“Baby, baby, you know I always loved you. I wanna place a kiss on your lips, carry you across the threshold and be the man you always prayed for. But first you're going to have to take me back,” Danny crooned into the mic.
Dark‐skinned thirteen‐year‐olds and twenty‐somethings swayed to the music, wrapped in swaths of colorful abayas. Tourists were sprinkled amongst the audience. The front row of the amphitheater cried and screamed his name as he sang, “Take Me Back”.
Marnie stood off stage, her nerve‐endings primed and waiting with a towel and a bottle of water. As soon as the song was over, the lights dimmed, allowing Danny to dash off the stage. She poured the chilled bottled water over his head, cooling the scarlet tint of his neck. He jerked the bottle out of her hands and took a swig, crushing the torso of the bottle in the process. She ran behind him, towel drying his hair, as he headed to his dressing room. Her foot snagged on a cord, but Danny turned and caught her elbow as her knees kissed the concrete.
He pulled her up as easily as if she were a rag doll. He ignored her stammered apologies and trudged on once she had assured him she was fine.
Two wardrobe stylists waited in the room poised to pounce.
“You've got to move faster.”
“Raise your arms.”
“Give me your leg.” They squawked in unison.
“You've got two minutes!” The stage manager ducked his head in to shout.
When one of the stylists elbowed her out of the way, Marnie took the hint and left.
She grabbed another bottle of water, snuck past the pandemonium and back to her post to wait for the next outfit change.
Once the show was over, Danny changed and together, he and Marnie entered the lobby full of fans.
“Danny! Danny!”
Marnie looked at the little girls who held signs bigger than themselves, which shouted their love for the pop singer in bright purple and pink glitter. A few of the signs were held by older women who asked Danny to marry them.
Except for the throng of women surrounding him, Danny could have easily been mistaken for a fan. He wore a pair of faded jeans and a gray T‐shirt that said, “Do or Die” in large white block letters. The designer sneakers and white gold watch were the only hints of his wealth. Danny smiled at the crowd and turned to Marnie for a black marker and a photo. Before her eyes, he transformed from the serious drill sergeant into a charming prince.
He walked through the crowd, signing photos and getting his picture taken. She couldn't tell who was more eager to take the pictures, him or the fans. In the few shots she took, the photos couldn't tell the difference either. His smile shone as bright as the little girl he hugged.
Marnie marveled at the ease in which he joked with the crowd, going so far as to mock‐tango with a mother. He had been dancing non-stop on stage for two hours, surely his energy was sapped?
When he ran out of photos, Danny signed shirts, makeup cases, and homemade signs. The three‐hour signing session didn't stop until the marker dried out. A funeral‐like calm wafted over the crowd as he said his goodbyes, but many lined up eagerly to purchase pre‐autographed merchandise.
Once outside of the theater, Marnie, Danny, Kevon, and the extra bodyguards hired for the tour were greeted by the hellishly hot heat of Dubai. As if in confirmation to her previous question about his stamina, she felt the weight of his arm drape over her shoulder, followed by the weight of his body leaning against her. Normally she would've slunk out from under him, but the haggardness of his face told her he wouldn't be able to stand up on his own.
“It's finally, over,” he whispered into her ear.
Marnie was grateful for that. As long as she lived, she never wanted to visit this place again. Danny had performed two shows, and for the four days they were there the temperature never dropped below a cool one‐hundred‐and‐eight degrees. She was looking forward to tomorrow's early morning departure.
As they clambered into a silver SUV, Danny's phone vibrated. His haggardness lifted a little as he spoke to the caller.
“I think we should stay one more day, Don. I'd like to check out the sights and grab a few things for my mom and sisters,” Danny said.
No! She screamed in her head. The heat was unbearable; she couldn't believe she would have to spend another day here. Danny wasn't going to go shopping. He would make her go out when the sun was at its highest.
Danny's eyes lit up when Marnie answered the door. The look of shock in her eyes told him she was surprised he and Mickey were there. Mickey's tail thumped Danny's leg harder at the sight of her. He couldn't help but agree with him. She hid her auburn hair in a big floppy straw hat. Its brim formed a rippled pattern. Every inch of her body was covered, but the fabric hid nothing. The swell and fit of her curves inspired unwanted fantasies.
She was adhering to the laws of the land, but broke them mercilessly at the same time. In this culture women were expected to cover their bodies from head to toe. Although tourists were allowed to do whatever they wanted, an unspoken rule demanded all women adhere to the custom. Her blatant disregard for the rules brought a smile to his face he just couldn't hide. She reminded him of a kid who colored inside the box, with all the crayons she was sure pissed everyone off. The raw power of her middle finger statement earned his respect because of the class it was cloaked in.
After he refused to let her change, they cruised through the Dubai Mall with Kevon shadowing them from a distance. The tour was over and he was finally beginning to feel like he could relax. Pairing Jessica with her had taken some of the stress off his shoulders. It hadn't been easy with his militant distance, but it was for the best.
He noticed a change in Marnie as well. Her white maxi dress draped her body like silk, hugging all her curves and showcasing her apple bottom. A small denim jacket hugged her shoulders. The hem of the gown concealed a pair of white strapped sandals. Purple nail polish adorned her small toes.
The sun gave her ochre skin a rich golden hue. The most remarkable change wasn't in accessories. It was in her violet eyes. Gone were the furtive glances and the tear‐stained looks. The shape of her button nose no longer looked permanently scrunched and she stopped flinching whenever he touched her arm.
When she walked ahead of him toward a stall, he couldn't help but stare. Something in him wanted to put his hand on the small of her back, maybe wrap an arm around her and hug her waist. As if she could hear his internal thoughts, she turned and cut a pained look his way. Don't. He cocked an eyebrow and turned his attention to the stall, where he purchased a few silk scarfs for his mother and charms for his sisters.
“I never knew you had a family,” Marnie said after he purchased a bracelet for his baby sister Beth.
“What did you think, immaculate conception?” Danny joked.
“No.” A sheepish grin appeared on her face, and her shoulders rose to ear level. “I guess I never thought about your family.”
“I'm the second boy in the family and I've got two sisters.”
“Are you close?”
“Close enough.”
Danny was every bit the family man. He talked to his mother and sisters once a week. With his first hit single, he retired his mother and father; with successive hit movies, he purchased homes and cars for his family before he ever spent a dime on himself. Throughout his battle with recreational drugs, his family never left his side. Although he gave them many reasons to abandon him, they were always supportive and welcomed him with open arms whenever he needed them. For all the things Danny did under the influence, he believed there was never enough money he could throw at them.
“Are you close to your mother and father?” Marnie asked.
“My father passed away a few years ago, but I'm still close to my mom.”
“Mom remarry?”
“No, I don't think she wants to.”
Truth be told, Danny didn't think anyone would want to marry his mother. He didn't blame them. She was a wreck. He loved her, but even he had to admit anyone who took an interest in her, would only be in it for her money. Her condition had worsened when his father passed.
“How did he die?” she asked.
“Let's talk about something else,” Danny whirled around, walking in front of her backwards. “For instance, where are you from?”
“Detroit.”
“Ah, Michigan. Close to your family?”
“Not really.”
“Why?”
“No reason, just not.” She shrugged her shoulders.
The shrug had a hint of finality in it. It shouldn't have bothered him that he'd received another in a long line of clipped responses from Marnie, but it did. Every time he tried to ask her about her past, she erected a barbwire fence around herself. Her dark eyes turned a deep purple, flashing him off, and he always relented.
“Someday I want you to tell me why,” Danny said, turning around.
They finished walking the mall and were heading back to the hotel. A cluster of photographers called out to him. He moved in the direction of the cries. He waved, signaling them it was okay to take his picture. As he brought his arm down, his hand brushed Marnie's. He pushed her away before the cameras began the blitz of flashes. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw her stumble and then regain her footing. A woman stopped to ask her if she was okay. Smiling, Marnie nodded.
It was a calculated move on his part. Taking a picture with any woman would start the speculation mill. He wanted their arrangement to stay quiet. Public scrutiny was the last thing his shy assistant needed. She could barely open up to him. He thought it highly unlikely a gaggle of nosy‐ass reporters would help loosen her tongue. Once the photographers were done, he motioned for her to join him and they resumed the stroll back to the hotel.
He avoided addressing the issue. He needed to build trust with her and Danny wasn't the kind of man who explained his movements and decisions. He was glad this photo‐op had happened. It was better if she got used to his ways early.