by Bryony Kayn
Steve was still for long seconds, his jaw tight and eyes intent as he seemed to go through a gamut of powerful emotions. At last, he said, “I’ll call Sly and tell him you’re sick. He’ll let you have the night off—”
Jake shook her head, not letting him finish. “No, he won’t. Dana has the night off and so does Cassie. That puts us two down already. And there’s a new band coming in tonight, so there will probably be a pretty decent crowd. I have to go to work, whether I want to or not.”
“What can I do?” he asked, a note almost of pleading in his voice.
Jake sighed, sliding her hand up to touch his face, letting her fingers trace the line of his jaw. “I don’t know, babe.”
After a breakfast consisting of a couple cups of coffee and a slice of toast with jam, Jake went in to take a shower. If Steve had thought about offering to join her, he decided against it. Truthfully, Jake was grateful when Steve stayed in the kitchen. She was tired and sore, and the last thing she wanted right now was to pretend she wanted his advances. She took a quick shower, hissing when the hot water hit her scrapes. When she got out, she wrapped a towel around her hair and carefully dried off. Afterward, she had to figure out what she could put on. She wasn’t about to put her jeans back on, as they fit snuggly and she couldn’t deal with the friction against her lower back. Finally, she raided Steve’s closet for a pair of cotton drawstring shorts. They fit loosely, and the waistband was soft enough it didn’t irritate the abrasions. She pulled the button-front shirt on again, tying it in a knot to bare her stomach.
When she came back out into the kitchen, Steve lit a cigarette and handed it to her. “I think I’ll take a quick shower, too,” he said, bending to kiss her when she sat down. “Back in a few.”
“’K,” she said, not watching him go. When she heard the water start running as he got into the shower, she picked up the house phone and dialed Angel’s number.
It rang three times before it was answered. “Yeah?” Angel asked.
“Hey, sweetheart,” Jake said, sounding completely normal. “What’s up?”
“Me, just barely,” he replied. “How about you?”
“Just waiting for Steve to get out of the shower,” she said, ashing her cigarette. “I wanted to ask you a favor.”
“What’s that?”
“I’m gonna have Steve bring me back to the house before he heads over to T.J.’s. I’ve got some shit I want to do, so I’m not gonna come to the studio today,” she said casually and took another drag off the smoke. “I was wondering if I could use one of your other cars to get to work tonight. I don’t want to have to wait for you or Steve to come back and get me.”
“No problem. You know you’re welcome to use any of my cars.”
“Thanks, Angel-mine.”
“Everything okay?” he asked. “I was a little worried last night when you two left.”
“Yeah, everything’s fine,” she replied, glad suddenly that she’d had so much practice lying. “You know Steve. He was irritated about Spyk and you getting on his case. Shit like that usually blows over pretty quickly.”
“Glad to hear it,” he said.
“I’m gonna let you go, babe. See you in a bit.”
“’K, see ya.”
She blew out a stream of smoke and put out the cigarette, dropping the cordless phone on the table. Now all she had to do was act like everything really was fine until Angel left for T.J.’s. She hoped she could pull it off as easily in person as she’d done on the phone.
About an hour later, Steve pulled into the circular drive and parked under the portico in front of Angel’s house. Jake had told him she wasn’t going to T.J.’s with him today, and he knew perfectly well why. She’d also told him Angel had given her permission to use another of his vehicles to get to work, so he wouldn’t need to leave the studio early.
“Are you going to be able to pull this off?” Steve asked, opening Jake’s door and taking her hand as she got out. He winced at the cautious way she moved.
She shot him a considering look, and he bit his tongue. She was keeping her mouth shut about her injuries, mild as they might be, for his sake, not her own. If Angel found out what had happened, there would be a fight, and they both knew it.
“Tell me what I can do,” he said again, touching her face.
“Don’t do it again,” she said, her tone blunt. Then she slipped her arms around him and kissed his neck. “I don’t mean to be a bitch,” she added softly.
“You’re not,” he said, putting his hand against the back of her head, but moving it quickly when she flinched. “Sorry,” he said lamely.
She chuckled, her amusement apparently genuine. “I think I need to go to Jezebel’s and do some shopping. Maybe I can stripe your hide once or twice a week and get it out of both our systems.”
“I was planning on stopping by there this afternoon. Want me to pick anything up?” he asked, flashing a quick smile at her.
“No,” she stated firmly, pulling away from him to walk to the front door.
Once inside the house, they found Angel in the living room smoking a cigarette and playing an acoustic guitar. He stopped playing, took the cigarette from his mouth, and nodded at them.
“Hey, Angel-mine,” Jake said with no indication in her voice that anything was amiss. “Another new song?”
He shrugged. “Maybe. Not sure yet.”
“Is there any coffee?” Jake asked, continuing on into the kitchen.
“No, I didn’t make any this morning,” Angel called after her, his eyes following Steve as he sat on the couch across from him. Steve leaned back, then sat forward again, twitching his shoulders uncomfortably. “Something wrong?” Angel asked, raising one eyebrow.
“The kitten’s got claws,” Steve replied with a grin, knowing from Angel’s cool expression that he was neither impressed nor amused.
“I’m gonna make some,” Jake said, pulling a can of coffee out of the cupboard. “Should I make a half pot? Or do either of you want any?”
“Yeah, I’ll have some,” Angel answered her, leaning forward to put his cigarette out in the marble ashtray on the table. When he sat back, he began playing again.
A few minutes later Jake came back with a tray of three cups of hot coffee, which she set on the table. She sat gracefully on the floor before the couch where Steve sat and leaned her side against the cushions.
“Thanks, little girl,” Angel said, leaning over to pick up his cup.
Steve took the cup Jake handed him and set it on his knee. His left hand went to her shoulder, sliding under her hair to the back of her neck, and he gently massaged her tight muscles.
Jake sighed, closing her eyes and letting her head drop, relaxing beneath his touch.
“So why aren’t you coming to T.J.’s today?” Angel asked, returning his cup to the table. “You said you had some shit to take care of.”
Jake didn’t open her eyes or move her head, but Steve paused. “I want to go through my clothes,” she said casually. “With all the stuff Steve bought me, I’ve really got too much. I want to get rid of some of the older stuff and the things that are falling apart. There’s a women’s shelter a couple of blocks from the Neon. I thought I’d drop off the better stuff to them. They’re always looking for donations.”
“That’s nice of you,” Angel commented, his fingers moving over the frets as he played softly.
“I’ve taken handouts a time or two in my life. Only fair to give when I can,” she replied, glancing up at Steve when he finished rubbing her neck. “Thanks, babe. That felt good.”
He nodded, knowing he owed her so much more than just a few minutes of comfort. Somehow, he would figure out a way to make it up to her. “Anytime,” he said.
Jake lit a cigarette from Angel’s pack and just sat quietly drinking her coffee as she listened to him play. She loved listening to a musician writing music. It was something she had once enjoyed doing herself, although she hadn’t written anything in years. She hadn’t even
touched a guitar since leaving Hollywood three years before. After another hour and a couple more cups of coffee each, Angel set his acoustic aside in a stand near the couch.
“Guess we ought to head over there,” he said, looking at Steve.
“Yeah, guess so,” Steve agreed, getting to his feet. He held a hand out to Jake, pulling her up beside him.
She made a face as he did so, her head turned so Angel wouldn’t see. She had sat long enough without moving that her back felt stiff, and the movement reawakened the throbbing in the abrasions.
“See you later at the Neon?” Steve asked, putting his arms around her shoulders.
“Yeah,” she agreed, slipping her arms around his waist. “If you stop by Jezebel’s, don’t forget to tell Kila hi for me.”
“I won’t forget,” he promised, kissing her lightly.
When Steve stepped away from her and started toward the front door, Angel paused beside her. “Are you feeling okay? You look a little pale.”
She shrugged, giving him a small smile. “Didn’t get much sleep last night.”
He nodded slowly, looking concerned. “Maybe you should take a nap instead of going through your clothes.”
She laughed, shaking her head. “I’m fine, babe. I’ll get more sleep tonight, I promise.”
He leaned down to give her a hug, and she clenched her teeth as one of his hands pressed against the small of her back. “I’ll be down to the Neon after the studio, so I’ll see you there.”
“Okay,” she said, a little breathless, and almost sighed in relief when he let her go. “See you tonight.”
Then they were gone, and Jake knelt down on the floor, lying over on the couch on her stomach. “Fuck,” she said, waiting for the stinging, burning pain in her back to subside. After a while, she got up and went into her bedroom. She did need to go through her clothes to see if she could find anything to wear tonight that wouldn’t cause her more pain. But since she’d given Angel the excuse, she decided she would take some clothes to the shelter. There were some things that she just didn’t wear anymore, and it was pointless to leave them taking up space in her closet when someone else could get some use out of them.
It was with a feeling of frustration that she admitted she was screwed. She’d always preferred her clothing to be form fitting, and she didn’t own a pair of jeans or a skirt that fit loosely across her hips. She sat on the end of her bed, rubbing the back of her neck while she thought, as her head still ached. Finally, she came to the conclusion that the only thing to do was go shopping. She certainly couldn’t go to work wearing Steve’s drawstring shorts, even if they were comfortable.
She went into the kitchen and grabbed a couple big garbage bags, then came back into her closet to fill them with the things she was getting rid of. One bag really was garbage, filled with clothes that were literally worn out and falling apart. The other she filled with shirts, jeans, and a couple of skirts that she simply never wore since Steve had added to her wardrobe. She found her wallet, made sure her bank card and driver’s license were in it, and stuck it in the side pocket of the loose shorts. Then she hefted the two bags and headed for the garage.
The bag of worn out rags went into one of the trash canisters beside the garage door, and then Jake turned to look at her choice of vehicles. Angel had taken the convertible again. It seemed to be his favorite ride at the moment. That left two SUVs, the Jaguar, the two-seater Mercedes, and the Lexus. She had no interest in taking either of the SUVs as they were both larger than she felt comfortable driving around the city. She loved the Jag and the Mercedes was beautiful as well, but they were both so expensive she was afraid she’d wreck one if she took it. That left the Lexus. It wasn’t necessarily a cheap car either, but was the least expensive of the vehicles currently parked at Angel’s house. He had five other vehicles, that she knew of, parked in a garage a few miles away. He had told her he traded them out every couple of months, so they all got driven regularly.
The keys for all the vehicles were organized on a pegboard mounted to the wall, and she found the set for the Lexus with no difficulty. The bag with her old clothes got tossed into the trunk, and Jake got behind the wheel and started the car. She had to admit it was pretty, painted a sparkling silver with an interior upholstered in dark leather. The seat was comfortable, although it was pushed all the way back to accommodate Angel’s long legs, and she had to adjust it so she could reach the pedals.
She used the remote above the visor to open the garage door ahead of her and pulled out, halting long enough to be sure the door closed again behind her. She drove along the curving driveway, pressing the button on another remote to open the gate. Then she pulled out onto the broad residential street, trying to decide where she wanted to go shopping for something that would look decent on her but not bring her to tears before the night was over.
Angel walked into the Neon at about 9:30 that night and immediately spotted Quinn at a table halfway between the entrance and the stage. He made his way through the crowd toward the other man. “Okay if I join you?”
“Go ahead, man. You know you’re always welcome,” Quinn replied, gesturing to an empty chair. “Where’s the rest of the guys?”
“Steve should be here anytime, and Marlo will be down a little later. I don’t think T.J.’s going to make it tonight. He was going to meet someone for dinner, and I got the feeling it would probably be a late night for him.” Angel pulled up a seat, glancing around. “Jake around?”
“Yeah, this is her table,” Quinn said. “I just got here about fifteen minutes ago. She went to get my drink.” He shook his head, grinning wryly. “She decided to change her style, or what? It’s been so long since I’ve seen her in anything but jeans I almost didn’t recognize her.”
“What do you mean?” Angel asked.
Quinn laughed. “Wait till you see her.”
A few minutes later Jake appeared at the table with Quinn’s drink. She set a second drink in front of Angel. “JD and Coke, right?” she asked, and Angel looked her up and down consideringly.
She was wearing a dress of a deep slate-colored fabric. It bared her shoulders but had sleeves that went to the elbow and a narrow skirt that fell just short of her knees. The material it was made of was very soft and seemed to cling to her. A black leather belt with silver accents circled her waist, emphasizing her slender figure. She always looked good in Angel’s eyes, but in this unadorned dress she was enough to take his breath away.
“You look great,” he said appreciatively, and she smiled at him.
“Thanks.”
“Did you go shopping? Or have I just never seen this before?” he asked, putting his hand on her hip and stroking the soft material.
“I went shopping,” she returned, putting her hand on his shoulder. “You won’t let me pay rent or buy food for the house, so my paychecks just keep stacking up in the bank and burning a hole in my debit card. I decided I wanted to spend some of it.”
“Turn around; let me see you,” he said, nudging her hip a little.
She complied, holding her arms out with the empty tray dangling from one hand, and she grinned when she caught sight of his expression. “That good, huh?”
“Fuck yeah,” Angel said softly, wishing again, as he had so many times before, that he had met her before Steve had. “I think I’m gonna have to dance with you tonight, little girl. You look too good to pass up.”
She laughed, leaning over to kiss his cheek. “I’ll let you know when my break’s up. Now, do you guys need anything else?”
“This’ll do for me,” Quinn said.
“I’m good,” Angel agreed, knowing that the way he was looking at her would make his feelings obvious to anyone who knew him. Judging by Quinn’s expression, he seemed to be pretty aware of it. At least he knew Quinn was circumspect enough not to blurt out anything potentially embarrassing—for either of them.
“Okay, I’ll check back on you in a bit.” Jake stepped away quickly as Angel’s hand grazed her
lower back. He snatched his hand back. The last thing he wanted was to put her in a compromising position.
When Steve arrived a little later, he joined the other two men at the table. “Hey, Quinn,” he said, clapping the other man’s shoulder.
“Steve,” Quinn returned as he took a seat. “Jake should be back in a minute, if you want to wait to order.”
“Yeah,” Steve said, pushing his hands through his hair to get it out of his face.
“Wait till you see what she’s wearing,” Quinn added, slanting a glance at Angel.
“Oh?”
“She went shopping,” Angel put in.
“Ah,” Steve said, glancing toward the bar to see if he could spot her.
He wasn’t disappointed. She had apparently seen him walk in and was making her way to their table. When she reached them, she walked around to Steve and bent to kiss him. He returned the kiss with unabashed enjoyment.
“You look beautiful,” he said, being completely sincere. The dress suited her, as simple as it was, and showed off her curves almost too well.
“Thanks, baby,” she said, resting her arm across his shoulders. “You want a drink?”
“Yeah, whiskey,” he replied, slipping his arm around her so it rested against the back of her thighs. He was very careful not to touch her lower back at all. “Maybe something to eat, too.”
“Just want a sampler?” she asked.
“Sure,” he said, his fingers caressing her leg below the hem of the dress.
A slight smile touched her lips, and she gazed down at him warmly. “I’ll go put in your order. Back in a minute with your drink,” she said, pulling away from him. Steve watched her go, admiring the way her hips swayed in the clinging dress. If she was still uncomfortable, she hid it well as she moved across the room.
An hour or so later, Jake showed up to the table without her tray. “Break time,” she said, smiling at Angel as he slid his chair back and stood up.
“Where are you going?” Steve asked.
“Jake promised me a dance on her break,” Angel replied nonchalantly and put his arm across her shoulders as they headed for the dance floor.