Zenith Rising (11 page)

Erica’s chest felt heavy. Things weren’t
okay. Or more precisely, they were too okay with Tamira. Too
wonderful. Too delusional. There was nothing Erica could do, since
there was nothing she could say to Spencer, or even Tamira, for
that matter. She really hoped that Tamira would drop the accusation
of jealousy regarding her.

A few moments later, Erica was walking out
the door when she almost ran into Spencer.

“Rob and I will perform at your charity
benefit. He’ll sing, and play guitar. Right now, we’re looking for
a drummer. Might happen. Might not.”

Erica was taken aback by her encounter with
Spencer, as well as his abrupt speech. Stepping back into the
hallway, she looked up, meeting his eyes, and saw the most
beautiful brown orbs she’d ever gazed into. He also looked severely
annoyed. Was it with her? Now, what had she done to him?

“Thank you. I was hoping you’d say yes.”

“Why? Why did you ask me? Why do you care if
I play? No one else does.”

“From what I’ve heard, you’re quite brilliant
with music. So you should play music. It’s so satisfying to watch
someone perform at something he truly excels at, and far exceeds
everyone else.”

“I don’t need your charity, Doc.”

“Good. Last thing you’ll get from me is pity.
So you mean it? I can put you down on the program for that night? I
need to get them to the printer’s ASAP. What should I call the
band?
Zenith
? Or your actual names?”

“There is no
Zenith
. You saw the last
of that yourself.”

“There could be someday again. But that’s
your business, not mine. I’m not quite sure why you’re so against
it.”

“If your name wasn’t on my paycheck right
now, I’d tell you to screw off.”

“I think you just did. Nothing personal is
ever shared by you, is it?”

He crossed his arms over his chest. “I’m
doing your show. What more to you want?”

“What do I write on the programs?”

“Our names.”

“Okay, your names. You didn’t even ask how
much it pays.”

“I don’t care. I’m not doing it for the
money.”

“Then why are you?”

“Because you asked me,” he said, spinning
around on his heel. He left before she could open her mouth to
respond to his surprising answer. He did it simply because she
asked? Why? He always seemed to particularly dislike her, judging
by his surly attitude towards her anyway.

****

Later, after a full day of patient exams,
mostly minor and routine, Erica’s work was done. Leaving her
office, Erica sighed. Leaving to do what? Go home and be alone? Or
possibly bother Nick and Joelle? Or call Roy? But somehow, her
fingers couldn’t pull out the phone to do so. She was ready to
leave, and as usual, be alone. It was Friday night, and she had…
what? A smashing condo to call her own and not another soul would
know or care she was sitting in it.

She had her coat on and purse draped over her
arm when she ran into her partner, Sherri.

“Hey, Erica. We’re all going to the Good Spot
for drinks and some dancing. Girls’ night out. Most of the staff
are coming. You in?”

Erica nearly jumped at the opportunity.
Something to do. Something she didn’t have to think about. “Yes!
I’ll come.”

“Good,” Sherri said, smiling as they walked
together towards the parking lot.

Erica eyed their destination when she
arrived, which was just a few miles from downtown, a bar and club
with its own private parking lot. Erica found Sherri at the
entrance. “I can’t believe I’m going here. It’s not exactly my kind
of spot.”

“Might do you some good.”

Sherri might have been right. There were
eight of them in attendance, but she noticed Tamira wasn’t there.
Erica was glad. Although she worried about her, and where her
fantasy life with Spencer might take her, she knew socializing with
Tamira was out of the question.

Erica had dinner, laughed, chatted, and
thoroughly enjoyed hearing the stories of the other doctors, as
well as Marge and Nadine. She listened to their kids’ anecdotes, as
well as their complaints about their husbands. Erica smiled, and
talked, but spoke very little about herself. There seemed so little
to say that was of any interest or that anyone would care to know.
It seemed to be a continuing theme in her life lately. She was
starting to wonder when it got so old: the acting, the longing, and
the general day-to-day living. Accomplished? Sure. Rich? Yeah.
Happy? No. Not even close.

They were all seated after eating dinner, and
the music was pleasant enough and loud, when in walked Spencer.
Erica saw him immediately. He was so tall, there was hardly another
person that could obscure his head. He looked around, spotting
their table, and her specifically, before he headed over to them.
Amidst a chorus of
hellos
and
hi Spencers,
all the
women, even four wives, were blushing and smiling eagerly at him.
When did Spencer become so popular? He seemed like their personal
mascot or stud for hire, the way all eight women goggled their eyes
at him.

“Ladies,” he said easily with a glance around
the table. He frowned however, when he caught Erica’s eye. Lately,
he seemed annoyed with her, and she couldn’t figure out why.

“Oh, Spencer, we were all hoping you’d stop
by.”

“You invited him?” Erica hissed to Sherri,
sitting next to her.

“Sure. Office thing, right? We invited
everyone.”

“But he’s a he. I thought you said a girls’
night out.”

“Exactly why his arrival is better than
anyone else,” Sherri said, giggling. They were all obviously
smitten with Spencer. It could have been embarrassing if it weren’t
so stupid.

He sat down when half the party moved over,
fussing over who would bring him a chair, and get whatever drink he
requested. The entire group of women became overly animated, all of
them so clearly glad he was there.

“Come on, let’s dance.”

Spencer grinned as he stood up and followed
Nadine onto the dance floor. The rest of the women looked on,
sighing that they didn’t have the guts to ask him first. Erica
watched them walking toward the center of the dance floor,
perfectly at ease with each other: laughing, talking, and finally,
dancing together. Spencer was a surprisingly polished dancer. He
moved to the beat, the changed steps with effortless fluidity and
little hesitation. He looked good.

Finally, they returned to the table where
Erica and some of her staff were talking amicably. Spencer sat down
next to Erica. His long body took up the chair, and he sprawled
casually in it. She studied her drink before taking a swallow. Then
she examined it some more. Why did he always make her feel so
weird?

“You want to dance, Doc?”

Her eyes flew open with surprise when she
felt his mouth right next to ear. His breath felt warm on her
cheek. “What? Dance to this? I’m afraid I can’t.”

“This takes less talent than what you’re
probably used to. Trust me; you’ll be fine. It’s a lot better than
sitting here, trying to think of what to say to me, isn’t it?”

She glanced at him keenly. How could she get
out of this without sounding like a stuck-up snob? That wasn’t the
case at all; she just felt awkward. She followed him out to the
dance floor. He turned, casually putting one hand on her waist, and
bringing her closer to him. She hesitantly put her hands around his
torso, unsure of what else to do. He moved effortlessly and
smoothly to the music. She followed, although with more effort, and
less smoothly. She tried to follow his lead, but wasn’t any good at
it.

She blushed with sheer frustration at
herself. What would he think of her now? How stiff and clumsy would
he find her? How uncool? How uptight? How everything she was.

She could feel his hand on her lower back,
radiating heat through the soft material of her blouse. He held her
one-handed, naturally, and away from his chest. He was so smooth
and graceful in his movements. How could she have missed that about
him when he was Spike? Spencer’s posture was totally relaxed, and
at ease with her. He didn’t seem terribly affected by her in any
way. Then again, why should he have been? She was no one that he
might possibly be attracted to.

Then the invasion began. A group of three men
and two women approached them, shouting enthusiastic
hellos
,
while pushing Erica out of the way. She stood there for a moment,
startled. The men all had tattoos, and the women appeared far
rougher, but probably more fun to be with than she. Erica turned to
exit the dance floor. She left Spencer Mattox to his socializing,
and suddenly, longed to go home.

She turned away from the table where she was
previously sitting, fully intending to leave, but only made it to
the door. She was surprised when a hand grasped her by the wrist
and she looked up, only to find Spencer next to her.

“Sorry. You didn’t hear me calling your
name.” He immediately released her wrist.

“I was just leaving.”

“I got that. Sorry about the crowd.”

“Don’t be. Not like I should care. That’s
reserved for Tamira.”

“Tamira? Why would she care?”

“She’s your girlfriend, isn’t she?”

He laughed. He outright laughed as he tilted
his head back, flashing his white teeth, and crinkling his eyes.
Erica wasn’t sure she’d ever seen or heard Spencer actually laugh.
“Because of the other night? You thought she was my girlfriend? No.
She’s not.”

“No. I thought that because she came into my
office today, and in very few words, warned me to stay away from
you.”

Spencer’s smile vanished, and his eyes grew
cloudy. “What?”

“Yeah, surprised me too. She seemed rather
anxious to warn me to keep away from you.”

“Are you sure?”

“She wasn’t subtle about it. So if she’s not
your girlfriend, or even a date, it sounds like you should be
clearer with her on that.”

“I was… Crystal clear.”

Before he slept with her.
Erica was
annoyed by that revelation, but more so by his casual brush-off
toward the young, vulnerable girl that Erica knew Tamira was,
despite her sex kitten looks and attitude.

“Be careful with her,” Erica said finally.
She wanted to say more, but couldn’t. She simply couldn’t legally
say what he needed to hear.

“What do you mean? And why do you care?”

“My concern is not about you. I care for her.
She’s young.”

He shook his head. “Do you ever stop being
the savior of all women? The perfect doc? Do you ever just have
fun? Or let other women just have fun? Hell… can you allow anyone
to have fun?”

Erica stiffened. “Your brand of fun doesn’t
seem much fun for Tamira.”

“That’s on her. I was very clear
beforehand.”

“Why did you stop me from leaving if you’re
just going to pursue an argument with me?”

His eyes narrowed at her. “Mind if I catch a
lift home? Rob took my car.”

“You have a car?”

“Of course, I have a car. I’m not a complete
loser, Doc.”

“Sure. I guess.”

He followed her out and they stopped in front
of her car. He got into the driver’s seat as if he had every right
to do so. He glanced at her, as if waiting for her to get the keys
out. She sighed. He was so unpredictable. So moody. So strange. But
did she order him out of her car? Or even scold him? No! She simply
handed her keys to him and slid into her passenger seat.

“Were those your friends?” Erica asked, once
they were on the road.

“People I used to know. Rob and I used to
party a lot. We knew a lot of people.”

“You don’t anymore?”

“Know people? Yeah. But that kind of crowd
has short-term memories. They exist only in the here and now. Rob
went to rehab, and I dropped out of the scene for awhile, to clean
my own act up. That made a lot of them forget us.”

“Forget you? Or perhaps they just don’t
recognize you as Spencer. Spike and Spencer don’t even resemble the
same species.”

He laughed. “You could be right. Unlike you,
a lot of them resented my change from Spike to Spencer. Especially
after they discovered I broke up
Zenith
.”

“Which you did to save your best friend’s
life.”

“Yeah. But it wasn’t appreciated by our
fans.”

“Rob seems to appreciate it. It says a lot
about you, that you’d do that. Give up your dream just to help your
friend.”

He shook his head. “
Zenith
was Rob’s
dream. His voice is a damn miracle. He was why we went beyond a
garage band. He is the
talent.
Not me.”

Erica considered his profile. “I don’t
believe you.”

He looked at her from the corner of his eye.
“Well, maybe you should.”

“I don’t. I don’t know why you continually
underestimate your talent. Or why you won’t talk about
Zenith
, or music, or even tell me your favorite color. I
don’t know why, after knowing you at work for months, I have no
clue about you beyond your name change. I don’t know why that is.
But it just is that way with you, isn’t it?”

His mouth tightened. “Yeah. It just is.
There’s nothing to tell. Nothing much to say.”

“There’s everything to say. But you won’t. To
me. To Tamira. To Joelle even. No one. Isn’t that lonely? Tiring?
Exhausting to remain so isolated? So shut off to everyone? With
only Rob knowing anything significant about you?”

He ignored her questions. She waited, but he
refused to take his eyes off the road. The only indication that he
heard her was his jaw tightening when she spoke.

She let out a long sigh. She couldn’t even
goad him into reacting to her comments. “Well, those people may be
pissed at losing Spike, but I like you much better as Spencer.”

His hands tightened on the steering wheel and
he glanced at her with a piercing gaze. Still, he remained
silent.