“Oh. No, I don't,” she said, smiling salaciously at him. “I was hoping you could just sign me. Right here,” she said, running one ruby-tipped finger across her left breast.
His eyes followed her finger, and he smiled as he looked up at her once more. This never got old! He uncapped the pen and gingerly reached out with one hand, trying his best not to fondle her as he put the pen to her chest and let the tip of it glide across her skin as he signed his name on her large breast.
“You can do a whole lot more than just sign them if you want to, big boy,” she said, smiling at him. “Don't be afraid to squeeze and play if you feel like it.”
Noah chuckled at that as he handed the pen back to her. “Well, thank you for the offer, but I have a very nice set of my own to play with.”
“Mmm. Now that is a good answer, Mr. Ivory. I would hate for you to take your own set for granted,” Mercy said as she saddled up beside him.
Noah smiled as he wrapped his arm around her and pulled her to him. “I would not dream of it, Ms. Holland,” he said, looking into her eyes as he leaned in and lightly kissed her lips.
Since she and Noah had become a couple, Mercy had come to realize that a lot of girls out there couldn't care less that her man was involved in a serious, committed relationship, and many of them never thought twice about throwing themselves at him right in front of her. At first, it had made her very uncomfortable, and she and Noah argued about it a couple of times. But then he began to make an effort to let the overzealous female fans know that he was taken. That helped a lot.
Ms. Halter Top looked Mercy over critically and smirked at her. “Don't worry, honey. I don't want to take him from you. I just want to borrow him for a little while. Besides,” she said, looking at Noah, “mine are better than hers. You don't know what you're passing up on.”
“Maybe not,” Noah replied with an apologetic smile. “But I know what I'd be losing, and I'm not willing to risk it.”
“But lucky for me,” Otis said, placing a hand on his brother's shoulder as he smiled at the girls. “I've got nothing to lose.”
The girl smiled broadly as she turned her attention to Otis. “That's a very good thing. Because I have another spot here reserved just for you,” she said as she handed him the pen and shoved her cleavage his way.
Otis took the pen with a smile as he asked, “What's your name, sweet thing?”
“My name is Kiki,” she smiled as he scribbled his name on her breast.
“Kiki?” he grinned. “I like it. It rhymes with kinky.” The girl laughed in delight as he flirted with her. “You want to go to a club with me tonight, Kinky Kiki?”
“Oh, I'll go anywhere you want to take me, Otis Ivory,” she smiled as she reached out and took hold of Otis' offered hand.
Noah and Mercy watched as he led the girl off to a corner of the dressing room, each of them shaking their heads as the pair walked away. Noah briefly made eye contact with Buzzy, shooting him a quick rise and fall of his eyebrows. And Buzzy's answering “holy shit” expression confirmed what Noah was already thinking. That girl was hot as hell and looking for trouble. Just the sort that they all used to seek out back in the band's early days.
Buzzy watched the activity going on around him as the dressing room began to fill with the usual VIPs, lucky fan club winners, and partiers, and the band spent the next several minutes taking pictures and signing a few autographs. There were even a few of Buzzy's cousins in the backstage mix tonight, and he spent some time catching up with them before inviting them to come party with him and the others at The Velvet Dog. Now, he was looking forward to the evening more than ever. Eager to get cleaned up so they could head out, he began to pick his way through the crowd to head back toward the showers. But he hadn't gotten far when he suddenly heard the voice of a ghost behind him.
“Hi, Robby.”
There were only two people in the world who called him that. And the sweet, familiar lilt definitely did not belong to his mother. But it grabbed his attention with perfect ease, and it made him relive an entire fourteen months in a few split seconds. He felt his breath catch in his throat and his hands instantly began to sweat as he slowly turned around to get a glimpse of her. Timid, soft brown eyes met his, and his heart took off like it was running a drag strip. Was he imagining this? Was this real?
“Janie,” Buz whispered, disbelieving. Was she really here or was his heart simply playing mind games with him because he was here in Ohio? She smiled at him, and his racing heart went into overdrive.
“Janie Kim,” he said in wonder as he stepped forward and enveloped her into a tight bear hug. “Oh, God,” he whispered as he closed his eyes and savored the feel of her in his arms.
How long had he wanted to do this? How long had it been? He knew exactly how long. He had been counting the days ever since she had left him. It had been eight years. Eight long, lonely years since he had last laid eyes on her. But you wouldn't know that by looking at her. She was still every bit as pretty as he remembered. Thin and petite. Warm almond-shaped eyes, long black hair and creamy golden skin. She still looked just as she always did in his dreams. His imagination had done her perfect justice all these years.
He held on to her for the longest time, and Janie felt as though she were drowning in him. She could feel the dampness of his t-shirt against her cheek as the masculine, musky scent of his sweat combined with the memories of their time together. It was a potent, heady combination and she relished every second of it. Even as she feared it. She felt completely overwhelmed by him, as usual. Maybe this wasn't such a good idea and she shouldn't have come.
“It is so good to see you,” he said as he reluctantly pulled away, holding her at arm's length. “What are you doing here?”
“The same thing everyone else is doing,” she smiled. “Watching Jagged Ivory do what they do best. The show was incredible, Robby.”
“Thanks,” he said softly as he stared down at her. He couldn't believe she was really standing here in front of him. Close enough to touch. Close enough to kiss.
“I always knew that you would be a big star someday,” she beamed at him, and he laughed.
“Oh, I don't know about that. Just depends on who you talk to, I guess,” Buz smiled, searching her eyes. “So, how are you? You know, every time we play Cleveland I always wonder about you, hoping you'll show up backstage sometime. You have no idea how often I have had that daydream. And now finally, here you are!” His eyes were still glued to hers as he asked, “You're still in the area?”
She nodded with a smirk. “Yep. Still in the exact same place. You remember Mom's house?”
“Yeah, I remember,” he said as he smiled at her. Then he grew serious as he remembered something else. “Oh. I um … I was real sorry to hear about your mom. I got a random phone call from my mother last year, asking didn't I know a Sandra Kim. I guess she came across the name in the obituaries and it rang a bell. Weird since my mother doesn't even live in Cleveland anymore. But I know that she still subscribes to the Cleveland Plain Dealer,” he said, referring to the local newspaper.
“Yeah, your mom was always very sweet to me.” Janie said.
“Well, that's because she liked you better than she liked me,” he joked, and Janie laughed.
“That's not true,” she smiled. “The way I remember it, your mom was always very proud of all three of her sons. Even the black sheep.”
Buzzy chuckled at her comment because it was so true. Coming from a long line of military men, he was easily the black sheep of the family for not enlisting like his two older brothers had. His Air Force Major father had been furious. Especially when he asked Buzzy what he planned to do with his life and Buz answered that he wanted to be a rock and roll drummer. Yeah, that had gone over really well.
“She sent flowers in your name,” Janie said, referring to his mother.
Buz smiled as he nodded. Glad to know that she had received the flowers he asked his mom to send. They stared into one another's eyes in sil
“Well, I should get going,” Janie said with a wistful smile, suddenly feeling in way over her head. She definitely should not have come. Or at the very least, she should have simply left after the concert was over and not made her way backstage. Why was she putting herself through this? What had she been thinking?
“No! Don't rush off,” Buz replied. “Look, some of the guys and I are going out to a club. Why don't you come with me. I would love to catch up with you!”
She stared at him with those big, pretty, almond-shaped eyes, and for a moment Buz was hopeful that she would accept. But she frowned slightly and looked down at the floor. Then she shook her head as she looked at him and apologized.
“I'm sorry, I can't. I really do need to be going.”
“Well, we could skip the club! You and me, we'll just … we'll go somewhere and have a cup of coffee,” Buz said, looking at her imploringly as he took her by the hand. “We'll just sit and talk. Please?”
“No, Robby. I'm sorry,” she said with a sad smile. “I really can't stay. I just wanted to come say hi. And to let you know that an old friend was in the crowd tonight and that she was thoroughly impressed with the show. You are a real rock star, Robby West! And it could not have happened to a nicer guy.”
“Janie, please! Look … I will be in the area for almost two weeks. Okay, we play Cleveland again on Saturday, then Toledo, Columbus and Cincinnati. I will make time to see you. Please! Here,” he said, grabbing the tour program from her hands. Then he quickly found a pen and scribbled something on the back of it. He handed it back to her saying, “This is my cell number. Please use it! I would love to catch up with you. Even if we can't find the time to get together while I'm here, I would love to talk to you. Please call me sometime, alright? Text me! Anything.”
She stepped toward him and stood on her tiptoes, gently kissing him on the cheek and stunning his senses for a moment. Then she turned and quickly moved away from him, picking her way through the crowd and heading for the door.
“Janie, wait! Janie!”
But she was gone. Disappearing into thin air just as quickly as she had appeared. And Buz felt that familiar, crushing pain seize him. She had just broken his heart all over again.
“You alright, brother?” Benji asked, placing a hand on his shoulder as he frowned at him.
“Yeah,” he muttered, still looking at the door.
“Who was that?”
Buz paused for a long moment as he stood shaking his head. Finally, he looked his friend in the eye as he softly said, “The love of my life.”
*****
Janie ran from the backstage area as quickly as her legs would carry her through the crowd. What had she been thinking going back there? Why had she let Beverly talk her into that? She knew it was a mistake; she should have never listened to her well-intentioned friend, telling her that she needed to talk to Robby about the past. To clear the air, for all their sakes. She rolled her eyes at herself as she thought about their conversation. Slowly making her way through the arena and out to the parking lot, Janie remembered Bev's shocked expression when she told her about Robby.
“Are you kidding me?” she had asked. “Buzzy West? Like the Buzzy West? The drummer who plays for Jagged Ivory? That Buzzy West?”
“Yes. Only his name was Robby back then,” Janie had told her. “I mean … his name is Robert. Buzzy was just a nickname.”
“So all this time … the Robby that you talk about all the time, the love of your life, the man that you pine after …”
“I don't pine after him!” Janie protested.
“Yes, honey … you do,” Bev had said. “And all this time, you never told me that he was famous!”
“Well, why does that matter?” Janie had asked her.
“Why does it matter? Janie!” Bev had looked at her with wide, incredulous eyes. “The man is a rock star! He could help you!”
“So maybe I don't want his help! I have never wanted his money, Bev,” she had replied.
And she meant it. She had never wanted Robby's money. Or his obligation. She had never wanted to hold him back in any way. That's why she had set him free in the first place. And why she had stayed away. She had seen Jagged Ivory in concert the last time they were in Cleveland, but she had purposely not even attempted to go backstage. And she should have known better this time too. God, just being near him was so difficult. All of those old feelings resurfaced the moment he had turned around and looked at her. And the smell of him! Janie breathed in deep, swearing that she could still detect his delicious, sweaty scent all over her.
Beverly had been right about the pining. She was still pining for Robby, and she knew it. Even though she had been the one to end things she had never gotten over him. And no matter how many fix ups and blind dates she went on or how many suitors came around, she honestly didn't think that she would ever truly get over him. Robby was under her skin; he was in her blood. He was a part of her in a way that no other man could ever hope to be. Maybe that was because they had both been so young at the time. Or maybe it was because he had been her first. Her first crush, her first kiss. Her first … everything.
She had been so in love with him back then. She had fallen the instant she first saw him. And as she slid behind the wheel of her car and started it up, she allowed her mind to replay that moment again, as she did so often…
~~~~~
Janie stood at her locker, juggling her Physics, Trigonometry and AP English books as she attempted to get the damn thing open. Her locker was always sticking and it drove her nuts. Especially when she was in a hurry, rushing to get from Mr. Moyer's English class on the third floor down to Mrs. Lewis' Latin class on the other side of the gym before the bell rang. She hated being late.
As she stood fighting with her locker door, she heard the loud 'whack' as she felt her books being catapulted from her arms. The sudden attack startled her, and as she jumped she was pushed forward forcibly as someone shoved her into the locker door. She landed on her hands and knees, and she heard the laughter before she got her bearings and looked up. Tanya Richards and her football player boyfriend, Calvin Morris, were cackling away as they watched her.
“Ugly chink.”
She heard the slur as they continued to make their way down the hall, and she took a deep breath. She shook her head as she looked around at her books and folders scattered on the floor. Crawling over to her Physics book she began the process of picking up her things, noting how no one even bothered to help. Instead, they all just looked annoyed as they stepped around her and the mess.
“Oh, here, let me get that for you,” she heard someone say. The voice was kind, and the hands were strong and masculine as they reached for her Trigonometry textbook. Curious, Janie let her eyes follow the hands, running up the length of his muscular arms to his broad shoulders. Even though he was stooped over gathering her things, she could tell that he was tall and athletic.
“Here you go,” he said, smiling at her as he held her books out to her. She looked up into the most beautiful soft blue eyes she had ever seen. And that smile … she knew instantly that she was a goner. “Wow,” he said softly as he held her gaze.
“What?” she asked, frowning slightly.
He gave her an embarrassed smile and looked away bashfully. Janie even thought she saw him blush a little. “I'm sorry, I just … you … you have the most beautiful eyes I think I've ever seen,” he said softly as he looked at her again.
Janie stared at him in disbelief. Had he read her mind somehow? Was he mocking her? “You don't have to say that just because of them,” she said, gesturing to Tanya and her boyfriend as they slowly stood up. “Believe me, I've heard worse.”
“What do you mean?” he asked, clearly puzzled.
Had he really not heard them? “I mean the 'ugly chink' comment. Some of the kids around here have said worse.”
“Who said that to you?” he asked, sounding offended on her behalf. And Janie wondered at his reaction.
“It's not important. And it's really not even insulting since I'm not Chinese. I'm Korean. Korean American, that is. But I guess I shouldn't be surprised that they're not smart enough to get their racial slurs right,” she said as she gazed up at him, and he smiled at her. “Um … thank you for your help, by the way.”
“You're welcome. Uh … my name is Buzzy West,” he smiled as he offered her his hand.
“Buzzy?” she asked as she took his hand with a smile and a raised eyebrow. And he blushed again as he smiled at her. Why did that smile make her insides turn to jelly?
“Well, Buzzy's just a nickname,” he shrugged. “My real name is actually Robert. Or Robby.”
Janie said nothing as she smiled up at him. He really was attractive, tall and athletic looking, short black hair that sort of fell into those amazing blue eyes. He was handsome in a very pretty-boy sort of way. Movie star good looks, and a matching smile. And something about him was just so undeniably charming.
“And you are?” he asked when she remained silent.
“Huh?”
“Your name?” he asked again, still smiling down at her.
“Oh. I'm Janie. Janie Kim.”
“Well, Janie Janie Kim … I know this might sound a little bit sudden, but would you like to go out with me on Friday night?”
“Go out with you? I don't even know you,” she said with a surprised smile. “Are you new here?”
“Sort of,” he smiled. “My dad's in the Air Force so we've moved around a lot. So, I am new to this school, but I'm not new to the area. I come to Cleveland a lot 'cause my mom's family is from here, but we just recently moved back. So, what do you say? Will you let me take you out sometime?”
She wanted to tell him no so that she could scurry back into her solitary, introverted shell where it was safe. But something about the light in his eyes wouldn't let her. It was as if she could sense that he was something special, and that he would make her feel special too. She smiled shyly at him as he looked down at her.
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