"Daddy, you look like a model, like one of those guys on the billboards on Sunset!"
He burst out laughing. "Nice try, baby. No way."
But she wasn't too far off the mark. The only thing keeping him out of that category was the underlying anger and passion that gave him a much darker and more devious look than those pretty boys and his black eye. There was nothing distant and delicate about his features. He had an elegance about him that was tempered with masculine ruggedness. His emotions played so freely and frequently across his face, he was magnetic. His fans adored him, lusted after him. His family, we were captivated by him.
He stood, shaking out his hair with his fingers and held up a mirror to check it out. His eyes sought my reaction and I could tell by the smile creeping across his lips that he saw just how affected I was.
"You've outdone yourself, Nora. I need to pay you an additional stipend to be my hairstylist."
She smacked at his shoulder. "Oh, quit it. I just wanted you to look presentable for Jesse's parents, that's all. It's just a haircut."
It was not, though. Danny's look changed drastically when he did something different with his hair.
Jane bounced over and asked, "Can you trim my hair, too, Nora? My bangs are getting too long." She agreed, so Jane hopped up in the chair and she got to work spritzing her hair and clipping it up in parts. Nora was ready for anything!
"When was the last time your mother took you for a cut," Nora asked her.
Jane thought for a minute. "I think it was around Easter? I don't know."
She frowned as Nora started snipping at the ends. She ended up taking off about an inch and a half of Jane's gorgeous auburn locks. She trimmed her bangs and once she was done, Jane ran her fingers through it and said, "Ahhh, no more tangles. Thanks Nora," she said as she hopped down and kissed Nora on the cheek.
"Are you packed yet, baby," Danny asked her.
"Mostly,” she replied, and with her, you just never knew how accurate that statement was. “Will you come see if I got everything I need? Oh! And will you help me pick out a dress for dinner at Grandma Black's?" He agreed and they headed back to Jane's room complimenting each other's new 'dos.
"You want me to clean up your ends, Jesse? Might as well since I'm already set up," she said so I took my turn in the chair.
"I probably haven't had a cut in six or seven months. The last one was at a strip mall place. It was a little scary, to say the least."
She laughed. "Don't I know it.”
I had to do a little digging. "C'mon, Nora! How'd you develop this secret talent?"
She chuckled and then spilled the beans. "My auntie ran a barber shop in our neighborhood. In 8th grade I started working for her on the weekends and after school. She showed me the ropes. I was going to take over for her, so I did the Cosmetology program in high school, but then decided to go to college. I earned money for school that way, though. I tell you! I made a lotta dough in the dorms!"
I admired her entrepreneurial spirit. "I remember, we all used to complain we couldn’t ever find someone to do our hair back at Irvine." I sighed as she ran the brush through my long hair. It was down to my ass and could be pretty heavy at times. "You think you could take off about four inches, Nora? It'll help lighten it up." My blonde hair was fairly thick and, thankfully, hadn't gone completely dishwater with my lack of time in the sun. Eventually, it would be nice to add some color. Nora must have read my mind.
"I can do highlights for you sometime, if you want. Or color. You name it. Your hair is beautiful, but if you ever want to spruce it up, I'll take care of you."
"You're a peach! That would be great, you know, whenever you have time." She laughed and got to work.
Danny came wandering in a few minutes later and gasped when he saw the chunks falling to the floor. "Nora! Be careful! That's my security blanket!" I giggled and she wrinkled her nose.
"You are too much, Danny Black!"
"Yeah, but somehow you put up with me."
She mumbled under her breath, "Somehow is right."
When she finished, Danny ran his fingers through it and made appreciative noises.
"Beautiful. Absolutely fucking beautiful."
I blushed and turned to look up at him. "See? Not too short." It now hung to just below my ribs. It was much healthier this way. I shook it out and he growled.
"Oh, stop that," Nora teased.
I helped her clean up, taking the broom from her against her wishes. Danny took the towels and drape to start some laundry. Jane came in for a snack then, and Danny heated up some leftovers for the two of us.
"So we'll be back sometime Friday night, probably, and then Saturday I think the wedding starts at 4:00? Nora, you'll stay with Jane?"
She nodded. "Of course. Either here or at my place."
Jane nodded enthusiastically and said with a mouthful of ice cream, "Your place! Your place!"
We discussed final plans and then Danny went to tuck Jane in. I thanked Nora again and hugged her goodnight. She lingered for a moment and then whispered, "I'm glad you're home."
"Me, too."
She waved goodnight from the slider and I went back to the bedroom, my new bedroom. Mine and Danny's. I might have danced a little jig in the hallway. When he came in, we just stood in the middle of the room and held each other for a long time before taking a bath together and then falling into sleep wrapped in each other's arms.
Chapter Twelve
"Rise and shine, gorgeous," Danny said against my ear.
I woke up aware of his strong, naked body firmly pressed against me. The feel of his hands on my breasts called my nerve endings to attention. He kissed and nibbled my neck, causing me to arch, my hips pressing against his pelvis.
"Is this my alarm clock?" I brought his hand up to kiss his fingers. He gasped and used his other hand to wake up my parts farther south.
"You're going to have to tell me now if this isn't an acceptable way to wake you in the morning, because I'm about to be inside you and there'll be no hitting the snooze button. "
I laughed and turned over onto my stomach. "It is perfectly acceptable. But I think you might have to put a little more effort into your job. I'm not awake yet." A little batting of the eyelashes was all the encouragement he needed.
Danny covered me with his body, using his knees to urge my legs apart. "Let me turn things up a notch," he said as he entered me from behind. He slid in slowly and then lifted up. "Pull your legs back together, honey," he whispered in my ear.
I complied. He settled his knees on the outside of my thighs and entered me deeper. The friction in this position was beyond intense. I could tell from his moans that it was heightened for him as well. I arched into him to meet each stroke until he grabbed my hip with one hand and drove into me even deeper. His whole body started to tremble. He bit down on my shoulder, bringing on my release, which then triggered his own.
He rocked in me for several minutes, purring in my ear, continuing my pleasure.
"If I said I was still sleepy, would you do that again?”
He groaned. "I'd do this all day if we didn't have a road trip to start." He pulled out with a whimper and when I giggled at him, he gave my ass a good slap. I squealed and grabbed for the covers.
"Uh uh, time to get moving, gorgeous." He jumped off the bed and slid his boxers over his thick thighs. "I'm going for my morning constitutional. Care to join me?"
I smiled up at him and said, "Let me grab my suit! I'll meet you out there." He blew me a kiss, ran out the door, and dove in the pool.
I used the bathroom, slipped on my suit, and went out to join him. I jumped in and shrieked. "Shit, that's cold!"
Danny was swimming brisk laps so I fell into pace with him. It felt good to be moving. I was a tad stiff from the previous night's acrobatics. We swam non-stop for about twenty minutes and came up at the wall at the same time, me breathing heavier than Danny.
“You really have some fantastic endurance,” I panted.
> He kissed me and climbed out of the pool. “Let’s go shower and pack the car. I’m ready to get this show on the road.”
“Yes, Sir!” I followed him into the bedroom, where we showered quickly with very little funny business. I dressed and then threw the last of my things into an extra suitcase of Danny’s.
“Oh! I need to grab my dress from Nora.” He frowned, pulling on a t-shirt, his feet bare. I notice these things.
“Why does Nora have it?”
I gave him a sly smile. “We wanted to keep my dresses hidden from you. I like surprises.”
He licked his lips and gave my outfit, a short skirt and tank with sandals, an approving once-over. “I like your surprises.”
He wheeled our suitcases out to the garage and I met Nora in the kitchen. “Good morning! You guys have a nice swim?”
I blushed. “I hope my surprised squeal didn’t wake you.”
She laughed. “I’d been up for a while, but it did startle me.”
“I’m sorry. I’ll be sure to test the water next time.”
She shrugged it off. “No big deal. Hey, I wanted to ask you about your medications. How are you feeling?”
I crossed my fingers. “So far so good. The doctor has me taking two different disease-modifying medications and, if necessary, we'll add an anti-malarial drug. Sometimes I get a little dizzy in the mornings, but it’s hardly noticeable. I'm just a little thirstier. I’ve been feeling really good! I’m hoping this and the acupuncture will keep things at bay. I'm taking some supplements Marianne gave me that are supposed to help. You'll be pleased to know I've gained about four pounds."
She raised an eyebrow. "It's a start. We need to keep working at it."
I sighed heavily. "I know. I'm eating! I swear!"
She chuckled and said quietly, "Yeah, but you've also been getting in some intense workouts, my dear." My face flushed and I clapped a hand over my mouth. She laughed even harder at my reaction. "Sugar, if I was with something that fine, I'd be on it every second I could get." My eyes bugged out and I was sputtering when Jane trudged in.
"I'm so bringing a blanket and pillow in the car. This is way too early, " she grumbled, putting her head down on the counter.
"It's 8:00, Janey. Hardly the crack of dawn," Nora teased. "Besides, school starts in a couple weeks. You'll have to start getting up early then."
Jane growled angrily. "Don't remind me.” Nora slid a plate in front of her. "I don't even want to think about school."
We left her to her breakfast. I ate mine quickly. I spent a little time playing with Legs while Danny ate and Jane continued sulking. She couldn't keep it up for long, though, once Danny started singing to her.
“But you don’t know you’re beautifuuuuul,” he crooned to her as she groaned.
“Dad! I don’t even like One Direction! Ugh! They have dorky hair!”
He kissed her cheek and whispered in her ear. “C’mon, c’mon baby. I want to get on the ROAD!” He was so antsy! This was yet another new side to Danny. We were about to be in the car together for approximately six hours, with Jane. I felt sure that by the end of this road trip I would have additional insight to this man I was head over heels for.
We loaded up the Range Rover despite Jane’s repeated requests that we take the Challenger. We gave hugs to Nora and Legs, and then drove off into the warm Hollywood morning. Traffic was minimal at this nine o’clock hour on a Tuesday and I was hoping that would continue. We pulled onto I-5 and Danny turned up the tunes. It was a Judas Priest kind of morning.
“Daddy, who are these guys,” Jane grumbled from the backseat. She still hadn’t woken up entirely. I wondered if her perky persona was literally taking a backseat today.
“This, my darling daughter, is Judas Priest. One of my favorite bands in the whole world. This band is one of the main reasons I got into music in the first place. British Steel was the first album I ever owned. Your grandmother hated it.” He continued to talk about his early metal days and I listened carefully to yet another episode of my own private Behind the Music.
“So how come you like this stuff,” Jane asked him.
I looked over at Danny.
He grinned and frowned at the same time. “I guess it speaks to me. I spent a lot of my boyhood being pissed off with no way to really get it out. I got into a lot of trouble, fights, suspended from school. But when I started listening to Metal and realized that I could take the music I’d learned how to play and use it to get out the anger, it was just a perfect fit. Your grandparents hated it, but they were pleased to not be getting so many calls from school.”
“But Daddy, why were you so angry?”
He got quiet, and then cleared his throat. I had no idea how he was going to answer this question.
“It’s kind of hard to explain, baby. I sometimes don’t get it myself. All I can really say is that there was a lot expected of me that I didn’t agree with, that didn’t fit for me, and I didn’t really have the tools to deal with it. I was just kind of a punk.”
I reached over and took his hand. “I think maybe it also has to do with the fact that you feel things very deeply, Danny. You are very sensitive. And passionate. People who feel things like that often have a hard time getting it all out unless they find a good outlet.” I leaned over and looked back at Jane. “A lot of my students struggle with their anger. They get into a lot of trouble, and it takes something pretty major for them to turn their lives around.”
She looked pensive. “What caused you to turn your life around, Daddy?”
He thought for a moment. “Well, you, mostly. Before your mom and I had you, I was better. I wasn’t getting into trouble because I had my music, but I would still lash out at people. I drank a lot, too, which didn’t help. But then when you were born, it was like I had a new purpose. I didn’t want to fuck things up anymore.” I smiled to myself at his honest language and gave his hand a squeeze. “And then after your mom and I split up, I was really in a bad place again. It took me almost losing my voice to realize I couldn’t sit around angry anymore. I wanted you with me. I wanted to get my diploma so you would be proud of me, and I wanted my voice to work so I could keep making the music that I love.” He smiled over at me. “So I guess both times I turned things around, the reasons were right here in this car.”
“I’m glad, Daddy. And I’m proud of you.”
He let go and reached back to take Jane’s hand. “Thank you, baby. And I’m proud of you. You’ve been through a lot, too, and you’re doing just great.”
She laughed, “Yeah, I guess I haven’t been kicked out of school or gotten into fights.”
That caused Danny to chuckle. “No, you haven’t. I hope you don’t. But if you ever do, we’ll deal with it. Just like we’ve dealt with everything else this summer.”
We stopped for lunch at a Baja Fresh near the halfway point. Danny scarfed down his food and was itching to get back on the road. I ate as fast as I could, but Jane took her time. The two of them bantered back and forth about the speed of her eating, with her insisting it wasn’t healthy to wolf down one’s food. By the time we got back in the car, they had me in hysterics with their playful bickering.
Danny was pretty quiet for the rest of the ride. Jane had on some ear buds and was watching a show on the iPad. Danny held my hand and stroked my wrist absently, humming along to tunes on the radio, but didn’t say much. Suddenly I was hit by the gravity of the situation I was about to be in and I started to have a mini-panic attack.
“Um, Danny? I’m about to meet your parents.”
He glanced over at me, frowning. “Yes, you are.”
I took a deep breath and muttered, “I so do not feel prepared for this. What should I expect? I don’t even know how to act! I don’t know anything about them! You aren’t going to tell them about, you know, your intentions, are you? Oh my God, I don’t feel well.”
Danny took the next exit and pulled up at a McDonald’s. I jumped out of the car before he had the engine turned off.
Jane was asleep and didn’t wake up at the sudden stop. Danny came around the car and took my hands in his, stopping me from pacing.
“Jesse, honey, calm down! What has gotten into you?”
I laughed nervously. “I don’t know! I guess I hadn’t really thought about it. I didn’t have much time to think about it. But what if they don’t like me? What if they think I’m not good enough for you?”
He pulled me into his arms, but I pushed away from him, chewing on a nail. With surprising patience, he took a deep breath and leaned back against the car, his arms crossed at his chest.
“Jesse. My parents are my parents, but they are not a big part of my life. They do not have a say in my life. Given that, they will not disrespect you. They are good people. Well, my mother is. They are well off, but not pretentious. They could really give a shit about my career and don’t buy into the whole Hollywood/LA music scene. They will very likely tell you that I am not good enough for you and you’d do better off with someone like my cousin Seamus. He’s an ophthalmologist like my father. I don’t know where this insecurity is coming from, but it’s too late. I am taking you to see them because I want Jane to see her grandparents and I’d like my mother to meet you, my future wife, who I love desperately. My mother will love you. I have no doubt. I do not, however, want you in a room alone with my father. Not that he’s that much of a sleaze that he would try something, but I don’t trust him not to say something that will make you uncomfortable.”
I’d stopped pacing in the middle of his speech somewhere and stood facing him, my arms crossed as his were. I swallowed hard and said, “I’m sorry, Danny. I don’t know what came over me. I just freaked out. I don’t want to let you down.”
He had his disgusted look on his face so I stepped towards him and leaned against the car next to him, resting my head on his shoulder. “No, honey, I’m sorry. I can see where you might be uncomfortable. I just wish you weren’t. I guess I’m a little nervous to meet your parents, too. The whole divorced guy, tattoos, no education, has a daughter thing I’ve got going on really screams perfect husband material.”
Teacher: Act Two (A Hollywood Rock n' Romance Trilogy Book 2) Page 19