Page 5 of Kisses Behind the Spotlight

We were oil and water, never meant to mix. Our interactions thrived off mutual irritation. When the door slammed shut behind Xain, I closed my eyes and prayed that was the last time I ever crossed paths with him. Unfortunately, that would be too much like right because two years later we were basically co-workers, since Xain was brought on as Q’s security. Life sure had a way of playing in my face.

CHAPTER ONE

Khaleesi

PRESENT DAY

“We don’t need to keep anything that doesn’t have to be returned to the party planner. And she just texted me that her team will be here at 6 a.m. to break down the setup and remove all of their property. I will not be here, but the owner of the company is Michelle Gaines. She said she was familiar with you guys,” I informed Andy, the venue owner. We stood in the small hallway to the side of the ballroom, where the beat to “Hit ‘Em Up” by Tupac could be heard through the closed doors.

“Oh yeah, we are familiar with Michelle. That’s all we need from you. Thank you so much for choosing our venue to host your event,” Andy confirmed with a head nod.

“Thank you for having us. The DJ is going to give a fifteen-, ten-, and five-minute countdown to ensure that people are preparing for their exits on time. The birthday boy and his immediate family will be departing in a few minutes,” I explained.

“Bet. You have my number. I’ll be in my office at the end of this hall if you need anything else,” Andy notified me, licking his lips, pointing towards the door at the end of the hallway. “Anything.”

“Are you flirting with me?”

“Shit, the business is almost done. I can’t let you slip away without shooting my shot. Can I hit you up and take you out sometime?”

I blushed, sinking my teeth into my bottom lip, pondering over this handsome man’s features. He was tall, fuck boy handsome, and flashing the sexiest smile with a perfect set of teeth. After being single for six years, I still wasn’t in a place where I wanted to jump into a new relationship. The last one was too distracting. However, a long-distance situationship couldn’t hurt.

“You know I don’t live in Miami, right? And I’m a very busy woman.”

“I remember every conversation we’ve had leading up to this event. You’re beautiful, don’t get me wrong, but I’m more attracted to a woman’s drive, and I’ve loved your ambitious spirit since the first time we conversed.”

“My drive is usually what scares men off,” I blurted out before I could stop myself.

“Well, you gotta stop fuckin’ with them insecure ass nigga’s,” he shrugged. “I love it. Ion mind if my lady wants to be put up, but I still want her to have something for herself.”

“Wellll, in that case,” I grinned. “You can text me, and I’ll let you know if we need anything. But everything has gone so smoothly that I doubt we’ll need anything,” I assured him.

“Alright,” he nodded, towering over me, his eyes searing into me for a moment. He was filling out the button-up and slacks so well, and I was too busy to notice until that moment. “I’mma hit you tomorrow.”

“I’m looking forward to it,” I beamed, spinning around to head back into the party. The bass from the speakers positioned throughout the venue greeted me as soon as I stepped through the double doors. Everything seemed to be running smoothly, giving me a second to lean up against the nearest wall and let out an exhale that came from the pit of my stomach because I was exhausted. My back felt like it was about to fall off, my feet were throbbing, and I couldn’t wait to melt into the seats of the Sprinter Van.

“You really did your big one with this party, Khaleesi!” Mama Marissa, Q’s mother, shouted over the music, bouncing over to me with Yaseer following close behind. Her elevated tone and the glossy eyes told me that she was lit.

“Yeah, you did your thing,” Yaseer added, sipping from his bottle of water. It was rare that they came out for events unless it was something major for Q, like his birthday.

The event space wasn’t overcrowded due to the strict guest list, but the blunts in rotation still made it just as smoky as a packed club. Mama Marissa’s hair was pulled up into two ponytails with crimped ends that fell past her midback. Big gold rectangular door knocker earrings peeked through her long crimped hair, and Yaseer’s name was sprawled across them in cursive. She wore a bordeaux velvet Gucci jacket with matching pants that mirrored Yaseer. Outside of my Auntie Anila and Vincent, they were my favorite older couple. Two shots were clasped tightly in her hand, and she shoved one into my grasp once they were within arm’s length.

“No, I don’t drink when I’m supposed to be working anymore,” I laughed, passing the shot back to Q’s mother.

The last time I drank while I was handling work business was about five years ago. I got drunk as hell at Q’s video release party, and Vincent, Mama Marissa’s uncle, had to carry me up to a room until my ex came to pick me up. Definitely not my finest moment, but you would never catch me in a compromising position like that again.

My eyes swiveled around the venue, taking a moment to breathe and admire the perfectly executed event coming to an end. I had to agree with Mama Marissa; I really outdid myself for Q’s birthday party. He was turning twenty-six, and I was excited to plan the surprise party when Jameera and Mama Marissa came to me with the idea. On top of Q celebrating his twenty-sixth birthday, he recently dropped his third album and secured the number one spot on Billboard. He had so much to celebrate, and I was happy to bring their vision to life.

As Q’s creative director, I defined his aesthetic and ensured every visual element aligned seamlessly with his brand. In the music industry, image was everything, and I was responsible for keeping Q’s brand and visual identity consistent. Everything down to his birthday party was a visual statement. If it was going to live forever online, it had to align with the image we worked so hard to build around Q. He was the first artist to give me a shot; we basically came up together, and I would always be thankful for that.

Q’s favorite movie was Paid In Full, and that was the theme they chose to go with. The decor fit the theme. Large cutouts of Q from his ‘80s-themed birthday shoot, which we tricked him into taking last month, were positioned around the room. The custom floor wrap displayed his latest album cover with that number one spot on Billboard. Everyone was dressed in their best ‘80s gear, the liquor was flowing, and Q was standing in front of the airbrushed photo backdrop that mirrored the East Coast Ballers backdrop in the movie. His brothers, Quincy, Tech, and boy Corey, surrounded him while they took a few final pictures. They all took the dress code seriously, looking every bit of 80s drug lords, with champagne bottles, custom Gucci and Louis Vuitton two-piece sets, and big rope chains to match. I glanced down at my Apple Watch, and it was thirty minutes before we were scheduled to vacate the venue. It was almost time for us to head to the afterparty at Mama Marissa and Yaseer’s Miami home.

“Your duties are over, the cake is cut, and you can have a shot to celebrate. You look like the world beat your ass today.”

“It did,” I exhaled, gently holding my lower back.

“That’s exactly why you need to take this one shot. It isn’t going to have you throwing up in the middle of the party. Plus, Xain and his team are going to make sure everybody makes it back to the house safely,” she urged.

I rolled my eyes and flattened my lips. “He’s the last nigga I’m going to trust with my safety,” I quipped.