by S. Tamanaha
“I did hit a triple once,” she said, “but the bases weren’t loaded. I only had one RBI that day.”
Ray Jennings laughed again. “That’s better than I’ve ever done. We’ve got to recruit you for the network league. All right, Susan, if you don’t mind, tell us how John proposed to you. Did he take you to a nice dinner, get down on his knee, the whole bit?”
“Truthfully, he just sort of blurted it out last night.”
“Blurted it out!” Ray Jennings exclaimed as the audience laughed loudly. “You mean the man who plays Jordan Cain is not a romantic in real life?”
“Well, if by romantic you mean someone who buys flowers and candy on Valentine’s Day or expensive jewelry for Christmas, then I’d have to say no, he’s not romantic in that way. But then those things don’t matter much to me.”
“Can I ask you why not? Seriously, I really want to know.”
“Because anyone can be romantic on a birthday or Christmas or Valentine’s Day. I’m more interested in how a man treats me the other three hundred and sixty two days of the year and when it comes to that, Johnny does everything right.”
The audience applauded loudly and Ray Jennings smiled at Johnny with a look of admiration on his face.
“All right, tell us then, in two sentences or less, what some of John’s best qualities are,” Ray Jennings said.
She didn’t hesitate. “He has absolutely no conceit, in spite of the fact that he’s been labeled a sex symbol. And he’s very caring and considerate as well as extremely intelligent and talented.”
“I notice that you didn’t mention his physical attributes at all. The body and the face that have managed to sell over 100,000 posters in just a few short months. I mean even a straight guy has to admit that this man is just handsome.”
The audience applauded and she could hear some of the women scream.
“Yes, he’s very handsome,” she said, “but if looks were all that he had, I would have been bored in about two minutes after meeting him.”
The audience laughed and applauded again.
“Okay, this is the final question and it’s a tough one. Is there anything that you really, really don’t like about him? Be completely truthful now.”
She didn’t miss a beat. “The fact that he’s been talking about me on your show after I asked him not to.”
The audience laughed loudly.
“Uh-oh. I think you’re in trouble,” Ray Jennings said to Johnny.
“I think so,” Johnny said with mock seriousness. “I’m not sure if it’s safe to go home now.”
“Thank you for putting up with me, Susan,” Ray Jennings said then. “You are an extremely interesting woman. You wouldn’t happen to have any sisters would you?”
“I do actually,” Susan replied. “But they like to shop.”
Laughter again.
“Well, congratulations on your engagement. Before we say goodbye, do you have any message for your fiancé?”
“Yes,” she said in that sultry tone, “tell him that I love him and it’s safe to come home.”
The audience applauded loudly when Ray Jennings hung up the phone. Johnny maintained his demeanor, smiling only a slight “I told you so” kind of smile at the host, but inside, he couldn’t have been more proud of how she handled herself. He knew that she would come through. Ray Jennings was obviously pleased that the interview had been interesting and entertaining.
“Well, I’ve got to say, she’s everything that you said she was. I can see why you’re so smitten. And that voice. You have this deep sexy voice and she has a very sexy voice as well.”
“I’m glad you said that. She never believes me when I tell her that.”
“I think people could get turned on just hearing the two of you have a conversation.”
The audience laughed.
“Have you set a date?”
“Not yet,” Johnny replied. “Soon I hope.”
“Well, I want to congratulate you on your continued success with your series, your poster, and your engagement. Seriously.”
“Thank you.” Johnny shook Ray Jennings’ hand once more as the audience applauded again.
“Now I understand that you’re going to do another exclusive for us, right? You’re actually going to sing? I know I’ve asked you a few times to do so.”
“I am.”
“I can’t wait to hear you,” Ray Jennings said.
The audience applauded loudly as Johnny got up and walked over to a microphone set up near the band.
“This is a song that my fiancé introduced me to so I’m dedicating it to her,” Johnny said.
Then he sang it—the song that he had been rehearsing for weeks—the Ronnie Milsap song that she had suggested that he sing months ago. The women in the audience went wild when they heard his deep, sexy singing voice, and when he selected one lucky lady during the instrumental break for a brief dance, as Susan had suggested that he do, the woman looked in danger of swooning. He received thunderous applause at the conclusion of the song.
Ray Jennings, clapping his hands and obviously impressed from the look on his face, said, “Ladies and gentlemen, the very talented John Alexander Hellstrom.”
It was a great interview—the only one that he had ever felt so good about—and it was all because of her. On the way home from the studio, he stopped at a florist shop and bought a single red rose. When he entered the house, he smelled something delicious in the air and knew that she was in the kitchen preparing dinner. He found her standing at the counter cutting up vegetables for a salad to accompany the roast that was in the oven.
“Is it really safe?” he asked as he stooped to pet Angel who had run over to greet him.
She shook her head as though she were reproaching a disobedient child as she continued preparing the salad, but she was smiling a little. “I can’t believe that you made the announcement on national television and said all those things about me. It’s like we never had that conversation this morning.”
He came up behind her and hugged her and presented his gift. “I’m sorry. But he asked me if there was anyone special in my life and it just popped out. I was so happy that I wanted the world to know. Anyway, I figured that if I just told him everything, the tabloids couldn’t make up any of their stupid stories. And it turned out to be a good thing. The audience loved the interview and so did Ray Jennings. Do you know what he said?”
“I’m afraid to ask.”
“He said that he could see why I was so smitten by you. And he said that you had such a sexy voice and I had such a sexy voice that some people would be turned on just hearing us talk to each other.”
“Okay, now that sounds a little weird.”
He turned her around. “You do have a sexy voice, you know. Did you listen to the recording?”
“No, we said we’d watch it together and I’m not sure that I want to now.”
“Well, you’re gonna. I was going to save it for during dinner but I want you to see it now.”
He was obviously happy and excited and she wasn’t about to spoil his mood so she stopped what she was doing, washed her hands, and followed him into the livingroom. They sat on the sofa together with Angel and watched the interview. She cringed slightly as she listened to herself on TV. She didn’t think that she sounded sexy at all, but at least she didn’t sound like an idiot. She had summoned her Scorpio powers and actually made the interview enjoyable. Johnny squeezed her hand.
“You were great,” he said. “And sexy.”
She sat up suddenly. “Sing? Oh, Johnny, you sang?”
He smiled. “I wanted it to be a surprise.”
She heard his dedication. “You did the song,” she said excitedly.
She beamed proudly as she watched his performance and saw the effect that his beautiful, deep voice had on the women in the audience. She laughed as she watched him dance with the woman who looked as though she was weak in the knees. Then she heard the host’s last words.
“It wa
s perfect,” she said, hugging him. “You sounded wonderful. And he referred to you as the very talented John Alexander Hellstrom.”
“Thanks to you,” Johnny said. “You were right. It was the right song to sing. What makes you so smart anyway?”
“Loving you and wanting everyone to see you as I see you.”
He kissed her tenderly. “Did you mean what you said? About how I might not be romantic in the usual ways but I do everything else right?”
She smiled and caressed his face lovingly. “Every word,” she said. “But that doesn’t mean that I don’t find you romantic. The gift of a single rose is very romantic to me, especially when it’s unexpected.”
Johnny smiled and kissed her again. “You are so unique.”
She heard the phone give a short ring in the office, signaling a voice message. “You’d better go on your run and then check your messages. The phone’s been ringing off the hook since that show aired. Now I know why. I’m going to feed Angel and finish getting dinner ready.”
He kissed her passionately. “And after dinner ... dessert.”
During dinner, Johnny went through the list of messages that he had retrieved from his answering machine. “Well, a lot of the messages were about that—inviting me to sing. And of course there are people who want to know more about us. Some people even want an interview with you.”
“Absolutely not. Please, Johnny.”
“I know. I’ll keep them away. I know that you want to keep your privacy. And there was a message from guess who?”
“I have no idea.”
“Isabel, grand dame of casting. She wanted to know if the fiancé I was talking about was that charming exotic beauty that I brought to the charity event who had told her about my beautiful singing voice because obviously she had been telling the truth. She also wants to talk to me and my agent about some projects that she’s working on. Like I said, you are amazing.” He slipped a strong hand behind her neck and pulled her to him and kissed her lovingly.
Later, as they cleaned up the kitchen together, Susan said, “Now that you’ve got their attention, we should find you more songs to sing. Your voice is so beautiful. And you should show them your other talent.”
“I don’t think I’d like them knowing about that,” he said, his eyes twinkling as he leaned down and kissed her.
She smiled and kissed him back. “You’re incorrigible, you know that? I meant your piano playing.”
“All I know how to play is classical music. Doesn’t appeal much to the younger audiences.”
“I think we can fix that. There’s a kind of music that older people enjoy and it’s big with the younger crowd too. I just saw a news report about it.”
“What’s that?”
“Boogie-woogie,” she said. “You know, swing type music.” She took him by the hand. “Come on, let’s see if you have rhythm.”
He gave her that look again.
“Not that kind of rhythm.” She gave him an exasperated look, but she was smiling. “Cooperate with me, would you?”
He smiled and let her lead him to the piano.
“Okay, follow this basic left hand boogie-woogie rhythm,” she said, showing him a basic boogie-woogie beat. Once he could play it, she said, “Okay, keep playing that.” Then she began adding some right hand riffs.
“What do you think?” she asked after they had played for a little while.
“I like it,” he said, smiling. “I think that kind of music will work. I didn’t know you could play boogie-woogie.”
“I can’t really. I mean not great boogie-woogie. But you could get an instructor to work with you and teach it to you. The main thing is that you play it so that people can dance. Too many boogie-woogie piano players play the music too fast. Maybe you could play something slower first and then break into that boogie-woogie beat. It would be a complete surprise. Audiences like surprises.”
“You are always thinking of me, aren’t you? About what’s good for me and my career.”
“I love you,” she said. “I want you to be happy. Do you think I’m being too pushy? With you I mean?”
He smiled and pulled her close. “No. I love the way that you look out for me. I just feel as though I don’t do enough for you. I want you to be happy too, you know.”
“I’m happy, Johnny,” she said.
The look in his eyes grew more serious. “Are you? No regrets? About giving up so much to be here with me?”
“No regrets. I promise.”
He held her tightly. “I love you,” he said softly. “You really are the best thing that’s ever happened to me.”
CHAPTER TWELVE
Johnny’s star status and fabulous looks made him the fantasy of thousands of women. Hundreds wrote to him every week but all fan mail, including the naked photos of women that were enclosed in many of them, went directly to his agent’s office. In the past, his agent had arranged for delivery of those letters to Johnny’s home but when Susan moved in, Johnny requested that fan mail be delivered to him at the studio. The letters meant nothing to him and although she knew that he received them, he didn’t want her exposed to their contents because he knew that if their situations were reversed, it would bother him tremendously.
At the beginning of their relationship, Susan had found it difficult to cope with this aspect of Johnny’s life. Not only was he the fantasy lover of so many female fans, his job required him to work with beautiful women almost every day and for long periods of time, the tabloids frequently implied the existence of a romance between him and a female guest star, and even when she was with him, women blatantly approached and flirted with him. Jealousy is inherent in Scorpios and a Scorpio’s response to that emotion is usually instinctive and reactive. Sometimes when he worked exceptionally late at the studio or said something complimentary about a guest star who also happened to be beautiful, she felt that jealousy flare inside of her. But she knew that if she allowed her emotions to rule her, the relationship that she had with Johnny would not survive. So she focused on the things that he did that showed her that he loved her and tried to accept the women and tabloid rumors as necessary evils of the business that he was in. As the relationship had progressed, and especially since he had asked her to marry him, she found herself much less focused on those other women.
Perhaps that was why she was totally unprepared that day. It was only a week since the Ray Jennings show had aired. She had taken Angel to the veterinarian and when she returned home, she saw Johnny’s car in the driveway. He was home early and she was happy until she walked in and found a beautiful naked woman in their livingroom with her arms around Johnny. She had golden hair and a flawless body—the Amazonian type that he had always said never appealed to him. Most women might have started yelling and caused a scene but not this Scorpio.
“Don’t let me interrupt,” she said with an expressionless face, but Johnny saw the hurt and anger in her eyes. Then she turned and headed towards the bedroom with Angel in her arms.
“Susan, wait!” he called after her. “Damn it!”
She ignored him. She shut the bedroom door, set Angel down, took out a bag from the closet and started packing. She heard his voice, angry, although she couldn’t make out what he was saying and really didn’t care, and then the slamming of the front door. He walked in not soon after.
“What are you doing?”
“I have to leave,” she said as she pulled clothes out of the drawers and threw them into the bag.
“What you have to do is listen to me. That wasn’t what it must have looked like.”
She shook her head. “For God’s sake, at least be original. Isn’t that what they all say when they get caught?”
“Susan, stop it. Stop what you’re doing.”
She ignored him and continued to pack. He went to stop her. She recoiled from his touch.
“Don’t ... touch ... me.” She faced him then with a look in her eyes that he had never seen before and he knew that he was about to lose her.
“You need to just let me leave.” She started packing again.
“I’m not letting you leave. I want you to listen to me.”
“Don’t you think you ought to get back to your girlfriend? She must be getting lonely—and cold.” There it was. The tip of the scorpion’s stinger. She didn’t want the rest of it to show itself, but she could feel it building inside of her.
He yanked the clothing out of her hands and grabbed her by her shoulders. “Stop it!”
“Get your hands off of me!” She was losing control now as she struggled to break free of his vice-like grip. “Don’t touch me after you’ve touched that!”
“No, you’re going to listen!” he ordered. “I don’t even know her. She came to the door saying that she was looking for Jake, that she was a friend of his from Ohio, and that he had written to her from this address. I told her that he didn’t live here anymore. She said she would have called him before coming over but her cell phone had died and asked if she could use the phone so I said okay. She asked for a glass of water; I went to get it. When I came back, she was standing there naked. I told her to put her clothes back on and get the hell out. She threw herself at me and I was trying to get her off of me when you walked in.” He shook her slightly. “Just think, all right? Stop being angry for just one second and think. If I wanted to fool around, would I have invited her here when I knew that you’d be home soon? I’m the one who had clothes on, remember?”
“A strange woman walks up to the door and tells you that she’s looking for someone who hasn’t lived here in over four months and you just let her in. It doesn’t sound the least bit suspicious to you. It doesn’t dawn on you that maybe if she really needs to use the phone you could bring it out to her instead of letting her come in. What is it with men when they meet a gorgeous woman? Do your brains just stop working? Or is it that all of your brains are below your beltlines? I’m just so sick of stupid weak men. I’m sick of it!” She struggled again to break free of his hold. “Get your damn hands off of me!”
“Don’t you make generalizations like that and throw them at me!” His Scorpio temper was rising. “I’m not most men and you should know that by now.”