THE LEADER OF THE BAND
by Genie Gabriel
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EXCERPT from THE LEADER OF THE BAND
"Zach?"
The woman spoke softly; the scent of freshly scrubbed skin teasing Zach's nostrils. He often dreamed Lauren would come to him like this, without the artfully painted-on face that hid her real beauty from the world.
"Oh, Zach, you must be exhausted."
Her fingers brushed his cheek and traced the line of his jaw, then moved to the buttons on his shirt. Eyes closed and a smile on his face, Zach drifted with the caress of Lauren's fingertips against his chest, loosening one button after another down to his belly, exposing--
"Zach, what's this?"
Cold reality brought Zach suddenly upright in bed. He clutched the edges of his shirt together. "I can do this. I don't need help."
"You're wearing a--" Lauren stared at Zach's midsection. "A girdle."
Heat diffused in bright red to the tops of Zach's ears. "It helps support my back, okay? All those dance numbers on stage."
"How can you breathe? That thing is cutting off your circulation. It has to come off."
The tip of Lauren's finger across Zach's abdomen jolted a sensual message through his body. If he wasn't so damn tired, he might be able to respond more than half-heartedly.
"It's no surprise you passed out." Lauren's fingers traced the stretchy-stiff material around to his back, struggled a few moments with the fasteners, then blessed relief spread through Zach's body. "Is this what was wrong with you?"
Zach shrugged as he closed his eyes and drew several deep breaths. Let Lauren think what she wanted to. Maybe then she wouldn't ask too many questions about how he was really feeling.
"Why do you wear this?" Lauren held the girdle with the tips of her fingers as if it was a distasteful rodent.
"Without it, our new costumes have bulges where they shouldn't, okay?" Zach snatched the girdle from Lauren's fingers and carefully tucked it into the bureau drawer. "I can do the rest myself."
Lauren shook her head as she dug through a drawer and came up with pajamas. Black satin, no hearts. "We tried that once. Hand over the shirt."
Zach clenched his jaw. Maybe Lauren wouldn't notice the special inserts in his shirt.
"What's this?"
No such luck.
Lauren's hands squeezed the foam rubber "muscles" padding the shoulders and chest of Zach's shirt as one eyebrow lifted. Then she sank onto the bed. With a frown, her puzzled gaze examined Zach from belly to shoulders before coming to rest on his face.
Zach forced himself not to look away. Tried not to be too obvious as he squared his shoulders and attempted to suck in the twenty-pound weight gain around his midsection.
"I don't get it," Lauren said at last.
Embarrassment burned deep inside Zach. He had wanted to marry Lauren since she was fourteen years old. This was not helping his cause. "Why do I wear a girdle? Because I'm getting older in a young man's business. You've been around the music business long enough to know that if you show any sign of weakness, a dozen other bands are waiting to push you aside and take over your pedestal. One hint you can't work twenty-hour days and recording companies start looking at the fine print in your contract to see how much it will cost them to dump you."
"Why don't you quit, Zach? Is it worth your health?"
"Music has been my life for twenty-five years. Without music, I'm nothing."
"Oh, Zach, that's not true."
"You hold the evidence in your hand." Zach gestured to the padded shirt. "Do you want to see what's in the pants too?"
Zach started tugging down the silver metallic pants. As he expected, Lauren abruptly left the room.
With a weary sigh, Zach sank onto the bed and pushed his pants--no padding needed--down over his feet. He fisted the satin pajamas with a rueful grin. Just to humor Lauren, he would wear them. Just this once.
*****
WHEN DEATH STALKS THEM, can they reveal what is in their hearts to save their lives?
(Copyright Genie Gabriel.)
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