by Bella, Sarah
"How long since you got laid?" Chad dragged out the words, enunciating carefully.
Drake laughed, deep and loud. The laughter took him over, rolling through his limbs until he was clutching his side and leaning against the diner to stay on his feet. "So," he struggled for a breath. "So not even close to the issue."He clapped Chad on the shoulder. "Let's go, man. Like you said, we got a show to set up."
The pair crossed the street back to the hotel and found the rest of their group waiting in the lobby. "Gentlemen." Kevin's voice boomed across the tile lobby. "Let's go rearrange a bar."
The ride to McGovern's was short – only a few blocks – so no one bothered with the bunks, crowding instead in the seating quarters. They spilled out en masse as the bus door opened behind the still-dark bar. The band and Kevin walked directly inside to find the manager and avoiding helping with the heavy lifting. Drake directed the rest of the roadies to the back of the truck.
The guys knew the routine; set up took half the time it did with some of the bands Drake had toured with. He slid the truck door closed again and one of the guys pulled it to a space in the back of the rear lot.
Busy work kept his mind distracted, but his body knew something was missing. A twisting in his stomach, an ache in his crotch – silent reminders of her absence. His Other lingered in his thoughts, images of her hair, her face, her Otherness. Recognition tugged at the edge of his consciousness, something he should know but couldn't put words to.
He moved blindly through his duties, feet following the rhythm he'd set up centuries ago. Half an hour ahead of their opening set, the stage was ready – instruments tuned, amps wired up and stray picks littering the floor. As the lights dimmed, Drake made his way backstage. Groupies flooded the floor seconds after the doors opened, squinting into the darkness off stage, no doubt hoping for a glimpse of the band.
The stage lights went black and Glenn pushed passed Drake, shuffling toward the microphone. The wailing of Rok's guitar split the air, a keening shriek that threw the fans off kilter and brought them to their knees. The spot light flashed on, illuminating Glenn, shirtless and ready for his adoring fans. He gripped the microphone in both hands, head tipped to the side, waiting for his cue.
Having seen the show hundreds of times, Drake scanned the crowds, looking for options, he told himself. In reality, he scanned for her, hoping that the shift in perspective hadn't only been on his end. Over and over, he searched the crowd, fruitlessly wanting. Sidhe littered the crowd, half a dozen or more, but a traveling companion just wasn't enough anymore.
He wanted his Other – something that after 400 years, he had begun to doubt he had. The hitch in his happily-ever-after was her species. Humans couldn't be Other.
Two thirds of the way through the set, between songs, Chad set his guitar down and said something quietly to Glenn. Glenn smiled stupidly at Drake and handed Chad the microphone.
"How're you folks tonight?" Chad poured on the charm. "You doin' all right?"He paused while the crowd cheered. "Now folks, I got a problem, maybe you can help me with it. You think you can help?"He winked at Drake and turned back to the crowd. "I ate breakfast tonight at Mickey's Diner – you been there?"
The audience erupted again and he tapped his foot while he waited for relative quiet. "So tonight, I ate breakfast with one of the roadies, Drake. Come on out here, Drake."He pointed and waved, but Drake refused, rooted in the shadows.
"He's shy," Chad teased with a laugh. "Well, Drake over there met a girl at the diner today, only, pussy that he is, he walked away without her number – didn't even say a word."
The crowd booed.
"What I need from you is her number. If anyone here knows the evening waitress over at Mickey's, I want to talk to you."The crowd exploded as people screamed and waved their arms, all vying for Chad's attention. The mass of bodies pushed forward, crushing toward the stage.
Chad handed the microphone back to Glenn while Drake seethed backstage. He stormed out the back door, kicking aside Chad's guitar case as he went. The frigid air stopped him in his tracks, but he sucked in a bracing breath and paced along the back wall of the building.
"Stupid fucker."His breath froze before it left his mouth, hanging in the air like a frosted cloud. "Fucking stupid fucker."He kicked an empty bottle, sending it skittering across the parking lot. "Stupid, fucking, fucking, fucker. God damn fucking stupid fucker."
"That's quite the vocabulary."He hadn't heard the door open, but leaning against the door was the waitress – his Other.
"I ... Hi, I'm Drake."He held out a hand, which she shook tentatively.
"Penelope – Penny. Nice to meet you."Her deep brown hair slung over her shoulder in a thick braid. Her eyes locked on his, intense icy blue.
He felt her Otherness in his bones.
"You too. Were you in there?Did you hear him?"Drake nodded his head toward the club
"Yeah," she chewed her lip. "Heard the whole thing."
"Sorry about Chad – he's got a big mouth."
Penny laughed. "Actually, it saved me from wondering if you felt it too or if this was a one-sided thing. Saved me lots of agonizing." She winked. "Plus, it was cute. I could see you off stage, cussing him out. He's a good friend."
"He is. I'll be sad to leave him." Drake mirrored her posture, leaning against the side of the building, arms crossed over his chest.
"You're leaving him?"Her eyebrows rose.
"No!" Drake bolted upright. "We're not together –not that I'm against that – but I'm straight. I'm leaving the band."He was rambling, but damned if he could stop running his mouth. "I'm very straight. Definitely interested in women, particularly women with long brown hair and blue eyes."He bit his bottom lip, clamping his mouth shut. "So, yeah, straight."One last verbal slip.
"And?"Penny leaned forward, closing the small distance between them.
"And ... wondering if you wanna have breakfast with me when I'm done here."
"I'd like that." Penny nodded.
"Anywhere special in mind?I'm not local – don't really know the good places to eat."Drake shrugged.
"Anywhere but work. The food is great, but I just worked an eight-hour shift. I don't really want to go back in my free time. There's a place off 36." She pointed in the general direction of the freeway.
"Can we cab it?I don't have a car here."
"I'll drive." Her head rested against the brick façade of the bar.
"Oh, all right. I'm usually done about three. That okay?"
Penny smiled. "Sure, I'm a night owl anyway. I'll pick you up."
"You could hang out backstage if you want."That same part of him that had recognized her as his Other wasn't ready to let her out of his sight.
Her nose wrinkled as she shook her head. "I'm going to run home and change. I smell like breakfast."
"I like breakfast."Drake unconsciously licked his lips.
"I like clean clothes. I'll see you at three."She waggled her eyebrows suggestively.
"See you at three."
"Can I cut back through the building?"
"Of course."Drake held open the door to the club, sending Penny in first. "Can I walk you to your car?"His hand drifted automatically to the small of her back, guiding her through the doorway. He felt each point of contact acutely, like an electric shock coursing through him.
"I used valet. Thanks though."Penny laughed and waved as she disappeared into the crowd in front of the stage.
Her laughter haunted him, floating through Distant Fury and then War Puppets, drowning out Glenn's shriek. The final lights dimmed and Drake darted out on stage, fingers drumming on gear as he waited for the band to clear out. Glenn leapt off stage and the rest of the guys disappeared into the wings.
Drake rushed through loading the truck, slamming the door shut at 2:45.
He waved off shouts from the bus and headed back inside for a cleanup in the bathroom. The bouncers nodded as he headed for the sink. A splash of cold water on his face cleared up bleary eyes. A quick
sniff of his pits assured him that he was still masculine fresh.
He grabbed cash from the ATM and walked out the front door.
Penny stood, leaning against an ancient, limegreen Impala. Furry black winter boots covered her from knee to toe, but above those, she wore skintight gray leggings.
Drake followed the line of her smooth thigh until his eye met the hem of her pea coat.
Penny cleared her throat and Drake looked up in a hurry. "Glad you came back. I was afraid I'd have to walk back to the hotel alone."
"You're still going back to the hotel alone."She winked. "But at least you get breakfast with me before you go to bed. Come on, let's go."She pulled open the passenger door and walked around, keys in hand. She slid behind the steering wheel while Drake stared after her. She honked and he finally got inside the car.
"Close your door and buckle up. Winter streets are a blast with this thing."She revved the engine and tore away from the curb before Drake's door had latched. She burned her way through the icy-slick streets of downtown St. Paul, catching the freeway at Tenth and Wacouta.
35E was dead at 3:15 in the morning and Penny took full advantage of the space to move. "My brother rebuilt the engine for me. It's got balls, right?"
Drake nodded, dry-mouthed. "Definitely. I should drive."
"Sorry," she shook her head, "no one drives Lisa but me."
"Lisa?"
"The most popular girl's name the year she was born."
Drake hesitated. "You know it-"
"She."
"Okay. You know she was probably built the year before her actual model year, right?"He twisted in his seat to see her face better.
"Yep, but Lisa was the most popular girl's name from 1962 to 1969. I'm covered."She ten and two'd the wheel and made a hard right, rear end sliding around the cloverleaf exit ramp for 36.
Drake gripped the armrest, wishing for airbags. He wasn't afraid so much as conscious of her mortality.
She hooked another right at the top of the first exit and two blocks later, pulled into the tiny, poorly lit lot of a diner that looked remarkably similar to the one where he'd met her. Penny climbed out the door and pushed the lock down.
"There's no clicker for her. Manual locks."
Drake looked down at the door panel, eyeing the lock. "I remember when cars starting coming with locks."
"You were there, were you?"
"I, well, I..." His own slipped admission trapped him.
"I know."She tapped his shoulder. "I can tell."
A parking lot was not the place to have the conversation she was alluding to. Drake looped his fingers through Penny's. "Maybe we should go someplace quiet."
"This is plenty quiet. No one here cares."She pulled him toward the door, tugging insistently on his hand. "Come on, you'll see."
Drake followed her lead, but stepped in front of her to open the door. "Such a gentleman."She smiled, "Your mama raised you right."
"That she did."
They walked in and sat in a dilapidated booth in the corner. There were terrible paintings of ducks on the walls and the furniture was clearly original from the '60s. "The usual, times two."Penny called her order over the counter, at the waitress coming out to greet them.
"I got it, Pen. You brought a friend."A snow-white brow arched in amusement.
"A friend, right. Coffee."Penny breezed over the old woman's inquisitions, waving a delicate hand in the air.
"And orange juice. Please." Drake couldn't help the mannerism – it was too deeply ingrained.
The woman grinned. "I'll bring you a large."She winked. "Healthy young man like you needs his vitamins, know what I mean."
Penny laughed openly at Drake's discomfort and the woman disappeared behind the counter. "She's awful, isn't she?I adore her."
"She's not that bad."He shook his head. "Why am I defending her?She's one of those blue-haired ladies who get off on making other people uncomfortable. The kind who can't wait to get old so they can say whatever they want and no one can be mad about it. Am I right?"
"You're completely right. And I would know – she's my grandmother."
Drake backpedaled. "I didn't mean anything–"
"You did too. But she deserves it. She's awful and she knows it. You're completely right, but more importantly, she's my grandmother on my father's side."
"Uh," Drake tipped his head, waiting for Penny to finish her thought. "On your father's side…"He motioned for her to continue.
"The side I get my Sidhe blood from. There's a reason I knew about you. I can sense it." She drummed her fingers on the tabletop. "Say something?"
"I didn't know how much you knew – about either of us – this makes things easier, you already knowing."He sighed heavily. "How far back is the Sidhe?"
"My great-grandfather was Sidhe."
"Was?"
Penny nodded. "Died in a car accident when I was six."
"Unfortunate."
"It was."The waitress had returned with a tray of drinks and ketchup. "He was a great man. Lost count of how old he was sometime around the turn of the twentieth century. The last he could remember was turning 285."
"Penny is one-eighth Sidhe?"
The old woman nodded. "And seven-eighths human."
"Thanks, I actually did that math myself."
"Feisty," the old woman laughed to Penny. "I like 'em like that. I'm Marlene."She held out her hand for Drake. "Okay, food's up and then I'll leave you two alone. Seems you have a bit to talk about."She returned a second later with plates heaped full of bacon, eggs and hash browns.
Penny smeared ketchup over her food and dug in.
"So, twenty questions, or what?"He raised a forkful of hash browns to his mouth, chewing while he waited for her response.
"Not so much. I've known about Sidhe my whole life. I mean, the basics, how old are you, that kind of thing. But in general, no. No questions."She stabbed her bacon into the yolk of her egg and stuffed the dripping mess into her mouth. "I like food." she chewed her mouthful of food.
"Then we have more in common than our heritage. How did I not sense the Sidhe in you?"
"Gram thinks it's mostly dormant, since it's a few generations back."Penny shrugged, "I don't really know."
They made small talk and ate. Drake complimented Marlene on the food and insisted on paying the bill. As they walked out the door, Penny snaked her hand inside his, interlacing their fingers.
"Can I see you in the morning?"
"I'll pick you up at eleven."She smiled and unlocked the passenger door of the car. "Uh, which hotel are you at?"
"The EZ Stop Inn – right across from your work."
Penny hopped back on the freeway and minutes later, pulled into the parking lot. "I'll see you at eleven?"
"I'll be here, mo chiall."He watched, bereft, as she drove away.
CHAPTER 3
He awoke abruptly the next morning, bolting from his slumber into alertness. His Other was near – he could feel her. Drake jumped out of bed and tugged on his jeans from the previous night. Shirtless, he swung open the door, intent on the lobby.
In his haste, he plowed into Penny, standing in the doorway with her fist raised, poised to knock.
He stumbled forward and knocked Penny off her feet. He caught her on her way down, one arm across the small of her back, the other cradling her head. "Not that I'm not glad to see you, but what're you doing here?It's only nine."
"I wanted to surprise you."She gestured blindly to the floor and Drake final noticed a paper bag on the ground beneath her. "I brought bagels. I know we just ate breakfast, but like I said, I like food. I'm glad I skipped the coffee, though."
"Me too."All at once, Drake recognized the nearness of her, the press of her breasts against him, the way her hips lined up flush with his. Her cheeks burned red, as though she had noticed their proximity too. He stood, bringing her with him, waiting until she had her feet beneath her before picking up the paper bag.
He pushed the room door open and u
shered Penny inside. "It's not much, but it's not home either, so I don't really care. It works for now."Drake pulled out one of the chairs at the small roomservice table on the far side of the room. Penny sat, folded down the bag and pulled out breakfast, one item at a time. "I got an even dozen, all different kinds. What do you like?"
Drake picked out a bagel, split it and spread it thick with cream cheese. They were still warm from the bakery, melting the cream cheese. It oozed out between his fingers as he sank his teeth into the messy treat. While he was digging in, Penny pulled two small bottles of orange juice from the pockets of her coat.
"OJ?"She held a bottle out to him. "It's my fave."
Drake nodded, gratefully accepting the proffered bottle and downing half of it in one gulp. "S'mine too."He finished the bagel in three quick bites, waiting patiently while Penny ate hers. "So today," he handed her a napkin, "I thought we'd do something touristy. I'm a tourist," he pointed at his chest, "and I read something once about how people always miss out on seeing the tourist spots they live the closest to – something like that."
Penny laughed. "When you're an artist, and you live in a place like this, full of culture, the performing arts, sculpture gardens, art museums, you take advantage. How about I show you my favorite places in town?"
Her laughter sparked a flame in the pit of his stomach, a curling heat, coiling inside him, licking up his ribcage, waiting to be sprung. "Deal."He shoved their refuse into the trashcan, tied the bag shut and left it outside the door on their way out.
She laced their fingers together and led him to her car, just down the block. The jolt of cold air on his bare fingers and face did nothing to squelch the flame burning him from the inside out.
Penny started the car and pumped the gas a few times. "She doesn't much like starting in the winter. I like to give her a minute to warm up."
"Mmmhmm."Drake twisted in his seat. "Is this ride going to be like the last one?"
"Not quite as fast. There's too much traffic and we're staying in the city."She put Lisa in gear and eased into Sunday morning traffic. Drake watched closely as she maneuvered the manual clutch, in traffic – and on ice – it was a feat and her complete mastery of the machine was a turn on.
