Marion's Story Ch. 16

Having Moll's back in my arms made the world seem a brighter place and although we were all tired having her by my side eased my mind.

Gloria turned up for the Royal Albert Hall gig and she was full of praise for our hard work. Of course, there was a huge party which she organized and the night was incredible. Food drinks, dancing and a chance to just chill out knowing tomorrow we were on a plane home back to the States.

After the party wound down Gloria caught Molls and me and she wanted us to stay the night with her but I had been giving this a lot of thought.

"Gloria, I'm tired and I think it best if we just go back to our room."

She looked confused, disoriented and more than a little disappointed. She glanced at Moll's who whispered, "Babe, we could stay for a while."

"No Moll's I don't want to make a scene but I am exhausted, it's been a long tour."

Gloria pulled us into a hug, "Chill babe, there's no pressure, if you're not up for it that's OK." Molly hugged her tight, "I'm sorry babe, another time."

Back in our room Molly undressed for bed and as we snuggled, she whispered, "That was pretty cruel, she was looking forward to tonight, it's all she's talked about for ages."

I pulled her into my arms, "Yeah I guess it was but can we just focus on us for a while. Gloria is a beautiful woman and I'm sure she's not short of bed partners."

She gave me a worried look, "So are you saying that it's all over between Gloria and us?"

"Yeah, at least for the time being, c'mon Moll's let's simply try to see whether we can do this."

She sighed, "Wow that was a shock, Gloria wasn't the only one looking forward to tonight. I was looking forward to us all being together as well. It wasn't just Gloria."

Feeling petulant I spluttered, "If you're not happy with that then just say so."

"No dumbass, you know I love you and I have missed you like crazy but Gloria...we all enjoyed that...why can't we still get together occasionally?"

"In the future maybe we can, but at the moment I want to go back home, settle in and enjoy my fiancée's company, be a couple without interferance."

Once we were back in LA things got a little tense. Molly was needed in Chicago for a few days which meant I was left to my own devices. Lounging around the apartment wasn't much fun so I went back to work for Adam. He was busier than ever and it helped him out knowing he could accept some offers he had turned down. My loneliness was eased by Kim who started coming around and keeping me company. Just having a friend to talk to was nice.

I didn't see much of the other girls, they were deep into their own relationships, new places, new things to see so it was just me.

To help out Adam I took over running the studio and recording a few acts which he had been stalling because of his commitments at KGM.

Molly and I hardly saw each other for days on end and when we did it was rushed, she flew in and days later flew out and it started to get under my skin. I wanted my girlfriend to be by my side.

On her next visit home, she walked in looking worn out. She fell into my arms, "Hey babe, god it's good to see you."

I hugged her tight swaying her side to side as my lips closed over hers in a sexy little kiss, "Yeah I've missed you as well."

She headed straight to the shower and I headed for the kitchen to get some dinner. When she walked out, she sighed, "Don't bother with food. Gloria wants us to meet her at her place."

I carried on cooking, "Tough...I don't care what Gloria wants. You are off the clock now, this is our time so just relax and let me get dinner for you."

She grabbed me, "Don't be silly, this isn't just work although she does have some stuff she said she wants to talk to you about, but mostly it's just friends catching up. I promised we would go over, she wants to talk to us both."

"Tough shit, if it's business then it can wait till Monday. This is our time."

"Mi...please, don't turn this into a fight, she wants to talk to us."

Turning her so I could look her square in the eye I snapped, "I said no and I mean it. She can wait!"

Seeing the determined look on my face she fumed, "Fine, then you can tell her because I already said it was OK." She passed me her phone and dialed her number. When Gloria answered I said brusquely without waiting for her to speak, "Gloria, we won't be coming over tonight, Moll's is tired and I am already in the middle of getting dinner. If you need to talk to us come into the studio on Monday and we can talk."

There was a long drawn out pause before she moaned, "Alright Mimi, I get it. I was hoping that the three of us could get together, but if not, fine I will see you Monday morning." She sounded upset and hung up without saying anything else. I threw Molly her phone and returned to getting dinner.

"Well, what did she say?" Molly hissed in a real snit.

I shrugged, "She said fine, Monday it is."

Molly turned and walked to the cushions and flopped back folding her arms behind her head for support, "I don't see why we couldn't have gone over."

"Because I don't want to...I told you I want us to work on us, god I hardly see you by yourself anymore. I want us to reconnect. Why can't we simply focus on us, just you and me."

"But you said once we got back, we could see her again."

"No what I said was once we were settled and we were both ready, look Moll's if you aren't happy with that then say so and maybe we need to reevaluate our future."

She snapped, "You know I want to be with you but I also want us to be open and include other people. I have never tried to keep that a secret. You know how I feel. Christ every time we disagree in something it's like the end of the world with you. Jesus it was just going to be a fun night, a chance for the three of us to get together, shit it's bloody rare that Gloria and I are in the same place at the same time."

Spooning the food out onto a plate I walked over and handed hers to her, "Moll's I have been trying to tell you...I don't want that. I just want you. I think it is you who needs to make a decision. Either I am enough for you or I aren't."

She took her plate resentfully and started picking through it, "I don't understand you Mi, if you didn't like being with Gloria, I could understand but you like it as much as us...so why not?"

"Because I want to build our relationship, Jesus as it is, I hardly see you, if things don't change soon then I will be getting very grumpy."

"Babe my career is going great at the moment, please don't make a fuss. Gloria is really giving me an opportunity to grow and I love it. God, we have some awesome acts at the moment and some great shows booked."

"Yeah, well I have to say I'm struggling with that. I know work has been your priority and I have tried to give you space to do that, but I'm at the stage I want you in my arms every night, to have and to hold, you know the words."

She gave me a pitiful glare, "Babe there will be time later, at the moment I need to make the most of it. Gloria didn't have to offer me this but she did and I love her for it, please don't fight." She played her trump card the pitiful yearning eyes, the pleading glimpses and I fell into her desire.

After dinner we curled up together with music playing softly in the background and we made love right there on the big fluffy cushions. Moll's really tried to make me forget about my anger and it worked. With her in my arms and our bodies wrapped together it was hard to be angry.

Over the weekend we went shopping working our way up and down the shops and malls. We went out to great restaurants we even went to the movies, but Monday morning loomed large.

Molly was flying out to Boston that afternoon so she was already packed. Gloria walked into the studio at eight and it was hugs and kisses all around. She sat us down in the chill out room passing over the coffees she had brought with her, "I wanted to talk to both of you because Mimi you mentioned you want to have a solo career and Molly and I have talked about it a lot recently and we think the time is right and we want to make it happen."

I nodded appreciatively, "What did you have in mind?"

Gloria sipped her piping hot cappuccino and whispered, "You have a lot of material, some recorded and some not. The first step is to gather together the material for an album. Molly has already picked out the songs. We thought with those carefully selected songs recorded we could release it and support it with a tour, a solo tour with shows at the very best venues around the country. This is the perfect chance while the lips take a short break."

I nodded, "Sounds good, I smiled, I guess I will be getting my own tour manager?" The reason for the smile was I thought Gloria was attempting to do the right thing and let Molly and me spend some time together even if it was on the road.

Molly laughed, "Of course you do babe, you're a star now."

With a big smile I gushed, "So, it will be you and me together against the world huh Moll's?"

Gloria glanced quickly at Molly before she hesitated, "Well no not for the whole tour, I can't spare Molly for the whole tour, not at the moment. We will find somebody else, we have some great managers and I'm sure one of them will be perfect for you."

Stunned by her blasé attitude I sat back in my chair and glanced from one to the other, I faltered a little before taking a sip of my coffee, "Then the answer is no." I turned towards Molly and rasped, "We hardly see each other as it is, if this tour is going to mean I see less of you then the answer is no."

Molly slipped out of her chair and grasped my hands in hers, "But what about your solo career? You said it was what you really wanted, babe if you want it you have to work for it, this is important, if you really want a solo career then we need to build it and now while the girls are off doing their thing is the perfect opportunity."

Gloria joined in, "Mimi you said that your solo career was a key ingredient, we agree, and think that you can have a fabulous separate career every bit as big as the lips but you need to put some effort in."

Molly gripped my arm tightly as I shook my head, "No thanks Gloria." Turning back to Moll's I sighed, "Molly I want us to spend some time together so bad, every moment you are away it hurts. I need you by my side."

She sagged leaning back on her haunches, "Babe please, we can be apart for a while."

Gloria could feel the tension building and muttered, "You don't have to make up your mind right now, I just wanted to start the ball rolling. Perhaps later in the week when Molly gets back we can all get together and talk."

Standing up I grumbled, "You don't get it...I don't want Molly to fly out. I want her here with me. What's the point of having a fiancée if I never see her? I want a solo career but not at the expense of my relationsghip."

"Mimi, Molly is building her own career, you have to let her shine just like you do. God damn it Mimi Molly is the best manager I have."

"I don't have an issue with that, but let her work locally for a while, let us spend some time together."

Gloria winced as silence cloaked us in its sticky tentacles. Eventually she said, "I think you need to sort out what you want together." She leaned down and kissed Molly, "I will see you when you get back."

Molly held her hand and nodded.

Once she was gone, I said, "What happens now?"

Molly stood up, checked the time on her phone croaking, "I have a plane to catch, if I don't go now, I will be late. What I think is we need to figure out how we get your solo career off the ground, Mi you could be bigger than the lips if you put the work in now, you have enough fantastic songs to have a top ten album."

When I sat staring pensively at her she added, "Think about it while I'm gone and we can talk when I get back."

I shrugged, "Have it your way, but I have been thinking about a tour as well, I was hoping it was something we would do together but seeing as how you're not interested I might go by myself."

"A tour.... Jesus Gloria just offered you an album and a national tour and you said no!"

"Yeah, well this was going to be more like a holiday for both of us. You told me that you were jealous of the road trip I took when I moved over here and I thought we could do something similar, but like I said if you're not interested I might just throw the gear in the van and just head out on the road."

She sighed, "It's not that I don't want to go with you...I would love it but I want my own career and at the moment this is important to me. My life is important as well you know."

I shrugged, "yeah OK, I get it, so I might go by myself. Just see where the road takes me."

She snapped, "Oh for god's sake, so you're just going to fuck off and waste your time playing cheap bars when you could be playing to packed theatres and clubs, getting your name up in the spotlight."

I snorted derisively, "Yeah, if that's how you see it then yes."

"Fuck Mi, why does everything have to be a drama with you? Everything has been going so great. The lips still have a single in the charts, the tour was great, my career is taking off and all you want to do is argue and fight."

"No Moll's I don't want to fight, I just think that maybe we are after different things at the moment. I am suggesting we spend some time apart and try to figure out exactly what we want."

She stared blankly at me, neither of us spoke and the tension built. As she stared at me a tear stared to trickle down her cheek. "I love you Mi, more than life itself but you don't own me, I need my own life as well. I don't want to spend my life as a groupie following you around. I want to make my way in the world as well. I'm good at what I do and I enjoy it. We have to figure out a way to make this work, we don't have to be together every fucking minute of every day."

"Yeah well it would be nice if we spent some time together, I swear to god Moll's you spend more time with Gloria then you do with me."

"She's my boss, that's natural, I mean we talk a lot but we are usually on the opposite sides of the country. Babe she has put a lot of faith in me and I don't want to let her down, surely you can understand that."

I nodded questioningly, "I understand you want to do the right thing for her but what about us? If she cared about us she would let you stay her in LA or if my solo career meant anything to her she would have organized for you to be my tour manager so we could be together."

She sighed, bit her lip fidgeted before mumbling softly, "I love you Mi, you know that, but I don't want to be one of those couples who have to spend every waking hour together. I need a certain amount of freedom."

Feeling dejected and disappointed at the way this had gone I grumbled, "You say you love me Moll's but sometimes I wonder."

As we both stood facing off I grumbled, "You know what Moll's, you can have your freedom, I might take Kim with me instead, I bet she will be interested." I pulled her into my arms and we hugged for an age before I said, "You better go, you'll be late."

I saw the hurt look in her eyes as I walked away.