Hitting That Sweet Spot

by Lara Ward Cosio

  They had found Bob Music completely by accident and spent over an hour in the cramped space, ducking the instruments hanging from the ceiling and picking through the rare recordings and speaking with the shopkeeper. Shay purchased two types of drums, a double-sided tabl and a snare frame-drum called a bendir.

  Finally, they made their way to the nearby rooftop of Le Grand Balcon Cafe Glacier. There they enjoyed overpriced bottled water along with their purchase of an assortment of fresh nuts and dried fruit from one of the stalls in the Medina, and watched as the sunset set the clouds an intense red, then soft purple, and finally, pale pink. Afterward, they experienced the square transition to nighttime, as picnic tables emerged at a vast food court offering everything from kebabs to sheep’s head. They lingered to watch storytellers speaking animatedly in Arabic and Berber. Dancers, acrobats, street musicians, fortune tellers, and even comedy acts also vied for their attention—and tips. Shay quickly realized he needed to keep Jessica within a protective distance as rowdy locals were “accidentally” bumping and groping other women tourists.

  Their afternoon explorations had been an experience unlike anything either had ever had before, leaving them both exhilarated and exhausted.

  “Shukran,” Shay told the hotel manager now at their room, the Arabic expression of thanks coming naturally after all their dealings with the shopkeepers.

  The manager bowed slightly and swiftly took his leave.

  Their suite was a beautiful mixture of traditional Moroccan design with modern amenities, like the hotel itself. The sitting room featured a large flat screen television along with simple sofas accented by brightly colored pillows, leather poufs, and intricate, hand-painted octagonal wood side tables. A wooden four poster bed with layers of sumptuous blankets promised an excellent night’s rest. The bedroom ceiling featured a carved wooden tray edged with gorgeous blue, white, and yellow tiles. The bathroom offered a deep soaker tub with a separate shower along with a stunning wood and mother of pearl inlay mirror over the double-sink counter. And they had their own walled-in terrace with a small, well-tended garden, lounge furniture, and a fire pit with logs and matches at the ready. The elegance and luxury was obvious but not overdone.

  “You did really good, rock star,” Jessica said.

  Shay smiled. “Shall we clean up and order something in?”

  “Perfect.”

  He watched her as she moved toward the bathroom, feeling a swell of happiness. Their relationship had become something far greater than he ever expected. It meant more to him than any other relationship he’d had before, and that should have startled him. They hadn’t known each other that long, after all, but he had fallen hard for her. They were so easy with each other, so comfortable, though he still felt a thrill each time she showed him those dimples or called him “babe” as if it were the most natural thing in the world. He was sure he wanted her in his life. Making that happen was, unfortunately, more complex than he’d like. He planned to talk about it at dinner.

  ~

  In the sitting room, they shared an arugula salad, grilled fish and vegetables, and lamb skewers with local spices.

  “This is really good. Take a bite, babe,” Jessica said, offering Shay a skewer.

  “Gorgeous, yeah,” he agreed.

  He waited until they were nearly done with the meal before saying, “Listen, Jess, I have a proposal—” He stopped short when he saw her eyes widen in surprise. “No, Jesus, not that. Not that kind of proposal.”

  “No, I didn’t think so,” she said carefully.

  This wrong direction gave him pause. What would she have said if he proposed at this moment? He hadn’t thought of marriage before, but now that he did, it seemed wonderfully inevitable.

  “Um, you were saying?” she asked.

  “Yes, I wanted to propose a job offer.”

  “Job offer?”

  “I know you’ve had some interviews but nothing’s excited you, right?”

  “I’m just getting started. It’s a process.”

  “What I was thinking is you could work for Rogue. We’ve got an established organization that is amazing. It’s an extended family of really great people. But we lack a slick social media and graphics presence. I think you’d be a huge help to us.”

  Jessica picked up her thick cloth napkin and wiped her hands. “You want me to work for you?”

  “Not me. The band.”

  “Wouldn’t that be a conflict?”

  “Conflict?”

  “I mean, if we’re still together but I work for you?”

  “We would be together. And you wouldn’t report to me. You wouldn’t work for me.”

  “Seems like a technicality.”

  “I don’t think so—”

  “And I can do this job from New York?”

  “Ah, no. You’d need to be in Dublin.”

  He could see her thoughts racing now.

  “So, I’d move to Dublin—find a flat—isn’t that what you call an apartment? And I’d work for you?”

  Shay sighed. He’d fucked this up. He should have shared his whole thought process with her instead of jumping to this. “Jess, soon enough I’ll be back in studio with Gavin and the lads. I won’t be able to be in New York as much. And seeing how you’re against the long distance thing, I thought wouldn’t it be grand if you had a reason to be on my side of the world?”

  She watched him with those dark eyes for a long moment. “You think I need a job to want to live in the same city as you? Because you’re not enough?”

  That was about right. Not that he dared admit as much. He looked away. He might be the talented drummer for one of the biggest bands in the world, but at his core he all too often felt invisible and like no one could possibly be interested in him. That had been the defining lesson his parents had taught him and no amount of fame or success could destroy it.

  Jessica surprised him by reaching out and holding his face in both her hands, forcing eye contact. “Babe, I see you. I’ve seen you since that first night at the restaurant. We joke and say I ‘think’ I love you. But it’s not a joke anymore. I love you. You, Shay.”

  He was overwhelmed by this declaration. It wasn’t the only time she had this effect on him. The first time had been when she told him how much dancing meant to her, even if she wasn’t good enough. Now it was about how much he meant to her. It shocked him to think she felt the way he did.

  Placing his hands on hers, he pulled them away from his face and held onto them. “I love you, Jess. I’m mad about you, and I want you to live with me, not get some flat. But I couldn’t imagine you’d want all that, too.”

  Her eyes shimmered with tears and he knew it was partly pity. Instead of verbalizing that, she said, “Let’s do it. But I want that job, too.”

  He laughed, relief flooding his body. “Brilliant plan, love.”

  CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT

  They spent another day exploring the souks, buying jewelry, scarves, pottery, lanterns, and other decorative items to commemorate their trip together. It would all be shipped on to Dublin to decorate the home they would eventually share. After another peaceful night’s stay at their luxurious hotel, they took a private helicopter from Marrakesh to the Sahara near the Algerian border. The ninety-minute flight afforded them phenomenal panoramic views of the Atlas mountains, lush valleys, and the seemingly endless desert before depositing them at their camp.

  Their guides, two jovial men who spoke excellent English, introduced them to the camels they would ride for half a day to their camp destination. The calm animals wore a saddle and blanket over their natural thick coat which insulated them from the heat. Shay watched Jessica mount her kneeling camel with help from the guide. When it rose, it stood at over six feet tall.

  “This is amazing,” she said, beaming as she adjusted her protective head wrap.

  “You look majestic,” he told her. Though she laughed, he meant it. She wore an emerald green tunic with gold thread detail and white biker jeans. Her he
ad wrap was white and folded gently to frame her lovely face. With her mocha skin and Asian eyes, she almost fit in with the locals.

  Shay mounted his camel and held on tight as it stood up. He could tell immediately that the horn of his saddle would rub him the wrong way if he didn’t make regular adjustments. He pulled his baseball cap down low to protect against the bright light. The temperature was in the low sixties, but the sun was still intense.

  Clearly accustomed to the trek, the camels set off without delay. The animals’ gait was smooth, and the quiet of their surroundings was interrupted only occasionally by their hoarse grunts. The rode single-file with one guide at the front and one at the back and Jessica ahead of Shay, making conversation difficult. It gave them time to enjoy their own experience. Once confronted with the lack of markers other than one red sand dune bleeding into another, Shay was awed by the enormity of the desert. The wind-carved symmetrical patterns in the brick-red sand, along with the elongated shadows of their camels, was a hypnotic sight.

  At the halfway point, they stopped to stretch their legs and have water. The dry air had quickly parched their throats and chapped their lips. One of their guides offered to take their photo, before suggesting they scale the nearest tall dune for another photo.

  “Race you!” Jessica said and ran up the hill.

  “Fuck’s sake,” Shay said and he scrambled to match her pace.

  The sand was an unforgiving, crumbling surface and they were both panting when they reached the top, but the view was worth it. Jessica pulled off her head scarf and they posed and waved for more photos by the guide before taking time to survey everything from their new height. Shay wrapped his arms around Jessica from behind as they stared out at the endless sand.

  “It’s almost hard to comprehend, isn’t it?” he said.

  She held him in return, leaning her head back against him. “I think this is what infinity looks like.”

  “You might think this vast openness would be too stark. But it’s oddly comforting.”

  “You’re right. It feels somehow grounding. Like it connects to something deep in you.”

  Shay nodded, transfixed on the cascades of dunes that rose and fell as far as they could see. Blinking to break the spell, he leaned down and kissed the small grouping of freckles on her neck.

  “Few more photos from up here? I have an idea,” Shay said.

  “Sure.”

  They took the obligatory selfies along with a few photos of each other before Shay asked Jessica to strike a ballet pose.

  “A ballet pose?” she asked with a smirk.

  “You know, something stretchy. I don’t know the names.” He laughed when she shook her head at his pathetic knowledge of ballet positions.

  But she obliged him, starting in fifth position with her arms encircled above her head elegantly. She then moved into an arabesque, pulling her right leg up and behind her with a straight knee and arms extending outward. Bending her knee, she reached up and back with her hands to hold her foot to the back of her head, and Shay took multiple shots of the striking pose.

  “You’re the most gorgeous thing here, Jess,” Shay told her and she smiled.

  ~

  They got to their well-appointed camp in time to watch the sunset. The rich light turned impossibly deeper against the dunes, changing by degrees from rust to burnt orange to pale brown.

  At dinner, their guides served a hearty tangine dinner and they all ate together around an open fire. As the meal ended, the guides brought out their drums and began singing and playing. Though the two drums were small, Shay felt the beats in his chest as he quickly discerned the pattern. He unconsciously mirrored it by tapping his fingers against his thigh. Sitting in the open desert with drum beats filling the cool air was a bit of heaven. After a few songs, he felt Jessica watching him and he looked over at her with a smile. She smiling back at him and he felt a deep connection with her. They had been perfectly in tune with each other on this trip, both enjoying every new experience.

  Late in the night, the guides retired to their tents and suggested Shay and Jessica do the same. The tents were semi-permanent structures with carpeted floors, electricity, running water for showers, and functional toilets. They had a queen-sized bed with soft blankets awaiting them, but the clear skies and bright crescent moon, drew them back outside as they marveled at the stars above them. Grabbing extra blankets from the tent, they set up a cozy outdoor bed to keep warm as the temperature dropped while they stargazed. With no light pollution, they had an unobstructed view of a sky laden stars as they lay together.

  “It seems sort of unfair that we get to see all of this and know it’s here but can’t see it from our own skies,” Jessica said.

  “It’ll be our secret sky. The one you and I know is up there, yeah?” Shay suggested and she nodded. They were quiet for a long while.

  “Shay?”

  “Yes, love?”

  “I will always remember this.”

  “Impossible not to. I don’t think we’ll ever see something like this again,” he said.

  She turned on her side to face him and he glanced at her before returning his eyes to the stars. “I don’t just mean all that we’re seeing and doing. I mean, the feeling I have with you. I have never felt so connected with someone, so cared for.”

  He looked at her. “See, I told your father I’d take care of you,” he said with a smile.

  “I’ll take care of you back.”

  That simple statement floored him. She knew very little of his upbringing and the distinct lack of care he received growing up. But hearing her say she would take care of him filled his chest with unexpected warmth and threatened to make his eyes well up. Turning to her, he kissed her to hide the emotion she had triggered. His embarrassment was soon replaced by passion. The connection of their lips immediately took on quiet urgency. Gripping her backside, he squeezed with satisfaction as they traded increasingly heated kisses. She dug her nails into his back when he bit her bottom lip. Those perfect lips were the thing he craved from her even when he had them. He could never get enough and she had told him she liked that slightly bruised feeling she was left with when they separated.

  When her hand trailed down his back and wrapped around to the front of his jeans, he pressed closer to her. He wanted her, here under the clear moon and countless stars. Their guides were supposed to be in bed for the night, but he only thought fleetingly about them as he unbuttoned Jessica’s shirt and unclasped her bra. As soon as she wiggled out of her jeans and he pushed down his pants and boxer briefs, he pulled her on top of him so she straddled his hips. Pulling aside her panties, she took him deep into her with a soft moan. She rocked her hips against him and he watched her in awe. Her nipples were hard against the cool air and her brown skin was lit by only the Moroccan night sky. She let her head fall back in pleasure when he rubbed his thumb against her clit, and she was so close. Even as she fought to keep silent, he could feel her orgasm building in the quickness of her breath and the way her movements were strained. He sat up with her and wrapped an arm around her waist, pulling her even closer.

  “Yes, that’s it,” he whispered. “This is how I want you.” He slipped his hand between their bodies and pressed his thumb against her clit again, and she responded by burying her face into his shoulder, biting him to keep from crying out. “Yes, right here, come with me.” Her movements stuttered as the waves of her orgasm coursed through her and he felt his own rush of primal satisfaction.

  They clung to each other for a long while. In Jessica’s arms, in the middle of this far flung location, Shay felt the most intense sensation he had ever known. It was complete peace with everything in the world. And it would soon all be undone.

  CHAPTER TWENTY-NINE

  Back in Marrakesh, they retrieved a gray BMW M3 rental and set out to drive to Casablanca for the last few days of their trip. The car was a competition package model and Shay eagerly tested its handling and acceleration along the alternating wide open
roads and small towns they passed through. When the roads were clear, he got up to 150 miles per hour without even taxing the engine.

  Shay didn’t normally drive like this with anyone else in the car, but when Jessica didn’t object to his aggressive driving he realized she trusted him. She was relaxed during the nearly three-hour journey to the Four Seasons

  The cool ocean breezes in Casablanca were a refreshing change of pace after the congestion of the Marrakech souks and the dryness of the Sahara. Densely populated and the largest city of Morocco, Casablanca contained the country’s largest port as well as one of North Africa’s largest financial centers, lending it a cosmopolitan atmosphere.

  Their suite on the fifth floor was as large as any decent home, with separate dining room, sitting room, bedroom, and private balcony. The floor-to-ceiling windows showcased ocean waves lapping against the shoreline below.

  “I can’t believe this is real,” Jessica said, staring at the coastline. The sun was beginning its descent, casting the water and the city in a soft yellow glow.

  “You’re happy, then?” Shay asked. He wrapped his arm around her shoulders from behind and she leaned into him.

  “Delirious. I couldn’t imagine a better trip.”

  He kissed the side of her neck. “How about if I take you dancing tonight?”

  She turned to him quickly, her smile revealing her thoughts on the matter. “I know I love you,” she said and he laughed.

  ~

  Shay woke to hear water running. It took a moment to orient himself. He was in bed. It was warm and soft and dark. Looking at the bedside clock, he saw that it was just after four-thirty in the morning. They had only returned from the dance club two hours ago.