Chapter Six
The next morning Meg got up early, hoping to get a good head start, she was actually more excited to spend a whole day with AJ then she had expected. She felt different around him, like she could be herself. She didn’t have to be perfect; all she had to be was Meg.
She opened her closet doors looking for something to wear; she had been so preoccupied making noise that she hadn’t heard the door open.
“What am I going to wear!” she said throwing clothes in every direction.
“Well that depends. Where are you going?” she heard a voice say behind her.
“Jesus,” she said jumping to the sound of his voice and falling in her rack of shoes, “What are you doing here Lenny?!” she asked placing her hand over her heart.
“I stopped by to see if you were alright?” he said smirking, “Did I scare you?”
“No, I usually jump and say “Jesus” for no reason!” she said sarcastically.
“Sorry,” he said showing off his beautiful white teeth.
“You’re forgiven,” she said reaching for his hand to help her up, “But what are you doing here?”
“I was worried about you, I didn’t hear from you at all yesterday, or the day before.”
“Oh, I’m sorry; I’ve been with AJ the past two days.”
“Who?” he asked arching his brow.
“Oh, from the Backstreet Boys, remember him? He’s kinda tall, has brown eyes, tattoos. He’s going to be the one that helps me with the demo.”
“Oh yes, he seemed… I don’t know how to put this… unreliable.”
“Don’t judge a book by its cover, Lenny,” she said straightening out her bed.
“Oh, don’t get me wrong Meg, I’m not saying anything, I just hope he’s respectable, and takes this serious.”
“Yes Lenny, he’s respectable,” she said shaking her head.
“You should bring him to Isabel’s exhibit tomorrow night,” he said leaning up against the doorjamb.
“I don’t know if he’d have time for that,” she said wryly.
“You’re persuasive Meg, talk him into it. Plus it’ll probably be the only time I’ll get to meet him, I have to go up to Vermont day after tomorrow, and I’ll be gone for a week.”
“Why do you have to go to Vermont?”
“I have some family business up there.”
“Oh, well I’ll talk to him, but I can’t promise anything.” she said while pulling on her jeans.
“You do that,” he said watching her, “here let me help you,” he said walking over towards her and lifting off her t-shirt.
“I’m supposed to be getting dressed not undressed,” she said giggling.
“I can help you with both,” he said kissing her neck.
“Really Lenny, I have to go,” she said as if trying to convince herself,
“Alright,” he said holding onto her waist, “I probably won’t see you tonight,”
“Why?”
“I have some work to do in Jersey, but I’ll be back in time tomorrow for Isabel’s exhibition,” he said leaning down and kissing her head. “I’ll call you tomorrow morning, okay?”
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AJ walked back and forth in his hotel room. Meg had promised him she’d be there at eleven, and it was already eleven-forty-five.
“What if she deiced not to come?” he said to himself. He’d started craving her; he craved the way she made him feel, the way she made everything disappear, when he closed his eyes he saw her face, the way she’d always brush away the curl that hung in her eye, the way her lip would curl up when she laughed. He’d only known her three days and four nights, and was already addicted to her.
He heard a soft rap on the door, “AJ, are you there? It’s Meg,” the voice said
He smoothed down his clothes and checked his hair in the mirror one more time before opening the door.
“Hello,” he said swinging the door open.
“Hi,” she giggled, “sorry I’m late, I had a visitor,” she said walking into his suite.
“Oh, no problem I didn’t even notice you were late,” he said trying to sound nonchalant.
“This place is beautiful, God, my apartment isn’t even as big as this room!” she said looking around.
“Well, only the best!” he said dryly.
“What do you want to do today?” she asked running her hand across the chair.
“It’s up to you, remember you said next time you pick.”
“Yes, well actually I was wondering if we could go to the studio?”
“Oh, yeah that’s what we’re supposed to be doing, huh?” he said rubbing the back of his head.
“Well if you’d like…”
“No, no that’s fine! Let’s go,” he said grabbing his coat.
___________________________________________________________________
“AAAA” Meg sang in a high note
“OK, we need to work a little more on that!” AJ said laughing
“Don’t laugh! I’ve never done these bar thingy’s, I just sing.”
“Really? You never practice?”
“Yes, I practice every time I sing, just in a different way.”
“Well then, you tell me how you do it?”
“I sing…well it’s kinda embarrassing,” she said putting her head down.
“What? I promise I won’t laugh.”
“I like to sing, ‘All I Ask of You’ from the Phantom of the Opera.”
“Really, why?”
“Because, the way it’s sung, there’s high notes and low notes and it works my range.”
“Aw, I see. Why would you think I’d laugh at that?”
“I don’t know I’m usually kind of private with my backstage rituals.” she said laughing.
“I have some of those too.” he said reassuring.
“Like what?”
“I can’t say,” he said shaking his head.
“I told you mine!”
“Yes, but mine are more embarrassing.”
“Come on! Just tell me!” she said hitting her hip against his.
“I like to listen to children’s songs before a show.” Meg saw as the tops of his ears turned red.
“No!” she said laughing.
“Yes, but don’t tell a soul! Or I will have to kill you!” he said laughing.
“Don’t worry, your secret is safe with me,” she said winking at him.
“Well that’s good then.”
“If you want we can take a break?” she said leaning over his shoulder, her breath on his neck made his heart skip a beat. It took everything he had not to turn around and throw her down on the table next to them.
“Sure let’s take a break then,” he said moving away from her.
________________________________________________________________________
“Close your eyes,” Meg said leading AJ by the hand.
“Where is it again that we’re going?” he asked grinning, “You’re not going to take me to Jersey and have me whacked are you?”
“Now if I were would I tell?” she said laughing, “Watch your step here,” she said leading him into a beautiful dance studio.
“Open your eyes!” she said lifting up the blinds and letting light in.
“My god! It’s beautiful!” he said turning in a circle to see all around him, “what are we doing here?”
“Well, this is what I choose,” She said grinning.
“I don’t understand?” he said lifting his brow.
“You asked me what I wanted to do, remember, you said I’d get to pick.”
“Yeah, I thought you picked the music studio?”
“I did… But I also picked this! Do you know how to dance?”
“Yeah,”
“So do I, I do it when I’m stressed or nervous, it relaxes me,”
“Ah,” he said looking around, “And what was it again that we’re doing here?”
“Isn’t it obvious? You’re going to dance with me!”
“Ha! You gotta be kidding?”
“Do I look like I’m kidding?”
“I sure hope so,” he said grimacing.
“Don’t give me that look! Do you know the Rumba?”
“The Rumba? I can’t say I do.”
“Well then I’ll teach you! First you have to have your body as close to the other person as possible,” she said grabbing his hand and leaning her body up against his. “You hold on to them like you’re never going to let them go, and when you let go of them act as though she’s ripping out your heart as well,”
“And what else,” he said gulping.
“Everything about it is sexual, the way she moves, it’s like she’s taking off her clothes, and you shouldn’t be watching but you can’t help yourself.”
“And then a cold shower, right?” he said trying to follow her footwork.
“And bring her back into you, like your going to have your way with her right here right now.” She spun away from him then spun back.
“Are you trying to seduce me?” he asked dryly.
“HA!” she laughed.
“Well that makes a man feel all warm and fuzzy inside when a girl laughs at him.”
“Well the truth is, when I was at work last night I was telling my friend about you, and she told me that you were a GREAT dancer! And calculating the last time I had a good dance partner, I was drunk!” she said laughing.
“And so,”
“And so, I wanna take you dancing, or you take me dancing so to speak. Anyway there’s this place, and it’s a Latin dance club: And I haven’t been there in forever! And I’d like to go with you,” she grinned.
“Oh I see; this was all an alternative motive to get my hot bod out on the dance floor!”
“Basically!” she said laughing.
“Well, then shall we?” he said reaching out for her hand.
________________________________________________________________________
“Wow! I thought you said you couldn’t do the Rumba? That was just…wow!” Meg said sitting down from exhaustion.
“Well I’m usually not a braggart,” he said lying down on the floor, “I have a question, is it normal for me not to be able to feel my legs?”
“Extremely,” she said laughing.
“Where’d you learn how to dance?”
“Rio de Janeiro, my family and I went on a vacation there one summer. And I saw this man teaching classes. I asked my mom if I could take one. She said yeah and that’s where I learned to dance… and a whole lot more!” she said giggling.
“What do you mean?” he said leaning up on his elbows.
“Let’s just say he taught me all the sexual ways of Rumba!”
“HA!” he said laughing, “I see, how old were you?”
“sixteen,”
‘How old was he?”
“twenty-eight,” she said laughing.
“Jeeze! What was he like?”
“Jeeze AJ, I didn’t realize you were into details!” she said laughing.
‘Well that’s more or less true but not those details. What did he look like?”
“He was tall and handsome, with dark hair, dark skin, built like Adonis. And spoke with a Spanish accent. His name was Reynaldo,” she said closing her eyes in reminiscences.
AJ eyed himself up and down, “Now I see why you picked such a good lookin’ guy like me!”
“Um, that must mean I have good taste!” she said winking at him.
“Or that I’m tasty… either way it works!” he said laughing.
“How about we meet tonight at the club? Say around 7ish I’ll give you directions,” Meg said standing up.
___________________________________________________________________________
AJ stood on the side of the street looking at the building with the address Meg had given him. There were woman with flashy dresses and men with tight shirts walking into the club. Above the door in neon lights flashed, “Los Noche Vida”.
When AJ walked in it was crowned with people, the band was singing in Spanish and dancers were everywhere! He watched them from the bar; he watched them dance the Salsa. They all started with one partner, but by the end of the song they’d danced with everyone on the dance floor.
A beautiful woman walked over towards him; she was wearing a tight little yellow dress with a yellow flower behind her ear.
“Would you like to dance?” she asked with a thick Spanish accent.
“Oh, I’m waiting for someone,”
“I don’t see anyone here.” She said rubbing her hands across his chest.
“That’s because she’s right there,” he said pushing her hands off his chest and pointing to Meg.
Meg walked in with a short red dress on that swung back and forth when she walked, she had legs for miles and every man in the club turned to look at her. Her hair was up and curls cascaded down around her face. When she saw AJ her face lit up.
“Sorry I’m late; I hope you haven’t been waiting long?” she said with that beautiful smile that made AJ’s heart melt.
“No, no not at all,” he said smiling back at her.
“Would you like a drink?” she said gesturing to the bar.
“Oh, I really shouldn’t,” he said clearing his throat.
“Oh… okay how about a virgin Bloody Mary then?” she said lifting up two fingers to the bartender before AJ could answer.
“I guess I don’t have much of a choice in the matter,” he said underneath his breath, “do you come here much?” he said trying to yell over the music.
“Huh?” she yelled back at him.
“I said do you come here much?” he yelled louder
“Oh, no not that often,” she said smiling back.
“Your boyfriend Kenny or Benny whatever his name is; does he not dance?”
“Lenny? Oh no. He thinks he can dance but he really can’t,” she said grabbing the drinks and headed for a little table.
“And where does Lenny think you are now?” he said sitting down.
“What?” she said looking up at him.
“Lenny, your boyfriend; does he approve of you being at a night club dancing with me?”
“He doesn’t know… He’s in Jersey anyway,” she said clearing her throat.
“Oh.” He said taking a drink.
___________________________________________________________________________
“Oh my god that was fun!” Meg said stumbling out of the club.
“I haven’t sweated so hard in years!” AJ said grinning.
“I know, jeeze, don’t these people know what a dance break is?! And what was up with Miss Yellow Gardenia?”
“I don’t know but she kept grabbing my ass!” AJ said shaking his head.
“I think she was trying to grab more then your ass!”
“I think I noticed that,” he said laughing, “Should we hail a cab?”
“Nay, I only live a couple blocks from here; and I think I need some air anyway. You wanna walk me home?”
“Well of course, like I’m going to let you walk these streets alone.”
“What? You don’t think these streets are safe?” she said laughing and stumbling.
“Are you drunk?”
“I only had one drink. I’m not that much of a light weight!”
“I knew you’d spiked one of those Virgin Mary’s,” AJ said shaking his head.
“So Mary lied once about being a virgin, what are you the virgin police?” she said laughing.
“You are a light weight!” he said smirking.
“Will you carry me?” she asked stopping abruptly.
“Carry you? Why?”
“Because my feet are killing me!”
“This was your idea to walk, remember?”
“Yeah, fresh air, now I want to be carried on your back.”
“Oh fine!” he said leaning down for her to crawl up on his back, “How far is it from your apartment?” he said pushing her butt up.
“See those greenish apartments up ahead? That’s where I live,” she said wrapping her arms around his neck.
“I think it’s going to rain,” AJ said feeling raindrops on his head.
“Yay! I love the rain.”
“Well I don’t love the rain when there’s a monkey on my back!”
“Oh don’t be such a baby, Monkey Boy!”
“How’d you…. Oh never mind,” he said shaking his head and smirking to himself.
“Um, I think it’s raining!” Meg said opening her mouth to catch the raindrops.
“Oh crap!”
“Let me down and we can run,” Meg said trying to get down.
When AJ let her down she grabbed his hand and they ran to her apartment building. AJ rushed to open the door and when he looked back Meg was standing there with her arms stretched out.
“What are you doing?” he yelled over the rain.
“I’m standing in the rain! Come and stand with me!” she yelled back.
“You’re going to catch pneumonia!”
‘What are you, my grandmother? Loosen up!”
“You will be the death of me Margaret Velma Anderson!” He yelled, walking over towards her.
“I will if you keep calling my by my full freakin’ name!” she said laughing.
“What are we doing?”
“We’re standing in the rain Einstein,” she said laughing.
“That’s not what I meant,” he said more serious now. They stood there for a moment in silence, and then Meg looked up at him.
“Would you like to come inside?”
Author's Chapter Notes:
Sorry its taken me so long to update, I lost the disk I keep this story on, and almost had a nervous breakdown!
