One Hit Wonder Read online

  Oh, God. He is putting me in my place right now.

  “Are you looking for an excuse to wear your new dress or…what is this?”

  “John…” Only, what to say? I think you’re cool and I was hoping to get laid tonight. If true, it could work with any other of the guys, but not with John. She didn’t know what this was, she suspected was more than sex, otherwise sleeping with Kevin or Tyler would —

  Before she found the words to answer his question, he leaned forward and kissed her. His hands held the small of her back and pulled her close. Her heart punched in her chest, as if an alien was trying to rip her ribcage open. She placed her arms around his neck and kissed him back. The smell of his skin, the warmth of his lips, and the taste of his tongue was intoxicating. She wanted to undress him right there, but instead she summoned the strength to say, “Let’s eat,” and with a hand on his chest, pushed herself gently out of his arms.

  He gave her the same smile she’d seen only once. It made her feel like a tiny leaf that, tossed by the wind, had traveled the world to come to that spot, at that instant, to witness that smile. One thing she’d learned about John and could not take for granted: he didn’t open himself frivolously to everyone. At that moment, he was opening himself to her in his smile. She let out the slightest sigh of satisfaction as he touched her forehead with his. It seemed they had shared the same fears and the same desires all along and, as the realization dawned on her, she laughed out loud; and so did he.

  Gesso arches were stenciled with vines not burdened by the weight of the full and round grape bunches painted on them. A short line of burgundy-colored upholstered booths were dimly lit by low-hanging lamps above the tables and votive candles inside stained glass holders. The porcelain-faced hostess led them to the last booth, handed out the menus, and left with the same enthusiasm of a funerary home attendant.

  “Not sure about the food, but her enthusiasm is contagious.” Audrey looked at him mockingly.

  “That’s the beauty of chain restaurants, If you’ve been to one, you already know what to expect — at least from the food.”

  When the waitress came over bearing two glasses of water, John ordered a Chianti from the wine list.

  Audrey looked over the menu, but the only thing she could think about was the interrupted kiss in the parking lot. She should have taken him back to her room and ordered pizza, now she had to sit across the table and make casual conversation. How could she feel she knew everything that was to know about him, when in reality she knew nothing at all? A musician, older sibling, deceased mother, incredibly kind and attentive. Shy. Sexy. Soft lips.

  “Tell me about your family.” John lifted his glass and took a sip of wine. As always, if he was nervous, she couldn’t tell. The waitress reappeared and they ordered: fettuccine alfredo for him and four cheese ravioli for her.

  “I’m the only child. My mother is Brazilian, and she met my dad when she came to the U.S. to work as a caregiver to an elderly gentleman whose daughter was too busy to do it herself.”

  “Have you been to Brazil?” The waitress sat their salads in front of them.

  “Yes, many times. My family used to spend summers there. Well, my father couldn’t stay more than two weeks because of his job. But after he returned to the U.S., my mother and I would spend the rest of vacation living like typical Brazilians at my grandparent’s farm in the middle of the country.”

  “A farm, really?”

  “Yes, that’s where my mom grew-up. My grandparents still live there.”

  “What did you do on a farm for a whole summer?”

  “Lots of things. I’ve helped my grandfather milk the cows, ride horses, swim in the river, cook with my grandmother on a wood-stove.”

  “That’s neat.”

  “It was. I have cousins my age, so we played around mango trees all day. When we were hungry, we could just pluck a mango off the tree and eat it.

  “Cool.”

  “Actually, they are in peak in November, when twenty-eight mango trees make the air around the farmhouse fragrant and sweet. I’d pull their skin with my teeth and bite their stringy yellow flesh until I hit the pit. I’d eat so many my gums hurt afterwards.” Audrey said longingly.

  “Do you speak Portuguese?” John ferried salad to his mouth with fervor. She guessed he was more relaxed — or nervous — than usual, because she’d never seen him eat like that.

  “I think I still do,” she pondered. “I haven’t been to Brazil in ten years.”

  “How come? It sounded like you loved it there.”

  Suddenly, she was uncomfortable. “My mother started to talk about moving down there for good. My father didn’t want to.” She looked at the table and took a sip of wine. “I grew up and got tired of, um, ah, having to reacquaint myself every summer to the place, the people…I guess — ”

  “Say something in Portuguese.” John’s voice was more cheery, and she felt a rush of gratitude for his intervention.

  “Demorei uma eternidade para chegar aqui.” Audrey’s lips twitched upwards in a tiny smile.

  “What does it mean?”

  “It took me forever to get here.” She bit her lower lip.

  “I know what you mean.” John’s eyes were eager, conspiratorial.

  • • •

  On the walk back to the hotel he reached for her hand, lacing his fingers with hers and smiling shyly.

  “I want to show you something.” She led him up the same hill she hiked earlier with Matt.

  After five minutes, they veered off the trail into a clearing where a patch of grass seemed to thrive. They could see the Winnebago parked sideways in the empty motel parking lot and the town’s scant skyline.

  “This view is amazing,” John said.

  Yellow lights twinkled in the distance, probably little farm houses not pushed out by urbanization, with bare trees outlined by the moonlight.

  “I knew it was going to look great under the moon, a perfect picture of an American small town, like in a vintage postcard.” She sat on the grass and he sat beside her, admiring the view in silence for a while.

  He lay down and put his arm out; she rested her head on his chest and they watched the sky. His heart pounded inside his chest as fast as hers and in perfect harmony.

  “When I was a kid camping with my parents, sometimes in the back yard, I used to trace the stars. Not to find constellations, but to create whatever shape I wanted.” Even as an adult, she couldn’t recognize any constellations, except by the obvious Big Dipper.

  John murmured under his breath, “When I trace the stars I see you.” He was holding a strand of her hair. “That’s a good line.”

  “Yes, it is.” She hooked her leg on his and rolled over him, adjusting herself and feeling the bulge growing in his pants as she gently rocked on top of him. It made her tremble with excitement.

  They resumed the kiss from the restaurant: sweet and tender in the beginning, but quickly becoming hot and deep as raw desire took over their senses. Under her dress, his hands trailed up her legs, strong and wanting. He sat up with her on his lap, and nibbled at her earlobe and the soft part of her slender neck. Audrey lifted her hands and, untying the knot of her halter dress, pulled it down. John held her gaze, pulled her closer, and kissed her collarbone. She arched her back and closed her eyes as he fondled her breasts and sucked ever so tenderly on her nipples.

  He took his button-down shirt off and threw it on the ground beside them, maneuvering her on top of it. Then, he ripped off his T-shirt and, matching her smile, helped her out of her dress. She reached out, rubbed her hand between his legs, and unbuckled his belt. They were completely enthralled as they made love while staring deeply into each other’s eyes.

  “I love you,” she whispered in his ear, thinking these words she’d considered so loaded came rushing to her mouth with such a power she had no strength to stop them.

  “I love you, too,” he said instantaneously. She stopped kissing him for a moment, afraid he responded too
quickly, without thinking about what he had just said. Although she hadn’t labeled it love until then, she’d lost sleep over it countless nights and didn’t want him to take it lightly.

  She looked into his eyes and said, “I want to make sure you understand … I love the band, I love the music, I love the road, but I love you.”

  “And I love you, Audrey. From the moment I saw you.”

  There was something about the way he looked at her. Perhaps a recognition, a realization, but it was as if she’d been balancing on a ball her whole life and now — for the first time — she was stepping on firm ground.

  • • •

  The moon had changed sides in the sky when they walked back to the hotel. The Jersey Shore marathon was over. Kevin and Matt were stretched on the beds and Tyler was sitting by the table. Rob was already asleep in the bus. On the television, she saw the black-and-white image of a woman on a pay phone, The Twilight Zone. Kevin and Tyler were smoking cigars and all three of them held plastic cups with Jack Daniel’s and ice. Very fitting, she thought standing by the door holding hands with John in silence, and waiting for everyone’s assessment. She didn’t know if was the silence or the holding of hands that did the trick, but she knew by the look on their faces they understood what was happening.

  In a cinematic way, Kevin slowly pointed his index finger at the two of them. “Oh, oh, oh! What did you guys do?” His face twisted, as if suddenly the channel had been changed to a comedy show. Then, he burst into getting-laid jokes, followed by Matt and Tyler.

  Audrey’s brows snapped together as she looked at John, who shrugged dismissively. Letting go of his hand, she walked toward the table, lifted the empty tequila bottle, and said, “No more tequila? You bastards.”

  Chapter 10

  It was noon when Audrey and John sat at the diner by the hotel to have breakfast. She was feeling something akin to elation for being with him for almost twenty-four hours consecutively. They’d made love again and again in her room, then spooned in bed until they fell asleep exhausted and happy.

  The rest of the band trickled in one by one, each looking more hung over than the last. They laughed and made bets on how bad the next to walk through the door would look. Kevin, as usual, was the last to show up, looking pale with blood-shot eyes. It was the night of their gig, so breakfast had to be extra hearty.

  “What’s the plan today?” Matt craned a gigantic piece of ham and cheese omelet to his mouth.

  “The bar opens at five, but we don’t go on until eight,” John said.

  “Awesome. I’m going back to bed.” Kevin ran his fingers through his hair and tilted his head lazily backwards.

  “I want to get there around six, though.” John gave Kevin a reprimanding glance. “I hope we can sell some CDs this time.” At the last gig, Kevin gave away more than half of the CDs the band had set aside to sell.

  “If you guys aren’t going anywhere for awhile, I’m going to take the bus back to the shop. I still hear a noise after they’ve replaced the break pads.” Rob sipped his coffee.

  “Can you give me a ride? Gary asked if I could take pictures of the bar for their website. I’m going to meet him there before it opens,” Audrey said.

  Matt, Tyler, and Kevin immediately turned their faces to John.

  “What?” Audrey noticed their sardonic looks.

  “He wants his easy-rider ass alone with you,” Kevin blurted.

  “Don’t be a jerk.” She placed her coffee cup on the table. Of course, she’d noticed Gary’s interest as soon as he set his eyes on her, but she would rather eat cockroaches before letting Kevin’s cynical comment get to her.

  “Ha! He’s going to have a sweet surprise tonight.” Kevin spoke with his mouth full of pancakes.

  “John beat him to the punch,” Tyler said.

  Under the table, John and Audrey had their pinky fingers crossed, but she knew better than to give them more ammunition.

  “Rob, are you ready?” Audrey said, and John stood to let her out of the booth.

  She squeezed by him and whispered, “See you later?” Very aware of the watchful eyes on them.

  “Yes,” he whispered back.

  • • •

  It was hard to photograph the concert while being completely hypnotized by John. She saw him on stage in a new light, the way he moved, the way he held the guitar and closed his eyes when he soloed. Images of the night before flashed through her eyes, blinding her with desire — his hands trailing over her body, followed by his mouth. Her skin felt like rice paper, barely containing her body from exploding and scattering into the air.

  Satisfied with the photographs she’d taken, she sat at the bar.

  Gary placed a beer in front of her and, nodding to the stage, said “They are really good.”

  “I know.” She glanced at Gary and at the beer. “Thanks.”

  “Do you think they’d stay and play tomorrow, too?”

  “I’m not sure. They have other concerts in Texas.”

  “Hmm.” Gary seemed disappointed.

  She only gave him a sideway glance, trying to keep her attention at the stage to defer conversation; otherwise, she feared he might make a pass at her. Their afternoon together had been more like an ambush date, after she photographed the bar, he offered to take her to the hotel. It was bad enough she had to hold on to him while riding his motorcycle through town, he stopped on the way and insisted in buying her coffee. When they finally arrived at the hotel, she jumped off and said goodbye while already walking away.

  “Hey.” Gary leaned against the inside of the bar, pondering. “Do you want to go somewhere later?” He cleared his throat. “Just us.”

  “Oh.” Audrey feigned surprise. “Gary, I’m really flattered…but I am with” — she nodded toward the stage — “the band.”

  Gary turned his head. John was staring at her.

  “Lucky man.” He straightened himself up and tapped his fingers on the bar. Timely, someone two seats down ordered a beer and Gary left to tend to the customer.

  She continued looking at John, who gave her a faint smile before returning his concentration to the performance.

  After they played the encore, Kevin asked for everyone’s attention. He’d never done that before, so she turned on the stool to face the stage. He announced a special treat was about to commence. John walked to the microphone with his acoustic guitar.

  “This is a brand new song, something I’ve been working on,” he said, looking at her. “So be kind to me.”

  He poured his heart out in the most beautiful song. If for everyone else this was just another love song, for her it was as if he was talking to her, singing about the feelings he’d confessed having for her the night before. A few people in the crowd followed his gaze and found her, standing now, with an astonished smile on her face. Someone shouted, “Oh, yes!” Her heart skipped a beat when he hit a chorus singing, “when I trace the stars all I see is your face,” and “it’s all I need to guide me through the darkness.”

  She didn’t know he could sing, much less had such a voice — raspy and deep. When the song was over, he put his guitar down and strode toward her. The room erupted in noise as he made his way through the crowd and, without saying a word, wrapped his arms around her waist and kissed her.

  • • •

  This, she thought, was heaven. A lifetime could have passed within the measure of the next days, the worries she’d brought with her seemed to be distant memories of another life. A life without John. Not long before their first night together, she’d realized he was a great guy, but never imagined what a man he really was: tender, smart, and sexy — very sexy.

  “How did you get to be this way?” Audrey said, pulling up the sheets and resting her head on his chest. “I mean, in bed.”

  “I am afraid to ask, but I’m hoping the syntax of ‘this way’ means good.” John played with a strand of her unruly hair.

  “Amazing.”

  “You make me this way.”

&n
bsp; Maybe he was trying to be charming, but their chemistry was undeniable. Untamable. She’d never felt so comfortable with anyone and, because she’d never felt particularly skilled in the area of mind-blowing sex, she had to agree. It could be their utter connection or their love, maybe those were one and the same, but with him there was never awkwardness, and even the tip of his fingers gliding over her skin gave her immeasurable pleasure.

  Along with their hunger for each other, their intimacy grew with each conversation. She’d never believed in soul mates, but if it was true there was one person in the whole world who was ideally suited to another, she’d found hers. Their connection ran deeper than the feeling she had when he touched her skin. She accepted, with no fright or anxiety, he was meant to own her heart forever; even if he no longer wished to.

  They left Tuscaloosa, performed in Houston, and were on their way to Dallas. She was tired from the road and longed for a proper bed. Once there, they would be able to rest for three days before having to hop on the bus again and head out to Austin. When they stopped at a fast food restaurant on I-20, she carried her laptop in and thanked God for free wi-fi. After downloading the pictures of the past two gigs from her camera, she noticed a considerable increase in traffic on the band’s Myspace page. She was surprised to read a comment on the page congratulating John for finding his muse, and it went on to say the song he wrote was beautiful, but the person who wrote the comment was in Oregon. Oregon? How in the hell he had heard the song if John had played only once? She scrolled down the comments and they’d mentioned the song again and again. YouTube? She searched it on YouTube and there it was: band’s guitarist serenades his girlfriend in Tuscaloosa.

  “Oh shit, you guys have to see this.” Audrey and Kevin sat at a four top table, Matt, John, Tyler and Rob sat at the next one.

  “Some YouTube user … .” She squinted at the laptop screen. “jewelsundquist11 recorded John’s song and uploaded it the day after the gig in Tuscaloosa.” She turned the laptop toward them. “Look at the view count.”