Sugar Sugar

Ah, the power of advertising. See what happens when I try and make my Cowboy happy? *sigh* This is the LAST time I buy something just because I see it on TV...

Ali

“What the hell is on your mouth?” he asked, moving in for a closer look.

“New stuff to go over your lip gloss. Makes your lips all sparkly. And sexy.”

He looked more closely at her lips and shook his head. “Sorry. I prefer non-sparkly lips.” Tilting her chin up with one hand, he leaned in for a kiss. “But, I’ll take a kiss anyway.”

They both looked up as Scarlett entered the room. “Hey you two. What’s… Blake?”

“Yeah?”

“Why are your lips sparkly?”

Frantically, he wiped at his lips. “See?” he asked Ali. “THIS is why I don’t like that crap!” He continued to rub at his lips.

Ali hid her smile behind one hand; Scarlett didn’t even TRY to hide her amusement. “Ah, but babe,” she giggled, “it makes my lips sooo purty! See?” She turned to Scarlett and pointed at her mouth. “It has a sugary, iridescent pearl powder that decorates my lips with a crystal-cut faceted effect. And it’s available in 5 candy-like colors.” She grinned, having practically recited the blurb on the package verbatim.

Blake continued to rub at his mouth. “Too bad the nasty stuff didn’t TASTE like candy…”

“Can’t have that Blake,” Scarlett teased. “Otherwise we’d never pull you off her.”

“Yeah,” Ali agreed. “Do they make Whopper-flavored lip gloss?”

“Just go away,” he muttered.

“So, he doesn’t like sparkly lips…” Scarlett began.

“Yeah,” Ali murmured, catching on quickly. “Mind sparkles anywhere else?” Blake just gaped at them, not believing what he’s hearing. “Nah, I bet not,” she continued. “Blake’s not into sparkles. Here, Scarlett,” Ali dug into her pocket, pulling out the new Sugar Sugar Lip Topping she’d bought that morning. “I bet Billy’d appreciate sparkly… lips.”

“Yeah,” Scarlett agreed. “I BET he would!” Tucking the container into her left front pocket, she walked out the door. “Meetcha at HQ.”

“Sure thing!” Grabbing a tissue from the end table beside her, she cleaned her lips of all traces of sparkly stuff. “There! All gone. Now I can kiss you goodbye.” She leaned up and pecked him on the cheek. “Better?”

His mind still stuck on the possibilities behind sparkly lip gloss… and the idea that his friend might actually find out, he shook his head weakly. “Um, Ali?”

“Not now, Cowboy. Gotta run.” She blew him a kiss and ran out the door. Closing it behind her, she grinned at Scarlett. “I think we’ve traumatized him.”

“Nah,” she grinned back, “but don’t be surprised if he’s got all five colors waiting for you when you get home tonight!”

Bad Habits

I’ve been told recently that I have a lot of bad habits. I was astounded to hear this. It’s even worse when your closest friend and your boyfriend gang up on you. Not fair, I’m tellin’ ya!

Alpine started it. I was yammering on about something and he just rolled his eyes at me. When I asked him what the eye roll was all about, he simply told me I talked too much.

“Anything else?”

“Yeah, ya wanna list?”

“Sure. Knock yourself out.”

Here’s what he gave me:

Non-stop talker
Tendency to be sarcastic (Nooo, really?)
Chocoholic
Computer hog (he can get his OWN)
I never put my blankets away when I’m done

I’m still not so sure why these are such BAD things (aside from the blanket thing, but yanno…), but you know how boys are. Anyway, while I’m reading Albie’s list, Blake calls. I’m grumpy when I answer the phone.

“Why so grouchy, Cookie?” he asks.

“Albie has decided that I have too many faults.” I tell him.

“Not possible,” he tells me. “You’re perfect.” Apparently, Blake has a sarcasm problem too. At least we have this much in common.

“Not according to my dear old roommate, it’s not.” Can you blame me for getting ticked off when I hear him choke on his laughter? “So, are you telling me you have your own list?”

“Nooo, of course not, babe. Why would I be keeping track?”

Good question. His continued laughter is a dead giveaway, however. I wonder some days if I really, REALLY want to spend my life with this dork. “So?”

“So what?” he asks.

“So, what’s your list?”

“Babe, you have no faults, I told ya that already.”

“Babe,” I tell him, “I’d like to believe you but I think you’re full of…”

“BS!” Alpine chimes in from the kitchen.

“Yeah, somethin’ like that.” I concur.

My list of Blake’s bad habits?

#1 HE LIES!

Ah well, at least he’s trying. *rolls eyes heavenward*

Ali

Not Gonna Die After All...

I guess that means my cowboy will be pleased? I can only hope so. It'd sure put a damper on our relationship otherwise.

Cardio thinks the other doctor may have been smoking crack to have diagnosed me as he did. No matter. At least I don't have to deal with Albie telling me to 'either die or get on with it'. According to the cardio, I'm gonna live another 100 years. Not sure if that's a good thing or not...

Speaking of Albie... looks like he's got another hot date tonight with Cute Stuff. Can't imagine where this can possibly lead, but we'll watch and see, shall we? Haven't had the pleasure to work with this chick yet, so we'll see. I saw earlier that she's on my training list for next week. sigh When can I go back to just blowing things up and shooting bad guys? Huh?

Ali

Saturday Morning Baking

I used to think that baking was a snap. Something I could do that was automatic. No thinking required. I could turn on my music and get into the mode and just forget about anything but the cookies and me. And it was just that easy. Once.

Until Blake.

Blake complicates a lot of things in my life, normally in a good way, but I never thought he’d interfere with my baking. I mean, what gives? Is there anything more important to a man than food and football?

Oh yeah. Well, there is that…

So, there I was on Saturday, in my jeans and one of his cast-off t-shirts, barefoot in the kitchen. I’d melted my chocolate, creamed my butter and sugars, added the eggs and was reaching for the flour when I felt hands on my waist and lips at my neck.

I smelled cowboy.

“Morning, Blake.”

“Mornin’ Cookie,” he mumbled against my neck.

“I wasn’t expecting you out of bed so early.”

“Mmm… You weren’t there when I woke up.”

“Sorry. Had a craving for some Chewy Deep Dark Chocolate Cookies.”

“And it couldn’t wait?”

“Nope. I love you and all…”

“But?”

“But you’re not chocolate. Sorry.”

I turned back to my flour. Dipped. Measured. Dumped. Stirred. Added baking soda and salt. Stirred again. I was reaching for the hazelnuts when he whirled me around.

“So do all of your cravings get immediate gratification?” he asked, brushing his constantly growing beard (HAH – not what you thought I was gonna say, huh?) against my throat.

“Not all…” I murmured. “But most.”

“And me?”

“I dunno. Do you take care of your cravings right away?”

“I meant, am I on your list of cravings?” His tongue followed my jaw line from ear to chin.

“Usually.”

He pulled back abruptly. “Usually?”

“Sorry. I just have this uncontrollable craving for chocolate right now. I can’t explain it; it’s just there.”

Blake was then apparently rather aggravated with me because he threw his hands in the air and went back to bed. Alone. Oh well. More cookies for me. Do I still have milk? No matter.

I dumped in the nuts and chocolate chips. Stir, stir, stir. My arm was beginning to hurt. Digging out my trusty cookie scoop, I began making neat little cookie dough piles on my favorite Williams-Sonoma cookie sheets. Before long, the house began to smell delicious… just like chocolate. Mmm…

I was scooping the last of the cookie dough onto the remaining cookie sheet when I felt Blake behind me again. Turning around to scold him, I was stopped by a very chocolately tongue in my mouth. He’d obviously made a pit stop at the table before coming over. He tasted like cookies.

“Mmmph…” was all I could say. Between the feel of his body against mine and the taste of chocolate in my mouth… well, I was in heaven.

“So, am I back on the list?” he really, really wanted to know. Ask me how I figured it out. Go ahead. Ask.

No? Okay.

Where was I? OH! The story. Riiight…

“You’re at the top now, Cowboy.”

“Glad to hear it.” In one fluid motion, he bent down and scooped me up. Carried me down the hall. Had his way with me. Until…

It was the smoke detector that finally stopped us. Although, it took longer than expected to get us to budge. Good thing it was just smoke… and not a fire.

“The COOKIES!” I screamed, running naked down the hall. I flung the oven door open and got a face full of smoke. And then the crispy critters came out of the oven. The cats were cowering. The cookies were toast. I think even my plants were upset. God only knows, the cookies weren’t happy.

Blake looked over my shoulder and laughed. “I’m guessing an ‘I’m sorry’ isn’t gonna cut it, huh?”

“Nope.”

He laughed even harder. “It coulda been worse.”

“How?”

“You coulda burnt them all.”

I turned and glared. “Don’t mock the power of my cookies, pal.”

“I’ve tasted your cookies, Cookie. There is a reason you got that nickname, ya know.”

I narrowed my eyes and glared even harder at him. He just laughed at me. “Well then, I hope you have good taste memories because you ain’t gonna get to taste them again for a long, long time!”

“Threats, threats, threats…” He smiled that sexy smile at me and I couldn’t help but laugh too. “Can we go back and finish what we started now?”

“Gimme nine minutes to bake this last batch. That way we’ll have a ready-made snack.”

He crossed his arms over his chest and smirked. “Okay, but I’m timing you.”

Suffice it to say, standing in the kitchen, baking cookies in the nude… we damn near burnt that batch too.

From now on… I’m only baking alone.

Ali

Oh Mah Gawd...

Albie’s got a girlfriend…

…which just might make things easier for ME anyway.

Sounds selfish, doesn’t it? But look at it this way… Albie and I live together and have for like, I dunno, forever. Mainly since my parents abandoned me to his parents when I was six. Their lifestyles weren’t exactly conducive to raising a child. Anyway…

He and I live together and, since we’re almost always out on assignment somewhere, it works. I’m home and he’s not, or whatever. It’s not often that we’re both home at the same time. Besides, I love him like a brother, and we get along well. But, there are times when it’d be nice to not have him skulking about.

Like when my ultra-hot honey is home for a few days. Which isn’t very often these days. That is the thing that makes it so hard. Um, difficult? Yeah, that’s a better word. Don’t get me wrong they get along great. Sometimes, they get along a bit too well if you know what I mean (and any girl who has a brother will understand). It’s almost scary to see the two of them playing the 360 together.

But on to Albie’s girl… she’s a cute little thing, relatively new to our outfit. Which could be the reason she actually accepted his offer of dinner. The rest of the girls all know to steer clear. He’s not a bad guy, I actually like him quite a bit, he’s just… how should I say this? Not your average man. Her name is Johanna and is a bit younger than Albie, I’m guessing. 28 or so, at least. She’s dirty blonde with grey-green eyes and really is adorable. Scarlett and I had started calling her Codename: Cute Stuff because she was just too cute, ya know? But, out of deference to Albie, we’ve stopped… at least when he’s within earshot.

My opinion? If he’s happy, I’m thrilled. But my opinion on her is still out. Red and I’ll have to stalk her a bit and see… What? At least I haven’t ever threatened his girlfriend with a gun. But Blake’s forgiven him so I guess it’s all okay…

We’ll keep ya updated.

Ali

I've Got...

...too much time on my hands... (sung in her best Hall & Oates voice)

Love Notes

Cowboy...

Here I sit, alone, with the rain falling down all around me. The fire is blazing and I'm snuggled in a blanket wearing your favorite flannel shirt. As I sip my hot chocolate, I wonder... where are you tonight?

Are you in some big city, dancing under the bright lights? Looking around in awe at how it's grown since your last visit?

Or are you in some Podunk town, where you're most comfortable, seeing all the local sights and wishing you were back home?

Most likely, you're still on the road, in the middle of nowhere, no destination in sight.

All I can tell you is that I wish you were here, with me, tonight. I wish I could aks you to give up the life of an asphalt cowboy and settle down. But I know that will never happen... and I'm not sure I would want it to either. You are who you are and that's why I love you. Bringing you to me and making you stay... I can't imagine what that would do... to you, to us.

So, until you return... I'll be here, waiting...

~Cookie~

Cookie,

I wish I could stay forever in your arms, but this roaming is in my blood. I want nothing more than to give you all you desire. My heart, my soul, all my love... that you already have. How much more can I give?

No, I'm not angry. Not at all. This is my life and I know you understand that. You have the same wandering soul. If only we could wander together? That's my idea of paradise.Until I'm home again, wear that flannel and think of me... I think of you often. When I wake, when I sleep, whenever I have a spare moment...

Just remember:
Until I'm back in your arms again
I'll be out here on the wind
And I'll ride
Through the middle of the night unknown
On a ride that won't let me go...

I am, after all, your asphalt cowboy...

Your loving Cowboy

Ah... What I Do...

out of boredom. Heaven help me...

Anyone know where I can find a Cowboy Zwinky?

Ali

HAH! Not Dead... Yet...

So, I wonder then, does that mean the doctor was an idiot or that someone's just messing with me? Get the fun task of seeing the cardiologist next Friday... makes for a fun weekend, huh?

Which reminds me... I wonder what Blake's gonna think when I tell him he can't get lucky for fear of a heart attack? Call me crazy, but I doubt he's gonna be pleased. Ah well... he'll get over it. He always does.

Albie and 'Zook are once again trying to blow things up in the back yard. *big sigh* I guess I can't blame them. How often does your pool ice over? Well, on the west coast anyway? I wouldn't be surprised if I have chunks of frozen pool water in my living room before the day is over.

I guess it's true... boys never grow up... they only get taller. And messier.

Ali

Sick, Sick, Sick...

Waking up Saturday morning, I rolled over and stretched, just like every other morning. I discovered a slight stiffness in my neck and shoulders and just shrugged it off. I often wake up stiff from sleeping in kooky positions (or as payback for the positions I’d put my body into intentionally). Unfortunately, I couldn’t blame it on my Cowboy for once. So, I drug myself out of bed, figuring I’d put my grocery list together and then do some yoga to stretch myself out.

Halfway through my grocery list, I got up to get some water and was hit with an overpowering pain in my chest. It started along the base of my ribcage and up both sides and across my back. I could barely take a half-breath without igniting the pain further. I had no option but to lay down on the kitchen tile and pray to all that is holy that I wasn’t dying. As I lay there bawling, I started to shiver and shake and sweat like crazy. I felt like I was going to be very, violently ill and hoped I wouldn’t – I couldn’t get off the floor for anything. Then, suddenly, the pain was gone. After about five more minutes on the floor, I was fine. Go figure.

I got back up, finished my grocery list, and went to the store. Halfway through my shopping, it happened again, only not as severe. Odd. I called Albie, he met me at the store, paid for my groceries (gotta love my Albie), and took me home. After forcing me to lay down, he even put my food away. I may never find it again, but you know… it’s the thought that counts.

He took me to see Doc. And now the fun starts. Doc listened to the symptoms, did a few chest x-rays and an EKG. Told me he thought I was having a heart attack. NICE! Thanks, Doc! Luckily, the x-rays and EKG were both negative so we’re back to square one. No idea what’s going on. Fun. I get to fly out later in the week to see a cardiologist and go from there. So far today, I’m okay. Stiff and a bit sore, but no pain. YAY!

Will keep you updated. Hate to tell my Cowboy what’s going on. He’s gonna freak. Especially since he can’t get back here for at least three more weeks.

A very nervous,
Ali

Hmmm.... Again?

Well, it's been a few days, I see, but no worry - I am HERE! Were ya worried? Shouldn't be... just busy.

No ya perv, not busy like that. Although... that'd be nice... Mostly work. Darn people. Can you believe that they expect me to actually come in and work to get my paycheck? What kind of rip-off is that?

As for my cowboy, well, he's back out on the road doing his job. It'll probably be a few months before he's home again and that sucks. But... I guess I should be thankful he wants to come home. Right? Don't look at me like that. I'm just going to have to remind Red to remind her honey-bunny to bring a friend if he comes around sooner than my cowboy.

Oh, for cryin' out loud... I was only JOKING! Sheesh! What is it with you people? It's like the song says... "It took such a long time for me to find you don't make me let you go..." Do ya really think that I'm gonna screw this up intentionally? Of course not! There's too much chance that I'm gonna screw this up accidentally for me to do it on purpose!

Well just be that way then. I'm gonna go back to my book. *hmpf* If I can't have my cowboy, I'll settle for my vampires. *growls and shows fangs*

Yours grouchily,
Ali

What Makes You Think of Your Lover?

Doesn’t matter if it’s your boyfriend, girlfriend, wife, husband, whatever. What makes you stop in your tracks and think about them at odd moments?

A special song?
A certain scent?
The tinkle of laughter?

Whatever it is, when you hear it, see it, smell it, stop and breathe it in, make it a part of you. You never know how much longer they’ll be with you. And those memories are what makes the hard days easier and the good days so much better.

What reminds me of my cowboy? I’ll tell ya (since ya asked):

The warm desert breeze. He always teases me about how I can get the chills in 105ºF heat.

Thunderstorms. I love to cuddle under a blanket while the rain pours down, the thunder booms, and the lighting flashes. Cuddled up with him, it’s a perfect night.

Country music. Doesn’t even matter whom. He teases me so much about my taste in music that I can’t help but think of him whenever I listen to the radio. Certain songs bring him to mind more strongly… but that’s always the way.

Hat hair. Funny as it sounds, he wears the ‘rumpled’ look so well and is never as cute as when his hair’s standing on end.

That deep, masculine laughter. You know the kind. The type of laugh that holds promise of something more intimate. More personal.

The smell of leather. His boots, his jacket, whatever. It all makes me think of him.

And then I dream. And wish.

Do you?

A melancholy,
Ali

Hmmm...

So, Red's alive after all. Whoda thunk it? Not me. Not after a weekend with a hot stud.

Huh.

So then, why am I still alive then? I just had one too. A long weekend with a hot stud, that is. And not my first, either. *shurgs* Who knows and I'm not complaining.

All that I do know is that she's not made it home yet. Probably won't until later, if she's smart. Or lucky. I called her in sick. Shoulda called her in as 'rode hard and put away wet' but didn't think the higher-ups would have appreciated that one. We'd have gotten a giggle out of it though. How do they mark that kind of thing down in your personnel file anyway?

Inquiring minds...

Well, now that I know my best friend had a weekend to remember, I ought to go check on my boyfriend. I swear, he hasn't stirred in at least two hours. Better go make sure I didn't kill him.

Naaaah... a man can never have too much... ya know... Can he?

Hmmm... something else to think about. I'd try it out, but I'm not sure I wanna risk it.

Uh-oh...

I think I hear rustling of bedsheets. Better go investigate. *evil grin* If you don't hear from me for a few days... LEAVE ME ALONE!

Just kidding... I think...

Ali

Watering the Plants...

Well… apparently, it was a Code Red in the truest sense since here I stand, watering Scarlett’s plants. I guess it’s only fair. She’s been watering mine enough over the last several months.

I can’t help but grin at the thought of that.

But seriously, if she doesn’t call soon, I’m gonna send a search and rescue mission out after her. I do hope she’s enjoying herself. I suppose all I can do is water her plants and wait for all the gory, um I mean, juicy details.

*sigh*

Hmmm? What’s that honey? Oh. Okay…

Being paged. Rather urgently too, it sounds like. Will check in later. If he lets me.

*insert evil grin here*

As always,
Ali