Hidden Desires

One: The beginning

Lauren Jauregui sat in the recording studio, the air was filled with a thick layer of smoke and the bass of the music bounced off her eardrums. Her life had begun to slow down since the departure of the group. She texted Dinah casually now and then, usually to hang out and smoke. It's been a while since they were all together. She didn't mind.

Her nights were usually filled with all-nighters in the studio and smog-filled rooms. She was comfortable. She had signed with Columbia Records a few months back and released three songs, went on tour a few times but wanted a change even after everything that had recently happened.

Lauren let out a breath, her mind dizzy with thoughts of music and sleepless nights. The knock on the door, her manager made her jump out of her chair. Choking on the air around her. An unexpected surprise. 

"You got a sec?" He said, raising an eyebrow at Lauren. 

Inhaling the cigarette back into her lungs, she held her finger up as to motion for him to hold on a second.

She let out a sigh of smokey air and turned the volume knob on the speaker down to a much lower level, all her thoughts came back to her.

"Whats up Jared" she waved the fog away from her face. She ruffled with hair, her fingers getting caught in the knotted mess. The singer hadn't taken a decent shower, let alone a bath, in days. Either she didn't want too, or just never had the time. The label pressed meetings and show pop-ups, rehearsals, and meetings that almost never happened on her at the asscrack of dawn leaving her a tired and disgusting mess.

"We have someone from the label here to talk about expenses. Don't disturb us, he does fund what you're doing."  circling to Lauren and her situation, quietly speaking as to not inform the people in the room next door that Lauren was smoking a joint in the recording studio.

Lauren rolled her eyes. The label had planned this for months, only for the plans to fall through. While these people do fund the company, they were not the greatest at following with what they say and plan with Columbia. Lauren honestly never understood why she needed to go to these meetings, but she did anyway.

He left, leaving her to groan and that's when she heard it. Him. The voice. The hair on her arms stood up and the room suddenly got hot. She heard it again and again. Fragments of a sentence, but they were angelic. If the devil was somehow an angel again she pictured him in her mind. His voice was like butter for her. Lauren's heart began to race as she realized she was fantasizing over a simple voice. You cant fantasize over someone's voice, could you?

"I don't have all night, I have places to be. Shall we begin?" he spoke

The voice was so angelic, with demonic undertones. Lauren quickly smashed the cigarette against the tray. Trying to focus on the song she had been writing Lauren sat down grabbing her pencil. Nothing good was coming to her mind, the voice just replayed in her head. She would write a few things down, nothing sufficient.

 Crumpling up the paper she tossed it across the room to the trash can, missing by a long shot. She wasn't even surprised anymore. Lauren shut off the music completely and got up, walking out the room. 

She tried to sneak a peek through the small window from the meeting room. She heard laughter. The voice, barely recognizable through the overabundance of voices in the room. She saw a few faces she didn't recognize. She swore she saw red, a dark red to be exact. Lauren knew she had seen the face before.

The figure stood up. She knew that the voice she had been fantasizing about came from the figure laughing with Jared as they got up and shook hands. His suit was all black. The tie, the shirt, the pants, the shoes. She couldn't see the shoes, but she just knew. As they walked towards the door she stood by she fantasized. 

Wait, She thought snapping back to the reality of her dumbass standing right in front of the door. They were walking towards her. Lauren scurried back to the recording area, but it was too late. She was seen. Come up with an excuse, come up with an excuse.

"Who is this?" she heard someone say. It wasn't the man, it wasn't the same voice.

She turned around. Her eyes met with the red causing her hair to stand up on end, her head getting cold and her mind blanking. His eyes were, big. She wondered what else was.

"Lauren, this is Elmo. He owns Columbia."

He. Owns. Columbia???!??

"As in Jauregui? Lauren Jauregui?"  Elmo asked. Lauren nodded, biting her lip. His hand extended towards her. She grabbed it, shocking her in the process. The hand was so fucking soft. His eyes never left hers. "She was recently with Fifth Harmony. You could have heard with them?"

"I know precisely who she is. I think I know who you sign onto this company, I do own it." 

Lauren looked down at their hands. They were still intertwined together. 

"Um." she pointed

Elmo's hand snapped back. "I'm sorry ma'am" His expression never faltered, Lauren felt her smile fade.

Ma'am?  "Oh. It's o-"

Lauren heard her phone sound off in the recording studio.

 "I'll be right back"

She raced back, almost tripping on the door as she opened it. It was Dinah. Speak of the fucking devil. She declined the call and raced back. He was leaving.

"Wait!" she yelled, stopping him as the elevator opened.

Elmo laughed. "It was wonderful meeting you Miss. Jauregui."

"Lauren is fine."

"Lauren it is."

Elmo stepped into the elevator as Lauren's heart raced a mile a minute. "Going down?" she asked. Quickly realizing they were on the top level.

"You can join me. If you want." Elmo offered.

The door of the elevator slowly began to close. She slammed her hand between the two doors.

"I would love too." The ebony-haired girl awkwardly smiled. 

Her phone went off again, silencing it and stepping into the elevator, the space between them filled with their bodies.

Their hands brushed one another. The spark was reunited causing her heart to speed up and make her breath to be quicker, much faster than his. Elmo spoke up.

"Come with me."

She looked at him, trying to catch her breath.

"Huh?"

"Come with me," he repeated. "I wanna get to know the star that is Lauren Jauregui"

The elevator began to spin. Was this really happening? To her? 

Her boyfriend, now ex-boyfriend, Ty Dolla Sign also known as Tyrone Griffin Jr had broken up with her a few weeks ago. Surely Elmo had known about this. Elmo. The thought of his name made her body shiver with pleasure.

"Yes."

Elmo smirked, his mouth curving into a devilish grin. 

"Well. Let the fun begin." He said. The doors to the elevator opening on command.