The morning sky was overcast and a light drizzle was falling over the streets of Manhattan. The packed sidewalk a sea of bobbing heads and umbrellas, as people walked quickly to their destinations. Howard Stern and his sidekick were coming through the speakers on the radio in the GT, talking about their usual morning subject of nothing important. "Why do you listen to this shit?"

Rebecca shrugged her shoulders, not really having a good answer to the question Jordanna asked. "I think they are funny sometimes." She punched the button to another station that Jordanna had programmed on the radio in her car, and rolled her eyes when again, all she heard was talking. "Z100's just as bad in the morning, Jor."

"Put on a CD, please?" Even though she was usually up with the sun, Jordanna was not a morning person in general, especially when required to be somewhere. Listening to a radio personality's constant chatter so early in the morning always grated on her nerves.

Rebecca, feeling playful, smiled and pulled out a CD and slipped it into the disc player.

"You wanted the worst… you got the worst… the one… the only…" came blaring out of the speakers two seconds later, and Jordanna rubbed her forehead and sighed. "Limp Bizkit, Rebecca?"

Rebecca tried to hold a smirk in at Jordanna's reaction to her choice of morning music but couldn't. "Somebody is very cranky this morning," she commented, and advanced the disc forward a few songs. "I think this one is more your speed today."

"Very funny, baby." Jordanna cracked a smile, laughing at the lyrics despite her foul mood. "Those lyrics do speak to me this morning, though." She opened the driver's side window a crack for some fresh air as she slowed down for yet another yellow light, letting in the sound of the car's tires rolling to a stop along the rain soaked street.

Rebecca pressed the eject button on the CD player, and put the disc back into it's jewel case. "No no, you can listen to that if you want, baby," Jordanna said, as she put her hand on Rebecca's knee and squeezed it. "Limp Bizkit in the morning is not exactly my cup of tea, though."

"I'm just playing with you, love." Rebecca put her hand on top of her lover's, and patted it. "You just seem so tense this morning."

Jordanna sighed and thought of the day ahead of her. Why did Kate Morrissey have to be on the damn list? "I'm just not in the mood to interview these musicians, baby. I want this whole fucking thing to be over with." Jordanna pulled up in front of the building that Rebecca worked at, and double-parked; ignoring the obnoxious honking coming from the cars stuck behind them. "You'll beep me when you're ready for lunch?"

Rebecca nodded. "Your break is between 12 and 2, right?"

"Yep, I'll see you then." Jordanna leaned over and kissed her lover on the mouth, taking it slow to make it last the few hours they were going to be separated. "Love you."

Rebecca got out of the car and leaned back in, grabbing her attaché and giving her lover another quick kiss. "Love you, too, Jor."

**

Rachel sat in a chair in the back of the studio and read the names of the musicians scheduled to try out for the rhythm guitarist position. "Diana Love, Carol Richards, Tracy Speed, Claire Harmon, Kate Morrissey, Chris…"

Kelly stuck her hand up in the air, stopping Rachel mid-list. "Whoa… wait… did you just say Kate Morrissey, Rach?" She picked up the cup of coffee that she just made, and joined Rachel at the table set up in the back.

"Yeah," Rachel said, shaking her head up and down. "She's due in at midnight, why?"

"I don't want her in the band, Rach."

Rachel ran her hands through her newly cut hair, still trying to get used to the fact that the long tresses she's had since childhood weren't there anymore. "Why?"

The guitarist shook her head at her friend sadly and took a sip of her coffee. "You don't remember who she is, do you?"

"No." Rachel narrowed her eyes. "Am I supposed to?"

Kelly sighed, wondering what become of all of her friends. Am I the only one in this band without an addiction? "Shit, Rach. Don't you realize all of that damn coke you've been doing is killing your brain cells, besides the walls of your nose?"

Rachel angrily folded the list she read off of into a paper plane and flew it across the room, where it hit the 12" splash cymbal on the drum set, and landed on the stool behind it. "Damn it, Kel, you're starting to fucking sound just like Rick," she said, referring to her boyfriend since high school.

"That's because we both care about you, Rach."

Rachel stood up, walked to the other side of the studio, picked up her bass, and slapped out an angry bass line with her fingers. "Refresh my memory as to who this Kate person is and why you don't want her in the band."

"Her band, Summer's Eve, opened for us at the beginning of the last tour. Tall, blonde hair, really, really, REALLY large breasts." Kelly explained, holding her hands out far away from her chest, to show the bassist how large she really meant.

"Large breasts? Oh, yeah…" Rachel's eyes opened wide when she remembered who the woman was. "She's the one that spent the whole time in Jordanna's bed. I remember her now."

Kelly sat back in her chair and looked at her watch, thinking that Jordanna should come walking through the door any minute, making it a point to always be fashionably late. "I'll be damned if I watch that sleazy bitch come in and fuck up what Jor is trying to do with her life."

"Okay, she's out, then," Rachel said as she set her bass back down on the stand, and then jumped behind the drums, picked up the sticks that were laying there, and did a quick roll across the rack toms.

"Who is out?"

Rachel and Kelly looked up and saw Jordanna standing in the door, whose slightly wet hair was in a braid going down her back. She was wearing blue denim jeans, a low cut long sleeved navy blue shirt, a brown suede vest, and a pair of brown boots.

"Yeah, Ellen DeGeneres, haven't you heard?" the bassist quipped, walking out from behind the drum set.

"Ha ha, Rach," Jordanna stopped speaking when she caught a look at her long time friend's new hairstyle. "Wow, your hair looks great."

Rachel ran her hands through it again. "Ya think so?"

Jordanna walked to the back table and made herself a cup of coffee. "Have you known me to be anything but brutally honest?"

"That's not what I've heard about you, Jordanna." An unfamiliar voice spoke from the doorway. Jordanna turned around and glared at the tall, dark-haired woman standing there, disliking her immediately.

"Who are you?"

The woman grinned and picked up Rachel's bass. "Diana Love," she answered with an attitude, like Jordanna was supposed to know who she was.

"Yeah, so? Is that supposed to mean something to me?"

The woman grinned once again, this time wickedly. "You do know me, Jordanna, you just don't realize it yet."

"She's our 9:00, Jordanna," Kelly informed the drummer.

"Ah." Jordanna mockingly dipped her head in respect and sat down in an empty chair in the back. She crossed her arms over her chest, and stretched her long legs out. "By all means then. Show us what you've got, Diana Love," Jordanna said in a daring tone of voice.

Kelly had a feeling it was going to be a long day. Each guitarist/vocalist trying out was expected to do a 5 minute solo, and they each had their choice from a list of 20 original Plenty of Nothing songs to choose from to do a jam session with the band, taking the lead vocalist position. The band made it known right from the start that Jordanna would not be singing anything but background vocals during the try-outs.

Diana put Rachel's bass down and shrugged. "I didn't bring a guitar."

Kelly got up, picked up one of her guitars, and handed it to the ill-prepared woman. "You can use one of mine, then." She brought an extra one for this specific reason.

Diana ungratefully plugged the guitar into the amp, and began to strum out a tune. The drummer watched the woman as she played, letting her eyes run up and down her body, trying to remember if she could have possibly been one of the numerous women she'd entertained in the dark over the years. Diana was good looking, and had a nice body, but she didn't look familiar at all to Jordanna. She figured she would remember somebody like her. What did she mean by what she said about knowing her?

Diana finished her solo, and the three band members stood up and walked behind their respective instruments. Kelly walked over to Diana, and asked her what song she wanted to do. She picked one of Jordanna's raunchier numbers, 'Whipped,' and Jordanna counted them down into the song.

As they jammed, the band thought that they had a good dynamic going with the cocky guitarist and that musically she would fit in very well. Personally speaking, Kelly and Rachel knew, though, that the attitude she copped with their moody drummer knocked her right out of the running. As far as Jordanna was concerned, she was just going through the motions, and hell would freeze over before the mysterious Diana Love would play on the same stage professionally as her.

Finding a replacement so quickly was definitely something too good to be true.

They finished the song and Kelly thanked the woman, telling her politely that they would get back to her, even though she knew that they never would. She watched as the woman walked up behind Jordanna, who was walking out from behind the drums.

"Figure out who I am yet, Jordanna?"

"Do you think I really give a fuck who you are?" Jordanna hissed.

The woman rubbed herself up against the drummer, and whispered in her ear. "I'll give you hint. My girlfriend is an old acquaintance of yours."

Jordanna laughed. "Gee, that could be any one of thousands of women then, couldn't it?"

"Her name is Susan Hudson, remember her?" Diana's voice dripped with sarcasm. "You used her for years and then kicked her out of your house not long ago."

Jordanna lifted both dark brows in response, never expecting this outcome. She was surprised that the San Diego Police hadn't told her who Susan's accomplice actually was. "You're Diane Townsend? The fucking bitch that helped Susan rip my house in California to shreds?"

"Yes, Diane Townsend… that would be me. Diana Love is my stage name." She winked at the irritated drummer. "As far as the redecoration of your house in Coronado… well, it needed it."

Jordanna grabbed the woman by the shoulders violently, and escorted her out the studio door. "You better get the fuck out of here now, Diana Love, before I redecorate your pretty face for you."

Diana walked out the door and turned around. "I'll tell Susan you said hello."

"You do that," Jordanna snarled, shutting the door behind her.

"Well, that went really well," Rachel deadpanned, as Jordanna walked back in the room.

"Sorry about that," Jordanna apologized, shrugging her shoulders as she sat down. "I hope that's not an omen of what's to come."

They went through the same process five more times that morning before lunch break, not pleased with a single person they saw. Jordanna felt her beeper go off as the sixth person of the morning was in the middle of her solo, and waited until they were done before pulling out her phone and dialing her lover's work number.

She sat as the phone rang ten times, and was just about ready to leave a message on her lover's voice mail when she answered. "Rebecca Hurley."

"Hey, baby."

"Jor? You ready for lunch?"

"Mmm…" The drummer sighed. "Very ready."

"That bad, huh?"

"I'll tell you when I see you, okay?"

"You'll pick me up at my office?"

"Yeah, 15^th floor, right?"

"Mmhmm," Rebecca answered.

"Be there in a few, baby," Jordanna said, and then pressed the end button on her cell phone.

Jordanna stepped off of the elevator and walked to the right, spotting the large Tempo Magazine sign right away. She walked through the open door, and a pleasant looking older woman looked up from her desk and smiled. "You're Jordanna, right? Rebecca's waiting for you." She pressed Rebecca's interoffice extension number and called into her office. "Your guest is here," Jordanna heard the woman tell her lover, and then she sat down in a chair in the lobby to wait.

She smiled when Rebecca came up to her, grabbed her by the arm and then took her hand, pulling her into her office. She pushed her lover up against her desk, ran her hand down Jordanna's back, and pulled her close, giving her a nice, long kiss. "Mmm, I missed you this morning."

Jordanna ran her hand across Rebecca's cheek. "I missed you, too." Her eyes narrowed as she got a glimpse of the wallpaper on Rebecca's computer. "What's that?"

Rebecca laughed and then blushed. "Someone thought they were being funny, and loaded that picture of you on my computer as my wallpaper. I like the picture," she said, wiggling her eyebrows at her lover. "So I think I'm gonna keep it."

Jordanna leaned down again for another kiss.

"Khrm… excuse me," Rebecca's boss said, as he knocked on the frame of her open door. "Maybe you'd like to at least close the door while you do that?"

Rebecca took Jordanna's hand and pulled her to the door with her. "Jor, this is my boss, John Drake."

Jordanna smiled, and held out her hand for the man to shake. "Nice to meet you, John," she said to the speechless man, who looked directly into her baby blues and was transfixed. "Thank you for letting Rebecca telecommute. That's very generous of you."

He nodded his head as an answer.

"Going to lunch, John," Rebecca informed her boss. She took her lover by the hand again, and they were out of the office like a whirlwind. She pressed the down button when they reached the elevator, and stepped in the empty elevator when the doors opened. "Another one's fallen for you," she pointed out.

Jordanna turned and looked at the smaller woman. "What do you mean?"

"You rendered John speechless, Jor."

The drummer lifted a brow and shrugged her shoulders. "Sorry, can't help it, baby."

"You know what's best about the whole thing?"

Jordanna shook her head. "No, what?"

"You've got all of these people lusting over you," Rebecca answered as the elevator doors opened, dropping them off in the lobby of the building. "And you're mine."

Jordanna smiled at her lover, realizing that as the days go by, she notices there are so many different little things about Rebecca that she finds endearing. "For as long as you'll have me, baby."

They walked through the revolving doors of the building and out into the sun. The morning's drizzle cleared, and the sky was now a brilliant shade of blue, with a few small white clouds floating around here and there. "I know a nice little café that’s just a block from here, Jor. Sound good to you?"

"Sounds great. I'm famished."

Jordanna resisted the powerful urge to hold Rebecca's hand as they walked the one short block to the café. The smell of hamburgers and French fries greeted them as they walked through the door, and a short woman in her early 20's with a light shade of pink hair walked up to them. "Two?"

"Yes, two," Rebecca confirmed. The woman grabbed two menus and then walked them up a flight of stairs, leading them to a back table set up for two people. Jordanna made herself as comfortable as she could in the tight space, and noticed the French toast that the man at the table next to them was having. "That smells good."

Rebecca sniffed the air and looked at the man's plate, nodding her approval. "It is good. I think I might order it myself."

The waiter approached the table. "Anything to drink?"

"Coffee," Rebecca answered, and then looked at her lover. "Two coffees."

The waiter nodded, not writing anything down. "Do you know what you want to order?"

Rebecca smiled at the pleasant looking young man, who was looking at her lover, probably trying to figure out where he knew her. "Two French toasts."

"That always amazes me," Jordanna commented, after the waiter walked away from their table.

"What?"

"How these people can remember everyone's orders." She looked around the busy restaurant, and confirmed that each table was full. "It's not like he only has one or two customers, you know?"

Rebecca nodded. "I could never do it. I'm lucky I remember to put my underwear on in the morning."

Jordanna smirked, her blue eyes sparkling in mischief. "I'm lucky if you don't."

"So," Rebecca snorted, stirring the coffee just placed in front of her. "How is it going with the try-outs? You don't seem too happy so far."

"I'm not." Jordanna shook her head as she grabbed the container of milk and poured some into her coffee. "You are not going to believe this one."

"What?"

"Do you remember Susan, my ex?"

Rebecca snorted. Even having never met the woman that Jordanna lived with for two years, she felt like she knew her. "Of course."

"Remember how I told you about her girlfriend, Diane?"

"Mmhmm."

"Well, Diane is actually Diana Love," Jordanna said, and smiled quickly. "She tried out for the job this morning."

"You're kidding?" Rebecca was stunned. She did an interview with the vocalist after she left the band she was in and ventured solo. "I interviewed her a few years ago."

"Really?" Jordanna took a sip of her coffee. "I'm surprised that I've never heard of her, then."

The reporter curled her lip in disgust and then looked down. "I didn't like her at all, Jor. She tried to hit on me, big time. She's a real wild child, in every sense of the word. She's been arrested quite a few times." She looked back up at her lover, realizing what she just said. "Whoops, sorry, love."

Jordanna laughed, thinking it was kind of ironic that Rebecca just described her. "Sounds sorta like someone else you know, huh?"

"No, not really." Rebecca shook her head, and stretched her arm across the table, putting her hand on top of her lover's. "I didn't fall madly in love with her."

Jordanna leaned across the table for a quick kiss, not caring who was looking at them. When they broke apart, she sat back down in her seat and smiled. "Lucky for me," she said sincerely.

"Tell me why, though," Jordanna continued after sitting silent for a few minutes, wanting to discuss something bothering her about Diana since the morning. "If she's famous, why would she want to move into my home with Susan?"

"She filed for bankruptcy last year," Rebecca answered right away, remembering that Tempo briefly covered the story, in a paragraph's worth of space. "Drugs from what I heard... and living high above her means."

"Ah, that makes sense, then." The drummer nodded her head, realizing that the pieces did fit together. "Well, I'm glad that I could be of service to her," Jordanna commented sarcastically, and took another sip of her coffee. "Help her out in her time of need, you know?"

The waiter returned with their lunch, setting their plates, a dish filled with pads of butter and a container of maple syrup down in front of them.

Rebecca nodded in agreement. "Yeah, you should have put up a sign on your front door that read Jordanna's Soup Kitchen." She piled her pieces of French toast on top of one another and poured a generous amount of syrup on top of them.

Jordanna looked at her. "Why don't you have some French toast with your syrup, Rebecca?"

"Hey." Rebecca looked up as she was cutting her lunch into bite sized pieces. "I don't make fun of your strange eating habits."

Jordanna lifted a brow and smirked. "What strange eating habits?"

**

"The car is parked in the garage right there," Jordanna said, pointing to the parking garage right next to Rebecca's office building. She zipped open the front pouch of her pack, pulled out the parking receipt and handed it to Rebecca. "I have no idea how late this will go tonight, baby, so you take the car, and I'll either walk back to the apartment, or have Kelly or Rach drop me off, okay?"

"You can call me. I can pick you up, no matter what time you are finished, Jor."

Jordanna ran her hand across her lover's cheek and smiled. "It could be very late, Rebecca."

"That's okay," Rebecca murmured, shrugging her shoulders. "I don't want you walking around here alone, late at night, love."

"I'm a big girl, Rebecca."

"And I've lived in the area for years. A lot of shady characters walk the streets after dark."

"So I'm in my element then, baby."

Rebecca put her hand on her hip in annoyance. "Promise me, Jor."

Jordanna shook her head, arguing but loving the concern that her lover was showing for her.

"If Kelly or Rach can't drop you off, promise me you will call. I don't care what time it is." Rebecca would not take no for an answer.

"I promise," Jordanna finally conceded, defeated.

*****

Tired blue eyes were focused on the hypnotic movement of slender hands strumming an old, black Les Paul guitar. "A little pick me up," Rachel whispered in her ear, as she shoved a small packet containing white powder into Jordanna's hand.

The drummer looked down at the cocaine and considered taking Rachel up on her offer, having had her fill of coffee, and trips to the bathroom, for the day. She decided against it, and pushed the packet back into the bassist's hand. "Thanks, but no thanks, Rach."

"I promised Rebecca I wouldn't do drugs anymore," she explained further, noticing the questioning look Rachel was giving her.

Rachel smiled and leaned in close. "You're pussy whipped already, Jordanna."

The drummer winked at her in response. "And absolutely loving it, Rach."

She sat back, stretched her tired body, and looked at her watch, noticing that it was 11:30. They were in the studio for well over 12 hours, and saw just as many applicants, with two more to go. That didn't include the woman that was playing at the moment.

Looking at what Jordanna thought was an endless list of names, she noticed that Kate Morrissey was the next applicant. Her mind went back to the three extremely satisfying weeks she spent with the attractive blonde guitarist, and her lip curled slightly in anticipation of seeing the woman again.

Jordanna said the word over and over in her head, as visions of bare skin flashed through her mind, and she almost thought she could smell the scent of their sex in her nostrils.

"Jordanna!"

The drummer jumped in her seat, and looked up at her two band mates who were standing in front of her, getting ready to join the current applicant on the makeshift stage. "Sorry," she said, and stood up to join them, noticing the disappointed look in the woman's eyes as she climbed behind the drums. She realized that she had no clue what she just played, because her mind was occupied instead of thoughts of the mind-blowing sex she had with Kate, and the no strings attached three-week fuck fest they shared together on the road.

The woman chose 'Fight or Take Refuge' as her song of choice, and Jordanna goofed and started to sing lead vocals on it. "Whoa… whoa, waitwaitwait… my mistake," she said, stopping the band from playing any further, and apologized for her mistake.

She looked at the shy woman standing at the front of the stage and smiled. "Vocal duty is yours, Val. Let's try this again," the dark-haired woman said with a slight chuckle, and counted them into the song again.

"Thank you for coming," Kelly said as she walked with the woman out of the studio. "We'll be in touch." She looked at Jordanna, who was making herself yet another cup of coffee, when she walked back in. "What is up with you, Jor?"

The drummer looked at her watch again, and checked on the time. "Can I talk to you guys?" She walked back to her chair, and sat in between the guitarist and the bassist, who were waiting for her to speak. "Um, I…" She stopped speaking and cleared her throat. "You know I have an addiction, right?"

Kelly and Rachel looked at her but remained silent, not quite knowing how to answer the question without offending their friend.

"Thanks to Rebecca, I've finally decided to take responsibility for it." She blinked. "I've been going to therapy."

Kelly gave Jordanna's shoulder a little squeeze. "That's wonderful, Jor."

"I may need your help tonight."

Rachel narrowed her eyes. "With what?"

"Kate Morrissey."

Kelly nodded her head in understanding. "Ah."

"We had a fling on the last tour."

"We know," Rachel said, and Kelly threw her a dirty look.

Jordanna took a sip of coffee. "She's been on my mind all day."

"We both noticed you were a little pre-occupied before," Kelly pointed out.

"Kate's incredibly attractive, and we had killer sex."

Kelly laughed. "Do we really need to know the intimate details?"

"What did you need our help with, Jor?" Rachel asked, wondering when the drummer was going to get to the point of the conversation.

The drummer took a deep breath and answered. "Keep her away from me."

Jordanna looked into the two pairs of very amused eyes looking back at her and turned her head. "Keep me away from her," she whispered in correction, knowing she wasn't going to fool her friends. "Kate's a very forward woman. She knows what she wants and goes after it."

"And her huge knockers don't hurt either, huh?" Rachel teased, holding her hands out in front of her chest.

Jordanna nodded her head in agreement and grinned. "Are you sure you're not a closet dyke, Rach?"

"Nope." The bassist shook her head. "I just know your type of woman."

"She's exactly my type of woman… well, at least the old Jordanna's type," the drummer said, her expression turning serious. "I don't want to fuck up what I have with Rebecca, so please, if you see things getting tense between us, run interference. Two sessions of therapy certainly didn't cure me," she admitted.

"That, I think we can do," Rachel responded, feeling spunky and up to the challenge.

"Yeah," Kelly chuckled. "This just might be fun."

The drummer's lip twitched, and she found her band mates amusement amusing. "Yeah, well… just don't enjoy it too much, guys." She took another sip of her coffee. "Thanks for the support. I owe you one," she added.

They heard a light knock on the door, and looked up to see the blonde guitarist standing there with her black guitar case in her hand, which was covered in bumper stickers from nearly every radio station in creation. She walked down the three steps that lead into the room, and stopped when she was directly in front of the drummer. "Jordanna," she whispered, greeting the dark-haired woman, her voice a sensual purr.

"Kate," Jordanna answered, and nodded a greeting. She locked eyes with the blonde, only to be broken by Kate looking the drummer's body up and down. Jordanna ignored the heat rising in her body and turned to introduce her bandmates. "You remember Kelly and Rachel."

Kate turned away from Jordanna to face the guitarist and bassist. "I certainly do," she said quickly, before turning her attention back to the drummer. "You look incredible, as usual," she said, running her hand lightly up and down Jordanna's arm.

"Um… why don't we get down to business." Rachel quickly took Kate, and her guitar case up to the stage, and pointed to the equipment. "You can use that amp over there."

The blonde guitarist opened up her case, pulled out her electric blue BC Rich guitar, and plugged it into the amplifier. She took a minute or so to tune the instrument, and stepped in front of the microphone. "What are you looking for me to do?"

'Take your clothes off, get down on your knees and pleasure me, just like those other times,' the drummer thought, as she looked the woman over appreciatively, remembering.

"We'd like you to do around a five minute guitar solo, and then we'll jam with you, Kate. Remember that this is for the rhythm guitar position, so take it easy on the solo, please. Do you have a song picked out from the list we sent you?" Kelly asked.

"Sure do," Kate said, and then started her solo. She played an impressive, pleasant sounding piece that didn't sound like Eddie Van Halen on speed, as most of the others that tried out sounded like during their solos.

"She's good," Rachel said, leaning down to whisper in Kelly's ear.

"Yeah," Kelly agreed, thinking that Kate would be the perfect replacement for Linda. "That she is."

Jordanna watched as Kate played, and rubbed her chin, feeling the frustration of the situation. Kate is, she thought without a shadow of a doubt, the fourth member of Plenty of Nothing. Without even playing a single note with the other three band members to see if the chemistry was there, they knew, and she knew, that she was the one.

But it could never be.

The drummer sighed heavily, as she stood to take the stage, thinking that having the incredibly talented Kate in to try out was an extreme waste of their time, and her time. 'Thanks to me, and my problem controlling myself,' the drummer thought sadly.

She slid behind the drums and waited for Kate to tell them what song she picked to play. She nodded her head when the guitarist told them that she wanted to do one of Linda's songs, a song called 'Watch Closely.'

The band was tight, and Kate was flawless on vocals, her rhythm guitar blending in nicely with Kelly's lead on the guitar. Yes, Kate was, most definitely, the fourth member of Plenty of Nothing.

They finished the song, and the tense Jordanna slipped out from behind the drums as an excited Kelly, Rachel and Kate traded guitar shoptalk. She walked right past them, and down the hallway that led to the bathroom, sighing with relief when she closed the door behind her, happy to be out of the studio.

Away from Kate Morrissey.

Away from temptation.

She took care of her business, and heard the bathroom door open just as she was about to come out of the stall to wash her hands. She took a deep breath and opened the door, finding herself face-to-face with the blonde guitarist.

Jordanna brushed past her and went to the sink to wash her hands, noticing the new blisters on the insides of her fingers and on the palms of her hands, immediately making her think of her old drum teacher and his wise words of drumming advice. "Loosen your death grip on the drumsticks, Julia. You'll get blisters if you continue playing as tensely as you are playing right now."

She frowned and looked down at her blisters again, cursing Linda, Kate and herself for putting her in this tense position. She looked in the mirror, and saw that Kate was approaching her from behind. "Finally," the woman whispered, placing her hand on the drummer's waist. "We're alone."

Jordanna removed Kate's hand from her waist. "Kate…"

The guitarist pierced her with her dark brown eyes. "Why don't you come back to my hotel with me tonight so we can party?" Kate suggested, and boldly ran her hand down the drummer's backside, caressing it slowly.

Jordanna backed away. "I… I can't, Kate," she said, feeling the perspiration start to drip down under her bangs. "I'm involved with someone."

Kate rolled her eyes. "Yeah, so? Like that stopped you the last time we were together?" she asked, and moved closer to Jordanna. "If I remember correctly, you let me fuck your ex-girlfriend while you sat and watched."

"I may have let you fuck Susan, but I wouldn't even want you in the same room as Rebecca, Kate," the dark-haired woman said, hoping that would clue Kate in that things changed since they last saw each other and she seriously wanted her to back off.

It didn't.

Kate rolled her eyes again and laughed, pressing her body against the drummer's, cornering her against the sink. "You want me, Jordanna," she whispered into the dark haired woman's ear, and began to nibble gently on her neck. "You know you do."

Control… control… control… control…

"Kate… no…" she said, as the guitarist nibbled further, moving closer and closer to the drummer's mouth. "We were incredible together, Jordanna," Kate murmured between nibbles, her warm breath wreaking havoc on Jordanna's senses. "You remember how it was those days and nights we were together… so hot… so fucking hot."

The drummer turned her head, trying to get away from Kate's sensual assault. "No…"

The guitarist was relentless in her attack on Jordanna, pushing forward, running her hands up and down her back, her arms, brushing them over her breasts, making the weak drummer throb in need. "Your heart may say no, but your body is definitely saying otherwise," Kate whispered seductively, running her fingertip above Jordanna's lip, pointing out the moisture that was building there. "Give in to your need," she whispered again, and leaned forward to kiss the drummer on the lips.

Jordanna stiffened in reflex, wanting very much to pull away from the forward guitarist, but instead she instinctively gave in to the kiss, and ran her hands up and under Kate's shirt, enjoying the feel of her warm skin. She ran her hands up and down her back, and then, backing away just slightly, she brought her hands to the front and lifted Kate's shirt and bra up. She ran her fingertips over Kate's very erect nipples, and was just about ready to lean down and take one into her mouth when green eyes and a warm smile flashed in her mind.

Hearing Rebecca's loving words in her head, she pulled her hands away and grabbed Kate forcefully by the arms, spinning them both around. "No! That's fucking enough, Kate!" She slammed the guitarist into the wall next to the sink, and backed away. "A quick fuck is not worth losing Rebecca over, and that's exactly what you are," she hissed, and stormed out of the bathroom nearly knocking Kelly, who had come to retrieve her, right on her ass.

Kelly looked at the drummer, questioning her with her blue-gray eyes. "Why?" she asked, her disappointment with Jordanna clearly evident in her voice.

The drummer shook her head. "I didn't."

"You have lipstick on your face."

"I almost did," the drummer admitted, and then wiped her face with the back of her hand. "We just kissed."

"I saw you touching her, Jordanna."

The drummer shrugged her shoulders in response, and rubbed her forehead.

"You didn't get all the lipstick." Kelly pointed to the lipstick she missed, right at the base of her neck. As she was wiping it off, Kate came out of the bathroom. She handed Jordanna a piece of paper towel, with a phone number written in lipstick on it. "My hotel room number, in case you change your mind."

The drummer crumpled the paper towel into a ball, and did a jump shot as she threw it into a garbage can that was a few feet away from them. The drummer smiled at Kate. "As you can see, I won't be changing my mind."

Kate frowned at the comment, spun around quickly, and walked down the hallway and into the studio. She picked up her guitar case, lifted her head up proudly, and walked out the studio doors.

Kelly put her arm on Jordanna's shoulder as they walked into the main section of the studio together. "Lemme ask you a question, Jor."

The drummer lifted a cautious eyebrow and answered hesitantly. "Okay?"

"Do you consider it cheating if someone other than a man's wife or girlfriend gratifies him orally?"

"Kelly?" Jordanna snorted. "Is this a trick question?' she asked, shaking her head in amazement.

"Do you?"

Jordanna swallowed the large lump growing in her throat; painfully aware of the point Kelly was trying to make. "Yes, I do consider it cheating."

"How would you feel if Rebecca did what you just did?"

"I get your point, Kel." I'm a shit. I admit it. Even I wouldn't want myself for a girlfriend. She thought about the engagement ring she had just purchased and closed her eyes. Or as a life partner, either.

"Good," the guitarist said, thinking that although Jordanna may be extremely experienced when it comes to sex, she's so incredibly naïve about maintaining a long-lasting relationship. "I really hope that you do, Jordanna." For both Rebecca's and your sake.

They walked to the back of the room and sat down in their chairs to watch the final applicant of the day, giving the drummer time for her body to calm down, and to think about her irresponsible behavior. She also realized that she had to decide whether or not she was going to tell Rebecca.

**

Kelly's Grand Cherokee pulled to a stop in front of the apartment building that Rebecca lived in before she moved in with the drummer. After a lengthy discussion, Jordanna and Rebecca made the decision to keep the apartment, located only a few blocks from the studio, for long days spent in the city just like this one.

"You're not thinking of telling Rebecca about what happened with Kate, are you?" Rachel, who was just clued in about what happened in the bathroom, asked the drummer, who was deep in thought in the back seat.

Jordanna looked up at her and blinked. "Well, actually, I was thinking about telling her."

Kelly turned around and looked the drummer directly in the eyes. "I wouldn't advise that, Jor. Then she'll always be wondering if you will lose control with just about any woman you see."

"I promised I was always going to be honest with her," Jordanna answered quietly.

"And you will," Kelly said seriously. "If she asks you, then you will tell her the truth. Just don't offer it. If Joe kissed someone else on a whim, I really wouldn't want to know."

'What if Joe fucked someone else, Kel? Like a stripper at a club almost 10 years ago, perhaps?' the drummer thought, her wickedness getting the best of her. "You wouldn't?" she asked instead, controlling herself.

"No, I wouldn't."

"Thanks, guys." The dark-haired woman opened up the back door of the SUV. "See ya," she said, and climbed out. She walked up the steps to the building and walked through the front door. She waved to the tired-looking security guard on duty and took the stairs up to the 4^th floor, where their apartment was located. She pulled her keys out and opened the door quietly.

The drummer smiled when she saw Rebecca fast asleep on the couch in the living room, the cordless phone on the end table next to her. Rebecca had a tiny smile on her lips, making the drummer wonder what she could have possibly been thinking of when she drifted off into dreamland. She walked to the couch, leaned down and ran her fingers across the sleeping woman's cheek. "I can't believe the words of a child would make me think that someone like you would ever want to marry a louse like me," she whispered sadly and quietly, not wanting to wake her lover up. "I'm sorry, baby… I really am. You've got to believe that," she continued, and placed a kiss on Rebecca's forehead.

Conan O'Brien and his sidekick, Andy Richter, were talking away on the television, and Jordanna went to turn it off. She walked back to the couch and started to lift her lover up off of it. "Time for bed, baby." Rebecca stirred only slightly on the ride to the bedroom. "What time is it?" she mumbled, letting one arm loose from its grip around Jordanna's neck, and started to wipe the sleep out of her tired eyes.

"It's 1:15," the drummer answered quietly.

"I must've fallen asleep waiting for you to call," Rebecca said sleepily, as the drummer laid her down on the already turned down bed. She pulled the covers up and kissed Rebecca on the lips.

The dark-haired woman checked to make sure that Rebecca set the alarm for 6 am, which she hadn't, so she set it for her. When she finished that, she went into the bathroom and pulled her hair out of the braid it was in before she jumped in the tub for a quick shower. When she finished, she brushed her teeth and got ready for bed.

She walked out of the bathroom, took off the robe she was wearing, and slid beneath the clean sheets, spooning herself up against her sleeping lover's body. "Goodnight, baby," she whispered softly, and turned the lamp next to the bed off, where she fell into a restless and uneasy sleep.

Rebecca popped two pieces of whole wheat bread into the toaster, and poured Jordanna a glass of orange juice. "I have to go away on assignment."

The drummer looked up from the newspaper she was reading and frowned at her lover. "Assignment?"

"There's a festival in Germany."

"Yeah," Rebecca laughed, "Germany."

"For how long?"

"Five days."

"Five days?" Jordanna pulled a couple pieces of bread out of the bag, got up and put them in the toaster, once Rebecca's toast was finished. "What festival is this?"

"Some German thing."

Jordanna snorted and raised a brow. "German thing? Who is playing at it?"

Rebecca looked up as she buttered her toast and smiled at the drummer. "Aerosmith is headlining, but I think Kiss, Sheryl Crow, Third Eye Blind, and the Goo Goo Dolls are also playing."

"Mm, sounds like a good show."

"Yeah," Rebecca agreed, finishing off her cup of coffee. "Oh, and I forgot… remember how we were talking about Kate Morrissey and Summer's Eve? They are playing, too. Isn't that ironic?"

Jordanna started to choke on the small glass of orange juice she was drinking. Rebecca gave the drummer a few hard pats on the back. "Jor? Are you okay?"

"Um, yeah," the drummer choked out in between coughs. "When do you leave?"

"Tomorrow."

The drummer took a deep breath. "Rebecca, we need to talk."

The reporter looked at her watch and realized that she was running very late. "I'm going to be late for work." She took a final bite of her toast and like a whirlwind, ran out of the kitchen and into the bathroom to brush her teeth. "We can talk tonight when I get home, sweetheart, okay?"

"But…"

Rebecca rushed out of the bathroom, grabbed her attaché case and headed towards the door of the apartment. "I'll see you tonight, love," she said, and closed the door behind her.

"Bye," Jordanna said to the back of the door, and let out a little chuckle at the unfamiliar domesticity of it all. The chuckle quickly faded as she realized what deep shit she was going to be in, having to tell Rebecca about her short-lived relationship with Kate Morrissey. She got up and went to the refrigerator to refill her empty glass of orange juice, turning around quickly when she heard the door open again. She looked out over the half wall that separated the kitchen from the living room, and watched as her lover walked back in. "Forget something, baby?"

Rebecca walked into the kitchen and up to Jordanna, pinning her against the counter with her body. "Yeah, this," she answered, and pulled the drummer's head down until her lips met her own, kissing her until they were both out of breath.

The drummer smirked as they pulled apart. "Now that's what I call a goodbye kiss." Rebecca ran her hand down Jordanna's cheek, and sighed. "Mmm, yeah, it is. How about just one more for the road?"

Jordanna grabbed Rebecca by her belt loops, and pulled her closer. She ran her hands through Rebecca's hair and leaned down again, claiming the reporter's mouth with her own. Their tongues met briefly, and Jordanna let out a moan before she backed away. "Baby, you know this is going to lead to the bedroom, and much as I hate to say it, you have to go to work."

Rebecca made a face, annoyed at her job and its irritating habit of interfering with her social life. "I know," she said, quickly kissing Jordanna on the cheek. "I just wanted to make sure I gave you a proper goodbye kiss," Rebecca replied as she opened the door again, and started to walk out.

"Have a great day, baby." Jordanna smiled and winked at the smaller woman. "Love you."

"I love you, too, Jor," Rebecca said, and quietly shut the door behind her.

**

"Guess who I did a phone interview with this morning, Jor?" Rebecca asked, as she wrapped her legs around her tall lover and placed a kiss on Jordanna's bare shoulder.

The drummer closed her eyes and moaned quietly. "Mm, who?"

The reporter broke out into a huge smile. "Robert Plant."

Jordanna ran her hands down the curve of Rebecca's hips, and leaned forward to nibble on her neck. "Oh, yeah?"

"Don't get too excited, Jordanna."

The drummer stopped what she was doing, leaned back on the bed, and looked Rebecca directly in the eyes. "No, that's cool. I know you're a huge Zep fan."

Rebecca shrugged her shoulders and clucked. "Robert Plant is a rock god, Jordanna!"

"He's a human being, Rebecca," Jordanna snorted playfully and then continued south with her nibbling. "He breathes, eats, shits, and sleeps just like the rest of us."

"Argh, Jordanna… you are the most annoying…"

Rebecca felt the drummer's breath against her neck and then felt soft, moist lips on her throat.

"Frustrating…"

The lips moved lower.

"Irritating…"

And lower.

"Oh, yeah," she moaned. "Beautiful…"

Even lower yet.

"Sexiest, irresistible woman I've ever…"

Bulls eye.

"Ohmigod, Jor… yes!" Rebecca screamed, as her lover explored her womanhood with her tongue, satisfying the desire that burned within her all morning long. She looked down towards the end of the bed and saw blue eyes filled with desire looking back at her, and watched as Jordanna crawled up her body like a cat hunting it's prey. She melted as the dark-haired woman approached slowly, and then claimed her mouth with a fiery kiss.

"I don't want to go back to work, love," Rebecca mumbled into Jordanna's shoulder as they lay quietly in the sun lit room, wrapped in each other's arms with a single sheet wrapped around their bodies.

"Mmm, I wish you didn't have to go back either, baby," the drummer agreed. "I'm glad you came home for lunch, though. It was a very nice surprise." She ran her fingers along Rebecca's arm, making the fine blonde hair she found there stand on edge. "Especially since we are going to be apart for a few days."

"Ugh," Rebecca pouted. "Don't remind me." She turned slightly and nibbled on the drummer's collarbone. "Do you think you can drop me off at JFK tomorrow evening?"

"Of course I can, baby. Somebody else from Tempo is going with you, right? I mean, you're not planning on going to Germany alone, are you?"

"Mm… no, Tricia, the staff photographer, is meeting me at the airport, Jor."

"Good," Jordanna ran her fingers along Rebecca's lips. "Otherwise I'd have to postpone these torturous try-outs and go with you."

Rebecca smiled at her lover's concern. "I'm a big girl, too, Jordanna. I can take care of myself." She closed her eyes and tried to rest comfortably for a few minutes, before she had to get ready and go back to the office. "What was it you mentioned this morning that you wanted to talk to me about, sweetheart?"

Jordanna sighed heavily, forgetting all about the talk she needed to have with Rebecca regarding Kate Morrissey. "This is not the place to discuss it, Rebecca. We'll talk when you get home tonight, okay?"

"Mmm, okay, love." Now the reporter's naturally curious mind was even more curious to know what the usually quiet Jordanna wanted to talk to her about, but she didn't want to push her. "We'll talk tonight then."

*****

A long line made it's way out the door of the Olive Garden in the middle of Times Square. Rebecca stood in front of the restaurant, glancing down at her watch every now and then, realizing it was a lot later than the 6:00 time that they agreed to meet in front of the restaurant for dinner. She's late. A half an hour passed very slowly, and the line that was out the door had diminished, leaving Rebecca outside alone and starting to get worried.

She let out a relieved sigh and smiled as she saw her tall, dark lover walking quickly down the busy Manhattan street, stopping to wait at the final corner until the Don't Walk sign changed to Walk.

"Sorry, baby," the drummer apologized, as she took Rebecca's hand and walked through the door of the restaurant. "A group of tourists recognized me a few blocks back and I got stuck signing autographs and posing for photos. I tried your cell phone, but I guess it's not on."

"Oops," Rebecca put her hand over her mouth, after she flipped through her purse noticing that her phone wasn't there. "I must have left it back in my office."

They waited for the hostess to come back to the podium that was by the front door and followed her up a flight of stairs and into the back of the restaurant. "Do you have any tables open by the window?" Jordanna asked, hoping that there was one available.

The hostess sighed and changed directions to look at the area by the window that overlooked Times Square, and noticed that there were two open tables there. "Yes, follow me," the woman said, and seated them at a table next to the window.

One of the restaurant's busboys, wearing the typical black and white busboy ensemble, dropped off two glasses of ice water on the table for them. "Phew." Jordanna fanned the air and coughed after he walked away. "Nothing like a good cologne bath."

"I know." Rebecca crinkled her nose in response. "It must be a pre-requisite for the job. They all seem to smell that way, Jor." She picked up the menu and looked over her options, trying to decide whether she wanted a personal pizza or something else. "What are you getting, love?"

"I liked the chicken in the pepper sauce that I had the last time I was here. I was thinking of having that." Jordanna scanned the menu over again. "Or the lasagna." She lifted her blue eyes up from the menu and met Rebecca's green ones. "Why?"

"I thought maybe we could split a personal pizza and something else."

They heard the muffled wails of a police siren coming from the black and white that was slowly trying to make it's way down the busy street, and looked out the window at the traffic below. "That job must bite," the drummer commented, imagining the sense of road rage she knew she would feel if she were driver in the squad car.

"Yeah, it must," Rebecca agreed.

Jordanna looked at the personal pizza options. "The only one I'd like is the regular cheese, or the all-American one." She looked up at Rebecca. "I know, you like the one with the green pepper and mushrooms, right?"

Rebecca nodded. "The all-American one is good, too." She smiled. "What else do you want to get?"

"How about the lasagna?" the drummer asked, taking a sip of the ice water to quench her thirst.

"Okay," Rebecca answered cheerfully, happy that her food fussy lover was willing to go along with her cravings. "So, what did you want to talk to me about?"

Jordanna looked up at her. "Baby… can it wait until we get home?"

The reporter bit her lip. "I guess," she answered, slightly disappointed.

The dark-haired woman closed her eyes and sighed. "It's about Kate Morrissey."

Rebecca raised a brow in question, a habit that she copied from Jordanna. "What about her?"

"You said Summer's Eve is going to be at the festival you are going to in Germany, right?"

"That's what I heard."

"Baby," Jordanna said and then paused. She took her lover's hand from across the table. "Summer's Eve opened for us for three weeks at the beginning of the last tour."

"Oh." The reporter took a sip of her water and cleared her throat.

"Kate and I spent most of those three weeks in bed together, or going out to fetish clubs."

"I'm sorry."

"Sorry for what, Jor? I know about your past." Rebecca squeezed the dark-haired woman's hand. "That was before you met me."

"She came on to me yesterday in the bathroom at the studio."

The reporter's eyes opened wide. "And?"

"I told her no."

The waitress took their dinner orders, brought them their drinks, and a big bowl of salad and garlic sticks. Jordanna dished Rebecca and herself a plate full of salad. "Mmm… Olive Garden has the best salad," she said, changing the subject. She ripped a garlic stick in half and took a bite of it. "Rebecca, I responded to Kate's kiss yesterday when she kissed me."

Rebecca stopped mid chew and looked up from her plate of salad. "You what?"

"I instinctively responded to her kiss." And I copped a feel of those wonderful breasts, but I think I'll leave that out, and pray that she doesn't tell you, either. "I'm sorry." Jordanna looked into her silent lover's eyes, and noticed that they were wet and glassy. "I just wanted to tell you before you found out from her, or somewhere else."

A tear slid down Rebecca's cheek, and she swallowed hard. "Thank you for being honest with me," she said quietly.

She's thanking me? "Do something, Rebecca… yell at me, anything… I deserve it." Jordanna blew out an exasperated breath. "But for God's sake, don't thank me for being honest!"

"You have an addiction, Jor."

The drummer stabbed her fork into a piece of romaine lettuce. "That I'm fucking supposed to be getting help for," she answered angrily.

"And you are. It takes time, Jordanna." Rebecca took a sip of her Raspberry Lemonade and put the glass down on a napkin. "Stop being so hard on yourself."

Jordanna shook her head. "I don't believe you."

"What?"

"How can you be so forgiving when I want to rip my own damn lips off?"

'Yes, I am hurt and I do want to rip your lips off! Is that what you want me to say, Jordanna?' the reporter thought to herself, but she knew she couldn't say it to her lover. She tried to think of all of the things that she read in the pamphlet that Dr. Rosen gave her on people struggling with sexual addiction. Self-loathing was definitely one of the after-effects, and was more of a punishment than anything someone else could do or say to the addicted. "I love you, Jordanna… that's how."

The drummer blinked a few times and looked up at the ceiling, trying to hold in tears again. "You know, Rebecca… I haven't cried since I ran away from home when I was 15 years old."

"You haven't?"

"No." She snorted. "But I've certainly made up for it since I've met you."

Rebecca laughed. "That doesn't sound like much of a compliment, Jor, but I think I understand what you are trying to say."

"You made me feel again, baby." Jordanna wiped the tears away with her napkin and sniffled very quietly. "That's what I'm trying to say."

Their dinner was delivered, and the dark-haired woman sat and poked at it with her fork. She was too angry with herself to eat. Even though she was looking down at her plate as she was poking at her food, she could still feel eyes staring at her from the table next to them. She looked up and at the table where two young women and a man sat. When they noticed her looking back at them, they averted their eyes back to their own plates.

"What's the matter?"

Jordanna looked up at Rebecca. "Huh?"

"What's wrong, Jor?"

"Nothing's wrong." She pushed a large chuck of tomato to the side of her plate, and took a small bite of the lasagna. "I think I've been recognized, that's all."

Rebecca glanced to the side and noticed the goofy looks on the faces of the three people at the table next to them. "I would have to agree with you on that one," she said with a chuckle. "They all have that stupid 'There's someone famous' look written all over their faces." She shook her head. "That must be so annoying for you."

The waitress returned to the table and leaned down next to the drummer. "I'm sorry to bother you, but, are you Jordanna Fox?"

The drummer looked at Rebecca and shrugged her shoulders. "Yes, I am," she answered quietly.

"Um… my friends at the table next to you would like to know if they could get your autograph and a few photos before you leave," the waitress said, smiling at the drummer. "And some of the staff would like that, also."

Jordanna looked at Rebecca for approval, and then cleared her throat after the reporter nodded back at her. "I'll be happy sign autographs and pose for photos after my girlfriend and I finish our dinner, okay?"

"Cool," the waitress said excitedly, and walked over to the other table to tell her friends to wait for the drummer to finish her meal.

"Like you know… cool," Rebecca teased, imitating the young waitress' excitement.

Jordanna raised a brow and smirked. "I seem to remember someone who was all excited over doing a phone interview with Robert Plant this morning, Rebecca."

"But that was Robert Plant!" Rebecca argued. "You're just…"

Blue eyes twinkled and the dark brow rose again. "I'm just what, Rebecca?"

"You're just Jordanna to me. My lover, my best friend… that's who you are to me… not Jordanna Fox, famous rock star," Rebecca tried to explain.

"That's nice."

"What?"

"You are probably the only woman I've had come into my life that truly wanted to get to know Julia Smith," Jordanna said, tapping her fingers on the area of her chest over her heart. "And not Jordanna Fox."

"I love them both, sweetheart."

The drummer smiled brightly at the comment, looked at the check, and dropped a generous tip down on the table. "You ready to go?" she asked and stood up. She put her black leather jacket on and started to follow Rebecca out of the restaurant. She heard someone call her name and turned around, forgetting that she promised to sign a few autographs. The three friends were standing there waiting, right behind her.

"Maybe we should take this outside," the drummer suggested, not wanting to disturb the other patrons in the restaurant. She handed Rebecca the check and some money. "Can you pay for this and then meet me outside, baby?"

The reporter pushed the money back into her hand. "It's on me, love."

"Rebecca…"

"Why should you always be the one to pay for everything, Jordanna?"

The drummer shrugged her shoulders and chuckled, taking the money back from Rebecca. "Thank you for dinner," she said, breaking into her crooked smile. "Meet you outside." She made her way back down the winding stairs with the three fans directly behind her, and opened up the front door. They walked out of the restaurant, startled out of their peaceful contentment by the noisy sounds of Manhattan streets.

"I'm a huge fan of yours, Jordanna."

Jordanna looked the young, nubile strawberry blonde up and down, as the woman handed her a piece of paper to sign. She shook her head when she realized what she was doing, and quietly took the piece of paper out of the woman's hand. She signed her name on it. "Here you go," she said shyly, and handed it back to the young woman.

She did the same for the other two fans, and the strawberry blonde stood taking pictures of her while she was signing her autograph. She felt very uncomfortable being in this situation now. After years in the business, she was used to flirting and teasing with her female fans, posing for provocative photos, signing bare flesh, and enjoying the power of deciding which fan, or fans, she was going to take to bed with her.

The strawberry blonde taking pictures definitely would have been one of them. And maybe her friend with the brown hair, too. The male friend, on the other hand, NOT! Her lip curled into a slight smile at the thought.

But things are very different now, and she knew she was going to have to learn how to deal with life on the road, the forward fans, and the biggest troublemaker of them all, her hungry libido. Her relationship with her lover depended on it.

She felt a hand caress her back, and turned to look into Rebecca's green eyes. A couple members of the restaurant's staff came outside with Rebecca, and handed Jordanna paper to sign, which she did. The strawberry blonde, who continued to take pictures, asked the drummer if she would pose with her. Jordanna nodded, and stood close to the woman while her friend took the photo, avoiding any physical contact of any sort.

Rebecca took Jordanna's hand after she finished up with her fans, and they walked quietly down a side street on their way back to their apartment. "You all right, Jor?"

"Mm?" the drummer asked. "What?"

"You didn't seem yourself back there with your fans."

The drummer shrugged her shoulders and laughed. "It's a bit uncomfortable for me now." She shook her head. "I can't believe I'm probably going to end up being known as the shy and quiet member of the band from now on."

Rebecca burst out laughing. "I highly doubt that!"

Jordanna lifted a brow in thought. "Is that such a bad thing, though?"

"No." Rebecca shook her head. "It's just not you, Jordanna, and you know it."

The red 3000GT stopped to pick up a parking ticket from the small mailbox sized machine at the Van Wyk Expressway entrance of JFK International Airport, and pulled into the closest parking spot about a mile away from the terminal. "So," Jordanna turned to Rebecca, put her hand on her knee and spoke quietly. "Five days, huh?" Her lip twitched slightly. "Why does it seem like you're leaving for a year?"

Rebecca looked into Jordanna's eyes, noticing just a hint of pink in the whites of them. "Yeah, our first time apart since we met."

"I'm going to miss you, baby," Jordanna confessed, and then turned away from Rebecca so she wouldn't see the tears that were threatening to fall.

Rebecca grabbed her lover by the chin, and turned her head back so she was facing her. "You know, you can cry in front of me, love."

"I know I can," Jordanna half laughed, half snorted. "I just feel like such a baby. I'm not used to feeling this way."

Rebecca smiled and her green eyes twinkled in the moonlight shining through the GT's windows. "It's a nice feeling, though, isn't it?"

"Yeah," Jordanna answered, and leaned forward, placing a kiss on Rebecca's lips. "Very nice." She kissed her lover again, this time deeper and more passionate, savoring the way Rebecca's lips tasted, the way they felt against hers for as long as she could.

"I guess we can't give each other a proper goodbye in the middle of the terminal, can we?" Rebecca asked sadly, realizing that she was now finding out some of down sides of being in a relationship with a woman.

"Mm, no… not really," the dark-haired woman answered. "Unless you are up to listening to your fellow passengers making snide comments, or preaching to you for the whole 7 hour flight to Germany."

"Sounds like you are saying this from experience, Jor."

The drummer nodded, thinking back to the many confrontations that she previously had, with people that she didn't even know, regarding her sexual orientation. "I am."

"I just want to get on the plane, sleep for most of the flight, and wake up in Germany."

Jordanna turned the light on from her console and looked at her watch. "Oooh, we better go, baby. You're flight leaves in 45 minutes." She opened the trunk of the car from the latch under her dashboard, got out and grabbed Rebecca's suitcase and laptop. She handed her lover her laptop, slammed the trunk shut, and started their brisk walk to the terminal.

They walked through the sliding doors, and got on the long line to check her luggage in. Once past the first hurdle of the usual airport routine, they emptied their pockets and walked through the metal detectors without a problem, grabbing their belongings on the other side and then walked slowly though the busy terminal to the gate Rebecca's flight would be taking off from.

Rebecca leaned up against a wall, and Jordanna stood next to her. "Bathroom?" the drummer asked, raising an eyebrow in her usual manner.

"Oh, yeah." Rebecca shrugged. "I guess I better try to go. It's a long flight." She leaned close to Jordanna and whispered in her ear. "I would like to become a member of the mile high club when we finally get to go away together, Jor."

The drummer smirked. "I'd be more than happy to be the one to welcome you to the club, baby."

"Let's plan a trip, then, shall we?" Rebecca said seductively.

Jordanna winked at her lover and whispered in her ear. "Very soon, baby, very soon." Her mind went back to the engagement ring. How would you feel about going on our honeymoon?

When Rebecca returned from the ladies room, a petite older woman, with short, wavy dark blonde hair approached them hesitantly. "Tricia." Rebecca greeted her co-worker and pulled her lover close. "Tricia, this is Jord…"

"For crying out loud, Rebecca, I know who she is," the older woman teased in her raspy voice, and then held out a callused hand for the drummer to take. "Hello, Jordanna. Nice to meet you."

The drummer leaned forward and shook the photographer's hand, catching the strong smell of cigarettes on the woman's clothing. "Um yeah, you, too," she responded politely.

"You know, Rebecca, I lost fifty bucks because of you."

The reporter furrowed her brows at the comment. "Why?"

"I bet that the rumor about you wasn't true."

Rebecca looked at her lover and smirked. "Rumor?" she asked, playing along.

"Yeah," Tricia chuckled and pointed at the drummer. "The rumor that you and Jordanna Juana over here are sharing the sheets together."

The dark-haired woman's eyebrow rose. "Jordanna Juana?"

"Ooh, I like that name for you, Jor."

"Forget it, Rebecca…" the drummer started to say, just as the flight to Frankfurt was called.

Rebecca looked around the terminal, and pulled her lover close. "You know what, Jor?"

"Mm?"

"I'm really not tired, and I could always use a few snide comments to make my day. Plus, I can handle a little preaching every once in a while." Rebecca put her hand behind the drummer's head, and pulled her down for a searing kiss. Jordanna let the tension in her body go, and wrapped her arms tightly around Rebecca as they kissed, running her hands up and down the reporter's back. "I love you, baby," the drummer whispered in Rebecca's ear before they broke apart, and ran her hand across the reporter's cheek when they did. "Safe trip."

Rebecca felt utterly ridiculous when she let go of her lover and started on her slow descent to the plane, and tears began to flow freely from her eyes.

"You'll call me when you get there tonight?" the drummer asked. "I don't care what time it is, baby."

Rebecca nodded, wiped at her tears, and turned around to board the plane.

Jordanna stood by the window with all of the other friends and family members of the passengers on Rebecca's flight, looking out at the plane as the passengers boarded safely. She watched as the plane pulled away from the tarmac, and taxied down the runway into the skies above, soaring her lover, and 200 other people, to a country on the other side of the world, far from home.

'Far too far from home,' she thought solemnly, only backing away from the window when the plane's lights were no longer in view. She dragged herself slowly down the long corridor, and stopped at one of JFK's concession stands to get something to drink. She handed the clerk her money, and grabbed the bottle of Poland Spring, taking a healthy slug of it before she started to walk towards the exit.

She heard the word that's been said to her many times before, turned and looked at the snobby looking woman that brushed past her and decided to ignore it, rather than to have a confrontation in the middle of an airport… again.

It just wasn't worth it to her anymore.

**

"That was some kiss you and Jordanna Juana shared back there at the airport, Rebecca," the jealous Tricia commented, waking the reporter up as she was just starting to fall asleep.

"Huh?"

"Your girlfriend… she's a real babe."

Rebecca rubbed her eyes. "Huh?"

"Earth to Rebecca…"

"I'm sorry, I was just dozing, Tricia."

"Sorry," the older woman said, lacking sincerity.

Rebecca shook her head, realizing that this was going to be a painfully long week. She had only been on one assignment with Tricia, and that was just a one-day photo shoot with a band that she interviewed when the photographer first started at Tempo.

"So, is she as good in bed as everyone says she is?"

Did I just hear you right, Tricia? "What?"

"Jordanna… you… bed." The photographer wiggled her tongue slightly and slapped her own forehead. "Do I have to draw it out for you, Rebecca?"

The reporter sighed. "Are you asking me how intense our lovemaking is, Tricia?"

The photographer started to bounce slightly in her seat. "Well, yeah…"

"That's none of your fucking business, you got that?" Rebecca leaned her head back against the seat and closed her eyes, hoping that the annoying photographer would just leave her alone.

"Well, sor-ree," the photographer said, and rested her head against her seat, also. "Snot," she whispered under her breath.

"I heard that," Rebecca said, and then drifted off to sleep.

Rebecca sat in a medium sized room set up backstage for the written press covering the festival. The room, just minutes ago, was bustling with activity as some of the performers sat with the journalists for interviews. The room quickly cleared out as The Goo Goo Dolls hit the stage, most people opting to catch their show. Rebecca, however, sat sorting through her notes, on the third and final day of the festival, waiting for her next interview to start.

She just wrapped up her interview with Gene Simmons of Kiss, the fire breathing, tongue wiggling, and blood spewing member of the popular band that was rumored to be on their last tour

She chuckled as she thought back to her childhood, and remembered how much the demonic looking bassist scared her, not realizing that the things that he did onstage were just for show, and were not reality. Now, she realized, Gene Simmons was probably one of the nicest performers she ever had the pleasure of meeting. She couldn't wait to show Jordanna the photo she took with the tall man, standing at least a good foot taller than the 5'4" reporter.

She pulled out a blank tape and loaded it into the hand held tape recorder she always brought with her on interviews, and put the one with Gene into her attaché, along with the other interviews she did at the festival. 'One more interview, a couple more bands to watch and this festival is history, thank you, God,' Rebecca thought cheerfully. She was at her wits end with her beyond pesky photographer, her ears were ringing constantly from the loud music, and most of all, she felt lost without her lover. We've only been apart 3 1/2 days- what happens when Plenty of Nothing goes on tour again?

During the few conversations she and Jordanna shared over the course of the time she was away, Plenty of Nothing had made a bit of progress in their search for a rhythm guitarist. Down to two finalists: Stephanie Sorensen, a young, unknown vocalist/guitarist from a popular local Long Island band, and Vicky McGuire, a vocalist/guitarist from an up and coming Atlanta, Georgia based band that just landed their first recording contract.

She was thrilled to hear that Kate Morrissey was not one of them. She met up with the blonde guitarist a few times over the course of the festival, and realized that she was a lot like Jordanna was as far as groupies and partying on the road was concerned. Kate had a different woman on her arm each time Rebecca saw her, reminding her of when she first met her lover.

The reporter heard a throat being cleared and turned around to find Kate standing in the doorway. She had a pair of skin-tight red leather pants on and a cutoff black tee shirt, enhancing her extra large bosoms.

Rebecca quickly noticed the 'tude in the guitarist's stance, and stood up to introduce herself. She caught Kate's brown eyes looking her body over from head to toe, and instantly felt uncomfortable in the blonde guitarist's presence. She decided to chill out, reminding herself that Jordanna did the same exact thing when she first met her.

"So." The guitarist leaned against the doorjamb and crossed her arms over her chest. "You're the woman that won over Jordanna Fox's heart." Kate looked her up and down again. "She's got impeccable taste, I'll give her that."

Rebecca cleared her throat, taking an immediate dislike to this woman that Jordanna had a past with. "Would you like to sit down?" Rebecca asked, and motioned to the empty chairs at the table.

The guitarist shrugged her shoulders and pushed herself off of the doorjamb, making it a point to brush up against Rebecca as she walked past her to sit down. She waited for the reporter to sit down next to her, and leaned over to whisper in her ear. "What I'd actually like to do, Rebecca, is get you naked and taste every inch of your body." She wiggled her eyebrows suggestively. "So I can find out exactly what it takes to tame a wild animal like Jordanna down."

"Look, Kate," Rebecca said, not in the mood to argue with the woman. "As much as I'd like to talk about my lover… um, I mean Jordanna, I didn't fly all the way to Germany for that."

Kate ran her hand across the reporter's thigh. "Well, why don't we find someplace private and make your long flight worth it, Rebecca." She leaned forward, grabbed the reporter's hands and tried to kiss her. Rebecca could smell the alcohol on her breath.

"Get your fucking hands off of me," Rebecca screamed, tearing herself from the taller guitarist's strong grip. She stood up and looked into Kate's glassy eyes, realizing that not only had she been drinking, but she was also stoned.

"Don't you want to get back at your lover for cheating on you?" Kate asked.

"What in the damn hell are you talking about?" Rebecca asked angrily.

Kate got up and crossed her arms over her chest again, deciding to lay the 'tude on thick. "Your lover came on to me when I was in New York the other day, trying out for the rhythm guitarist position," Kate lied. "I guess she wanted to relive those three glorious weeks we spent together on the road. I tried…" she said and hesitated, for what Rebecca assumed was effect. "I really tried to stop her, Rebecca, but as you must know, when she sees something she wants, she goes after it and gets it. The woman is hard to resist."

Rebecca smirked, enjoying the line of bullshit that the guitarist was handing her. She was beyond thankful that Jordanna loved her enough to be honest and fill her in on all of this before she left. "Yeah, so? Tell me what exactly happened when you gave in to her, Kate?"

The guitarist looked down, pretending she was ashamed of the things she did. "Naturally we fucked." She shrugged her shoulders. "Sorry to be the one to break the news to you… your girlfriend is a natural born slut."

The reporter rolled her eyes at Kate's pathetic babbling. "Jordanna already informed me of what happened between you and her in the city the other day, Kate. I think whatever hallucinogens you are on right now has clouded your memory a bit," Rebecca responded, enjoying calling the woman on her lies. "You came on to her in the bathroom. She put an end to it, period. That's what happened. And… she most certainly didn't fuck you."

"I'm sure that's what she told you, Rebecca."

Rebecca shook her head, realizing that she shouldn't even be having this conversation with the woman. "Jordanna may be a lot of things, but a liar definitely isn't one of them, Kate. SO GET THE FUCKING HELL OFF IT!" Rebecca snapped off the small tape recorder lying on the table, and started to walk to the door. "This interview is officially over."

Kate stepped in front of her before she could make it out the door, blocking her exit. "She may have refused my advances, sweet Rebecca, but someone else will come along and she will cave in to the pressure. She is not a family woman, and can lie to herself, and to you, for only so long," Kate whispered quietly into her ear, hoping to cause the small blonde reporter a little doubt as far as her relationship with the drummer was concerned. "It was very nice meeting you, Rebecca," she said, and then walked out of the room.

Rebecca sat back down at the table, stretched her arms out and yawned. She thought about one of the questions she wanted to ask her lover when she got home… What in the hell do you see in Kate Morrissey?

She chuckled; knowing it certainly couldn't be her sparkling personality or charming wit.

On the other hand, Rebecca mused, Kate is very attractive, terribly forward, and she understands from experience what Jordanna deals with on the road from day to day. Plus, she's got the biggest pair of tits Rebecca has ever seen.

She wondered if that is the answer that her brutally honest lover is going to give her when she asks.

**

Rebecca cringed as she watched a member of Aerosmith's lighting crew climb up the shaky metal lattice on the side of the stage to fix a spotlight that somehow ended up facing the wrong way. The band stood on the side, just about ready to take the stage.

She leaned back on a speaker to get comfortable as Steven Tyler, who she interviewed the first day of the festival, and the rest of Aerosmith took the stage. She looked at the tiny Joey Kramer sitting behind his drum set, and her mind automatically went back a few months to the time she spent with Plenty of Nothing on the road. She remembered how majestic and at ease Jordanna looked behind her wine red Tama set, almost as if she were born there.

Her eyes followed Steven Tyler's small backside, as he turned around and shook it at the screaming crowd in front of the stage. 'You're no where near as sexy as Jordanna is, Steven, so forget about it,' the reporter thought to herself, thinking of the way her lover played with the crowd when she was on the stage.

She snapped out of her thoughts when the band broke into 'Love in an Elevator.' She closed her eyes for a moment and leaned her head back, hoping to soak in some of the magic of the music. When she opened them up again, she was standing on one of the floors of an expensive hotel, waiting for an elevator. She counted along with the floor numbers, as a digital display monitored the elevator's slow descent.

What seemed like an eternity later, the bell on the elevator chimed, and the door slid open. A lone figure with inky black hair stood in the corner, her head facing down. Rebecca stood startled, and hesitated to board the elevator.

The lone figure looked up, revealing bright blue eyes and a magnificent smile. She held out her hand to the reporter. "Going down?"

Hours ticked away like minutes in the hands of the erotic haze she was in, and the reporter felt someone tapping on her shoulder. She turned her head abruptly, and blankly looked into the dark brown eyes of an aging roadie. "Shows over, lady," he said gruffly, and escorted Rebecca off of the stage.

She smiled, realizing that it was time for her to go home. And not a minute too soon.

 Jordanna paced back and forth in the terminal, waiting for Rebecca's delayed flight to arrive. She looked at her watch, and realized less than five minutes passed since the last time she looked at it. She turned, having at least another half an hour to wait, and went to get something to eat.

She looked up at the choices, and decided that a sugar cone of Ben & Jerry's Cherry Garcia would hit the spot, and placed her order. She accepted the messy cone from the attendant, and sat down at a table in the food court to eat.

She was amazed at the way she felt the few days Rebecca was gone, thankful that the band spent most of their waking hours in the studio searching for a replacement. Keeping her mind off of her lover was the only way the almost physically painful, lonely ache in her heart would go away.

She never felt like that before, and it scared her. She was always independent, on her own, and that was the way she liked it all those years. But now… well, meeting Rebecca changed all that. Jordanna felt something was immediately missing as soon as Rebecca's plane was out of sight when she dropped her off at the airport just a few nights prior, and realized that something was a very large piece of her heart. She shook her head, thinking how quickly the young reporter from Lancaster had worked her way into her life, and into her heart.

She finished off her cone, wiped her face and threw out the messy napkins. She turned and walked back to the terminal to wait for her lover. Her heart started to beat rapidly as passengers started to file out of the long walkway at the gate she was waiting at, and she practically knocked over a few old people in her haste to get to her lover when she caught sight of her.

The drummer didn't care who was there or who was watching them; she just wrapped her arms around Rebecca and held her tight. "God, I missed you terribly, baby."

Rebecca returned the squeeze and looked into the blue eyes that she couldn't wait to gaze into. "I missed you, too, love." She tugged on the drummer's braided hair, and started walking to go get her luggage.

Jordanna looked around, surprised that Rebecca was alone. "Where's, um… the photographer? I forgot her name?"

"Tricia." Rebecca sighed. "She had to take a later flight back, thank God."

"Why?"

"What a damn nosy pain in the ass she is, Jor." Rebecca quickly ran her fingertips on the palm of Jordanna's hand, wanting so much to be able to hold it. "Can you believe she actually had the nerve to ask me how good you are in bed?"

The dark-haired woman burst out laughing. "You're kidding?"

"I kid you not, Jordanna."

Jordanna let a smirk grow slowly on her lips. "Did you tell her that I am the best lover in the world?"

"No," Rebecca snorted. "I told her to mind her own fucking business."

The conveyor belt at the luggage claim area turned on, and an audible sigh of relief was heard from most of the travel-weary passengers. "Rebecca, you know I have a reputation to live up to," the drummer teased, her eyes trained on the luggage that was passing them. She saw Rebecca's black suitcase and reached out quickly, scooping it up off of the conveyor. She turned to the reporter. "Ready to go?"

"More than ready."

**

Jordanna put the suitcase in the bedroom in the apartment, and looked at her tired lover. "How about we take a nice hot bath, baby?"

"Mm, that sounds heavenly."

The drummer went into the bathroom and got the water running, adding some soft jasmine bubble bath to the hot water. She walked back out into the living room, where Rebecca was sitting on the couch with her head back, looking like she was close to falling asleep. "Rough trip?"

One green eye opened. "I realized something on this trip, Jor."

"What's that?"

"That I don't like being away from you. Just the thought of you going away on a long tour." She sighed. "I…"

"I understand." The dark-haired woman walked over and gave her lover a kiss. "I've already told Kelly and Rachel that I am no longer willing to do long tours," she explained. "They were surprised, but weren't really surprised. We just have to let Jerry and the label know."

"I hope they go for it."

"They don't have a choice, baby. We can always find a new manager and record label if you catch my drift." She held her hand out for her sleepy lover to take. "How about that bath now? Water should be ready."

Rebecca took her lover's hand and allowed her to pull her to her feet. She followed the tall woman into the bathroom, and undressed as Jordanna leaned over the tub and shut the running water off. The drummer stuck her hand in the water and checked the temperature. "Mm, just right," she said softly, and started to get undressed herself.

Rebecca slipped in the soothing bubble bath and sighed as the water caressed her tired, aching body. "This is nice," she purred.

"Scoot forward for a sec, baby," the drummer suggested, and then slid in the tub behind Rebecca. She pulled Rebecca back to her, and the reporter snuggled her body up against her lover's chest. "Mmm, this is even nicer."

Jordanna ran her hand along her lover's thigh and thought about how happy and content she felt. "I never thought that I would have something like this."

"Have what?"

"Something permanent. Someone that would go away for a few days, and actually want to come back to be with me."

"You mean to tell me none of the millions of women you've been with wouldn't want to come back to you on a permanent basis?"

"Millions?" The drummer snorted. "Permanently? No, I was never very nice to any of them. I had no respect for them. Even though I wanted it, I just couldn't respect the fact that they would give themselves to me so easily, so I treated them all like worthless shit. Would you really want to come back to someone that treated you like that?"

"No, I can't say I would."

"Although," Jordanna added, giving Rebecca's shoulder a little nibble. "They always left my bed sexually satisfied."

"Oh, you!" Rebecca flung a washcloth in her lover's face. "Would you wash my back, best lover in the world?"

The drummer grinned at the comment. "I'd be more than happy to, baby," she purred. She pushed Rebecca's long, golden hair to the front, and began a slow massage on her back with the soapy washcloth.

"Jor?"

The drummer began to place small kisses on Rebecca's neck as she finished washing the reporter's back. "Hmm?"

"What in the hell do you see in Kate Morrissey?'

Jordanna dropped the washcloth right into the water, and moved away from her lover's neck. "What?"

"Why are you attracted to her?"

"Um…" The drummer laughed. "Well, it wasn't her stunning personality, that's for sure. What attracts me to her?"

"Be honest."

"Honest?" the drummer repeated and sighed. She wrapped her arms around her lover's waist and cupped her breasts, caressing them gently. She then ran one hand down further, pulled Rebecca's legs apart, slipped her hand between Rebecca's legs and stroked her sex. "That honest enough for you?"

"That's what I thought."

"I guess you met her?" Jordanna reluctantly asked, and started to remove her hand from between her lover's legs but Rebecca promptly stopped her. "No, don't stop what you were doing."

Jordanna continued on with her massage, slipping her fingers inside when Rebecca whispered for her to do so. "Oh, yeah… Mmm… feels so good."

"You didn't answer my question, baby?"

Rebecca was focused totally on her lover's hands, one stroking her inside, and the other kneading her breast. "Uh, Oh God… what question was that?"

"Did you meet Kate?"

The reporter began to rock her hips against her lover's fingers. "Yeah, I did."

"And?"

"Oh, fuck!" Rebecca answered as her walls began to tense around the magical digits.

"You didn't?" the drummer whispered teasingly into her lover's ear, keeping up with her stroking. "You only do that with me."

"With you…"

"Come for me, baby."

No sooner had Jordanna said the words, Rebecca let go and her body began to shake and quiver. "For you…" The drummer held on as Rebecca climaxed, only to find herself doing the same from the sheer turn on of it all. She leaned back against the back of the tub when the spasms subsided, bringing Rebecca with her.

"Do you know how much I love you, Rebecca?"

The reporter smiled brightly and turned her body slightly and gave her lover a kiss. "Yeah, I think I do know." She pushed the knob down to let the water drain out of the tub, and stood up, pulling Jordanna up with her. She turned on the shower, letting the semi cold water hit their warm bodies.

"God, that's cold, baby."

"Let's just shower. I have a tape I want you to listen to, Jor."

"What exactly is it that I'm supposed to be listening to?" the drummer asked.

Rebecca pressed play on her tiny tape recorder and covered the drummer's mouth with the tips of her fingers. "Just listen."

Jordanna heard rustling on the tape and then someone clearing their throat. A couple seconds of silence followed.

Jordanna's eyes opened wide. "Is that Kate?" she whispered.

Rebecca nodded, noting the only sound coming from the tape were footsteps.

Jordanna narrowed her eyes. "That was you."

Rebecca nodded again, as more footsteps were heard on the tape.

The drummer turned her head to the side and squinted. "What did she say there? I couldn't really hear it."

Rebecca shut the tape recorder off. "She whispered something to me, Jor." She rewound the tape, and turned up the volume as loud as it would go. "Listen carefully." She pressed play and took the drummer's hand.

Jordanna let go of her lover's hand and spun around. "That sleazy fucking bitch came on to you, Rebecca?"

Rebecca shut the tape off, and put her hand on Jordanna's arm to calm her down. "Yes, she did. Would you just shut up and listen, love?" She turned the tape back on.

"She called me a wild animal?"

"Jor, please!"

The drummer's lip twitched at Rebecca's answer and she fought hard to suppress a grin during the brief silence. She focused when she heard Kate's voice again.

The drummer could feel her blood begin to boil. "That damn bitch."

"Get your fucking hands off of me."

"She put her fucking hands on you?" Jordanna asked in snarl. "Next time I see her, she's dead."

"Don't you want to get back at your lover for cheating on you?"

Jordanna narrowed her eyes again at Kate's question. "Cheating on you?"

"What in the damn hell are you talking about?"

The drummer held in her breath, finding it difficult to listen to the tape. She couldn't wait to hear Kate's response. She didn't think that she told Rebecca anything more than she did because she figured Rebecca would have asked her about it already, but then again… you never know, Rebecca could be reeling her in for the kill.

Jordanna let out her breath. "As I recall, I think you got that backwards, Kate," she muttered.

The drummer snorted and crossed her arms over her chest. "Oh, yeah… you tried to stop me, all right."

Jordanna was really enjoying the bullshit that Kate fed Rebecca. "Yeah, why don't you enlighten us, Kate?" But don't enlighten us too much…

The dark-haired woman rolled her eyes and snorted. "Naturally."

Jordanna gave her lover a tap on the shoulder. "She's right on that one, baby."

"Tch!" Rebecca shut the tape off. "Would you stop insulting yourself?" She turned the tape back on, so Jordanna could hear her response to Kate.

The drummer burst out laughing and gave her lover a hug. "Good one, baby." Rebecca squeezed back and put her fingers over her lips, so the drummer would listen to the rest.

The drummer smiled and kissed Rebecca on the top of her head. God, I love this woman.

"Yeah," Jordanna answered the woman on the tape. "Because I'm a liar like you, Kate."

"You go girl!" Jordanna said, and picked Rebecca up by the waist and spun her around, giving her a long, tender kiss once she set her back down. "Is that it?"

Rebecca shook her head. "I turned the tape off at that point, but she told me to beware of you. That you are not a family woman and would eventually go back to your old ways." She sighed and paused. "Basically she tried to get me to question our relationship, I guess."

Jordanna shook her head. "I'm sorry you had to go through that, baby."

Rebecca wrapped her arms around Jordanna's waist. "Wasn't your fault."

"Sure it was."

Rebecca shook her head adamantly. "Nonono… you can't help the fact that she can't handle rejection very well."

Jordanna kissed her lover on the forehead. "I shouldn't have slept with her in the first place, Rebecca."

"Well, that I agree with," Rebecca answered. "But that was the past."

"You're not kidding it was the past."

"So." Rebecca walked over to the couch and sat down. "That was my week. How was yours?"

Jordanna walked to the couch and sat down beside her. "Lonely," she sighed. "Spent most of the time in the studio and, thank God, I think we almost have a replacement for Linda." She took her lover's hand and kissed it. "Oh, by the way, Rosa called and told me that they finished installing the lines in the house, so you can officially work from home now."

Rebecca smiled. She was more than looking forward to heading back to Amagansett. "Can you go home, too?"

"Yup. We are doing the final try outs at a studio in Freeport."

"Where's that?"

"It's on the Island… a little closer to home, but not by much, really."

Rebecca thought about Ryan's wedding. "When are you going to be doing this?"

"Don't worry, baby." Jordanna rubbed her lover's back. "I told them I couldn't do it until after we get back from Pennsylvania."

Rebecca let out a relieved sigh. She wasn't looking forward to facing her family one bit, and especially not alone. "I guess I have to go get those measurements for Cindy and my dresses done, huh?"

"Yeah, and very soon," the drummer agreed. "The wedding will be here before you know it."

Continued in Part 4