Chapter One: Rainy Day Distraction

Fort Lauderdale Spring Break- February 6, 1990

"I just feel so sorry for the kids! It's supposed to rain the whole weekend!" said Angela as she moved away from the resort window. It hadn't stopped raining since they had finally settled on the beach a few hours earlier.

"Well don't feel too sorry Angela because a good chaperone always comes prepared with rainy day fun! Check this out… knock hockey, charades, making origami animals! Ooooh I'm getting excited already! Let's go get the kids!" he said enthusiastically. Angela knew this would be a disaster for Samantha and her friends so she knew she had to act fast to try and distract him.

"Uh… Tony, no no! I mean… why don't we just sit here and uh, watch the rain!" she said as she hoped to distract him enough to forget about his boring activities.

"Alright… watch the rain…" he said as he looked over at the window and then back at Angela. "Okay that's enough rain! Let's go get the kids!" he practically shouted with joy.

"I mean look at it!" she said as they both sat down on the love seat. She had to think quickly because she knew this wouldn't be enough to distract Tony for long.

"Isn't it… cozy…" she said as she leaned closer to him, her voice dropping a few octaves.

"You coming down with a cold Angela?" he asked as he looked over at her with confusion.

"No… it's just that I always find the rain… romantic… what do you find romantic Tony?" she asked as she put her arm over the back of the love seat, leaning into him every so slightly.

"We… well I don't know… uhh… Sinatra, sunsets, candlelight… these are a few of my favorite things!" he chuckled, needing some break in the sexual tension that was forming between them. He was becoming increasingly aware of her proximity- the smell of her shampoo, the piercing stare her eyes were giving him. He felt that altogether familiar pull between them, the one they were able to resist most of the time. The one that almost pulled them over the edge on that bench in Jamaica.

"How about… whispering breezes… waves crashing on the shore at dawn… the crackling of logs in the fireplace…" she said seductively. All Tony could do was gulp as he pictured all of those scenarios with Angela, most of which involving very little clothing for both of them.

"Th…those are good too…" he managed to speak, his voice cracking and high pitched.

"You know Tony… I think you and I have the same fire in our souls…" she said as she continued to look deep into his eyes. She forgot all about trying to distract him as the moment was getting away from her.

"Angela… what are you doing here?" he managed to ask as he willed the blood back to his brain.

"She's coming on to ya dummy!" said a woman from across the room who was watching the whole scene. She stood up and walked away, frustrated with how blind Tony was to the whole situation.

"No! No, no, no! I wasn't coming on to you! I was just trying to distract you!" she said as she pulled back. Her words didn't match her racing heart as she sat back against the sofa.

"Well take it easy on that stuff, will ya!" he said as he turned around.

"I'm sorry! I just don't know my own strength!" she said as she too turned around, pulling at her turtle neck to get some air.

"Angela?" he started.

"Yes Tony?" she asked as she looked deep into his eyes.

"How about we head back to my room and play gin rummy? We can check in on the kids later!" he said as he stood up, asking the hotel staff for a deck of cards.

"Sounds good! Let me see if there is a room service menu. Maybe we can order some food and some drinks!" she said as they walked over to the hotel staff, Tony grabbing a deck of cards and Angela grabbing the menu.


"So Gene forgot my suit! We wind up at this fancy restaurant wearing jams and thongs!" laughed Tim as they joked in Sam and Bonnie's hotel room.

"Don't that beat all!" laughed Bonnie as the guys looked over at one another, their thoughts about Bonnie being an easy target floating through their minds.

"You guys are so lucky! You get to party all year round!" said Samantha as she sat on the bed with Bonnie.

"No… you know what's really lucky? Meeting two girls like you…" said Tim.

"C'mon! You guys meet girls all the time!" said Samantha.

"No… but you two are special!" he said with a smirk.

"Yeah! Real special!" said Gene with a dopey grin.

"Really?" asked Bonnie, genuinely believing the guys. Samantha wasn't impressed by the look she was giving the guys.

"I mean… you're not like the girls down here! You're classy!" said Tim as he leaned in closer to the girls.

"Yeah! Real classy!" said Gene.

"So how about the four of us head down to our apartment… you know… see how the locals live!" said Tim as he stood up, Gene right behind him as they headed to the door.

"I don't know about this guys… my dad…" started Samantha before Bonnie interrupted her.

"Your dad isn't here Samantha. Besides… we will be back in plenty of time for curfew! C'mon it will be fun!" she practically begged. Tim and Gene were looking over at them from across the room.

"Okay fine! But we need to be back before curfew! I don't want to hear it from my Dad if we are late!" she said as they both grabbed their purses and headed out the door, with the guys right behind them.


"Gin!" yelled Tony as he threw down his cards, much to Angela's frustration. They were already down one bottle of wine and were halfway through the second. She had lost count how many games they had played but she was sure it was over ten.

"I think I've had enough of cards! You've won the last three games!" she complained as she threw her cards down on the bed. She stumbled over to the table with the food; she was tipsy enough to know she needed some more food in her or risk being hungover in the morning. It would look horrible to all the kids if one of their chaperone's was nursing a hangover at the breakfast table.

"Yeah… I think we should call it a night… maybe we can find something on television…" he said as he grabbed the remote and flopped back down on the bed. The hotel had sent up a complimentary order of chocolate covered strawberries. She grabbed the plate and brought it back over to the bed.

"Hmm… these are so good…" she said as she picked up one of the strawberries, taking a bite out of it. Some juice ran down her chin; before he could even process what he was doing, Tony's thumb reached over, effectively wiping the juice off her face.

"Here let me have one of 'em…" he said as he motioned for her to hand him one. She picked one up, slowly bringing it over to him. Instead of handing it to him, she decided to bring it right to his lips. Their eyes made contact for a brief moment before he took a bite of the strawberry. She pulled it back ever so slightly as she placed the remaining fruit into her own mouth. He couldn't stop staring at her lips.

"That was so… delicious…" she said as she scooted back up on the bed. "Anything good on television?" she asked. It took him a moment to refocus as he picked back up the remote.

"So far nothin' looks good…" he said. After a few more minutes, he gave up and turned off the television. "So what do you want to do?" he asked as he scooted up closer to her on the bed.

"Truth or dare!" she squealed as she turned to him on the bed, her childlike enthusiasm bringing a smile to his face.

"Really Angela? Aren't we the chaperones?" he chuckled.

"C'mon! It will be fun! I'll go first! Truth or dare?" she asked.

"Uhh… truth?" he said, although it came out as more of a question than a statement. In their compromised state, he was afraid what they might end up revealing, but more so what they could end up getting one another to do.

"What would be the first thing you would do if you won the lottery?" she asked. She had to laugh as she watched him release a breath and relax.

"Oh well I would definitely pay off all my debt! I'd put some more money away for Samantha's college and wedding and I'd put some away for Jonathan too! I'd probably redo Mona's place for her and I'd buy myself a real gold watch" he said.

"Nothing for me?" she asked, slightly hurt at being left out of his imaginary lottery plans.

"Oh I'd plant twenty rose bushes in the backyard! All pink… your favorite so everyday you would look out the door and I'd get to see that beautiful smile of yours…" he said. She had to take a deep breath to try and slow down her racing heart at Tony's words.

"That… would be lovely Tony…" she said as she took another sip of her wine.

"Alright! Truth or dare Angela!" he said, reaching over her and taking another chocolate covered strawberry.

"Ahh… truth…" she managed to say, completely distracted as Tony's body momentarily leaned over hers as he grabbed the dessert.

"If you could be invisible for a day, what's the first thing you'd do?" he asked.

"I'd walk into Wallace and McQuade and spend the afternoon messing with Jim Peterson! He'd think the ghost of Christmas past was haunting him!" she said, hysterically laughing at the image of Jim Peterson running screaming from her old office out of the building.

"Angela! I didn't know you were so vindictive! I love it!" he said as he joined her in laughing. Once they caught their breath, Angela spoke again.

"Truth or dare?" she asked.

"Dare!" he said without much thought. The alcohol was really starting to cloud his judgement.

"See how many chocolate covered strawberries you can shove in your mouth at once!" she chuckled.

"What? Alright… here pass them to me" he said as Angela passed him the tray. He was able to get three in his mouth before he started to choke, spitting them out all over his shirt.

"Oh Tony! I'm sorry I shouldn't have made you do that! It's all over your shirt!" she shouted as she started to wipe his shirt with a napkin.

"Eh… I didn't like this shirt anyways…" he said as he took it off, throwing it across the room. Angela just stared, her mouth open wide as she took in the site of a shirtless Tony.

"Alright my turn! I'm picking truth for you Angela! What's your biggest fear?" he asked. He needed to repeat the question twice until Angela snapped out of her daydreams.

"Umm… spiders?" she managed to say as she tried to refocus her thoughts.

"That's a lie! I've seen you kill spiders before! Try again!" he said as he gave her a little shove with his arm.

"Alright! I guess… I guess my biggest fear is… being alone. Never getting the chance to share my life with someone again. Never… never being in love again" she said as she looked up, making eye contact with Tony. She quickly glanced away, choosing instead to focus on the ugly pattern on the comforter.

"Eh oh, oh eh! You're not gonna be alone Angela! The right guy for you is already… I mean he's probably around the corner! Maybe… maybe closer…" he said, his hand finding hers on the bed.

"Tony… do you… do you think about Jamaica?" she asked, raising her gaze so her eyes met his own.

"I… I do. A lot… do you?" he asked, slowly moving closer to her on the bed.

"Everyday… I replay that last night in my head over and over again…" she said, her eyes moving from his own down to his lips.

"Me too… that kiss. It was… electric…" he said. He was mere inches from her face when she looked back up into his eyes. No more words were said as their lips crashed into one another. Their hands were on each other's bodies, needing as much physical contact as possible. Angela was relishing in being able to touch his bare skin. He was becoming frustrated at the bulkiness of her sweater, his hands getting caught in the material.

"Here let me…" she said as she pulled the sweater up over her head, leaving her in only her bra and pants. Tony let out a loud gasp as his eyes wandered all over her newly exposed skin. He practically leapt over to her, causing them to fall back against the pillows as their lips met once again. It wasn't until Angela started unbuckling his belt that he pulled back.

"Ang… Angela… are you… sure about this?" he managed to voice in between kisses.

"I've never been more sure of anything in my life Tony. I want this… I want you…" she said. That was all he needed to hear as he dove back in, his lips moving all over her neck and down her flushed chest. She was able to remove his belt and unzipped his pants. He made quick work of her pants until they were left in only their underwear. They pulled back one last time, their eye contact silently giving one another permission to cross that final boundary. By the time they had sufficiently lost each other as friends, it was well after the 10:00pm curfew. Neither one of them could keep their eyes open as they drifted off to sleep.

Tony woke up first the next morning, his arms wrapped around her naked body. Her natural scent mixed in with her lavender shampoo was intoxicating. He nuzzled his face into the side of her neck, placing gently kisses along her jaw. He could tell she was starting to wake, feeling the smile start to creep across her face.

"Morning Tony…" she said as she leaned back into his chest, taking a stronger hold of his arms.

"Morning Angela… this is a wonderful way to wake up…" he said, his hands starting to explore her body again. They were about to start another round of losing each other as friends when they were interrupted by a loud knocking at the door.

"Who could that be at this hour?" she asked as she looked over at the clock. It was barely 6:30am.

"I don't know…" he said as he stood up, putting on a pair of sweatpants as Angela grabbed her clothes. "I'm comin'" he yelled as he ran over to the door. He pulled it open, the vision in front of him causing him to let out a cry.

"What is it Tony? What's wrong?" she asked as she came running over to the door. She stopped dead in her tracks as she looked at a bloodied, bruised Bonnie barely standing upright.

"Bonnie! What happened? Are you alright? Where is Samantha?" cried Angela as she pulled her into the room. She led her over to the bed, gently guiding her to sit down. Tony was still in a state of shock as he watched from the doorway, his hand still on the door knob.

"I… I… I don't know…" she said as she burst into tears, collapsing into Angela's outstretched arms.