2 - House Party

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Miami Beach, Florida

One week later

Music was floating through the atmosphere, gradually reaching the ears of the guests attending Barry Gibb's house party. His place was right on the beach, and rightfully so. With the Bee-Gee's being such a huge success, it was no surprise one of the brothers had purchased such an extravagant beach-front property. I would do the same thing, just off a different coast. I've never been the kind of person who loves to spend all their time in humid state... I looked around the party, drink in hand.

It's a weird feeling, knowing so many individuals but not actually knowing them at all...Just being aware of what they do to pay their bills, and being a fan of it too. Think about that for a moment, what if people were big fans of Bill in Accounting? Images of people cheering Bill on in the office when he files paperwork popped into my brain, I smiled taking a sip of my drink. Signs being held up that said; "We love you, Bill!" and "You Rock Those Files!". I tried not to laugh at my internal joke-telling, but it wasn't working too well. While holding back laughter, I felt someone tap my shoulder from behind. I turned around to see Quincy Jones smiling at me holding a hand out.

"Oh, hello!" I grabbed his outstretched hand and shook it firmly.

"Hey, you're...Astoria Briggs, yes?" He asked. I nodded, letting go of his hand.

"Yes, I am."

"I'm Quincy, but you can call me Q if you want. Michael's already told me about how well the mix session went, and if I'm being honest it would be nice to have another set of ears and eyes around. Do you get my drift?" He raised an eyebrow at me.

"I think I do, yes. You guys need another mix, or...?"

"No, no. Well...maybe, probably. No, I mean we want you on the album, period." My eyes got big.

"Oh." One-word syllables was all I could muster in that moment, and I think Quincy caught on because he chuckled at me.

"If you're willing of course." He smiled. Thankfully I popped out of shock just in time.

"Yes, I'd love too. Thank you." This was huge news. Not only would it be a privilege to work with such a decorated and experienced music producer, but the experience I could gain for my own career was... Heavily significant. I couldn't pass up an opportunity as amazing as this one, I'd be a fool.

"Oh, it's no problem." Quincy leaned in towards me, "But you should really thank Michael, he insisted we absolutely needed you in order to finish the album. I believe him, of course." He leaned back, standing straight again. "I look forward to working with you, Miss Briggs." And with that Quincy walked away, leaving me again in a sea of familiar strangers.

The sun began to set after a couple hours of mingling, I was now somewhat familiarized with the elite group of people that circulated around me. Still, I was invited by the one person I still had yet to see, let alone run into. No longer holding a drink in hand, I did what I knew to be approachable, leaning against the bar with both elbows-I was facing out towards the crowd of course, I didn't want to look like a party pooper. Nodding my head to the selection of music being played by the DJ, I felt my sunglasses slipping down the bridge of my nose, and as I was reaching up to push them back on I heard a voice to my right.

"Maybe you should just invest in a new pair...I mean, you've pushed them back up like thirteen times in the last hour." I turned my head. It was Michael. Should I have been surprised by his sudden appearance, I wondered. Brian did the same thing to me all the time, popping up out of nowhere all of a sudden as if he'd been there the entire time.

"You've been watching me then?" I asked, being bold after having had a couple of drinks. I saw his eyebrows raise at my words. I noticed he was wearing sunglasses too, dark ones.

"Girl you've been drinking too, haven't you?" He smiled, his pearly whites showing in stark contrast to his dark skin.

"You should know, you're the one who's been watching me like a television apparently." I rolled my eyes.

"Touché." He pointed towards me, then leaned back against the bar like I was, facing out towards the crowd.

"Why?" I guess the liquor had gotten to me...this was only the third time we'd spoken and yet I felt completely at ease with him. The second time we talked he had called my home phone...

RING. RING. RING.

I picked up my phone from off the wall, answering.

"Hello?" Static could be heard before the person had finally spoke.

"Hi...Astoria?" A male voice.

"Yeah?"

"Oh, Hi. It's...Michael." Pause, "From the other day?"

"Oh, yeah. Of course, how are you?" I knew who was calling me. Pfft, as if I'd forget.

"I'm good, good...Look I'm sorry to call you randomly, but I just wanted to make sure you got the invitation I forwarded to you in the mail?" How considerate...of me not to check my mail. Damn!

"Um, let me look. I actually just got home when you called." I quickly held the phone between my ear and shoulder, walking over to my kitchen counter where all my mail sat, untouched.

"Of course! Take your time..." I was flipping through my mail like an idiot. I really should sort it, I thought. And...

"There! Yes, I think I've got it." I held up a fancy monogrammed, square envelope with my name and address written elegantly across the front.

"Oh, great! So, I'll see you there then?" He asked, sounding a smidge hopeful.

"Most-likely, yes you will. That is, of course, if you're coming still too?" I asked him. I was in a particularly good mood that evening. He chuckled from the other end.

"Yeah, I don't see myself not going. So...yes, I'm going." God, we sounded like a couple of bashful teenagers over the phone...What the heck.

"Hey, how did you get my number anyway?"

"A man has his ways."

"You're not going to tell me then?"

"No, that would ruin the element of surprise, wouldn't it?"

"Michael Jackson: Man of Mystery. Who knew?" He laughed. It was a nice feeling being able to make someone laugh.

"Yeah, yeah... Anyway, I better let you go. I was just taking a break in the studio and thought I'd give you a call..."

"Oh, of course! It was nice to hear from you, Michael." A warm smile graced my lips, I felt like a little girl again. Stop it, Astoria.

"You too, Astoria. We'll talk more later?"

"Yes, definitely."

"Great! See you down in Florida, girl."

"See you." I hung up with a sigh, my hand still on the phone. What the heck was that? Smiling like a goober? It was just a phone call...

"Why, what?" Michael looked at me, curious I think. It was a bit difficult to gauge his reactions from beyond his Ray-Bans. I turned my head fully towards him and replied.

"Why were you staring at me?" His mouth and eyebrows relaxed at my words, but I don't think he was at ease with my question at all. A moment or two went by before I heard his response.

"You're...nice to look at?" He crossed his arms and raised an eyebrow. I lightly punched the side of his arm.

"Weak excuse, Jackson. Come on! You can tell me the real reason." I moved so my back was no longer against the bar table, now my right side was so I was facing him. Michael hummed briefly, moving his head from side to side.

"I...and don't laugh, I people watch." My eyebrows knitted together.

"Are you serious?" He winced, and I realized he was concerned I'd think it was a bad thing. "Michael, I do the same thing. Seriously."

"Really?"

"Yeah." He smiled a big grin at me, no longer concerned about being thought of as weird. "I've always thought- "

"-it's better than television?" He finished my sentence.

"Yes!" We laughed together, now fully facing each other, sunglasses and all. "I can't believe you thought...Oh damn."

"What?" Michael asked. My attention had been taken away from our conversation at to the DJ who had just put on a new song, my jam. Seriously guys. I love disco. I'll say loud and proud-yell it from the rooftops. I held out my hand to him.

"May I have this dance, good sir?" He smirked and grabbed my hand, we took to the light-up dance floor like a couple of pro's. Shaking, bumping, I did what people called an early form of the "running man", but I take no credit for that. Dance With Me by Peter Brown was playing and I don't really know why I'd been so impulsive and asked him to dance with me. I'd never really been the person to ask people to dance, but it was a great night and everybody was dancing, drinking, having fun...it was nice to get out and have some fun at this initially stuffy party. I guess when the sun sets in Florida, the fun shows up. After a couple faster songs played, the DJ winded down the party by playing Al Green's Let's Stay Together. Older, but classic; I hope Al Green never goes out of style. His voice is like two velvet sheets rubbing together, at least that's my opinion.

Michael held a hand out to me when the song began, I took it and he brought me in close with his right hand in my left, and his left hand on my back. I knew I was short, but I never realized just how short I was compared to him, my 5 '4 stature just barely made it to his chin. We swayed with the beat, I looked down trying my best not to stare at him the entire time. I felt him move his head closer to mine only to hear his voice in my ear.

"You can look at me, you know?" He moved back, smiling. I looked up at him again and took a breath in. I could see his eyes from behind his sunglasses we were so close...and I think he could see mine too. I took my hand off his shoulder for a moment, turning my head to fake cough, in an effort to mend my discomfort.

"So, Quincy came up to me earlier..."

"Oh, did he tell you?" I nodded. "Yeah, I really enjoyed your energy on the track...I thought you might be interested in joining up for the remainder of the album...perhaps?" I blinked.

"Yeah. I told Quincy that I'd love to." I felt my cheeks flame. This is business, act like it.

"That's wonderful! We should celebrate! Oh, what do you think we should do?" Michael looked excited at the prospect of working together further, but I wasn't sure if he was serious.

"Celebrate?" I questioned.

"Yes, celebrate! Why the heck not?" I shrugged at Michael's excitement, unable to come up with an answer.

"Well, we're already at a party...so that's not an option." I smiled sheepishly, but he was still gun-ho on figuring something out. We spun in a circle, still dancing close together.

"Good point...We could-Nah, that wouldn't work...Um. Well..." Michael's words trailed off and I raised an eyebrow.

"Well, what?"

"We could go back to my place?" My mouth made an 'o' shape, completely taken aback by his brazenness. I smacked his upper arm playfully as he began to laugh at my reaction to his words.

"Michael!"

"What? Girl, I'm teasing!" Quickly we stopped swirling around the dance floor and next thing I knew I was almost upside down, Michael had dipped me. He brought us back up, and again we were dancing around like old friends who'd been doing this for years. "Seriously though, we should do something. Anything! Tell me what comes to your mind-If you could do anything right, now."

"Anything?"

"Any. Thing." He emphasized. I thought about it for a moment.

"If I could do anything...right now." I let out a big sigh, "I guess I'd be on the beach?" I didn't know if I wanted to be anywhere else at that moment, if I was being honest. The beach was the first thing that came to my mind, being only yards away; you could see the ocean's waves slowly breaking against the sands of Florida. The sun was still just barely peeking over the horizon. Deep hues of purple, orange, and fuchsia defined the line between the night sky and the Atlantic, it was gorgeous. I had surprisingly only just noticed, having spent the earlier part of the evening scanning the crowd and talking to the person I was currently intertwined with on the dance floor.

"Beautiful, isn't it?" I was jerked back into the present. Looking at Michael I realized he must have been looking at the sunset too. My face flamed again for no apparent reason, which was ridiculous. I looked back up from my clumsy feet and found a smile on Michael's face. One of his hands let go of me as he started to walk onto the beach.

"Michael, I didn't literally mean right now." He'd led me by my hand over the white railing and onto the soft sand beach of southern Florida. He turned his head back towards me and chuckled.

"Shh, we're celebrating. Live a little." He kept walking forward with one of my hands in his still until we reached the edge of the beach. I scoffed at his statement.

"When did you become bold?" I asked as he let go of my hand to take of his shoes.

"There's a lot of things you've yet to learn about me, Astoria Briggs." He chucked his shoes off, throwing them behind him as he faced the edge of the sea. His socks took flight soon after his shoes and then Michael made his way into the water. He fumbled, trying to roll up his jeans while running into the water, but they got wet anyway. I smiled and stayed on shore.

"I guess I'll have to take notes while we work together then?" I suggested. After a moment of gazing into the Florida sunset, he turned to look at me with those deep brown eyes of his.

"Maybe." I saw his eyes flicker down my body and back up to my own eyes. "I think there's a lot to learn about you too."

Oh boy, here we go...

Ϟ

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