Chapter 13

Brianna

A month later...

I contacted Conrad and Bryan, and from what I came up with…the only thing that I can say is…they ain’t ready…they ain’t ready. Pure hotness if I do say so myself.

Conrad was so excited that he flew with his dancers back to Dafa to begin to learn the choreography. There was such a wave of excitement going through Dafa due to his arrival. We tried to keep it low key, but word got out that he was here one day and that was a wrap. The thing about it is, he was a cool ass white boy who really liked the attention he got from his fans. But we’ve shielded him quite well after that day, so no one knows he’s still here.

This was the third day of rehearsal with Conrad and his dancers and we called it quits around 7pm. I was going to stay to work out a few kinks for tomorrow, and as I began to dance to the track, Conrad walked back in.

I looked up and grinned. “Hey…I thought you were gone?”

“Naw. I wanted to get that footwork from the third eight count down. Is that cool?” he asked.

You’re the one that’s paying me. How is it not cool?

“Sure. Let’s start from the beginning of that so I can see what you’re having difficulties with,” I replied and for the next 25 minutes, I worked with him on his problem areas.

After the time I spent with him, he was completely comfortable with the footwork and I was glad. He was a great dancer I thought as I took two bottles of bottled water out of my cooler and passed him one. I sat on the floor and he took a seat next to me. I began to wipe the sweat off my body with a towel and threw him one before I drank my water.

“Thank you,” he replied as he began to gulp the water down.

“No problem. You were starting on the wrong foot and turning it the wrong way. That’s all it was. You’re a great dancer, Conrad,” I replied honestly, then took a swig of water.

“Thanks, but you…what you came up with is so hot…with Bryan directing and your choreography…,” he began as I blushed and interrupted him.

“And with you giving life to my choreography and your singing…yeah…the video is going to be great,” I replied as he gave me that grin that whenever my girls and I saw him do it on TV, we just said, “Damn.”

“We only have two more days and then we’re done. This has been so much fun and such a great opportunity. I’ve told you before, but I’m saying it again. Thanks for giving me a chance,” I replied.

“No problem, sweetheart, but you’ll be plenty busy…as soon as people in the industry peep the video, your phone is going to be ringing off the hook,” he said.

“I don’t know if I want to really get into this too deep. I mean, I love it here. I love my life here,” I replied as he grinned.

“I feel you, but you’re way too talented, ma. Expanding your horizons wouldn’t be that bad, would it?” he asked. I shrugged my shoulders and grinned.

“I’m going to have to think about that,” I replied.

Then, he said, “Well why don’t you think about leaving with us. I want you in the video.”

I looked at him with shock etched across my face. “Say what?”

Conrad laughed. “You’re too cute. I want you to be in the video. And before you go there, many choreographers dance in their artist videos…most of Janet Jackson’s choreographers did it and besides…we need you in it. I need that extra special fire in it. I’m not taking no for an answer.”

I was really surprised because I’ve never done that before. “Are you for real?”

“Yes. You only have come to New York to tape and then you can come right back home,” he replied.

“How long does taping take?” I asked.

“Sometimes two days…sometimes a week at the most. No longer than that. Come on, what do you say. Say yes,” Conrad said as I processed everything. It would be exciting to actually be in a video. It would be a new experience.

I grinned. “Okay…I’ll do it.”

Conrad smiled at me and I didn’t mean to stare, but he’s fine. Forgive me. “Good. You won’t regret it. So, are you busy right now?”

“No…why?” I asked.

“Because I wanted to know if you would like to have dinner with me?” Conrad asked.

No Conrad Tate did not just ask me out!

“Well, I…,” I began but then I heard…

“Hey babe,” a male voice that I know and love said from the doorway. Seth was still in his suit from work and he looked so sexy. I was a lucky girl. There were two gorgeous men in my presence. Life doesn’t get any better than this.

I jumped up from my spot on the floor and walked over to him with a smile. When I reached him, he leaned down and kissed me on the lips lightly and held my waist.

“Hey. You working kind of late tonight,” I replied.

“Yeah, so are you. You ready to go or are you still working?” Seth asked.

“We’re done. Oh, Conrad Tate, this is my boyfriend Seth Aldridge. Seth this is Conrad Tate,” I replied as Conrad walked over to Seth and shook his hand.

“How you doing man?” Seth asked.

“I’m good. Your girl here has mad talent,” Conrad replied.

Seth grinned. “Yeah, she does. So, are you hungry?”

“Famished. Hey, Conrad…do you want to join us?” I asked.

“I don’t like breakin’ up a party, so thanks, but no thanks. Brianna, I’m out…I’ll see you tomorrow morning. Seth…good to meet you, man,” Conrad replied as he smiled at me and walked out of the door.

“Give me a few minutes to lock up and we can go…okay,” I replied as I leaned up and kissed Seth on the lips.

*********************************************************
Seth

A few days later...

Don’t take this as me being a jealous prick, but I know men. I know when a man is interested in a woman and I think…no, I know that Conrad Tate is interested in my girl. Conrad Tate…pretty boy, millionaire, singing, dancing extraordinaire was checking my girl out…in front of me.

Okay, maybe I’m jumping to conclusions…fuck that! He was checking for my woman…right in front of me. He played it cool, too. When I walked in the door of the studio that they were practicing in, I saw the way he was looking at Brianna, who seemed a little oblivious to the fact. Or maybe she wasn’t? I know that women like attention, but damn. I mean, his eyes were all over her.

No, I didn’t like this shit…not one bit.

Now, she’s going to New York and she’s going to actually be in the video. So this means that she’s going to be spending a lot of time with Mr. Tate. I trust Brianna…I do. I just know that I am a man…a reformed player and I know every trick in the book.

He can try all he want. But Bree is my woman. And that’s all I’m going to say.

I was currently in the car driving Brianna to the airport. During most of the ride to the airport, she was on the phone talking about last minute wedding stuff with Falene and making plans with Davia to go bridesmaid dress shopping when she returned from New York. I was so tired of all this wedding crap. I’m happy for Bryce and Jackson, but that’s all I hear about lately…flowers this, cake that, music for the bride and groom…it’s annoying as all hell.

Then, I was introduced to the book…Brianna’s wedding compilation book that she’s been keeping since she was 12 years old. That book scared the shit out of me, because we’ve been together for a year now, and we’ve been talking too much about marriage lately. I think Brianna is anxious about marriage because Falene and Davia are about to take that step and she’s always saying that everyone thought she would be the first to walk down the aisle, but the tables have turned and yada, yada, yada. It’s getting a little intense and quite honestly, I can’t wait until both of these weddings are over with so we can get on with our lives.

After I dropped Bree off and said my goodbyes, I drove to my mom’s house to see her. When I walked in the front door, Davia was leaving and laughing with my mother. Damn. More wedding shit.

“Hey Seth,” Davia said as I kissed her on the cheek.

“Hey Dav,” I said as she grinned, holding onto some bridal magazine thingy in her hands.

“So, did my girl get off okay?” Davia asked.

“Yeah, she did. More wedding stuff?” I asked. Davia’s smile was so bright that I think it shined more than the rock on her left hand.

“Yeah. Well, Mama Pat, I’ll see you later and thank you,” Davia replied as she kissed and hugged my mother who returned the embrace with a grin.

“You’re welcome, sweetie. I’ll call you tomorrow and I’ll see you Friday for lunch,” my mother said with a grin.

“Okay. Bye Seth,” Davia said as she walked to the front door.

“Later Dav,” I replied as I walked to my mother and kissed her cheek.

“Hey baby boy,” my mother said with the biggest smile on her face.

“Hey mama. I guess that big smile on your face is because of your excitement about Davia and Jackson’s upcoming nuptials,” I said.

“Of course…oh, and I’m happy to see you, too,” she replied as she walked into the kitchen. She began to pull out ingredients to make dinner and I sat on the stool opposite from where she was working.

“Gee…that’s great,” I replied.

“Brianna’s going to be in a video…that’s pretty exciting huh?” my mother asked.

“Yeah,” I replied.

“She’s not gonna be a video ho, is she?” my mother asked as I laughed.

“No…she’s just dancing, ma,” I replied.

“Yeah, well some of that is just like humpin’,” my mother said as she took out some chicken legs and thighs from the refrigerator.

“You don’t have to worry…it’s sexy, but Bree dances…she doesn’t just screw on the dance floor so you can relax,” I replied as I watched my mother cut onions, bellpeppers, celery, and garlic.

“That’s good. Are you staying for dinner?” my mother asked.

“Yeah. Another one bites the dust, huh?” I asked.

“What are you talking about, baby?” my mother asked.

“First Bryce is getting married in a few weeks…and Jackson’s getting married in November. It’s like a bad cold…highly contagious and not easy to get rid of. I don’t want to catch it,” I said as my mother shook her head.

“I can’t believe you just said that,” my mother replied.

“Well, I did. I mean, it’s like Bryce does it and then Jackson just follows right in his footsteps. It’s like he’s been brainwashed into this,” I replied as my mother narrowed her eyes at me and put her hands on the counter, still holding the knife she was cutting the vegetables with.

I know she was about to bless me, but I didn't want to get stabbed or cut. I'm too hot to hurt.

“Now, that’s some foul crap to say about your brother and his feelings for Davia. That boy asked me about marrying Davia before Bryce popped the question to Falene. Besides, you know your brother isn’t a follower. When we went to look for Davia’s ring, the only thing he kept saying was, will she like it, will she say yes, does she love me like I love her, does she love me enough to be with me for the rest of our lives. Jackie’s deciding to propose didn’t have a damn thing to do with getting married because his friend was getting married. It has everything to do with him being 32 years old and meeting the love of his life and wanting to spend the rest of his life with her. He’s growing up, Sethie. You need to grow up, too,” she replied shaking the knife at me as she continued to cut vegetables.

“It’s just that…okay, I was wrong for saying what I did, but I don’t see what the big rush is about getting married. I’m not ready for that right now,” I replied.

“That’s all fine and dandy that you’re not ready to get married now. I’m just glad you have a girlfriend. It’s a choice that every man has to make for himself. But just let me leave you with this little tidbit and I’m going to shut up about this. Brianna says she’s okay with not getting married now, but mark my words. In a year or two, she’s going to be singing a different tune and if you’re not ready for it then, you may lose her. Think about that,” she replied as she continued her task.

You know, I hadn’t thought much about it, but I love Brianna…I truly love her, but I don’t think I’ll be ready to get married in two years. She wouldn’t leave me because of something so trivial…would she?

*********************************************************
Brianna

New York...taping video

When I tell you this video business is a lot of work, it’s a lot of work. They’re basically like mini-movies now and it takes so long to shoot them. I’m so glad that today was my last day of taping. Now what I did like was New York…the sights, shopping, all of the interesting things that they have going on…it’s cool. But with all that good stuff, I still couldn’t live here. I mean it’s too damn busy for me and everything is on top of everything, but it’s a great place to visit. I could definitely see myself taking a trip here just to shop every year.

Can I tell you that I didn’t know that it was this intense? I mean, dancing on stage is totally different from dancing in a video. If they don’t like the lighting, they make you redo the scene. If they don’t like the angles, they reshoot. It’s ridiculous. But, I guess it’s necessary when you’re in an industry that looks first and listens second. But that’s just my opinion.

Overall, the experience wasn’t so bad. I wasn’t dressed like a hoochie, but I did look s.exy and I was glad of that. I have to admit, from what I saw so far, the video looked great. Bryan was a genius and he knew his craft well. As for the dancing…well it spoke for itself. People were patting me on the back and telling me that the choreography was fantastic and Conrad kept saying he knew he made a good choice. I was so proud of myself.

I was thinking about Seth, missing him, wondering what he was going to think when he saw the video. Bryan called me over to see what he had finished editing and I happily went over. As I was sitting on the side watching some of what was completed, I heard a s.exy voice right over my shoulder say, “Looks good, huh?”

I smiled as I continued to look at the video screen. “Yeah, it does. Bryan did his thing.”

“And so did you…and so did I. How is it to see yourself on screen?” Conrad asked.

“It’s surreal. That’s the only thing I can say,” I replied.

“I feel you. So, what are you doing later?” Conrad asked.

“I was going to order some room service and chill…why?” I asked.

“No, no, no, no! You can’t do that! You gotta celebrate your greatness, sweetheart! You gotta come grab something to eat with us and go out with us. We’re gonna go tear the clubs up. We’re going to 40/40 and Bungalow 8. Don’t tell me you don’t want to go?” Conrad asked as I sighed. What should a girl do? Should I go and party with fine ass Conrad Tate or sit in my hotel room with my hot rollers in, reading? Hmmm?

Shiiiittt! I ain't stupid! I'm going party with fine ass Conrad Tate. Hell, I may never get this opportunity again.

“Okay…you’ve talked me into it. What time?” I asked.

Conrad smiled. “We’re going to eat at 8…then we’re gonna go have some fun. I’ll swing by your room and get you.”

“Alright…I’ll see you at 8,” I replied as Conrad touched the tip of my nose and grinned.

“8 it is,” he said as he winked at me and walked back to Bryan, to look at some other edits.

When I got back to my room, I took a long, hot shower and set my hair. Then, I called my baby because I truly missed him. After I spoke to Seth for about an hour (trust me, the stuff we said on that phone would have set fire to your ears) I began to get ready. I figured that I didn’t need to get too fancy, so I settled for a pair of kick ass black heels, with a pair of skintight dirty denim low rider jeans and a striped, slouchy, yellow and black, cropped blouse that was off the shoulders. I ran my fingers through my curls and put on minimal make-up and looked at myself. I looked good. Maybe not as hot as some of those models that was in the video earlier, but I looked alright. I spritzed on some Juicy Couture perfume and heard a knock at the door. I walked over and opened it and saw Conrad with a few of his dancers, and Bryan.

“Hey. Just let me get this,” I replied referring to my black wristlet, “and we can go.”

Conrad grinned at me. “Whoa…looking good, ma.”

I closed my hotel room door and stepped outside with them.

“Thank you. So do you,” I replied because, hell, he always looked good.

“Let’s go,” he said as I fell into step with Lisa and Dawn, two of the black girl dancers that I had formed a nice friendship with as we all walked toward the elevators to go dinner. I felt eyes on me as we walked ahead and when I turned around, Conrad just smiled at me. Hmmm.

The night was so much fun. Dinner was great and the clubs were amazing. I danced until I couldn’t dance anymore and Conrad kind of danced with me the whole night. I didn’t mind because

1) he could dance his ass off
2) he was sexy and cute as hell
3) he was muthafuckin’ Conrad Tate. Need I say more?

I had a drink or two, but not more than that. I was in a strange city alone and I was not about to get messed up in a place with people that I have only known for a short time. I mean, I didn’t get any bad vibes from them, but that’s just how I was. If Dav or Megan would have been there, I probably would have been a little tipsy.

After dancing until I was worn out, I plopped down on a couch in VIP. Lisa came and sat next to me.

“Come on, Bree…come dance one more time,” she pleaded.

“I can’t hang like you can, Lisa. Go on. Tear it down for me,” I said as she laughed.

“Alright. Hey boss,” she replied to Conrad as he came and sat next to me, nursing a drink.

“Hey Lee…don’t hurt nobody,” he replied as she grinned.

“Please…they can’t handle it,” she replied as she walked out of VIP and down the stairs. I leaned my head back against the couch, then sat up.

“Having fun?” Conrad asked.

I smiled. “Yeah, tons. But I can’t dance anymore…at all,” I replied.

“We wore you out, huh?” Conrad asked as he sipped his drink.

“Yeah…you did. I don’t see how you guys do this all the time,” I replied.

“I don’t. Most of the time, I’m working so much that I don’t get the time to party like I want. So, when I can get it in, I do. I wanted to tell you that I really appreciate the work that you did. You can dance your ass off,” Conrad replied as I grinned.

“Thank you,” I stated.

“You're welcome. The next single is a ballad, but the third single is really uptempo and hot like fire. I wanted to know if you wanted to work your magic on it,” Conrad replied as I grinned.

“Would you want me in the video?” I asked.

He grinned at me. “You know I need my fire in it.”

I shook my head. “Just let me know and I’ll hook you up.” Then I yawned.

“You tired?” he asked. It was 2 in the morning…way past my bedtime.

“Yes. Is it that obvious?” I asked.

Conrad laughed. “Uh, yeah. That big ass yawn was a dead give away. Are you ready to go now?”

“Honestly…yes. I can just get a cab back to the hotel. I don’t want to ruin the rest of you guys night,” I replied.

“Nonsense. I’m kind of beat myself. I’ll go with you and send the car back to wait for the rest of the crew. You ready?” he asked as he held out his hand. I took and he helped me up. I walked ahead of him and out of the VIP and into the limo.

When we got back to the hotel, Conrad smiled at me as I stood in front of my hotel door.

“Thanks for the great dinner and the clubbing. I needed that,” I replied as he looked down into my face.

“Yeah…you’ve been working hard, but wasn’t it worth it?” he asked.

“Yeah, it was. Thank you, again,” I said.

“Why don’t you stop thanking me, beautiful and have lunch with me tomorrow?” Conrad asked as I sighed. Wait…did Conrad Tate just call me beautiful?

“I don’t think that’s a good idea, Conrad. I have a boyfriend,” I replied.

“I know. I saw him that day. He seems like a decent cat,” Conrad stated.

“He is,” I said.

“So, how serious are you and your man, Brianna?” Conrad asked as he looked me over slowly.

What the hell?

“Um…very serious,” I said.

Conrad licked his lips slowly. Now, I had seen him do that on TV, but seeing it in person was a totally different thing altogether. The man was fine and sexy as hell and that action made any woman look twice.

“I feel you. He’s a lucky man…very lucky. Well, if I don’t see you tomorrow, have a good flight home, Brianna and I’ll get at you soon. ‘Night, beautiful,” he replied as he touched the tip of my nose lightly, grinned and walked away.

Okay…that was weird. That was all kinds of weird.