Rock Notes (Book One of the Heartbeat Series) (13 page)
W
e were all heading to Texas and I arrived this morning with a cowboy hat and boots to match, ready to kick up my heels in this next state. We had received a briefing from Maxwell which contained a schedule of three concerts to come, along with some added free time in between each. The first show was in Austin, then off to San Antonio, and then lastly to a resort in Galveston. Rand was in a very good mood this morning and as we sat together on the plane, he tilted my cowboy hat down low and came underneath for a very long, drawn out, lip smacking, wet kiss. Even though we had kissed a lot recently, I was still missing his lips and the past few weeks had been full of love lost memories and a lot of painful emotions. This felt good as he took my mouth to his and gently swirled his tongue with mine. He reached under my chin and cupped it, never breaking our embrace.
Raeford tapped me on the brim of my hat, and handed over his phone, just before we were about to take off. “Hello” I answered.
“Well I just wanted to tell you to have an awesome time. You go girl, write your story and make sure it’s juicy.” Jillian said. “Oh, and aren’t you meeting up with Thomas at one of the shows?”
I answered, “I’ll make it very descriptive just for you and I’m not meeting up with him, we’re just going to talk.” I hadn’t wanted to think about this at all. Thinking of meeting Thomas had my emotions all over the place and I certainly didn’t want to bring it up to Rand. Rand wasn’t following my conversation with her which was good, although I was choosing my words very carefully. I had already obtained a VIP access pass for Thomas from Maxwell, telling Maxwell I was meeting an old friend to take with me to the concert. I didn’t think I really had to tell anyone any more about who he was. With Jillian still speaking to me on the phone she continued, “Oh, and Madison can you….” in a whisper voice like someone would over hear her on the phone in my ear, “watch Raeford for me. I really do like him.” I laughed and said, “I certainly will, love you Jill, we’re taking off now.” Rand pulled me into his chest and I remained there until we landed.
We arrived at the Driskill, which was a legendary, landmark hotel in Austin. It was a breathtaking site to take in. The hotel design was very luxurious and historical; it was built in the 1800’s. I was told too that there was a lot of ghost activity here at this hotel. As the band settled into their assigned rooms and I was in mine, I heard a knock at the door, but when I opened it no one was there. Perhaps it was one of the ghosts of the hotel. I then returned to unpacking my clothes and heard the knock again, but it was coming from the door in the sitting area of my hotel room. It was a connecting door to the next room. Perhaps this was for families that stayed here, the children could be in the other area. I opened this inner door. Standing up against the frame was a sight to behold.
Rand was standing there in jeans that rested just below his hips and he was shirtless and barefoot. I didn’t speak, I just had to swallow and exhale slowly, even his naked feet got to me. Rand lifted his face up and sent me his electrifying smile. Already in my room when I arrived was a bottle of champagne, a bowl of ripened strawberries, and some selected cheeses and crackers on the table in the sitting area.
“Madison, I think we are missing something we both need right now.”
“Like what?”
“How about these?” He pulled from behind him, two champagne flutes. He then took the champagne bottle from the ice bucket walking proudly to the bed in the other room. He sat on the bed and tapped the bed for me to join him.
The rest of the afternoon we drank champagne, ate strawberries and cheese intermingled with kisses and licks to one another’s lips. We had created our own type of edible treats; appetizers that definitely whetted our appetites for more. Rand made use of his talented fingers and traced them along my face and then pulled my chin upward to meet his still hungry mouth. I found being in his arms and the taste from his lips that I could hunger for more. Although Rand and I could have stayed in my bed there, in that room for a long time, we decided to head out and walk about the hotel. Since previously hearing of ghost encounters in the hotel, my interest was piqued. Being a writer, I thrive on that, and was intrigued.
Our afternoon stroll took us down through the massive columns that lined the lobby and then we settled ourselves out on the mezzanine. Here we sat in the deep brown wooden rocking chairs looking beyond the white railed posts on this outdoor patio retreat. Just before we left my hotel room, I grabbed my voice recorder and Rand went through our connecting door and retrieved his journal, shoes, and thankfully a shirt. As we rocked, I softly spoke into my recorder and Rand was drawing and writing on several pages, I was certain creating new music.
The band had tonight off and Rand had chosen to remain with me here at the hotel. We saw Maxwell and the band as they were heading out into the city of Austin to eat. We waved from the mezzanine to them below. Rand leaned over me in the rocking chair and took my hand leading me back to my room where the dinner he preordered for us was set up. He ordered so much food, knowing the hotel’s restaurant was very highly rated. We started with a roasted beet salad, moved on to a wonderful plate of butternut squash risotto, and then a huge Texas style aged rib eye. We both practically dove into the apple tart and whip cream topping without using our forks. We broke pieces of it away and fed one another, taking tiny bites of each other’s lips, licking fingers savoring the taste of the delicately flaked pie crust and the sweetness of the topping. I had a tiny piece of apple near my lip that Rand was to gracious to leave there for a moment and then he came in and removed it very seductively. I believe every meal should start with dessert.
This evening was wonderful, with our appetites satisfied and precious moments like this that we shared. It was so nice to have this calm with Rand in his busy lifestyle. I liked this side of him. During times like these, no one else existed. But the return of the band reminded me that they did. My hotel door was knocked on loudly and soon all the guys were marching in. They said they were stealing him from me for awhile and as much as I wanted to protest that he wasn’t mine to steal, I didn’t. Before he left my room, he looked back and he stole a deep, sucking, swirling kiss from my lips.
My hotel phone rang the next morning which was odd as I wasn’t sure who would use that phone to call me. “Good morning Maddy, I’m looking forward to seeing you tonight, I miss you,” Thomas said with such confidence it was clear he felt like he’d be getting exactly what he wanted out of this meeting.
“Oh, Thomas, hey, you can meet me here at the Driskill Hotel Bar about seven, and then we’ll go to the show.” I replied. I didn’t linger on the phone with him and I really wasn’t looking forward to this as I just had such a lovely day yesterday with Rand and finally felt Rand and I were making baby steps with one another.
I headed for the shower hoping that the warm spray would help to wash away the feeling of uncertainty that I had about tonight. I knew I was seeing Thomas after all these months and wasn’t sure how that was going to go, I had my hopes of getting some closure. The timing for Thomas and I to meet again was very close to what would have been our eleventh wedding anniversary. Some of our wedding vows were replaying themselves in my mind…
I Madison take you Thomas to love, cherish and grow with in all our days ahead. I promise to be by your side for as long as you will have me.
That seemed funny to me now as I was by his side actually only until he decided to leave me. As I lathered myself beneath the showerhead and thought of Rand’s touches and felt deep within my belly, warmth envelope me. I closed my eyes and let the water beat lightly at my face preparing myself for this day.
After I showered and dressed, I went to the connecting door and tapped lightly hoping Rand was awake. My knocking was not answered, so I reached down and wrapped my hand around the doorknob and paused, then slowly twisted the handle and opened up the door. From where I stood on the threshold I could see just his messy bed sheets in his room, some of his journal notes on the nightstand but he wasn’t there. I lingered there for a moment. It was as if I could actually feel him, and as I traced a finger over my lips, I could still taste him. I knew I could definitely smell his scent and I closed my eyes and drew in his aroma. My phone sounded a moment later and it was from Rand.
Good morning. Sorry the guys pulled me away from you last night. I was looking forward to the next part of dessert. I’ve already left this morning. We all got in late, I’m beat. I have a meeting today with Maxwell and some people in the music industry from Austin. You know these meetings can go long. I’ll search you out in the audience tonight. I’ll lock onto your beautiful dark eyes, and imagine that I’m tucking a strand of your hair behind your ear and singing. I’ll be singing to you like you are the only one in front of me. Later I will pull you toward me and kiss your ear and then travel to your welcoming lips.
I was star struck, I was in awe and I missed him, I knew I did. I wanted to let him know.
Hey, I was just standing in the doorway between our rooms breathing you in. Although you aren’t here I feel like you are, I’ll miss you today, but I’ll be looking forward to seeing you tonight.
I leaned on the doorframe with my phone to my chest and tapped my head lightly on the wooden surround. I was beginning to feel something with Rand, something so alive and warm, so new, so fresh and yet so unknown, but what I knew somehow was I wanted more.
I had seated myself at the bar several different times just before seven o’clock. Once I sat down and then hurried to the bathroom being nervous. Another time I sat and crossed my legs and looked as if I was waiting for one of the surrounding Texans to kindly buy me a drink and then finally I sat myself at a small table off to the one side of the bar, in a bit more secluded area where the fabric of the chairs made me laugh as they were a cow print. My laughing made me relax as Thomas arrived and placed his hand to my shoulder. “Madison, you look lovely. Please don’t get up, let’s sit here for a bit.” I was surprised, I had been so distraught and angry with him for so long, and now seeing him was like meeting him all over. He was very pleasant to the eyes, his sandy colored, short hair and light grey-blue eyes, pulled me in. I actually got up and slightly placed my arms around him and tapped him slightly.
“Thomas I’m glad you made it, I know you’re really going to enjoy the show.”
“Oh, I am already enjoying just being here with you.”
I wanted to keep our conversation as friends. “Thomas, I am really having a great journey with all of them. I know you’ve heard many of their songs.”
We were able to keep our conversation light and friendly. We spoke for the next hour about the business convention he was attending and how my writings were coming along. We didn’t get into anything deep about what happened to us, and that was fine for me at the moment. He did speak to me about my father and said that my father missed me. Thomas told me that he believed my father was pulling for us to make it back together, but I let that topic brush over and asked him how long he was going to be in Austin. The time flew by and I looked at my watch and knew we had to get to the show. Thomas said he could drive as he had a rental car. We left the bar, I felt him reach down to take hold of my hand, but when I pulled it back up toward me, he rested his hand at the small of my back following me out of the hotel to his car. I felt his hand near my back and a few times he raised it and gently stroked at my lower back, but emotionally, I felt nothing. I felt his hand but no longing or wanting sensation.
When we arrived at the concert I thought of possibly taking him back stage and briefly introducing him as my friend to the band and even Rand, but we got tied up in the traffic to get to the venue as only one lane of traffic was open. Since it took us so long, I only briefly caught up with Kent in the side corridor for a moment as he was rushing backstage and told him I was with my friend Thomas and we were going to quickly find our seats. The band opened up with the usual from Rand, “Good Evening City of Austin, we are Rolling Isaac’s.” His eyes did a once over of the crowd below and he quickly scouted me out. I had on my cowboy hat so I tipped it to him when our eyes met. As the band started playing, a few times Thomas leaned over and said that it must be really fun traveling with them. He seemed genuinely happy for my new occupational venture. The band played so well and was received by Austin greatly. I knew most of the songs by now, I always had a copy of the night’s playlist and sang along and even Thomas knew a few verses.
At one point as I stared at Rand I saw him smile, and I was overwhelmed with happiness. As I turned to Thomas, he leaned in and took the opportunity to kiss me on the lips. Thomas smiled gently at me and then reached to the back of my neck and pulled me in once more. I kissed back, thinking of Rand. I quickly realized what was really happening and pulled away abruptly. My first thought was to just run away from Thomas but I didn’t want to leave in the middle of the show. So I sat there and gave Thomas a kind smile and then focused back on the show.