Post Custody, Part 2 – Season 2
Deciding to spend an extra two days in LA was a brilliant move, Angela thought, as she splashed in the surf with Jonathan, Sam, and Tony. After the threat of losing custody of her son, Angela wanted nothing more than to spend some time just being a mom on a family vacation.
So, she traded in her business suits for a swimsuit she found at the hotel gift shop. It was a bit more revealing than her usual style, but the emerald green, one-piece halter with a fully open back was the most modest suit she could find on short notice in Southern California. Despite her self-consciousness, Angela was grateful for Mona and Sam's enthusiastic praise, and even blushed beguilingly at Tony's primordial inability to hide his appreciation as she removed her sundress before heading toward the water. Why did his undisguised approval make her feel incredibly self-aware and shamelessly wanton at the same time?
The hours ticked by as they all built sandcastles, lounged in beach chairs, splashed in the cold water of the Pacific, and dined on sub sandwiches and fresh fruit Tony had packed. Mona joined them for a while but had her own plans to enjoy a bus tour of regional wineries.
By the time the sun was falling toward the water, everyone was ready to head back to the cool comfort of the hotel to watch a movie and order room service. They'd spend the next day relaxing and packing before heading home Tuesday morning.
They rinsed off as much sand as the outdoor shower could manage and lugged their toys and gear into the lobby. No sooner did they enter the air-conditioned lobby than Angela began to feel the effects of the hours spent in the sun. Once they got everything to their suite and the kids headed to their room to shower and change, she escaped to her room with plans to do the same, followed by a nap before dinner. Tony, bless him, volunteered to sort and organize everything before cleaning up himself.
Just as Angela slipped off her sandals and dropped the towel she had wrapped around herself, she caught a glimpse of her reflection in the mirror. Her face was much redder than it should have been, with a clear outline where her sunglasses had sat. When she smiled and squinted, she could feel the sting of the sunburn as her skin moved and stretched.
This was not good.
She'd been sure to put on sunblock. She remembered doing it. Hadn't she? But then it dawned on her, she'd never reapplied it. They had spent seven hours at the beach, and she had been without sunblock for at least half that time.
Reaching back, she tried to untie the thin spaghetti straps of her halter but winced when the skin across her neck and shoulders was pulled taut by her movements. She tugged on the end of the string, but it didn't budge. She eased her hand toward her neck and felt the thick double knot. There was no way she could work it out by herself, especially as the burning sensation across her back and shoulders began to escalate exponentially.
Peaking her head into the living room, she glanced around for her mother but only saw Tony reclining on the couch, obviously asleep, with the beach stuff untouched by the door. Mona was apparently still out.
Loathe to wake him up and ask for his help with this particular problem, she returned to her room determined to untie the knot. Fifteen agonizing minutes later, she was near tears from the growing pain of her sunburn, the frustration of failing to untie the stupid knot, and the discomfort from being stuck in a bathing suit infused with salt and sand.
Maybe Sam could help.
Again, Angela quietly made her across the room toward the kids' room, only to find them both sound asleep on their respective twin beds. The sight of Samantha and Jonathan with sun-kissed skin, freshly washed hair, and matching "I Love LA" t-shirts eased some of Angela's own mounting anxiety, but it also left her with only one option.
Reluctantly, she returned to where Tony was snoring contentedly on the couch and proceeded to nudge him awake.
"Tony? Tony, can you wake up? I need your help."
"Huh, wha? What's wrong?" Like all dads, he managed to go from complete slumber to high alert in about two seconds.
"I'm sorry to wake you, but Mother is still out, and the kids are asleep."
"Sure, what do you need?"
Angela found that saying the words was a thousand times harder than she expected, which made her fumble through her explanation. "I forgot to reapply my sunscreen and I hurt and I'm itchy, and I can't untie the stupid knot, so I'm stuck, and I want to shower, but there's no one to help me."
Tony tried his best to sort out what she was asking but was afraid he misunderstood.
"You need me to untie something because you have a sunburn?"
She nodded sheepishly. "Yes, I need you to untie my swimsuit."
Tony's eyes went wide for a split second before he regained his professional composure. This was Angela, his friend and boss, and she needed his help. He could do this.
"Okay," he said, standing up. "Let's see what we can do about that."
Angela nodded gratefully in agreement and turned to walk back to her room. Immediately, Tony called out, "Whoa, hang on a sec, your back is the color of a stop sign."
"I know. When I put more sunscreen on the kids after lunch, I apparently forgot to put more on myself."
"That's gotta hurt," he said lamely.
"It does," she deadpanned. "It's why I can't get the knot undone on my suit. It hurts to stretch my arms and shoulders that far."
He followed her into the bedroom she was sharing with Mona, and she took a seat at the small vanity. Tony stood behind her and immediately felt paralyzed. It was one thing to see someone like Angela in a skimpy swimsuit at a crowded beach, where everyone was similarly dressed, and entirely another to be alone in a hotel room about to help her take it off. He took a breath and met her eyes in the mirror, oddly relieved so see she seemed somewhat uncomfortable, too.
But this was crazy. They'd shared a bed and pajamas only a few months ago at the wannabe Bate's Motel by Jonathan's camp. Compared to that, this should be cake. But when she tilted her head to move her hair out of his way, Tony's eyes were drawn to the slope of her neck, marred though it was by the quickly blossoming sunburn. Somehow, the vulnerability caused by the angry redness increased the deeply personal nature of the task.
Tony took a breath and assured her, "I'll be as gentle as I can."
When Angela nodded, he began by lightly brushing away the last few strands of hair before investigating the small bundle of tightly bound spaghetti straps.
He plucked at the spandex cords over and over with his fingernails but couldn't get purchase on the tight material. And each time the straps moved against her burnt skin, she winced in pain.
"Who tied this, Houdini?"
"I didn't want it to come untied in the water," she said as justification.
"No chance of that. In fact, I don't see much chance of this coming off at all without scissors."
"I was hoping to avoid that, but now, I just want out of this horrid thing. It feels like a spandex straight jacket." In fact, the sunburn caused her to fluctuate between feeling hot and chilled, and made her skin clammy. She desperately wanted to lie down before she fainted, but she also needed soft, comfortable clothes.
Tony made his way to the bathroom to retrieve some scissors and returned with a bottle of aloe vera gel as well.
"I saw this on the counter and thought it might help your sunburn," he said as he held up the plastic squeeze bottle.
"I forgot I packed that. Thank you, Tony."
Standing behind her, Tony gently pulled her hair to the side and looked for the best place to snip the halter strap. "Make sure to hold the front," he warned her.
"I've got it," she assured him, with her hands clasping the suit to her chest.
The scissors easily cut through the material, and Angela felt relief as the material released from around her shoulders and neck. "Oh, thank goodness," she exclaimed.
She turned around and found herself nearly nose to nose with Tony. Immediately he stepped back to give her space. "I'll, uh, let you change into something more comfortable, and then I can put some of the lotion on, if you want."
"I would appreciate that," she said softly.
When Tony stepped out of the room, Angela gingerly stripped off the wretched bathing suit and dropped it in the trash can. Slowly, she retrieved underwear, leggings, and a t-shirt from her suitcase, before realizing Tony would need access to her whole back to apply the aloe. Instead of the shirt, she opted for her robe, taking care not to bend or twist more than necessary. But increasingly, every move she made aggravated her skin. Then, the minute the material from the robe touched her shoulders and back, she nearly cried out. It felt like she was wearing a jacket of molten iron.
As quickly as she could, she dropped the robe off her shoulders and immediately felt better, but she could hardly go around completely uncovered for the next several days. And she didn't even want to think about the pain a bra would cause. Her only hope was that the aloe would ease the pain enough to make clothing bearable. But in order to get to that point, she had to face Tony in her current state.
When he came back into the room, Angela was sitting on the edge of the bed with her robe pinned under her arms to cover her front.
"Everything okay?" he asked.
"The fabric on my back and shoulders hurts too much," she explained. "If … if I lie down, will you put the aloe on my back?" she asked tentatively.
He could see her growing discomfort at both the pain of the sunburn and her need to ask him for such personal assistance. "Sure, of course." He walked toward the bed and placed a pillow in the middle. "Here, rest your head on this, and just lie down. Relax, we got this," he assured her.
She smiled wearily at him as she took her time getting into a prone position without stretching too much or dropping her robe. It wasn't easy, but eventually, she was lying on her stomach with her back and shoulders fully exposed.
Tony sat carefully next to her, bringing one knee on the bed so he could face her better. Despite the redness of her skin, she made a gorgeous sight he couldn't help but appreciate – in a completely detached and platonic way of course. It was the same way he might appreciate the Venus De Milo or the Pieta – all smooth lines and perfect proportions that begged to be worshipped … to be caressed and kissed, from her rounded shoulders to her perfect jawline and inviting mouth ...
Snapping himself out of it, he shook his head in self-admonishment and poured some of the aloe vera gel in his hands. Then he asked, "Ready?"
With her head turned toward him, and her hair spread out behind her, she nodded as best she could.
They were both silent as he placed his fingers at her nape and gently fanned out to the sides, allowing the gel to transfer to her skin, then repeating the process until he needed more aloe. Angela tensed but didn't make a sound.
"How's that?" he asked.
"I was afraid it would sting, but it already feels soothing. Thank you for being so gentle."
After retrieving more gel, he returned his hands to the middle of her back and carefully swiped from the middle to the sides, being sure to apply no more pressure than what was needed. Each time he touched her, he could feel excess heat radiating from skin.
He was careful to stop at the line where the burned skin transitioned to the far more pale areas that were protected by the swimsuit. With the third application, he returned to her shoulders, then curved his hands around her collarbone and pulled the aloe down the tops of her arms, then moved his thumbs back up her neck to her hairline.
Neither was expecting the moan that made its way from her throat.
"I'm sorry," Angela stammered, "That just felt really good."
When she realized her words didn't improve the context, she buried her head in the pillow.
He gently placed his hand on her back, where the aloe was thickly applied, and assured her, "It's okay, it should feel good."
To release some of the building tension, he asked tenderly, "How did the most responsible woman I know forget to put on sunscreen?" and hoped she heard empathy and not accusation in his voice.
"I wish I knew. I made sure the kids were covered, and then just got distracted."
He understood how that could happen. "I'm so sorry, Angela. I hope this aloe helps."
"It already feels amazing. Obviously," she added with a smile.
He continued to re-cover various spots to ensure he didn't miss anywhere, until finally, he needed to delicately seek her permission before going further.
"Angela, your suit was kind of low cut in the back, and the burn extends a little lower than your waistband, but, well, I don't want to make you uncomfortable by touching areas that are well out of bounds," he said as tactfully as possible.
Despite his macho talk and playboy veneer, he was unequivocally the sweetest, most considerate man she'd ever known. Meeting his eyes in the intimate silence of the hotel room, she said with all due gravitas, "I trust you, Tony."
He nodded solemnly and tugged her leggings just past the flare of her hips, exposing the remaining few inches of sunburn. He was afraid if he had to speak, his voice would fail him. From the subtle dip at the small of her back, to the last vertebra of her spine, he massaged the cool gel into her skin. Angela's eyes closed in relief as the burning eased, but relief swiftly pivoted to the unmistakable spark of arousal. One second, he was a friend providing assistance, and the next, he was a man caressing the lowest reaches of her back, making her grateful for the sunburn, as it was the only thing keeping her from rolling onto her back and pulling him onto her.
Behind her, Tony's eyes closed of their own volition. Despite strictly confining his hands to the affected areas, he was nonetheless touching her in ways that bespoke a lover's familiarity. One last time, his hands slid up to her shoulders and back down, lightly coming to rest on either side of her hips. As desperately as he wanted to keep his hands on her, he knew his job was done, but the deep sigh Angela released didn't seem to indicate she was in any hurry for him to stop.
"What else can I do to help?" he asked, his hands still at her waist.
As much as she wanted to say, "Don't stop," she knew the timing couldn't be worse. They were both exhausted from the day at the beach, and the kids would be awake and hungry very soon.
"You've done more than you know," she admitted tentatively, "I don't know what I would have done if you hadn't been here."
In response, Tony respectfully readjusted her leggings and pulled the sheet overtop of her to ward off the inevitable chill that would set in as her skin cooled. When the fabric touched her and she didn't recoil in pain, she knew the aloe was working.
"I'm glad I was here."
She smiled and reached out for his hand, squeezing it gratefully. "Me, too."
"I'm going to check on the kids and order some supper. You get some rest, and I'll wake you in a little while."
His hand slid from hers, and he dimmed the lights before making his way to the door. Before he opened it, Angela spoke up once more, saying the closest words she could muster to what she was feeling, but knowing he'd understand.
"Thank you, Tony. For everything."
Receiving the message, he glanced back wistfully and replied with the one word: "Always."