The man People Magazine had named Sexiest Rock Star was used
to getting his own way, in his own time,
and certainly on his own terms. The fact that he’d been left sitting alone in
some local Hawaiian bar after his stellar buzz had been brutally assassinated by the
ringing of Rachel’s phone did not thrill Jon.
The fact that the lady in his life continued to assert her independence
by working – on the other side of the country, to boot – thrilled him even less. Then she told him it was James
calling and proceeded to step away from the table in order to take the
call…
Jon was almost grateful for the ice that ran through his
veins and numbed both him and his emotions.
If not for that numbness, he would be heavily inclined to raise all
kinds of hell. Loudly. Without regard to the effect it might have on
his public image.
He wasn’t the least bit concerned about the fact that
she’d slipped away to have her phone conversation, because he knew without a
doubt that she’d been escaping the loud house band instead of scurrying off to
have some secret rendezvous with her former lover. There wasn’t any question in Jon’s mind that
Rachel was completely in love and totally committed to spending her life with
him.
When she could manage to fit him in, that is.
Yeah. The reason
he found himself as agitated as a flea infested camel was because her work –
and douchebag boss, James – was intruding upon his vacation. His very short, very much needed vacation, which
was just about the only time he ever got to be with Rachel, since they were
still living in different time zones.
It was his first instinct to say that it wasn’t his
fault there was three hours’ difference between the time on his nightstand
clock and hers, but he wondered if maybe it was. Sure, he had proposed forty-eleven times and
ways, but she always dismissed the matter with a flirty little laugh and a
quick change of the subject – and he let her.
In fact, beyond her initial insistence that she knew Jon didn’t need
marriage and it didn’t mean the same things to him as it did to her, they’d
really had very little further conversation on the matter.
That was unlike him.
He was normally the one who got something in his head and refused to let
go of it until it came to fruition, but, quite honestly, he’d gotten tired of
slamming his head against the brick wall that was Rachel. He had as healthy an ego as the next guy, but
he’d quickly gotten tired of offering Cinderella her ‘happily ever after’ and
being rejected time and time again – just like he was tired of this work
bullshit of hers.
Particularly that manipulative sonofabitch, James.
Most people probably wouldn’t believe it, but Jon’s
biggest problem with James had nothing to do with jealousy or insecurity. Rachel had made her choice, and Jon knew
she’d never leave him to rekindle her relationship with James. No, Jon’s biggest problem with the
manipulative douchebag was never knowing whether the guy’s constant work
demands were legitimate or mere fabrications designed to create a wedge between
Rachel and Jon by constantly pulling her away.
Rachel refused to join in Jon’s belief that her boss’s
intentions were anything but honorable and Jon typically didn’t consider the
difference of opinion worth squabbling over.
Lately, though, Jon was starting to think that maybe he needed to stop
being so pussy whipped and make her see what was really going on here.
He’d no more had that thought when two things happened
simultaneously; one, the restaurant went blissfully quiet as the house band
removed their instruments to take a break and, two, Rachel re-entered the
dining room with a wide smile.
Oddly enough, Jon was envious of that smile. Right now, the only thing that could make him
smile that wide would be her proclamation that the FDIC had just shut down her
bank, and she was now out of a job.
Jon grumbled under his breath. Then again, she probably wouldn’t be smiling
if that were the case.
You’re on
vacation. Don’t ruin it. Smile, have another drink, go back to the
boat and have hot monkey sex until you pass out.
With that self-lecture, Jon forcefully shoved all the
negative bullshit out of his universe and signaled the server for another round
of lethal cocktails. He determinedly
sought to find his happy place as Rachel gracefully settled back into the chair
beside him.
“Yanno…” His eyes
were drawn to the ultra-feminine cleavage created by two of the most perfect
breasts he’d ever seen, and his fingertips couldn’t resist snaking up to take their
own look. His happy place had now been
located. “That big ole smile makes you so
irresistible that I might have to do you after all. Especially if it means that you didn’t let
James convince you to cut our trip short.”
If anything her grin got bigger, and she leaned into his
touch when she said, “Then you’re definitely doing me. I’m not about to miss hiking Diamond Head
with you tomorrow. But…”
In Jon’s half-buzzed state, his overactive mind equated
that simple three-letter word to an imminent invasion by a tribe of boob eating
cannibals. His happy place was about to
be devoured.
“But?”
She reclined in her chair, taking her breasts with her
while looking like the cat that ate the canary.
“James had some exciting news to share with me.”
The cannibals tied bibs around their necks, preparing for
the feast, and Jon wondered where the hell that server was with their drinks.
“Really?” He tried to share in her obvious excitement by
giving her an encouraging smile. She was
happy, so he should be happy. “Tell me
more.”
“Well.” She leaned
back in, resting her forearms on the table and propping up her chest. “Back when you suggested the bank donate that
vacant parcel to Habitat for Humanity, I started looking into other assets the
bank was holding. I won’t bore you with
all the details, but I will tell you that the bank was so excited by the idea
that they have a brand new division created solely to partner with Habitat. We’ll be going through our inventory on a
national level and utilizing bank assets to benefit homeless and low-income
families!””
“Hey, that’s great!”
The cannibals took a step back, looking disappointed that Jon was going
to be keeping his happy place. “That’s
going to make a huge difference to some very deserving people. You did good, Rach!”
“Yeah, well I’m not finished doing good, because they
made me the PRESIDENT of the division!”
Her grin was nothing short of euphoric, and it matched
those of the imaginary cannibals who prepared to renew their attack
efforts.
Jon had a fine line to walk on this one. On the one hand, Rachel was excited about her
accomplishment and promotion, as she should be.
Hell, he was proud of her, too.
She had many business traits he admired and occasionally mirrored, not
to mention that their workaholic selves could be twins.
That was why, on the other hand, Jon couldn’t help but
wonder how this was going to impact their relationship.
The physical distance between their primary addresses was
already a pain in his ass, and she was already borderline obsessed with her
work. Okay, maybe that was a slight
exaggeration, but now that she was president of a division… He did his best not to be a total dick about
the fact that her life was almost completely separate from the man she’d
committed herself to, but this part-time lover shit was a ticking time bomb if
you asked him.
No good could come of this, as far as Jon was concerned,
and he would swear that one of those cannibals was now snacking on Rachel’s
left nipple.
A show of divine intervention had the server arriving at
that precise moment, setting their drinks on the table with a clueless
smile. It was probably the only thing
that kept Jon from shooting off at the mouth and showing his ass, and he was
actually grateful for her timing. That
gratitude would be reflected in her tip.
The cool drink slid down easily, chilling not only his
throat, but his Italian hot-headedness.
Yes, there was a possibility he wasn’t going to like what
this promotion entailed – at all – but for the time being, that was pure
supposition. It was a hard, cold fact
that no good would come of trumping Rachel’s achievements with his own selfish agenda. At least for now, it would be in everyone’s
best interest if he respected her success and pretended to be happy about this
thing.
“Congratulations, Madame President.” He lifted his glass to hers with a ‘clink’.
“I’m very proud of you.”
“Thanks, baby. I
knew you’d be excited about my becoming more involved with Habitat since it’s
such a soft spot for you. It kinda makes
me feel like we’re working on something in common, and I like that.”
Jon had never been a great actor, even when he was
inclined to try. He was no longer
inclined.
“We shouldn’t need work to feel like we’re working on
something in common, Rach. That should
be a given.”
“Honey, I just meant Habitat is one of your pet projects
and, well….I thought you’d be exited that we were ‘playing for the same team’,
so to speak.”
For as much as she understood him, he could not fathom
how Rachel was completely clueless when it came to them. Maybe he’d had too many drinks. Maybe he was fed up with living life with her
as a glorified mistress. Maybe he was
simply a prick. At that point, he
couldn’t tell you. All he knew was that
a switch had just been flipped, transforming him from his typical
happy-go-lucky drunk self into Asshole Man.
“NO, Rachel,” he informed her tersely, keeping his voice
low only by sheer willpower. “Having
Habitat for Humanity in common most definitely does not mean we’re playing for
the same fuckin’ team! What it means is
that our relationship has disintegrated to the point that you think we need a
project in common. What we NEED in
common is a goddamn ADDRESS. Enough is
enough. When are you gonna quit being so
motherfuckin’ stubborn and just come home?”
Green eyes blinked at him with utter confusion, making
him realize he should’ve dealt with this months ago. She really had no idea, and her next words
only cemented that.
“Where is this coming from, Jon?”
“It’s coming from the same fucking place I am – always
half a world away from you – and I’m over it.”
“Really? You’re
always half a world away from me?” She
lifted her brow with derisive surprise.
“Because I’ve sure seen an awful lot of airports to always be half a
world away. I’ve sure spent a lot of
time juggling priorities, obligations and commitments so that I can jet off and
be with you. I’m the one who’s always
working to make that happen. Even when
you’re home, all you do wait for me to show up or bitch that I’m not there.”
“If I’m home, I need to spend some time with my
kids. I can’t do that from California.”
“I understand that, Jon,” she sighed. “And I’m not complaining about having to do
most of the traveling. Just give me
credit for the effort once in a while, instead of criticizing. That’s all.”
Jon took a slow swallow of his drink before setting the
empty glass down and pushing it away so that he could hunker down in his
chair. “Gimme the bottom line here,
Rach. Do you ever intend to move back to
Jersey with me? I mean, I understood in
the beginning you were a little gun shy, but are you planning to just live
apart the rest of our lives?”
Bingo.
The shit had just gotten real for her. He could read it in her eyes as clearly as
New York Times headline, and Jon couldn’t say he was unhappy to finally cut to the chase.
“I…I… well….I guess I haven’t really thought about it,”
Rachel stammered, and he would swear that the cannibals were licking their
fingers. His happy place was now nothing
but a memory.
Ha. A mammary memory.
Jon shook his head, realizing that last drink might not
have been the best idea. It was making
him stupid and just a little bit sad.
“Maybe you should, Rach,” he suggested quietly. “Because I gotta tell ya… I’m done playing house.”
