I sat in a cab, upset and horny. After Chuck's failure to launch, I needed a warm bath and my hand between my legs, pronto. Four days with the Fiery Boys certainly hadn't gotten me anything better.
My phone rang, and mercifully, it was Jo. I wasn't sure what I would say to her, but I was glad for a friendly voice. I took the call. "Hi. What's happening?"
Jo laughed. "Uh, no. That's supposed to be my line. After seeing pictures of you and Chuck kissing, I'm the one who gets to ask what's happening."
"Don't." She'd love to hear what just went on, but I couldn't tell her.
"That doesn't sound like a woman who's had a toss with the lead singer of the Fiery Boys."
"That's because I didn't. I'm in a cab right now, heading to a motel for the night. Alone."
"That little prick! So all he did was kiss you for the cameras then kick you off the bus?"
"I kicked myself off the bus."
"Oh no! Are you coming home?"
I sighed. "I'll be back on the bus tomorrow. I just wanted someplace else for the night."
"Sounds like the tour bus is a huge fail."
Frustrated, humiliated, and up to my ears with arousal, I let it all go in an outpouring of tears. The cab driver looked at me in the rearview mirror but was decent enough not to say anything. Jo also let me sob for a while. Finally, I got it under control. "I'm sorry. I can handle this, but I need a little alone time first."
"Do you want to talk about it?"
"I do, but not right now." The cab pulled to a stop, and I looked around. "I'm at the motel now, so I'm going to go. I promise I'll tell you all about it someday."
"That's okay. Take care of yourself, Annalisa. Call me any time." She hung up.
The motel looked pretty nice-one of those places with suites for businesspeople. I took a deep breath and walked over to the desk clerk, who seemed like he was just a high school kid. He wouldn't even look up from whatever game he was playing. Great, nobody was on my side tonight.
I waited a few seconds, then rattled things on the counter to get his attention. The clerk finally looked up at me and burst into a big smile. "I know you! You're the girl who's touring with the Fiery Boys." He started to chant, "Annalisa, Annalisa, Annalisa."
I couldn't escape. As much as I wanted to scream at him, my problems weren't his fault. I forced a smile. "I didn't realize I was that famous."