Sheet Music - A Rock 'n' Roll Love Story
- Автор: Lister Ann
- Серия: Sheet Music #1
- Год: 2011
- Язык: голландский
- Год: Lulu.com
- ISBN: 9781105173578
- Жанр: Прочая древняя литература
Электронная книга - «Sheet Music - A Rock 'n' Roll Love Story». Краткое содержание книги:
“I don’t know. You tell me.”
“I’m not sure I know where this is going, Annie.”
“Then I’ll get right to the point. I don’t like Michael spending so much time at your house. Emotionally, his visits over there seemed to have helped slightly, but I need him here too. Sammi needs him. And I get the impression he thinks you need him there every day. I want you to tell him that you don’t.”
“Annie, Michael is a grown man capable of deciding what he wants to do. As long as I’ve known him, he has never done anything or gone anywhere that he didn’t want to.”
“So, what are you suggesting, that he prefers being there with you more than being home here with me and the baby? And more to the point, what exactly are you offering that keeps him going back to your house every day?”
“I’m not going to justify that with an answer.”
“Let me remind you, Barbara, he's my husband – not yours. Don't mistake him as a replacement for the one you lost.”
Before Barbara could respond, Annie slammed down the telephone.
Barbara paced the floor of the studio. Her mind raced in a multitude of directions. Was there any justification to her accusations? As much as she hated to admit it, there probably was. She enjoyed Michael’s company, but being truthful, it had grown much deeper for her now. Maybe it had always been that way, but now that Brian was gone, she was able to entertain the possibility of being with him.
As they sat and sifted through the boxes of Brian’s belongings, she found herself wondering what it would be like to be with him. She ached for the touch of a man but not just any man. She wanted Michael. God forgive her, but she did. She had wanted him since the day they met twenty-five years earlier.
She didn’t want his love. Annie could have that and deserved it. She merely wanted his body. What was so terrible about that? Men had gotten away with using women’s bodies for centuries so why couldn’t she? He was married but he was a married rock star; they lived by a different set of rules and weren’t expected to be faithful - at least that was what she had always been led to believe.
Had she consciously been trying to seduce him while they intimately reflected over their years with Brian? Maybe not consciously but sub-consciously, yes. She was struggling with her motives when Michael breezed into the room. He appeared as agitated as she was.
“What’s wrong?” she asked.
“Annie threw a fit before I left to come here,” he answered, flopping onto the leather couch.
Barbara thought of mentioning her phone conversation with Annie then changed her mind. He looked too delicious. Besides, the last thing she wanted to talk about was his wife.
“Do you want to go home?”
“I’m here, aren’t I?”
Barbara smiled and hit the remote control button to start the DVD player below the wide screen television set. “And I’m glad you’re here,” she replied with calculated inflection in her voice. “I’m going to get something to drink. Would you like something?”
“No, I’m fine,” he replied eying a cardboard box filled with some of Brian’s belongings sitting on the coffee table in front of his legs. He pulled the box toward him and peeked inside. There were dozens of old photographs, a couple of marijuana pipes and an unopened bottle of whiskey. He took the bottle, held it in his hand, and studied the label with a weak smile. It was like coming face-to-face with an old friend with whom he had lost contact. Without much thought, he cracked the seal at the neck and filled his lungs with the scent.
One healthy swig couldn’t hurt, he thought. In fact, it might even dull the pain in his arm. He took one quick swallow and nearly choked on the liquid. It burned like it was the first time all over again.
“I thought you said you weren’t thirsty,” Barbara said with sarcasm as she entered the room.
“I changed my mind,” he replied, twisting the cap back on the bottle.
She slowly sat beside him wondering if she should take the bottle away from him.
“Barb, I’d like you to meet an old friend of mine,” he said, pointing the label at her. “His name is Jack Daniels but you should probably call him, Mr. Daniels.”
“I’m not sure you should have that,” she said.
“Too late. You said I could have anything in these boxes. Am I right?”
Yes, but…”
Before she could finish her answer, he took another gulp.
“Michael, really. I don’t think you should have that bottle. Why don’t you hand it to me and I’ll put it away.”
Michael’s eyes met hers. “Back off, Barb. A few hits off this bottle isn’t going to kick me back into the gutter. Relax.”
“I don’t want to be blamed for…”
“Oh, for Christ Sakes! Maybe I should leave. Would that make you feel better?” he asked, standing as if to leave.
“No! I don’t want you to go. Please, stay here with me. I don’t want to be alone.”
Michael sat down beside her and tipped his head back against he couch to stare at the ceiling. “I need a vacation from my life, Barb. I want to slip away somewhere unrecognized, come back when I’m good and ready, and have everything fixed. Do you know what I’m saying? I want the life I had - the way it was.”
“Yes, I understand completely.”
She reached and took hold of his hand and held on to it. Silence filled the room. The only light came from the flickering of the images on the television screen but there was no audio. Michael’s head still lay against the back of the couch, his eyes shut. She could see moisture building beneath his dark eyelashes.
“Michael, are you all right?”
He lifted his head and wiped at his eyes. “Yeah, I’m fine. Why?”
She looked at his face, his eyes fluid and filled with pain. “Have you cried since Brian died?”
He cocked his head in confusion. “What kind of question is that?”
“I don’t know. I was just wondering.”
He toyed with a loose thread on the knee of his jeans. “The answer is no.”
“Why?”
His head fell back against the couch and he sighed heavily. “I’m afraid if I start I won’t be able to stop.”
Barbara moved closer and touched his thigh. “It’s all right if you want to.”
He took another gulp of whiskey and shrugged his shoulders. “I’m okay. Really,” he sniffed. “What’s on this video?” he asked, changing the subject.
“I found these old movies of you and Brian last night. I’m guessing they were taken about twenty years ago because you both look so young,” she commented, folding her legs up beneath her. “What a stud you were! How many girls do you have hanging from your neck?” she asked, watching Michael in the video parading around someone’s pool with several females in tow.
He laughed. “Yeah, the good ol’ days when life was uncomplicated and the women…well, there were too many of them and not nearly enough time.”
They watched the video thoughtfully; laughing together at the silly antics they all partook in. With each passing minute, Barbara became more aware of his closeness. She could smell him, his cologne, the shampoo in his hair. He was so absorbed with the movie, he was oblivious she was staring at him. She watched the movement of his lips as they curled into a brilliant smile and the seductive way he licked at them.
“Michael, can I ask you something?”
His eyes left he television and met her. “Yeah, I suppose so.”
“Have you ever cheated on Annie?”
“What brought that on?” he asked, backing away from her.