Rick Russell's hand shook a little as he lowered the page, blew out a breath and ran a hand back through his shaggy dark curls. The story was good, fuck, it was hot as hell. He was very nearly cracking fat even with Dan in the room, though his assistant was sitting at his laptop at the desk in the corner pretending to ignore him.

"Um." The actor cleared his throat. "Mate."

"Yeh, Rick?" Dan McElroy's fingers paused over the keyboard as he looked up. His thinning blonde hair was swept back and he had a pair of reading glasses hooked to the end of his nose. He looked more like a hip young professor than the surf loving celeb-minder that he actually was.

"Where'd you get this?" Rick tried to sound casual as he reached for the pack of Marlboros on the coffee table before him.

"What?"

"What?" the dark haired man dropped the pages onto the table to tap them with his finger pointedly. "This what. The what y'gave me, mate." His eyes grinned as he shook his head in wonder, talking around the ciggie clenched in his lips. "Silly bastard."

"Ohhh, that." Dan grinned and tapped out a few more lines on his email. "A fan sent it, I think."

"Y'reckon?" Rick snickered and pulled a drag, then settled back, one arm stretched out comfortably along the back of the couch. He blew a long stream of smoke towards the ceiling as he allowed the story to settle into his brain. He wasn't even aware of the fact that his fingers were pawing through his scruffy beard between drags as he thought. His booted foot jiggled where it hung off his knee.

The story had turned him on. It wasn't simply the desire factor, though truth was he found the idea of being the object of a stranger's fantasy exciting if a fair bit embarrassing. No, there was something more to it. The way this woman (and yes, he believed it was a woman, it had to be!) had described him and envisioned his reactions… It was as if she knew him, had somehow managed a glimpse beyond the public persona and seen a side of him that few ever witnessed.

He shuffled through the papers again, pausing to reread some of his favorite passages, then looked over at Dan who was frowning at an email that had just come in by way of a reply to one of his replies. "Danno."

"Yeh?" This time his assistant didn't look up.

"Did you read this?"

A slow grin crawled across the other man's face, followed by a slight darkening of his cheeks. "Uh, yeh, Rick, I did." He chuckled and straightened and shot his employer a shy but amused look. "How else would I have known to show it off to you?"

"Good point," the actor nodded with a grin. "And?"

"And?" Dan shrugged. "Well written, fairly hot…" Here he paused to wince a smile. "…Though I could've done without a few of those images."

"And?" Rick persisted.

"And… ?" the other man shrugged, then grinned again. "And… I think you'd better not leave that where Peg will find it." He chuckled low. "Whoever wrote that nailed you spot on, mate." He pointed to the story in question. "One look and Peg might think it's because you actually nailed the author."

Margaret Frost, Peg or Peggy to her friends was Rick's on again-off again girl. His relationship with America's Favourite Perky Actress was so stormy that sometimes even he wasn't sure whether they were on good terms or bad until she'd call him. She was off on location at the moment and had taken to ringing him late night wanting phone sex. He liked Peggy, she was a popular actress and a nice notch in his belt to be sure, but where in the beginning she had come to him freshly separated from her Hollywood husband and needing Rick's loving arms for protection, she now just seemed clingy. Truth was, while he didn't quite have the heart to tell her to shove off, she was starting to smother him like a wool doona during the Christmas heat. And it was making him itch.

"Screw Peggy, she's in Sri Lanka doing that elephant saving flick." That was another thing. Peg's vegan overly liberal ways were starting to chafe him a bit, too. He was meat and potatoes, she was tofu and bean sprouts. Aside from waving but not really smoking the occasional ciggie about, her idea of being wild seemed to be drinking unpasturised apple juice, which wouldn't be so bad if she wasn't always on him to do the same. Two weeks of trying to force her rabbit food down his throat and he'd started picking the restaurants again and it wouldn’t have gone on that long if she had been only a shade less worshipping of his cock.

Dan shook his head with a chuckle and turned back to the growing list of emails before him. Rick wanted to go to Austin to record an album with his band which had led to three sold out shows in a local mid-sized venue. No worries. But the entire affair had snowballed into an avalanche of work for the already put-upon assistant, not that he would ever think to complain. What Rick Russell wanted, Rick Russell got. Dead cert. He'd worked with the man for five years, through eight films and had never seen Rick walk away empty handed once he put his mind to something. Which is why his employer's next question made him cringe.

"So, who is she d'ya think?" Russell was staring at the pages again.

"Dunno, mate."

"Must be a return address somewhere, right?" Rick was looking at him now, giving him the tilted thoughtful look. "Right?"

Dan sighed. "I'm sure Jenny or someone must've seen the original mailer, sure," he shrugged. "But, look Rick, forget it. Sure you could slap her with a cease and

desist -"

"What?" A chuckle bubbled up from deep in the actor's chest. "No, no, mate, y'got it all wrong." His eyes snapped merry sparks. "I don't want to sue her, I wanna meet her."

"No." McElroy's tone was flat out denial.

"What?" Rick chuckled again, but this time there was an edge to it. An edge that Dan knew all too well and had never liked.

"Rick…." The blonde swiveled his chair and turned to face his employer with a heavy sigh. "Look, mate. It's just not… what one might call a 'good idea.' "

The actor stubbed out the last of his smoke and pushed to his feet, pausing for two deep overhead stretches, one on each side. Then he was on the move, headed for the suite's master bedroom. He paused by Dan's chair and patted the man on the shoulder. "You just find her, Danno. I'll take care of the rest."

*

As if Dan hadn't had enough to do keeping up with Rick's correspondence for the upcoming Austin trip along with all his regular tasks and errand running, he now found himself more or less pimping for his boss, in search of the most recent woman to give him a hard on. When a call to the actor's management failed to turn up a return address for the woman who had sent the sexy prose, he took to surfing the actor's fan sites, reading online bulletin boards and lurking in chat rooms. He was surprised to discover that overall, the man's fans were a randy bunch of seemingly otherwise fairly sane women, only a small percentage were the foaming crazies he had expected. And he learned something else. These women, the creative ones anyhow, had managed to channel their lust for the actor into an active sub-culture, right down to inventing their own language.

*

"It's called Smussell," he announced one day as Rick sat blinking owlishly at his morning cuppa.

"Wot?" the actor squinted up at him through puffy eyes. He'd only just gotten up, barely had half a smoke and bloody Dan was tossing him riddles. "What the fuck're you talking about?" When he was working, Rick was adamant about being up and at the set on time. Otherwise, he liked to sleep in and was more often than not grumbly in the mornings.

"The stories they write about you." He tossed a stack of papers in front of the actor as if daring him to read them. "Seems to be a bastardisation of 'Rick Russell Smut'. They shortened it."

"All these are all about… me?" Rick's brow furrowed as he squinted at the pages beside his cup.

"Tip of the iceberg, mate." He turned away to pour himself a fresh one. "That's just meant to represent some of the best of it."

"Holy snapping assholes," the actor blew out a breath as his thumb ruffled the pages. There had to be at least ten stories there, all neatly typed and stapled. Most were ten to twenty pages long, a few were even longer. His eyes moved back up to his assistant in surprise, one brow arched high and wondering. "Mate. Fair go."

Dan only shrugged.

"You're shitting me."

"I shit you not." McElroy hid a smug grin behind a careful pull off his mug and began to turn away. In less than a week Russell and his bandmates we due to invade Austin, determined to act like the pop stars they'd always dreamt of being and he had a pile of work to get to. But, before he would be allowed to get to it, he knew there were still a few questions coming.

Rick's nervous fingers flicked ash from his cigarette so hard that he nearly knocked off the lit tip. He licked his lips and pulled a fresh drag, eyes still on the pages before him as if he was afraid to look away. "Dan? Is, uh, …is she, y'know, in here?"

"Yep. Two stories." He nodded. "Both excellent, actually. Your girl Kayla is very popular. Her fans can't seem to get enough."

The actor's brows shot high as he snapped up in his chair. "You found her?" He didn't even bother trying to hide the note of excitement in his voice. As mad as he knew it to be, finding, meeting and yes, when he was honest with himself, hopefully bedding this woman had become something of a quest for him. "I owe you a coldie, mate, shit, I owe you a whole slab!" he giggled. "How'd ya manage?"

Dan couldn’t help feeling a little proud at his ingenuity. "I’m Annie from Adelaide," he snickered.

"Pardon?" the actor bubbled, giving him a slow up and down look. "Fuck me if y'are."

The assistant's grin widened as he patiently explained, "I went on one of the websites and posted myself under that name. Told them I was the biggest Rick Russell fan that ever walked God's green." He paused to chuckle.

"Well, that's a fuckin' lie," Russell guffawed.

"Sure," McElroy snickered. "But they bought it."

"Fuck me," the actor dissolved into a fresh giggle. Then a thought caught at him and made him stop. "But anyhow. You found her. Kayla."

"Yeh, I did, but look, Rick, here's the thing…" He sighed and slid into the seat across from his boss, eyes serious on the actor. His fingertip moved over the veneer of the table, picking up tiny flakes of ash and then rubbing them away. "You don't want to step into this woman's life, mate." When Russell opened his mouth, Dan shook his head and waved for the man to hear him out. "Yeh, I know, you think you do, but… it's not smart."

"Why not?" Rick's jaw set and his arms folded defiantly across his broad chest. It was a look that Dan knew well and seldom won out over.

"She's got her own life, Rick," McElroy explained gently. "A job, a son and …a husband."

"Ah." The actor's lips twitched as he took this in. He stared with unfocused eyes at a spot just beyond the stack of stories in front of him as his fingers drummed the table then moved to swoop back his unruly locks. He thought a moment more then raised his eyes to meet those of his assistant which were watching him closely. "Is she, um, y'know …happy?"

"Does it matter?" came the even reply.

"Fuuuuuuck!" Rick complained, feeling the beginnings of a war between his common sense and his libido brewing. His usually clear aqua blue eyes darkened to the colour of a hurricane sea.

Dan winced a sympathetic smile at the man. At least for once he wasn't charging in like a mad bull in a china shop, heedless of the consequences. At least this time he was thinking about it. He watched a dark cloud descend over the actor's face as his brows pulled tight into a frown. It was a look that he had grown used to, but one that had still been known to have set a few weak directors to shaking in their boots. His smile warmed a bit as he pushed back from the table, taking his cuppa with him but leaving the stories the girls from the Rick Russell's Dangerous Minds bulletin board (the girls being known for some reason he hadn't yet deciphered as Rick's Bitches) had sent him. "I'm going to get those signed CD's you wanted sent to Gio and his models ready for the post," he said gently. "Let me know when you want me to ring for Andy and the car."

"Yeh, mate, fine." Rick waved him off, still scowling at nothing as his fingers combed comfortingly through the dark fur on his chin.

McElroy nodded and headed off. He knew that a lot of people said they'd love to be in Rick Russell's boots, but at the moment, he didn't envy the actor one bit.

*

Dan could hear cursing as he stepped into the suite's lounge. A soft glow directed his gaze to the desk in the corner and it was a good thing, too, because he was just in time to stop Rick from dumping the contents of his drink all over Dan's Dell (a promotional from one of the actor's recent films) laptop computer. "Wait!" he barked and succeeded in startling the actor into staying his hand.

"Fuuuck, Danno, how d'ya work this fuckin piece of shit?" the actor complained. His slightly glazed eyes were working on heading into two different time zones, a sure sign that he'd had more than a drop of joy juice before heading back from rehearsal.

McElroy sighed and slipped off his jacket as he stepped over to the work area. As far as he could tell, aside from moving a stack of contracts and the near miss with the computer, Rick hadn't made too bad of a mess of things. "Okay," he slipped on his wire frame specs and leaned down to peer at the screen. "What is it you're trying to do?"

"Find Kayla," Rick pouted.

"Rick, please…"

"I just wanna talk to her, Danno, ‘strewth."

The look on the actor's face was so earnest that Dan almost laughed. "So, you're what, looking for the website?" The assistant's nimble fingers tapped quickly at the rows of keys, bringing up menus and then, finally, the indigo coloured bulletin board where he had finally struck it lucky. "Jesus wept, mate, I've shown you this a good five hundred times, y'think you'd have gotten it down by now."

"I can get to the BOLT site without help," Russell pointed out proudly as he watched the website load. Bastards Of Little Talent, or BOLT as they had affectionately come to be known, was his band.

"Of course you can," Dan patted his employer's broad shoulder reassuringly, adding under his breath, "Fuck's sake, it's been around longer than I have."

"Huh?"

"Nothing, mate, nothing." He leaned in and briefly explained the basics of the bulletin board's navigation and operation, which Rick seemed to follow and then left him to it with a promise to call him rather than flood the machine with Jack Daniels should further problems arise. Assured that he would be the first line of defense in such matters, he crossed the lounge and retired to his own room.

Now logged on as Annie from Adelaide, Rick looked over the messages. Shit, but these girls were a randy bunch. They seemed keen on talking about the size and state of his willy and there seemed to be several sub-factions devoted to his various other body parts with piccies from his films and press sheets posted up as examples of same. If not for the warm glow of his buzz, he might not've had the fortitude to stick around and bash it out. But then he stumbled across a section where a good half dozen of the "biatches" (he wasn't sure he even wanted to touch that one) were sending out prayers and good thoughts to someone who said her son was having his appendix out the next day. In his soggy state he found this very touching and managed to tap out best wishes from Annie as well.

After a bit he sussed how to work the posting of new messages and put up a note asking if anyone knew how to reach Kayla, the writer. Feeling very clever to have mastered this, he got up, used the loo and made a fresh drink. When he returned there was a new post under his own.

Kayla: Hi Annie! Did you enjoy the smuss?

Rick slipped into the seat, his heart beating fast in his chest as he lit a smoke and stared at her name on the screen. After a long pause he typed out his reply and then hit the refresh icon several times until her next post finally appeared. Magic.

Annie: Very much, but I have a few questions. Is there a better way to reach you?

Kayla: Sure. I'm in a chatroom. Do you want to meet me there?

Shit. His hand pawed through his beard as he tried to think of how to manage this without waking Dan for help. He finally posted that he'd love to but had no idea how, and there followed a brief exchange where Kayla patiently helped him to find his way into the chat. All in all, it took over fifteen minutes and six ciggies, but then he was in.

He started off by thanking her for her time and patience…

KAYLA: No worries, luv. I learn a lot from my readers and their questions. What did you want to know?

ANNIE: Well, I was just amazed at how well you portrayed Rick in your story. Do you know him?

KAYLA: LOL. Don't I wish? No, I just really pay close attention to what he says and does in his films and interviews. I'm really flattered you asked that, tho.

ANNIE: LOL? What's that?

KAYLA: Laughing Out Loud.

ANNIE: Oh.

Rick paused for a long drag, watching the cursor blink and contemplating whether or not to continue the charade. He pulled a sip from his glass, jiggled his foot and squinted at the screen.

KAYLA: Annie? Are you still there, luv?

This time his answer flowed faster…

ANNIE: Yes. Are you going to any of the gigs in Texas?

KAYLA: (sighs) Again, don't I wish! Despite the fact that the man named his band after his own dick, I love the band and love, love, love the way he sings!!!

Rick's smile grew wide and deep at this until it finally turned into a chuckle.

ANNIE: I think you are very generous in your praise.

KAYLA: Have you heard them? Sure, not every song is brilliant, but I wouldn't mind having him growl the words in my ear!

ANNIE: LOL. Yes, I am very familiar with BOLT's music.

Writing that made him giggle a little. If she only knew who she was talking to, her cheeks would be very red. In fact…

ANNIE: Why can't you come to Austin? Money?

KAYLA: I don't think my hubby would like it very much. LOL But mostly it's the money thing. Besides, the shows sold out in three hours, where would I get a ticket?

ANNIE: I have an extra ticket.

KAYLA That's sweet of you, luv, but only half the battle.

ANNIE: I can help you. Send you money. You don't even have to pay me back.

There was a long pause before Kayla started to post a reply. He didn't know if she was considering his offer or completely freaking out, or what.

KAYLA: That's a very sweet offer, but why? You barely know me.

He thought about this a long moment, could come up with no reasonable explanation better than the truth and so took a deep breath and forged on ahead. It was time to unmask.

ANNIE: Did you send one of your stories to Noellene Gold's office?

Noellene was his agent in Sydney and most of his fan mail addresses funneled through her office. Noellene had a service on hire that weeded out anything that looked suspect or dangerous then forwarded the best of the rest on to him. Dan gave it next go, picking out the ten or so a week that Rick actually replied to personally. Which is how Kayla's story had come to be handed to him that arvo a few days back.

KAYLA: How do you know that?

ANNIE: He liked it, Kayla. He wants to meet you.

Kayla's words appeared quickly this time, steeped in suspicion.

KAYLA: How do you know that???? Do you know him?

ANNIE: Are you somewhere I can ring you? It would be so much easier to explain without typing.

There was another pause. A long one. Rick frowned and gulped down half his drink just sitting there, waiting to see if she would take the bait. Finally, a slow succession of numbers appeared. He shook his head and looked again and realised that the numbers were what he'd been hoping for. A telephone number.

He snatched up his mobile then waited a long tic before dialing. This was mad, totally and completely …and then impulse won out over reasoning as it so often did, and he dialed.

The phone barely rang once and then a woman's voice asked "Annie?"

"Uh …no," Rick chuckled.

"Who is this?" the woman demanded, sounding shaken.

"It's, uh, well, y'know …it's me. Rick."

"Bullshit." She sounded somewhere between hysterical and amused but trying to sound steely. "Who is it really? Gary, if this is you, I swear to God -"

Rick cleared his throat, closed his eyes and sang softly into the phone "I chart my course by the Southern Cross, sailing home to you …."

"OhmyGOD!" He heard the phone drop on the other end. He cringed a little and waited to see if it would be picked back up again. It was. "Wait!" she demanded with a pleading tone as she tried to reconcile the voice coming through her telephone with the way her universe was normally ordered. "Just …wait. I …." He heard her take a deep breath and adjust the receiver in her hands. "Okay. Um. Wow." This time she giggled. "So, ah, hey, Rick! How's it going?"

"Fine," he giggled back, charmed and amused at her efforts to play it cool. "You?"

"Oh, you know …," her voice chuckled, still a little shaky. "Just spending a typical Tuesday night talking to mega-stars on the phone. Al Pacino called earlier, but I told him I was doing the dishes and would have to call back."

"As ya would," he giggled in agreement. He gave her a moment to breathe and then pressed on before she could start to think. "So, listen, luv, about this Texas thing. I was thinkin' -"

"Texas thing …?"

Rick ignored her question and barreled on. "I was thinkin' I could, y'know, send you a ticket, airfare, put you up somewhere nice, right?" His voice smoothed a little behind the casual air. "I just, uh, y'know, I really liked your story and I wanted to say thanks."

Kayla laughed at that. "So you're flying me to Texas to thank me?"

"Welllll," the actor chuckled deeply. "After a fashion, luv, yeh."

"Hmmm." He could almost hear her brows knitting over that one. Then she laughed. "Do I at least get a day to think about it? I need to talk to -"

"Your husband, right." God, he hoped that hadn't come across as patronising as it had sounded to his own ear.

"Well, sure, and my job."

"Okey dokey," Rick sighed and reached over to pick up his ciggie only to find that it had smoldered out. "So, you want me to ring you back when?" He perched a fresh one between his lips and fumbled for a light.

"Uh, no." Her voice was firm. "You cannot call me here again."

"Fair enough, luv," he agreed easily. She was not the first married skirt to catch his eye and he knew how to play it. "Where then? Give me another number where I can."

"Jesus." He heard her sigh and then there was only the soft issuing of her breath as it puffed across the receiver while she thought. "Allright," she said finally, and rattled off a number. "That's my cell phone."

"Got it." He jotted it down on the closest piece of paper he had at hand. It happened to be a contract for one of their upcoming shows, but what the hell. No worries. He'd just sign the bloody thing later and everyone would get what they wanted. "So, I'll ring you tomorrow, about this time?" He reckoned his best bet would be to hang up quick smart before she started examining the subtext of his offer too closely.

"Um …sure. Okay."

"Okay," he agreed back. "So, you see what you can do to make arrangements on your end and I'll do the same. That way, when I call, I can just go ahead and book everything and have Dan post it straight away."

"Um," Kayla said.

"Just do it, luv," Rick chuckled softly. "I won't bite …well, not unless you ask real nice." He giggled at that and she laughed too. "It's late here …I should go."

"Yeah, okay." Her tone softened with regret.

"Do me a favour, luv? Let's just keep this our secret for now, hey?" His voice lowered to tickle her ear across the airwaves. "It wouldn't do for your Internet mates to get jealous now, would it?"

"No," she chuckled. "No, it wouldn't."

"Okay then." He took a deep breath and let it out slowly. "G’night, Kayla. I'll talk to you tomorrow."

"Okay." Her tone softened again, unconsciously matching his like a lover. "Goodnight, Rick."

He thumbed the off button quickly before either of them could say another word, then sat there memorising the sound of her voice. It was a friendly voice, sort of sweet, but with nice warm undertones and just a hint of a well buried drawl that he couldn't quite place. He spent a tic thinking about how that voice would sound in his ear, calling out his name in a moment of passion. Mmmmmm.

*

Rick all but rushed back from practise the next night, determined to be back at the hotel penthouse in plenty of time to ring Kayla. His mind had been playing out fantasies about her all day and he found himself as excited as a schoolboy to hear the sound of her voice again.

He blew off Dan's questions with a wave and marched straight into the master suite. McElroy took one look at his employer's cheeky grin and departing back and stifled a groan as he thought "Here we go again."

*

"I don't know what to say, Rick," Kayla sighed.

"Say yes," he demanded softly. He was stretched out on his king sized hotel bed, twirling the phone cord idly, winding it around his finger and then undoing it and starting over.

She giggled softly in his ear. "This is so …unreal."

"So?" he insisted lightly with a chuckle. "Make it real. C'mon, luv. Say yes."

"You sound like you're hitting on me."

"Do I?" he countered. She was right. He was all but purring out the words.

"Yes." She giggled again. "You do."

"Maybe I am," he grinned into the phone and reached for his beer, tucking his chin to pull a sip. They had been going round and round like this for close to half an hour. "Come to Austin and find out."

"I'm married," she pointed out for what had to be the third time.

"So? What's that then, like a, y'know, some sort of chain around your leg? You can't travel because you're married?" He chuckled softly. "Bollocks."

"You know what I mean." He listened as her tone turned teasing. "Are you always this persistent?"

"You know me so well, luv, why don't you, um, tell me?"

She laughed at that. "I think you are."

"Well, y'know… people tell me I'm much less, uhm, persistent in person." A giggle began to rise behind his words. "So, ah, tell ya what… ? Come to Texas and you can sorta, y'know, judge for yourself."

Kayla snickered softly at his words. Her voice dropped low and it sounded like she was cupping the receiver to keep from being overheard. "You're not going to give up, are you?"

This time is was Rick who chuckled. "Not a fuckin' chance, darlin'." He paused a beat. "So, is an E-ticket okay, or d'ya want the real deal?"

"Ooohhh!" He heard the sound of victory in her exasperated groan. Then she chuckled as if she wanted to be mad at him and couldn't. "An E-ticket will be fine."

Yes! The actor mouthed silently, his fist clenched victoriously to shake in the air overhead. Somehow he managed to keep his tone light and even. "So, how long can you stay?"

*

Dan's jaw dropped as Rick gave him the news at brekkie next day. He'd found Kayla. Found her and talked to her and best yet, she had agreed to fly into Austin for four days arriving on the Friday of their first show. Dan's first chore of the morning was to secure her flight and a booking at a nice suite in the hotel where they'd be staying.

Furthermore, he wanted a car and driver to pick her up at the airport and fresh flowers in her room everyday. And, he wanted Dan to schedule him a day off, Sunday, so that he could spend some time with his guest. No luncheons, no studio time and no bodyguards unless he asked for one.

"You're mad," Dan said. "You know that, right?"

Rick only giggled into his cuppa, then swallowed a sip before turning serious. "Look, I don't want you spreading around who she is. Not to anyone. Far as they know, she's just a new friend. Full stop."

"Yeah, okay, Rick. Noted" The blonde assistant made a note in his palm pilot and then set it aside to finish eating. He took a bite then grinned and shook his head as he chewed. "You mad bastard."

The actor ran a hand back through his chestnut curls and chuckled. He was just about to pick up his fork again when his mobile rang. It was Peg. She was hot and tired and whiny, just what he didn't need this morning. He managed to soothe her distress while he finished his beans-on-toast and eggs, then rang off to start his day, his convo with her already fading in the excitement of meeting Kayla.

*

Austin was fuckin' fabulous, just like Rick remembered it from the press tour that had been his initial introduction. Hot as hell and twice as much fun. There were the clubs on Sixth Street and plenty of other distractions, as the boys in the band were quickly discovering. Rick himself was playing it cool for the time being, focusing on the business at hand, the music, and keeping tabs on a career that was quickly turning into a small empire.

He spent much of his time at Lone Star studios, sequestered with the band and the album's producers. The last CD had been a haphazard collection of stuff randomly recorded over a five year period, tossed together chock-a-block to appease his growing legion of fans. This time he was intent on doing it right, and if he succeeded, then he might at last find the musical credibility he had sought since his early days.

Sure, they had laughed at Rusty Rockman, his 80's pop alter ego, and looking back, they'd been right, but he had stuck it out, made a name and a reputation and Rusty Rockman had become Rick Russell, a great actor, a creative force, a man to be reckoned with. Now, all these years later, he had the money and the clout to do it right. He would show them that he did, indeed, know how to rock.

The only thing to mar his enjoyment of Texas was the one time he tried to join the band on a pub crawl. They hadn't been in the club for more than an hour before word had spread that the actor was there. At first it had been fun, no wuckin’ furries and the long legged Austin beauties had lined up to surround them with attention. Their soft drawls were like honey in the lads’ ears, but before long there was enough of a crowd to make Rick uncomfortable and he'd had to have Andy, his trusty bodyguard, tip the club manager to help them slip out the back. He'd ended up in his penthouse suite high atop the Omni , drinking alone and looking down on the city below while trying to pinpoint the exact moment he had become just a tad more famous than was comfy.

In the end, he'd booted up Dan's laptop and tracked down Kayla. They'd stayed online until some ridiculous hour, just talking about everything and nothing. It had made him feel better and when they said their final goodnights, he'd found that he could sleep.

Little did either of them realise that a precedent had been set that night. He began ringing her mobile during the day when she was at work, sometimes to talk, sometimes to vent, and sometimes just to hear the sound of her voice. This was in addition to the emails and on line chats that he was quickly getting the hang of, sessions which many times crossed the line into playful flirting.

By contrast he had begun dodging Peggy's calls. This, of course, backfired as it made her even more clingy and desperate on the occasions she was able to get though to him. He quickly realised that Peg mostly rang to talk about herself and her probs, and that if he simply made the appropriate noises, he really didn't have to pay all that much attention. While this might have seemed callous, it seemed a lot less cruel overall than dumping her outright, at least while she was stuck in a jungle at the back of Bourke and the press at home was having such a go at her.

He knew that it was over between them, for good this time. The problem was when and how to tell her, and furthermore, how to make it clear that he meant it.

*

The Thursday night before the show, he went over to Bubba's, the venue where they were to be playing. While the rest of the band and their many associates, both paid and unpaid, sat under a tent drinking beer, he personally oversaw to the setting of the lights and camera placement. They took a break for tucker and he sat at the head of the long table, sampling Bubba's excellent barbecue and surveying the kingdom he had brought together.

He had Dan on one side, Andy on the other. Down the right hand side of the table ranged Martin, his bass player, Bryan, his trumpet player and back up singer, and the two Marks, Baxter (drums) and Wilson (rhythm guitar and vocals.) The lads had various new friends with them, mostly spunky girls. Mark Baxter, quite happily married and intent on staying that way, was deep in a convo with his drum tech. Down the other side of the table was his camera crew, back up blokes to Donald Spinetto, the best cinematographer he'd ever had the pleasure to work with. Charlie and Doug had been lured away for the month with the promise of doing something of their own between features as well as a fair bit of cash. Vinnie, the band's long term assistant turned soundman came next. Vinnie also seemed intent on behaving himself, he was, after all, to be married when they got home, and thus far, he'd done no more than flirt with the girls who sidled up to him in hopes of getting to the band. A few more techs, another girl and then there, and at the far end of the table was his long time best mate and lead guitarist David Holly.

David was recently separated from his wife, a fact that appeared not to be bothering him much as he stroked the bare back of a buxom girl of questionable repute barely wearing a tiny clinging halter top. The girl was giggling and eating up Davey's wolfish attentions, and Rick figured it wouldn’t be long before his mate would be the one doing the eating. Not much of a challenge, that girl, but Davey had always been a quantity over quality type which might well have had something to do with the brevity of his marriage.

Davey caught his eye and nodded a wink towards the girl indicating a willingness to share his evening's good fortune, but Rick only chuckled and shook his head. The dark haired guitarist smirked and shrugged and slipped his hand up under the girl's top. She barely reacted, but her hand slipped under the table, ostensibly heading for Holly's southern quarters, a theory quickly confirmed by the man's surprised blink and slow spreading smile.

Rick pushed back from the table and waved Andy off when the man moved to follow him. They were in a secure area, and besides, he wasn't going far. He carried his beer to the stage and sat down to look out over the house that tomorrow would be chock-a-block with the screaming swooning women who had invaded Austin from all over to see his band.

He pulled a deep drag off his ciggie and pawed back his unruly curls, then rested one arm on his thigh as his eyes moved to search the night sky high overhead. The constellation he was looking for wasn't there, of course. No, the Southern Cross was at home, a place he hadn't been in far too long and missed terribly. Another drag and he scratched his beard, thought a moment, then gave into the impulse he'd been trying to fight off all along. He pulled his mobile and rang Kayla.

"Hullo, darlin'." His voice was low and warm.

"Rick," she breathed out, somewhere between pleasure, surprise and a distressed chuckle. "What are you doing?"

"Sorry, sorry…" She was right. He knew he shouldn't be calling at this hour, and if he had any doubt, the sound of pans banging and something sizzling told him so. "I just, ah, y'know, I was… thinking about you, y'know? So I thought I'd ring you and see what you're making for tea." He giggled at that.

"Fry bread and hamburger helper," she chuckled, then her voice moved away from the phone as she called, "Jordan, is your homework done? It is? Okay, I'll check it later, go wash up, it's almost time to eat." He heard her chin adjust and her voice came back to him. "Sorry."

"S'okay," he sighed, trying to picture her in a kitchen he would never see, cooking for a boy he would never meet and a man he knew she wasn't in love with. "I, ah, well, you're right, I shouldn't be bothering you at this hour."

"Well," Kayla admitted with a sigh, "I do have a lot to do. After all, a good friend is flying me to Austin tomorrow and I still have to pack."

"Yeh, luv, okay," he chuckled, blowing smoke towards the stars. "I read ya." He thought a minute then added. "For what it's worth, Kayla, I can't wait."

"Me, too, Rick." Her voice dropped low and soft. "I, um…" She sighed. "I have to go, okay?"

"Yeh, okay," he agreed reluctantly. "I'll see you tomorrow. Cheers, luv." He hung up quickly, unsure that he could trust himself not to say something he probably shouldn't.

*

Friday morning, Rick was coming out of his skin. He got up, showered and prowled the penthouse and it's private sundeck in a big white fluffy hotel robe and boxer-briefs, drinking tea, too keyed up to eat. He listened to the constant ringing of the phone as Dan fielded calls from friends and well wishers. He was under orders to only put through three kinds of calls; family, band and Kayla.

At noon the masseuse he'd asked for showed up to work the kinks out of his shoulders, back and arms, legs and feet. Feeling better than he had, he grabbed a quick bite while he checked in with Dan. Yes, everything was set for the gig, yes, there were flowers in Kayla's room, no, she hadn't rung. Rick headed over to Bubba's on his hired Harley, wondering which had him more riled, the gig or meeting Kayla face to face at last.

He slowed the bike as he drew near the venue. 'Fuck me swinging,' he thought as his eyes combed over the line of women that started at the door and wrapped around the corner. There had to be nearly two hundred of them, standing and sitting in the 100 plus heat, some with Eskies, some with umbrellas or small marquees, others just roasting out in the open. He gunned the motor and pulled around to the back, but not before he'd been spotted, causing an electric response to pass quickly through the crowd.

Safely behind the lines, he parked the bike in a shed and let his strong legs carry him over the venue's uneven gravel terrain. He spent the afternoon there, checking and rechecking details, supervising the stage set up, consulting with his camera crew and, when the lads arrived, running sound check. In between, he took calls, mostly Dan checking in, as well as a few calls the assistant forwarded. Finally satisfied, he rode back to his hotel, followed this time by Andy and the band in a SUV.

The scene in his suite was now one of pre-party tension as the lads showered and dressed and readied themselves for the show. They went over the set list, still fiddling with the song order though, in the end, the order remained much as they had practised it the past few weeks. When word finally came through that Kayla's flight had touched down he found that he was able to breathe freer than he had all day.

"Rick," Dan touched his shoulder. "Time to go, mate."

"Yeh, okay," he nodded, allowing the excitement to touch him for the first time that day. It ran through his veins like a quick current and settled like fluttering wings in his guts. It was make or break time.

*

They opened with "The Things I Told You Yesterday", a bit of a pop rocker and the song they hoped would be the first single when the new CD was released. From there they moved into one of their older numbers, "Princess Bluey", followed by another old favorite, "The Tale of Archie Rival". It always amazed Rick that the audience seemed to know his spoken intro to that one word for word. He beamed a wide grin as he held the mic out over their heads to let them join in. Both "Uncle Joe" and "War &

Remembrance" were newer songs, and he could tell that this made the 2,000 plus crowd a little restless so he was glad that the follow ups were "The Boots Under Your Bed" and "Baby Oneday", off the first CD. Once again the audience was right there with him, clapping in time and singing along.

Now that he had them back, he kept them there, telling little stories and jokes between songs and stroking the front of his jeans for emphasis as he sang, which seemed to focus nearly every eye in the house on him. Good trick, have to keep it, he thought as they swung into the opening bars of "Eat My Words", his snub at the tabloid press. He followed this up with "She Loves Her" about an actress he'd met and fallen for, only to learn that the lady in question was a lesbian. "Behind These Castle Walls" was a love song he'd written years ago for Pippa, his ex, as was "Remember When." He even added a little comment to the crowd that as far as he knew, when Pippa bothered to remember him at all, it was likely only long enough to curse him. That got a general giggle from the crowd and a couple of "Awwww"s which got the comment added to the set's spoken repertoire as well. They rocked through a jangly version of "My Fine Filly" about a big-time actress who had shown him how shallow both fame and her heart could be, and then closed it out with "Sail Home," the song he'd sung a few bars of to Kayla that first night on the phone. He knew that she was out there somewhere, watching him, and he closed his eyes and thought of her as he sang.

The band left the stage with cheery waves and the game of call and response whereby the audience stamped and clapped and held up their lighters to try and entice the lads back out onstage began. Fresh towels and cold drinks were handed around and Rick dashed off to change into a sleeveless black jersey with BOLT emblazoned across the chest as he prepared to head out for the encore. At his signal, Dan followed him into the band's dressing room.

"She's here, right?" Rick demanded.

"Yes, Rick. She's…" his assistant indicated the crowd outside with a small wave, "… out there, somewhere."

"She got the special badge? And the note to come backstage?" the actor ran a quick brush through his damp, sweat darkened curls and then gulped at a bottle of spring water to soothe his rough throat.

"Yes, Rick. I made sure of it."

"Yeh, good, okay mate, just checking, y'know?" Rick peered at his reflection in the mirror as he tucked in the jersey, readjusted his block and tackle and then centered his belt buckle. "So I look allright, then?"

Dan could only nod solemnly as he bit back a chuckle. "Yeh, Rick, you look great."

"Okay, then… let's finish them off!"

Rick and the band took the stage to approving calls and whistles and a wave of applause. He paused a moment to look out at the thousand or so flames flickering in the dark like all the stars in the sky had fallen to earth. It was a beautiful sight. Behind him Mark and Martin began the beat to "Infinity" and Davey was soon threading a sinuous lead for him to lay his vocals over. Rick strummed his acoustic Gibson as he sang, eyes closed, pouring his all into the song.

Rick had personally chosen the songs for the encore, and "She's So Obtuse" came next. The last two were special treats, songs the band didn't generally do in public, which he mentioned as he set up the second to last song of the night.

"Allright, allright…" Rick purred into the mic trying to quiet the screams that kept going off like wild sirens. "I once promised t'never play this song in public…But I lied." He paused to giggle and gulp at his beer as Mark gave him a rim-shot, then nodded to Davey, and the guitarist began the slide intro to "Let Me Be Your Lolly" a song that was about, well, just what one might imagine given the title. "Lick me up one side and then down the other," he crooned, low and suggestive, ".. unwrap me and have your way…" His hips moved slow circles in time to the beat. Despite the thousands of eyes he could feel focused on him, there was only one woman on his mind as he tilted his head to purr the refrain again, "Unwrap me… and just have your way."

As he finished the song there was a soft sound that moved through the crowd like a summer wind as a large portion of the women in the audience let out a collective sigh.

They closed out the night with a rockin' cover of "Folsom Prison Blues" and Rick used the extended jam in the middle as an opportunity to introduce the band to the crowd.

"G'night, Austin!" he called as the band held the last notes of the song. "We've been Bastards Of Little Talent and you've been fuckin' lovely! Thank you, drive safe… and remember to check out our website at www.bolt.com!" With a wave and a smile, he set the mic back in it's stand and hustled offstage behind his departing bandmates. Stagehands rushed forward to scoop up the offerings that had been flung onstage during the set and the roadies came on to start carrying the discarded instruments off for safekeeping. The lights came up and the show was over.

As they headed back to the hospitality area in the cool basement of Bubba's, Rick and the boys were swarmed with happy friends, well wishers and crew, high-fiving them and patting their sweaty backs as they offered congratulations and handed them fresh towels. Rick made his way into the band room and fell into the chair at the vanity counter, pressing a towel to his face, trying to catch his breath and dry off all in one go. He heard movement nearby then the sound of a beer being cracked open and set on the ledge before him. Around him he could hear the excited buzz of voices as the lads surfed their stage high, already replaying high and low points of the set. It hadn't been perfect, but it had been fun. Goddamn, but he felt good!

"Rick?" Dan cleared his throat from somewhere around the vicinity of his elbow.

'Yeh, mate?" He rubbed the towel back through his damp curls and opened his eyes to glance over at his assistant. He sat up to reach for his beer and then froze as he realised that McElroy was not alone.

The woman standing next to Dan was smallish, about five foot two or three, though it was a little hard to tell with the cowboy boots she wore. She had shoulder length straight light brown hair that glowed softly golden in a way that seem sun-inspired, not salon bought. Her large brown eyes were framed by thick lashes and very dark, but had the appearance of becoming gold flecked as they widened to take him in. She was biting her lower lip nervously in a way that he found utterly charming and his eyes smiled at her before he tilted his gaze to take the rest of her in.

Her figure was soft and curvy in all the right places and she filled out her faded jeans quite nicely. Her breasts were a treat, they looked like perfect round handfuls under her French cut T. She was slouching a little, hands half shoved into her jeans pockets, another sign that she was nervous. Her figure wasn't even close to the skeletal proportions currently en vogue in the Hollywood circles he'd been traveling in, and just that thought alone excited him and made her seem all the more attractive. This woman was the product of lifestyle alone, not something manufactured by a PR person or studio to sell to the public.

Rick knew two things immediately. One - this woman was the real deal. And, two, he wanted her. Badly.

"Hullo…" He changed the trajectory of his hand away from the open beer as he moved to his feet. Her hand pulled free to drift towards his by natural response. Their hands met, his fingers pressed hers with firm warmth and he did not immediately let go. "You're Kayla."

"Hi, yeah," she admitted with a shy grin. "And you're Rick."

"Indeed," he nodded and then used her hand to pull her closer for a light kiss on the cheek. "Thank you so much for coming."

"Thank you," she grinned, her eyes still a little wide. "I mean, this whole trip …the first class ticket, the limo …the room …." She chuckled softly and he noticed the way her eyes sparkled when she laughed. "It's all so …amazing!"

"Pleasure's mine," he chuckled low and soft, tucking his chin to look up at her from under his lashes. His fingers pressed hers again lightly as if to emphasize this, then let her go.

"Rick?" Andy stepped up to the actor's elbow, his round face furrowed by the hard pull of his dark brows.

"What?" His eyes stayed on Kayla's.

"Two choices, mate," his longtime security minder explained. "Either we go now, or you wait an hour or so for the place to finish clearing out."

Rick's head tilted speculatively as he arched a grin over to the woman before him. "Y'ready to go, Kayla?"

"Um, sure, I …guess so," she shrugged, clearly wondering both why he was asking her and where it was they might be going.

"Great, then, c'mon." He grabbed his flannel and beer in one hand and her hand again in the other. "Let's go."

"Mind your eyes," he warned as the black SUV pulled out of the backstage security gate. Kayla looked confused until the flashbulbs started going off as the van pulled out. Even behind the tinted windows, the barrage of flashes was startling and she pulled a sharp breath.

"Can they see in?" she asked, sounding a little worried.

"Nah, luv, not a chance." He patted her knee reassuringly then dug out his smokes, offering her the pack as he lit up. She nodded thanks, though he noticed her hand shaking a little as she took one. He held out his lighter for her, then watched her openly as he drew his starting drag and the driver began the circuitous route that would eventually lead them back to the hotel. His eyes sparkled merrily as he caught her staring at him, then blushing and looking away.

"Y'know, darlin', if we're going to get on as well as we were before, y'need to stop staring at me like a rare bug under glass."

"I know, I know …," she shook her head with a grinning sigh. "This is just so …odd. I mean, even after the phone calls, and the late night chats …," she paused as her grin twisted to become a little wry, "I guess a part of me still didn't believe it was really you. I was still clinging to… Annie from Adelaide, I guess." She laughed softly at her own foolishness then turned her head to look at him. "Does that make sense?"

"Yeh, luv," he agreed with an easy nod. "Reckon so." His brows pulled a little at a memory. "There's still some days even I have, y'know, a bit of trouble believing …," his words trailed off with a shrug and a little toss of the hand that seemed somehow to indicate his whole world.

She smiled wisely at that and nodded, pulling another drag as she watched the play of emotions over his handsome face.

"Anyhow!" Rick announced brightly. "Did you enjoy the show? Could you see and hear okay?"

He grilled her with questions about the gig and before they knew it they were back at the Omni, which was really only a few short blocks away, pulling into the underground car park. The van had barely come to a stop when Andy hopped out of the front seat and herded them into the lift, using his keycard to secure them a direct ride up to the penthouse.

Kayla hardly had time to be stunned by the poshness of the suite, let alone ask him what they were doing there before the rest of the band began to arrive, ready to party. He introduced her to his mates as Kayla, a writer from California, and explained little else. He knew what his friends were thinking as they smiled and shook her hand, and he couldn't help hoping that by the end of the night, they'd be right.

With the first show behind them, Rick and the band were able to relax a little and catch their collective breath, and the free flowing drinks were a great help in that regard. He had ordered up a sumptuous selection of nibbles as well, and the suite was soon in flat out party mode, packed with people who were intent on celebrating their good fortune, whatever form it happened to take that night. Rick, of course, was the centre of attention, telling stories and jokes, his hands flashing quick descriptions in the air before him. He managed to keep Kayla by his side throughout most of the night, even sharing a few little jokes with her spawned from their recent chats. Of course only the two of them understood these jokes, but the laughing glances and giggles they exchanged only served to bring them closer together.

Davey and his current date (not the girl from dinner the night before) were the last guests to leave and even Andy was dozing lightly on the couch as Rick and Kayla stepped out to the deck for a last smoke. It was late, in just a few hours the sun would begin to encroach upon the edges of the night sky and below them the sleeping city would awaken. Rick leaned on the railing, one booted foot propped on the bar as he pulled a drag, then turned to look at her. "Did ya have a nice time?"

"Thank you so much for having me-"

They both paused to grin as their words tumbled over each other like puppies in a basket. He gestured for her to go first, grinning past another drag, his eyes sparkling, though showing signs of fatigue.

"I can't thank you enough," Kayla smiled. "I had a wonderful time tonight, Rick. Your friends, you know, Martin and Davey and Andy …I really enjoyed meeting everyone."

"They liked you, too, Kayla," he nodded easily. "You're kinda a breath of fresh air here."

"Well, thanks." She smiled and small but deep dimples appeared in her cheeks.

"Pleasure," he agreed. His eyes held hers for a long moment, then he found himself leaning closer, closing the distance between them. Just before the moment their lips would meet, he felt her hand, small but firm on his chest, pushing him away. He didn't press the issue, but instead leaned back with a grin. "Can I at least walk you to your room?"

"Sure, I think I can let you do that." She took his elbow lightly to lead him back inside and all he could think of was the warm feel of her fingers where they touched his skin.

She paused by the couch and nodded to Andy. "Does my chaperone need his chaperone?" she grinned.

"Nah," Rick shrugged slipping his keycard into the back pocket of his jeans. "We can let sleeping dogs lie." He giggled softly at his own joke as his palm touched low on her back to urge her on. It was a possessive and somewhat intimate gesture, but one she didn't rebuff.

They rode down three floors to her suite, making little conversation as a comfy silence descended around them, mostly just exchanging smiles as they made their way to her room. When they got there, she fished out her keycard and leaned back against the door, smiling up at him.

"Well," she began with a soft eyed smile. "I guess this is where we say-"

"Invite me in." Rick's voice was soft and low.

"Oh, Rick, Jesus ….” Kayla sighed as her teeth pulled at her lower lip and her eyes cut to a patch of plush carpet near her feet. She was clearly tempted but even more clearly, she knew better.

"Just to talk," he insisted. "Just for a bit?"

Kayla's eyes drew up to meet his, shining softly. "You're an awfully hard man to say no to, did you know that?"

"I try, luv." He smiled a little at that. "Please?"

He was standing too close again, crowding her a little, almost in kissing range.

She closed her eyes and thought for a long moment. The line of her mouth and the pull of her shoulders suggested an internal battle being waged. When she finally did focus her big chocolatey browns on him again, there was an answer there. "Okay," she nodded. "But only to talk. And only for a little bit."

"Okay," he nodded, nearly bouncing on his toes like a little boy as he waited for her to unlock the door.

Kayla let them in and moved to the phone to retrieve her messages. While she did this, Rick moved around the room, touching and inspecting everything in his path. He sniffed her perfume, pawed through her cosmetics and tested the bristles on her hairbrush. He peeked in her closet, and finding it empty, he moved to test the springiness of her bed and the plumpness of the pillows.

"What are you doing?" she laughed as she hung up the phone. He was still on the bed, bouncing experimentally.

"It's not as firm as mine," he pointed out, realised how that could be taken and giggled. "Sorry," he snickered, his eyes a dancing merry blue. "I, uh, meant …."

"I know what you meant." She grinned fondly as she fetched two bottles of beer from the mini-fridge, opened them, set them on the bedstand near a clean ashtray then sat down beside him. "What am I gonna do with you, Rick Russell?"

He chuckled low and soft at that, watching her face, taking in the way her eyes teased and sparkled and finding that he liked it very much. "Well, darlin," he drawled, "if that isn't a loaded question, I dunno what is."

She only shook her head and eased back to curl on her side, looking up at him. Her voice was low, her tone conversational, though full of regret. "I can't sleep with you, Rick."

"Yeh, luv, I know." He said it easily as if she was informing him that they had run out of milk. He ignored the implications of her tone and instead, leant down and eased off her boots and let them drop to the floor with two muffled clunks.

She pushed up on one elbow, eyeing him suspiciously. "What are you doing?"

"Helping you get comfy." He rolled off her socks and then reached to take a long pull off one of the beers. When he set it down again, instead of returning to where he'd been sitting, he angled across the foot of the bed and pulled her feet closer. He blew in his hands to warm them, then began massaging her. "What's he like?"

"Who, Steve?" She sighed and relaxed a little as his strong fingers kneaded her soles. "He's, um …a good man. Decent enough, I guess." She paused and purred contentedly as he began working on her toes, rolling them in his long, strong fingers one at a time.

"Well, now, there's a glowing review," he chuckled as his thumbs rubbed deep circles into the arches of her feet. Her toes jerked and wriggled, but she didn't pull away. "D'ya love him?"

"I um …." Kayla's eyes cut away under furrowed brows and a small frown formed on her lips. "He's a good man, Rick. He's never done anything to hurt me."

"Uh huh …." Rick's fingers found a good spot on her instep and paused there, pressing deeply until he felt her feet relax again. "Okay, let's try that another way …. Are you in love with him?"

"Mmmmm…" Kayla sighed as his fingers worked to massage away her resolve. "We were, um …." It was getting tougher and tougher to think clearly. "…Friends, and …started dating, and then, well, Jordan came along …. Oooh, Rick, god that feels good."

"Mmm hmm, reckon it would," he agreed absently. "How's the sex?" He watched her face as his fingers continued to knead her feet with tender relentlessness. Her eyes were half closed as though she were entranced by his attentions, but her lips curled into the hint of a wry smile.

"I don't remember."

"Been a while, then?" He lifted one of her feet in his hands and let his breath warm the skin as he nuzzled a soft kiss to the arch.

"Ooohhh god…" Kayla moaned softly, her back arching a little.

"If you were my woman …." He cradled her narrow heel in his hand and drew his tongue up the sole towards her toes, "I wouldn't let that happen." She moaned again as he kissed the plump underside of her big toe, then surrounded it with a warm wet suck before moving on. "You’re a sensual, passionate woman, Kayla …." His lips grazed her ankle, his tongue darted out to circle the bone. "You need to be made love to."

"Rick …." She breathed out his name as her fingers reached to weave into his soft curls, pulling at him. "Please …."

"Please what, Kayla?" His voice was a low, rough purr, whiskied velvet as he let her fingers pull him up, lips at her ear. "Please make love to you?"

"We shouldn't … can't …." Her breath caught as his tongue circled the swirls of the shell of her ear.

"Mmmm." His warm mouth sucked at her lobe. "Is that what you want, luv?"

"No, god, no …." Her hands moved to clutch hard at his ass as he dragged his tongue down to nuzzle under her jaw. She was panting softly now. "Oh, god …I want you."

"Mmmm, honey, yehhhh …." His hand moved up to cup her full breast. "I want you, too, Kayla. Have since the moment I read your story." His fingers rubbed lightly across the hardening nub of her nipple through her T-shirt. "Even more since we first talked, baby …wanted to touch …." His fingers flicked and she gasped and arched under him. "To taste …." His teeth grazed the side of her neck, then his wide warm tongue soothed the raw heat and her hands began to pull and knead at his ass. "To fill you …to make love to you …."

"Oh, god." Kayla pulled his mouth to hers, desperate for the taste of his lips as his thigh pressed high and tight between her legs.

Rick kissed her hard enough to steal her breath, enough to make her stop shuddering and clawing at him, then began the slow, sweet process of making love to her. His strong body held her still under him as he took her in by small heated mouthfuls, slipping his tongue between her gasping parted lips as her hips convulsed and her legs clamped around his thigh. He kept at this for a long time, content to tease her with his kisses until her breathing lost it's desperation and her hands settled to kneading the firm rounds of his ass. Having lost her panic, she now simply met his hungry heat with her own equally matched desire.

He slid his hands to her warm belly, hovered at the waist of her jeans and then slipped his fingers up her torso, his guitar roughened tips stubbing across her smooth flesh in places. Her T-shirt rode up the backs of his wrists and when he saw her breasts cupped in the sheer nylon bra, he paused a moment, whispered "Beauty", then set his hot wet mouth on her through the fabric. His fingers worked one as his mouth worked the other, and her chest rose to arch to his attentions. The nylon mesh held the moist heat against her skin even when he moved, and when he finally pushed up the bra to get at her flesh directly, her hands wove tighter into his dark curls, holding him there as she writhed under him.

"Oh, god, oh, Rick, oh yessss …," she gasped as he nuzzled his beard over her breast then opened wide to pull in as much of her as he could. She arched hard and clutched at him as he pulled back, increasing the suction until her nipple was drawn tight between his lips, letting it go only to capture it again, biting and suckling and then circling with wide, wet sweeps of his tongue. Just when Kayla was certain that she would shake apart if he didn't stop, he paused, moved over, and repeated the entire process on the other breast, rolling her free nipple between his fingers all the while.

As his tongue circled her throbbing tip, he raised his eyes to meet hers. The look in his eyes said that he was fully aware that she had been watching him, getting off as much on the fact that it was his perfect lips and handsome face at her breast as she was on the sweet torture itself. His eyes sparkled and grinned wickedly as he took her hard berry-dark flesh into his mouth and rolled it between his lips with sucking tugs. He didn't stop until her lashes fluttered and her head fell back, breaking the connection of their eyes.

This time, as he made his way up her body, he took her T shirt and bra with him, easing them off over her head as though she were a child.

Rick's mouth moved to the side of her neck again, to a spot that he had learned early on drove most women wild, just there, soft and sweet where the side of the neck met the shoulder. He was pleased to find that Kayla reacted just as he'd hoped she would, craning her neck to his mouth and whimpering softly as her fingers stroked his face and neck and hair. He varied the pressure and intensity as he let his hands wander off to explore her body, stroking here, massaging there, kneading this, tickling that, mapping every little twitch of her skin, remembering her reactions. When his mouth seemed in danger of marking her if he persisted, he sent it along the path his hands had forged, nuzzling soft fur-tickling kisses to the inside of her wrist and up to the crook of her elbow. His tongue bumped over the skin on her ribs, even tasting the flesh of her armpit as though there was no part of her topography that he wished to leave unexplored.

Kayla giggled softly as his tongue circled and dabbed inside her navel, then held her breath as his hands made for the fly of her jeans. Her stomach muscles tensed as he slowly peeled the denim from her hips then drew her slacks off, leaving her in only the sheer bikini panties that had matched her bra. He hooked his thumbs into the elastic and drew these off as well, letting them drop by the side of the bed.

He saw her tense briefly as he exposed her, caught the flash of insecurity in her eyes almost hidden by the heat of her desire as she was laid bare in the soft lamplight.

He smiled as he ran his hands up her legs, moving to hover over her. "You're gorgeous, luv, built like a woman should be," he assured her, and then placed a little kiss on the soft rise of flesh over her womb as if to prove the integrity of his words.

"No fair," she whispered as he moved to dip his mouth to her hip. Her small but strong hands pushed gently against his shoulder to stop him. "I want to see you, too."

"Yeh, okay, darlin, " he agreed and reared up on his knees to peel off the dark blue workshirt he'd changed into before the party. He paused a moment as she ran her hands over his chest through his singlet, then skinned that off, too. The silver cross that had been hidden by his shirt shone softly against the nest of auburn-gold curls on his chest. He saw her smile and knew that it was because she'd recognised the cross from photos as being his favourite. Her finger crooked to urge him closer, and when he complied, she ran her hands over his bare chest, using her hold on his arms as leverage as she rose up to place a kiss just above where the cross hung.

"My turn," she told him softly with a grin, and he acquiesced again, making it easy for her to push him over onto his back on the coverlet.

Rick tucked his laced fingers behind his head, stilling his hyperactive hands for the first time in nearly an hour as Kayla straddled his hips with a grin. She ran her fingers in light patterns over his torso, making him wriggle and bite his lip when it tickled, but he didn't make a sound, only watched her with his bright blue-green eyes as she began to explore him in much the same way he had her.

He tried to hold absolutely still as her hands moved over him, feeling his muscles under the skin, tracing the shape of his arms with her fingertips, even nuzzling into the soft fur under his arms, which tickled and finally brought his giggle out. When she flicked at his nipples, his brows furrowed and he sucked in his breath, which seemed to delight Kayla immensely. She lowered her mouth to lick and suck until they rose like hard little pebbles on his chest which her fingers then continued to torture lovingly as she moved on to the cords of his neck. She spent a long time there, nuzzling into the hollow of his throat, kissing and nibbling as if she couldn't get enough. Her hands continued to roam his body, returning again and again to tease his nipples. When Rick could take it no longer, he moved his hands to her breasts, kneading and rolling until he could feel her grow damp against the skin of his belly.

"Kayla," he moaned softly, and by way of a response she wiggled down lower until her moist heat was situated over the hard bolt in his jeans. With a playful light in her gold-flecked mink-coloured eyes, she took his hands from her breasts and eased them behind his head again and began to kiss her way down his body, from his fuzzy bristly neck to a straight line down his chest. She held his eyes as she dragged her tongue in a line down his belly making his muscles tense reflexively, then nuzzled the trail of soft fur that led down to the hard-on etched in his jeans. Her fingers moved to unbuckle his belt and undo the button of his fly. Rick sighed softly as she moved away again, her hands smoothing over his denimed thighs as her face nestled into his crotch, breathing hot and damp enough to leave a round wet spot where she mouthed him through the rough fabric. She followed the shape of his hard-on through his jeans and nipped and gnawed on his head until he started to groan softly and lift his hips from the bed, trying to follow her mouth.

With a grin pulling at her rosy bee stung lips, she lowered his zipper and pulled his jeans from his hips until she had enough slack to peel them off. She had to pause to pull off his boots and socks before she could get his legs completely free. Her hands ran over his sculpted legs as she climbed back up him, eyes on the pole that was tenting his boxer-briefs as she closed the distance.

"Wow, your pictures don't lie." Kayla closed her hand over him through the stretchy fabric and her eyes flashed a playful grin up at him. Rick's long dark lashes fluttered as she let go of him long enough to pull at the elastic waistband of his Calvin's, lowering them until his proud thick cock sprang into view. She drew his daks low enough for him to work them the rest of the way off, then turned her attention back to his hard-on.

Rick watched Kayla's eyes as she had a good look at his hard bolt. He was proud of his cock. It was long and thick and nicely shaped and he knew how to use it and use it well. He always enjoyed the impressed little flutter he caught in a woman's eyes as she got her first look at what he had to offer, and in this Kayla was no different. He had a single moment of uncertainty in which he wondered how much of her reaction was pleasure, and how much might be note taking for some future Smussell, but then she lowered her lips to kiss the tip of his velvety knob, and he pushed the thought away.

"Mmm, Rick …." Kayla's voice was a warm low purr as she licked the underside of his staff, following the vein there. "No wonder you're so confident."

"Cocksure," he started to agree, but his words cut off with a strangled grunt as she swirled her tongue around his head and let her mouth fall to envelop him. "Ohh, honey, yeh, fuck yehhhhh." His hand slipped down into her silky hair to encourage her as her mouth went to work on him. "Awww, fuuuuck, darlin, that's good," he cooed as she bobbed on him, her hand on his shaft stroking the muscles beneath through his sensitive skin. As any man with a grain of honesty would admit, there were few things on God's green better than a good blow job, and this woman had a very talented mouth.

She had at him like she was starving for it, her hot wet mouth suctioning as her slippery tongue massaged and flicked and rubbed, even humming soft moans that he could feel vibrate through him. While one hand worked his shaft in tandem with her mouth, the other slipped lower to cup and roll his heavy balls. When she lowered her lips and drew first one then the other into her mouth, sucking and rolling him on her tongue while her free hand stretched his hard cock taut against his belly, he started thinking that this might be true love. It had to be. It felt too good to be a one-off.

Kayla's tongue flicked into his tiny slit, tasting the musky-salty bead that had formed there, watching his reaction. His face was flushed, a mask of pure pleasure and a fine sheen of sweat shimmered on his skin despite the air conditioning in the room. He was watching her, watching her perfect mouth move on and over and around his cock, and his eyes were a lust-dazed but brilliant azure. She licked back her grin and prepared to swallow him yet again, but his hand on her cheek stopped her. "No more, luv," he grunted softly, "or I'll be finished."

She kissed his dark velvety knob, then crawled up to kiss his lips. His tongue invaded her mouth, plundering hungrily as he pushed her over. "My turn now," he told her as he kissed and nibbled his way down her body. "I want to taste you, Kayla."

Kayla's body was held poised in anticipation as he worked his way lower, pausing briefly to nuzzle the tidy patch of fur on her mound, then moving on. She was drawn tight like an arrow pulled back against a bowstring and she moaned softly as he nipped the soft skin of her inner thigh hard enough, she knew, to leave a mark this time.

She hissed out a gasp as the tip of his tongue parted her swollen lips with a slow lick, then his thumbs moved to part her and his breath blew across her hot centre, making her moan and stretch her legs wider, inviting him in. Rick's eyes narrowed happily as he closed in for the kill. It was a well known fact that Australian men loved to pay tribute to a woman's mappa tasse, as it was known, and though not Aussie by birth, he was certainly one by nature in most things, this included. He ran his lips and tongue up and down her inner lips until she was arching her hips to press herself more fully to his mouth. He moved up, his tongue pressing flat to lick at her over and over like a kitten set to a bowl of sweet cream.

"Oh, oh …god …oh, yesss …."

Her cries were music to him, and from the way she was reacting he knew two things. One, he hadn't lost his touch and two, she really hadn't been getting the sort of attention she deserved. This last only made him want to please her more and he redoubled his efforts to seek out her release. His rough chin nestled in to add to her pleasure as he sucked her hard little button of nerves into his mouth and tugged, rolling her clit against his tongue. Her hand tangled in his hair, alternately pulling him in and trying to push him away and he felt the doona under him bunch as she grabbed a fistful of that, too.

His hands pressed at her thighs, holding her open to him and she struggled while his tongue flicked up and down, back and forth, centred on the source of her pleasure.

Kayla's panting cries increased in volume and frequency as desperation for release made her voice rough. She pulled his hair and begged him to stop, to make her come, anything, just …oh, god, please …. And then her heels were digging into the mattress as she shuddered and bucked. He grabbed her ass in both hands to keep her pressed to his mouth while she shook and shook and shook like an earthquake against his tongue.

Her body began to slow and her hitches became more like aftershocks as her cries turned into soft sighs. His mouth slowed with her, his tongue taking long, lazy licks, then simply burying deep inside her to catch the last of her shivers as he listened to the sound of her panting above. One last kiss, gentle in deference to her post release sensitivity and he let her go to move up the bed, stretching out comfortably beside her.

It was then that he saw the tears glistening like tiny diamonds against her lush dark lashes.

"Hey, luv," he cooed soothingly, wrapping his body around hers. She curled to cling to him, still panting as her arm wound around his neck, keeping him close. His brows furrowed slightly in concern, wondering if it was the force of her orgasm or something else that had caused her tears to form. "Ya'okay?" he whispered, nuzzling into the soft hair at her temple.

She buried her face in his chest, rubbing her cheek into his furry warmth, seeking something strong and solid to cling to as her arm tightened around him. "Yeah, " she whispered, still sounding a little shaky. "I'm okay …but …can you just hold me a minute? Please?"

"Yeh, Kayla, I can do that." His tone was warm and caring as his big strong arms folded around her, holding her close in their protective circle. "I can hold ya as long as y'like. I'm not planning on going anywhere."

"Mmmmm," was all she said then, burrowing into his embrace until her breathing calmed and her tears dried. When she seemed to have herself under control again, she whispered a soft "Thank you, Rick," and kissed his chest lightly.

They lay there for a good five minutes or more, just touching and cuddling as he listened for the sound of her breathing returning to normal. His first sign that she was ready for another go was that she began kissing his chest more ardently, lowering her chin to wind her tongue around his nipple.

"Mmmm, darlin'." Rick caught her face in both hands and pulled her up to meet his mouth, kissing her with her own musk still on his lips and in his beard. His tongue reached deep into her mouth, thick with the taste of her, playful and demanding as he sought to urge her hunger again.

Kayla's long slender fingers flicked over his nipples as they had before and he gasped softly into her mouth, then took her hand and led it to where his bolt was still hard and waiting for her. He moved her hand up and down his shaft under his own until he felt her take over fully, her palm brushing the ridge of his head and making his hips reach towards her strokes. When he could stand it no longer, he bit the side of her neck lightly and rolled her over onto her back.

"Rick?" She brushed his floppy curls back out of his face and held his face in her hands until she was sure she had his attention. "I'm not …prepared," she explained pointedly.

"S'okay, luv, I am," With a soft chuckle he moved to the side of the bed to lean over, ass in the air as he hunted for something on the floor. He uttered a soft "ah hah!" and then surfaced beside her again holding the strip of frangers he'd slipped into his shirt pocket earlier in hopes that an opportunity just like this one would arise.

Her lips folded under an arched brow to give him a look of amused chagrin. "You were planning this all along."

"Nah, luv, not planning," he corrected easily as he tore off a packet and set the rest on the bedstand. "Hoping." His eyes sparkled teasingly as he tore the plastic open with his teeth then pulled out the franger, which he warmed between his palms before pinching the tip and then rolling it down over his thick cock. Curled on her side, Kayla watched in fascination as he stroked himself several times to ensure a perfect fit. When he seemed satisfied, he eased closer, reaching for her again, sliding the length of his warm body against hers. He nuzzled under her jaw as his fingers trailed down to part her, then nipped her lightly as his fingers slipped between her warm wet swollen lips.

Kayla's hips hitched and she exhaled a small gasp as he slid the ball of his rough thumb over her still sensitive clit. His kisses moved across her chin, heading for her mouth and she reached up to wrap her arms around him again as he moved between her legs.

She whimpered softly as he took himself in hand and rubbed the sheathed head of his bolt between her legs. "Mmm, yeh, honey, y'like that …," he growled softly as she arched her back. It wasn't a question. He knew.

"Mmm, Rick," Kayla panted soft hot breaths into his ear, "Please."

"Please what?" he purred.

He wanted to hear her say it. He needed to. Partially to ease his conscience over the fact that it hadn't occurred to him to have her sign one of the stack of confidentiality contracts he had sitting upstairs in a desk drawer even though his legal staff had repeatedly drummed into him that he always should. But it was mostly because he just plain wanted to hear her say it. It made him hotter than an outback green house In midsummer to hear a sexy woman ask him to root her, and Kayla was, in his opinion dead fuckin' sexy. Sexier than half the models and actresses he'd rooted his way through in the past year. Sexy because, unlike Chandra and Julie and Stasia and, yes, even Peg, this woman had managed to reach somewhere deep inside and turn him on in his mind. The fact that one look at her had made his knob hard was just icing on the cake. The way her mouth had moved on him had sealed the deal.

"Please what?" Rick repeated, taunting her by rubbing himself between her nether lips again, making her bite her lip in disappointment as he again failed to satiate the hungry empty ache deep inside.

"Please …I need you," Kayla reached down to try and pull him in with her own hand, but he wouldn't allow it. Her brows furrowed slightly as she searched for the words he wanted, the words for which he would reward her. "I want to feel you inside me …I want you to …." She paused and he watched realisation spark behind her eyes like a photog's flash. Her brown eyes moved to meet his. "Make love to me, Rick."

"Yes," he sighed happily, and began to slowly ease himself into her.

He was gentle with her at first, mindful of both his size and the fact that she had been neglected for so long. Her muscles were tight on him, still a little fluttery from the pleasure he'd given her earlier, and he took his time, relishing the slow acceptance as she stretched to take him in.

"Oh, Jesus," she gasped, nails digging into his back. "You're so big," and Rick had to fight off the thrill that always gave him to keep himself from forcing the rest of the way into her warm centre. Instead, he reached down and eased her leg up and back, letting it rest high across his hip, opening her to him a little more.

"Yeh, darlin, that's it," Rick murmured, low and encouraging, his voice velvety and rich. He pressed deeper slowly and Kayla gasped and arched under him and suddenly he was there, buried to the hilt inside her. "Mmmm, Kayla, luv …y'feel so good." He could feel the moist heat of her pussy all around him like a warm and welcoming embrace. For a long moment he simply held there, savouring the sensation of being so deep inside her and listening to the sound of her soft panting as her hands roved up and down his broad well-muscled back.

His chin tucked to reach her mouth and he pulled an almost tender kiss from her lips as he began to move inside her, stroking slow and deep. He took the kiss deeper, his tongue sliding and exploring as he caressed her from within.

Kayla broke the kiss with a soft mewling exhale as he hit a spot that made her catch her breath. "Oh, god, Rick, baby, yesss, you feel so good." Her fingers traveled over his shoulders and back, then lower, grasping at him to pull him deeper. His ass flexed and contracted in her hands with every thrust. Her words, combined with her kneading fingers, seemed to encourage him to stroke a little faster.

"Mmm, yehh, honey …," he drawled, reaching for another kiss. Her lips were becoming swollen with his kisses, stung raw with the hungry way his mouth pulled at hers, and still they reached for his with wanton abandon.

As Rick's strokes became more passionate, so did his excitement. It had been a long time since he had felt desire for a woman like he felt for Kayla. It had been even longer since a woman had responded with such open and honest desire for him. One look past her fluttering lashes and into her dark eyes told him that she was right there with him, intent on experiencing every second, every minute gesture of their lovemaking. Her gaze drank him in the same way that her hungry body pulled and stroked at his, with an eager passion for more.

"Aww, yesss, honey …." He pushed up over her and moved her delicate ankles onto his shoulders. "You feel so fuckin good, Kayla." She gasped a low moan of pleasure at the new angle. "Y'like that don't ya, baby?" She nodded and he watched her eyes as he rocked his hips, pulling out all the way only to immediately slide back in.

"Ohhhh god …." Kayla's neck arched back as he began this new sexual assault. Every time he plunged back in, his head caught at her tight throbbing bundle of nerves, dragging and rubbing as he filled her again and again. It was quickly becoming more than she could take. Sensing this, he began to thrust faster and faster, his hips swinging in a smooth rhythm as their bodies made contact. "Oh, Rick …oh god, baby, yes …."

Rick forced his lust dazed eyes to focus on her and he watched her pleasure deepen and begin to unfold. She was writhing and tightening by turns as her inner muscles pulled and stroked on him chaotically. "Yes, honey, c'mon, Kayla …." His voice was like warm melted chocolate now as he encouraged her. "Yes, baby -"

"Oh!" she gasped sharply and her hands moved up to grip his biceps.

"Do it - " he growled low and velvety.

"Oh, god -" her fingers tightened on his arms.

"Do it, honey -" He could feel her shivers starting, like a tiny earthquake deep, deep inside.

"Ohhh!" Her body began to struggle beneath him, head thrown back, thrashing against the pillow.

"C'mon, baby, let it go -" His voice was roughened with excitement as he watched her, so lost in the sensations that he could see the woman that she was, the woman that she wanted to be, wild, lost and free.

"Yesss -" Her neck crooned back as her eyes tightened closed, her fingers digging into his arms tight enough to leave tiny marks.

"Come for me, Kayla, come for me …. "

And she did, letting go with a loud cry as her body seemed to come unglued under him, shuddering and shaking and contracting inside and out as she gave herself over to wave after warm rolling wave of pleasure. Rick thought that it was one of the most beautiful things he'd ever seen.

He slowed his strokes as he felt her muscles begin to relax on him, letting her come down gradually, by degrees. She cried out softly, her voice husky yet as her body hitched with an aftershock and he stopped moving completely until he felt the flutters begin to subside. He ran a hand up her leg and turned his face to leave a gentle kiss on her ankle and when he opened his eyes to look at her again, she was smiling up at him. It was just a little smile, very Mona Lisa, he thought, but her eyes were sparkling and he would've sworn there were more gold flecks now than he'd seen before.

Rick's lips curled in response, his eyes warm on her. "You're so fuckin' beautiful when you come," he told her. "D'ya know that?"

Kayla grinned up at him and wound her big toe into his dark curls. Her eyes focused on him for a long, long moment, her gaze moving over his face as though she were reading him. "God, you are a gorgeous man," she sighed finally and looked away, but even as her face turned, she was still smiling just a little. He kissed her other ankle and nuzzled his beard against the arch of her foot like a kitten looking to be petted, then gently lowered her legs, which immediately moved to wrap around his hips as though he might consider trying to get away.

He lowered himself onto his elbows and began to kiss his way across her collar bone as her fingers wound into his hair, massaging his scalp. He left a warm wet necklace of kisses that led finally up the side of her neck and under her jaw like a meandering trail before finding their way to her lips again. Kayla's tongue slipped into his mouth and enticed his to follow and when she captured it, she began to suck with slow, rhythmic pulls.

"Mmmm," he moaned into her mouth and his hips moved to resume their stroking. She released his tongue long enough to slide hers against his, exploring his mouth eagerly as he continued to move inside her.

Kayla's arms and legs wound to embrace him more fully as she moved her lips to find his ear and whispered, "I want you to come inside me, Rick."

"Hoooh," he sighed with a shiver as his thrusts carried him deeper and deeper.

"Yes, baby, c'mon …," she cooed softly as her legs wrapped to pull him in tighter. "God, you feel so good, Rick."

"Ohh yehhh," he moaned, a sound that rolled out like a growl from deep in his chest as he began to move a little faster. He could feel his balls slapping softly against her backside. "Fuuck, yeh, honey …," he panted as he felt them begin to draw tight. "Oh, Jesus, yehhhh …."

"C'mon, baby, that's it," Kayla's voice was low and warm as she nuzzled a kiss against the side of his thick, strong neck. Her lips traveled over his skin now, tasting the salt of his sweat, nipping at his flesh and making him groan and shudder as he began to thrust harder, building towards his own release.

Rick's eyes were closed, brows furrowed in concentration as he began to mine for his pleasure in earnest. A fine sheen of sweat covered his skin and he could feel beads of moisture on his face and neck as his moans and grunts built in both frequency and volume.

"Uhhhh -" his expression tightened and he gritted his teeth at the intensity of the pleasure that was trying to overtake him.

"Yes, baby," Kayla's voice urged him on.

"HUUHHH!" His hips began to buck chaotically as he lost his hold on his rhythm.

"C'mon, Rick …come for me."

His eyes opened wide in surprise as he teetered on the precipice of release and in the moment before they slammed shut again he saw her watching him. "Fuuuuckk!" he barked as his body arched hard. His head snapped back with another loud deep growl.

"Yes!" Kayla's hands stroked his skin as he jerked roughly against her again.

"RUUUUHHH!!!" he shouted as he fell over the edge, no longer aware of anything but the warm waves of release as he gripped her tight and spilled out his seed in jerking hitches punctuated by husky low grunts of pleasure ….

The room slowly returned and he opened his eyes to see Kayla watching him. Her fingers were gently stroking his damp face and hair and the Mona Lisa smile was back, curling lightly at her bee-stung mouth. His tongue slipped out to run over his dry, parched lips but failed to hide his smile in return. "Awwh, Kayla, luv, that was so fuckin good."

"Mmm, yes, it was," she agreed, her voice like a soft caress. Her eyes were warm, and she had a content glow about her. "C'mere, baby." Her arms wrapped around him, pulling him down to her and he nestled his head in the crook of her shoulder as his breath puffed lightly against the side of her neck.

"Mmm," he sighed happily, feeling comfortable and relaxed for the first time in weeks. She was stroking his hair again, combing her fingers through his tangled curls then smoothing them back into place over and over again. It made him feel dreamy and it took a lot of effort for him to raise his head to claim the kiss he wanted.

His arms closed around her as he pulled the slow, deep tender kiss gently from her lips. Her legs were tangled with his and he was having a hard time telling where he left off and she began. When the kiss fell away, he nestled his face into her neck again as a feeling of deep contentment settled heavily over him. His fingers drew soft circles on her skin as she held him, and his mind began to wander ….

Kayla shook him gently awake a few minutes later, and he winced sleepily as he withdrew from her and skinned off the franger. He cursed softly under his breath as he padded to the loo to bury it deep in the trash. Dan had pounded into his head often enough that such an item would bring a pretty penny at Internet auction and he had no intention of testing the theory.

He washed up quickly, ran a bit of her toothpaste over his teeth with his finger and then slid back into bed beside her only to be deserted as Kayla got up and made her own trip to the toilet. When she came out he was lying back smoking, one arm tucked behind his head as he watched for her. She moved to the bed and slipped under the sheets quickly with a shy grin. Rick offered her a drag and held the ciggie to her lips as she inhaled, then flicked ash into the cut glass bowl on the bedstand.

She curled up with her head on his shoulder, angling so that she could still see him, and from the way her gaze was tracking across his face, he reckoned that his tired eyes had gone off again. Damn.

"You're tired," Kayla's voice was soft and caring as she reached up to brush back a stray lock of hair from his forehead.

"Reckon, after that," he chuckled softly and offered her another drag.

She shook her head, eyes still on him. "Are you going to stay tonight?"

"Hell, darlin'," he grinned down at her so deeply that she could see the dimples cutting into his cheeks beneath the dark scruff of his beard. "I was hopin' t'stay the week-end."

"Hmmm …," her eyes glittered at him as she pretended to consider this. "Well, okay, only …I have this concert I want to go to tomorrow night."

"Oh yeh?" he giggled. "And who might that be?" He took a last pull off the ciggie and turned to stub it out in the ashtray.

"Oh, y'know, some Australian band. You've probably never heard of them." Kayla's tone was light and teasing.

"Aussie, luv, " he corrected with a giggle, pronouncing it like it was spelled with z's. "Now, say it with me, darlin …."

"Ozzie," she tried again, the way he wanted it and his arm curled around her as he chuckled.

"Much better," he nodded agreeably as he settled in. She moved a little closer, shaping her body to his and laying her small head on his broad chest, one arm wrapped across him as her leg wove to nestle with his. He could feel her breath ruffling the hairs on his chest and his fingers stroked lightly over the soft smooth skin of her arm. When he tucked his chin to tell her goodnight, he found her lashes laying soft and dark against the curve of her cheek. She was already asleep.

He spent a long moment just watching her, imagining what it might be like to fall asleep beside her night after night and awaken to her each morning. He pictured her in his Mum's kitchen awash with morning sunlight making eggs and fried bread, watching for him to come in from the morning chores with Chester, his faithful Blue Heeler, at his heels, both of them sniffing around for brekkie. As he drifted off, Rick could have sworn he could smell thick slices of bacon cooking as they sizzled in the pan.

*

Mild panic ensued the next morning when Rick failed to materialise when Dan came to awaken him. A quick tour of the master suite revealed nothing had been taken and even Rick's trusty mobile had been left behind, set in its charger on the desk. Andy, who had stumbled off to his own room sometime around dawn, arrived shortly thereafter to escort his charge to an interview at KGSR FM, and together the men went through the suite again, looking for some clue as to their employer's whereabouts. Although it was far from unusual of for Rick Russell to do impulsive or even irresponsible things, they could usually count on him to at least scrawl a note. This time there was nothing. Just his big, un-slept in bed with the doona turned down and a mint on each pillow to show that he had never even made it that far.

"What about that woman he was with last night?" Andy asked finally and Dan all but slapped his own forehead as he picked up the phone and dialed direct to Kayla's room.

He scowled deeply as he listened to the ringing on the other end. "Irresponsible fucking basta-" His words caught and his voice lifted to a bright and cheery good morning tone.

"Hullo! Kalya? Dan McElroy here. G'morning, luv, sorry to wake you, but is Rick down there with you?" Even before she answered he could hear the soft droning of a snore he knew all too well. "He is? Well, that's good, we were wondering where he'd skipped off to." He rolled his eyes and then glared as he nodded to Andy that their missing ward had been located. "Listen, luv, do me a favour, would you? Could you wake him up and remind him that he's due at the radio station, oh… about ten minutes ago? Righto." He flipped Andy a thumbs up. "Cheers!"

"Fuckin' prick bastard," Dan swore as he hung up the phone again and Andy's round face pulled as he tried unsuccessfully to hide a chuckle.

"Twenty on ten," the bodyguard reached back for his billfold.

Dan nodded and pulled out his own wallet and laid a matching bill over the one on the desk before him. "Fifteen," he disagreed with a shake of the head. "But if he's a minute over twenty, you may well have to pull me off him." The assistant fumed as he consulted the day's schedule to find the number for the radio station's inside line so that he could make an excuse for the delay.

"Sorry, mates," Rick bounced into the room exactly nine minutes later. Despite the wide grin on his face he was moving with fast efficiency, heading for his room to put on the fresh clothes he knew Dan would have laid out for him on the bed. If he saw Andy's triumphant grin as he scooped up and pocketed both twenties from the desk, he ignored it.

"Fuck me swinging, Rick," Dan complained, falling into step behind him. "You look like something the barn cat swallowed, decided he didn't like, and coughed back up."

Rick ignored his assistant's peevish tone. He felt too good to argue, having woken Kayla up for seconds and thirds before dozing off into one of the deepest most pleasantly contented sleeps he could remember since Chester was a pup. "Do I have time for a quick wash?"

"No. But splash some water on your face and comb your hair and thank God this is just radio." McElroy handed Rick his clothes to facilitate the process. "And see if you can't wash away those pillow marks." He shook his head in dismay.

"Yes, Auntie Dan," the actor giggled, wriggling into a clean pair of jeans and then fresh socks before shoving his feet back into his Blunnies. He was still chuckling as he headed in to wash up.

"Shouldn't let him get to you like that," Andy pointed out wisely as Dan came out still doing a slow burn. He had worked for Rick longer than McElroy had, having first been hired on part time for press junkets and special events a year or so before the assistant had signed up. That and the fact that he and Rick both had Maori blood running through their veins made him feel that he had an upper hand when it came to dealing with the actor, and he seldom let Dan forget it.

"Fuck yerself, mate," Dan grumbled irritably as he pulled the day's schedule around for another look. Andy only chuckled and sipped his morning cuppa. There was quiet in the lounge for another two minutes and then Rick was back, face washed and hair combed, rubbing his hands together cheerfully and ready to take on the day.

"Need you to do me a few things today, Danno," he said as the trio rode down to the waiting SUV.

"Okay, shoot." McElroy pulled out a memo minder and held the stylus poised over the pad as he awaited further instruction.

"Okay, um …." Rick tugged his lower lip as he thought. "Firstly, I want you to send something nice to Kayla, y'know, some kinda gift basket thingie?" His hand waved a vague description in the air then reached up to pluck his sunnies from his shirt pocket. He paused to squint through the lenses with a brief frown that was quickly replaced by his smile again a second later, his blue eyes sparkling as he cleaned the glasses on the shirttail of his flannel.

Dan watched in wonder. Only Rick Russell would walk out into the triple digit Texas heat in a flannel shirt. "Like what? Sweets?"

"Yeh, sure," Rick nodded easily. "Sweets and maybe, uh, y'know, some kinda nice soaps? Bubbles for the bath, kinda stuff they like."

"Does she wear perfume?"

"Mmmm," the actor's eyes narrowed thoughtfully. "I dunno. She smells kinda, um …vanilla-y, y'know?" He paused to smile at a memory as he slipped on his sunnies then snapped his fingers. "Oh, and fill her suite with flowers. Roses. No, wait, can you find me Australian orchids, mate? Cause that's what I want."

Dan groaned softly and shook his head as the lift came to a stop and they began the process of hustling Rick out to the waiting SUV. He was grateful for the fact that for once the man didn't stop to sign autographs for the small cluster of fans who had staked out the hotel lobby.

Rick got into the waiting SUV and twisted around to watch his assistant climb into the seat behind him. "Oh, and one more thing." He stroked his scruffy chin, attempting and failing to hide a cheeky grin. "Frangers, mate. Y'know the ones I like." His hands gestured in the air beneath his gleeful grin. "Big box."

Andy snickered as he slid the van door shut and even Rick was giggling as he turned around to tell the driver to step on it, mate, they were late.

*

"Hey, luv …." Rick's arms slipped around Kayla's waist from behind. She jumped a little and then settled back into his embrace, eyes still on the crowd that was streaming into the outdoor ampitheatre at Bubba's. From their vantage point in the wings, they could see but not be seen. "Lookin' for someone, darlin'?"

"Yeah, actually …." Kayla's voice was far away, a little pensive. "My friends."

"Oh," he chuckled softly. "Rick's Bitches?"

"Yeah," her tone lightened a little, but her eyes remained on the growing number of women who were already crowding the stage, largely ignoring the comedian who was belch-singing his way through the Australian National Anthem.

"Which ones are they?" Rick asked, squinting with a tilt of the head as his own eyes scanned the faces of the women nearest to where they were standing.

"That's just it," Kayla sighed softly. "I don't know. And it's not like I could tell any of them I was coming." She sighed again and he detected a small note of sadness in her voice. "They're out there you know …? Felicity and Rune, SugarPie and Chu, the Mistress and Sister Anne and BB and D2 and Indiana Bones and …and it's so funny, you know, Rick? I mean, I know them, I can hear their voices in my head, …well, the ones I've imagined for them anyway, but …." Her words caught on a deep frown as she shook her head. "But I don't know what they look like. I couldn't find them if I tried."

"Ah," his arms tightened around her in a comforting embrace, "God bless the anonymity of the Internet, eh?" It was meant to be a joke, something aimed to refer back to how they'd met and make her smile, but he felt her stiffen in his arms as he said it.

"Oi, Ricky," a hand reached out to tap the actor on the shoulder and he turned to see Davey beaming at him, a scantily clad lass under each arm. "Bubba's here, mate," the guitarist informed him. "Wants to take some snaps with the band, some kinda tradition." He shrugged then grinned broadly, showing off a set of choppers that, while not exactly snaggled, would certainly have never made it to the Big Screen without some work.

"Yeh, okay, mate, be there in a tic."

"Sure bet," Davey agreed, adding , "C'mon, girls," as he turned to steer the threesome back the way they had come.

Rick leaned in to nuzzle tenderly behind Kayla's ear. "I've uh, y'know, gotta do a bit of work here, luv." His tone lowered, gentle with concern. "Y'gonna be okay?"

"Yeah," Kayla nodded and turned to send him a small smile from over her shoulder. Her expression warmed as she saw the caring in his eyes. "No worries, right?"

"Yeh, baby, that's right." He kissed the side of her cheek and then tousled her soft dark hair as he turned her loose. "No wuckin’ furries."

That, finally, was what made her grin, and she caught his fingers as he turned to go and pressed a soft kiss across the knuckles of his big hand. He returned her smile with one that was shy, his eyes sparkling like fairy lights, a look that had gone a long way towards making him famous and setting the world as he knew it at his feet. "Back in a tic, luv," he promised, stepping away reluctantly and Kayla, just as reluctantly, let him go.

*

Kayla wasn't where he'd left her when he got back, in fact she was nowhere to be found. Rick flew into a panic that was quickly bordering on hysteric rage as every available pair of eyes was sent looking for her. Dan sent Andy a dark I told you so look as the men moved off in opposite directions, scouring the dark yard and the nooks and crannies inherent to any backstage area.

It was Dan, finally, who found her, sitting on an old crate by the parking shed, smoking a cigarette and talking on her mobile. He lectured her gently on the way back, first explaining the dangers of wandering off alone in the dark, then finally touching lightly on what Rick Russell could be like in one of his "moods."

When they got back to where the actor was waiting in the band room, the man was, as McElroy had expected, a few trees short of a forest, all but climbing the walls and snapping at each new report that the woman had yet to be located.

The moment he saw her, Rick rushed forward, wrapping his arms around her and resting his forehead gently to hers, his lips so close to hers that they were nearly kissing, although the mood in the room hardly warranted such an action. Andy saw the gesture and recognised it as an old Maori greeting, one that signified deep bonding and his eyes flew to Dan with an Oh shit! look. The assistant nodded and shrugged and began herding people out of the room to give the couple a few moment's privacy.

"Baby, where were you?" Rick breathed finally. "I was so worried."

Kayla seemed unsure how to respond. "I just needed somewhere quiet to make a phone call," she explained. "I, um …I needed to call home and say goodnight." She chewed a little nervously at her lower lip.

"Ah. Uh, yeh, luv …okay," he mumbled as he let her go and turned away, pawing through the pile of debris on his dressing table in search of his smokes. So far they had managed to avoid this subject, he hadn't even asked what excuse she had made for coming here, and he wouldn't. He didn't want to know. Far as he was concerned, what she had left behind to come here, she had left behind. This weekend was about them, just them, no one else was invited.

"Rick …." She put a hand on his shoulder, wincing slightly as he stiffened and moved as if to shrug her off. A moment later his expression melted as his eyes came back to hers. He looked at her for a long moment, his expressive eyes full of a swirling mix of emotion, then his voice took on a light and cheery tone. If she hadn't already seen what had been in his eyes a mere second before, Kayla knew she would have bought it hook line and sinker.

"So!" Rick smiled. "I was thinkin' that maybe you and I might sneak away from the after party a bit early tonight. Slip off up to the Jacuzzi in my room? Maybe try out some of those bubbles, eh? What d'ya say, luv, does that sound like a plan, or what?"

"That sounds …wonderful," she agreed softly and he pulled her into his arms for a kiss that was just leaving tender in favour of passionate when there was a knock a the door.

Showtime.

*

BOLT played an even better set the second night, having been warmed up the night before. Rick felt that he was singing better than he had in quite a while, hitting more of the notes he often struggled with dead on instead of half off, and he was having a helluva time to boot. He danced and giggled, told stories and teased the audience playfully, keeping the majority of the crowd right there in his palm the whole time. When during a quiet moment between songs a woman's voice called out "I want to have your babies!" he chuckled and said "Line forms on the left, darlin." When a woman down front caught his eye and lifted her top to show off a magnificent set, he nudged Davey to grab an eyeful then purred low into his mic, "Nice, luv, only …I dunno whether to root you or send ya back to the farm for milking!" and even the flasher had to laugh.

They'd changed the set list around a little, to keep it fresh as well as to smooth out some of the rougher spots they'd experienced the night before, and added "Pictures Lie" and a slightly countrified version of "Flying Home To You" to the first and second encores, respectively.

He was pressed close to the mic stand, one hand at his ear to concentrate on the harmonies, eyes closed as he sang the chorus "You know I can't sleep when we're apart …I'll be flying home to you, headed straight for your heart …," when he opened his eyes and glanced to the wings to where he knew Kayla was watching him. He caught her eye and rubbed up against the mic stand and she smiled her cute little Mona Lisa smile and giggled at him.

They again finished the night with "Folsom Prison Blues" and soon enough, Rick was shouting out "G'night Austin! You've been lovely and we've been the BOLTs!" and striding from the stage sweaty and high on the audience's response.

He grabbed Kayla's hand as he passed and, without a word, dragged her into a small room nearby. The door wouldn't lock, so he simply leaned back against it, licking the sweat from his upper lip while his hand moved to undo his belt, his eyes burning to hers with the heat of his need.

Kayla took one look at the sweaty sexy stage-high man before her and knew what he wanted. She stepped up and nibbled his salty neck, then sank down slowly, pushing up his BOLT tank as they both worked to peel his heat dampened jeans and briefs away.

Rick was already hard, his eyes heavy lidded as he watched her circle his head with her tongue as her hot little hand stroked his shaft. He moaned softly and his head banged back against the door. If he felt it, it didn’t show. All he knew at that moment was the adrenalised pounding of his heart and the warm wet sensations Kayla's exquisite mouth was providing.

"Oh, God, Kayla …." One meaty hand rested on the back of her head as the fingers of the other rubbed his own nipples under his jersey. Her lips pulled back slowly until she reached his head and then she began to bob hungrily on him. "Oh, god, darlin, fuuuuck yehhhhh …."

She pressed his cock back against his belly to let her talented tongue flick across the veiny underside as her free hand yanked his jeans lower, freeing more of his legs, then cupped his tight heavy balls in her hand as she sucked and licked and nibbled.

The sound of his own rough breathing filled his ears as she sucked him in again, and Rick had never felt more like a Rock Star in his life. "Oh, Kayla, yeh, baby, just …like …that …. Oh, Kayla, Kayla, Kayla …."

His hand tangled in her hair as he came, his low growls and deep groans bouncing off the walls of the tiny room but otherwise muffled by the backstage bustle as people partied and the roadies packed their gear on the other side of the door.

It took him a panting moment to regain his senses and then he pulled her up to him, nuzzling her ear and promising to return the favour as soon as they were back in his room again.

As it turned out, Rick found that he couldn't keep his hands off of her and ended up dragging her into one of the office bathrooms at the club where the after party was being held. There he took her from behind as she braced on the faux marble sink, cooing softly to her to look in the mirror and see how beautiful she was as his fingers teased her to orgasm and his thick cock deep inside her stroked him to his.

They left the party soon thereafter, using a back door to dodge both the hopeful waiting fans and the paparazzi camped outside. In no time at all they made their way back to the Omni and the Jacuzzi in his room as promised. Rick took great pleasure in soaping her body and shampooing her soft hair and she was already noodle limp in his arms as he carried her to his big bed, laid her gently across it and made good his promise from the supply room.

If anything, his mouth was even more relentless than the night before and his playful demanding tongue coaxed her to come for him not once, but twice before he released her to cling to him as her pulse thudded through every nerve in her body.

*

Kayla slept.

Rick's restless fingers stroked idle soft patterns over her silky skin as he watched her, body half across his, head on his chest, cheeks flushed warm with a dream. Sleep was pulling heavily at him, but he was resisting it as his mind raced with all sorts of mad ideas as he tried to come up with a way to keep her.

She would leave her husband of course. What the hell, there was no love there as far as he could tell, not real love, not the kind he had to offer her. As for her son, well, he loved kids, got along better with them than he did with most adults, so no worries there. They would get on like a house afire once the lad got used to the idea, he was sure. Now all he had to do was convince Kayla.

Kayla, Kayla, Kayla. So warm and soft and sweet in his arms ….

His mind made up and his heart and body satisfied, Rick finally allowed sleep to pull him down like a swimmer caught in the undertow of a dream.

*

Kayla awoke to the smell of cigarettes tickling at her nose. Rick was already awake and out on the master suite's balcony, wrapped in a fluffy white robe with the Omni's logo embroidered richly across one breast. His voice rumbled, rising and falling through the half open glass door.

"Look, darlin, I'm not trying to hurt you here," he said. "This, y'know, this thing we had, it was …. I dunno, luv, it just … wasn't meant to be." There was a long pause and then his voice rose a little sharply. "Peg …Peg, will you just shut up for one fuckin’ second? I can't think when you shout like that. Jesus!"

Rick's heart cringed in his chest as the woman on the other end of the line began to cry. He had known this wouldn't be easy, but the sound of her ragged sobs was the worst. Made him feel like a right bastard, even though he'd known that their relationship such as it was had been over for him a long time ago. Probably about the time their film had wrapped, truth be told, and he had wanted to end it there, but with the Press all over their asses and her divorce about to go through, well, it just hadn't seemed right.

"Peg, honey, listen to me …. We've, y'know, we've been through a lot together, and, um …well, look, I need to be honest with you, okay?" He took a deep breath to steel himself for the reaction he was sure his next confession would elicit. It was a guaranteed show-stopper. "… I've met someone."

He was so caught up in the volley of profanities that came next, words that most of America would never have believed their Favorite Perky Blonde knew, let alone could spew out in the tried and true tradition of a woman scorned, that he never heard Kayla slip out of bed behind him. By the time he came in from the balcony twenty-odd minutes later, a free man but deeply in need of the comfort of her arms, it was too late. She was gone.

He checked the shower and the lounge with no success. Having decided that she had most likely gone down for fresh togs, he rang her room, but there was no answer. He dressed quickly and rode down to her floor without waking Dan, his heart starting to thud heavily in his chest as he tried not to panic.

When knocking at her door got no reply, the panic was back, crawling over his skin like fire ants, pulling his heart down into the depths of his guts. He tried calling her name and then pounding harder on the door and would likely have kicked it off the hinges if a room service waiter hadn't chosen that moment to come along. When his explanation failed to convince the man to unlock her room for him, crossing his palm with several large bills did.

Rick stepped into Kayla's room and what was left of his sensibilities faded away. There were buckets and vases of flowers everywhere still, the room was thick with their heady scent, but every other trace of her, every clue to the woman herself was gone. He slid down the door and sat heavily, head in his hands as his disbelieving eyes combed over the room again and again.

Finally he thought to try her mobile. It rang and rang and then he got her voicemail. He hung up and tried again. And again, and again. His messages became more and more desperate until finally, he tore the heavy hotel phone free of it's cord and threw it through the mirror over the bureau. It took several of the bouquets with it, and thus inspired, he tore through the rest of the room. When he was done, it looked like the room had been tossed by angry thieves and he was red-faced, panting and spent.

Hotel security alerted Dan, who came down and led his surprisingly docile charge back up to the Penthouse. It took a tidy tip to the staff over and above the cost of damages and a promise to keep Rick under control to keep things quiet, but in the end, it was a price well paid. The papers never had a clue.

Dan and Andy saw Rick through a three day drinking binge the likes of which they hadn't seen in quite some time. By the evening of the third day, Andy was drinking with him, which appeared unwise on the surface, but oddly seemed to do the trick. After all, when the going got tough, a man needed his mates.

By Wednesday, Rick had pulled his thumb out, gotten his socks up and made a go of things. Though still clearly not quite himself, he made his way down to the studio accompanied by a stupendously hung over Andy and spent the next three days writing and then recording a new song. And the song was good. A real heartbreaker. Probably the best he'd ever written.

He performed it at their last show at Bubba's, seated alone on a stool, his trusty black Gibson acoustic across his knees, spotlighted in a pool of blue. One reviewer reported that there had been tears on his cheeks as he sang, but that could have just been a trick of the light. And besides, he was an actor. The man knew how to put on a helluva show.

*

Rick never heard from Kayla again. Both her mobile and home numbers had been disconnected long before the band left Texas. It took a lot of convincing to keep him from showing up on her doorstep, from finding a way to track her down, but in the end, he let her go. His heart told him that he owed her that much, at least.

Far as anyone could tell, she dropped off the Internet as well, and her fans and friends online took it very hard. Especially Annie from Adelaide, who seemed most eager to reach her, but, after a few months passed, Annie dropped out of sight as well.

*

Time passed and Rick moved on. There was a new film, a deeply demanding role for him, and for four months it occupied his full attention. When he was done, he walked away convinced that it was likely his best work to date, and when the time came, the voters of the Academy seemed to agree and a new statuette soon graced his mantle.

And there it stood, tall and proud right next to the Grammy he'd gotten for "Blue Orchid."

THE END