tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-966144625361249802024-03-13T21:35:21.100-07:00The Distance<center> This is entirely a work of fiction. Just a figment of my imagination for my entertainment and (hopefully) yours!</center>Daydreamer-http://www.blogger.com/profile/01537071219550105161noreply@blogger.comBlogger39125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-96614462536124980.post-61346235451315301272008-12-01T08:07:00.000-08:002008-12-01T08:09:39.516-08:00Thinking, thinking, thinking...Hi everyone, thanks so much for continuing to check in! I have to say that Opester is absolutely right, muses can be a funny thing. I just wanted to let everyone know that I feel as though my muse is slowly returning to me. I find myself thinking more and more about this story and what I would like to happen next. I promise there will be more coming, and hopefully it will be soon!<br /><br />With that said, I would definitely value your input on what you'd like to see happen. It would be fun to bounce around some ideas and see where my imagination takes me.<br /><br />Thanks and I hope you're all having a happy holiday season so far!Daydreamer-http://www.blogger.com/profile/01537071219550105161noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-96614462536124980.post-78093609784913606632008-09-01T17:10:00.000-07:002008-09-03T08:35:22.428-07:00Chapter 36They walked back out onto the terrace. Night had fallen and Keira was captivated by the city lights. She walked to the terrace's edge and stood there, silently taking in the view. Jon poured them each a glass of wine, then stood behind her and encircled her waist with his arms. She leaned back against him, resting her head on his left shoulder. Neither of them spoke.<br /><br />After a few minutes, she felt his lips on her neck, and she closed her eyes and whispered something under her breath.<br /><br />"What was that?" Jon asked.<br /><br />She laughed softly. "I said, this is one of those moments in life where I just want everything to freeze, and stay the way it is."<br /><br />He held her tighter, secretly pleased that she seemed to be opening up to him. "Yeah. That'd be nice."<br /><br />She lifted her glass of wine and took a sip, then leaned her head against him again. "It's hard to believe I'm here…with you."<br /><br />"Really? It doesn't surprise me at all. I always had a feeling we'd see each other again."<br /><br />She closed her eyes. "I never had that feeling. Once you got famous, it was like you were in a completely different world than me."<br /><br />"Well...for a while, I guess I was. But things have settled down over the past few years."<br /><br />She took another sip of wine and turned to face him. "So what's it like, Jonny?"<br /><br />He crossed his arms over his chest and looked at her curiously. "What's what like?"<br /><br />"Going out on stage every night, looking out at the crowd, and knowing that 97% of the women—not to mention plenty of the men--there would leave their jobs and their families--their <em>lives</em>--to be with you?"<br /><br />Jon picked up his wine glass and took a big sip, stalling for time so he could choose his words carefully. He placed the glass down on one of the tables and crossed his arms again. "Honestly?" he asked, his eyes trained on hers.<br /><br />"Honestly." She tried to steel herself for what he was about to say.<br /><br />"At first, it was a high. I felt like I ruled the world. I could point my finger at girls in the crowd and say, 'I want that one, that one, and that one...at the same time'. And it was fun for a while, doing the rock star thing. I saw some pretty fucked up shit during the first few years. There's only so many times that you can watch five girls go down on one another, or girls sticking all kinds of shit inside themselves to try and impress you...and then there are the women who will just throw anything away to spend time with you...husbands, kids. Having that kind of control, especially as a 25 year old kid, is pretty messed up. I hit rock bottom. I started to realize that having that kind of power gave me the potential to ruin a lot of peoples' lives. And then I started craving normalcy and all I wanted was to move back in with my parents and hide out for a year or two. I didn’t trust anybody. I started to wonder if anyone in the entire world was sane."<br /><br />Keira tried to imagine what it had been like for him, but she couldn't. Could anyone understand, who hadn't lived it? She'd had her share of wild nights--drinking too much; leaving bars with her head out the car window, vomiting; blacking out and waking up wondering what had happened the night before. Still, she knew that even her wildest night couldn't possibly compare to some of the things that Jon had seen and done, and she wasn't sure she could deal with that knowledge.<br /><br />“Is that why you married Dorothea?” she found herself asking, without planning to.<br /><br />He hesitated. It was a loaded question, and he wanted to be truthful with her. “I married her because I trusted her…and I did love her. And she represented stability, which was something I needed.”<br /><br />Keira turned to look out at the city again. She appreciated his honesty, but it was still hard to hear. <em>What did you expect, stupid? Did you think he was going to say he never loved her?</em><br /><br />Instinctively, Jon seemed to know what she was thinking. “Kathy, I loved you too. You just didn’t want any part of me after the band started to take off.”<br /><br />Her shoulders tensed. <em>He has no idea how much I loved him, and how much it hurt to leave him.</em> She wanted to lash out, but she couldn’t think of anything to say that would make him understand what it had been like for her.<br /><br />"I wanted to be with you. I was just afraid to see you self-destruct."<br /><br />"Then you were smart. I told you before, you missed out on some bad stuff, and that's a good thing."<br /><br />She nodded, still looking out over the city. He approached her and put his arms around her again. "It was bad timing before, Kathy. But we still have now. We can try again."<br /><br />"Try what again, exactly?" She asked, hoping that the words hadn't come out sounding harsh.<br /><br />"Uhhh...being together?" He elaborated.<br /><br />She turned in his arms so she could look into his eyes. "Jon. I don't think we can be <em>together</em>. Yes, tonight is nice--and what happened earlier was <em>really</em> nice-- but I'm not cut out for being in a relationship with a rock star."<br /><br />Jon tried to make light of the situation. "So I guess that puts you in the 3% of women who <em>don't</em> want to be with me."<br /><br />She sighed. "I <em>do</em> want to be with you. I just don't think I <em>can</em>."<br /><br />He kissed her then, a soft, slow kiss. Once again, she felt her resolve melting away. "You need to stop thinking so much," he said. "I'll convince you that you can't be without me."Daydreamer-http://www.blogger.com/profile/01537071219550105161noreply@blogger.com22tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-96614462536124980.post-47449603597673303132008-08-26T18:30:00.000-07:002008-08-26T18:38:37.123-07:00Chapter 35Keira reluctantly disentangled herself from Jon and stood on shaky legs, then held her hand out to him and helped him up. He enveloped her in his arms, pressing one hand to her back and stroking her hair with the other. She closed her eyes for a minute, then drew away from him and began collecting her discarded clothing from the floor. She picked up his jeans and playfully threw them at him. As he pulled them on, he let out an exaggerated sigh of contentment and said, “Well, that was fun.”<br /><br />She laughed. “Fun? Is that the word you’d use to describe what we just did?”<br /><br />“Oh, I can think of lots of words to describe what we just did, but I’m a gentleman.”<br /><br />This time she snorted with laughter. “Some gentleman! You just fucked me on a hardwood floor!”<br /><br />“Hey! First of all, you were on top, so technically <em>you</em> fucked <em>me</em> on a hardwood floor. I tried to get you to a bed. It’s not my fault you couldn’t keep your hands off me long enough to make it upstairs.”<br /><br />She yanked her shirt over her head. “It is <em>too</em> your fault. You were standing there being all hot. What was I supposed to do?”<br /><br />“I was <em>just standing there</em>.”<br /><br />“And <em>being hot</em>,” she retorted.<br /><br />“Well, I’m not gonna stop being hot just because you can’t handle my hotness.”<br /><br />She smiled sassily. “Oh, I think I handled it just fine.”<br /><br />Jon shook his head sadly. “You know, Kathy, I thought we had something special going, but now I’m starting to think you only want me for my body.”<br /><br />Keira threw him a look of mock pity. “Well, it sure as hell ain’t for your music.”<br /><br />Jon’s jaw dropped open, and then he charged at her. She shrieked and took off running. “I’m just kidding! I love your music! I LOVE YOUR MUSIC!” She yelled as she ran. She reached the couch and tried to leap over it, but her foot caught on the back of it and she landed in a heap on the cushions. Laughing, Jon jumped on top of her and dug his fingers into her armpits, tickling her. She writhed beneath him, screaming. “Stop tickling!! STOP TICKLING!”<br /><br />Jon didn’t let up. “You don’t love my music – you only have one CD!! Say Bon Jovi rules and I’ll stop.”<br /><br />Gasping for breath, she said, “Okay, okay. Bon Jovi rules!”<br /><br />“Louder!”<br /><br />“Bon…Jovi…rules! Now STOP!” she screamed, thrashing about as she tried to escape from his hands.<br /><br />He stopped tickling her and stood up. “There. That’s better.”<br /><br />She sat up, tugging her shirt down and trying to catch her breath. “That wasn’t exactly fair,” she muttered.<br /><br />“What was that?”<br /><br />“Nothing.”<br /><br />He offered her his hand and helped her to stand. “That’s what I thought.”<br /><br />“I need to go take a shower.”<br /><br />“Why? You need to wash me off of you?”<br /><br />“Um…no, I’m all sticky from the beach…and yeah, okay, from you…so I think I should shower.”<br /><br />“Well…” he said, as though he was considering. “I’ll let you use my shower if I can get in with you.”<br /><br />She crossed her arms and narrowed her eyes at him. “No funny business.”<br /><br />He laughed. “A little late for that.” He held his hand out to her and led her to the master bathroom. The shower was enormous and had a double showerhead. He started the taps and waited until it reached the perfect temperature, then slipped her shirt off and helped her under the spray. He dropped his jeans and climbed in with her.<br /><br />He turned her around to face the wall, then gently soaped her back and shoulders. Determined to be a gentleman, he handed her the soap to let her wash the rest of her body. She returned the favor of washing his back, letting her eyes feast on his toned back muscles once more. She felt the heat of desire kicking in again, and quickly turned her attention to washing her hair. When she was done, she stepped out of the shower and wrapped a towel around herself, wringing out her hair with a smaller towel. She felt sated, relaxed, and happy.<br /><br />Jon finished his shower and dried off, then walked naked into the bedroom and threw on a pair of sweats. He rummaged in a dresser drawer and pulled out a shirt, then went back into the bathroom and held it out to her. “Want to borrow this?” <br /><br />She unfolded it and discovered that it was a Mets shirt. “Ha ha – nice try. No thank you.” Laughing, Keira returned to the living room and retreived her extra set of clothing from the bag. Back in the bathroom, she got dressed and combed out her hair. Jon came up behind her and stood watching her in the mirror. He opened a drawer and pulled out a hair dryer. “You can use this if you want to.”<br /><br />“Thanks.” She set about drying her hair, then turned to face him. He took two steps toward her and placed his hands on either side of her face, then kissed her. This time the kiss was soft and slow, not urgent and arousing. When it ended, she kept her eyes closed, wanting to hold on to the moment.<br /><br />“Want to go back on the terrace and finish the wine?” he asked.<br /><br />“Mmmm, that sounds like a <em>great</em> idea,” she murmured, her lips curving into a satisfied smile.Daydreamer-http://www.blogger.com/profile/01537071219550105161noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-96614462536124980.post-15583733713841434732008-08-21T05:35:00.001-07:002008-08-21T20:47:51.060-07:00Chapter 34Jon closed his eyes for a minute, losing himself in the sensation of her stroking hand. “So…” he said, forcing himself to talk even though talking was the last thing he wanted to do right then. “Do you want to be underneath me right here…or should we take it upstairs?”<br /><br />She moved in for another kiss, continuing the motions of her hand. “I don’t care. You can do me right here. Upstairs is too far away.”<br /><br />This was a side of Kathryn that Jon <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">hadn</span>’t seen in a long time, and it completely shut down the logical side of his brain. If she wanted to act purely on carnal instinct, then he was going to too.<br /><br />Not breaking their kiss, he used his feet to push his jeans all the way off, then kicked them out of the way. He curved his fingertips into the waistband of her pants and tugged. “Are you gonna help me with these, or what?”<br /><br />She laughed softly. “You’re the rock star. Don’t you know how to remove women’s clothing by now?” As she spoke, she was busy unfastening the front of her pants and pushing them off.<br /><br />“<span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">Wise ass</span>,” he said, and dropped to his knees in front of her.<br /><br />He slid her bikini bottom down over her legs until she stood before him, completely naked. He ran his fingertips up her inner thighs and gently parted her with his thumbs, then leaned closer and slipped his tongue into her wet heat. She gasped and grabbed onto his shoulders as her knees threatened to give out.<br /><br />He expertly explored her with his tongue, taking his sweet time and paying close attention to her reactions. <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2">Keira</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_3">couldn</span>’t remember another time in her life when her senses had been this heightened. She was close to coming again, and she dove her fingers into his hair and gasped, “Jon, please – I want you inside me…<em>now</em>.”<br /><br />He completed one last slow circle with his tongue, then looked up at her, his eyes dark with desire. Then he leaned back on his haunches and she straddled his thighs, using her hands to guide him to her opening. For a minute she hovered above him, sliding the head of his cock up and down against her, around her entrance and then against her <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_4">clit</span>, soaking him in her juices and putting her right on the edge of another orgasm. She had her eyes closed and was biting her lower lip, completely adrift in a sea of pleasure.<br /><br />He was throbbing with the need to be inside her – <em>now</em>. On one of her forward strokes, he tipped his head and caught one of her nipples in his mouth. She cried out and lowered herself onto his shaft, taking him as deep inside as she could. He let out a low growl and dug his fingers into her hips, rocking upward to go even deeper. She cried out in pleasure so intense that it bordered on pain. <em>Hurts so good</em>.<br /><br />The feeling of being filled up by him was so all-encompassing that for a few seconds <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_5">Keira</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_6">couldn</span>’t move. She contracted her muscles around him, wanting him to stay buried deep within her forever. She grasped his head in her hands and dragged his mouth to hers, kissing him with an urgency she’d never known before.<br /><br />Slowly, she began to move her hips, tentatively at first, then gaining speed. She rode him hard, rocking her hips back until just the head of his cock was inside her, then slamming forward to take him deep again, over and over. She slid her open mouth down the side of his neck, tasting the salt of the ocean mixed with the salt of his sweat. She moaned against his skin.<br /><br />Jon put his mouth against her ear and murmured, “I want to watch you come again.”<br /><br />“Oh, <em>fuck</em>,” she breathed, as his words nearly put her over the edge right then. She stilled the motion of her hips, trying to hold back.<br /><br />He sank his teeth gently into her neck, then whispered, “Come for me, baby.”<br /><br />He rocked his hips and she exploded, bucking against him and screaming as she came long and hard. He watched her; her head thrown back, eyes squeezed shut, fingernails digging into his arms as she rode wave after wave. Watching her lose control sent Jon hurtling over the edge with her, clamping his mouth down on her shoulder to muffle his groans as he came.<br /><br />For a few minutes they stayed in that position, wrapped around each other, breathing hard, hearts pounding. Eventually <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_7">Keira</span> began to giggle, softly at first, but then harder. Surprised, Jon pulled back to look at her. “What?”<br /><br />“I can’t unclench my toes.”<br /><br />He grinned at her. “<span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_8">Ahh</span>, it was a toe-curler, huh?” He said proudly.<br /><br />She swatted his shoulder and then wrapped her arms around him again. “Well…I guess we should get up. I have to go reply to Molly’s text with a big, fat ‘oh yeah’.”Daydreamer-http://www.blogger.com/profile/01537071219550105161noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-96614462536124980.post-25270605519350180632008-08-18T04:39:00.000-07:002008-08-20T05:43:42.822-07:00Chapter 33Keira was done with being cautious and overthinking things. She wanted him more than she'd ever wanted anyone before, and she’d deal with the consequences later. The only way she was going to cure her ache for him was to give in to it.<br /><br />Jon didn’t move a muscle as she approached. He still had his arms raised and his hands folded behind his head. He had no idea what her intentions were, but he had every intention of letting her do it.<br /><br />Keira slipped her hands under his shirt, needing to touch his bare skin. She slid her palms slowly over the firm muscles of his stomach and up through the hair on his chest, then back down again to let her fingertips linger at the button of his jeans. He smiled at her with a gleam in his eye; an unspoken dare to see how far she’d go. She grabbed the bottom of his shirt and pushed it up, wanting him to take it off. He put his hands on hers to slow her down. “You first,” he murmured, a challenge.<br /><br />The haze of desire was so thick that Keira could hardly see straight. She wasn’t in the mood for games, so she tugged her shirt over her head and tossed it away, standing in front of him in her bikini top. He shook his head, smiling. “You never could back down from a dare, could you, Kathy?” he teased affectionately. Then he held his arms up over his head. “Go ahead,” he said, jerking his chin down to indicate his shirt. Her breath caught in her throat as she reached out to pull it up and over his head.<br /><br />For a minute neither of them moved. She stood there and drank him in with her eyes, trying to memorize every inch of him as he stood there in nothing but a pair of jeans. He opened his mouth to speak but she silenced him by pressing two fingers to his lips. “Don't talk,” she said in a voice that was more like a moan. “I just want your fucking mouth on me.”<br /><br />Just like that, the teasing glint was gone from Jon’s eyes. He groaned and obeyed, bringing his mouth down hard against hers. The kiss was wild and unrelenting and she felt the last shred of her self control dissipating. <em>Oh well. No need for self control tonight</em>. She wrapped her arms around him and surrendered, kissing him for all she was worth.<br /><br />She felt his hands working the clasp of her bikini top, and it didn’t take long for him to unfasten it. <em>Talented fingers.</em> He pushed the straps off her shoulders and let it fall to the floor. Splaying his hands across her back , he pulled her against him, pressing her naked breasts into his bare chest. The feeling of skin-on-skin contact was almost too much for her. Throbbing with need for him, she sank her teeth into his full lower lip, almost hard enough to draw blood. The line between pleasure and pain was so blurred that he couldn’t figure out which sensation was which, and he didn't care. He just wanted more.<br /><br />He slowly trailed his fingertips down her sides, making her shiver. Then he ran them up over her flat stomach and cupped her breasts with his hands. His palms were hot against her nipples and she arched her back, pressing herself harder into his hands. Their eyes met, but she was so turned on that she wasn’t really seeing anything.<br /><br />Keira slid her hands down his back and grabbed his ass, pulling him toward her to grind against his hardness. She crushed her lips to his again and moaned as they kissed, tongues furiously searching each others’ mouths. She was so wet and ready for him, and knew that she didn’t want to wait much longer.<br /><br />She dropped to her knees before him and undid the button of his jeans. He held his breath and wove his fingers into her hair, closing his eyes. She slid the zipper down to discover that he wore nothing underneath. She tilted her head and put her mouth sideways over his straining hardness, then shoved impatiently at his jeans until they were down to his knees and out of her way, freeing him and taking his cock into her mouth. She feasted on him, savoring his taste and texture, and wrapped her right hand tightly around his shaft to match the movements of her mouth. She stroked him long and hard with her lips, tongue and hand until she felt his knees threatening to buckle. He reached down to pull her back up.<br /><br />“You taste so fucking good,” she murmured as they kissed again. He slid his hands down her stomach and tried to undo the button of her pants. They were complicated, an eye and hook closure as well as a button, and when he couldn’t figure it out he groaned in frustration and slipped his right hand into the front of them instead. His fingers stealthily found their way into her bikini bottom and he slid his fingers into the wet heat of her, stroking for a minute before sliding his middle finger into her. She gasped, moaned, thrust her pelvis into his hand. He slid his finger slowly out and then in again, and she cried out and came suddenly, tightening like a vise around his finger. He felt her contracting around him, and it turned him right the fuck on. Her face was flushed and her eyes were half shut when her orgasm died down, and for a few minutes she couldn’t move. Then she reached down to put her hand over his as he withdrew his finger.<br /><br />He brought his hand up and put his finger in his mouth, tasting her, almost taunting her with his eyes. "I told you I'd have you squirming when I brought you back to my place," he said with a devilish grin.<br /><br />She reached down to stroke him. "I want to be squirming underneath you."Daydreamer-http://www.blogger.com/profile/01537071219550105161noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-96614462536124980.post-34749976083983183082008-08-14T19:08:00.001-07:002008-08-15T10:49:17.158-07:00Chapter 32Keira practically flew down the stairs to get to her cell phone, which was still in the tote bag from the beach. She groaned when she looked at the screen and saw that she'd missed 5 calls and 2 text messages. One of the texts was from Molly, but all the rest were from Rob.<br /><br />She pressed his speed dial number and waited anxiously for him to answer. When he did, she said, "Hi Rob, I'm so sorry I'm not there right now. Annie called, and she wanted to go over a few last minute revisions that I have to make on the book. You don't have to wait up -- it looks like this is going to take a while, and I know you must be tired from traveling."<br /><br />There was a long pause on Rob's end of the line. Keira squeezed her eyes shut and pinched the bridge of her nose, waiting for him to unload his frustration on her. Instead he just sighed.<br /><br />"I think we need to talk," he said.<br /><br />Keira's heart felt like it skipped a beat. <span style="FONT-STYLE: italic">That</span> she had not been expecting. "What do you mean...talk?" she said, trying not to sound nervous.<br /><br />"I mean, talk about <span style="FONT-STYLE: italic">us</span>. About what the hell is going on." His voice was cold.<br /><br />"Ohhh-kay...we can do that tomorrow when I see you."<br /><br />There was another long silence, and then she realized that he'd hung up on her. She held the phone out in front of her and stared at it in disbelief. Suddenly she heard Jon clear his throat from the bottom of the staircase.<br /><br />"So...how'd that go?" he asked, as though he hadn't been listening in the entire time.<br /><br />Keira chuckled contritely. "Yeah, not so well."<br /><br />Jon pushed his hands into the front pockets of his jeans, unsure of whether to approach her or to give her a few minutes alone. He waited for her to give him some kind of a sign, but she just kept staring at her cell phone. Finally, he said hesitantly, "Anything I can do...?"<br /><br />She shook her head slowly. "No. I just...don't like myself very much right now."<br /><br />"Well, <em>I</em> like you," he said.<br /><br />She smiled. "Thanks. That's very sweet of you." She pressed a button on her phone to read the message that Molly had left her, then burst out laughing.<br /><br />"What?" he asked.<br /><br />"Molly wants to know if we got it on last night."<br /><br />"Oh. Well, there's still time, if you want to."<br /><br />She looked up at him, and her breath caught short in her throat. He was leaning against the bannister, with his hands still in his pockets. His shirt hugged his shoulders and chest, and he filled out the jeans in all the right places. <em>And, God, his mouth.</em><br /><br />He gave her his sexy half-smile and said, "What did you say?"<br /><br />Her eyes widened. <em>Was I thinking out loud?</em> She laughed nervously. "Nothing...I just..." she sighed. "Okay, fine. It's your <em>mouth,</em> Jon. Your fucking mouth makes me want to do crazy things."<br /><br />For a minute he didn't say anything, just took his hands out of his pockets and folded them behind his head. Then he said, "Okay. And...is that supposed to be a bad thing?"<br /><br />She threw him a look of disbelief. "<em>Yes</em>, it's a bad thing! First of all, I haven't broken up with Rob--"<br /><br />"Yet." Jon interrupted.<br /><br />"--yet, but still. And second of all, you're <em>you</em>, and you're famous, and that kinda complicates things. I'm all for having a one-night stand, but I can tell you right now that once isn't going to be enough, so I think it's best that we don't start something that we're eventually going to have to finish."<br /><br />"I actually think the finish is the best part."<br /><br />"I'm being <em>serious</em> right now, Jon!"<br /><br />Exasperated, he ran his hands through his hair. "I <em>know</em> you're being serious, Kathryn. You're being <em>way</em> too serious. Why can't we just have a good time and play it by ear? You're really overthinking things here."<br /><br />"I <em>have</em> to overthink things! Someone has to be the voice of reason in this situation."<br /><br />He took a deep breath and tried to keep his frustration in check. "Fine. I can be the voice of reason too. Do you want me to take you home?"<br /><br />"Fuck <em>no</em>!" Keira nearly shouted. "And that's the problem! My mind wants one thing but my body wants something else entirely. And stop looking at me like that, Jonny, because my mind is already losing the battle. You don't have to help things along with the sexy eyes and the sexy mouth and the sexy...everything."<br /><br />He couldn't help it -- he started to laugh. "I'm just <em>standing</em> here."<br /><br />Keira laughed too. The man made<em> </em>her crazy. "That's the problem too. All you have to do is stand there and I want you. You're dangerous."<br /><br />"I don't know <em>what</em> you're talking about. Dangerous? I'm a pussycat."<br /><br />She stood up and crossed the room to him, leaving rational thought behind. "Come here."Daydreamer-http://www.blogger.com/profile/01537071219550105161noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-96614462536124980.post-9484439729273057732008-08-13T18:06:00.001-07:002008-08-14T18:50:31.499-07:00Chapter 31There was a great little Italian restaurant close to Jon’s apartment, and they decided to get a bucket of <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">home style</span> spaghetti and meatballs. Jon ran in to get it, since he frequented the place and knew the owner, and when he returned to the car with the bag of food the aroma made <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">Keira</span>’s mouth water. She <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2">hadn</span>’t realized how hungry she was.<br /><br />They continued on to his apartment. She asked where to park, and he said, “You don’t need to park. Valet.”<br /><br />“<span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_3">Oohhh</span>, of course you have valet parking, I should have known. Jeez, don’t forget us little people, okay?”<br /><br />Jon smirked at her. “Are you kidding me? I <em>love</em> you little people. You’re all so impressed by me.”<br /><br />She rolled her eyes. “First you tell me I’m intimidated by you, and now you think I’m <span style="FONT-STYLE: italic">impressed</span> by you? I hope your apartment has big doorways, otherwise your huge head might not fit through them.”<br /><br />He laughed. "Haven't gotten stuck in one yet."<br /><br />They left her car with the valet and Jon led her to an elevator that opened up right into his luxury penthouse apartment. Her eyes widened as she tried to take it all in at once: the vaulted ceilings, shining hardwood floors, huge arched windows. Sunlight poured in. The furniture was a mix of overstuffed couches and chairs and glass and metal tables. It was masculine and sparsely decorated. “Wow, Jon,” <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_4">Keira</span> murmured. It was a little different from the modest home he’d grown up in, that was for sure.<br /><br />“Come on, I’ll show you the upstairs,” he said, and took her hand to lead her up a center staircase. When they reached the upper level, she gasped. There were more windows than there were walls, and the views of the city were absolutely breathtaking. He brought her out onto one of the terraces and she struggled not to act completely awestruck. “Want to eat out here?” he asked.<br /><br />“Oh my God, yes. I can’t take my eyes off of this view.”<br /><br />The terrace was designed for entertaining, and there were several lounge chairs and patio sets. He set the bag of food on one of the tables and said, “I’ll be right back.”<br /><br />While he was gone, <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_5">Keira</span> walked to the edge of the terrace. <em>Holy shit! I can see for miles</em>. She lost herself for a few minutes in the grandeur of New York City. The view made her feel small and insignificant, and for some reason the sensation <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_6">wasn</span>’t entirely unpleasant.<br /><br />She jumped when Jon <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_7">snuck</span> up and put his arms around her from behind. “Like what you see?” he murmured in her ear. She leaned back against him, snuggling her head into the crook of his neck. Somehow it just felt right at that moment. “It’s an unbelievable view. You’re so lucky,” she said.<br /><br />“I know I am. I don’t know why, but I am.”<br /><br />She turned to face him, and was surprised to see an odd mix of pride and vulnerability in his eyes, as though he was afraid she was going to judge him for living in such a beautiful, luxurious apartment. She told him, “I love this place. You’<span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_8">ve</span> earned it, and you deserve it.”<br /><br />He gave her a crooked smile and said, "I'm glad you're here."<br /><br />"I'm glad to <em>be</em> here," she said honestly.<br /><br />He pulled her in for a hug, then said,“We should probably eat before the food gets cold.”<br /><br />She nodded in silent agreement and followed him to the table. He had changed into a pair of faded jeans and a brown Philly Soul t-shirt, and had brought a bottle of wine, two glasses, plates, napkins and utensils up from his kitchen. She sat down in one of the comfortable, high-backed cushioned chairs that surrounded the table and was pleased to discover that it rocked. Jon spread the food out on the table. Along with the spaghetti and meatballs, there was a loaf of fresh Italian bread and cubes of butter. They sat on the terrace for two hours, drinking wine and eating their fill of pasta and bread. It was the most relaxing, enjoyable evening that <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_9">Keira</span> had spent in ages, and she knew that it had more to do with the company than it did with the spectacular surroundings.<br /><br />“So whatever happened to Erin?” Jon asked, leaning back in his chair. The sun was starting to get low in the sky and the temperature was cooling off a bit.<br /><br /><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_10">Keira</span> laughed. “Erin married Jason right out of college. They have four kids together now.”<br /><br />“<span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_11">Ahh</span>, I’m not really surprised. I always pictured Erin as a mother.”<br /><br />“Do you remember the night we all had at Captain Jack’s?” she asked.<br /><br />He groaned. “Now there’s a night I’d rather forget.” One winter, when they were 17 years old, he, <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_12">Keira</span>, Erin, and their friend Carl had gone to a seedy bar in New Jersey. Captain Jack’s was infamous among the younger crowd because they never checked IDs. They got in with no problem and spent the night tossing back shots and beer. The night had ended with Erin puking her guts out in the parking lot, and Carl driving them into a snowbank at 40 miles an hour. They’d had the presence of mind to take pictures of themselves posing in front of the car up on top of the snowbank before running away, and the next day they’d all had to pool their money to help Carl get his car towed out of the snow.<br /><br /><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_13">Keira</span> laughed. “That was fun, though. That’s the kind of stuff I miss about being so young.”<br /><br />Jon finished his wine and refilled both of their glasses. “You trying to get me drunk?” she teased.<br /><br />“Nah. I had you drunk last night, and look what good that did me. I slept on your couch, remember?”<br /><br />She giggled. “I’m sorry. I’m just trying to do the right thing.”<br /><br />“And that is…?”<br /><br />“Not cheat on Rob.” <em>And not get involved with a rock star</em>, she thought but <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_14">didn</span>’t say. All of a sudden she shot straight up in her chair. “Oh <em>SHIT</em>!” she shouted.<br /><br />He raised an eyebrow in question. “What?”<br /><br />“I’m supposed to see Rob tonight! What time is it?”Daydreamer-http://www.blogger.com/profile/01537071219550105161noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-96614462536124980.post-28422691064753285792008-08-12T07:14:00.000-07:002008-08-15T11:10:20.629-07:00Chapter 30The public showers and changing rooms were teeming with people, and Jon didn’t want to risk being noticed, so they sat on the towels for a few minutes to dry off in the sun. Keira felt a little awkward after becoming so emotional with him, but at the same time she was glad to get her feelings off her chest.<br /><br />She pulled two bottles of water from the bag and handed one to Jon, then twisted the cap off hers and took a sip. She poured a little into the sand between them and settled down on her stomach to build a tiny sandcastle. Jon lay on his side and watched her lazily. When she was done, he reached over and added stairs. They came out perfect and she nodded, satisfied. “Nice job. You have very talented hands.” She was flirting, and it felt good to be on familiar ground again.<br /><br />He gave her a slow smile and reached across to run his fingers up the back of her thigh. “Yeah, I do…but you already knew that.”<br /><br />She held her breath as his fingers climbed higher. He stopped just short of her bikini line and then pulled his hand away. “Are you hungry?” he asked.<br /><br /><em>Not for food</em>, she thought. “A little bit. What do you have in mind?”<br /><br />“That’s a loaded question.” He smirked.<br /><br />“I meant, what did you have in mind <em>to eat</em>?” she clarified, and then instantly regretted her choice of words.<br /><br />His blue eyes twinkled with mischief and he laughed, clearly enjoying her discomfort. “Any other ways you’d like to phrase that?” he teased.<br /><br />She groaned and tried again, this time talking slowly through clenched teeth. “What…food…do…you…want…to…eat…for…lunch?”<br /><br />“Ohhh, you were talking about <em>food</em>…<em>now</em> I understand.”<br /><br />She laughed. “You are too much, Jonny. You haven’t grown up at all.”<br /><br />“I’ve learned a few new tricks, though.” He said with a wink, and she tried to push aside the quick flash of jealousy that arose when she thought of all the other women he must have learned those tricks with. <em>What am I doing here? I could never handle being involved with a rock star, and that’s definitely what he is now</em>.<br /><br />“Are you ready to get outta here?” he asked. She nodded and stood up, pulling her capris on over her now-dry bikini. They shook off the towels and folded them up, then grabbed the rest of their stuff and headed for the parking lot. Sliding into the car, she put the key in the ignition and glanced at the digital clock in the dash.<br /><br />“Holy crap, it’s already four o’clock!” She exclaimed. “I guess we’ll be having dinner instead of lunch.”<br /><br />“We can get some takeout. We’re not exactly dressed to eat at a restaurant.”<br /><br />Keira nodded in agreement. She felt sandy and sticky from the salt water, and she definitely didn’t feel up to going to a restaurant.<br /><br />“Do you want to come to my place, or would you be more comfortable if we go back to yours?” Jon asked.<br /><br />She thought about it for a minute. <em>What the hell</em>. “Let’s go to your place. Show me how a rock star lives.”<br /><br />He smiled at her, glad to see that she was starting to relax around him. She turned the radio on and John Mayer’s sexy, soothing voice filled the car.<br /><br /><em>Have no fear for giving in<br />Have no fear for giving over<br />You better know that in the end<br />It’s better to say too much<br />Than never to say what you need to say again<br /><br />Even if your hands are shaking<br />And your faith is broken<br />Even as the eyes are closing<br />Do it with a heart wide open<br /><br />Say what you need to say<br />Say what you need to say<br />Say what you need to say<br />Say what you need to say</em><br /><br />She smiled. It wasn’t the first time she’d heard the song, but it was the first time she’d paid full attention to the lyrics. <em>It’s perfect</em>.<br /><br />As if he’d read her mind, Jon said, “Hey, this could be your theme song.”<br /><br />She blushed. “I know. What can I say? I like wearing my heart on my sleeve sometimes. Better to tell people how you feel about them than to risk never telling them at all.”<br /><br />“I wasn’t making fun of you, Kathy. I admire you for being so open.” Jon said seriously.<br /><br />She relaxed and smiled at him. “Thank you.” She said. “Now where can we go to get some takeout?”Daydreamer-http://www.blogger.com/profile/01537071219550105161noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-96614462536124980.post-51198757141265014292008-08-11T05:38:00.001-07:002008-08-11T17:12:57.704-07:00Chapter 29<div>For a few seconds they remained that way: arms around each other, foreheads touching. Keira heard his words echoing in her mind. <em>You’re the one I've never been able to shake</em>. She wanted to believe him, but she couldn't. He was the professional songwriter and performer who always knew the exact words to use to his advantage, and she wasn’t the young, naïve girl that she used to be.<br /><br />She released her grip on him and sank back in the water, not taking her eyes off of his.<br /><br />“What?” He asked, trying not to show how frustrated she was making him.<br /><br />She shook her head. “Don’t make shit up, Jon. Yeah, we’ve always been attracted to one another, but you don’t have to act like I’m ‘the one who got away’.”<br /><br />“You <em>are</em> the one who got away.” He said. “And this time I’m not gonna let you get away so easily.”<br /><br />She crossed her arms and snapped, “What is it you want from me, exactly? Is it because I’m a challenge to you? You’re so used to women saying yes that when you finally find one who says no, you have to have her?”<br /><br />His eyes darkened. Finally, she was making him angry. For some reason this satisfied her. She moved closer to him again and said heatedly, “Yes, I’m attracted to you, and yes, I might even go home with you today, but let’s not pretend this is about anything more than sex. If we do end up in bed together, just know that I’m a big girl and I understand the difference between making love and fucking.”<br /></div><br /><div></div>"If I have my way with you, we'll do both." He said, reaching for her, but she backed away and glared at him. He held his palms up to her placatingly. "Or we could just have angry sex. That'll work too."<br /><br /><div></div>She grabbed a clump of seaweed out of the water and threw it at him. Laughing, he caught it and tossed it aside. <span style="font-style: italic;">Damn him and his quick reflexes.</span> "So you admit that it's just about sex then?" she demanded.<br /><br /><div></div>He shot her an exasperated look. "Kathryn, you're makin' me tired. I tell you that I've always had feelings for you and you get mad. Then I joke that we can just have sex and you get mad. What is it that you <em>want</em> me to say?"<br /><br /><div></div>"How about <em>sorry</em>?" she burst out, not even realizing the words were there before she said them. Immediately, she regretted them. She knew she was being hot and cold with him, and it wasn't fair.<br /><br /><div><em></em></div>Jon just stared at her, not sure what she wanted him to apologize for. The only thing he was sure of was that he'd never understand women as long as he lived. Finally he said, "Okay. Sorry."<br /><br /><div></div>"You don't even know what you're apologizing for!" Keira shouted.<br /><br /><div></div>"Then maybe you could <em>enlighten</em> me," he replied, his eyes flashing. She was about to get the fight that she'd been asking for.<br /><br /><div></div>She felt tears stinging her eyes and she tried to hold them back. "Say that you're sorry for giving me up without a fight. Sorry that you didn't care enough to try harder to make me stay." Her voice broke with emotion, but she looked at him defiantly, daring him to deny what she was saying. Instead, the anger in his eyes was replaced with remorse, and he reached for her again. This time she didn't pull away as he drew her against him. He put his hand in her hair and held her cheek against his chest, resting his chin on her head. She could hear his heartbeat and she wrapped her arms tightly around him, wishing she could literally melt into him. She closed her eyes, embarrassed when she felt the hot tears escape from beneath her lids. <em>Oh God, please don't let me end up doing those big, heaving, snotty, unattractive sobs.</em><br /><br /><div><em></em></div>He kissed the top of her head and murmured, "I'm sorry, baby. I'm sorry."<br /><br /><div></div>She struggled to regain control of her emotions. When she felt as though she could speak without her voice breaking, she said, "I'm sorry too, Jon. It happened so long ago, it shouldn't even matter anymore. It's just that...you <em>hurt</em> me."<br /><br /><div></div>"I know, baby. You hurt me too. <span style="font-style: italic;">You</span> walked away from <span style="font-style: italic;">me</span>, don't forget that."<br /><div> </div><br /><div>"I know I did. I was young and scared, and I never imagined that you'd just let me go like that. You just...let me go." She shook her head like she still couldn't believe it.</div><br /><div> </div>"I was in love you with, Kathy. I was just too young to be in love like that. <em>We</em> were too young."<br /><div> </div><br /><div>Once again, the lyrics to the song he'd sung for her echoed in her mind. <em>We had wonderful times, but terrible timing. </em>She squeezed her eyes shut again. "I was in love with you too," she said quietly. "You've always been in my heart."</div><br /><div> </div>"You've always been in mine too. C'mon." He pulled away from her and took her by the hand, leading her towards the dry sand of the beach. "Enough emotion for today. Let's go do lunch..and each other." He winked at her and she threw a soft punch at his side.Daydreamer-http://www.blogger.com/profile/01537071219550105161noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-96614462536124980.post-80025261218593399772008-08-05T05:56:00.000-07:002008-08-05T10:21:14.483-07:00Chapter 28They lay side by side on the beach for the next two hours, soaking up the sun and enjoying being in each other’s company. Keira was surprised by how comfortable it felt to be by his side again, as if they hadn’t missed over a decade of each other’s lives.<br /><br />As a teenager she’d been drawn to him from the very start, and not just because he was good looking. She had felt a connection with him, and as their relationship progressed, she knew he felt it too. Love was new and overwhelming. They were both such passionate people that every emotion they experienced together seemed explosive and larger than life. Everything they did together was intense; they flirted outrageously, drove each other wild experimenting with sex, clung to one another as if they’d never let go, fought like cats and dogs, and then spent days making up with love notes and gifts and tears. Whenever they were together, the sparks flew. It was such a wild roller coaster ride that Keira simply couldn’t imagine it ending. But then it <em>had</em> ended, and after the haze of heartbreak lifted, she’d convinced herself that she’d been naïve and that they’d never had a bond after all. She wondered if everyone’s first love was so tumultuous.<br /><br />Being with him today, after all these years, she began to wonder about the way some people seem destined to be in each other’s lives. She wondered about the way fate worked; how some people struggled for years to stay together, while others tried to stay apart but found themselves returning to one another again and again, regardless of how much time or distance had separated them. She glanced over and her heart clenched at the sight of him, and she wondered if maybe this was the way it was meant to be all along.<br /><br />He smiled lazily at her. “Penny for your thoughts.”<br /><br />“You’re a multi-millionaire and the best you can offer is a penny? I’m insulted. My thoughts are worth far more than that.”<br /><br />He winked at her. “I’ll give you a dollar for the dirty ones.”<br /><br />She propped herself up with one elbow and looked down at him. “You’d make a lot of women very rich if you gave them a dollar for every dirty thought they have about you.”<br /><br />He grinned. “Yeah, but most of <em>them</em> are willing to tell me for free. Or better yet, show me.”<br /><br />She kicked sand onto his towel and he laughed. They were quiet for a few minutes, and then the next question out of his mouth surprised her.<br /><br />“So do you really only have <em>one</em> of my albums?”<br /><br />Keira weighed her thoughts carefully before answering. She was feeling sentimental, and decided that the truth wasn’t going to hurt anything at this point. “I guess I just…didn’t want to know what I was missing.”<br /><br />His eyes met hers. “So the song in the car…?”<br /><br />“Yeah, I always change the channel. It’s a habit. Interviews, TV spots, news reports…I would always change it. Every now and then I’d inadvertently hear something. I knew when you got married. I knew when you cut your hair.” He groaned at this, and she laughed. “But you know what little news snippet bothered me the most?” she asked, feeling brave enough for a confession.<br /><br />“What?”<br /><br />She reached over and traced his Superman tattoo with her fingertip. “When you got this. Remember how we always talked about getting our first tattoos together, but we were too chicken to do it? Well, when I heard that you did it, it got me right in the gut for a few seconds.” She smiled at him to show that the hurt was no longer there.<br /><br />He didn’t say anything for a minute. When he looked at her, she could see regret in his eyes. That was enough for her. “I wish you were there with me, Kath. And I know you might think you missed a lot, but there was a lot of <em>bad</em> stuff in the early days, and it’s probably a good thing that you missed that.”<br /><br /><em>But I didn’t want to miss </em>any<em> of it</em>. The thought came out of nowhere and shocked her. Apparently she’d become so adept at ignoring all things Jon that she'd also managed to ignore the fact that she still had feelings for him. <em>Ignorance is bliss</em>.<br /><br />“You know what else I heard that bothered me, way back then?” Keira asked, figuring she might as well lay it all out there. “When you and Dorothea broke into the skating rink in Central Park and got arrested. That sounded like something we would have done. I miss that crazy shit.”<br /><br />“We can do our own crazy shit now that we’re friends again.” He sat up and brushed the sand off his towel. "I'm hot. Want to go for a dip?"<br /><br />"Aren't you afraid of being noticed?" she asked, concerned.<br /><br />"If I worried about that I'd never be able to leave my house." He got to his feet and reached for her hand, pulling her up with him. They walked toward the water with Jon keeping his head lowered to avoid making eye contact with anyone.<br /><br />"Why aren't you wearing sunglasses?" she asked out of curiosity.<br /><br />"I'm more recognizable with sunglasses on than without 'em."<br /><br />They made it to the water's edge and Keira gasped as the foamy, frigid Atlantic rushed over her feet. "Holy crap! I think this is as far as I'm going."<br /><br />"Oh come on, you said you wanted to do crazy shit. I'll race you in," Jon said, nudging her. "On your mark...get set..." he took off running before saying go, and she followed two steps behind him, shouting, "That was NOT FAIR!"<br /><br />Laughing like little kids, they ran as far as the shallow water would allow. As soon as it was deep enough, they both dove under and came up still laughing. She splashed water into his face with both hands. "You cheated!"<br /><br />He smirked. "Get used to it. Playing by the rules all the time is no fun." He dove back under the water and grabbed her by the ankles, yanking her down with him. She came up sputtering and hardly had any time to recover before his mouth came down over hers in a kiss that made her forget all about the ice cold water. Stunned by the heat that coursed through her, she snaked her arms around his shoulders and brought him closer, pressing her breasts against his chest and opening her mouth to him. There was nothing gentle about the kiss; it was hard and urgent and primal. He drifted lower into the water and she brought her legs up to wrap them around his waist. <em>Playing by the rules all the time is no fun.</em><br /><br />When they finally came up for air, she looked at him in disbelief. Even he looked dazed by the way all rational thought had disappeared when the kiss began. "I can't trust myself with you," Keira murmured, still clinging to him.<br /><br />He laughed and put his forehead against hers. "I don't know what it is about you, Kathy, but you're the one I've never been able to shake."Daydreamer-http://www.blogger.com/profile/01537071219550105161noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-96614462536124980.post-64675419382338385562008-08-01T05:01:00.001-07:002008-08-01T18:43:33.229-07:00Chapter 27Keira went back to her room and changed again, this time putting a black bikini on beneath her clothes. Hesitating for a minute, she removed her engagement ring and slipped it into the medicine cabinet in her bathroom. She threw a pair of panties and a bra, some sunscreen, two beach towels, and some bottled water into a tote bag, then returned to the living room where Jon was waiting patiently, still flipping the channels of the television.“You ready?” she said.<br /><br />“Always,” he replied, standing up and stretching.<br /><br />Following his directions, she drove to his apartment in Soho. “Where do I park?” she asked as they approached.<br /><br />“Depends. Are you coming in?” he asked.<br /><br />She hesitated, not feeling ready to visit his luxury apartment. “No, I’ll just wait for you. I’ll drive around the block and pick you up when I see you.”<br /><br />He nodded and got out at the curb. She drove around for a few minutes, trying not to think about Rob. After circling the block four times, she pulled up when she saw Jon come out of the building, wearing navy blue swim shorts and a white t-shirt. He was wearing a baseball cap and had done a great job of hiding his hair. He got into the car and she pulled away, feeling somewhat like she was driving the getaway car. He was carrying a change of clothes and her Red Sox shirt. “Here you go. I definitely won’t be needing this anymore,” he said, dumping it in her lap. “How do I look? Like myself?”<br /><br />She peered over at him. “I guess you might pass as just a regular everyday guy. Just don’t smile. Those teeth of yours are like a beacon.”<br /><br />He flashed them at her. “I can’t help my natural good looks.”<br /><br />"Hey, don't blind me with those things, I'm trying to drive, here."<br /><br />She turned the radio on, and as if on cue, Living on a Prayer blasted from the speakers. Out of habit, she automatically stabbed at the scan button, changing the channel. She felt Jon’s stare.<br /><br />“What?”<br /><br />“Not a fan?”<br /><br />She blushed. “You know I like your music. It’s just…habit, I guess.”<br /><br />“Punching the shit out of the radio to change the channel when my song comes on is a habit of yours?”<br /><br />“I didn’t <em>punch</em> anything. I just…changed it,” she said, feeling like an ass. Lamely, she added, “I didn’t think you wanted to hear your own song for the millionth time.”<br /><br />He raised an eyebrow at her but let the subject drop. When they made it to the shore, she parked the car and looked at him. “Do you really think we can do this?”<br /><br />“The worst that can happen is someone starts taking pictures and we have to leave. I don’t care if you don’t.”<br /><br />“Well, you’re the one who has to worry about the press, not me, so if you think it’s okay, let’s go.” She grabbed the tote bag and they got out of the car. He came over to her side and removed the tote bag from her shoulder, slinging it onto his.<br /><br />"Such a gentleman," she said. "Thanks."<br /><br />They kicked off their shoes and walked onto the warm sand. It was another beautiful day and the beach was fairly packed, so they walked for awhile until they found a spot that was far enough away from other people that they wouldn't have to worry about someone recognizing Jon. Keira was relieved to see that so far, no one had paid any attention to him.<br /><br />They spread the towels out on the sand and flopped down onto them. Jon pulled his shirt off and lay back, watching lazily as she stripped out of her clothes. Feeling his eyes on her, she said, "Would you like me to dance for you, or something?"<br /><br />He gave her his sexy, lopsided smile. "Later, when you come back to my place."<br /><br />In her bikini, she lay down on her towel and rolled onto her side to face him. "Oh, am I supposed to be going home with you after this?"<br /><br />He nodded. "You don't know it yet, though." His eyes held hers for a minute, and once again she felt the strong pull of attraction. She looked away and reached into the bag for the sunscreen.<br /><br />"Are you this cocky with every woman?" she asked as she rubbed lotion into her skin.<br /><br />"No, only with you. It's fun to make you squirm."<br /><br />"I am <em>not</em> squirming," she lied. She lay down on her stomach and handed him the bottle of lotion. "Will you do my back?"<br /><br />"I don't know. Do you think you can handle my hands on you?" he teased, taking the lotion from her.<br /><br />"Oh for the love of--" she began, but her words were cut off when she felt his warm, strong hands begin massaging the lotion into her shoulders. He did a thorough job of it, taking his sweet time and lingering in certain spots; the small of her back, the nape of her neck. She closed her eyes and lost herself in the sensation of the soothing motions of his hands and the warm sun on her skin.<br /><br />When he finished, he bent over her until his chest was just skimming her back, and murmured into her ear, "Now you're definitely squirming."<br /><br /><em>Son of a bitch. Two can play at this game</em>. She reached her arms out ahead of her as though she was stretching, then raised her bikini-clad bottom into the air until she made contact with the front of his shorts. Pretending to be stretching her back muscles, she ground against him and felt him respond. He bit back a groan and moved away from her, flopping back onto his own towel.<br /><br />"Who's squirming now?" she said with a laugh. "You shouldn't put yourself in such compromising positions." <em><span style="font-style: italic;"></span>Girls always win at these games.</em><br /><br />"We'll see who's squirming when I take you home later. Now do <em>my</em> back."<br /><br />Trying to ignore her body’s natural reaction to him, she sat beside him and squeezed a generous amount of sunscreen into her hands. Starting at his neck, she smoothed the lotion into his skin, enjoying the feel of his muscular back. “I see you’ve been working out since the last time I touched you like this,” she said as she massaged him, feeling him relax beneath her touch.<br /><br />“Mmmm,” he murmured, his eyes closed.<br /><br />She couldn’t deny that she still wanted him. It wasn’t logical and it wasn’t right, but it was there. <em>For me and millions of other women</em>, Keira thought, disgusted with herself. <em>There’s not </em>one<em> thing that I can do to this man that some other woman hasn’t already done to him. And that is why I’d be insane to do anything with him. It's why I set him free in the first place.</em>Daydreamer-http://www.blogger.com/profile/01537071219550105161noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-96614462536124980.post-25936304031673294192008-07-30T18:44:00.000-07:002008-07-31T06:48:12.514-07:00Chapter 26Keira finished drying her hair and put on a touch of makeup. “So what do you want to do about breakfast?” Jon asked.<br /><br />“There’s only one thing that works when I’m hungover, and that’s a sausage, egg and cheese sandwich from McDonald’s. I’ll go get it. What do you want?”<br /><br />“I’ll have the same. I’d go pick it up if I had my car here.” He picked up the shirt that he’d worn last night and sniffed it, making a face. “Smells like cigarettes and beer.”<br /><br />“I probably have something that will work. Let me go look.” She went into her bedroom and rifled through her dresser, chuckling as she came up with a Red Sox shirt. She walked out and tossed it to him.<br /><br />He held it up. “Are you kidding me?”<br /><br />She shrugged. “It’s either that or my ‘Jesus hates the Yankees’ shirt.”<br /><br />Laughing, he pulled the shirt on. “Do you know how much shit I’m gonna get from people if I’m photographed in this?”<br /><br />She raised her eyebrows at him. “Are we planning on going someplace that you might be photographed?”<br /><br />“You never know. Even if there’s no paparazzi around, everyone has camera phones these days.”<br />Keira frowned, wondering if he missed living a “normal” life, or if he even remembered what that was. Pushing the thought aside, she said, “I’ll be back in 15 minutes. Make yourself at home.” She grabbed her keys and headed for the underground garage to get her car. She drove to the nearest McDonald’s, bought their food, and was back home within 20 minutes. They sat side by side on the couch and dug into the hot, greasy breakfast sandwiches.<br /><br />“What is it about needing gross food the day after drinking? Does the grease soak up the alcohol or something?” she asked.<br /><br />“I have no idea, but whatever it is, it works.”<br /><br />When they finished eating, she balled up their sandwich wrappers and threw them in the kitchen trash. Walking back to the couch, she glanced at him and let out a low wolf whistle. “You look hot in a Red Sox shirt,” she said.<br /><br />“Yeah, well don’t get used to it. Next time I crash here I’m bringing my own clothes.”<br /><br />“Oh. Is there going to be a next time?” She was teasing, but was genuinely interested in hearing what had given him that idea.<br /><br />“I don’t know. You tell me. I’m not the one who’s engaged.” Jon leaned back on the couch, crossing his legs at the ankles. “So tell me about him.”<br /><br />Keira sighed. She’d been dreading this moment, but knew it was inevitable. “His name’s Rob. We’ve been together for two years. He lives in an apartment upstairs. He’s a great guy, has always treated me like gold. He’s almost perfect.”<br /><br />“Almost?”<br /><br />“I’m just…bored, I guess. He’s very predictable. He likes to stay home all the time. We never do anything spontaneous. The passion is just…not there. And honestly, up until a week ago I thought I was okay with that.”<br /><br />He nodded his head knowingly. “And then you came to my show and realized that you were missing the passion of a <em>real</em> man.”<br /><br />She played along. “Exactly! How did you guess? Watching Richie with that guitar was such a turn-on, it made me realize that I <em>need</em> that kind of passion in my life. And Tico, with those <em>arms</em> – whew!”<br /><br />“And how ‘bout that lead singer…”<br /><br />“Ehh, he’s kinda cute but he dances like a dork.”<br /><br />“Hey!” Jon elbowed her.<br /><br />“I warned you that girls always win at these games.”<br /><br />“One of these times I’ll win.” He went to the kitchen to get more coffee. When he came back, he said, “So what are you going to do about Rob?”<br /><br />Keira looked at the floor, her eyes filling up with tears. “I have to tell him I can’t marry him. The only reason I said yes in the first place is because he asked me in a crowded restaurant and everyone was staring at us.”<br /><br />“Ouch.”<br /><br />“I know. This sucks.” She swiped at her eyes, not wanting to spoil the morning.<br /><br />“If it makes you feel any better, I think you’re doing the right thing. If the passion’s gone after only two years, imagine what things would be like five or ten years down the road.”<br /><br />She wondered if he was speaking from personal experience, but she didn’t feel comfortable asking about his divorce. Not yet.<br /><br />“So what do you want to do today?” he asked.<br /><br />She thought about it. “You know what I wish we could do? Spend the day doing the kind of thing that we used to do, when we were young and carefree.”<br /><br />He laughed and took a minute to reflect on that. “So you want to raid my parents’ liquor cabinet, hang out at the beach and get drunk, and then go park somewhere and fool around?”<br /><br />She laughed too. “That’s not <em>all</em> we did, but yeah, I guess. Minus the liquor and the parking, though.”<br /><br />“So you want to go to the beach?”<br /><br />“It sounds kind of boring when you put it that way, but yes. Can you do that, or will you get mobbed?”<br /><br />He shrugged. “We can give it a try. I’ll stick the hair under a hat and hope for the best. Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn’t. I don’t have a swimsuit, though.”<br /><br />“Oh yeah,” she said, sounding disappointed.<br /><br />“We can swing by my place first. Then I can get out of this traitorous t-shirt too.”<br /><br />She rolled her eyes and smiled. “Alright, alright.” Under her breath, she added, “Chickenshit.”Daydreamer-http://www.blogger.com/profile/01537071219550105161noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-96614462536124980.post-84072272954303386552008-07-29T18:58:00.000-07:002008-07-30T05:30:07.697-07:00Chapter 25<div>Ten minutes later he walked out of the bathroom with the towel slung around his waist. His hair was damp and the toothbrush was sticking out of the side of his mouth. He caught her eye and grinned, removing the toothbrush. “I left my jeans out here,” he said around a mouthful of toothpaste.<br /><br /><em>He left them out here on purpose. What an exhibitionist</em><span style="font-style: italic;">.</span> “You’re certainly not shy, are you?”<br /><br />“Since when have I ever been shy?”<br /><br />The jeans he’d worn the night before were folded on the arm of the couch. When he got there, he dropped the towel and pulled the jeans on. She just stood there gaping at him. He turned to her as he buttoned his jeans and burst out laughing at the look on her face. “What? It’s not like you haven’t seen it before.” His laughter caused toothpaste to run down his chin, so he cupped his hand underneath it and ran back to the bathroom to spit.<br /><br />“You are a rude, sloppy houseguest!” she called after him, but she was laughing too.<br /><br />“You love it!” he called back. “And don’t forget, you’re the one who begged me to stay last night.”<br /><br />“I did not <em>beg</em>,” she protested. <em>Did I</em>?<br /><br />He came back into the living room, smirking at her like a wiseass. “Yup, you begged. <span style="font-style: italic;">Oh, Jon, please, please stay, I don’t want to be alone</span>.”<br /><br />She put her hands on her hips. “Don’t let it go to your head. I was drunk and can’t be held accountable for my actions. At least I had the good sense to make you sleep on the couch.”<br /><br />“That’s only because you’re intimidated by me.”<br /><br />“<span style="font-style: italic;">What</span>?” she shrieked.<br /><br />He nodded and crossed his arms arrogantly over his chest. “Yup. You’re afraid that I’m too much man for you to handle.”<br /><br />Keira knew he was only teasing, trying to draw a reaction out of her. She didn’t want to give him the satisfaction, but seeing him standing there bare-chested after making such a smug comment, even if was in jest, was too much for her. She started to laugh. She laughed so hard that she had to crouch down on the floor to keep from peeing her pants. She laughed until she snorted. When she finally got herself under control, he was still standing there with his arms crossed, waiting for her to say something. He was struggling to keep a straight face.<br /><br />“I’m going to take a shower now,” she said, and turned on her heel. Walking into the bathroom, she closed the door and leaned against it. <span style="font-style: italic;">I must be crazy. I should have driven him home first thing this morning. I’m just asking for trouble.</span><br /><br />She took a long, hot shower, washing the lingering smell of cigarette smoke out of her hair. Stepping out of the shower, she dried herself off and wrapped up in a towel, then brushed her teeth until her mouth felt sparkly clean. It was amazing what a shower and toothbrush could do to help cure a hangover. She blow-dried her hair until it was just slightly damp, then put on moisturizer and a quick squirt of vanilla after-shower body spray. She realized that she’d forgotten to bring her clothes in with her, and suddenly a naughty thought crossed her mind. <span style="font-style: italic;">Payback is a bitch, but do I really dare to do this</span>?<br /><br />She was suddenly tired of being a “good girl” all the time, one who always played by the rules. It had been a very long time since she’d done anything spontaneous and daring. Hell, the last time she’d lived on the edge was when she was still with Jon, over thirteen years ago. <span style="font-style: italic;">Apparently he brings this side out of me. Maybe that’s why I’m scared to be with him; because I can’t trust myself around him</span>.<br /><br />She looked at herself in the mirror. <span style="font-style: italic;">Good old reliable Keira</span>, she thought. <span style="font-style: italic;">Molly’s always been the fun one</span>. And suddenly Tom Cruise’s voice was in her head again. <span style="font-style: italic;">Sometimes, you just have to say</span> fuck it. She was going to have to print that quote and stick it on her fridge.<br /><br />She opened the door of the bathroom and stepped out into the hallway. Jon was on the couch, flipping channels on the TV with the remote control. He looked up when she came into the room. The towel was small and barely covered her. Before she could lose her nerve, she said, “Oh my, I seem to have forgotten my clothes.” She dropped the towel at her feet and made sure he got a good long look before she turned and scampered into her bedroom to get dressed. <span style="font-style: italic;">Holy shit, I really did it. Molly is going to be so proud!!</span><br /><br />She dressed in black capris and a red v-neck t-shirt, then walked back into the living room, trying her best to act like nothing had happened. He raised his hands in surrender. “You win,” he said, shaking his head. “I did <span style="font-style: italic;">not</span> see that coming. Point taken. You win.”<br /><br />Satisfied, she sat down next to him on the couch. “You’ve been around long enough to know that girls <span style="font-style: italic;">always</span> win at these games.”<br /><br />He leaned over and bumped his shoulder against hers. “I just wanted to see if you still had it in you, Kathy. And you do.”<br /></div>Daydreamer-http://www.blogger.com/profile/01537071219550105161noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-96614462536124980.post-54659274259535951002008-07-28T06:58:00.000-07:002008-07-29T12:52:54.769-07:00Chapter 24Keira awoke the next morning with a pounding headache and hardly any recollection of the night before. She threw her arm across her eyes and tried to get a little more sleep, but the throbbing in her head was too insistent and she headed for the kitchen in search of aspirin.<br /><br />The sight of Jon asleep on her couch brought her up short. Snippets from the night before came flooding back to her: the arguing, the flirting…the kiss. Inwardly, she groaned. <em>I kissed him and he turned me down. Ugh, how embarrassing</em>. She remembered asking him to stay. <em>Now what do I do? I can’t just wake him up and kick him out</em>. Thankfully, Rob wasn’t due back until the evening.<br /><br />Making a concerted effort to be quiet, she got the aspirin bottle down from her kitchen cabinet. She filled a glass with tap water and used it to wash down two tablets. Glancing at the digital clock on her microwave, she saw that it was only 8:15. <em>Too damn early after a night like last night</em>. She crawled back into bed and willed sleep to come again, at least for another hour or two. Within minutes she knew it wasn’t going to happen, but at least her headache was starting to go away. <em>Coffee. Must have coffee</em>.<br /><br />She tiptoed back to the kitchen, this time pausing to take a better look at Jon. He was sleeping on his back, with one arm above his head and the other across his stomach. At some point during the night he had kicked off the blanket, so she had a great view of his toned chest and shoulders. <em>Someone’s been working out</em>. His hair was tousled and he looked damn sexy in Rob’s sweats. <em>It’s not fair that he looks this good even after a night of drinking. Infuriating man. Where’s my camera?</em> She laughed to herself when she thought about snapping a photo of him, but quickly decided that would be wrong.<br /><br />She went into the kitchen and set about making a pot of coffee, trying to be as quiet as possible. Suddenly the phone rang, making her jump. She quickly grabbed the wall phone. “Hello?”<br /><br />“Hi, baby. I’m sorry to call you so early, but I have meetings the rest of the day and I didn’t think I’d get a chance to talk to you again before I get on the plane.”<br /><br />She turned around to see if Jon was still asleep. He had rolled onto his side, but his eyes were still closed. She spoke quietly. “That’s okay, Rob. How’s everything going there?”<br /><br />“Oh, it’s going. The usual. I had to be back at the printing place at 3:00 this morning, so I haven’t had much sleep. Why are you whispering?”<br /><br />She cleared her throat and spoke a bit louder. “I’m not whispering. I just woke up a few minutes ago, that’s all. It must be my morning voice.”<br /><br />Jon stirred and covered his eyes with his forearms. Keira’s eyes widened as she took in his taut stomach and the line of hair that led down into the sweatpants. <em>Get your mind off the treasure trail, girl.<br /></em><br />“…would that be okay?” Rob was saying.<br /><br />“What was that?”<br /><br />“I asked if you wanted me to come by tonight after I get home.”<br /><br />This was getting worse and worse. “Sure,” she said, unable to come up with an excuse to say no.<br /><br />“Okay, I’ll see you then. I love you.”<br /><br />“I love you too,” she said, and winced. “Bye.” She hung up the phone. <em>I am a horrible, horrible person.<br /></em><br />“Was that the fiance?” Jon said, startling her. She looked at him. He hadn’t moved; his arms still covered his eyes.<br /><br />She sighed. “Yes. I’m sorry I woke you up. It’s early; you can go back to sleep if you want.”<br /><br />“Why are <em>you</em> up?”<br /><br />“I had a headache.”<br /><br />“I’m not surprised,” he said, and laughed.<br /><br />She walked over to the couch and sat down on the floor next to him. “Jon, I am so, so, SO sorry about last night.”<br /><br />He took his arms off his face and looked at her, propping his head up on his hand. “What are you sorry for?”<br /><br />She didn’t want to say it. She was too embarrassed. She waved her hand in the air and said, “Oh, for getting so drunk and acting stupid. For trying to make you mad all night. For…the ladies’ room thing.” She hung her head.<br /><br />He reached out and touched her cheek briefly, then pulled his hand back. “First of all, you were a funny drunk, and I didn’t mind you trying to make me mad. A little verbal sparring with a beautiful woman can be a turn-on. And as far as the ladies’ room…well, that was a damn good kiss. If you want to apologize for something, apologize for saying no earlier in the night.” He reached down and grabbed her left hand, lifting it up so they could both look at the ring. “Although I know you have your reasons.”<br /><br />She twisted the ring around her finger. “That didn’t stop me later in the evening, did it?” she murmured, ashamed.<br /><br />“Don’t beat yourself up. You were just drunk.”<br /><br />She nodded. <em>That’s true. But I’m sober right now and I still want to kiss you.<br /></em><br />“When do you want me to drive you home?” she asked, slightly afraid to hear his answer.<br /><br />He stretched. “I have the whole day free. Just a few phone calls to make, but I can do that later. What are you doing?”<br /><br />She turned to him. “I have no plans, either.”<br /><br />“Want to spend it together?”<br /><br /><em>This is dangerous. Very, very dangerous.</em> She smiled at him. “That actually sounds nice.” She got up and went into the kitchen. “Do you want coffee?” she called.<br /><br />“God, yes.”<br /><br />She filled two mugs. “How do you take it?”<br /><br />“Black is good.”<br /><br />“Hardcore,” she teased, adding cream and sugar to hers. She carried the two mugs to the living room and giggled as she handed him his. He raised his eyebrows as he took in the bright red Boston Red Sox “B” on the side of his mug.<br /><br />“You made your point last night,” he said dryly.<br /><br />“I just wanted to drive it home this morning,” she replied sweetly. “So what did you have in mind for today?”<br /><br />They sipped their coffee and thought about it. "You can't do much, can you?" she asked after a minute. "You must get mobbed out in public."<br /><br />"Sometimes," he said. "Depends where I go."<br /><br />She yawned. "What I really need is a nice, greasy breakfast to get rid of my hangover."<br /><br />He smiled and sat up, combing his fingers through his hair. "Let's start there then. Mind if I use your shower first?"<br /><br />"No, go ahead. Come on, I'll show you." He followed her to the bathroom and she handed him a towel and a spare toothbrush that she dug out of a drawer beside the sink. "I'll shower after you." <em>Although I'd rather shower </em>with<em> you.</em><br /><em></em><br />She closed the bathroom door behind her and went to refill her coffee cup. It was going to be an interesting day.Daydreamer-http://www.blogger.com/profile/01537071219550105161noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-96614462536124980.post-87280958619495309502008-07-28T06:57:00.000-07:002008-07-28T10:09:00.410-07:00Chapter 23Jon was right; it was time for last call at the bar and they decided to call it a night. Richie dropped Keira off first, and Jon insisted on walking her into her apartment building. She was still unsteady on her feet, so he linked his arm through hers and helped her make it up the elevator and to her door. She took her keys out of her purse and dropped them three times before he finally took them from her. “Which key is it?”<br /><br />“It’s the round one next to the Toyota key,” she said, happy to lean against him with her eyes closed and let him find the key.<br /><br />“Red Sox, huh?” he said, noticing her keychain.<br /><br />“Yeah, Red Sox. My parents are from Boston, remember? I was born and raised a Red Sox fan. Just one more reason why we could never get along, Jon. I can’t put up with a Yankees fan.”<br /><br />He laughed. “I like the Mets.”<br /><br />She shrugged. “Well. That’s better than the Yankees, but I am very loyal to my Red Sox. And also the Patriots."<br /><br />Jon smiled sympathetically at her. "In that case, I should apologize for the ass-kicking that my team gave yours in the Superbowl this year. That must have been painful for you to watch."<br /><br />She glared at him, but she knew it was all in good fun.<br /><br />"I'll just make a Soul fan out of you, then we'll get along fine," he said. Still chuckling, he unlocked her door and pushed it open, helping her inside. She hit the light switch inside the door, flooding the dining area with light. She dropped her purse on the floor and went into the kitchen, where she poured herself a huge glass of water. “Do you want anything?” she asked him.<br /><br />He shook his head, his eyes falling on the bouquet of roses in the center of her dining room table. It didn’t escape his notice that the lilacs he’d sent were nowhere to be seen. He looked around, taking in the large windows and spacious rooms. "Nice place."<br /><br />"Thanks."<br /><br />"Well...I better get going. Are you alright?"<br /><br />She was stunned by the disappointment she felt at the thought of him leaving. “Can you stay?” she asked, the words slipping out before she realized what she was saying.<br /><br />He hesitated, unsure of what she meant.<br /><br />“You can have my bed; I’ll sleep on the couch,” she said.<br /><br />He considered for a minute, then took his cell phone from its holder on his belt and called Richie’s cell. “Hey man, you can get going – I’m gonna stay here with Kathryn.”<br /><br />Richie replied, “You know what the fuck you’re doing, man?”<br /><br />Jon laughed, “Yeah, I’m sleeping on the couch, don’t worry about it. I’ll call you tomorrow.”<br /><br />Overhearing the conversation, Keira said, “You’re not sleeping on the couch, I said you could have my bed.”<br /><br />“Now what kind of guy would that make me, if I made you sleep on the couch? Let’s get you to bed.”<br /><br />The thought of crashing face first into her bed was so welcoming that she couldn’t resist it. “I’ll find you something to sleep in,” she said, and stumbled for her bedroom. She managed to come up with a pair of sweatpants that Rob had left behind one night, and she brought them out to Jon, even though it made her feel guilty. She was getting used to that feeling. She brought him an extra pillow and some blankets from her bedroom closet. “Are you sure you don’t want my bed?” she asked.<br /><br />“I’m fine,” he said, and pulled her against him for a hug. She let him hold her for a minute, happy to be in his arms again. For a second she was tempted to try for another kiss, but then she realized she was in no shape to start anything.<br /><br />“Thank you for staying,” she said. He nodded and walked her to her bedroom. Pulling the covers back for her, he waited until she settled down on the bed with her head on her pillow. Then he pulled the covers up and tucked them tight around her, kissing her on the cheek.<br /><br />“Goodnight, Kathy.”<br /><br />She grabbed his hand and squeezed before letting go. “Goodnight, Jon.” After he left the room, she giggled drunkenly and called, “I mean, goodnight, Jon-boy.”<br /><br />He groaned and called back, “There’s another one I’ve heard a million times.”Daydreamer-http://www.blogger.com/profile/01537071219550105161noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-96614462536124980.post-81153247975999196692008-07-27T10:18:00.000-07:002008-08-15T11:06:46.017-07:00Chapter 22They stayed that way for a few minutes, neither of them wanting to let go of the other. Keira thought of the song he had sung for her. <em>The words were all gone, the time’s been too long</em>. When she finally forced herself to back away, she stumbled and he grabbed her arm to steady her. She giggled. “I’m a little drunk.”<br /><br />He put his arm around her and they walked back to the table. She was content to lean against him for support. That last glass of wine had been overkill.<br /><br />Richie and Molly had turned their chairs to face one another, and she was using his lap as a foot rest. They were laughing and they looked completely comfortable together, as if they’d known each other for years instead of only one day.<br /><br />Jon used his free arm to pull Keira’s chair out for her, and then he lowered her into it. Richie grinned. “Everything okay, kids?”<br /><br />Jon made a big production of rolling his head from side to side, as if stretching his neck muscles after a long, hard day. “I think Keira’s ready to relax now. We went out in the alley and had a quickie. Took the fight right out of her.”<br /><br />Molly gaped at them, speechless for once. Keira was too inebriated to say anything, so she just shook her head “no” emphatically. Then she waved her left hand in the air, flashing the ring.<br /><br />Jon laughed. “I’m kidding. She’s not as easy as she used to be.”<br /><br />Keira stuck her tongue out at him.<br /><br />“You losing your touch, man?” Richie asked Jon in mock concern.<br /><br />“I think I am, Rich.”<br /><br />Keira nodded her head “yes” emphatically.<br /><br />Molly looked at Richie. “Were they always like this?”<br /><br />Richie nodded. “Pretty much. Never a dull moment. At least they kept us entertained.”<br /><br />Keira found her voice. “I need water. Lots of water.” Jon went to the bar to get her some. She thanked him and drank half the glass in one big gulp. Setting it down, the flash of her engagement ring caught her eye and she groaned, dropping her head down on the table. Jon shot a questioning look at Molly, who shrugged. It wasn’t her place to say anything.<br /><br />“What am I going to do?” Keira mumbled miserably.<br /><br />Jon cleared his throat. “Do about what?” he prompted.<br /><br />Keeping her head on the table, she thrust her left hand into the air. “About <em>this</em>.”<br /><br />Sensing that Keira was about to say much more than she probably wanted to, Molly got up and grabbed her hand, pulling her to her feet. “Let’s go the ladies’ room, Keira. It’s been your favorite place tonight, anyway.”<br /><br />Too drunk to resist, Keira let herself be pulled along into the ladies’ room. Molly took her face in her hands and said, “Okay, Keira, look at me and focus. You don’t want to say too much about Rob right now, right?”<br /><br />Keira tried to let the words sink in. Then she nodded. “You’re right. Thank you. I need more water.”<br /><br />“I’ll go get your glass. I’ll be right back. Just stay here and try to think clearly.”<br /><br />“I want Jon to come here,” Keira said.<br /><br />“That’s not thinking clearly.”<br /><br />“I’m not worried ‘bout that right now. Want Jon.”<br /><br />Molly raised her eyebrows. “Okaayyy…” She backed out the door, waiting for Keira to change her mind, but she didn’t.<br /><br />At the table, Molly handed the glass of water to Jon and said, “She wants you to bring this to her.”<br /><br />“Go get her, Jonny,” Richie laughed.<br /><br />Jon knocked on the door of the ladies’ room and Keira opened it and beckoned him inside. She took the glass of water from him and finished it. “Thank you,” she said, and then moved unsteadily toward him. She reached up and put her hands on either side of his face. “You look so good. How is it that you get better with age?”<br /><br />He knew she was drunk, and he didn’t want to take advantage of that fact. Still, he was a man, and curiosity got the best of him. He stood there and waited to see what her next move would be. She put her thumb on his mouth and stroked his lower lip, similar to the way Molly had earlier. “You have the nicest mouth.”<br /><br />His eyes darkened and he took her hand, opening it and kissing her palm.<br /><br />In one swift move, she pulled her hand away and put it on the back of his head, bringing his face down to hers and putting her mouth on his. She kissed him gently at first, and then she tilted her head and kissed him more insistently. She had forgotten what a good kisser he was, and as he opened his mouth to her and she tasted him, she let a soft moan escape from deep inside her.<br /><br />The sound seemed to startle him back to reality, and instead of hauling her against him the way he wanted to, he pulled away and stepped back. “Kathy…” he said, and she looked up at him with swollen lips and dazed eyes. “You don’t really want to do this. You’re drunk. I want you, but I want you sober.”<br /><br />She was completely turned on and didn’t want to stop, but he looked serious and she tried to breathe deeply and get her heart rate under control again. She hadn’t felt this way since early in her relationship with Rob, and it was a relief to know that her sex drive was still intact. <em>Just not with Rob</em>. A wave of guilt washed over her. “I’m sorry,” she said.<br /><br />“Don’t be sorry. You’re just giving me what I asked for earlier. But you said no then, and you meant it.” He slung his arm around her again and said, “Let’s go back to the table. It’s probably almost closing time, anyway.”Daydreamer-http://www.blogger.com/profile/01537071219550105161noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-96614462536124980.post-36300531280241581252008-07-26T06:51:00.000-07:002008-07-26T07:58:57.001-07:00Chapter 21<div>“I think I’ll do Stray Cat Strut. I have a lot of fun with that one,” said Molly.<br /><br />Keira nodded in agreement. She’d seen Molly do that song before, and she did a great rendition of it. She kept flipping the pages, still undecided, when the title of a Faith Hill song grabbed her attention. <em>Oh, this is too perfect. Why didn’t I think of it before?</em> Smiling, she pointed it out to Molly. “I’m gonna do this one.”<br /><br />Molly furrowed her eyebrows at Keira. “Are you deliberately trying to piss Jon off?”<br /><br />Keira pretended to think about it. “I guess I am,” she said.<br /><br />“Why?”<br /><br />“Because he’s too sure of himself. And because I’m drunk.”<br /><br />Molly shook her head. “You could be having a really good time tonight, if you’d just loosen up and enjoy yourself.”<br /><br />Keira looked surprised. “I <em>am</em> enjoying myself.”<br /><br />Jon and Richie returned to the table and Molly walked over to the DJ to give him their song choices. She glanced around the bar to see how many people were there. The older couple had left, but the four guys were still playing pool. The DJ told her she could start whenever she was ready, so with a wink and a smile at Richie, she took her place in front of the microphone.<br /><br />Keira watched as Molly sang the opening lines of the song in a sultry voice. The men stopped playing pool to watch, too. She strutted around in perfect character for the song, and shook her behind like a cat twitching its tail. When she meowed and scraped her hand through the air like a claw, Jon and Richie gave her a standing ovation.<br /><br />Then it was Keira’s turn. Molly returned to the table and curtsied before sitting down. Keira walked unsteadily to the microphone. For one brief minute she regretted her song choice, but then the music started to play and she pushed the doubt out of her mind and began to sing.<br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">There's something 'bout your manner</span><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">That makes it hard to see</span><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">Just how you take advantage</span><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">Of a workin' girl like me</span><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">I've seen you set 'em up</span><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">And I've seen you take 'em down</span><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">Our love is legal tender</span><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">For your kind to pass around</span><br /><br />Gaining confidence as the song went on, she met Jon’s eyes to see if he was getting the message. He was leaning back in his chair with his arms crossed, unsmiling, but his eyes still looked amused. She went into the chorus with a little extra bite in her words.<br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">Don't want your bed of roses</span><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">Don't want no handful of thorns</span><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">Don't want to be your livin' doll</span><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">Don't want to be no woman scorned</span><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">I don't want to watch you turn the page</span><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">When our chapter closes</span><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">No, I'm not gonna lay me down</span><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">In your bed of roses</span><br /><br />Richie was laughing and shaking his head. <em>Leave it to Kathryn to use a song to tell Jon off</em>, he thought. <em>Especially a song that rips apart a song that he wrote</em>.<br /><br />Jon wasn’t pissed, he was impressed. He’d never heard the Faith Hill song before, but it was a fitting rebuttal to his own song "Bed of Roses". He had to hand it to Keira; she’d won this round.<br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">I've tasted good and bad love</span><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">In the honky-tonks and bars</span><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">I've settled for the moon</span><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">When I was reachin' for the stars</span><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">And though sometimes I have stumbled</span><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">I've been known to fall</span><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">It was always true love</span><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">That took me to the wall</span><br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">Don't want your bed of roses</span><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">Don't want no handful of thorns</span><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">Don't want to be your livin' doll</span><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">Don't want to be no woman scorned</span><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">I don't want to watch you turn the page</span><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">When our chapter closes</span><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">No, I'm not gonna lay me down</span><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">In your bed of roses</span><br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">You better hide your love away</span><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">You better save it for another day</span><br /><br />When the song ended, Keira walked back to the table. Richie, Jon, and Molly were all clapping. She smiled and took her seat, swallowing the last of her wine. She could feel Jon’s eyes on her, waiting for her to look up. Taking a deep breath, she met his gaze.<br /><br />He smiled at her and held out his hand. “You made your point. Truce?”<br /><br /><em>Damn it</em>. He really knew how to take the wind out of her sails. She shook his hand and nodded. “Truce.” Suddenly she wanted a cigarette. “Can I bum a cigarette off of you?” she asked him.<br /><br />He stood up. “I’ll come out with you.”<br /><br />Richie looked at Molly and rolled his eyes. <em>Here we go again</em>.<br /><br />***<br /><br />Keira hadn’t smoked in over two years, and the first drag went right to her head. She felt dizzy. Jon was looking at her, but not speaking. After a minute, she said, “<em>What</em>? Why are you staring at me?”<br /><br />“Because you’re cute.”<br /><br />She growled at him. “I’ve been trying to piss you off all night, and all you can say is that I’m <span style="font-style: italic;">cute</span>?”<br /><br />He shrugged. “What can I say? It’s a nice change from women who kiss my ass all the time. Besides, it’s you. You’re entitled to take some shit out on me.”<br /><br />She took another drag of the Marlboro Light that she’d pilfered from him. He was being so sweet to her. Suddenly her shoulders sagged and she leaned back against the brick exterior of the bar. “I’m sorry, Jon. I’ve been a bitch, and you haven’t done anything to deserve it. What’s done is done; I can’t make you feel bad for what happened over a decade ago.”<br /><br />He took a drag on his own cigarette, and two full minutes passed before he spoke again. “What’s the matter, Kathryn?”<br /><br />He caught her off guard. She wasn’t expecting sympathy from him, and she was surprised that he could still see through her so easily. She sighed. “It’s Keira now.”<br /><br />He smiled gently at her. “You’ll always be Kathryn to me.”<br /><br />Their eyes locked. He took another drag of his cigarette, then dropped it, grounding it out with his foot. Then he held his arms out to her.<br /><br />She threw her cigarette aside and melted into his arms, wrapping hers around his waist and pressing her face into his chest. He felt familiar and safe and for a second, she wondered why she’d been resisting him so much. "I missed you," she said, the words muffled against his chest.<br /><br />He put his face in her hair. "I missed you too."<br /></div>Daydreamer-http://www.blogger.com/profile/01537071219550105161noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-96614462536124980.post-56988826746871181292008-07-23T09:38:00.001-07:002008-07-25T04:37:17.394-07:00Chapter 20For the second time that night, Keira went into the ladies’ room to try and calm down. She tried to think rationally. The fact was, they were both drunk and trying to push each other’s buttons. It was typical stupid human behavior, the grown-up version of a little boy who yanks a little girl’s hair because he likes her. She took a few deep breaths and opened the door to find Jon leaning aloofly against the wall in the hallway, waiting for her. He wasn’t smiling.<br /><br />She crossed to him and put her face very close to his. “Just because you think everyone wants you does <em>not</em> mean I do. Don’t forget, I’ve already had you. And just because women everywhere fall all over you, don’t expect me to.” She raised her hands to shove against his chest, but he caught her wrists and pulled her closer, tipping his head so his mouth was against her ear.<br /><br />“Why don’t you kiss me, then try and tell me you don’t want me.” he whispered.<br /><br />Every nerve in her body was on edge. She was tempted, but she knew it would be impossible to stop with just a kiss. Not only was it the wrong time and place, it was something she didn’t think should ever happen. She forced herself to take a step back from him. “We should go back to the table.”<br /><br />He released her wrists, and she unintentionally glanced down and saw the evidence of his arousal. Before she could stop herself, she cocked an eyebrow at him and said, “At least we’ve established that <em>you</em> still want <em>me</em>.”<br /><br />He gave her a cocky grin. “I never said I didn’t.” He brushed past her, heading for the table. She blew out a deep breath and followed, adrenaline coursing through her veins.<br /><br />When they got back to the table, Keira sat down primly and cleared her throat. “Sorry about that,” she said to Molly and Richie. Jon just sat down and nodded at them with a smirk on his face.<br /><br />“Did you guys kiss and make up?” Richie asked, as if he was speaking to two small children.<br /><br />Jon shrugged. “I tried.” Keira shot him a look of death.<br /><br />“So are we still playing the question game, or what?” said Jon.<br /><br />“I don’t think so. You guys kind of hijacked that game,” replied Richie. “Let’s play something else.”<br /><br />“Like what?”<br /><br />“Truth or dare?” suggested Molly. “Spin the bottle?”<br /><br />Keira rolled her eyes. “Molly, are we in junior high again? How about Seven Minutes in Heaven, or Twister?” Directing her gaze at Jon, she added, “Or maybe Light as a Feather, Stiff as a Board?”<br /><br />Jon just shook his head, laughing. She was frustrated that in spite of her best efforts, he wasn’t getting riled up. In fact, the bitchier she acted, the more amused he seemed to get. It was infuriating.<br /><br />Molly gave her a blank look. “Hey, I happen to like all those games. Why are you being so grouchy? Don’t take your sexual frustration out on me.”<br /><br />Jon and Richie put their hands over their mouths to try and hide their laughter. To everyone’s surprise, Keira started laughing too, and some of the tension seemed to leave her shoulders. “You’re right. Not about the sexual frustration thing, but I am being grouchy. We’re here to have a good time.”<br /><br />After a minute Jon suggested, “How about some karaoke?”<br /><br />Everyone stared at him. “Don’t you get sick of singing?” Keira asked.<br /><br />“I didn’t say I was gonna sing. I think you ladies should sing for us.” Jon said, looking to Richie for backup.<br /><br />Richie nodded. “Now that’s the best idea I’ve heard all night. Aside from the sink thing, I mean,” he added.<br /><br />Molly and Keira looked at each other. It wouldn’t be the first time they’d done karaoke after having a few drinks, but this was a little different. Molly jumped up. “I’m going to get us a couple more drinks first,” she announced.<br /><br />“No, no, no! No more drinks!” Keira protested, but Molly was already halfway to the bar. When she returned, she was balancing two glasses of wine, a beer for Jon, and water for Richie. Setting them down on the table, she walked over to the DJ booth and returned with a thick 3-ring binder: the list of karaoke song choices.<br /><br />Keira found herself drinking the wine, even though she knew she’d had more than enough already. She flipped through the pages of the binder with Molly. Jon stood up. “I’m going outside for a smoke. You want to come, Rich?” Richie nodded, standing, and they both headed outside.<br /><br />Once they were alone, Molly burst out, “The White House? Who do you think he had sex with in the White House, one of the Bush twins?”<br /><br />For the second time that night, Keira had to spit her mouthful of wine into a napkin. “I think they’re a little young for him, but who knows?” she said, laughing. “I don’t think many women are immune to his charms. For all we know it might have been one of the First Ladies.”<br /><br />Molly guffawed. “Maybe while Bill was in the Oval Office with Monica, Jon was in the master bedroom with Hillary.”<br /><br />Keira couldn’t stop laughing. “I wouldn’t put it past him.” Then she felt guilty. “Honestly, though, I’m kidding. I don’t think he’s that sleazy. But he <em>is</em> a rock star, so what do I know?”<br /><br />“Rock star? Whatever happened to ‘he’s just Jon’?”<br /><br />Keira shrugged, suddenly wanting to change the subject. “Let’s figure out what we’re going to sing for these boys.”Daydreamer-http://www.blogger.com/profile/01537071219550105161noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-96614462536124980.post-44477200276853203902008-07-23T09:24:00.000-07:002008-07-23T13:05:23.061-07:00Chapter 19“Let’s play the question game!” exclaimed Molly.<br /><br />“This better not be a drinking game, because I’m drunk enough already,” Keira said with a slight slur to her words. She held up her glass of wine. “This is my last one and I am done.”<br /><br />“No, this is what I call an <em>after</em> drinking game. The perfect game to play when your guard is down.” Molly grinned wickedly. “Think of it as a ‘getting to know each other’ game. All you do is ask one of us a question. The person has to answer the question honestly. Once they answer it, it’s their turn to ask someone else a question. Got it?”<br /><br />Keira, Jon and Richie all looked at one another and shrugged. “Sounds easy enough,” said Jon. “Ok, Molly, you start.”<br /><br />Molly directed her first question at Keira. “I’ll start with an easy one. Who’d you rather sleep with, Corey Haim or Corey Feldman?”<br /><br />Keira shuddered. “Ew!” she said. “I guess I’ll have to go with Corey Haim. Feldman went through that creepy Michael Jackson phase, remember?”<br /><br />“Oh yeah,” said Molly, wrinkling her nose. Jon and Richie just looked at each other and shrugged, not exactly familiar with the two Coreys.<br /><br />“Ok, Keira, your turn.”<br /><br />Mischievously, Keira looked at Molly. “Who do you think is hotter, Jon or Richie?”<br /><br />Molly threw her head back and laughed. “I like the way you play this game, my friend!” she said. “Let’s see…” Standing up, she made her way over to Jon. “Now Jon here has very sexy hair.” She gently raked her fingers through it. Jon closed his eyes and made a purring sound, playing along with her little game. Then she walked over to Richie and did the same to him. “And Richie has very sexy hair too. And it’s darker than Jon’s, and I like my men dark.” She walked back to Jon, and this time massaged his shoulders and upper arms. “Mmm, very nice,” she murmured, then did the same to Richie. “Mmm, very, <em>very</em> nice.” In one quick motion she stepped over to Jon and placed two of her fingers against his lips. Jon looked up at her with heavy lidded eyes, waiting to see what she was going to do.<br /><br />Keira didn’t know why, but watching Molly’s little ritual with the guys was turning her on.<br /><br />Molly stroked Jon’s lower lip. “Very nice mouth, and gorgeous blue eyes.” She crossed to Richie and repeated the motion on him. “Again, nice mouth, and gorgeous brown eyes. And like I said, I like my men dark, soooo…it’s a close call, but I’d have to say that Richie wins this one.”<br /><br />Richie grabbed her around the waist and hauled her onto his lap, giving her a big, smacking kiss on her cheek. “I always knew I was hotter than him!” he shouted in mock glee.<br /><br />Jon groaned and threw a cardboard coaster at them. “Awww, come on! Compare the asses! I have a much better ass!”<br /><br />“It’s your turn, Molly,” said Keira, chuckling.<br /><br />Molly looked at Jon. “I have one for you. Was there a reason you sent Keira lilacs instead of another kind of flower?”<br /><br />Jon looked at her quizzically. “What do you mean?”<br /><br />Keira shot Molly an <em>I told you so</em> look, which Molly ignored. “Well, I was just wondering if lilacs have a special meaning for you.”<br /><br />Jon leaned back in his chair, stretching his legs out in front of him. He raised his arms into the air and folded his hands behind his head. “Well…” he began slowly, “Since you asked….yes, there was a reason I sent lilacs. You’re supposed to send lilacs to your first love. My mother used to be a florist, you know. She taught me a thing or two.” He grinned, looked pleased with himself.<br /><br />It was Molly’s turn to shoot Keira an <em>I told you so</em> look. “I knew it!” She gloated. “I knew that’s why you chose lilacs. Nice move, by the way. I told Keira that she owes you a blowjob for that. A nice bj for BJ, if you want to put it that way.”<br /><br />Keira choked on her wine and had to spit it into a napkin. “For crissakes, Molly, you did<em> not</em> just say that to him!”<br /><br />Molly rolled her eyes, “Oh please, like he’s never heard that one before.”<br /><br />Thoroughly enjoying himself, Jon nodded. “I’ve heard it a million times, but it never gets old.”<br /><br />“Fuckin’ <em>men</em>,” muttered Keira. “Who’s turn is it?”<br /><br />“Jon’s.”<br /><br />“Molly, what’s the strangest place you’ve ever had sex?” Jon asked.<br /><br />Molly hooted. “Now we’re talkin’! Hmmm…let me think about that one. I’d have to say the strangest place was probably up on a sink in the ladies’ room at a bar. I’m sure that isn’t very exciting compared to your rock ‘n’ roll sex stories, but it’s the best I got. So now I’m going to ask you the same question.”<br /><br />Keira groaned. “Jesus, Molly, we could be here all night while he tries to decide which of the ten thousand places he’s had sex is the strangest one.”<br /><br />Jon shot her a dirty look. “You’ve got me all wrong. I know right off the bat which place was the strangest. It was in the--" he finished the sentence but the last two words were intentionally garbled so they’d be hard to hear.<br /><br />Molly’s eyes nearly bugged out of her head. “In the WHITE HOUSE? Did you just say you had sex in the White House?”<br /><br />Jon burst out laughing. “I will neither confirm nor deny that rumor. Next question.”<br /><br />Molly was still staring at him in shock. Keira told him, “It’s your turn to ask.”<br /><br />“Mr. Sambora!” said Jon, turning to face his friend. “Which of your ex-girlfriends do you think was crazier, Ally Sheedy or Denise Richards?”<br /><br />Richie laughed, then pretended to think hard. “Wait a minute – do you mean crazier <em>in bed</em> or just plain crazier?”<br /><br />“Just plain crazier.”<br /><br />Richie continued thinking. Finally he said, “Damn, I don’t know…they’re both completely batshit crazy.”<br /><br />Everyone laughed, then Richie used his turn to ask a question. “Molly, will you come with me to check if there’s a sink in the ladies room here?”<br /><br />Molly giggled. “Let's find someplace stranger than that so I can have a better answer for next time we play this game! OK, my turn – Jon, have you ever been slapped by a woman before?”<br /><br />Jon smirked and gave an embarrassed nod. “I’m sure I deserved it though.” It was his turn to ask a question. He looked at Keira and said, “How many of my albums do you own?”<br /><br />She looked him square in the eye. “One. Only your first.”<br /><br />His jaw dropped and he clutched his heart, feigning agony. “<em>One</em>? Just one?”<br /><br />“It’s not your turn to ask a question, it’s mine. How many of my books do you own?”<br /><br />“All of them. I just picked them up this week. I would have bought them sooner if I had known your pen name.”<br /><br />This time her jaw dropped. “All of them? Are you stalking me?”<br /><br />He laughed. “It’s not your turn to ask a question. Do you remember our first kiss?”<br /><br />“On the beach. Do you remember our last one?”<br /><br />“In the woods out behind Captain Jack’s.” Jon locked eyes with her. “Where’s your fiance tonight?”<br /><br />Keira was getting riled up. She snapped, “In Tennessee. Where’s Cassie?”<br /><br />“Oooh, touche. I have no idea.” said Jon. “My turn. Does he make you happy?”<br /><br />“Yes he does. Or at least, he did. Are you staring at me because you’re trying to control my mind using voodoo?”<br /><br />Jon nearly fell off his chair laughing. “What the fuck? Voodoo mind control? I’ve been told that I have many talents, but voodoo mind control is not one of them. My turn to ask a question: you’re attracted to me, aren’t you? Because I think you still want me.”<br /><br />Keira was so pissed off that she was shaking. She stood up from the table, holding on to the edge of it to steady herself. She’d had about 3 glasses of wine too many. “I,” she announced loudly, “am going to the ladies room, and NOBODY better follow me this time.” Then she attempted to stalk off angrily, but mostly just managed to stumble and weave her way across the room. Jon waited until she was almost there, then stood up and followed her.<br /><br />Richie leaned back in his chair and crossed his arms. “Some things never change. Even as teenagers, they had this volatile thing going on.”<br /><br />Molly shook her head at Richie. “They seriously need to just get a room, get it on, and get it over with.”Daydreamer-http://www.blogger.com/profile/01537071219550105161noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-96614462536124980.post-36437430360593596952008-07-23T08:10:00.000-07:002008-07-23T09:01:17.983-07:00Chapter 18Jon stared at <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">Keira's</span> engagement ring for a minute, then raised his eyes back up to hers. She held her breath while she waited for him to say something. His expression was unreadable at first, but then the corners of his mouth curved in a slow smile. "Congratulations," he said softly, and tipped his bottle to her. A little unsure, but happy to follow his lead, she clinked her wine glass against his bottle. They both drank deeply and she tried to think of what to say next.<br /><br />He startled her by speaking first. "Does he make you happy?"<br /><br />She could tell him the truth. <em>Yes, he makes me happy, but I'm not in love with him. I said yes when I should have said no, and now I have to break his heart.</em> Or, she could continue to let him think that her life was exactly where she wanted it to be. <em>Yes, we're getting married next year, and we're madly in love.</em> The same wine buzz that she'd been grateful for only moments earlier was now annoying her because she couldn't think clearly when she needed to. She fought the urge to shake her head in an effort to clear it.<br /><br />Suddenly Richie walked up behind Molly and <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">Keira</span>, slinging an arm around each of them. "Is my friend here giving you ladies a hard time?" he joked. He planted a quick kiss on <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2">Keira's</span> cheek and whispered in her ear, "Hi, Kathy. It's good to see you again."<br /><br />She felt like running for the ladies' room again. <em>I should have left when I had a chance,</em> she thought. At the same time, she could hear Molly's voice in her head: <em>You really need to stop running away.</em><br /><br />She returned Richie's cheek kiss and smiled at him. He looked tan and healthy and his eyes still had the same mischievous sparkle that she remembered. As with Dave, she was surprised to realize how much she'd missed him.<br /><br />Richie turned his full attention on Molly. "Hello, gorgeous," he said, raising her hand to his mouth for a kiss. "So what are the plans for tonight? I think we should head out of here and go somewhere a little more...fun."<br /><br />Molly liked the sound of that. She smiled at him with a glint in her eye and then shot a questioning look at <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_3">Keira</span>, who raised her eyebrows in surprise. <em>What am I getting myself into? </em>She glanced at her cell phone to check the time, and was shocked to realize that it was only 10:15 PM. By New York City standards, the night was still young. She stole a sideways glance at Jon to try and <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_4">gauge</span> what he was thinking, but he had just finished his beer and was busy trying to get the bartenders' attention. It was up to her: did she want to go out with them or did she want to go home? Suddenly she heard Tom Cruise's voice in her head: "<em>Sometimes, you just have to say </em>fuck it." It was one of her favorite movie lines, but she didn't often live by it. That was Molly's territory.<br /><br />"I'm in," she said decisively, before she had a chance to second guess herself. She smiled at the look of pleased surprise on Molly's face. Molly had been preparing to twist <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_5">Keira's</span> arm to get her to come out with them; she never imagined that she'd agree so readily. <em>Fuck it,</em> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_6">Keira</span> thought again. <em>I'll worry about doing the right thing tomorrow.</em> She leaned over and gently elbowed Jon, who'd just taken his second beer from the bartender. "You coming with us?"<br /><br />Jon looked at her, considering. He slowly slid his beer bottle back and forth on the bar, leaving a wet trail of condensation. She was surprised to realize how badly she wanted him to say yes. Finally, he gave her a lopsided smile. "Where we <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_7">goin</span>'?" he asked, and leaned over to elbow her back.<br /><br /><div align="center">***</div><div align="center"> </div><div align="center"></div><div align="center"></div><div align="left">At Molly's suggestion, they decided on Shotgun Willie's, a little hole-in-the-wall bar that Molly loved. It was the perfect choice because it was small and dark and usually fairly empty. Chances were good that they'd have the place mostly to themselves, and if they grabbed a table in one of the back corners, they might go unnoticed. <p></p></div><div align="left"></div><div align="left"></div><div align="left"></div><div align="left"></div><div align="left"></div><div align="left">Richie drove them in his black Hummer. As they piled in, Molly said, “I was driving behind a red Hummer one day a few months ago and the license plate read ‘<span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_8">INEEDA</span>’. It took me a few seconds to figure it out, but once I did, I laughed so hard I almost had to pull over!”<br /><br />Everyone laughed. <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_9">Keira</span>’s entire demeanor had changed and she was looking forward to having a good time with old friends. Just because she was (temporarily) engaged, it <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_10">didn</span>’t mean she <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_11">couldn</span>’t go out and have fun.<p></div><div align="left"></div><div align="left"></div><div align="left"></div><div align="left"></div><div align="left">There were only 6 other people in the bar – 4 guys in their early 20s playing pool, and a couple at the bar who looked to be in their 50s. They walked through and grabbed a table in the back corner. The pool-players gawked for a few minutes at <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_12">Keira</span> and Molly, but Richie and Jon managed to go unnoticed, as they’d hoped.<br /><br />For the next hour they sat at the table drinking and talking. Molly told Richie about how she got started in modelling, and he told her how he picked up the guitar. The two of them were really hitting it off and their conversation was punctuated by frequent bouts of laughter and plenty of flirtatious gestures.<br /><br /><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_13">Keira</span> and Jon’s conversation was a bit more subdued. They talked about old friends of theirs; where they were living now, which ones were married, how many kids they had, and so on. They talked about his touring schedule and her writing schedule, and how nice it was to have this break. They <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_14">didn</span>’t talk about their old relationship, or his divorce, or her engagement.<br /><br />They drank as they talked and after an hour the table was littered with empty glasses and bottles and they realized they may have overdone it a bit. Richie had stopped after two drinks since he was driving, which meant that most of the empties belonged to Jon and the women. And they were feeling no pain at all.</div>Daydreamer-http://www.blogger.com/profile/01537071219550105161noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-96614462536124980.post-77113214402064802382008-07-18T05:54:00.000-07:002008-07-19T20:47:07.655-07:00Chapter 17Keira locked herself in one of the stalls. She grabbed the end of the toilet paper roll and pulled, wrapping it around and around her hand until she'd collected a huge wad of it. She pressed it to her eyes and tried to stop crying. She felt like an idiot, but the song had touched her so deeply that it literally took her breath away. Not only did it perfectly describe what Jon wanted to say to her, but soon it would be what she wanted to say to Rob. She knew she was going to break his heart, and it was eating away at her. He was such a good man, and he didn’t deserve what she was about to do to him. If only he could know how much it was hurting her to have to hurt him.<br /><br />She heard the ladies’ room door open, and then Molly spoke. “Okay, Keira. I know you’re going through some shit right now, but you really have to stop running away. Jon is <em>not</em> out to get you.”<br /><br />Keira just sniffled in response. Suddenly it struck her that she was seriously pissed off at Molly for putting her in this situation. Yes, she could have said no and stayed home, but it wasn’t fair that Molly had even tempted her to come here in the first place. Why couldn’t she have just well enough alone? <em>You know damn well why</em>, she thought.<br /><br />“You know something, Molly? You <em>really</em> owe me after tonight. The only reason I’m here in the first place is because I know how badly you want to get into Richie’s pants.”<br /><br />She heard what sounded suspiciously like a snort and then the sound of muffled male laughter, and realized with horror that Jon had accompanied Molly into the ladies’ room. It was the proverbial straw that broke the camel’s back. “Oh, for the love of tits!!" she shouted, leaning heavily against the side of the stall. "Please go away, Jon. Don’t you have autographs to go sign, or something?”<br /><br />All she heard was more muffled laughter, this time from both Jon <em>and</em> Molly. She threw the ball of tear-stained toilet paper into the bowl and planted her hands firmly on her hips, even though nobody could see her. “That’s <em>it</em>. I’m not coming out of here until you both leave,” she stated in a tone that brooked no argument.<br /><br />There was a short silence, and then she heard footsteps leaving and the door closing again. She bent down and looked under the stall door to make sure she was alone, then opened the door and walked over to one of the sinks, where she dampened a paper towel and dabbed at her cheeks. Surveying the damage in the mirror, she was relieved to see that it wasn’t as bad as she’d feared. Her eyes were a little red, but at least her cheeks weren’t all splotchy. She opened her purse and applied some fresh eyeliner, powder, and lip gloss, and then took a deep breath. <em>Time to face the music</em>, she thought. <em>And the man who </em>makes<em> the music</em>.<br /><br />She opened the door of the ladies’ room and stepped into the hallway. Molly was waiting, but Jon was nowhere to be seen. Noticing Keira’s roving glance, Molly said, “He got pulled away. Autographs, like you said.”<br /><br />Keira sighed. “I’m sorry I said that about you and Richie. I had no idea Jon was with you.”<br /><br />Molly shrugged. “No worries. Like I’m really concerned about Richie finding out that I want to get into his pants. I’m pretty sure he already knows. And if he doesn’t, I must be doing something wrong."<br /><br />The two women smiled at one another. They’d been friends for so long they were like sisters, and arguments never lasted long. They were silent for a minute, and then Keira said quietly, “So what do I do now?”<br /><br />Without hesitation, Molly replied, “I think you should stick around and talk to Jon. I know you’re afraid of seeing him and stirring up feelings again, but I can tell that he really wants to talk to you. He asked me if you’d wait for him tonight. I think you’ve been on his mind a lot lately. That song was from his heart.”<br /><br />Keira nodded. She’d already known that she couldn’t leave without thanking him for the song. She absentmindedly twisted her engagement ring around on her finger.<br /><br />Molly glanced down. “Are you going to take that off?”<br /><br />The question startled Keira. “Why would I?”<br /><br />“Because you know it isn’t for real,” Molly said, gently.<br /><br />Keira bit her lower lip. “It would be a slap in the face to Rob if I took it off.”<br /><br />Molly, as always, knew when to shut up, and this was one of those times.<br /><br />“So what do we do now?” Keira asked.<br /><br />Molly slipped her arm through Keira’s and led her back into the main room of the bar. “Well,” she said as they walked, “The guys are doing a meet-and-greet thing right now, so you and I can just hang out at the bar until they’re free.”<br /><br />As they walked back into the room, Keira could see a crowd of people near the stage, talking to the band members. Molly steered her over to the bar and they took their seats up on two high stools. When the bartender came over, they ordered two more glasses of wine. They sipped on their drinks and waited, ordering another round when their glasses were empty. Fifteen minutes went by and the crowd seemed to be thinning out a bit. Keira could feel the warmth of the wine working its magic. Two men approached and asked if they could join them, but Molly demurred, "I'm sorry, we're waiting for Richie and Jon." The guys looked at them like they were nuts, and walked away.<br /><br />Molly cracked up. "Oh, that was priceless - did you see the looks on their faces?"<br /><br />Keira was laughing so hard she thought she was going to cry again. Mimicking Molly’s voice, she said, “<em>We’re waiting for Richie and Jon</em>…” then burst out laughing again. “You have to admit that it does sound pretty fucking funny. They must think we're delusional!"<br /><br />They were still laughing when Jon walked over. "What did I miss?" he asked, smiling, and took a seat on the barstool next to Keira. In one of those slow-motion moments, Keira turned to look at him. She blamed it on her wine buzz when she fixated on his mouth for a few seconds too long before moving up to meet his eyes. He had a very distracting mouth.<br /><br />She took a deep breath and got control of herself. “Just a girl joke,” she told him, smiling back. “You wouldn’t understand.”<br /><br />The bartender brought a beer over for Jon. Keira watched him bring the bottle to his mouth to take the first sip. Then she spoke. “Thank you for the song, Jon. It was…perfect. It meant a lot to me.”<br /><br />He took his time swallowing, then met her gaze. He looked at her for a minute, as if trying to read her thoughts, then shrugged modestly. “I meant it.” He lifted his beer and took another sip, keeping his eyes on hers.<br /><br />Once again, she found it impossible to look away. She wondered if he had this kind of magnetic pull on everyone he met. <em>No wonder he’s gone so far in life</em>, she thought. She was tempted to ask him if he was using some kind of voodoo mind-control technique on her, but decided she’d save that question for a night when she’d had more to drink. She nearly laughed out loud at the thought, but was too surprised by its implication that she was planning to see him again after tonight.<br /><br />Keeping her eyes steady on his, Keira raised her wine glass with her left hand and raised it to her lips. Her competitive nature had kicked in and she was prepared to match him in a staring contest. Just as she was settling in to beat him at his own game, he broke their gaze to look down at her diamond ring, which was casting prisms across the bar from the reflected candlelight.<br /><br /><em>Oh shit</em>, she thought, as time seemed to stand still again. Now she couldn't even gloat that she’d won.Daydreamer-http://www.blogger.com/profile/01537071219550105161noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-96614462536124980.post-37506072407627711152008-07-07T19:26:00.000-07:002008-07-17T17:30:39.931-07:00Chapter 16<p class="MsoNormal">George wasn’t available to drive, so Molly and Keira took a cab to the bar, which was located in the Upper East Side. On the ride over, Molly told Keira, “Richie said they’re planning to play for just an hour, but if the crowd’s really into it and the band’s having fun, they can play as long as they want. It sounds like they’re looking forward to it. A nice change from playing huge venues."</p><p class="MsoNormal">Keira nodded but didn’t say anything. She was so full of mixed emotion that she felt like a ticking time bomb. She wasn’t nervous about seeing Jon like she had been on the night of the concert, but she was dealing with nearly every other possible emotion. Anxiety, sadness and guilt over her situation with Rob. Mild annoyance at Molly’s insistence that she go tonight, yet relief over the fact that she wasn’t just sitting at home wallowing instead. And there was something else, some other nagging feeling that she couldn’t -- or wouldn’t let herself -- identify. </p><p class="MsoNormal">Suddenly realizing that she was twisting her engagement ring around and around on her finger, Keira defiantly shoved both hands beneath her thighs. It was already becoming a habit. </p><p class="MsoNormal">She’d debated whether or not to wear the ring. She felt like a phony wearing it, because it symbolized a level of commitment that she wasn’t capable of with Rob. She had no right to wear it. Still, she felt wrong taking it off before she had a chance to explain things to Rob. In some strange way, she felt that taking the ring off first would be like adding insult to injury. She owed it to him to wear it, and suffer the guilt, rather than to take it off and shove it into a drawer so she wouldn’t have to think about it. Or him.</p><p class="MsoNormal">Also, she knew that if Jon saw it on her hand, it would add a few more nails in the boarded-up door. Maybe even some chains and a padlock for good measure. </p><p class="MsoNormal">Molly, as always, looked effortlessly beautiful. Her sun-streaked hair was pulled back into a messy bun at the nape of her neck. She wore a faded denim skirt with a layered red and white spaghetti-strap tank top. Silver hoop earrings, a Swarovski necklace with red and clear crystal beads and a small red crystal heart pendant, and six-inch red high heels completed the look. </p><p class="MsoNormal">Keira had found herself in girly-girl hell once more. She’d finally decided on a deep teal, sleeveless jersey knit sundress that ended just above the knee. It was empire-waisted and had a crossover V-neck which showed off just a hint of cleavage. She paired it with white high-heel sandals and wore a small emerald pendant around her neck -- a gift from Rob on her last birthday. She let her hair dry naturally, so it was long and wavy.</p><p class="MsoNormal">The bar was called the Firelight Lounge and Keira liked it from the minute she set foot inside. It was dark and intimate, with brick walls, a high ceiling, and tall, arched doorways. There were only a handful of tables in front of the small stage, and spanning the back wall was a plush, red, pillow-strewn banquette with several low tables lined up in front of it. True to its name, the place was lit mostly by flickering red candles, which were housed in glass votive holders on each table and sconces along the walls. The tables were all occupied and a few people were sitting on the banquette. Keira estimated there to be about 60 people in the bar, total. She and Molly settled down on the comfortable cushions of the banquette and ordered glasses of wine when the waitress came around.<br /><br />The band was into their third song, and it was clear that they were having a good time. They looked well-rested and relaxed, and when the song ended and someone in the crowd shouted out, “Blood on Blood!” Jon grinned and nodded at the rest of the guys, and they immediately launched into the song.<br /><br />Molly leaned over and shouted to be heard over the music, “I bet it’s been a long time since they’ve taken requests.” Keira smiled. It was true; they were certainly no longer a bar band, but they seemed to be enjoying it tonight. It was fun for Keira to watch, because this was how she remembered Jon the most.</p><p class="MsoNormal">As the show went on, they played some of their biggest hits and also did a few cover songs, like Bad Company's "Shooting Star" and The Beatles' "Here Comes the Sun". Keira stole a glance at her cell phone to check the time. They'd been playing for well over an hour, so she knew they had to be almost done. From the start, her plan had been to leave before the show was over. There was no reason for her to stick around and make small talk with Jon, since she'd already made it clear to him that she had no interest in rekindling their friendship. She figured that she could take a cab home, and Richie could be responsible for getting Molly home. <em>Or into his bed</em>, Keira thought wryly. As she contemplated leaving, she was completely unsettled to realize that she didn’t <em>want</em> to go. She decided to escape to the restroom before the end of the song to buy some more time to make a decision whether to stay or go. </p><p class="MsoNormal">As the song began to wind down, Keira stood up to make her way to the ladies’ room. She lifted her purse and accidentally tipped it, spilling her cell phone, credit cards, change, and makeup all over the floor. <em>Shit</em>. She hurriedly tried to gather everything and stuff it back in her purse, but the song ended just as she finished and stood up. Her hair had fallen into her eyes and she nervously tucked a section of it behind her ear. That was when Jon saw her.<br /><br />He had been just about to say goodnight to the crowd, and Richie had already set his guitar down on the stage. But when Jon saw her, he gestured to Richie. Without taking his eyes off of Keira, he said into the microphone, “I want to thank you all for coming out here tonight—this was a lot of fun for us. We have one more song we want to play. This one’s for an old friend of mine. It’s not one of ours, but I couldn’t have written it better myself. So, Kathryn – Keira – I hope you stay for this one.” </p><p class="MsoNormal">He stepped over to talk to the other guys for a minute. Tico, Dave and Hugh left the stage, and Richie slung his guitar strap back over his shoulder. He and Jon took their places on the stools at the front of the stage.<br /><br />Keira sat back down on the banquette beside Molly, who was giggling with excitement. She could see that some of the other patrons were craning their necks, trying to figure out which woman Jon was dedicating the song to, so she did her best to look completely unaffected. The lights over the stage dimmed, and Richie and Jon began to play. Keira was captivated as Jon began to sing in a rich, soulful voice.<br /><br /><em>Sittin' on the edge<br />Looking for songs in a bottle<br />Talking with strangers who don't know my pain<br />Blurry eyed and burned out<br />Choking on more than I can swallow<br />Crack in a little voice called out my name<br />She said, “Whatever happened to you,<br />It's been two years, where have you been<br />And I guess all my fears were true<br />The words were all gone the time's been too long<br />But its not too late to say sorry to a friend<br />What happened to my friend<br /></em><br />Keira could feel hot tears stinging her eyes and a lump forming in her throat. She tried, but was unable to take her eyes off of Jon. He kept his closed for almost the entire song.<br /><br /><em>Staring in her face<br />I see a past that still haunts me<br />The road where we split up<br />is paved with the things I didn't say<br />We had wonderful times, but terrible timing<br />Now just leave her alone,<br />I'll just be in her way<br /></em><br />Keira wanted to leave but she couldn’t move. Mesmerized by the lyrics, she tried to keep a lid on her emotions. <em>Wonderful times, terrible timing</em>. The song said everything she’d ever longed to hear from him, and even if he hadn’t written it himself, he’d still recognized it as the perfect song for her. For them. For thirteen lost years.<br /><br /><em>Like a stone in a stream<br />Life smoothes all our edges<br />'Til we barely make a ripple any more<br />Those times in my life will live with me forever<br />But we're not the same people that we were before<br /></em><br />Molly took Keira’s hand in hers and squeezed. She wasn't giggling anymore. Keira knew the song must almost be done, and she was determined to get through it without crying. But then Jon opened his eyes, looked right at her, and sang the last verse, and it was her undoing.<br /><br /><em>And I'm sorry for the smiles we missed<br />and the times that I blew it<br />I've got so much to tell you<br />I don't know where to start<br />Maybe I'll find a way,<br />maybe you'll help me do it<br />'Cause friends like us should not be apart<br />And I'm sorry to a friend<br />Well now I'm sorry, I’m sorry,<br />So sorry, sorry<br /></em><br />Jon finished the song with his left hand reaching out to her, the microphone clenched in his right fist. The stage lights dimmed and the show was over. The crowd burst into noisy applause, and Tico, Dave, and Hugh returned to the stage to take their bows with Richie and Jon.<br /><br />Keira jumped up and bolted for the ladies’ room.<br /></p>Daydreamer-http://www.blogger.com/profile/01537071219550105161noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-96614462536124980.post-15122280653125625682008-06-30T23:41:00.000-07:002008-07-14T13:40:20.354-07:00Chapter 15"Shut up. <em>Shut UP</em>!!" Molly screeched into the phone the next morning.<br /><br />Keira held the receiver away from her ear and waited for her friend to stop screaming.<br /><br />“I know, I know. Molly, oh my God…what was I supposed to do?”<br /><br />“How about say NO!” shouted Molly.<br /><br />“I couldn’t turn him down, everyone in the whole entire place was staring at us! I didn’t want to humiliate him in public, on top of everything else. Oh my God, oh my God, what am I going to do?” Keira wailed. “Damn him, he probably did it in public just so I wouldn’t be <em>able</em> to say no!”<br /><br />“You should call him right now. Go see him on his lunch break and tell him that you’re having second thoughts and you don’t want this to go any further. Do it before he has time to tell his family and all your other friends."<br /><br />Keira groaned. “He’s gone for the weekend, Molly. He had to go on a press run in Tennessee.” Rob was a print production specialist and was responsible for overseeing the printing of his company’s catalog. “I can’t break off our--" she could barely bring herself to say the word "--<em>engagement</em> over the phone.”<br /><br />“Hmmm, that’s true. That would be a really shitty thing to do. Maybe you should--" Molly’s voice cut out for a second. “Hold on, Keira, someone’s beeping in, let me see who it is.” There was a pause as Molly checked her caller ID screen, then let out a yelp. “Holy shit, Keira, it’s Richie!! He’s calling me!! Oh my God – what do I do?”<br /><br />Keira shook her head. <em>Like I need this shit right now</em>. “Answer it?” she suggested dryly.<br /><br />“Oh right, good idea. I’ll call you back." And Molly hung up.<br /><br /><div align="center">***</div><div align="center"> </div><div align="center"></div>Ten minutes later Keira’s phone rang. It was Molly again, all out of breath and acting like a teenage girl who’d just been invited to the prom by the most popular guy in school.<br /><div align="left"><br />“Okay, Keira…now, I <em>know</em> that you’re going to want to say no to this, but I also know that your <em>fiance</em> is out of town and you have nothing better to do….so I’m going to ask you anyway.”<br /><br />Keira groaned. <em>What now</em>? “I don’t think I want to hear this, Molly.”<br /><br />“I know you don’t, but I’m not afraid of you. So here’s the deal: Richie just told me that the band is playing a small show at a local bar tonight as a favor to the owner, who’s a friend of Tico’s. It’s very small, and only close friends and family of the bar owner will be there. Richie wants to know if we want to go.”<br /><br />Keira stood there in disbelief. Did Molly really expect her to make a decision like this right now? Of course not, because Molly wasn’t going to let her decide.<br /><br />“Please say you’ll come with me, Keira, <em>please</em>? You can leave right after the last song if you want to. I’ll pay for your cab ride home. You don’t even have to talk to Jon.”<br /><br />“Good, because I don’t want to talk to him. Molly, I can’t believe you’re asking me to put myself in this situation again, knowing everything that I told you.”<br /><br />There was a short pause, and then Molly blurted, “Keira, why don’t you just admit it to yourself? You never got over him, did you? What’s that old-fashioned saying…you still ‘carry a torch’ for him.”<br /><br />Furious now, Keira said, “Molly, if you’re trying to convince me to go with you tonight, this is NOT the way to go about it.”<br /><br />“So you’re saying that there IS a way for me to convince you, then?”<br /><br />Keira howled in frustration. “Damn it, Molly, remind me again why I’m friends with you.”<br /><br />Molly laughed. “I’ll pick you up at 8:00. I gotta go find out if George can drive us.”</div>Daydreamer-http://www.blogger.com/profile/01537071219550105161noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-96614462536124980.post-8549191891464229502008-06-22T23:42:00.000-07:002008-07-10T07:06:37.260-07:00Chapter 14The next three days passed uneventfully, and Keira was able to focus on finishing her book. On Thursday, she sent a copy to her editor for final review. Once any necessary revisions were made, it would be ready to go to the publisher. She knew that it wasn't her best work, but she’d resigned herself to the fact that she’d worked as hard as she could and at this point, there wasn't anything she could do about it. All she could do was hope for the best.<br /><br />With the book finished, she decided to make up for lost time with Rob. She convinced herself that the doubts she'd been having were simply a by-product of the stress she was feeling over the book deadline. With that out of the way, she was determined to fix things between them.<br /><br />Explaining about the flowers had been easier than she'd expected. Molly had taken them home, and Keira told Rob that they'd been sent to the wrong apartment. <em>To someone named Kathryn, from someone named Jon</em>. Satisfied by this explanation, he'd let the subject drop. They were both treading lightly around one another; neither one wanting to say or do anything that might upset the balance of their suddenly fragile relationship.<br /><br />On Thursday night, Rob brought her to Café Napoli, a small Italian restaurant in Little Italy. Over plates of cheese tortellini with proscuitto and mushrooms and a bottle of White Zinfandel, they made small talk and enjoyed one another's company.<br /><br />After dinner, they ordered coffee and tiramisu. Keira had just scooped up her first bite of dessert when suddenly she saw Rob reach into his coat pocket and pull out a small black velvet jewelry box. He set it down on the table and she froze with her fork halfway to her mouth. <em>Oh God, no</em>.<br /><br />Rob saw the look of panic on her face and misunderstood it completely. "Oh, I'm sorry. Let me do this right." He picked the box back up, got out of his chair, and got down on one knee.<br /><br />Keira noticed that the other diners were starting to take interest in them. <em>Holy shit, I think they're getting ready to clap</em>. She sat there and prayed for a big hole to open up in the floor and swallow her whole.<br /><br />"Keira Marie Farrell..." Rob began, "The last two years have been the most amazing years of my life. You are my best friend. I love you, and I can't imagine my life without you in it. Will you do me the honor of becoming my wife?"<br /><br />Keira could scarcely breathe. This was a moment that most women dream about their entire lives, and for a second she wanted nothing more than to believe that he was the one for her. It would be so easy if he were <em>the one</em>. The thought was fleeting, however, and she knew right then, beyond a shadow of a doubt, that he was <em>not</em> the one. Her heart felt like it was breaking.<br /><br />"Rob..." she whispered. She could see fear creeping into his eyes, and she was highly aware of the fact that everyone in the restaurant was watching them with bated breath. She fought the urge to stand up and run for the door.<br /><br />Finally she reached a decision. <em>I have to just do this, and deal with it later</em>. With her eyes locked on Rob's, she very slowly nodded her head "yes", and the restaurant erupted in cheers and applause. Rob leapt to his feet and pulled her into his arms. "Oh, thank God," he said. "I love you so much. I promise I'll make you happy." He took a step back and removed the ring from the box, then reached for her left hand and slipped it onto her finger. "Look at that - it fits perfectly," he said proudly.<br /><br />Keira glanced down at her trembling hand, which now bore a 1-carat princess cut diamond solitaire engagement ring in white gold. It looked like someone else's hand. <em>What have I done?</em><br /><br /><em></em>Daydreamer-http://www.blogger.com/profile/01537071219550105161noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-96614462536124980.post-35398766543892328242008-06-20T23:45:00.000-07:002008-08-15T11:01:49.834-07:00Chapter 13Keira pressed both hands over her heart and tried to keep her emotions in check. <em>First love</em>. She had no way of knowing if Jon had intentionally sent this little message by choosing lilacs. Her cynical side still believed that he’d just had an assistant order them for her. He’d always been the romantic type, but this was a little too smooth for <em>any</em> guy. The last thing she wanted to do was read more into the situation than what was actually there. Still, even the thought that he might have deliberately done such a sentimental thing had her heart racing.<br /><br />She didn’t bother wondering how Jon had figured out her address. She imagined that he had the ability – and the connections – to find out anything he wanted about anyone.<br /><br />Molly was still sitting there with a shit-eating grin on her face. “Now you <em>have</em> to call him,” she declared. “When a guy puts <em>this</em> much effort into something, you can’t just let it go unnoticed. Seriously, Keira -- this is <em>blowjob </em>worthy.”<br /><br />Keira burst out laughing, which helped to relieve some of the tension she was feeling. Leave it to Molly to coin a phrase like "blowjob worthy". All joking aside, however, she knew that her friend was right; it would be rude of her not to call and thank Jon for the flowers. Still, she hesitated, trying to come up with an excuse not to. Molly could see that Keira was waging an internal battle between her heart and her mind.<br /><br />“You’re afraid to talk to him, aren’t you?”<br /><br />Molly knew her too well, and Keira knew that there was no point in trying to hide what she was feeling. “In a way, yes, I’m afraid," she admitted.<br /><br />“What are you afraid of?”<br /><br /><em>I’m afraid that I won’t be able to walk away from him again</em>. “I don’t know, exactly. That was a door that I shut a long time ago. The last thing I want to do is reopen it. Also, I have Rob to think about.”<br /><br />Molly rolled her eyes. “Rob is driving you crazy and you know it. Maybe this is just the thing you need right now. I mean, it’s not like Jon is pledging his undying love to you; maybe he’s just looking for a friend. In his line of business, I’m sure there aren’t many people that he can fully trust. He knows that you’re one of the good ones, since you knew him from before he was famous.”<br /><br />Keira considered this for a few minutes. It made sense; in fact, Jon had basically told her the same thing when she saw him. <em>I need more friends in my life who knew me before all of this</em>. Of course he was just looking for friendship, Keira told herself; after all, he had Cassandra.<br /><br />Suddenly Molly was struck by a completely random thought – as usual, a dirty one – and she shot straight up in her chair. “You lost your virginity to him, didn’t you?”<br /><br />Keira groaned and rolled her eyes. Knowing Molly as well as she did, she wasn't surprised by the question. In fact, the only thing that did surprise her was that it had taken her so long to ask it. They had always shared dirty details with one another, but in this case, it was just one more reason why she’d never told Molly about Jon. Some things weren’t meant to be shared.<br /><br />Trying to make light of the topic, Keira said, "Good God, Molly, where in the world did that thought come from? I swear your brain hasn't made it through puberty yet."<br /><br />"Honey, even if I had the brain of a centagenarian, I'd still want to know if you lost your innocence to Jon Bon Jovi. Wouldn’t that kind of, I don’t know—<em>ruin</em> all other guys for you?”<br /><br />Keira wrinkled her nose. "A centagenarian? That's a very big word for a pretty blonde supermodel," she teased, trying to wiggle out of this particular line of questioning.<br /><br />Molly knew when to stop pushing. She also knew that she already had her answer. Crossing her arms, she tossed Keira a look of mock hurt and shook her head slowly. "I can't <em>believe</em> you never told me that Jon Bon Jovi popped your cherry."<br /><br />Keira's jaw nearly hit the floor. "Ugh! Molly - that is so crass, even for you!" She couldn't help but laugh as she said it, though. "And anyway, it wasn't like that. I <em>didn't</em> lose my virginity to Jon Bon Jovi, because he <em>wasn't</em> Jon Bon Jovi back then. He was just Jon." And she was getting tired of saying it.<br /><br />Molly was unconvinced. "Oh please, he was NEVER 'just Jon' - I mean, have you <em>seen</em> the man that we’re talking about?" She sat forward and typed his name into the Google search box. She pulled up an image of him and grabbed a pencil from the desktop to use as a pointer. "Okay. Exhibit A: those eyes. Now I don't know what those eyes say to you, but to me they say, <em>I may seem like Mr. All-American Nice Guy, but trust me, I know many, many ways to please a woman and I'm ready and willing to prove it to you</em>. Exhibit B: those shoulders. Broad, sexy shoulders, perfect for holding onto when the ride gets a little rough. I bet they’d be really fun to bite, too. Exhibits C and D: that chest and those abs. Now, in some pictures he's got a nice mat of chest hair, and in others he's smooth, tan and ripped. Either way, it looks like a playground to me. Exhibit E: that ass. Hands down - or better yet, hands <em>on</em> - the best ass in the world. Period. And like exhibit B, it's also perfect for holding onto during rough rides. And finally, exhibit F..." she moved the pencil down the picture, then stopped and turned slowly to face Keira. "Okay. I know you don't want to divulge any of the dirty details, but you can <em>please</em> just describe exhibit F for me? Because I'm sure you can paint a much clearer picture of it than I can."<br /><br />Keira just stood there, dumbfounded and speechless. Molly was always an animated person, but right now she was absolutely on fire. When she finally felt like she could speak again, all she could manage was, "And here I thought you liked <em>Richie</em>."<br /><br />Molly smiled and winked. "Yeah, I do. I can give you a lesson on all the things I find sexy about him, but not right now. I still need to cool off after the Jon lesson. Anyhow... someday I'll get the details out of you. A few drinks and those lips will be a-flappin'."<br /><br /><em>Note to self: don't ever get drunk with Molly again</em>. Suddenly a thought crossed Keira's mind and her eyes met her friend's. "So tell me, Molly...after showing me exhibit A through F, do you really think he's an easy man to just be <em>friends</em> with?"<br /><br />Molly held her gaze for a minute, and then smiled slightly and nodded her head in understanding. <em>Yup. Keira has every reason in the world to be afraid</em>. She stood up, walked over to the dining room table, and grabbed the card with Jon's number on it and the phone from where Keira had dropped it. She carried it back to the computer desk and handed it to her friend. "Do it before you lose your nerve," she said.<br /><br />Keira took the phone from Molly. “Tell me the number,” she said, and dialed as Molly read the phone number off the card.<br /><br />The phone rang three times and she was preparing to leave a message on his voice mail, when suddenly she heard Jon’s voice. “Hello?” She was amazed that even after 13 years, his voice was still so familiar to her.<br /><br />“Hi Jon, it’s Kathryn.”<br /><br />“Hey, Kathy! I’m so glad you called.”<br /><br />“I just wanted to thank you for the flowers. They’re beautiful.”<br /><br />“I’m glad you got them. I wanted to let you know how nice it was to see you the other night. It really brought me back.” Keira could hear a lot of noise in the background, and Jon said, “Hang on a second, I gotta get someplace quieter…” She waited, and could hear a door closing. Then Jon said, “I’m sorry that Cassie interrupted us that night. I really wanted a chance to talk to you.”<br /><br />She chuckled. “That’s okay. That environment wasn’t exactly conducive to having a deep conversation, anyway. There were too many people dying to meet you.”<br /><br />“Yeah…” he said. “So…how about meeting me for a drink sometime this week? We have a show tonight and tomorrow, and then we’re done with the tour. We’re taking a few months off after this one.”<br /><br />Keira hesitated. Her heart was screaming yes but her mind was vehemently telling her no. She thought about Cassandra, and Rob, and the fact that she was mostly happy with the way her life was right now. The last thing she wanted was to complicate things, and there was no way that letting Jon back into her life would make things easy. Still, it hit her how much she’d missed him. It would be a lot of fun to have a few drinks with him and talk about the old days.<br /><br />She made a hasty decision and spoke before she had time to change her mind. “Thanks for the invitation, Jon, but I really can’t. I have a book that’s due in a week and I’m having a hell of a time finishing it. Also…I’m in a relationship with a really great guy, and we’re going to be moving in together. I don’t think he’d be very understanding about me meeting up with you.”<br /><br />Molly’s eyes were as big as saucers. She looked at Keira, flung her arms in the air, and mouthed the words, “<em>what the fuck</em>?” Keira ignored her and waited for Jon’s reply. When he spoke, he sounded a little confused. “Oh…okay, I gotcha. Good luck with the book, Kathryn. And if that guy ever treats you badly, all you have to do is call me and I’ll take care of him, got it?”<br /><br />Keira leaned back against the wall of her apartment, squeezing her eyes closed. All of a sudden she just felt sad. “Thanks, Jonny. Good luck with everything.” They said their goodbyes and she hung up the phone.<br /><br />Molly was the first to speak. “Well, my friend, not only did you close that door again – this time you boarded it up and nailed it shut.”Daydreamer-http://www.blogger.com/profile/01537071219550105161noreply@blogger.com6