Like a Dream Come True

“Thank you so much,” Lianna said into her cell phone. “I am so excited about this opportunity. I will call on Friday to confirm the details.” As soon as she turned off her phone, Lianna ran up the stairs of Joseph’s condo. She had been sleeping there that morning, as she had most nights in the two weeks since her family had returned to California, when she heard her phone ringing. She had taken the call downstairs, as not to disturb Joseph’s sleep. But now she was too thrilled to worry about disturbing him.

Jumping on the bed, Lianna landed directly on top of Joseph. “Guess what?” she asked as he opened his eyes in confusion and let out a little “oof” sound at the weight that had suddenly been thrust on top of him. “I got it! I got the internship!”

“And I got a ruptured spleen,” Joseph replied grumpily. Within seconds, though, Lianna’s news processed in his brain and a big smile lit up his face. “The internship? With the design house? That is fantastic, Lianna! Congratulations.”

Grinning like an idiot, Lianna slid her body off Joseph’s, but stayed wrapped around him with her head on his chest. “This is going to be so good,” Lianna said with enthusiasm. “I still have enough in savings to pay for my apartment for the summer, and this could really give me some opportunities for jobs in fall. Of course,” she frowned a little to herself. “I am going to have to ask my parents for help with bills and stuff, but I don’t think they’ll mind…”

Running his hand over Lianna’s hair, Joseph looked down at her face. She had a concentrated frown on, trying to figure out the specifics of how to handle the summer. “I have an idea,” he told her, and watched as Lianna’s bright blue eyes looked up at him with curiosity. “Why don’t you move in here? It will save you money on rent, and you won’t have to borrow from your parents.” Lianna’s mouth had just dropped open, but she wasn’t responding yet. “Plus, I kind of like the idea of having you around at my beck and call, here to service all my needs at any given time,” he added with his patented sexy grin.

Tears were prickling at Lianna’s eyes. “You would really want me to move in?” She asked in shock. “After being such a nutcase the first night you were back?” She could not believe he was serious. After all, he still had not told her he loved her, but he was ready to share his home with her? It was amazing.

“Listen,” Joseph pushed himself to sit up a little in the bed, causing Lianna to also sit up. She crossed her legs in front of her, and looked into Joseph’s intense green eyes as he took her hands. “You spend five or six nights a week here as it is, which I encourage fully, as you know. And yes, you went sort of loony a couple weeks ago,” he gave her a smirk that made Lianna blush. “But you seem to have gone back to your old self again. I think you were probably just still adjusting to dating someone in the media.”

That is the understatement of the year, Lianna thought wryly to herself. “But moving in together… that is, like, a big deal. A huge deal.”

Looking intently at Lianna, Joseph seemed to be thinking. “I care about you a lot,” he told her, and Lianna tried not to wince. That phrase was really starting to irk her. “And I feel so much better whenever I’m around you. Plus, if it helps you with this internship, all the better, right? I mean, I get to have you here all the time, you don’t have to ask your parents for a loan, everyone wins.”

“And Starsky?” Lianna smiled a little, finally coming to her decision. She still felt a little shocked, but there was no way she was going to say no. The idea of living with Joseph – getting to go to sleep with him every night, wake up with him every morning, know that she was the one he was coming home to… “He sheds a lot, remember.”

“Can we shave him?” Joseph asked with a straight face.

Lianna pretended to think it over for a moment. “Mmm… I don’t think so.”

“Okay, cat hair be damned!” Joseph smiled widely at her. “If it means you will move in with me, I will put up with whatever I have to. It will be so worth it.”

Biting her lip, Lianna felt her heart swelling. Was this really happening? Was she moving in with Joseph? “I have never lived with a boyfriend before,” she reminded him nervously. What she really wanted to know was if this was something Joseph had done before, but she was afraid to ask. Luckily, he picked up her cue.

“And I haven’t lived with a girlfriend before,” Joseph told her, tenderly reaching over to slip a piece of hair behind her ear. “So it will be a new experience for both of us. That is exactly what I want – for both of us to experience new, exciting, wonderful things together. How does that sound?”

Leaning forward, Lianna wrapped her arms around Joseph’s neck to give him a big hug. “That sounds perfect,” she told him, her voice cracking slightly. “Totally perfect.”

-----

“You suck,” Madison said as she helped Lianna put the final items from her apartment into boxes. “You’re leaving me here in this hole so you can go move into some urban mansion with a rock star. My life blows.”

Rolling her eyes, Lianna gave her friend a reproving look. “First of all, you’ve only lived in this building a little over a year. I’ve been here three years,” she reminded Madison. “Plus, I’m not moving far. And finally, I will not listen to any more complaining about how your life ‘blows’ when I see you walking around with that ridiculous new-in-love look on your face when you think no one is watching. Face it, Maddy. You’ve got it bad for Tavian.”

Trying to give Lianna a dirty look, Madison couldn’t help but smile a little. “I haven’t got it bad,” she told her friend. “I’ve got it good.”

“Damn right,” Lianna grinned, taping up the box. She looked around the apartment once more and put her hands on her hips. “Well, it looks like I’m just about done. Which is good, since the movers are due here in an hour.”

“Ooh, the movers,” Madison said in a mock impressed tone. “And once the movers are done, I’m sure the driver will be here to pick you up, to take you to the condo that’s been cleaned by the maids, where you will eat a gourmet meal made by the cook. Right?”

Turning bright red, Lianna looked at the floor before she spoke. “Actually, Joseph’s cooking,” she mumbled.

“Oh my God,” Madison replied indignantly. “I was just kidding! God, what kind of lottery did you win? You’re life has, like, completely changed in a matter of months.”

“Not completely,” Lianna looked up at her friend. “I still have a pain in the ass like you in my life, don’t I?”

“I ground you,” Madison flopped down on the couch, not at all insulted. “I make sure you don’t become… become…”

“Frankie?” Lianna supplied.

“Oh please,” Madison flipped her hair. “It would be hard work for the devil to become evil enough to compare to Frankie.”

Letting out a giggle, Lianna sat on the couch and put her arm around Madison. “I am going to miss having you just down the hall, though.”

“Yeah, yeah,” Madison begrudgingly agreed. “Me too. But at least I have an excuse now to go to that amazing condo more often. Does he really have maids?”

“No,” Lianna shook her head. “It’s just a company that comes in four times a week.”

“Oh, that’s all,” Madison replied sarcastically. “Gee, the poor guy. That must be humiliating when he has the Rockefellers and Donald Trump over for tea. Ooh, does he know Oprah? What about Michael Jordan? Don’t all rich people know each other?”

“I hate you.”

“You love me.”

“I do.”

-----

“You still never told me how you got my landlord to break the lease,” Lianna was saying as she and Joseph sat at his dining room table later that night. “He even gave me my deposit back, which I totally wasn’t expecting. How did you manage to pull that all off? And don’t even tell me he’s a fan. He’s in his seventies and from Russia.”

Shrugging, Joseph took a drink from his bottle of beer. “He’s not a fan, but his fourteen year old granddaughter is,” he said. “So I told him I’d get them four tickets and backstage passes for the show we’re playing in October.”

“You guys plan ahead that far?” Lianna asked as she took a bite of food. “God, Joseph, this tastes amazing.”

“I’m glad you like it,” Joseph grinned. “Cooking relaxes me, as clichéd as that sounds. Anyway, Frankie sets our schedules for about a year ahead. I’ve just been really lucky over the past few months that I’ve been around for stuff like your graduation.”

At the mention of Frankie’s name, Lianna felt the hair on the back of her neck rise. Joseph had told Lianna how poorly Frankie had taken the news that they were moving in together, and Lianna still wasn’t happy with how Frankie insisted on controlling the media’s coverage of Joseph’s life so that Lianna played as little a role as possible in the public eye. “Well, what’s your schedule for the next year?” Lianna asked, wanting to get her mind off Frankie.

“Let’s see,” Joseph paused to think. “Basically, we’re here in the studio recording for the summer. We kick off a nation-wide tour in September that lasts through November, we’re home for the holidays, then we go to Europe and Asia in mid-January and get back in early March. Then we have off another month, and after that… shit, I’d have to look it up.”

Swallowing, Lianna let this new information all sink in. Over the course of the next year, she was going to be living without Joseph around for about half of it. No, Lianna scolded herself silently. You are not going to have another freak out. “Wow,” she finally responded. “You guys really keep busy, don’t you?”

Reaching over to touch her hand, Joseph smiled at Lianna. “I am going to want you to come out and meet us on tour whenever you can.” His eyes looked bright and caring. “But you know what, enough about this. Let’s finish dinner, go upstairs, take off all our clothes and celebrate you moving in properly.”

Unable to stop herself, Lianna let out a loud, short giggle. She watched as Joseph finished eating the delicious dinner he had made her, and then she glanced around the amazing condo she was moving into. With his compassionate, generous nature, his dark wit and his impressive sexual abilities, Joseph was a catch all on his own. The fact that he wanted Lianna to share in the many luxuries he had acquired over the years was just a bonus. “I’m really happy with you,” Lianna finally said. She knew she didn’t have the nerve to say what she actually wanted to say, but this was as close as she could think of.

Looking up, Joseph grinned. “I’m really happy with you, too. Now eat or get naked. Your choice, but I recommend both, in whatever order you choose.”

-----

The following week, Lianna began work at the internship. Although she knew that most of her time was going to be spent filing, making copies and bringing people coffee, she hoped she would be able to use some of the skills that her marketing degree had taught her. As it turned out, she and her boss, a woman named Sandy, hit it off immediately.

“Okay,” Sandy told her towards the end of the week. “You have been great so far, Lianna. And I promise, I was an intern – a million years ago, but still.” Lianna smiled at this, since Sandy was only in her mid-thirties. “I know how aggravating it can get to do all the crap work. But if you keep up what you’re doing, I’ll make sure you get to put your hands in the mud a few times this summer.”

“Thanks so much, Sandy,” Lianna grinned. “And really, I’m not hating this – at least not yet.” This made Sandy laugh. “No, this firm is so amazing, I feel so lucky to have gotten this opportunity.”

“It wasn’t luck,” Sandy told her. “It was your grades, your essay and your recommendations. You know what? We have a marketing strategy meeting this evening with one of our clients – they’re West Coast, so the call doesn’t start until 6:30 our time. It’ll probably make for a fairly late night, considering the fact that we’ll do some planning after the call’s over, as well. Would you like to sit in on that?”

“I would love to,” Lianna replied enthusiastically. “Thank you, Sandy. Thanks so much. Well, I should get back to work. Programmers without coffee are of no use to anyone, you know.”

-----

“No, that’s great,” Joseph sounded disappointed when Lianna called him that afternoon to tell him about the meeting she was going to sit in on. “It’s just that Zip is having this thing at his place tonight, and I was hoping you and I could go.”

“You should go,” Lianna insisted. “From what Sandy is saying, I won’t be home until at least nine, and I have to be up at six anyway, so I wouldn’t want to stay out late.”

“Yeah, I’ve noticed that this week,” Joseph didn’t sound like himself as he grumbled a bit. “You’ve been in bed by eleven every night.”

“I’m sorry,” Lianna knew she should be irritated with Joseph for getting bothered with her work schedule, but how could she with all that he had done for her? “Listen, I’m just getting settled into the routine right now. But tomorrow’s Friday, so we have the whole weekend to do whatever you want.”

“Whatever I want?” The normal teasing, suggestive glint was back in Joseph’s voice. “Whatever vile, terrible, wonderful things I want to do? Am I allowed to include toys or handcuffs or-”

“Joseph, I’m at work,” Lianna felt her cheeks heating and glanced around the room as if someone could hear Joseph’s side of the conversation. “Yes, like I said, whatever you want. But I have to go now.”

“Okay,” Joseph seemed a bit cheered up. “So I’ll be at Zip’s if you need anything, and I probably will be in pretty late. But good luck at the meeting.”

“Thanks,” Lianna replied. “But I’m not actually going to be doing anything. I’ll just be listening and observing. Learning the ropes.”

“Sounds thrilling,” Joseph teased.

“Shut up,” Lianna giggled. “We can’t all be rock stars.”

“You’re my rock star.”

“You’re a dork.”

“It took you this long to figure that out?”

-----

Recording in the studio began a couple weeks later, and Joseph and Lianna’s schedules seemed to diverge even more. While Lianna was out of the condo from seven-thirty in the morning to around six at night and going to bed by eleven, Joseph was in the studio from noon to anywhere from nine to midnight. But Lianna was determined to work through it.

“Here you are,” Lianna entered the studio around seven one night. “One cheese, one pepperoni, one veggie and one everything.” She put the four boxes of pizza on a table and saw the band smile thankfully. She had told Joseph she would be by with dinner that night, and from the looks of it, the band and the people working in the studio with them could all use a break. “Hi Frankie,” Lianna said to the woman, putting on as friendly a smile as possible. “Want some pizza?”

Rolling her eyes, Frankie had by now stopped being friendly to Lianna even in front of Joseph, making it perfectly clear she thought dating Lianna was a terrible career move for him. She was barely more civil to Lianna than she was to Tavian nowadays. “Really, dear,” Frankie gave her a smirk. “You should consider cutting out all those fatty, greasy foods. They do destroy figures, you know.”

Before Lianna could reply, Joseph walked up behind her and grabbed her ass, making her jump. “I say keep eating what you’re eating,” he said in a happy tone. “I love your figure just like it is.” He wrapped his arms around Lianna’s waist and kissed her neck before letting her go to get some pizza, but Lianna made sure to give Frankie a knowing smirk of her own before he let go.

“So listen,” Joseph walked back up to Lianna after he grabbed a couple slices of pizza on a paper plate. “Is it okay if we have a little shin-dig at our place on Saturday night? The president of the label will be in town, but Frankie’s place is getting repainted and Zip’s place has smelled like feet since the last party.”

“Hey!” Zip objected from across the room. “I resemble that remark!”

“Well, as long as it’s a shin-dig,” Lianna smiled at Joseph. “However, if it turns out to be a jamboree, hootenanny or wingding, I’m out of there.”

“You’re the best,” Joseph kissed her cheek.

Lianna looked over just in time to see a very annoyed look pass over Frankie’s expression as Joseph kissed her. “You will be there, won’t you Frankie?” she asked with a big grin. “I mean, the president of the label. That’s a big deal, isn’t it?”

“Of course I’ll be at any party at Joey’s place,” Frankie replied, her voice dripping with venom. She made sure to never refer to the condo as ‘yours’ to Lianna. “Now, I hate to rush you out, but the boys really do have to get back to work.”

Taking a deep breath, Lianna willed herself not to smack Frankie right there. “Okay,” she turned back towards Joseph with a big smile. “Listen, I’ve missed you lately. Wake me when you get home, no matter what time.” She said it loud enough so that Frankie could hear her, but low enough so that no one else could.

“You can bet on it,” Joseph grinned and leaned forward to kiss her lips. “I’ll see you later.”

Waving towards the band and the rest of the people in the room, Lianna threw one last look Frankie’s way. It was clear that Frankie had been enjoying the conflicting schedules of Joseph and Lianna – this meant there was very little in gossip columns anymore. However, she definitely hated the idea of Lianna living with Joseph. In return, Lianna hated that she let this woman, who was really just a business associate of Joseph’s, get under her skin like she did, but she couldn’t help it. Lianna was sure that, for some reason, Frankie wasn’t going to rest until she had broken up Joseph and Lianna. And the thought gave her chills.

-----

By 2 AM on Saturday, Joseph’s condo was filled with all sorts of people from the music industry. In one corner, Joey stood talking with the record label president, the producer for the album, Zip and Frankie. In another corner, the other members of the band were hanging out, playing cards with a few roadies, while some groupies hung all over them. The rest of the people, Lianna couldn’t even figure out who they were.

Clearing empty plates and cups off the tables, Lianna tried to be a good host, but she was getting a headache. She wished that Madison could be there, but she and Tavian had made plans to go away for the weekend. Instead, Lianna found herself in the kitchen, drinking what must have been her fifth glass of champagne, talking to a member of the wait staff. “Sweety,” the rough-and-tumble looking woman said in a heavy Jersey accent. “You might want to hold off a little on the sauce.”

“See that guy over there?” Lianna pointed into the living room towards Joseph.

Raising her eyebrows in appreciation, the woman nodded. “Damn,” she said. “That is one fine looking boy.”

“And that woman?” Lianna continued, feeling herself snarl involuntarily when she looked at Frankie, who was once again looking like she walked off of a runway. She was bright eyed, no doubt from her frequent trips to the bathroom, and for some reason, her hands kept landing on Joseph’s shoulders, arms and chest.

“Way too skinny,” the woman replied. “But still, they make a nice looking couple.”

“Yeah,” Leah took a big swig of her champagne, finishing the rest of the glass in one gulp. “Well, that’s my boyfriend and his manager, who would like nothing more than to have me out of his life forever.”

Looking between Frankie and Lianna, the woman shook her head. “Here,” she took the empty glass from Lianna’s hand and poured in more champagne. “Enjoy. This shit’s fifty bucks a bottle. Now, go over there and do something, girl, before that anorexic bitch succeeds in her plan.”

Laughing, Lianna looked at the woman. “Thanks,” she smiled. “I think I’ll do that.”

Walking across the room, Lianna glanced at the faces around her. She recognized an MTV VJ and a contestant from one of those crappy reality shows. When she arrived at Joseph’s side, she was greeted by him with a huge grin and by Frankie with a look of death.

“There you are,” Joseph put his arm around Lianna’s waist. “I wanted to introduce you to Phil, the president of the label. This is the man who controls the collective destiny of the members of Broken Dynamite. Phil, this is my girlfriend, Lianna.”

Out of the corner of her eye, Lianna could see that Frankie was seething. Phil, however, was pretty drunk himself and kept staring at Lianna’s breasts. Feeling confident, Lianna was able to talk and joke with the group for a long time, long enough to make Frankie excuse herself to use the restroom. When she returned, Lianna was helping Phil on with his jacket, as the party seemed to be winding down. “I’m so glad I had the opportunity to meet you,” she said in a voice that she didn’t even know she had. “It’s been such a pleasure.”

“As it has for me,” Phil told Lianna’s breasts. Turning his head toward Joseph, he gave him a smile. “Hold onto this one, Joey. She’s a keeper.”

“Great job,” Joseph hugged Lianna after Phil left. “Damn, I had no idea you could be the media mogul charmer like that.”

“Really, Lianna,” Frankie approached just as Joseph was running off to get them more champagne. “What an impressive display. Oh, and I’m not talking about the way that shirt accentuates your chest.”

Rolling her eyes, Lianna was on too much of a high to let Frankie ruin this. “You’re so beautiful, Frankie,” she told the woman. “Don’t be upset that you don’t have a rack.”

Her eyes slitting, Frankie stepped closer to Lianna. “Listen here, little girl,” she said in a threatening voice. “I have worked too long and too hard to get this band, and Joey in particular, to where they are for some glorified groupie to fuck things up. You may have charmed Joey longer than I expected, but I promise you, this isn’t going to last. And not because I will have to do anything. You and Joey are just from different worlds, and you are eventually going to come across a situation that you aren’t going to be able to handle.” Glancing over Lianna’s shoulder, Frankie smirked. “Like this, for instance.”

Following Frankie’s gaze, Lianna saw a very attractive blond girl in skintight leather pants talking to Joseph. She was obviously flirting, and it was clear even across the room that Joseph was responding in kind. Without a glance back at Frankie, Lianna walked over to them with a big smile.

“Lianna,” Joseph didn’t look flustered at all when she approached, which calmed Lianna’s fears some. “Angel, this is my girlfriend that I was telling you about, Lianna. Lianna, this is Angel.”

“Well, she is just as pretty as you said she is,” Angel said with a deep southern accent. She surprised Lianna by reaching out and cupping her breast. “And will you look at that! These are real. Lovely.”

Without knowing why she did it, Lianna glanced back at Frankie and saw her smirking. “Well, thank you, Angel,” Lianna tried to not seem nervous about being felt up by this woman she had never met before. “I think you’re very pretty, too.”

When Joseph went to get Lianna a glass of champagne, since he had given the one he had gotten for her to Angel, Lianna looked at the woman across from her and realized she was looking at Lianna with actual lust. “You know,” Angel took Lianna’s hand and led her to the couch. “I think it’s great that Joey’s found a girl to settle down with, but you don’t have to be stagnant to settle…” She ran her hand over Lianna’s thigh.

Feeling the blush rise in her cheeks, Lianna didn’t know what to say. “Well, I, um…”

“I’m just saying,” Angel continued unabashedly rubbing Lianna’s thigh. “I know from experience that Joey loves being with two women. And I find you very attractive, if you would be interested.”

“Yeah, right,” a snort came from behind Lianna. Looking up, she saw Frankie standing there with a scowl. “This is the sort of thing I was talking about, dear.”

Without thinking, Lianna turned back to Angel. “I’ll have to talk to Joseph about that,” she smiled at Angel.

“About what?” Joseph was walking up just at that moment, and Lianna could here Frankie laughing as she walked away. Looking at him, Lianna could tell he had noticed Angel’s hand on her thigh, and she also realized that he did not seemed bothered by it at all. Maybe this is what he wants, Lianna thought as she glanced between him and Angel. Maybe this is the sort of thing, every once in a while, that will make him not grow bored of me.

“Well, Lianna and I were just discussing the idea of me staying the night tonight,” Angel gave Lianna’s leg a squeeze as she smiled at Joseph.

His eyes grew wide, but Lianna knew Joseph’s expressions well enough by now to know he hoped this was true. “Would you… would you be interested in that, Lianna?”

Biting her lip, Lianna damned herself for having so much to drink earlier. She couldn’t think clearly now. On the one hand, she loved the idea of pleasing Joseph and proving Frankie wrong in one fell swoop. On the other hand… okay, Angel’s hand was now very far up between Lianna’s thighs. “Should we wait until everyone leaves?” Lianna finally said in a small voice.

With a big grin, Joseph shook his head. “There’s only a few people left; they can let themselves out,” he said in a voice that was more excited than Lianna ever remembered hearing. “And the caterers will clean up – and they’ve been paid. No, I say we go upstairs now.”

“Sounds good to me,” Angel rose before Lianna could say anything.

Lianna watched as Angel moved deftly across the room to the stairs, heading upstairs alone. She then turned her eyes to Joseph, who looked somewhere between thrilled and anxious. “Are you sure about this?” his voice was near pleading. “I mean, Angel mentioned something earlier, but I wasn’t sure if you’d…”

Taking a deep breath, Lianna forced a smile onto her face. “No, I want to try this,” she put out her hand for him to take. Rising, she followed Joseph across the room and up the stairs. As they were entering the bedroom, she glanced back down to the living room and saw Frankie. She couldn’t figure out the woman’s expression, though. She wasn’t sure if Frankie was livid or elated. Before she could decide, Joseph pulled her gently into the room and closed the door behind them.

-----

OKAY, I HAVE TO SAY SOMETHING. ANYONE WHO’S READ MY OTHER STORIES KNOWS I’M VERY ACCEPTING OF CRITICISM. BUT RIGHT NOW, I AM HAVING A BIG ISSUE GOING ON IN MY PERSONAL LIFE, SO I’M A LITTLE SENSITIVE. I KNOW MY STORIES CAN SEEM BORING, CONFUSING (SEE YDKM) OR FORCED (SEE WB) AT TIMES – WHEN I’M STRESSED I GET MAJOR WRITER’S BLOCK, BUT I JUST KEEP WRITING TO UNBLOCK IT. SO I JUST ASK THAT YOU BE KIND IN YOUR REVIEWS IN THE NEAR FUTURE. JUST GIVING YOU A HEAD’S UP. AND THANKS TO THE READERS WHO STUCK BY ME THROUGH ROUGH PATCHES SO FAR. YOU’RE AWESOME. I’LL TRY TO DO BETTER, I PROMISE.