Price of Past Miracles Ch. 10

Megan Richards waited and watched for a chance to catch Jonnie North alone at his birthday party in the posh nightclub that the modeling agency had rented for their star client. But she rarely ever saw him without that gorgeous model Kristina Davidson hanging on his arm. But she stayed unobtrusive and observant, thinking the other woman was bound to get sidetracked at some point...

Jonnie had asked the agency to be sure to invite all of his friends... including Megan. He wasn't as angry any more... Kris had been keeping in touch with him and spending a lot of time with him when they were working together and she was a nice distraction. But although he enjoyed her company and did find her very attractive, he knew he wouldn't fall for her... his heart belonged only to Megan. And he was starting to feel guilty, thinking that he might have been leading Kris on in some way so he was planning to talk to her at some point that evening to make sure she understood that they could never be anything more than friends.

Megan was at the party, but she was avoiding him and he figured it was because Kris was with him every moment and that was bound to bother Megan if she still loved him. But he'd never really doubted that... Megan wouldn't have been so hurt and pissed at him when she thought he'd betrayed her if she hadn't loved him. But he was just as hurt and pissed at her for believing him capable of betraying her...

And round and round it would go forever unless both of them finally got to a point where they could just let it go... he just had no idea when he would reach that point. But he was beginning to see that he would soon forgive her and be ready to start again. He needed to let her know that so she wouldn't lose all hope and give up... and possibly turn to someone else for comfort...

Jonnie looked at his beautiful friend and said, "Would you please excuse me for a few minutes, Kris? I need to go speak to Megan privately... OK?" He kissed her cheek when she smiled and nodded and left her to go find where Megan was currently hiding herself.

Kris watched him walking away and her smile grew wider. She was hoping that Jonnie was going to tell Megan that he was falling in love with her and it was time for Megan to realize that and let him go. Kris had felt it was only a matter of time before Jonnie would realize that they were perfect for each other... she loved him and all the fun times and the jokes they'd shared over the "rumors" that had been spreading about their "hot" affair. She felt perhaps he was meant to be her soul mate...

Megan saw Jonnie strolling through the nightclub looking around and he was alone... she finally had her chance. She stepped out from behind the column she'd been leaning on and moved toward him. He nodded at her slightly, indicating that he had been looking for her, so she squared her shoulders and walked right up to him.

Before he could even open his mouth, she stated what she most needed to hear from him. "Jonnie... if you have feelings for Kris Davidson and there is no hope that you will ever be able to forgive me, then please tell me right now so I know where I stand!"

He raised his eyebrows and stared at her for a moment. She looked scared to death and was obviously afraid that she was not going to like his response. He took a deep breath and frowned slightly as he figured out how to phrase his reply. He didn't want her to get the impression that he wasn't still mad at her...

He spoke quietly, "Well... I do have feelings for Kris..." He clenched his jaw to hide a slight smile when Megan's eyes widened even further, but he didn't want to be cruel to her... "Feelings of friendship," he added sincerely and saw her take a deep breath as a look of relief flooded her eyes.

Then he continued sternly, "As for forgiving you... I'm still working on that. As far as I'm concerned, you have a lot of work to do to earn my trust again and to prove that you trust me! And I realize how hard that is to do when we aren't spending any time together, so we'll have to start working on that. But it's going to be difficult while our schedules are still so busy, but that's going to change by the end of this year. I'll be quitting this modeling gig so I can get back to USC and finish my degree. You know I've only been doing this for the money and now I have enough to finish school."

That was an understatement! He wasn't about to tell Megan that he had several hundred thousand dollars in the bank and a contract in the works to be a commercial spokesman for a new brand of men's cologne that could net him another several thousand over the next few years... not that he believed she wanted him just because he had money! According to her Mom and Dad, Megan was on the verge of making quite a bit of money herself if her album turned out to be a hit... and he was sure it would.

Megan smiled at him and he felt that familiar ache in the pit of his stomach again... for the first time in a while he felt that longing for her again. But he wasn't about to give in to it just yet... he was still mad at her after all! He frowned and shook his head as he replied, "So, by the end of this year, we should be able to start working on repairing what went wrong. And if we can get together any time before then, it would be a good way to try to talk honestly about the pain we both experienced so we'll be past that by then. OK?"

She nodded solemnly and then frowned herself as she asked him one last question. "Jonnie... I know I probably shouldn't ask this, but... I've been reading in some magazines about a rumor that you and Kris are... lovers..." She winced as she said the word. "Is it... true?" she asked hesitantly.

Jonnie smiled ruefully as he shook his head and then replied sarcastically, "Well, at least you are ASKING about it this time instead of just assuming!" He hesitated and sighed heavily as he continued. "No... it's not true." He snorted a laugh as he added, "Kris and I always get a good laugh every time we hear that another rag has printed it again!"

Then his face softened as he said, "You'd like Kris... she's really sweet and she's been very kind to me throughout this whole mess. If it hadn't been for her, I'd probably still be pissed as hell at you. But she was the one who helped me to realize that you had lashed out at me because of your own pain, which made me realize you wouldn't have done that if you hadn't loved me. But trust should've made you come to me before you had to be smacked between the eyes with the truth!" he ended emphatically.

Jonnie paused and shook his head again as he realized that every discussion they got into would keep coming back around to the same issue until they were able to sit down at some point and just hash it out. He looked over and saw Kris waiting for him with a questioning look on her face and it reminded him that he still needed to talk to her and make sure she understood their relationship.

He looked back at Megan and said, "I have to go... Kris is waiting for me and she is an out-of-town guest and I don't want to be rude to her. So... do you understand where we're at right now?" She nodded and smiled sadly and he leaned down and kissed her cheek softly. Then he touched her cheek and said sincerely, "Learn to trust me, Megan, and we'll find our way back to each other... I promise."

He smiled softly when tears filled her eyes as she nodded once more, knowing that she understood and would wait for him however long it took for them to find their way back to each other. Then he turned to make his way over to where Kris was standing and he saw her smile brightly at him after she glanced over at Megan. She seemed happy that he and Megan seemed to have come to an understanding...

When Kris saw Megan crying and wiping her eyes as Jonnie walked away from her, she was certain that he'd told her good bye. And he had such a serious look on his face as he approached her that she was also certain he was finally going to reveal his true feelings for her...

Jonnie took Kris' hand and said, "Let's go outside and get some fresh air. And I need to talk to you... alone."

They found a quiet alley beside the nightclub, and Kris waited breathlessly to hear what Jonnie wanted to tell her... then she could scarcely breath when what she heard coming out of his mouth was not at all what she'd expected.

He took her left hand in both of his, stared into her eyes and sucked in a deep breath. "Kris... you know your friendship these past several months has meant the world to me, and I am so grateful to you for showing me that what happened wasn't the end of the world! If it hadn't been for you... I don't know how long it would've taken for me to want to move on. And one of the things you helped me to realize was that, even though Megan hurt me terribly, it didn't mean she didn't love me! And I've never stopped loving her. I have always loved her... and I always will.

"And I just wanted to make sure you understand that, because I've never wanted to do anything that would lead you on and make you think that I wanted to be anything more than friends. If I've given you that impression, I am so sorry and I hope you can forgive me," he stated sincerely as he saw a frown gradually creasing her brow as she looked away while he was expressing his regret if he'd confused her.

Kris Davidson heard a roaring inside her head and felt a burning rage she'd never experienced before as soon as Jonnie had said that he loved Megan... always had and always would...

THAT BASTARD!!! HOW COULD HE DO THIS TO YOU!!! YOU'VE LOVED HIM SINCE THE MOMENT YOU MET HIM!!! HOW COULD HE STILL LOVE A WOMAN WHO TURNED HER BACK ON HIM EVEN THOUGH SHE CLAIMED TO LOVE HIM!!! YOU WOULD NEVER DO THAT TO HIM!!! WHY CAN'T HE SEE THAT?!! WHY CAN'T HE SEE THAT SHE DOESN'T DESERVE HIM?!! HE BELONGS WITH YOU!!! YOU HAVE TO MAKE HIM SEE THAT...

Kris shook her head to clear away the noise of her surprising rage, confused as to why she was reacting so strongly as she realized Jonnie had also been saying something about being sorry if he'd led her to think he wanted them to be anything more than friends... She frowned harder as she replied, "Jonnie... where would you have gotten the idea that I thought we were more than just friends?!!" She laughed sarcastically. "Please... don't tell me that you're now starting to believe those stupid rumors!"

He sighed with relief and then chuckled with her. "Oh... good! I'm so glad to see that you feel the same! The last thing I'd ever want to do is hurt you, Kris... you've been so great to me! And I hope when I leave the modeling biz at the end of this year, that you'll still keep in touch... I value your friendship! And I'm sure you'll like Megan once you get a chance to know her. She really is a wonderful person..."

Jonnie stopped when he saw what he thought was a flash of pain in Kris' eyes, but then it was gone and she smiled slightly as she replied, "Well... I doubt I'll have much opportunity to get to know her if you're getting out of the business. Our paths probably won't cross that often... I so rarely come to L.A."

Jonnie smiled sadly at the thought that he and Kris probably wouldn't see much of each other once he was done with modeling. He bent forward and kissed her cheek and then said gently, "I want you to know that I'll miss seeing you and working with you... maybe if we're lucky, we'll got a lot more assignments together during these next four months! Come on... let's get back inside! I am the guest of honor and some people may be looking for me by now!"

As he took her hand in his and led her back inside the nightclub, Kris Davidson felt confused as she heard a strange voice inside her head...You're damn right he's going to be seeing a lot more of you over the next several months... we'll see to that!!!

**********

Jonnie and Megan got their first chance to visit with each other toward the end of September 1977 when he and Kris were assigned to do a runway show in Chicago on a Saturday night. Jonnie immediately called Megan at Northwestern and told her when it was and that he'd be there from Friday to Sunday and that he was getting her a ticket to the show. They also made plans to meet Friday night for dinner so they could talk.

The dinner went OK, but they didn't really talk about what had gone wrong. They both recognized that they still hadn't let go of all the initial pain they'd felt and they didn't want to get into an argument in the restaurant. So they kept their conversation limited to what they'd been doing since they hadn't been in touch, both of them laughing softly when they realized that they'd been keeping tabs on each other through their parents.

After dinner, they went for a walk in a park along the shores of Lake Michigan and finally started to relate to each other how hurt they'd been by the whole situation. Jonnie patiently stood next to Megan and listened as she broke down from telling him how sick and scared she'd felt to think that he'd betrayed her and that she'd lost him to her best friend and how she'd wished to die because of the pain...

And then Megan sobbed even harder when Jonnie railed at her and then ended up crying as he poured out his anger and pain over the knowledge that she'd so easily believed him capable of betraying her. Then he grabbed her and hugged her to him as they both sobbed when she again begged him to forgive her for that...

They stood and held each for a long time as they let the cool nighttime breeze off the lake help to blow away their lingering pain. As he started to release her, she looked up at him and he was captured by the deep sorrow that still lingered in her eyes. He leaned down to kiss her gently, only wanting to comfort her, but his lips tingled when hers molded so naturally to his, instantly recalling for both of them the memory of how fiery their attraction had been for one another.

Their lips moved together for a moment as their eyes closed, testing how well they remembered the feel of touching each other that intimately. It had been almost a year since the last time they'd kissed, but before they realized it, their bodies started to feel that same burn, starting in their guts and spreading like wildfires until it came blazing out of their mouths as their lips parted and their tongues sought each other's moist heat.

They groaned desperately as they clung together, the kiss growing ever more intimate as their bodies strained with movements of remembered passion and mounting desire. Before he knew what he was doing, Jonnie backed Megan up against the railing they'd been leaning on looking out over the water, lifting her up as she parted her thighs and wrapped her legs around his hips as he ground his hard cock against her. Within a minute, both of them threw their heads back, gasping raggedly as they came together, their backs arched in pleasure.

Jonnie and Megan lifted their heads to look at each other in shock, still gasping for air as they realized the inferno between them had suddenly roared to life again... He backed away and slowly lowered her to her to her feet as they struggled to control their breathing. Then he turned around and moved a few feet away as the almost overwhelming urge to grab her and drag her back to his hotel room and finally claim her body with his had the fire igniting in his groin again.

"Jonnie?" he heard her ask hesitantly from behind him and he could tell she was confused and concerned as to why he'd suddenly moved away from her. He turned back around, his chest still heaving nervously, and said, "I'm sorry, Megan... I was just... caught off guard. I didn't expect that to happen between us again... especially after everything else that's happened."

He smiled softly at her when he noticed that she was blinking nervously in confusion. "I think it's a good sign, Megan. Our bodies still recognize that we belong together even though our hearts are still hurting and our minds confused. We'll be OK eventually... but it's too soon to jump back into such intimacy again. I still need you to prove that you trust me because I will not be hurt that way again. Understand?" he asked her solemnly.

She smiled and nodded and he held his hand toward her saying, "Come on... let's go hail you a taxi." She took his hand and they walked out of Grant Park and a few blocks up Michigan Avenue until he was able to flag down a taxi to take her back to Northwestern. He kissed her softly before she climbed into the back seat and told her, "I'll see you tomorrow, sweet Megan."

Jonnie slowly walked another block and then turned on Lake Street toward the Fairmont Hotel where he was staying for the weekend. As he approached the hotel, he saw Kris heading quickly toward the lobby doors being followed by some man who grabbed her arm and then yelled angrily at her when she jerked away from him. Jonnie hastened his pace to see if she needed help.

"I told you I wasn't interested... now please leave me alone!" Kris was crying at the man, tears welling in her eyes as he glared angrily at her.

"Is there a problem, Kris?" Jonnie asked as he approached and then stepped between her and the man, glancing back and forth between them.

He looked at her when she spoke quietly. "I just want him to leave me alone... that's all!" Her mouth was trembling and she looked scared to death.

Jonnie frowned as he looked back at the man again. "You heard her, mister... take off!" he said, making his voice sound authoritative just like his Dad had always done when dealing with troublemakers.

The man glared at him for a moment and then glanced around at the crowd of people who'd stopped at the sound of a disturbance. Then he sneered at Jonnie, "Sure thing, pretty boy. I guess I'd better not mess up that pretty face of yours... you'd probably sue me for ruining your career!" The man laughed evilly as he turned around and walked away. When he was about a block away, he reached into his coat pocket and pulled out the hundred-dollar bill the gorgeous girl had paid him to play that little scene with her and he laughed again... it was the easiest hundred dollars he'd ever earned!

Jonnie frowned as he watched the mean bastard walking away, wondering how a man who dressed like he had absolutely no sense of fashion knew that he was a model... He shook his head and looked back at Kris, who was still on the verge of tears and trembling from head to toe. He took her in his arms and hugged her for a moment. "Are you OK now?" he asked her gently.

Kris had been acting up to the point when that stupid asshole had made the comment about ruining Jonnie's career... he could very nearly have blown her plan if Jonnie figured out that she'd set that whole thing up! She'd have to distract him from wondering how that man, a complete stranger, had known that his face mattered to his career... She clung to him and whispered desperately, "No... I'm not OK!!! I'm so scared and I... don't want to be alone!! Please, Jonnie... don't leave me alone tonight!"

He took her upstairs to her room and ordered a bottle of wine from room service when she said she needed a drink to calm her nerves and waited for it while she took a shower. He stayed for while and drank a couple of glasses with her while she told him why she was so scared... because she'd been attacked and raped a few years back by some man who'd been stalking her. Jonnie took her in his arms to hold her when she broke down crying and then he picked her up and carried her to the bed to lay her down when he felt her sagging against him.

When he tried to leave her after laying her down and pulling the covers over her, she clung to him and cried again, saying she was still too scared to be alone. So he lay down on the bed with her, over top of the covers, and put his arm around her to comfort her as she scooted her back against the front of him. He intended to stay with her only until she fell asleep, but he ended up falling asleep as well...