Wow, I must say I didn't expect this story to get so much attention. I'm very thankful for the attention it's gotten :D
I'm not sure how frequently I can update this story as work and personal stuff tend to get in the way, but I'll do my best! :D
Reviews are most appreciated and I hope you enjoy the chapter!
James's heart was racing at triple it's speed once he heard Evelynn's name. The diva had, well not so much jumped him, but attempted to seduce him nonetheless. But to make things worse, he was the one who actually assaulted her. He'd slammed her unceremoniously onto the coffee table, knocking off her likely priceless claws. He had no idea what they were for but guessed they were worth a lot.
He finally came upon a door with the words "Manager" plastered on the glass.
He put his hands on the doorknob, taking a deep breath before turning it and pushing. James entered the office, immediately seeing the magenta hair of the diva Evelynn and a new, but stern and frankly angry looking woman. She turned her head with the speed of a bullet when seeing that James had entered the room. Her elbows rested on the table, her hands folded as she glared at him.
The next thing James saw was Evelynn's claws placed in the middle of Culda's desk. He fought back a sigh, but he couldn't stop a wince. He looked over at Evelynn who was tapping her foot, but she slowly looked over to James with those amber eyes. He glared at her.
"Sit down." Culda's blunt voice sounded.
James flinched. He pulled back the chair, sitting respectively, but in a position that showed him that he knew his place. James could feel Culda seething at him.
"Look at this." She said.
James slowly looked up, seeing Culda holding up one of Evelynn's claws. She almost looked baffled.
"See this? You know how much this is worth?" She asked with venom. "Well, I'm sure you know that it's worth a lot. And the cost of it is more than your annual salary. Yet you just knocked it off the table like it was nothing." She put the claw down.
James tried to keep himself calm. He knew this wasn't his territory and that anything he might say could also put Akali in jeopardy. Kai'sa's words weren't incorrect when she told him Culda wasn't a friendly manager.
"Look, I can explain." He said before looking at the diva. "She tried to-"
"What is this fucking elementary?" Culda said bluntly. "Pushing the blame to someone else? How mature of you."
James found his will to resist shouting crumble. His fists clenched. He had a feeling that-
No.
He knew that Culda had seen his tussle with Evelynn… and when he looked over at the woman, it seemed like she was aware of his presence, but wouldn't speak to him unless he did what she wanted.
"I could squash you like a bug right now… Holland." Culda said, standing up and leaning over her desk in a challenging manner. She didn't say anything for five seconds, just scolding him immensely. Culda finally sat back down and cleared her throat. "But… luckily for you, Evelynn managed to talk me out of doing such a thing."
James looked at her with shock very evident. He blinked once.
Then again.
Then again.
Then again.
He narrowed his eyes with a suspicious and disbelieving look. He leaned closer. "What?"
"Believe me I'm as surprised as you are." Culda said not even looking at him. Her tone matched her sentence. "But yes, she chose to talk me out of it."
James looked over at Evelynn mid-sentence. She didn't look back. He heard Culda snap her fingers.
"Hey, hey, look at me when I'm talking to you." She said, not realizing how ironic the statement was. "If it hadn't been for her, I'd have made sure that you'd never set foot within a thousand feet of this studio ever again. So consider yourself lucky… Holland."
James was becoming annoyed by Culda's attitude. He managed not to snap at her though, choosing to muster up the nerve to ask…
"Why?"
"That doesn't concern you." Culda snapped. "All you need to know is that you put yourself in hot water, yet this charming diva chose to fish you out. Now get out of my office, and take this with you." She said handing him an envelope.
James chose to take the object and was going to question why, but Culda, as if she sensed it, looked at him with an icy glare. James nodded as an appreciative thanks and paced to the door. Before leaving, he gave one last look at Evelynn who remained in her position. She didn't look back and James left the office.
When he was gone, Culda looked at Evelynn who wasn't fazed at all by her manager's stare. Culda exhaled and pushed back her chair, getting up and walking to her brown leather bag.
"You know, for such a demanding diva who has high standards and considers herself to be a "Bad Girl", you seem to be most persistent on sparing that brute from my actions." She said. "Have you been getting any sleep Evelynn?"
"Have you been drinking again? And I'm asking if it's the heavy liquor." Replied the diva, a confident and cocky tone accompanying her words.
"What I do in my personal time shouldn't be of concern. Especially if I'm the one asking you the questions." Culda shot back.
Evelynn chuckled, getting up from her seat. She put on her glasses and retrieved her claws. "What you do in your personal time shouldn't affect your ability to be a rational manager either."
Culda grumbled and let Evelynn have the last word. She heard the diva leave the room, closing the door and leaving the manager alone in silence.
…
James's mind was in a baffled state. It's not that Evelynn was a celebrity and chose to spare him of Culda's wrath for his actions against her, but instead, it was because of her… public image. He hadn't done much of his research on the group, but when Culda mentioned "diva", James realized that it explained her actions somewhat back in the lounge.
He needed answers. Now.
James took out his phone, opening up the browser and typing in the groups' name. He went onto the site, pressing the portrait of Evelynn that revealed a short, but descriptive bio. He zoomed in, reading the bio of the woman who tried to seduce him and saved his ass not thirty minutes ago.
He scoffed when discovering that she walked off the stage once because of a disagreement with an audio track. He then read that her presence in the industry can be turbulent which explained the lounge.
James took a certain interest in how she was close to very few people and was protective of them. Made him smile actually, knowing that Akali would hopefully grow close to Evelynn in good time.
However, his eyes widened when reading about her being connected to several "missing" male celebrities, but never confirmed an actual relationship. James felt his throat muscles swell and he gulped to fix it.
He still didn't have any answers and his curiosity only kept growing. James put away his phone, looking at the envelope Culda gave him and bringing it up to his eyesight. He wondered what it was for. Perhaps a confirmation letter for Akali? Why wouldn't have Culda given her it after the interview? James narrowed his eyes and opened the envelope, taking out a folded piece of paper.
His brow cocked up with his mouth gaping slightly. He tilted his head as he absentmindedly walked slowly in a circle.
"The fuck?" He said to himself.
James stopped walking as his brain did it's best to process what he just read. It didn't make any sense. None of it made any goddamn sense.
He looked in the direction of the hallway but felt a warm aura suddenly emit on him. James turned around, seeing a pair of circular glasses with a familiar, devious smirk. He was about to speak, but Evelynn pressed her hands against his chest and grunted as she pushed him with surprising strength. James expected to hit a wall, but he stumbled through a partially open door into an empty room. He hit the carpeted floor with a thud and grunt as Evelynn leisurely strutted in, closing the door behind her and locking it.
James looked at her with bewilderment. It was déjà vu all over again.
"What the hell was that for?" He snapped while getting on his feet.
Evelynn scoffed. She took off her glasses, neatly putting them into the pocket of her coat. She held up the paper James was reading. "You mean this, or me pushing you?"
James chose to give her a taste of her own medicine. "How about all of the above? Including the explanation for not letting Culda go ape-shit on me!"
Evelynn set aside the paper, walking over to James who glared but also began to pace backward. She swayed her curvaceous figure, using its full potential. When James finally hit the solid wall, he braced his hands against it as the diva moved uncomfortably close to him. Her perfume emitted off her body as she put her hands on her hips, her face just a few inches from his.
After a few moments, Evelynn scoffed.
"Ah, I knew you were bluffing." She snickered.
Her voice made James blink and he looked at her with narrowed, confused eyes. "Excuse me?"
"You heard me darling." Evelynn purred. "You told me not to even think about trying this again… yet here I am, doing far more than just thinking."
James didn't enjoy being mocked. The information he read about Evelynn certainly wasn't lying about her attitude. She seemed to cause trouble intentionally, knowing that the public will see it as her just being herself.
However, James's mind remembered something else.
She'd tried to kiss him, and she almost succeeded.
His response was over the top.
He realized that she wasn't trying to kiss him this time, but she'd seemingly repeated everything from their first encounter to an extent.
Was she challenging him?
Did she want him to throw her against the wall this time? To get him into more trouble? Or did she want it because…
James didn't wait long before drawing to his conclusion. This woman was being witty and seemed to think she was a step ahead. James exhaled.
"You misunderstood me… Siren." He said with a confident tone. Evelynn's eyes briefly widened. James chuckled. "I never said anything about you getting close to me… but I told you not to think about kissing me, let alone even try."
Evelynn hummed as her eyes flashed briefly. She closed the distance between her and James, pressing her chest against his, her supple cleavage being squished against his chiseled figure. James's shirt didn't hide the rough feeling of his body. Evelynn trailed her hands up his arms, her amber eyes following her left hand. She got up to James's shoulders and then cupped his head. She was in the perfect position to kiss him right there. James didn't show restraint as parts of Evelynn's aura washed over him.
She leaned in closer…
And then she put two fingers on his left cheek, pushing his head slightly over, letting Evelynn bring her plump, kissable lips to James's exposed ear. She exhaled with a moan.
"You're certainly something else… Mr. Holland." She whispered. "It's quite amazing how resilient a man can become… once he learns his place."
James snorted.
"Soon… one day… you will give into your desires."
"What desire could that possibly be?" James asked.
"Oh I think you know darling. The desire to kiss these lips." Evelynn cooed.
She leaned down to his neck, noticing the rapid pulse.
She flicked at it with her tongue.
James inhaled sharply.
"You're going to want to know what it tastes like." She soothed.
She heard him exhale. Evelynn felt his hands place themselves upon her hips. She smirked, feeling like she'd achieved victory.
He gently pushed her back.
Evelynn's smirk faded. She slowly looked up into James's eyes. He wasn't glaring, only giving her an exasperated look.
"You underestimate my persistence." He said firmly. "I'm here for my friend Akali… and nothing more. Not for flings, not for the salary… only for her."
James saw one of the diva's brows cock up and he huffed. He walked past her when the distance was enough. James had a feeling his questions he asked her would remain unanswered but felt a hand stop him. He stopped a moment after, slowly turning back to Evelynn who wasn't looking, but her hand was holding his.
She slowly looked at him.
"You want to know?" She asked. James blinked in befuddlement.
She held up the paper that she'd taken from him. James noticed that she began smirking again, wiggling the paper mockingly in front of him. James snatched it from her hand, Evelynn snickering. He stretched it out, reading it again just to make sure this wasn't a mistake.
He had no idea what to say.
"Alright. My first question is wh-"
"Ah, ah, ah." She said waving her index finger back and forth. "You can reach into the cookie jar and choose any cookie you want, but you can only take one darling."
James blinked and squinted his eyes. He may have had the high ground briefly during their exchange, but trying to force this woman to do something she clearly wouldn't do would get him into more hot water, and he doubted she'd fish him out.
"Alright, please tell me. Why?" He asked holding up the paper.
The diva smirked, putting her weight onto her left leg with her right hand on her left arm, her left hand sprawled in the air, giving him a very diva-like shrug. James sighed as Evelynn laughed.
"Your little engagement on me in the lounge was something I've rarely had. Do I blame you for it? Perhaps I do, but the look I saw in your eyes… oh honey, you looked like you saw a damn ghost."
James swallowed the lump in his throat after hearing those words.
"Had my beloved claws gotten chipped, I'd have done something so much worse to you than Culda had planned." She said, a pinch of malice in her words. "They don't call me a Bad Girl for nothing."
"I can see that." James grumbled.
"I could've let Culda do anything she wanted. But I couldn't let our newest and youngest member get separated from her best friend right?"
The man's eyes widened. Evelynn pursed her lips together that became a grin.
"Ahhh, there it is. That thing I admire." She cooed. "That sweet devotion to friendship. You weren't lying when you said you were here only for Akali."
She slipped on her glasses.
"Culda told me how much Akali talked about you during their interview." She continued. "The young girl says you're like her big brother, and she's like your little sister."
James wished Akali hadn't spoken of their relationship during the interview, but with the present situation, he'd have been kicked out of here if it wasn't for her.
"Her lyrics are good Holland. She's certainly qualified to be a part of our group, but sometimes, these types of people can feel overwhelmed… without a piece of familiarity to comfort them." Evelynn said. "Her ability to actually sing remains up for debate."
Her diva personality seemed to do a 180 briefly.
"You are that piece of familiarity… and until she becomes comfortable with us, me especially, you'll be present." She said bluntly.
And now it'd returned.
James bit his lip. On one hand, he was utmost appreciative of Evelynn's actions. But on the other hand, he wasn't sure how he felt about what this paper implied.
"Is there a problem?" Evelynn asked, crossing her arms.
"How come it's not assigned to her?" He asked.
The diva waved her finger at him while clicking her tongue. "You've had your cookie for the night honey. You'll have to wait until next time. Three days at the most." She giggled after.
Exhaling, James begrudgingly accepted the fact that she'd say no more. Evelynn smiled with a head tilt and kept watching him as he put his hand on the doorknob. He said one last thing before leaving.
"Aren't you worried about the media?" He asked. "Or is that stepping over the line?"
Evelynn gave him no answer. James exhaled and left the diva alone in the room. Evelynn kept watching the door, her eyes hidden beneath her glasses. The diva's breathing was steady, and she put her hand on her chest.
Her heart was racing. She kept her hand there until it calmed down.
…
James walked down the hallway, finally reaching the lobby where he found only Ahri and Akali now. The leader of the group was talking to the newest member of the group, likely informing her of what they had planned. Ahri noticed James and Akali followed her.
"James! There you are!" Akali said getting up and running to her friend. "What kept you?"
"Better question is what did Culda want to talk about?" Ahri asked walking over, her arms crossed.
"Well… I… uh…" James scratched his head.
"What's that?" Akali asked pointing at the paper in his hand. Before James could register what she meant, the ninja had snatched the paper from his hand.
"Hey!" James exclaimed.
Akali was too quick for James to get the paper back. She managed to make out what the words at the top said. When he retrieved the paper, it was too late.
The young girl looked at the floor and then at James. He compressed his lips and shrugged. The next thing he knew, Akali leaped at him with open arms and James hit the floor with a grunt. He felt a constricting grasp all over his body as Akali squeezed him with all her strength while squealing as well. Ahri's eyes widened.
"YOU GOT THE JOB!" Akali exclaimed. "YOU'RE GOING TO BE WORKING HERE!"
James would've been happy to say that was the case with an exception, but at the moment Akali was practically crushing his body. Despite being smaller than him, her strength was not to be underestimated.
"YES. NOW PLEASE. STOP SQUEEZING… ME." He wheezed.
"Sorry!" She said before immediately getting off. James's face was discolored before he inhaled a few more times. "Still though, I can't believe it! You're going to be working here!"
"Y-… Yeah…" James replied.
When he stood, Ahri walked unusually close to him. James asked her if there was something wrong.
"I thought your interview wasn't scheduled for a few more days." She said sounding suspicious.
"Uh I… well see…"
"That's because I gave him a boost." A new voice chimed in.
The trio turned to see Evelynn standing in the hallway with a suggestive pose. She walked to the lobby, all eyes still fixed on her. She looked at James, then Ahri who crossed her arms with a scolding look, and finally…
"Akali." She mused.
The diva took a step forward, extending her hand for Akali to shake. James looked at Evelynn's hand that was met with Akali's, both of them shaking slowly, but soon firmly and quickly.
"You're our newest member no?" She asked. Akali couldn't fathom why her upbeat attitude had suddenly vanished. She nodded with a little "Yup". There was something about Evelynn that seemed to make her feel intimidated.
"Evelynn." Ahri said stepping forward. "When you say you gave him a boost… what do you necessarily mean by that?"
"Just playing the pronoun game with you love." Evelynn snickered. She soon cleared her throat. The diva looked at James who wondered if she was going to spill the whole ordeal. Evelynn looked at Ahri.
"You see Ahri, I happened to be eavesdropping on the interview with Akali and you. I couldn't help but overhear just how enthusiastic she was on her friendship with James." Evelynn said. "I must say that it rather… touched me?" She continued with a fake gasp. Ahri's glare didn't soften. "Anyhow, I couldn't even begin to imagine the agony it would cause these two to find out they may not be working together. So I chose to influence Culda into making James, my bodyguard."
Ahri, and even Akali's eyes widened.
"Bodyguard?" They said in unison.
"Is there an echo in here?" Evelynn asked. "Yes, I persuaded her to make him my bodyguard. After all… I'm sure we'll be working closely." She eyed Akali with a mysterious gaze. "And with your relationship to him, I'd say it works out in the end."
Akali almost felt like she was being talked down to. She took a deep breath. "Then why didn't you persuade her to-"
"Oh shush." Evelynn dismissed. "Darling, if you're going to stop being so reliant on a single person for comfort, don't you think it'd be better if you DIDN'T have him by your side every moment?"
Now Akali felt like a child. This is what she feared the most. To feel like a rookie amongst the group. The rapper exhaled with a sigh. James put his hand on her shoulder while staring at Evelynn who didn't seem to care at all what turmoil she may have created. Ahri cleared her throat.
"Well, I'd say that concludes our day then." She said clapping her hands together. She tilted them forward, aiming them at the ninja. "Akali, why don't you and James go home and rest up? Also, not to put pressure on you, but we'd like you to consider moving into our penthouse since we'll be working together more it seems."
Despite Ahri's words, Akali felt pressured nonetheless. Perhaps it was because of Evelynn's stare. James could see the anxiety in his friends' eyes and he stared at Evelynn. He put his hand on Akali's shoulder and stepped forward. He slowly looked to Ahri.
"We'll be sure to let you know about that Ahri." He said. "We've all kind of had an overwhelming day so I think it's best if we all sleep on it." He said, briefly glancing at Evelynn during his sentence.
Ahri nodded and watched the two of them leave the lobby, taking the elevator down to the lot toward James's car. When it was just the two of them left, Ahri turned to Evelynn with such speed it made the diva's hair blow briefly.
"What did you do?!" She demanded, beyond angry with her friend.
Evelynn briefly flinched, but she held that smug look. Her mouth curved up on the right. "Does it really matter?" She asked. "I thought you only cared about me not scaring away the young lady."
Ahri's patience grew thin. She didn't like how casual Evelynn was being.
"She tried to seduce him and then he threw her onto the coffee table in the lounge!" A voice called out.
Only Ahri's pupils shifted to see Culda walking down the hallway. She was in a trench coat from the looks of it, her brown leather bag being held by a strap on her shoulder. Evelynn rolled her eyes, knowing that she was about to be given a lecture by her friend.
"You did what?!" Ahri shouted.
"I don't believe I stuttered." Culda chuckled. "Yes she tried to kiss him in the lounge and then he threw both her and him onto the coffee table. Knocked off her golden claws I might add. Lucky for him there was no damage!"
"You are unbelievable." Ahri scolded. Evelynn merely shrugged. "And why in the world did you make him your bodyguard? Do you want to finish what you started?! Culda did you even do a background check on him?!"
Evelynn didn't seem to be able to speak as Culda kept talking first.
"It doesn't make any sense either Ahri. If it were up to me, I'd have had him get escorted behind the studio by security and beat him to a bloody pulp." Culda said. "But your long-time friend here who you know so well had other plans. If it doesn't make sense to you then it won't to anybody else."
"I have my reasons." Evelynn finally said. "And given that it's just between me and him, I don't think it's of any concern to you two."
"Whatever you say." Culda dismissed. "Just don't blame me when he pins you against a bathroom wall when you're in a club too drunk to realize."
"Have you been drinking again Culda?" Ahri asked.
The manager paused while looking at Ahri with a disbelieving look. She inhaled softly and took a step closer.
"With respect Ahri, you may not be aware, but over the past few weeks, we've become less and less popular. Other groups such as the band Pentakill are skyrocketing in sales while we've done nothing but slowly diminish. And if we're not making sales, we're not making money, and as the manager of this group, that tends to stress me out." Culda said bluntly. "So I do apologize if the addition of our newest member came with an unplanned and unexpected moment with a man whose first instinct was to throw this woman onto a coffee table and risk causing damage to priceless objects. Not to mention instead of making him pay, the woman who he assaulted wants him to be her bodyguard. So yes, sometimes the challenges in life can lead to a minor need to ease the stress it brings." She finished. "I'm sorry you can't seem to see that picture."
Ahri remained silent. The tension that seemed to be non-existent with Culda had abruptly appeared in a large dose. The three women remained silent as the silence spoke for them.
"I think I've made my point." Culda said backing away. She calmed herself down, looking at Evelynn and Ahri, giving the leader a look that showed some regret to her outburst. "I'll uh… I'll see you tomorrow." She said.
Culda hastily left the lobby, going down the same way Akali and James did. Ahri kept looking at where the woman had left.
"So where's Kai'sa?" Evelynn asked.
"Don't try and change the subject!" Ahri snapped.
"You've been asking me questions quite frequently." Retorted Evelynn. "I think you can answer one of mine."
Ahri exhaled. She wiped her face and looked away.
"She's out with that pizza girl." She said clearly annoyed.
Evelynn snorted. "Again?"
…
James's mind was still shaken up by the events that'd transpired with Evelynn, but for the moment, he could only focus on one thing. The surprisingly quiet girl that'd been happier than a kid in a candy store earlier, and now seemed like she was just beyond depressed. Akali hadn't said a word since they left the studio. It made James worry.
"Hey… you feeling alright?" He asked when they came to a red light.
Akali cleared her throat. "Y-Yeah." She muttered.
James didn't believe her. "What's wrong?" He asked.
The rapper sighed. "Oh you know… just the whole…"
James actually didn't know. Whether it had something do to with Evelynn hiring him as her bodyguard or moving to the penthouse, he was unsure.
"The whole moving to the penthouse?" He asked.
Akali looked at him. She slowly nodded, but also shrugged.
"Well yeah it's that… but also how that woman, she uh… she just…"
He was so focused on Akali's words that he didn't realize the light had turned green. A honk from the car behind them startled both figures and James pressed down on the gas moments after.
"S-She what?" James asked, a bit on edge.
"Well, she kind of just did what I was afraid of." Akali sighed. "She made me feel like a rookie. Like a child to be exact. All because of my feelings toward you."
James exhaled, silently thanking the gods above for her not bringing up the whole bodyguard ordeal. However, he could also see just how ashamed she felt. She'd worried about this and it happened. James chose to hopefully raise her spirit.
"You know Akali, I personally didn't see it that way... and I don't think she did either." He said with a tint of confidence. Akali looked at him. "I mean granted, you did spill the beans to Culda about our friendship, but Evelynn told me that she actually admires how devoted you are. And she said the same thing about me."
It was making his stomach churn to recall the conversation with Evelynn.
"She said that?" Akali asked.
She got a nod with a warm smile in response. Akali felt less shame but still longed for a bit more reassurance.
"But why would she choose to word it the way she did?"
"I'm not certain, but if I had to guess, it's probably because she just wants to show you what you'll be working with, now that you're in the group." James stated. "She is a diva after all. I guess she just wants things to be more direct. She was the same with me."
Akali laughed this time. James smiled when seeing her excitement from earlier resurface.
"I guess that makes sense. Gotta expand my horizons and get out of my comfort zone, just like you said."
"Alright now you're sounding like a broken record." James said, hoping he'd continue to make her smile
"Shut up!" Akali replied laughing before elbowing James's arm. He laughed as well with the two of them remaining silent again, but this time it was a pleasant silence. That is until Akali chose to ask James a question. "I just don't understand one thing James; why exactly did she jump to the conclusion to-"
"Hey, hey, hey!" James cut her off. "Look it's late at night, we've had a tense couple of days whose hard work paid off. How about we just relax and celebrate?" He asked, hoping that Akali would accept it. He really didn't want to think about what'd just happened in the last few hours.
Akali gave James narrowed eyes before slowly smiling. "Alright. That sounds great actually."
"Good, because I know just the spot."
James drove them to a restaurant. It wasn't anything special or unique, but what made him choose it is the knowledge of Akali's desire for Spicy Ramyun. He figured that this could be a good treat for her after a few trying days, regardless if she'd gotten the spot. However, after what he endured tonight, he had a feeling he'd be having some too, with a dozen drinks. Akali's adorable expressions as she came to the realization made James smirk.
"AH YOU'RE THE BEST FRIEND EVER!" She squealed, tackling him again with James hitting the driver side door. James grunted but felt his body get crushed yet again.
"PLEASE. STOP. CRUSHING ME."
…
Evelynn had both hands firmly on the steering wheel of her Lamborghini. She had on a neutral expression as Ahri sat cross-legged beside her, arms in the same position as she watched the car pass by the city lights. It'd been a quiet drive as Ahri was still frustrated with Evelynn's advances on James, not to mention the tension it'd created with Culda. Evelynn kept driving, but she occasionally looked over to the vixen.
"Someone's awfully quiet there." She said with a sing-song voice.
Ahri didn't reply. Evelynn sighed.
"Come on, you're really giving me the silent treatment because of this?" She asked.
Again, no response. Ahri sighed as she slowly looked over to the diva.
"You're not making a very good first impression on our newest member Eve." Ahri finally said. "You try to seduce, and likely eat, her best friend the moment you see him. And to make matters worse, you choose to put him into a position he likely has NO intention of being in."
"So what?"
That set Ahri off. She slammed on the armrest which made Evelynn flinch. Despite knowing her for such a period of time, she didn't expect the diva to do something like this.
"SO WHAT?!" Ahri furiously repeated. "You tried to kiss him and then have him meet with a clearly furious Culda! You're lucky he didn't blurt out everything in the first place to me and Akali! Your stunt could've scared her off!"
Evelynn exhaled sharply. She was going to speak… until Ahri said something that set HER off.
"Are you trying to bring down our group?!" She asked.
Just like that, Evelynn's foot went off the gas and slammed the brake into oblivion. The tires of the Lamborghini screeched as the vehicle came to a vocal halt. Ahri was thrown forward, but her seatbelt held her back. Evelynn pressed herself into the seat, her muscles flexing to prevent going forward. When the car finally stopped, Evelynn put it into park, took the keys out of the ignition, and turned to Ahri with a stern look.
"Okay, first of all, don't ever, EVER, slam your hand on anything in my car." She scolded. "Second, did I try to seduce him? Yes, I did, but it backfired on me. Thirdly, it WASN'T me who wanted him to meet with her. Culda saw what happened on the camera and she immediately contacted me. You know how irrational she can get when she's angry right? Well, what she said earlier was merely an exaggeration of the true thing. What she wanted to have done to him would've scared Akali off far more than what I did! So don't think for one second that I'm trying to bring down the group! If anything, it's Culda that may bring it down, and she's got the illusion of what's best for us in that crazy brain of hers!" Evelynn snapped.
Ahri was silent. She and Evelynn kept staring one another down with heavy exhales from the diva. The leader looked away finally with Evelynn calming down. She did the same.
"It may sound strange, and even hard to believe, but I think I just saved us the trouble of finding a new fourth member." Evelynn sighed. "Ahri, you saw how she's attached to him. They're both very protective of one another… just like the way I am with you… and Kai'sa."
Ahri sighed as she leaned back, sinking into the seat.
"I couldn't let Culda just take that away." Evelynn continued. "So I convinced her to let him be my bodyguard. If I tried to do that with any of you, she'd have shot it down."
The vixen slowly looked over to Evelynn. This was a rare side anyone saw of the highly demanding diva. Ahri exhaled again before speaking.
"I suppose that could've been… the right choice." She said, having processed Evelynn's words.
"Do you really think I'd try to bring this group down?" Evelynn asked not looking over. "Perhaps it could've been seen that way, but Ahri… look how far we've come." She said. Evelynn could only reference the success with one of the many luxurious cars she owned. "Do you think I'd try to take this away? To ruin it?"
Once again, Ahri sighed. She and Evelynn generally didn't stay too angry at eachother for long periods of time, no matter how tense the conflicts were. She looked at the diva and shook her head. Evelynn smirked.
"Good." She said, putting the key back in the ignition and starting up the car. "Now let's go back to the penthouse. I need to take a shower."
Ahri didn't speak much to Evelynn for the rest of the drive. The diva was actually grateful that she didn't.
Truthfully, Evelynn withheld a fourth reason for having James be her bodyguard. A reason that would compromise her public image to be exact. It wasn't romantic feelings toward him, but more so the reaction she got out of him.
The comment she'd made about him seeing a ghost… wasn't too far off.
…
The television was on in the living room of the apartment. The words "Are you still watching "Star Guardians"?" were plastered on the screen. A partially filled bowl of Ramyun was set on the table with a sleeping girl laying on her side, her eyes closed while her mouth was open with some drool staining the couch pillows. An empty bottle of Tequila wasn't too far from the bowl with a man sleeping soundly in a chair next to the couch.
He inhaled a breath as he woke up from his sleep, stretching with a groan, but soon tended to his headache.
James and Akali certainly did celebrate the success in the young girl becoming part of the K/DA, but James began to think they may have gotten a little too carried away. He and Akali generally weren't heavy drinkers so this was one of the few hangovers he encountered. He stood up from the chair slowly, wearing a pair of jeans with a white t-shirt. Akali seemed to be in a pair of sweatpants with a bra…?
James huffed while smirking, taking a nearby blanket and sheltering his sleeping friend. He looked at the clock and saw it was 2:33 am.
He suddenly heard a sound in the kitchen. James looked in the direction with a raised brow. Taking one last look at Akali, he cautiously paced toward the doorway of the kitchen, becoming uneasy as he soon heard another sound. James daintily stepped inside, scanning the back of the kitchen first before looking to the front.
There, he saw a figure.
"What the hell?"
"You've been quite a naughty boy Holland."
The voice was feminine, but it was also… malicious… and seemingly dark with a pinch of seduction.
"What is…" James was lost for words. "How…?"
"Me and my people would be… willing to wipe the slate clean."
The figure turned around slowly. James saw a pair of amber orbs. At first… he thought this was Evelynn.
But once the figure stepped forward, it was revealed to most certainly not be her. Her skin was pale, dark makeup around her eyes, but what made James's eyes become wide was her…
"What… how did you…"
"Of course… I will not grant it without a collateral agreement."
Those were the last words James heard.
The next thing he saw was the ceiling of the apartment. He'd shot upright into a sitting position, panting heavily. The man noticed how the surroundings of the room reminiscences his nightmare, minus the whole Star Guardian's thing, instead replace with a simple question if they were still watching The Office.
James's eyes were wide, his heart beating rapidly. He'd had a nightmare which was uncommon for people, but this nightmare was unique. He looked over at Akali who was in the same spot. James swallowed the lump in his throat, taking a blanket to cover her. Akali's lips curved upward in her sleep.
Taking one last deep breath, James paced to the kitchen, being cautious and alert. Unsurprisingly, or to him, somewhat surprisingly, he didn't find anyone in the kitchen. It was just him and Akali in the apartment.
Still, he could hear the words of the woman. Her voice seemingly echoing constantly off the walls. This woman wasn't a stranger to James. He had a history with her… history he'd long forgotten about, or wish to forget about as it seemed. Mentally cursing to himself, James took out his phone, opening the gallery which still had the picture he'd opened up back in the studio.
It was a photo he'd had taken during his graduation from college. James was in his gown, diploma in his hand with Akali right beside him, arm wrapped around his waist. He'd given her permission to put it on social media with the description of "So proud of my big bro James! All that training's gonna come in handy for my future performances! :P"
It made him smile, but that soon faded. The woman's face from his nightmare flashed in his head again, and James swiped to the left… seeing a picture similar to the one of him and Akali.
Except, it had a third person in it.
James exhaled as his pinched the bridge of his nose.
He hadn't had a nightmare like that in years. He'd had the same nightmare frequently after he graduated.
So why was he having it now?
James closed down the photo, putting the phone aside as he calmed himself down.
James walked into the living room, turning off the television and giving one last look to Akali. He left out a bottle of water for her before going to his bedroom. James laid down on the bed, hoping that he'd remained undisturbed for the rest of the night.
So the story itself may not seem all that intriguing at the moment but I do have plans in the future to make it more interesting... And smutty ;)