Rock Star

by Kathi Goldwyn

  We were at a local hang out, a not-so-fancy restaurant. There was lowlighting, and candles flickered on every table. The waitress came up to our table with a broad smile across her pretty face. She was a cute little thing, with dark hair and dark eyes. She had a green apron tied around her waist.

  “Welcome to Smyths. Does anyone have questions about our menu? Tonight, you’re in for a big treat, we have a guest chef who normally works at some high-end place in the city, but he’s slumming it with us just for tonight. Enjoy!” She giggled, her eyes gleaming. I guessed this was going to be a delicious end to our day.

  “Hey Ted, how are things with you?” Bob leaned towards Ted and snagged a piece of bread out of the basket sitting in the middle of our table. He poured some olive oil and balsamic vinegar into a small bowl by his large plate.

  “Can’t complain, Pops.” Ted and Marco always called my dad Pops. He gave a bashful smile, carefully pulling the basket towards his plate to grab a roll, then tearing into it with his teeth.

  After that, the night was full of laughter and fun stories. Our meals were amazing, and I loved hanging out with her parents. When the night ended, we all went off to our rooms, and I made sweet, sweet love to my girl before wrapping myself around her slim body and snuggling in close. “I love you, Callie girl,” I whispered, as I drifted off to sleep.

  We had three days off. Everyone had created plans for themselves to relax, sleep, or lay out in the sun. Callie’s parents were hitting the road in the afternoon. We were going to leave on our little side trip as soon as they were gone.

  “Honey, I had plans to go to ArtRock. You want to go with me? I could cancel my reserv...” I started to say.

  Callie jumped in, “No, don’t cancel, I’d love to go,” she gave me a huge-ass grin. This would be the first time I would get to spend any length of time with her alone, and I could hardly wait. I grabbed her up in my arms. I loved having her wrapped around me where she belonged.

  “Okay, hon, we’ll leave as soon as your mom and dad split. Pack a bag for the night. We’ll come back tomorrow evening. I need a break, don’t you?” Excitement rushed through my veins. Callie smiled, looking me straight in the eyes.

  “I need to be under you the whole break.” Callie giggled, hugging me close. I laughed and started throwing some things in my backpack.

  Callie rushed out of my room to get her things together. We didn’t need much; we’d only be gone for a night.

  I placed my backpack by the door, and, just as I was about to strip out of my clothes to take a shower, I heard a knock. I swung it open and found Bob standing outside. I motioned for him to come in, and he walked in and grabbed a chair.

  “Hey Bob, what’s on your mind?” I knew he had something to say, because he was alone, and this was an unscheduled meeting. My heart sped up and my pulse was going haywire. What was he going to say? Tick, tick, tick. Bob took a long moment to gather his thoughts. Shit, this could go all wrong, for me, anyway.

  “Son, I wanted to talk to you man to man.” Oh hell, I could feel my lips go numb. I was mute, standing by the side of the room. I dragged a chair out to sit near him.

  “Sir, go on, sir.” I said, planting my ass in the chair. I tried to give him a smile, but I couldn’t find one.

  “Okay, here’s the deal. Callie is my oldest daughter, my first born, and I’m only looking out for her best interests. She’s never been in an adult relationship, and I just don’t want you taking advantage of her. Do you understand what I’m saying?” Bob looked at me with a question in his eyes. I took a deep breath in. This might be the most important conversation I would ever have with this man. My respect for him was huge. He’d been incredibly kind to all of us, and I wanted to be careful with every word.

  “I think so, sir. You don’t want me to hurt her. I have no intention of doing anything like that, Bob. I want to build a life with her. I love her.” I hoped that calmed his worries. That it reassured him. I knew he was coming from a loving place, and all I wanted was to comfort him and make him believe in ‘us.’ And as they were leaving soon, I was sure he wanted to be clear before they hit the road.

  I thought it was so sweet. Both of her parents had come to me to make sure my intentions were straight. They both wanted reassurances that love was at the heart of our relationship. And what could I say? It was.

  “Sir, I will never hurt her. I give you my word.” Bob reached his hand out and grasped hold of mine. He gave me a firm handshake and a smile that reminded me of my girls’ smile. Aww, I could see how they looked alike.

  “We have a deal?” I nodded, and Bob added, “Thank you, Hunter. I appreciate this.”

  “I’m so glad Callie’s parents love her so much.” It truly amazed me, and I really appreciated them. My own parents could take or leave my presence in their life. I wished they’d show up more for me like Callies’ parents showed up for her. I’m lucky if I get a call once a year from my deadbeat parents. I could never understand their casual attitude towards me, their son.

  Callie and I went out to the hotel parking lot. It was time to say goodbye. Gaby was strapped into his baby seat, and both Bob and Keri hugged each of us as we lined up on the driveway. I could see how difficult it was for them to leave their oldest child.

  “Take care of yourself honey. Stay in touch.” Keri wrapped her arms around Callie, and they both shed a few tears.

  “I will, Mama, I love you.” Callie pulled back and looked Keri in the eyes. “Stay safe on the road.” They hugged one last time.

  “I know this seems strange, us travelling like this. But I wanted to see parts of the country I’ve never seen before. We’re going to take our time going home, stop to smell the roses, you know?” Keri was holding onto Callie as she looked over at me, and I gave her a quick nod.

  “I think it’s a great idea. I hope you have a blast! I’ve been loving seeing the scenery as we travel,” Callie called out after her.

  Keri and Bob got in their rental and waved as they drove down the street. Callie looked at me, “I’m going to miss them.” She waved long after the car disappeared, turning left. What a great time we’d had, I loved meeting them. I knew, now, that Callie came from an amazing, loving family, and that confirmed for me that our foundation was strong.

  “I know, babe. We’re halfway home. Let's get out of here.” I was ready to hit the road.

  We grabbed our backpacks and threw on helmets. I had already gotten directions to the artist colony, and so we took off. Marko and Ted had plans of their own. We would meet up with them at the end of our little vacation and get back on the road then.

  I couldn’t wait to get to Art Rock and spend time with my beautiful girl.

  She was my love and my life.

  She was my everything.

  Chapter 29

  Callie

  The drive to Art Rock was incredible. I threw my leg over the seat of the motorcycle right behind Hunter. I wrapped my arms around his waist, burrowing my head into his back. Even with my helmet on, I was close enough to smell him. His intoxicating smell captivated me. He smelled like the ocean, even in the dry, hot desert. I held onto him all the way there. My arms wrapped around him as we drove into the wind. The miles blew by, and I could feel myself letting go of all the stress that had built up over the past few months. The hour and half it took to get to the colony went by in a flash. The community was a small group of artists and musicians showcasing their talent in the little shops that sat in rows on lovely streets. It was a perfect place to relax, and we needed to chill the fuck out after all these weeks of travelling. We needed time away from all the stress.

  There were trees lining the sidewalk, shops and restaurants beckoned us along the colorful street. I could hardly wait to stroll the lane and see everything, the life's blood of this community...art and music displayed beautifully. Hunter couldn’t have chosen a better place for us to go for this mini vacation. We planned to see everything the town had to offer and unwind. We had been on the grind for month
s. It would feel good to breathe.

  We rambled into the hotel lobby, hand in hand. Hanging from the ceiling was a gorgeous sculpture made of brass and steel. I’d never seen anything like it, honestly, it was a maze of shapes and color. That was the thing about this place, there was so much color showcased in every nook and cranny.

  We got to our room, and I jumped on the bed, shouting, “Babe! This is amazing!” I kept jumping up and down and reached my hand out for Hunter to join me. We held hands, facing each other as we bounced up and down, peals of laughter falling from both of us. Then, he pulled me down to the bed and laid over me to kiss me seductively. And just like that, I was moaning as our tongues danced, filling me with love. My heart pounded sharply inside my chest as my breasts heaved. I was more turned on than ever.

  “Baby, you are beautiful. Just look at you.” Our eyes locked, and I felt myself falling more in love than ever. He swiped the hair from my face and kissed me gently, “You’re everything I ever thought I would need.” he groaned.

  “You make me so happy, H,” I whispered as I gave him my brightest smile, and soon his luscious lips crashed against mine. We were lost in the moment and in each other. We finally pulled apart, taking huge gulps of air, gasping for oxygen we sorely needed.

  “We should get out of here, babe. Let’s go explore.” Hunter grinned against my ear. I totally got it. “If we don’t go now, we’ll never get out of here.” We knew we’d just get lost in each other’s bodies and I really did want to explore this tiny town.

  “I’m with you. Let’s go. I’m getting hungry, too, so dinner soon?” I batted my eyelashes, flirting with my gorgeous man. We both stood up from the bed, and I went to the mirror and brushed the tangles from my blonde hair. Hunter grabbed his wallet and the keycard, and we were out the door, lickity split, just like that.

  As we walked down the avenue, I heard some notes of music filtering through the warm summer air. I looked over at Hunter, surprise etched across my face. I grabbed his hand and started running, searching for the source of this fabulous jazz. We ended up around the corner, where we discovered the trio playing in front of a restaurant. They were amazing jazzers, currently playing John Coltrain. I was riveted to my spot. I took in the fingerless leather gloves and the brass instruments. These jazz cats could really play, and I looked to see Hunter enjoying their sound as much as me.

  “You want to have dinner here?” Hunter asked as he gave my shoulder a soft squeeze. I looked behind the trio and saw that this place served Americana cuisine and gave a quick nod. We entered the place, with its low lighting and quaint, small booths sitting along the sides of the airy, open space. I could see long oblong tables offered for larger parties. A nice young woman seated us at the booth in the back, and Hunter and I were all smiles. We held hands in my lap. Hunter kissed my cheek sweetly.

  “After we eat, we can walk around. I want to buy my girl something special. I’m sure we’ll find the perfect thing.” Hunter took my hand again, “Do you know what you want?”

  Hunter placed our order of meatloaf and mashed potatoes. I could hardly wait to have a plate of yummy, comfort faire. We’d been travelling for weeks now and eating mostly fast food. This was going to be a nice break from all that fried stuff. I was eager to taste their meatloaf. I prided myself on my cooking and had my own special recipe, but I loved to taste different flavors of the same dish.

  “Your parents are so cool. I really liked them. Must have been a nice place to grow up .” Hunter started with a small chuckle.

  “Yeah, it was. I couldn’t do any of this without their support.” I meant it. I spread my hands out and waved them around. They had been supporting my dream of star singer-songwriter since I was six years old. I already missed them, and I saw them just this morning.

  The meatloaf arrived with creamy mashed potatoes and gravy, looking delicious. We both tucked into our food, and I smiled; this right here was the best meatloaf I had ever tasted. I heard Hunter grunt and laughed to myself. I thought he agreed, but we were too busy scarfing down the delicious meal to talk. We cleaned our plates like we hadn’t eaten in forever.

  “Let’s get out of here. We have so much to see and not so much time.” he looked around for our waitress and gave her the nod. When she brought the bill over, I couldn’t help myself,“Best meatloaf I’ve ever had. I know it’s not cool, but could you tell me the chef’s secret?” I asked with some trepidation. Honestly, I doubted she’d want to share this, but I wasn’t too shy to ask.

  “Oh honey, no worries. You’re not the only one who’s asked for a chef’s magic formula. I don’t mind sharing. Grated onion. Try it next time you make it, you’ll be surprised.” She took the bill and money and came back with our change. “When you grate the onion, make sure you dump all the onion juice in the bowl too.”

  “Thank you, that’s awesome, I’ll have to try that.” I stood up to go.

  Hunter said, “Keep the change.” We split. I was so freaking excited to get out on the avenue, but I stuck the chef’s trick away for later.

  We spent the rest of the day roaming through the many cute stores. I found a small placard that said, ‘Make Your Dreams Come True,’ I bought it to encourage me on rough days. There had been moments during this tour that made me wish I was home. I hoped this would help inspire me to keep going when things got tough.

  Our last stop was at a hand tooled jewelry store. We took in all the turquoise silver work and other semi-precious stones set in silver. Hunter was looking on the other side of the store, and I thought he bought something.

  “I’m tired, can we go back to our hotel now?” I slid my arms around his waist, and he nuzzled the top of my head.

  “Yeah, me too. Let’s go.” Hunter led me out of the shop and down the street towards our hotel. We ran across the trio playing a piece I had never heard, and I wondered if it was an original. I took a ten-dollar bill out of my wallet and tossed it in the music case propped open in front of them. I knew it was a small token of appreciation, and they would never know how perfect they had made my day.

  This had been one of the best days of my life. I couldn’t really put it all into words. We got a kick out of seeing and hearing some of the most fabulous art ever, and we did it hand in hand, together, loving each other with every step, every kiss, everything.

  When we got back to our room, Hunter slid his arms around me, “Babe, I love you. Thank you for a perfect day.” We sighed into each other’s kiss; Hunter groaned.

  “Get these clothes off, babe.” Hunter ordered, and I was stripping out of my jeans and blouse as quick as I could move. I watched him shed his clothes. His body was like a sculpture, perfectly cut, six pack with a large V dropping my eyes to his hard cock. I looked up into his eyes, and we smiled at one another.

  Oh yeah, “Come and get it.” Hunter devoured me with his lips, his arms wrapping tightly around my body.

  What a perfect ending to the perfect day.

  We made sweet, sweet love and fell asleep in each other’s arms.

  Blissed Out.

  Chapter 30

  Hunter

  “Get up, sleepy head.” Callie was sound asleep. She didn’t wake up when I snuck out to grab us some coffee. I held two steaming cups, and Callie sat up in bed, pulling the blankets up to cover her lap. She rubbed her eyes, looking absolutely adorable. My heart was beating to her drum, boom, boom.

  “What’s the plan for today?” Callie looked up at me and took the coffee I held out.

  As she sipped her coffee she said,“Oh yum, this is so good. Thank you, H,” She took another long drink.

  “I have something for you, babe.” I held out a tiny box that she took carefully from me. “Go ahead, open it.” I loved surprising her. I could see she was excited to see what was inside. She took a good hold of the box and pulled it open to find the gorgeous bracelet I found for her yesterday, nestled down inside. It was a thin silver chain with a charm on it. She held it up closer, and when she saw what it was, she got emot
ional.

  Tears welled up in her eyes,“Hunter, this is amazing! I love it! I really love it. Help me put it on?” She looked thrilled to wear my gift. The star charm sparkled in the morning light. It was encrusted with tiny diamonds and looked beautiful, hanging from her elegant wrist.

  “Thank you so much. I’ll never take it off,” she promised. I hoped it meant as much to her as it did me. It would remind us of our perfect day and the love that grew stronger with each passing hour.

  “Let’s get out of here. We don’t have to leave for a few hours, so let’s find an awesome breakfast, what do you say?” I quipped, hoping it got her moving. I didn’t want to waste any of what was left of our time. Soon enough we’d be back on the road, back to shows, and back to the grind.

  “I’m up, I’m up! Give me a few to take a shower, and I’m down to get the F out and eat. I’m starving.” Callie giggled as she scrambled out of bed. She was naked and looked enchanting this morning with her long blonde hair spilling over her curves. Her skin had a rosy hue that made me think she was happy. That’s all I wanted, to see Callie, my girl, happy every single day.

  When we were finally seated across from each other and had placed our breakfast order, Callie said, “When do we have to leave?” I knew it was going to be hard on both of us, we’d had a spectacular time, and we hated to see it end.

  “We need to leave in three hours, babe. We need to hit the road before Marko and Ted start wondering where we are. We have to pack up the van and get out of town first thing in the morning. You know we have a show tomorrow night, right?” This had been an idyllic two days that I would never forget.

  “Yes, I know.” Callie grimaced. What the hell was that about?

  “What’s wrong, babe?” I asked.

  “I want to sing, but I want to be here with you. You know...just conflicted. It will pass once we get back out there.” Oh yes, there was that. She’d be fine. We’d be fine. I’d be fine, goddamnit!