She smiled, thinking about the previous night and closed her eyes, momentarily transported back to their night of passion, thinking about his lips on every part of her body. In her past, she’d only been intimate with two men. One was a dreadful encounter, the result of a lonely night on the road. The other involved too many cocktails, much to her sister’s displeasure. Nothing could compare to what she’d just experienced with Sam. The handsome drummer knew how to please her and take her to places she’d never been before.
Her previous dates, for lack of a better word, were awkward at best, the guys never really concerned with her pleasure—more of a wham-bam-thank-you-ma’am type of rendezvous, leaving her feeling even lonelier and determined to quit drinking once and for all. But for some reason, she never did. Looking back on that first night with Sam on his debut gig, she was embarrassed how shit-faced she was. Even though he did technically egg her on, she was mortified by her behavior and consciously promised herself she would monitor how many drinks she consumed moving forward.
Brushing off her negative thoughts, she reminisced about her night in his hotel room. Sam was patient and attentive, exploring every nook and cranny of her body, talking her through what he was going to do and joining her explosive orgasms with several of his own. She swallowed hard, realizing her erotic thoughts were making her panties damp. When she opened her eyes, she took a step back, startled because Dora stood right in front of her with her arms crossed and eyebrows raised. A huge grin was plastered across her face.
“Hey girl.” Casey blushed, hugging her friend.
“Hey yourself, chica. What is this all about?”
“What?” She took a sip of coffee, eyeing her Latino friend over the cup edge.
“This.” She waved her hand in a circle in front of Casey. “You were lost in deep thought, my friend. What were you thinking about? Happy thoughts, I hope.”
Casey blushed again, and looked at the floor. “Yes. Happy thoughts.”
The two girls sat at the long table set up for the band in the middle of the room, Dora talking a mile a minute about her latest Broadway audition that looked to be promising. Their band mates came in and out and grabbed beverages and snacks while the girls waited to be called to sound check their microphones and monitors. Casey listened to Dora with one ear, all the while listening to the sounds of the drums with her other ear, her anxiety mounting as to when she would lay eyes on Sam again.
When their band manager called for them from the doorway, her heart accelerated. She followed Dora out to the stage covered in cables and roadies setting up for their concert. They went straight to their area stage left where two microphones and stools were placed in front of two very large monitors. The sound check could go either way. If the sound company was on its game, it would go quickly and smoothly. If the sound company was subpar, it could be an excruciating afternoon of endless tweaking. Casey sat on her stool and slowly looked over at the drum riser set up in the middle of the stage past Rocky’s keyboard platform. Sam was deeply immersed in dialing up his in-ear monitor, oblivious she was staring at him.
Dora looked up from her cell phone. “What has gotten into you? Why are you so melancholy?”
Casey hesitated before she responded. “I’m not melancholy, Dora,” she whispered. “I’m completely satiated.” She looked at her friend with wide, brown eyes hoping she would catch on.
Dora frowned in thought looking at her. She then leaned upstage to look past her toward the drum riser. She suddenly gasped. “Oh! You and… Sam?!”
“Shhh!”
A few of the guys looked over at them before resuming their tasks. Casey quickly glanced back at the drums and caught Sam’s attention. A slight smile played on his lips as he stared at her and nodded. She felt her cheeks flush and turned to Dora. “We had a date last night,” she explained softly.
“Oh, I’m so happy for you! He’s so handsome. I hope it was a good time?”
Casey looked back at Sam, feeling like an adolescent teen. “It was a very good time.”
The sound company turned out to be excellent and the sound check was finished in record time. Dinner was provided in the green room at 5:30 p.m. and the show started at 7:30 p.m. Casey looked at her cell phone and realized she had almost two hours to kill before dinner. She chatted with Rocky, whose keyboard rig was positioned right next to the singers. Her quirky friend would probably be tinkering during the full two hours before dinner, engrossed with all its bells and whistles, playing old Genesis or Police tunes. Dora had to run a few errands, including picking up her black show dress at the dry cleaners.
Casey stalled, wondering if Sam would ever come down from his drum riser and finally have a conversation with her. He was so meticulous in his rig, tuning each drum and adjusting each cymbal. She didn’t want to bother him and decided to head back to her room where she could really pout. With her coat over her arm, she was just about to push open the large ballroom doors when she felt someone grab her shoulder.
“Hey! Where are you going? You’re not going to talk to me?”
As she turned around, a concerned look flashed across Sam’s handsome face. “Oh. Hey,” she replied softly, not able to maintain eye contact with him. Her skin felt hot again.
Sam pushed open the doors that led into a giant atrium where he stopped in front of a large, potted plant. “I was hoping we could hang out before dinner.” His blue eyes were beckoning as he shrugged on his jacket. “I wanted to show you something cool.”
“Okay.”
Walking along the crowded, noisy sidewalk hand in hand, as if they were a real couple, they made small talk about the sound check. Casey was anxious to get to where they were going, knowing they needed to have a conversation at some point about what happened between them in his hotel room the previous night. Several blocks later they crossed a busy intersection into an area laden with trees in full, fall splendor.
“Ahh, Central Park,” she gushed.
Sam nodded and pulled her into his side, slowing their gate among the park bustling with happy people. They leisurely walked under the fall branches, and time seemed to wind down as they passed a lone street musician playing a saxophone, the music in the air wistful and full of longing. Sam stopped to listen, and encouraged the soloist with polite applause and a few dollars in their music case. When they paused at an open park bench to sit down, he kissed her hand and turned his entire body to face her.
“Are you okay?” he asked.
She smiled. “Yes, of course. Why would you ask that?”
“I don’t know. I missed you this morning. And now, you seem… distant.” He tilted his head with a look of concern before his eyes shifted to look at the ground. “I crossed that line we talked about…”
“You sure did.”
He looked up at her, quickly, as if trying to figure out what she meant. Casey grabbed his cheeks and pulled him in for a long, lingering kiss. When she finished, she looked intently into his eyes. “You’re amazing and I’m speechless about what happened last night. It was probably the best night of my life.”
Sam’s facial expression turned from apprehension to joy in an instant. He leaned in and kissed her lightly on the lips again, rubbing the tops of her thighs with his large hands. “So, maybe I can come to your room tonight?”
“Absolutely.”
His smile rivaled the sun as he stood and helped her up. “Come on. I still have something special to show you.” Continuing on a path through the gorgeous park, they stopped briefly to curiously watch a young girl play the violin while she hula-hooped before moving on to an area designated a “quiet zone.” Sam turned to Casey before they entered and spoke softly. “Strawberry Fields. I’ve always wanted to see this memorial to the Beatle’s legend, John Lennon.”
“Me too.” She nodded excitedly. In all the years she’d been coming to New York, she had never been to the famous memorial. They walked hand in hand on a winding, wooded trail flanked by shrubs and mature trees—an unexpected oasis in a
city of eight and a half million people. They came to a clearing where a circular, mosaic pathway of inlaid stones had been created. There was a single word in the center of the mosaic, the title of Lennon’s famous song, “Imagine”. Colorful flowers and flickering candles in glass votives covered the stones, left behind by Lennon fans. They stood there, lost in their own thoughts about music, love and a life lost tragically too soon. Sam put his arm across her shoulders and held her tightly as they listened to a lone guitar player strumming the chorus of the famous song for which the mosaic was dedicated. It was a beautiful, contemplative place. She felt at peace. She felt…love.
A slight breeze picked up, causing a few colorful leaves to rustle and fall onto the sidewalk. Casey watched as a large, orange maple leaf danced across the inlaid stones, an homage to the eccentric music legend. Sam brushed her hair out of her face, and his fingers lingered on her cheek. Bringing her hand up to her face, she laced her fingers with his, and gazed at him. She felt like they were writing their own song. The melody was coming into form with each minute they spent together.
The universe had shifted in the past twenty-four hours. A line had definitely been crossed… and there was no turning back.
Chapter Nine
The corporate crowd was more laid back than the public audiences they usually entertained, but the band was still offered a standing ovation at the end of the show. Sam saluted Casey and she blew him an onstage kiss before she grasped Dora’s hand for their stage bow. With a final wave to the audience, they quickly exited stage left where one of the roadies gave her a high five and handed her a small towel. Wiping the sweat from her brow, she was breathless from the high of performing.
“Great show!” Dora exclaimed.
“Yeah, you sang your butt off, girl.”
A whole new set of drinks waited for them in the green room including beer on ice and a couple bottles of wine. The two girls waited for their band-mates and production manager to give any after show notes or instructions,
“Spectacular, my beautiful ladies!” Rocky exclaimed as he walked in with definite pep in his step and grabbed a can of soda, popping it open and gulping half the contents in seconds.
The conversations were loud and excited in the room while they waited for other members to break down their rigs. Casey knew Sam was disassembling his cymbals and it would take him a few minutes. Gathering her small purse from the corner, she pulled out her cell phone to check the time and noticed a new text from her sister Laura. Reading the text twice, tears pooled in her eyes, and her stomach dropped to the floor. The green room suddenly felt small and claustrophobic, the walls pressing in on her. She had to get out of there.
The door slammed shut behind her as she quickly jogged in her high heels out a side door into the atrium. Her fingers trembled as she looked at her phone screen and read the text from her sister over and over.
Do not freak out. Me and GG are safe. Donny found us. Call me when you can.
“That son-of-a-bitch…,” Casey growled. Donny wasn’t supposed to find out where they lived—ever. They had been meticulous in finding a safe, gated complex with good security in an area he lived far, far away from. Donny was a slimy, backwoods, no-good con-man who wasn’t supposed to ever come near them again. He lost all his rights to her niece when he punched her sister in the face. For him to be snaking his way back into their lives was unimaginable. Casey felt helpless being so far from them. At least Laura let her know they were safe. She wondered where they had fled. To a hotel? A friend from work? The unknown paralyzed her and she suddenly felt exhausted. Collapsing into an overstuffed lobby chair in the corner, she hid her face in her hands and started to cry.
“Casey? Casey, what happened?” Beautiful Dora was by her side and stroked her hair. “I saw you run out of the green room. Are you okay?”
Casey pursed her lips and wiped the back of her tear-stained cheeks with her hands. She lifted her phone for Dora to take and read. Her eyes widened and she immediately sat on the arm of the chair.
“Oh, girl. I’m so sorry. But they’re safe. You’ll get back to them.” Dora wrapped her arms around Casey’s shoulders and pulled her in for a supportive hug. As many road trips as the two of them shared over the years, she was always grateful for her friendship with Dora, whom she shared every sordid detail with. Dora knew the long, painful history of her sister, Laura and her daughter’s father, Donny. She was always a good friend to talk to about it, always showing her love and sympathy for what they’d been through.
Dora started to whisper in her ear, “Don’t look know, but here comes Sam. Does he know?”
Casey shook her head and sat up trying to compose herself. Sam approached them with his brow furrowed with concern. Dora quickly stood and offered a reassuring smile, touching him on the shoulder. “She’s okay. No worries.” Before he could respond, Dora turned and started to walk back through the ballroom doors. As he knelt in front of Casey, a look of uncertainty crossed his handsome face. She watched him gently press his hands against her thighs and lean in, as if anxious to know what happened.
“What did I miss? Why are you crying?” he asked quietly. He touched her cheek tenderly with his fingertips and she moved forward into his warmth, thankful for his concern. “Did I do something wrong? Are you mad at me?”
“No… oh, no Sam. You’ve done nothing.” She shifted in the chair. “There are some things you probably need to know about my family.” Sam scooted another lounge chair close to hers and held her hand patiently as she started from the beginning.
Her sister dated Donny Tanner all through high school where he was a mediocre athlete and Laura was a wide-eyed bookworm thrilled by his attention. After graduation, Laura attended a local community college to get her teaching degree while Donny worked begrudgingly at the Ford plant, following in the footsteps of his blue-collar family. Laura was concerned he had no ambition to further his education or find a more meaningful occupation he liked. His displeasure with his life became evident after two DUI’s and a couple of barroom brawls. He attempted to get his life back on track and for several years, he proved he could be sober, even attending night school for a brief period through Laura’s coaxing. But he was never happy.
The tipping point came when Laura discovered she was pregnant with Gwyneth and gave Donny an ultimatum. She told him to stop the partying or she would move on with her life far, far away without him. The man tried again, for a short time, to get his life in order, but the stress of having a baby became too much for him and he gradually went back to his old ways.
The two of them never married, which only exacerbated the situation. Donny had always been loud and boisterous, often emotionally degrading to Laura over those turbulent years. The physical abuse started after she gave birth to Gwyneth, when she’d finally had enough of him and started making plans to move on with her life. The pushing and shoving, screaming and slapping became a normal occurrence as his drinking accelerated. He seemed to know it was inevitable he was going to lose her and his child.
When Laura was finally offered a decent teaching job closer to the city, she packed her bags and moved far away just as she promised. The distance she put between them seemed to calm things down, but it didn’t last long.
In Laura’s newfound happiness, she started to date. Unbeknownst to her, she went on a blind date with a guy Donny happened to know. When he found out about it, he erupted in a terrifying rage, and somehow tracked down her unlisted number from an unknown source, calling her relentlessly. He hired a private detective who found out where she worked at her new job, and showed up numerous times threatening to take baby GG away.
When Casey came back that fateful day from taking her niece to the zoo, she found her sister nursing a black eye. Her apartment had been ransacked with a baseball bat, and she was covered in bruises. Casey knew it was time for her to step in and help. It didn’t take long to get a restraining order against Donny Tanner and for them to find a safe place to live—a safe place to start
over and live their lives in peace.
Sam’s facial expression was pained as if he felt deep remorse for what Casey had been subjected to. “Have you called her yet? Is she really safe?”
She nodded, sniffling. “She wouldn’t have said so in the text if it wasn’t true. I’m going to call her right now. I just needed a few minutes so I could get my head together.” Sam nodded and pulled her in close. He kissed the top of her head and kept his arm around her while she scrolled to her sister’s number.
“Do you want me to leave? Give you privacy?” he asked.
Casey quickly shook her head. “No. Please. I need you.” He nodded and squeezed her shoulder.
Her sister was staying at Beth Robert’s house, another teacher and a friend from the school they both worked at. Gwyneth was oblivious to what transpired, happily playing with Beth’s four-year-old daughter who had a dollhouse. Donny somehow followed Laura into the secure complex of their home, tailgating her before the gates closed. When she got out of her car, he reassured her he wasn’t there to hurt her, he just wanted to talk. He told her he missed his daughter and he had changed his ways. Fortunately, Gwyneth was not home at the time. She was at a neighbor’s apartment waiting to get picked up by Laura who had run to the store on a quick Saturday errand.
Because of his calm and gentle candor, Laura seemed to think Donny wasn’t there to cause any trouble. The man knew the ramifications if she called the police because there was a protective order against him and he wasn’t supposed to come anywhere near them. Because she could smell alcohol on his breath, she treaded lightly, acting as if she might agree to a visitation to appease him. He seemed satisfied with their conversation and told her he would be by the next morning, anticipating a reunion with Gwyneth. As soon as he left, Laura packed their bags, grabbed her daughter and headed to Beth’s house.
Love Song: A friends-to-lovers rock & roll romantic suspense Page 6
