Siren Super Star

Moriko rose from the ocean, water sliding down her trim frame. As it flowed over her, iridescent gold scales melted away to reveal porcelain human skin, sleek curves, shiny black hair, and rosy lips that curled up with joy. The beach was nearly empty, but moonlight sent a glow that illuminated the one person Moriko most wanted to see there—Hayden. She stopped, taking in his tall imposing body—golden hair, broad shoulders, square jaw, and eyes she knew were blue like the depths of the ocean. She ran to him, her bare breasts bouncing lightly as her feet flew across the fine sand. Hayden’s arms opened and she threw herself into them as his lips crashed down over hers. "God, I missed you baby," he growled, digging his fingers into her hair and pulling lightly so he could get a look at her face. She smiled up at him, adoring the feel of his big hands on her bare skin. "I missed you too.”  "I know you must have a lot to tell me," Hayden continued, "but first, I need you. I need to know we’re ok, no matter what your family decided." Moriko nodded. "Yes, please. I feel like I’m going to crawl out of my skin if I don’t have you inside me right this minute." Hayden pulled her down on the blanket he’d laid on the beach while he had waited. He stripped off his shirt and then his swim trunks. Moriko gazed at his movie star form. Perfect abs, well-formed pecs, and the tightest ass she’d ever seen. She was one lucky Siren, she reminded herself.  He kissed her gently as she lay on her back, but the kiss escalated quickly, tongues tangling, breath hot and short. His hands found her breasts, and she arched into him, gasping. "God, I love you," he murmured as he took one taut n****e into his mouth. "I love you too," she echoed, reaching for his very impressive erection. He groaned and slid over her as she spread her legs. "Don’t ever leave me, Moriko," he whispered in her ear. "Promise you’ll never leave me." Then he slid inside her and her world exploded. ** The crowd’s energy was electrifying. Moriko had never felt anything quite like it. It was as though she had an invisible connection to them, a rope that ran from her heart to theirs.  "Thank you so much, Miami!" she said into the microphone. "I’ll remember this night always!" She took one last bow before jogging toward the wings of the stage. Once out of the crowd’s line of sight she saw Hayden waiting and ran to him, throwing her arms around his neck.  His strong arms closed around her waist and she heard him murmur, "Super proud of you, baby." "Oh my God," she gushed, pulling away and grabbing his hand as they walked toward a water station set up backstage. "Could you believe that? It was insane—great insane but still—I’ve never felt that kind of energy with a crowd. It’s like we had all transcended to this different plane." Hayden poured her a glass of the lemon infused water—good for her vocal chords— and handed it to her. "You were absolutely amazing. The last few shows have each been better than the previous. I don’t know how you’ll ever top tonight’s though." She drank half of her water down, relief passing through her as she felt it lubricate her internal organs, her body soaking up the fluid like a sponge. It eased a touch of the ache that went with her everywhere when she was on dry land, and she sighed in relief. Hayden idly ran a strand of her inky hair between his fingers as he talked. "I still can’t believe your family allowed you to do this—live with me here, start a career in music. I feel like I’ve been given a golden goose every day. Or maybe a golden fish," He chuckled as he leaned in and kissed her lips. She giggled, letting her head fall back so he could kiss along her neck the way she liked. She sighed in pleasure. How lucky she was to have found him. Hayden loved her beyond all reason, and he’d shown her a world and a life she would have never known if she had stayed in the ocean. "So," he said, pulling away. "Remember that tomorrow we have the nine a.m. at the recording studio. I’ll want you ready to go by eight fifteen, and the guys need to be there at eight forty-five to set up." She laid her palm on his cheek, thinking how the five o’clock shadow made him look even sexier, taking his golden boy perfection into a darker, grittier place. "Yes, hon, I’ll be ready, but right now I need to celebrate a little before I get back to work." He smiled. "Of course, baby." Then he looked at his phone. "I have to send a few emails about this new sponsorship deal with the hotel in South Beach. Why don’t I do that while you get out of costume. Meet you in your dressing room in an hour?" "Perfect," she cooed before giving him one last lingering kiss on the lips. Hayden strode off to conduct business, and Moriko drank another glass of water before making her way to her dressing room. Her long sequined dress had a slit that ran up to one hip, and the tiniest spaghetti straps in existence. But it fitted her so closely, so intimately, that it hardly moved as she walked down the long hall that led from backstage to the dressing rooms of the auditorium. "Moriko!" a slightly accented voice called from behind her. She turned and smiled as her tech manager, Tavi, jogged toward her, his floppy black hair falling over big, brown eyes framed with the world’s longest lashes. "You forgot to take off your backup mic," he said, smiling as he pulled to a stop in front of her. "Oh!" she smiled back and tried to look down at the top of her dress. "Here, let me grab it," he said, his cheeks flushing slightly. He started to fuss with the tiny mic clipped to the top edge of her bodice, and while she knew it wasn’t the best girlfriend behavior, she couldn’t help the little zing of excitement that ran through her when his knuckles accidentally brushed her skin. "That show was incredible," he said, his head bent to her chest. "What you did with the last song of the set was sheer genius." "You really think?" she asked, smiling as he ran a finger underneath the edge of her dress, ostensibly to get a firmer grip on the little mic. He stopped, hands frozen against her skin. His expression was so earnest, so adoring, her heart did a funny squeezing thing as she gazed at him. "Seriously," he told her. "When you dropped the last refrain and filled in with the revamped chorus? It gave this whole new life to the song. It was brilliant." He finally pulled the mic off, his touch brushing across the skin of her chest tenderly, almost erotically. She stifled the shiver that followed. "Thank you so much, Tavi," she didn’t even try to stop the glowing smile that spread across her face.  His gaze was hot as he moved even closer to her, so close she could nearly count all those beautiful black lashes of his. "Of course.” Tavi’s voice was rougher now. She blinked at him, stopping just as she began to reach out a hand to touch him. Nope. Can’t go there, she told herself. "I have to…" she gestured down the hall toward her dressing room. "Oh! Yeah, sure," he answered quickly as if coming out of a trance. He stepped back. "Um, have a nice night." "You too." She turned to go. "Moriko?" Tavi said before she could walk away. She looked back over her shoulder at him. "You know if you ever need anything all you have to do is ask, right? I mean I’m here—your staff is here—to help with whatever." "Thank you, Tavi," she said, giving him one last smile. "I’ll make sure to remember that. Have a good night." He said goodbye and went back toward the stage to supervise the breakdown for the night.  Moriko entered her dressing room to find the flowers, snacks, and Congratulations sign that always greeted her after a show. She’d always assumed the gifts were from Hayden, but he’d never said a word, nor left a card, so she figured he would be embarrassed if she gushed too much about it. But she loved the little salmon tarts, hummus and crackers, and date rolls that always waited for her, along with a dozen long-stemmed purple roses. It never got old knowing her favorite foods and favorite color flowers would be waiting for her after performing. She walked to the dressing counter, reaching for a salmon tart before looking up into the mirror. "Ohmygod," she gasped as she saw the two men standing on the far side of the room. She spun around, hand to her chest as her heart raced. They looked like they must be security staff—black polo shirts, linebacker builds, and shoulder holsters. "You scared me half to death.” They both moved toward her quickly. "Sorry, Miss Rae," the taller of the two said. "We hate to do this, but business is business." Before she could inhale to scream—a secret weapon that would have stopped them in their tracks—the shorter man was alongside of her, and she felt a blinding pain on the back of her skull. Her eyes shut in reflex, and everything spun as she was lifted into the air. Then as if she were being drug into the deepest valleys of the ocean, her entire world went black.