Polishing Jewel Ch 02

Chapter 2

Stepping out of the club, Julie took a deep breath of the refreshingly cool night air. Looking around she said "So where's your car?"

A couple of teenagers in a rusty old blue Pontiac blew a loud wolf whistle as they drove by. Glaring at the retreating car Nikki placed a possessive arm over Julie's shoulders and shrugged. "I know a little diner just up the strip where the food's good. I don't know about you but I could do with clearing my head so how about we just walk there."

"Fine with me." As they were walking Julie thought she should set Nikki straight. "Nikki, I think you ought to know that I'm not a run away."

Confused Nikki asked, "What do you mean? Why were you staying with Rachael?"

"It's a long story. You see, my dad died when I was eight and my mom remarried about three years ago. At first Tim was great. He had a really good paying job, so Mom didn't have to work so hard to support my little brother and me. Tim was always buying cool gifts for Randy and me."

Glancing sideways at her, Nikki saw the pensive expression on Julie's face. Her eyes were downcast and she had her bottom lip curled up and seemed to be lightly chewing on it.

This is not going to be a happily ever after story

, he thought. "Doesn't sound so bad..., Sooo...?" As his query hung in the heavy silence Nikki hugged her a little closer, resting his cheek comfortingly against the side of her head as they walked. Inhaling the fresh scent of her hair he said, "It's okay if you're not ready to tell me yet."

Raising her head the girl let out a sigh. "It's a little personal I guess," she said. Her pretty head tilted slightly away as she gazed up towards the star encrusted night sky. The movement caused a wave of silken hair to brush over Nikki's hand where it rested on her shoulder. The musician felt a sudden desire to twine his hands in that lustrous hair and just run his fingers through it.

"Tell you what. Let's just enjoy the walk for a few minutes and take in the air. You can tell me more over dinner if you want."

Smiling shyly up at him Julie leaned her head over into the crook of his shoulder and nestled comfortably for a moment. "Sounds good."

A bell tinkled melodically in the background as Nikki opened the glass door and escorted her in. Inside, the diner was set up like a 1950's burger joint. There was a long dining counter, several booths along the outside walls, and a few tables in between. Black and white tiles checker-boarded the floor, with white Formica counters and tables. The ambience was accented by red vinyl which upholstered the stools, chairs, and booths. The walls were festooned with pictures and posters of old movie stars and performers. Glancing around Julie saw pictures of Elvis, The Big Bopper and Marilyn Monroe among a bunch of others. As they entered a female voice greeted them with "Hi, welcome to Mary's. Seat yourselves; I'll be right with you."

Two of the tables in the middle were pulled together and occupied by a group of seven guys maybe a few years older than Nikki and Julie. They were talking boisterously and contentedly munching on burgers and fries. There was an older couple in one of the booths who glanced their way momentarily before returning to their coffee.

Nikki and Julie found a booth away from the other patrons and settled into it. Before Julie could continue with her tale, the waitress that had greeted them was at the table with a smile on her face and a couple of menus.

"Hi ya, Nik. Good to see you again. It's been a while. How's it go'n?" the busty blonde asked.

"Hey Pam, how's it going? Things are going good right now. You know we finally cut a record, and would you believe I now know of at least one person who's actually bought a copy. I got it first-hand right from the horse's mouth."

"That's fantastic," the pink and lace clad waitress gushed as her long-lashed eyes strayed over to Julie. "How are the guys? I've gotta get over and catch a show."

"They're good. The band is great. We're thinking it shouldn't take too much longer to cut a deal with a big label and start scraping in the dough."

Taking in the expansive blonde hanging over Nikki with a proprietary air Julie experienced a twinge of jealousy.

How does this woman know my Nikki? Why am I claiming him as mine? I have no ties to him... How can I compete with her, with her smooth, sun-kissed skin, her easy smile with perfect white teeth, blue eyes as deep as the ocean and legs just as long. Plus, she's closer to his age - What... twenty-two, twenty-three? Damn it! He's not yours Julie,

she reminded herself.

Chill out already.

"Hey, this is Julie. She's staying with me and the guys for a while. Julie, this is Pam. We've been friends for....umm, I don't know." He looked back at the expansively smiling waitress standing there, one hand canted on a well rounded hip, the other holding an order pad. "How long have you been with Eric?"

"Oh who knows? Eric and I, we're on again, off again, you know?" she said in a deep southern drawl, speaking directly to Julie.

Chuckling inwardly at her own possessive paranoia, Julie relaxed a little.

So she's Eric's girl, huh.

A deep voice bellowed "Pam!!" Startled, Julie looked toward the counter behind which an older apron-bedecked white man with salt and pepper hair was wiping his hands on a stained dish towel.

Looking back over her shoulder the waitress said "Yeah, yeah. I'm gettin' the order." Turning back to the booth she winked at Julie conspiratorially. "The old coot's gruff but he's not so bad." Suddenly a model of waitressly efficiency, Pam gave them the menus, announced the specials, and took their drink orders. Pushing her pen into the blonde curls nested by one shapely ear, Pam gave the pair one more quick wink and headed back to find out what the 'old coot' wanted.

"So that's Eric's girl?" said Julie, relaxing back in the booth, the cool vinyl feeling nice against the back of her neck.

"Pam? Yeah. They've been kind of dating off and on for a while now." Swiveling his head he glanced at the waitresses retreating back. "She's not really my type but I guess she's okay."

"Not your type? So..." one finger twiddling her napkin in a small circle on the formica, "Just what is your type?"

"Well, let's see... I usually go for large Norwegian women in spandex. Preferably the type who can drink me under the table and carry me home afterwards." Nikki's eyes were glinting with mischief as he locked gazes with her.

Laughing Julie stuck out her tongue at him.

Five minutes later Pam returned with their drinks and took their food orders. Taking a sip of her ice cold coke Julie shoved her foot under her derriere and reflected on what she needed to tell Nikki.

"Anyway, as I was saying, Tim was real cool until shortly after he lost his job. Or at least that's what he said. I think he was just saying that, you know as some sort of cover story to keep Mom out of the house later."

Leaning forward Nikki propped his elbows on the edge of the table and twiddled the straw in his soda. "I see. And he wanted your Mom out later because...?"

"Well, one day, before Mom got home and while Randy, my little brother, was over at a friend's house doing homework..." Julie's emerald eyes took on a faraway haunted cast as she mentally pictured the scene she was revisiting. "So it was just Tim and me at home. We were sitting in the family room watching TV. Usually, Tim would sit in the armchair but he sat down on the couch by me. I thought it was a little strange but, ..., whatever, you know?"

"Yeah. I mean, why would you think much about it, right?"

Sighing, Julie said "Yeah. But..., the next thing I know his hand is rubbing my knee and ,..., going higher."

Julie's face took on that characteristically sad hue that Nikki knew goes with guilty embarrassment. He reached over and patted the back of her hand gently.

Julie favored him with a wan smile and continued. "He was leaning onto me so heavily I could hardly move. His hands... ... ... started roaming and he was... ...he was kissing me. Then he grabbed my hand and put it ... well, you know where." Remembering the way her stepfather had molested her and slobbered all over her neck and chest, sent shivers of disgust through her body and she felt her stomach roiling with nausea.

"What a bastard." Nikki said. Anger at the stepfather who would do such a thing coupled with a surge of protectiveness warmed Nikki's blood. "So, how did you stop him?"

Releasing the breath she had barely realized she had been holding Julie met his eyes. "I didn't stop him. I don't even know if I could have, but thank God Randy came home sooner than Tim expected." She gave a little snort of mirth as she recalled the look on Tim's face when the front door had burst open to admit her garrulous little brother. "Apparently his friend's mom wasn't feeling well and sent him home. You should have seen the way Tim scrambled off that couch."

"Ahh. I bet that was priceless to see," said Nikki with a light chuckle.

"In any case, I knew it was only a matter of time before..., before he, you know, ummm, tried again. So I called my mom from a friend's house that weekend. I told her everything. But she didn't believe me. She thought that I was making it up out of jealousy. That I wanted Tim for myself. Ha! As if! She told me to pack my shit and get the hell out of her house; that she didn't have a daughter. So, almost a year later and here I am. That's my story."

"Here you go hon." Pam interrupted, setting their plates in front of them. "If ya'll need anything, just give me a shout." Then she was gone.

Picking up his fork and twiddling it Nikki said, "I'm sorry you had to go through all that. I can't understand your mom not believing you. But then again sometimes parents aren't very trusting of their kids and take an adults word over that of a kid." Nikki knew that from his own history.

"I think that she wanted me to be making it up, so she wouldn't have to lose yet another guy. My mom is very co-dependent."

"You may be right about that, but it was still wrong of her."

"Yeah, I guess." Forcing a smile onto her face Julie looked down at the huge burger dripping sauce into the midst of a large pile of steaming fries. "This smells delicious. I'm starving." Popping a fry into her mouth, she munched contentedly.

"Best burger in town, guaranteed," said Nikki, tucking into his own food.

Occupied with their own thoughts they ate the rest of their dinner in relative silence and paid the bill. Pam waved as they headed toward the door. Nikki absently returned the gesture.

As they headed up the sidewalk Julie entwined her hand in that of her leather clad knight and mentally sorted through the events of tonight. Finally gathering up her courage she asked the question that had been bothering her. "So, what do you want from me?"

"What...whoa... what makes you think I want something from you? I don't remember saying that I wanted anything."

"No you didn't say anything, but it's been my experience that people don't give you sumthin' for nothin'. So since you offered to let me stay with you and use your bed and all, I assume that you want something in return for the favor."

"No, I didn't mean...I don't expect..." Flustered he stopped and turned to meet her earnest gaze with his own. "Look, I told you I'm attracted to you. I want to get to know you better. This way, you have a safe place to stay and we can get to know each other and neither one of us have to go looking all over L.A. to find the other."

"I'm attracted to you too Nikki." She wanted to tell him that she had never felt that way before and that she didn't know if she could control herself around him, but she wouldn't, couldn't tell him. "So you don't want anything from me?"

"I wouldn't say that I don't

want

anything from you, but I don't want any kind of payment for letting you stay with me. Shit, Jewel, you staying kinda is a payment in and of itself," he declared.

She considered everything he had told her thus far and decided to accept his feelings on the matter at face value. "Okay then: I accept your offer and lack of terms. But I have one stipulation..."

"And that would be...?"

"That is that you kiss me like you did in the bar this evening twice a day for as long as I stay with you."

Cocking his head to one side he looked at her quizzically. "Twice a day, huh?"

"Yep."

"Only twice a day? Because I wouldn't mind kissing you more than that," he said matter of factly.

"I was just kidding."

Placing an index finger lightly under her chin he gently raised her head to face him. Gazing into a roiling sea of emerald he throatily rumbled, "I wasn't." Then, forgetting that they were standing outside on a public street corner, he leaned down and took her mouth with his, letting the rest of the world disappear.

Julie sighed in pleasure at the exquisite sensation of his lips brushing hers, his tongue probing tentatively at her lips causing a slight but pleasant tickle. Melting into the moment she parted her lips and let him into her. Nikki's arms circled around her, snuggling her body tight against his as his hands met in the small of her back to nestle in that curve right above her buttocks. The two of them stood there exploring each other, lost in a whirlwind of sensation until they heard someone exasperatedly call Nikki. Slowly, Nikki parted from her and looked up to find they were standing in front of his house and blocking the sidewalk.

"Hey Nikki, Julie, nice to see you two take a breather. You guys have been standing here making out for a while now," Eddie said with a laugh.

"Funny, it felt like we had only just started," Julie said, surprising both men as well as herself.

Nikki regrouped his scattered thoughts. Waving a hand at the house he said "Well, this is it. It's not much, but you're welcome here

with no expectations,

" looking at Eddie pointedly when he said "no expectations."

"Whatever you say man." Eddie put his hands up in an 'I surrender' pose.

Nikki escorted Julie in through the warped, rot-spotted, brown door.

Curiously Julie roved her gaze around the sparsely furnished room taking it all in. The 'living room' furniture, such as it was, consisted of a black over-stuffed leather couch sporting a sprung button, a beige love seat that had seen better days. To one side sat the obligatory naugahyde La-Z-Boy recliner tipped ceremoniously onto its back. In the center of this typical bachelor pad sat a water-stained wooden coffee table covered with girly and music magazines with a scattering of empty beer bottles and crushed cans. The huge dented up tin ashtray sitting on the end table had obviously originally seen service in front of the corner store. The end table itself, sitting between the love seat and couch, was actually a plastic milk crate turned upside down. An old component rack stereo on the left hand wall and a mid size television, along with a decrepit carpet that appeared to have once been shag, completed the ensemble. "Are those scorch marks in the carpet?" Julie asked.

"Yeah, we rehearse for our shows here and the lighter fluid keeps running down Eric's legs," Nikki explained. Grasping her by one elbow and pointing, Nikki gave Julie an impromptu tour as Eddie plopped onto the couch and turned on the television. "There's the kitchen, over here's the bathroom. Down this hall to the right is Eric's room and our room is right here on the left." He opened the door and cringed at the sight. He had forgotten the prior three nights of partying and the abandoned empty bottles left afterward.

"It's okay Nikki. You guys are single and in a band. It's to be expected that your place isn't going to be immaculate," she consoled. Empty booze bottles, dirty clothes, and two mattresses littered the floor. Julie wasn't surprised. Then it hit her, not the smell - [the mingled odors of stale beer and booze, cigarette smoke overlying a possible whiff of marijuana, and the unmistakable scent of "eau de sex" had already forcibly struck her at the front door] - but the idea that she would clean the place up. She could cook and clean for her room and board.

Noting a bra left behind by one of his latest conquests poking out from under an errant pile Nikki quickly closed the door. "Look, let me clean up this mess, then we can talk some more. Sound good?"

"Okay, but I'm not going to sit here and do nothing. We can do it together. But first, I've gotta use the bathroom."

"No problem." As the bathroom door clicked closed behind Julie, Nikki darted into the bedroom and snatched up the bra from the floor. A quick perusal found no other incriminating female paraphernalia so he hastily stuffed the offending garment into his underwear drawer under some socks, slamming the drawer shut just as the toilet flushed.

Wiping her freshly washed hands on her skirt Julie walked into the bedroom. "Judging by the state of that bathroom, as I was saying, I don't mind helping. I'm really good at it. Just, please, let me do some of the work." Hearing a chuckle from over her shoulder Julie blushed as she realized how what she said must have sounded.

Meeting Eddie's amused eyes Nikki laughed himself. "No dude, she wasn't talking about that. We were talking about cleaning this shit hole up."

"Cool, I just came back here to let you know that they've started showing up. I guess you want to keep them outta here, right?" Eddie said more than asked.

"Yeah, could you do that for me?" Nikki leaned closer to Eddie and whispered, "You can have them all." Leaning back he said "I no longer have a use for them."

Eddie exclaimed, "Your loss is my gain. I'll be more than happy to entertain on your behalf." He turned bemusedly toward Julie. "You know, you staying here might just work to my benefit." Then he turned and left the room.

As Eddie entered the living room Julie closed the bedroom door. Through the thin wood she heard him saying "Okay, everybody, the back room is off limits and I'm sorry to inform you that Nikki has been detained and will not be joining us tonight. But have no fear... Eddie's here and happy to accommodate."

Chuckling lightly Julie turned her bemused gaze to Nikki who stood there shamefacedly. "Entertaining guests tonight?" she said innocently.

Grinning lopsidedly he said "Nope. Not anymore. Besides, Eddie's a much better host than I am."

Together they cleaned up the mess in the room, although Julie did more work than Nikki. He couldn't seem to take his eyes off of her. Every time she bent over to pick something up his mind was flooded with the erotic images of the two of them coupled together, making it uncomfortable for him to bend over. When the last empty bottle finally clunked into the trash can, they sat down together on one of the mattresses. For a minute they each struggled individually with their thoughts and feelings until they both started talking at once. Chuckling Nikki gallantly said "You first."

They talked for hours about everything and nothing - discussing their hopes and dreams, likes and dislikes, favorite pets and hated teachers. After what seemed like anywhere from five minutes to an eternity Julie yawned and stretched to relieve the kink in her back. Nikki suggested that they lie down.

"Nikki?"

"Yeah."

"Stay here...Okay?"

"I'm not going anywhere. I'm right here on the floor next to you," he assured her.

"No. I mean, stay here. Next to me. I can't let you sleep on the floor and ... I don't want you to, and ... I mean... I'm... well, I'm a little frightened of new places. I thought that ... if you were here," as she patted the mattress next to her, "then maybe, I wouldn't be so... I know it's silly, but I'd feel better if you were closer."

I don't know if I trust myself that close to you. Not with the way I want you. I don't think I can control myself.