We have to go out to celebrate finishing our first video.”
“Yeah, but that was because I wanted to go home to Ev, and now he’s here, so we can all go out.” Jesse turned to Evan as he climbed in the passenger seat. “Will you call Brandon and ask him if he wants to join us? He’s going to die when he sees this.”
Evan nodded and pulled out his cell phone.
Jesse pushed the red “engine start” button. The F430 rumbled to life. He let his body go limp in the seat. “I’m done for the night. That was beautiful.”
Evan laughed. “You probably should’ve held it for when it’s actually moving.”
With the car backed into the parking space, Jesse put it in first gear and eased it forward. He steered toward the garage exit, popped it into second, and hit the street with the tires squealing.
Evan rushed out of the kitchen carrying three bottles of Guinness and two bags of potato chips. He headed for the couch, dropped one bag into JJ’s lap, and squeezed between Brandon and the coffee table. Brandon went immobile at having Evan’s crotch at eye level. Evan swallowed down a laugh, sat beside him, and focused his attention on the TV where Jesse sat next to the VJ for VH1 with Kenny on his right, Julian and Trish behind him.
“I think he’s handled himself pretty damn good, if you ask me,” JJ said. “Especially considering the mob outside the studio and all the girlies screaming for five minutes straight when he walked on stage.”
Evan ripped open the bag of barbeque flavored chips. “For all the coaching Greg and I gave him and the small interviews he’s done, this is nothing for him.”
An indiscernible grumble rumbled in Brandon’s throat. Evan looked at him. “What’s wrong?”
“You can give him all the PR training you want, but it won’t change the fact that sooner or later, his old habit of speaking without thinking is going to surface. It’s just the way he is.”
Evan turned his eyes back to the TV. What Brandon said was true, but so far with the questions he’d been getting drilled with, Jesse answered like a seasoned performer. Most were about his music and the history of Conquest, no one tried digging into his personal life yet, but he knew if they did, Jesse could handle it. They talked about it after the incident with Greg, and even though neither of them was thrilled with the idea of keeping their relationship a secret, they agreed that it was the best thing for now.
In truth, he hated having to stay quiet about it. If he had it his way, he would have gone with him to New York and made out with him in the middle of Times Square for all the world to see, but he had Jesse’s career to think about. He held no concerns for his own. If he did come out to the public, he was confident his career was strong enough to rebound, and if he was wrong and it did break his career, then so be it. But Jesse was just getting going, and it was hard enough in the music business to reach the level he wanted without having stigmas surrounding his sexuality holding him back.
For now, keeping their relationship a secret seemed the only way to go. They knew they were together and they loved each other, and that’s what really mattered. Though, at this moment when he had to sit and watch thousands of fans crying out their love and devotion to Jesse, it made him want to throw their decision out the window.
He knew it was to be expected. “Euphoria” hit Number One on Billboard and was iTunes most downloaded single within two weeks after it came out.
Conquest
debuted at Number One and dominated retail sales and Internet downloads. Evan gazed at Jesse as the camera zoomed in on him laughing. The love the camera showed him was only surpassed by his army of new fans.
Evan knew thousands of people were looking at Jesse, admiring him. He couldn’t fight down the jealously that rose in him and wondered if he really would be able to handle not telling the world that Jesse was his. He took a deep breath and forced himself to focus on the interview.
“So, Jesse,” the VJ said, “I think not only did our sound guy have a heart attack trying to balance out all the screaming girls, but half of New York is deaf now. I guess you’re a little popular with the ladies, huh?”
Jesse laughed softly. “No, not really. Kenny’s a lot more of a ladies’ man than me.”
“Oh yeah?” The VJ craned around Jesse to look at Kenny. “You got a girlfriend, man?”
ONQUEST
271
The studio audience erupted with girls volunteering for the position.
The VJ turned back to Jesse. “Let me ask you this and see if I can make a few thousand girls jump for joy or break all their hearts. Are you seeing anyone right now?”
“I am. I’ve been in a serious relationship for four months now.”
Evan froze with a potato chip halfway to his mouth.
“Four months, wow,” the VJ said. “Then I guess that means the buzz starting around you is either crap, or it’s true.”
“I didn’t think I’ve been around long enough for there to be a buzz about me. What is it?”
“Well, you know everybody’s hyped that Evan Arden is working on a new album, and it’s said you and him recorded in the same studio, and there’s a few folks out there saying you guys are a little closer than friends.”
“It’s true that he and I are working in the same studio, and it’s also true I wouldn’t be sitting here now if it wasn’t for him. He’s my best friend and I love him dearly. And people can say and think what they want about me. I’m confidant enough in who I am to not be bothered by it.”
A few people clapped in positive response, but it seemed shock dominated most.
The VJ slapped his hand down on Jesse’s shoulder. “Well, I don’t have much of a response for that, except stay with us, because after the break we’ll be talking about…”
Evan fell back against the couch, staring blankly at the TV, his ears no longer hearing what came from it. “He said he loves me, on national TV.”
Brandon looked at him, his mouth still hanging open. He started to say something, stopped, thought, and began again. “Yeah, but, there are a lot of different kinds of love, and he said you were his best friend right before that, so of course he would love his best friend.”
JJ snorted. “Not many straight men would admit that to themselves let alone on camera. And poor Kenny. Did you see his face when Jess said you were his best friend? I think that stung a bit.”
“No. How could I get angry with him saying he loves me? I just wonder how the media found out about us already. Since Greg released I was working on a new album, we’ve been careful when we’ve gone out. Some paparazzi have been slithering around the studio, but I didn’t think they tagged us. Now we have to figure out how widespread the rumors are and how to stop them.”
Brandon looked back at the TV as the commercial break ended. “Yeah, but I have a feeling stopping the media is going to be a hell of a lot easier than stopping Jess.”
Jesse rushed through the airport with his Chicago Bears duffel bag slung over his shoulder. Kenny and Julian on either side of him struggled to keep up, Trish and Greg followed behind. He stood waiting for his other bag, impatiently tapping his index finger against his hip, his only thought being how badly he wanted to get into Evan’s arms. It was all he had wanted since his first night away. Missing him so much that he had a constant ache in his chest was just one of the many things to make his first trip to New York not as enjoyable as he’d always envisioned.
From the second they landed, it had been go, go, go. Interviews here, photo shoots there, autograph sessions next, it was one thing after another, and to top it off, he hardly slept the whole trip despite the frantic schedule. At night, he would collapse into bed, physically and mentally exhausted, but unable to sleep without the lullaby of Evan’s soft breathing beside him and his firm body to keep him warmer than any blanket. They talked every morning, in the afternoon, and evening, but those phone calls only managed to make him miss Evan more.
Despite his fatigue, the
Rolling Stone
interview went especially well. Originally it was supposed to be a small article with a single band shot about Conquest as a band to look out for, but after the way “Euphoria” and the album were dominating, it was decided they’d be the next month’s cover feature. The only thing that hadn’t gone so well was the interview on VH1.
At the time, he thought it had gone well. Sure there was a tense moment when the VJ asked about him and Evan, but he thought he smoothed it over pretty good. Of course, he did say he was in a relationship after agreeing with everyone that if questioned about his personal life, he would say he was single, and he
had
really believed he would be able to do that, but when the question was finally asked, he couldn’t get the lie out. In that split second, he became filled with an overwhelming sense of betrayal, to Evan and himself, and he realized to be asked to deny the one thing in his life that meant more than anything else was too much. He could keep quiet, he could dance around the questions, but he would never openly say he was available when he had Evan.
He was pretty sure he had given Greg an ulcer after that interview. When the show finished and they went back to the green room, Greg was so pale, his forehead beaded with sweat, and he looked like he had just thrown up. He was surprised Greg never lectured him about what he said, but Greg probably realized there wasn’t any changing it. Trish scolded him for his words, but he made it clear it wasn’t her place to tell him what to say during interviews. Julian thought it was funny; Kenny had been pissed at him ever since.
What made matters worse was by the time they walked out of the VH1 studios, his legions of fans were joined by crazed paparazzi screaming questions at him about his relationship with Evan. From that moment forward, he only knew peace when locked away in his hotel room. Going out to eat, traveling to interviews and photo shoots, even to the airport to come home, the press tailed him everywhere. Though so far, things were clear now that he was back in Chicago. He knew it wouldn’t last. It was just because the local paparazzi hadn’t picked up his scent yet. It left him feeling hunted, that if he lingered too long in one spot they’d track him, and once they picked up his trail, a certainty as soon as he went to the studio again, they’d be tricky to evade.
Jesse sighed, grabbed his other bag, and waited for the others to collect theirs. He wondered if Evan really was upset with him. When he asked him, Evan said no, but that had been over the phone. He wouldn’t feel fully confident until they talked in person.
Jesse walked out of the airport, his gaze darted about and landed on the Cayenne. He waved to the others and strode quickly toward it, hearing the hatch pop open as Evan unlocked it at his approach. He heaved it open the rest of the way and met Evan’s radiant blue eyes.
At the sight of him, Jesse felt both calm and excited. “Do you know how badly I’ve been dying to see your beautiful eyes?”
Jesse tossed his bags in the SUV and closed the tailgate. He rushed toward the passenger side, ripped open the door, and jumped in. The door hardly finished closing before Evan was stretched across from the driver’s seat, devouring Jesse’s tongue in a deep kiss. Jesse moaned and massaged Evan’s tongue with his. He slipped his hand up the back of Evan’s shirt, needing to the feel the warmth of his bare skin.
Jesse broke the kiss with a soft laugh. “It’s a good thing these windows are tinted jet black.”
“Yeah. I might not be able to make it until we get home and wrestle you into the backseat.” Evan put his lips to Jesse’s neck. “You smell so good.”
Jesse nuzzled into Evan’s hair, inhaling his scent and Platinum Egoist cologne. “So do you.”
Evan slid his tongue over Jesse’s bottom lip and sat back in the driver’s seat, giving Jesse a playful smile as he veered the Cayenne away from the airport. “As soon as we get home, no clothes for the rest of the day.”
Jesse took Evan’s hand in his. “Sounds like a perfect way to spend the day.”