by Isabel Morin
She was temptation itself out there, the black lace slipping over her skin, her silky hair sliding over her eye. Every so often she tossed her head and he thought he’d have a heart attack. Some part of his brain, the part connected to his dick, thought she was already his.
He was impatient to call her up on stage, but the anticipation gave the songs before it the pleasurable tension of foreplay. He walked the line between want and satisfaction, pleasure and desperation, until his whole body thrummed like a plucked guitar string.
The first set went fine, though he could have done without some of the yelling during his quieter songs. But he didn’t let it get to him. In the early days with Buddy’s band, he’d played hellholes that made this look like a walk in the park.
Finally it was time to call her up and she made her way through the crowd and up onto the stage, smiling and graceful, an old pro already. He took her hand as she climbed the stairs and came to stand beside him, her energy thrilling up his arm. Gone were the anxiety and terror from before. She was smiling at him, telling him she was ready.
“Ya’all give it up for Beth Levine, chanteuse extraordinaire,” he exhorted the crowd, and for a few seconds the room was deafening.
Then they started to sing and the crowd quieted except for a few scattered shouts and whistles. Turning his body so that he could face both her and the audience, he sang to her and watched her beautiful face as she sang back the lyrics he’d written, lyrics she’d already made her own.
Every time she sang them she did it a little bit different, and tonight he heard something new again. Listening to her he realized other possibilities in it, even in the way he thought about the women who’d inspired it. But that revelation was nothing to the revelation of her standing mere inches from him. She was radiant, her face flushed, her eyes alive and expressive. He’d never seen anyone more beautiful. And she was as out of reach off stage as she was on.
Then the song was over, much as he would have liked it to go on forever, and she headed back to her spot by the table, the crowd parting for her like she was royalty. The people she passed smiled, their eyes shining. Some of them reached out to touch her.
***
“I’m going to miss these drives,” Beth said, her voice wistful.
They were a couple hours into their drive to Jackson, Wyoming, and Jesse was already wishing the drive were longer. The car was the only place he had Beth to himself.
“Oh yeah? I’d have thought by now you’d be sick of all this,” he said.
She took her eyes off the road to look at him. “Me? No way. This is exactly why I took the job.”
“Next time around it’s going to be different. Stu’s already looking into a tour bus. It’ll be like the circus coming to town.”
“A bus, really?”
“Yeah, with beds and TVs, a bar. You wouldn’t believe what they put on those things.” He smiled at her, already feeling nostalgic. “But I’ll miss this. Just you and me in a car, going places.”
“But it’ll mean you’ve made it,” she said, and her voice was soft, a little huskier. “You have to be glad about that. It’s what you’ve always wanted.”
“It is. But it’s not the only thing I want.”
He felt her glance at him but didn’t meet her eye. As happy as he was being with her, he couldn’t shake the melancholy that had come over him while writing that morning. Part of it was where the song had taken him, but it was also the end of the tour looming in the distance, getting closer with every mile.
Not that he wanted to be on the road forever. He’d been touring nearly non-stop for three months already, and even he had his limits. He was also getting anxious to start recording his new album. But he wasn’t sure he was ready for all the changes coming at him. He definitely knew he didn’t want to say goodbye to Beth.
“What do you think about trying another song? I’ve been working on this duet,” he said, reaching back and grabbing his guitar.
“You want me to sing another song with you? Like onstage?”
“Sure. Everybody loves you.” Maybe this was his way of getting more of her, but if he couldn’t have sex with her, he was going to sing with her as much as possible. “I’ll sing both parts the first time through so you get the idea.”
He took off his seatbelt to get a better angle with the guitar. Beth bit her lip like she was dying to say something about safety, and Jesse had to look out the window for a few seconds to hide his smile. She was so adorable she just about killed him.
When he looked back he was all business. He played it through once, then the second time she came in and sang her part. The song had an old time swing to it and the lyrics he’d written were pretty and they rhymed, so Beth picked them up quickly. She’d even put the car in cruise control so she could tap her toe.
“So what do you think?” he asked when they’d finished.
“It’s a great song. Let’s practice it a couple more days at soundcheck. If it comes together, I’m in.”
“Perfect. I want to have a few new tunes for Austin, especially since there’ll be a lot of folks there who’ve heard me before.”
“So you’ll stay in Austin after this?” she asked.
“Yeah, that’s been home base for the last few years. There are tons of great musicians and studios, so I should have no trouble putting together some kick-ass sessions. We’re already lining things up for when I get back.”
“I can’t wait to see it. I hear it’s a great city.”
“Stick around and I can show you around myself,” he said, putting the guitar back.
Her eyes went wide in surprise and she flushed, like she’d just thought about what they might do together once the tour was over.
“We’ll see,” was all she said.
He didn’t say more, partly because he didn’t want to overdo it, partly because his own invitation had surprised him. Messing around on tour while there were limits was one thing, but inviting her to stay in town with him afterward was different. Potentially messier.
“I like the boots,” he said, suddenly aware he hadn’t said a word about them. “They suit you.”
He felt her smile, warm and pleased even before she spoke.
“You’re right. They do.”
He looked at her then, drinking in the soft, happy smile, the way her hair waved over her eye, the effect so sexy he wanted to howl. Why couldn’t she have a shitty personality, or be less sexy? Why did she have to be the whole package?
“What’ll you do when the tour’s over?” he asked.
He’d been avoiding all talk about after the tour, but he couldn’t keep his head in the sand forever.
“I’ll go back to Las Vegas. It’s not exactly home yet, but Cheryl’s there, and it seems like as good a place as any to start over. Stu told me he’ll be getting a business manager for you. I looked into what that was, and it actually sounds kind of cool.”
“You mean you want to be my business manager?”
“Well, not yours. But I could do it for other bands once I got up and running. Most business managers are accountants, so I have that going for me. And I’ve had a front row seat to a lot of the things a band deals with. It kind of seems like the perfect thing. I just have to figure out how to get started.”
“Huh, sounds cool,” was all he said.
She smiled, her eyes lighting up. “I can see myself working with musicians to improve the business side of things. I’d be good at it, and I’ll care. That’s the thing I’ve been looking for. I just didn’t know what it was going to be until now.”
“I can already tell you’ll be great at it,” he said, but he couldn’t seem to muster the right amount of enthusiasm, even though he meant it.
She’d be great at that kind of thing. He just couldn’t help wondering why she was so quick to say she wouldn’t do it for him. He almost asked but couldn’t bring himself to do it. What if he didn’t like the answer? They stopped soon after for lunch. As soon as they ordered Beth pulled out
a handful of brochures on tourist attractions.
“So, we’ll be passing Grand Tetons National Park, Yellowstone, and a bunch of other national parks. Pretty much the whole state is a national park, but I’ve always wanted to see Yellowstone.”
“That is why you made me get up at nine o’clock this morning. So yeah, let’s do it. It’s only,” he looked at his phone, “twelve-thirty. We should be there by two-thirty, so we’ll still have plenty of daylight.”
She beamed at him, her smile so full of joy it stopped his breath.
“Now aren’t you glad I made you get up so early?” she said, taking one of the fries off his plate and dipping it into his ketchup. “The guys won’t have time to see anything.”
“We’ll see,” he said, purposefully sounding noncommittal.
She didn’t need to know he only did it to make her happy. If he hadn’t been with her, he wouldn’t have cared if he saw a park. Only Beth could make him choose some natural wonder over sleep.
They ate quickly and headed out, Jesse at the wheel while Beth looked up visiting information on her phone.
“The interior roads are closed now, but Mammoth Hot Springs in right inside the north entrance. We can at least see that.”
Dark clouds were piling up in the rearview mirror as he drove east, but it looked like they’d have time to see the park and get to the city before any weather hit. More than anything he wanted to see that look of joy on Beth’s face again. He was beginning to think he’d do just about anything to give it to her.
Beth insisted on paying the entrance fee, but since he was in the driver’s seat he was able to fend her off and pay it himself.
“You didn’t have to do that. This was my idea,” she said, exasperated.
He couldn’t tell her this felt like the closest thing to a date he’d ever get with her, so he just shrugged and said nothing. He parked the car and they dug around in their bags for warmer shoes and clothes. It wasn’t much over forty degrees and it seemed to be dropping fast. He pulled on a pair of beat-up hiking books and a down vest, then turned around to find Beth in a fur-lined pair of boots, a down jacket and red hat and gloves. Where she’d managed to stash it all this time, he had no clue.
He laughed. “Well, at least one of us is prepared.”
The hot springs weren’t what he expected. He’d pictured water spraying out of a few holes, but instead it sort of seeped out of different terrace formations, some of them multi-colored. Jupiter Terrace actually looked like it could have been on a different planet.
They followed the path from one terrace to another, the heat from the springs warming them somewhat. But gradually the temperature fell and Beth started shivering.
“You’re freezing,” he said, laying his bare hand against her cheek.
She yelped and gave a little hop. “I’m a little cold, but your hands are like ice cubes. Don’t you have a hat and gloves?”
“I didn’t bring any with me. I’ll find something tomorrow. It’s no big deal.”
“We might as well go. They’ll probably close it down soon, anyway.”
They hadn’t seen anyone besides rangers since they arrived. Maybe that was with good reason. They hurried back to the car and he blasted the heat as soon as it had warmed up.
“Thank you for doing this,” she said, her voice soft and drowsy.
She’d finally stopped shivering and looked like she might fall asleep.
“I wouldn’t have missed it for anything.”
He meant a lot more than the park, but she didn’t have to know that.
***
Beth dropped her bags on the floor and fell into bed, the late night and long drive finally catching up with her. She’d agreed to meet Jesse in the bar for dinner at seven, which meant she had an hour to nap. She left the curtains open and drifted off as the first snowflakes fell.
When her alarm woke her up it was snowing hard. No message from Stu, though. Did that mean they were still out in this? She tried calling him, then Matt and Brian, but it just rang and rang, eventually going to their voicemail. Either something horrible had happened or they didn’t have reception. Or both.
Jesse was already waiting for her in the bar when she came down.
“Have you heard from Stu?” she asked him.
“No, I was just going to ask you the same thing. But I’m sure it’s fine. If they left at noon and stopped to eat, they would just be getting here now. Let’s give it more time before we freak out. Maybe they pulled off somewhere.”
He was only trying to make them both feel better so she didn’t argue. Maybe he was right. With all the tourist attractions in the area there were more motels than you’d normally find in such a rural area. They could have pulled off at one of them. But wouldn’t Stu have called if that were the case?
They ordered their food, but she was too anxious to sit still so she excused herself and headed into the lobby. There she stood at the front doors peering out into blowing snow and darkness, the thought of them all out there turning her skin clammy. She’d just begun to pray silently for their safe return when a more solid whiteness materialized in the parking lot. Straining her eyes, as if that would help her penetrate the storm, she stood and stared until Stu, Matt, Brian and Will formed out of the blowing snow and came toward her.
“Oh my God, you made it,” she said, throwing her arms around Stu’s neck. “I was so worried about you guys.”
He stopped in surprise, then gave a tired smile. “So were we.”
“Jesse and I were just about to eat, if you guys want to join us.”
“Hell yeah, I’m starving,” Matt said, rubbing his hands together to get warm.
They were all underdressed and shivering.
“Why don’t you guys check in and meet us down in the bar,” she said, suddenly wanting the whole gang together.
They gave varying sounds of agreement and headed to the front desk, but Beth put her hand on Will’s arm.
“Can I talk to you for a second?” she asked.
His whole body tensed and he refused to look her in the eye, but he stayed. The guys glanced back at them with varying degrees of curiosity and worry, but at least they left them alone.
She took a deep breath. “I just wanted to say I’m sorry about everything.”
He looked at her then, his skin flushed, dark eyes intense. “I thought you were smarter than to fall for that guy. I saw you leave after he kissed that woman at the party. How could you be into someone who does that right after kissing you?”
He had a point, even if Jesse hadn’t done anything with that particular woman. But she wasn’t in the mood to answer to Will.
“I appreciate your concern, but you hardly know me,” she said, trying not to sound too harsh. “I think this might have more to do with how much you resent Jesse.”
His head snapped back like she’d slapped him. “No. It’s not about that.”
“Jesse and I hit it off. I like him, and I won’t apologize for that, but I’m really sorry we took it too far.” She hugged her arms to her chest, partly to ward off the chill from the door, partly to ward off Will’s agitation. “You and Jesse need each other, Will. I think you should forget about me and try to see the bigger picture.”
He stared at her like he didn’t know what to say, then his whole body seemed to sag a little. When he finally spoke he sounded sad and tired. “I guess I can try.”
That was more than she’d expected. He looked defeated, but that was better than the barely suppressed fury he’d been walking around with.
“You must be hungry,” she said. “Why don’t you check in so you can meet us for dinner.”
He nodded and picked his bass and duffel bag back up, walking away without a word.
Jesse looked up when she came back to the table.
“They’re all here, safe and sound. They should be down soon to join us,” she said, leaving out her conversation with Will. She didn’t feel like talking that one over.
He looked as
relieved as she felt. Probably he’d been freaking just as hard as her, but being a guy he’d hidden it. Their food came a minute later, the rest of the band shortly thereafter. Everyone looked tired, but marginally better than when they’d arrived.
Will sat down at the end opposite from Jesse, and he didn’t look thrilled, but at least he was there.
“So what happened to you guys?” Beth asked, moving over to let Stu in. “We were imagining the worst.”
“It almost was the worst,” Brian muttered, sitting down on her other side.
“No shit,” Matt said, falling into a chair. His face was red, his hair standing up in tufts all over his head. “I thought we were gonna crash and die. And even before I thought we were gonna crash, the heater broke and I thought we were gonna freeze to death.”
That started everyone talking about how the heater went, then the snow started and Stu could barely see even as the van slid all over the road.
“I was just lucky I saw the turn into town,” Stu added. He looked even more worn-out than usual and he still shivered even though the bar was over-warm. “I don’t know what I was thinking coming through here this time of year.”
On a normal day everyone would have been giving him a hard time, but no one did. Which just showed how shaken up they all were. The animosity that had been in the air for so long was gone, and even Will was starting to look less tense.
They all ordered huge amounts of food and plenty of alcohol, eating and drinking until they were full and heavy.
“I feel so guilty,” Beth said, taking a sip of her Irish coffee. “We beat the storm, and my heater worked. We even stopped for a little while at Yellowstone and saw Mammoth Hot Springs.”
Matt snorted. “I’d still take the near death experience over getting up at nine in the morning.”
That cracked everyone up.
Stu gave a low groan and leaned back to let the waitress take his plate. “I got the final cut of the video Drobak put together for me.”