The sleek white limo rolled to a stop in front of one of the small hangars at Republic Airport, the centrally located Long Island airport that caters to single engine planes and small corporate flights only. The tired limo driver got out of the vehicle, and opened the back door for his clients, who were tangled together on the seat, sleeping soundly. "Ms. Fox," he whispered, hoping to wake the taller woman up only to be startled at how quickly the intense blue eyes fluttered open, looked around at her surroundings, and finally focused on him. "We're at the airport."

Jordanna sat up, and Rebecca stirred for a second or so, before relaxing again. "Wake up, baby," the drummer whispered to her lover, and gave her a gentle shake on her shoulder. Rebecca opened her eyes and sat up, blinking a few times to adjust to the dim lights shining from the roof inside the limo. "Where are we?" she asked, and let out a big yawn.

The drummer climbed out of the limo, and held her hand out to help Rebecca get out. "Republic Airport."

"I thought we were flying out of Kenn…" Rebecca's mouth dropped open at the sight of the shiny white jet in front of her, which was in the process of being fueled. "Is… is that thing yours?" she asked, after noticing Jordanna's initials written in fancy script lettering on the side of the plane, near the door.

Jordanna's eyes twinkled in the moonlight, and a large grin grew on her lips. "I know the owner pretty well, yes."

Rebecca put her hand on her hips, and shook her head incredulously. "What was that you said about not being a rich, spoiled rock star, love?"

The dark-haired woman winked at her, and then slipped the limo driver a generous tip. "Well, you know a girl's gotta have her toys, too, Rebecca." She put her arm around her lover's shoulder and they walked up the steps together. Rebecca stopped before they boarded and turned to look at Jordanna. "So, tell me something, woman of many surprises, do you happen to fly this thing yourself, too?"

Jordanna shook her head. "Nope. I leave that up to my very capable crew." The said capable crew, consisting of a beautiful blonde pilot and co-pilot, and a just as gorgeous dark-haired flight attendant, greeted them at the cockpit door.

"Was your capable crew hand picked by the owner of Fox Airlines?" Rebecca asked quietly, after getting a good look at the women, each looking like a page out of Playboy or Penthouse.

The dark-haired woman lifted a brow and smirked again. "They are the definition of flying the friendly skies, baby," she teased, and then introduced Rebecca to the crew. The reporter knew, by the slightly cold reception she received from them, that Jordanna wasn't joking about the friendly sky thing.

"We'll be taking off in a few minutes, Jordanna," the sexy blonde pilot announced, and ran her hand along the drummer's arm. "Remember that you have to sit in your seat until we reach cruising speed, and then you and your… her… can do whatever you are planning to do for the rest of the flight."

Jordanna took on a dazed look, as her mind went off for a second, remembering some of the many things she did on the plane. "Thanks, Dawn," she finally said, after snapping out of her X-rated memories. When she heard the engine kick in, she placed her hand on the small of Rebecca's back, and gently guided her into the front cabin. Rebecca ran her hands along the 5 rows of seats as they walked down the aisle, admiring the plush leather. "Wherever you want to sit," Jordanna whispered, and followed the reporter as she picked the last row to sit in.

Rebecca quietly buckled up, and leaned her head against the back of the seat to rest her eyes. The drummer couldn't help but notice how subdued her lover was, and took her hand in her own. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing's wrong."

She turned to the side, and put the palms of her hands on each of Rebecca's cheeks, turning the reporter's head toward her so she could look into her eyes. "Something is bothering you, Rebecca. Please tell me."

"You've slept with all three of them, haven't you?"

Jordanna closed her eyes and shook her head, annoyed at herself for inserting her foot in her mouth once again. 'Brilliant, Jordanna, just brilliant! Flying the friendly skies? What the hell kind of comment was that?' the drummer thought, mentally chastising herself. She leaned her head against the back of her seat and took a deep breath, feeling a little embarrassed about her past, and present, actions. "I wish I could go back and change who I was in the past, Rebecca," she answered, confirming her lover's question without really answering it. "But we both know that I can't do that." She lifted Rebecca's hand up, and kissed her ring finger.

The plane backed away from the hangar, and slowly made it's way to the runway, increasingly picking up speed until they were soaring through the dark night sky over Long Island. Jordanna felt Rebecca's hand tense around hers as they took off, and she gave her a little squeeze back. "You know I love you, Jordanna," Rebecca finally whispered quietly, and laid her head against the drummer's shoulder to get comfortable. "And that means all of you, past and present."

Jordanna breathed a sigh of relief, and thanked God for the precious gifts He's seen fit to grace her life with.

**

Once at cruising altitude, the drummer unbuckled her seatbelt, stood up and stretched, urging Rebecca to do the same. "Let me show you the back cabin. I think you'll like it." Rebecca followed Jordanna down the aisle, and waited for the drummer to hold back the curtain dividing the front and back cabins. "Ladies first," the drummer teased, and she smiled when she saw the look on Rebecca's face.

The back cabin of the small jet offered all of the comforts of home. She noticed the big screen television, VCR, stereo, laptop computer, and a comfortable looking leather couch instantly. Jordanna padded over to the stereo, and scanned through her CDs. "Any special requests?" She looked at the reporter and winked. "And please, no Limp Bizkit, baby. Not on our honeymoon."

Rebecca stomped her foot down on the floor. "Limp Bizkit really puts me in the mood, though!"

The drummer flipped the CD she was about to insert into the disk player across the room, and it slid across the floor. "Well, in that case," she teased, and shuffled through a stack of CDs, looking for "Significant Other," the band's last release. Rebecca joined Jordanna and quickly picked out a disk, and slipped it into the disk player. The sultry sounds of Cassandra Wilson filled the cabin, and she went and sat down on the couch. "C'mere, sexy," she whispered to Jordanna, and crooked her finger at the dark-haired woman.

Jordanna slithered over to the couch and sat next to the reporter. "Well, I'm here. Now just what is it that you are planning on doing with me?"

"This," Rebecca said, and put her hand on the back of the drummer's head, pulling her in for a kiss. She ran her tongue across Jordanna's lips, and the dark-haired woman moaned and opened her mouth, letting Rebecca in to explore. She ran her tongue run across Jordanna's teeth, and then met the drummer's tongue with her own.

"Khrm." Jeanette, the dark-haired flight attendant coughed to make her presence known, and then walked into the back cabin. "I brought the bottle of wine you requested, Jordanna," she said to the two newlyweds, who had just come up for air, and poured two glasses of wine, placing both them and the bottle on the table next to the couch. "We'll leave you alone for the rest of the flight. You know what to do if you need us. We should be in Phoenix around 5 hours from now."

"Thank you, Jeanette," the drummer said quietly, and handed Rebecca her glass of Merlot. She picked hers up and waited to make sure they were completely alone before making a toast. "To us," she said, and tapped her glass on Rebecca's before taking a sip, finally sealing the toast with a wine flavored kiss.

"To our future," Rebecca toasted, and they repeated the kiss. "Now," she said, as she pushed the drummer back onto the couch and climbed on top of her. "Initiate me into the mile high club, lover."

Jordanna kissed Rebecca quickly and sat up. "No, not yet, baby. Maybe on the way back, okay?"

"Why not?" Rebecca asked, disappointed.

"Because, I'd like tonight to be special," Jordanna answered and paused in thought. "And besides, joining the mile high club is much more exciting when it's done on a crowded, commercial flight."

Rebecca sat back, took another sip of her wine and smiled as she pondered over that thought.

**

Swaying palm trees lined the drive in front of the huge white and peach colored resort. The limo driver courteously helped Jordanna and Rebecca out of the back of the black limo, and helped them with their luggage as they made their way into the lobby to check in.

"First thing I have to do is get something to drink," Jordanna complained and cleared her extremely dry throat, as they waited for the clerk at the front desk to help them.

A young man in light colored shorts, and a peach polo shirt bearing the resort insignia, walked behind the registration desk. "Jordanna Fox," he said right away, knowing exactly who she was. "We've been expecting you and your new…um…"

"Partner," Jordanna finished for him.

"Yes, partner. Of course." He punched a few keystrokes into the computer in front of him, and a sheet of paper printed out on the printer next to it. "Everything is taken care of. You just have to sign here," he said, pointing to the bottom of the receipt.

Jordanna took the pen he nervously handed her and signed her name, grabbed the two sets of keys that he placed next to her and slipped them into the pocket of her jean shorts, only noticing the insert from the band's latest CD laying on the marble countertop afterward. She looked at the clerk and he smiled shyly at her. "Would you mind signing that for me?"

"Sure," she said, and smiled back at him. "What's your name?"

"Kenny."

She finished signing the personalized autograph and handed the insert back to him. "Here ya go, Kenny."

"Thank you so much, Jordanna," he said appreciatively, and put the insert back in the CD's jewel case. "Your suite is in the last unit at the resort. You and your partner are the only guests staying in that unit during your stay," the young man advised, letting her know that her special request was taken care of.

Rebecca looked up from the brochure she was reading, having overheard what he just said. "How many suites make up a unit?" she asked.

"Four."

The reporter put the brochure back where she got it from and put her hand on Jordanna's arm. "You paid to have the whole unit to ourselves?"

"Uh… yeah," the tall woman answered hesitantly. "Does that bother you?"

Rebecca tapped her fingers on the marble counter. "No, it doesn't bother me, but do you think it is necessary?"

Blue eyes blinked twice. "I am a public figure, Rebecca, and we are a same-sex couple away on our honeymoon. I'd personally rather not have to deal with being recognized too often, and I certainly don't want to offend anyone that might have a problem with the fact that two women are making love in the room next to theirs."

Rebecca turned to look at the blushing clerk, and she herself blushed at what they just heard Jordanna say. After clearing her throat a few times, she said, "Well, when you put it that way, I see your point."

"That's what I thought," the drummer answered. She put her arm on Rebecca's shoulder and turned to walk out. The young man called out to them before they made it to the door. "I have a cart coming to pick you and your luggage up to take you to your unit."

"A cart?" The drummer raised a brow in question. "Take us to our unit? How far is it from here?"

"It's at least a good half mile walk from here."

"Half mile?" both women repeated at the same time. The clerk laughed at the typical reaction to the distance of the unit in question, and walked to the front doors and opened them, taking their luggage and putting it on the back of the small golf-style cart. Rebecca hopped on the seat behind the driver, and Jordanna slid in next to her.

The drummer counted the units as they sped along the dark, quiet sidewalk, and determined that they were in unit number 20 when the driver pulled to the door in front of the last one. She got out of the cart to slip the driver a tip, and handed Rebecca one of the keys so she could open the door while they brought the luggage in.

"Ooh," Rebecca said happily, after she snapped the light in the suite on. The cool air-conditioned room was a welcome relief from the dry Arizona heat, and the reporter stepped in further to check it out. The whole suite was decorated in pale, southwestern furnishings, which she realized she liked very much. She stepped into the bedroom and gasped at all of the bouquets of red, pink, and white roses that decorated the room. "Jor?" she yelled out to lover. "This was so sweet of you," she said quietly when Jordanna didn't answer her, and pulled out a rose to smell.

Jordanna poked her head in the bedroom door. "You like?"

Rebecca walked over to her and wrapped her arms around her waist. "You really went out of your way for this wedding, didn't you?"

"I wanted you to know how much I really love you, and what a difference you've made in my life," the drummer answered, her voice tired and raspy from the long day.

The reporter ran her hand across Jordanna's cheek. "You tell me how much you love me every time I look into your beautiful baby blues, Jordanna."

Showered, changed, and ready for her honeymoon night with Jordanna, the reporter emerged from the bathroom, only to be greeted by a few lit candles in their completely dark suite. Her eyes quickly swept the room for any sign of her lover, but she was nowhere in sight. "Jor?" she whispered quietly.

"Over here," the drummer answered in a soft, contented whisper. "By the patio door."

Rebecca turned and looked to the right, where she saw the outline of her tall lover, standing in front of the open patio door looking out at the stars. "Come look at the color of the sky," Jordanna motioned, urging Rebecca to join her.

Jordanna's jet-black hair was shining in the moonlight and the sheer white negligee she wore took on an orange glow from a candle flickering right next to her. Rebecca walked across the room and approached Jordanna slowly, drinking in the sight of her partner, a woman, who at the very moment, gave off the presence of danger, mystery and innocence all rolled into one beautiful package.

The small blonde stood next to the quiet drummer, enjoying the companionable silence. Taking their wordless connection one step further, she slipped her small hand into Jordanna's larger one and followed the dark woman out onto the patio. She walked up to the stucco half wall surrounding the patio and leaned her hands on it, looking out at the dark scenery in front of them. "It's beautiful," Rebecca whispered, after looking at the millions of brilliant stars twinkling in the rich, deep purple Arizona night sky.

Jordanna came up behind her and wrapped her arms around her waist, enjoying the feel of the lacy white teddy Rebecca was wearing. "You're beautiful," the drummer whispered in her ear in response, and leaned down to nibble on Rebecca's neck. "And you're mine," she added, turning Rebecca around to face her.

"Always," Rebecca responded breathlessly, and reached up to run her hand through Jordanna's loose, wild tresses. The drummer shivered at the touch, and then slowly slipped her finger under the strap on one side of Rebecca's teddy, pushing it down her arm to expose a bare shoulder. Jordanna bent down slightly, placed a light kiss on Rebecca's lips before making her way to her shoulder. She began to nibble gently on the skin, leaving light teeth marks behind as she went.

"Oh, God… kiss me," Rebecca said passionately, and grabbed the back of Jordanna's head to pull her down to her mouth. Instead of kissing the small blonde on the lips where she desperately needed to be kissed, the drummer placed small little butterfly kisses on her collarbone, neck and jaw, intensifying her partner's need.

"Please," Rebecca whimpered, and let out a moan. Jordanna pulled back slightly, ran her thumb along Rebecca's bottom lip, and gazed into her desire filled green eyes. Deciding not to tease her new partner any longer, Jordanna slowly pushed Rebecca backward with her body until Rebecca's back was up against the stucco half wall. She ran her hands up and down the reporter's lace covered hips, and leaned forward to meet her waiting lips.

Unable to wait any longer, Jordanna slid her hands down Rebecca's back, pulling her away from the wall slightly. She continued her trek lower until her hands were caressing the skin below the reporter's lower cheeks, and she pulled up, lifting Rebecca off of the ground easily. The reporter wrapped her arms around Jordanna's neck, and her legs around her waist. The drummer opened the patio door, and walked back into the suite, all without breaking the kiss.

Jordanna moved quickly as she carried Rebecca across the room. With her weak, shaky knees and her thundering heart, she was unsure whether or not she would drop them both to the floor before they even reached their horizontal destination.

Making it there without a hitch, she slowly lowered Rebecca down at the foot of the bed, and got comfortable herself, straddling Rebecca's stomach. She looked down into the emerald eyes looking up at her, the color only slightly visible in the dim candlelight. "You, as always, take my breath away," the drummer purred, letting Rebecca know exactly how she felt. She leaned down and ran her fingertips along Rebecca's bare arms, leaving a trail of goose bumps behind. "I love you," she finally whispered, and placed a gentle kiss on the small blonde's lips.

Jordanna slipped a finger under the other strap on Rebecca's teddy, and pushed both straps all the way down her arms, exposing her breasts. She traced circles around Rebecca's nipples with her short fingernails, instantly turning the warm, soft flesh into rock hard nubs. "So sweet," the drummer muttered, after stopping her erotic fingertip dance on Rebecca's breasts in exchange for licks and nibbles on and around the hardened nubs with her moist tongue and wandering lips.

Rebecca's eyes fluttered closed from the pleasing sensation, and she let out a little moan. Opening her eyes, she looked at the drummer, who was showing her immense love not only in her passionate blue eyes, but also in the sweet and gentle caresses she was raining down on her lover.

"Jor, please," Rebecca pleaded, and pushed off the sheer camisole jacket Jordanna was wearing over her negligee, needing to see all of her lover. "I need to see you."

The drummer pushed herself up, and Rebecca slowly removed the silky white negligee from Jordanna's body, tossing it on the floor next to the jacket. Unable to resist the candy in front of her, the reporter cupped Jordanna's breasts and began kneading them gently, giving the nipple rings little tugs every once in a while, enjoying the responsive moans and shivers from the tall woman.

Moments later, Jordanna got up from the bed, and walked over to the night table. She pulled a red rose out of one of the many bouquets scattered around the room, and made her way back to the bed. Moving back on the bed slightly, the drummer positioned herself in between Rebecca's legs. She put the rose down on the bed and leaned over the reporter, running her hands from her lover's face all the way down to her waist, tracing her lace-covered outline as she went along. "I need to feel you," she whispered, and pulled the form-fitting teddy off of Rebecca's body. "Beautiful," she murmured at the exquisite sight, and ran the lone rose along the outline of Rebecca's whole bare body. The reporter shivered slightly, as Jordanna took extra time lightly circling the flower around Rebecca’s stomach and sensitive breasts. "Tickle?" the drummer asked in a husky, lust filled voice, and then she broke out into a huge smile.

"Uh, yeah. Just a bit," Rebecca managed to get out, laughing at the sight of Jordanna picking the petals off of the rose one by one and showering them down on the bed and the reporter’s body. "Love, American Beauty style, huh, Jor?"

"Oh God, no," the drummer commented quickly, thinking about the ending of the disturbing movie. "Just Jordanna style," she said, and placed a kiss on the skin in between a couple of rose petals that fell on Rebecca's navel area. "Now, let me love you, baby."

The reporter spread her legs slightly, and Jordanna placed light kisses along the inside of her thighs, slowly making her way down the length of Rebecca's leg. She picked up and gently massaged the reporter's right foot, and a very surprised Rebecca moaned softly as Jordanna slipped her big toe into her warm mouth, the gentle suction on the toe a sensation that she hadn't felt before, nor did she think she ever wanted to. She realized as the drummer slipped a different toe in her mouth, that her prior thoughts were very, very wrong. Jordanna followed suit with each and every toe, not leaving a single one out. When she finished, the drummer looked up at Rebecca from the bottom of the bed, smiled and wiggled her eyebrows, before she crawled up the bed and slowly eased her body down on Rebecca's. She placed her muscled thigh in between Rebecca's legs and began to rock slowly, building up the heated friction, and the warm sensation the movement was causing her lover.

Rebecca did the same for the drummer, and they kept up the syncopation as their heated, sweat-slicked bodies slid against the other. Jordanna felt warmth begin to build in her belly, and held on tight to Rebecca, keeping up their perfect rhythm. Her body beyond exhausted from the excitement of the long day, Rebecca crashed quickly, and Jordanna followed behind only seconds later.

"Tired?" Jordanna asked as she lay down on her side next to Rebecca, finding herself totally contented to watch the quick rising and falling of Rebecca's chest as her lover's breathing returned to normal.

"Exhausted." Rebecca nodded her answer. "Satisfied," she added, and closed her eyes. "Loved," she concluded in a soft whisper, and fell into a relaxed sleep with her head on Jordanna's shoulder.

"I love you, Rebecca," Jordanna said in a voice built up with emotion, and leaned over to kiss the small, sleeping blonde woman that stole her dark heart so quickly, she was helpless to stop it even if she wanted to.

**

Rebecca's nose crinkled instinctively at the pleasant aroma of fresh coffee, pancakes, bacon, eggs, and fresh fruit. She opened her eyes to the sight of her silk bathrobe clad lover carrying the loaded tray of breakfast treats to their bed, and made herself comfortable, ready and waiting to dig in.

Jordanna propped her two pillows up against the headboard, slipped out of her robe, and slid back under the covers to join her new partner. "Morning," she said, a large smile on her face and her blue eyes twinkling in the early morning sunlight.

"Morning," Rebecca responded in turn, and leaned over for a wake up kiss. "What do we have here?" she asked curiously, and lifted the cover off of one of the trays. "Mmm. Banana walnut pancakes, my favorite. You spoil me, Jor."

The reporter lifted the cover on the next tray and eyeballed the long velvet covered box lying in the center of the tray, on a plate. She turned and looked at her lover questioningly. "Is this for me?"

"Nope, it's for the sexy maid I saw outside," Jordanna teased, and then bumped heads with the small blonde. "Of course it's for you!"

Rebecca ran her fingertip along the velvet before she picked the box up. "What is it?"

Jordanna rolled her eyes and snorted. "Open it and find out."

Ever so slowly, Rebecca snapped the fancy box open, almost as if she were afraid of what was inside. "Oh my God, it's beautiful," she responded, and pulled the silver chain out to get a closer look at the heart shaped pendant, with their initials etched inside of it. "Would you put it on for me?" she asked, and handed the chain over to her lover. Jordanna opened the clasp, and Rebecca turned to the side so the drummer could easily put it on. The drummer moved Rebecca's hair to the side, and slipped the chain around her neck, all while placing little kisses on the reporter's shoulders and back.

After that they ate in silence, alternating bites of food with kisses. When they finished, Jordanna placed the empty tray on the night table next to them, and pulled Rebecca into her arms, content on enjoying some time spent alone together in bed. Rebecca ran her finger around the drummer's belly button and all the way up to the scar under her ribcage, getting a quiet moan in response. "Jor?"

"Mm?" the drummer purred, and let her eyes flutter closed.

"What did my father say to you when he gave me away at the wedding?"

"Your father?" Blue eyes opened wide. "Say to me?"

"Yeah, silly," Rebecca said, and continued to run her finger along the scar. "He whispered something in your ear during the ceremony."

"Um…" Jordanna sat up slightly and looked away, unable to look into Rebecca's eyes. "He told me to um…" she said and paused. "He told me to take care of you."

"That's it?"

The drummer nodded, hoping that Rebecca wouldn't catch her in the lie. "That's it."

Rebecca snuggled closer into her lover's body, and thought about their wedding day. "Can I ask you something personal now?" she asked, minutes later.

Jordanna ran her hand through Rebecca's golden hair, twirling it in between the tips of her fingers. "Mm?"

The reporter hesitated, unsure whether she should ask the question or not. "How much are you worth, Jordanna?"

The dark-haired woman's hand stilled and she chuckled lowly. "I was wondering when you were finally going to ask me that."

Rebecca shook her head. "If you don't want to tell me, that's okay. I know it's not really any of my business."

"Of course it's your business, baby. You're my partner, and the money is just as much yours as it is mine," she answered, pausing just long enough to take a deep breath. "Last time I checked, my assets were just under a half a billion. I'm sure it's a bit more than that now, though, since the last album just passed the 20 million sales mark."

Rebecca almost spit out the coffee she was drinking, and started to choke. "A half a billion?"

Jordanna smiled in amusement and gave her new partner a little pat on the back. "Are you okay?"

Still stunned, Rebecca repeated her question. "Did you say a half a billion?"

The drummer took a sip of her coffee, and put it down quickly. "Ugh, that's cold." She turned and looked at the curious green eyes gazing at her, waiting for her to answer the question that was asked. "I've made some good investments, I guess," she answered, shrugging her shoulders. "Are you surprised by this?"

"Huh?" Rebecca asked blankly. "Surprised? Uh… no. Well, yeah. I am surprised."

"Does it bother you?"

Rebecca didn't answer the question because she was too deep in thought. The drummer lifted a brow and tried to snap her lover out of the trance like state she was in. "Rebecca?"

"Bother me? Nonono... it doesn't bother me."

"So." Jordanna sat up straight and placed a gentle kiss on Rebecca's lips, hoping to distract her from the subject of finances. "What do you want to do today? I do want to go to the orientation that the resort is having tomorrow morning to see what kind of recreations they have to offer here, aside from just the Grand Canyon tour."

"Mm, yeah. I definitely want to go to that, too," the reporter agreed, and then a huge smile lit up her face. "But today I think I want to go shopping."

Jordanna's mouth dropped open. "Shopping?"

Rebecca nodded. "Yeah, shopping."

Jordanna could count the number of times she's been to the mall over the last eight years on one hand, and she, truthfully, never expected to add another finger to that low count while on her honeymoon. Sunglasses firmly in place, hair up in a ponytail, she cautiously followed Rebecca from store to store in the shopping center. She rolled her eyes when Rebecca stopped to browse in yet another window, and was just about ready to throw in the towel when she realized what Rebecca was looking at.

"I want to get a tattoo."

Shaded blue eyes glanced around at the hundreds of colorful designs displayed on the walls and lifted an interested eyebrow, but she didn't say anything.

"And I want you to get one, too," Rebecca added.

Again, the dark eyebrow rose. "Why?"

"You've certainly got the body piercing covered," Rebecca said and shook her head, playfully bumping her hip into her lover's. "But how the hell can you call yourself a bad girl without having at least a few tattoos, too?"

"Bad girl?" The drummer laughed at the term. "I've never labeled myself that, baby."

The reporter shook her head. "You didn't have to, Jor. Your actions speak louder than words, so to speak."

"So then why do I need to get a few tattoos if I'm already a bad girl by default?" the drummer argued playfully.

"C'mon, Jor. Don't argue with me on this, please?" Rebecca shrugged and grabbed her reluctant lover by the hand, and dragged her into the colorful store. "How 'bout we start with just one?" she asked, hoping the dark-haired woman would agree with her.

The drummer walked around and took a better look at some of the designs. "I told you before that I would only mark myself for a very special reason, Rebecca," she answered in a very serious tone, and leaned forward when a design immediately caught her eye. "And I think I just found it."

"You do?" The small blonde made her way over to Jordanna quickly and looked at the design the drummer was looking at. "Mm, yeah, I like that one," she said and smiled, giving her stamp of approval. "In fact I like it a lot. Let's get it."

"Where?"

Rebecca narrowed her eyes in confusion. "Where what?"

"Where on your body do you plan on getting it, Rebecca?"

Rebecca looked down at her feet. "I've always wanted one on my ankle." She looked back up into Jordanna's eyes. "Where are you going to get it?"

The drummer shook her head. "I didn't say I was going to get it, but… if you did somehow manage to persuade me to get one, I think I'd get it on my groin area. Somewhere private, where you would be the only one to see it."

"Me and the tattoo artist, you mean," Rebecca said, and broke out into a cute little smile knowing for sure that her bad girl was going to give in and get one.

"Yeah, so? Where would you like me to get it, Rebecca?" the drummer asked quickly, trying not to think about how many women actually have seen that area of her body already.

"Have I ever told you what I think one of the sexiest areas of your body is, Jor?" Rebecca ran her hand on the area just above Jordanna's right shoulder bone, and caressed it gently.

Jordanna turned around and faced her lover. "My shoulder?" she asked in a completely surprised tone of voice.

"Oh, yeah." Rebecca smiled at her seductively, which sold Jordanna on the idea right on the spot. "I love the way your muscles there flex when you do anything strenuous, or when you play the drums. It'll look incredible with those sexy tank tops you always wear on stage." She leaned forward and whispered in Jordanna's ear. "Besides, I want everyone in the world to know how you feel about me, and they certainly will not find that out if you get it on your groin area. At least, they better not."

The drummer sighed in defeat and then started to walk to the front of the store. "All right," she finally said, and they made their way over to the semi-bored looking woman that worked there.

**

"I was going to mention something to you about that back hair, babe," Rebecca teased as she watched her lover have her shoulder area shaved in preparation for the tattoo.

Jordanna rolled her eyes at the comment. "I didn't realize that I married a comedian," she said dryly, making sure she sat completely still as the tattoo artist applied the tattoo on her right shoulder and then went to work on it. Rebecca's already queasy stomach got queasier as time went by far too quickly for her taste and she watched the small, red headed artist wipe away the blood the drummer was shedding as she went along.

"Um, I don't know about this," Rebecca whined once her lover's tattoo was finished, and it was almost time to get started on hers.

"Don’t even think about it," Jordanna warned in a serious tone. She got up and looked at her lover's pale, almost green face, and felt sorry for her. Almost. "This was your idea, Rebecca."

"I know, I know," the reporter agreed. "I just…well, I don't like needles."

The drummer snorted and bent down to whisper in Rebecca's ear, trying her best to be encouraging. "Sweetheart, you got your nipple pierced and you lived through that."

"I know I did," Rebecca replied, suddenly feeling like a big baby.

"Yeah, well," Jordanna said, and then ran her hand along Rebecca's cheek. "Then you can do this, too. It's really not that bad."

"Well, actually," the tattoo artist interrupted. "Hers is going to hurt more than yours did because it's on her ankle and it's closer to the bone."

Jordanna's eyes rolled back in her head at the comment, and she was glad she wasn't facing the woman. 'God, what an idiot,' the drummer thought silently, resisting the urge to wring the red head's neck. "You'll do fine, baby. It's a piece of cake," she offered, flashing Rebecca a million-dollar smile, and giving her young lover's sweaty hand a squeeze before she watched the small woman climb onto the table to prepare for her tattoo.

"Piece of cake," Rebecca repeated, trying to copy Jordanna's enthusiasm, spending a half an hour grinning and bearing it as the redheaded tattoo artist worked hard on her ankle, applying the same tattoo that Jordanna just got on her shoulder, only a slightly smaller version of it.

*****

The Arizona heat proved too hot for the drummer only a half-mile into her morning run. She looked at the temperature displayed on a digital thermometer on the clock at a bank she was running past. "What am I, nuts?" she mumbled to herself as she ran down a relatively quiet Scottsdale Boulevard. Shaking her head in defeat, she stopped at the next corner and turned around to head back to the resort.

She slipped into their suite quietly and smiled at the sight of her sleeping lover, who made up for the absence of the drummer's warm body by curling around her pillow, holding it tightly. She sat her body down on the bed next to Rebecca and put her hand on the small woman's bare shoulder, which was peeking out from the sheet wrapped around her. "Baby?"

Rebecca responded by pulling the pillow closer to her. "Mm?"

"Do you want to go with me to the orientation meeting this morning?"

Rebecca nodded her head, but didn't move otherwise. "Mmhmm."

Jordanna smiled, knowing what Rebecca was going to do next. "Then you have to get up now, baby," she whispered, rubbing the small woman between her shoulder blades. Rebecca shook her sleep-tousled head and pulled the sheet up and over her. "Ten minutes," Rebecca said, in a very sleepy voice.

"Guess I'll be going alone," Jordanna muttered to herself, and made her way into the bathroom to get ready for the orientation. She dressed in a loose fitting tank top, careful of the new healing tattoo on her shoulder, and threw on a pair of jean shorts.

She slipped out of the suite as quietly as she came in, and walked the half-mile trek from their unit to the lobby. She followed the families that were making their way into the room that the orientation was being held in, grabbed a cup of complimentary coffee, and eyeballed the donuts, but decided to wait for Rebecca to get up so they could eat breakfast together in the resort's restaurant.

A golf course ran along the expanse behind the resort, and Jordanna looked out the large window at the very green grass, and the many golfers that were already out on the course for hours. She pulled out a chair and sat down at an empty table in the back of the room. She sipped on her hot coffee and watched the people trickling in and out of the room as she waited the fifteen minutes until the meeting's scheduled start time.

She listened intently as resort staff members, and people from outside sources discussed the numerous recreational events that the vast desert has to offer. A few of the said activities sounded remotely interesting to her, so she wrote down the information needed to sign up for them and planned on discussing them with her lover, once she woke.

She found one activity far too tempting to pass up. She made her way up to the front of the room once the orientation ended and signed Rebecca and herself up, cringing when she heard the 4:30 a.m. start time, knowing that would be a problem for Rebecca. Most definitely a problem. 'But the experience alone will be worth it,' Jordanna mused, hoping her thoughts would be the truth.

The orientation crowd began to disperse and she cut through the crowded lobby on her way back to their suite. Spotting a showered and awake Rebecca walking through the front doors, she called out the young woman's name, and waved her over to where she was.

Rebecca smiled at the sight of her lover, and met up with her near the entrance of the restaurant. "I missed the orientation, didn't I?" Rebecca asked, knowing the disappointing answer. "Why didn't you wake me up?"

The drummer tried to suppress a stupid looking grin, but failed miserably. "C'mon," she said, placing her hand on the small of Rebecca's back. "Let's have breakfast." They walked into the restaurant, busy with the breakfast crowd, and waited for the hostess to seat them.

After requesting a table in the back of the room, Rebecca and Jordanna followed the perky hostess to their table, examined the menus, and placed their order. A few minutes later, the waitress delivered their breakfast, and the drummer quickly stole a piece of bacon off of Rebecca's plate, imitating her lover's usual routine. "Hey!" the reporter cried, and slapped at Jordanna's hand playfully.

"Let me try and understand this." Jordanna finished chewing, and looked at Rebecca with twinkling blue eyes. "You can eat off of my plate, but I can't eat off of yours. Is that the deal?"

"That's right," Rebecca answered as she salted her meal, and dug into the crispy home fries on her hungry man's special plate, smiling as she savored the taste.

Jordanna shook her head as she drizzled maple syrup over her plate of pancakes. "Well, it seems that we already know who the boss is in this family, don't we?"

"That's right," Rebecca answered again, and chomped hungrily on a piece of rye toast. "That's what I love about you, Jordanna. You're not only drop dead gorgeous and fabulous in bed, but you learn real fast."

The drummer's dark eyebrow rose, and her lip twitched in amusement. The look on her face reminded Rebecca of the look that used to grace Cindy's face when she was just about ready to let out a piercing wail of baby displeasure. "I signed us up for something on Wednesday," Jordanna finally said in a very calm voice, but didn't offer any further explanation. "We have to leave here at 4:15." She took a bite of her pancakes and grinned at Rebecca evilly. "In the morning."

Rebecca nearly choked on the eggs that she was chewing on. "WHAT?"

"You heard me."

"What in the freaking hell are we doing that we have to leave at four in the morning?" Rebecca asked, pointing her fork at her smirking lover angrily.

"You will find out Wednesday morning, Rebecca," Jordanna answered, her smile growing even more sinister, as if that were possible.

"What?"

"You heard me."

Rebecca bore her green eyes into Jordanna's baby blues. "Tell me."

"Absolutely not, Rebecca. And the puppy dog look isn't going to work either, so don't even bother trying," Jordanna said and finished off her cup of coffee. "You'll find out Wednesday morning; early Wednesday morning. So… how's your ankle feeling this morning, sweetheart?" she asked about Rebecca's tattoo, changing the subject completely.

The quiet stillness of the dark night lulled Jordanna into a light sleep as she sat waiting on the just as dark patio, while Rebecca showered for their mysterious early morning event. Her eyes fluttered open at the sound of a passing cart chugging it's way down the sidewalk of the resort, probably transporting some new arrivals to their suite nearby.

"Ah ha," a smirking Rebecca teased, standing in the doorway in her robe. "Caught you sleeping on the job, Fox!" She walked out onto the patio, picked up Jordanna's cup of still hot coffee, and took a sip of it. "You see, it's even too early for you to be up!"

"I was just resting my eyes."

Rebecca snorted. "Sure you were." She took another sip of her lover's coffee and handed it back to her, stealing a quick kiss after she did so. Jordanna put the coffee down on the table next to the lounge she was reclining on, and grabbed Rebecca's hand. Their eyes locked as Jordanna pulled the smaller woman onto her lap, and Rebecca leaned down to nibble on the drummer's lips. The nibbling quickly turned passionate and Jordanna tugged on the tie on the small woman's robe, making it fall open. Jordanna broke the kiss by nibbling her way down the now available bare flesh beyond Rebecca's neck to her destination point. She ran her tongue along the outline of Rebecca's right breast, and took a hardened nipple into her warm mouth. "Yes," Rebecca whispered, after letting a strangled little moan escape her lips. "God, yes," she repeated, immensely enjoying the sensation that the drummer's tender suckling, and being out in the open air was causing.

Rebecca's head snapped back as the realization that they were out in public hit her. "Jesus, Jordanna!" She jumped off of the dark-haired woman's lap, stood up quickly and tied her robe up tight.

Amused blue eyes sparkled back at her. "What?" Jordanna asked innocently, in a tired, raspy voice. "I woke you up, didn't I?" she stated sexily.

"Oh, yeah." Rebecca nodded. "That you certainly did. Me and every nerve ending in my body, Jor."

"Good," Jordanna murmured, and gave Rebecca a little swat on her backside to get her moving. "Now go get dressed, baby, before we run late."

**

The rented black Mercedes Benz SL500 convertible made it's way slowly down the dirt path side road. Saguaro cactus of all shapes and sizes lined the side of the road, their outlines eerily dark against the golden brown hills behind them in the distance.

"Where are we going, Jordanna?" Rebecca asked once again, letting her frustration with the drummer show in her tone of voice. "Why can't you tell me yet?"

The drummer sighed at the question, and thought she could hear the faint sounds of pumps in the distance, letting her know she was close to their destination. "It's a surprise, Rebecca."

"I don't like surprises."

The drummer rolled her eyes. "Yes, you do." She pulled into the small parking lot lined with vans, trailers, and cars, and pulled into a parking spot. "Where here," she said, trying to speak over the now loud sounds of the pumps, and got out of the car.

"Where's here?" Rebecca asked as she got out of the car to join her lover, who was busy getting their two cameras out of the trunk of the car.

"Here. Take this," Jordanna said, and handed Rebecca the still camera for her to use. Rebecca accepted the camera dutifully, and looked at the scene going on around them. Multicolored balloons were lined up on the desert grounds, and the loud pumping sounds they heard was hot air being pumped into them. "We got up at two a.m. to look at hot air balloons?" Rebecca asked incredulously, coming to the instant conclusion that the woman that she just married was completely nuts.

Jordanna smiled and shook her head as her answer, but remained silent.

"Unh uh… no way, Jordanna," Rebecca responded, once she realized why they were really there. "There's no way you're getting me to go up in one of those things. Did you pay for this already?"

"Yup."

Rebecca started to pace back and forth in front of the dark-haired woman, giving herself time to think. She's not just nuts; she's insane! "You can go by yourself then."

Jordanna took a deep breath and looked down at the ground. "I'm not going without you, Rebecca," she said, her voice showing every ounce of her disappointment.

They heard the sound of a throat being cleared, and both looked up at the man fast approaching them. "We are just about ready," the man said quietly, nodding a silent hello to Jordanna. He then held out his hand for Rebecca to shake. "Brian," he offered. "I'll be your tour guide today."

Jordanna recognized Brian as the man that gave the presentation at the resort. "I'm sorry, Brian, but we've had a change of plans," the drummer said quietly. "We're not going…"

"To pass up doing something outrageous like this," Rebecca finished for her sad lover, knowing that the dark-haired woman really wanted to go ballooning and she didn't want to disappoint her. "C'mon, let's go," she said to Jordanna and smiled, and they followed Brian over to the balloon that they would be going on.

Jordanna grabbed Rebecca lightly by the arm as they walked, slowing her up. "Are you sure you want to do this?"

"I'm very sure." Rebecca smiled warmly, and ran her hand along the dark-haired woman's cheek. "I think."

The drummer returned the warm smile. "Thanks."

They joined up with the four other nervous-looking passengers waiting patiently to embark on their trip into the Scottsdale skies, and Jordanna pulled out the video camera to tape the impending sunrise about to come up over the mountains. "That's beautiful," she whispered, taking in the scene in front of her through the viewfinder. Dwarfed by a giant cactus in the background, Jordanna turned the camera slowly and taped her unknowing lover looking up into the amazingly pink and orange sky thoughtfully. She caught sight of a balloon already high up in the sky in the distance, and zoomed in on it with the camera.

"We're ready to go," Brian called out, and asked the larger of the passengers to get into the gondola first. He escorted the first passenger, an older, heavier man from France over to the basket, which was sitting on its side. "You have to lay in it," he said to the older man, much to the horror of the surprised passengers, who assumed they would just get in the gondola via a door of some sort.

"You next," Brian said and assisted the next man in, and then looked around at the rest of the passengers. He walked over to Jordanna, the largest of the females, and asked her to climb in next. With a shrug, she slid into the bottom of the gondola. They lay there on the desert floor waiting for Brian and the other women in the group, including Rebecca, to climb into the top section of the basket, which was sectioned off from the bottom by only a thin rubber partition.

"Okay, hang on tight now," Brian called out, preparing the passengers for the quick movement of the balloon once it was filled with hot air, and ready to lift itself upright. Rebecca held onto the side of the basket for dear life as the thing began to move. In the short time it took for her to curse Jordanna, the gondola was upright and beginning it's descent into the air. "Holy shit," she cried out, and turned to grab hold of her partner who was standing right next to her, only separated by the thin rubber partition.

"You alright?" Jordanna asked right away, letting go of the death hold she herself had on the side of the gondola.

Rebecca shook her head up and down. "Yeah," she squeaked out, and then quickly looked over the side and down at the ground, which was moving further and further away from them. "Wow," she said, breaking out into a big smile. "This isn't so bad."

Once her own hands stopped shaking, Jordanna pulled the video camera out and began filming their view of the rolling hills in the distance, the forests of saguaro cactus, and the desert animal life the passengers spotted as they went along, including boar, coyote, road runners and winged beasts. "This is amazing," she said, loving the extremely free feeling of actually floating on air.

"Is this the only time of the day you can go out?" Rebecca asked Brian; curious about the torturous early morning start time.

"You could go out later, but you probably wouldn't live long enough to tell anyone about it," Brian explained with a chuckle. "The wind speeds in the morning here are perfect for the ride, but they pick up considerably during the day. If you went out then and you actually lived through it… well, let's just say you'd definitely have an adventurous story to tell your grandkids about years from now."

Brian fired up the hot air, and the balloon climbed even higher giving the passengers a bird's eye view of downtown Phoenix in the distance. Jordanna made sure she got as much on videotape as she could, enjoying the many tales Brian spun about Indian legends, and the early gold rush in the hills of Arizona.

Brian pointed down to another small hill full of saguaro cactus. "It takes 75 years for a saguaro to grow its first arm," he began, capturing the attention of the passengers with more useless Arizona legends. "Legend says that each saguaro arm represents an Indian Squaw. If the arm on the cactus points down, then it's a bad Squaw, if it points up, then it's a good Squaw."

"Your cactus' arm must have pointed down, my bad girl Squaw," Rebecca teased her lover.

"Very funny," Jordanna responded, and she playfully teased Rebecca back by threatening to throw her overboard, and down into the forests of cacti below.

Now looking down at the endless cactus, Rebecca noticed that part of the mountain was burnt. "Mountain fires?" she asked curiously.

Brian looked out at the acres of charred land painted before them. "Arson."

"Arson?" Rebecca, along with the rest of the passengers in the balloon, was stunned at the thought that someone would set fire to something so natural and beautiful. "But why?"

"Why?" Brian shook his head with disgust. "For the excitement of watching the fire department come out to fight the fire, that's why."

Blue eyes opened wide in surprise. "That's exciting?" Jordanna snorted. "It sounds like they should come to New York. They'll get more excitement there than they can probably handle. That's for damn sure!"

The pilot laughed. "I'll suggest that those responsible are sent to New York as their punishment when they are put on trial."

"Hey, watch it," Jordanna teased. "I'm a native."

Once they cleared the next set of hills, a large clearing of desert came into view after flying high in the sky for over a half an hour. "That's where we are going to land this puppy," the pilot announced. All of the passengers looked down at the desert floor, wondering which large cactus they were going to end up landing on. "The gondola is going to hit the ground hard a couple times before we finally come to a stop," Brian warned as they came down from their trip. "When we land, please stay away from the cactus. Scorpions and tarantulas like to hang around some of the dead wood that's at the base of them."

"You don't have to warn me about that twice," Rebecca said, and the rest of the group laughed and agreed with her.

Everyone held on to the sides as the gondola did just as he said, and after the fourth hard impact with the ground they finally came to a stop. The balloon's ground crew surrounded them quickly, as one by one they helped each passenger climb out of the gondola. One of the first passengers out, Jordanna stood to the side and watched as Rebecca easily climbed out of the basket without the assistance of any of the ground crew. "Show off," the drummer teased as her lover approached her, walking on extremely wobbly legs. "Wasn't so bad, was it?"

"That was absolutely amazing, Jor," Rebecca responded, and wrapped her arms around the drummer's waist, pulling her close. "It's so… exhilarating! Everyone should do it if they have the chance." They walked over to the van parked in between two very large cacti, and joined up with the rest of the passengers and the balloon crew. Rebecca immediately ran over and grabbed two pieces of cheese Danish that the crew had set up on a table, reluctantly handing one of them to Jordanna when she returned to her place next to her.

They indulged in an early morning glass of champagne, which they found out is an after-flight tradition for most balloonists. "Breakfast of champions," the drummer joked, as she washed her last bite of Danish down with the last of her glass of champagne.

"We are going to go out for a real breakfast after this, right?"

The drummer lifted an amused brow and smirked. "Of course, Rebecca," she answered, conceding to the demands of a forever-hungry stomach, and they set off to find a place to have breakfast.

*****

A bead of sweat trickled below Jordanna's bangs as she sat outside on the patio enjoying an iced cappuccino and a book. The desert sun at it's most intense of the day; she finished off the last of the cappuccino and went back into the suite, where Rebecca was just finishing up a phone call with Cindy.

"Everything okay back in New York?" the drummer asked curiously, once Rebecca hung up the phone.

The reporter nodded. "Everything is fine."

Jordanna stood behind Rebecca and put her hands on her shoulders, massaging them gently. "I'm thinking of changing into my suit and going for a swim in the pool. Care to join me?"

"Yeah," Rebecca moaned, giving in to the relaxing massage. "Sounds great." The drummer latched her lips onto Rebecca's exposed shoulder, and kissed her way all the way up her neck. "Lemme just get changed," she said, and padded towards their bedroom, with Rebecca following right behind her.

Rebecca changed into her suit quickly, and went back out into the kitchen to grab a bottle of water. She looked up as the drummer walked out of the bedroom, tying the string on her bikini. "You think anyone is going to recognize me like this?"

The reporter appraised her lover's tanned body and smiled. "They might not recognize you, but you'll certainly get noticed."

Jordanna wrapped a towel around her bikini bottoms and made her way for the front door. "You're biased."

Rebecca chuckled and slipped her sandals on, grabbed a towel and joined her partner at the door. "No shoes, Jor?"

"Nah, you know I hate wearing shoes," the drummer said, and stepped outside. The concrete near the suite was bearably warm, but with each step they took leading them closer to the pool, Jordanna felt as if the bottoms of her bare feet were walking on fire. "Ouch, ouch, ouch," she yelped, and quickly ran to a patch of grass for relief. "Don't even say it," she muttered when the smirking Rebecca caught up with her.

The tall woman bit the inside of her mouth to keep from screaming as she walked down the sizzling sidewalk, cursing her stubbornness silently under her breath. "Fuck," she said out loud, unable to take it anymore, and ran the rest of the way to the pool, only stopping briefly on each patch of grass, to wait for her strolling lover to catch up.

She opened the gate of the fenced in pool area, and waited for Rebecca to pass through, before she followed her partner to a couple of empty lounge chairs under a cluster of palm trees in the back. "Anyone sitting here?" Rebecca asked the nice looking, dark-haired man lying in the chair next to the two empty ones. The man sat up and looked where the voice was coming from, took off his sunglasses, and shielded his eyes from the sun. Once the spots cleared from his eyes, he focused on the two beautiful women standing there in front of him, licked his lips and answered, "No, please join me."

Jordanna rolled her eyes and looked at Rebecca. Even though her feet were burning, she made sure the man was watching as she slowly pulled the towel off of her body and bent over to put the towel on the chair. Once Jordanna finished her show and both of them were comfortably lying on their lounges, Rebecca leaned over and whispered to the drummer. "You are bad, you know that?"

Jordanna wiggled her eyebrows seductively. "No, baby. I'm good." She took a good look around the pool area, which consisted of a built in pool, a smaller heated pool, and a whirlpool. In the front by the gate, a mid sized cabana stood next to the outdoor bar, where at least ten people were waiting on line for sodas, drinks, and snacks. "I could use a drink. How about you?"

Rebecca pursed her lips as she thought about what she wanted. "Seltzer with lemon?"

"Oooh, what a good girl you are, baby. I'm thinking something stronger for myself, like a Tequila Sunrise or a Long Island Iced Tea."

Rebecca tapped her fingers on her bare stomach as she thought about her choices. "Tequila Sunrise," she finally decided, remembering the time spent on her knees in front of the porcelain God the last time she drank a few of the deadly iced teas.

Jordanna smiled, then put her hand on her lover's knee to give it a little squeeze before she stood up. "Be right back."

Rebecca watched the tall, bikini clad drummer make her way to the bar, definite swagger in her walk, turning the heads of most of the males, and a few of the females lounging around the pool area, as well.

"Are you two here alone?"

The reporter took a deep breath, withdrew her gaze from the body that everyone else's gaze was focused on, and turned to look at the man sitting next to her, who was sitting up on his lounge chair, applying lotion on his muscled arms. "Yes, I mean no, I mean it's not what you think," she stammered, knowing where the line of conversation was going to be heading, just by the look on the man's face.

"Just taking a little time away from both of your husbands, then?" the man asked, and focused his eyes on the wedding band on her finger.

"Huh?"

'Dumb blonde,' the man thought instantly, and smiled at Rebecca, picturing exactly how beautiful the blonde would look in his bed, dumb or not. "Both you and your friend over there are wearing wedding bands, but you said you are here alone," he explained. Deciding to take a chance with the woman, he asked, "I was wondering if you'd like to have dinner with me tonight?"

Sensing the burning blue gaze upon her, Rebecca looked over at the bar and locked eyes with Jordanna, who stood watching them intently, from across the pool. "I'm not interested," she answered bluntly, her eyes still locked with Jordanna's, and then she turned to look back at the man.

Dejected, he asked, "Well then, what about your friend?"

"What about her friend?" the deep contralto voice coming from behind them asked. Jordanna circled around the chairs and handed Rebecca her Tequila Sunrise, taking a sip of her own before sitting down on her lounge chair. She turned to the man, and gave him a good dose of the menacing look. "Well?" she asked impatiently.

"I… I was just asking your friend if she'd like to have dinner with me tonight," the man responded, intimidated by the drummer's coldness, but not giving in.

Jordanna took another sip of her drink, looked at Rebecca and then looked at the dark-haired man again. "She's not interested."

"Look," he persisted. "If this about your spouses back at home, what they don't know won't hurt them. I can show you both a good time, if you know what I mean."

The drummer took a deep breath and was standing over the man in a flash, ready to choke the life out of him. "Listen, asshole," she growled like an angry tiger, her face so close to his she could smell his sweat. "When a woman says she's not interested that means she's not interested, so back the fuck off!"

A young hotel attendant approached the scene immediately, under strict orders by management to make sure their very important client was happy with her stay at the resort. "Is there anything wrong here?" the young man asked.

Jordanna backed away from the persistent man. "Our friend here was just leaving," she answered right away, and glared threateningly at the man again. "Weren't you?"

The man fell back in his chair after Jordanna backed away and he took a look around at the crowd that was staring at them, before looking back up into icy blue eyes. "Yes, I was just leaving," he said rather angrily, and stood up. The crowd continued to watch as he put his shorts and his shirt back on, grabbed his towel and unhappily left the pool area, escorted by the hotel attendant.

Rebecca looked over at Jordanna, who settled back down on her lounge chair, when she heard the man exclaim to the hotel attendant, rather loudly at that, "Are you trying to tell me they are fucking dykes?"

"Just great," the drummer said when she heard the comment, and looked around at the crowd, who heard it too. "You got a problem?" she asked out loud, and they all averted their gazes, returning to their prior activities. "I'm sorry, baby," she apologized, turning her focus totally on her partner, who looked back at her sadly.

Rebecca took a sip of her drink, opened her mouth to speak, and then closed it again.

"Are you okay?" the drummer asked, noticing Rebecca's actions.

"Do you think they are going to kick him out of the resort?" she finally asked.

Jordanna shrugged her shoulders lazily, and wiped at the sweat dripping from her forehead with one of their extra towels. "I don't know," she admitted. "If they don't, then we better keep our eyes open for him. He may be trouble."

"Everybody here knows now," Rebecca said, looking around at the rest of the pool area guests, who were stealing glances their way every once in a while.

"Yeah, I guess they do," Jordanna said nonchalantly, and then rose from her chair. "Let's go for that swim, huh?" She walked over to the main pool, and used the built in stairs to get in, adhering to the NO DIVING signs posted all around the pool, even though she didn't really want to. The water felt good on her skin for about two seconds, but at the hot temperature it was in the blazing Arizona sun, she couldn't consider it a refreshing swim.

Surprised that the other guests didn't make a mass exodus from the pool when she entered it, she jumped slightly when she felt a hand on her back. Turning around quickly, she smiled when she looked into loving green eyes. "Why do you suppose they have a heated pool out here for?" Rebecca asked curiously, and then went under water, swimming her way to the deeper end of the pool. Jordanna met up with her moments later, and answered her partner's question. "So we can cool off from this pool?" she said and chuckled, not understanding the reasoning behind the heated outdoor pool, either.

Beads of water trickled down Rebecca's chest, and Jordanna wanted nothing more than to back her partner against the pool's wall, and taste her wet skin. She closed her eyes as she fought the forceful urge, and opened them again when she felt Rebecca's hand graze her cheek. "I want that, too, Jordanna," the younger woman said, and then swam off to do laps in the pool.

They joined in on a game of water volleyball, and one of the women on their team approached them. "My name is Janet," she said, her voice friendly. "That goofball over there in the blue and white shorts is my husband, Bob," she said, pointing to a man on their team with dark, spiky hair. "We're here on our honeymoon. You are here on your honeymoon, too, right Jordanna?" she asked, letting them know that she recognized the famous drummer.

Jordanna blinked a few times, and then nodded. "Yes, we are," she said, answering warily. "This is my partner, Re…" Jordanna started to introduce her lover, but noticed at the last minute that the ball was coming her way, so she took a flying leap to return the volley, which she did, much to the opposing team's surprise.

"Nice volley," Janet said sincerely, and added, "I wasn't even paying attention to the game."

Rebecca laughed and swam over to them. "I think that's why they hit it this way. I'm Rebecca, by the way," she said, and held out her hand to the woman.

"My older sister is a lesbian," Janet said out of nowhere, and continued, "When I first found out about it, I kind of freaked out on her. She's been with her partner for years now, and they are very committed to each other. More than most of the het couples I know."

"Mm," Rebecca said reflectively, and then set up a volley for Jordanna, who spiked it into the water between the two men on the other team covering the front line, clinching the game. "I was married once before, to a man," she explained, and continued, "But our relationship was nothing like my relationship with Jordanna." She smiled, and bumped into the dark woman lovingly.

"What?" Jordanna asked, because she was more involved with the game and didn't hear their conversation.

Rebecca ran her hand along Jordanna's shoulder, and watched her flinch. "Yours is burning, too?"

"Yeah," the drummer nodded and started to get out of the pool. "I don't think we were supposed to go in the pool so soon after getting them done, huh?"

Rebecca followed behind her lover, toweled herself off and then sat down on the lounge. "No, I guess not," the reporter answered, and examined the new tattoo on her lover's shoulder closely. "It's very red, sweetheart."

"I guess we are going to have to rub some of that smelly shit that we got on them when we get back to the room then," Jordanna said in response. "Want another drink?" she asked, and got up when Rebecca nodded her answer. "Same thing?"

She smiled when Rebecca nodded again, and walked over to the bar, standing in place on line behind Janet, who stood waiting, also. She looked in the pool and noticed that Janet's goofball of a husband was still very involved in the new volleyball game that was going on, and asked, "Why don't you join us while your husband is still in the pool, Janet?"

The tall woman with short dirty blonde hair turned around, glanced the way of the pool quickly, and nodded. "Thank you, Jordanna. I'd love to join you." She ordered herself a wine spritzer and two Tequila Sunrises for the other two women, and followed the dark-haired woman back to their lounges after disagreeing with Jordanna who insisted on paying for the drinks.

"I asked Janet to join us," the drummer said as she placed Rebecca's drink on the table partially behind them and sat down. Rebecca looked up at Janet, shielded her eyes from the intense afternoon sun, and motioned for her to sit down on the empty lounge on the other side of her; the one the persistent man ever so happily gave up earlier.

Apparently Janet's thoughts were in the same place Rebecca's were, and asked, "Was that man bothering you earlier?"

Rebecca snorted and took a sip of her drink before answering. "He just wanted to show Jordanna and I a good time," she said, and rolled her eyes.

Janet spread her towel out on the chair and made herself comfortable, taking a sip of her wine spritzer before speaking. "I bet that happens to you both a lot, huh? Did he know who Jordanna is?"

"I don't think so," the drummer answered for herself, putting one of the extra towels behind her back, to spare her burning tattoo from any more exposure. "And yes, that does happen quite often."

The dirty blonde woman waved to her husband when he looked their way from his place in the pool, and shrugged her shoulders when he gave her a confused look. "I was telling Rebecca before that my sister is a lesbian. She's an absolutely beautiful woman. Long, flowing hair, make up, you know the works... kinda like both of you. She doesn't fit the stereotype at all and she's always fighting off the men, and she's completely sick of it."

"Mm, sounds very familiar," Jordanna mused.

Janet groaned when she saw Bob exit the pool, and started to get up. "There's a club in Phoenix that Bob and I are planning on hitting later tonight, would you guys care to come along?" She wrapped her towel around her thin waist, and added, "From what I heard, it caters to everyone, black, white, straight and gay. People can be themselves there."

Rebecca sat up, and looked over at Jordanna who didn't say anything. "Jor?"

"Whatever you want to do, baby," the drummer said, leaving the decision up to Rebecca. "Just remember that tomorrow is our last day here and we have to get up early for our trip to the canyon."

The reporter nodded. "I guess we can only stay for a little while," she said, and looked at Janet. They made plans to meet the other couple in the front lobby at 10:30 before Janet made her way over to her husband.

"She was nice," the reporter said to Jordanna, who still remained quiet. "Jor, if you don't want to go just say so."

"No, no, that's fine, baby. We could use a night out together. It just made me think of the last time we went out dancing," she said, and then relaxed on her lounge again.

Rebecca closed her eyes and pictures of the past flashed in her mind. Dancing in Jordanna's arms at Crooked Hill; the drummer asking her to move in with her; making love at the house when they got home. Then the mysterious phone call from Jordanna's stalker; Linda's angry hazel eyes; and blood, Jordanna's blood as she lay unconscious on the floor, bleeding profusely from a gunshot wound.

The tall woman got up when she noticed the tears streaming down Rebecca's face, and took her lover's hands in her own. "I'm sorry for bringing that time up, baby," she said, bringing a shaky hand up to her lips to kiss. "I'm alive, you're alive, we're married and on our honeymoon, remember?" she said, hoping to break Rebecca out of the dark hold her bad memories had on her. "I love you," she whispered quietly, and was startled when Rebecca pulled her hand up to her mouth to kiss.

*****

The resort lobby was busy with people going in and out, as guests either enjoyed a late night dinner at the restaurant, or joined in on the dance lesson going on in the noisy bar across the hall. Jordanna stood in front of a mirror hanging on the wall, and straightened out her white vest, so the middle of it was even with the zipper on her matching lightweight slacks, suitable for a night out on a very warm summer Arizona night.

"You look fine, beautiful," Rebecca whispered from behind, and put her hand on Jordanna's wrist, stopping her from fiddling around with her clothing any further. "I, on the other hand, don't feel very comfortable in this," Rebecca continued, speaking of the short, white, sleeveless cotton dress Jordanna requested she wear, the one that fit her body like a snug glove.

"I'd gladly stay back and help you take it off," Jordanna offered, happy and very content after the romantic meal that she asked to have delivered directly to their suite sparked off a couple hours of intense, yet playful lovemaking before they had to get ready to go out clubbing.

"Jordanna," Rebecca scolded, and wiggled away from her lover, who was busy teasing her already way too aroused body from behind. "Janet and Bob are here."

The drummer watched their new friend and her husband as they walked up the walkway and into the lobby, surmising that the newlyweds make a nice looking couple. Janet smiled as she approached and immediately introduced them both to Bob, who seemed just as pleased to be in their company as Janet did.

"Obviously, we will have to follow you there," Jordanna pointed out, as they began to walk through the large parking lot. Two beeps signaled the women that the rented Mercedes was unlocked and unarmed, and they both got in and waited for Janet and Bob to pull around with their car. A jade green Cadillac Seville slowly made it's way through the parking lot, and Jordanna pulled behind the car, noticing the license plate immediately. "I guess they are from California," she said to Rebecca, realizing that they never even asked Janet anything about her life back home. "San Diego area," she said again, recognizing the name of the dealership on the license plate frame from the little time she resided at her home there.

Quiet on the drive, Rebecca gazed at the dark outlines of the hills that surrounded them on both sides of the long road. She thought about the vast difference between the desert there in Arizona, compared to the oceanic, suburban area of Long Island, where they live. Those same suburbs border and compliment a huge Mecca like New York City. Looking at it philosophically, the outward surface of the areas in question are simply opposites, like night and day, dark and light, but somehow when linked together they manage to live in a comfortable peace, feeding off of the other, making the road ahead, and scenery around them whole.

'Just Like Jordanna and I,' Rebecca mused, thinking that sometimes she thinks far too much for her own sake. She held onto the door handle as Jordanna slowed the car down and followed Bob as he pulled into the left turning lane, and waited for the cars in the opposite direction to pass before making their turn. They drove a few miles down the road and merged onto the highway, following the exit signs to Phoenix. Surprised by the dark and desolate road the exit led them to, Jordanna felt her insides begin to churn. "Where in the hell are they taking us?" she asked out loud, in a tone that unnerved Rebecca.

Spotting the large, well-lit, house-turned-dance club situated on the side of the lonely mountain, Rebecca sighed a sigh of relief and said, "That must be it." They pulled into the packed parking lot and circled quite a few times before finding an empty space to park. The drummer locked the Mercedes once they both were out of the vehicle, and they walked slowly to the front of the club, where they met up with Janet and Bob. They could hear the muffled sounds of dance music and the voices of the people having a good time inside the club.

Rebecca pulled the door open and the sounds of 70's disco assaulted their ears. The reporter immediately felt her body begin to move to the rhythm, and she began to sing along with Sister Sledge as she made her way into the crowded club. She stopped when she reached the bar, not realizing that Janet and Bob were right behind her.

"Jordanna insisted on paying for all of us," Janet leaned close to Rebecca and screamed, so she could be heard above the music. "But we insist on buying the first round. What do you think she'd like to drink?"

The reporter could see her lover threading her way through the crowd, and watched all the heads that turned to take in the tanned, tone body of the drummer, who decided last minute to wear her brown contacts, aside from pulling her hair up in a braid. "We both like red wine," Rebecca answered. She leaned her back up against the bar, and looked around at the crowd, which was just as Janet said, diverse. All different kinds of couples graced the dance floor, and for the first time in her life she saw two men dancing in each other's arms. 'Well, at least I won't feel uncomfortable dancing in Jordanna's arms here then,' she thought happily, and then felt her lover's warm hand press against her back.

"This place seems pretty happening," the drummer said, and began dancing and singing along with the song that was just coming to an end.

"Check that out," Rebecca said, and nudged her in the direction of the dance floor. "I've never seen two men dancing together before."

Jordanna lifted a brow. "No?"

"No, of course not," Rebecca answered quickly. "Have you?"

"Rebecca," the drummer snorted, surprised that her lover would even have to ask. "I've seen two men doing much more than just dancing together."

"You have?" The reporter's mouth dropped open. "Live and in the flesh?"

"Live and very in the flesh," Jordanna confirmed, opting not to tell her lover that she was also in bed with them at the time, and that her threesome experiences weren't always with women.

Rebecca shook her head, and tried not to imagine the mental image, or think about what Jordanna's former world must have been like. "I don't think I want to ask."

Jordanna accepted the glass of red wine Bob handed to her and thanked him before leaning close to Rebecca to say, "Good, cause you really don't want to know."

'Oh, but I do, Jordanna,' Rebecca wanted to say, but just flashed a smile at the tall woman and took a sip from her glass of wine instead, and went back to watching the crowd on the dance floor. Moments later, she felt Jordanna slip her hand into her own, following along after the drummer suggested they find a table and went in search of one.

Janet and Bob found a table in a dark corner in the back of the bar, and they sat down long enough to finish off their drinks before heading to the dance floor, leaving Rebecca and Jordanna alone at the table. The crowd went wild when the disk jockey played a medley of 70’s hits, ending off with the Village People’s "YMCA." The song sent numerous men dressed as construction workers, cowboys, cops, sailors, bikers, and indians flitting onto the dance floor, so they could bump and grind with each other as they spelled out the words to the ridiculous song.

The song ended and the dance floor cleared when a slower tune came on. Jordanna took a long sip of her wine, placing the empty glass on the table. She held out her hand for Rebecca to take. "C’mon, you like Marvin Gaye," the drummer whispered, and led her lover out onto the dance floor as the opening of "Let’s get it on," played over the loudspeaker. They stopped to dance near Janet and Bob, and cringed when a cowboy and a biker dancing cheek to cheek surrounded them on the other side. Trying her best to ignore them, Rebecca slipped into Jordanna’s waiting arms, and the drummer sang the words of the song in her ear as they danced close together.

Everyone on the dance floor screamed when the disk jockey switched songs mid-song, spinning the more modern, and the livelier "Mr. Lover," by Shaggy, yelling something about waking up the bodies at the dance club morgue.

Jordanna tried like hell to sing the words to the song, but only ended up getting out choice phrases like moist and wet, and moan and shout, making Rebecca chuckle. The small blonde accepted an invitation from Bob to dance to the next song, and Jordanna and Janet left the dance floor and made their way to the bar. "Two shots of Cuervo Gold," Janet said to the man behind the bar, and he placed two shots of the golden liquid in front of the women within seconds. "Cheers," the two women said at the same time, tapped their shot glasses against the other and downed the tequila, repeating the process at least four more times while Rebecca and Bob she-bopped to Cyndi Lauper.

Determining that the beautiful drummer was pretty liquored up, Janet ran her hand along the inside of the tall woman's thigh. The drummer turned her head slowly, as her fuzzy mind processed what the woman next to her was doing. She leaned down when Janet tugged on her hand and blinked. "What?" she asked, unable to hear Janet over the loud music in the club.

"I said Bob wanted me to ask you if you’d like to switch partners tonight. You and I and him and Rebecca."

Jordanna blinked again, but her fuzzy mind processed that request very quickly. "You’ve got to be fucking kidding me," the drummer slurred, and stormed onto the dance floor, knocking into people on her way to get Rebecca. "We’re leaving," she said, and grabbed her stunned partner by the arm forcefully, dragging her lover off of the dance floor.

Rebecca didn’t understand what was going on with her partner. "What’s the matter, Jor?"

Jordanna held her arms out to the side, most definitely feeling the side effects of the tequila. "What’s the matter? What’s the matter?" I’ll tell you what the matter is," she said loudly, causing a little bit of a scene. "Janet and Bob are swingers, and they wanted to swing with us, Rebecca."

The reporter’s mouth dropped open, her innocence getting the best of her. "You’re kidding me?"

The drummer shook her head from side to side like a child, and grabbed a beer off of the tray a passing waitress was carrying, and took a long pull from it. "Nope. How’d you like to spend the night with in bed with Bob, while I’m in the same damn bed, fucking Janet?"

"Ugh," the reporter shook her head in pure disgust, realizing just how drunk her lover actually was by the level of her crudeness. "No way." She pulled out a ten-dollar bill and handed it to the waitress for the beer, and by that time Janet and Bob were by their side, trying to reason with them.

"We’re leaving… alone," Jordanna said angrily, and grabbed Rebecca’s hand so she would follow her out of the bar. "No one else but me is screwing my partner," she hissed as the door slammed shut behind her, and walked out into the foggy night.

They approached the car and Rebecca held out her hand. "Keys." The drummer fished around in her pocket and pulled them out, handing them over responsibly. They got in the Mercedes and Rebecca started the engine. "Do you know how to get back to the resort from here?"

The drummer pointed across the road. "There’s a highway over there somewhere," she said, her voice tired and groggy. "We get on it and follow the signs back to Scottsdale."

"Signs," the reporter repeated, and laughed. "I can’t see a foot in front of us, and you want me to read the signs as I’m driving?"

Jordanna broke out into her crooked, yet endearing smile. "That’s the plan, Stan," she said, and put her head back against the seat and proceeded to fall asleep, leaving Rebecca to navigate alone, in an unfamiliar state, in fog as thick as pea soup.

*****

"Are you alright to drive?" Rebecca asked, as she noticed Jordanna shifting uncomfortably in her seat, looking a little green around the gills. "You did have one hell of a hangover this morning."

"I'm fine," the drummer answered, and tried to rub a kink out of her thigh, silently praying her rebellious stomach wouldn't ruin their upcoming day at the Grand Canyon, the reason they picked Arizona in the first place. 'Damn that Janet and Bob… Goddamn swingers!' she thought to herself, and shook her slightly aching head. She looked to her right quickly, and noticed the outline of the Colorado River that was down below, signaling her to the nearness of the Grand Canyon. "We are almost there, right? That's the Colorado, isn't it?"

Rebecca checked the map spread out on her lap, and answered. "We should be there in a few minutes, love."

Jordanna rubbed the back of her neck and shifted in her seat once again. "Good." They drove another couple of miles until they saw the entrance to the canyon. Jordanna slowed the Mercedes down, and approached the ticket booth. After paying for entrance into the canyon, they followed the cars until they reached the desert entrance parking lot. She pulled the convertible into a spot in the back, and they both took a long stretch as they got out of the vehicle that they were in for the four-hour drive from Scottsdale. The drummer leaned back into the car and popped open the trunk, pulling out their two cameras and her NY Mets hat, which she quickly put on her head, backwards of course. Rebecca did the same with her NY Yankees hat, and closed the trunk.

"Ya ready?" Jordanna asked as she joined up with her lover, following the large crowd as they walked down to the edge of the canyon. The couple stopped dead in their tracks as the first view of the majestic wonder of the world came into sight.

Rebecca leaned her hands up against the metal barrier and took in the view with complete awe. "Amazing," she said quietly, and paused to snap a few shots, focused on getting the calm, blue/green water of the Colorado River flowing through the bottom of the canyon on film. "Simply amazing." After a few minutes of photo taking in pure silence, she turned and looked at the dark-haired woman standing right next to her. "Jor? You alright?"

The drummer turned her head slowly, revealing an errant tear that escaped from the bottom rim of her dark sunglasses, and just started it's descent down her tanned cheek. "I'm fine, Rebecca," she answered, her voice slightly emotional.

Rebecca wiped the tear away with her thumb. "Then why are you crying?"

"It's just…" Jordanna tried to verbalize her feelings, but she found them difficult to explain. She took Rebecca's hand in her own, oblivious to those around them. "Being a musician, traveling around the world, I always thought that I had seen and done everything that life has to offer. Now, standing her and looking at how huge, majestic and powerful this canyon is makes you realize just how small we really are and that so much more is really out there than us, you know?"

Rebecca squeezed her lover's hand tight. "Mmhmm," she murmured her agreement, looking out across the miles and miles of endless canyon. "It does."

"I'm just so thankful I have you to share my life with, Rebecca," the drummer said reflectively. "I love you."

The reporter leaned her body against Jordanna's, and felt the warmth radiating off of the tall woman's body. "I love you, too, Jordanna. I can't imagine a future without you in it."

Jordanna flashed a quick smile, and then tugged on her lover's hand. "C'mon, lets go check out the souvenir shop." Weaving in and out of the crowd mulling about outside, the two women slipped through the door of the far too small and far too crowded brick building.

The drummer pulled her sunglasses off of her head and looked around as she slowly made her way through the bottom floor of the shop, then she climbed up the spiral stairs to the second floor. She walked into a room filled with t-shirts and sweatshirts, and made her way over to the children's section. Flipping through all the t-shirts for the perfect one to bring back home for Cindy, she felt a presence come up behind her. Assuming it was Rebecca, she pulled out a black T-shirt with a picture of a wolf standing high on top of the canyon rocks and turned to show it to her lover, revealing her bright blue eyes. "Baby, do you think Cindy would like…"

"Oh my God, it is you!" the teenaged girl standing behind her shrieked. "My brother said he saw you outside, but I didn't believe him! Hey Rob," she screamed through the whole shop. "You were right, it is Jordanna Fox!"

"Son of a bitch," the drummer mumbled under her breath, and was immediately surrounded by a crowd of people with paper and cameras in their hands. She looked up and noticed Rebecca leaning against the doorjamb with some postcards, a shot glass, and a small stuffed coyote in her hands, smirking at her. The drummer quickly turned her annoyance off, and turned on her rock star charm for the public. "I'd be more than happy to sign autographs and pose for pictures for everyone, if you all can wait until my partner and I finish shopping, and meet me outside the shop, okay?"

A collective sigh was heard through the small room, and the group of people surrounding Jordanna dispersed as quickly as they came. "Thank you, Jordanna," the young girl who first approached her said, and then left the room and followed the others outside.

Rebecca pushed herself off the doorjamb with a quick bump of the hip, and met up with the drummer. "We gotta find you a new disguise, hot stuff," she said, and winked at her lover. "This one doesn't seem to work anymore."

"I guess I'm going to have to start wearing those damn brown contacts again," Jordanna answered quietly. She lifted the shirt she had in her hand. "Since she's been on a wolf kick lately, what do you think of this shirt for Cindy?"

Rebecca laughed. "Honey, I believe that is a coyote."

Jordanna shrugged her shoulders. "Wolf, coyote… same thing."

"No, it’s not, but I think Cindy will love the shirt anyway, especially if she knows that you picked it out." She grabbed the shirt out of her partner’s hands. "Let’s go pay for this stuff," she said, and smiled brightly. "So you can go out there and greet your adoring fans."

"Great," the drummer muttered, and followed Rebecca to the cashier to pay for their purchases.

*****

Walls of sparsely vegetated trees lined the way to the canyon heliport parking lot, and the tall woman followed them until she pulled the white Mercedes into a spot between two trucks.

"No way," Rebecca quickly commented when she took a look around at their surroundings. Now it all made sense to her why her lover was antsy and constantly looking at her watch as she was signing autographs and posing for photos outside the souvenir shop, a duty only another celebrity, or a member of their family, could understand, one that lasted almost two hours. "You didn't? We're not?" she mumbled, unable to form a coherent sentence. She looked over at her lover sitting in the driver's seat, and the large smirk on her face answered her unvoiced question. "I can't believe you!"

"I thought it would be better than riding on a damn donkey. What do you think?" the drummer responded, blushing like a lovesick schoolgirl when Rebecca planted a heartfelt kiss on her cheek as her answer. She cleared her throat as she unbuckled her seatbelt and got out of the car, glancing at her watch once again for a time check on their way to the building.

The drummer opened the front door and waited for Rebecca to step in first, and then followed right behind her. She walked over to the reception window, gave her name and her flight reservation time. The man behind the desk politely asked her for a credit card, printed out the receipts, and handed them to her to sign. "It'll be a few minutes," he advised her, and instructed them to sit down while they waited.

Rebecca sat down and began fiddling nervously with a piece of string hanging off the sleeve of her white Yankees jersey, and once she managed to remove that she started to anxiously drum an offbeat pattern on her bare thighs.

Jordanna put her hand on top of Rebecca's, stopping her. "Why are you so nervous, baby?"

"I don't know," Rebecca responded hesitantly. "Maybe because I've never flown in a helicopter before, I guess. Have you?"

"Uh huh," the drummer answered with a lazy nod. "When we played at the 25^th Anniversary Woodstock fiasco back in 1994, we had to be flown into the concert site. There was no way we would make it in on time, with all of the traffic in the area." Thinking back at the memories of that show, she let out a little chuckle. "What a mess that was, but it turned out to be a fun show nonetheless. I can only imagine what it was like to be in the audience."

Rebecca's mind also tumbled back a few years, and she thought about the huge fight she had with her boss, when he told her that one of the other staff members would be covering the show for the magazine. "I didn't have to cover that show," she said quietly.

"Just as well," Jordanna announced, and ran her hand along Rebecca's thigh, cool from the air conditioning blasting in the building. "Unless you really like taking mud baths," she added, cracking a goofy smile.

The front door opened, and an older man dressed in navy blue pants and a button down white shirt stepped in. He took off his aviator sunglasses, and looked at the two women sitting there, recognizing Jordanna right away. "Right this way, Ms. Fox," he said, and was out the door in a flash. The two women followed him through the parking lot and over to a white chopper that was surrounded by scurrying workers, checking for safety and readying the machine for their flight. One of the workers opened up the door of the helicopter, and helped the two women get comfortable in their seats. The man with the aviator sunglasses climbed into the pilot's seat, and another man with a thick head of red hair, much younger than the pilot, sat in the co-pilot's seat. The pilot turned to look at his passengers. "My name is Fred," he said, introducing himself, and handed each one of them a headset to put on, so they could hear and speak to him during the hour-long tour. "This here is Red," he said, introducing his co-pilot. "Any questions or problems, you'll let us know."

Fred flipped a bunch of switches and the engine kicked in, and within moments they were off, soaring above the road that they drove on to get into the heliport. Jordanna took Rebecca's hand in hers, and looked out the window at the amazing sight below them, the canyon just to the right of the helicopter. "We try to fly as low as possible without jeopardizing our safety," Fred announced, as he lowered the machine into the canyon itself, giving them a close up view of the rock formations, carved into odd shapes and painted in brilliant colors.

"Look at that," a wide-eyed Rebecca said, and pointed out the window at a lone pine tree standing regally on the edge of one of the cliffs. "It's so weird how a tree can grow in this kind of an environment."

The drummer nodded and smiled at her lover's excitement of all things unknown, and admitted to herself that she was just as intrigued by the mysterious canyon. They sat and listened as Red pointed out specific areas, naming the points as they went along, and explained a bit about the different kinds of rock that make up the beautiful sight, and the impact and destruction that erosion has caused it over the years.

"So landslides are partially to blame for some of these rock formations?" the drummer questioned, wanting to digest all the knowledge she could about the spectacular canyon and it's history.

"Yes," Red answered right away, obviously the more knowledgeable of the two pilots. "Some of the rock isn't supported well, and when it falls, the most beautifully formed cliffs appear out of nowhere. What amazes me most is that something that was here yesterday might look completely different today. The biggest structure changes happen during the long winter, though," he added.

Dry surface changed to wet as they flew through the section of the canyon where the mighty Colorado River met up with one of the small lakes at the bottom. Rebecca took still shots of the sights, and Jordanna filmed as much as she could with the video camera, focusing on the cliffs’ reflections in the still water in certain sections of the canyon.

Red pointed out a waterfall on their left, a sight that took both women's breath away. Jordanna closed her eyes for a moment, and pictured what a rush it would be like to make love with Rebecca directly under the falls. She turned and looked at Rebecca, and guessed that by the look on her face, she was thinking the same thing.

The co-pilot told a few stories of those adventurous enough to try to navigate the rough river, and some of the tragic outcomes. A strange look flashed across his face as they entered an area and flew lower, with another beautiful waterfall gracing their vision ahead of them. "This is Lake Havasu Falls, one of the more popular areas of the canyon," he explained. "If you look down below, you'll see the boats and the swimmers…"

"Oh, yeah, baby! Show mama some flesh," Jordanna instinctively yelled, when she looked down at the scene playing out in the lake below them.

Rebecca quickly looked down at the water, wondering what could possibly stop Red mid-sentence, and what in the hell would cause such an outburst from her partner. "Jordanna!" she screamed, and smacked her lover hard on the arm when she noticed all the bikini-clad women lounging on the boats, or in the water, baring their breasts and asses, just for the amusement of their friends, besides the passengers in the helicopter.

"Sorry," the drummer apologized, unable to remove her gaze from the window.

Fred turned and looked at the dark-haired woman, prompting Jordanna to ask, "I guess you make it a point to fly through this area quite often?"

The older man smiled and laughed. "Gets the old heart pumping," he teased. "Reminds me that I'm still alive!"

"I bet," the drummer countered, looking out the window once again, getting the same kind of greeting as before from the new group of women down below, kicking up the heat factor going on between her legs. "Certainly don't blame you, though. Very, very nice."

Red turned to look at her, also. "I guess you appreciate the fine form of a naked woman, huh, Jordanna?"

Jordanna grinned wickedly at the younger man, falling into her old routine real quickly. "I've appreciated a few over the years, yes."

"I bet," he also countered, and smiled at the sexy thoughts that went through his mind, praying that he could hold his arousal in check.

Realizing what was happening to her, the drummer turned and met her concerned lover's green eyes. "I guess I better make another appointment with Dr. Rosen as soon as we get home, huh?"

Rebecca nodded, and squeezed Jordanna's hand. "I guess you better," she whispered, and then leaned close to the drummer so that only she could hear. "Would it be a bad thing if I told you that seeing so much tits and ass at once really turned me on, too?"

Jordanna lifted a brow and smirked in response, and Rebecca leaned in once again. "And that I'd like to strip you naked right here and right now, and taste every fold of your body, inch by inch?" she asked seductively, and then looked at the two very amused faces in the front of the chopper, who heard every word she said in their headphones. "OH MY GOD!" she squealed, closing her eyes and covering her face in extreme embarrassment, and leaned her head on Jordanna's shoulder, feeling the drummer's body shaking from her hearty laughter. "Why didn't you say something?"

Once the tall woman could control her uncontrollable laughter, she wiped the tears that actually escaped from her eyes off of her cheeks. She leaned down and kissed the younger woman on the top of her head. "That was too precious," she said, and leaned to kiss Rebecca once again, this time on the lips. "You are just too precious."

The rest of the tour was taken in silence, which thankfully for Rebecca, went by very quickly. She had the door of the chopper open and practically jumped out before they were firmly on the ground, opting to wait by the locked Mercedes while Jordanna spoke to Red and Fred for a few minutes after the flight.

Sighing with relief when she saw the drummer walking back to the car, she pushed her body off of the hot metal when she heard the alarm disable and slid into her seat. The drummer got in the vehicle moments later, and shook her head. "Don't even say it, Jordanna," Rebecca warned her partner. "Just drive."

Rebecca slammed the bathroom door behind her, and turned on the water in the whirlpool. She stripped out of her shorts, Yankees jersey, and undergarments, and slid into the soothing, hot water, letting it soak her tense muscles, calming her down immediately.

She closed her eyes and thought of the ride back from the Grand Canyon, where she tortured her lover with folded arms and the silent treatment until they stopped at a restaurant to grab a bite to eat. Jordanna apologized profusely during the meal for getting caught up in the heat of the sexual moment, and allowing Rebecca to make a fool out of herself in front of Fred and Red.

Two men that they will never see again, a fact the drummer stressed over and over as they ate. Those were the words Rebecca needed to hear to break her out of her anger, and to see the humor in the situation.

She opened her eyes when she heard the light tap on the bathroom door, and her lover poked her head in the room hesitantly. "Can I come in?" Jordanna asked in a whisper, unsure of what Rebecca's reaction was going to be.

Rebecca sat up straight and smiled, motioning with wet hands for the drummer to come closer. "Of course."

Jordanna took slow steps as she walked toward the whirlpool, and got down on her knees when she reached the side. "Mind if I join you?" she asked, looking sincerely into clear green eyes.

"Get in," Rebecca said, and smiled when her lover jumped up and practically ripped off her clothing, joining her in the soothing water in no time flat.

"I'm sorry."

"Stop apologizing, Jordanna. You didn't do anything wrong."

The drummer shook her head. "Oh, but I did. I couldn't take my eyes off of those women, and you know it."

Rebecca moved closer to the drummer. "Neither could I, so we are even."

"But…"

"I said stop it." The reporter put her finger over Jordanna's lips to stop her. "What happened was normal human reaction to a beautiful, and sexual, sight. You didn't make Fred land the chopper so you could join them for an up close and personal sample, did you?"

"No, but…"

"Stop," Rebecca said softly, this time placing a kiss on Jordanna's lips to stop her from saying anything further. "Please."

"Okay," the drummer whispered, getting caught up in the passionate kiss, which turned into a session of bodily search and discovery in the whirlpool, before curling up in bed together for their last night in Scottsdale.

The seatbelt sign on the plane turned off, and the drummer unfastened herself and got up from her seat. She motioned for Rebecca to go into the back cabin without her, and walked to the front of the plane to use facilities to change and equip herself for the rest of the flight home.

She zipped up her loose jeans, checked to see how she looked in the mirror, and laughed when she looked down toward her feet. Slipping out of the bathroom quickly, she grabbed a bottle of wine, and made her way down the aisle and into the back cabin of the plane, and prayed that she wouldn't run into any of the crew in her attire.

As she slipped through the door, her eyes caught sight of her lover, who changed into something more revealing than the shorts and T-shirt she wore as she boarded the plane. "You look magnificent," the drummer said, and made sure her blue eyes took in every ounce of her partner's body. She walked across the cabin and joined Rebecca on the couch. "Good enough to…" She placed a gentle kiss on Rebecca's neck, and then ran her tongue along the area right below the blonde woman's ear before finally nibbling on an earlobe. "Eat," she promised quietly, and got up and pulled Rebecca up into a standing position.

Taking the reporter's hand, she spun Rebecca around and pulled her in close, close enough for Rebecca to feel the equipment she had on pressing up against her back. "Ooh," the reporter moaned, as Jordanna's magic hands caressed the front of her body, and pulled up the short, tight fitting dress she changed into, revealing that Rebecca wasn't wearing any panties at all, giving the silent drummer much easier access. "Oh yeah," she moaned again, when Jordanna slipped one of her fingers into her already wet center. Rebecca thrust her hips into Jordanna's touch, and the drummer quickly pulled her finger out. "Not yet," she whispered, and turned Rebecca around so that they were facing each other. She put her hands on Rebecca's shoulders and gently pushed her down to her knees. The reporter chuckled at the sight of the strange bulge in Jordanna's jeans, pulled her zipper down and poked her curious fingers inside, feeling what she expected to feel.

She looked up at Jordanna, and the smirking drummer nodded, urging her forward. Rebecca popped the button on Jordanna's jeans open and pulled them half way down her legs, greeting the attentive toy happily. "Well, hello there, big boy," she said jokingly, and ran her hand along the long shaft hanging between Jordanna's slightly spread legs.

"Suck it," the drummer commanded, and Rebecca gladly obliged, running her tongue on and around the tip, before slipping the piece into her mouth. She alternated sliding the phallus in and out of her mouth, and running her tongue in and along Jordanna's wet sex, making the tall woman moan with need.

"Get up," Jordanna commanded again, and held her hand out for her lover to take, helping her up from her kneeling position. She pressed her body against Rebecca's, and gently urged her into a sitting position on the couch. She got down on her knees in front of the couch, and pulled Rebecca's dress all the way up and over her head before spreading the blonde woman's legs wide open.

"Please," Rebecca pleaded, and the drummer dipped her head in between Rebecca's legs, not wasting any time with her usual teasing kisses, but entering her right away with her probing tongue. Jordanna used her muscle to bring Rebecca to the brink of pleasure, and when she knew the young blonde was just about ready, she got up off of the floor and pushed Rebecca's legs further apart. She leaned her body against the couch, holding her weight up by placing her arms against the back of the couch, and then slipped the thick toy as deep into Rebecca's moist folds as she could. "Oh, God, yes, Jordanna. There. Like that!" the reporter screamed loudly, as the drummer found a rhythm the reporter liked and kept up with it.

Jordanna locked eyes with Rebecca as she pumped, and by the look of pure pleasure that swept across the reporter's face, she realized that she would have to use the toy a little more often during their times of lovemaking.

"You put the men I've slept with to shame with that thing, Jor," the young blonde managed to get out in between the combination of grunts and moans that came out of her mouth.

The phallus accidentally slipped out of Rebecca just as she said that, making the drummer chuckle. "What was that you said about my technique, baby?" she asked, as she filled her lover up once again, and continued on where she left off before the little slip. She leaned forward and kissed the lips smiling back at her, and whispered in Rebecca's ear. "I'm not hurting you, am I?"

Rebecca closed her eyes as her inner walls began to tighten around the toy, and her body began to show all the signs of her imminent release. The reporter reached out and grabbed Jordanna's tank top in instinct, pulling her down on top of her, needing to feel their closeness at that very moment. The drummer pulled out slowly after she felt Rebecca's body relax under her, and she rolled into a sitting position next to her partner, relieving Rebecca of the burden of her heavier weight. Jordanna ran her hand through Rebecca's wet bangs, and turned her body to the side so she could kiss her.

The reporter wrapped her arms around Jordanna's neck, pulling her down and into the intense kiss; a kiss that Jordanna felt from her lips all the way down to her toes, and every ounce of love Rebecca was conveying in it. "That was amazing," Rebecca whispered softly in the drummer's ear once they broke apart. She ran her hand along the phallus, still moist from her release. "I like this little guy," she said, and ran her hand along it again.

"I see that," Jordanna responded with a smile, and bent down to untie her shoes so she could remove the jeans still wrapped around her ankles. "I guess I'm going to have to bring out my bag of toys a little more often, eh?"

Rebecca watched as the drummer stood up and stepped out of her jeans, and unhooked the leather strap-on. She stood up and walked up behind Jordanna, and ran her hand along the drummer's tight ass, making her jump. The tall woman turned around, pulled Rebecca into her arms, and held on tightly. "Come lay with me," the dark alto voice whispered, and they walked together to the couch. Jordanna sat her half-naked body down first and opened her arms for Rebecca to climb into, which she did. Tugging at the drummer's tank top, Rebecca teased, "How'd you manage to keep this on?"

Jordanna shrugged. "Wasn't necessary to take off."

"Take it off now," Rebecca said, in an uncharacteristically demanding voice, and a wicked smile broke out across her angelic face. "You have something I like to play with when I'm laying in your arms."

A dark eyebrow rose. "Oh?"

The small blonde sat up and shimmied Jordanna's tank top up and over her head, and immediately crawled right back into her partner's arms. "Your scar," she answered, and ran her finger along the small, faint white mark under the drummer's ribcage. "What'd you think I was talking about?" She tugged on the drummer's nipple rings and smiled. "These?"

"Well, I was kind of hoping that's what you were talking about," the drummer responded playfully, and tugged on her lover's own ring. She leaned over and picked up the bottle of red wine sitting on the table next to the couch, and poured some into the two empty glasses also sitting on the table. Smiling, she handed Rebecca her glass, and just as she was going to take a sip from her own, Rebecca stopped her. "No, I want to make a toast first, Jor."

Jordanna leaned back against the couch and got comfortable. Feeling slightly melancholy now that they were on their way back to New York, bringing their official honeymoon to an end, Rebecca lifted her glass in the air. "To us," she started. "May our life together always be like we are on our honeymoon."

The drummer chuckled at the corny words, and tapped her glass against Rebecca's. "Always," she repeated, and took a sip of the dry wine, before giving her lover a kiss. "How about we start our honeymoon for life now?"

Rebecca furrowed her brows. "Huh?"

Jordanna wiggled her eyes, snagged Rebecca's glass of wine from her hands, and pushed her all the way down on the couch. She took her own wineglass and momentarily hesitated, toying with the messy idea in her head, but continued on anyway, deciding she could always just buy a new couch.

"What are you doing?" Rebecca responded in between fits of laughter, as she felt the warm liquid Jordanna poured on her pooling in the circle of her navel area, and running down her stomach onto the leather couch.

The drummer straddled Rebecca's legs, dipped her head down, and ran her tongue in circles around the outside of Rebecca's belly button, getting a brief taste of some of the spilt wine as she went along. "Forget about me," the drummer lifted her head up and spoke. "You should get your navel pierced. You have the most delicious abs I've ever seen." Leaning down again, she dipped her tongue right into the wine-filled navel and did a shot off of Rebecca. "And tasted," she added, and went back again to make sure she got it all.

She sat up and grabbed her glass of wine and poured herself another shot, this time also pouring some on the surprised reporter's breasts, not giving a fuck what kind of a mess she made of her million dollar plane, the fate of the leather couch all but forgotten. "I guess old Davey boy never did any body shots off of your gorgeous body, baby?" she teased after she did another body shot from Rebecca's navel. "Didn't think so," she said, and took a tasty nipple into her mouth, running it in between her teeth before sucking hard on the nub. Rebecca instinctively arched her body into Jordanna, letting her know how much she was enjoying the drummer's attentions without uttering a spoken word. "He is SUCH an idiot," the drummer announced, the alcohol making her especially talkative. She turned her attention to the other nipple, and Rebecca arched forward again, the sensation sending desirable signals to the area between her legs, and rocked her body with another powerful orgasm.

Both women jumped up and quickly got dressed on shaky legs when the pilot’s voice came over the intercom, announcing their soon to be descent into the New York area.

**

"We are going to do that again on a commercial flight?" Rebecca asked curiously, and she leaned her head on the dark haired woman’s shoulder as they sat buckled in the plush leather seats, prepared for their landing at Republic Airport.

"Mmm, yeah," the content drummer mumbled. "We'll get a nice, warm blanket to drape over us as we sit amongst all of the other passengers on the flight, and then I'll just slide my fingers in and…"

"Jordanna!" The reporter stopped her lover from explaining any more of the sordid details, hoping to learn how it's done personally when the time comes. "We're not gonna do it in the bathroom, like everyone else?"

The dark-haired woman smiled and shook her head. "Nah, it's too tight in there, and the smell starts to get to you after a while. It's much more exciting when you do it right there in your seats." She looked out the window and smiled as she recognized some of the local Long Island sights, like the roller coaster at the small amusement park located only a couple miles down the road from the airport; the same amusement park she spent a good part of her childhood at.

Continued in Part 8