Chapter 5

While being escorted by the security guards, Ohana couldn't believe what was happening. She knew that those security guards were part of his team, but she hadn't imagined that they would be the ones to interfere with Pablo's outburst.

He followed the long, red"lit corridor, passed the dance floor, but didn't stop there. The house was full, people were dancing, drinking and having fun while she searched the place with her green orbs, but she saw no sign of her target for the night.

"Of course he wouldn't be here," she thought, shaking her head slightly as she climbed the steps to the VIP area.

Obviously, the star of the evening wasn't going to mingle with the commoners and she was right, as Ohana headed towards the best spot of the night, Apollo was in his dressing room.

The place was well lit and had some snacks and drinks to pass the time until the show. But, even though he tried to distract himself, his mind insisted on taking him back to the scene he'd observed as he sneaked out of the van.

Seeing a man treating a clearly terrified woman so aggressively made his heart swell with rage and, if it hadn't been for Lucian, he would certainly have had a few bruises from the fight by now.

While he wondered if everything was all right with the unknown brunette, Apollo poured himself a shot of whisky, sat down in the comfortable armchair and sighed before taking the first sip, feeling the alcohol burn his throat.

"What's up, man?" said Lucian, entering the dressing room and looking at him.

It was still strange for him to see his friend in a mask, but he knew that Apollo had his reasons for wanting to live that double life and, if that was what he wanted, all Lucian would do was support him.

"Is everything all right over there?" Apollo asked, bringing the glass of whisky in his hands to his lips once more.

"Yes, they've taken her to the VIP area, just like you asked," he replied, shrugging and sighing." Are you ready? It's almost time.

"Of course, when am I not?" Apollo's cocky remark made Lucian laugh and roll his eyes, improving his mood a little.

"All right, all right, save your narcissistic displays for the audience," he replied, patting his friend on the shoulder.

Apollo downed the last sip in his glass in one go and then stood up, taking a deep breath and clearing his mind. He walked outside and took the microphone that had been handed to him, heading towards the stage, which was dark as the audience shouted his name.

The crowd was much smaller than that of the stadium, of course, but there were still plenty of people, as the nightclub was packed. People were eager to see the show and, when a single spotlight shone on him and the music started, everyone screamed.

His voice filled the place and, when he opened his eyes, Apollo felt all the euphoria that filled him every time he went on stage, so he let himself go. His husky tone drew sighs and the women held out their hands, eager for a touch to assuage the malicious thoughts he was inspiring.

However, before he knew it, his amber eyes were fixed on two sky"colored irises that shone in his direction and stole all his attention. There she was, and she was even more beautiful up close. She wasn't screaming or freaking out like everyone else, she looked stunned, amazed.

He noticed the blue eyes moving down from her hidden face to her shoulders, following the sensual movement of her hand, which, flat on her chest, slid down the well"defined muscles until it grasped the waistband of her dark jeans, pulling it down slightly as her hips moved to the slow, sensual rhythm of the music.

Apollo didn't miss the tension that gripped the unknown brunette's shoulders, and when she swallowed and pressed her legs together, it made him smile victoriously. For some reason, she seemed more attractive than anyone else there and she had gotten his attention.

While Apollo made the show intimate and only meant for one person, Ohana felt her body shudder at being the target of such attention. Although the rest didn't notice, she knew and felt that Apollo was singing to her, she felt the weight of his sensual and malicious gaze on her and, whenever he moved or sang in a slightly more sensual way, Ohana felt the heat radiating from between her legs to her whole body.

How did he do that? That was the question that reverberated in her mind as she followed him closely.

She even forgot about her friends and didn't even notice the missed calls on her cell phone. As she was in the VIP area, the chance of running into them would be minimal and, at that moment, she didn't care.

Whenever Apollo opened his mouth and looked at her, a new wave of sensations and unchaste thoughts covered her mind, and Ohana wondered how she was going to deal with all that horniness on her own.

Of course, she wasn't a woman who took a vow of chastity or anything like that, but she hadn't had that many sexual experiences either, nor had she missed it until that moment. Apollo exuded desire, seduction, everything about him made her think of how a night by his side would be something divine and pleasurable.

"Don't be ridiculous... you're here on business," she tried in vain to stop her thoughts.

But the internal rebuke did no good and, for the next 50 minutes, all Ohana could think about was how handsome he was and what his well"designed lips would taste like.

"Is he good in bed? Oh, what am I thinking! Of course he is, he's not just good, he's fucking hot, it's impossible to get laid badly," she thought, biting her lower lip.

But she wasn't alone, after all, most of those present were wondering about it and, while everyone wanted to know a bit more about him, Apollo only wanted to know about someone in particular, and he would put an end to that later that evening.

He did his best, as he always did. He sang, he danced, he drove everyone crazy and, when the last song came on, he did it perfectly. There was no other like him, in fact, Apollo was perfect.

When the show ended, after 1am, the nightclub was still full and people didn't seem the slightest bit interested in going home, any more than the singer or the journalist who was waiting for him.

As soon as Apollo left, Ohana began her search for a way to find him, which was the hardest part. She knew she wasn't the only one looking and, within a few minutes, she found the small cluster of people on the east side of the VIP area.

She ran there as fast as she could in her heels and, when she got close, she squeezed between the people, pushing some of them aside so that she could finally get to the front, near the curbing that led to a small corridor where there were two security guards.

Ohana saw no way of getting in. Apart from the security guards, the other reporters eager for any opportunity wouldn't let her pass discreetly and enter, so we didn't know what to do.

However, every now and then, fate, the gods, or whatever you believe in cooperate to bring two people together, and this was one of those situations.

So, shortly after entering and welcoming his friend to the dressing room, Lucian was forced to leave. He was in a bad mood, he didn't understand Apollo's need for unfamiliar company, but he didn't question it. He imagined it would happen, after all, he had sent the stranger to the VIP area and Lucian knew that he wasn't doing it for no reason, it was just so that he could find her more easily.

And the idea served its purpose, after all, as soon as Lucian emerged into the corridor and passed the security guards, he saw her. The brunette was close to the other curious people who were eager for a bit of the star's company, and she seemed equally willing to enter that dressing room, which made it all the easier for the businessman.

"Hey, you!" he called out, passing the security guards and stopping near the bar. "In the red dress!"

Ohana heard the call and, for a moment, thought it wasn't for her. She didn't even turn around, but continued to scan the area, looking for a way in, until she was surprised by a touch on her arm.

The brunette turned around, ready to fight with whoever was holding her, but soon found the man she knew to be Apollo's producer, and that made her very curious. Ohana knitted her eyebrows together, confused by his approach as Lucian pulled her into the containment, which was now open.

"What's that?" she asked, looking at the man with some confusion.

As he received the brunette's confused and irritated look, Lucian took her with him down the half"lit corridor, trying to keep his patience. For him, that was never a good idea, after all, maintaining suspense was part of the Apollo figure that had gained so much fame, and he was afraid that his friend would end up spoiling it with actions like those.

But Apollo was like a force of nature, once he put his mind to something, nothing would take it away. That night, he had decided to meet the girl who was in a lot of trouble in the parking lot, she had made him curious and, since she was there to see him, why not give her a few minutes of his time?

Of course, he was hiding his own curiosity in that "act of kindness". As he waited in the dressing room, he came to the conclusion that he wanted to see her, maybe being with her would make his evening more interesting.... He couldn't deny that he certainly had ulterior motives with that invitation.

Ohana was nervous, things were happening in a much simpler way than she had imagined and that was unsettling her. She hadn't even introduced herself as a journalist, so what was she going to do in his dressing room?

Of course, she had plenty of ideas about what to do alone with a man like that, but none of them related to her profession. So, as she walked, she tried to go over the questions Lenor had listed for her, but everything seemed to slip from her mind as the door approached.

When they arrived, without a word, Lucian opened the door and indicated the entrance to the brunette, who took faltering steps towards the room.

The lighting was low in the dressing room and, as soon as the door was closed, she realized that little of the sound from outside entered. There wasn't much furniture, a spacious sofa, a large mirror on the left, a table full of snacks and a bottle of good whisky.

As he looked around curiously, his eyes caught sight of the tall, dark"haired figure sitting in the center of the sofa.

Apollo was sitting, his legs comfortably spread and one hand resting on his right thigh, while the other held the glass with the shot of his favorite drink. His bare chest was still exposed and his face was still hidden by the mask, but now his feet were bare and he didn't have all the accessories he had before.

But that did nothing to diminish his power of seduction.

His thick, well"drawn lips curved into a smile and, for a moment, Ohana forgot what she was doing there, forgot everything and focused on his perfect amber eyes and extremely sensual mouth, inhaling deeply.

Her face was still hidden by the black mask that concealed her identity, but for Apollo, that was a trivial detail, her lips were wide open and free, and he longed to use them.

"You don't have to stand there," he said, his hoarse voice echoing throughout the small room. "I only bite in very specific situations."

The bold and malicious remark roused the brunette from her trance and made her blink several times, knitting her eyebrows together and annoyed with herself for looking like a fool in front of one of today's biggest pop stars.

"But what do I do now?" she asked herself, starting to panic, but containing her emotions before showing them.

"It's a pleasure to meet you," Ohana said, taking two steps towards the sofa. "Thank you for what you did earlier in the parking lot."

The mention of what had happened made Apollo press his lips together, his expression clearly displeased as he remembered what had made him pay attention to her. Then, knocking on the sofa next to her, he moved away so that she could sit down too.

"You don't have to thank me," he began, bringing the glass to his lips, "but I'll consider it a favor paid as soon as you tell me your name."

Ohana laughed, shaking her head slightly as she sat down, a little more relaxed, but still nervous in front of such an imposing and seductive man.

"Ohana, my name is Ohana" she introduced herself, trying not to sound nervous.

"That's a nice name, it suits you," he replied, bringing his free hand close to her black hair and gently holding one of the strands. "What were you doing here? It may seem like an obvious question, but you didn't seem to be jumping up and down and shouting every song, you spent most of the concert in silence, so I concluded that you weren't just a fan... what were you doing here, Ohana?"

Taken aback by his remark, the brunette tried somehow to find a way out of her predicament, but there wasn't one, not that she was really going to convince him.

"I... I'm a journalist," she confessed, but kept her eyes on his. "I thought I could get some time with you and, lo and behold, I was right."

The brunette crossed her legs, intentionally making the dress cling to her thighs, leaning her body slightly forward to tease the man next to her.

"A journalist? I'm not sure I'm up for an interview today," Apollo said, trailing his eyes down her face to her thighs, pressed against the red fabric. "I prefer to occupy my evenings with more... intense activities."

The last part of the sentence was accompanied by a sip of his drink and a bold touch that reached the brunette's cheek in a surprising way. Apollo's fingers moved up without her realizing it and, at that moment, she felt the warm, slightly rough tips of his fingers on her skin.

"A conversation can be intense," she retorted, not shying away from the touch.

She was willing to use all her weapons to get something, she wouldn't leave that dressing room without something that could make Lenor a happy boss and make her a little more of a favorite.

"Indeed you can," Apollo replied, trailing his fingers down her cheek towards the nape of her neck, not caring much about being discreet about his intentions. "But the intensity I want can't be provided by words alone."

He knew that, at some point, someone would give in and, when that happened, he would either have her in his arms or she would leave.

Apollo hoped for the first option.

"How about a bargain?" Ohana asked, swallowing as she felt the nimble fingers trailing down the back of her neck in a way that sent delicious shivers down her spine.

"Make your proposal... I'm a businessman." And indeed he was, he negotiated so well that he was sure he would win at that moment.

The atmosphere between them was clear. Ohana hadn't realized when she had gotten so close, she hadn't even noticed when Apollo had started to play with the thin stone strap of her dress, he knew how to divert her attention and involve her in a forbidden desire so that, when he realized where his actions were taking her, she would already be in his arms.

"I want answers," she said, her voice a little shakier, "a question, a request."

As her lips closed and the smile opened on Apollo's well"drawn mouth, Ohana realized that she had made a mistake in offering him that deal, and she certainly wouldn't get away with it.

"I accept your proposal, Ohana."