Page 31 of Spark
RUBY
“ H oly fuck, baby,” Savage says, as Laila and I approach him and Kendrick with Reed in tow. “Someone’s getting fucked tonight.”
Laila laughs. “You look pretty fuckable yourself, my love.”
“You’re looking stunning, too, Ruby,” Savage says. “But I’ll let Kendrick?—”
“You look gorgeous,” Kendrick interjects, cutting off whatever Savage was about to say. “Wow, Ruby. That’s quite a dress.”
“I’m here, too,” Laila deadpans.
“You look beautiful, too,” Kendrick says to Laila. But he barely looks at her.
Flushing hot under Kendrick’s intense gaze, I run my palms down my barely covered tits. “I was nervous to wear this, but Laila convinced me.”
“Thank you, Laila,” Kendrick says, sending tingles shooting down my skin.
Reed says hello to the guys, and conversation ensues, but I’m too flustered to take part.
For one thing, Kendrick is staring at me like his tongue is dragging on the floor.
He’s never done that before. And for another, he looks damned hot himself.
Like a five-course meal. Almost as hot as when he waltzed past me in a towel the other day.
Lord have mercy, I thought I was going to pass out several times at the sight of Kendrick’s bare torso this past week, but never more so than when he was in a towel, dripping wet.
I had to force myself to stare at the TV to prevent myself from saying or doing something disastrous for our friendship.
Now, if Kendrick were to make a move on me first, would I say yes to that? At this point, I can’t deny the truthful answer is yes, our friendship be damned. But me making the first move? That’s impossible. Totally out of the question.
“Hello, my pretties!” a female voice booms. It’s Nadine, and she’s dressed to the nines. “You all look gorgeous. Any questions before we begin in exactly five minutes?”
I look around. “Where’s Cooper?”
“He’s being held in a different room.”
Our foursome exchanges a look. One that says, They’re going to milk this love triangle for all its worth .
Too bad for Nadine, however, Kendrick and I have already decided there’s no bonus in the world worth playing up a fake relationship and making our personal life part of a soap opera.
We’re both excited to make the most of this professional opportunity while having fun with each other and our good friends, but we’re determined not to say or do anything too helpful to the producers’ storyline.
Luckily, from what Eli told us after speaking to Cooper’s agent, it seems Cooper feels the same way.
We’re not friends any longer, Cooper and me.
To put it mildly. And God knows, Cooper would love to beat Kendrick in some way.
But in terms of the show itself, we’re all planning to play it cool and focus on the reason we’re here: our shared love of music.
At least, that’s what Cooper’s agent told Eli.
Hopefully, that’s accurate, and Reed’s warning to me earlier wasn’t necessary.
“Hello, everyone!” the host of the show, Sunshine Vaughn, bellows loudly in the next room, greeting whatever entertainment reporters and influencers are out there to capture this puff-piece of a “press conference.”
As a smattering of greetings and whoops rise up in reply, a production assistant whispers to our foursome to wait for our cue.
When we reach the designated spot, nerves grip me like a vise, and I let out a long, shaky exhale that immediately prompts Kendrick to grab my hand and give it a good squeeze.
To my surprise, my body jolts at his touch.
In a good way. He’s never held my hand before.
At least, not that I recall. I’ve ridden his back lots of times.
Usually while drunk. I’ve used his broad shoulder as a pillow.
But when I do that, I’m passed out through most of it.
I’ve also linked my arm in his, either when I’m cold and trying to siphon off his body heat or when we’re walking with a big group and chatting, and it just feels right.
And, of course, most recently, I’ve lain down next to Kendrick to help him sleep.
Stroked his face and hair. Hell, I’ve even kissed him for a camera.
But despite all those times, I can’t deny the simple touch of his large, calming hand enfolding mine in a moment of stress is causing my nerve endings to zip and zap while my heart pitter-pats.
“And now, without further ado,” Sunshine booms from the next room. “Let’s bring in our favorite married couple and reveal the two guest mentors they’ve selected! Folks, it’s the King and Queen of Sing Your Heart Out , Mr. and Mrs. Savage—Adrian Savage and his beautiful wife, Laila Fitzgerald!”
Someone opens a door for us, and Savage and Laila float through it, their hands joined, followed by Kendrick and me.
While Savage and Laila hit their mark in front of the crowd for a mini photo shoot, Kendrick and I hang back as instructed— and through it all, Kendrick maintains that electrifying, yet calming, grip on my hand.
“Great to see you, Savage and Laila!” the host calls out brightly.
Banter ensues, after which the two celebrity judges take chairs facing the crowd, with Laila on the end and Savage three chairs down from her in the middle, so that Kendrick and I can fill in the two empty chairs between them.
It’s a clever way to make sure Kendrick and I sit together as a couple, while still sitting next to our assigned judges.
“To help guide his team this season,” Sunshine says, “Savage has brought back his best friend, the talented and easy-on-the-eyes drummer of Fugitive Summer, Kendrick Cook!”
At rehearsal, Kendrick was told to leave me behind and hit the photo shoot spot first, while I hang back applauding him and awaiting my own introduction.
But, perhaps due to my obvious nerves, Kendrick doesn’t let go of my hand.
Instead, he moves to the directed spot up front, dragging me with him, much to the obvious delight of the crowd.
“Well, goodness, since these two seem to be joined at the hip, I’ll introduce them both,” Sunshine says playfully.
“To help Laila this season, please welcome one of her best friends, the talented musician, songwriter, and vocalist who happens to be in Savage and Kendrick’s band, too: It’s Ruby Connolly, everyone ! ”
Whoops rise up from the assembled crowd. Either these people have kept up with recent music and/or pop culture news, or they’ve been given a heads-up about my identity to avoid an embarrassing “Who the fuck is she?” reaction.
Kendrick and I banter with Sunshine, together, before being directed to take our seats.
“Well, I can plainly see you’re all eager to ask questions,” Sunshine purrs to the crowd. “But before we do that, let’s see who’s going to be sitting in those last two, empty seats, shall we?”
The crowd applauds. They know one of those chairs will be filled by kind-hearted, longtime judge, Jon Stapleton, a legendary country music star.
But who’s going to sit next to him and help mentor his team when the time comes?
It’s anyone’s guess, as Sunshine gestures dramatically toward a large wooden door on the opposite side of the massive room.
“Ladies and gentlemen,” Sunshine bellows.
“Please welcome our beloved teddy bear of a judge, Jon Stapleton!” The large door swings open and the down-home country crooner struts into the room in his signature cowboy boots and Stetson.
Jon takes his mark for the mini photo shoot, waving and smiling.
But it seems to me, every eyeball is still noticeably trained on that empty doorframe.
There’s a long pause, during which time stands still.
And then, suddenly, Cooper leaps into view with a shit-eating grin on his face and his fist raised high in the air.
Predictably, the place goes bananas, as everyone in the room not only recognizes this cocky, irreverent man of the hour, but they also no doubt connect the dots between him, Kendrick, and me.
“Everyone, give a warm, Sing Your Heart Out welcome to the lead singer of Alexa Play Music, the man who’s personally responsible for their mega-hit song, ‘Don’t Call Me’—It’s Mr. Cooper Constantino!”
Waving and mugging for the crowd and all the cameras, Cooper joins Jon at the photo shoot spot in the front, where flashbulbs pop and people jockey for the duo’s attention. And through it all, I grip Kendrick’s hand and exchange “maybe I shouldn’t have done this” looks with him.
With the final photo shoot completed, Jon and Cooper assume the remaining chairs, at which point Sunshine launches into some over-the-top comments about the excitement that lies ahead this season.
Finally, she asks for questions from the crowd.
“But only for our three returning judges, to start with, please.”
A Q&A with the judges ensues that feels very much like the appetizer to a much-anticipated main course. But finally, Sunshine opens the spigot on questions for the three guest mentors.
“Cooper! Ruby! Kendrick!” People are shouting all three of our names in a chaotic cacophony, until Sunshine selects someone with a question for Cooper.
“Cooper, does Ruby’s presence here confirm she’s Ruby Tuesday?”
“I never confirm the meaning of my lyrics,” Cooper replies.
That’s what I expected him to say, but I don’t feel relieved he’s stuck with the plan, because he’s made his comment with a wicked smirk—one that nonverbally confirms his answer to the question is a resounding yes.
“Is Kendrick the brother Ruby Tuesday wants to bleep?” someone else asks. “I mean, otherwise, it’d be quite a weird coincidence for the three of you to be cast together this season, don’t you think?”