JENNIE

It seemed like we went from leaving Seattle to hopping on a tour bus with Avoiding Redemption in a blink of an eye. The transition happened so fast, that I had a horrid feeling that I was forgetting something as we stepped onto the bus that would be our home for the next several months. I was pretty sure I wasn't forgetting anything—I had my clothes, my toothbrush, my laptop, my notes, and my rock star wife—what else could I possibly need, besides some privacy? All of the bands were sharing two busses this tour, so there was going to be a lot of people around us; privacy would be hard to come by in the coming weeks.

The first venue was the House of Blues on Sunset Strip in Los Angeles. I thought it was the perfect place for the guys to kick off their tour. It was well-known, iconic, yet still intimate; everyone in the audience would have a great view. Fans were everywhere I turned backstage, screaming and hollering, giddy over all of the rock stars in their midst. It was a little chaotic, which only added to the anticipation in the air.

Lisa and Justin were signing autographs with some of the other musicians while I wandered the area. It was fun to see everyone in D-Bags shirts. On the tour before this, Lisa had been a last-minute addition and still relatively unknown. She wasn't anymore. I was positive that everyone here had heard their single with Niki; most of them had probably picked up the album too. This time around, people experiencing Lisa on stage wouldn't be a happy accident. No, a lot of these fans, the majority of them from what I could tell, were here specifically for the D-Bags. It made this moment feel so much bigger and so much more exciting. Even though Justin was headlining this tour, it was definitely Lisa's show.

Besides the D-Bags and Avoiding Redemption, there were three other bands on the tour. The first one started off the show and the music reverberated through the walls. The crowd loitering backstage didn't lessen any now that the concert was in progress. If anything, it ramped the party up a notch—some people in the center of the room even started dancing as they lifted their drinks in the air.

While I watched Lisa from across the room, smiling and talking to a fan in bright red pigtails, I listened to the people around me. Most of them were talking about Lisa's looks. "Holy crap, she's hot! How the hell does she look even better in person?" "Fuck, look at that body. You can tell she's cut . . . but we should go rip off her shirt, just to be sure. Research, you know."

I snorted into my drink after hearing that line, and subtly turned away from the girl who had said it. She was cut, but hell if I was going to let her strip Lisa. Her "research" would just have to be imaginary. Walking away from the girl who thoroughly wanted to examine my wife, I started picking up conversations that I found a lot less amusing. "She's dating Niki, right?" "I don't know, I heard she said she wasn't in an interview." "They always say that, it just means they don't want to talk about it." "They're such a hot couple, have you seen the video?" "So jealous, but they're perfect together!"

I heard that sentiment repeated about three dozen times as I worked my way over to Lisa. When I finally got to her, I was already sick of Niki . . . and she wasn't even here. Grinning at me, Lisa leaned down to kiss my cheek. "Thanks," she muttered in my ear as she stole my beer from my fingers.

I glared at her as I watched her tip it back. "Just so you know, I totally backwashed."

Lisa paused mid-gulp, then shrugged. Smiling wide once she was finished, she husked, "That's all right . . . I like your fluids."

Justin was staring at us with his nose crinkled. Lightly smacking Lisa in the stomach, I muttered, "You've been hanging out with Jackson too much." Lisa just chuckled and continued drinking my beer.

Justin laughed at our banter, then turned to face a fan when she stepped right in front of him and let out an ear-piercing squeal. It drowned out the music pounding around the room. "I love you, Justin!" she screamed.

Justin's expression shifted into the courteous, professional one that Lisa's often did when she talked to fans. "You're so sweet, thank you." She squealed again and forcefully shoved a CD case into his hands; she almost made him spill his beer. Not at all fazed by the outpouring of excitement in front of him, Justin nimbly signed his name across the hard plastic.

The girl fanned herself, then glanced over at Lisa. Her eyes practically popped out of her head. "Oh my God, Lisa Manoban! I am your biggest fan!" Justin looked offended for a minute, then laughed as he rolled his eyes behind her back.

Lisa's biggest fan plowed past Justin to get to her favorite rock star. I bit my lip to contain my grin; the girl was shaking. Lisa gave her a polite smile as she smoothly told her, "Thank you, I appreciate that."

Whipping out another CD case, she shoved Lisa's album in front of her. I glanced at the cover of the D-Bags' CD as she held it in her trembling fingers. The picture the label had ended up using was one that had all of the guys standing in a line, Lisa slightly in front of the others. Lisa's head was down and she was looking up at the camera with a seductive half-smile. It was an incredibly hot shot, but it conveniently cut off Lisa's hands so you couldn't see his wedding ring. The lengths Nick would go to to create the illusion that Lisa was single were as amusing as they were annoying.

"Can you sign this, To the girl of my dreams?" She sighed after she said it. Justin sniggered, then walked away.

Lisa covertly looked my way as she answered her. Lip in an amused curl, she said, "I don't think my girl would appreciate that." I hid my smile. Even though we were married in our hearts, Lisa was respecting my wishes by not publicly clarifying our relationship. She usually just said she was "seeing somebody," or she "had a girl in her life."

Fan-girl waved her hand. "Oh, I know you're with Niki, and I don't really have a shot, but—" She giggled. "—it's fun to pretend."

Lisa snapped her gaze to the fan. "I'm not with Niki. She's not my girlfriend. We only worked together on an album . . . and a music video." Remembering the video, she frowned. I subtly put my hand on her back.

The fan smiled and nodded, but it was obvious that she didn't believe a word she'd just said. Lisa flicked a glance my way and opened her mouth. Knowing what she was about to do, I pinched her back. While Lisa was being obscure about me to the masses, she probably wouldn't think twice about explaining things to fans on a one-on-one basis. I'd rather she didn't, though. When it came to her job, I'd rather be as anonymous as possible.

Lisa flinched and snapped her mouth shut. Just signing her name to the album, Lisa handed the CD back to the uber fan. She held it to her chest, cradling it like a baby. Even though the moment was over, she didn't move away. I thought she might hang out with us for the remainder of the concert, but she spotted Jackson emerging from the bathrooms and dashed off yelling, "Jackson! I love you!"

I could only shake my head in disbelief. Justin, Lisa, and . . . Jackson? Really?

Turning to face me, Lisa asked, "What was that?"

I blinked, not following. "What was what?"

She rubbed her back. "The Smurf bite. I was only going to tell her you were my girl, not Niki."

Cringing, I massaged the spot I'd probably bruised. "Sorry. Yeah, I know you were. I just . . . I don't want to be paraded around your concerts and introduced to fifty thousand curious people. I don't want them all looking at me, talking about me. I don't want one of them mentioning something to all the press around here. I don't want them catching wind of me. And I really don't want to be front page news, and since everyone wants you with Niki, that's exactly what would happen. I would be a breaking news story. And I just . . ." I shrugged. "Let's stay vague about us, okay? This craziness will die off soon."

Lisa set down her drink and looped her arms around my waist. "So, should I not be doing this then?"

I laced my arms around her neck. "This is fine. We don't need to stop living our lives, we just don't need to go into detail about it. We can be private. We're good at private."

Lisa smirked, then pulled me into her for a hug. "Well, people are watching me right now, so they're probably figuring it out that you're my girlfriend."

Laughing, I pushed her back. "No, trust me, they're most likely trying to figure out where the 'Get a Hug from Lisa' line forms." Lisa just laughed, but I knew I was right.

While we waited for the D-Bags' turn on stage, Lisa and the boys visited with fans and band members. I stayed close to Lisa's side, laughing with her and enjoying the mixed company. Several of the other band members had been on the last tour and knew the guys well. A couple of band members even recognized me from Lisa's scrapbook, and made a point of saying hello. Aside from a few jealous glances, the fans didn't comment much on my "flirty" relationship with Lisa as she put an arm around me or held my hand. Since a couple of other fans did successfully tackle her into a quick hug throughout the evening, maybe they just assumed that she was a friendly, give-the-fans-what-they-want kind of guy. And she was. To a point.

The D-Bags were slated to perform right before Justin's band. Before she headed off to the staging area, I leaned up and gave Lisa a soft peck. "Good luck."

The excitement in her eyes was evident as she grinned at me. She loved this. "Thank you. Back in a bit."

She hurried off to start her show, and I couldn't help but notice that a large majority of the crowd backstage had already disappeared—everyone wanted to see the D-Bags perform. Making my way to the side of the stage, I found a spot where I wouldn't be in the way, but I'd have a killer view. That's when I fully realized just how packed the house was. The floor before the stage was crammed with people. They were jammed in so tight, I almost wondered if the club was in violation of some city ordinance; surely they were over capacity. But no one in the audience seemed to care that they were squished like sardines, especially when Lisa strutted onto the stage.

Guitar slung over her back, Lisa raised a hand as she walked to the microphone stand. The room erupted into shrieks. While the other guys bounded into position, Lisa leaned into the mike and murmured, "Evenin'."

Hearing the reverse of her typical greeting made me chuckle. It made the crowd jump up and down. When the screaming diminished somewhat, a section of the crowd simultaneously yelled out, "We love you, Lisa!"

Lisa shielded her eyes from the bright lights beating down on her and scanned the audience. "I love you guys too." She laughed, and the girls in the front row looked they might hyperventilate—if they could breathe to begin with, that is.

Removing the guitar from her back, Lisa asked the crowd, "Is everybody having a good time?"

My ears rang a little after the shrieking response. Lisa cocked her head as she flipped the guitar around and slipped the strap over her shoulder. The body of the guitar was now resting right in front of her pelvis, and there was something insanely erotic about that. "Hmmm, I don't know. Doesn't really sound like you guys are having fun."

Jumping and screaming, the crowd tried to prove to her that they were indeed having a good time. The display made me laugh. Lisa shook her head. "Let's try that again. I said, is everybody having a good fucking time!" She shouted her question this time, and the crowd went nuts. They even started stomping their feet; it sounded like an earthquake was rolling through the building.

Satisfied, Lisa glanced back at Evan and nodded. Taking that at his cue, Evan started the intro to the first song. There were some things in this life that I would never get tired of. Watching Lisa perform was one of those things. She just had that spark that made it impossible to take your eyes off of her. And unlike a lot of singers I'd watched, Lisa didn't just stand behind her microphone and belt out her songs. No, she actively engaged the crowd, making them a part of the show. I was positive that everyone in that audience felt a connection with her at some point during her set. Lisa's ability to sound amazing, while still being fun and playful, was one of her greatest attributes. When it came to music, at least. I could think of several other highlights that had nothing to do with being on stage.

When the D-Bags were done, they each bowed and darted off the stage. Lisa scooped me into her arms right away, and I could tell she was flying high, energized from the performance. Nuzzling my neck, she murmured, "Let's go back to the bus."

My eyes fluttered closed as I considered it. Justin was up next, and a lot of the other band members were still mingling and celebrating backstage. We'd probably have a little bit of privacy if we left right now. After the final performance wrapped up, the guys would all filter back to the busses and we'd hit the road, so alone time would be out of the question.

I was grabbing the belt buckle loops of her jeans and pulling her hips into mine when I heard a warbled chant coming from the crowd. I opened my eyes and strained to understand what I was hearing. Lisa lifted her head and turned her face to the stage. She was sweaty from performing, and her hair was damp around the edges. It was a distracting sight, so I turned to face the stage as well. "What are they chanting? I can't make it out."

Lisa bunched her brows as she listened. It wasn't the band's name, it was too long. After another couple of seconds, the crowd's chants lined up and the word they were saying finally made sense. Twisting back to me, Lisa said, "They're saying 'Regretfully.' They want to hear the single."

I nodded, since that's what I was hearing too. Lisa frowned as her gaze returned to the stage. "We don't have her vocal track. We can't perform that song without Niki . . . unless . . ." When she looked back at me, there was such a devilish gleam in her eye that I knew exactly what she was thinking. I shoved her away and tried to scramble out of her arms. Laughing, Lisa held me tight. "Sorry, babe. You know I don't like disappointing the fans, and you're the only one here that can fill in for Niki."

I had twisted in her arms and my back was to her; she had a viselike grip around my waist and I couldn't break free. "No way in hell, Manoban! I am not going up there!"

Still laughing, Lisa started backing me up onto the stage. "I'm sorry, but you're gonna have to sing with me tonight."

I started screaming and kicking like she was mugging me until she finally let me go. Tears of laughter in her eyes, she asked, "Don't you want to live out your girl band fantasy? I'll help you through it, and if you get sick, there's usually a bucket in the corner."

Killing her with my eyes, I very firmly informed her, "You're sleeping in your own cubby tonight."

Her expression changed so fast I had to turn away to hide my smile. "I was joking, Jennie." Pretending like I didn't hear her, I stormed away. "Jennie? You know I was kidding, right?"

Not able to maintain my fake anger anymore, I tossed a smile over my shoulder. Her corresponding grin was so delicious that I knew my bold statement wouldn't end up happening. No matter where Lisa went, my body, my heart, my soul, would automatically follow her. Except onto that stage.

A week into the tour, all of the bands had fallen into a comfortable routine: travel, setup, play, takedown, travel. Sometimes band members shuffled from one bus to another, but generally the D-Bags shared a bus with the five members of Avoiding Redemption; the rest of the bands shared the other bus. Immediately after the first concert, Lisa had claimed the only bed on the bus. She'd stretched a couple lines of yellow Do Not Enter tape across the doorframe and taped a huge sign in the middle of the crisscrossing X that read: Reserved for Ms. and Mrs. Manoban. Stay Out. That means you, Jackson. I was so grateful that Lisa nabbed the bedroom before Jackson had a chance to sully it. He may be practicing monogamy right now, but I still didn't want to share bedding with him.

Jackson pouted, but the rest of the band members thought it was funny and let us have the bed, since we were the only couple on the bus.

Aside from the fans asking Lisa about Niki each night, and chanting for their single at the end of the show, the hype around the two was starting to taper off. I'm sure Nick just hated that. Niki too for that matter. But she was off doing her thing, and Lisa was off doing hers. With no more leaked photos and risqué videos, there just wasn't anything interesting to keep the pseudo-couple at the top of the gossip news.

That didn't stop the questions, though.

"So, Lisa, what's really going on with you and Niki Zefanya?" A radio personality was leaning over her microphone, beady eyes intent on Lisa's answer. I don't know why she looked like she had just asked her a life or death question.

Lisa smiled, but I could see the sigh behind her eyes. She was really getting sick and tired of answering the same thing city after city. I thought she might go back to saying "No comment," just because explaining her life was driving her crazy. "We're colleagues. We worked together on a project, but that's it."

Lisa paused and waited for the question that always came next.

"So, you're single?" By the look on the DJ's face and the tone of her voice, it was obvious that she totally thought Lisa was blowing smoke up her ass.

An easy smile still on her lips, Lisa shook her head. "No. I don't want to go into detail about it, but I'm in a relationship." I was standing behind the DJ while Lisa was in front of her. Her eyes shifted to just over the DJ's shoulder, and locked onto mine. "And I love her very much." She shifted her gaze back to the DJ before she noticed that she'd directed that statement to me.

God, I really did have the best wife on earth. I schooled my features as best I could, but I just couldn't remove the small smile on my lips. The DJ pursed hers. "Okay, well, how about you guys play us a song?"

Lisa seemed confused about why the DJ looked so apathetic over her answer. She'd asked her a direct question, Lisa given her one. It may not have been what she wanted to hear, but, well, too bad.

Lucas and Jackson strummed their guitars while Evan beat out a rhythm on a lone snare drum. Lisa's voice filled the studio, pitch-perfect, and the mood instantly lightened. No one could deny that the D-Bags were good. No, not just good . . . amazing.

Afterwards, the group of us slipped into a couple of waiting cabs and headed back to the tour bus. The driver of the cab Lisa and I were in was listening to the radio station we'd just left; I recognized the DJ's high-pitched voice. Evan was riding in the cab with us. Leaning forward, he said, "Think they'll talk about us now that we're gone?"

Lisa and I shrugged, then started paying closer attention to what she was saying. I instantly wished I hadn't. "Lisa's a liar, that's all there is to it. Just colleagues. Right. I'm supposed to believe that that freaking hot music video was fake? Sorry, sweetheart, Niki's not that good of an actress. Those two are swapping a lot more than lyrics! In a relationship? Yeah, tell us something we don't know, Lisa . . ."

Lisa groaned and dropped her head back on the seat. I completely understood the feeling. Guess I know why no one was really hearing what she was saying now.

The station started taking callers after that, and every single one of them were diehard Lis-Nik supporters who helped twist everything Lisa had just said into something else entirely: "She loves Niki! And did you hear her voice when she said it? Sigh. Best girlfriend ever!"

Best girlfriend ever? God. Not only had the fans stolen Lisa and given her to Niki with a big red bow around her middle, they'd even stolen my praise of her significant other skills.

While Evan shook his head in disbelief, Lisa looked over at me, "Remind me to never do another interview for that radio station."

Duly noted.

Raising an eyebrow, she added, "Are you sure you still want me to be vague?" I bit my lip, but nodded. The hype would die off sooner or later. If I could keep my privacy, I wanted to.

The guys were playing at another House of Blues tonight, but in Dallas this time. I'd never been to Texas before. For some reason, I kept picturing Lisa in a cowboy hat everywhere we went. It gave me the giggles, which Lisa found adorable. When I told her why I was laughing so much, she shifted her weight to her hip, put her hand up to her hairline like she was wearing a Stetson, and drawled, "Well, hello, little lady."

Jackson immediately beaned her in the back of the head with a Hacky Sack. "Dude, grow some balls. You're an embarrassment to penises everywhere."

A tight smile on her face, Lisa reached down, grabbed the sack, and tossed it across the bus. She nailed Jackson right in the junk. As Jackson's face turned bright red and he doubled over in pain, every boy nearby cringed in sympathy and let out a long, "Oooooh."

Justin shook his head as he patted Jackson's shoulder. "Wow, ouch. Guess you won't be having anymore kids there, huh, Hulk?"

Jackson weakly lifted his hand and flipped him off.

As everyone onboard chuckled, Justin's bassist, Mark, rushed onto the bus. Looking around, he searched for his band mates. Spotting Justin first, he told him, "You are not going to believe who's here."

A really uncomfortable feeling started sizzling in my gut as I watched Justin's cute face contort into confusion. "Ah, okay, who's here?" I locked eyes with Lisa and I could see the same expression on her face that was in my heart. Please let it be anyone but her.

Filling me with dread, Mark's gaze swung around to Lisa. "Niki Zefanya, man."

Lisa and I both exhaled at the same time. Damn. It. Lisa twisted around to face Mark. "She's here? Why?"

Mark shrugged. "I don't know. She's got some uptight blond bitch with her who told me to find you, stat. Who the hell actually uses the word 'stat'?"

Lisa sighed again. "That would be Rosé." she looked over at me. "I guess we should go see what Niki wants." Wishing I could do anything other than agree, I nodded.

Maybe for moral support, or maybe just out of morbid curiosity, Evan and Lucas followed us to where Niki was waiting. Jackson stayed behind. He still couldn't sit up straight. Niki was in a private office of the club that someone had hastily converted into a green room. Thing 1 and Thing 2 were guarding her door, keeping all the looky-loos away. Since no one was here yet besides the staff, I thought that was a tad unnecessary.

Both of the men looked at Lisa like they didn't know who she was. When Lisa moved between them to grab the doorknob, they each put an arm in her way. Irritated, Lisa told them, "I'm Lisa Manoban, remember? You've seen me before?" No muscles in their faces moved, neither did their arms. Irritated, Lisa raised her hands. "Niki asked for me." One of them spoke into a headset, waited a few seconds, then opened the door for us.

"You can go in. Ms. Zefanya is expecting you." Lisa rolled her eyes as she reached back for my hand.

Niki turned to the door the minute we stepped through it. She was just as breathtaking as the last time I'd seen her—flawless, glowing skin, perfect body wrapped in tight, revealing clothes, and long, dark shimmering hair. Much to my disappointment, no sudden deformations had struck her down since we'd parted ways. Damn. Rosé was behind her, leaning against a wall with a scowl on her face as she flipped through a planner bursting with colorful Post-it Notes.

"Oh my God, Lisa! It's been so long." Niki moved to embrace her and Lisa held her finger up. She didn't toss her arms around her, but she did peck her cheek lightning fast. "It's absolutely lovely to see you." I hadn't missed the fact that she hadn't even acknowledged me yet, or Lucas and Evan either. All her focus was on Lisa.

As Lisa swished her hand behind her, she finally glanced at the rest of us. "What are you doing here? Shouldn't you be on your tour?" Lisa asked.

In a shy, yet flirtatious way, Niki raised one bare shoulder and averted her eyes. "I'm playing nearby, and had the night off." She looked back up at her. "I just couldn't miss out on an opportunity to see you perform."

Lisa slowly nodded. "Well, it should be a good show."

Niki clasped her hands together, pure joy on her face. "It's going to be fabulous. I can't wait!"

Looking confused, Lisa asked, "Did you want to see me, just to tell me you were watching the show tonight?"

A look flashed over Niki's face that reminded me of Nick. It was an expression of annoyance, of someone who clearly didn't like to be talked to in any way but with the utmost deference. It vanished instantly as she gave Lisa a broad smile. "Actually, I had a brilliant idea, and I wanted to run it by you."

Lisa deliberately placed one arm over the other. "Yeah? What's your idea?"

Niki frowned at her posture, then immediately brightened again. Watching her emotions flip back and forth was like playing with a light switch on a wall. "Well, I don't know about you, but I'm being hounded nonstop to perform the new single at every show."

She lifted a brow in question. Lisa nodded. "Yeah, I'm getting that a lot too."

Biting her lip, she poked a well-manicured nail into her chest. "I can't really perform it without you."

Lisa looked down at her finger, then back up at her. "Nick can give you my vocals, or you can hire another guy to sing my part."

Irritation flashed in her eyes before she cooed, "It's not the same. I'd like to perform it again with you. Really wow the fans. Blow the lid off this place."

Raising her eyebrows, Lisa looked around the room. "You want to perform the song tonight? Here?" I understood her confusion. It was a hole in the wall compared to the arenas Niki played at.

Niki seemed overjoyed by the idea, though. Vigorously nodding, she told her, "Wouldn't that be wild? Nobody would expect it. What do you think?"

Lisa seemed unsure, and looked back at Evan and Lucas for guidance. Evan was frowning; he'd heard and seen just what the media was doing with Lisa and Niki. Lucas—ever the manager—was smiling; he knew how huge this would be. The place would go absolutely crazy if it happened.

Seeing that she still needed to be persuaded, Niki leaned in and told us, "Just imagine the headlines tomorrow, and what that could do for your friends' careers. 'Niki Zefanya surprises the audience on Avoiding Redemption's sold-out tour . . .'"

Lisa worked her lip while she gazed down at me. Not seeing any harm in this, I nodded. Looking back up at her, she asked, "All you want from me is one song?"

Giggling, she nodded. "This is going to be great. For all of us." I sighed, and hoped that was true.

It was decided that the D-Bags would go up last, by whom, I don't know. It made sense I guess. Niki coming in last would be a great topper to the evening, and her coming in right after the D-Bags performed would make the night flow better. And, I hated to say it, especially to Justin, but the bulk of the crowd was here for Lisa. The D-Bags closing out the show made sense. Lisa didn't agree, and fought to keep Justin as the closer, but she was overruled.

Niki stayed hidden away while all the bands performed. Not a single one of the fans had caught on to the fact that she was in the building. I had to admit, being in on such a huge surprise gave me a buzz. I had to share the knowledge with someone, so I texted Jisoo and Taehyung. He immediately responded with, Really? Wow. A couple of minutes later he added, Wait, she left Montana to do a show in Dallas? Jisoo just texted back, Jealous!

That took me back. She was in Montana? How was that in any way "nearby"?

I didn't have time to worry about it though, because the D-Bags were up. Maybe it was the extra electricity in the air, but they killed it on stage. Everything about the performance was perfect. Just listening to them stirred my creative juices. I'd been on a bit of a holding pattern with writing lately. I tried to fit it in during quiet moments on the bus, but there were so many people and so much activity, it was challenging. And backstage was no better. It was like one never-ending party, which was fun, but not very conducive to writing heartbreaking romance.

When the guys walked off the stage, the chanting for the crowd's favorite song began. From the angle of where I was watching, I could see a few Lis-Nik shirts in the crowd. They were going to freak when Lisa and Niki took the stage. I instantly saw a downside to this plan and wondered if maybe it wasn't such a great idea. We were trying to squelch the rumors, not help them grow. It was too late, though. Niki was already primed and ready for action.

Everyone waited near the stage for the clamoring to reach a near-frantic level. I thought the crowd might bring the house down if the guys didn't go back out there. Lisa laughed as she stood beside me, waiting for the most opportune moment to reappear and announce the surprise to the fans. I squeezed her tight while the noise from the audience vibrated my chest.

When I was sure ceiling panels were about to break loose, Lisa gave me a long, lingering kiss. When she pulled away, her eyes were blazing. "I better go up there, so I can get this over with and take you to bed."

Feeling better already, I grinned. "I like that plan."

Lisa swatted my butt, then turned and dashed onstage. The noisy chaos of stomping and clapping switched to shrieking. Lisa held her hands out as she reached the mike. The noise didn't stop, so she had to speak above it. "What are you guys still doing here? It's over."

Lisa shooed her hands at the audience, like she wanted them to leave. I laughed at the display, and several people in the crowd did too. As she was doing that, Niki came up beside her. The outfit she was wearing was not the one she'd arrived in. Before, she'd been wearing tight jeans and a tight sleeveless top. Now she was wearing a sheer white top with a black bra underneath. A black bra? With a sheer top? And with the way the lights hit her shirt, she may as well have only been wearing the bra.

The crowd went nuts and Lisa peeked behind her. This was not the plan. Lisa was going to play with the crowd, then verbally announce Niki. She was supposed to wait for her cue. While Lisa straightened as she stared at her, dozens and dozens of cell phones were whipped out. Waving to the crowd, Niki beamed as she walked right up to Lisa. Her arms slid around her waist as she playfully kissed her shoulder, then rested her head against it. The crowd gobbled up the affection. Lisa spun around, discreetly getting away from her. A seamless smile plastered on her face, she told the hollering crowd, "Ladies and gentlemen, Ms. Niki Zefanya."

By the tight way she said it, I could tell she wasn't pleased. A staff member handed Niki a mike while the rest of the D-Bags took their positions. Ignoring Lisa for a second, Niki bowed and thanked the crowd. When she was done speaking, Lisa signaled Lucas to start the song. The fans went absolutely ballistic when Lisa started singing, and Lisa's irritation fell away as her professionalism kicked in. Lisa was a showman through and through, and regardless of her feelings about her singing partner, she'd give the crowd the best performance she could.

After singing a duet with Lisa that nearly brought the house down, Niki brought both hands to her lips and blew a steady stream of kisses into the mass of enraptured fans. While she basked in their plentiful praises, Lisa gave the audience an appreciative wave, then she looked over her shoulder to where I was waiting offstage. When we locked gazes, she shook her head, then discretely shrugged. Like it or not, there was no denying the fact that that song was a gargantuan hit, and Lisa and Niki performing it together was electrifying.