Free Savor by Kate Evangelista Page B

posture. A palpable pause followed
    until Luka spoke.
    “Demitri is right in saying we wanted a break. And rumors are just that.” He smiled and
    the woman actually blushed. I rolled my eyes. Da-yam! The guy knew how to work the room.
    At the tail end of Luka’s words, Phoenix said, “We love what we do, but sometimes we
    need time to decompress. It’s nice to be back home.”
    “I take it this is your only interview,” the man said.
    Dray nodded. “We can’t say no to our Crescent City Today family. When we first started
    out, you welcomed us with open arms.”
    The way the band spoke, taking turns with each question, it seemed they had everything
    carefully choreographed. Yet the responses sounded natural. It was like they were so used to
    being interviewed that they didn’t really think about it anymore.
    “So,” the woman finally spoke, regaining her composure. “Tell us about the next song you
    will be performing. I heard it’s new.”
    “Yes.” Demitri’s gaze slid to Luka. “The band dynamic is different in this one. We hope that
    everyone likes it.”
    “Well, why wait?” the man said. He turned to the camera. “When we return, Vicious will
    debut a new single exclusively for our Crescent City Today viewers. Stay tuned after these
    messages.”
    When the producer gave the all clear signal, a flurry of activity resumed. The hosts
    thanked the band members for coming to the show. Demitri reached up behind him and
    pulled off the shirt in one move. My mouth watered when his muscles rippled at the
    movement. The women in the studio fanned themselves, unabashedly staring and sighing.
    Phoenix unzipped her jacket and handed it to makeup girl. Dray slipped on his gloves and
    pulled out his drumsticks from his back pocket.
    I expected Phoenix to take the mic. Instead she shrugged on an electric guitar with a tribal
    design of a bird in flight. In the same moment, Demitri shrugged on a pure white bass. What
    the hell was happening? Was this what they meant about a different band dynamic?
    I almost fell over trying to position myself between the two cameras at the performance
    area. In a jaw dropping moment, Luka stood in front of the mic stand. He threaded his fingers
    together, cradling the mic between his palms.
    “He’s gonna sing?” I asked no one in particular.
    Yana responded, positioning herself at my side. “You better get this.”
    “Wouldn’t dream of missing it.”
    The producer counted down and I lifted my camera, prepared to watch the whole thing
    through the lens.
    Luka had his head bowed, eyes closed like the time in the elevator.
    The hosts, who now stood to the side of the performance area reintroduced the band and
    called the song they were about so sing Poison . My heart beat in my throat. I took in one slow breath and released the shutter the second Luka opened his eyes. He looked right at me.
    I froze.
    Everything around me stopped.
    Was he really looking at me?
    When he sang, all the blood in my body congregated in my face. My skin burned. His voice
    was unlike anything I’d ever heard. Deep, yet quiet, like a sexy whisper. He sang of dark
    nights. Of cold beds. Of moments he can never get back. With each lyric that escaped his lush
    lips, my heart stuttered.
    The song was slow and sensual until they reached the chorus.
    Luka screamed, “You are poison. I opened my veins willingly for you. From the moment
    we met, you pushed my heart into a prison. You are poison. Poison. Poison.”
    The beat picked up yet it seemed like the saddest part of the song. By the time the second
    chorus rolled in, a tear I didn’t expect to fall escaped. I reached up and swiped it away. The entire time Luka stared at me. I didn’t get why he did that. I didn’t want him to keep looking at me with those serious eyes.
    You are poison. Poison. Poison.
    I couldn’t move. Couldn’t breathe. My lungs burned, but the ache in my heart hurt worse.
    It was so unlike me to be affected by a song.
    Unable to