Page 21 of Forever Endeavor

“There you are, I’ve been looking all over for you two!” Gurdeep arrived with a drink in his hand. “Hope you don’t mind if I crash your date.”

Sonny coughed. “It’s not a…oh hell, yeah, okay, it’s a date. And sure, why not? Join us.” He gestured an invitation that Gurdeep already accepted, scooting in right next to Billie.

Gurdeep stirred his straw through the ice chunks in his glass. “Sooo…now itisa date?”

“It didn’t start out that way but it certainly seems to be ending like it.” She flashed a sultry smile at Sonny that made his palms sweat. He wiped them on his jeans as the houselights went down. Showtime. A spotlight in the corner illuminated the stage backed by the brick wall. Gary hopped up on the platform to turn on the microphone and do a quick sound check. The crowd clapped through the brief squeal of feedback.

“Hey everybody, welcome to The Pelican’s open mike night. Nice to see such a good turnout. We’ve got a great line-up of performers this evening, so you’re in for a terrific show,” Gary said, glancing down at the sign-up list. “Without further ado, let’s kick things off with some hilarious stand-up from Janus Lake’s resident funny lady Wilma Fingerdoo!”

After the foul-mouth housewife’s ribald comedy set ended, it was Sonny’s turn to hit the stage. Gary returned to the stage to introduce him, giving Sonny time for one final swig of beer before making his way to the front of the room.

“FREEBIRD!” Billie hooted above the applause. Gurdeep let out a deafening whistle. Sonny was glad to have his own cheering section. He stepped up on the stage, grabbed the acoustic guitar leaning against the wall and slipped the shoulder strap over his head.

“Appreciate that, folks.” He fiddled with the tuning pegs and plucked at the strings until the sound hitting his ears met his approval. Stepping up to the mike, he twisted the stand upward to adjust its height to better suit his own. “This one goes back a-ways. It’s called ‘Sunday Morning Coming Down.’” Before he started into the song, he stole a glance at Billie, smiling wide as she enthusiastically clapped her hands together. Here goes nothing. While he didn’t have a great voice, neither did Cash or Kristofferson or Dylan or a thousand other guys who gave average shmucks the balls to get up and sing. Sonny’s deep rasp afforded him some leeway around the lyrics, and a range that gave him the confidence to hit more delicate notes.

The applause still hadn’t faded when he left the stage and sat down again. “That was amazing Sonny,” Billie acclaimed. “I’m super impressed. I had no idea you could sing like that.”

“Aw, thanks.” He tipped his head in appreciation, reaching for his warm beer and took a swig to wash down the unexpected praise. “You ready to get outta here?”

They cleared a hazy cloud of cigarette smoke as they passed through a group congregated around the front door of the pub and started a leisurely stroll towards the marina. Both of them were uncharacteristically quiet. Sonny was being extra careful not to say anything that might trigger her temper or set off a quarrel and wondered if Billie was doing the same.

“Nice night,” she commented, looking up at the moon. The reflection of the dazzlingly bright white orb over the calm lake shimmered like liquid diamonds. Hollywood couldn’t have built better scenery in setting the stage for romance.

Sonny pointed to the statue standing guard on the waterfront. “Thought maybe I could introduce you to our resident Roman tonight.”

“Yes please.” She hooked her hand around his bicep, linking them as they walked. He didn’t mind one bit. They reached the pier and Sonny steered her to the towering bronze statue. Standing over fifteen feet tall, Janus had a chiselled body with dual heads, each of his gazes staring into distant horizons on opposite shores. Billie bent down to get a closer look at the inscription on the base. She read it aloud.

“Janus, for whom our lakefront community is named, is the Roman deity of beginnings and transitions and thereby of gates, doors, doorways, passages and endings. In keeping with mythology, his likeness is depicted as having two distinct faces, one looking to the future, and the other, to the past.” She straightened up and planted a hand on her hip. “It doesn’t say anything here about having mystical powers.”

“Maybe not, but I hear it’s well documented,” he said.

“Oh yeah? And who documents that sort of thing in Janus Lake?”

“Hell if I know.” He laughed along with her. “But maybe it means you’ll find the happy ending you’re looking for, uh…for your book, I mean.”

“Maybe I will,” she said, standing close as she looked up at him with big hopeful eyes. Was she waiting for him to make a move? God knows he wanted to, but did she want it too? She stared at his mouth as her own tongue slipped between her lips, slightly wetting them. Was that his cue? Had it really been so long he’d forgotten how to read a woman’s signals? Her mating dance had him feeling like a sweaty-palmed kid again. The air between them thickened with anticipation. She looked so pretty in that light, her mouth so soft and inviting and—oh, fuck it.

He cupped her face in his hands, closed his eyes, and leaned in until their lips touched. He kissed her softly, letting a tentative second pass to be sure she was kissing him back. And, oh boy, was she ever. Her tongue grazed his bottom lip as she yielded against him with a soft but hungry moan. He angled to close the gap between them, and the deeper he licked into her velvety mouth, the more she melted. She reciprocated every kiss and caress, her body responding eagerly beneath his exploring hands. It was like she had opened a release valve and every sensual dip, slip and lick let out more pent-up steam. Goddamn, it felt good to feel wanted again, as they kissed until they were breathless. Her lips were moist and plump in the light of the moon, her eyes darkened by desire. “Wow, that was great,” she sighed dreamily.

Immediately, he went in for another searing kiss, fusing them at the lips. Billie responded with new fervor, tightening her grasp and sucking his tongue. He reached down and gripped her sexy ass, pulling her into him to urgently satisfy the aching as he grew ravenous for more. She softly moaned into his mouth as her hips rolled forward, grinding against his fly. Surely, she’d find no doubt about the effect she had on him. It felt so good, a freaking sexual freight train about to go off the rails when the little voice in his head threw a track switch:

Look, I get it. She’s hot as hell, Frenches like fucking fire, and wants the D. But she’s still fragile. You really want to be the next guy in line to break her heart?

Can’t you see I’m busy? And besides, I’m not gonna break her heart. This is only about sex.

Hell, you know it ain’t that simple. Sex always has a way of complicating things, especially if you break the cardinal rule and catch a case of the feels.

Forget the feels. Maybe I just need to get laid, okay?

Geez, what a gentleman. Probably one of those one night stand mechanics who just nuts and bolts.

Hey, let’s get something straight. I’m not using her, we’re using each other. The lust is mutual.

Suuure, whatever you say. But don’t come crying to me when this all blows up in your face.

No need to be so judgy. You’re the one who led us down to the pier in the moonlight, remember?

Billie

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