Page 60 of Kisses Behind The Spotlight 2: Finale

A few production commands came through the headset. Everybody was working and on cue. I pulled the headset off one ear and let myself enjoy Q’s performance with the family, as he suggested. The family was rapping along to the lyrics, word for word. We were his biggest fans, no doubt about that.

During the intermission, the DJ played some of the hottest music from other artists, and I took a break to grab some of the food. The door opened, and my neck snapped toward it. Security blocked whoever was behind him, then stepped aside, and Xain’s handsome face stood before me. My chest tightened, and my breathing slowed; it had been fifty-one arduous days since I’d seen him, and now he stood in the doorway as if he belonged there. Broad shoulders filled out the simple white cotton crewneck T-shirt, tucked into his black slacks.

Xain almost looked the same, but I cataloged every feature of my man. Those muscles peeking out of his short-sleeved button-up were bigger than before. The ink climbing up his arms and disappearing beneath his shirt confirmed it. He held a massive bouquet of lavender roses, and that panty-dropping smile spread across his face. His fresh lineup told me he had time to get his life together before arriving. I wanted to be mad about the anxiety he gave me for half of the day, but when my brain finally clicked back into drive, excitement overwhelmed me.

“Xain!” I screamed, announcing his arrival to everyone within earshot.

I jumped into his arms, making the flowers tumble to the ground and sending petals flying everywhere. My headset fell too, and I grabbed the sides of Xain’s face, peppering kisses everywhere. His signature citrus-woodsy scent almost made me feral.

I was relieved that Xain was okay. Happy that he was home. Mad as fuck about the way he left me. So many emotions consumed me, but I couldn’t convey any of my feelings with words; I had to put them into the nastiest kiss I ever indulged in. At times, my mouth covered more than half his face, and vice versa. Our tongues and lips wrestled until I physically had to come up for air to breathe because my nose was mushed in and my nostrils were covered. I laid my head on Xain’s shoulder, praying that the kids were told to look away during all of that.

“I was so worried about you. Why would you do that? Then you had Vincent lie to me because if you’re here, I know he knew,” I grumbled as Xain carried me out of the suite.

“They kept me going to jail a secret; you know they would keep me getting out early a secret too.”

“I’m just so happy you’re home. I missed you so much. Maurice asked where you were every Wednesday. We had to start a countdown for you to come back from your business trip and everything.”

“I’m home now. I love you. Thank you for holding me down,” he grinned.

“I love you too. Don’t ever make me do that shit again,” I complained. “I can’t go that long without you. It was dreadful.”

“Everybody looked out for you and the boys, though, right?”

“They did. It just wasn’t the same without you.”

“I know. I missed being able to hold you.” Xain confessed, squeezing me tighter. “I definitely missed kissing you.” He pecked my lips. “I’ll try my best not to do anything to take me away from y’all again.”

“I don’t need you to try. I need you to do it,” I asserted.

Xain kissed me; his dark eyes roamed my face. I was doing the same, noticing how much the scars on his face had healed during his time away. We were lost in each other until Maurice peeked his head out of the door.

“Xain?”

“Wassup, lil man?” Xain placed me on my feet so he could scoop Maurice up.

“How was your business trip?”

“It was straight. I hear you joined a soccer team and you scored a few goals.” Xain raised his hand, and Maurice slapped it excitedly.

“Yep. It was so much fun,” he bubbled.

Xain reached for my hand, and I followed him inside, giddy. Van walked up to us as soon as we entered the suite, excited to talk to Xain. I was happy to let everyone enjoy my man for the rest of the evening because we were about to disappear after the concert. I’d worked hard all tour, he’d done a short bid, and we needed a baecation more than ever. Two weeks in Morocco sounded like the perfect remedy.

EPILOGUE

Khaleesi

A Year Later

Turns out Xain’s investment was worth more than he initially thought. We hosted countless events there over the last year, and business was booming. It was a Monday, and the lounge was closed to the public while we prepared for a private event.

Standing at the railings on the second floor of our lounge, overlooking the first floor, I admired the setup for the intimate gathering to celebrate Q’s Rolling Stone cover. Another successful event. We were just waiting on the massive magazine prints that were supposed to be placed around the lounge. The easels were already in place, but we were just missing the printouts.

“We got it, Khaleesi. Go to the office and get your makeup done. Have my team and I ever let you down? I know you like to look over the final details, but we can handle those small things,” Icy, the event planner I hired, encouraged me.

“You’re right.” I closed my eyes and took a deep breath. “The urge to micromanage is just so hard when my name is on the event, but I trust you.”

“I get it. But we got you.” She smiled.