Adulation, Part 1

Sarah gets a lesson in emotions of different kinds.


"Hold it….good. Now expand and release."

I burst the note like a sparkler, pushing my voice to follow Jareth's instructions as he moved around me, gauging the sound from different locations in the practice room.

"Did you like the way his eyes followed you?"

I yelped at the suddenness of his voice in my ear, stumbling forward slightly. "What? Who?"

"That delectable boy at the club last night."

I blushed furiously, remembering the tall, slender boy with the long, dark hair, aquiline nose, and exquisite light eyes. I'd always been a sucker for light eyes and that pair had smoldered at me the entire night. In between sets, he'd come up to me, introduced himself, and asked if I'd ever done any duets. Something about the resonance of his voice when he spoke rubbed across my skin in true shudder-worthy fashion. I just knew singing with him would be luscious. And lead to all kinds of other luscious things.

At that point, warning bells had gone decidedly a-ringing and I'd demurred, escaping out The Hole post-performance to avoid any more temptation.

The thing was, I'd had a pretty good feeling that Jareth wouldn't tolerate competitors for my attentions, even if our relationship was strictly platonic at the moment. Clearly, I'd been right. The tones that hung in Jareth's voice now were starting to make me weak in the knees in that Sweet-God-I'm-Sorry-For-Whatever-Also-You're-So-Hot-Right-Now-Aaaaaaaagggh kind of way.

Jareth hummed thoughtfully in my ear. "It's in your voice, you know. The lean shape of him, that bright-eyed intensity. Your desire for him."

I swallowed, scrambling for some kind of response that would get me out of the Deep Kimchi I'd vocally stepped in. "Well, sir, if I'm swayed by tall men with fierce eyes and resonant voices, I think we can attribute that to my impressionable fifteen-year-old self."

His lips stretched into a lazy smile. "Mmm. Flattery will get you nowhere, Ms. Williams."

I shrugged. "Just telling the truth, sir."

"I've a new assignment for you."

A sinking feeling hit me. "It involves that boy, doesn't it?"

Lions look at gazelles with that exact expression. "It does. You will draw him to you using what you feel for him."

My pulse thundered in my ears. "Sir?"

"And then you will break his heart."

I stared at him. "Why? Why break his heart? Isn't it enough to turn him away?"

"You need practice in cruelty. He's a convenient case study."

Something in me clenched at the unfairness of it. I hated being cruel and my heart ached for the boy's devastation already. I lifted my chin, trying to hang onto neutrality. "What if I refuse to do it, sir? What then?"

"Well then, Ms. Williams, that would be rather boring of you, wouldn't it? I believe our agreement is predicated on a lack of that precise quality."

Rat bastard. He really would cut me off quick as breath. My mouth shot off suddenly without me. "And this has nothing to do with you being jealous of him? Sir?"

His eyes flashed as he smiled wide. "And why should I be jealous of that little boy?"

I crossed my arms. "Really? You want me to say it?"

He arched an eyebrow.

I sighed. "Because you want all my romantic inclinations fixated firmly on you."

"Do I? Why would I want that?"

"You tell me. Besides the fact that you're egotistical and demand all the attention ever, whether you reciprocate it or not. Probably especially when you don't, just for added fun."

His lips twitched. "Well, as long as we've cleared that up, Ms. Williams. Your assignment still stands."

I threw up my arms. "You drive me nucking futs, sir."

"Mmm. They say the ones you care about most do that to you." He turned to go. "See you in a few hours, Ms. Williams. Wear something nice, hmmm? Don't want our boy to be disappointed now."

My jaw clenched. "Right, sir."