Rock My World

by Cindi Myers

  “Still mooning over Little Miss Muffet?” Bonnie nudged her sunglasses back into place.

  He snapped his head toward her. “Leave her alone, Bonnie. I don’t want to referee any cat fights.”

  She laughed. “What? You think we’d be fighting over you?” She swiveled away and spotted a quartet of workmen in the doorway. “Come on in, y’all.” She beckoned them. “Say hello to Bombshell Bonnie.”

  He shook his head and joined Erica on stage. “What did I tell you?” Erica said. She nodded toward Bonnie and her adoring fans. “With Bonnie here, dressed like that, no one will even notice us.”

  “Not every man falls for fake boobs and teeny bikinis.” He checked the setup for the speakers. “Some guys prefer a woman who leaves a little to their imagination.”

  “That’s a sweet thing to say.”

  He glanced over his shoulder at her. “It’s the truth.”

  “Thanks.” She patted his shoulder. “You’re good for my ego.”

  She picked up a box of T-shirts they used for giveaways and stepped off the stage. “I’ll see if Bonnie wants to hand out some of these.”

  “Maybe you can talk her into wearing one.”

  She laughed. “Not a chance. She’s enjoying showing off too much.”

  She left with the T-shirts and he returned to checking the speakers. One of the waiters, dressed in a blue Outback Charlie’s polo shirt and black pants, approached. “The boss wants to know if you need anything to eat or drink. On the house.”

  He looked up into a familiar face. He checked the name tag pinned to the polo. “Ray? Ray Kingston?”

  “Hawk? Man, it is you.” Ray crushed Adam’s hand in his and shook it. “How you been?”

  “I’ve been good? How are you?”

  Ray shrugged and looked around the fake-Australian set. “Okay. I just started this job. Hope it works out.”

  Adam searched his face. How long had it been? Two years? Maybe closer to three. Ray was clean-shaven, a little more filled out than he remembered. “How long have you been in Denver?” he asked.

  “Couple of months. I got a sister out here, talked me into coming out.” He shrugged. “Thought it might be good to make a fresh start, you know? Took me a while to get a job, though. You know how it is.”

  “Yeah. I know.” Adam hesitated, then asked. “You staying clean?”

  Ray shoved his hands in his pockets, then took them out. “Yeah. I get tempted but my sister swore she’d turn me in herself if I got messed up.” He glanced toward the door to the kitchen. “So, do you want anything to eat or drink? Don’t want to give the new boss an excuse to fire me the first day, you know?”

  “Sure. I understand. Bring me a glass of iced tea when you get a chance.”

  “Coming right up.”

  Adam watched Ray go, and couldn’t keep from smiling. It was good to see Ray doing so well. It reminded Adam again how lucky he was to be doing something he loved for a living, when he’d come so close to screwing it up.

  His smile faded when, halfway across the room, Ray collided with Bonnie. “Watch where you’re going!” she snapped.

  Ray goggled at her and stammered an apology.

  “What are you looking at?” she said. “Go on, get out of here.”

  Muttering about clumsy oafs, she joined Adam on the stage.

  “If you’re going to dress like that, you ought to get used to people staring,” he said.

  She fluffed her hair and adjusted the bikini top. “I don’t see you staring.”

  He shook his head. “I’ve seen everything you have to offer and it doesn’t do anything for me anymore.”

  He knew the minute the words were out that they were the wrong thing to say. Bonnie’s eyes flashed with anger and he silently cursed his big mouth. “You just don’t know how to handle a real woman,” she said. “You’d rather have a girl, like—what did you call her?—effervescent Erica. Or do you prefer ‘Honey’?”

  He ground his teeth together, refusing to rise to her bait. “Are you ready to do the weather and traffic update at 4:10?”

  She straightened her shoulders. “I’m always ready. I’m a professional.”

  Professional what? came to mind, but he didn’t say it.

  Ray returned with a glass of iced tea, steering clear of Bonnie, who was on the phone with the traffic helicopter.

  Erica returned to the stage. “Are we ready to start?”

  At 4:00 p.m. sharp they went live. “Good afternoon, everyone. We’re coming to you live all afternoon from Outback Charlie’s Bar and Grill at Kipling and Hampden. We’ve got two-for-one margaritas, great appetizers and dinner specials from Outback Charlie’s fabulous grill, and we’ll have plenty of music and cool prizes coming your way all afternoon. With me are the lovely Erica and Bombshell Bonnie with weather and traffic.”

  “Do you know how many men out there are jealous of you right now?” Erica asked. “Spending the afternoon with two hot women?”

  “Get real,” Bonnie said. “He could never handle both of us. After all, he couldn’t handle me.”

  “I’ll admit, I was no match for you, Bonnie. It takes a special man to put up with you.”

  She gave him a look that made clear she’d like nothing better than to take a sharp knife to certain sensitive body parts. He took an involuntary step back and killed her mic, just in case.

  “We’re all in awe of you, Bonnie.” Erica rushed to defuse the moment. “What’s the traffic like out there this afternoon?”

  Adam gave her a grateful look and promised himself he’d avoid riling Bonnie any further.

  When Bonnie finished her traffic and weather report, he addressed the crowd that had gathered. “Who wants to win some prizes?” he asked.

  The two dozen or so people present cheered and whistled, egged on by Bonnie and Erica.

  “All right. We’re going to play a little rock ’n’ roll trivia then. First right answer gets the new Ben Harper CD.” He consulted the list of rock trivia questions he’d put together the night before. “What was Pat Benatar’s job before she made it big?”

  Erica took the remote mic into the audience. She approached a buff young construction worker who’d raised his hand. “Hey, handsome,” she said, eliciting an immediate blush from the guy. “Do you know the answer?”

  “Uh, is it…?”

  She looked to Adam, who shook his head. “Sorry. Anybody else?”

  After three tries, during which Adam played music, and the bathing-suit-clad Erica left three men tongue-tied, a man wearing an Avalanche shirt and jeans gave the correct answer of waitress and won the CD.

  “All right, everybody!” Erica hopped back on stage and clapped her hands. “Time for our limbo contest. Line up for a chance to see how low you can go!” While Adam played “Don’t worry ’bout a thing,” she enlisted two audience members to hold a bamboo pole while she demonstrated the proper limbo technique. Back bent, hair almost touching the floor, she shimmied backward under the suspended pole while onlookers whooped and hollered. “If she had any boobs, she wouldn’t be able to get down so low,” Bonnie groused.

  And if you had real boobs, you probably could, too. But again he resisted the temptation and kept his mouth shut.

  After more music and giveaways, Bonnie instigated a hula contest. Remembering her earlier comment about his shirt, he silently wondered what was so Australian about the hula. In any case, she had an appreciative audience as she wiggled and swayed on the stage, and Outback Charlie himself came up to applaud her performance.

  Music, weather, traffic, news. Before he knew it, they were halfway through the show. Ray approached him and Erica, order pad in hand. “Great show, guys. You ready for some dinner?”

  “Sounds good. Ray, this is my co-host, Erica Gibson. This is an old friend of mine, Ray Kingston.”

  Erica offered her hand. “Nice to meet you, Ray.”

  “Same here.” He gestured to the order pad. “So what can I get you? The burgers are good. So’s the f
ish tacos.”

  “I’ll try a burger,” she said.

  “Same here.”

  Ray noted their orders, then looked around. “What about the other lady?”

  “Bonnie?” Adam looked around and spotted her at a table of businessmen. She was leaning over, signing autographs. The men weren’t exactly drooling, but they were close. “She’s over there at that table. Go ask her what she wants.” At Ray’s hesitant look he added, “Go on. She won’t bite.”

  “Are you sure?” Erica asked when Ray had left.

  “Not really.” He picked up a list of e-mail addresses they’d collected from the audience and pretended to flip through it, trying not to notice how close she was standing, or how good she smelled, or how great her legs looked in her high-cut swimsuit. But he could feel her eyes on him.

  “I like that shirt,” she said. “Is that from your surfer days?”

  Did she mean to remind him of the confidences they’d shared at the Furniture Gallery? “Nah, I bought this a couple of days ago for this gig. Thought I’d better look the part. Not that anyone is looking at me.”

  “No, they’re all staring at Bonnie.”

  “Not all of them. I’ve caught a few eyes following you.”

  “What about you? Have you been looking at me?”

  His eyes met hers. A mistake. Her gaze was steady, searching, asking more than her words implied. He cleared his throat. “Yes. I always look at you.”

  She licked her lips, sending heat slashing straight to his groin. “What do you think the chances would be of getting Carl to change his no-dating rule?”

  “After what happened with Bonnie?” He shook his head. “Not a chance.”

  “It’s not fair. We’re adults. We ought to be able to do what we like after hours.”

  “It’s what that can lead to on the air he’s worried about.”

  “I’m not like Bonnie.”

  “Thank God.”

  At that moment, he was distracted by the bombshell herself. She’d retreated to an alcove, away from her fans, but her words carried to the stage. “You idiot. What do you mean interrupting me when I’m working? You’ve already annoyed me once today. Do it again and I’ll see that you’re fired.”

  Ray cowered before her, his order pad clutched to his chest. He stammered an apology, but Bonnie didn’t hear.

  Adam hurried to intervene. If Bonnie screwed things up for Ray, so help him he’d let her have it. She’d wish she’d never heard of the Hawk by the time he was through telling her exactly what he thought of her. “He was just trying to take our dinner orders.” He took her arm and steered her away from the waiter.

  “He interrupted me while I was talking to my fans,” she said.

  “An honest mistake. Now what do you want to eat?”

  “A shrimp cocktail. And make sure the shrimp are fresh.”

  Adam nodded to Ray, who scribbled on his order pad, then hurried toward the kitchen. Bonnie glared after him. Great. He’d found the perfect hell, caught between a woman who hated his guts and another he wanted to love, but didn’t dare.

  ERICA SAW ADAM and Bonnie glaring at each other up on stage and felt the tension across the room. What was it with those two? Yes, Bonnie could be hard to deal with, but Adam needed to learn to handle her with kid gloves. Erica hurried forward to defuse the situation. “Bonnie, you were great during the hula contest,” she said, inserting herself between her two co-workers. “Where did you learn to dance like that?”

  Bonnie pulled her gaze away from Adam and smoothed her hair. “I never had a lesson. It’s just knowing how to move your body.”

  “Maybe you could show me a few things sometime.”

  Bonnie looked her up and down. There was something predatory in the look that made Erica’s skin crawl, but she kept a smile on her face. “Maybe I could.”

  She started to turn away, but Erica followed. “I’ve been wondering something,” she said.

  “What’s that?”

  “How did you get involved in radio? I mean, with your looks and…and your personality, you’d seem a natural for television.”

  The effect of the question was astonishing, Bonnie’s expression softened and her smile seemed genuine. “You think so? I actually started out in television. A little station in Texas. I hosted a kiddie show.” She giggled. “Can you believe it? But what I really wanted was to break into local news. I’d have been a perfect weather girl, don’t you think?”

  “You would.” Erica could just see Bonnie, pointing out storm systems on a weather map while posturing for the camera.

  “I was waiting for my chance when this guy I was dating offered me a place on his radio show. And I guess I put the TV stuff on hold for a while.” She looked around the crowded restaurant. “This is kind of fun, though, don’t you think? I like live appearances a lot better than being stuck in a studio, behind a mic.”

  “You’re a natural.”

  “We’re going to take a short break here, but enjoy the music and we’ll be back shortly with more of the Hawk and Honey show with Bombshell Bonnie, live from Outback Charlie’s Bar and Grill. Meanwhile, try one of Outback Charlie’s dynamite Down Under specials like Shrimp Bloody Bay or Barrier Reef Fish Tacos.”

  “Let’s go get some food,” Erica said as Ray headed toward them carrying a loaded tray. “I’m starved.”

  Adam pulled a table close to the stage and helped Ray unload his tray. With shaking hands, the waiter placed the shrimp cocktail in front of Bonnie. “Is the shrimp fresh?” she asked, eyeing the dish suspiciously.

  “I—I believe the shrimp were frozen. But I saw the cook boil them just for you.”

  “Frozen shrimp aren’t fresh.” She shoved the cocktail away. “Bring me some fresh ones.”

  Ray glanced at Adam and Erica, then looked back at Bonnie. “I don’t think we have any fresh shrimp. Everything is frozen.”

  “Did I ask you to argue with me? Go get my order.”

  “Bonnie, stop it.” Adam’s voice cut through the tension. “The man can’t serve you something that isn’t on the menu.”

  “Is there a problem here?” Outback Charlie hurried to their table. “Is there something I can get you, Bonnie?”

  “This waiter screwed up my order.”

  “He did not.” Adam turned to Charlie. “Bonnie didn’t know the shrimp were previously frozen.”

  “I asked for fresh. He told me it was fresh. He lied.”

  Ray opened his mouth to defend himself, but Charlie cut him off. “I warned you. One screwup and you were out the door. Now, go.”

  Adam stood abruptly. “He didn’t do anything wrong.” He glared at Bonnie. “Bonnie enjoys causing trouble.”

  “If he upset the lady, that’s enough reason for me to let him go.”

  “Don’t.” Adam softened his voice, though his knuckles whitened around the fork he still held. “Give the guy a break. I can vouch for him.”

  Charlie looked surprised. “You know him?”

  Adam nodded. “We’ve known each other for a few years.” He glanced at Ray, whose expression had changed to wariness. “He’s a good guy. You won’t regret keeping him on.”

  “I don’t know about that.” He frowned at Ray. “I wanted to help a guy out, you know. But you worry with a guy like that. What if he starts stealing or something.”

  “I don’t steal,” Ray said. “I never stole.”

  Erica looked from one man to another. Something else was going on here, something more than Adam defending a waiter from Bonnie’s wrath. What did Charlie mean a guy like that? Ray looked ordinary enough to her.

  “Just because somebody has a record doesn’t mean they’ll steal or do anything else to jeopardize their job.” The lines around Adam’s mouth tightened. “Believe me, most people don’t want to go back to jail.”

  “How do you know?” Charlie countered. “How many ex-cons who went straight do you know?”

  “A few.” He glanced at Ray again. The waiter was staring at him
, eyes dark with hurt and anger. Adam looked at Charlie again. “Me, for instance. I was in prison with Ray, and I don’t ever intend to go back. He doesn’t, either, that’s how I know you can trust him.”

  Erica stared at him, until the edges of her vision went gray. As if from a very long way away, she heard Bonnie gasp. “You’re a con, too?” Charlie asked.

  “An ex-con. I did my time and I’ve gone straight. Like Ray here.”

  Charlie shook his head. “Who’d’ve thought?” He gave Adam a hard look. “I never heard you say anything about that on the radio.”

  “It’s not the kind of thing that comes up much in casual conversation.”

  Charlie looked at Ray again. “Okay. One more chance. Don’t blow it.”

  “Thanks.” He spoke through clenched teeth. Erica wondered how much pride he swallowed to say it. With a stiff nod, he left their table.

  Adam sat back down and picked up his burger. No one else moved.

  He put the burger back down. “What?”

  “You were in prison?” Bonnie was clearly horrified. “You never told me.”

  “It was none of your business.” He glanced at Erica, then back at Bonnie. “It was in California, before I came here. It’s over.”

  “Oh God.” She sprang from the table and fled.

  Charlie stood. “I’ll go see if she’s all right.”

  When the two of them were alone, Erica tried to eat, but she couldn’t get the haunted look in Ray’s eyes out of her head. Had Adam ever looked like that? She pushed her plate aside. “That was really something,” she said. “You sticking up for Ray that way.”

  He popped a French fry into his mouth and chewed, a closed expression on his face. “Go ahead and ask.”

  “Ask what?” She flushed.

  “The six million dollar question. What was I in for?”

  “Okay. What were you in for?”

  “Drugs. Coke. Blow. I had a big habit back then. Dealt some on the side. It was a big mistake.”

  “That was what you were talking about, when you said you got in big trouble at your last job?”