Fireworks 3 and 4

Chapter Two

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THREE MONTHS AGO

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    "Thank you for meeting with us, Drake," a tall Caucasian man with dark brown hair said, gesturing for Drake and Mia to sit.

    Drake's gaze centered on Rihanna, seated at the conference table twisting a curl of dark hair around one index finger. A white blazer was draped over her shoulders, without a shirt beneath it. Long, wide-legged pants covered her lower half. As he pulled out a chair for Mia, he asked Rihanna, "Did the meeting have to be so formal?"

    Rihanna shrugged casually. "I know you. You would have been suspicious of my motives if the meeting wasn't as professional as possible. So, here we are."

    "There has been news of Rihanna wanting you to join her on her tour," the man explained. "While she knows that your roster is quite full this year already, she would like to officially ask you to pop in at a few of her tour stops. Surprise the crowd."

    "Why me?" Drake asked, seating himself. "Why now? We haven't released anything recently."

    "There has been a demand from the fans to see 'Aubrih,'" the man responded.

    Rihanna laughed behind her hand and cast her eyes downward.

    Drake glanced at Mia, who nervously crossed one leg over the other. "Aubrih" was an affectionate term that fans had given Drake and Rihanna back when they were a couple. He ran a hand over his head. "The fans may want to see 'Aubrih,' but 'Aubrih' no longer exists," he said flatly.

    "Right...what is the name they've given you?" Rihanna turned her head to the side, then snapped her fingers. "Aubria? Right? Am I right?" She laughed again and clasped her hands together on top of the table. "Look...I'd like to move on just like you, but the fans have spoken. No one can deny that whenever we work together, we make magic. We're no longer together, but we still have a certain... chemistry. The fans can see that. The fans miss it."

    "The timing isn't right," Drake said, standing. "I'm sorry."

    Mia reached up and grabbed his hand. Squeezing on it gently, she asked him, "Are you turning down the offer because you're worried about how I'd react?"

    "I'm turning down the offer because the timing doesn't right," he told her. "And because I can't give the fans something that no longer exists. It wouldn't be right."

    "Your fans love us together," Rihanna said in a singsong voice, leaning all the way back in her chair and wheeling it around. "My fans love us together. So do you want to make a little bit of money or are you going to let your moral compass get in the way of that?"

    "Rih..." the dark-haired man said in a warning tone.

    Rihanna popped up in her chair, her bright green eyes flashing. "No. I gave him the professional meeting that he wants, but it's time for us to get real now. Half a million a night for performing one song, maybe two...something you would have done for free a few years back. Something you did do for free a few years back, if I'm not mistaken. Are you going to make this money with me, or are you going to keep following Mia around, playing the role of the dutiful boyfriend? The decision is yours."

    Drake's brows drew together. Rihanna had hit a nerve, and Mia knew it. He was easily the most driven individual that Mia had ever met, and Rihanna's words challenged him in a way that he wouldn't want to back away from.

    As much as Mia wished she could speak her true feelings to Drake, she never wanted her relationship to get in the way of his career. So she did what any good girlfriend would do. When he looked down at her, searching for some form of permission or blessing from her, she offered a small smile and squeezed his hand again. "She's right. Whenever you guys work on a project together, it's always gold."

    He shook his head slowly, searching her eyes for unspoken sentiments. Searching for the underlying meaning behind her words, because he was smart enough to know that she wasn't nearly as approving of this arrangement as she was putting on.

    She stared back at him, knowing what he was looking for and refusing to show it to him. "It's okay."

    He sighed and turned to look at Rihanna. "Draw up the contracts and send them to Oliver. We'll look over them and I'll see what I can do."

    "Thanks, doll," Rihanna said, unwrapping a lollipop and sticking it in her mouth.

    Mia stood up to join Drake, and followed him out of the office of Rihanna's management team.

    They didn't speak until they were seated in the backseat of the Chevy Tahoe with tinted windows. "You can't be okay with this." He made it a statement and not a question.

    "She had valid points," Mia said, staring out of the window.

    "You hate the idea."

    "I do," she whispered.

    "What?" he asked, leaning closer to her.

    "I...believe in you," she said, looking up at him. "And I trust you. You and Rih have...this wow factor that you and I don't, I guess. The fans want to see you guys perform together again. There's nothing really wrong with that. You do have songs together that both of you still perform while you're on tour, so..." She shrugged.

    "Mia."

    She stared down at her lap and blinked back tears of frustration. "When it comes to a situation like this, our relationship shouldn't hold you back from participating."

    "Why shouldn't our relationship be the main deciding factor in whether or not I participate?" he demanded. "People want to see Aubrih? Like...what the fuck? Everyone knows that I am with you now."

    She turned her head away from him.

    He reached up and grabbed her chin in his hand. "Don't look away from me," he commanded, forcing her to look at him again. "I am with you now. Do you hear me?"

    She nodded.

    He lowered his head and kissed her. "I shouldn't do this," he mumbled against her lips.

    "It would benefit both of you," she protested against his lips. Then she pulled back. "It would be smart business, and you're a smart businessman."

    "Bad idea," he muttered, but grabbed her hand and pulled it up to his lips before setting it in his lap.

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THE PRESENT

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    "Trust me," Chubbs assured Mia. "What you see going on up there is just for show. You'll see when he comes off of the stage."

    Mia stared across the stage at her boyfriend, who looked to be positively gleeful to have his arms around Rihanna. Will I? she couldn't help but wonder. Because all she could think about was his words in that chauffeured SUV...

    Bad idea...