Teacher: The Final Act (A Hollywood Rock n' Romance Trilogy #3) (8 page)

We pulled up in front of the house and the decorator was already there.  Her name was Megan, she was totally Gothed out, and had a very dry sense of humor.  Danny tried to be his usual charming self.  Her response was a blank stare.  It was up to me to make this working relationship happen.  She brought some  samples and Danny brought pictures of his collection.  That finally warmed her to him, and together they geeked out over his classic horror film collection.  

“I have a better plan now,” she said and grabbed him by the arm.  She led him around the room pointing, talking colors and gesturing.  

I watched from the steps, not quite frozen, but once again reliving the attack.  I must have missed Danny speaking to me because he was by my side in an instant with his hands on my arm.

“Honey?  Jesse!  Are you okay?”  

I shook myself and gave him a smile.  ”Sorry.  Did you ask me something?”  

He frowned, but let me off the hook.  ”Yeah, Megan asked whether we wanted to go leather or velvet for the seating.  What do you think?”  

I raised an eyebrow at him.  ”Velvet.  Definitely.”  

His eyes dropped to my mouth and he seemed to be on the same page.

Megan assured us she would have the room done in time for a Halloween bash.  I knew that would make Janey happy. Danny brainstormed all kinds of ideas to make Janey’s friends squeal.  He planned to enlist ‘the guys’ to make a haunted house for the kids and then afterwards, have a grown-up costume party.  I was excited, too.  He wanted me to invite Cosmo and the boys and even mentioned having them play at the party.

Having everyone over made me a little apprehensive.  I couldn’t help but think back to the disasters that accompanied each of the gatherings we’d attended so far.  The pool party, the wedding reception…I decided I’d have faith.

We stayed with the Mannings until a week before Halloween while the house was being worked on.  I really had fun getting to know the brothers better and they were absolutely accommodating.  They didn’t even bring random chicks home!  Jane loved them and was having a lot of fun learning more about the early years of Blackened.  

One night at dinner, I put on a slideshow for Jane with some of the tamer pictures Bronson showed me. Danny buried his face in his hands and groaned the whole time. Jane acted as though she was watching a car wreck. She winced, she sucked in her breath, and finally said, “Oh, Daddy…No. Just no. These pictures need to go away.”

Bronson and I high-fived.

Danny moaned, “Touché.”

School was going well for Jane, but I noticed she was spending a lot more time on her phone texting with her friends, I assumed, and she didn’t always look happy.  We spent a lot of time together, especially on the nights we went to the dance studio together.  She’d take her class and then hang out in the office that was attached to the studio doing her homework.  We talked a lot on the drive to and from, and I loved getting to hear about school from her perspective.  She had a teacher she really didn’t like and I had to bite my tongue when she shared stories about what happened in class.  Part of the problem was that Jane wasn’t used to hearing ‘no’ and this teacher sounded very strict.

Danny and ‘the guys’ finished the album a week or so before we moved back home and mixing took place then.  I was able to go watch them, which was quite embarrassing.  Danny chuckled at all my questions and my need to touch everything.  I also got to watch him work with Cosmo and the rest of Greek Tragedy.  He recorded four demos with them and had the same guys who were doing production on Blackened’s album finish fine-tuning the Tragedy.  

Going back to work was a challenge.  Telling the story over and over could have been hard, but with every kid I told, I felt a little stronger and I used it as a teachable moment.  I reminded them to be aware of their surroundings and encouraged them all to learn to protect themselves.  I had a great idea that I could have Sandra come and do workshops at the school, so I got Gloria’s permission.  Starting mid-October, the staff and many of the students spent Saturday mornings learning self-defense.  Sandra brought in a few of her police buddies, which was a great way for the kids to interact with cops on a positive level. I even brought Jane. The first time she was able to take down one of the smaller cops, she whooped and hollered with delight!

“See,” Sandra told her. “You don’t have to be bigger. It’s all about using their weight and size against them. It’s about keeping your head about you, like Jesse did, and not panicking when someone puts their hands on you.”  

Sandra became a great confidant for me during our weekly sessions.  She let me vent and encouraged me to continue working out.  ”Dancing is great for your flexibility and your treatments are good for your health, but building some muscle will really help you with your RA.”  

I agreed with her so Danny added some more free weights and exercise equipment to his order for the “gym,” which he wouldn’t let me step foot in until we officially moved in.  

“It’s a surprise,” he said. Little did he know I’d been working on a surprise for him, too.  When the room was finally ready about a week before we moved in, he covered my eyes and walked me inside.  ”Open your eyes, honey.”

I gasped in shock! Danny had them turn the room into a dance studio! There were mats in one corner for our use, he’d had hardwood floors put in, and he’d had the walls covered with mirrors. There was even a warm-up bar along one wall.  In another corner was a heavy bag and a weight bench with a free weight set and an assortment of foam rollers, balance balls, and medicine balls.  It was perfect!  I thanked him properly.  Right there on the new floor.

We’d all really missed Legs during this time, so the day after we moved in, Patricia brought her home and we all took turns cuddling with her.  It turned out that she was very much an Irish Wolfhound mix.  She was now already five months old and over 60 lbs!  She’d been super spoiled at Patricia’s house because she slept with Patricia and her husband, Max.

“Dad, she can sleep with me! There’s plenty of room.”  

Danny grumbled but allowed it, of course, once Jane put on the gimme face.  Genetics.  It was time, however, to do some real training with her.  Danny was concerned that she’d be too much for Jane because of her size.  Nora and Jane started taking her to training on Friday evenings.  I was exhausted by that time of the week. Thankfully Nora assured me she had it under control.

Plans for the Halloween party were finalized and we were ready to go for Friday night.  Danny and the guys got wigs and costumes so they could dress like KISS.  The haunted house utilized a lot of Danny’s props and he and his guys, along with Cosmo and the boys, had a blast scaring the pants off Janey’s middle school friends.  They loved it!  The kids took turns hanging on to each other for dear life and went through it again and again. A lot of their parents stayed and enjoyed the food we’d had catered.  I hung out with Rebecca and Patricia for much of the night.  We dressed as witches in coordinated costumes.  They helped me keep things rolling since Danny had given Nora the weekend off.  She wasn’t really into all the scary stuff, so she and Connie went on a three day cruise to Baja California.  

The only trouble came when some of the boys were leaving. The kids were scheduled to leave by 8:00. Jane lingered talking to a tall, lanky kid with longish black hair who was dressed like… An emo band guy? At least I hoped it was a costume. Danny watched them with interest until the boy gave Jane an awkward hug. As he was walking towards the door, he said, “I’ll kick you,” with a bit of a smile. Danny tensed next to me and stalked towards the kid.

“Did you just say-”

Jane slid in front of Danny. “Daddy, this is Carson,” she said slowly like she was addressing a small child. “He’s a friend from school. He’s going to message me on Kik. It’s an app on the phone, remember? We talked about this? Ian, this is my dad.”

The kid bravely held out a hand to Danny, who was doing his best to get himself under control. Bronson and Julian approached, followed by Alex. The four of them looming over this kid might have been scary under regular circumstances, but standing there in black spandex with giant wigs and boots on just made the situation laughable. Ian did a tremendous job of being respectful and not laughing right in their faces.

“It’s a pleasure to meet you, Mr. Black. Thank you for having us over.” Danny paused before shaking his hand. He grunted and walked away, at which point the boys all started murmuring excitedly and patting Ian on the back as they walked out the door.

“Eddie Haskell-looking little fucker,” Danny said as he approached. I raised an eyebrow at him and was getting ready to scold him when he winked at me.  

Jane went home with Sasha and Ivana.  We hugged and said goodnight, then got to work cleaning up the little mess left over from the kid party and setting up for phase two. I was at the sink doing some dishes when I felt Danny’s warm embrace from behind.  ”Think anyone would notice if we snuck off together, pretty lady?”  

I giggled.  ”Yes, Paul Stanley.  I think Danny, you know, my boyfriend, would be very upset.”  I turned in his arms.  ”Besides, I wouldn’t want you to mess up that killer makeup.” I brushed his wig back from his shoulders and nibbled his collarbone, which was at the perfect height since he had on ginormous platform boots!

“Damn, girl.  Danny is one lucky fellow.  You sure know how to make a man feel
goooo-wooo-woooooo-wooooooo-wooooo-hooo-hoood!”
Danny belted out a very Paul Stanley note and I heard laughing in the other room.  

“Hey Gene,” he called out to Bronson.  ”Let’s get the stage set up! I’m ready to rock and roll all night!”  

And we proceeded to do exactly that!  By ten o’clock the house was packed.  This time, however, I knew everyone, and it was very different knowing this was my house now, too.  It still felt pretty surreal.  Especially the office/library.  Danny had bought me a matching desk and we moved the two desks together in the center of the room so we could both work and still make googly eyes at each other.  

I made the rounds, talking easily with all of our guests.  Cosmo’s now-girlfriend Maria, whom I’d met the night we went bowling, was there and the two of them looked very happy.  They had been getting pretty serious, apparently.  It turns out he passed her tests and she loved the rest of the boys as much as I did.  She kind of filled my spot as Wendy to their Lost Boys, which made me feel much better about being away.  She was dressed as Elvira tonight and Cosmo and the boys were dressed as Dead Elvises.  They had their equipment set up out by the pool and pretty soon, everyone was out there dancing to their covers of Elvis songs as well as classics from the Stray Cats, Jerry Lee Lewis and others.  I danced with Maria, Rebecca, and Patricia until I was about to drop.  Then it was time for KISS to take the stage.

I couldn’t help but snicker at their ensembles.  For all I knew these were genuine KISS hand-me-downs. They looked totally realistic.  Danny looked so scrumptious in all that spandex. I could barely contain myself when he turned his back to the crowd and pranced around on his platforms!  He stared right at me the whole time they played “I Was Made for Loving You” and “Love Gun.”  I did my best disco moves right in front of the stage, which had him really showing off his goods.  When the song was over, he hurriedly called for a break before he picked me up, tossed me over his shoulder, and carried me into the house at a jog. All the blood had rushed to my head by the time we got back to the bedroom.  He set me down hard once inside and slammed the door.

“Paul!  I told you, I’m with-” He kissed me so erotically that there was no way I could keep up the charade any longer.  He pulled my dress up and ripped the lace panties right off of me.  It didn’t take much effort for him to free himself from the spandex pants.  He pressed me against the wall and wrapped my legs around his waist.  He never stopped kissing me as he thrust into me, hard.  Out-of-control Danny hadn’t made a showing like this in a long time, what with the house remodel and everything, and I was just beginning to realize how much I’d missed him.  

Danny kissed and bit down hard on my neck. His stubble chaffed my face and added to my excitement.  He wobbled a little and then cursed.  ”I’m going to break an ankle in these fucking boots,” he laughed.  

“We can’t have that,” I gasped, encouraging him to set me down so he could get out of them.  It was strange to be looking so far up into his eyes!  ”Take them off,” I giggled.  

“No fucking way,” he said, and carried me into the bathroom.  He turned me to face the mirror and I laughed at the smeared makeup all over us.  ”There’s no way I could have stayed out there in these fucking pants as hard as you make me.” He grabbed my shoulders and angled me so he could thrust into me from behind.  ”I can’t see you,” he complained, and reached around to free my breasts from the stretchy, low-cut, wrap dress I had on.  ”This fucking dress has been driving me crazy all goddamned day.” He thrust harder now, grabbing my hips for leverage.  He had me breathless.  He was hitting me so deep inside, my legs were quivering.

“I love it when something drives you crazy,” I whispered.   ”Then I get to feel you like this.”  I pushed my hips further back to him and he stilled himself for a minute.  

He pulled out and turned me around, lifting me up onto the counter.  He dropped to his knees and proceeded to show me just how crazy he was feeling. I tried not to scream as he brought me to the highest peak, but it was hopeless. I just prayed the music was loud enough that no one would hear me.  When I floated back down, he stood up and pulled me against him, his boots still making him a little too tall to get the right angle.  He growled and turned me back around to face the mirror.  We watched each other’s reactions as he pounded into me from behind.  He  groaned louder and louder, and when he came, he bellowed, “FUUUUUUUCK JESSE!” I tightened around him and reveled in the feeling of him loving me like this.  

We stood there panting and shaking, unable to speak.  ”Goddammit, Jesse.  I love you so fucking much.”

I turned around and plastered myself against him, needing to feel his skin against mine.  ”I fucking love you, too!  Now get cleaned up!  I have a surprise for you and it’s going to be here soon!”  

He had a little kid grin on his face for just a moment.  It relaxed into worry.  ”Honey, you didn’t have to do anything.  I’m so fucking happy right now, having you here, having our house done—”  

I smiled and kissed him quickly.  ”That’s great, but I’m serious!  Get cleaned up, Paul! Otherwise Danny is going to find us!”  

He shook his head and stepped back to adjust his pants.  ”Jesse—”

“I know.  I love you, too, and you can’t know how happy I am, but I’m going to be happier in just a moment so hurry up!”  

He grumbled as he fixed his makeup and his wig.  I had to wash off the black and white paint he’d smeared all over me, which looked grey on my skin.  I reapplied makeup and fixed my dress so it covered the girls.  

“I’ll meet you out there,” I said, smacking his ass as I ran for the kitchen.  It felt so good to be able to move like that and not worry about pain.  The medication the doctor prescribed for my RA had me virtually pain free.  I was even able to dance more without the pain and swelling I’d grown accustomed to. I was still seeing the acupuncturist and getting massages as well.  I felt like a whole new person!  It was such a gift Danny had given me.  I wanted to give him something back.

When I entered the kitchen, Gene/Bronson hurried to me.  ”Is he coming?  Everything’s set up, he’s in Nora’s house waiting for me to come get him.”  

I squealed and did a little hop in my heels.  ”Fantastic!  Make sure Patricia has her camera ready to roll. I do not want to miss a moment of this.”  

He left to go get things started and I waited for Danny, pretending to be busy with a tray of food.  When he rounded the corner looking put together, I asked, “Hey babe?  Can you please carry this tray out to the table?  Rebecca said they needed more cheese.”