Two

Lily St.James stood eyes closed and her arms out relishing the warm summer breeze that whipped off the ocean across her body. She curled her toes into the sand feeling the heat from beneath and also above from the sun’s gentle rays. Finally she felt free and could breathe through the bone crushing stress that had consumed the last few months of her life.

She opened her eyes and plopped down in the sand still facing the ocean. There was always something so relaxing about the way the ocean lapped up against the beach, the rich salty smell and the soothing sound of the water’s turbulence rising onto the sand.

She adjusted her sunglasses and leaned back with her palms flat on the soft sand behind her. Three hell bent months of work finally with a reprieve only because her father had demanded it for her wellbeing. Lily had been working for five years now for St James Advertising which was owned by her father. She’d started just helping out on weekends with her mother after college but once she’d passed away almost five years ago, Lily had taken over her mother’s role in running the London office.

She’d end up spending the summer in London and the winter back in Los Angeles at the head office her father ran. It was a ruthless high profile business but Lily was not only used to it, she was good at it too. The problem was that’s all she did, her life for the last five years since her mother’s death had been about work. Determined to carry on the strong reputable work her mother had done building the London office from nothing, she’d buried herself so deep until her father finally could see what it was doing to her, and promptly sent her to their beach house here across the country in the Hamptons.

Years had been filled with countless nights of client smoozing over dinners, it was her speciality and her father was forever grateful she could charm just like her mother did. She was an attractive woman who stood around five foot seven, blessed with long wavy sun drenched blond hair and with a curvaceous figure male attention never went astray but she just wasn’t interested nor did she have the time. Most of the guys who ever had taken her our, had only wanted to end up working at the firm, getting to know her father not her. Lily wasn’t even sure she knew who she was anymore.

She sighed pulling her book from the tote bag she’d brought out and opened on the page she’d folded a corner over to bookmark and started to read. It was time to unwind relax and not be bothered by anything except the cool ocean breeze and warbling cries of the gulls above her.

~~

The three men stood holding their gaze to the solitary woman on the beach. Richie snorted, “Well just one problem, one of her and two of us that are available”

David rolled his eyes “Oh right and what do you propose?” he asked meeting the tall man’s brown eyes.

“He proposes that we leave her alone, she’s obviously trying to relax” Jon pointed out still secretly captivated by her. Although she was still some distance away Jon could almost smell the sweet scent of her across the sea breeze.

“Oh now come on man, that’s no fun. You’re just chicken shit that you can’t pick up the ladies after all this time” Richie teased, his eyes dancing with mischief.

Jon smiled wryly “Oh yeah I’m sure that I can” he said shaking his head, Richie even after all this time still knew how to get him cranked up, its what he did best.

“Here we go” David replied knowing once Jon and Richie started it didn’t end well, thankfully they didn’t still punch each other out like back in the day.

“What are you babies crying about now?” a deep gravely voice intruded the deck.

Jon looked up to see the final piece of the Bon Jovi puzzle had arrived, Tico his loyal drummer and also long time friend was here. Built solid and burly, with biceps that could shatter bones the Cuban man was well aged like the rest of them.

“These two” David said jerking his thumb in Jon and Richie’s direction “are arguing about woman” David laughed when Tico rolled his eyes, ever familiar with the sight of Jon and Richie acting like teenagers. It just hadn’t been lately with Jon being happily married and now separated.

Tico laid down a box of the finest Cuban cigars on the table that was now plentiful with alcohol. “Something for a little later, to celebrate your freedom Jonny” he winked.

Jon nodded “Sounds like a plan Teek” he patted his shoulder “Glad you’re here” Tico nodded as brown eyes met blue. The distant subdued look still shone in Jon’s eyes. Tico had organised this weekend after seeing how withdrawn Jon was, Jon was their leader who was always in control and never let his emotion overrule anything else till this.

“Would miss it for the world” Tico replied.

Richie turned to David “Did you hire those strippers?” he asked hopefully. In jest Richie and David had talked about it as a surprise for Jon but he’d decided against it in the end.

Jon just about choked on his whiskey feeling the rich liquid almost burn his nostrils “You didn’t?” he asked wide eyed with a cough.

David’s eyes gleamed “Well we were but I decided against it, I’m sure our other significant others would just love to know we were having strippers here” he chortled.

Richie swung his hand in disappointment “Man, I was hoping we’d get that chick back, the one with the ping pong balls”

“Oh god, Richie that was ten years ago, she’d be like thirty, forty now” Jon laughed.

“I’m sure she had an apprentice or something that was some trick” his brows wavered along with the mischievous smirk that spread along his lips. “See this is what you miss out on when you’re married Jon” he hooked his arm around Jon and gripped his shoulder winking at Tico and David.

Groans and deep male laughter filled the beach house as three men attempted to cheer up their brother. A couple of hours later after a few rounds of whiskey and drops of wine they sat relaxed on the deck, the sunset slowly was descending across the late summer’s sky stretching out its amber, red and purple hues.

The woman on the beach had been long forgotten until Richie motioned out to the almost deserted area. “Hey she’s still out there? Do you think she’s ok?” he asked sitting forward and squinting.

Jon cast his eyes where Richie was looking and sure enough the lone figure still sat there against the backdrop of what was now becoming an amazing sunset. “So she is, maybe she’s just enjoying the beach” he commented.

“Remember when we used to see who could woo the woman?” Richie asked Jon seeing if he was up for a bit of competition to take his mind off his problems for a little while.

Jon’s eyebrow quirked high “Oh I see, up for a little competition there Sambora?” Jon rubbed his hands together. Usually he would step aside in Richie’s little conquests but that was when he was married and something was so oddly intriguing about this woman, he needed to know.

“Oh good god, you’re not” David snorted but the all too familiar sparkle in their eyes told him it was on.

“Whoever can get her back here for a drink with us all, wins” Richie mused stroking his chin.

“Deal” Jon said accepting the challenge folding his arms. Admittedly he was out of practice off the stage to woman but he did have that natural charisma that he was sure would win her over.

“I’m in too” David said rising to the challenge. The three men looked at him surprised, Tico and David were both married.

“Hey, it’s just some fun, and no-one can resist the charm of the Joker” he winked.

“Fine, you all know I will win anyway, now how do we decide who goes first?” Richie asked.

“Uh I think he does” Tico said pointing to where Jon had already walked off the deck and onto the beach.

“Hey!” Richie called but Jon held his hand up in the air and kept walking.

David sat back on the chair propping his feet up on the railing “Well this should be interesting”.