Rock Radio (32 page)

“It’s you that’s amazing,” Cody said, drawing her close to hi
m, pulling her body against his.

Dana looked around over her shoulders, “Cody, someone
will see us.”  She kissed his lips, salty and soft.

“Dana, there’
s no one around us,” his hands caressed her skin.  She felt his touch go through her.

She leaned in closer wrapping her legs around his waist. 
“I can’t tread water that long…”

“I’ve got you,” he said
smiling, “and I can stand.”

He
kissed her hungrily, Dana feeling every bit of his intensity.  He reached his arms around her back and untied her bikini strings.  Her top immediately rose to the surface.  She felt the warm water against her body and then his hands.  She responded, bringing her arms around his strong back then down slowly, loosening his bathing suit, feeling his desire.  He pulled her even closer until they were one, riding the rhythm of the waves to its intense crest, then melting downward, spent in each other’s arms.

They floated for a while, hearts racing, then made their way on shore.

Their snorkeling gear and bathing suits had washed up on the hidden beach.  After dressing, they sat on the warm sand watching the waves roll in and out.

“I could stay here forever,” Dana said.

“Me too.  We could leave the world behind,” Cody said wrapping his arms around her.

Dana smiled, “And eat Beef W
ellington.”

“…and pizza and chocolate cake!” he finished holding her tight.

The sun started its lazy descent.  They gathered their things and swam back, wanting to return before dark.

“Well, that was awesome,” Dana said as they walked out of the ocean.

“
Understatement,” Cody said pulling her close to him for a kiss.  “I’m having an incredible time with you.”

“And you...” Dana’s voice trailed as she gently stroked his face.

“So we’ll have dinner?”

“Yes.”

“And then...”

“And then.”

A promise for later was made.

They returned to the room to get ready.  Cody showered first, quickly, to give Dana the most time to get ready.

He emerged, clad only in a towel from the shower.  “It’s all yours.”

Dana showered with Cody on her mind.  Her skin was tinged with red from the sun.  Every drop of water made her body tingle.  She lathered her body with lavender soap luxuriating under the hot steamy water
thinking of their afternoon rendezvous and the words he said to her last night, words she never thought she’d hear again. 
He loved her.
  She could feel it in his touch, in his kiss.  She could not believe the depth of her emotions for this man, this incredible man.  Dana stepped out of the shower awash in happiness.  She pulled on a thick terry cloth robe and brushed out her hair.  She felt clean and refreshed.  Dana blew out her mane then slipped into a form fitting white sundress.  Her long black hair framed her narrow face, curling slightly around her shoulders.  A pair of strappy white sandals completed the look.  She was ready.

Cody was waiting for her on the white couch.  He stood when she ente
red the room looking amazing in dark blue jeans and an untucked button down black shirt.

“Hey beautiful,” he said.

“Hey yourself.”

They took each other’s hands feeling the perfect fit of their skin.  Walking down to dinner they
talked and laughed like old friends.

They arrived at Tropical Nights restaurant and were surrounded by an island fantasy world.  The wood plank floor was sprinkled with sand.  Tall palm trees rose from the floor adorned with coconuts and bright yellow flowers.  Torches were scattered throughout the restaurant, their orange flame was the only light in the room.  The restaurant’s back wall was a huge open-air window overlooking the ocean.  In the dark, the deep blue waters crashed foamy white waves along the shore.  The roar of the sea echoed an enchanting melody through the restaurant.

Cody and Dana sat at a table for two next to the window.  They dined on blackened mahi mahi with sweet plantains.  The dish was a feast for the eyes as well as the palate.  The mahi was encased in a bright green banana leaf resting on a colorful black bean mango salsa.

“The fish is delicious.”  Dana pulled her fork slowly from her mouth savoring every bite.

“Fantastic.”

“So tell me, what’s with this obscure president game you started to tell me about
once upon a time?”

Cody laughed.  “It all started in a little restaurant in Gainesville.  The guys and I were all sitting around talking about what it would be like to be famous...you know, having a tour bus, throngs of fans...all that fun stuff.”  He gestured with his hands.  “Then Alex pipes up and says that when fame hit we wouldn’t even be able to stay in hotels anymore under our name.  So we made a pact that if we did
start to become famous, we would use the name of an obscure president.  When we got to the well-known presidents we’d know that we’d really and truly made it ‘cause we used up all the lesser known leaders.”

“Cute idea.”

“Yeah, we’re still in the obscure list, so I guess really big fame has eluded us.”

“Clever and historical.”

They both laughed.

“Hey, on a more serious note, what is happening with Alex and the baby situation?”

“That’s a whole other issue,” he sighed.  “He and Kylie are trying to work this out, but it’s a disaster.  Alex has no desire to be a father and Kylie is determined to keep the baby.  Seems she comes from an extremely religious family, who, aside from being mortified by their daughter’s pregnancy, are hell bent on the baby being born.  They want Alex to either marry their daughter and take care of her or get the hell out of her life.”

“Woah...that’s a mess.”

“It is and it’s tearing Alex up.  I think he knows what he needs to do to ease his own mind.  I mean he comes from a close family...I don’t think he’d want his kid growing up in some illegitimate situation, or without a dad.  But the timing for all this is bad...he’s been acting more than a little off lately.”

“The pressure...”

“He’s not dealing with it very well.  The problem is seeping into every aspect of his life...including the band.  To be honest with you, I was glad to get away from them for a bit...I needed a vacation from the band issues.”

“And I thought you were down here for me!”  Dana pouted.

“I am...I am.”  Cody took Dana’s hand.  “Being away from them is just a nice side effect.”

“You had me worried for a moment there.”

Cody leaned in for a kiss.  “You should know better than that.”

They shared a knowing glance.

“I’m ready to get out of here, how about you?” Cody asked.

Dana twirled her hair between her fingers.  “Very ready.”

They moved from the table swiftly to the lobby to their room.  There was an unspoken invitation.  Once the door closed, they drew close to each other, pulled together as if by another force.

“Dana
, I meant what I said yesterday,” Cody said, looking deep into her eyes, “I’m falling in love with you...I am in love with you.”

“I feel the same way,” Da
na replied breathlessly feeling his strong body beneath her hands.  Her eyes met his.  “I love you, Cody.”

             
He could see the love in her eyes.

Her words filled his heart.

She loved him.

They shared
a long passionate kiss, their bodies mirroring their words of love.  Cody moved his lips slowly down her neck with gentle kisses.  He toyed with the straps of her sundress, teasing her, then dropped the straps revealing her gorgeous body.

             
Skin on skin.  Electrifying touch.

             
Two bodies became one.

             
Two souls joined.

             
It was passion.

             
It was...

             
True love.

              “Hi Jill, it’s Jonny.”

             
Jonny nervously toyed with the phone cord.  It had been over a week since he’d spoken to his wife.  He really missed her...more than he ever imagined.  More than love, Jill was his best friend.  When he left Ted’s office in rage and shame, the one person whose shoulder he wanted to cry on was the one person who was truly hurt the most by what he’d done.  Ted still hadn’t gotten back to him on what he was going to do.

As far as Heather was concerned...Jonny found a message on his work voicemail from her.  “I had to do it Jonny,” she said
, anger dripping from every word, “you used me and I do not get used.”  Her message only confirmed what he knew all along – she was trouble.  And now she was going to destroy him.  Anger rose through Jonny’s body as he thought of what was happening.  His career hung in the balance.  Everything he had worked so hard for was about to evaporate before his eyes.

Sadly, his company was a major player in the radio industry.  If he was fired from his job here, getting another radio gig would be difficult.  Radio was an incestuous business.  Everyone knew everyone and the story of how Jonny Rock fell from grace would precede him.

He should have known better, resisted the urge to touch Heather, to be with her.  Now his whole life hung in the balance.  He needed the one constant in his life.  He needed to talk to his wife Jill.

“Jill...are you there?”  He spoke again.  He could hear her breathing on the phone.

“What do you want?” she said tersely, the raw pain still very evident in her voice.

“I wanted to talk to you...to tell you how sorry I am.”

“Well I don’t want to hear it.”

Click.

She hung up.

Jonny listened to the monotonous beep of the disconnected phone.  He redialed her.

“What?”

“Please, Jill, don’t hang up this time.”

“I have nothing to say to you.”

“I have a lot I need to say to you.  Jill, we’ve been together so long.”

“That didn’t seem to matter to you.”

“I understand you’re hurt.”

“You understand nothing,” she spat.

“That’s not true.”

“I’m not going to argue with you over your sensitivity.  I think the fact that you cheated on me makes my case just fine.”  Her words flew like knives straight into his heart.

“Look, can I come over to talk to you?”

“I don’t want you in my house.”

“Then how about someplace neutral...like the coffee shop down the block from our apartment?”

“Why?”

“Jill, you know as well as I do, as angry as you are at me, we have to talk, we have things to discuss...”

She breathed heavily, thinking over what he said.  “Fine.  I can meet you now...but only briefly.”

“Great,” he said smiling, “great.  I’ll see you there.  I’m leaving now.”  He replaced the phone hook quickly, ending the call before she had a chance to change her mind.

Jonny took off his old radio station T-shirt and put on Jill’s favorite striped Polo shirt.  He brushed his short spiky screaming blonde hair, stopping for a moment to note how ridiculous he looked with it.  About to lose his job and his wife and he’s got the hair style an angry child with a yellow crayon would give a stick figure.  “No time to criticize your appearance,” he chided himself and sprinted out of the door to his car.

Jonny sped through the streets pulling into what was his and Jill’s favorite coffeehouse.  When they’d first moved to South Florida they’d stop in on weeknights for coffee and an outrageous dessert.  They’d choose a different decadent treat each time – chocolate fudge brownies dripping with liquid heaven or huge cinnamon coffee rolls covered in sweet white icing.  They’d eat and laugh and reflect on how far they’d come from their small apartment in Georgia.  He smiled at the memory.

Walking through the doors of the coffee shop the aroma of rich java and baked goods jarred his memory of better times and all that was at stake.  He glanced around quickly.  Jill wasn’t there.  He took the liberty of ordering two coffees and the brownie dessert – her favorite.  Alone, he sat at the small table for two, waiting and waiting and waiting.

Three cups of coffee later, Jill arrived.  He saw her walk tentatively through the door.  From a distance he noticed how pretty she looked in a simple white cotton shirt and jeans.  Her flaxen blonde hair was brushed to a perfect shine and was tied with a red ribbon in a loose ponytail.  As she approached he could see behind her makeup puffy eyes ringed in purple.  She’d been crying.  A lot.

Jonny rose from his seat and tried to reach out to hug her.  She flinched and recoiled.  “Sorry,” he said putting his hands in the air to show no harm and backed off.

“I only agreed to meet you because we need to determine what we are doing.”  Her language was terse and to the point.  No words were wasted.