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Starlight Music Headquarters

Jerrica briskly stepped out of the elevator doors before they finished opening. She entered the antechamber to her office, located on the top floor of the Starlight Music building, and she was greeted by a frenzy of subordinates. She didn't break stride as she handed the quarterlies to her assistant in exchange for her dry cleaning. When she passed the secretary's desk, she picked up her mail and went inside her office.

She threw her dry cleaning across the leather chair and kicked her shoes off. After a quick shower in the executive bath, she put on her newly pressed suit and then thumbed through her mail. She stopped when she came across a letter written in crayon. A smile visited her face when she opened the card. She placed it next to a collage of other pictures on her desk. She made it a point to reserve desk space for her Starlight girls – orphans that she supported through Starlight Foundation. They were her daughters, and she loved all of them. Why else would she lead this double life of a successful CEO/house-marm by day, and an A-list rock star by night? Why else would she sacrifice her love life?

Love life.

Aja's comment yesterday concerning Rio still bothered her. After all, he was nothing more than a protracted childhood crush. Breaking up with him was the best thing that ever happened to her. It freed her to better manage the Starlight Foundation. The only thing that mattered now was her family, and she was surrounded by love, and loved ones, on a daily basis.

So, why did she feel so lonely?

"I see you went with the red dress."

Jerrica snapped out of her reverie to see Aja standing at the entrance of her office. She went over to the mirror to primp her bangs and replied, "Red means power and confidence."

"It also means seduction." Aja approached and stood next to Jerrica in front of the mirror.

"I don't think the shareholders are interested in my sex appeal."

"I'm a shareholder, and I'd do you," she said, with a smirk.

Jerrica pursed her lips. "That's only because you're a slut."

"No I'm not; sluts give it away for free."

"What are you two standing around for?" Kimber said, barging into the office. "Everyone's waiting downstairs."

"Jerrica is trying to seduce the investors, Kimber."

Kimber walked over and bumped Jerrica aside to make room for herself in the mirror. "Oh? Nobody said anything about this being a fundraiser." She adjusted her necklace. "Don't let them low ball you, sis."

Jerrica sighed. "Et tu, Kimber?"

In good spirits, the three of them left the office and went to the meeting hall on the third floor. By the time they got there, the room was already full. When Jerrica entered, a hush fell over the crowd in acknowledgment of the president and CEO of Starlight Music. She took the stage and adjusted her microphone at the podium before addressing the audience:

"Good evening and welcome to the twelfth annual Starlight Music shareholder's meeting!"

Jerrica smiled proudly; the hall was filled with applause. This rush she felt was akin to the accolades she received when she was on stage, performing in sold out concerts, as her alter ego, Jem. The din subsided, and she continued:

"My parents, Emmett and Jacqui Benton, founded this company with the intention of making the world a better place. Fearlessly, they steered you into the eighties to become the premier independent label in the country. As we enter a new decade, with their daughters at the helm, that mission statement remains unchanged."

She was met with another round of applause. As she looked out into the crowd, Jerrica noticed a man enter quietly from the back of the room. He looked tall and lean in his tuxedo and kept his back to her as he walked over to the bar. All she could make of him was his purple hair and his olive skin. Even as the applause subsided, her attention remained focused on the man in the back. A cough from Aja off stage brought her back in the moment. She recentered herself on the podium and resumed her speech.

"This marks an exciting time for the music industry in general and Starlight Music in particular. With the acquisition of KJEM and from scouting new talent, we will have expanded the scope of our label to not only pioneer a new era of Rock and Roll, but also to explore the frontiers of Jazz and Hip Hop…"

She didn't remember going through the rest of the presentation. She orated on autopilot, all the while keeping a watchful eye on the man in the back of the room with the purple hair. When she finished, she was numb to the standing ovation from the crowd and walked offstage. Kimber took over and directed everyone to the buffet line in the back.

She kept track of Purple Hair out of the corner of her eye while she started to visit with the other shareholders. Splitting her concentration between small talk and keeping a lookout was daunting. Fortunately, Aja came to her rescue and graciously stole her away from the tortuous banter.

"Thanks, Aja."

"You're welcome. Good job, by the way. You were a little shaky at first, but you recovered nicely."

"I was distracted." Jerrica nodded in Purple Hair's direction, at which Aja turned to look. "For heaven's sake, don't stare."

Aja scowled. "What is Rio doing here?"

"This is a stockholder's meeting, and he is a stockholder."

"So what? He's never come to these things in the past—much less to hobknob."

Her face became flushed. "Oh no, he's coming this way… don't look."

"Has he seen you?"

"I don't know. But I don't want to talk to him."

"Sneak out the back. Kimber and I can cover for you."

Jerrica obeyed and walked casually to the nearest exit. When she glanced over her shoulder, she could see Rio working his way toward her through the crowd. She entered the hallway and followed the path to the elevators and pushed the button. The chime of the floor stop sounded when she heard Rio enter the hallway. He called her name, and she cursed the slow moving doors. She knew she wasn't going to make when she heard his footsteps getting closer. In desperation she tapped her earring and whispered, "Showtime, Synergy."

—oOo—

Rio stuck his arm in the doors just before they came to a close. When the doors opened, where he expected to see Jerrica, he instead found himself face to face with Jem, lead singer of The Holograms. He gasped. For one brief moment he thought he saw her surrounded by a halo of light. He rubbed his weary eyes and dismissed the illusion as an artifact of the alcohol that he had been drinking.

The contours of her face were flawless. She wore the same style of dress as Jerrica, but the colors where different, and they served to compliment her pink hair. The hair itself hung as if every strand were put in place by an artist.

"Jem?"

"Rio." Jem nodded in acknowledgement as she stepped out of the car.

"I was looking for Jerrica."

"She had to take off. You must have just missed her."

He took a sip of the scotch that he was nursing, trying desperately not to look like a star struck teenager. "I… didn't expect to see you here."

"I could say the same. So, what brings you by?"

"Starlight Music is privately held. I figured this would be the best place to sell my holdings."

"Oh." Her voice dropped to almost a whisper. "So that's why you were looking for her?"

"No, that wouldn't've been appropriate. I'm selling to Pitman. I just wanted to break all my ties to this place."

"Do you hate her that much?"

He looked at her with an expression of shock. "Of course not! I just wanted to tell her something: to apologize for how things turned out. But, I guess she doesn't want to have anything more to do with me. Not that I blame her."

She started to fidget, interlacing her fingers as she walked tentatively back toward the meeting room. "You could… tell me; I'll make sure to pass it along."

Rio shrugged. "Sure. I've practiced it so many times in the mirror, someone might as well hear it." He downed the rest of his scotch and took a piece of paper out of his pocket. He stood up straight and cleared his throat. "I was going to start out with a compliment like, Hello Ms. Benton, you look lovely this evening. Have you done something different with your hair?"

Jem snorted. "Is that the best you can do?"

"Well, I didn't exactly practice that part. I wanted it to sound genuine."

"I see," she said, shaking her head in amusement.

He laughed nervously. "I didn't expect it to be this awkward."

"You don't have to, Rio—"

"No, I want to." Rio sighed. "Jerrica won't return my calls, and I just... I have to get this off my chest, you know?"

"You want closure." Jem approached. "I'll make Jerrica understand."

Rio continued reading, "Jerrica, I'm sorry for how it all ended. As your boyfriend, it was my job to protect you from pain. However, I ended up being a source of it. If I had only just concentrated on loving you, we might still be together." He stopped reading to gauge her reaction, "How is it so far? Too much?"

She blushed. "It's not bad. What else have you got?"

"When I look into your eyes…"

Rio paused when he happened to look up from the paper, and their eyes met. He walked closer, allowing him to gaze deeply into her. His heart raced. They were connected. He crumpled the paper in his hand and discarded it. The sound of the paper meeting the ground at his feet echoed loudly. "When I look into your eyes, I see the mother of my children. When I look into your eyes, I see the only woman I'll ever be capable of loving. It took me this long to realize as long as I have you, I don't need to know everything. The secrets don't matter."

They kissed.

Her hair smelled of roses and honeysuckle, like Jerrica's. Her lips were soft and wanting, like Jerrica's. He reached under her dress and inserted a finger behind the strap of her panties, feeling her naked skin as he slowly pulled them down. He followed her roundness, resting his finger on the crease where her butt met the back of her thigh. It all felt so familiar, so smooth, and so… Jerrica.

How was such a thing possible? For two women to be so alike, in spite of the fact that sweet Jerrica would never whisper lustful curses in his ear, like Jem. Timid Jerrica would never reach down and unbuckle his trousers with a room full of people next door, like Jem. Prim Jerrica would never invade his mouth, taking in the alcohol on his breathe and gently tugging on his lower lip with her teeth as he pulled away, like Jem.

"I love you, Je—"

—oOo—

In a panic, she pushed him off. She did not want him to finish that sentence. She did not want to know who he was kissing.

Oh my God! I've got to get out of here!

Jem ran back to the meeting room as she fastened her clothes. Rio watched her leave, being too stunned to follow. He looked down to his trousers and buckled his belt.

—oOo—

Aja had since mingled into the crowd, although she kept an eye on the exit after Rio followed Jerrica out. To her surprise, she saw Jem enter the room shortly after. Aja casually broke away from a group having an uninteresting discussion over pork futures, and she made her way to meet her lead singer. She grabbed Jem by the arm and negotiated her into a remote corner before they were noticed.

Aja looked around to make sure they weren't being watched. "What are you doing here, Jem?" she said, through a fake smile.

"Rio cornered Jerrica in the hallway, so Jem had to run interference."

"You smell like alcohol. Have you been drinking?"

Jem's eyes widened, and she instinctively covered her mouth with her hand. "No."

"So, what happened?"

"Well, he apologized to Jerrica, by proxy, we kissed, and then I left."

Aja squeezed Jem's arm tighter. "Whoa! What did you say?" She struggled to keep her voice low.

Jem blushed. "I said he apologized."

"No, the part after that."

She smiled weakly. "I left?"

Aja's eyes narrowed. "Before that."

Jem closed her eyes and sighed. "I kissed him."

"You mean you kissed him goodbye, right?"

Jem bit her lip. "Not exactly."

"Have you lost your mind, girl?"

By this time, people started to notice Jem's entrance and began to approach, forcing them to cut their conversation short.

"I don't want to get into this now, Aja," she said, retreating behind the fans asking for her autograph. "Don't worry; I can handle Rio."

"That's what I'm afraid of."

Aja left Jem to her celebrity and proceeded through the back exit. Once out into the hallway, she found Rio standing by the elevators.

"Rio." She greeted him with arms akimbo.

"Hello, Aja," he replied absentmindedly.

"What do you think you're doing?"

"It's an investor's meeting, is it not? I came here to sell my holdings—"

She held up her index finger, cutting him off. Again, she asked, "What. Do you think. You are doing?"

Rio sighed as he looked down at his feet. "I don't know, Aja." He pushed the button on the control panel and waited patiently.

"I do NOT want to go through this drama again, just because Jem doesn't have the good sense to tell you to fuck off!"

"I only came here to apologize to Jerrica."

"With Jem's lipstick smeared all over your face?"

"I guess I deserved that." He said. "Look, Aja, I know you hate me—"

"I don't hate you, Rio—"

"But, I wasn't the one who lied, and I wasn't the one that chose her secrets over me."

"Think hard, Rio… was she the only one who played the deception game?"

For the first time, he looked her in the eyes. "I still love her."

"You have a funny way of showing it."

He snorted quietly as he rubbed the back of neck. "You know, it's hard to tell if you're talking about Jerrica or Jem."

Aja was taken aback by his observation, but she continued to press him, saying, "Yes, it makes one wonder why, especially since the person that we're talking about should be obvious."

Rio smiled. "I deserved that too." With a chime, the doors finally opened, allowing him to step inside the car.

"Look, Rio," she said in a calmer tone, "You've been like a brother; I'm not asking you to stay out of Jerrica's life. Just give her some space."

Aja looked into Rio's eyes as the doors came to a close, searching in vain for any hint of acknowledgement. Now alone in the lobby, she turned to go back to the meeting hall when she stepped on something. She looked down to regard the wadded piece of paper at her feet.