In the Fast Lane

by Sherryl Hancock

Shannon wondered if Tommy would be interested in the scantily clad groupie. He gave the woman a measuring look, then looked back at Shannon. He canted his head to the side, then with a grin, slid his arm around her shoulders, and leaned down to kiss her more deeply than he had before. He turned to the side so the girl could get a full view of what was happening. Shannon wound her arms up around his neck, shuddering as his tongue slid between her lips provocatively. He pulled her against him, running his hands up her back.

  When their lips parted, Tommy looked down at her, heat burning in his eyes. Then he glanced over at the girl who’d watched everything with a shocked envious look on her face. He grinned, then winked at the girl.

  “I’ll see you,” he said to Shannon, “after the show.”

  “You were fantastic, by the way,” she told him.

  “Just for that, I’ll have to kiss you again,” he said with a grin, leaning down to kiss her lips again.

  It was a quick kiss this time, but he smiled brilliantly at her when he pulled back to look at her. Shannon smiled back at him.

  “Better get back to your seat, babe,” he told her, “Billy and The Kid are on next.”

  Shannon nodded. “I guess I can watch them,” she said, winking at him.

  “Yeah,” he said, sighing and rolling his eyes, “they’re only a multi-platinum band,” he said shaking his head as if that were nothing.

  “Hey, the handsome guy I’m having dinner with, isn’t part of the band,” she pointed out.

  “Really, so how good could they be?” Tommy asked, winking at her.

  Shannon laughed. “I’ll see you backstage after the show,” she told him.

  “Count on it.”

  With that Shannon walked back to her seat and then the lights went down. She glanced at the girl who’d been asking about Fast Lane. She was watching her very closely but Shannon ignored her.

  Backstage, Tommy grabbed the security guard nearest the stage.

  “Keep an eye on my girl for me, will you?” he asked, pointing to Shannon.

  “No problem, Mr. Timmerman,” the security guy said.

  Tommy knew how groupies could get, and he didn’t want Shannon involved in some kind of fight just because she happened to know him.

  After the show, which included three encores, Tommy looked exhausted.

  When he met Shannon backstage, she could see how tired he was, but he surprised her by asking. “Are you tired?”

  “I, uh,” she hesitated, not wanting to put him on the spot by saying that she wasn’t the least bit tired.

  “The reason I ask,” he said, “is because I’d like to spend some more time with you tonight. But if you’re tired, it’s okay, I can take you back to your hotel.”

  “Aren’t you tired?” she asked him.

  “Nah,” he said, shaking his head, “I still have some adrenaline going on.”

  “Oh,” she said, laughing softly, “well, no I’m not tired, I just didn’t want to put you out.”

  “You’re not,” he said, smiling at her. “Can we do room service though? I really don’t want to deal with press at this point.”

  “I can understand. That sounds good.”

  They got to the hotel that was literally next door. He took her hand and led her up to his room. Once inside, he turned the stereo on; he had to have music all the time, Shannon found.

  “Okay,” he said, turning to her, “I need a shower. I figured it’d be faster and easier to grab one here. Do you mind?”

  “No, of course not,” Shannon said, smiling.

  “Give me twenty minutes or so,” he said.

  “Go ahead,” she said smiling.

  “Cool,” he said, smiling at her. Then he leaned down to give her a quick kiss on the lips.

  While he took a shower, Shannon called down to room service. She ordered a couple of sandwiches for them, chips, and a soda for her.

  “Do you have Corona?” she asked, remembering that was the beer Tommy had drunk at the bar the night they all went out.

  “Yes, ma’am,” the man on the phone answered.

  “Great, send up a few of those,” she said.

  “A few, ma’am?”

  “Uh, six, make it six,” she said, thinking she’d put a few in the refrigerator in the kitchenette for him. “How long will that take?”

  “Ten minutes, ma’am,” the man said.

  “Perfect, thanks,” she said, smiling.

  By the time Tommy got out of the shower, dressed in faded jeans and a black tank shirt, Shannon had the food laid out for both of them in the small dining area.

  “Wow,” he said, smiling, “you did all this in the short time I was in the shower?”

  “Yeah,” she said, feigning boredom, “I’m a miracle worker, didn’t anyone tell you?”

  “I guess not,” he said, reaching out to take her by the waist and pull her to him. She giggled as he kissed her neck playfully.

  “Eat, Tommy, I know you’re hungry,” she said.

  “How do you know that?” he asked.

  “I heard your stomach growling on the way over here,” she told him.

  “You don’t miss much, do you?” he asked.

  “Not where you’re concerned,” she replied honestly.

  He looked at her for a long moment, then kissed her again. It was soft and sweet.

  “Thank you,” he said softly.

  “You’re welcome,” she replied.

  They sat down at the table to eat. Tommy shook his head when he noticed that she’d even remembered the kind of beer he drank. They talked about the show, and Shannon told him how impressed she was with his performance. It was a nice comfortable time. After dinner they went into the bedroom. Tommy said he wanted to stretch out, and Shannon was more than happy to accompany him. They lay on the bed side by side talking again.

  There was no end to the conversations they had. He was very intelligent and could make her laugh all the time. Even during the most serious conversations.

  “Cassie does seem happy,” Shannon was saying.

  “Yeah, yeah she does. It’s good.”

  Shannon smiled knowingly.

  “What?” he asked, grinning.

  “You want everyone to get what they deserve, don’t you?” she asked.

  “Yeah,” Tommy replied, sliding his hand over her waist and pulling her close to him.

  “And what do I deserve?” she asked softly.

  “To be kissed till you’re breathless,” he said, as he leaned down kissing her lips.

  She wrapped her arms around his neck, giving herself to the kiss. He deepened it as she pressed closer to him. She moaned softly, causing him to pull her even closer to him. They kissed for a long time, both becoming more and more heated by the moment. His lips left hers to trail down her neck, then up to her ear.

  “You’re making me insane,” he whispered huskily against her ear.

  Shannon bit her lip, sliding her hands over his shoulders, pulling him closer to her.

  “Shannon,” Tommy gasped against her neck, “I want to make love to you.”

  “Yes,” she breathed, her voice pleading.

  It was as if a floodgate opened then. His kisses intensified tenfold. She was sure she was on fire in moments. His hands, so gentle on her, removed every stitch of her clothing, while he kissed her lips then her neck, making her writhe.

  He sat up to pull off his shirt. She sat up, touching his back where two Japanese symbols were tattooed on his left shoulder blade.

  “What do these mean?” she asked.

  He turned around, kissing her lips again as he lay her back down.

  “They are the Japanese symbols for love and strength,” he murmured against her lips.

  “So very you,” she said, smiling.

  His response was to kiss her again, his tongue sliding over her lower lip seductively. She wound her arms around him again, kissing him back. Again, he kissed her until she was sure she couldn’t take anymore, then he rolled to his back, taking her
with him. That’s when she saw the nipple ring for the first time. She ran her finger over it, intrigued. He shivered. Then she noticed the tattoo on his stomach just above his belly button. It was a gothic-looking cross, in black, blue, and purple.

  She sat back and ran her finger over it and then downward, making him moan as his eyes watched her. His moan encouraged her to further action. She unbuttoned his pants, then slowly unzipped them. She could feel him under her hand, and he groaned out loud at the pressure she put on him as she unzipped his pants. It excited her to hear him, to know that she was exciting him. She grasped the waist on his pants and tugged them off, along with his underwear.

  Suddenly, she started to feel intimidated and didn’t know what to do next. This was unchartered territory to her, and it suddenly hit her that Tommy was probably used to very experienced women. Suddenly she was unsure of herself, and it showed on her face.

  Tommy put his hand under her chin and guided her back up to him. His lips took possession of hers again and his hands caressed back. Then his hands slid down to cup her buttocks and press her against him, making her moan softly. His fingers slid inward on the backs of her thighs, caressing her, and making her gasp at the exquisite sensations it caused.

  “Tommy …” she moaned against his lips. “I want you, I want you so much,” she said desperately.

  “Take me, babe,” he told her, his voice husky and deep.

  “How?” she asked, knowing she sounded so foolish, but willing to do anything at that moment.

  His hands guided her, and he parted her legs with pressure between her thighs with his fingertips. His hands moved to her hips, sliding her downward, until the very tip of his body touched her. She could feel then how wet she was, and the heat emanating from both of them. It excited her more. He pressed her down just slightly, until the slightest bit of him was inside her. Then he stopped, letting her set the pace the rest of the way. She pressed closer, and they both groaned loudly as she slid down over him.

  “Oh my God …” Tommy groaned, unable to believe how tight she was around him. “Shan, Jesus …” he said, putting his hands on her hips to stop her from moving. “Wait baby, wait …” he said desperately.

  She pulled back to look down at him, her entire body shaking from the sensations having him inside her was causing. He had his eyes screwed shut. Finally, he opened them, shaking his head, and blowing his breath out.

  “I’m sorry, babe, I’ve got to control this,” he said. He put her underneath him, still keeping his body inside hers.

  He kissed her, his lips bringing her to a very anticipatory state. She was shaking, straining against him.

  “Tommy, Tommy,” she chanted in her need.

  He started moving inside her, and the sensations doubled in their cadence. Within moments she was clinging to him, crying out, and shuddering as waves of ecstasy crashed over her. His orgasm added to it tenfold.

  Afterwards, he rested his head against her shoulder, breathing heavily, and shaking with the effort of keeping his weight off of her. He kissed her neck, her ear, then her cheek. His eyes met hers and he kissed her lips.

  “That was incredible,” he told her.

  “I have to agree with you on that one,” she said, smiling up at him.

  He grinned as he moved to lay on his side, pulling her over with him. They lay together quietly for a while then she leaned over him, her hair brushing over his shoulder.

  “Thank you,” she said softly.

  Tommy looked mystified. “For what?”

  Shannon hesitated, she hadn’t been sure if he could tell or not, and it was apparent now that he hadn’t been able to. Maybe she shouldn’t say anything.

  “Shan?” he queried when she hesitated.

  “For being my first,” she said softly, her eyes lowered from his.

  “Your what?” he asked, looking slightly alarmed.

  “My first,” she repeated, her look pointed.

  “You mean you were a …” he began to say but his voice trailed off as she nodded. “Jesus, babe, why didn’t you tell me?”

  She shrugged. “I didn’t think it would really matter, and I didn’t want you to feel weird.”

  “Ah, honey,” he said, stroking her cheek with his thumb, “I wouldn’t have felt weird, I just would have been more careful.”

  His eyes searched her face then. “I didn’t hurt you, did I?” he asked, realizing that he might have. He knew about virgins and what happened.

  “No,” she said, shaking her head. “I had a bike accident a long time ago; I was riding my brother’s bike and fell, hitting the bar. It kind of took care of that thing down there,” she said, grinning.

  “Oh,” he said, nodding, “but I didn’t hurt you though, at all?”

  “No,” she assured him again. “In fact, it was fantastic,” she said, smiling shyly. “I didn’t realize it would feel that good.”

  Tommy grinned, shrugging. “Maybe I just got lucky this time.”

  “And maybe you’re just really good at this,” she countered.

  “Maybe you can stick around and find out,” he replied, pulling her close to him again and kissing her deeply.

  “Mmmmm,” she murmured against his lips. “I’d be very happy to stay right here.”

  “Yeah?” he queried.

  “Mmm hmm,” she replied, dropping her head to his shoulder.

  “Good,” he whispered, “stay.”

  She snuggled closer to him on the bed, nuzzling his neck.

  “I wish you would have told me, babe,” he said to her again.

  She raised her head to look at him. “What difference would it have made?” she asked him softly.

  He looked back at her for a long moment, then shrugged. “I just could have made it more special maybe,” he said.

  “I don’t think that’s possible,” she said, shaking her head. “I made love for the first time, with the one man I wanted the most in the world. How much more special could that be?”

  He smiled at her, his eyes staring down into hers. “Wanted most in the world, huh?”

  “Uh-huh,” she replied, biting her lip.

  “At least it was mutual then,” he said, grinning.

  “It was?” she asked wondrously.

  “Oh yeah,” he said, smiling, “and that was before I saw how much more beautiful you’d become.”

  “I think that’s what I love most about you,” she said. “The fact that you liked me for me, not for looks or anything.”

  “Actually,” he said, putting a finger to her lips, “I liked your looks then too.”

  “You did?” she asked, her look bordering on disgusted.

  “Yeah,” he said, grinning.

  “You like fat girls, huh?” she asked.

  “Stop that,” he said, narrowing his eyes at her, “you weren’t fat.”

  “Tommy, I was thirty pounds heavier than normal for me,” she told him.

  “You still looked incredible to me, and you’re just a beautiful now,” he told her.

  She smiled brilliantly at him. “You really thought I was incredible then?”

  “Yeah, you’re beautiful, Shan. What a stupid scale says doesn’t change that,” he replied.

  She leaned in to kiss him deeply. It was her way of thanking him for the kind words. It did her ego good to hear him say that. Knowing that he’d thought she was beautiful regardless of her weight, made her adore him all the more.

  They talked for a little while longer, finally falling asleep just as the sun came up.

  ♪ Six ♪

  After the show in New York, the tour was officially over. Cassie was excited because she and John were going to stay in New York for a few days at his apartment there.

  When they arrived at his apartment, she was surprised by the small but tidy place. She stood buy and listened as he played all thirty of his messages on his machine. She raised her eyebrow at a few that were from women wondering when he was going to call them.

  John grinned as he sa
w the black brow go up but said nothing. He wrote down any pertinent messages then set the notepad aside. He showed her the apartment, and she was suitably impressed by the furnishings. Although quite masculine, it was obvious that a decent amount of money had been spent. His furniture was good quality, as were the amenities and appliances.

  “You make good money, John,” she said.

  “I make enough,” he said.

  She turned to him, looking up at him.

  “How much are you losing because of me?” she asked.

  “Enough,” he replied, leaning down to kiss her.

  She pulled back to look up at him. “Too much?”

  “Never too much, baby girl,” he said, picking her up by the waist and lifting her up to him, kissing her deeper this time.

  She knew he was avoiding the topic, but his kisses were already playing havoc with her body. She let topic go and gave in to him, kissing him back and wrapping her legs around his waist. They made love, enjoying each other thoroughly. He still had occasions where he took extra care with her, but she knew how to push him when she wanted to, and he’d respond with the strength and passion she’d now tapped into. It made their relationship exciting.

  Afterwards they lay together on his bed, she looked around her. The walls were bare.

  “You don’t really do decorating, do you?” she asked.

  “I’m never here,” he replied.

  “So, you work all the time?” she asked.

  “Most of the time, yeah,” he replied.

  “What’s the longest contract you’ve ever had?” she asked, turning over on her side and propping herself up on her elbow.

  “Six months,” he replied.

  “And how much did you make on that one?” she asked, raising an eyebrow.

  John grinned at her, knowing exactly what she was after. “Seventy-two,” he replied.

  “Thousand?” she asked, her tone shocked.

  He nodded.

  “Jesus, John!” she said, moving to sit up. “So that’s like twelve k a month, and you’ve been off contract from Beege for almost four.” Her eyes widened. “I’ve cost you almost forty-eight thousand dollars?” she asked, aghast.

  “Sixty,” he replied.

  “What?” she asked dumbfounded.

  “He was paying me fifteen thousand a month,” John replied.