The Gypsy Ribbon

by Shannon MacLeod

  Even on sensory overload Beth could feel her resolve weakening, and struggled to clear the sensual fog clouding her brain. She placed one shaky hand on his chest and gasped, “That was more than one.”

  His breath was hot on her skin as he dropped one extremely well placed kiss on the sensitive area right below her ear. “I always was terrible at math,” he whispered. When Beth began to shake with silent laugher, he drew back to look at her in disbelief. “Woman, how on earth am I supposed to maintain an aura of romance and mystery if you keep laughing at my advances?” he snapped. His twinkling gaze belied his perturbed tone and she found herself giggling again.

  At the restaurant, James extended his hand to assist her from the limo, then arms linked, they entered the elegant foyer. The maître d’ appeared as if by magic, clutching several leather bound menus. A softly spoken word had the tuxedoed man leading them to a secluded table, away from prying eyes. Nibbling her lower lip in uncertainty Beth glanced around and caught James watching her with a bemused look.

  “I haven’t been here before either but I’ve heard it’s very good.” Looking over the menu, he asked, “Would you care to join me in a drink, sweetheart?” Beth colored slightly at the endearment and nodded.

  * * * *

  White wine, James decided when his mind’s eye saw her holding a glass of the pale gold spirit. He looked over the list of offerings again and more as a statement of fact rather than a question said, “You don’t care much for the reds. Have you ever tried a pinot gris?”

  She shook her head. “No, but I’m willing to try it.” Waving the waiter over, he ordered a bottle. Once the server withdrew to fill their order, James picked up Beth’s hand and kissed her fingertips. “You strike me as a woman with a real flair for living. What makes you happy, Beth?”

  “A lot of things make me happy, I guess. I think you can find it most places if you look hard enough.” Nervousness took over and she continued to ramble, “I got a box of cereal this week that was supposed to have a cool prize inside, but there wasn’t one. I decided to be happy I didn’t eat the whole box before…I cannot believe I just told you that,” she moaned. “I promise you, I’m really not a complete–”

  “What kind of prize?” he interrupted, smiling warmly at her honest answer.

  Beth turned beet red. “A, uh…it was…a secret agent decoder ring,” she muttered.

  “The green one with a secret compartment underneath the round thingy.” Seeing the shock on her face he added hastily, “Not that I’d be knowin’ anything about that.” He toyed with his silverware for a moment before mumbling in a nearly inaudible voice, “I think you have to send in box tops to get that…hey, saved by the grape.” He smiled with relief at the timing of the wine delivery. After James sampled and declared the vintage acceptable, they turned their attention back to the menu.

  * * * *

  Once the waiter withdrew with their dinner order, Beth tried her first sip of the pinot and smiled in delight. “This is excellent,” Conversation lulled and she fought the urge to fidget. She ran her finger around the bottom of her glass and glanced at James from the corner of her eye. He looked as uncomfortable as her. Beth cleared her throat uncomfortably and asked,” Look, can I ask you a really nosy question?”

  James cocked his head and gave her a half smile. “Ask away.”

  “Sometimes you seem so…sad. Why is that?” she blurted. She immediately regretted asking when the pained look flashed across his face and disappeared in the blink of an eye.

  The edges of his smile faded. “It’s a long story, sweetheart, not something I’d want to bore you with,” he replied with a shrug.

  Beth smiled brightly and propped her chin on her bent hand. “Dahling, I simply live for boredom.”

  He chuckled. “The short version is that my life’s just not as much fun as it used to be and I miss that. I think that’s why I’m so drawn to you. You’re vibrant and alive and…real. You make me laugh, and for a little while it makes me forget about the way things are.” His voice was wistful and she remained silent, waiting for him to continue.

  “I’m really looking forward to taking a year off. I need it. We’ve got a greatest hits compilation coming out this summer, but we’re not going to tour to support it. I don’t know if I could make it through another one,” he continued, his voice trailing off. He seemed to catch himself quickly. “I’ll get a copy for you as soon as it’s out, and I’ll even autograph it. That way if I ever piss you off, you can sell it on eBay.”

  She raised a hand to her throat and gasped in mock offense. “I would never, ever do such a thing,” she declared, pursing her lips thoughtfully. “But just out of curiosity, how much do you think something like that would go for?”

  He laughed heartily at that. The tension broken, they continued to talk until dinner arrived. They traded bites with each other and even though Beth had thought to skip dessert, James talked her into sampling his. He took delight in feeding her delectable spoonfuls of the rich cherries jubilee, insisting on just one more even when she protested she couldn’t eat another bite.

  After dinner, they lingered over their wine. James took her hand in his and massaged it gently while they talked and laughed. The more she tried to not pay attention to the maelstrom of emotions running through her, the more she drowned in the sensations he awoke within her. Careful, she thought, I could get to liking this.

  At ten, he looked down at his watch and said, “I hate for this beautiful night to end, but I’m going to have to get back, darlin’.” He stood and offered his arm, covering her hand with his as they walked outside to the waiting limousine.

  Once inside the car James ordered, “Back to the lady’s apartment, please,” then closed the partition window and opened the moon roof. She settled back into the seat then turned to meet his gaze. He leaned toward her and she met him halfway, his warm breath sending little shivers of delight scampering along her nerve endings. His tongue issued his demands and her lips surrendered without hesitation.

  James moaned deep in his throat when Beth ran her hands down his back, grabbing fistfuls of his shirt and pulling him closer. He pressed warm lips against the pulse point on her neck and ran his insistent hands down her arms, sending ripples of gooseflesh throughout her entire body. One large hand cupped her breast even as his head dipped to kiss the spot right above the valley that separated them.

  Beth gasped and jumped at the contact. James immediately reined himself in. “I’m sorry, sweetheart,” he said hoarsely, “I just don’t do a good job controlling myself around you. You set my senses on fire, Beauty.” He gave her one last crushing kiss, fisting his long fingers in her hair then released her and leaned back to give her space.

  With trembling fingers, she stroked his soft beard. He caught her hand and pressed a kiss into it. “Save that one for later,” he said. She thought she saw the sadness creeping back into his eyes, but it was gone as soon as it appeared. A look of raw hunger replaced it as he said softly, “Sometime soon, I’m going to spend all night making love to you.”

  A small panicked sound escaped from her parted lips as she realized the extent of the havoc this man was wreaking on every single one of her senses. He chuckled and assured her, “But tonight isn’t that night, Miss Beth. You don’t quite trust me yet, and that’s all right. I know you’re worth waiting for.”

  They pulled up in front of her building and he walked her back upstairs to her front door. “Gonna invite me in?” he asked with a playful grin, flattening his palms against the door on either side of her and effectively caging her in.

  “Nope,” she answered with a wide smile of her own.

  He dropped his head, touching his forehead to hers. “You know, one of these days you’re going to say yes, and I’m going to faint dead away and be of no use at all to you.” They both laughed, and he pulled her into a tight hug. “I had a wonderful time, darlin’. Can we do it again soon?”

  “I’d like that,” Beth said. “A lot.”
>
  James glanced down at his watch and gave her a quick peck on the cheek. “I have to go, sweet. I’ll call you soon,” he said, taking the stairs two at a time and bolting for the limo. He stood up through the moon roof, touching his fingers to his lips then placing his hand over his heart. As he disappeared back inside the roof began to close but not fast enough. Beth caught his harried words to the driver just before the glass cut them off.

  “Tampa airport, fast as you–”

  Beth stood and waved calmly until the limo was out of sight, then like a shot was inside and on her computer going to the band’s official website. Clicking through the menus, she pulled up the tour schedule. “East Rutherford, New Jersey last night and New York City tomorrow night,” she read aloud. When the realization dawned on her she sat down hard on her couch, dizzy in amazement. That was the reason for all the secrecy. He flew down just to have dinner with her on his day off.

  The thought was at once heady, electrifying and frightening as hell. The little internal voice registered a feeble protest but after a long, blissful sigh Beth told it to shut the hell up.

  8

  At the stroke of midnight, James landed at Newark International Airport. Clad in faded jeans and a nondescript sweatshirt, Spiderman sat inconspicuously at the outer edge in the waiting area. A wide grin split his homely face when James stepped out of the gangway, head down and walking fast. Without missing a beat, he fell into step beside him and drawled, “No luggage, huh? Yessir, this has got woman written all over it.”

  James grinned. “Mind yer business, Yank.”

  “Bulls-eye,” Spider laughed. “There was some asking around about you tonight. You’ve been laid up in your room with a headache all evening.” He dropped his voice down. “She a Southern girl?” When his question was answered with an affirmative nod, he grinned. “Good man. You gonna be going again?”

  James nodded again. “I’m going to try if I can slip in and out unnoticed. I appreciate your help, Kev.”

  The older man shrugged. “Anytime. I see how hard they run you, just like a borrowed mule. Little time here and there ain’t hurting anybody far as I can tell, and it ain’t nobody’s business what you do on your night off.”

  “My thoughts exactly,” James agreed, slipping into the waiting cab. Taking the hotel stairs instead of the elevator took a little longer but they made it to his room without being seen, much to James’s relief.

  “Safe!” Spider proclaimed, pulling the suite door closed behind them. They talked for a moment or two longer before he opened the door again. Without turning, he put a hand behind his back and motioned toward the bathroom with a quick jerk. “Hope you’re feeling better soon, James. Let me know if you need anything,” he called over his shoulder and closed the door behind him. James had barely gotten into the bathroom before he heard the sharp knock on his door.

  “Just a minute,” he called out. Hastily stripping out of his suit, he threw on a robe and flushed the toilet. On further consideration, he ripped the covers back and dove onto the bed, rolled around on it like a gleeful Irish setter and mussed his hair. Bouncing up, he strode to the door and with a big yawn answered it.

  Aaron stood with one hand braced against the doorframe, a concerned look on his face. “Heard you weren’t feeling well, thought I’d look in on you,” he said. “Are you all right, do we need to get a doctor in?” He peered past James into the room, gaze stopping on the rumpled and unoccupied bed.

  James yawned again, this time a genuine one. “Just a headache earlier. I’m feeling better now. Just needed the extra sleep, I reckon.”

  Aaron looked relieved at his admission. “Well, if you need something, let me know.”

  “Sure thing, Chief. See ya in the morning,” he said, yawning again as he closed the door. He smiled at his rumpled reflection in the mirror and with boyish enthusiasm took a running leap, swan diving into the big king-sized bed. As he closed his eyes for the night, the last vision that crossed his mind was smiling hazel eyes.

  * * * *

  Aaron stood unmoving, trying to shake the nagging feeling that there was more to the story than a simple headache. With a shrug, he turned back toward his suite, cringing as he passed party after party. Loud music, raucous laughter mixed with the occasional feminine squeal filtered through the mostly open doors. This is exactly why I don’t like traveling with these assholes, he thought, stepping around a trashcan overflowing with empties that someone had shoved out into the hallway. There was a sound of breaking glass, followed another round of uproarious laughter. They never fucking sleep–how the hell do they do it day after day?

  He thought it odd that James wasn’t in there with the rest of them, drinking and whatever the hell else they did. Maybe he really does have a headache, he decided. He had almost dismissed his earlier suspicions as unfounded when a chorus of voices shouted in greeting, startling him out of his thoughts. “Spiderman! Where you been?” several voices called out. Aaron stopped short just outside the door to listen.

  Never one to be long on words, Spider’s answer was short and to the point. “Errand,” he said.

  “You’ve been gone all night,” another voice complained.

  He heard Spider laugh. “It was a long errand, Sherlock. Now make yourself useful and toss me a friggin’ beer.”

  Aaron lingered next to the door until he realized the interesting part of the conversation in the room was over then moved on. Back inside his own room, he paced while he talked it out, trying to put it all together. “First, James is down with a headache all night. Second, Spider is James’s bodyguard. Spider’s been gone all evening on some ‘errand’. Third, saw Spider coming out of James’s room.” He nodded once and selected a number on his cell speed dial. Within minutes, the summoned man stood in front of him.

  “Whatcha need, Boss?” Dante asked. The lanky road master oversaw all the other equipment technicians, as they liked to be called. He was one of the best in the business at keeping things all running smoothly, not an easy task considering their average roadie was in his twenties, good looking, hard partying and possessed testosterone levels of mythical proportions.

  Aaron surveyed him coolly. “I need you to watch somebody for me,” he said. “I want to know where Kevin Bellamy goes, what he does, who he does it with. Everything.”

  Dante’s eyes widened. “Spiderman? He’s clean, Boss, there’s been no trouble out of him. Has there been a problem I need to know about?”

  Aaron waved a negligent hand. “Not your concern. I just need to know what he’s up to. Can you do that for me?”

  The chief roadie knew who signed his checks and shrugged. “Sure, I can do that. Anything else?”

  Aaron shook his head, and motioned toward the door. Dante recognized the dismissal and left without another word. As the door closed, Aaron leaned back in his chair and scratched absently at his protruding belly. If you’re up to something, James, I will catch you at it.

  * * * *

  The next week settled into a new routine. For Beth, it was not lingering around after work. She said her good nights and headed for home as soon as the park closed. James’s nights were pretty much the same - show, after party, two drinks, then back to the hotel room where he would sit on the balcony under the stars and talk to her over the phone. They chatted and laughed for hours every night. Beth curled up on her couch, listening raptly as he told her love-filled stories of growing up in Ireland with his brothers and sisters. He told her of his days working in a pub, coming out from behind the bar to sing with the band that eventually became Horizon.

  She talked about losing her parents in a car accident, then living with her sole relative Aunt Ellen. When her aunt died, Beth was left completely alone in the world. “Lily’s been my only family for years now,” she explained. She made him laugh with waitressing stories then fast-forwarded to the present. “I’m really looking forward to helping out with the school programs beginning in the fall,” she admitted.

  “You like kids, then
?” James asked.

  “I love kids. You know, I actually used to be one,” she confided, expecting at least a small chuckle. There was a long silence.

  “Beth, I, uh…I have a question for you,” he asked. There was a moment of hesitation before he said, “Why aren’t you…ah, do you…are you seeing anyone?”

  The question caught her completely off guard and her inner freak out-o-meter went berserk. “Would you say that you and I are seeing each other?” she asked. Her heart flipped over despite a stern admonishment from her brain to knock it off.

  A really loud silence followed. “Yes, I would say that,” he said slowly. “I think I asked you the wrong question. I mean, you’re such a lovely woman and you’re funny and smart, it just… surprises me that you don’t have men lining up at your door.” There was that unsettling quiet again. “Okay, now that wasn’t even a question,” he muttered.

  Beth sat up on her couch and grabbed her cards again. “How about just coming right out and asking me whatever it is you want to know?” she suggested. She spread her deck face down and pulled a card. Two of Cups, loving relationship. She rolled her eyes in dismay. Shaking her head, she put the deck back in the box and reclined on the couch.

  “I want to know if you’re seeing anyone else,” James said firmly. “Besides me.”

  Beth’s mind was off to the races. Okay, now that sounds like…I don’t know what that sounds like. Jealousy? Possessiveness? I should be waking up any minute now…any minute...seriously, why would he want to know that? “No, I’m not.”

  There was more silence at the other end of the line. “Okay. Thank you.”

  “So…are you?” she asked, almost afraid to hear the answer. Say no, say no, her heart whispered.

  There was a soft chuckle. “Just you, sweetheart. Hang on a sec,” he said. She heard papers rustling around in the background. “By any chance are you free this coming Wednesday evening? I’d really like to see you.”