My phone buzzed instantly.
“Hi sweetheart.” His voice rolled over me like a warm shower. No, I was angry, had to remember to stay pissed.
“So, the girls got a box today.” I stretched out my words, indicating by tone there was something amiss in this situation.
“How did they like the wings and hair? I had Gunter’s girls help me out. They said little girls would love the wings and the dress up. I realized I really had no idea what I was doing the first time I walked into that toy store. I think I scared some people stomping down the aisles full of pink baby dolls.” He clearly had fun, I could hear the excitement in his voice.
“Ares, the wings were fine, what the hell were you doing sending a dildo in the same box?”
“Oh, you got it, I thought you might like that.” His tone switched, he was more smooth. It was his bedroom voice.
A shiver ricocheted down my spine and set new nerves on edge. Sexy nerves. No, I was still angry.
“It’s lovely but why the hell was it in the box with the toys for my children?” I was trying not to get louder. I didn’t want or need the girls to overhear while they were confined to their chairs.
“Lizzie, it was gift wrapped separately. I put it in there with a card.” he explained.
“Gift wrapped?”
“Yes.”
“With a card?”
“More like a note, saying you might want to open that when you’re alone. On the phone. With me,” he explained things very carefully.
“Crap!” I groaned. “Sorry. The girls decimated the box, they shredded everything. I never saw it until they were fighting over whose magic wand it was.”
I could hear him snort with laughter. “Oh babe, I’m sorry.”
I started to chuckle too.
“No, that one is most definitely for you. I was hoping for some playtime with it.”
“Play time?” Uh oh, where was he going with this conversation? I mean I know what it was for, but how did him being in Seattle and playtime fit together.
“I miss you Elizabeth.” His voice was thick and deep. Hearing my name like that set all those nerves tingling again. I could picture how his expression had changed a slight focused squint of the eyes, straight mouth. “I thought we could talk to each other while thinking about touching each other.”
“You mean,” I cupped the phone to my mouth and whispered, “phone s-e-x?”
“That’s exactly what I mean. And that gift was, ah,” he paused, “an enhancement.”
“Ah, wow.” I was flummoxed.
“Mommy is it time?” a little voice yelled from the other room.
“Not yet” I yelled back. Ten minutes could be as long or as short as I needed it to be as long as the girls could not tell time. Right now, I needed them to stay put.
“It’s for tomorrow.” Ares explained. “For your birthday. I can’t be there to make you come, but I thought I could try this.” Oh, I wish I could see his face, that tone in his voice meant he would be smoldering at me. The thought of it made me go weak in the knees.
“I have to go, to finish managing my little situation here. But I do look forward to tomorrow night.” I could hear a satisfied chuckle from Ares. “And Ares”
“Yes?”
“Thank you for not sending something anatomically correct. They think it’s just a fancy magic wand.”
“Well, I hope it is magic for you, my fairy queen.”
I think I fell more in love with him.
Thirteen
“Hi Sweetie.” I looked forward to every call from Ares. Whether he called me, or I him. Or if we called more than once a day. I wasn’t expecting this call, we had already spent several hours texting that morning. The sound of his voice always gave me a thrill.
“Craig is dead.” There was a strange gravel to his voice.
I scrambled for the remote and shut off the TV. I could catch up on Tails from the Urban Jungle another time. “Oh Ares. How?” I held my fingers to my mouth in shock.
“Motorcycle.” That’s all he said, it’s all he needed to say. “Have I told you about Craig?”
“Some,” I never met Craig, but I knew some of their history as best friends growing up.
“Do you want to tell me about him?”
“I met him in the first grade, I don’t actually remember it,” Ares began. He continued to tell me how they became best friends and lived actually just half a block away from each other. They became friends within the first few days of school, same class and they walked home in the same direction. They were pretty much best friends from then on. They grew through the same obsessions: music, video games, music, girls, music. In middle school they both joined band, and were hooked. Craig took naturally to woodwinds, Ares did better with string instruments, and eventually left marching band for the school orchestra. They formed their first rock band together. Music became their lives. Music more than girls. Then as they got older, they discovered that girls followed music. They went from band geeks who could never get a date to rocker boys with their choice of girls.
Craig was the one to convince him to start using his middle name. Ares had always been embarrassed by his middle name, thinking it was weird. By the time they were in high school, Ares was a tough name and Tommy was a little boy’s name.
In college they branched away from each other in musical interests. Craig more toward composition and writing for symphonic presentation. Ares toward more rock oriented work. Craig helped Ares get his first real job after college, recording sound bites for video games. Ares continued with rock bands while Craig focused on making bigger and more dramatic soundtracks for the video game industry.
Ares talked about some of the stupid things they did as kids, including the first time they tried to take a car for a joy ride and got caught a block away. Craig was his brother, his best friend, his partner in crime. Girls and women came and went, Craig was always there.
When Ares finished, he was just silent. Ares hurt, and I was three-thousand miles away. I needed to hold him, I thought he needed me to hold him.
“Can you come here?”
I didn’t answer right away, every cell of my being screamed ‘yes if I have to walk,’ but my logic brain was spinning in circles trying to find purchase of focus. Kids, kids what do I do with my kids?
“Okay, let me call Miss Angie, she’ll take the girls, then I should get a ticket, right?”
I scanned wildly around my living room as if a to-do list would magically appear. I could hear Ares breathe, I could sense his tension and pain and hollowness, just from the different rhythm of his breathing.
“Ares, what else do I need to do?” I asked.
“Be with me.” His voice was so thin-sounding, so lost. “Tell me what you are doing, I don’t want to be alone, let me just listen to you.”
My heart broke for him.
“Okay, so I guess I need to get online and purchase a ticket, right?” I wasn’t a traveler. I was pretty much figuring this out as I went, and looking for confirmation from Ares, who basically travelled for a living, well half the time he certainly did.
He ‘uh hummed’ a reply. It was going to be long, and very one sided, and I didn’t care. I narrated everything I did to Ares, as I found the laptop and researched my ticket options. I could catch a flight out this evening, or one first thing in the morning. If I got everything together, I could be with Ares later tonight.
I realized I couldn’t actually order a ticket until I talked to the girls’ grandmother, and confirmed that she would be able to watch them for an unknown amount of time, I was thinking a few days to a week minimum.
“Ares, I’ll be with you, but I have to make some calls.” I tried to keep my tone calm, reassuring, and not frantic. I was frantic.
“You will call me right back.” It was more of a command than a question, but there was uncertainty in his voice.
“Of course, I will, but I need to make arrangements for the girls. Okay?”
“Okay,” he
sighed “I miss you Lizzie.”
Hanging up on him was very difficult. I immediately went to battle stations, deciding that if Miss Angie couldn’t take the girls, I would call Lydia before I called Richard. I essentially had less than an hour before I had to go wait in car-rider lines to pick up my children from their schools.
Now, where was that magic to-do list? It had yet to materialize.
I needed to call Miss Angie, I needed to call Joan and arrange to take a few days off. I was only part time, but being her Girl-Friday was the best job I had had in a very long time, and I was still new enough I had yet to ask for any time off. I had to pack for Seattle. I had to pack the girls for staying somewhere else. I had so much to do. And I hated to even think about it, but I had to let Richard know what was going on.
I didn’t have time to panic about my lack of appropriate rock star girlfriend wardrobe, I just hoped I had enough clean underwear.
“Miss Angie!” I could hear the forced smile in my voice
“Why, Elizabeth,” she drawled.
“Oh um, geez…” I hated stammering, but I really wasn’t certain how to ask my ex-husband’s mother to take our children so I could fly off to see my boyfriend. I needed to emphasize his emotional need and make sure she understood this was not for some booty call. I flooded her with the facts. “My friend Ares, you remember him.”
“Yes, the tall man with the hair.” I could tell from her tone she rather disapproved of the hair.
“Yes, well, he has had some rather upsetting news. His best friend died rather suddenly this morning. He asked that I come to support him during the funeral, and for a few days. Look, I found a flight out tonight, and I was wondering…”
“If I could watch the girls and get them to school?” She finished for me.
“Yes, please. I know I should have probably called Richard first.”
“Nonsense, child, we both know how unreliable he is regarding his children. I will take care of the girls.”
“Oh great, I can have them packed and drop them off in, oh…”
She interrupted before I could calculate a time. “Don’t be silly, I will come stay there. No need to disrupt their schedules any more than necessary.”
“That’s brilliant, you are a lifesaver,” I gushed.
I was pounding away on my keyboard ordering my ticket as soon as she said yes. “I have a flight at six, can you be here by four?”
“Yes, I will take care of dinner for the girls, you get yourself together, and give my condolences to your friend.”
My next call was to Joan. This one was harder because I had only been working for her for a few weeks, and well, I was uncertain.
“Hi, boss lady,” I said when she answered, I had that same brittle, fake joy, quality to my voice I started with Miss Angie. “I have a big favor to ask.”
Joan was quick with a retort, “You are finally going to admit your imaginary long distance boyfriend is a figment of your imagination, and let me set you up?” Joan was a matchmaker at heart, it could be annoying, but she really did seem to know a lot of people for “setting up” dates and meetings.
“Ah, no,” I said with a chuckle.
“I actually am flying out to Seattle tonight to be with my not so imaginary long distance boyfriend. Someone close to him died, and I’m headed out for the funeral,” I explained.
“Oh bless your heart honey, he is real? Sorry, of course, how long do you need?”
“My tickets are for a week, if that changes, I will let you know.”
“Right, right, no problem, I did say this job was going to be flexible for you, so don’t you worry about that”
“Thanks Joan, I was.”
“You go take care of your man, then when you get back, maybe you will finally tell me who he is.”
“Thanks Joan, I will.” Maybe, I finished to myself. Joan’s son Hunter was a huge AudioVox fan, the reason I hadn’t told her who my long-distance boyfriend was. I didn’t want to be used as access to Ares, at least not until I thought I could handle it, or I knew how to handle it. Currently, I was still very separated from his work. Yes, I was his girlfriend, but I didn’t interact with the rocker aspect of him, so I didn’t know how to actually be a rock star’s girlfriend.
Only twenty minutes had passed, and the to-do list was rapidly becoming a done list. Two more calls. I dialed Richard’s number. Fortunately it went straight to voicemail
“Listen carefully Richard. Your mother is staying at my house with the girls. If you want extra time with them, work it out with her. I have to go to Seattle for a week. I have not run off, I am coming back, if you have any questions you can call.” He wouldn’t.
Last call was to the airport taxi, they would pick me up at half past four.
“I missed you that took so long.” Was the first thing Ares said when I called back. Normally his voice was smooth like liquid chocolate, now it was gruff, and raged.
“I’m flying out tonight, I’ll be there, late.”
I told him all about my flight plans, and that I had a layover in Denver. I asked him to help me pack, I didn’t know what to bring. Ares told me what to put into a carry-on case, and what should go in a suitcase to check. He reminded me to grab headphones and my old iPod, plus its charger, and a phone charger.
He helped me with everything a well-prepared traveler should have— books, batteries, comfortable clothes, and extra undies in the carry-on. He guided me through putting toiletries in a large Ziplock bag, and making sure everything was labeled.
“What clothes do I need? Funeral clothes, and what else?” I had never been to Seattle, I had no idea what the weather was like or if it would be constantly raining.
“Maybe bring something to go out in, you will probably meet my mother, otherwise I don’t plan on doing anything except hold you.” The need in his voice hurt my heart.
Panties, bras, socks, t-shirts were tossed into the suitcase. I found another pair of clean-ish cargo pants and tossed them in also. I pulled a basic black skirt from my closet, and some pointy toed black flats, and the ever important Spanx. I tossed in the red shoes. He liked the red shoes, especially when that’s all I was wearing, I delved into my fancy underwear drawer and pulled out a little sheer something to wear temporarily with the shoes.
Once the bags were packed, I put them by the front door. I was still on the phone with Ares. We spent a few minutes exchanging “I miss yous” and “I can’t wait to see yous.” Distracting Ares with my packing needs helped to soothe his spirits slightly. He sounded like he was feeling a bit better when I ended the call to go pick up the girls.
Miss Angie was early, and reminded me she could handle her own son when I expressed concern regarding Richard’s reaction to my trip. She had a way of making me feel completely inadequate in my dealings with him, yet she was vocally on my side, and picked up his slack. She was a top-notch grandmother. Bree and Cassidy loved the idea of Nana staying with them for a whole week.
I couldn’t hug either of them enough, when the airport taxi came. Cassidy was brave, but Bree started to cry. I started to cry a little too, this would be the longest I had ever been away from them, that wasn’t custody time with their father.
“I will call and leave a message when I get there, okay?”
They nodded.
“You will all be asleep, and I don’t want to wake you up, but I will call so when you wake up you can hear the message and know everything is okay. And you can call me first thing in the morning, when you wake up.”
Bree nodded, this seemed to reassure her.
One more round of kisses, and I was on my way.
I finally remembered to text Lydia what was happening on the ride to the airport.
I am not much of a traveler, so I was grateful it was an amazingly uneventful flight. I didn’t even need to disembark when we landed in Denver. I picked a steamy romance novel to read, and replaced the hero with Ares in my mind. Ares was naturally taller, broader, and better endowed than the nove
l’s hero. He really was romance novel hero quality material. I could hardly wait to hold him. The plane couldn’t go any faster, and getting out to help push wasn’t an option.
The taxi pulled away from the curb as I walked up to the door, it was painted blue. This was the address Ares had given me before I left. I called him when I landed to see if he was going to pick me up, but he said he was too drunk to drive and I should get a cab. I was none too happy with him over this. Not happy that he wasn’t prepared to get me, not happy that he was drunk, not happy to ride in a smelly cab in the dark and the damp, spitty rain. At least I was finally here, and he was smart enough to not drive. On the other side of that blue door was the man I loved and lusted for. That romance novel had flamed those needs.
I gawked at the house. This was a huge house, in a neighborhood of large older homes. The house immediately to the left looked identical, but all the other houses around it were unique, and all dated early late nineteenth, early twentieth century. The street was narrow and lined with trees. The house was old, but had a more modern art deco look to it. It was stucco with curved walls and panels of glass bricks. It was much bigger than I expected, I needed to work on Ares’s concept of working class.
I rang the doorbell and waited. Nothing. I rang the bell a second time before I heard some muffled thumping, the door opened, and he was there. I forgot just how huge he was, he filled the doorway. His hair was a wild cloud of black tangles.
He took a blurred look at me, “I’m really drunk.”
“I see that.” I said as he swayed a bit in the door. Then as if he realized who I was he engulfed me in his embrace, crushing me to his chest. I heard him mutter, “I love you.”
I closed my eyes and allowed my being to merge into him as much as physically possible. That was the first time he said it. I knew he did, his actions spoke so much louder than words, but he was so out of it right now, I doubt he realized he said it. Either way it felt nice to hear. He was warm and strong and smelled like sour wine. So much for romantic delusions of falling straight into bed.
Ballad Ares Page 12
