In the Fast Lane

by Sherryl Hancock

  “Holy shit!” she exclaimed. “Wait, why was I more?” she asked then as her pride kicked in.

  “BJ made the offer because I had to pass on two other contracts to take yours,” he said.

  “Why did you do that?” she asked.

  His eyes met hers. “Because you needed me more.”

  She looked back at him for a long moment and saw that he meant it.

  “You didn’t even know me,” she said, shaking her head.

  “No, but BJ told me what happened, and when I met you, I knew.”

  “Even if I was being the bitch from hell?” she asked.

  “Even if,” he replied, nodding.

  She crawled on top of him, and straddled his waist then leaned down to kiss him on the lips warmly.

  “You are a really good man, John Machiavelli,” she said sincerely.

  “I try,” he replied.

  “You succeed,” she told him, leaning down to kiss him deeply.

  They spent the next few days, visiting their old haunts. They ran into a few of his brothers in blue. John introduced her as his girlfriend, and Cassie loved hearing that from him. The cops were impressed with the tiny beauty, but most of them couldn’t believe straight-laced Mackie was dating such a singularly different woman as she was. But it was obvious to everyone that he was in love with the dark little woman who stared up at him with adoring violet eyes.

  Somehow word got back to Pamela, John’s ex-wife, who suddenly discovered how possessive she was about her ex-husband. So she made an unexpected visit to see him. He’d apparently forgotten that she had a key. She let herself in, after purposely knocking very lightly. She was curious about this woman he was seeing. Certainly, she couldn’t have heard right, that this woman was only four ten and tiny.

  She walked into the apartment she’d only been to a couple of times and looked around. She saw the trail of clothing leading into the bedroom. She was fairly sure she knew what she was going to see. Certainly, this girl couldn’t do John like she had. No one did him like she did. Pamela’s confidence was supreme. As she walked in, she saw the black-haired woman astride John as he lay on the bed. His hands were on her impossibly tiny waist, but he moved her off him with tense muscles as he sat up.

  “Jesus fucking Christ, Pamela, what are you doing here?” he growled huskily

  He’d put Cassie behind him, so she had to lean around him to see who he was talking to.

  “Oh, Mackie, don’t be upset,” Pamela said, in her best baby doll voice.

  “Don’t pull that shit with me, Pam,” John said, unaffected.

  Pamela walked over to him and stood next to the bed, ignoring the black-haired girl watching them.

  “Now, Mackie,” Pamela said, reaching out to touch his cheek.

  That’s when Cassie moved to slap Pamela’s hand away.

  “I don’t think so,” Cassie said, moving to sit in front of John.

  He wrapped his arms around her as he stared up at his ex-wife.

  “Oh, I think I’ve had him a lot longer than you ever will, little girl,” Pamela said.

  “You don’t have him now, and you’ll never have him again,” Cassie replied calmly.

  “What makes you think that?” Pamela asked. “He goes through women like socks. I’m the only one he ever married,” she said, hands on her hips.

  “Well, trust me, bitch” Cassie said, “he’s mine now, and I’m not letting him go.”

  She slid her hands around John’s arms, leaning back against him. John had said nothing, letting Cassie say her peace.

  “He’ll just let you go, little girl,” Pamela said.

  “Not going to happen,” John put in.

  Pamela looked at John, her eyes widening.

  “I love her, Pam, and I’m staying with her.”

  “She lives in California!” Pamela exclaimed. That’s why she’d been so sure it was just a fling for him.

  John looked down at Cassie, and she looked up at him. A question was in Cassie’s eyes, he saw it. He grinned at her.

  “Room for me in that two bedroom?” he asked her.

  “Hell yes,” she said, reaching up to kiss him deeply.

  His arms tightened around her as they kissed. Neither of them noticed or cared when Pamela walked out.

  Four days later, Cassie and John were sitting in his living room on his couch. The TV was on, but they were only half paying attention to it.

  “So, when are we going back to California?” Cassie asked, as she lay with her head in John’s lap.

  He shrugged. “Whenever you want,” he said.

  He’d put his apartment up for sale and had received a full price offer in less than a day. New York real estate was premium. He’d arranged for the few things he wanted from his apartment to be shipped to California. Things were all set. It still astounded him that he was actually leaving New York for a woman. His friends were telling him he was nuts. In reality, he knew he probably was, but Cassandra Roads had a strong hold on his heart. It was a hold no other woman had ever had on him, and he wanted to take everything it had to offer.

  “I’m ready to get out of the New York heat,” she said sitting to look at him, “but I didn’t want to rush you.”

  “I’m ready anytime, little one,” he told her.

  She leaned against him, feeling warmed by the fact that he was giving up his apartment and his life there for her. It worried her; she hoped that things would work for them. She knew that she’d never felt so secure with a man. He was everything she wanted, but she was always afraid of being let down. She was always waiting for the other shoe to drop, to find out there was something about him she couldn’t deal with or stand. So far nothing had presented itself she couldn’t deal with, but she was ever the pessimist. It was her nature.

  “So, could we go back tomorrow?” she asked.

  “Sounds good,” he said, always amiable to what she wanted.

  “Cool,” she said.

  That night she fell asleep on the couch, laying in his lap. He picked her up and carried her to his bed. He went to take a shower and crawled into bed later after he’d dried off. She turned over, snuggling against him instantly. He grinned in the darkness as he held her close. There was no denying that it felt really good to have her snuggling against him, and to have her rely on him so much. It gave him room to indulge just about every whim of hers. He wanted her to be happy and he loved the feeling that he’d made her happy.

  The next morning, he was on the phone making arrangements for their flight back to California. At the airport, she held onto his hand as they walked through. One young man approached her and she felt John tense. Glancing back, she saw that he was watching the young man closely.

  “You’re Cassie Roads, aren’t you?” the young man said, looking excited.

  “Yes,” she said, nodding warily.

  “I saw your concert here in New York, you’re fantastic!” he said enthusiastically.

  “Thanks,” she said, still not sure how to react.

  “Can I have your autograph?” he asked, pulling a notebook out of his backpack.

  “Sure,” she said, still thinking it was a joke or something.

  He smiled, then glanced glancing at John and his smile dimmed slightly.

  Cassie took the pen and the notebook, and signed her name. Then added, “Glad you liked the show!”

  He read it and smiled excitedly.

  “You are so cool!” he told her. “You totally rock, I can’t wait till your CD comes out, I’m first in line to buy it.”

  Cassie smiled as he turned to leave, stumbling over his own feet. She glanced back at John, who winked at her.

  “What?” she asked, smiling.

  “First taste of stardom, huh little one?” he said, grinning indulgently.

  “Is that what that was?” she asked, grinning too.

  “I think so,” he said, nodding.

  “Ah,” she said, nodding.

  Later, on the plane, people couldn’t help but sta
re at the couple. She with her jet-black hair and violet eyes, dressed in a long flowing black dress and lace-up black boots on her tiny feet. Her tiny features so perfect and delicate. And John with his obvious brawn, dark good looks, and his gentle way of handling her. Everywhere they went, people stared. Cassie had that kind of attraction; she was different enough to attract attention, but so beautiful people continued to stare. It was disconcerting to her, and she found herself huddling closer to John when they stared too much. She knew he’d protect her, no matter what. She loved him for that.

  ****

  In Los Angeles two days later, Brenden had scheduled a meeting with Fast Lane. That afternoon, the band and John waited in the conference room. They gave each other surreptitious glances, none of them altogether sure what the meeting was about.

  Brenden walked in a few minutes later, his manner brisk and very businesslike.

  “Sorry I’m late,” he said, tossing two eight by ten photos on the table.

  The photos slid to a stop in front of Cassie. She picked them up and glanced at John who stood behind and just to the side of her. She looked at the photos. The first one looked like pictures of a freeway overpass and the freeway below. The second one was a shot from the freeway, looking toward the overpass. Tommy leaned over, looking over her shoulder at the pictures, as Cassie started to shake her head.

  “I don’t understand …” Cassie began to say.

  “That’s where we’re going to release your album,” Brenden said.

  Cassie stared at him, as did the rest of the band. “On the freeway?”

  “In the fast lane,” Brenden corrected, his light blue-green eyes glittering.

  Tommy started to grin, as did the others. Cassie’s eyes widened.

  “Wait, you’re releasing the album …” she said, just realizing what that meant.

  “Yeah,” Brenden said, grinning wryly, “you didn’t think I dragged your ass all over America for nothing, did ya?”

  Everyone started talking and laughing, and thoroughly enjoying the moment. Cassie got up and walked over to Brenden. She put her arms around Brenden’s waist and hugged him.

  “Congratulations, Cass,” he said.

  “Thank you,” she replied, looking up at him, “for everything. If you hadn’t backed us, we’d still be a bar band.”

  “Nah,” Brenden said, shaking his head. “You’d still have made it, but then I wouldn’t make millions off of you,” he said, winking at her.

  Cassie laughed softly. “Let’s hope,” she said.

  They all discussed the particulars for the event, which was to take place in a week’s time. Security was discussed, the need for confidentiality about the release. Brenden only wanted certain press there. He’d pulled a few strings to get the freeway closed in the middle of the night. It was going to be a unique experience.

  On the way back to their apartment, Cassie smoked a lot and it didn’t go unnoticed.

  “Nervous?” he asked.

  “Hell yes!” she said.

  “Why?” he asked.

  “Because it’s sink or swim time, and I don’t know if I can float,” she said, grimacing.

  “You’ll be just fine, little one,” John assured her.

  “How do you know?” she asked worriedly.

  “Did you not hear the roaring crowd during the concerts?” he asked her.

  “Well, yeah,” she said, “but that wasn’t all our stuff, what if they hate the rest of it?”

  “Cassandra,” John said sternly, “they won’t hate it, and you’re going to be the most incredible rock star this town has seen in years, okay?”

  Cassie looked at him, making a face.

  “In other words, I’m being a pain in the ass,” she said.

  “No,” he said, “but you are forgetting that Fast Lane got a lot of acclaim for the show you guys put on, and that in and of itself is going to translate into record sales, okay?”

  “How do you know all this stuff?” she asked, narrowing her eyes at him.

  “Common sense, beautiful,” he told her winking.

  She laughed, shaking her head. She loved that he was supportive of her. He never said anything directly negative to her. If he felt she was doing something wrong, or foolish, he’d point it out to her, without making her sound like an idiot. That was one of the things that she loved about him. There were lots of things that she loved about him.

  “Look, your album sounds really great,” he said, “and you need to just remember that, okay?”

  “You don’t even like the kind of music I make, John,” she said, narrowing her eyes at him again.

  “I know,” he said, “so it says something that I like it, right?”

  “It says you’re biased as hell,” she replied sweetly.

  “Why?” he asked, grinning. “Just because my girlfriend’s the lead singer?”

  “I like that I’m your ‘girlfriend,’ ” Cassie said using air quotes.

  “Uh, yeah, little one,” he said, “we’re hardly platonic anymore.”

  “No,” she said, nodding, “the wild sex we had this morning would pretty much negate the platonic thing.”

  “Pretty much,” he said, grinning.

  She laughed, leaning across the driver’s seat to kiss him on the lips when he stopped at a light. He touched her cheek and slid his hand into her hair as they kissed. She moaned against his lips, making him deepen the kiss automatically. Someone behind them had to honk angrily to get them to break the kiss. They both laughed like bad kids, as he put the car into gear again and drove off.

  She had that effect on him, of making him forget where he was and what he was doing. It made him crazy, in both a good and bad way. He knew she was an intoxicating mixture of sexy, smart, brazen, and vulnerable. He enjoyed all of it, he just hoped it didn’t blind him to watching out for her safety. It was the source of worry for him. He was too close to her, and that might make him careless. He didn’t like that thought. In fact, he needed to start thinking about what he was going to do in terms of work. He’d made plenty of money on his apartment, plus he had a lot in savings, but he had no intention of staying out of work. He needed to get something going in Los Angeles, and soon.

  ****

  Tommy called Shannon from his cell phone the minute he got out of the Badlands offices. She was on the set in Arizona, so her voice mail picked up. Tommy found himself grinning just listening to her voice mail message telling whoever was calling to leave a message. Jesus, he was in deep with her.

  He waited obediently for the beep, then began talking.

  “Hey Shan, it’s me. I just got incredible news and wanted to tell you first. Call me as soon as you get a chance. I love you.”

  He hung up then, sighing. He was sure he was going to go nuts if he didn’t tell someone soon, but what he had just said was true, he wanted to share it with her first. His other best friends in the world were in the band, so they already knew.

  It was absolutely incredible to him; their album was being released. It was really happening! On the tour, he’d kept thinking that this was just a dream, that in the end, for whatever reason, Badlands wouldn’t release it and that would be it. That in a month’s time he’d be back playing in a bar band, and all would be forgotten. But it was happening, their album was being released.

  Unlike Cassie, Tommy didn’t worry that the album wouldn’t do well. He knew that he’d given it everything he had, and that if it didn’t succeed, it was no fault of theirs, but simply that the public didn’t respond to what they did in mass. He didn’t kid himself that it would be an easy thing to take, if the album crashed and burned, but he was realistic with himself enough to realize there were thousands of bands out there, all trying to do the same thing: sell millions of albums.

  This was their first album, if it at least broke even on expenses, they might get the green light to do another one. Many bands had made it big with albums long after their first. The trick was to keep swinging at it, until something hit with people
. Then figure out what made that song great and do it again, like that. No, it was never that easy. But Tommy did nothing half way, so he was going to give this his all, and if it didn’t work, it didn’t. He was, however, confident in his talent for guitar playing, and even more confident in the talent of the band. Cassie’s voice was one that couldn’t be ignored, and her talent was growing leaps and bounds.

  This was it, Tommy felt it in his bones, and he was dying to share it!

  It was three hours before Shannon could get back to him. He and Greg had hooked up by then and were drinking merrily in a bar when Tommy’s phone rang.

  “Yello?” he called into the phone.

  “Green!” Shannon called back, laughing.

  “Blue,” he replied, smiling broadly.

  Shannon laughed. “So, what’s up, handsome? What’s this incredible news?”

  Tommy nodded his head as he got up and walked toward the front door of the bar, so he could actually hear her. He got outside and lit a cigarette.

  “Sorry, babe, I was inside. I can actually hear you now,” he said.

  “Well, that might help,” she said, smiling.

  “So, guess what?” Tommy said.

  “What?” she asked.

  “We just got word today,” he said, taking a long drag off his cigarette, “they’re releasing our album next week.”

  “Oh, my God, really!” she exclaimed, knowing how important it was to him.

  “Yeah,” he said, smiling, enjoying her excitement. “BJ is having the release party happen at like midnight on the 405.”

  “On the freeway?” she asked, her tone perplexed.

  “In the fast lane,” Tommy clarified, grinning.

  “Oh, cool …” she said, her tone awed.

  “Yeah,” Tommy said, “pays to have juice like BJ does.”

  “I guess so,” Shannon said, sounding duly impressed. “Well, congratulations, I know you were worried about when they’d get around to releasing the album.”

  “Yeah, I guess I should have just trusted that BJ knows what he’s doing.”

  “He’s been around for a while,” Shannon said.

  “Yeah, a little while,” he said, grinning.