Daniel Alexander

by J. Sterling

“If you don’t mind.” I paused, knowing full well that he most likely never wanted to leave the bedroom.

  He leaned forward, his lips meeting mine in a soft closed-mouth kiss. “I don’t mind.”

  “Yay!” I clapped my hands together. “It’s one of my most favorite places in Santa Monica. It’s only been open for private tours until recently.”

  “We couldn’t go on a private tour, Miss Lyons?” He grabbed my waist and moved my wet hair to the side, so he could kiss my neck.

  I pulled my shoulder up against his face. “We could, but it was only during certain hours, and it wouldn’t have worked. That doesn’t matter. We’re going tonight!”

  “Do I need to dress up?” He looked down at his still naked body.

  “Well, you need to dress in clothing, yes. But not fancy ones. Jeans are fine. Did you bring jeans in that little bag of yours? Do you even own jeans?” I asked, realizing that I’d never seen him in anything other than suits.

  “I didn’t bring any this time, but I will the next.”

  “I’ll dress to match you. Show me what you brought.” He pulled out a pair of black slacks and a light gray shirt. “Always with the depressing colors,” I criticized. “Let me go dry my hair really quick. Beers are in the fridge.”

  ****

  “Are we actually leaving?” He smacked my ass as I led him out the front door. “Nice outfit.” His eyes traveled from the top of my black well-fitted top to the bottom of my dark gray pencil skirt.

  I drove Daniel to the oldest hotel in Santa Monica. We entered the art-deco building and headed past the front desk and down the stairs into the darkened basement area.

  “Are you murdering me? We just got back together, and you’re already looking to kill me?” he whispered as we walked down the narrow staircase.

  “Just come on. You’ll love it.” I pulled his hand.

  Once at the bottom of the staircase, I made a left and pushed through the swinging dark doors. A new world opened up to us, and the energy shifted.

  “What is this place?” Daniel grinned as he looked around.

  “Pretty cool, right?” I stepped into the room as the past surrounded me.

  “Shit yeah. Was this a speakeasy?”

  “It was! Although, prohibition ended the same year they built it, so they didn’t need to utilize most of the secret doors and hatches for long.”

  I looked around at the barely lit room. Red puffy booths lined the dark wood-paneled walls. All original fixtures remained, except for the carpet, which had been replaced years prior.

  “The backs of the booths are all original. They’ve never been replaced. Ever. Al Capone used to sit right over there.” I pointed to the largest booth in the corner.

  “In that one?” Daniel pointed at it, too.

  “Yep. He needed to be able to see people coming in from every angle, and that was the only seat in the place that let him do that.” I smiled at the idea of being in this bar during that time period.

  “Sounds about right, being back against the wall with no one behind him. What a badass,” he said, seemingly lost in this place.

  A hostess appeared virtually out of thin air. “Sorry for the wait. Do you know where you’d like to sit?”

  Daniel pointed at Al Capone’s old table, and she grinned as if she knew he’d choose that one.

  “Right this way.”

  “So, do you like it?” I asked as we walked, loving that he seemed to appreciate this spot as much as I did.

  “I love it. I can’t wait to see more of your favorite places,” he commented before sliding into Al’s old booth.

  “And I can’t wait to show you,” I said as I slid in beside him.

  My favorite destination in LA felt even more happy and my heart was full.

  FOUR MONTHS LATER

  EPILOGUE

  ELIZABETH

  Today marked the beginning of a new chapter for Daniel and me.

  Wrapping up production for the day, I couldn’t wait to head home to what awaited me. Upon arrival, I noted that Daniel was already inside, seeing his car parked in one of our underground spaces.

  Bypassing the elevator, I practically skipped up the stairs as excitement coursed through me. When I walked through the door, I noticed boxes everywhere and shit scattered all over the floor.

  “Daniel?” I shouted, wondering where he was.

  “In the bedroom!” he shouted back before meeting me in the hallway.

  “Hi.” I smiled like a kid in a candy store before leaning up on my tiptoes and planting a kiss on his waiting mouth.

  “Hi yourself.” He pulled away before leaning back in and pulling my bottom lip between his teeth. “You ready for this?”

  “It’s a little late for that question,” I teased.

  He glanced around at all his things covering my floor. “True. I’ve already grown attached to my new place.”

  “Your new place?” I swatted his shoulder.

  He lifted me up and tossed me across his shoulder. “Our new place.”

  “It’s only new to you,” I said, hitting his ass with my hands.

  “I brought you something.” He flipped me back over and rested me on my feet, before pulling me into the bedroom where the most elaborate bouquet of multicolored roses sat in an oversized vase.

  “Daniel, they’re stunning! So many colors. How come?” I ran over to them and breathed in their scent. “Does this mean you want to see other people? You don’t want to just see me anymore?” I giggled with a fake frown. I loved any chance I got to tease him, but honestly, I was a little confused at his flower choice.

  “I’ll always only see you, but you’re so much more than just my white rose. You’re all of them—every fucking color. There are so many sides to you, so many shades, and I love every single one.”

  “I love you.” I threw my arms around his neck and kissed him deeply, passionately, and with all the love I had for him in my heart.

  It had been four months since we started officially dating. My scare when it came to my feelings had ended as abruptly as it had started. Daniel had coaxed emotions out of me and constantly reassured me that we were on the same page, so I never felt alone. Eventually, I’d stopped worrying about how to balance everything, and it had all seemed to fall into place. Trusting him implicitly, I realized how little there was to worry about. Work would dominate my days while Daniel would dominate my nights.

  In the beginning, our evenings had been filled with late-night phone calls and our days with the occasional text or email. Being in a long-distance relationship had worked well for us for a while, considering how busy we both were with our jobs.

  But after about three months, we’d simply missed each other too much, and being apart more often than we were together had become something that wasn’t fun anymore. As much as the distance was a convenience in certain aspects, like no one to upset when coming home late for dinner or having to spend a night in the office, it had definitely made other things more difficult, like wanting to come home and hug him after a shitty day at work or simply needing my best friend when I wanted him around. Sending each other picture messages had grown old when what I truly wanted was him by my side, seeing what I was seeing. Life was about the experience, and we’d been experiencing our lives apart. And it had sucked.

  Moving down to Santa Monica had been Daniel’s idea. I would never have suggested it because the subject was honestly far too touchy for me. I’d never even considered moving up to San Francisco even though I loved his place and the energy of the city during the handful of times I’d visited him. But in my defense, the entertainment industry only existed in Southern California, so moving didn’t make sense for me professionally, and I refused to give up my career for anyone, even Daniel. So, when I wasn’t willing to make the same sacrifice, I couldn’t in good conscience ask him to move down here, no matter how badly I wished he would.

  Daniel had decided that his work could be done from anywhere, so he’d called me one day and a
nnounced his plans to relocate. I’d almost flown up there that afternoon to start packing his things. His best friend, James, had started running the actual office, but I’d often wondered how long it would take for him to join us down here. I’d gotten the impression that James couldn’t be left unsupervised for too long. To be honest, I thought he missed Daniel, which was a feeling I could completely relate to.

  I wasn’t sure what that meant for Daniel’s current business, but I could tell he wasn’t worried about it. When I’d asked him once what would happen to everyone he employed, he’d assured me that they would all get at least a year’s worth salary if he closed the doors and that he would try to find them jobs elsewhere, if not with him in his new venture. It pleased me to no end to hear how well he treated his employees. Good character was important to me, and Daniel Alexander was filled with it.

  He tugged at my side. “I need a break. Can we go for a walk?”

  “Want to have a drink and watch the sun set?” I offered, knowing the perfect spot.

  “Sounds perfect.”

  We walked hand in hand along the sandy concrete path splitting the buildings on the street from the actual beach. I watched as Daniel looked around at the brightly lit pier rides and back at the people doing tricks on the metal rings and bars that were bolted into the sand.

  “Is it always like this? Guys flipping around on rings and climbing ropes for no reason.”

  I laughed. “No reason? How else can they show off those muscles if they don’t randomly start climbing that rope or balance themselves between a set of metal rings?”

  “They could go to a gym.”

  “Oh, they do. It’s down the street—outside in Venice.”

  His eyes widened as he took in my words. “Muscle Beach, right?”

  “Exactly. You’re a regular already.” I leaned my body against him as he continued to walk.

  “Almost there. It’s up ahead,” I said.

  “Is it a bar?” He craned his neck to see where I was looking.

  “It’s actually a hotel, but the bar is amazing. They have a large terrace overlooking the beach, and gorgeous fire features. You’ll love it.”

  When the enormous gray-and-white building came into view, Daniel’s whole face lit up with his smile. “Is this where we’re going?”

  I nodded, squeezing his hand a little tighter. “Isn’t it beautiful?”

  “It’s like the perfect beach house. I mean, if you wanted to house, like, three hundred of your closest friends. Yeah, it’s gorgeous.”

  I pointed to the level above the ground. “We’re going up there to drink our cares away.”

  “Everything I care about is right here in my arms,” he said before tenderly kissing my lips.

  Once we were seated outdoors, we each had an ice-cold beer in one hand and a menu in the other.

  Putting our menus down, he brought my hand to his lips. “I can’t believe we live together.” He winked.

  “I can’t believe I get to have my way with you anytime I want.” I leaned my head against his shoulder.

  “Check, please!” he yelled.

  “We haven’t even eaten yet!” I laughed.

  “You’re the one who brought up sex, not me! I can’t be expected to think about food after that. I’m only so strong, Elizabeth.”

  “You need your energy, so eat some dinner, Mr. Alexander. We can work it all off later.”

  “You’ll be the death of me, woman.”

  “And you’ll like it.” I smiled.

  “I’ll love it. I love you.” He pressed a kiss to my temple.

  “I love you, too.”

  I stared at him, feeling the fullness in my heart.

  We looked out at the sun and watched it cast a magical orange-and-yellow glow across the dark blue water. Turning my head to look at Daniel as he stared out at the wonder before us, I felt so blessed and lucky that he hadn’t backed down all the times I’d tried to push him away.

  Before him, I hadn’t realized that what I needed was a strong man who wouldn’t listen to me when I said I wanted him to leave me alone. I’d needed a fighter, and Daniel Alexander was exactly that. He was my champion, and I belonged right here, by his side, forever.

  The End

  Thank you so much for reading! I hope you enjoyed Daniel & Elizabeth’s story as much as I enjoyed writing it.

  Keep reading for a sneak peek of my New York Times Bestseller, 10 Years Later.

  10 YEARS LATER

  Day Job

  Cammie

  I swiped my employee badge at the building entrance before hearing the lock unclick. It tended to be chilly at this time of the morning, even in LA, and I didn’t like standing out in the dark all alone for too long so I hurried inside, taking a quick glance behind me to make sure no one else tried to sneak in. Taking a sip from my gas station coffee—even Starbucks wasn’t open at this ungodly hour—I walked toward the bank of elevators. Sliding my badge again, I was greeted by the sound of the motor whirring to life before a set of doors opened with a loud ding that echoed in the otherwise empty lobby.

  Once upstairs on the eighth floor, I pulled out an actual key and slipped it into the back door lock. The hallway lights turned on as I neared, creating a lighted pathway in front of me. Once I reached my desk, I tossed my belongings inside one of the filing cabinet drawers and heard my name being shouted from an office down the hall. We had one hour before the guys were scheduled to start their morning radio show, and this was when we always went over the material and made sure we had everything we needed for the day’s guests, if we had any coming in.

  I was usually tasked with researching the latest celebrity gossip to find interesting headlines from around the world for the DJs to report on, chat about, and/or engage the listeners by making a contest out of it. Grabbing my notepad and a pen, I walked down the hall, peeking into various offices until I found them.

  I first started working at the radio station right after college, interning for a full year before getting a paid position in the promotions department. Since then, I’d spent the last six years working my way through different divisions until I was finally hired on with the morning show after a coveted opening became available. My goal had always been to produce either a morning or an evening radio show, since those were the two most popular time slots at any station.

  I’d been the assistant producer for the last eight months, and aside from waking up at freaking dawn, an hour no one in their right mind should ever be awake for, I loved pretty much everything about this job. John and Tom were the DJs, both in their midforties, married with kids, and had been waking up Los Angeles since I was in junior high school. A fact I enjoyed reminding them of because it made them feel old, and it was one of the few things I could actually tease them about and get away with. While John was the one who tended to push the envelope and asked the tough questions, Tom tended to wait cautiously in the background, either laughing or jumping in to smooth over any wrinkles John created.

  “Morning, Cammie,” the guys said in unison as I entered John’s office. Tom, John, and my direct boss, Scott, all looked up at me as I walked in.

  “Hi. So, what have we got today?” I sat down and jumped right in, readying my pen over my notepad.

  “We have Bronson coming in for the commute.” Scott stared down at a printed checklist as he asked, “Cammie, did you order the fruit plate, the special juices, and the bagels?”

  Bronson was an up-and-coming singer, and teenage girls who sneaked out of school would be lining up around the building just to catch a glimpse of him.

  “I did. Everything should arrive by seven thirty, and I’ll set it up in the green room.”

  We called our holding room the green room because it was literally painted green and looked like something out of The Jungle Book, with more plants than any one room should ever hold. It was furnished simply with a sage-green L-shaped couch, an oversized table, and a bookshelf overflowing with compact discs, something we didn’t even use
anymore. All the compact disc players were kept in storage since everything was converted electronically and run via computers. We couldn’t even give them away to listeners because they didn’t have a way to play the damn things.

  Scott nodded. “Sounds great. Make sure the camera’s working in the main booth so we can upload pictures to social media while we’re interviewing him. And we’ll be having a contest to win front-row seats to his concert next Friday, so be prepared for the phones to blow up.” He looked down and scribbled notes on the checklist he held.

  “Got it,” I said with a smile.

  “I heard that Crineene got kicked out of a club last night after getting into a fistfight with her boyfriend. A fistfight,” Tom said with a grin. “Make sure you find that story.”

  “Awesome.” I smirked as I shook my head.

  The meeting ended and I headed back to my computer, reading and printing up stories about celebrities that had happened overnight, including Crineene’s incident. On the one hand, I was thankful that there was enough drama to fill the three entertainment segments during the show, but on the other I wondered how the hell all that had happened in the span of twenty-four hours.

  This was exactly why I had no interest in dating a musician or someone in the business. That entire scene didn’t interest me outside of this radio station. I loved my job and it was fun to meet the people whose music I enjoyed, but that was as far as I took it.

  In college I dated a drummer for a local band that ended up getting a record deal. The experience pretty much cured me of any future crushes I might have on boys who sang or played instruments. It didn’t take me long to catch on that most of those guys had a problem staying faithful, expecting their girlfriends to overlook any indiscretions because girls were constantly throwing themselves at their feet.

  “You can’t expect me to resist that kind of temptation every night, babe. It’s not like I like them the way I like you. I mean, you understand, right?”

  No, I didn’t understand, and I didn’t want to.