Chapter 57
Gen stared absentmindedly out the window of the cab trying to tune out the playful jocularity of the three men riding with her. It was funny how she’d been to London only a few times, but it seemed so familiar to her. A faint smile found its way to her face as she wondered if there was really such a thing as reincarnation; if there was, it might explain why she felt so comfortable and at home here. But who was she, and when?
Taking a break from the hilarity, John paused to glance at Gennie. He found her beautiful when she had that faraway look in her eye, and today was certainly no exception. “What’re ya thinkin’ sweetheart?”
“Not much. Just that I really like it here.”
“Ya wanna know what I’m thinking?” he asked, leaning closer and whispering in her ear with a deep, yet soft voice that he knew drove her wild.
She peered at him from the corner of her eye. “Do tell.”
“Well,” he uttered breathily, “I’m trying to figure out what it is about you today that is driving me absolutely insane! I mean, I find you completely irresistible today.”
Gen had to giggle, “Really?”
“I’m serious!” He leaned even closer, sharing his thoughts with only her. “If it weren’t for these two sitting next to me, we’d be goin’ at it right now!”
She had to laugh at that. It was the most preposterous thing she’d heard all day. “Oh, really?”
“If I’m lyin’ I’m dyin’!” he grinned. “Don’t know what it is, but it’s true.”
“Could it be that I only have a couple more days left here, and you’re trying to convince me to stay? Or,” she chuckled, “is it that you’ve just been so busy lately that you haven’t seen me naked in days?”
“Could be a little of both, mixed with the way you wear that dress. I love that dress, by the way. I remember that one.”
She looked at him, more than a little surprised. “You do, huh?”
“Yep,” he smiled. “It’s the one you wore in St Louis. The one I took off of you.”
She was completely amazed that he’d remembered that minor detail. “Wow, I’m impressed!”
“You shouldn’t be,” he smiled. “That was our first time together, and I ain’t forgettin’ something like that, darlin’! You rocked my world.”
How did he always do this to her? With just a few simple words, he’d gotten her wound up so tightly that the idea of shoving their companions out the door so they could get busy no longer seemed that outlandish! Why did he have to be so damned sexy? She breathed a sigh of relief when they turned the corner and Trafalgar Square came into view. Just another block and they’d be at the restaurant. Surely eating dinner would take her mind off her wanton cravings… at least for a little while.
She completely changed the subject in an effort to preserve her better judgment. “Here we are- The Texas Embassy. I hope you guys like it.”
John gave her a sly glance as he stepped out of the car, letting her know that he wasn’t forgetting where their conversation left off.
Mike laughed upon seeing the marquis on the front of the building. “You weren’t kidding, Gen. I think I like it already!”
They stepped through the front door and were immediately engulfed in the sounds of Garth Brooks singing in the background.
“Oh my God, Gen! This is great!” Robby exclaimed. “I’ve never been so damn happy to hear country music in my life!”
Their waitress quickly came over to seat them. She was apparently a displaced American herself. She took them to their booth, which was upholstered in a southwestern motif; something you didn’t get a lot of here in England.
In mere minutes, which was another rarity in London considering bad service seemed to be the rule here, they were served their ice cold Budweiser, chips and salsa, and a giant pitcher of iced tea for Gennie. Everyone was happy and all was right with the world. It was as close to home as they could get from 5,000 miles away.
When their food was brought to them, the manager, who came with a cheery smile on his face, accompanied it. “Hi folks!” he said with a flat Midwestern accent as he doled out their entrees. “You seem to be enjoying yourself. Missing home, are ya?”
“More than you know, man, more than you know,” Robby replied.
“Yeah,” the manager laughed, “We get Americans in here all the time. Probably half of our business. There’s not a lot of American style restaurants in the city, so they all come here when they get a little homesick.”
Mike smiled, “You’ve got a nice place here.”
“Thanks. Thanks a lot,” he smiled. “Say, listen, one of my staff says that you guys are doing a show tonight. Is that true?”
“Um, yeah,” John nodded suspiciously. The way the man phrased it, he wasn’t sure if the guy knew who they were or not. He hoped he wasn’t going to try to bum tickets off of him at this late date.
“Great! That’s great! I was hopin’ that was the case,” he chuckled. “Cause she asked off for a few hours to go to the show. Didn’t wanna hafta fire her or anything,” he teased.
“Glad we could bail her ass out, then,” Robby laughed.
“Well listen, I don’t wanna keep you from your dinner, but real quick, I do wanna extend an invitation.” He paused and assumed his professional persona again. “Look, we’re open late this evening, and I wanted to let you know that we’re available for after parties and stuff, if you’re interested. We do it all the time for bands when they come to town. Seems they get a little annoyed that most bars here close at 11:30. So, anyway, if you’re interested, I’ve got staff that can stay on past close, and we’d be happy to keep it going for ya, privately, if you want.”
The three men exchanged quick glances, before John looked at him with a huge grin. “Uh, you know what? That’d be really cool!”
“Ok, great! Tell ya what, I’ll let you finish your dinners, but before you go, see me and we’ll get it set up, ok?”
The atmosphere backstage tonight was one of general chaos as everyone tried to spread the word about meeting up for the party afterward. The show had been a great one. The guys played with renewed confidence upon hearing the exuberant crowd. It felt great once again to be reassured that they were, indeed, well liked in England, if not Europe. They’d bounded off stage with enormous smiles and festive moods, glad that they’d agreed to a party somewhere besides the hotel.
Gen sat at a table in the corner, chatting with the wife of one of the crew while the guys got cleaned up. She wanted to make sure that everyone that she knew got included in the party tonight. It made her sad that the closer she got to going home, the more she was enjoying herself here. Just as she was excusing herself to move on to the next person, she was approached by two out of breath young ladies.
“Oh my god Gennie! Did you do this?”
“Hi Steph! Do what?” she asked curiously.
The jaw of the girl Steph had with her nearly hit the ground. “Shit, Steph! She knows who you are! You weren’t kidding!”
Steph gave her friend a crooked smile before turning her attention back to Gennie. “Are you the one who got us passes to come back here? I had no idea! I about died when I found them in the envelope with the tickets!”
Gen smiled. “As much as I’d like to say it was all me, I’m afraid it wasn’t. Must’ve been Johnny. He arranged all that this morning before I got up.”
Both girls’ eyes went wide with surprise. “You’re kidding me! He did this? You’ll have to thank him for me. This is too fuckin’ cool!”
“You can thank him yourself when he comes back out here. But I’ll tell you what I can do,” she smiled. “What are you guys doing this evening? Are you up for a party?”
Steph’s friend found the events unfolding before her a little hard to believe. “You’re joking, right?”
“No,” Gen chuckled. “You are eighteen, right? You’re old enough to drink? Can’t let you in if you’re not.”
“Um, yeah,” Steph answered giddily.
“Cool,” Gennie smiled and turned to lead them to the person who was stamping hands to get in. “Well, if you’re available, it’d be great to have you at the after party. We’re going to this place near Trafalgar Square. The Texas Embassy. You know it?”
“No, I don’t know of it, but I’m sure we can find it.”
“Hey, Steph! How’s it goin?” Robby greeted them with his customary happy grin as he bound into the room. “You comin’ to the party?”
Her friend was by this time in almost total panic. She couldn’t believe her eyes. “Of course, we’re gonna be there! I wouldn’t miss it for anything!” she exclaimed enthusiastically. “Provided I can find the place. I’m not very good with directions.”
Robby laughed, “Tell ya what, me and some friends are leaving now. Why don’t you ride with us? Save ya the cab fare.”
In their near-daze, Steph and her friend just nodded their heads. This night was getting stranger and stranger! What was next? Everything they’d been presented with had seemed like the pinnacle of incredibility.
Gen waved her hand as she slipped away to check on John. “See you in a bit guys!” She snuck into the room hoping to find him alone. Much to her disappointment, a small crowd surrounded him.
“Yeah, yeah, thanks man, but I’ve really gotta get going,” he explained curtly, trying to excuse himself when he noticed Gennie enter the room. “Can I, uh, talk to you tomorrow, maybe? I’ve got some things I gotta do now.” The mini-horde reluctantly parted and he hastily made his get away. “God, Gen,” he sighed, draping his arm around her waist, “I didn’t think I’d ever get out of there! I just need some time alone with you.” They ducked into a waiting car, hoping for a moment of privacy behind the blacked out windows. As he was about to pull the door shut, he heard a familiar voice calling him.
“Hey, Johnny!” the man hollered, sticking his head out the back door. “You going to the party?”
“Yeah, man, I’ll see you there,” John replied dismissively.
“No, wait!” the guy called, fast approaching them, “I’ll bum a ride with ya.”
Turning to Gennie, John groaned, “Great, just what I need right now, a tech in need of a ride.”
Begrudgingly, they shared their car, but spent no time lingering once they reached their destination. Inside, they quickly found the table that Mike and Robby had claimed as their ‘home base’ for the evening. Settling in with an ice cold Bud and a tangy margarita, John and Gennie planned to do a little requisite socializing before making their exit. Unfortunately, every chance at a getaway was thwarted by someone engrossing them in a new conversation about something neither one of them could care less about. One drink became another as they sat with an endless string of different party guests, telling stories from the road and recounting old times with anyone who’d been around long enough to remember them.
Before she had heard more sordid tales of groupies and stalkers than she cared to admit, Gennie excused herself and headed for the ladies room.
“Gennie,” Steph snagged Gen’s arm as she made her way up the stairs, “thank you so much for inviting us here. We’re having a blast! I can’t believe I’m here!”
“I’m glad you’re having a good time. It’s a pretty cool place, huh?”
Steph looked over the place nonchalantly. “Yeah,” she laughed, “it’s cool, but I’m still trying to convince myself that I really sat around for the last hour with Robby Takac, shooting the breeze.”
“You did,” she smiled. “And they’re still over there if you’re up for more. I just needed a break from their stories,” Gen said with an exaggerated roll of the eyes.
“I may stop back over there in a while, but I’ve met so many other people here who are too cool! This is, like, the best party ever!”
“Good. Keep having fun, ok?”
Gen smiled to herself, glad that everyone was having such a good time. With the buzz she had going, she was having a pretty good time herself. She lingered over her reflection in the bathroom mirror and applied a fresh layer of lipgloss; she was feeling a bit like a tart at the moment, so she figured she should look the part. Her next mission: to lure John away from the partygoers and finally get him all to herself. If she thought she wanted him badly before the show, her desire for him now was about to drive her to distraction. She did one last bit of primping before she headed out the door with her mind set on her mission.
Before she’d taken two steps out the door, John grabbed her and pulled her back into the dimly lit vestibule of the women’s restroom. In an instant, he had her back against the wall and was kissing her forcefully as he pressed himself against her. It was apparent that he was on a mission similar to hers.
“Where did you come from?” she asked breathlessly.
“I’ve been waiting for you, Genevieve. And if you don’t fuck me now, I think I’m gonna die.”
A soft moan escaped from her throat as his hand slid up her thigh. She kissed him harder and her breathing became more labored.
“In my pocket,” he whispered urgently.
Not sure what he was getting at, she plunged her hands deep into the pockets of his khaki pants and pulled out a condom. Evidently, he’d planned for an evening that included more than just a good night out with the boys. With one smooth motion, he swiftly removed her panties and tucked them in the recently emptied pocket.
As she fumbled clumsily with the button on his pants amidst her burgeoning ardor, a member of the restaurant staff barged in and shot them a glaring look as she slipped into the restroom. “I don’t think we can do this here,” Gen sighed disappointedly. “There’s too many people and everybody here knows us.”
“Yeah.” He paused thoughtfully for a moment, “Y’know, I’ve got an idea.” He then grabbed her hand and took off running. They ran out the front door, around the corner, and down the street, eventually finding themselves at a deserted Trafalgar Square.
Gen eyed him suspiciously, “God, Johnny, what in the hell did you have in mind?”
He pulled her close and kissed her firmly on the lips. “Ever done it on a national monument?”
The place was pretty well lit for the most part, but the thick, dark shadows cast against the four huge black lions at the base of the monument provided ample privacy and insured that they wouldn’t easily be spotted.
She was shocked, but could barely contain her excitement as she giggled, “Are you serious?”
His voice was tinged with a playful naughtiness as he nipped voraciously at her ear. “Do you want me to be?”