THE CURSE


By KATZMAREK(C)


Chapter Nineteen


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Mick had a buzz on from some good Mexican hash. Dwight Cooney of Blue Rembrandt had been slugging bourbon and was not in any better condition. The two slumped together on a sofa in the vast hotel suite that'd been the venue for the nominees get together. The two watched the party wind down and the likely talent thin out. Michelle had gone to be with Emily and Anna was waiting for him to make a move - having worked the room to exhaustion.


"Whatya reckon?" Dwight 'Flash' Cooney asked Mick. "She game? I mean, she put out?"


"What? Ah, who?"


"Anna. Like, she a babe or what? Fuckin' awesome, man!"


"Don't wanna go there, bro'," he told him.


"Why?"


"Trouble."


"Hey, like, *that* trouble I wanna piece of."


"Hey, no you don't. You hear me, man - las' dude - he wound up - fucking steak knife in the guts."


"Yeah? Too fuckin' heavy?"


"Too fuckin' male, man!"


"Sh, shit! Fuckin' waste! Hey, what about - where the fuck is your bass player?"


"Taken!"


"Shit! Hey, your manager's hot - like, in a mature way?"


"Taken!"


"Shit! Maybe your drummer? She here?"


"Didn't come - she's pregnant!"


"Shit!"


"And she's my daughter."


"Hey, I didn't know - uh, I hope I'm not outa line?"


"Course not!" Mick smiled reassuringly.


"Hey, like, what's it like being in a band, like, with chicks, man?"


"Fuck!" Mick slapped his head.


"That bad?"


"Worse, man! Don't let me outa bed."


"Y'fucking with me, man? Like, on tour? Y'really fuck them?"


"'Cept m'daughter, of course. She's married!"


"Jeezus!" Dwight said in wonder. "I didn' think. I mean, I wouldn't have thought..."


"Nah!" Mick told him. "Pulling your chain, man!"


"F,fucker!" he grinned. "So, like Anna's available, like?"


"Nah! I'm taking her back to the hotel."


"Yeah? Ok, pal, that's fair. So, you'll hook me up with your bass player?"


"She's feeding our baby daughter."


"Her, too? So, tell me again, who's fucking left?"


"Jerkin''s a lot less complicated!"


"Alright for you, fucker. I wanna fuck!"


"Go cruisin'?"


"Hey, this is Los Angeles. Y'can't move in the traffic and if you walk y'get mugged for y'credit card!"


"Hotel got maids or what?"


"Hey, yeah, if y'like conchitas? They wan' ya to f,fuckin' marry them after."


"Gotta split," Mick told him, "Anna's ready!"


"Yeah, sure," Dwight replied, sullenly.


Mick could understand Dwight's interest because Anna looked stunning tonight. She wore a short red skirt that hugged her hips and showed her legs to advantage. On her feet she wore high boots that tightened her arse and made every male want to cup it, if they dared. But, at the same time, she was poised and controlled and few had any doubt she was off limits unless she said otherwise.


She was pleased to be going. They'd been barely in the country 48 hours and she was still fatigued. She leaned against Mick as he guided her outside to the cab rank. She cuddled up all the way back to their hotel, grinning contentedly to herself.


"Cooney wanted a date," he told her, laughingly.


"With me?" she asked, "he's a nice boy - why with me?"


"Ho, why not?" Mick chuckled, "you look beautiful, tonight!"


"I do?" she beamed, "but you ignored me - you keep going to smoke joints and not want to spend the time. Michelle thinks you are not looking after yourself. She thinks..."


"Anna? What does Anna think? I know what Michelle thinks. She tells me all the time."


"Ah, I think - I think you are a torn man."


"Huh?"


"Hmm! You are wounded inside - I can tell."


"Tell me more?"


"Well, ah, Sabra? Michelle? Who do I choose, huh? You want one but know that the other will go with someone else? You cannot make up your mind. Michelle feels..."


"Uh, uh. Anna's doing fine. You don't need to speak for Michelle." 


"Okay, we, ah, I, don't want you to leave. I'm scared you're going to go to America to be with Sabra. I don't want to lose you, Mick." Anna snuggled in a little tighter like a small kid frightened by a large dog.


"Anna? I'm not going to forget The Curse. It's been a wild ride and I want to ride it as far as the terminus."


"That's good, Mick," she smiled contentedly. "I want to ride it with you."


"But, how far, Anna? Y'know - you're going to get offers - to go solo. You'd be a fool not to look at that?"


"Yes, Sabra told me. She said I'd have artistic control and make much more money."


"Did she now?" Mick exclaimed. "Didn't say anything to Michelle and me about that."


"Did, too, or, at least, to Mich. She was there when she said it."


"Really? So I'm left out of the frame? She's trying to make plans affecting The Curse and she doesn't tell me? I'm trying to put together a CD - mostly by myself, working my arse off..."


"I'm sorry, Mick," she shushed him. "I thought you knew. I feel terrible."


"And Michelle was in on it? I wonder if she was going to get around to telling..."


"I think Michelle assumed you knew, too. This is all a terrible mistake!"


"I'll bet! Or Sabra's trying to cut me out of the band?"


"You think this is so?"


"So, what was Michelle going to be? Part of your new backing band? Me and Karen get ditched and, what, you and Michelle move to the States?"


"I'm not sure..."


Mick was certain Anna was telling the truth. She was a little 'Looney Toons' at times but he was sure he knew when she was fantasising. A lot of this seemed to fit - Sabra's coolness around him, for instance - and to think she was trying to stitch a deal together breaking up The Curse? Mick was furious and intended to confront Sabra about it as soon as possible.


He didn't blame her, in a way. It was tough here - tougher than he remembered from way back in the seventies. There was less money around and a lot more competition for a shrinking kitty. But, although Sabra was a hard bitch, she was always fair in dealing with people. It was so unlike her to double deal behind his back and he figured it must be the environment that was polluting her values.


Anna looked upset and Mick put his arm around her - telling her it was probably a misunderstanding. She relaxed and Mick nuzzled her hair - drawing in her scent. She was such a beautiful woman, thought Mick, and, on a purely physical level, irresistable.


He understood Michelle's infatuation. Anna was doe-eyed and child like, at times, who made you want to rush to comfort, console, make happy. Making love to this lady would be no trouble at all, but Mick thought it'd be disasterous. She was 'cherry,' in any case, and her ability to make love with a male, very much an unknown quantity.


Anna reminded Mick of a cat curled up in his lap. She cuddled next to him, dozing from tiredness as they arrived at the hotel. He nudged her awake and helped her from the cab.


Mick propped her all the way up in the elevator and walked her to the suite. When they entered they found the big king size empty. Mick discovered Michelle in the bed in the adjoining suite, propped up on pillows, with both Emily and her mother sound asleep. Evidently, Michelle had been feeding her and fell asleep with the baby at her breast. Mick decided to leave them and quietly turned off the light.


Anna went into the en-suite to change for bed and came back out, yawning, dressed in a short, silk nightshirt. Mechanically, she climbed into bed and settled down. Mick stripped down to his boxers and climbed in the other side.


He was still a little stoned and that made him horny. The object of thousands of men's desire was but a touch away and it was almost more than he could stand. His libido wanted her awake and receptive and he whispered 'good night' in the hope she was still conscious.


"Night," she replied, sleepily.


"Hey!" he touched her shoulder. She turned onto her back to look at him - her expression, enquiring. Mick chanced his arm and moved in for a kiss. She looked wary, but closed her eyes as he made contact.


He'd been here a few times, he reasoned, and had even sucked on those beautiful breasts of her's. The only difference was the absence of Michelle. He coaxed her into a real kiss, and was rewarded with a little tongue and a lot of finesse. Her arm came over his back and she dragged her fingertips down his spine and over his muscles. Mick wasn't about to back off, now, while Anna squirmed like a cat.


He remembered Mouton's words about how fucking made him seem real. Was he now whoring himself in the same fashion he'd criticised Mal for? Every caress felt like a point scored by the MTV host but he was on a roll and had to play the game out until she cried 'enough.'


That call didn't appear immediate as he managed to drag down the straps of her nightie revealing her boobs. He even rolled a leg between hers and his thigh felt the heat from her crotch. Anna pushed against it, stimulating herself, and all things appeared possible tonight.


Anna raised no objection as he slid his hand into the back of her panties onto the stunning butt of her's. It even seemed to wake her up a little and he thought he heard a little gasp as he tasted her nipples.


"Mick, what are you doing?" Mick stopped at the sound of Michelle's voice. "Y'think you should be doing that?" They both looked up at her, guiltily, but Michelle's expression softened. "You alright with that, Anna?" she asked.


"Sure, sure," she replied, breathless. "It's nice!"


"Ok," Michelle said, quietly. "Um, I guess I'll, um, go back..."


"You not coming to bed with us?" Anna asked, puzzled.


"No, I - Mick? Ah, be gentle with her, ok? Remember she's - ah, don't force - Oh Hell!"


"You alright?" Mick asked her.


"Yeah - yeah, I am. It's just a shock to see you - and Anna, doing - getting it together, and..."


"You *can* join us, if you want?"


"I'll pass, Mick, I - I'll leave you two to - Anna, ah, if you need anything?"


"I'm fine, Mich. Mick, he's so gentle and passionate!"


"Yeah, yeah, I know he is. I know he is, Anna," she replied quietly. "I'll be next door if..." She turned and practically ran out of the room. Mick thought he heard her sobbing, but wasn't sure.


After the Hell she'd put him through this past year and a half, there was a strange kind satisfaction that, now, she knew what it felt like.


Anna looked up at him smiling - her chest heaving and those boobs of her's damp and chewed. He quickly dismissed Michelle from the situation, and lowered his face again for a smooch.


This time he worked his hand around her panties to the front, gently easing them a little lower as he went. Anna still smiled, but there was a hint of uncertainty in her eyes. Her mouth opened in a gasp as he felt her pussy - finding it moist and open. His fingers played with her and she pulled him down fiercely and kissed him again.


Mick grabbed the gusset of her panties and pulled them lower. He moved his other leg over and she bit her bottom lip in anxiety.


"No I'm fucking not alright," Michelle burst into the room like a blizzard. "You're a slut, bitch, and how fucking dare you do that with my boyfriend?"


"What?" said Anna in astonishment.


"You fucking know what you're doing! Mick, he fucks anything and everybody knows it. Sabra knows it and that's why she kicked him out the fucking door. I shoulda done the same, when..."


"Calm down, Michelle!"


"No, Mick I won't. Get off my friend, arsehole, and stick your dick someplace else. She's not yours and never..."


"Shit, Michelle, y'gone crazy?"


"Doped out fucking hippy!" Michelle ran at him and pushed his body off Anna. She then tried to swing at her, but Michelle caught her hand. "Let me go!" she demanded. "You've no right..."


"Michelle, stop it," he demanded, dropping his voice - trying to lower her stress level. "I mean it, stop!" he emphasised.


"No, Mick, it's not fair," she whined. "You can't take her from me. Why do you always spoil everything?"


"Here?" he offered her the other side of the bed, "get in and chill. We can talk, but only when you're calm."


Mick had long experience in calming things when tensions boil over within bands. He figured he could lecture on it up at the University after The Curse was over.


"Mick, why?" she burst into tears. "My best friend and my boyfriend?"


Mick had straightened out considerably and he was lucid and clear what he had to do. "Now, we've all slept together dozen of times and even all made out. What's the problem here?"


"You did it behind my back."


"Ah, I guess that's my fault," he explained. "You were tired and sleeping and I thought it best not to wake you."


"Don't lie, Mick?" she whined. "You wanted her all to yourself. You wanted to fuck her - you've always wanted to fuck her since we first got together."


"It seemed to be alright with you at one time. It was almost like you were encouraging me."


"I didn't think Anna would really do it - I mean, *really* do it. You were going to fuck her, weren't you? Don't lie?"


"That depended on Anna," Mick told her. "She had a say in what happened, y'know?"


"She's a baby. She doesn't know what she wants. She'll do anything to please you cos she's fucking in love with you."


"Well, maybe," Mick said, "but, I thought the plan was the three of us..."


"You said it wouldn't work. You said..."


"Michelle? Can we cut the crap and be honest? I've been in the dark for a long time about you two. When I think I've figured you, you throw me a curve ball, like now."


Michelle subsided. She thought for a long time before answering. On the other side, Anna looked on, apparently confused about it all - her nightie still dislodged from her breasts and looking as sexy as ever.


"Anna told me she wanted you to be the first," Michelle began, "I guess I was never easy with that. Sabra said I shouldn't trust you - that you couldn't help yourself. I think when you're in the mood you'd go with anyone. Anna's not strong enough to handle your cheating - I'm not strong enough to handle you, at the moment, Mick. You smoke too much dope and you're not yourself. I don't know what to do."


"Michelle? Uh, I get you think Anna will flip out if it wasn't for you. I get that's a tremendous responsibility. I also think that, unintentionally, you bring on Anna's fits..."


"Huh, how?" Michelle looked shocked.


"By coddling her, by preventing her from properly dealing with them? Tell me, have you taken her to some specialist who might be able to properly diagnose and treat her? Have you read up about epilepsy on the Internet? Have you done anything at all except provide band aids? What are you getting out of it?"


"I don't know what you mean?"


"If she gets these attacks under control," Mick continued, "then she won't need you around so much, will she? What do you get out of her being dependent on you? You've been joined at the hip since you were nine? Isn't that long enough?"


"For what?"


"Anna's about as lesbian as my left finger," Mick said. "She's just proved it tonight. Why can't you let her have a normal life?"


"She does."


"She doesn't!" Mick chuckled. "I always thought she was screwed in the head, but she's just trying to be normal. Michelle, it's you who have the problems. It's you who's using your emotional control over her to bind her to you as surely as you're trying it on with me. You need help, Michelle. Tonight just proves it."  


"I'll get her help, then, will that satisfy you?"


"No, Michelle. Let her do it herself? Let her make a decision beside's what oufit to wear? Anna." He continued to his right. "I think you may have a form of epilepsy. You can find likely clinics on the Web. I suggest you book yourself in and get these attacks sorted. If you want support, Sabra or I will come along with you."


"What about Mich?" she asked, looking across.


"I want you to actually get there."


"Mick, you're being a real arsehole!" Michelle declared.


"Yeah, I know, and probably not before time."


"A spine, Mick?" Sabra told him on the phone afterwards. "When did you find it?"


"The penny took a long time dropping," he explained.


"So what happens now, The Curse dissolved?"


"Would that suit you?"


"I'd rather work with the known arrangement," she said, "but, I have a professional responsibility to acquaint Anna with the options. You forget, it's all different now from the seventies."


"I guess," he replied. "Didn't sound like you to be dealing behind my back."


"I wasn't - just talking, no decisions. No way would we decide things without you and Karen involved. Y'think I'd stiff my own daughter?"


"No," Mick laughed.


"Now, I'm sorry if you think I'm freezing you out. I'm actually flat out at the moment with the Grammys..."


"Sure."


"So, what, we still got a band?"


"Gotta cut them loose, Sabra," he said. "This gig's tearing me up. Maybe when the CD's finished I'll make the move. It's been great and I'd never've thought I'd be doing this - the Grammy's, playing punk rock with a bunch of young girls. It's been a wonderful dream but I need to wake up. I've made enough money to do what I want. I don't need the stress."


"I understand, Mick. The industry is killing everything. That's why there're so many independents and folks doing stuff on the Internet. The recording industry is shit scared and everybody suffers for it."


"It's been great catching up with you," Mick told her. "Sharing a bit of the old passion. More than I had a right to have, actually."


"Yeah, Mick!" she said. "You're still the best fuck! Who's got you now, eh? Which of the harem have you chosen?"


"Someone new. You don't know her. Totally away from the business. We click, Sabra, in the worse way. She even likes the blues."


"Hey," she chuckled, "that's a good start. Don't stress about the CD. I'll negotiate an extension so you can finish in your own time. I can make that extension open ended, so, who knows, you may never have to finish it."


"I think the girls and I can work something out," he said. "Get it down and dusted so we can move on. Sony can shove it in the vault forever, for all I care."


"Y'want I can shove it up their arses?" she laughed. "I love you guys to bits and I'm here if any of you need me. If you get something together again, Mick, remember, we still have a binding contract."


"I'm sure you'll remind me," he chuckled. "Keep in touch, bye."


Despite it all, The Curse had learned enough professionalism to show for the Grammy Awards. As expected, Blue Rembrandt beat The Curse out of the 'New Group' category. Dwight 'Flash' Cooney lead his boys up and thanked God and the United States for the honour, then descended the steps to a round of choreographed applause. There to offer personal congratulations was Anna, resplendent in another low cut red number. She threw her arms around Dwight enthusiastically and the Blue Rembrandt singer shot a wink towards a grinning Mick Johnson.


As expected, The Curse claimed the 'Foreign Group' award and Mick gathered the girls on each arm to lead them up the red carpeted steps. Each made a short speech with Mick enigmatically thanking the Wellington Bus Company. Dwight was waiting to seize Anna when she returned and the kiss he gave her was a mite longer than the average congratulatory smooch.


Michelle managed okay, with Sabra on hand to engage her in small talk. Their manager then whipped her away after, shunning the parties, back to the Valley to hang, chill and talk. Mick and Anna made the scene for a while until Anna was smoothly carved out by Dwight, who took her away to parts unknown.


Mick crashed about 5 in the morning alone. Anna didn't show until well into the afternoon and, despite being so tired she could hardly stand, went to sleep with a stupid grin on her face.


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KATZMAREK (c)
