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Night Music

         Jay lay face down on his tattered notebook, sprawled across the hotel room bed.  His music writing guitar was next to his hand, but the strings were mute for him tonight.  He turned irritatedly over onto his back, nearly cracking his head on the guitar neck.  His musical muse was being a real bitch this time around, tantalizing him with fragments of song lyrics that seemed to go nowhere, and dangling snippets of melody and riffs that fell off the proverbial cliff just as they were about to soar.  It felt as though he had a whole album's worth of songs trying to force themselves out of his head at one time, and the cacophony was driving him mad.

         A sharp gasp carried faintly through the hotel room wall, and he turned his head in that direction.  Sara was spending her first night with Daff next door, while he was holed up here with his notebook and guitar and his musical mistress, who was giving him all kinds of green light but perversely refusing to put out.  He was feeling distinctly lonely and frustrated... and horney as hell.  The battered notebook took a flying leap across the room and fluttered unsatisfyingly against the too-thin wall to lie in a dejected heap in the corner.

         He had been okay with sharing Sara earlier in the day, when the music was singing in his blood and they had a concert coming up in just a couple hours.  He was still okay with it in the front of his mind - he couldn't turn off the music once he started to write and he trusted his best friend to take good care of her while he was distracted.  They had shared girlfriends in the past without problems.  This shouldn't be any different, he assured himself.

Through the wall he heard Daff groan in ecstasy.  The lucky bastard.  Jay jerked upright like a marionette on its strings, but his head snapped back suddenly and he collapsed back onto the bed with a gasp of pain.  His long hair had tangled in the guitar tuners, again.  He cursed long and eloquently in his native Cajun French while his experienced hands worked behind his head to extract him from the trap.  He decided a cold shower and a cruise through the minibar were next on the program list.  He wished to hell he could lose himself in Sara's embrace instead of the road worn Stratocaster's.

         Playing musical lovers was a new experience for Sara.  She wasn't sure yet how she felt about the situation, but both men wanted her and she admitted to herself that she wanted them.  She had been denying her attraction to Daff almost from the first moment they had met, telling herself that she just enjoyed his easy company.  She had fallen fast and hard for Jay the moment they had collided, and at first she was blind to anything and anyone else.  Following Daff tonight into his hotel room instead of Jay made her feel like she was cheating, except that he had nudged them together himself.

         She glanced shyly over as Jay stopped at his own door to set down his overnight bag and guitar case.  He smiled warmly and wished them a good night before disappearing inside.  She sighed and allowed Daff to pull her into his own room and close the door.

         He wrapped her in his strong arms and kissed her passionately, eager to touch and taste every inch of her now that she was with him.  Sara tried to respond in kind - wanted to respond - but now that they were alone she began to feel like things were moving too fast.  She needed to ease her way into this new situation.

         "Daff, please" she begged.  "I know I said I was ready earlier, but right now I've got a bad case of nerves topped with a drizzle of guilt for leaving Jay alone."  She rubbed her arms as if chasing a chill.  "I've never done anything like this before.  I almost had myself convinced we were just friends."  She ducked her head guiltily and leaned back against the door as though she might yet run away back to Jay's familiar arms.

         Daff cupped her soft chin in his calloused hand until she looked up at him.  He smiled gently.  "Don't worry, hon" he assured her.  "I'm not going to eat you alive... as much as I'm dying to" he told her honestly.  "I'll never ask you to do anything you don't want or aren't ready to do.  It's always your choice" he promised.

         He pulled her gently farther into the room and sat down on the end of the bed with her snugged between his knees.  He kissed bother her hands, bringing a smile to her face, then wrapped his arms around her slim waist and turned his head to rest against her stomach.  He sighed, instantly feeling more peaceful as her fingers slowly wove into his shoulder-length hair.  They were quiet and just breathed each other in for a moment.

         "It's okay if you don't want both of us" he said against the curve of her breast.  The heat of his breath warmed her chilled skin through her clothes.

         "We can stay just friends and you can go back to Jay's room if you want to, but I hope you'll stay a while, even just to talk."  He tilted his head back to look up at her, rubbing the side of his face against her blouse.  His soft hair caressed the sensitive curve of her skin.

         She buried her hands deeper into his hair and then slid them down to his shoulders.  "I want you tonight" she assured him.  "I just want to get used to touching you first."  She glanced up at the bed.

         "Why don't you make yourself comfortable and I'll massage your back and shoulders while you tell me more about yourself" she told him.  "I know you've been with the band for ten years now, but I'd like to get to know the man, not just the guitarist better, and it looked like your shoulder was bothering you earlier."

         Daff looked at the shy innocence of her sweet face a moment, then shrugged.  He had been careful up till now to keep a shirt on whenever she was around, but if they were going to be lovers he wouldn't hide anything from her.  He stripped off his faded jeans and socks casually, then removed his button-down shirt, turning away so she could see the scars on his back without him having to witness the horror in her eyes.  At her shocked gasp his shoulders slumped, and he closed his eyes, not wanting to relive his past but knowing he would have to explain.

         Sara stared at the countless old scars crisscrossing most of his upper back and trailing down his ribs to the waist.  Some were obviously ancient and nearly faded, while others showed more clearly, though still old.  She ran her fingers gently over the slopes of those muscled shoulders, realizing for the first time how well-defined he was without the long shirts to hide it.  There were faint stripes where he had been beaten bloody with a leather belt on several occasions.  One shoulder blade was covered in rougher skin and surgical scars, making her wonder if he had been in an accident at one point.  There was a stippling of tiny scars peppering one rib that disappeared into the waistband of the briefs he had yet to take off.  She covered the worst part with her hand and held him to her, unable to speak but desperately wanting to give him comfort.  He slowly relaxed into her arms, resting his head against hers where it lay on his shoulder.

         "The little ones are from a sawed-off shotgun while I was hanging from the edge of a balcony trying to escape.  I dropped two stories and landed on my shoulder, which is why it bothers me now and then in cold weather" he told her. 

         "Playing a full-length show and two encores on what turned out to be a covered hockey rink was a bit chilly by the time we packed it in.  Most of the rest are from beatings I got from my old man before I finally ran away from home at sixteen" he said quietly.

         Sara kissed the spider web of scars under her cheek.  "You don't have to tell me about them if you don't want to.  I know what child abuse feels like, although my scars are on the inside.  You're exactly what you've made of yourself Daff, not what was done to you."  She turned him to face her and gave him earnest eyes.

         "I see a whole man, a good one.  One I want to get to know better" she kissed him lightly.  "One I want to make love with tonight.  But first I want you to lie down on your stomach so I can work some of the stiffness out of that shoulder."  Her eyes heated and she gave him a devilish grin.  "We'll work on your other stiffness after that" she smiled wickedly.

         He nearly groaned out loud with need.  "Well if you insist I suppose I have to - don't want you to spank me or anything...." he let the words trail off ripely as he stretched out on the bed.

         Sara licked her lips as she surveyed the handsome man she had laid out at her mercy.  "We'll save that for another night, shall we?" she teased him.  She quickly stripped down to her lacy underthings and climbed onto the bed to straddle his waist.  He tried to look back over his shoulder at her, but she pushed his head back down.

         "Relax, you baboon, or I might just swat you after all" she laughed at him.

         "That's not fair" he groused.  "I took my clothes off and you got to look as long as you wanted.  Then you plant me face down, take your clothes off and sit on me!" the rumbling laughter in his chest vibrated between her legs, making her ache to take him into her.

         She began massaging his shoulders, lightly at first to get him to relax, then pressing deeper to get the tight muscles to open up.  He groaned in ecstasy as a particularly stubborn knot loosened in his aching shoulder and he nearly melted into a puddle in her hands.

         Instead he rolled over, surprising her enough that she landed on her back next to him.  In a flash he covered her with his body, pinning her to the bed.

         "What have we here?" he fingered the rose lace of her demi cup, coaxing the bud behind it to swell.  He nibbled lightly with his teeth through the lace, drawing a moan from her throat.  "Like that, do you?" he chuckled.  Her hips bucked lightly against him in response.

         He wanted to be gentle with her their first time together, to bring her pleasure so she would come back for more.  He was a big man, and he didn't want to frighten her off.  But his need for her was quickly bringing out his hidden dominant side.

         With one hand he pinned her wrists above her head.  The other cruised down the trembling slopes of her body to delve beneath the tiny scrap of lace guarding heaven.  Her eyes were wide open at his sudden change.

         "Do you trust me?" he asked her.  When she nodded he plunged two fingers into her depths, swallowing her startled cry with a ravenous kiss.  His skilled fingers drove her mercilessly to orgasm almost before she could draw breath to scream her pleasure against his lips.

         When she was limp beneath him Daffy drew himself up enough to remove the last of their clothes.  He kissed her fluttering eyelids, first one and then the other, drawing a sigh from her parted lips.  With her pliant in his arms he could be gentle again for the moment.  He kissed and caressed her tenderly before covering her body again with his own.

         Sara opened hazy eyes to gaze up at the roughly handsome face above her.  She had never experienced such brutal pleasure before, but she found she wasn't afraid of him.  She wound her arms around him as he slipped into her.  They kept the rhythm slow and sensuous, watching the pleasure in one another's eyes as they moved together.  The room held the music of murmur and sigh like a gilded cup, finally spilling over as they crested the wave together.

         Sara lay quietly in the cradle of Daffy's strong arms late in the night, listening to the steady beat of his heart as he slept.  The slow, even rise and fall of his chest beaconed her to join him in beautiful dreams, but she wanted to hold this moment to her as long as she could.

         He had made love to her several times that night, by turns slow and sweet or fast and furious.  In the small hours before dawn he had finally relaxed in sleep, holding her tenderly.  She remained awake, watching him sleep, falling in love.

A few nights later Jay sat on the tour bus with his notebook on his knee, watching the night slip by the window.  This was the first time in over forty-eight hours that he had taken notice of the world outside his music.  It was peaceful, and he appreciated the lull of the moment, knowing that soon he'd be lost in the music once again.

         He looked over to where Sara slept like an angel in his bunk.  He had made love to her earlier 'till they were both utterly exhausted, but sleep eluded him and he had risen in the darkness to answer the call of the music in his head.  It was flowing like fine wine now, and he could hardly write fast enough.  Maybe Sara was good for his songwriting, he thought, before the music closed over his head again.


Mistress Music

         Wheels hummed a lullaby to the restless sleepers cradled in their bunks, the endlessly rolling road rocking them gently to dreams of family or fans.  The night was mostly silent as they wound mile after mile toward the far-off dawn and the siren call of yet another spotlight.

         Sara alone was awake, safe and snug in warm blankets and the haven of Daffy's strong arms.  She lay with her head on his chest, listening to the slow bass beat of his heart while she watched the night slip by.  Her eyes strayed often to the bunk across the way where Jay slept fitfully, one arm stretched into space as though reaching for her.

         He seemed content with the situation since she had moved into Daffy's arms and into his bed, but she was aware that he seldom slept peacefully anymore.  She wondered if he was always restless sleeping alone or was he missing her beside him.  The boys had originally shared her, but Jay had become increasingly withdrawn into his music composing to the point that he barely noticed the others around him.  During the days he spent hours with his music to the exclusion of most of the members of the tour, only interacting with the others during practice, meals and shows.  Daff assured her that he could turn reclusive for weeks on end when his mistress Music was riding him hard, and he gradually became disheveled and lost weight.  As one week turned into two and Jay remained a prisoner of his inspiration the entire group started keeping an eye on him, nudging food when they could and steering him away from the edge of the stage when he strayed too close.  When they could get him to respond he assured them that the songwriting was going strong, but he wasn't yet able to swim clear of the music to share it with them, so they were forced to watch and wait for him to find his way back to them.

         Sara took comfort in Daff's nonchalant calm and his teasing sense of humor as much as she enjoyed his dominant manner in the bedroom.  Whereas Jay liked her as wild and uninhibited as he himself was, Daff had a way of turning her into gooey putty with a few words growled in her ear and a firm touch.  He enjoyed coming up behind her at odd moments to whisper what he wanted to do in her ear and watch the helpless wanting that left her weak and wet for him.  She rarely wore jeans and underthings anymore because just knowing she was bare under the skirts and so easily ready for him made him aggressive when he could get her alone for five minutes.  She loved the contrast between the easygoing joker he was with everyone else and the dominating lover he became with her when they were alone.

         Daffy was in heaven.  Every show they performed was spot-on, the fans and the group both giving their all.  Music was all around him, his work, his head, pouring from his hands when he caressed his oldest lover - his dark beauty Les Paul.  He had a beautiful woman in his life who was both friend and lover, sharing his joy of life and generous enough to let him exorcise his demons in the heaven of her lush body.  His hands played her like he played his guitar, in turns soft and gentle or wild and rough, depending on the music of his soul.  She was never frightened of his darker, dominant side, submitting to his need until his soul was healed and he found his peace in her again.


         The group rolled into Davenport in the middle of one of the most violent thunderstorms on record after three months on the tour.  The road from Denver had been littered with trash and broken branches - some of which had been the size of young trees - and everyone in the bus was beginning to feel a bit seasick from the erratic weaving to dodge larger debris.  They staggered from the bus in an uneven line to the lobby of the hotel where they were to stay the night, looking forward to hot showers, a hot meal and a good night's sleep before the next evening's concert.  When they stepped into the lobby their hopes were crushed - the room was lit by scattered candles and oil lamps.  The pretty young receptionist apologized for the inconvenience but the power was out across the city and it might be days before things were up and running again.

         A hurried call to the venue confirmed their worst fears - the power was out and would stay out until repairs could be made to the local power station, which had suffered a major lightening strike only a couple hours earlier.  The gig was officially canceled.  The group gathered round to discuss whether to stay the night in the dark hotel without hot water or food or to continue on toward the next venue and hope to find a place to crash along the way.  Eventually they decided to brave the weather and return to the bus rather than spend the night in the dark hotel.  Discouraged and hungry, they climbed back aboard their home away from home and set out again into the dark and stormy night.

         The raging decibel storm and pounding rain outside was able to achieve what the weeks of touring and songwriting had failed to bring about - Jay looked around himself and discovered he was back in the world of the living.  His fickle mistress had used him sorely and left him again, empty stomached but cleansed of soul.  For the first time in weeks he realized he was hungry and a bit light-headed... how long had he been gone this time?  Had he held up his part during their gigs while he was lost in the music's world?

         Jay cleared his throat and looked around at his friends.  "Hey, where are we?  Is there any food?" he asked in a rusty voice.

         The bus exploded with relieved laughter.  Ollie clapped his friend on the back, nearly knocking him over.  "Well look who's back!  We thought we'd have to call out a priest this time.  Mickey, see if there's anything edible left in the fridge for our long-lost brother."  He peered into Jay's laughing eyes like a doctor.  "Where you been, buddy?  We missed you"  he tagged his friend on the back of the head playfully.

         Mickey tossed over an apple and a bag of pretzels.  Ari made a dive for the bag and had to be wrestled down by Jerry so that Jay could stuff a handful of pretzels in his mouth.  He winged the apple at the drummer, who easily caught the fruit and sat down satisfied to eat.  Mickey dug deeper into the cupboards and tossed chocolate bars and cracker boxes over his shoulder as he found them.

         The gang settled down shortly and everyone wanted to know about Jay's latest trip.  He had the most amazing ability to run on autopilot for weeks at a time, performing for the crowds without a flaw, all the while dreaming of music in his head.  Some of their biggest hits had come from Jay's musical wanderings.

         He abandoned a half a bag of Cheetos to the vultures to fetch his notebook and guitar and to see for himself what he had been up to - the last strains of music still lingered in his head but most of it was a tired blur.  On the way to his bunk he saw Daffy and Sara wrapped up in one another and he felt a piece of his heart break.  He really cared for Sara and wished she was still his, but the siren call of Music had cost him his chance at something more.  It was obvious the way the two were so lost in each other that they were fast on the road to love.  He grabbed his notebook and turned away.

         Just then Daff looked up and saw the pain in his friend's eyes.  He jumped up from their bottom bunk.  "Jay!  You're back - that's great!  We've missed you."  he admitted to the other man's back.  "We heard a commotion earlier, but we were... occupied."  he trailed off guiltily.

         Jay turned but didn't get a chance to reply before he was being attacked by a small, rumpled fury.  They bounced off the wall and nearly crashed to the floor before Daff managed to grab his arm to steady them.  Sara was sobbing, trying to both hold him and slap at him at the same time in her distress.  They wrestled a moment until he succeeded in pinning her arms between them and he held her tightly as she collapsed clinging to him and crying inconsolably.  The two men exchanged a perplexed look over her head and shrugged at the mystery of women.

         "You terrible dog, you!" she wailed against his shirt.  "You just turned into a zombie overnight and you were GONE for a MONTH!"  she thumped a fist weakly on his chest.  "I was so worried - everyone said you'd be alright, but I MISSED you, you idiot!"  Sara burst into fresh tears, soaking his shirtfront.

         Something unnamed and unknown in his chest eased and melted.  All he could do was bury his face in her sweet hair and hold her tight, whispering nonsense in her ear and stroking her back soothingly.  Daffy wrapped his arms around the both of them and they took comfort in his strong support. 

         After a time Sara calmed down enough to let go of Jay's damp shirt and they returned to the sitting area where the others had been not noticing what was going on.  Everyone wanted to get their hands on Jay's new music - they had of course heard bits and pieces over the last weeks as he had spent countless hours with his notebook and guitar, but they were eager to hear the finished songs.  The group spent the rest of the stormy night going over the songs together and other than a chord tweak and a couple word changes they were solid.  The general consensus was that with the new songs added to the ones the guys had written together earlier they easily had enough material for their next album when the current tour ended and they could get back to the studio.  Sara got elected to sit down and hand-copy Jay's scratchings into clear sheet music as she was the only one who had formal music training and decent handwriting.  Sometime after midnight the bus stopped at an all-night drive-through for sustenance.  In the early dawning light they rolled into the next town on their tour.


Face the Music

         With the tour having landed in Chicago for a few days Sara had decided to take the oportunity to visit with old friends and do

some shopping the next day.  Jay and Daff lingered over tea and coffee in the common living area of their suite of rooms to work on the

ballad they had been writing together.  They had most of the music written for the piece and were working out the last of the kinks in the

lyrics when Sara kissed them each on the cheek and headed into the city.

         Before the pair got much farther in their composing the rest of the group marched into the room and took up positions around the

communal table.  Jerry plucked the guitar Daffy was using out of his hands on the way by and sat down casually at the other end of the

table out of reach.  Ollie turned the chair at the head of the table around backwards and sat himself down comfortably, his arms resting

on the back of the chair as he looked around the table.

         Jay shared a raised eyebrow with Daff and cocked his head at the invasion.  "What's this, Ol" he asked the headman.  "An

ambassage?  What have we done this time to earn a talking-to?  I thought you guys were over the spagetti episode before the tour began" he

said, refering to an impromptu food fight that had broken out just days before they had left home for the east coast that had resulted in

a new coat of paint on the dining room walls.

         Ollie shook his head and poured himself a cup of Jay's herbal tea.  "No, that matter was settled without bloodshed.  We're here to

discuss Sara" he answered.  "We were willing to give you some leeway when you brought her on the bus because she's sweet and you seemed to

be crazy about her.  She's a good kid and hasn't caused trouble - unlike you two - but we all agreed years ago that there would be no tour

bus bunnies on our tours.  I'll be the first to point out that listening to the two of you go at it in the bunk just below me hasn't been

a picnic.  You could have a bit more concideration for those of us who aren't getting any on this trip" he admonished.

         Ari spoke up from the other end of the table.  "We might not have said anything if you were really falling in love and planning to

take her home to keep.  But if you're sharing her it can't be all that serious and the rest of us would really like to get some sleep on

the road without having to listen to the two of you rut every night in the bottom bunks.  You've had your fun playing rock stars, but it's

time to send the girl home and get back to work.  Keeping her as a plaything isn't treating her with respect" he admonished with a shake

of his head.  The others nodded their agreement.

         Daff gave Jerry a narrow look.  "You swiped my guitar because you're jealous over a girl?" He waved a hand in the general

direction of the door.  "There are plenty of girls out there, brother, go out and have yourself a time.  Or wait until we get back down to

Orleans and you can see if Jay's cousin is still waiting to get into your pants."  He looked at every man in turn.  "Sara is no plaything.

I know we agreed there would be no girls on the bus, but right now she has no place to live.  Are you all willing to just drop her off on

some street corner and wish her the best of luck?" he asked the group.

         Jay refilled his cup.  "I know I screwed a lot of things up by bringing her on the bus, but I've never felt this much about a

woman before.    It's my fault her roommate kicked her out