Chapter Three: Reconnecting

Beep

It was the same damn message JC had the privilege of listening to since she left Los Angeles. She never returned his calls. Yeah, he realized the campaign was going full-throttle against McCain, but she had to spare a moment here and there to eat and sleep, didn’t she?

“Adria, its JC. I’m gonna be in Chicago this next week. Let me see you, honey. Maybe dinner. Please.” He left his number again – as if she hadn’t heard it half a dozen times before.

Beep

“You gonna give the poor sucker a break?” A male familiar voice asked after overhearing JC’s plea. “What’d he do that was so bad?”

Adria turned from her laptop at the Obama headquarters to see Harry. He looked good – happy and content. “To what do I owe this pleasure?”

“Giselle is hosting a party. I was told to invite you.” He swung a chair around to straddle it backwards. “What’s the story, A? The guy’s in love.”

“I highly doubt it. I said we could be fuck buddies.”

Handsome Harry shook his head. “I’ve known you eight years, Adria. You are incapable of having a fuck buddy. You get involved. I should know.”

“Maybe I decided men aren’t worth the trouble.” Her chin went up a proud notch.

“Most aren’t,” he agreed amicably. “But if he snagged your attention—”

“He was a fantasy fuck – I had a crush on him when I was younger.”

“He disappointed you? Honey, reality rarely trumps fantasy.”

“No. No, he didn’t disappoint. He was wonderful. Caring. Tender. Thoughtful.”

“I’m not hearing negatives. Is he attached?”

“Not that I’m aware of.”

“Oh... kay... Give the sucker a break.” Harry reached out to tug gently on a strand of hair. “Adria, you deserve someone.”

“Not someone who has no real roots or goals. I have dated my share of Peter Pans.”

“Sometimes a man doesn’t find those things until a woman gives him a reason.” Rising from the chair, Harry smiled as his beautiful wife came through the door. “Giselle, I guess you have to get her to come – and tell her to bring a date.”

“Adria, you must come,” the stunning redhead said. “If you don’t get away from here for a while you will be squinty-eyed and stooped over from staring at a computer screen.”

“I’m running a very important website—”

“It can spare you one evening.”

“Two against one. Not fair.” Adria pointed out.

“Very few things in life are.” Giselle waved breezily as she departed, Harry at her heels.

“Bring JC,” Harry ordered as he left with his arm around his wife.

Beep

“JC, it’s Adria. I’ve been ordered to a party and I am supposed to bring a date—” He hadn’t said when next week and she got his voice mail… Of all the irony...

“Adria!” JC’s breathless voice came over the connection.

“Like I was saying—”

“Yeah, a party. Name the day and I’ll be there, honey.”

“I’ll have to give you the particulars later. It’s just like them to order me to show up but not tell me when or appropriate attire.” Honestly, once Harry saw his wife common sense deserted the professor. He worshipped her – what must that be like?

“Sure. That’s cool, Adria. I’ll make reservations for a hotel when I know.”

Good. He wasn’t assuming he was staying with her. “I’ll let you know as soon as possible… So what have you been up to?”

“This and that. I’ve been writing quite a bit.”

“Good. I hope someone gets to hear it.”

“You will, honey. Tony and I are doing some great stuff. I’ll give you a preview.”

She knew Tony Lucca was one of JC’s favorite collaborators. Maybe Tony, being an old friend, could nudge JC in one direction or another. Tony was not exactly a commercial success but he played by his own rules, never compromising – which seemed all JC was doing.

“That sounds lovely. I’ve got to go. I’ll call you when I have particulars.”

“I’ll wait to hear from you, Adria. Take care.”

“You too.”

No one in the studio understood when JC jumped up and thrust his fist in the air in a victory dance. “Yesss!”

He was still in Adria’s life!

“The party is informal,” Adria told JC’s voicemail. For a man of leisure he certainly seemed unavailable. “And just in case you have any question as to what informal means... At the very least, nice, unwrinkled jeans, no tee shirts or trucker hats, no athletic shoes. This is a college crowd. Professors, nerds, wannabe literary types – in other words boring and stuffy. Wednesday. Seven...” Hmm... She guessed he wasn’t going to pick up. “I don’t know where you stay in Chicago... I know I’ll need to change after work...” Okay, now she was beginning to ramble. “Call me later.” With that, she hit end.

JC was sorry he’d missed Adria’s call. He had known someone had called when his cell phone vibrated during his meeting. He smiled to himself, a meeting Adria herself would have appreciated.

“Natalucci,” Adria snapped.

“Chasez.”

The laughter in his response to the way she answered her Blackberry made Adria smile. “Hello, Chasez, you smartass.”

“You sound mean.”

“When someone calls, it is usually with a problem or with an impossible request.”

“Well, you know I am extremely possible, Adria.”

“Easy comes to mind.”

His voice was low and intimate. “Only for you, honey.”

It should be illegal for a man to make your panties damp over the phone, she thought. “So where do you stay when you’re in town.”

“Usually at a hotel. My parents if there is a family thing. I try not to inconvenience them too much if I am in and out.”

“Are you in and out?”

“I am coming to see you, Adria, and maybe a couple other people. I’ll stop and see Mom and Dad for dinner probably one night.”

“So you are going to be at a hotel.”

“Yeah. Where’s the party?”

“Off the U of I campus.”

“Parking?” He’d need to rent a car if she wasn’t driving.

“There should be enough if we share a ride.”

“Who is doing the driving?”

“Me. Unless you have a problem with it.” He hadn’t seemed the macho type, but it wasn’t as if she knew him.

“No problem, Adria. You know Chicago a hell of lot better than me. House of Blues Hotel or Hotel 71?” he asked.

“What?”

“Which would you rather pick me up at?”

Wow! “If I say 71, will you think I am a poor girl from Little Italy wanting a look inside?”

“No – and even if it is true I am way cool with it.”

“71 then. I’m a poor girl from Little Italy who wants to peek inside.”

JC chuckled. “Why don’t you stop over before the party? You can clean up from your day and we can go together. I’ll arrange valet parking for you.”

“Just like that?”

“Just like that, honey.”

Money talks. She wasn’t exactly destitute with her web design business, but she’d never make what he’d probably squandered in a year. “JC...”

“I’ll call you when I get in town, Adria.”

“All right. Bye.”

“Bye, honey.”

She felt sixteen again. She wanted to squeal at the thought of JC Chasez wanting to see her, actually coming from wherever he was to see her! But it wasn’t the teenaged Adria starry-eyes over a celebrity. JC was coming to see her. He wanted to see her. Her. Adria Natalucci from Chicago’s Little Italy – because for all her talk about fuck buddies, she had given him a bit of her heart.

Oh, damn!...

“Natalucci,” she growled.

“Honey, you gotta work on that greeting,” JC scolded teasingly.

Adria smiled for the first time that day. “Hello, Mr. Chasez.”

“Hey, babe.”

“It isn’t Wednesday – and it is nearly noon.”

“I came in early for a meeting. Any chance for lunch?”

She sighed heavily. She could only wish. “Bad timing, Romeo. Someone tried to hack into the site last night. Assholes.”

“I’m sorry, honey. Is there anything I can do to help?”

“I don’t know how long we’ll be here...”

“You gotta eat.”

“We’ll send out for something.”

“I got a better idea. Give me the address and I’ll get lunch to you.”

“All ten of us?”

“All ten of you.”

“I knew there was a reason I kept you around.”

An hour later, after passing security, JC arrived with an armload of pizza boxes.

“JC!” Adria clapped in a little girl delight as he plunked the boxes on a currently empty conference table.

“Hold the thought.” He disappeared only to reappear with a cooler for drinks and napkins. Once those were set down, he opened his arms to Adria.

“My hero!” she declared before kissing him soundly, throwing her arms around his neck.

He laughed. “Pepperoni pizza and Coca Cola for my girl.”

“Eat up, guys!” Adria announced to the waiting crew.

There was a round of applause and cheers before they descended on the bounty like starving jackals.

“Save me a couple pieces!” Adria commanded as she backed away with her arms still around JC's neck. “I need to use the girl’s room,” she murmured.

“Adria?” JC willingly followed her lead.

“Still keep something for emergencies?” she asked as she kissed him more thoroughly.

“Yeah...”

“Did you bring more than a couple?”

The woman had eyes in the back of her head, JC decided as she unerringly backed into a room marked ‘women’s’.

“Umm... Not on me, but at the hotel. Fresh box, cellophane removed.”

She smiled wickedly. “Lock the door.”

Turning to do her bidding, he heard the distinct hiss of a zipper being lowered and the hushed sound of clothes hitting the floor.

“I know I’m acting like a tramp—”

JC cut her off as he faced her once more. “No, honey, you’re being honest – with both of us.” He went to her, putting his hands on her now bare waist. “It’s a beautiful thing.” The counter was the right height so he lifted her to balance on the edge.

“I’ve never had an illicit quickie,” she murmured as she pulled at his belt, snap and zipper.

Before she could push off his jeans, he snatched his wallet out. Then his jeans and underwear met hers.

Adria grabbed out a condom and rolled it down his already hard offering.

JC slowed her down with kisses until she was melting against him, slowing her rush. “I missed you, honey,” he told her as his hands moved beneath her shirt to caress her unfettered breasts. “I wanted more time.”

“JC, please, just—” Tantalizing fingers tested her readiness. “Now, please!”

With his hands beneath her thighs, he tilted her at just the right angle for his thrust. No preliminaries. He pushed into her all the way.

“Oh, God, you... It feels better than I...” Adria gave up words as he began to rock into her. He was so big and hitting all the right places. “Don’t let me scream,” she beseeched him as she was rushing headlong into ecstasy.

“I won’t, baby.”

With his quiet assurance, Adria gripped his shoulders and let herself go. Her scream of completion was swallowed in his kiss.

Two thrusts later, JC released his own growl of satisfaction

She was like a purring kitten, nuzzling, seeking strokes. He could have spent all afternoon doing just that if they were truly alone. Instead he pulled out and eased her feet to the floor. Righting his clothes, he picked hers up.

“What you must think...” Adria was a tad embarrassed.

“I think you and I enjoyed it.” Looking in the trash, he noticed their used condom was not alone. “And we aren’t the only ones.”

Yanking up her jeans, she peeked over his shoulder. She giggled.

Smoothing her hair tenderly, he kissed her softly. “Hope you like lukewarm pizza.”

“One of my favorites.”

Once they were in the main room, they noticed no one seemed to have miss them much. They were busy scarfing down the free food.

With one more kiss, JC released her and headed for the door.

“Where are you going?” Adria was surprised. She thought he’d spend the afternoon with her, maybe talk her into spending the night.

“I got meetings this afternoon – I don’t know how long they’ll run.”

“But—” But what? He was supposed to be here for her pleasure. Not business... Since when did he have business?...

Smiling he returned to kiss the wrinkle on her forehead. “Adria, when you’re ready to come over tomorrow, just come. The valet parking knows who you are and the desk has instructions to give you a pass card.”

“You won’t be there?”

“I should be, but just in case.”

“JC...”

With one more soft kiss, he was gone.

Okay, what was going on with one Mister JC Chasez?