Gideon's Redemption (19 page)

“Hello?”

There was a pause then a questioning voice asked, “Shannon, is that you?”

“What do you want, Ray? Obviously Gideon doesn’t have anything to say to you.”

“You’ve got to talk to him, Shannon. It’s all a mistake. He’s ruining me over a damn mistake.”

“Oh? Which mistake was that, Ray? The one where you let me believe Grant was Gideon and was in bed with those two groupie tramps? Or maybe it was the time you wrote that bogus goodbye note and paid me off without his knowledge. Let’s see, it could have been when you lied, telling me he knew about our baby. There are so many to choose from.” Her voice had risen in anger and was clipped and dripping with sarcasm. “I think the biggest mistake of all has got to be when he hired a lying, manipulative, sleaze ball creep for an agent in the first place.”

“This is all your fault, bitch. Your interference with the band was intolerable. Then you had to throw yourself at Gid again. After all I did to get rid of your ass, you still came back like a fucking whore.”

Shannon immediately hung up. She wasn’t about to listen to any more of his filth and lies. Replacing his phone on the table, she stood staring down at it with a scrunched up brow. Damn that Ray Reynolds, he was trying to worm his way back into Gideon’s good graces.

“I wish you hadn’t answered that, babe.”

Whirling around, she saw Gideon standing in the doorway, arms crossed and an uneasy look on his handsome face. Although she knew she’d been caught doing something she probably shouldn’t have, she wasn’t worried. Instead, she was distracted by his nearly naked frame, and she couldn’t resist running her eyes over every square inch of it, dipping first to his abs that stood out washboard tight above the low dip of the towel he’d wrapped around his lean waist.

“Um—”, she hedged.
Sheesh,
Shannon chided herself,
you just got out of bed with the man and you’re already drooling and tongue-tied at the sight of his exposed body.

“Eyes up here, babe.” That caught her attention and her gaze flew to meet his, self-conscious at being caught gawking like a horny teenager.

“That was Ray, I assume?”

“Yeah, what is his deal?”

“What did he say, Shannon?” He walked to his dresser dropping the towel as he moved. Before long, he had pulled on a pair of boxer briefs and was stepping into his jeans.

“I can’t repeat all the vile things he said. The gist of it was that he blames me for everything. He’s under the impression that I interfered with the band ten years ago, and now he feels I’m responsible for you and the band pulling your business from his agency.”

“Lying bastard doesn’t understand English.” Pulling on a t-shirt, he grabbed a pair of socks and his boots, seating himself on the bed.

Shannon followed him and came to stand at his side while he dressed. She was still rosy and tousled from their lovemaking, her long hair the only thing covering her bare body. “Are you angry with me, Gid?”

“With you? What on earth for?” He stomped his foot into the last boot and pulled her toward him, settling her on his lap.

“I answered your phone without permission. It was a nosy thing to do, but I couldn’t resist.”

Brushing her hair over her shoulders, he bared her rosy breasts and took the closest nipple into his mouth, suckling for a minute before he sighed reluctantly and released her. “You don’t need permission to answer my phone. I was just trying to keep you out of this mess with Ray. You’ve got enough on your plate.”

“I’d rather you didn’t hide things from me, Gid. I was worried something was wrong.”

“You are absolutely right, Shannon. I expect you to be honest, and you deserve nothing less from me. I’m sorry.”

She was thrilled by his apology and surprised as well. The old Gid had been a bit more arrogant with the whole “don’t worry your pretty little head” mentality. Leaning in, she pressed a kiss against his lips and whispered, “Thank you. After all we’ve been through, I want us always to be honest with each other.”

He took over the kiss, his tongue sweeping hungrily inside as his hands moved over her bare breasts, tweaking her already tight nipples. They were both aroused, as if they hadn’t just made love, and soon he groaned and lifted her off his lap. “As much as I’d like to stay and play again, babe, I’ve got to get to my meeting.”

Having a hard time keeping their hands off each other, they shared several more kisses before Gid grabbed Shannon’s robe and put it on her. “I can’t focus on anything but you when you’re walking around buck naked.” He cinched the robe around her waist, covering up her rosy breasts and peaked nipples, but the tight buds were still visible as they pressed against the white satin. Like metal to a magnet, his thumbs and forefingers found them and teased her through the smooth material.

With a frustrated growl, he kissed her hard and headed for the door. Before leaving, he paused and Shannon could tell he was adjusting himself inside his tight jeans. At the door he turned and warned, “Don’t finish what I started without me, babe.”

“Gideon!” Her face flamed with heat as she took his meaning. Was he seriously expecting her to start masturbating as soon as he left?

“What? If our positions were reversed, I’d be wearing it out already.”

“I’ll wait for you, honey.” Feeling a little naughty, she reached for her aching nipples and glided her palms over them, soothing the ache. “You’ll hurry back, won’t you?”

“Hell yeah, but if you keep touching yourself like that, I’m going to be late and your butt is gonna be sore.”

Her hands fell away and she gave him a sexy smile. “I’ll be good, Gid. I’m going to start reading and look up my online class while you’re gone.”

“Good idea. Distract yourself with Basic Accounting and Public Relations 101. I’ll be back about six. Love you, doll.”

“I love you too, Gid.”

Then he was gone, leaving Shannon’s body humming and tingling as if he hadn’t made her come twice within the last couple of hours. She dressed and went down the hall to the office he’d set up in one of the extra bedrooms. Looking at the clock, she saw she had an hour until Betsy picked up Eli and another three until Gid would be home. Excited about her new career path, she started up her new laptop and got to work.

She clicked around on the college site, getting familiar with the student portal, reading over the syllabus for each class and jotting down her first reading assignments. When she got to her online class, she frowned. One of the required books wasn’t there. Checking her receipt, she saw that the bookstore clerk hadn’t charged her for it. A quick call to the bookstore told her it was in stock but there were only two copies left. Explaining it had been their oversight, she talked them into reserving a copy in her name. They would hold it if she could pick it up that afternoon. She was checking her wallet to make sure she had enough cash as Eli came running up the stairs.

“Mom!” he yelled at the top of his lungs. She heard him slamming into each of the upstairs rooms, continuing to call her name as he looked for her.

“I’m in the office, Eli.”

He appeared in the doorway seconds later, out of breath, his handsome face flushed with excitement.

“Where’s the fire, sweetie?”

“You’ll never guess. JT goes to my school and the kids there are awesome. My teacher, Mr. Parker, is so cool. I love it there, Mom, and one of the kids invited me to his house this weekend for a birthday party. Can I go? Please?”

“Settle down. I’ll have to call his mom and see what it’s about, but I’m sure everything will work out. Come give me a hug.”

He launched himself into her arms, practically vibrating with happiness and excitement. “All the kids know who Dad is and they were so nice to me. I told them about his studio and they want to come see. Do you think he’d let me have some kids over to see it? Or maybe meet the guys when they’re over next time? They are all big NE fans.”

“You can ask him yourself, tonight.” Smiling at her son, she watched as he beamed with joy and unrestrained enthusiasm. She hadn’t realized how miserable he was at his old school. Giving him a huge hug, she said a silent prayer of thanks that Gideon had come into her life again and into Eli’s.

“Hey,” she smiled. “I went to school today myself. I need one more book from the bookstore. Would you like to come see the campus? It isn’t very far and we’ll be home in time for dinner. I think I even have enough money to get you a t-shirt. They had all the UCLA gear on sale.”

“Awesome! Don’t leave the gate open this time, though. Dad didn’t look too happy last time.”

“I won’t forget.” She thought about the paddling she’d taken, and her butt tingled in recollection. She doubted she’d ever forget to close the gate again. Although unconventional, his methods seemed to work.

After telling Betsy they’d be home in plenty of time for dinner, they climbed into the Lexus and Shannon carefully backed out of the garage. This time, her remote—which had been reprogrammed and the batteries replaced—worked like a dream. As she turned right toward her destination, a silver Mercedes unexpectedly zipped away from the curb and cut right in front of her. She slammed on the brakes and barely missed t-boning the insane driver’s car. Road rage invaded and overcame her previously upbeat demeanor.

“Did you see that idiot? He pulled out right in front of us, as if we were invisible! How does anyone miss a huge, black SUV like this?”

“Should we call Dad or those On-Star people?”

Shaking her head, she quickly reassured him, regretting her overreaction. “There’s nothing to call anyone about. I just hate stupid drivers.”

“Yeah, Mom, I can tell.”

She glanced in her rearview mirror to see if he was being a smart aleck, but he was nodding his head in agreement, his face filled with concern.

“Sorry for getting so riled up, honeybun. Let’s go see UCLA.”

As they pulled onto the main campus drive, Shannon checked her blind spot to change lanes and saw the silver Mercedes again. Trying to remain calm for Eli’s sake, she continued to drive, checking her mirrors frequently, keeping an eye on the Merc. She breathed a sigh of relief when it turned off on a side street before she got to the main lot for the bookstore and student union. As she thought about the vast number of silver Mercedes that were driven in southern California, she chided herself
. Silly woman, they’re like belly buttons—everyone has one
. Even Gideon had an identical Merc parked in his four car garage.

She turned into the lot and parked as close to the building as possible, but it was a week before the semester started and the place was packed. They made it inside and found that the line for books wasn’t as bad as earlier that day. Shannon quickly made her purchase, buying it used which allowed her enough left over for a t-shirt for Eli and Gideon and a tank for herself as well.

Before they headed for home, she showed Eli around the student union and promised to drive by the football stadium on their way out. By this time, it was almost five o’clock and the offices and bookstore were closing. So they headed on back to the car.

As she used her keyless entry to unlock her car doors, a man came up behind them and shoved Shannon against her vehicle. She started to yell for help, but something hard pushed against her ribs and her scream was cut short, replaced by a yelp of pain. Looking over her shoulder, she saw Ray Reynolds’ angry face.

“Shut up, bitch. If you draw attention, I’ll have to hurt the kid, and I’m sure you don’t want that.”

Her eyes swept around until she found Eli. She saw that Ray had a firm grip on his arm and he was struggling to get free.

Ray shook him violently and said harshly, “Stop struggling, kid, or I’ll shoot your mom where she stands.”

Shannon watched her son’s frightened expression turn to one of horror, and he instantly stilled, visibly afraid of the big brute’s threats.

“What do you want, Ray? This isn’t going to win any points with Gideon, you know.”

“I’m done trying to win Gideon back; instead, I’m going to enjoy watching the star I created finally burn out. The whole band tossed me aside, ungrateful fucks. I made them what they are, and this is the thanks I get. But I’m still going to get what I have coming to me. And you and your precious brat are going to help me. I’ll hold you both for ransom, and once he’s paid me, I’ll vanish.”

“Don’t do this, Ray. If you do, your life will be over.”

“I’m ruined as it is, slut. I’ve already had to start selling my shit to pay the bills.” She saw him looking around the near empty parking lot. Aside from Shannon’s vehicle, there was only a handful more and they were parked clear on the other end. Still, they were within shouting distance, and he seemed to realize this. He looked nervous and shifty, which made Shannon wonder if he was on something.

“Enough talking, get in the car. We’re taking a trip south, so I hope you packed your bikini and sunscreen.” He laughed wildly at his own joke and then looked more closely at Shannon. His intense stare became more of a leer, and she cringed, trying to pull away. She feared what else he had in mind.

“Once we get to our destination, I think I’ll try me some of that sweet cunt Gid’s been so high on all these years. Your pussy must be lined with gold for him to risk his career over it. Now get in the car. You are going to drive, and if you do anything stupid, you’ll regret it bitch. I hope you don’t have to pee anytime soon, ‘cause we’re not stopping until the fat cat sings.” He laughed at his own little joke as he pushed Eli toward the car.

Terrified that he’d hurt him, her mind raced, trying to find a means to escape.

“Get in the backseat, kid.” He let go of Eli and moved to open the door, keeping the gun trained on Shannon the whole time. When his eyes shifted long enough for him to grasp the door handle, she moved. Lunging for his gun arm, she pushed it over his head as she threw all of her weight against him. Although he was bigger and much heavier, surprise was on her side, and he was thrown off balance.

“Run, Eli!” Shannon screamed frantically. “Find help! Tell Gideon that Ray Reynolds took me!”

She hung on to his gun arm with all her might as she saw Eli back away. He stood at the end of the car, uncertain.