CHAPTER SIXTEEN
Over the next few weeks, Meg’s life ran at break-neck speed. At Sky’s insistence, she spent weekends with him on the Johnson Bishop tour bus, and she became acclimated to the band’s routine out on the road. On the days she wasn’t out on tour with Sky and the band, she worked twelve hour shifts at the hospital.
Sky continued to post occasional photos on social media of him and Meg and, as Becky predicted, most fans began to accept their relationship. Meg found being Sky’s girlfriend most difficult when she was at work, where other hospital staff members whispered and pointed at her when she walked by them, or stopped by the nurses’ station to ask about getting concert tickets for friends or relatives in the cities where the band was scheduled to play. She was often asked questions about what Sky was really like, and she did her best to maintain their privacy while deflecting questions or using well-rehearsed answers that gave nothing away.
Despite having an alarm installed at her home, Sky refused to let Meg stay there alone, and insisted on either staying the night with her when she slept at the cottage, or having her stay with him at his log cabin in the woods. “Mallory hasn’t been caught, and until she is, I’d feel better knowing I’m around to protect you. I couldn’t live with myself if something happened to you.” He grinned, and added, “And besides, you know how much I like having access to you and your gorgeous body.”
On the nights they stayed at the log cabin, Meg often came home to find Sky grilling on the back deck. “You’re really quite the grill master,” she said with a laugh one night while settling into a deck chair and watching him plate up dinner.
“You’re always there for me, in any way I need you, when I get off the stage,” he said, as he brought a platter of grilled fish and vegetables over to the table where Meg was sitting. “Only fair that I’m here for you, to make your life better, when you get home from a long day at work.”
How did I get so lucky? “Well, I want to you to know that I appreciate you, too.” She selected some grilled asparagus and salmon from the platter, and after a forkful, said, “Mmm…this is delicious. Who taught you to cook?”
“Mrs. Beasley. She buys groceries and leaves me instructions on what to do with them.”
“We haven’t seen her in a while. Why don’t we invite her for dinner tomorrow night?”
“That’s a great idea. I’ll call her later.”
They continued to eat, while chatting about their respective days. Meg told Sky about some of the challenges she faced that day in the trauma center, and Sky told Meg about the song he wrote with Jack.
When they finished eating, Sky asked, “What are you doing the first week of April?”
Meg shrugged her shoulders. “I don’t know. I guess my usual routine of work and going out on the road with you. Why?”
“The Academy of Country Music awards are that week in Las Vegas. We don’t tour the weekend before because there are tons of interviews, rehearsals for the awards show, and a benefit concert. I was hoping you’d come with me.”
Her eyes grew wide. “To the ACMs? Really?”
“Why are you surprised? You’re my girlfriend. Girlfriends go to awards shows with their boyfriends.”
“It’s just…that’s a really big deal. You want me to walk the red carpet with you too?”
“Yeah, the whole thing.”
“I’ll have to take time off from work.”
“Trust me, it can easily be arranged.”
“Easier said than done.” Meg furrowed her eyebrows as thoughts raced through her mind. How can I keep taking time off from work? And where am I going to get the money to buy the clothes I’ll need for this trip?
Sky interrupted her thoughts. “You okay? You seem awfully quiet.”
“Yeah, I’m fine. Just have a lot on my mind, I guess.”
“You know what I have on my mind?”
She shook her head. “Nope. Why don’t you tell me.”
Sky grinned. “You, and your gorgeous body.”
Meg laughed as she stood up and began to clear the dishes from the table. “You’re incorrigible.”
“And you love it.”
Later that week, Meg met Becky after work to shop for dresses for the ACM awards. She was impressed that the sales people in each store greeted Becky by name, and Becky explained that she did a lot of shopping for dresses, both for herself and for some of her celebrity clients.
“So you continue to work with clients, even though you’re on the road with Jack and the band every weekend?”
“Sure. It’s easy, because most of my clients are in the music business and are on the road on the weekends anyway. I can also work with them online, too.”
I wish I had that option, Meg thought. It would make being on the road with Sky so much easier if I didn’t have to be at the hospital during the week when we’re home.
Meg followed Becky to the designer section of the department store. She blanched at the price tags as she flipped through the racks of dresses, and mentally did the arithmetic as she tried to figure out what she would have to cut out of her budget in order to afford a dress for the event.
“This might look nice on you,” Becky said, holding up a beaded black gown with a deep v-neck.
“Umm…I don’t know,” Meg replied.
“Come on, just try it on. And try these two also,” Becky said, holding up a cream lacy gown with a cut out back, and a mint green sleeveless gown.
Meg’s eyes lit up when she saw the green gown Becky was holding. “Okay, I guess,” she said, as she followed Becky to the dressing rooms. She tried the black gown on first, and she opened the dressing room door to show Becky.
“No, definitely not. Even if we altered it, it doesn’t do anything for you. It’s pretty, but just not for you. Try the other ones on.”
“Okay,” Meg said, and returned to the dressing room. She slipped the cream gown on, and opened the door in order to get Becky’s input.
“Turn around,” Becky said. “I want to see the cut out back on you.” When Meg turned around, Becky said, “Hmm…I like it, but I don’t love it on you. Your first time on a red carpet is special, and you want the perfect dress. There are going to be a lot of cameras and eyes on you, because this is the first time Sky is bringing a date, other than Fiona Beasley, to an awards show.”
Meg nodded her head, and returned to the dressing room. She fingered the material of the mint green gown, and sighed. This is the most beautiful dress I’ve ever seen, she thought, as she took another look at the price tag. But I can’t spend two months’ rent on a dress I’ll only wear once.
“Meg? Aren’t you going to try the green one on?”
“Umm…yeah, just give me a minute.” Meg slipped the gown over her head, looked in the mirror, and gasped at her reflection. “Wow,” she said, under her breath. She turned around and looked at herself from all angles, admiring how the color brought out the green of her eyes, and complemented her light olive skin and long chestnut hair. “Wow,” she said again, amazed at the way the simple sheath hugged her curves, emphasizing her slim waist and the swell of her full breasts.
“Meg?”
“Umm…just a sec.” Meg opened the dressing room door and slowly walked out.
“Oh my God! That’s gorgeous on you!” Becky clapped her hands and said, “I think we have a winner. I can’t wait to see Sky’s expression when he sees you in it!”
Meg wrinkled her brows, and shook her head. “I don’t know.”
“What are you talking about? It’s perfect with your coloring and eyes. You have to get it!”
“I’m just not sure. I think I want to shop around some more, and see if I can find something I like better.”
“But it’s the perfect dress. I don’t understand.”
Meg bit her lip and turned around so she didn’t have to face Becky. “Like I said, I think I want to shop around some more.” She dashed into the dressing room and slammed the door shut. I am so out of my league. It was ridiculous to think I could afford to buy a dress for the awards show. I’m just going to have to tell Sky that I can’t get the time off. She stole one more look at herself in the mirror, before stepping out of the gown and placing it back on the hanger. Her eye caught the price tag one more time, and she shook her head. This is never going to work.
Instead of turning towards Sky’s house after leaving the store, Meg steered her Jeep towards her cottage. I need some time alone to figure this out. How am I going to tell him I’m not going to go with him to Las Vegas? Rather than turning on the radio, she chose to drive home in silence so she could think.
Meg pulled into the driveway, and cut the ignition. She sat in her Jeep for a moment before getting out, realizing it was the first time she was going to be alone in her house since the night Mallory attacked her. Why haven’t the police caught her yet? How hard could it be to find her? Sky even gave them a photo of her driver’s license. She took a deep breath, summoned up her courage, and made a dash for her front door.
She bounded up the two stairs to her front porch, turned the key in the lock, and punched in the alarm code before slamming the door behind her. She turned on the lights in the house and finally exhaled. I hate being afraid in my own home. Maybe I should have just gone to Sky’s, she thought, as she opened each closet door and checked under her bed to make sure she was alone.
I need a drink after tonight, she thought, as she pulled a bottle of white wine out of the refrigerator and poured herself a glass. She carried it out to the living room, where she sank into the soft sofa cushions and pulled an afghan over her. She took a deep sip, and savored the immediate calming effect it had on her as it slid down her throat.
“That hits the spot,” she said aloud. She opened her laptop to check her bank balance, and shook her head. Even though I hardly ever have to buy groceries anymore, because Sky either takes me out or we spend most of our nights in at his house, the savings don’t add up to the price tag on that dress. Even the double pay I received the week I worked as Sky’s private duty nurse doesn’t cover it. “I just have to work up the courage to tell him I can’t go,” she said under her breath.
As if on cue, her cell phone began playing “When I Met You”, announcing that Sky was calling her. She debated ignoring his call, but knew that would cause him to show up on her doorstep.
“Hey, handsome,” she said when she answered the phone.
“Baby, where are you? I’m getting worried.”
She cringed. “I’m at my house.”
“What are you doing there? I thought you were coming over.”
“I just…um…I had some things I had to do here at home.”
“Like what?”
Like trying to figure out how to tell you that I can’t go to Las Vegas and the ACM awards with you. “Just some personal stuff. I have to be at the hospital early tomorrow morning, and need to get a good night’s sleep.”
“But you have to be at the hospital early every morning you’re working. What makes tonight different? And why didn’t you call me to tell me you weren’t coming over?”
“I don’t know. I just needed some space.”
“Space?” When Meg didn’t answer, Sky asked, “What’s up with you? Why are you acting all weird?”
“You’re asking an awful lot of questions.”
“Maybe because I’m not getting any answers.”
Meg sighed. “Sky, please, I’m just tired and need to sleep in my own bed tonight.”
“I don’t know why you’re shutting me out, but if you really feel that way, then I guess I’ll talk to you later,” he said.
“Sky?” When he didn’t answer, she stared at her phone. “Crap. He hung up on me.” She gulped down her glass of wine, and walked into the kitchen for a refill. “I’m a real genius,” she said to herself as she poured more wine into her glass. “I just told the sexiest man I’ve ever met that I wanted to be alone when he wanted me.” She took a deep sip, and repeated, “Yeah, I’m a real genius.” She brought her glass of wine into the living room, where she settled back onto the sofa.
Thoughts raced through her mind. What am I going to tell him? If I say I can’t get off work, he’ll call the hospital and have my schedule re-arranged. If I tell him I can’t afford a dress, then he’ll buy one for me, and I can’t let that happen. I’ve always stood on my own two feet, without any help from anyone. I’m not about to accept help or charity now.
The pounding on her front door startled her, and she was momentarily disoriented. I must have dozed off. When the pounding on her door continued, she looked out the front window and saw the black Tahoe parked next to her Jeep. Sky. Of course. He isn’t going to let this go.
Her left leg had fallen asleep while she slept the sofa, and she hobbled towards the front door. She swung it open and asked, “What?”
“You know, it’s not safe to answer the door without knowing who is on the other side,” he said with a grin.
“I looked out the window and saw your Tahoe in the driveway. And, besides, you’re the only one who bangs away at my door like that.”
“Your door isn’t the only thing of yours that I like to bang away at,” he said as he picked her up and swung her over his shoulder. He pushed the door shut and locked it, before carrying her down the hall and depositing her on the bed.
She stared at Sky, who was busy peeling off his shirt. “What do you think you’re doing?”
“I’m getting undressed. And then I’m going to undress you.”
“But, Sky…I said I needed some space.”
He stood before her in just his boxer briefs. “I spoke to Becky, and she told me you were acting weird when you went shopping. So now I know that it’s just not me thinking something is bothering you.” He joined her on the bed, and began undressing her. “What is it?”
She was stripped down to her underwear before she worked up the courage to tell him the truth. “I can’t go to Las Vegas with you.”
His hands reached for the hooks holding her bra in place. “Why not?”
“I just can’t.”
“Why not?”
Meg closed her eyes and sighed. “Because I have to work.”
Anger flashed in Sky’s eyes as he threw her bra across the room. “You’re not telling me the truth.”
“You’re wrong, Sky. I can’t just take time off whenever I feel like it. I’ve got to work. I’ve got bills to pay.”
He sat back on his heels and stared into her green eyes. Money. That’s got to be the issue here. That’s why she didn’t buy the dress Becky told me about. He took a deep breath, before tugging her lace panties off and dropping them beside the bed. “Good lord, you’re beautiful,” he said as he shed his boxer briefs and covered her body with his.
“Sky…” She tried to resist him, but it was no use. The heat was building between them, and she didn’t fight him when he nudged her legs apart.
He reached between her thighs. “Your body is telling me how much you want me.” He watched her back arch in response to his rhythmic stroking of her pleasure center. “You love it.”
Meg moaned as he continued to stroke her, and when he removed his fingers from her, she begged for more. “Oh God, Sky, please, don’t stop.”
He grinned at her. “What do you want me to do?”
“I want…I need to…”
“You need what? Say it.”
“You. I need you.”
He began stroking her most sensitive spot again, this time with his rock-hard erection. “Is this what you want?”
She gasped for air, and nodded her head as she began to lose control of her body. She felt him pull away from her, and begged, “Don’t stop.”
The cocky grin re-appeared on his face. “You want me to do this?” He stroked her again with his manhood and he caught her hands when she reached for him. He sat back on his heels and asked, “What do you want, baby?”
“You.”
“Hmm…,” he said, as he leaned into her and began teasing her with the tip of his erection. “It seems to me we both want something from the other.”
Her hips bucked up against him in a desperate attempt to get the release she needed. “Oh, yeah,” she said, and was surprised when he backed away from her. “What?”
He chuckled. “Baby, you’re strung so tight right now. I could probably make you come in an instant,” he said, reaching between her legs and swiping his fingers against her with a feather-like touch. Her moan and the reaction of her body told him he was on the right track. “But…”
She cut him off. “But what? I can’t take it any longer.”
“I know,” he said with a grin. “I know what you want from me. But I want something from you, too.” He reached for his jeans, which were crumpled on the floor, and extracted a condom from a pocket.
Her breathing was shallow as he stroked her, and then retreated again. “Sky, please…please let me…”
“Please let you come? Is that what you’re asking?”
She moaned as his fingers filled her as his thumb flicked over her most sensitive spot. “Yes, oh God, yes.”
His mouth was on hers in an instant. His hands cupped each side of her face, and he looked deeply into her eyes. “I’ll let you finish on one condition,” he said, as he rocked his hips and his erection brushed against her opening. “You have to agree to come with me to Vegas for the ACMs.”
She raised her hips up towards him, but he backed away. “You don’t fight fair.”
“I promised to always tell you the truth, but I never promised you I’d fight fair,” he said, teasing her again with his manhood. “You don’t get to come, unless you agree to come with me to Vegas.”
I’d agree to anything right now, as long as you let me finish. “Okay.”
“Say it, Meg.” He grasped his erection and thrust it deep inside her.
She was breathless, and could barely get the words out. “I’ll come with you to Vegas.”
“Good girl,” he said, withdrawing from her. “Time for your reward.” He slid his length against her most sensitive spot, before filling her again.
Meg felt the tension build between her legs and electricity course through her every nerve ending. She lost control of her body as he alternately filled and stroked her, and she rocked her hips against him in rhythm until she cried out in ecstasy and her body went limp.