DARE ME! (part 1)

Early 1991



Michael was pacing the room. Back and forth. Back and forth. «For heaven's sake, Michael – will you sit down for once!?» I was getting annoyed. He seemed to be in his own world, 'cause he kept pacing. «Michael!» No reaction. «MICHAEL??» I called again, and no reaction this time either. I sighed, stood up and grabbed him by the collar of his shirt and pushed him against a nearby wall. A loud grunt told me he was paying attention now. «UH! Huh..what?» he seemed confused, his dark eyes looking into mine. «I've been calling your name for the past half-hour, Michael...where were you?» I let go of his shirt as he sighed: «I'm sorry, girl....it's just.....we're working really hard on the new album and I want it to be the greatest ever!» Always the perfectionist, I thought, before saying: «Michael...everybody is doing the best they can – including you! The album will be great and the fans will love it, trust me...» He gently stroked my cheek: «Thanks babygirl, I hope they will...but I wanna surprise them this time! Really make'em go WOW, you know?» He seemed determined. «How are you gonna do that?» I asked. «You remember that poem you wrote a while ago? ''One thing in life you must understand, the truth of lust, woman to man''?» I nodded. «I have gotten a girl to record parts of it into this song we're recording, and I want it to be....» He stopped and suddenly appeared extremely shy. I had been his best friend for years, so I knew how to push the right buttons to make him talk. «You want it to be.....good?» «...yeah.» «Want it to be great?» «..yes.» «Outstanding?» «Yes!» «Outrageous?» «Yes!!» «Sexy?» «Yes! - wait! No no..» «I got you there, Michael, admit it!» I flashed a big grin at him, he was defeated. Well well....Michael Jackson wanted a song to be really sexy...who would have thought? A faint blush crept over his cheeks, he was embarrassed. «OK, all jokes aside, Michael...you want to record a sexy track?» He nodded. «I'm flattered that you are going to use my poem in it...but why are you so worried about this one?» I still didn't get why he was so anxious and restless about it – when the music came on, Michael would let loose with grunts and moans that he did not originally plan to sing. I was sure it was going to happen this time as well. He started fidgeting with the buttons on his red shirt and was silent for a long time before he spoke up: «I want it to be.....like they've never heard before. I want my fans to see a different side of me. I want them to....uhm...» he seemed at a loss for words, so I took a guess: «You want the girls to squirm in their seats?» A giggle escaped Michael's lips before he could stop it, and I knew I had hit the jackpot again. Aha....he wants to record a track that makes the girls turned on! I patted him on the shoulder: «OK well what can I say....you know that you always let loose when the music comes on...that's the best advice I can give you! Just...hey!» An idea came to mind...a naughty idea. «I got an idea, Michael....» I smiled slyly at him, and he immediately became interested: «When you're recording that song, tell'em to close the curtains, turn off the lights and to not under any circumstances enter the room or turn the light on until you say so. Got it? Then, when that's all settled and you're recording....think of the hottest woman you have seen, and...play with yourself.» «WHAT?» That's right, my friend, I said that...no need to shout! «I can't....I can't do that!!» he argued. «Oh, can't you?» I gave him a sassy look. «Michael Jackson, I DARE YOU to record a song while playing with yourself! If you don't do it, you're gonna have to be photographed naked while holding Bubbles!» Michael looked as if all breath had been knocked out of him. I knew I had taken a risk here, because the tabloids daily called him «Wacko Jacko» and even worse things – because of just Bubbles, the lovely chimp who was Michael's pet. A naked photograph of Michael holding him would only add fuel to the tabloid's fire, so even though he didn't really want to do it, he accepted the dare. «Fine! I'll do it!» he sighed. I gave him a high five and went to get a cold drink. Yup, need lots of ice this time, girlie! You know the thought of a naked Michael is enough to heaten things up....



My phone rang for the hundreth time, and I leapt out of the shower and managed to grab it before the caller hung up again. «Yeah?» «Hi girl, it's me!» «Oh hi, Michael!» «You ok?» he asked, he sounded happy. «Yeah I'm fine – still showering, actually! Thanks to you my carpets are soaked!» I laughed. He giggled. «Sorry 'bout that, girl. Hey listen, I'm gonna record today, wanna come join me?» Join the genius at work? Well DUH! «Of course!! Just give me 10 minutes, OK?» I beamed. Arrangements were made for someone to pick me up, I said goodbye to Michael and ran back to finish my shower. I wonder what he will record today....

Black cotton slacks, blue polo jumper and a fedora. That's what met me behind the recording studio. A giant smile and a «HEY!» later and Michael had given me another one of his world famous hugs. «I'm so excited about today, Michael!» I confessed smiling. «I'm glad, but listen...they don't know you're here, so we're gonna have to sneak you in, alright?» I nodded. It wasn't the first time he had snuck me into the studio and I had hid beneath a table in Michael's recording room so no one else saw me. «Yeah sure..» Less than a minute later, Michael had placed a blanket over a table to cover me up. He mouthed «wait here» and left the room. I choked a giggle. Well this is definately something!

«Ok Mike let's do it again, last chorus going from ''do you remember the tiiiiime'', alright?» a voice sounded at the other end of the wall. «Yeah sure» was Michael's reply, and then he was in the room again. «Oh and by the way, guys – nobody enters this room without my permission, OK?» he said to the producers. They mumbled something in return, to which Michael responded. «Aww come on, give the King some space to work his magic, eh?» I bit my fingers trying to stiffle the laughter – the producers were already laughing. Michael giggled shortly before he fell silent. He tapped his foot – a signal for me to peek through the blanket. There he stood, with the headphones on and eyes closed, swaying to a rhythm only he could hear. «DO YOU REMEMBER GIRL!!!!! ON THE PHONE!! YOU AND MEE!!» I bumped my head as I was so startled by his loud singing that I had jumped and crashed my head into the table. Michael carried on as if nothing had happened – when he worked with music, you could blow the house to pieces and he wouldn't react. Several takes later, Michael called for a break and to «do the next song» after lunch. «BOO!» suddenly he peeked under the blanket. I hiccuped: «Jesus! Oh, it's you..» He giggled: «Yeah, unfortunately, the Lord isn't coming just yet!» I poked my tongue at him, and asked: «What's the next song you're gonna do?» I scooted over so he could crawl under the table as well: «It's called ''In The Closet'', and it contains parts of that poem you wrote...that song we talked about, remember?» Memories from our dare some days earlier came to mind. «Uhh...Michael....you're not gonna....you know....with yourself....» I was dark red, and he looked shocked: «What?! No no no, don't worry babygirl, this will just be a rough demo to get the feel of it.» I trusted he spoke the truth, and he gave me a high five before crawling out. «In The Closet»...that's a bold title...I wonder what the song is about....



Michael was back with the headphones on and after a while I saw him nod at someone through the glass. «She wants to give it, aaah she wants to give it» he sang repeatedly. Then, in the middle of a sentence, he jumped and pulled his headphones off. «SHIT!» he exclaimed, and it took everything I had to keep silent. But I knew why he had cursed like that...even I could hear the ringing tone from the headphones. «You OK?» I whispered, and he gave me a quick but discreet nod with the head, before shouting to the producers. «Somebody get me some headphones that doesn't blow up my ears, alright??» I quickly pulled the blanket down over the table again and hid as someone came into the room. «Mike, we're so sorry! Are you OK?» «Yeah I'm good.....» «Alright, now that you've got the new headphones up, wanna go again?» «Uhh yeah! Uhm, listen, just turn the music on and let me get through it in one go.» «You...you wanna record it all now?» Michael chuckled: «It's just a rough demo we're recording today, Lee. It's just so that we have something to work on later. Alright? And turn off the lights and pull the curtains on this take! I wanna see what I can do with this track...» «Alright Mike – OK Brian? No lights and curtains closed! Music rolling in one go!» Lee shouted as he left the room. I heard a «click» and then Michael tapped his foot. I pulled the blanket up again and was startled for a bit to see Michael removing his blue polo. «Singing makes you warm!» he grinned at me in the dim light that came from above the microphone. He wore a white t-shirt underneath it, so I relaxed a little bit. He fixed his ponytail and shook his shoulders before shouting «OK I'm good to go!». He snapped his fingers a couple of times and then, apparently, the music began, 'cause Michael was moving his body like the born dancer he was. I crawled out from under the table, pulled my knees up to my chin and gazed at the master in action. I smiled in recognition when he opened with the words from the poem I had written:





One Thing In Life

You Must Understand

The Truth Of Lust

Woman To Man

So Open The Door

And You Will See

There Are No Secrets

Make Your Move

Set Me Free



The next lines appeared to be the chorus, and he sang:





Because There's Something

About You Baby

That Makes Me Want

To Give It To You

I Swear There's Something

About You Baby...



He lowered his voice and sung seductively into the microphone:





Just Promise Me

Whatever We Say

Or Whatever We Do

To Each Other

For Now We'll Make A Vow

To Just

Keep It In The Closet



I was amazed and then some! I had seen him record before, but this was new. He was so into the music and lyrics that he didn't seem to notice that I was there. I crawled across the floor and found a cushion which I dragged with me back to the table. Michael kept on singing with his eyes closed, occasionally opening to them to look at the lyric-sheet next to the microphone. He was moving his feet, hips, arms and hands in tune with the music, and yes, that included rubbing his torso and sliding a hand over his crotch. Hold it right there, mister!!......do I spot a bulge? I swallowed, and noticed suddenly that my own private parts were getting warmer by the minute. Uh oh...