“Thank you, Dawn.”
“Anytime, sweetheart,” I say before kissing her once more. “How about we go out there and have a good rest of the show, huh? I promise that after tonight, you won’t have to worry about Trelyn ever again. This will be the last time she dances on stage with you.”
“Dawn, no, you ca-”
“Woman, don’t tell me what I can and can’t do on my own tour,” I reply, half-joking. “We only have two more shows after this, but she won’t be joining us, and that’s that. As a matter of fact, she’ll never be allowed to dance for me again. One of the perks of being as popular as I am is that the company actually listens to what I have to say, and if I say that I don’t want her working here anymore, they’re gonna make it happen. Fuck her. All I care about is your comfort, understand?”
“Yes, ma’am,” she nods.
My eyebrow shoots up, and a smirk plays on the corner of my mouth. I back her up against the back of the door and kiss her neck, sucking lightly. She moans softly. There was fire burning inside of me just that fast, and I knew that if I didn’t let her go now, we’d be hella late.
“You’re lucky I don’t have time to savor you, or else I’d already be on my knees, and I’d get to taste you on my tongue throughout my entire show,” I whispered. She shivered, latching onto me. “But once we get back to the hotel, you’re all mine.”
“I can’t wait.”
We exchange a few kisses before finally heading back out to meet the others and start the second half of the show. The whole time, all I could think about was how I couldn’t wait to have Raine in every way she’d let me later on tonight.
11:43 pm - After The Concert.
“Dawn, can we talk for a second?” my aunt asks as I am heading back to my dressing room. I rolled my eyes, but followed her into the empty room that we’d been using for physical therapy. I sat on one of the benches, waiting for her to talk. “So, about earlier.”
“If you’re about to give me some half ass apology, then save it,” I say, getting irritated already. She sighs deeply. “Auntie, I can’t believe you! You humiliated Raine all because of a claim that you didn’t even think to ask about first. I don’t know what kind of power trip you and Trelyn are on, but leave Raine the hell alone. She hasn’t done anything but work her ass off, and from what she tells me, you’ve had a problem with her since day one.”
“Okay, I admit that was wrong on my part. We’ve never had any problems with Trelyn so far, and she came to me, concerned about Raine as a friend. We had to look into that.”
“Bullshit,” I reply, crossing my arms over my chest. “You let Trelyn get in your head because you already had ill feelings towards Raine. You were so quick to make her out to besomething she wasn’t because you were hoping that it was true. What is truly your problem with her?”
“She’s a distraction,” she says, shaking her head. “Ever since she came into the picture, your head has been up in the clouds. You’re only five years into the game, and this isnotthe right time for you to be-”
“Imma stop you right there, Auntie, before you say something else that pisses me off,” I say and watch as her jaw drops. “I love you, and I appreciate you for looking out for me, but I’m a grown ass woman, and I don’t have to answer to you about who I’m dating. I care for Raine. She’s not a distraction, but shewillbe my wife one day.” I walk over to the door and place a hand on the handle before turning back to her. “You can either congratulate me or stay bitter like Trelyn, but just know that nothing you do willeverchange the way I feel for her. And if you don’t like the sound of that, you can quit for all I care. You are too damn old to be acting like this.”
I don’t give her a chance to reply before I’m out of the door and heading towards my dressing room. My head was spinning, and all I wanted to do was lie in my girlfriend's arms. So, once we got back to the hotel room and showered, that's exactly what I did.
CHAPTER 14
The Gang’s All Here.
Raine Williams - November 14th, 2025
The tour was finally over, and even though it’d been an amazing experience, I was so glad to be back at home. I hadn’t even bothered to change my clothes before kicking my shoes off and flopping onto my bed. I was tired, jet-lagged, and hungry after eight hours on a plane and in a car. My bones hurt from weeks of dancing, and the jacuzzi-style tub in my bathroom was calling my name, but I needed a good thirty minutes to recuperate first.
“Raineyyy,” I heard Ginger call as her voice floated down the hall. I rolled my eyes, but could feel the smile spread across my face. I managed to turn just in time to see her coming through the door with a small bowl of her world-famous jambalaya. She immediately kicked off her shoes and joined me on the bed. She kissed me softly on the cheek before handing me the bowl. I thank her and dig in as she makes herself comfortable. “How was the tour, baby mama?”
I chuckle, shaking my head at the nickname she and our other friend, Robbie, had given me around the time Emelia was born. They always joked that I was the second mom because I’d been helping them raise her even before she was pushedinto this world. I mean, technically, Iwasher godmother, and I took those duties seriously; something both Ginger and Robbie appreciated.
Most people on the outside looking in thought one of two things. One, that Ginger was a single mom, or two, that she and Robbie were a happily married couple. However, the truth was much different. These two were merely best friends who decided to have a child together if they weren’t married by the time they were 25. Robbie, a gay man, and Ginger, a lesbian woman, were both hopeless romantics who were less than lucky when it came to relationships, so they figured this was the perfect decision.
So, after a few rounds of IVF, they were successful in conceiving Emelia, and she was loved dearly by both of them. They had joint custody of her and even made an effort to spend time together at least once a month. Since Robbie lived in Texas, there was a lot of travel between them, but neither seemed to mind. All they cared about was making sure their daughter had equal time with both of her parents. It was actually really sweet. Beautiful proof that the “traditional” way to have a family wasn’t theonlyway.
“It was fun for the most part,” I told her. “I enjoyed it, and being able to be around Dawn, but…”
“But what?” She asked, sitting up. I place down the empty bowl with a sigh. “Don’t tell me...did something happen between you and that Trelah girl?”
“You mean Trelyn?” I laughed, and she waved me off.
“You know as well as I do that that bitch doesn’t deserve the effort it takes to learn to pronounce her name correctly. I’ll call her Trash Can if I want to. Fuck her.”
“You’re a mess, girl,” I chuckle.
