Play Me (Love on Tour #2) (11 page)

And just then the door to our adjoining rooms opened, and Bell walked in.

“Tim, I gotta go.”

“Wait, did she just come in. Bell? Bell?” He started yelling into the phone.

She looked quizzically at me and walked toward the bed. “Yes, it’s me, Susi.”

He completely ignored the fact that she’d just corrected him. “Hey Bell, I’m Tim,” the moron shouted into the phone.

Bell sat down on the bed next to me.

“He’s my sponsor,” I told her.

She got all animated then. She leaned toward the phone. “Hi, Tim.”

“Nice to talk to you Bell.”

“You’re like Hank’s AA sponsor?” She asked.

“Yep.”

“Do you live in Malibu, too?”

“I sure do. Just a couple blocks from Hank.”

“What do you do?”

“He’s a psychologist,” I told her.

“Really? Are you Hank’s psychologist?”

“Kind of.”

“Hey,” I protested. “What happened to doctor-client privilege?”

“You’ve never paid me a cent, Hank. You’re not my client.”

“What about sponsor-sponsoree privilege,” I suggested.

“I don’t think that exists,” Tim responded.

It most certainly did. But apparently, he didn’t care.

“So Bell, you’re a writer?” Tim asked.

“I am.”

“What do you write?”

“Articles, short stories. I’ve written a couple novels, too.”

“Ooohh, maybe I should read them.”

“Oh, they aren’t published. I haven’t ever let anyone read them.”

“A writer who doesn’t let anyone read her work, interesting.”

“See, he’s annoying,” I said.

“Does that mean something? That I haven’t let anyone read them?”

“Not necessarily.”

“The vague thing. That’s another annoying shrinky thing he does,” I said.

Tim laughed. “Okay. I will let you two enjoy your evening. Talk to you soon, Hank.”

“Later, Tim.”

I shut the phone off and turned to Bell.

“Hi,” I said.

“Hi.”

“I was getting a little worried.”

“I was talking to Baby.”

“About what?”

She shrugged.

“Are you mad at me, about Sheila?”

She placed a hand on my cheek and moved closer. “No. I understand that things happen. And you turned her away, right?”

“Yes I did. We have an agreement.”

“No sneaking off,” she said.

“Yep.”

She leaned in and kissed me. But I was left wondering, why wasn’t she just a little bit jealous?

13

“My cover story is that I wanted to work on my writing and your green room is more peaceful,” Bell said, throwing her bag on the counter and walking over to the couch.

She threw herself into my lap and kissed me.

“Works for me.”

We were in Atlanta. After tonight we were taking a break. We’d have four days in Florida, where we were planning to meet up with Sean’s parents, chill out and enjoy the sun. I was hoping to get as much time alone with Bell as I could, but I knew it would be tricky.

We’d been sneaking around for two weeks now. My ‘Bell should stay in an adjoining room’ rouse had worked like a charm and we had every night together. But that was about to change. So we were both desperate to squeeze in alone time wherever we could.

“Did you lock the door behind you?” I asked, kissing a sweet spot just above her shoulder.

“Yes,” she breathed. “Anyway, Mike is studying for an exam. He won’t bother us.”

“Good.” I moved to her neck.

“Hank?”

“Hmm?”

“Can you show me now?”

I pulled back and looked at her. “Show you what?”

She got all shy. It was cute as hell. Bell always wanted to talk about sex, but then she got flustered and quiet when she actually tried. I played dumb.

“You know, the thing you said about how blowjobs can be fun.”

I stared at her. It was true she hadn’t given me a blowjob. I could’ve cared less, though. I was having way too much fun finding new ways to make her squirm and squeal. But apparently, she hadn’t forgotten.

“Bell, I can’t show you.”

“You know what I mean.”

“Honestly, I don’t have a fucking clue.”

She smiled. She thought it was cute that I swore so much.

“I want to give you a blowjob,” she finally said.

“Okay.”

“Right now.”

“Okay.”

She scooted off my lap and got down on her knees in front of me. I helped her pulled my jeans down. She stared at me, and for a minute, I thought she was going to back out. Then she lunged.

I was almost in pain. I was trying so hard not to climax. I wanted this to last longer. I intended to pull her up and make love to her. I didn’t want to cum in her mouth. But she wasn’t stopping. In fact she was going crazy, making little moaning noises. My brain, my arms, and my intentions were not working.

And then I lost it.

“Oh shit!”

Bell took the whole thing in stride. She got up, went to bathroom, and came back with a smile on her face.

I pulled her into my lap and held her close to my chest. “I’m so sorry, sweetheart. I fucked up.”

“What are you talking about?”

“I didn’t mean to finish.”

“Wasn’t that the point?”

“Not necessarily.”

“Well, you were right. That was fun.”

“Yeah?”

She nodded.

“Why was that fun, but it wasn’t when you did it before?”

She shrugged. “I’m not sure. Maybe it was listening to you. I was really paying attention. And…”

“And?”

“You were enjoying it so much. It made me enjoy it.”

“See.”

“Yes, I see.” She kissed me. “Now how long do I have to wait?”

“Not long, sweetheart.”

****

Sean’s Mom was looking me over.

“Hank, you look tired.”

It was probably because I hadn’t slept much since Bell had started sharing my bed. That, and we’d just ridden ten hours straight in the bus to get to Miami.

“I’m fine Gloria. Better than ever.”

She narrowed her eyes. “You sure?”

“You worry too much. Hey did you meet Susi?”

“I met her.”

The jury was apparently still out. I looked over Gloria’s shoulder to see Bell bending down and reaching into the cargo hold of the bus. I got a great view of her ass.

“She’s a great girl.”

“We’ll see. Is she your girlfriend?”

“She’s Baby friend. Didn’t Baby tell you?”

Gloria let out a breath. “Dani told me about her.”

Cryptic.

“I better help Sean with the bags. This place seems great.”

We were in a weird jumble of bungalows, most of which appeared to be populated exclusively by the sixty-five and older club. This was where Gloria and Frank had apparently decided to spend their vacation. And now, we were stuck here for a few days, too.

“Frank and I love it here. And it’s the perfect place for you kids to take a break.”

I loved that Gloria referred to us as ‘kids.’

Mike walked over to Gloria and me. I knew I was in for a treat.

“Oooh, Mike, sweetie,” Gloria crooned.

She had this thing for Mike. She was constantly flirting with him. She didn’t seem to care that he was younger than her son, or that she was married. She also didn’t think Mike was really gay. She thought he just needed a mature older woman to show him the ropes. Mike took it all in stride.

“Nice to see you, Gloria,” he said politely.

She grabbed his ass.

I thought the whole situation was funny as hell. Sean thought it was deeply disturbing.

“I better go help Sean and Frank with the bags,” I said, getting myself out of there before I busted out laughing.

Bell had carefully chosen just two of her massive bags to take to her bungalow. I grabbed one of hers and hefted my backpack over my shoulder. “Did Mike give you your key?”

“Yes.” She looked glum.

I raised an eyebrow at her.

“I’m next to Gloria and Frank’s bungalow. Mike’s on the other side of me.”

So that was what the long face was for. I walked her to her little cabin. It was separated from the others on either side by about 20 feet. My own cabin was at the end of the row, beyond Baby and Sean’s. This was going to suck.

I dropped her bags inside and looked around. The bungalows had an open kitchen and living room. Behind them was a bedroom and bathroom combo that was separated from the main area by a door. It was basically like a small stand-alone apartment.

“I wonder if the beds are comfy,” I said.

Bell grinned and walked toward me. “I am interested in finding out.”

I kissed her long and hard, and was seriously considering checking out the bed, when there was a knock on the door. Bell jumped away from me and went to the door. She took a deep breath before opening it.

“Is it alright?” Baby asked.

“It’s perfect,” Bell said, in her cheery little voice. “They’re kinda cute in a–”

“Old people way,” I said, glaring at the ceramic owl on the coffee table. It glared back.

Baby laughed. “Yeah, I guess.”

“So does Gloria have some sort of agenda for us?” I asked.

“Oh yeah. Tonight is a big dinner thing.”

I grinned. “You’re going to break the news.”

“Yes. And we’re afraid Gloria might get crazy.”

“Should be interesting,” Bell said.

“It’ll be hilarious,” I told her.

“Sean’s mom is a bit over the top.”

“So I’ve heard.”

“Well, get settled in. We’ll meet you both at the fire pit.”

“Are we roasting a pig?” I asked.

Baby sighed. “I think maybe we are.”

****

Gloria was glaring at Bell from across the picnic table, which was kind of a feat since it was dark as hell out here. Only the fire and a couple paper lanterns hanging from metal posts illuminated the area.

“So, what’s your story?” Gloria asked Bell.

“Um, I just wanted to come along on the tour to keep Dani company.”

“Don’t you have a job young lady?”

“Not at the moment.” Bell hung her head.

“Mom, why are you interrogating Bell?”

“You boys and your nicknames,” Gloria said, waving a hand at Sean. “It’s Susi right?”

“Yes ma’am.”

Gloria leaned forward. “What’s your real reason for tagging along, Susi?”

“I asked her to come, Mom,” Baby interjected.

Gloria had insisted that Baby call her Mom the minute the marriage license was signed. And Baby knew better than to rock the boat.

Gloria looked at Baby long and hard. “She’s a good friend?”

“Yes. We were college roommates.”

Gloria turned back to Bell. “If you’re such good friends, why weren’t you at the wedding?”

“My grandmother died.”

Gloria didn’t seem to have a response to this.

“Leave the poor girl alone,” Frank said, rising from his chair. “I’m going to go check on the roast.”

With Frank gone, Gloria seized her moment. She leaned over even farther and pointed a finger at Bell.

“What are your intentions toward Mike?”

Sean and Mike both choked at the same time. Baby and I both let out a little chuckle, before we repressed it.

“Mike? Um…” Bell stammered.

“Mom,” Baby said, putting a hand on Gloria’s upper arm. “She’s not with Mike.”

“Again, Mom. Mike dates men,” Sean said, looking like he was living through a lifetime of frustration.

“A pretty girl like you, a beautiful man like him. There’s got to be something going on.”

“I swear, Mrs. Rush.”

Oh shit. Bell had just made a crucial error. Sean had changed his name from Rushton to Rush when he started making albums. His parents were still a little sensitive about it.

“It’s Mrs. Rushton!”

Bell looked downright terrified.

“Okay, Mom,” Sean said. “Enough.”

Gloria glared at Bell. I felt bad for her. I had to do something.

“She’s actually been hitting on me Gloria, not Mike.”

Everyone at the table turned to stare at me.

“Really?” Gloria asked, leaning back.

“Yep, she’s been very persistent. But you know me, I’m not into brunettes.”

“Hank, you are a great catch,” Gloria said affectionately.

Gloria had long labored under the delusion that I was a good boy who kept Sean out of trouble. I never told her otherwise.

“Tell me about it.”

Frank came back to the table. “It’ll be ready in about ten minutes.”

“Perfect,” Sean said. “Mom, Dad, Baby and I have something to tell you.”

“Why on earth can’t you call your wife by her name,” Gloria complained.

“Mom,
Dani
is pregnant. We’re going to have a baby.”

Pandemonium broke out.

****

“So I’ve been hitting on you hard, huh,” Bell said, kicking off her sandals and plopping down on the bed.

I stood in front of her and pulled my shirt off. “Yeah, it’s been a real pain in the ass.”

“Hmmm, I wonder what it is about you that tore my gaze away from Mike?”

“My arms I’m guessing.”

She stared at me, her mouth falling open. Oh shit. I wasn’t supposed to know about that.

“How did you…?”

I sat on the bed next to her. I had no choice but to confess now. “I overheard your conversation with Mike a couple weeks ago, at the hotel.”

“You did?”

I nodded.

“Where the hell were you?”

“Around the corner. I was just going to the vending machine for a Coke and I heard you two talking.”

“So you hid, and eavesdropped.”

“Yep.”

“Damn,” she said, looking down.

“I kinda felt better.”

She looked up at me. “What do you mean?”

“I don’t know, Bell. For a minute I thought you were trying to get with anything that moved. Not that I can judge you for it. I’ve been like that my whole life.”

She took a deep breath. “I guess I’ve been acting a little slutty lately. Or I was. I don’t know.”

“Hey, I said I wasn’t judging.” I kissed her neck.

She turned toward me, a serious look on her face. “Here’s the thing. I have a therapist.”

“Yeah? So do I. Sort of. No big deal.”

“She and I were talking before I left Portland, about this whole need of mine to let loose a little.”

“And she agreed?”

“She did, actually. She thought it would be good for me. And, I have to confess, that for that first week you knew me, I was not acting like myself. I mean, I wanted the whole sexy fling. I did. But it was so out of character for me that it was like I had to be someone else to pull it off. Does that make sense?”

It made a ton of sense to me. I was never the same around girls as I was around my friends.

“Sure. And now?”

“Now, I’m fine. Comfortable in my own skin, and getting what I need in the bedroom.” She leaned toward me. “I have it all now.”