Twin Hearts Ch. 02

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After good news, Ashley wants a reward.
10.8k words
4.77
18.1k
51

Part 2 of the 2 part series

Updated 06/08/2023
Created 01/26/2017
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As it turned out, Paul's resolve was not quite what he thought it was. Within just two days, with the big headline show at SkyLand looming, he found himself on his knees in Ashley's dressing room once more. How he got turned around so quickly he would never know; he'd walked into the room with every intention of telling her to knock it off, and within minutes was gagging on her throbbing cock.

Two became three, became five, and before he knew it was a regular fixture. Each time he was determined that it would be the last, but it was as though she could cast a spell on him at will. She'd call him in with the same old trouble, and he would go from firm and determined to pliant cocksucker in moments. It was infuriating, and he knew she was playing around with him; it was never a problem when the girls shared dressing rooms. Yet, somehow, she had managed through her sweet talk and infectious enthusiasm to normalise the whole seedy routine.

It was hard to get his head around. Somehow, sucking off a crossdressing boy had become part of his regular day to day life.

Outside of the act itself, he had found himself becoming more and more aware of Ashley. It didn't help that the boy had become even more flirtatious than ever - Ashley had always been a very tactile person, sharing touches and hugs around liberally to everyone, but she had only become more so with him.

His eyes followed her whenever he let his mind wander, tracing her svelte form and the copious skin her outfits usually revealed. And she knew it, too. Her mischievous smiles and ever more open flirting made his breath catch and put him on edge constantly.

Whether the others noticed any change he wasn't sure. Mikki he wasn't worried about; she gave the appearance of someone far too innocent for such things, and he was sure it was genuine. Iva had a blind spot in that area too, often off in her own world.

Sam and Jasmin were another matter entirely, however. Fortunately - and he was sure it was no coincidence - Ashley tended to tone it down around those two.

One good thing that had stemmed from that day was the agreement he managed to reach with Steffen Hartmann. The production company had apparently been keen even before their appearance that evening, and by the time he left Paul had secured a verbal agreement for a full profile slot on the Kavatz show, with top billing. Of course there were still details to work out, even weeks later, but it was a formality.

It was three weeks after the SkyLand show when an even better piece of news landed in his inbox.

The mail came in from some minor wonk at the LBTV network - someone he only knew through dull circulars that came through every so often. This one looked much the same.

When he finally got around to opening, while sorting mails into his trash, he almost let out a yelp.

The LBTV Choice awards. It would be a lie to say he didn't have a small hope, somewhere in the back of his mind, that the girls would get the nod, but he'd never really expected it. None of the artists he had ever managed before had ever had a sniff, and although Twin Hearts were easily bigger than any group he'd managed before, it was still a surprise. And a seriously big deal; award nominations were a huge thing for up and coming groups, even if the LBTV Choice awards weren't quite in the top tier.

And not just one nomination, either. Best Pop Single, for Summer Fine, and Best New Artist.

Grinning like an idiot, Paul allowed himself a fist punch, before firing off a quick acknowledgement to LBTV and forwarding the news on to Jasmin and a couple of the other execs.

"Some good news?"

"Fuck!" Paul almost leapt to his feet, before slumping back in his chair and spinning it around. Ashley stood behind him, head cocked, her mischievous grin in place once more. "How long have you been there?"

"Not long," she sang.

Today was the last day of recording before the girls were due to take a break for a week. With no public appearances planned, the girls were dressed more casually than usual, although in Ashley's case that was typically an excuse to wear something even more risqué. Today she was wearing shorts that barely even qualified as underwear, a blue crop top with a loose, knitted fishnet vest over the top. Her left shoulder was exposed as the vest slipped down her bare arm.

He was staring again.

"Don't sneak up on me." He grunted, turning his chair back around.

"You looked busy." Now she draped herself over the back of his chair, resting her head on his shoulder. Paul flinched involuntarily. Despite the best part of a day in the studio - a place Ashley was a much a bundle of energy as anywhere - she still smelt clean, like fresh linen.

"I am busy." He replied shortly.

"Right, right, grumpy pants." She laughed, "So, good news?"

Paul took a breath. She had him on edge, again, but he was still her manager, and this was genuinely good news. That other stuff could all go and hang for a while.

"Just a bit." He said, gesturing to his screen, "You're up for the LBTV Choice. Best new artist and best single."

"What?" Ashley exclaimed, now reaching around the chair to clutch at his upper arms, "Seriously?"

"Seriously!" Paul laughed, "It just came in this afternoon."

"Ho-ly crap," she said, sounding almost dazed, "holy crap!"

With a squeal, she tugged his chair backward and grabbed his hands, pulling him to his feet. Paul couldn't stop grinning as she bounced with excitement, her eyes wide with joy.

"I can't believe it!" She cried.

"You guys earned it." Paul said honestly, "Really, congrats Ashley."

Ashley stopped bouncing, looking up at him. Suddenly, her eyes filled with tears.

"This is for you too, Paul," she said, her voice hitching, "You...you've worked as hard as any of us. For us."

"Anyone can do what I do, Ashley," he said, "you're the ones with the talent. And this is just the start! Screw just getting nominated, we're gonna win this thing."

Ashley smiled widely, tears trickling prettily down her cheeks.

"Right..." she said, "Right! We're going to win!"

With another happy squeal she threw her arms around him, squeezing tightly. For once not feeling conflicted, Paul hugged her back.

"And, if we win..." she said softly, "will you give me a reward?"

Before he had a chance to reply the door to his office clattered open.

"Hoi there lovebirds!" Jasmin yelled as she stomped into the room. A dusky, attractive woman in her early forties, the director's small stature belied her commanding, often boisterous presence.

For once, Paul didn't feel the need to jump back from Ashley. If he couldn't be happy for her today, when could he, despite everything else that was going on.

"Got my mail, I guess?"

"Right. And we're going out to celebrate." Jasmin replied, "On me."

"On the company."

"Same thing." Unable to control her own smile, Jasmin put a hand on Ashley's shoulder, "Really great work, kid. You girls really deserve this."

"Yeah. And we're going to win!" Disengaging from Paul, Ashley turned to Jasmin, her fists clenched at her side.

"That's the spirit!" Jasmin raised a hand and the two bumped fists, "But first, we all have an appointment with doctor alcohol and professor toilet bowl."

By the time they left the office it felt as though Jasmin had gathered up half the building to tag along. Everyone was in high spirits; although award nominations weren't unheard around the company, it was still a big deal. Particularly a first ever nomination, and the girls were especially popular with the production staff.

The night ended up being a long one - although thankfully the girls stayed out of the worst of Jasmin's drinking games - and the office was subdued the next day. Paul came in early, anticipating the flood of mails he was going to be seeing, and started work sifting through the spam and trash to try and pick out some genuine opportunities. Interviews, appearances, photo shoots and more; Twin Hearts were a bigger ticket than ever.

The girls' break was actually perfect timing. The award nominations meant any previous plans were out of the window, at least those they weren't already signed up to. It wasn't just the need to sift through the avalanche of offers piling up in his inbox; he needed to try and give them as good a chance as possible of actually winning. That meant a real strategy. When to push the big TV appearances, when to ease off to avoid fatigue, how to harness live appearances for maximum social media clout. Solo appearances where it fit; Mikki on children's TV, Sam on a comedy quiz show, Ashley appearing in some glitzy Saturday night variety show. Profile along with the music - if he could land the right schedule, he knew the girls could pull it off.

For much of the next week he and Iva poured over various offers, in constant contact with agents, producers, venues and journalists. There was a lot to work out, and he wanted everything in motion by the time everyone was back in town.

Originally, he had planned on taking some time off in the week too, but in the end he worked as long as ever, ending each evening by the flickering light of his computer monitor as the building slowly emptied out. Iva, ever the workaholics enabler, spent almost as much time in the office as he did.

It wasn't until Friday afternoon that Jasmin finally bullied him into taking a bit of time off, threatening to cancel his pass if he didn't go home.

It was his first weekend off in what felt like forever. No shows, no recordings, no meet and greets or interviews. His mails were relatively quiet as people started shifting into weekend mode, and Jasmin had taken his laptop hostage anyway. With things well in hand he didn't relish the idea of trying to carry on correspondence via his mobile.

But with no work, the last thing Paul wanted to do was spend time alone with nothing to occupy his mind. Those were the times when his mind wandered, inevitably finding its way to Ashley and things he really didn't want to be thinking about. After scarcely an hour fidgeting restlessly in his apartment he'd called up his best friend, Lachlan, with the intention of hitting a bar and maybe finding a girl to distract himself.

If there was one person he could trust to be up for an impromptu night out, it was Lachlan. His friend lived a supremely relaxed lifestyle, for all that he had somehow stumbled into a career as an accountant. His girlfriends came and went with regularity, and his unwillingness to be tied into anything overly serious generally contributed to the swift ending.

They met up outside a bar in town at just past eight. Lachlan - sporting his typical shirt and cargo shorts combo, in defiance of various door policies - clapped him heavily on the shoulder.

"Alright mate!" Lachlan was naturally a loud talker, and seemingly oblivious to it, "Man, you look like shit. They got you working all hours these days."

"Yeah, good to see you too, Lachie." Paul said.

"Don't sound too excited. Awards are supposed to be a good thing, you sour faced wanker," Lachlan rolled his eyes, "Come on, let's blow off some steam. You look like you need a few drinks."

If nothing else, spending time with Lachlan was a good way to unwind. He was happy to listen to Paul's woes around work - at least, those woes he felt like sharing - but otherwise could talk forever about whatever crap was on his mind and make it entertaining at the same time. Somehow, he even made working for an auditor sound like a riot.

The moved from bar to bar for much of the evening, eventually finding themselves in a low-key club at a little past midnight. Lachlan had wandered off to hit on a girl he was sure had given him the eye, and Paul resolved to do the same. What better way to take his mind off Ashley than with an actual girl.

In the past Paul had never found it too difficult to pick up girls when he was of a mind to, although it was no means as effortless as Lachlan made it seem. Being able to fall back on the old record industry line was always handy in that regard, even if the actual bands he'd worked with had mostly been underwhelming.

He wasn't quite on his game, but before long he found himself chatting at the bar with a pretty young woman named Dawn. A curvaceous brunette with a tantalising amount of cleavage on show, she was about as far from Ashley as could be. A nurse, or a social worker or similar. A normal girl; someone he could have fun with.

As they talked his mind started to wander and, before he could stop himself, it turned to Ashley. He found himself mentally comparing the two, as though there was some legitimate competition to be had. Dawn had bigger boobs, whereas Ashley had a prettier face. She was keen and serious, while Ashley was bright, outgoing and energetic. They both tossed their hair cutely, tucking loose locks behind an ear and smiling sweetly.

Dawn was a woman, Ashley was a boy.

Groaning, Paul knuckled his forehead. Focus! Taking a long swig of his drink, he turned to Dawn and...

She was gone.

"Hoo, fuck man, what're you doing?" Suddenly Lachlan was there, throwing a heavy arm around his shoulder.

"I...shit, what just happened?"

"You just staring at your drink like a gormless prick while a hot girl tries to talk to you was what happened." Lachlan laughed, "You alright?"

"Yeah, I'm fine." He let out a weak laugh, "Guess I'm just not feeling it tonight."

"Yeah, I can see that. Hoi, two double vodkas mate." He waved a hand at the barman.

Paul took the drink and knocked it back in one, letting out a long breath.

"Hey, you mind if I go for little miss tits'n'ass there?" Lachlan asked, after he slammed his own glass down.

"Yeah, knock yourself out." Paul replied, "Think I'm gonna call it a night. I'm pretty shattered."

"Alright mate, no worries." Lachlan clapped him on the shoulder again, "Give us a ring tomorrow and we can chill. You look like you need it."

"You're not wrong."

While Lachlan went off chasing Dawn, Paul staggered outside into the cool night air and rang up a taxi. Settling on a bench outside, he shoved his hands inside his coat to wait.

It always came back to Ashley. Ashley who messed around with him, who teased and flirted all day long, who was so damn pretty and knew it full well. Ashley who knew Paul would suck her...his dick if he asked him to. Even with an attractive girl on his arm at the bar, it just came back to Ashley again.

Paul knew he was in deep shit.

***

By the time the girls returned from their break Paul had most of their revised schedule worked out. He had called them in to share the plans and go over the last few points around the solo appearances he had lined up.

Mikki was already at the office by the time he got in, all boundless enthusiasm as ever. He knew she would have no issues with anything he'd lined up; she just loved to perform, and even the crummiest venues they had found themselves in in the early days had been exciting for her. And she loved working with children.

Ashley and Sam arrived around the same time about an hour after he did. Once he had everyone together Iva helped him got through everything they had planned. Even Ashley paid close attention, and she and Mikki were positively jumping with excitement at everything lined up. He could tell Sam was happy too, but she was rather more muted in her reaction as usual.

He had emailed his ideas for solo plans ahead of time, and Sam had already come back with a couple of alterations. One clashed with her and Cassie's anniversary, while another she had taken a particular dislike to the mediocre rent-a-panellist comedian she was slated to be paired with. The first he could drop - the girls were appearing together earlier in the day - and the second he had already sorted with the production company. Jobbing stand-ups were ten a penny.

Ashley, on the other hand, just arrived with more surprises for him.

"Hey, look at this one!" Ashley stood next to his desk, bouncing on the balls of her feet, waving her smartphone.

"What is it?" He asked.

Grinning, Ashley proffered her phone, and Paul took it from her, scrolling back to the top of the mail on screen. His heart sank when he saw Jasmin's name in the sender's field.

Scorch Magazine. His eyes had just skimmed over it before when it had landed in his own inbox, the idea not even bothering to enter his mind to be dismissed. A notorious men's mag, famous for scantily clad girls and not a lot else. He'd not even noticed it had been sent to his boss too.

"Really?" He deadpanned, giving her a look.

"Hey, they asked for me." She said brightly, eyes sparkling mischievously.

"What is it?" Mikki asked curiously.

"Scorch want me to do a photo shoot!" Mikki looked confused, and Sam burst out laughing.

"What's that?" Mikki asked, looking askance at Sam, who seemed to be having trouble breathing.

"A best-selling magazine." Ashley said.

"A top shelf best-selling magazine." Sam snorted.

Mikki's eyes widened.

"Like...a nudie magazine?" she sounded both breathless and a little scandalised, "But...they'd see your thingie."

"I don't think the readers of Scorch want a model with a bigger thingie than they have." Sam laughed.

"It's not that kind of magazine." Ashley pouted, "It's a lads' mag, not porn. It could be a swimwear shoot."

"Oh yeah, I can see that. You in your bikini top and banana hammock, it'll make a nice change from bleach blondes with inflatable boobs."

"I can use tape, or have a suit with a skirt."

The two bickered back and forth for a while, and Paul left them to it. They were having fun, and he could tell they both knew Ashley wasn't actually being serious. Mikki chipped in with her charmingly earnest suggestions, but she soon caught on too as Sam and Ashley became more and more outlandish, giggling along with them.

Over the next six weeks, the girls worked to their schedules like model professionals, and Paul was with them every exhausting step of the way. With the awards coming up press attention had been cranked up another notch, and Jasmin put even more of the labels resources in his hands. The social media team in particular were working overtime, getting performance and clips and little behind the scenes pieces out to all the major platforms and encouraging discussion.

Two weeks before the awards ceremony they had their return on the Kavatz show, taking top billing. Sam and Ashley's shtick drew more than a few laughs, and Paul couldn't have been happier by the end of filming.

If nothing else, whether they won an award or not, their exposure had gone up massively. For the first time in his life, Paul felt on the cusp of something truly big.

With all the work on their plates, even Ashley had less time to think about her little games. He still found himself sucking her off from time to time, but it wasn't quite the regular routine it had become.

Ashley was as focussed as anyone on making the most of the opportunity. She wanted to be a star, more than anything else.

In a perverse way, he almost felt neglected when she went for days without calling upon him, but he was busy enough himself not to give it too much thought.

***

The LBTV Choice ceremony was being hosted at the grandly named Royal Majesty hotel, a place that lived up to its billing in price if not quite luxury. It was still an impressive location, far more so than anywhere Paul would stay under his own coin.

He arrived relatively early in the evening, sharing a taxi with Iva and Dale, one of the producers who had worked closely with the group. The ceremony proper wouldn't start until later on in the evening, so there was time to mingle and make the most of open bar.

Paul had been to a couple of awards ceremonies before, as part of the entourage supporting one of the other artists on the books. On those occasions, there hadn't been any genuine jeopardy - although it would have been nice for his colleagues and the label to have won, it wasn't as personal and they were far from being favourites. He'd been able enjoy the night, the glitz and glamour and free booze, mixing with friends from the industry and some of his personal favourite artists. He had no responsibilities, other than to avoid making an ass of himself.