Chip says, “Jennifer, just go up to your room and cool down.”
She smirks and says, “You guys can get my shit out of the car. The Gap doesn’t pay me to do labor.” Both Chip and I bite our tongues so she will leave.
We are clearing out the car and I ask Chip, “What’s going on with your Mom?”
He looks sad and says, “She was told that her cancer has spread and her time is almost up.”
I set down the stuff in my arms and pull him in for a hug. “I’m sorry man. If there is anything I can do, please tell me. If you need to go home, I fully understand.”
He wipes his eyes and says, “Thank you. We knew this was coming. I said my good-bye’s before I left. It’s not easy though. Then to deal with Miss Whiney Pain in the Ass…man, I wanted to choke her out!” We both laugh and begin heading for the lobby. Chip goes inside first to make sure the paparazzi are not there. I am quickly getting sick of them. Chip pops his head out and motions for me to come in. He tells me that the concierge already kicked them out today. We head for the elevator and I see Jennifer at the bar flirting with some poor sucker.
I say to Chip, “Great, she is getting wasted already.”
Chip looks at his watch and says, “Well, at least it is past four o’clock today.” The elevator opens and we get inside. Trying to be cheerful, Chip asks, “So where are you taking her?”
I say, “The Main Tower Restaurant. It is on the fifty-third floor and supposedly has an amazing view of Frankfurt. The reviews say it is amazing.”
Chip says, “To be in love is the best gift of all.” The elevator opens and Chip gets out.
I say, “Hey, man, if you need anything just call me.”
He smiles and says, “I’m okay, thanks though. I’ll see you tomorrow at eight a.m. in the lobby. Hopefully, Jenzilla will be in a nicer mood!” I smile and shrug my shoulders. As the elevator door opens, I begin to get excited knowing who is waiting for me. When I open the door, I hear her in the bathroom area. She is singing a George Strait song. I sneak in and peak around the wall.
“Holy fuck!” My mouth is bone dry but I manage to mumble, “You look amazing.”
She looks at me and says, “Thank you, I should, it cost you a fortune.”
I shrug and say, “Good, it’s worth every penny!” My first instinct is to have some part of my body touch hers, preferably my cock. Her shoulders are naked and begging for my tongue to be on them, but I know if I do that, we will most definitely miss our reservations. I say, “I’m going to get showered and changed. Did you happen to grab me an outfit?”
Lyrics looks me up and down and says, “Yes, sir. You are my present tonight! I hope you like it. I hung it up in the closet.”
I softly kiss her cheek and say, “Thanks, babe. You’re the best.”
She asks, “You don’t want to see it?”
I smile and say, “Please, you know me better than I know myself. Lyrics, we both know it will look fabulous.”
Lyrics rolls her eyes and says, “Of course, Mr. Model man.” I look at her and wink.
I get dressed quickly and we head down to the car. Waiting outside is our limo. When the driver opens the door, there are rose petals all over the floor and seat, just as I requested. Lyrics gasps and looks at me. I smile and lead her into the car. She is playing with the petals as a kid would. The restaurant is not far from the hotel. We pull up to The Main Tower Restaurant and head up fifty-three floors in the glass elevator. The view is breathtaking and the sky is perfect. Finally, we arrive at the restaurant and, per my request, they seat us at a table that overlooks the city. I ask the waiter to bring a bottle of the best locally bottled wine. He shuffles off and brings one back within a minute. Both Lyrics and I are shocked at his speed. He pours us each a glass. I raise my glass to hers and say, “To your birthday, both of us in our thirties, and our future! I love you.”
Lyrics says, “Cheers! Let’s send a picture to mom. I’ll ask the waiter when he comes back.”
I smile and say, “She’ll love that.” When the waiter comes back, I order two appetizers. Lachs/Limone/Rum (Salmon, lemon, and rum) and Tabouleh. Lyrics jumps in and asks him to take a picture of us. He smiles and nods his head yes.
Before we even sit back down, she’s texting mom. When she pushes send, she looks at me and says, “There, now it feels real!”
My eyebrow raises and I ask her, “Now?”
She looks at me and says, “It’s kind of like until I tell her or show her something, it doesn’t feel like it actually happened.”
She gets a text. “My beautiful kids. That looks amazingly beautiful. You two are just gorgeous. I’ll go show the Dad’s. Love you, birthday girl. And you too, son.”
Lyrics smile is huge and she says, “Wow, this wine is strong! I think I’ll have another glass.” The appetizers arrive. We both dive in as if we are wild animals. We eat dinner and polish off the bottle. Everything is perfect! When the waiter returns with my card, I stand up and take Lyrics hand. She says, “Where are we going?”
I smile and say, “That would ruin the surprise.” She stands up and we head out. When we enter the elevator, the walls are glass from top to bottom. Staring at our reflection in the glass it is obvious that we are so different from just a few months ago, but still just the same kids that grew up together. My whole world has changed since we got together. It’s as if the man I used to be is totally gone and has been replaced with a man that wants to plan his future, like with kids and all. I am unrecognizable to myself, but for the first time in a very long time, I love what I see.
Chapter 23
‘Take my heart, my body, and soul. You have it all, with you I am whole’
Lyrics –
In the distance, I see a neon flashing sign “TeXas – American Saloon” and I am certain that’s our next destination. I look over at Tanner and he flashes those golden eyes at me and smirks. Really, just seeing the word Texas makes me a bit homesick. I tell him as I point to my heels, “Not sure if I can dance in these things.”
He says, “Don’t worry babe, we are singing, not dancing.”
I push him and say, “Yea right.”
He gets serious and says, “Lyrics, you and I will have our asses on that stage in forty-five minutes singing. He, the manager, gave me a two-song limit. The only stipulation is that it has to be songs the crowd knows. I picked a duet for us; you can probably guess which…”
I interrupt him and say, “Cheryl Crow and Kid Rock?”
He leans over and kisses me, “Yep, I knew you would guess it.”
I ask, “And the other one?”
Tanner kisses my hand and says, “You’ll see.” My heart is racing and my mouth is rapidly drying up. We get inside and he orders us Jack straight up with a couple beer chasers. We slam it down. Jack has never tasted better before. He motions to me, one more? I nod my head rapidly. Before he hands me the shot, he gives me the competition look. We each put one hand on our beer and as soon as the bartender sets the shots down, we slam it from the bar, gulp it down, and pound the beer.
“Damn it! Even in Germany you beat me, Tan.”
He pulls me into him and whispers, “You look amazing. I want to take you to that booth over there and bend you over.”
I lick his neck and whisper, “A couple more of these and I will lead the way.” He pops up and grabs my hand. I say, “Wait, what are you doing?”
Tanner looks at me and says, “We’re up.” I am sure I am about to crap my pants. I don’t know how he does it. I mean he gets what he wants when he wants it. He always has. Me, I am the total opposite.
When we get on stage, Tanner tunes the guitar for a moment and looks at me. He grabs the microphone and says, “This is Dylan, she is thirty today. Let’s give her a loud happy birthday.”
The whole crowd yells out, “Happy birthday, Dylan.” It always sounds like he is speaking about somebody else when he calls me Dylan. He begins to strum the guitar, and just like that, we begin singing the Cheryl Crow and K
id Rock song, Picture. The crowd goes nuts. They’re dancing, hollering, applauding, and whistling. We are both so pumped up. Tanner grabs a chair and set it right next to him.
He whispers, “This one is for you.” Tanner asks the crowd how many people understand English? Almost the entire crowd raises their hands. He says, “This next song is for Dylan, my Lyrics. She has been my best friend since we were kids, and man, I thought I loved her then.” Holy shit balls. My heart just sank directly out of my ass. Like a weirdo mush pot, my eyes instantly fill with tears. This is my favorite song by Brad Paisley, I Thought I Loved You Then. In a million years, I never imagined Tanner would be singing this song for me, to me. The lyrics to this song are so amazing, but when he sings the chorus, my body shivers with goose bumps.
♫And now you're my whole life
Now you're my whole world
I just can't believe the way I feel about you, girl
Like a river meets the sea,
Stronger than it's ever been.
We've come so far since that day
And I thought I loved you then♫
I don’t know if it is the Jack or the reality that I finally have my Tanner, but man, these tears won’t stop rolling. When he finishes singing, he tilts my head up and falls into my kiss. He wipes my tears away and tells me, “That will be the song at our wedding.” I look at him and he quickly says, “When that time comes.” Of course, I would marry him in a second but right now is not the time.
The crowd is still going wild. They are chanting, “More, more, more!” Tanner doesn’t know what to do. He looks at the manager and the manager gives him the signal to keep singing.
I tell him, “Babe, they want more. Give it to them.”
Tanner takes the microphone and says, “Wow, thank you. Here is one Dylan wrote years ago. It’s called, Twisted on You.” The crowd goes nuts again. He owns the stage now. This is his happy place, his comfort zone. All of the sudden, flashes of light start happening. The fucking paparazzi must have followed us. Tanner finishes the song and says, “Sorry Y’all, I gotta head out now.” They applaud for at least two more minutes. Tanner whispers in my ear, “Did you see the Goddamn camera lights?”
I say, “Yep. Don’t worry about it, Tan. You rocked this house. Even here in Germany, they love you.” We walk up to the manager and Tanner shakes his hand. “Thank you, bro, that was awesome.”
The manager says, “Tanner, would you please come back and sing another time? They really like you guys. Oh, happy birthday, Dylan.”
I reply, “Thank you very much.”
Tanner says, “We’d love to but she leaves in a week.”
He says, “Anytime you can, I’ll make room.” They shake hands again and we leave. The paparazzi are flashing pictures constantly.
We get in our limo and I kick my shoes off. “Holy hell, my feet were ready to fall off.”
Tanner laughs, “Show me.”
He begins rubbing my feet and I ask him, “So, what do you think the headlines will read?”
He rolls his eyes, “Gap model gets fucked up and thinks he can sing.”
I say, “Tanner Staff reneges on contract with The Gap and decides to be a country music star.”
He laughs. “Tanner Staff’s girlfriend gets drunk and can’t finish their set.”
I sneer. “Gorgeous Tanner Staff, caught having sex in limo after singing at TeXas – American Saloon.”
He begins to laugh then looks at me. I say, “Well, that is what they could say. At least that would be the truth.” Tanner grabs the back of my neck and pulls me into him. I take his jacket off and loosen his tie.
I whisper, “I told you that you would be my present tonight.” He lets out a grunt that sends a shock straight to my pussy. I slide his pants off and hike my dress up. He begins to speak and I take ownership of his mouth with my tongue. I tell him, “Shh. It’s my birthday, my rules.” He can’t help but smirk. He sits there as quietly as he can but moans escape when I slide my tongue on his delicious stomach. I climb up him, pull my undies to the side, and begin to ride him as if I am in a competition. He fills me up entirely and grinding with him so deep inside me is bringing ecstasy to my entire body. He is doing his best not to speak, but “fuck” has slipped out a few times. He slides off the seat just enough to where my feet can touch the floor and I can ride him even harder. I grab the back of his head and tell him, “Cum in me now.” He gets louder and can’t help but grab my hips and begin bucking into me harder and deeper. I say, “Fuck me baby. You’re gonna make me cum baby. Oh fuck.” My pussy, stomach, and whole body tense up as I release my orgasm. He grabs me and holds me tight as he cums inside of me. I tell him, “Best birthday present ever.” We get situated and then we realize that we are already at our hotel. I get out and Tanner follows. He walks around and gives the driver a tip. It must have been a generous one because the driver is very grateful.
As we step up to the lobby, paparazzi start flashing pictures. Tanner rushes me towards the elevator but a drunken Jennifer stops us. She is yelling from across the lobby. “Tanner, Tanner wait. Did you have fun? Should I say y’all?”
Tanner says, “You should never say y’all, ever. In fact, you shouldn’t say anything at all.”
She looks at me and reaches out to touch my dress, which I quickly move out of her reach. Jennifer says, “A good girl huh, yeah, sure you are. Let’s see how good you are when you are without him for five more months. You’ll see, he will be fucking me in every hole I have, and he’ll love every second of it.” Without thinking, I cocked back and laid her out. I couldn’t help myself.
Tanner yells, “Oh fuck. Let’s go.” We push the elevator button and get in as soon as it arrives. The paparazzi swarm around Jennifer, taking a million photos. I feel like a complete asshole. I look at Tanner and he pulls me into his hug. He looks at my hand and says, “Shit girl, you knocked her the fuck out!” We both laugh uncontrollably. I have never hit anybody before. She deserved it, I mean, she was begging for it!
“I’m so sorry, babe, I know this puts you in a hard spot.”
Tanner says, “Yeah, it does, but if she was a dude I would have knocked her out myself. I’m sorry you have to deal with this. Maybe I should just come home with you. I can’t stand this shit.”
I look at him and say, “You are stronger than this, Tan. She is a skanky bitch, but you are better than that. You signed a contract and besides, Chauncey would kill you if you backed out.”
He looks at me and says, “That’s probably true. Babe, I just hate it without you. Would you stay with me?”
I smile and say, “I’d love to but I have to get home and write. Oh yeah, and work. Not all of us are hotshot models, ya know.” His face turns sad.
The elevator door opens and Chip is waiting by our door. We walk up slowly, expecting him to be pissed. He looks at us both, looks down at my hand, and says, “Did it feel great to shut her up?”
I was shocked at his question. I smirk then say, “It felt so freakin’ awesome!”
Tanner says to Chip, “Sorry, bro, I know this is going to fuck up our schedule.”
Chip says, “Listen, I’ll fly home and see my mom for three or four days. You two enjoy yourselves. I’ll send Jennifer to a spa for a few days on the Gap’s dime. She can be pampered like the little bitch she is.” I can tell he wants to say something else. He looks around then to me and says, “I’m sorry, Dylan, but I think it would be better if you aren’t here when Jennifer gets back. I would rather have you here but The Gap wants her and they are signing my check.”
Tanner begins to say something and I grab his hand and say, “It’s okay. I’ll go home in four days, before she gets back.” Tanner looks at me like he wants to fix this but I know it is what has to happen. I lean in and give Chip a kiss on the cheek and say, “I’m glad you get to go see your mom!” He gives me a half smile and nods. Chip leaves and I look at Tanner and bring his body against mine. “Now we have three full days to ourselves and I don’t plan on
wasting one more moment being upset!”
He breathes deep and then sighs, “Happy birthday, Lyrics.”
Chapter 24
‘Take me now, hold me forever’
Tanner –
“Babe, I changed your flight to July 3. I stare out the hotel window and avoid eye contact. I know I’ll break down if I look at her. “The only flight available is at seven a.m., so we have to be there by five.”
She sits up in bed and says, “I’m so sorry, Tan. I fucked up, guess she really got to me.”
I feel like shit. I tell her, “She’s a bitch. I’m sorry I put you in that situation, I had no idea she’d be like this.”
Lyrics pops out of bed and says, “We have three days to have fun together. Let’s not waste another moment talking about Jennifer, please!”
I nod my head and smile. “Deal.”
She is right. I will not waste another minute being pissed off. I look at Lyrics and say, “Let’s get dressed. Today, I am taking my princess to see the castles!” The sparkle in her eyes and the beaming light of her joy is breathtaking. She tackles me onto the bed and kisses me. I flip her over and say, “We won’t make it out of here if you do this to me.”
She smiles and says, “Raincheck?”
I laugh and tell her, “Hell yes!” We both get dressed, not even bothering with a shower. I say, “Don’t forget your notebook you’ll want to write I’m sure.” She looks at me with this crazy look of love that sends shivers throughout my entire body.
When we enter the hotel lobby, I ask the concierge to map out the best route to all the castles around here. He’s a tall man, maybe around fifty-five years old, with dark blonde hair, blue eyes, and pale colored skin. I guess you could say he looks the role. I’m tall but he is much taller. Lyrics is looking at him like he is Frankenstein. I can’t help but smirk when I see her staring at him. I give her a nudge and try to tell her without words to knock it off, but she ignores my plea. His nametag says Stefan, and I believe it.
Chasing Lyrics (Music & Lyrics #1) Page 10
