Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous

"Jordan?"

"No, no, no. You're doing it wrong. This is how you wake her up..." There was a brief silence, then-- "SUNSHINE!!!!!!!!"

A body sprawled across me and hands groped at the blankets, seeking my ribs. Without hesitation, I took a swing.

"Bitch!" Jimmy exclaimed as my fist connected with the side of his head, and he rolled off of me.

I opened my eyes to find him laying next to me, gently massaging the place where my fist made contact. Dawn and Matt were sitting on the edge of Jacob's otherwise empty bed.

"What time is it?" I asked, propping my pillow up against the headboard and relaxing into it.

"Just after three," Dawn replied.

I yawned. "So why am I receiving this loud and mildly painful wake-up call?"

"You think you're in pain?" Jimmy grumbled, giving me a dirty look.

I stuck my tongue out at him.

"We came to warn you," Matt said.

I frowned. "Warn me? About what?"

"There's a certain guitarist hanging around, waiting to ambush you," Dawn informed me.

I glanced at Matt, who nodded confirmation.

"He's determined to prove to you that he still loves you and that he's sorry and he'll never do it again," Jimmy added, rolling his eyes. "Blah, blah, blah."

I sighed.

"I wanted to kick his ass," Dawn said. "But Matt still won't let me."

"We need him," Matt said defensively.

"He's stalking her!" Dawn cried. "That is not normal. Surely you can find a guitarist who isn't also a creeper. Hell, steal Jacob from Lynam."

Matt shook his head. I giggled. We all looked up at the sound of a knock on the door. Dawn started to get up, but Matt stopped her. "Who is it?" he called as Dawn sank back down.

"It's Cody."

Jimmy and Dawn both smirked. I flipped them off and got to my feet. Going to the door, I attempted to smooth my sleep-tousled hair. "Hey," I said upon opening the door.

"Hey," Cody echoed. "Um, can I talk to you?"

"Sure."

Behind me, Jimmy began singing "Get Naked" by Methods of Mayhem, and Dawn snorted with poorly-suppressed mirth. I made a mental note to kill them later and followed Cody down the hall, to the room he was sharing with David.

David was gone. Cody closed the door behind us. I faced him. I had an idea about where this was going, and was surprised to discover I wasn't the least bit nervous.

"Are you okay?" Cody queried after a moment of silence.

I nodded. "I'm fine. Why?"

"Last night..." he trailed off, fidgeting awkwardly.

"I'm fine," I repeated.

His eyes met mine and I refused to look away, or to let anything besides pleasantness show on my face. A smile slowly curved across his lips.

"Good," he said softly. He stepped close and lifted a hand to my cheek. "Because I was wondering when we could pick up where we left off yesterday."

I stared at him for several seconds, thoughts flashing through my head: Jacob warning me to stay away from Cody, Jimmy and Dawn both assuming I was interested in him as soon as they met him, those hot and heavy minutes yesterday in my hotel room, Brian showing up at the club, Jacob holding me and murmuring words of comfort.

Jacob wanted to protect me. On the other hand, what happened between Cody and me was none of Jacob's business as long as it didn't affect our working relationship.

"Oh, were you?" I murmured.

Cody took this for the invitation it was. He shoved his mouth to mine and easily lifted me by the backs of my thighs. I wrapped my legs around his waist, returning his kisses with fervor. My entire body flooded with lust and desire and as I shifted against him, I could feel him swelling with need. The sexual tension that had been gradually increasing since the moment we met was begging to be relieved.

He carried me to the bed, laying me down gently before climbing on top of me. His lips sealed over mine, he tugged at the shorts I'd slept in. I lifted my hips so that he could slide them down my legs. Once I'd kicked them off, I pulled his shirt over his head and tossed it aside. I let my hands explore while his did the same and our tongues were in a frantic wrestling match.

Cody's hand had just dipped beneath the waistband of my panties when we heard a keycard being swiped.

"Shit!" Cody swore, and I shoved him away, scrambling off the bed and snatching up my shorts.

David sauntered into the room. He stopped short at the sight of Cody and me standing on either side of the bed, both in varying states of undress. David's dark eyes lingered on me, pausing at my tiny panties and moving down my legs. I blushed and slipped my shorts back on.

"Oops," David said finally. "My bad."

I started for the door.

"Jordan!" Cody came after me, grabbing my arm as I was opening the door.

"Forget it," I muttered, tugging free of his hold. "This...This is a fucking mistake, Cody. We can't do this."

"What a wonderful time for you to reach that conclusion," Cody drawled sarcastically, grimacing.

I frowned sympathetically, knowing that he was turned on. It could be painful to have release denied. My own body was none too pleased about the interruption. "I'm sorry, Cody. I don't know how to do this meaningless bullshit. I never did. I was with the love of my life for six, almost seven, years. He was my first and my only and...I can't."

I flashed David a quick smile and hurried from the room.

*****

I returned to my room, only to be convinced by Dawn, Jimmy, and Matt to leave it again. They wanted to go down to the pool. David showed up after a little while; then, much to my surprise, Jacob joined us.

"Hey, Jack Skellington!" Matt called. "You know you're supposed to take your shirt off when lounging, right?"

Dawn, David, and I laughed. Jacob was the only male in the pool area that was fully-clothed. Jacob claimed the lounge chair next to mine and didn't say anything.

"Aww, come on, man!" Matt cajoled. "You can't look any worse shirtless than the string bean over here."

Jimmy fired the Nerf football they'd been tossing around at Matt's head. It bounced off with a resounding thwack!

"Show 'em what you've got, Bluegrass!" David encouraged, grinning.

"I'd kinda like to see what you're hiding," I said, smiling sweetly at Jacob.

Dawn giggled. "Me too."

Jacob rolled his eyes and stripped off his tee. I bit my lip. The view was nice. Absolutely nothing like Brian shirtless, but nice nonetheless. Dawn caught my eye and smirked.

Matt and David wolf-whistled. Jacob chuckled and shook his head. He turned his attention to me. "So...this morning--"

"Oh Lord," I groaned. "Did David tattle?"

Jacob's brow furrowed. "What?"

"Nothing," I said, not wanting to get into what had happened between Cody and me.

Jacob studied me for another long moment before finishing what he'd been going to say. "I saw Brian in the lobby this morning."

"The guys and Dawn told me," I said. "He's hanging around because he's determined to earn a second chance or something."

"We can get rid of him, you know," Jacob remarked. "If you wanted us to."

I looked at him.

"He's harassing you," Jacob said earnestly. "I will call the cops. Just give me the word."

"No." I settled back in my lounge chair and closed my eyes. "He's harmless. Besides, we're flying home tomorrow. All this will be over in less than twenty-four hours."

A couple of hours later, it was time for the Lynam guys to get ready for their show. They had to load in at the club by seven. Matt, Jimmy, Dawn, and I agreed to meet them for dinner at eight.

I left the pool area with Lynam. I was honestly nervous about staying around only Matt, Jimmy, and Dawn because Brian might use his friendship with Matt and Jimmy as an excuse to hang out with us.

Jacob led the way to our room. He swiped his keycard, opened the door, and stopped short. I almost walked into him.

"Uh, Jordan?" Jacob glanced back at me, then shifted aside so I could see into the room.

There were flowers everywhere! Every possible surface was covered with vases of flowers, and there were several more on the floor. Roses of every color, daffodils, daisies, and even a few bouquets of tiger lilies.

Jacob was watching me. I crossed to the biggest bouquet of roses, to which was attached a card. The handwriting was as familiar to me as my own.

"I don't want to live a life full of regret. I love you and I can't live without you. If it takes forever, I will make you forgive me."

Jacob plucked the card from my unresisting fingers. He read it and crumpled it in his fist. "Jordan," he murmured, curving an arm around my shoulders and hugging me to his side.

"I'm fine," I said.

"You can go to Dave and Cody's room, if you want, and I'll get rid of all these."

"Jacob, I'm fine. I promise. Just go get ready."

Jacob nodded and kissed me on top of the head. As he disappeared into the bathroom, I sank onto my bed. The balled-up card was on the floor under the table.

I raked a hand through my hair, taking a deep breath and willing the tears not to fall. I wondered how much more I'd have to endure before Brian got the hint and left me alone.