The Forbidden Fruit Always Tastes Sweeter

013

I squirmed a bit as I got adjusted to my foot being massaged as the other rested in the tub with jets blasting against it. It was a girls' morning out. We had gone to Mimosa's for some coffee and breakfast and were now basking at The Perfect Ten getting mani's and pedi's.

Brian had invited me to his house for a casual cookout to meet everyone, but I was still planning on copping out. My nerves were getting the best of me and I was timid to meet all his band mates and friends on a personal level instead of a professional level.

"So, where have you been lately?" Sammy smirked, wanting the inside scoop.

"I know, really!" Tara, a good friend of ours, whined. She quickly tied her bleach blond hair in a bun to get it off of her shoulders. "You've been disappearing on us. It's like when you weren't here to begin with. Ow!" She flinched and glared at Sammy. "What the hell was that for?"

"Leave her alone; it's fine." I waved it off and chose to ignore the comment made. I should have known better that everyone would hold a grudge against me for running off without at least an explanation or a goodbye. I also understand that people have a hard time following the expression, 'forgive and forget.' Yet, it still hurt.

"Well, then?" Tara looked at me with growing impatience. "Where have you been?"

"Out." I giggled softly at their groans of annoyance and gave in. "I've been meeting up with Brian for lunch or drinks. It's really not a big deal."

"Except it's been everyday." Sammy smirked.

"And, you can't keep that shit eating grin off your face." Tara added with a matching sly smirk on her lips too.

I rolled my eyes. "Guys, I've already told him that this is not going to end up being some fling; I told him that I can't do that. We're taking it slow, like friendship slow. So, like I said, it's really not a big deal. We're just hanging out."

"Danny left a message with an address on your home machine. Paul text me a little while ago when you I was looking over nail polish colors." Sammy passed on the message. "Care to elaborate?"

"No," I laughed.

"Now, I'm interested." Stephanie looked up from doing my toes.

I rolled my eyes. "It's just a barbeque later on today. I still don't know if I'm going."

"Of course you're going." Tara reached over and grabbed my purse. "You really like this guy."

"But, all his friends will be there." I slapped my forehead knowing how childish and stupid that sounded.

"Well, generally, you don't invite strangers to this kind of thing." Tara handed me my blackberry. "Call him up and tell him you can make it."

I stared at the phone nervously. "He said I could just show up."

"Call him, or I'll do it for you." Sammy threatened with a grin.

I sighed knowing that I was better off taking the hit and scrolled through my contacts and clicking on Brian's name. I rolled my eyes as they all stared at me. I sighed and hung up. "Answering machine."

Stephanie smiled. "So how did you meet this guy?"

"I hosted the band he's in right before I left Vegas. And, had some time to get to know him when showing him around some parts of the strip he hadn't been to." I kept my answer vague, not wanting to exploit the fact that I had slept with him as well. It's been messing with my head the more I think about it.

"He's like your souvenir." Tara giggled and cleared her throat at the look I was giving her. "Everyone is against me today."

"Idiot," Sammy rolled her eyes. "Luce, call Danny up he'll pass a message along. You need directions anyway."

I sighed and called Danny, wishing I had a little more privacy. "Hey." I said softly when I heard him pick up.

"Hey," he smiled sitting up. "Did you get my message?"

"Eventually, through the grapevine." I chuckled. "Want to text me the directions?"

"You're going to go?" Danny grinned, trying to hide the surprise in his voice.

"My arms are tied behind my back with a cliff and a ball-and-chain with my name on it." I said sarcastically.

"You don't have to go if you don't want to." He said, giving me an out.

"I want to go." I corrected him right away. "I'm just nervous."

"Don't be." He smiled, reassuring me. "Brian really wants you there."

"Really?" I blushed making the girls laugh.

"Where are you?" Danny asked hearing the giggling in the background.

"With Tara and Sammy at The Perfect Ten getting our nails done." I smiled at Stephanie as she finished painting on a topcoat.

"Oh, the terror sisters are together again?" Danny chuckled.

"Don't start or you will be at the top of our hit list," I warned him. "Just give me directions to get me there safely without getting me lost would be great too."

"Don't get bitchy or I may forget a turn." He threatened. "I'll see you later, babe."

"See ya, Danny." I smiled and handed my phone over to Tara to put in my bag. "Are you ladies happy now?"

"Very." Tara grinned.

I sighed once I got home happy to have some peace and quiet for a bit. I put my purse on the table and stepped out onto the deck. I carefully walked down the wooden steps and down the hill. I listed for the train before crossing the tracks. The sand felt good as it squished between my toes.

I stopped, keeping a safe distance away from the water and sat down on the warm sand. I watched as people in the distance caught some waves.

"You used to be that kid." Tim said quietly as he sat next to me. I saw the one he was talking about. She looked like she was probably a teenager. "Skipping class just for the perfect wave. Showing how girls could surf too."

"It's the weekend." I mumbled, rubbing my legs nervously.

"You get my point." He rolled his eyes, trying not to lose his patience with me.

"It's been too long." I swallowed.

"No it hasn't." He leaned back, shaking his head.

I sighed, "I'm not ready to compete yet."

"Who said anything about competition?" He dug his feet into the sand.

"Well, Danny was saying-"

He cut me off. "Danny's a good guy and wants the best for you too, but he doesn't understand."

"He tries," I smiled meekly.

"I know," he nodded.

"I'm sorry." I whispered, looking at him out of the corner of my eye. "I didn't mean to make such a mess and hurt you when I left."

"You were hurting too, Lucy. I just wanted to help." Tim sighed.

"Are we good now?" I asked needing to know. "I don't want you to hate me anymore."

"Luce, I could never hate you. You just scared me." He wrapped his arm around my waist. "You definitely could have handle things better, but I don't hate you for leaving." He kissed my temple. "You know I love you."

"I know that's why I didn't like how you were mean to me." I pouted childishly.

"Loon, go get ready for your barbeque. And have fun tonight." He shoved me.

I gave him a quick kiss on his cheek and stood up. "Thanks, Tim."

"Any time, Loon." He smiled.

I sighed turning around briefly where we were both sitting, feeling slightly guilty for leaving. But, I needed to loosen up and party.

I looked in my closet at the rack of shirts trying to figure out what to wear with the yellow-cuffed shorts I had already slipped on. I pulled a black tank top off of a hanger and pulled it on over my head and tied the silk ribbon in the front under the bust.

I smiled seeing my suede boots and slid them on. I zipped them up as they came up to just below the knees.

I went into my bathroom and secured my hair with a hair band. I carefully clasped a seed beaded bracelet around my wrist, admiring the intricate design of yellow, black, and turquoise beads.

I grabbed my sunglasses and my yellow Bleeker leather wristlet. I locked my door for once, knowing that my friends knew where the spare key was if they need to get into the house. I quickly backed down my driveway and glanced over the directions before making my way onto the highway. I really didn't live too many towns down from Huntington, but when traffic gets heavy, it would be a bitch to get there.

I glanced down at my blackberry to see what my next move was after I got off the exit. After many twists and turns, I noticed Danny took me the scenic route and I could have cut off half of his directions.

I swallowed seeing the line of cars outside what I assumed was Brian's house. I got out of my car and didn't bother locking it before I walked down the sidewalk. It was a nice neighborhood in a private community within walking distance from the beach. I felt small with the homes towering over me.

I walked up the short driveway and rang the doorbell, nervously chewing on my bottom lip.

Jimmy didn't bother trying to hide the shock in his face, as he looked surprised to see me. "Didn't think you'd come." He chuckled. "I just lost 50 bucks because of you, sweetheart, thank you very much."

"Thanks for making me feel so welcomed," I smiled sarcastically.

"Come on in, babe." He held the door open for me.

I looked up at the high ceiling of the foyer. "Just Brian lives here?"

"Yup." He gulped down the rest of his beer and put his arm around a pretty woman.

"Lucy, I don't know if you got to meet my wife in Vegas, but this is Leana. Babe, this is Lucy, the girl from Vegas." Jimmy introduced me exactly how I did not want to be known.

"Nice to meet you." I smiled shaking her hand.

"Same here." She returned the smile. "I wanted to thank you though for that romantic week. I heard from Sarah that you were responsible for everything. The girls and I loved it. And, I loved the Kinky Suite you had us in; it couldn't get any more perfect."

"Yeah," Jimmy grinned lopsidedly. "That was nice, we made good use of that." He handed me a beer and pushed me out back. "Go mingle a bit, I'll let Brian know you're here."

I walked past the people jumping in the pool and talking with one another on the patio. I made my way to a lawn set in the back for a little quietness before I decided to face the crowd of strangers. I sat back and sipped my beer, tapping my foot to the Chevelle song streaming out of the speakers.

I heard someone whistle at me flirtatiously. I put my hand up to block the sun to see who was in my view. "Loon the Moon," they tsked. "Never in a million years would I have pictured you here."

His voice sounded vaguely familiar. I placed my empty beer bottle on the ground, trying to place a name to the voice, before standing up. I grinned and wrapped him in a hug, careful not to knock over his plate of food.

"I thought you might have forgotten me," he chuckled.

"Rick Lanzoni that is absurd." I laughed at his ridiculous accusation.

"Good," he grinned sitting in my chair. I sat on the armrest and swung my legs over his lap. "So, you're the Vegas girl I'm assuming." He handed me one of his hotdogs.

"Why am I being referred to as that?" I asked beginning to get upset.

"Because, apparently, you captured this party's host's attention." He smirked at my blush. "Don't be insulted though, Luce." He cleared his throat, "So, I heard from Danny that you and Time had a go at it."

"We've had a few yelling matches since I've gotten back, but we made up today." I pinched his cheeks. "Aren't you proud of me? I apologized first; that has to be some world record."

"How the hell did you get Lucy Woods at your party?" JB asked his friend amazed, seeing her chat away.

Brian looked at him weird. "You met her in Vegas. She was the one hosting Avenged. Danny got her fired. Ringing any bells?" He grinned.

"No shit? I didn't even recognizer her there. A desert is just so out of character for her."

"Wait?" Brian stopped flipping burgers as the gears slowly turned. "Lucy's here?"

"Yeah, man." JB pointed to a spot further in the back. "There, talking with Lanzoni. Makes sense; probably talking surfing shit." He shrugged drinking his beer.

"Why would you think that?" Brian began to cook again, waiting for his dad to come back with more supplies. They were quickly running out, not being able to keep up with everyone's appetite.

"Because, dude, it's Lucy Woods." JB said in obvious tone, as if mentioning the name would miraculously clear everything up. He looked over at his friend and saw that nothing was registering. "You don't know who she is, do you?"

Brian stole JB's beer and took a sip. "All I know is that she was a host in the Golden Palace, Danny's friend, and the hot chick I nailed." He said putting up his macho look as he puffed out his chest. He could also mention my favorite color, animal, time of day, music, and a few other interesting facts that he had learned, but for some reason, he chose not to.

JB shrugged, not caring about any of those things Brian mentioned. "She's also a hot surfer that disappeared for awhile, taking a break from being pro I guess."

He raided an eyebrow hearing that I was a professional, "She's that good?"

"She's Loon The Moon, man." JB grinned.

"You need to start having parties again." Rick grinned. "Yours were always crazy.

I laughed. "That's because there would be a bunch of drunks, high, with way too much alcohol left over and fireworks. Apparently, everyone has a secret pyro streak hidden deep down."

"Sounds like an awesome party to me." He smirked

"Maybe, I'll throw one," I smiled. "But, I make no promises. There haven't been any special occasions for one."

"I'll find one for you." He grinned. "So, have you caught any good ones?"

"No," I said quietly. "I haven't even stepped foot in the water since, well, you know."

Rick shook his head at me, disappointed. "You're such a waste, Luce." I looked down, playing with the cuff on my shorts. "You've bounced back from worse." He sighed, knowing that wasn't going to get him anywhere. "Listen, the wind is supposed to bring in some sweet heights by you. We all know how much you love that kind of wave." He cooed.

"Even if I were to go back, it would take so long that I would miss it altogether. It's not worth it, Rick." I sighed and shrugged. "Besides, who says I'm ready."

"Me," he chuckled. "Why are you waiting so long?"

I shrugged again, "I'm waiting for the right moment."

He glared. "That's such bullshit, Lucy, and you know it."

I tried to think of another excuse as he ripped them apart. "I haven't even said hi to Brian yet and he invited me."

"He's not going to care, Lucy. There's a bunch of people here. One less isn't going to make a difference."

That hit home much harder than it was intended. Even through my outings recently with Brian, I kept trying to tell myself that that night in Vegas with him didn't mean anything. But, the fact it really had, to me, was terrifying.

I didn't like to think that I was just another body here, but I was. "You're right," I sighed.

He rubbed my back. "Don't sound so down about it."

"I'm not." I pouted and giggled when he tickled my sides.

"Are you going to go?" He asked moving his fingers into my sides relentlessly.

"No." I laughed. "I already told you, the winds will more than likely change by the time I get back home."

"Go to my house; use one of my boards. You know where I keep everything." He reached into one of his cargo pockets and pulled out his keys. He took off the silver one and handed it to me. "Just in case Cassie isn't home, this is the house key."

"Aw, I haven't seen your sister in forever." I grinned, always have had gotten along with her.

"Focus, Lucy." He chuckled shoving the rest of my hotdog in my mouth to shut me up. "So fitting for you."

"Asshole." I glared, speaking with my mouth wide open as I finished chewing. "You're such a perve."

"You're such a pig." He scrunched up his face in disgust. "Now, that you're done eating though, there's no more reason for you to stay."

I clutched his house key on his hands and slipped in on the purple clip with the rest of my keys. "Will it make you that happy if I go?" I huffed.

"Nope," Rick poked my stomach. "It will make you happy."

"Fine, then it's up to you to explain my disappearance." I poked him back.

"Right, you were murdered, one shot in the head, for stealing money from the drug lords of LA, and they dumped you in the bay." He stroked his stub of a beard and nodded. "Sounds believable enough."

"Tell them what you want, but I'm going to go before I bail out on this." I kissed his cheek, chugging down the rest of his beer.

I walked through the kitchen, bumping into an older man, tanned with a gentle smile and familiar brown eyes. I noticed I had knocked over one of the grocery bags he was carrying. "Oh, I am so sorry." I tried to catch my balance from falling over in my stilettos.

"No problem," he grabbed my forearm to help steady me. "I will never understand why women wear those death traps."

"Because they are just so damn cute, women can't resist. Plus they make our legs look fine." I laughed, looking at my boots briefly. I smiled and held out my hand. "Lucy Woods."

"Brian Senior, but better known as Papa G.; it makes me feel better about my age. No one wants to be known as a senior." He grinned.

"I know you. Well, not personally." I blushed. "But, my Tutu kane used to listen to you."

"I'm going to pretend I just understood what you just said." He chuckled bending down to start picking up the items I knocked over. I quickly dropped to his level and gathered the rest. "You don't have to do that, sweetie."

"Of course I do." I insisted putting them into the bag. "And, it's grandpa in Hawaiian. Now you know something new and can make others look like idiots."

"Generally, these guys don't need much help in that area." He laughed. "Well Lucy, it was nice meeting you." He helped me to my feet once more. "You looked like you were in a hurry so I'll let you go."

I smiled my thanks. "It was nice to meet you, too." I sighed sitting in the driver's seat, biting my bottom lip nervously. "It's now or never." I mumbled to myself, slipping on my sunglasses and started the confidently.

It took less than 20 minutes to reach Rick's house in Newport. I pulled my car into his driveway and sifted through my keys to find his house key. I grabbed my spare bathing suit from the back seat. I slipped it in the lock and pushed the door open, "Anybody home?" I heard a bunch of moaning coming down the hallway. "Cassie if I walk in on you fucking, I will so tell Rick on you!"

"I'm coming!" I heard her yell, running out looking a little disheveled. "Lucy!" She tackled me into a hug. "I was wondering who the hell was bitching at me." She laughed. "You can come out Ethan! I made him hide in the closet." Cassie introduced us, once he came out of his hiding place. "So, how can I help you Miss Woods?"

"Push me in the water when we go the beach." I mumbled, completely serious. She followed me out the back door. I walked across his ramp and grabbed one of his surfboards off of the rack on his shed.

"Good one, Luce." She giggled thinking I was joking. "Like I will be able to pry you out of the water once you go out."

I frowned. "You don't know how scared I am right now." I whispered, hating to admit that. The water was my home and I was ashamed that it now scared me.

"Don't worry I'll warm up with you." She smiled, rubbing my shoulder. "Come on babe, you get to see Loon the Moon in action."

I rolled my eyes, grabbing one of Rick's short boards. "Grab the wax and a leash for me, Cassie, I'm going to go change." I went down the hall to Rick's room and unzipped my boots. I laid out my clothes on his bed and slipped on the black bikini. I adjusted my breasts in the halter-top as I walked into the living room.

"Stop fondling yourself." Cassie rolled her eyes.

I shrugged and grinned. "I've got to make sure nothing falls out; no one wants a peep show."

"I would." Ethan smirked earning a punch from his girlfriend.

"Not cool, dude." I laughed. We walked the short way to the beach. I saw the waves and smiled. "You guys need a hurricane." I chuckled, knowing what kind of waves that type of weather would bring in. Only a pipe master should attempt those.

"You have to get out there first." She laughed and tossed me the bar of wax.

I scrubbed the board down carefully with the wax so I wouldn't lose any grip. I tied the leash around my ankle and picked up the surfboard.

"And, where the hell do you think you're going?" Cassie smirked. "You better warm up if you don't want any injuries. You haven't been surfing in over a year; going in without stretching is stupid, Lucy."

I huffed and put the board down, beginning to do some static and dynamic stretching. "Happy now?"

Ethan shook his head, agreeing with Cassie that I should stretch more. "You're still risking it."

I glared and shrugged. "It is what it is." I smiled feeling the water run over my feet. My breath hitched when the water got up to my thighs, not used to the cold temperature. I looked around to see where there were fewer people. It's every man for himself in Newport. It didn't matter who you knew here; only you could make a name for yourself. And, I didn't feel like getting in any fights.

I dove under the water feeling the suds left over from a break of the wave before as it rolled over my back. I tied my hair in a sloppy bun, wincing when I pulled some hairs since I should have done this when I was back on the beach. I sat there getting a feel for where the waves were coming in.

"What is she doing?" Ethan looked confused, not understanding why I was just sitting out there. "Is she talking to the water?"

Cassie rolled her eyes at his impatience. "Just keep watching."

"About time, Pops." Brian grinned as Papa Gates dumped the bags on the stone counter next to the grill.

Papa G rolled his eyes, ignoring the childish demeanor of his son. "She's a sweet girl."

"Who?" Brian gave his dad an odd look as he rummaged through the groceries.

"Lucy Woods. I caught her on her way out. She said her Tutu kane liked to listen to my music. I got the complement instead of you." He chuckled. "Where did you meet her?"

"She left?" His smile faltered, ignoring his dad's question, wondering why I didn't stay long, let alone come over to say hello.
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