Chapter 6

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Jon’s nostrils flared and his lids drifted closed as Kim’s scent washed over him.  He wanted to bury his nose in her hair and inhale.  Hell, that wasn’t the only thing he wanted to bury in her.

Her skin was warm and slick against his, her flesh firm and quivering under his hands.  Jon could feel Kim’s pulse racing as his arms remained locked firmly around her middle, holding her against him.  Their playful struggle had abruptly ceased when he pulled her up into the car and back against his chest.  She was making no effort to resist him now.

“Surrender?” Jon murmured, moving his lips near her ear. 

“No.”  Jon could hear the smile in Kim’s voice despite her defiant response.  She still made no move to escape his grasp.

“I win.”  He couldn’t resist teasing her.

“Win what?  You think you get some kinda prize?”  Her defiance turned coy.

“Oh yeah.  In fact…”  Jon’s statement was cut short, replaced by a yelp of surprise as he was showered with cold water.  He instinctively ducked behind Kim, using her body to shield his own.   Kim squealed as she took the brunt of the blast from the garden hose.  She struggled to sit upright, pulling away from Jon’s embrace.

“What the fuck… WENDY!”  Kim sputtered as she swiped water away from her face and ran a hand through her now-drenched hair.

The curly-haired redhead grinned.  “Looked like you needed a little help up there, Kim.  Things were a little… heated.  Thought somebody could use some cooling off.” 

“Gee, THANKS.”  Kim’s sarcasm carried a distinct contrary message.  Dammit, did she look like she WANTED any help in escaping from Jon?

Jon laughed throatily and raised his arm to drag his fingers through his dampened hair.  Kim turned to look at him at the sound of his chuckle, just in time to see his bicep flex with his motion.  She almost gasped aloud at the delicious sight.  Kim again silently cursed Wendy for causing him to pull those arms from around her.

Nicki popped her gum as she gave Kim an inquisitive look.  “Jeez, Kim.  You usually don’t let guys grab you like that.”  Her observation carried an unspoken subtext, one she was sure her friend would recognize. 

Though she was surprised Jon had ignored her flirting earlier, Nicki could now see why.  He was clearly interested in Kim.  But Kim wasn’t usually receptive to guys coming on to her; she said it made her feel like she had a big “Fuck Me” sign on her forehead.  This time she didn’t seem to mind, though.

“Yeah well… he surprised me.”  Kim met Nicki’s look, silently telling her to back off.  She knew Nicki was determined to capture the fancy of one of these rock stars, but she wouldn’t compete with one of her girlfriends for their affection.

It was part of their unwritten Sisterhood code:  once a guy showed interest in one girl he was off-limits to the others.

Nicki held Kim’s gaze for a minute to be sure she understood, then she shrugged.  A little pout again curved her lips as she realized now she couldn’t bed the gorgeous singer, as she had hoped.  That privilege would be Kimberly’s, if it happened at all.  Though Nicki loved Kim to death, her friend just wasn’t… well, sexy.  Cute, sure.  But definitely not sexy.  And she sure as hell wasn’t a one-night-stand-with-a-rock-star kind of girl.

Nicki’s eyes dropped to Jon’s crotch.  What a waste.  She sighed gently, then turned to look at the men laughing with Carmen and Marie next to the black convertible.  The coy smile returned to her lips as she caught Richie’s eye.  Now that one she could easily have…

“Hey!  Kids!  Did you forget we’re working here?”  Mark’s scolding rang out across the lot.  “Look this way so I can get some decent shots, then you can get on with your water fight.”

“Awww, Dad!  You’re no fun!” David whined through his grin.  Kim laughed at Jon’s silly friend, then reluctantly slid down the side of the car until her toes touched the pavement.  She shivered slightly at the feel of Jon’s hand brushing against the small of her back as she moved.  She turned back toward him, then looked over her shoulder at the camera.

The photographer shot another long series of photographs, cheerfully calling out instructions to the group.  When he was finally satisfied he stood back and waved an arm.  “That’s a wrap!”

“Wait a minute, Man!  You need to get in this picture too!” Richie protested.  “C’mon, just for fun.  A couple shots for the scrapbook.”

“Yeah!  Get in here!” Jon echoed to the photographer.  He grinned at Kim and patted the space beside him, where she had sat a few minutes prior.  “Wanna come up?” he invited softly.  She nodded and turned her back to him, then pushed herself up with her arms and a small hop, until she was seated.  Jon shifted sideways to give Kim room to swing her legs into the passenger compartment.  Then he leaned toward her, deliberately brushing his arm against her back as he rested his hand behind her on the convertible’s surface.

Mark laughed and nodded his agreement.  “Okay.”  Motioning to Joey to take over behind the camera, he sauntered over to the group.  “Guess I get to be in the middle, huh?”  He stepped past Wendy and settled on the hood of the red convertible.

“Say Cheese, everybody!” Joey announced from his place behind the tripod.

“Cheese?  What is this, some kindergarten class picture?” Mark barked teasingly at his assistant.  “This is a rock and roll photo shoot!  Fuck You!”  He playfully flipped the bird at the camera.  His actions were immediately mimicked by the band and the girls, as they all shouted expletives and made obscene gestures at the substitute photographer.

“Okay, okay…” Mark laughed after Joey shot a few frames that would never make it to print.  “Now something I can actually put in my portfolio, okay?  Everybody try to look at least mildly amused.”

“Hey Suzanne.”  Kim heard Jon’s quiet voice close to her ear.  It sent a little shiver of pleasure down her spine.  “Gimme that bucket.”

Kim turned to look at Jon and saw his devilish grin.  “What are you doing?” she asked softly.

“Shhh.”  Jon’s lips pursed with the whispered command as he reached behind Kim to take the half-full bucket of soapy water from Suzanne.  His eyes gleaming, he shifted the bucket to his thigh.   “On the count of three, grab the sponge and follow my lead.”

Realizing what Jon had planned, Kim nodded silently, reaching into the bucket.  “One… two… THREE!”  At the count Jon hesitated for a split second to allow Kim to yank the soapy sponge from the bucket before he tipped its remaining contents over Mark’s head.  Kim laughed as she leaned forward to squeeze the soapy water from the sponge onto Mark’s wet locks as he shouted out a curse of surprise.

The rest of the gang burst out laughing at Jon and Kim’s prank as Mark sputtered away the water running down his face.  Joey gave a thumbs-up to indicate he had caught the entire sneak-attack on film.  “That’s a wrap!” He mimicked Mark from behind the tripod.

After a few more minutes of good-natured ribbing, the guys and girls climbed down from their perches on and in the two convertibles.  Again Kim’s pulse raced as she felt Jon’s hand on her knee, giving it a little squeeze before he turned away and hopped off the opposite side of the car.  She watched as Jon strolled over to pick up his t-shirt from the ground and slipped it over his head.  Then with a dreamy little smile Kim swung her legs over the side of the car, slid to the pavement and drifted over to join her girlfriends.

David, Alec, Tico and Richie mingled with the girls as Jon and Mark conversed quietly near the van.  As they talked Joey unloaded the film from the camera and packed it away in a hard-sided case.  Several minutes later, their business complete, Mark and Jon wandered over to the group. 

Mark doled out business cards and hundred dollar bills to each of the girls, complimenting them on their afternoon’s work.  He grinned at Nicki’s obvious excitement when he told her to contact him if she was interested in participating in future photo shoots.  He had no doubt he would hear from her soon.

“So, Ladies…. How about we treat you to a late lunch?” Richie clapped his hands together and looked around at the girls, grinning broadly.  He added in a silly faux-British accent:  “I’m feeling a bit peckish.”

“Yeah, you’re feeling somethin’, no doubt,” Jon grinned.  He looked sideways at Kim, who was standing next to Carmen.  “How ‘bout it?  You girls feel like grabbing a dog and a beer at Max’s?”

“Sounds great.  I’m starving!”  Marie agreed readily.

“Me too.”  Wendy nodded along.  “I didn’t think this was going to take so long.”

“What time is it?” 

Jon’s smile faded slightly at Kim’s question.  He glanced at his watch.   “Almost two.  Why?”

A disappointed frown fell across Kim’s lips as she sighed.  “I can’t go.  I gotta be at work by four-thirty.”

“That’s two and a half hours from now,” Jon replied.  “C’mon, you have time.”  He gave her a hopeful grin.  “Come with us.”

Kim shook her head.  “I can’t.  There’s no way I have time to go eat with you guys then go home and shower and change and get back to the bar in a little more than two hours.  And I have to shower—I’m all sweaty and I look like a drowned rat.”  Her disappointment was evident in her voice.

“It’s okay, Kim.  I’ll go with you.”  Carmen gave David an apologetic look.  “She rode with me.”

“No, Carmen, you stay – if I can borrow your car I’ll go home and change, then drop it off with you at Max’s before I go to work.”  Kim could see Carmen wanted to spend some more time with the funny, charming keyboardist.  She didn’t want to spoil her friend’s fun, even though she couldn’t have her own.

“Wait, didn’t you bring your clothes with you?” Carmen asked.  “You usually do, and you just use the beach showers.”

“Yeah, but that’s because I usually just need to rinse off the sand and suntan oil, not wash my hair and everything.” Kim protested.  “I’m a MESS.  I have to shampoo and dry my hair.  I can’t do that in one of the public showers.”

“You can change at my place.”  Jon interrupted Kim and Carmen’s debate, surprising himself with the suggestion.  So much for keeping his residence a secret.  “I have a shower and a hair dryer.”  He tried not to sound too eager, but he really wanted to spend some time with Kim.  Preferrably alone.

Kim’s eyes widened slightly at Jon’s suggestion, and her heart flipped at his inviting smile.  “I… I couldn’t do that…”  Her response was more a question than a denial.

“Why not?  I live close by.  You could take a quick shower and change at my place, do your hair, then I’ll drive you over to Max’s to meet up with the rest of the gang.”  Jon stared hopefully at Kim, silently urging her to agree. 

“Well…”  Kim hesitated, weighing her choices.  On the one hand, she hardly knew Jon.  She had met him literally hours ago.  She and the girls were always careful when it came to being alone with strange guys; they had all heard too many horror stories about girls who made stupid decisions and suffered the consequences.  But on the other hand, she knew of Jon, and from all accounts he was a decent guy, if a little wild.  He certainly seemed nice enough, the way he had treated her and her friends today.

And Jesus, did she want to spend some time alone with him. She felt a flush creep over her body, a sensory response to the memory of his arms around her, his hard, warm chest against her back, his voice in her ear…   

If she didn’t stay now, she might never have the chance again.

“Umm… I guess.”  Kim blushed slightly as Jon broke into a delighted grin.

“Kim, you sure?”  Marie’s voice held a note of concern.  Kimberly could tell as she turned to look at Marie that her friend was just being careful.

“Yeah, Marie.  It’s fine.  I won’t be long.”  She gave her friend a reassuring smile.  “We’ll be right behind you.”

“Yeah, but Kim…”

“She’s a big girl, Marie,” Carmen interrupted.  She winked at Kimberly, reading her friend’s smile.  She could see what was going on.  Jon and Kim definitely didn’t want a chaperone.  “I’ll go get the car and bring you your bag.”

“Thanks, Carm.”  Kim looked back at Jon as her friends chattered with the guys, determining who was riding with whom for the short drive to the hot dog stand.  Jon gave her a conspiratorial smile.  Suddenly Kim couldn’t wait for their friends to be gone.  She needed to be alone with him.  Now.

As the group dispersed, headed for various vehicles, Jon moved over to stand close beside Kimberly.  She took a deep breath, trying to calm herself as her body reacted to his proximity.  “Ummm…. Which car is yours?” Her voice was breathy with anticipation though she tried to sound casual.

Jon gave her a surprised look.  “What?”

“Your car. To drive to your place.”

Jon smiled, now understanding.  “Oh.  The white 280-Z .  Over there.”  He pointed to the sports car parked at the opposite end of the lot, near the back stairs.  “But we don’t need it.  I live here.”

It was Kim’s turn to be surprised.  “What?”

Jon chuckled at her expression.  “I live here.  In this building.”

“Oh.”  Kim thought about that for a minute, then smiled shyly.  “Well, I guess that makes sense.  Why else would you do a photo shoot in the parking lot of an apartment building.”

“Duh,” Jon teased, reaching out to gently squeeze her arm.  He needed to touch her again.  “Just kidding.  Not many people know I live here.  Just moved here, in fact.”

“Why didn’t you tell us before?”

Jon laughed softly and shook his head.  “Long story.”

Kim arched an eyebrow.  “Psycho girlfriend?”

“Psycho one-night stand who thought she needed to be my girlfriend,” Jon clarified with a grin.  He was a little surprised Kim had picked up on that so quickly.  “How did you guess?”

“I’ve been a bartender for awhile.  You hear lots of stories.”  Kim chuckled.  “And that one seems to be pretty common.”

“Yeah,” Jon chortled.  “I would guess so.”

“So, you don’t have a girlfriend then?”  Kim looked Jon straight in the eye as she asked, daring him to tell the truth.

“I have lots of girlfriends.”  Jon tried the charming line, but Kim didn’t flinch.  She just continued to stare at him.  “No,” he added more softly.  “I used to, but not now.  I’m very single.”

Kim’s gaze dropped momentarily as she smiled that same shy, sexy smile he had first seen on the beach.  “Good.”

As Kim breathed the word a silver Monte Carlo rounded the corner and pulled into the lot.  Carmen threw the car in park as Kim stepped up to the window.  “Here ya go, Honey.”  Suzanne passed a purple backpack to Carmen, who handed it through the window to Kimberly. 

“Thanks.  I’ll catch up with you guys in a few.”  Kim slung the backpack over one shoulder and smiled at her friends, who were both grinning ear-to-ear.

“No hurry.”  Carmen winked.  “Take ALL the time you need.”

Kim blushed, reading her loud and clear.  “I will,” she mumbled. 

With a honk and a wave Carmen pulled the car out of the lot and turned onto Ocean Avenue, headed for Max’s.

Kim took a deep breath.  She was relieved to finally have Jon to herself, but she was also a little nervous.  When she turned to look at him she felt weak.  Her gaze met Jon’s, and she saw those gorgeous blue eyes gleaming with unmasked desire.  Oh God…

Jon swept a hand toward the building.  “Shall we?” 

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