The sweat glistened off their bodies, casting an eerie glow in the firelight. Breathing, hard and fast. Soft, slick skin pressed up against him, making him throb with need. Her hair brushed across his chest, silky and smelling of vanilla. Flashes of her eyes closed and head lolling back in ecxtasy. Hands seemingly everywhere at once. He takes her now, swift and completely, making her cry out. She arches her back, pushing her hips up to meet every thrust. As they reach higher and higher she is calling his name now..........
"Godammit Joey, get your ass outta that bed!"
Joey opened his eyes just as a pillow slammed into him. Seeing Justin's smiling face, he groaned. Never had he wanted to punch Justin as much as he did now. He sat up and blew a breath out, clenching his jaw.
"What do you want Justin," he ground out.
"It's time to get up," Justin bounced around the room, unable to stand still, "it's 1 o'clock dude and it's time to get up and get wild." Joey closed his eyes and counted to ten before responding.
"Justin," Joey said slowly, "I'm only gonna say this once. We're on vacation. That means I can sleep however long I want. If I wanna stay in this bed for the whole fucking week, I can. Furthermore, if you ever wake me up like that again, no one will be able to stop me from pounding the shit outta you."
"Okay, okay," Justin backed away, hands up, "I just thought you might wanna have a little fun while we were here. Jesus, I was just tryin to be a friend, you don't have to bust my balls for it." With that, Justin fled from the room and Joey rolled over, wrapping his arms around his pillow. He knew Justin was just trying to help, but damn. God, he needed to get drunk or something. Get his mind off of everything for awhile. Sighing, he pushed himself up and sat on the edge of the bed. This was going to be a long week.
~*~
Shay got out of the tub and dried herself off. She put the towel on the rack and reached for her bottle of vanilla scented lotion. Rubbing it in, she thought again about tonight. She still couldn't believe Lance had looked her up. She wanted to believe that it was just because he wanted to see her, but something about it still nagged at her. Oh well, she was going out and that was all that mattered. She hadn't been out since......No, she wouldn't think of that. Shoving the lotion back in the cabinet, she went to the bedroom to get dressed.
She had finished dressing and was putting the final touches on her hair and makeup when she heard someone knocking. Yelling out that she was coming, she gave herself one last look and went to answer the door. He was wearing khaki pants with a white pullover and his hair was gelled to perfection as usual. Shay smiled and invited him in while she grabbed her bag and a light jacket. The days were hot in Florida, but sometimes the nights carried a chill. They chattered like old friends as they walked out to the car and Shay felt this was going to be a good night.
~*~
Joey downed his drink and tossed the bottle in the trash before grabbing another. They were all just sitting around the beach house tonight, watching tv and throwing them back. He was actually starting to enjoy himself a little and he laughed at something Chris said about the show that was on. Sitting down on the sofa again, he took a pull off his bottle and sat back. This was what he needed. His friends, no women, and a LOT of alcohol.
~*~
Shay stumbled out of the club giggling and hanging onto Lance. She'd had quite a bit to drink and still felt like she was dancing. Lance helped her to the car and buckled her in chuckling to himself. This was too easy.
~*~
"Joey?" JC slapped Joey lightly on the face. Nothing. He was out cold. Turning to Chris and Justin he grinned.
"Yep, he's out," he said, "God, I didn't realize how much that man could drink."
"If I'd had to do another shot, I woulda puked," Chris groaned, "In fact, I feel like I gotta puke now."
"No kidding," Justin belched and wrapped his arms around his stomach, "I'm not feelin so hot myself." JC shook his head and laughed. They just didn't know how to fake it. He'd been sipping his drinks and most of the time he replaced his shots with tea. Joey'd been too drunk to notice. Seeing headlights pull into the drive, he went to the window.
"Okay guys," he said, "Lance is here with Shay. Time to put Phase Two into effect." He turned back to Chris and Justin.
"You two know what your assignments are," JC said, "We've got to hurry, they won't stay out forever and we're pressed for time as it is." Groaning and complaining, Justin and Chris took off to take care of their part. JC went out to the car and met Lance there. Making sure Shay was not waking up anytime soon, they hurried back into the house and started the process of moving Joey to the car. It wasn't easy, but eventually they did get him out there and within an hour they had everything loaded up and ready to go. JC jumped in the driver's seat while Lance eased Shay over in the middle so he could squeeze in beside her. That left Justin and Chris to sit in the back with Joey. JC started the car and pulled out of the drive, heading back down the interstate. Yep, he thought, everything is working out just as we planned.
Chapter Eleven
Shay snuggled deeper into the warmth behind her and the arm that was draped over her tightened, pulling her closer. She sighed, not wanting to open her eyes, knowing that the brightness of the room would set off explosions in her head. Sighing, she let her eyes open into small slits and cringed when the light hit them, closing them quickly. Oh why did she have so much to drink last night? Burying herself in the covers, she tried to fall back into the blissfull sleep that she'd come from.
"Oooooohhhhhh, shit," Shay's eyes popped open at the sound of someone moaning behind her. She tried to sit up, but the arm laying across her was heavy and not moving. Shay eased herself around, turning slowly so her head wouldn't explode. What she saw instantly sobered her.
~*~
Joey moaned again, trying to push his face further into the pillow. He hadn't been that wasted in a long time. The last thing he remembered was Chris and Justin singing 'The Humpty Dance' and acting like retards. He didn't even remember crawling into bed, although he must have. Taking a deep breath, he scooted a little closer to the warmth beside him.
"Joey?"
"What, Shay Bear," Joey replied. It took a minute for it to register with his lagging brain, but when he realized Shay had just spoken to him he bolted upright, the searing pain in his head making him grunt and wince. Joey put his head in his hands until the worst of it was gone, then he opened one eye and looked over to find Shay laying there, staring at him. Risking the searing pain again, he opened the other eye and looked back at Shay in complete puzzlement. What the hell was she doing here, in bed, with him? Oh hell, he really did have too much to drink.
"Joey, ummm......" Shay was still trying to get her mind to work correctly, "Why are you here? For that matter, why am I here?" Joey looked around at the room, his eyes adjusting to the light. It was a hotel room. He'd seen enough of them to know. What he still couldn't possibly figure out was why they were there. Shay stirred beside him and he felt her move to the edge of the bed and get up. She went into the small bathroom and shut the door. Soon, he heard water running and hoped he could have the answers to the questions she'd asked by the time she was done with her shower. Hell, he didn't even know where they were at the moment. Joey pushed himself up and stood, holding onto the night table. He looked quickly around the room for any clues as to what was going on. Everything looked normal until his eyes came upon the small table by the window. There was a bottle of what looked like aspirin and an one of those large yellow envelopes. Head swimming, he made his way over and immediately popped open the bottle, swallowing a couple of the pills dry. Then he picked up the envelope and pulled out one of the chairs to sit down. When he finished reading the contents of the envelope, his head hurt more than ever.
Shay got out of the shower and dried herself off. Her belly was turning flip-flops and her mouth felt like she had been eating cardboard. Reluctantly, she put the same clothes on that she'd had and towel-dried her hair the best she could, combing through it with her fingers. Maybe she'd be able to figure out why she woke up in bed with the one man she never wanted to see again after she got done cleaning up. Nothing had shocked her more than seeing his face. The weird thing is that he had looked just as shocked as her. He was also suffering from a hangover much like hers. She knew she hadn't seen him at the club last night so there had to be some other explanation. Steeling herself, Shay unlocked the door and walked into the other room. Joey was sitting at the table by the window, slumped in the chair. He was holding what looked like a letter in his hands.
"Joey," Shay ventured, "What's the matter?" He didn't say a word, just handed the papers to her. It was a letter....
Dear Shay and Joey,
We feel that it is time for you two to work out
your differences. Since neither of you are willing to give
in, we have taken matters into our own hands. You are at a
hotel in Deavertown, Illinois. Instructions and a map are
included in the envelope. There is also $100.00 in cash.
We have packed clothes for both of you. The suitcases are
in the small closet by the door. Shay, we know you need to
get back to Florida to your job and school. They know you're
going to be gone for a few days. They've been told you've
had a family emergency. Joey is going to drive you back to
Florida. It should take 3 days, counting time to sleep and pit
stops. You have no credit cards, no money, no cell phones.
Do not try to contact anyone as they have been advised to
not accept collect calls from you. We are sorry we had to
do this, but you two didn't give us any choice in the matter.
Once you get to Florida and Shay's apartment, there are two
plane tickets there for LA. We hope to see you both in a few
days and in the meantime, quit being so stubborn and work
things out. There are hotels designated on the map that you
are to stay at. Each one will present you with a single room
and an envelope with $100.00 in it, which we had had wired
there beforehand. We will be checking to see that you are
you are doing what we ask so we will call and check in each
night. The car's all gassed up and out front. It's the black
Lexus convertible. Take care of it, it's a rental. Good luck
and we'll see you soon.
JC, Chris, Lance, and Justin
Shay read the letter again and then a third time, not believing what she was seeing. Anger surged through her as she mentally cursed them for fucking with her life. How dare they do this!! Clenching the papers in her fist, she looked up at Joey.
"I'm going to kill them," he said softly, "Those little pricks are dead meat."
Chapter Twelve
"So, do you think we should call them," Chris asked JC, grinning.
"No, not yet," JC replied, "Give them some time to adjust. You know Joey's gonna go ballistic when he wakes up."
Chris nodded and laughed.
"I just wish I could be there to see his face," he said giggling, "This is sooo much more fun than I thought it would be." JC chuckled and clapped Chris on the back.
~*~
Shay walked over to the bed and sat down before her legs gave out. She couldn't believe it. She knew Joey was pissed and so was she. They had no right to butt in and throw them together like this. Shay just sat there looking at the crumpled papers still in her hand. She didn't know what to think. She had to find a way to get out of here though. Away from Joey. Away from the feelings that just being in the same room with him again brought.
~*~
"Well," Joey said, getting up from the chair, "I'm gonna take a shower myself and then we'll get some breakfast and figure something out." Shay nodded and watched as he got their suitcases from the closet. He laid hers on the bed so she could find something different to wear, grabbed some clothes for himself and disappeared into the bathroom. Shay sat there just staring at the suitcase. This was too much. Her mind just couldn't comprehend all of this. The one who she was most upset with was Lance. She'd never thought he'd pull something like that. That southern gentleman crap really made it easy for him to pull off shit like this. She shook her head and opened the suitcase. Inside were the basics, underwear, pants, shirts, socks, her toothbrush, a hairbrush, and a few other little things. They were all just stuffed in there like they'd been in a hurry, which they probably had. She went through and picked out an outfit and quickly changed, folding up her dirty clothes and shoving them in the bottom.
Joey let the water cascade over him, hoping it would clear his thoughts and he might be able to understand why his so-called friends would do something like this to him. The hot water pelted his skin, waking him up and bringing him from the fog he'd woken with. He washed and jumped out, drying off and dressing. What were they going to do? He sure couldn't spend the next 3 days or so with Shay. It would torture him. No. He had to find some way out of this. He'd call JC on his cell and find out this was just a really fucked up joke they'd played on them. Full of energy now, he left the bathroom and stopped short when he saw Shay brushing her hair with her back toward him. Damn, he thought. He watched in silence as she ran the brush through the long strands over and over again, bringing them to the glossy shine that he loved. God, he'd missed her. Instantly, he felt as if he'd been punched in the stomach. Before she turned and caught him staring, he walked over to the other side of the room, grabbed his socks and shoes and yanked them on his feet.
"So, what do we do now," Shay asked tentatively. She looked up at Joey and nearly gasped. Fresh from the shower, his hair still damp, he looked gorgeous. Double damn them for putting her in this position. Joey ran his hand through his wet hair, making it stick up all over.
"Well, let's go get something to eat and we'll figure out something while we're there," he replied. Shay nodded and grabbed her purse. At least they'd thought to include that. Joey found the hotel key on the table and they headed out, locking the door behind them. It was bright outside, making them squint and they hurried to the car. Shay got in while Joey ran to the office to see if there were any restaurants nearby. They told him there was a diner right down the street that was well-known and served terrific food. Joey thanked the man and they took off to find it. It didn't take long as it was just a couple blocks down and he pulled in. They took a booth towards the back to give them some privacy and ordered. Shay decided to start.
"Well," she began, "It looks like your friends decided we needed help."
"I dunno what got into them," Joey kept his eyes lowered, "They've never done anything like this before."
"I don't know either," Shay took a sip of her water, "I just know I need to get back home as soon as possible."
"I'll do what I can to make that happen," Joey crossed his arms on the table and ventured a look at her, "I'm sorry Shay, I really am." Shay saw the sincerity in his eyes and knew he was telling the truth. Placing her hand on his arm, she smiled.
"I know," she said, "It's not your fault." Joey wasn't ready for the electric jolt he felt where she touched him and he jumped, making her pull her hand away. Shay frowned at him and went back to looking out the window, sipping from her water glass from time to time. Before he could offer an explanation, their food came and Shay busily set to devouring hers.
~*~
They ate breakfast in silence, each thinking about what they could do to get Shay back to Florida and Joey back home. When they finished, they talked some and Joey decided to try and call a few people although Shay had doubts as to whether that would work. She'd pretty much resigned herself to the fact that he would have to drive her home. He seemed to want to get away from her so badly. The way he'd jerked from her touch told her everything she needed to know. She pushed the hurt deeper inside and steeled herself against him again. Joey paid for the meal with the money from the envelope and they left.
Arriving back to the hotel, Joey immediately got on the phone, calling everyone he could think of, but the guys had been smart. No one would accept calls from him. Frustrated, he slammed the phone down and mentally cursed them again.
"Well, I guess we're gonna have to do it their way," he laughed dryly, "Looks like they really planned this one out."
"I'll get my stuff together and we can get going, " Shay said, getting up off the bed where she'd been sitting and watching him make the calls. She quickly gathered her things and Joey stormed around the room, getting his. They turned in the key and checked out. Joey had already put the suitcases in the trunk and they were ready to go. Shay sat in the passenger's seat with the map, already studying it. Joey watched her with her head bent over it, concentrating and felt another punch in the stomach. This was going to be the hardest trip he'd ever made.