Full Moon Lover
By Mary Ann Cowley (MAC)

Part 1

She stared out the large bay window at the January full moon shining 
down on the day's newly fallen snow. On the stereo was Paul's solo 
album. She gave a long sigh thinking back to that winter all those 
years ago and the love they had shared. It had been a passionate one 
full of fire. She had never loved or been loved like that before and 
had not since. 

It all started in a local bar on a snowy night. Mary's band was playing 
their debut performance. She was the lead singer and shared keyboard 
responsibilities. She knew looked hot that night. She had entrusted her 
friend, Mandy, to be fashion consultant for this gig. Mandy dressed 
Mary in a hot pink miniskirt with knee high black boots, a pink 
turtleneck and one of those 80's cliché wide black belts. Even the guys 
in the band did double takes because through the last two years of 
college Mary had been just one of the guys. 

Mary had been jamming in the garage with Don, Jim, and Robert with 
Jim's sister, Kelly as occasional backup singer for the last couple of 
years. They had decided it was time to become a real band and make some 
money at it. They decided they would not follow a totally traditional 
route. They would allow their female singer to cover male tunes, as 
well as perform some of their own original material. The band's 
influences included KISS (Mary's contribution), Rush, Van Halen, 
Supertramp, The Cars and Duran Duran. Not a usual mix for an Eastern 
Shore band at all. They wanted to be different. 

It was just a small hotel bar filled mainly with friends of the band 
that evening. However, none of the members of the band suspected who 
else might be in the audience that evening. 

Paul had come to town to get away from the New York and LA scenes for a 
while, so he could do some writing and soul searching. He had decided 
to pick a small quiet town, perhaps not quite as well known to hide for 
a few months and relax. He booked a suite at the Tidewater Inn in 
Easton, Maryland for the next two months. Easton was considered one of 
the eight best small towns in America, rich in history and known for 
it's hospitality. A quiet place to get lost. 

Paul arrived on Friday afternoon, more than ready for his retreat. It 
had been a rough tour and he desperately needed the break. After 
settling in his room, Paul decided to check out the local nightlife. He 
picked up the weekend section of the local newspaper to see what people 
did around town for excitement. He found the pickings were very slim. 
The best bet was the debut of a new local rock band, Band on the Run, 
at the Mariner Inn about 2 miles outside of town. The article on this 
band stated that KISS was among their influences. Paul became curious. 


Part 2

The band went on stage around 10:00 that evening. They ripped right 
into Van Halen's "Running with the Devil." The audience was hooked. 
They also played some regular party tunes, such as "Mony Mony" done 
Billy Idol style to get the people up and dancing. Paul quietly made 
his way into the dark bar and took a table in the back so as not to 
draw attention to himself. 

Paul ordered a glass of wine from the waitress and began to take in the 
scenery. Most of the tables were empty except for a party of about 10-
15 people obviously enjoying themselves. Paul figured out quickly they 
must be friends of the band. The band itself was pretty average in 
appearance with the exception of the lead singer. She was beautiful, 
and she had a powerful voice. Paul couldn't help but rivet his 
attention on her. The band was winding down the first set. They 
announced it would be a slow dance. Paul was in shocked and flattered. 
They played "Reason to Live" which really let Mary show off her vocal 
abilities. Paul was floored. He had to meet her. Paul called the 
waitress over and whispered something to her. 

The band went on break and joined their friends over at the large 
table. The waitress arrived with a drink and a red rose with a note for 
Mary. Mary was quite surprised. The drink was her favorite, a "slow 
screw" and funny enough red roses were her favorite. All eyes at the 
table were on her. She opened the note slowly and read:

"Mary, you have the voice of an angel. I want to meet you. I'm at the 
table in the back of the room. Paul"

Paul? Huh? Mary turned around to look at the back of the room and 
nearly fainted. It was Paul Stanley!!!! "Oh. My. God." She managed to 
get out. 

Everyone at the table was asking "What?!" "What?!" Mary didn't answer; 
she just slowly and nervously walked over to Paul's table, as he waved 
her over. 


Part 3

Mary got to the table where Paul extended his hand. She reached out to 
Paul, and he took her hand and kissed it. At that moment, she felt a 
little wobbly. Paul caught her and guided her to a chair. 

"Are you all right?" he asked. 

"Yes, I'm just afraid of putting my foot in my mouth," she replied with 
a nervous grin. 

Paul giggled. "You don't have to be nervous any more, I'm just an 
average guy." 

Mary snapped back to reality and replied, "I'm sorry for being an 
idiot. It's not every weekend that someone you've admired since 
childhood comes walking through the local bar on the night of your 
band's debut." 

"True," he replied. 

Mary and Paul discussed Band on the Run's beginnings and her musical 
background for a few minutes. She had been singing since she was 10 
years old and playing the keyboards since her junior year of high 
school. She also threw in just a tad bit of fan worship by thanking 
Paul for the inspiration to keep her moving ahead with her dreams. 

"Mary, we've got to get back," she heard from behind. 

"Paul, please tell me you're staying for a while."

"I'll be here. You're hot," Paul said looking directly at Mary.
Mary looked at Paul quizzically with a raised eyebrow. "Your 
band…I…meant" he answered sheepishly. 

"Uh huh," she grinned as she made her way back to the stage. 

When Mary got back to the stage, Jim asked her "So who's the mystery 
man who has you all nervous?" 

Mary looked at Jim, "You don't know? That's Paul Stanley of KISS back 
there!"

"Uh uh!" Jim looked at her and laughed, as did the other guys in the 
band. "We knew that, crazy woman. We just didn't want to spoil your 
moment. Now, let's play before we lose you to lust."

If looks could have killed at that moment, Jim would have been a dead 
man. 

The band broke into the next set with an original tune followed with 
some modern rock. A few more people had wandered into the bar by now, 
and there were more people on the dance floor. This was a good thing, 
but Mary hoped it didn't scare Paul away until she had a chance to 
really talk to him and find out why in the world he was in Easton, 
Maryland. 

As soon as the next break began, Mary made her way back to Paul's 
table. 

"So tell me," she said as she sat down and crossed her legs, "what on 
earth brought you to this dinky little town?"

In that miniskirt she had on, Paul couldn't help but notice the large 
long stem rose tattooed on her right thigh, as he replied, "Just a 
little R & R away from the hassles of the city. I wanted some place 
that was small and quiet."

"Well, you've certainly come to the right place for quiet. Sometimes, 
this town feels absolutely dead. You pretty much have to make your own 
excitement." Mary said, as she noticed Paul's wandering eyes.

Paul made eye contact with Mary, "I think you're doing a great job of 
it too," he said with a smile making Mary blush. 

Mary broke the moment by asking Paul if she could introduce him to the 
guys in the band and their friends at the large table since they 
obviously knew who she was talking with. Paul appreciated the fact that 
they had not swarmed him like autograph hounds and had respected his 
privacy, also allowing him to get to know this beautiful lady sitting 
before him. He agreed and took Mary's hand as she led him across the 
bar to the large group. She told him they had about 15 more minutes to 
play, and then a DJ would take over until closing time. 

"Cool. Mary, after you're finished here would you like to go out and 
have a bite to eat with me?" Paul asked.

"I'd love to but everything's closed this time of night. I could fix 
you something to eat at my place."

"Not after you've worked all day and played with the band tonight. How 
about you come back to the hotel with me and we'll order room service. 
I'd really like to get to know you better."

Mary's stomach was doing flip flops, but she wasn't about to give up 
Paul Stanley now. This was a once in a lifetime opportunity. "Sure. 
Sounds great!" she smiled as she headed back to the band. 

Paul gave her a wink.

The band played a smoking 15-minute set to end their debut evening. 
They ended the evening by paying yet one more tribute to KISS…"Rock and 
Roll All Nite." Paul was flattered. These guys, and especially that 
gal, were good. 

When the band got back to the table, they were one chair short and too 
crowded to add one more. While everyone was debating how to rearrange 
to fit everyone in, Paul made the decision. He grabbed Mary around the 
waist and pulled her down on his lap. 

"You can just sit right here, beautiful," he grinned. 

Mandy looked at Mary and snickered mischievously, "Well, aren't we 
privileged."

Mary grinned back, "Yes, I must be."

She was over being nervous now. Mary was going to enjoy every minute 
she had with Paul. This was the stuff of which fantasies are made, and 
she was going to eat it up for as long as it lasted. Paul was 
everything sweet she ever dreamed he would be. 

Everyone at the table decided to share a celebrational drink with their 
friends. Paul decided they should do it right and ordered champagne for 
everyone in their party. Everyone continued to dance and celebrate. 
Paul asked Mary for a slow dance. She more than readily accepted. 

Mary told him, "Paul, you really didn't have to order that champagne 
for everyone, but thank you. That was really sweet. You really made 
this evening extra special."

"It was my pleasure," he told her as he gazed down into Mary's deep 
brown eyes with his own seductive soulful ones. At that moment, time 
stood still as Paul leaned down to place his lips on Mary's. She 
reached up to meet him, and they shared the deepest, most soulful first 
kiss she ever experienced as tongue met tongue and their embrace 
tightened. They didn't even notice the music had stopped until they 
heard the cheers from the crew at the table. They just smiled at each 
other and giggled. 

Paul asked Mary, "Are you ready to get out of here?"

"As soon as I pack up my stuff." 

"Looks like the guys took care of it for you."

"Then let's go," Mary smiled as she took Paul's arm. 



Part 4


Paul helped Mary with her coat. When they got to the door, they looked 
out and noticed the snow had accumulated to at least three inches with 
more coming down. Mary commented "Looks like tomorrow's going to be 
good day to stay in and snuggle under the covers. I'll also bet the 
stores are all out of toilet paper, milk and bread too."

Paul laughed and looked at her, "What?" 

"Snow is common where you come from. Around here people think it's the 
end of the world, so they all run to the grocery store and stock up on 
bread, milk and toilet paper. It's pure Eastern Shore hysterics. Paul, 
I'm warning you now. You're going to find this to be a pretty quirky 
place."

"Sounds like it," he laughed. "I'll tell you what, since you're wearing 
a skirt, why don't you stay in here and keep warm while I go warm up 
the car and bring it around. Are you still coming with me, or do you 
need to get your milk and toilet paper?"

Mary just laughed and replied, "I keep my place stocked. I'm coming 
with you buddy."

Paul went out and warmed up the car. When he brought the car around, he 
got out and scooped Mary up in his arms and carried her to the car, 
which caught her by total surprise. She was loving the fact that Paul 
was sweeping her right off her feet, both figuratively and literally. 

He asked her what was the best way back to the hotel, so she directed 
him back very easily. Once there, Paul led Mary up to his suite. It was 
the penthouse suite. Mary had never been inside the Tidewater let alone 
contemplated what the penthouse might be like. It was quite impressive. 
The suite opened up into a large living area filled with antique 
furniture. It also had a modern entertainment system and a gas 
fireplace. She could see part of the bedroom through the partially open 
door. It also had a gas fireplace, as well as a king size bed with 
large fluffy pillows and a very thick looking comforter. Cozy she 
thought. 

Paul took Mary's coat and hung it up with his. Then he went and turned 
on the fireplace in both rooms. 

"Buuuuurrrrrr," she said, "I'm chilled."

Paul walked up and put his arms around her and told her, "well let me 
warm you up then." He pulled her up to him and kissed her passionately. 

"Oh yeah, warm me up baby," she teased and returned the kiss. They 
continued to kiss and run their hands over each others' backs until 
Paul's stomach rumbled. They looked at each other and laughed. 

Paul whispered, "I'm hungry."

"Me too," Mary whispered back. 

"Why don't we order some food then" he said as he kissed her again. 

They sat down on the couch to read the menu. Paul placed their order of 
chicken salad sandwiches and a piece of devil's food cake for the two 
of them to share. While they were waiting, they looked out the window, 
hugging and noticed the snow had accumulated yet another inch without 
signs of stopping. 

Paul remarked, "Since it's a cold snowy night, why don't we lay a 
blanket in front of the fireplace and we can have a winter picnic?"

"Sounds cozy and romantic to me," Mary said with a smile. 

They laid out the comforter on the living room floor. Paul was glad he 
had the forethought to ask for an extra when he arrived. He also had 
the forethought to stock some candles with the intention of 
entertaining female company. Paul lit the candles and turned off the 
lights, while Mary kicked off her boots. 

By this time, the food arrived. They ate and shared laughs. Mary was 
not the typical woman he generally dated. This lady was witty. She 
educated him on the "ways of the locals" with the delivery of a stand 
up comic. To Paul, Mary was a breath of fresh air. He definitely wanted 
to spend his retreat with this young woman. 

After the sandwiches, the shared their piece of cake.

"Mmmmmmm," Mary purred, "that's awesome."

"You have chocolate on your lip," Paul smiled.

"Where?" Mary said feeling a little embarrassed.

"Here, I'll get it," Paul said. 

He leaned in and began to lick her lips. 

Mary laughed "that tickles!"

Paul smiled an evil grin "Ticklish, huh?" as he held his hands up 
wiggling his fingers.

"If you value your life, I would advise you to remove that evil thought 
from your mind," Mary stated with a glare.

"And what are you going to do because…I've…got…you…PINNED!" he yelled 
as he leaped on her and tickled her mercilessly.

"Stop! PLEASE STOP!" Mary managed to get out between breathless laughs.

Paul stopped and kissed her passionately working his way from her lips 
around Mary's jaw and down her neck. She began to moan with pleasure. 
She unbuttoned Paul's shirt so she could run her fingers over his chest, 
through his thick, dark hair, as she had always dreamed. 

Paul moaned as he felt Mary's soft touch massaging his chest. He 
skillfully unhooked Mary's belt and lifted her shirt. She grabbed it 
from him and removed it completely, revealing a pink lace bra. Paul 
finished removing his own shirt as he admired Mary's beauty in the glow 
of the soft firelight. 

"Mary, I need you now," Paul whispered. 

"Take me, Paul." Mary whispered between breaths. 

Part 5

Paul and Mary spent the rest of the weekend together. They talked, 
laughed, cuddled and loved each other. Once the weather subsided Mary 
also showed Paul around the area, taking him to popular local tourist 
attractions, as well as a few of the more historical sites. This 
vacation was just what he needed, and the company made it even better. 
He was fast falling for this woman. Mary was loving every moment she 
was with Paul. She decided not to concentrate on what would happen when 
his vacation was over. Instead, she was concentrating in making the 
most of their time together. 

Paul's birthday was coming up in a couple of days. Since she had to go 
to work and had band practice as well, they wouldn't be able to get 
together between now and then. She wanted Paul to have an extremely 
special birthday. So, she set her plan into motion by inviting him to 
her apartment for dinner that night, however, she did not mention his 
birthday. She also arranged with her boss to have the day off, so she 
could have everything just right for that special evening. 

In addition to giving the apartment a thorough cleaning, Mary had lots 
of shopping to do. Her list included sexy lingerie, silky scarves, 
candles, red roses, chocolate covered cherries, and oh yeah, the dinner 
ingredients.

Mary spent the entire day getting ready. Paul would be there in about a 
half an hour. Her modest efficiency apartment was clean, she had the 
lasagna in the oven, the bread waiting to go in, the salad was on the 
table, and the candles were lit. She made a chocolate cake from scratch 
with chocolate frosting and decorated it with purple roses. She had a 
dozen red roses in a vase on the coffee table and another two vases 
with a half dozen each in the bedroom. She planned on giving Paul a 
birthday he would never forget. She ran into the bedroom where she 
quickly changed her clothes and freshened her hair and makeup. Mary 
came out wearing a satiny purple blouse, with a black miniskirt, black 
stockings, and 3-inch purple heels. 

Mary heard a knock at the door, just as she had finished getting ready. 
She opened it to find Paul looking his usual sexy self in purple with 
black leather pants. 

"Come on in," she said, "Happy birthday!"

Paul blushed, "Thank you. You know you didn't have to do this."

"No, but I wanted to make it special for you, so just relax and let me 
do all the work," Mary replied. 

Paul enjoyed the wonderful birthday dinner Mary had made for him. After 
dinner, she had Paul sit in the living room with his feet up, while she 
cleaned up the mess. She refused to let him help in any way. When the 
kitchen was clean, she instituted Phase 2 of her birthday surprise.

Mary told Paul to close his eyes and keep them that way since the 
living room and kitchen were one room. While Paul had his eyes closed, 
she quickly pulled out the cake and lit the candles. Then, Mary started 
singing "Happy Birthday" as she made her way to the coffee table with 
the cake. Paul opened his eyes and saw the chocolate cake with the 
purple roses. He was truly surprised. 

"Baby, you made this just for me?" he asked.

"My specialty just for you, sweetie," she said. 

"Come here," he said as he reached for her. He pulled her to his lap 
and kissed her. Paul looked into Mary's eyes and told her, "Lady, you 
are too much. You're full of surprises, and I'm loving it. Thank you 
for a wonderful birthday."

They kissed again, then Mary replied with an evil grin, "It ain't over 
yet, baby."

After they ate cake, Mary had Paul close his eyes again. Next, he heard 
his own voice coming from the stereo speakers and quickly recognized it 
was "Heaven's on Fire." He opened his eyes to see Mary beginning to do 
a striptease for him. She stripped down to a purple teddy with black 
lace and climbed onto Paul's lap straddling him. She kissed him 
passionately on the mouth then proceeded along his jaw and down his 
neck.  

Next, Mary got up and took Paul's hand guiding him to come with her to 
the bedroom. 

"Happy birthday, baby," she whispered. 

He kissed her back and told her "Thank you for a birthday I'll never 
forget."

Mary smiled, staring at the full moon shining through the bedroom 
curtain as she held Paul tightly.