His tongue darting against his lips as he took a hand from his pocket and combed his fingers through his hair. It was like a slow motion play in a TV commercial just before the product rolled on the screen. All that was missing was the fan blowing a dramatic breeze and a sexy bikini clad chick at his side, and of course a surf board.
“Hello.” he said standing directly in front of me, looking and smelling, oh so fine.
“How are you?” I strained to keep it casual and not let him affect me. There was something about him though, that sent my gut into a tailspin and made my pulse rate soar.
“I’m good. Presents?” he said looking at the gift bag I held tight to my chest like the grand prize in a sweepstakes draw.
“Yes, from a friend. A set of autographed books,” I told him without revealing too much about the genre, explaining it to people only got me strange looks and annoying comments.
“That’s nice. So you met someone?” It was only a harmless question, but it annoyed me that he sounded surprised. Did the fact that I met someone maybe bother him, probably not. Besides he didn’t seem to be sniffing around me for a date, why wouldn’t someone else be interested?
“I did.” I left my answer short and sweet on purpose and moved to walk by him.
“You’re going to the dining room for dinner?” he asked, leaning against the wall on an outstretched arm, blocking my passage, his musky male scent stronger as he leaned closer.
“No, I have dinner plans with John.”
“John, that’s your date’s name?”
“It’s not exactly a date we’re just having dinner in the Riviera Grill.”
“Well you enjoy your not-exactly-a-date and I’ll see you around,” he said, with that dimpled smile that had me melting at his feet.
“Thank you smart ass, I will!” I said, ducking under his arm and rushed off to my room before I wasn’t able to move from his gaze and ended up in the dining room with Mr. Sex-Appeal and the newlyweds.
What possessed me to tell him where we were going? It wasn’t any of his business. I sure did turn into a bumbling idiot when I was around him. But I had better things to think about, like meeting John in twenty minutes.
***
“Dinner was wonderful, John, thank you,” I said wiping my mouth and placing my napkin on the empty dessert plate.
We started with breaded zucchini with tzatziki sauce and drinks called killer cool-aid, which were sweet and loaded with too many alcohols to remember and went down like cool-aid, hence the name. I had teriyaki glazed salmon with mixed veggies and garlic sticks, all to die for and John enjoyed chicken brochette with rice and garlic sticks.
We shared a dessert called monkey tail, a deliciously sinful deep fried battered banana with ice cream, chocolate sauce, strawberry sauce and whipped cream. John surrendered the chocolate sauce to me and he devoured the strawberry. We completed the meal with Irish coffees and sat back in our seats like two happily stuffed gluttons.
“You’re so welcome. I like a girl that’s not afraid to eat, it’s nice to enjoy a good meal with great company, thanks for joining me.” He raised his coffee cup in a toast and we laughed when they clanked clumsily together.
“Speaking of joining me,” he placed his napkin on the table and leaned his elbows on the table’s edge, crisscrossing his arms, “would you like to come with me to my book signing in Darwin?”
“I’d love to,” I blurted out, without hesitation. I’d never been to a book signing and I would get a behind the scenes view. What a thrill.
“I know you haven’t met yet, but Jack will be going with us, don’t worry though he always disappears half way through the day. He’s very popular with the ladies. You won’t have to do anything, just sit there and look pretty. You can see what crazed fans really look like.”
“You mean there are crazier fans than me? I look forward to it.”
“Crazy doesn’t begin to describe some of my fans. The pictures they want me to pose in with them, mainly nude, it’s mind boggling. And there are very few body parts that I have not signed. Boobs are the most popular, butt cheeks I’d say are a close second and then penis’. But I draw the line a va-j-j’s, those I won’t even consider.”
“Penis’?”
“Oh yeah, I have a great gay fan base which is the main reason I want to write male, male. Give them back a little something to say thanks. I’ll have to show you some of the fan mail I get. The many sexual offers and fan photos, you’ll die when you see some of them. And the sex videos bring tears to your eyes when you think of the talent and inventiveness out there.”
He told me all this very matter-of-fact and I could barely contain myself, tears of laughter streaming down my cheeks until I had to pee. I don’t think I have drunk enough water in all my days to make me pee as much as this man and his stories, he was a regular comedian.
“Excuse me while I go powder my nose.” I said and John stood.
“I didn’t realize that women still used that expression.”
“This one does, especially when she’s about to explode.”
Running off to the washroom, I burst through the door, got my pants down with barely a second to spare and sat with a heavy sigh as my poor bladder emptied. I washed my hands with fancy magnolia soap and leaned forward in the mirror to fix my smudged mascara and blinked as the face in the mirror contorted before my eyes and a sharp shooting pain coursed up the back of my head.
Dear God not now, I pleaded with my head and squeezed my eyes shut.
It was time to go while I still had my wits about me and could manage my way back to my room.
I didn’t bother to sit when I got back to the table, grabbed my purse and leaned in to give John a quick peck on the cheek.
“I’m so sorry John but I have to go, I’m getting a headache, I had a great time.”
“Are you okay? Wait a moment I’ll walk you to your room.”
“Alright, but please hurry?”
John flagged down our waiter and gave him his room card and with a quick swipe we were on our way. I walked a little faster than normally, I knew what was to come and I didn’t want to share that fabulous experience with John and have to explain my illness.
At my room I thanked John again and we shared cheek kisses and a hurried hug, he looked worried but I couldn’t think of him and how he was feeling as I forced a smile and closed the door rushing to the washroom to take my meds. Stripping out of my dress and into my pjs in record time, I climbed into the bed. The pain increased by the second and the pressure in my scull built steadily.
It was as if a balloon were being inflated in the center of my head, forcing my grey matter out through my ears. The pain was immense and took every ounce of energy out of me. I was like a ragdoll, a ball of mush and all I could do was curl into a fetal position and cry myself to sleep wishing for Gage.
Day 48
Darwin
My eyes fluttered open to the sound of a phone chirping, it took several seconds to realize what the sound was. My head was foggy like I had a hangover and the back of my head throbbed. I reached for the phone and cleared my throat before lifting the receiver.
“Hello, Gage?”
“No it’s John, honey, still on for Darwin?” John asked, all bubbly and raring to go, like he had already consumed a pot of coffee and was on caffeine overload.
I didn’t want to disappoint him or myself at that. So I decided to plod on, drag my butt from this bed and do what I had to do, even if it did kill me.
“Sorry, John, what time do we leave?” I asked, looking over at the bedside clock; it was only eight for Christ’s sake. Maybe it was going to kill me after all.
“I ordered a taxi for ten. I thought I better give you lots of notice.”
“Ten’s great where will we meet?” I asked, covering my hand over my eyes to block the light and took a deep breath.
“Meet me at the…no I’ll come get you, it’ll be easier. See you soon,” he said, to my relief, I’d probably get
lost in the crowd and screw everything up. I had no sense of direction, a map muster.
“Okay. Bye.” I hung up and breathed in a lung full of air and slowly let it out, stretched my arms above my head and prepared myself to get up.
Why my thoughts kept drifting to Gage, had me baffled. The closeness that I sensed was there, must have been a figment of my imagination. He obviously found other things to occupy his time.
Once up and moving I ordered breakfast, jumped in the shower and got dressed. By the time I had done all this I was feeling half way decent, like I was only suffering from a mild hangover, no nausea but a pounding headache. I took an Advil and finished my coffee while I waited for John.
***
The Vibe hotel’s conference room had been set up with tables all around the perimeter for various authors, each sporting banners. We located one with John’s name and latest book cover and a few chairs where we would sit. A red velvet rope had been set up to promote an orderly direction for autographs and photo shots. We piled books on the table and a row of boxes with books and swag bags behind him, keeping them within reach. I volunteered to hand him what he needed, being his assistant for the day. And Jack, well Jack perused the crowds of woman, chatting them up and spent his time schmoozing.
Jack was a real playboy, in the Hugh Hefner kinda way. All he lacked was the smoking jacket and a bunny on each arm. He was smooth and debonair, definitely cultured, a man of the world that oozed with charm. I could see why women would be attracted to his type, so not mine, but his well-groomed I-got-money-pouring-out-my-ass elegance had all the bimbos sniffing around.
Jack looked much like John but his character seemed the exact opposite. John was pretty in a masculine way, with beautiful caring eyes, a smoking hot smile and a bright, delightful, funny personality. John didn’t seem to worry about attracting a woman’s attention, which seemed to make them draw closer to him without effort. He noticed them, but he didn’t.
After handshakes and introductions, John talked to his fans about his latest book and answered questions. He had his adoring fans, which were over flowing from the room into the hallway, in stitches. It was amazing to watch him work the crowd and as they lined up like a herd of cattle, I saw exactly what he meant when he called them crazed.
One woman in particular caught my interest, asking John to sign her forearm because she was leaving the event and going to a tattoo parlor down the road to have it permanently inked into her skin. Now that was a huge fan, she outdid me by a landslide and I had to shake my head and wonder how far I’d go with that kind of love. John, never batted an eye.
Requests for private inscriptions, those boob autographs and too many women to count asking to have his baby, boggled my mind. And the paper gift bag located under the table at John’s foot, filled up quickly with cardkeys, slips of folded paper and business cards, even a pair of silky panties.
Four hours past in record time and John maintained a smile through it all. When the doors finally closed we peered around at nothing but empty boxes and the notorious gift bag, John slumped back in his chair and let out an exaggerated sigh.
Jack of course was nowhere to be seen, leaving us to clean up. Once done we decided to go have something to eat before heading back to the ship, not worrying whether Jack got back or not.
“He’ll be fine on his own,” John stated, like it was an everyday thing.
“What do you want me to do with this?” I held up the gift bag and John laughed.
“Chuck it with the boxes.”
“Really, you don’t want it?” I was dumbfounded that he would throw away gifts from his fans; I thought he was better than that. He spoke of them so highly then he’d throw their love and admiration in the trash. He saw my annoyance and smiled with a sigh.
“Nooo, that’s scary stuff. Let it be gone!” he laughed with a wave of his hand, “It’s just keys to rooms, phone numbers, dirty notes, that kinda thing. I don’t want them.”
“You got it,” I said, as it sunk in, it really was what would be considered trash and I placed it on the stack of broken down boxes and we left.
We enjoyed a quick bite in the hotel’s restaurant, not going unnoticed by more fans unfortunately, but we did get to talk more about ideas for his next book and then went back to the ship. We went our separate ways once on board and I enjoyed the silence of my stateroom, put my feet up and read a book with a large glass of wine and vegged out until bed time.
It had been a crazy day, with crazy fans and I had had enough crazy to last me a life time.
***
Unfortunately I spent the day watching for Tandy’s return after losing them when the taxi drove off from the pier. Unable to get a straight answer from anyone as to their destination, the only thing was the meatball’s name, John Martin.
It hadn’t taken me long to find this character with a little help from Google search, it turned out he was an author. His books looked shady, they turned out to be romance, to each his own, I thought.
Obviously those were the books gifted to Tandy. What was his angle? Was he plying her with kinky gifts and his evident wealth? That wouldn’t interest her, she was rich, didn’t need a man to keep her. The guy was trying to get his dick wet. It wasn’t bad enough I was watching her, now I’d have to watch this idiot and make sure he kept his dick in his pants.
And the other guy that accompanied them, beyond any doubt, a brother. The resemblance was uncanny. What were they doing in Darwin? A second car filled with boxes had followed, after the John character gave the driver a note, clearly the address of their destination.
It perturbed me that I managed to let them slip away. If anything happened to her I’d…I couldn’t even put the words together in my head. I was responsible for her, yes, but it was much deeper than that. She stirred up feelings that had long sat locked away while I rotted in a prison cell. Feelings I wasn’t sure I could handle or wanted to. If truth be told I wasn’t sure of myself anymore not sure if a woman, a decent woman like Tandy, could look past my priors.
The only thing in the future I knew for sure was that going back to prison wasn’t part of it and I had a very important job to do, a job that I couldn’t fail.
The click of the lock engaging next door had me on my feet. I took a glass from the counter and placed it against the bedroom wall and listened to the muffled sounds of movement from her bedroom and the sound of water running.
Tandy was definitely in and for this I was exultant. Then a thought came to mind, was she alone? With breath held, I listened for voices.
Nothing, this was good or was it? Shit! On tip toe, like she was going to hear me running over the carpet to the door, I slid the glass door open and walked cautiously out onto the balcony and stood waiting in case she was there. Carefully leaning forward around the divider, I peered at the open door. There was the faintest sound of her humming and when the breeze so conveniently drew the sheer panel out into the night, I was able to catch a glance of her sprawled across the sofa, reading.
Day 47
It was such a perfect day. Not extremely hot, even though it was well over eighty, the breeze off of the water kept it tamed to a comfortable level. The sun had the entire sky to itself not a cloud in sight, the rays beat down on my skin like a million finger tips caressing it and as I walked along the Riviera deck I found it surprisingly quiet. Though the pool area was busy, as usual, the tables off to the side looked appealing, a perfect spot to sit and do my crossword puzzles and get some sun.
I set out my puzzle book and pencil, put my Dakine bag and towel on the seat beside me and then walked over to the bar to seek out a much needed beverage. On the way back to my seat with drink in one hand and a handful of pretzels in the other, I couldn’t help but notice a familiar face seated with three, much older ladies. All three were undoubtedly blond from a bottle, in bathing suits with sarongs and large floppy brimmed sunhats. Kinda like the golden girls, minus Ma.
Gage was squirming in his seat. The one rather robust w
oman, I’ll call Blanch, clearly had her hand planted firmly on his thigh giggling, while the other two leaned in close. One fiddled with his curls, we’ll call her Dorothy, the last with a death grip on his hand, by process of elimination being Rose. They tugged and yanked as if he was a meal for one on a deserted island and the three were in battle to see who ate and who would starve. I had to laugh.
“Good morning, Gage, ladies. Isn’t it a beautiful day?” I said, as I continued on past to my table.
“Good morning!” Gage practically shouted. I pursed my lips together to stop from laughing out loud. I got to my table and sat opening my crossword and biting the end of my pencil between my teeth pretending not to see Gage watching me.
“Ladies, it’s been a slice but I should join my friend.” I heard him say as he stood. A resounding moan in stereo echoed and I looked up to see him pulling himself from the clutches of two of the ladies. He gave each a peck on the back of their hands and nodded his goodbye.
When he got to my table I continued my crossword quest, keeping my sights set on the words, trying not to burst. “Juggling three women so early in the morning, Romeo?”
“Very funny Miss Manning, do you mind if I sit with you?” I looked up and pretended to think. “Aw come on, give a guy a break,” he said.
“I guess you better before they drag you back to their table, which would be fun to watch. Sit already.”
“Thanks.” Gage sat and placed his magazine face down on the table, this careful magazine placement drew my curiosity.
“What you reading?”
“A magazine,” he said, and moved it farther across the table.
“Let me guess?” The back cover gave nothing away with an ad for the new i-phone 5, pretty basic advertising. “Hot Rod, QC, Men’s Health, a muscle magazine?”
If Not For You Page 9