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Assuming Kim- Christmas Day
My eyes open slowly only to see nothing. That scent is familiar though. Jack's shampoo that amazingly holds it's easy, sea breeze scent all day. I can't hold back my cocky smirk while I think about what I did to him last night. I think he had as much fun as I did.
I need to focus, because today's my biggest public appearance day of the year. It's Bash day! "Hey Jack! Jack Jack Jack Jack!" I call his name and bounce on the bed next to him.
"What?" Jack fires out of bed and immediately assumes a fighting stance. "What's going on?"
"Woah, there!" I try to get him to calm down. "Everyone's okay, you don't have to fight anybody naked, you're good." Jack drops his stance and then looks down, his eyes widening comically.
"I'm, and you're..." Jack points from himself to me. "Last night did actually happen?"
"Yeah Jack, it did." Why is he shocked instead of smiling? "You don't regret it, do you?" I need to know.
"Only if you do." Jack says, coming to sit next to me on the bed. "If you're asking if I enjoyed it, the answer is yes, absolutely yes." Jack chuckled. "But I feel terrible, thinking you felt like you had to for some reason."
"Good, I'm glad you enjoyed it. It was fun watching you lose complete control, and knowing I did it. It was my idea Jack, not yours." I I nod and get up to get dressed. The problem is I don't have any clothes here. Just the discarded ribbons. "Can I borrow a shirt so I can go back to my room and change?"
"Will I get the shirt back?" That is a fair question, after all.
"Probably not, but does that really bug you?" I ask with a sly grin.
"No, no it doesn't." Jack gives in as he gets up to root through his drawer. He comes up with a purple v-neck. He wore it for our first date, our coffee meeting. Yes, I'm calling that a date now.
"Arms up." I do as Jack orders and he slides it down over my head. I open my eyes to see Jack's eyes trained on my mid thighs where his shirt stopped.
"Eyes up here, Beast." I point where I need him to focus. He puts his strong hands on my back and pulls me into him. I'm not entirely sure he realizes he's still not wearing a stitch of clothing.
"Beast, huh?" He asks with a cocky smirk and kisses me. We hold the kiss, just enjoying the contact of our lips together, neither of us trying to deepen it.
We pull away from the kiss, but we keep our embrace. "If you call me Beauty, I need a Beast. I've seen you train, fight, and I've seen you naked. You fit the bill all three times." I look down at him, then back to his eyes with a smile because I have the power to make him blush.
"On those grounds, I'll take it." Jack kisses my head and lightly smacks my butt before he gets dressed. While he's doing that, I'm gonna go get dressed. And he's definitely not getting the shirt back.
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Jack and I head downstairs, and most of the house is still asleep. Grace and Milton stayed over because today's the big day. Jack makes the two of us breakfast, along with Rudy.
After breakfast, Rudy makes some calls and Jack and I head down to the studio. Every time we come down here, Jack or I have something new we want to play with. We probably should practice what we have, though.
Jack takes a seat on a stool and pulls up his guitar. He warms his fingers up with a little melody of his own design. "Kim, I can't get you anything that you can't buy or take for yourself. Any kind of necklace or bracelet, you could get yourself one or thousand better. I struggled to come up with a Christmas gift for you." Jack admits, and my heart sinks a little. I didn't know he was upset about just getting me a present! It's such a tiny matter.
"Jack, you don't need to buy me anything. It's okay." I tell him with a smile. He's so sweet, I just want to era him in a big blanket and sit on his lap.
"I didn't buy you anything, but I wrote you this song." I haven't heard a single lime, but my voice is already caught in my thought. "It's called I Wouldn't Mind."
Jack begins his song and I'm all ears. His eyes never once leave mine. His voice is softer than I'm used to. It sounds good. Has he been working on his range? I focus back to the words and my heart melts at the chorus. Jack wouldn't mind waking up to my smile every morning. And I wouldn't mind flashing him my smile every morning.
Jack finishes his song and puts his guitar down. "Merry Christmas, Kim. I hope my present was okay." Jack says shyly, his head lowered. I get off my stool and stand before him.
"Jack." He looks up at me. "Your gift was perfect." I coo and sit on his lap, straddling him. "You're perfect." I duck my head and kiss him. I give him only a second to catch up before I sweep my tongue out and trace his lips, coaxing him to open his mouth.
As soon as he does, I plunge into his mouth and completely dominate the kiss, showing him my fire and making him see, making him feel how much I love him.
Jack pulls away and rests his forehead on mine. "Kim, I think I need to tell you something." Jack paused and inhaled deeply. "I've fought this for a while now, but I hate fighting things I can't overcome, so I'm going to stop fighting."
"What are you saying, Jack?" I know what he's saying, but I need to hear it from him.
"I'm saying Kim, that I love you." Jack chuckles but his eyes show vulnerability but his jaw is set.
"I know Jack. I've known since before you admitted it to yourself. The way you look at me, the way you kiss me and care for me. I was never going to push you to say it." I smile and get off him when the others knock and enter.
"We thought we'd find you two down here." Rudy says as he goes to his drum set. "We need to be at the Seaford Dome for 3:00 because coverage starts at 5:00." Rudy announces.
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Assuming Jack
"Seaford Dome? We're performing at a dome?" I've never played a dome. I've never been in a dome. Little Jack Brewer is supposed to play domes now?
"It'll be fine, Jack. If we all do as practiced, it'll be fine. Block out the thousands in the stadium and the millions watching at home, and you'll be fine." Kim says with a reassuring smile, but it missed it's mark. Most of the time, a pretty girl tells the guy to relax and flashes him a smile, then everything is okay. This is real life, damn it! Have you ever played in front of millions for the first time? I know I haven't!
"Jack, are you okay?" Milton asks, looking at me with squinted brows.
"Huh? Yeah man, I'm good." I lie. I'm fucking petrified. I've done karate competitions, but that was a hundred people at most. I've done talent shows at high school. That's it.
"Jack, seriously, you're going to be fine." Rudy tells me flatly. "We're all going to be up there, we're all good munitions, you included. After the first song or two you'll feel right at home."
"Jack, until you do feel at home, just get lost in the music. Focus on the band, focus on me, and love what you do." This bit of advice Kim just dropped is some of the most heartfelt words I've ever been told. If I can do that, I'll be fine. I've had years of karate focus and discipline. I can do this.
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Rudy drops us off at the doors and goes to park out back. I follow Kim's lead, but by her side, her hand entwined with mine. As we walk into the Dome, my jaw drops. The building's entrance is lined with pictures and memorabilia, the Seaford Sports Hall of Fame.
Past the Hall of Fame, we pass through a tunnel and onto the field. The field is nicer than any field I've ever had the opportunity to walk on. Centered on the fifty yard line is a huge circular stage. My heart's in my throat, knowing I have to perform on that same stage while in the presence of the other talents Kim has assembled.
Kim squeezes my hand and I look over to see her with a worried expression, silently asking if I'm okay. I squeeze her hand back and flash a reassuring smile.
Other musicians, comedians and actors are arriving. This party is going to be huge. OneRepublic is here, Imagine Dragons, Hosier, He Is We. That's just part of the music acts!
As we're watching everyone file in, a high pitched shriek nearly pops my ear drums. We all turn around to see who it is. Once Kim sees that it's her friend Selena Gomez, she shrieks just as banshee like and the girls are sprinting at each other before meeting in a tight hug.
"How's my favorite little lady?" Selena asks Kim with a smile.
"Better than ever. How are you?" Kim's smile never leaves her face.
"Great like always. I'm really excited to see you and Jack play Hands To Myself." Selena sees me and waves me over. "You're cuter in person." Selena says with a sly smile.
"Why thank you, but this one's still twenty thousand leagues beyond mine." I wrap my arm around Kim and kiss her hair. I smile against her blonde silk strands when I feel both her arms around me.
"You two are so perfect together! Everybody is going to want more of you." Selena gives me a hug. "Usually I'd say a friend of Kim's is a friend of mine, but you're more than a friend to Kim. So what does that make us?"
"Friends. Still just friends." Kim tells her with almost unnoticeably narrowed eyes. Kim has a bit of a jealous streak, huh? "You're going to perform tonight, right?" Kim's quick to change the subject.
"Of course! I wouldn't miss your Bash for the world!" Selena skips off towards the stage.
"She seems... nice." I smile awkwardly at Kim.
"Yeah. Hands To Myself? I think she wrote that about her towards every guy I ever liked." Kim scowls after her friend.
"Bad Blood?" I ask in curiosity. If Kim has an issue with Selena, I want to know so I can avoid it.
"Not really. She just likes to tease me. She always takes passes at my boyfriends. She's stolen a few, so I guess she's done me a favor by weeding out the shit." Kim shrugged.
"Want me to rough her up a bit?" I ask with a raised eyebrow, but of course I'm joking.
"What?! No!" Kim laughs and lightly punches my arm. "Just... be ready to beat her off with a stick. Especially because you're the hottest boyfriend I've had." Kim smirks.
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It's 4:50 pm and the roof is about to blow off the Dome. I've never seen so many people. Ever. The screens are on and it looks like all the seats are filled. Camera crews are all over and people are screaming for Kim to get things started.
Kim takes my hand and starts pulling me toward the stage! "Kim! What are you doing?"
"You're duel MCing with me. Come on." Kim tugs again. I really don't like this.
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Assuming Kim
Jack is terrified, I can tell. I hate doing this to him but I really want him to do this with me. Jack can't see it yet, but everyone is going to love him. He has looks, humor and charm. Being with him... it's intoxicating.
I finally get him up on stage, and as soon as everyone sees us, the stadium erupts. I can feel my smile stretching my cheeks, but When I see Jack, he's like a deer in the headlights. "Relax Jack, they'll love you. I love you." I whisper into his ear and kiss his temple.
"How y'all doing this evening?" I ask into the mic coming off of my ear piece. "I'm Kim Crawford and this guy right here is Jack Brewer. Sorry ladies, but he's taken." I flash a smile in his direction.
"Anybody else ready for a good time like we are?" Jack asks the Dome, taking my hand. The crowd hasn't stopped since we got up here, but now they're all on their feet. Jack smiles seeing them so ecstatic. He's going to be fine.
"Let's get this started with a very talented young lady and one of my best friends. Miss Selena Gomez!" I announce, Jack and I making our way off the stage as Selena comes up. She winks at Jack and I can't help but roll my eyes. I smile though, because Jack completely ignores it. He totally passed as not even having seen it, but I know he did.
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Selena rocked her time slot, and she sets them up for our first song. "I would end with Hands To Myself, but I know two lovely people back here that would love to perform it for you instead, and I promise you'll love it. So here she is, Kim Crawford with the gruff but loveable Jack Brewer."
With Selena's blessing, Jack and I go up on stage and sit on our stools, back to back. I feel him take one deep breath before he begins, and I follow him right down.
At the end of the song, it's only Jack and I. We're leaning on each other, my hands in his soft, long luscious hair. I really can't keep my hands to myself when he's next to me. There's no one else I could sing this song like that to, and Jack knows it.
After a moment of soaking in Jack and the vocalized pleasure of the audience, I stand up with Jack's hand in mine and we take a bow. "Thank you, thank you all so much!" I shout out with a smile, feeling high off all the energy around me.
Jack turns to me and kisses my cheek. I know he feels the same way about the song that I do, but we need to be camera appropriate and not have crazy PDA. We turn and go off stage for OneRepublic to rock the house while we get the band ready for our next song.
While everything is happening, I can see Jack jittering. That's fun to say. "You okay, Beast?" I ask with a pout and I rub his back, letting him know I'm here. I just hope it's not an anxiety attack. I would feel so fucking awful if I cause one!
"I'm doing awesome, Kim!" Jack takes a hold of my shoulders and kisses my forehead before taking me into a hug. "You were awesome up there." He lets me go and smiles at me. "I just saw Kim Crawford live in concert."
"Speak for yourself, Jack. You were pretty great yourself. You popped your performance cherry." Ha! He didn't expect that from me. Little Kimmy C can still surprise em'. BOOM!
Jack looks shocked at first, but now we're laughing together.
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Assuming Jack
The night goes off without a hitch. Everything ran on time and the crowd seemed to love it all. The first half of our spaced out set was a little rough going, but my playing ability never faltered. After our karate routine in front of the world, I felt invincible and rocked the rest of our songs.
Kim was perfect tonight. The fun, bubbly, adorable and hilarious Southern Belle host. And she made me feel like I belonged there. We danced like fools on national television to some of today's biggest music. I co-MCed with her and she made it feel easy, because I guess we just have that chemistry. Her song Thin Air is our text book.
He Is We, my guilty pleasure band, approached me and asked if they could perform I Wouldn't Mind. I never intended it to be released, but if anyone was going to do it, I'd want it to be them. That song is from me to Kim, but I won't perform it because my voice is shit. After they asked me, Kim just smiled, winked, and said Merry Christmas.
Jerry even performed. Jerry sang Classified's 3 Foot Tall, with Kim singing singing the girl's part. I didn't know they had worked on it. When they dedicated it to me and told me I had found a family, I couldn't help myself from pulling our band into a big group hug.
So now here we are at the end of the night, the roadies doing their thing while Milton plays Jackson Browne's Stay.
A woman in a sharp suit approaches with Rudy at her side. "Kim, this is Jacqueline Williams of Hollywood Records."
"Hi Ms. Williams." Kim smiles and shakes Jacqueline's hand. "What can I do for you?" Kim's hands borough in her pockets. She's nervous about Jacqueline.
"You can sign with us. Rudy and I have already drawn up quite the contract that we both think you'll be more than happy with." Jacqueline says. My jaw's already on the floor. This is Kim's dream. She's spent hours telling me about it. This is the greatest gift she could receive.
Kim takes the manila folder and her eyes begin to pour over the document. She puts more time into it than I did with mine.
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Assuming Kim
I'm not even sure this is real. This contract seems like it's too good to be true, but Rudy helped draw it up. I can tell, because Rudy does have my best interests at heart. I can pick my own outfits if I don't like what their design team offers. I get to draw the line on what I'm okay with as far as shooting videos. Bottom line: Rudy made sure I'm not going to get pimped out. I get to do what I'm okay with.
After reading all the other stuff, and knowing Rudy helped draw it up, I sign it, another dream turned into reality. I smile at Jacqueline as I return the envelope. Jacqueline pulls me into a soft hug and she smells like an apple pie. I love this woman already.
"We'll be seeing a lot of each other." The tall blonde smiles. "I'm assigned to you, your arm of Hollywood Records, the middle woman between you and Corporate, if you will."
"Great, now I'm the middle to the middle woman. I'm the quarter man!" Rudy throws up his arms in exasperation and we get a laugh at his expense.
I believe we're ready to home, and I can't wait to give Jack his second present. I'm a little anxious, and no, it's not sexual this time... at least not yet... maybe... You don't understand, okay!
We all start moving to the parking deck for staff and VIPs. How cool is it that the Seaford Dome has one of those? Jacqueline is parked that way too, so she's coming with us. I can't help but smile at all the quick glances at her Rudy thinks he's getting away with.
Rudy enters the parking deck first, followed by Jerry, then Milton, Grace, Jack and I, and then finally Jacqueline. Once we're all in and our vehicles are in sight, a navy blue cargo van pulls into the other side and drives halfway to us before stopping.
Ten men exit the van like it's a giant clown car! What the Hell is this?!
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Assuming Jack
"We are only here for the girls. The others may walk away." One of them states behind a ski mask that matches all the others. I can tell from the accent he's a Hahkmakistani. He only wants the girls... He's a fucking trafficker!
Rudy's eyes shoot open, realizing what's happening. He takes a defensive stance, and the others follow, even Jacqueline. Does she know any kind of self defense or is she copying us? Wait, why am I asking you?
The others can play guard dogs and stand off all they want, but fuck that. I want some trafficker blood on my shoes.
I begin to walk right at the men, if they can be called that. More like monsters. Jerry and Rudy are telling me to pull back, but I'll be damned before I let them go. They're going to rot in a cell and I'm going to hand them over to the cops in a blood soaked Christmas bow. Kim's safety is my responsibility, and there's no way I'm going to let them go when they can potentially come back.
I break into a run and jump into a flying drop kick, bringing down the lead man. I stand up on his chest, completely not giving a shit about what shape he's in. I will show them no remorse, for they would show Kim, Grace, and Jacqueline none.
Kim and Jacqueline rush in to my side and attack the two that are trying to break my blocks. The boys and Rudy are in action, too.
The Hahkmakistani line is broken and the nine of them are trying to circle the seven of us. They succeed, but now we're back to back and able to lash out with strength. I push out, literally sending two back with a shove. It created enough time for me to snap kick one in the forehead and knock him down, the back of his head hitting the pavement.
The second guy comes at me with a straight punch, but I catch it in my hand. "You probably shouldn't have done that." I smirk, before extending his arm and punching him in the ribs three times, the third making a beautiful cracking sound. While I still have his fist, I kick him right between the legs and he drops to the ground, his fist still in my hand.
I drop his fist and look to see all of my friends making quick work of the slavers, even Jacqueline impressing me with karate I didn't expect her to know. She was good. Roundhouse kick a guy the ground and step on his nuts good.
Kim has two men down at her feet. She smiles, waves, and blows a kiss at me. God I love that girl!
In no time, the seven of us are standing victorious as Rudy calls 911 to pick up the garbage. I love this job already.
Kim walks over to me and wraps me in a hug. "You were awesome. Not just now, but all day. Since I met you." Kim kisses me and all the anger I felt transfers into the kiss. I want to reciprocate what she did to me last night, but now's not the time. I can't wait till it is.
"I signed up to protect you, and I will. The day I saved you, I signed up to love you, but I didn't know it then." I tell her honestly as I rest my head on hers as we hear sirens in the distance. "I love you, Kim. You're more than I could ask for on Christmas, and more than I'll ever deserve." This sounds like bullshit, I know, but I've never meant anything more. She doesn't understand how much I owe her, how much I love her and how much I care. I give myself willingly, mind, body and soul. Kim Crawford is the rest of my life.
"Jack, I know you say I'm more than you can ask for, but will you accept one more present from me?" When she looks at her feet and bites her lip, I would give everything to her, and here she is asking if she can still give me something I probably don't deserve.
"I made this for you. I didn't buy it. After you mentioned saying you wouldn't buy me something, I decided you deserved a gift from my heart, not my wallet or body. I love you, Jack. Money can't say that, but I can, and I hope this bracelet does, too."
Kim reaches into her jeans shorts pocket and comes out with a little bracelet, with three white beads on it. I hold out my wrist and she slips it on with letters looking up at me. "It says 'J + K' for Jack and Kim. If you don't want to wear it, I get it. It's stupid." Kim looks down again but she gasps when I take her hand and pull her flush against me, my arms circling her back.
"I'm going to wear this every day, Kim. Even if someday you grow tired and leave me, I'll still wear it because I will never want to forget you." I kiss her head and then her perfect, plump lips that I can never express how much I love.
"I'm not going to get tired of you, Jack. No matter what happens, we're going to be together. We're going to be sharing a lot of firsts. We already have shared a few if I'm not wrong. I don't want every new chapter of my life to start with 'Kim.' I want each new chapter to start with 'Jack and Kim.'" Kim Crawford deserves a lot more than what I can offer, but until she realizes that, I'll take all of her that I can get.
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Sorry about how long it took me to get this out, but it's been a rough week and I have a neglected story from another fandom I've vowed to finish as well.
I thought about having Jack's reciprocation to Kim's first present in this chapter, but I decided to space it out so you guys don't think I'm just some dirty lemon peddler all of a sudden.
I hope you'll enjoy this chapter. Please review, because they make me feel better about this story.