Third Book/Creativity
FAN FICTION:
For some reason people have always thought that there would be a 'third' book, a sequel to Easy Freedom - really the 'seventh' book in the series.
Readers have written to me suggesting ideas for continuing the story of Cathy, Dev and Chris, and some of them have told me that, frustrated by the lack of the third book, they have made up their own plots or even written their own new scenes of the story. Here are some of their suggestions for the continuation of the story. Do you agree, or have you another idea? Contact Liz
'EASY FAME' see below
'EASY LIGHTNING' see below
Samantha Lomax' Chapter 1 of Third Book
On another site some of the readers discussed the casting of an Easy Connection film (I should be so lucky!) Here are some stars nominated by the readers. Feel free to add to the Gallery! Contact Liz
Chris?
Jude Law
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Guy Pearce
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'Secret Sacrament'
by Sherryl Jordan
(Simon & Schuster)
splendid bookcover by
Ian Winstanley
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Ewan McGregor
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Val Kilmer as Jim Morrison
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Val Kilmer as
Jim Morrison
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Jim Morrison
(Pity he's in another place!)
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Bon Jovi
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Bon Jovi
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Bill Wilson
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Jude Law 2
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Jason Merrells
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Thomas Nelstrop
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Simon Webb
(The Bark)
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Shane Brolly
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Paul Walker
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 |
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Cathy?
Naomi Watts
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Gwyneth Paltrow
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Julia Styles
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Kate Hudson
(or Charis??)
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 Femke Japing, Singer/Songwriter(see Links)
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Maria Carey
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Hilarie Burton
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Selma Blair
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Nick?
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Orlando Bloom
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Josh Hartnett
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Dev?
Steven Mackintosh
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Stuart Townsend
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Hayden Christensen
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Justin Hawkins
(The Darkness)
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Justin and Dan Hawkins
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Simon ???
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Johnny Depp
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Led Zep
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Gavin Rossdale
(Bush)
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Nick Webb
(The Bark)
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Peter Frampton
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Jim Morrison
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Peter Frampton
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Robert Plant
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Logan Plant
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Dougray Scott
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Dougray Scott
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Matthew McConaughey
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Hayden Christensen
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Hayden Christensen
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Jeff Buckley
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Jonathan Rhys Myers
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Mitch?
(from 'Mel')
Heath Ledger
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Rebecca Martin
Chapter 1 of 'Third Book' - Easy Fame
Chris Carter sat alone in the living room of his London flat. He laid his head back on the sofa and closed his eyes, recalling that it was one year ago today that his best friend, Paul Devlin, had attempted to end his life. The suicide attempt was the result of a deep, consuming depression that Dev had fallen into when he was sure that he had lost his wife forever. But, after reconciling with Cathy, Dev had pulled through fine and was released from the hospital a few days later.
Chris cringed inwardly as he contemplated that part he had played in that situation. He had tried to steal Cathy from Dev, believing that he had the right to take her; after all, he had seen her first and he was deeply in love with her. When he thought now about the lengths he had gone to, trying to seduce her, he felt so foolish. How could he do that to Dev, his best friend, his brother? He knew in his heart that Dev had forgiven and forgotten but he didn't know if he could ever forgive himself for inflicting that kind of pain on the two people he loved most in the world.
Chris would always love Cathy until the day he died. But after Dev recuperated completely, he swore to himself that he would never interfere with their relationship again, no matter what. He would return to his old habit of “making do” until he found the special thing he'd been waiting for. He felt he'd had something special with Cathy, but that was all over now. He had lost and she and Dev belonged to each other completely. With the news of Charis' fatal overdose six months ago, Dev's chains to the past were cut for good. The pieces had all been picked up in his life and he and Cathy had moved on, now eagerly anticipating the arrival of their second child. Chris decided it was time for him to move on, too.
He lit a cigarette and picked up the fluorescent orange flyer that was laying on the coffee table. It had been passed on to him by one of his many musician friends. Across the flyer, in big bold lettering it said, “Azra's presents Black Velvet.” The flyer included a picture of the band. Three guys and a girl, all in their early to mid-twenties. The girl was breathtaking. She stood with her head held high, her eyes challenging. She was placed slightly in front of the others, an obvious implication that she was the lead vocalist. She couldn't be any more than 20 years old. Her long dark hair fell softly just below her shoulders. She had a seductive look in her eyes and a hell of a body.
At that moment, Dev walked in the front door from the neighbouring flat, with Tom Gibbon behind him. “You ready?”
“Yeah. Cathy coming too?”
Dev shook his head. “She didn't feel like going out tonight. She's on her way back to the farm with the baby.”
“Right, then we're on our own tonight.” Chris and Dev were searching for a band to produce. After enjoying so many years of successful album sales and tours, they were ready to put an unknown but talented band on the road to rock. Tonight they were going to Azra's to check out Black Velvet. They had been hearing for months how good the band was; so they just might be the lucky recipients of the chance of a lifetime.
Chris grinned at Dev and handed him the flyer. Tom looked over his shoulder and whistled. Dev laughed, examining the girl. “She's gorgeous!”
“Yep, and she's on the menu tonight. Let's go, I'm starving!” They all laughed at his joke as they walked out the door.
Daisy Carroll stood backstage at Azra's. She wore a black form-fitting body suit, a denim jacket and tight jeans. Her outfit was purely for entertainment and enticement. She bit her lip as she nervously ran her hands through her long black hair, her bright blue eyes scanning the expanding crowd. Black Velvet, the band she sang with, would take the stage in just ten minutes and Daisy needed to find tonight's victim: a cute male member of the audience to whom she could sing her song. It was Daisy's favourite part of the show. The band performed cover songs mostly, a mixture of Led Zeppelin, Heart, Queen, Janis Joplin, the Doors, the Connection and AC/DC. However, within the last six months, they had begun to write their own songs and were including them in the show.
Daisy had joined Black Velvet four years earlier at the young age of sixteen. Thinking that she was home by herself, she went into her bedroom, put on the latest Easy Connection album and jumped up and down on her bed, singing along at the top of her voice and playing air guitar. Pete had come home early and was stunned at the voice he heard coming out of his sister. Not long after, he managed to convince Daisy to join the band he had formed with two of his schoolmates, drummer Reg Slater and bass player John Wilde.
Daisy had the perfect voice for the kind of rock the band performed. It was a combination of the gritty tone of Bonnie Tyler mixed with the soulful power of Ann Wilson and the trembling sensuality of Robert Plant. In honour of the shiny raven locks of the newest member, the no-name band became Black Velvet.
A year later, the four bandmates moved in together in a small flat in London and began performing at local clubs. Daisy performed awkwardly at first since she was not accustomed to singing in front of other people. Pete suggested she find someone who could coach her on her stage presence. Of her own volition, Daisy visited one of the best-known after-hours men's clubs in London. She reasoned that any one of the girls there could help her out; after all, they performed in front of people all the time. With a little bit of training, Daisy soon became a confident performer. Men had been telling her how gorgeous she was since she was eleven years old, already beginning to develop as a woman and Daisy saw nothing wrong with incorporating her sexuality into the show as part of the act. But once the curtain went down, the sex kitten left and the only thing that remained was a beautiful young woman.
Ah! There he is! Daisy thought. A splendid-looking young man with short blond hair, pale eyes and a devastating smile. He wore a white shirt buttoned only at the navel and tight black leather pants. He was with two other men. One of them was an equally gorgeous man with long dark-gold curly hair, clad in a moss-green shirt, also unbuttoned to the navel and black satin trousers. The other man looked familiar to Daisy. He had dark eyes and short, bleach-blonde hair, almost white. He sported an old Jimi Hendrix concert t-shirt and raggy jeans, not quite as handsome as the other two, but good-looking nevertheless. Of all the nights Black Velvet had played here, she had never seen such handsome people at this place. It was obvious that these men not only knew how gorgeous they were, but knew they were causing a reaction in the club.
“Find him?” Pete Connelly, the band's guitarist and Daisy's stepbrother, was right at her ear. He knew Daisy's nightly ritual and he was always amused to watch the reaction of the man she picked out. Daisy had come such a long way from the shy girl she was five years ago. She had harnessed the power of her sexuality and mastered the art of whipping the crowd, especially the male members, into a frenzy.
“Yep,” Daisy grinned. “See the blonde in the white shirt? Right about in the middle of the room? That's him!” Daisy couldn't wait for tonight's show.
Pete gaped in astonishment. The “blonde” Daisy had picked out of the crowd was Chris Carter, lead vocalist of Easy Connection. He couldn't believe that Daisy didn't know who it was. But then he knew that she never bothered to read the papers and had never been to a Connection concert, so there was no way for her to know. He decided it would be funny if he didn't tell her until after the show. Besides, it might negatively affect her performance if she knew that the lead singer of one of her favourite bands was in the audience tonight. But it couldn't hurt to let the other members of the band in on the joke. He patted Daisy on the shoulder encouragingly and ran off to spread the joke that was on her.
A bottle of water was thrust in front of Daisy. She looked up into the smiling face of Lizzie King, her best friend from her school days. Lizzie had straight golden hair that reached to the middle of her back, shining like sunbeams, pale blue eyes. Daisy never told anyone, not even Pete, that Lizzie had been the exotic dancer who taught her all about stage presence. On the night Daisy went to the club, they were shocked to see each other at a place like that. Lizzie told her that after graduation, she had moved to London to attend the Royal College of Music where she was studying piano accompaniment. She was only working at the club to pay her way through school. She was a brilliant musician and Daisy had been trying ever since to get Lizzie to join the band on keyboards.
The manager of Azra's ascended the stage to introduce Black Velvet. Lizzie took the bottle out of Daisy's outstretched hand and eagerly sat on the amp case to watch the show. The crowd went wild in anticipation of the next set. The band started off with “Highway to Hell” by AC/DC.
Daisy eyed the blonde during the song. He was nodding his head in time with the music, really into the band's playing. When Daisy opened her mouth and began singing, she was happy to see that he was stupefied at the power of her voice. She sang the last line of the song “And I'm goin' down,” and she bent her knees, twisting her body down towards the floor. Then she sang the “Whoa-a-a-a,” coming up slowly in time with the note, dominating the song, her voice trembling, arching her back and throwing her arms out. Screams and wild applause followed the conclusion of the song.
Daisy took off her jacket to signal the start of the next song. She tossed it behind her where it lay on the floor by the drums, covering the wires that plugged in the equipment. One of Daisy's favourite cover songs was “Whole Lotta Love” by Led Zeppelin. She changed the words around so that instead of the song being about a man giving his love, it was a woman giving her love, demanding her man's love. It was during this part of the show that Daisy required a little “audience participation.”
Like a ritual, she always spent the first verse and chorus onstage with the band, dancing. Moving into the second verse, Daisy would grab the mic off its stand, bound lightly down the three steps onto the floor, and saunter over to her prey for that song. She danced up against him in such a sexy way that even a pious man could not resist wanting her.
The bass and the guitar began pounding out the rock melody. Once they heard the song being played, men in the audience stood up and began pointing at themselves, begging to be Daisy's choice for the song. She worked her way through the first verse and chorus, glancing occasionally at her pick to make sure he hadn't moved. She sang passionately to different men in the crowd, making each one think that he was the one. Finally, the time had come. Daisy jumped off the stage and danced over to the blond. As she sang, she moved her body with expert progression. She pulled him up out of his seat so that they were standing face to face. Men at nearby tables cheered him on as the special selection. She sang as she wiggled up against the blonde, pleased to note that he was seriously aroused. He looked at his long-haired friend, who nodded, giving him some sort of approval. Suddenly, with both arms, the blonde grabbed Daisy around the waist, pulled her to him and matched her seductive dance with one of his own, pressing his body tightly up against her. Daisy was a little shaken; she had never had that happen before. When she sang to other men, they just drooled helplessly. This one smiled darkly, licking his bottom lip in anticipation, his very essence dripping with sexuality. She tried to pull away, but he wrapped his arms around her even tighter, making it difficult for her to breathe, let alone sing.
She pushed him away with as much force as she could summon, sending him staggering a few steps backwards, laughing in surprise at the strength of such a small-framed woman. She spun around and ran back to the stage.
When she turned again to face the crowd, she saw the blonde with a triumphant gleam in his eye, laughing hysterically with his friends. She didn't mind that they were laughing at her. In her five years as a member of an increasingly popular band, she had learned that part of show business meant rolling with the punches, no matter what happened.
She ran offstage out of the spotlight as Pete moved forward to begin his guitar solo. From backstage she popped her head out to look at the audience and saw the blonde watching her. Their eyes locked and they maintained eye contact as she came back out onto the stage singing, her voice melting with the guitars. When she began to sing again, she sang directly to the blonde, gyrating her hips, changing the song's words slightly, “You gotta gimmee every inch of your love.”
The blonde led the thunderous standing ovation and cheers that followed the song.
After the gig ended, the members of Black Velvet moved out into the club to talk to their fans, people who had been coming to see them at Azra's for all the time they'd been playing there. She spotted the gorgeous young man. A crowd had gathered around him and his friends, but he was glancing around. He stopped when he saw Daisy. She looked him up and down, satisfied to see that he was giving her the same insatiable look. She tried to look away, but his sparkling eyes and beaming smile were too irresistible. When she finally could look away, she found she was drawn back to staring at him. She was slightly annoyed to find that he had gone.
“Quite a show you put on,” she heard someone breathe warmly into her ear. It was the blonde! His friends had come over with him. Her heart seemed to flip then started racing, but she just raised an eyebrow and looked at him. “You too!”
He didn't bother to introduce himself. “You've got an incredible voice; I've never heard anything like it.” He put his arm round her shoulders. “You're American, aren't you? How do you come to be so far from home, love?”
She reciprocated by sliding her arm sensually against his waist, flirting shamelessly. “I've actually lived in England for about five years now.”
“You follow a boy here?” he teased.
Daisy laughed loudly. “No!” Then she tensely bit her lip. The circumstances surrounding her move to a foreign country was not something she was prepared to discuss with a perfect stranger. She smiled and said, “I'll bore you with those details next time.”
He raised his eyebrows and grinned. They stared at each other for a long time. Daisy finally laughed nervously to break the now uncomfortable silence. “So, do you live here in London?”
He looked at his friends, then back at her, not understanding. “I've got a flat here in town, but I spend most of my time on the road or at his house,” pointing to his long-haired friend.
Before Daisy could say anything else, Pete had walked up. “Hi, Pete Connelly. This is a real treat for us.” He held out his hand and when each of the men took it in their turn, Pete shook their hands warmly with both of his hands.
This time the long-haired one spoke. “You put on a good show. The original songs are good. The band has real potential. Not to mention a talented young woman here.” He flashed a smile at Daisy. She flushed, pleased at the compliment, and shaken by his good looks. Yet she was confused at Pete's cow-towing to them, not to mention what seemed to be a musically authoritative air.
“Are you in a band?” she asked the young men. They looked at each other in disbelief.
Pete grinned wickedly. “Daisy, you don't know who they are?”
She raised an eyebrow. “Should I?” They were all watching her, smiling.
Pete took too much pleasure in this. “Gentlemen, this is Daisy Carroll, our remarkably gifted lead singer.” He grinned, pointing to the one with the bleach-blonde hair. “This is Tom Gibbon.”
Daisy smiled. “That's why I know you! I've seen you on TV.”
He looked her up and down. “You've got the making of a great performer. I enjoyed the show.”
Pete finished the introductions, pointing first to the long-haired man, “This is Paul Devlin. And this,” pointing to the blonde, “is Chris Carter. They're both from a little band called Easy Connection.”
Paul Devlin leaned toward Daisy, holding out his hand and said in a low sexy voice, “My friends call me Dev.”
Daisy sat in stunned silence, feeling Dev's warm hand closing gently and sensually around hers. The room seemed to spin about, the two beautiful men still watching her. In her shock, Daisy forgot about their friend. She spoke to Pete, without looking at him.
“You're joking! They're not really the Connection!”
She looked at Dev then at Chris as her skin turned pink and she giggled nervously, covering her face with both hands, embarrassed beyond words. The men were all openly laughing at her. She quickly recovered and slid her hand out of Dev's grasp, punching Pete in the arm.
“You knew that before the show and you didn't tell me! Bastard!”
She laughed at his little joke good-naturedly. She looked at Chris, her eyes narrowing, hands on her hips. “That explains your little dance number during our show.”
Chris shrugged, ignoring the tone in her voice that sounded like possession over the show. He put his arm around her. “What do you say I scare up some drinks for us, love?”
Daisy consented, feeling her heart sink a little. He was so attractive, but she knew about his reputation with women. Even though she didn't recognize him on sight she had heard all about the stories of the backstage shows at Easy Connection's concerts. She would have to emotionally keep him at arm's length if she was going to survive this night unscathed and untouched. But keeping him at emotional arms length didn't mean she'd have to keep him at physical arms length. After all, she was entitled to have a little fun just like any other girl.
“I have a better idea,” Pete interjected. “Why don't we all leave here and go to our flat?”
Daisy was mortified. “Pete, no! The flat…it…it's a rat-hole.”
Dev grinned at her. He was extraordinarily beautiful. “Sweetie, we've lived in our share of rat-holes, we'll be right at home. We weren't always rich and famous, you know.”
“You coming?” Chris asked Daisy.
“I have to, I live there too.” She grinned.
“Great, let's be off then,” Chris said. He put his arm around Daisy's shoulder and led the way out the door.
After only three hours of sleep, Daisy awoke to the relentless buzzing of her alarm clock at half past six the next morning. When her eyes finally opened, she began to wonder if she had imagined the previous night.
She had inadvertently serenaded Chris Carter, lead singer of one of her all-time favourite bands. Tom, Chris and Dev had come back to the flat with the band after the show and they had all just sat around, drinking, talking, and listening to music.
While she washed her face and brushed her teeth, she replayed everything else.
Once they had entered the flat, Tom had retreated to the corner with Reg and John, talking, but glancing back at Daisy the whole time. Dev and Pete talked over by the stereo. Daisy put on some music and dropped down next to Chris on the sofa. He slid his hand into hers, gently, and they talked and laughed the entire night. He grinned at her in his sexy way, teasing her, and going on about what a great voice she had. It was an exciting experience for her. He surely knew what he was doing, and Daisy knew it was nothing more than a game he played. Though onstage she could turn heads and could stimulate so many men, offstage she was no match for a man like Chris Carter, or for the kinds of games he played.
“I still don't understand how you knew Tom, but had no idea who we were?” he asked. “You sang some of our songs tonight, even one of the earlier ones. Surely if you know our music from that far back, you knew a lot about us.”
“I do know a lot about you as a band, but not one-on-one as the members,” she replied. “And I never read the newspapers, so I miss out on all the photos and gossip about the band. Well, not all the gossip. Lizzie fills me in on all the best and juiciest rumours.”
“And you'd never seen us in concert, either?”
“No. I almost did once, though. Pete was going to take me to kind of celebrate for it being my last year of school. I came down with the flu two days before the concert.” She laughed remembering, “I cried for weeks after. Pete brought me back a t-shirt, but it wasn't the same. And then for the past few years, we've had to pool all our money into paying our bills and buying equipment. So we haven't been able to afford to go to any concerts, not even yours.”
“We're playing Liverpool in two weeks. You can all come to the show. I'll get backstage passes for you.”
Daisy sucked in her breath. “Really?? You mean after all these years of loving you, I'll finally get to see you perform?”
He raised his eyebrows and laughed. “Loving me?”
Dev laughed. “That sounds like a proposition, Chris.”
Daisy turned pink. “You as in Easy Connection, not you Chris Carter.”
Lizzie laughed. “Speaking of love, remember, Daisy, how devastated we all were when this one got married?” She jerked her thumb at Dev. “I wanted to jump into the river.”
Daisy laughed too. “Didn't we all? But then there was that brief gleam of hope when the rumours started about all the trouble in paradise. The marriage worked out, though, to the disappointment of all the Dev-o-philes in the world.”
“Dev-o-philes. Is that one of my fan clubs?” Dev joked. They all laughed.
Chris turned to Daisy and stroked her cheek, speaking softly. “You're so beautiful, baby. And your singing and the way you danced really turned me on.” He slid his fingers down to her lips, tracing them gently.
Daisy, melting inside, laughed and pushed his hand away lightly. “Easy does it, Casanova. The dancing is just part of the act.”
“Is it? I look at you now and I still see a beautiful, sexy girl. That's not an act, that's you.” He traced her jaw line with his finger.
The music on the hi-fi changed to a fast-paced rock song. Tom, who had been talking world events to Reg and John the whole time, came over to Daisy and held out his hands, grinning. “Dance with me, love.”
Chris protectively put his arm around Daisy's shoulders. “Later, Tom, we're talking.”
Daisy, feeling a bit like a possession, looked narrowly at Chris. She shrugged his arm off and grabbed Tom's hands. “I'd love to dance, Tom.”
He pulled her up and held her very close to him, sliding his hands down her back and dipping her. Surprised by the suddenness of the movement, she shrieked delightedly at first then leaned her head back, laughing, feeling her hair flowing freely, her hips moving up against his hips. He brought her back up and their faces were close together, their lips nearly touching, his hands stroking her back. He looked into her eyes and grazed her lips gently. “You're gorgeous, baby. I think you need to come down to my studio sometime. I'll do a smashing portrait of you.”
“I thought you only painted political commentaries, Tom.” Chris was standing right next to them. Daisy pulled away from Tom. He just looked at Chris and laughed. “I make exceptions in special cases.” He pulled a card out of his pocket and handed it to Daisy. “This is the number of my studio. And this is my home number. You call me when you're ready to sit for me.”
“I will, Tom.”
Chris put his arm around Daisy's waist. She found it amusing that two celebrities were standing in the living room of her small flat, arguing over her like little boys fighting over the same toy fire engine. Before it could go any further, she released herself from his firm grip and with an effort, stood back and addressed the room. “Gentlemen, tonight has been the best night of my life. I'll remember and cherish it always. Good night.” She then turned on her heel and quickly walked to her bedroom. When she reached the door, she felt a hand on her arm and looked into Chris's eyes.
He laid his arms across her shoulder, his face very close to hers, smiling confidently. “You're not just going to leave me like that, are you?”
She gently removed his arms. “I think it's best. I meant what I said, I will never forget this night as long as I live.” She kissed him tenderly on the cheek, went into her bedroom and locked the door. She stood with her back against the door, eyes closed, breathing convulsively. Well done, Daisy, she congratulated herself. She went to sleep, her arms curled tightly about her pillow.
“Be careful, Daisy,” Pete said the moment Daisy emerged from her bedroom that morning. “Someone like Chris Carter will trample mercilessly on your heart and not even take the trouble to look back. You know the reputation the band has.”
Daisy poured herself a cup of coffee, scoffing. “Oh, Pete, who even knows if those stories are true. They could just be legends that people make up to sensationalise the band, like the rumours we've heard about Zeppelin and the Stones. Maybe the same is true of the Connection. Anyway, I have it all under control; I know what I'm doing. Nothing happened last night and after Liverpool, we'll never see them again, right?”
“Wrong. Dev rang this morning. He and Chris were so impressed with our performance last night, they want to collaborate with us on some songs for an album that Dev wants to produce. We're all invited up to his place in Nethercombe in three weeks, after they get done with this leg of the tour. I've already accepted on behalf of the band. We can't pass up a chance like this. That's why I'm warning you now to mind yourself when you're with Chris.”
Daisy was excited about the prospect of collaborating with a band with the talent, creativity and notoriety of Easy Connection, but she just shrugged and walked away. When Pete couldn't see her face, she rolled her eyes, feeling nervous yet thrilled about seeing Chris again. There was such a sexual magnetism about him that it made her uneasy and excited all at the same time. If she'd known that there was the smallest chance she would see him again, she never would have left herself open, letting him hold her hand and flirt with her and touch her the way he had. It had been a miracle, not to mention a physical battle, that she had been able to resist him last night without falling all over him. She felt sure there was no way she would have the strength to do it over an entire weekend.
Rebecca Martin
Chapter 2 of 'Third Book' - Easy Fame
True to his offer, Chris supplied Daisy with passes to the concert in Liverpool. She was very excited. She had always fantasized about what Connection would be like, live, in concert. But nothing could have prepared her for the reality of the concert. They did shocking things onstage that delighted Daisy. She was on her feet nearly the entire concert, cheering and screaming, her mind racing, wondering how much of their performance she could use on the smaller stage at Azra's. After the concert, the band came offstage, dripping with perspiration, grinning, on an emotional high from the reaction of the audience. Chris strolled right over to Daisy. He put his arm around her.
“Well? How was your first time?” he asked, his eyes twinkling.
Daisy, ignoring his innuendo, gushed like the devoted Connection fan that she was. “Oh, Chris, the concert was nothing like what I expected. It was amazing. I want to be just like you.”
He stepped back a little and looked at her, threw his head back and laughed.
“Looks like the Legend's grabbed her too, Chris.” Dev grinned. “You reckon she'll start another fan club?”
Daisy laughed with them, embarrassed. “I didn't mean it like that. I mean I want to own the audience like you do.” She held up a fist and talked excitedly. “I want to have them in the palm of my hand like you do. I have a measure of sexuality on stage, but it's nothing like what you have. You completely manipulate them.” She grabbed his arm. “You have to show me how you do it!”
Chris released his arm gently and put it around Daisy's shoulder. He spoke very softly and seductively in her ear, “I'll teach you everything you need to know.”
Daisy suddenly felt a little panicked. She pulled away. “Y-you mean about my stage presence, right?”
Chris smiled wickedly but said nothing.
The following weekend, the band was at Cox's Farm and they were all having a good time. Some song writing ideas were put out, but mostly during the day everybody was in the pool, playing around, having water fights, throwing people into the pool. Daisy and the guys worked hard at their jobs all week then at their music for the rest of the time, so this recreation time was well-deserved. She met Dev's wife and thought the exquisite-looking blonde painter was the perfect sort of mystical creature that someone like Paul Devlin should marry.
One afternoon at the farm, while everyone else was at the pool, Daisy was alone in Dev's recording studio. The band had decided to add AC/DC's “You Shook Me All Night Long” to their show and Daisy wanted to practice a dance that she would perform during the guitar break. She was barefoot and wore tight Lycra shorts and a tank top that showed off the curves of her body, so she could best see the moves she made. She watched reflection in the control booth glass.
“Ready for your first lesson in manipulation?” Chris was standing at the door.
Daisy was startled at the sound of his voice. She wondered how long he'd been watching. “I thought I was alone in the house.”
He half-smiled. “You're never alone, baby. Not while I'm here.” He put his drink down on the floor and walked over to her, standing very close to her. “First off, when you're onstage stop smiling so much. You want to control the audience, not be their friend.”
He put his hands on her hips and moved her body rapidly up against his. His breath was warm on her face. “You want to seduce them. Ruthlessly. Leave them no room for escape.” He danced with her in time to the music, moving his hips against hers. They both become very aware of each other's body heat and were aroused. He slid his smooth, tender hands skillfully up her bare back. Daisy breathing was very rapid and shallow. Her mind briefly flashed back to boyfriends she had while she was in school. Like her, they were children of the working class. Every boy she dated had after-school jobs doing hard work at factories. Their hands were rough, their skin dry and calloused. In every way, Chris was very different from those boys. With an effort, Daisy swallowed and spoke.
“W-what's lesson number two?” she stammered.
He laughed softly. Pulling her close to him, he slid his mouth over hers, kissing her gently, slowly. She pulled away, gasping slightly.
“I don't want to do this, Chris.”
“Do what?”
She gestured between them. “This. Not while we're working together.” It was Daisy's safe way of putting a wedge between them and making it impossible for an affair to happen. She turned away and walked quickly out of the room, taking refuge outside where there were plenty of people.
In honour of their last night at the farm, Dev decided to throw a small party on the final night they were at the farm. He invited a friend of his, Dave Hampton, of Night Mission. Dave would be bringing his girlfriend, Janey Adams. People started arriving, so Daisy bounded up the stairs, hurrying to shower, overjoyed that she would be spending the entire evening with professional musicians. She still couldn't believe this opportunity had presented itself. While she showered, she was in such a good mood that she started to blissfully sing one of her favourite Easy Connection tunes into the shampoo bottle, faithfully matching each of Chris' high-pitched notes. She emerged into the adjoining bedroom wearing only a towel, her hair dripping down her back. She began removing the towel to dry off then put it back in place quickly, startled to see Chris reclining lazily on his side on her bed, propped up on his elbow. His eyes roved up and down her body, taking in her scant attire, and grinned.
“What the hell are you doing in here?” she demanded.
“Admiring your singing,” he smiled broadly. “I couldn't resist. You sing that song almost as well as I do.”
“Thanks. Now get out so I can get changed.” He shrugged, grinning, and slid off the bed, grazing her bare shoulder with his hand as he left the room. It was nerve-wracking for Daisy to be so close to Chris. The night she met him, she felt sure she would never see him again, so she saw no harm in flirting with him. Now she was wishing she'd thought better of it and done things differently.
She came down a few minutes later in a long-sleeved black satiny shirt and jeans. Her long black hair hung down, glistening beautifully from being freshly washed. All the guests were in the living area. She couldn't believe her eyes. As Dev promised, there was Dave Hampton and Janey Adams, sitting together on one of the sofas, Dave's arm hanging on Janey's shoulders. Everyone in the room turned to look up at Daisy coming down the stairs.
“Here she is at last,” Chris smiled. Daisy took his proffered hand to guide her into the seat next to him on the sofa.
After everyone was properly introduced, Dev, his arm around his wife, smiled at Daisy, “Okay, Daisy, we've waited long enough. Give us a song.”
“Play You Don't See Me Standing Here,” she said to Pete. He began to play the guitar. It was one of their new songs, a slow melody they had written together that told the story of a girl alone in a torturous encompassing darkness, emotionally unseen by the one she was in love with. Daisy's voice rose to something like a woeful lamentation and Pete's guitar pulsated strongly, to match the sorrow of the song. Daisy closed her eyes and belted out the last line of the song, “But you don't see me standing here.” She held the last high note for a long time. Her voice was like the high-pitched screech of an electric guitar. When the song finished she opened her eyes and looked at the faces watching her sing, waiting for their opinion. Everyone, Chris and Dev included, was staring at her, overwhelmed by her strong voice, moved to silence. She looked at Pete, who only smiled at her, knowing that she'd blown everyone away.
Chris and Dev simultaneously broke the silence with resounding applause. Everyone else in the room jolted out of their silence and began to applaud. Chris' eyes were dazzling. He looked at Daisy and wrapped his arms around her waist, kissing her. “I've never heard anything like that before. It was phenomenal! I'm so turned on. Where the hell did you learn to sing like that?”
Daisy smiled, suddenly feeling shy. “I didn't learn. I just do it.”
Dave smiled and looked at Janey. “She's got a gift like you, Janey.”
Janey shrugged and said darkly. “But that gift can be a curse. It's like a beautiful apple with a bloody worm in the centre of it. No time to yourself or to be with the people you love. Just work and interviews and appearances and then more work. It never ends.”
Daisy said nothing, but she thought it was a strange thing for Janey to say. How could such a gift be a curse? She had heard Janey Adams sing before and she didn't hear anything that smacked of a curse. Chris and Dev changed the mood and began regaling their guests with off-colour stories of some of the girls they'd met on the road over the years. They took turns telling stories, finishing each other's sentences, sending everyone into fits of laughter at the absurd things some of the women would do to meet these famous, gorgeous men.
Daisy laughed so hard her sides ached. “Time out, guys, please. I need a refill on my drink. You're killing me with these stories.” She shook her head, laughing, and went to the bar. Chris followed her, topping off his drink. Daisy smiled at him. “I wonder what kind of stories we'll have to tell one day. Like what kind of things crazy girls will do to be with Pete, or Reg, or John.”
His eyes roved down her body. “Or what a man will do to be with you.” Daisy felt her heart flip over, as she turned pink. Chris laughed. “Can you picture yourself being famous?” he asked.
She nodded enthusiastically. “I can. We've come such a long way from what we were four years ago. We have such creative potential. I can see us being really successful and bringing our music to the masses.”
Chris' mood changed suddenly. His eyes darkened and he sneered at her. “Be careful what you wish for. There's always a price to pay. That success that you want so much will harden you.”
Daisy's eyes narrowed. “What's wrong with wanting to be successful? It hasn't hurt you one bit. You've got a nice car, a nice flat, any girl you want, lots of money. What's wrong with me wanting the same things for myself?”
He was suddenly very close to her. “Take my word for it, baby, being rich and famous will shatter all your dreams into little bits and leave you completely empty. Look at Janey. Then there're the lies. People will say things about you in the papers, whether they're true or not, and there's not a damn thing you can do about it. It'll make any kind of normal life impossible.”
She glared at him. “Apparently it'll make you bitter and cynical as well.”
He shook his head at her. “You'll get my meaning one day and you'll regret ever even thinking about wanting to be famous!” He laughed without humour. “Long live rock'n roll!”
He stalked out of the room, leaving Daisy to stare after him.
Later that night, when most of the party had fallen asleep, Daisy sat alone on the bed in her room at Cox's Farm, barefoot, wearing jean cut-offs and a powder blue t-shirt with very short sleeves. The colour of the shirt made Daisy's blue eyes burn a brighter blue than normal. Obsessed by a creative streak that had hit her only a few hours ago, she picked her guitar up and strummed out a few notes. She made a disgusted face and changed the chord progression slightly. That time was a little better, but it still needed something.
“What are you working on?” Chris stood at the door wearing only tight jeans. He was always sneaking up on her like that, just appearing, seemingly, out of nowhere. Daisy stared for a long time at his bare muscular chest until she became aware of Chris watching her. He lit a cigarette and sat down so close to her on the bed that his warm skin was brushing up against her.
She moved over slightly so that they weren't touching anymore. “A new song I started writing.” She cleared her throat and her voice didn't shake now. “It's called `Fire in My Heart.' It's about really wanting someone, but knowing that it would be lethal to give in to that person, you're just stuck with this burning, consuming desire for him…or her, ”she corrected herself quickly, when she felt Chris' penetrating stare.
She got up on her knees and from her pockets pulled out wadded-up napkins, all written on, and let the papers fall onto the bed. She reached into the other pocket and produced folded-up receipts with something written on the back of all of them. She unfolded and smoothed out all the pieces and arranged them on the bed in an order known only to her.
She looked at the little sea of white that was in front of her and looked at Chris, smiling, shrugging and spreading her arms out. “You never know when creativity will strike, right?”
“Right.” Chris smiled back at her, knowing only too well the messy disorder artists sometimes made on the path to creativity.
She flipped her hair back, laid her guitar next to her on the bed and sat back on her heels in front of the papers, looking at Chris. “So I thought the song could start out with just a drum beat, an erotic rhythm, something like a heartbeat, like this…”
With her hands, she pounded out the rhythm on wood of the guitar. “Then as the tempo picks up, Pete could come in on the guitar. I'm still trying to figure out a way to incorporate something similar to the sound of a blazing fire, when the flames are really big. I think he may be able to duplicate it if he works his fingers just right on the chords.”
She gestured expansively with her hands as she began to talk faster, vivaciously. “And I wanted to add something else with the keyboard. I could bring Lizzie in for that; she's really amazing. I want to give the song that mystical sound like you guys have with your music. I love that sound.” She stopped abruptly. She got so excited when she had an idea for a song or if she was just talking about music, she found that her breathing was rapid and shaky. Her face was flushed and her eyes danced. Chris was looking at her earnestly. He moved close to her again and, still holding her gaze, put his arm gently but firmly around her waist.
“What was it that brought you to England? You never told me,” he reminded her.
Daisy was startled at the abrupt change in subject. She bit her lip, looking into his eyes then away again, trying to decide whether or not to tell him. His eyes penetrated hers persuasively. “My mother died when I was fifteen. My father insisted that I come live with him and his wife, Helen and her two kids from her first marriage.”
“The wicked stepmother?”
“No, not at all. On the contrary, I love Helen. I couldn't have asked for a better stepmother.” It was true. Her stepmother had always taken good care of Daisy, giving her the space necessary to a 15-year old girl. She made sure that Daisy was comfortable in her new home, buying her things that she felt any young woman should have.
“She told me recently that before I moved here, she had a long talk with Pete and Vivien and told them that because of what happened to me with my mom, they would all share the responsibility of looking after me, until I was okay. They've been really great, especially Pete. He could have resented my coming here, but he never did. The first six months here were especially hard on me. My mom had just died; I was starting a new school in a new country. And on top of that, after I'd only been here a month, the biggest girl bully in school decided to pick a fight with me for who knows what reason.”
“Who won?” Chris grinned, intrigued at the thought of a girl-on-girl fight.
Daisy laughed, reading his thoughts, and flexed her muscle. “Who do you think?” Then her voice changed. “You oughta see the other guy,” she said in a mock man-voice. They laughed together.
Chris became serious again. “So your mom and dad never got married to each other? That must have been hard on you.”
“Well, my mom didn't want to move here and my dad didn't want to move to the States. But he sent money to us, sent us whatever we needed, whatever he could whenever he could. It was hard because he's just a typical working class guy and didn't have a lot of money. But my mom understood that, so we made do with what we had. He was always as good a sport as he could be about the whole thing, never really abandoned us.” Daisy stared off into space reflectively for a moment, then she looked back at Chris. She was shocked at the things she was disclosing to him. She'd never discussed her mother's death with anyone before, especially not to someone she'd only just met. “I still remember the deep depression that hit me and stayed with me for an eternity, or at least it felt like an eternity at the time. I thought it would never end.”
“What changed?” His voice was very gentle. He seemed genuinely interested in what had happened to Daisy.
She looked away and laughed, looked back at Chris and bashfully laughed again. “It's a little embarrassing to talk about.”
Chris smiled encouragingly. “C'mon, it can't be as bad as all that.”
She took a deep breath. “Okay.” She rolled her eyes and laughed shortly again. “I…I heard some music coming out of Pete's room one afternoon after school. I was drawn to it, without understanding why. It was this….”she paused, looking for the words, “this insanely beautiful and unique rock music with elements of fantasy and carnal lust mixed into it…not in the words, but in the music. Well, in the words, too, in some of the songs. There was an amazing raw emotion in the singer's voice, in the instruments, in the theme of the songs. I asked Pete who it was and he introduced me to…”she paused again… “My very first Easy Connection album.” She bit her lip as she watched Chris' face. “I was immediately hooked. It lifted my spirits. Changed my life.” She laughed softly and blushed a little.
Chris' voice was soft and low as he gazed at her. “You mean I saved you.”
Daisy drew in a quick breath and she abruptly looked away from him. It was an idiotic, romantic way to put it, but it was truth. Chris, Dev, the whole band, saved her from the despair of her mother's death, her feeling of not belonging anywhere, her utter desolation. Chris already knew Daisy's answer. He took her face in his hands and began kissing her softly at first, then passionately, insistent. She was receptive at first, her lips hungrily seeking his. Then she suddenly pulled away, not wanting to give in.
Knowing what she was thinking, Chris turned her face to look up at him. He was smiling and his eyes were glowing urgently. “You can't fight it, Daisy. I'm the fire in your heart.”
He began to kiss her again. She saw no point in trying to fight her attraction to him anymore. He could see right through her, it was better to just get it over with so they could both move on. She put her hands on his body and leaned into him, eagerly returning his kisses. They removed each other's clothes and held each other close, responding wildly to the intensity of their desire for each other.
Daisy lay awake after only a few hours of sleep, troubled. She felt an iron-like arm across her waist. She looked over at Chris, surprised to see that he was hadn't left. She slipped noiselessly out of bed, brushed her teeth, packed and got dressed. She moved down the hall to Pete's guestroom, tapping gently on the door.
“What is it, Daisy?” Pete said when he came to the door.
“Nothing. I'm fine. But we have to get out of here, Pete. I don't want to stay a minute longer.”
Pete looked at her soberly. He knew. “Did you sleep with him?” Daisy said nothing, just looked away.
“All right,” he said, "Give me a minute to get my things together. Then we'll go.” A few minutes later, they crept quickly and quietly out of the house without saying good-bye.
Rebecca Martin
Chapter 3 of 'Third Book' - Easy Fame
At her job on Monday, Daisy spent the entire day thinking of Chris and what to do, how to behave around him, what to say to him the next time she saw him, whenever that might be. When she came home from work, Lizzie was sitting on the sofa in the living room. Daisy was relieved to see her. They both went to Daisy's room and she agonizingly told Lizzie everything that had happened that weekend.
“But I'm not going to run after him like some love-sick groupie,” she said, feeling resolute. “ I'm just going to forget about what happened while we were at the Farm and move on.”
“Daisy, that's going to be nearly impossible. What will you do about the album? Pete said you'd be recording at Dev's studio. You're bound to run into Chris at Dev's place.”
Daisy put her head in her hands. “I don't know,” she was nearly whining, “I hadn't thought about that yet. No matter what happens, I've got to get control of this situation before it gets control of me.” She lifted her head, an idea dawning on her. “I'll just be professional and insist that Chris behave the same way. I'll stay away from him until it's absolutely necessary. Like when we're recording the album. Or working on a song.”
Lizzie looked at her sadly, her pale blue eyes almost pitying. “Poor Daisy. He's so spectacular-looking and gorgeous and he really seems to like you. You won't be able to avoid him forever. How many guys that you've been with have asked about your mother and actually shown any kind of interest in what you went through?”
Daisy looked away crossly. “He made me tell him.”
“Made you tell him? What, did he beat it out of you?”
She grinned. “No. It was this look in his eyes. I can't explain it.” She shrugged. “He was probably just doing it to make me let my guard down so he could lure me into his little trap. Besides, I'm not trying to avoid him completely.” She flopped down on the bed and sighed. “I just don't want to end up in bed with him again.”
As she was leaving work the following day, Daisy looked up and saw Chris standing up against his car, signing autographs for several adoring women who had gathered around him. She couldn't believe it. She thought surely he was done with her now and she would only see him at Dev's place. She retreated a few steps to go wait inside the building until he'd left, but he looked up suddenly and she froze. He broke away from the group of eager fans and crossed the street.
He closed his hands around hers and pulled her into his arms, kissing her possessively on the mouth. “You left so suddenly yesterday morning, I didn't have a chance to see you off.”
Daisy raised an eyebrow. “Were you wanting me to hang around so you could bring me breakfast in bed? That doesn't seem like your style.”
Chris laughed. “I just wanted to see you before you left, that's all.” He leaned forward to kiss her again, raising his eyebrows when Daisy turned her head away. “Playing hard to get, Daisy?”
“No.”
“You weren't so hard to get last night.”
“Last night was a mistake.”
His face quickly changed. Daisy couldn't tell if he was angry or not, but he was making her uneasy.
“I'm sorry if that hurts your ego. But I don't go around sleeping with guys I've just met. I usually have to know a guy for at least a year before I'll even let him kiss me.”
“I don't have that long to wait, love. We're leaving for Australia in a few days.”
She removed his arm. “Look, Chris, I don't know what you're expecting from me. But I'm not going to come panting after you like some star-struck admirer, just hanging around, waiting for you to give me a bit of your attention.”
“That's not I want.”
“What do you want?”
“I'm not sure. I just want to be with you. We'll see how things go from there, see how far we want to take it. Nothing wrong in that, is there?”
So much for having the situation under control, Daisy thought. “I suppose not.”
“Good.” He kissed her again, slowly this time. He wrapped her in his arms. “Come on, I'll take you home.”
Chris was eating at the flat the next night when Lizzie showed up, looking grimly at Daisy.
“I know you don't look at the papers normally, but you may want to start now.” Lizzie dropped a copy of the Mirror on the table. Daisy gasped, her mouth dropping open. On the page were two large color photographs, side-by-side, one of Chris kissing Daisy, the other of him with his arm around her, smiling into her eyes. The headline read “Chris Carter and his new Connection.”
“Christ, it's on the front page,” Daisy groaned, putting her head in her hands.
“Well, you said you wanted to be famous,” Chris said mockingly, his eyes unreadable.
Daisy looked up, glaring at him. Her voice was icy. “I do want to be famous. As the talented lead vocalist of a talented band, not as a pretty girl hanging on Chris Carter's arm.” She shook her head vigorously. “We can't be seen together in public anymore. No more picking me up from work, no going out together. I'm not going to have my career ruined before it even gets started just because I was careless.”
Chris was angry. “You mean to tell me that I can't take my girl out for dinner or to a nice club on the off chance someone might spot us and take a picture?”
“We slept together once. That doesn't make me your girl.”
His eyes flickered. “Shall we have another go at it, then?”
Daisy pressed her lips together. She was in no mood for his casual sexual bantering. “When Black Velvet hits the big-time, you can take me out anywhere you like, anytime you like. But until then, we keep a low profile. I'm not going to have people thinking I got famous just because I showed up to a club with someone famous. I'm not riding into fame on your coattails, Chris.”
He stood up swiftly, incensed, knocking his chair over. “Look, Daisy, this is how the game is played. If you're with someone famous, you get your picture in the paper. Cathy got used to it, you'll have to get used to it too.”
Daisy stood up, face-to-face with Chris, her eyes blazing. What did he mean by comparing her to Cathy? “Well, I'm not Cathy, am I? I'm not married to a famous rock star. Anyway, she didn't have a singing career that she was trying to get off the ground. She's a painter and doesn't have to rely on newspaper reports for the sake of her career. I do, and I understand that I'll have to be in the public eye, but I'll do it on my terms, no one else's. Not yours, not this stupid photographer or his damned editor. If it's so important to you that `the game' is played your way, maybe you need to be seeing a girl who'll just keep her mouth shut and do as she's told.”
They stood, staring at each other, fierce and unbending.
“I don't like it anymore than you do, Daisy. But that's something you'll have to get accustomed to if you want to be famous. You'll always be living in public. You can't hide anything from those vultures.”
“Well I don't want to end up in the papers unless it's because of something Black Velvet has done. Please try to understand why I'm doing this, Chris. It's important to me that I become famous because of what I do…” she stopped dead, but it was too late. Chris raised his eyebrows at her, smiling wickedly.
“Not because of who you do?”
Daisy couldn't help laughing. “Exactly.”
Christmas finally came and Daisy left London to spend the holiday with her dad and stepmom. She always arrived late on Christmas Eve so she could help Helen with all the food preparation. She loved cooking, it was her favourite part of the holidays. She grinned, wondering if perhaps she would have to hide that part of herself once she became a famous rock star.
She walked up the pathway to the home of her adolescence, smiling and looking around the pleasant yard that was peppered with big trees, cool and well-shaded in the summertime. Daisy wanted to live somewhere like this someday. She thought about having a nice house out in the country. She wanted children too, lots of children. But all that would have to wait; the band and her singing came first.
When her stepmother greeted her at the door, she said, “And just wait until you see who's come to spend Christmas with us.” As the two women walked into the house, Helen pointed to her small grandson playing on the kitchen floor.
“Colin!” Daisy squealed delightedly. Little Colin was a chubby fifteen-month old with brown hair and big brown eyes. Daisy picked him up and twirled him around, kissing the soft baby skin on his cheek. He screeched happily.
“Viv and Edward will be along tomorrow,” Helen said to Daisy, referring to the toddler's parents. “But I wanted Colin here with just us, so I picked him up early. Your father's in the study. He's smart, he knows by now to stay out of the way while we're cooking.” Helen laughed.
Daisy looked around. “Pete's not here either? He left London before I did.”
“He called this morning, said he was picking up a surprise and would be here later.”
Daisy put the baby down, donned an apron and began cooking. She worked quickly and deftly. Before long she had flour all over her apron and a little on her face. Her hair had been tightly pinned up, but a few strands had escaped and tumbled down in tendrils to frame her face. Even though she was a mess, she still somehow looked extremely beautiful. The baby toddled over to her, handing her his toy and gurgling something to her in his baby talk. She stopped what she was doing and picked him up.
Pete's voice floated into the kitchen from the entrance hall. “Hello, anyone home?”
Daisy ran to greet him with the baby on her hip. She stopped short when she saw Chris standing next to Pete, smiling challengingly, daring her to object. She thought he was on tour in Australia. “Here's the surprise I promised,” Pete laughed.
Chris walked up to Daisy. “Well, well, just look at our little mother,” he teased her. He kissed her on the mouth. She felt like she was greeting her husband, just come home from a long day at the office. “Merry Christmas, Daisy.”
“What are you doing here?” She asked, breathless and flushed.
“Bill rescheduled some of our Australian tour dates so we could come home for Christmas.”
“No, I mean what are you doing here at my house?”
“Pete invited me. It seemed like a good idea, spending Christmas with Daisy and her family. So, here I am.” He tugged the baby's little fist as he walked by, whistling at the large home.
“I thought you said your father was working class, Daisy. I don't know any working class people who live in a house like this.” Daisy wondered if he knew any working class people at all.
“Spoils of war, Chris,” Pete grinned. “My mum got it in the divorce.” Seeing Daisy's eyes blazing, Pete tried to walk by casually. She grabbed his arm.
“You invited him?” she hissed.
Pete's voice was soft, full of empathy for their lonely rock star guest. “Come on, Daisy, have a heart. He really didn't seem keen on going to his parents' for Christmas, so I invited him here. He'll have a much better time with us.”
“Pete, Christmas is our time to be with our family. I feel like I'm being invaded.”
Pete looked at her reproachfully. “Oh, Daisy, don't be so dramatic, nobody's trying to invade. Anyway, Chris practically is family, isn't he?” He laughed at her furious look. “Ok, Chris, you're up on the second floor, the room next to mine.”
As everything was cooking, Daisy went up to her room to unpack her things. She looked around after she finished. Nothing had changed since she moved out two years ago. Her fluffy red and black matted pillows lay on the bed and the walls were still the same shiny black she had insisted on painting them, much to Helen's horror. She looked up smiling at the poster over her bed. She had decorated her room specifically to compliment the large poster of Chris Carter. He was standing in front of a red backdrop, his head bent, looking straight ahead direct, seductively. He wore black leather trousers and a black leather vest that was unbuttoned, hanging open, showing off a solid, sexy chest and stomach muscles. His arms were wide open. After all the hours she spent staring at the poster, Daisy had never been able to determine if his arms were open in welcome or challenge. Now that she knew him, she'd definitely have to say a challenge. She smiled at the poster and left the room, closing the door. Chris was coming down the hall.
“Where did you run off to?”
“Just to unpack.” Why was he wandering around in her home as though he lived there? He was a guest but he had already taken over in the house.
“Is this your room?”
She stood aside and smiled, pointing to the big gold star she had mounted on her door shortly after joining the band. She had signed her name on it, a final draft after hours of practising the perfect autograph signature.
“Let's have a look, then.”
“No! It's a little messy. I haven't put everything away yet.” She was thinking of the poster; she didn't want him to see it. The last thing she needed was for him to see her as some kind of wild-eyed groupie, though she didn't know why it mattered. Chris shrugged and turned to walk away, with Daisy slightly in front of him. He turned back and opened the door before Daisy could stop him. He laughed at the sight of his own eyes staring back at him.
“All right,” Daisy said, embarrassed. “You've seen it, can we go now?”
“Great poster!” He was mocking her.
“Shut up!”
“No, really, I think that's one of my favourite pictures of me.”
Her face felt hot. “I said shut up!”
They went into the living room and joined Pete on the sofa. Chris grinned at Pete.
“I was just admiring the poster on Daisy's wall.”
Pete laughed loudly. “Every time we went into the record shop, she was drooling over it. I finally bought it for her. I would pass her room and she'd be on her bed with her feet propped against the wall, staring at the poster. God knows how long she'd been sitting like that.”
Chris stared at Daisy, his grey eyes penetrating, mysterious. “It's Karma.”
Later that evening, worn out from the day's activities, Daisy sat quietly on the sofa with the baby, listening to his gibberish. Chris came in and sat down very close to her, putting his arms around her. She laid her head on his shoulder. A long silence passed, but neither of them noticed.
“Well, this would make a sweet photograph,” Helen came into the room, smiling. “Let me get my camera.” Daisy and Chris smiled nicely.
“Take one more, Helen,” Chris said. He turned Daisy's face toward him and kissed her.
After she took the picture, Helen stood silently for a moment, looking consideringly at the three sitting on the couch. She then came over and took the baby out of Daisy's arms. “It's time for this little one to be asleep. I'll be in the study if you need anything else tonight.” She left, speaking softly to the baby.
It was peacefully quiet in the room again. Chris stroked Daisy's hair, making her drowsy. He leaned forward, kissing her slowly, then leaned back, just holding her and looking down at her. She looked sleepily into his light grey eyes.
“There're so many different sides to you. Daisy Carroll, the sexy seductress on the stage. Then there's the beautiful girl offstage. And this afternoon you answer the door looking like the lady of the house all messy from making dinner, with a baby on your hip. Who's the real Daisy Carroll?”
“They're all me. What about you? Who is the real Chris Carter?”
“What you see is what you get.” He didn't sound very convincing.
Daisy laughed tauntingly. “I don't believe that for a second. You're the Legend, like Dev said. All of you are. No, there's a real you in there somewhere. It's my mission in life to find him.” Chris laughed at her. She changed the subject to something that had been bothering her since their little row at Cox's Farm. “Chris, do you ever regret becoming famous?”
He sighed deeply. “Sometimes. Being famous, you can't make a move without it being reported in the newspapers. Well, you know. Even the day you and I were together outside your office it was reported in the papers. You have to live out your life in public all the time. It gets difficult. Then you meet people who go on and on about how talented and wonderful you are. But you find yourself always thinking in the back of your mind if they mean what they say or are they just telling you what they think you want to hear because they want something from you.”
“But surely there have been benefits to your fame. It can't all have been bad.”
“Yeah, I love the music, the excitement of performing onstage every night. But it can be awful sometimes, having to go on even when you don't feel like it and still having to give a hundred percent. But anyway,” he changed his voice to a falsetto, “ `You've got a nice car, a nice flat, any girl you want, lots of money.' ” He was making fun of what Daisy had said that night at the farm. “It's true, I could have any girl I want. But after a while, it's all the same. It's always the same kind of girls following the band wanting the same thing. They just want an excuse to touch you, to sleep with you, to be with the Legend. It's not real anymore. You want something different. A real girl with real dreams. A family.”
It was Daisy's turn to poke fun. “A family? You? That's not very rock and roll, is it?” She paused for a moment, pondering. “You mean you want something like what Cathy and Dev have?”
Chris was silent for such a long time that Daisy turned to stare at him. “Yeah, like what they have.” There was an odd tone in his voice. “But their relationship has had its share of problems. They got off to a rocky start.”
“They're okay now though, right?”
“They're great now. The perfect little family. Couldn't be happier.” He sounded bitter. Abruptly, he stood up. “I'm off to bed. See you in the morning.”
On Christmas morning, Daisy's sister and brother-in-law arrived for breakfast. After all the dishes were cleared away, the women hastily began preparations for Christmas dinner, talking and laughing while they cooked. Pete played with the baby in front of the television.
When dinner was nearly ready, Daisy rushed into the living room and began assigning duties to the men, pointing to each person as she spoke. “Edward, you take out the rubbish that's in the kitchen. Pete, you and Chris move the table
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