by Clara Bayard
Eventually my head cleared and I could see and hear again. Joe's head rested on my thigh and he was gently stroking me.
"Joe," I said raggedly, and looked down at him.
"You're amazing, Liss. Just amazing."
I laughed hoarsely. "Me? You did all the work."
"That isn't work. It's a privilege."
"I'd like to return the favor."
"Later, maybe." He bent my leg so his face was next to my ankle. "I'm busy right now."
With that he kissed the top of my foot and then the outside of my ankle. He moved up over my calf, using lips and hands to touch every bit of me. When he reached my upper thigh he stopped and switched legs. Again at the apex of my legs he pulled my arm over and kissed my palm. He sucked each of my fingers into his mouth and then moved up. Both arms got the full treatment before he crouched over me. "Turn over, babe."
I did, unable to talk or even think. Every inch of my skin felt charged like when we'd shocked each other in the diner, buzzing from his touch.
Joe positioned himself tight against my side and bent over me. I could feel the bulge in his pants as he kissed down the center of my back and then cupped the globes of my butt. He let a teasing finger glance over my core and then ran his fingers down the backs of my legs while he kissed a freckle on my shoulder.
He finally sat up and I looked into his eyes. They were hooded and sparkling with need.
"Well?"
"Just as I thought. Perfect from head to toe."
"I am not."
"Shut up, Liss."
I opened my mouth to speak but he flipped me over and was on top of me in an instant. His lips descended on mine and he captured my mouth and my breath. I reached between us and fumbled at his zipper. He helped out and together we managed to open and shove his pants down out of the way.
Joe produced a condom from somewhere and spread it over his length, kissing me all the while. I barely caught a glimpse of his distended member before the head pushed against my entrance.
Our eyes met and I smiled. He pushed slowly inside me, filling, stretching. As inch after inch slid deeper he grasped my hips bringing us closer and closer together. He breathed deeply against my mouth and then sank his face between my hair and my neck.
I slid my hands over his shoulders and down his back, caressing the muscles that stretched and bunched as he moved inside me.
His thrusts were even and rhythmic, never hurried, as if he could go on forever. But my body was a riot of pleasure. Pressure built and I succumbed to it, grabbing the tight roundness of his ass, wanting more, faster.
Joe obliged, speeding up the pace and rolling his hips to tease every bit of me. My climax, when it came, was explosive. Every part of me was jettisoned to the farthest reaches of space and spinning for an eternity.
As I shook and gasped he let go too, reaching his own completion with a low growl before biting gently at my neck. It was sweet and animalistic at the same time and I adored it. Adored him. When he finally slid off me he held me close to his side as his breathing returned to normal.
We lay there together for a long time, hearts pounding, and sweat cooling on our bare skin. Joe nuzzled at my face and crooned soft sounds into my ear as I fell into the deepest sleep I'd enjoyed in a very long time.
~*~
I opened my eyes and had no idea where I was at first. Then I felt Joe's arm across my body and I smiled. The drapes in the hotel room were closed but a line of bright sunlight glowed on the floor. I slipped out of bed carefully and made my way to the bathroom.
Taking a deep breath I braved a look at myself in the mirror. My hair was a disaster, tangled and flattened. There was a pillow crease on my cheek and my lips were red and swollen from kissing. I touched them lightly and smiled, remembering.
I heard movement in the bedroom and peeked out. Joe was shifting restlessly, but didn't wake. I glanced down and decided I really didn't want him to wake up to me standing naked in his bathroom. But what to do? Climb back into bed? That was an appealing option. But as I watched the rhythmic rise and fall of his chest I knew I should leave. The warm ache inside me wasn't just attraction anymore and there was no future for us. He was leaving for a tour soon and who knew how long that might last. Or how many other girls in other towns were waiting for him to arrive. No. I needed to end this before I got hurt. It was a romantic idea, the rock star and the waitress, but I lived in the real world.
With a heavy heart I quietly gathered my clothes, got dressed and slipped out the door. I struggled to chase away my growing sadness. It had been such a long time since I'd been interested in a guy, and even longer since he liked me back. I had to cling to the joy of the experience rather than bemoan how short-lived it was. It didn't work. I plodded glumly through the lobby and outside to find the nearest bus stop.
When I got home I went back to bed and curled up in a ball. I could still smell Joe on my skin and it thrilled and saddened me at the same time.
That night at work I was even more clumsy than usual and grumpy, to boot. And, of course, on the night I wanted a quiet place to sulk, we were busy. A bunch of factory workers were coming off a long shift and decided to do all of their winding down in the diner. We could barely keep the coffee pot stocked and I don't think Darrell got to leave the kitchen once the whole night.
The only saving grace of that endless night was I had little time to think about Joe. I did wonder what he was doing. Had he woken with a hangover? Wished I was still there? Nah, he probably noticed then rolled over and went back to sleep and spent the day writing songs or rehearsing or something. He certainly wouldn't be spending every spare moment thinking about me, agonizing over where I was and what I was doing. A rush of anger filled me.
"Damn it," I said as the coffee I was pouring splashed onto the table and my apron. I apologized to the customers and pulled a towel from my pocket to mop up the mess. Once I got that cleaned up and refilled their cups I noticed everyone was set for a few minutes and went outside for some fresh air. It was almost chilly and I realized summer was over and I'd barely noticed.
"Get yourself together," I chided. I was not going to spend the next month moping over what might have been. I would add Joe to the very short list of awesome things that happened to me and move on. Concentrate on work and my friends and finding new ways to being joy into my life. In five years I would look at pictures of him and smile secretly, remembering our time together fondly. That was the mature healthy way to handle the situation and I was going to do it if it killed me.
When I went back inside things were settling down a bit. I checked in with Darrell and helped him plate up a few orders. Now that I'd decided to get over myself I could really focus and time flew. Soon the place was empty and my shift was over. I dropped my apron in the back and grabbed my purse. That's when I noticed a piece of paper tacked to the announcement board with my name on it. I'd been in such a state when I arrived I hadn't seen it.
The handwriting was definitely Sarah's. She was Darrell's daughter and managed the diner during the day. I shoved the note in my pocket and headed out. She was always giving us little "helpful hints" that drove me up the wall. Like how was I supposed to "anticipate the needs of the night's customers when you come on shift" if I didn't know who was coming in? And even if I could, it wouldn't matter. There was nothing complicated or elaborate about the place, which was why I liked it. She should go manage some fancy restaurant downtown and leave us regular people alone.
I stomped home, glad to have my familiar irritation with Sarah to keep me company. Once I'd settled in I poured myself a glass of juice and sat down at the table to read the note. It read,
Melissa –
Some guy, Joe or John called for you twice today. I couldn't tell which name it was because it was very loud in the diner where I was neglecting customers to take down your messages. In the future, please refrain from having your personal business interfere with work. We are not an answering service. He left a phone number and said to ca
ll any time, but it should go without saying I expect you to wait until your shift has ended.
And under her annoyingly perfect handwriting and ridiculous message was a phone number. Joe's phone number. I stayed cool for an entire sixteen seconds before I started dialing, my heart pounding. He had tried to find me. He wanted to talk to me.
Chapter Five
The phone rang a few times before anyone picked up and in that brief time my mind managed to run in a million different directions. Was it too early to call? Would he be happy to hear from me? What would I say? Where was he?
"Bloody Bastard International Headquarters, how many I direct your call?"
The voice, lightly accented and very gravelly dragged me back to reality. "Um, I think I might have the wrong number. Is Joe there?"
"Oh no, you've got the right number, love. Hang on." There was a pause, then some strange noises I think were a party of some kind and then pounding on a door. "Jo-ey, you have a phone call," the same voice said, muffled by distance.
I waited a few more minutes and then there he was. "Hello? Liss?" He was a little out of breath and I could hear his smile through the phone. All of my misgivings and reservations evaporated.
"Yeah, it's me."
"Oh thank god. I tried to track you down all day. But I couldn't remember your address or even if you had a landline. And some really mean woman at the diner acted like she'd never heard of you."
I grinned again as he prattled on, clearly nervous.
"-Then I thought you might call during the show and my phone was off so I wouldn't have the number and I was working on this new song back here on my own and… Shit. Sorry. I'm a little hyped up right now."
"I noticed."
"I always feel this way after a show. That's why we met in the first place. I needed somewhere to go to calm down."
"And something to eat."
"Yeah." His voice went lower and the back ground noise disappeared. "And a beautiful girl to look at."
I blushed and let my head rest on my shoulder, sandwiching the phone between them. "I'm glad you called me. I'm sorry about leaving like that. I just wasn't sure…" I trailed off, having not the slightest clue how to explain all of the doubts and insecurities that had sent me fleeing from his hotel.
"It's okay. Look, I really like spending time with you. And I wish I was in town so we could maybe go out for real. But everything is so crazy right now. I didn't plan to start anything with anyone, but I don't want you to think I was just looking to hook up."
"Not that kind of rock star, eh?"
He laughed. "Well I won't lie. Being in a new city every day has its advantages. Oh shit, I shouldn't have said that. I'm not a manwhore or anything."
"Joe, relax. I get what you're saying. And even if you were just looking for a one-time thing it would be okay. Like you said, your life is really wild right now and I'm just some waitress."
"Liss, no," he said vehemently. "That's my point. You're not 'just some waitress' to me. Not before and certainly not now. I shouldn't have slept with you. I was scared you'd get the wrong idea but god, I couldn't help it. You were like a breath of fresh air in that bar. I'd been thinking about you so much and got a little drunk and there you appeared like someone granted my wish. And you looked so sexy and smelled so good."
Emotionally I'd melted into a little puddle on the floor and never wanted him to stop talking. None of my concerns or reservations were fixed but I couldn't help but get drawn in by his wonderful words.
"Anyway, shit I am just babbling away right now. I'm getting a beer and I want you to tell me about your day. How was work? Who is that terrible woman who answered the phone when I called?"
I giggled and went over to get in bed. I was exhausted from work but exhilarated from talking to Joe. It was dizzying in the most wonderful way. "My day was nothing worth talking about. Same old diner. That woman horrible. You should see the note she left me." I read it to him and we both laughed.
"That's a lot of note for a ten second phone conversation," he said wryly.
"Yeah, she's like that about everything."
"Sounds like our manager, Ryan. He's obsessive. Calls five times to remind us about every gig or interview. And the busier we get the worse he is. There's an itinerary for our ride to the next city, but we're all on the same bus. What does this dude think is going to happen? We'll all get amnesia and forget what we're doing? Ridiculous."
"Is he single? We should set them up."
"Oh yeah, they'll take over the world with anal retentive list-making. I shudder to think."
"You're not much of a list kind of guy, huh?"
"No. If I try to make a list I just lose it. In fact, I lose everything. This is my third cell phone this year and I bet every hotel in the tri-state area has some of my clothes in their lost-and-found. And then there's my wandering. I love just striking out to discover a place, you know? See where my feet take me. Like to your diner."
I grinned. "Well that wandering worked out pretty good for me."
"Me too." There was a rustle of movement on his end of the line before he spoke again. "My best wander in a long time, no question."
"What are you doing?"
"Nothin', just taking my shirt off."
I gasped with fake shock. "Why Mr. Hawk, I hope you don't expect this to be that sort of conversation."
Joe chuckled. "Certainly not, ma'am," he said in a terrible fake Southern accent. "I would never sully your delicate ears with inappropriate and overly familiar talk. Although," he continued in his regular voice, "I wouldn't be opposed to that sort of conversation when I'm not on a bus with six other guys."
I could feel myself blushing even though I was alone. I'd never had phone sex and didn't plan to start. Too embarrassing. But the idea of Joe lying there shirtless and talking sexy to me wasn't horrifying. It just made me wish he was here in my bed with me, close enough to act out all the dirty things running through my mind.
"Well, anyway," I said, trying to clear my head a bit, "Where are you off to?"
"Just down to Lewisville. We're doing some radio on the way then a show tonight."
"An interview on the bus? That sounds distracting."
"Yeah but we're getting used to it. The interview is the only reason everyone is still awake. We usually crash until the afternoon."
"That makes sense."
"Yeah, but listen, I don't want to talk about my boring shit. I want to hear about you."
"Why? I'm not that interesting."
"You are to me."
"Thanks but I don't know what else to tell you about."
"Start with your friend the other night. How do you know her?"
"Kelly? Oh, we've been friends since we were ten. I don't see her as much now since she's in college but we try to hang out when I have a night off."
"That must suck, working all night. I know regular people like to do things during the day."
"Yeah, but I'm getting used to it."
"Me too. Can you believe I used to be a morning person? When I was a kid I was always the first one up. I'd watch the sun come up on Saturday mornings and wait for my folks to get up for breakfast. Now I always see the sun rise at the end of my day, not the beginning."
I imagined a little Joe gazing out the window dreamily and smiled. I'd been grinning so much my face was starting to hurt but I loved it.
"Um, wow. That was a really lame story."
"No," I assured him. "It was sweet. I like your sweet side."
"Don't tell anyone, I've got an image to protect here."
"I won't say anything about the country's next rock sensation being a secret sensitive guy."
"Oh god," he groaned. "I hate that shit. I just like playing music. The rest of it is bullshit."
"Yeah but you have to take the shit to get to the good stuff, right?"
"Uh huh, I guess. So, you working tonight?"
"Yup. Graveyard shift as usual."
"At least that guy, the cook seemed pretty chil
l."
"Darrell? He's the owner. And yeah, he's great. Sometimes he even sends me home early with pay when it's really slow."
"Wow, that is nice."
"He's the best boss I've ever had. And I don't even mind being stuck with him all night that much. We just chat or listen to the radio."
"I wish I was there. I'd come in every night for french toast with bacon."
"Yeah and you'd be as fat as me in a month."
"Hey," he said, suddenly serious. "Why do you do that?"
"What?"
"Cut yourself down all the time. You're a super-hot girl, Liss."
"I'd be better thinner but it isn't in the cards for me."
"I think you're perfect. I've seen every inch of you and they're all wonderful."
"I'm glad someone thinks so."
"Damn right I do. Each creamy soft curve is seared into my brain. I'll be thinking about them until I see you again."
"Oh god, stop. You're really embarrassing me."
"Sorry babe, but I can't help it. You drive me wild."
I buried my face in my hands and made a tiny whimpering noise.
"I wish I was with you," he said practically in a whisper. "I'd show you how gorgeous you are. Give you a tour of my favorite places on your body until you understand."
A rush of heat went through me and I almost moaned. I could imagine him doing just that, using his amazing hands to make be scream. I closed my eyes and could feel him there, callused fingertips caressing me from head to toe and back again.
"Um, on that note, I should probably get to sleep, Joe. I have to go grocery shopping at some point today."
"Okay." His voice was husky and I knew he'd been remembering our night together as vividly as I had. "Can I call you tomorrow?"
