FAUST 1997 "Homecoming" 1001.97 by Nytshaed. ©1998 Chaotic Works Inc. No part of the manuscript may be published, posted or reposted without explicit written permission by the Author. This story is of an Adult nature and is intended for persons over the age of 18.
.

He wiped the black towel over his chiseled, muscled chest. Working out was one of the things he didn't need to do, but did for the enjoyment of it. He prized his body highly and treated it with the care and respect he showed his other prized possessions. After catching his breath, he laid back down on the bench and gripped the crossbar holding the free weights. He had one more set to do, twenty five reps at 225 pounds and he would be done.

Later, as he stood in the shower he ran his hands through his long ebony hair, feeling the hot water run in rivers all over his body. His skin was the color of rich wood after the week in Maui at the Death Records condo. The miserable weather in both New York and L.A. had gotten to be too depressing, so he had taken off for a week. Now it was time to get back to work on the new album, and get ready to go on the road. Swan was planning a 15 month tour that would encircle the globe. The rest of the band was already out in L.A. working on the new material Swan had written, and he would join them soon. Actually he would join them when the threatening calls from Swan reached critical mass. It was a game they played every time a new album was due out. The eternal power struggle.

Power was an aphrodisiac for the both of them. Both hated the things the other possessed, and this envy was always seething just below the surface. However, the relationship was symbiotic, and neither could do without the other. Stepping out of the black marble bathroom, he wrapped his robe around himself as he walked to the kitchen to grab a glass and pour a glass of Jack Daniel's. He had just taken the first sip when the phone rang. He stood there staring at the phone as it continued to ring, and after the third ring, his machine picked up. In perfectly spoken French, the message played:

"Thank you for calling the House of Secret Desire. All of our pleasure slaves are occupied, please leave your name and number, and we will call you back within the hour."

The beep went off, and AJ. listened to the caller.

"House of Secret Desire huh? You've got to be kidding..." Came the female voice. Upon recognizing it, AJ. vaulted over the back of the black leather couch and snatched the phone up from it's cradle.

"Hello my love.." He purred.

"Screening calls eh? Expecting trouble?"

"No. Just Swan. How are you? I have missed you so... I was just thinking about you."

"Hmmm... I could tell, that whole week you were in Maui, I don't think my phone rang once."

"How did you know I was in Maui? Nobody knows I was in Maui!"

"You maxed out your corporate card, and they called my office to ask if we wanted to okay a higher limit. So I was nice and told them yes. I would have hated to see you stranded there, or worse yet, have to fly coach."

"I was gonna ask you to go with me ya know, but then Swan would have found out, and he would have bullied you into goin' to L.A. to work on the new album, and I would have ended up goin' alone anyway. Then you woulda been bummed out since you couldn't go."

"Nice try. I'm not buying it."

"Really! I was saving you the heartache. Let me make it up to you..."

"How? What will you buy me this time?"

"What would you like?"

"AJ.!! You are so typical!! You think all it takes is money to either buy me off or make me happy! You haven't matured at all. I don't know why I even bother to make time for you. And to top it off, you run off for a week without me, don't call, and don't expect me to be mad at you!"

"I'm a bad boy... Will you spank me?"

"Urggg! I'd love to beat you within an inch of your pitiful life but I know you would enjoy every second of it."

"Sad but true. No one raises welts on me like you do."

"Well. Since you are there, and I am here, I guess I'll find someone else to go to the Foundations Forum with this weekend. I know Stevie will be there... He's always a gas. I'll call him."

"I think NOT!" AJ. roared.

"What are you going to do to stop me?"

"Have him killed."

"That's real mature."

"But effective. I don't like how he flirts with you, too fucking obvious. He knows we're together now. Someone needs to whip his ass." He said, unconsciously slipping back into his native southern accent.

"I thinks he's cute. A dynamo kisser, and God.. You know how long it's been since I've had a good fuck... You being out of town and all..." She teased.

The silence she received from the other end of the line told her just how pissed off she had gotten him. He knew very well that he was a former lover of hers, and that the attraction had never fully been severed between the two of them. Sophie and Stevie kept in very frequent touch with each other. He fought to regain control of his temper, and answered her through a veil of calm.

"If you want some southern fried love my dear, come see me..."

"Naw! Too cold and stormy back there. You know where I am, and you know where I'll be this weekend. I gotta go. Got work to do. I just called to see if you made it back in one piece."

"Sophie! Don't fuck with me like this! I hate when you do this!" He yelled.

"I have to go sweetie, I have album things to do before I head to Foundations. Talk to you soon?" She chirped.

"Sophie! SOPHIE!!" He yelled. He stopped in mid yell when another voice came over the line.

"AJ.? Swan here..." Came the silky smooth voice, not unlike his own.

AJ. cringed, realizing now that he had been had. Set up by the woman he loved, and shot like a fish in a barrel.

"Yeah WHAT?!" He retorted.

"I want you here, in Los Angeles, by Monday morning. We need to start rehearsals. The sooner you get here, the sooner we finish. I don't care what you do this weekend, Sophie has her plans, but the both of you are to be here, at the Recording studio Monday morning at eleven. Do I make myself clear? I'm tired of this cat and mouse shit we've been playing for two months. Oh, and by the way, there's a ticket waiting for you at Kennedy for the trip out here. First class, private corporate Lear, I figured I should at least do that for you since the Corporate Card has been maxed out, and I have had to put the account on hold. In other words, you're broke AJ. no more money until it's on tape. Good evening." The phone clicked dead in his ear. Leaving him to fume alone.

"Mutherfucker!!" He yelled as he slammed the phone down. His violet eyes fairly glowed he was so angry. Sophie was his single weakness and Swan knew it, as did she unfortunately for him. Swan was the trap and she was the bait. Normally he wouldn't care, and blow them both off, he could always sweet talk himself back into Sophie's good graces, but he knew that she would go seek out Stevie at the Forum, and he didn't want that to happen. Bad planning on his part, he should have taken her to Hawaii with him and then they would both be in New York together and this wouldn't have happened.

AJ. looked over at the clock on the mantle as it chimed midnight. Sighing loudly, he got up from the couch and went to get dressed. The night was young as far as New York was concerned, and now he really needed to let off some steam.

Two hours later, sitting at a table in the VIP section of OZ, he poured another shot of Jack Daniel's from the gold reserve bottle he was drinking from. He looked at the crowd at the club that night. All of the people there were the movers and shakers in the New York music and movie business. His anger was slowly subsiding, and was being replaced by a warm, drunken, horny feeling. Slowly his eyes roamed the crowd for possibilities. Deep in his heart, he didn't want to cheat on Sophie but the temptation was strong when he was apart from her, and that was his fault as well. He knew she never would cheat on him as long as they were "officially together". Or would she? Her Bayou Boy might prove too much of a temptation, especially if Stevie knew he was out of town, he would work her hard.

Sighing heavily, he drained the glass and poured another. Perhaps he would finish the bottle and just go home or better yet, go straight to the airport and fly out to L.A. He sat there for a long time spinning the glass around on the table lost in his thoughts.

Later, after getting stiff from sitting so long, he rose from his chair, and walked over to the window to look at the city so far below. It had started to rain, and drops of water began to run down the tinted glass in tiny rivers.

"Terrific." He grumbled as he set the glass down on a nearby table, and went to have the bar call him a cab.