A Kiss and a Cuddle

A
Kiss and a Cuddle

Sophie
Sloane

Copyright
© 2014 by Sophie Sloane

The
moral right of Sophie Sloane to be identified as the author of the work has
been asserted by her in accordance with the Copyright, Designs, and Patents Act
1988.

All
rights reserved.  The use of any or part of this publication, reproduced, or
transmitted in any form or by any means electronic, mechanical, photocopying,
recording or otherwise, or stored in a retrieval system without the prior
written consent of the author is an infringement of the copyright law.

A
Kiss and a Cuddle
is a work of fiction.  Apart from the
well-known actual people, events, and locales that figure into the narrative,
all names, characters, places, and incidents are the products of the author’s
imagination or are used fictitiously.  Any resemblance to current events or
locales, or to living persons, is entirely coincidental.

Cover
art by Lauren Burke.

For
my fellow hopeful and hopeless Romantics in the world.

“This
is Reggie Murphy here, and you are listening to The Party 95.7 FM.  We have a
special treat for our Denver listeners today: please welcome Rose West to the
show,” the DJ spoke smoothly into his microphone and smiled at me from across
the table.  “Hi Rose, how are you today?”

“I’m
great!” I replied a little too excitedly into the microphone.  I smiled and
breathed outward.
“Thank you for having me on your show, Reggie.”

“It
is our pleasure.  So Rose, you are releasing a new album in a few weeks.  Your
Denver fans loved your last album.  Can they expect the same Rose, or is this
album different?”

“I
am constantly trying to evolve my art-form, but I will always be the same Rose
with strong vocals, heartfelt lyrics, and a bit of twang, but not too much,” I
replied with a smirk.

“Sounds
great.  We can’t wait to hear your new songs that you sing with such passion. 
Now, I’m going to use that as the perfect segue to ask you about Derek Rockson.  
Is it true that there is a bit of passion between you two?  I mean, it would be
perfect – a superstar singing duo!”  He bit his lip, knowing that he caught me
off-guard with the romantic question.

“Derek
Rockson?  I mean, no…” I stumbled on my words and sounded rather unconvincing. 
“We are best friends, and he will always have a place in my heart, but the rumors
are not true.  Sorry, I’m not providing any juice here!” I hoped that Derek
wasn’t listening to the radio interview, as it probably still sounded like a
public rejection, despite me trying to be as kind as possible.

“Well
to the listeners out there, you heard the truth from Rose West herself, but the
sparkle in her eye when she mentioned his name tells me otherwise,” Reggie laughed
and winked at me.  “I understand you are a tough nut to crack.  What’s a guy
gotta do to get the attention of Rose West?”

“The
thought doesn’t even cross my mind, Reggie!  I have been so dedicated to making
my new album.  The last thing on my mind is having to deal with a man,” I
replied, trying to steer the conversation back to my music.  “I mean, I live
independently, I sing independently, and I even produced this album
independently.  I am doing perfectly fine by myself.”

“Wow… 
All the women who independent – throw your hands up at meeee,”
Reggie
sang out with a neck roll and a finger wag. 

“No,
no, no.  I don’t mean it with attitude!  I’m just so busy that I can barely
find matching socks in the morning, let alone find a love-match.  The listeners
can’t see me, but it’s clear to everyone here that I haven’t plucked my
eyebrows for over two weeks.  Yikes,” I said quickly, revealing way too much
information.  I blushed furiously and looked down at the table.

“Thick
eyebrows are in this season, Rose.  Plus they draw attention to your big eyes,”
Reggie smiled as he gazed at me across the table.  He was a solid man with a
round face and a wide smile.  He was all charm and eye twinkles. 

“Thank
you,” I replied coolly, determined not to make eye contact with him.
 
Was
he hitting on me?

“Well,
there we have it, folks.  If you want to see Rose West perform, she will be at
the Meadowlark Lounge on Larimer Street starting at 7 PM on Saturday night. 
The show is nearly sold out, so you had better hurry!  Thanks again for coming,
Rose, and we will see you at your show.  Coming at you right now is one of
Rose’s first hits from a couple of years ago called ‘If You Stayed.
’ ”

Reggie
took off his headphones and pushed his chair back.  I was off the air and out
of the hot seat.  I thanked Reggie and joked with him about asking the personal
questions about my love life.  He claimed that it was all to hype up my concert
because fans adore love stories.  Maybe he was right.  We shook hands, and I
thanked the other radio employees in the room before I left the recording room.

I
soon found myself stepping out onto the street to be greeted by strokes of
sunshine that painted the empty sidewalks.  Sixteenth Street was quiet on this Friday
morning in October, except for the sound of the brooms from the street cleaners. 
Everyone with normal nine to five jobs must be tucked away in their offices.  Thank
goodness for the singing talent God gave me, otherwise I would be cooped up in
an office too.
 I reached for the sunglasses in my purse, when I noticed
my phone vibrating.  I looked at the screen, and saw “MOM” flashing in bold
letters, coupled with the cute snapshot of the two of us taken last summer in
San Antonio.

“Hi,
Mom!  I just walked out of the studio.  Did you hear my interview?” I asked
cheerfully.

“Yes
I did, my darling!  It was great.  You sounded so smart and lovely,” she
squealed, then her tone turned more serious.  “Now, was that DJ hitting on
you?  You’ve got to watch out for these guys, Rose.  They will give you a
couple favors by having you on a radio show and then have expectations.”

“Oh Mom,
I know, I know.  He was just being polite.  I mean, he complimented my
eyebrows, of all things,” I replied reassuringly.  He probably winked and
twinkled his eyes for every radio show guest.  “He was more interested in the
alleged romance between me and Derek.  Did you hear that nonsense?”

“You
know, I’m not so sure that is nonsense, sweetie.  I have always said that Derek
is a good egg.  You have so much in common, and he worships you.  I would love
to know that a man like that is taking care of you while I’m back here in San
Antonio.  Why don’t you just give the nice guy a chance?” she asked, for the
millionth time this year.

“We
are just friends, Ma!  We don’t think of each other that way.  There is no
spark, no electricity.  Besides, you made it on your own and so can I,” I said
proudly.  “I have more important things on my mind.  I’m getting ready for my
show tomorrow.  It’s almost sold out, and there are going to be tons of reporters
there.  This is the big break I really need.”

“That’s
right, sweetie.  I know you don’t need a man, but sometimes it is nice to want
a man.  One that deserves you, anyway.  Okay, I will let you go get ready for
your show.  Let me know how the show goes, and I will see you in a month for
your album release party.  Say hi to Nina for me.  I love you, my sweet potato
pie!” she chimed.

“Love
you too, Ma,” I chuckled and put my phone back in my purse.  I headed towards
Larimer Street.  It was time to eat some lunch and find the perfect dress for
my big night tomorrow.

“Oh.
My. God.  I love it!” the male shop assistant exclaimed.  I had spent the last
few hours at a chic dress boutique on Larimer Street.  I was wearing a black
lace dress that hugged my body in an amorous embrace.  It created an hourglass
silhouette that I had never seen before.  “That dress was made for you, baby.”

“Are
you sure?  It isn’t too revealing?” I said timidly, smoothing the dress across
my hips.  The lace felt luscious against my skin.  “It’s kind of tight, isn’t
it?”

“No,
no, no.  Well, tight in all of the right places, if you know what I mean.  Do
you squat?  Praise Jesus!” he yelled, with his eyes lingering on my derriere.

“This
booty came from my mama and from being raised in the dirty south!” I joked.  I
looked back over my shoulder in the mirror to check my rear view.  The dress
was simple and slinky.  And sexy.  “Well, it is my big night, after all.”

“All
eyes will be on you, baby.  Damn, girl!  If I didn’t bat for the same team, I’d
be all over that,” he said smoothly, rubbing his hand over his mouth.

“Well,
thank you.  I appreciate your vote, I think,” I replied shyly.  I started to
walk back towards the change room, wanting to put some real clothes back on.

“Okay,
baby.  Come meet me out at the till to pay when you’re ready. Mmm mmm mmm!”

I
walked back into the change room and looked at myself in the mirror.  This was
it.  This was the perfect dress for my breakthrough gig.
 
It was nice to
spoil myself once in a while.  I knew that this dress would give me the
confidence I needed to put on the show of a lifetime. 
I
smiled to myself, put my jeans and t-shirt back on, and headed towards the
till.

“You
are going to look stunning,” the male shop assistant reassured me, as he
scanned the dress tag and delicately placed my dress in a bag. 

I
smiled and started to imagine myself walking out on stage in my dress, when I
heard a girl shriek in the line behind me.  I quickly turned around to see what
had happened.

“Eeeeee! 
Did you hear the news?” the girl giggled to her friend.  “Rex Byron is going to
visit Denver!  He is arriving tomorrow.  Imagine, we could be famous!”

“We
need to find him!  I am in love with him,” the friend swooned.  “He’s such a
bad boy, and I just love his messy hair and piercing blue eyes!”

The
shop assistant interrupted them. “Excuse me, girls.  If you are trying to lock Rex
Byron down, you will have to do it over my dead body.  I called dibs on that
hunk of man years ago.  Haven’t you ever wondered why he can’t settle down with
a nice girl?  His soul is longing and searching for me!”

Whoa,
I needed to get out of there before a cat fight broke out.
 
I quickly
grabbed my bag and headed for the exit.  “I don’t need my receipt, thank you.” 
The shop assistant didn’t hear me; he was engrossed in the teenage girl debate
to determine which one of them was truly worthy of Rex’s heart. 

I
stepped out onto Larimer Street as the sun was starting to set.  I looked up to
see the creamy autumn sky of corals and peaches behind a curtain of frothy
clouds.  The sunsets in fall were so beautiful it made my heart ache. 

I
started to walk home, and I was relieved to be outside of the shop and far away
from the bizarre conversation in the store.   I figured that Rex had to come
here to hide his head in the United States after another embarrassment to the Byron
Family.  He was the heir to his father’s multimillion dollar fortune, as his
father just happened to be Sir William Byron, England’s most successful and
sought-after artist.  As a result, Rex lived a luxurious life, without even
needing to comprehend the concept of a job or hard work.  Everything was on a
platter, which did not serve him well.  Like most heirs and heiresses in the
modern world, they had no real purpose or passion in life, so he occupied
himself with partying, playing women, and getting into mischief.  Rex was
forever in the headlines for getting into trouble, and it had become an
international pastime to follow his trainwreck of a life.  Didn’t they know
that he would get into more trouble in the United States?  His family should
keep him locked up in his own country.  What an absolute spoiled brat.