Chapter 8

"So, where do you want me?" Jacob asked. Maria looked around. Mike’s cell phone rang and he went outside to answer it, leaving them alone.

"Um…why don’t we pull over the piano bench and rest some guitars against it," Maria suggested. Jacob did so. He took an acoustic guitar from the wall and began tuning it. "Jacob, we’re not playing, here, we’re working," she told him.

"I know. I’m just testing it," he said. Maria looked at him. He had consulted with Alex as to his wardrobe, but he had worn what he had wanted to anyway: black jeans with a belt that had silver studs all over it, a white tank top and a black, short sleeve button down shirt that he wore open over it. He had a black and white bandanna, but it was tied around his wrist instead of his head.

Jacob was getting nervous under her scrutiny. "What’s wrong? I don’t have a hat on today," he said. Maria bit her lip as she continued to study him. She suddenly came forward and pulled his hair toward his face more.

"Don’t push it behind your ears," she said. Maria was three inches from his face and Jacob was having trouble breathing. He knew that she was seeing him as a photo subject right now, but he was still seeing her as a woman…a very beautiful woman. Maria backed away from him and he let out the breath that he had been holding.

"Anything else?" he managed to choke out. Maria squinted, still biting her lip.

"I want to accent your eyes. You have beautiful eyes and they should be the main focus of the picture. I’m not sure, though, how I’ll do that. Sit down and I’ll see what the shot looks like," she said. Maria set up her camera. She was trying so hard to pretend that he was someone else…someone that she had no interest in. But, it was hard. She looked through the viewfinder and smiled. Jacob had his head down and he was playing the guitar. "That’s a great shot of the top of your head," she said. Jacob looked up and smiled. Maria took the picture.

"Dammit! I don’t like pictures where I’m smiling too much," he said. "They look cheesy." Maria smirked.

"Relax. It’s only a test shot," she said. "Don’t start getting bossy on me, either. I don’t take that shit." Jacob shook his head. It was going to be a long photo shoot.

Back on the bus

"What do you think they’re doing right now?" Alex asked Erik. They were seated in the front of the bus eating sandwiches with the rest of the band and Dianna. Mike M. was in the back of the bus where he could ‘concentrate’ as he’d told them.

"Probably taking pictures," Erik replied.

"Guys, what’s going on? Maria’s got a boyfriend and Jake just broke up with Janie. Nothing’s going on. I think you’re reading way too much into it," Trevor said.

"You’re only saying that because you like Maria yourself," Erik said.

"I do not," Trevor said, but not too convincingly.

"Wait, I’m lost. There’s something going on between Jacob and Maria?" Dianna asked.

"We think there is. I know that they have the hots for each other, but right now, they’re in denial," Alex said, taking a bite of her sandwich.

"Maria’s too work-oriented to let anything like that happen," Trevor said.

"Whatever, Trev. Why don’t you ask her out anyway? If she says ‘yes’ then you’ll know that there’s nothing going on with Jake. If she says ‘no’ then…" Ashley said.

"Then nothing, Ash. Don’t go starting rumors, you guys," Trevor said.

"It’s the truth, Trev. It’s just that, they’re in major denial right now," Erik said. Trevor stalked off to the sleeping area as everyone just looked at each other.

The shop

"Okay, I think I’m almost done," Maria said as she snapped one more picture. Jacob was trying very hard to be patient, but Maria was so particular that she spent a long time setting up the shots.

Maria saw Jacob’s leg bouncing and took that as a sign that he was getting antsy. "One more." She took the picture. "Done!" she announced. Jacob stood up and stretched. Sam came in, smiling.

"How is everything?" he asked.

"We just finished. Thank you so much, Sam," Maria said.

"For you, sweetie girl, anything," Sam said. Jacob was playing one of the guitars again. Sam looked at him.

"You are good. Do you know how to fix them?" he asked. Jacob looked up and smiled.

"I used to build them," he said. Sam grabbed Jacob’s arm and dragged him with him towards the back room.

"I have a couple of acoustic guitars that I want you to look at. It will only take a moment," Sam said, hurriedly.

"Take your time. I have to pack up," Maria told them. She started packing up her things. Mike came over and helped her.

"That’s the most patient I’ve seen Jacob at a photo shoot…ever," he said. Maria glanced at him.

"It helped that he knows me, I think. I actually went faster than I usually do because I know that he can’t sit still for long periods of time," she told him. Mike laughed. "We’re going right from here to my father’s house, right?" she asked.

"Actually, we’re going to go to the hotel where the bus is being parked first. You need to get some things for the stay," he said.

"Right. I don’t want all of this stuff with me anyway," Maria told him. Ten minutes later, Jacob and Sam returned from the back room of the shop, Jacob carrying a guitar case.

"I gave Jacob a guitar for helping me," Sam said.

"It’s not necessary," Jacob insisted. Sam waved him off.

"Take it," he said, practically pushing Jacob at Maria.

"Okay," Jacob said, afraid to argue with the guy. "Thank you." Mike began taking Maria’s things to the limo. Sam hugged Maria tightly.

"Don’t be a stranger, Maria," he said. Maria pulled back and smiled.

"I won’t. I’m going to paint you a new picture to hang beside the harp," she said. Sam laughed heartily. He put his hands on Maria’s cheeks again.

"My beautiful sweetie girl," he said with tears in his eyes. "Take care of her," Sam said, looking over at Jacob. Maria looked down. Jacob just nodded. Sam hugged her once more before she turned to leave. Jacob held the door open for her. Maria stepped out into the hot sunshine and put on her sunglasses. She sighed as they walked in silence back to the limo.

An hour later

"Joseph, they’re here," Marilyn said, nervously. Joseph came running and opened the front door. Two white stretch limos were pulling into the driveway. He smiled when he saw his daughter. Maria ran to him and he hugged her tightly.

"I’ve missed you so much, Maria," he said, tears sliding down his cheeks. Maria smiled against his shirt. She looked up at him. Her father was tall. He had light brown, wavy hair and was very handsome. His eyes were like Maria’s, a bluish, green color and he looked much younger than his fifty-five years. Joseph used to play baseball, so he was very muscular and athletic. Maria couldn’t believe that she was really here with him.

"I’ve missed you too, dad," she said as he kissed the top of her head. She took his hand. "Come and meet the band," she told him, dragging him over to the limos.

"This is a great house," Dan remarked, looking at the huge, Victorian house before him. Maria and her father had reached them.

"Thank you. I designed it myself," Joseph said. Maria smiled.

"Dad, this is O-Town. That’s Dan, Trevor, Ashley, Erik and Jacob," she said as he shook hands with each of them. "That’s Dianna, she’s a physical therapist traveling with the guys, and you’ve heard about Alex, now you finally get to meet her. And those guys are the Mikes. ‘Mike C.’ and ‘Mike M.’ I call them. They’re O-Town’s managers," she said. Joseph smiled at them.

"Well, there’s plenty of room, so come in and make yourselves at home," he said. Maria frowned.

"Where’s Marilyn?" she asked. Then she saw her. "Oh, my God!" she exclaimed loudly. Everyone looked over. Marilyn was standing on the porch. She was very pretty…and very pregnant.

Room assignments were as follows: Maria got the best guestroom, of course. There was a double bed, so Alex would sleep with her. A day bed was brought in for Dianna. There were three other guest rooms. All had twin beds. Jacob and Erik shared one room, Ashley and Dan another and the Mikes were in the third. Trevor took the couch in a sitting room that was at the end of the hallway where the guest rooms were. He didn’t mind because he also got a TV. The house was set up like a hotel. It was huge.

Maria was with her father. She was angry. Marilyn was upset by Maria’s reaction to the ‘news.’ The guys stayed out of it and gave Maria her space.

"Why didn’t you tell me?" Maria asked her father. Marilyn was much younger than her father and Maria had figured that they would have their own children one day, but Marilyn was about six months along and Maria was confused as to why her father hadn’t told her.

"I didn’t want to upset you," Joseph said.

"You didn’t want mom to find out, isn’t that it?" Maria asked with fire in her eyes. "I’m not stupid, dad. Look, I don’t want to talk about this right now. The guys have a show tonight, so we have to get ready to go." Maria stood up and walked out of the study where they were talking. Joseph sighed. He had been afraid that this would happen.

While the group was at the show, Geoff arrived at the house. Joseph was surprised to see him. He didn’t know what was going on with his daughter and her boyfriend, so he welcomed him in with open arms.

On the ride back to the house after the show, Maria was thinking about everything that she still had to do in regards to the article. The group interview was first, then the group pictures and she had to finish writing Jacob’s profile. Maria closed her eyes. She was starting to get sick and tired. She hated that feeling. She just wanted everyone to go away. ‘I just want to sleep,’ she thought wearily.

The limo pulled into the driveway and everyone got out. Maria stumbled on a light that was illuminating the driveway and Jacob caught her. "I’m okay," she said. "I wasn’t secretly drinking or anything." Jacob laughed. Maria never failed to amuse him. She had a lot to deal with. Her family wasn’t the most stable one, but she was handling it well. The door to the house opened and Maria froze. Jacob saw this and looked at where she was looking.

"You have to fucking be kidding me," Maria said. There, in the doorway of the house, was Geoff.

"What the hell is he doing here?" Alex hissed. "Son of a bitch!"

"I do not need this right now," Maria said.

"Tell him to get lost," Jacob suggested.

"I doubt that will work," Maria told him. Geoff was coming towards them, since they’d stopped walking. "Shit. I don’t want to see him." Maria put her hands over her face and turned around.

Geoff stopped in front of Maria. He ignored everyone but her. The Mikes continued on into the house. The others couldn’t look away.

"Maria. I had to come see you," Geoff said. Maria turned back around and glared at him.

"Why? Isn’t your blonde plaything gonna be lonely?" Maria asked.

"I miss you. Look, can we talk…alone?" he asked.

"No. I don’t want to be alone with you…I don’t want to do this. Why are you here?" Maria was angry, to put it mildly.

"I need to talk to you…to explain what happened," Geoff said.

"You slept with someone else. Someone that wasn’t me! And don’t tell me that you were thinking about me when you did it! Leave me alone, Geoff!" Maria yelled and she ran to the house. Alex and Dianna ran after her. Geoff looked at the band. They were all glaring at him, especially the guy with the dreads.

"What? You don’t even know me, so don’t go getting all mad on her account," he shouted right before turning and re-entering the house.

"Well, this is fun," Erik remarked. "Maria has a very nice family and boyfriend."

"Shut up, Erik," Jacob said as he, too, began walking back to the house. The guys followed.

The main hangout for the band was the recreation room. It was a very large room with a pool table, a large screen TV with a VCR/DVD system and stereo, and a bar with a counter, stools and a mirrored wall behind it bearing shelves that held all kinds of glasses. There was a soft, leather couch and two matching leather chairs set up in front of the TV, and a coffee table in front of the couch. Sliding glass doors led out into the pool area, where there was an Olympic sized in-ground swimming pool.

Erik and Alex were on the couch together, eating chips and sipping soda. Ashley, Jacob and Trevor were playing pool and Dan and Dianna were at the bar, sitting on stools, talking quietly. Neither Maria nor Geoff had been seen since they’d gotten back to the house. Joseph now entered the room and smiled at them.

"It’s been a while since this room has been used to its potential," he said.

"I noticed all the pictures on the wall…all of the baseball ones. Maria told us that you work for the Giants. Have you always worked for them?" Dan asked.

"I’ve been moved around some. I worked for the Rangers at one point, then moved to the West Coast and was with the Mariners for a while. Then Oakland and finally, San Francisco," Joseph explained.

"Can we get some tickets?" Erik asked, turning to look at him, a smile on his face.

"Sure. I’ll see what I can do. Maybe you guys can sing the National Anthem at one of the games," he suggested.

"That’d be cool," Trevor said from across the room. Joseph liked the guys. They were down-to-earth and very polite. He was a good observer and had noticed how his daughter acted with each one. Joseph’s gaze landed on Jacob. He was quiet, but Joseph sensed…something when Maria was with him. He wasn’t sure what, though.

Maria now entered the room, wearing a short red tee shirt and jean shorts. "Dad, I want him out of this house," she announced. He looked at her.

"Geoff?" he asked.

"Yes. He cheated on me. Throw him into the yard and make him walk back to Orlando," she said as she went behind the bar to get a drink.

"I’m sorry, sweetheart. I didn’t know," he said with a frown. He left the room.

"I hope he kicks his ass," Alex said. Maria smiled. He probably would.

Maria had had it. She was tired of being so serious all the time. She was in a carefree mood. Her life sucked, but she wanted to have fun without thinking of anything important. Her gaze locked onto Jacob and she smiled.

"Maria!" Geoff came into the room and Maria rolled her eyes.

"Go away!" she shouted.

"I’m not going anywhere until you hear me out," Geoff said. Maria took her drink and walked out from behind the bar. Geoff blocked her and grabbed her shoulders. "Please. I just need to speak to you alone," he said softly. Maria looked into his begging, pleading eyes. And threw her drink in his face. Geoff jumped back, surprised.

"Get out," she said calmly. Joseph came back in and saw what had happened.

"Geoff, I think you should leave," he said. Geoff ran past Joseph, who looked at Maria apologetically. "Goodnight," he said as he walked over and hugged her. Maria hugged him back and he left the room again, after waving at everyone else.

"Good going," Alex said from the couch. "Very entertaining." Maria smiled, triumphantly. She walked over to the pool table.

"Who’s winning?" she asked.

"Trevor," Ashley answered. "Do you play?" he asked. Maria smirked.

"Yeah, I play," she said, her eyes meeting Jacob’s. He wasn’t sure what was going on, but he knew that Maria was vulnerable right now. Maria walked around to his side of the table. She stood looking at the placement of the balls. "Go ahead," she said to him. Jacob bent over, lined up his shot and shot. The ball went into the corner pocket. Maria smiled. "Very good."

Trevor and Ashley were looking at each other and they shrugged. Erik and Alex were also watching what was going on over by the pool table. "What’s she doing?" Erik asked. Alex smiled.

"Lining up her shot," she said. Erik looked confused. He watched as Maria lifted herself and sat on the edge of the pool table.

"What are you doing?" Jacob asked.

"Sitting," she said.

"Not a good place to sit. We’re trying to play," he told her.

"So am I," Maria said. She suddenly took her legs and wrapped them around Jacob’s waist, pulling him to her. Ashley choked back a laugh and Trevor just stood there watching.

"This isn’t part of the game," Jacob said.

"Remember, I make my own rules," Maria told him. Jacob smiled.

"Really?" he asked. Maria nodded. "And what do you have to do to win the game? Playing by your rules that is," he said. Maria took the pool stick away from him and laid it on the table. She leaned forward and smiled into his eyes.

"This," she said right before she grabbed the back of his head and pulled him to her. Their lips met in a searing kiss that took Jacob’s breath away. His hands held onto her hips as he kissed her back.

Ashley stood with his mouth hanging open. Trevor had a similar look on his face. Dan and Dianne were now watching from the bar, but they had missed some of what had gone on. Erik and Alex were laughing quietly but hysterically on the couch and couldn’t seem to stop. Apparently, Jacob and Maria couldn’t either.

Jacob was in a sensuous fog. Maria opened her mouth to him and their tongues touched, causing Maria to moan softly. She couldn’t get enough of Jacob. She knew that she was attracted to him, and kissing him was a truly amazing experience…she’d never before felt anything like what she was feeling right now. He made Geoff look like an amateur. Jacob pulled her off of the pool table, their mouths never separating. He had his arms around her waist and he held her pressed against him. Maria wrapped her arms around Jacob’s neck and held on tightly.

Ashley looked at Trevor, wondering if they should do something. Ashley finally cleared his throat, but the kissing couple didn’t stop.

"What the fuck?!?" That did it. Maria and Jacob tore apart, breathing heavily as Geoff came storming into the room, now wearing a clean tee shirt. "Get the hell away from her!" he shouted at Jacob as he approached them. Trevor tried to block his path.

"Leave them alone," he said calmly.

"She’s mine! How dare you, Maria!" Geoff yelled. Maria was still dazed. She was still holding onto Jacob and now, as her head cleared, she glared at Geoff.

"How dare me? You have the nerve to get mad at me? At least I just kissed him, you went and screwed some slut," she said. Geoff pushed past Trevor and pulled Maria away from Jacob. Geoff glared at him.

"I knew you’d be trouble. Stay the hell away from her! She’s not one of your groupies," he said. Jacob smiled and looked at Maria.

"Do you want to be one of my groupies?" he asked.

"Yes, I do," she said. Jacob looked at Geoff and shrugged. Geoff suddenly swung at him. Jacob didn’t see the punch coming, so he didn’t have time to duck. The punch caught him near the eye. The other guys were over in a hurry. Trevor grabbed Geoff from behind and held him. Erik and Ashley helped Jacob up. Jacob glared at Geoff.

"Come on, Maria. We need to go talk," Geoff said as he grabbed Maria’s arm.

"Don’t touch me. I’m not going anywhere with you," she told him, trying to pull her arm away.

"Let her go, man," Ashley said. Jacob pulled Geoff’s hand off of Maria’s arm.

"You’ve hurt her enough!" he yelled. Jacob was smaller than Geoff, but Maria knew that he was strong and he had been a wrestler, so there was no doubt in her mind as to who would win a fight between the two of them.

"Come on, you bastard! Let’s go!" Geoff shouted. He swung again, but Jacob ducked this time. He rose and punched Geoff in the stomach. While he was doubled over, Jacob swung and hit him in the face, splitting his lip. Maria moved forward. She had to stop them. She didn’t want her father to wake up and see what was going on. Geoff straightened up at that point and when he brought back his arm to swing, he accidentally hit Maria, causing her to fall back against Trevor. Jacob saw red. He started raining punches on Geoff, each one hitting their target. Erik, Ashley and Dan managed to pull Jacob away before he did any major damage.

Alex and Dianna had led Maria over to the couch where Alex held a napkin with ice against Maria’s cheek that had been hit. Trevor dragged a dazed and confused Geoff to the door and shoved him out of it. "Go get some sleep and don’t come near us again," he said as he pushed Geoff out the door and closed it firmly behind him.

Jacob was fuming. He stalked back and forth trying to calm down. It had been a while since he’d been in a fight. "Bastard," he mumbled.

"Jake, let me get some ice for your eye," Ashley said, running over to the bar. Jacob didn’t even feel the cut next to his eye. He closed his eyes, took a deep breath and opening his eyes, he looked over at Maria. She couldn’t have planned this, right? She had been just as into the kiss as he had, so he knew that she had wanted to kiss him. And it wasn’t to make Geoff jealous, right? He wasn’t sure. Maria looked over at him and he saw anger…and hurt in her eyes. Her cheek didn’t look too good, either. Ashley brought ice over to Jacob. He winced as Ashley put it against his sore skin.

"Come here. Sit down," Maria said. Jacob took the ice from Ashley and went over to the couch. He sat down beside Maria. Alex motioned for everyone to leave with her. Reluctantly, they all followed her out of the room.

"I’m sorry," Maria said softly. Jacob gave a small laugh.

"For what? The kiss or the fight?" he asked. Maria looked at him.

"The fight," she said. Jacob sighed.

"The bastard deserved it. I probably would’ve hit him eventually, anyway," he told her. Maria smiled.

"You kicked his ass but good," she said. "I knew you would."

"Oh? Is that why you kissed me? So he’d see us, get mad, and you could watch me kick his ass?" Jacob asked. Maria shook her head.

"No," she said. He looked at her.

"Then why?" he asked softly. Maria looked into his amazing blue eyes.

"Because I wanted to," she said. Jacob smiled. He leaned back against the couch and she did the same. "Are you glad that you came to my father’s house?" she asked. Jacob just laughed.