It was all Francesca could do to smile and nod politely. Christopher’s friend was nice enough but was a bore. How had she managed to get talked into this? Gaëlle. Her friend’s solution to Francesca’s missing JC was to see other men. This double date business was about to make her snap the flatware in half. And where the hell was Justine’s rescue call? She was supposed to have called fifteen minutes ago!
At that moment her cellphone chimed blessedly. Not bothering to see whom it was she snatched it from her handbag to answer it. “Hello?”
“Gypsy... Hey, baby.”
JC! This was even better than Justine. “This is a surprise.”
”Pleasant surprise?”
“Uh-huh. To what do I owe the pleasure?”
Good. She didn’t sound mad he’d called.
“I got tired of waiting for you to call me.”
“Excuse me,” Francesca said to the other three people at the table. “I have to take this call.”
On the other end of the connection, JC grinned. It appeared Justine had been right on target. Francesca wanted an escape. “Am I interrupting something?”
“Only the most boring dinner I’ve had in years,” she muttered as she entered the lobby of the posh restaurant. “What can I do for you, JC?”
“Now there’s a loaded question,” he said on a chuckle. “Actually I’m calling for a date.”
“A date?”
“Yeah. You know... Drinks... Dinner. A date.”
“And when would this date be?”
“The evening of August fifth...”
“You’ll be in town?”
“Yeah, for my birthday.”
“Oh, really...”
“And don’t be getting anything. You bought me that robe—”
“Which you left behind.”
“In hopes of retrieving it at a later date. Francesca, if you agree to see me that’ll be the best gift ever.”
It was insane to continue having JC in her life; still she couldn’t seem to help herself. “Want me to meet your flight?”
“You’ll see me?”
“I think it can be arranged.”
“Thanks, sweetheart. And, no, I’ll find my own way into the city. It won’t be like last time,” he promised. “I can be pretty anonymous.”
“Booked a hotel yet?”
“I was thinking maybe HOB.”
“No need. I can put you up.”
“You sure?” This was more than he’d hope for. “I’ll be in town over the weekend.”
“That’s fine, but if you’re afraid I’ll take advantage of you, I can make up the spare bedroom.”
“Honey, take advantage of me — Please!”
Her soft laughter sent warm waves of pleasure through him.
“I have to get back to my dinner date, sad to say.”
“Tell whoever it is you’re taken and I object to poaching.”
“Neanderthal. I am not taken.”
“Aren’t you?” he challenged. “Gypsy, we took each other that first night and you know it,” he told her with quiet certainty.
“I need to get back,” she said, not confirming or denying his bold statement. “See you on the fifth. Call me when you get in.”
“Night, Francesca. You take care.”
Ringing off, Francesca had a lighter step when she returned to the table.
“Is something wrong?” Gaëlle asked.
“No. No. A friend is coming into town unexpectedly.
JC wondered at his welcome as he stepped into the reception area of Spaces a little after three in the afternoon. No one was at the desk. He tossed his duffle bag beside it and went through an archway from where he heard voices. What he saw made him sigh with pleasure.
Francesca’s adorable butt was clad in snug blue jeans, a departure from her typical wardrobe. Bending over a wide table, discussing a blueprint with another woman the faded denim fabric was molded to her sweet rump. Doggie style... They had yet to make love that way...
And she wore her hair loose. He loved her hair down so he could run his hands through it. Had she left it down for him?
The bohemian gauze top she wore kept slipping off her shoulder. She would shrug it back in place only to have it slide off once more. It made his mouth water, wanting to run his lips over that satiny flesh.
He didn’t bother to call to her. He merely leaned against the wall to look at her.
Justine felt eyes and glanced up. Ah... Francesca’s hottie had arrived. “’Ches, you got company,” she murmured to her friend.
Francesca looked up to see JC and smiled brightly.
Her look of complete delight made the three weeks of torture nearly worth it, JC decided. In the next moment she was in his arms, her arms hugging his neck as he spun her around joyously.
“Hey, babe!” he laughed. “Miss me?”
“Not one bit,” she lied, grinning.
They shared a quick, sweet kiss, not a heavy liplock. Their interested audience concluded it had to be love. Lust would have them playing tonsil hockey.
“Guess I’ll have to work on it then.” JC gave her one more peck and a pat on her rump before setting her to her feet.
Grasping his hand, she towed him over to her friend. “JC, this is my best friend, partner and all around pain-in-the-ass, Justine Morgan. Jus — JC Chasez.”
“I’m telling your mama. You’re supposed to introduce a lady first,” Justine reminded her friend as she and JC shook hands.
“Which is why I didn’t introduce you first,” Francesca taunted. “You ain’t no lady.”
“Hey!” Justine chuckled. “I resemble that remark!”
“Nice to meet you, Justine.” JC finally got to say to the stunning black woman, his ready-made ally in his effort to win Francesca.
“Like wise I’m sure. So where are you hauling my partner off to this weekend?”
Francesca answered for him. “I am hauling him upstairs.” She began tugging JC towards the front office. “See you Monday — and don’t you dare call me with any ‘emergencies’!”
JC managed to grab his bag before he was taken down a short hallway to an elevator.
“Shortcut home,” she announced as she punched the button to ‘top’. “Why do you think I bought the place?”
“The loft or the office?”
“I own the building,” she winked at him. “I can’t beat your net worth, but I do okay.”
“Sweetheart, from I gather this is kinda pricey real estate. You’re doing more than just ‘okay’.”
Then they were in her apartment. Once again JC dropped his bag. This time it was to bring Francesca into his arms for a series of bone-melting kisses. When he finally lifted his head, she sighed with pleasure.
“A girl could get used to this,” she murmured against his lips.
“Go ahead.”
“I did miss you. I didn’t want to miss you but I did,” she confessed.
“Then why didn’t you call me? You knew I wanted you to, Francesca.”
“This isn’t what I want for myself.”
“This? A guy who’s crazy about you?”
“Long distance relationships suck.”
At least she didn’t say it was ‘just sex’. “We’ve got options. Gypsy, we have money a lot of people don’t. We can make it work for us.”
“I’ll tell you right now, my relocating is not an option.”
“I didn’t think it would be.”
Francesca was frankly surprised. Most men would go all caveman and believe their lives were the most important. “You didn’t?”
“You’re established here. This is where your roots are. You have family — Hell, so do I. Chicago can work for me most of the time.” He dropped a kiss on her nose. “And when it doesn’t I can fly out and take care of business, then come back to you.”
“You’ve given this some thought.”
“I’ve given this a lot of thought.”
“I do believe I like you, Mister Chasez.” She smiled brightly.
“I like you too, Miss Carlisle.” He grinned then kissed her again. “Gotta stop doing that.”
“What?”
“Kissing you. Pretty soon I won’t wanna stop.”
“Like that would be a bad thing?”
“I don’t wanna end up in bed.”
Her eyebrows arched in disbelief.
“I mean not right now. I promised you a real date. That doesn’t include winding up in bed before the main course.”
“Does the order really matter?”
“Doesn’t it?” Why was she doing this to him? He was trying hard to make this not about sex...
“I suppose it would matter if you weren’t aware it is poor form to start with dessert first. But since you do realize it...”
“You’re saying since I know taking you to bed before our date isn’t the best way to prove I care that it’s okay to do it?” he mused at her convoluted way of thinking. “Or is it that you wanna get me into bed?”
“I’m not adverse to a horizontal tango before dinner.”
This made him chuckle. “Horny much?”
“Only for you, lover,” Francesca purred.
“You really know how to weaken a man’s resolve,” he complained.
Wrapping her arms around his waist, she asked, “How can I crumble it?”
All too easily. She was difficult to resist especially after weeks apart. Ignoring her question, JC had one of his own. “Where would you like to go?”
“I thought I was pretty clear on that. To bed.”
“I meant for dinner.”
“Do we have to go out?”
“Francesca!” Why was she so exasperating?
“I was thinking we could have dinner here. I could make something. We can just hang out together, enjoy each other’s company. That is infinitely more appealing than a noisy Friday night out.”
This surprised and delighted him. “That sounds great!”
Pulling away, she headed for the kitchen. “I can have a chance to impress you with my cooking expertise.”
“Babe, macaroni and cheese beats mine.”
“I am pretty sure I can do better than that. What would you like? Chicken... Fish... I may have some beef...”
“Have any specialties?”
“I am the only girl child of an Italian mama. I can make anything pasta. I do a mean stir-fry—”
“I like stir-fry.”
“Chicken stir-fry?”
“Cool.”
“Well, it’s early for dinner... I should run to the market...”
“Hey, if it’s any trouble—”
“No. No trouble. I just like everything fresh.” She grabbed up pen and paper from the kitchen desk to make a list. “You can take a shower, grab a glass of wine, take a nap, whatever. I’ll be back in a jiff.”
After his shower JC put on his robe and stretched out on the bed. He’d relax while waiting for Francesca’s return. He loved the idea of them sharing the evening at home — something he hoped would become commonplace for them. With heavy draperies drawn across the wall of windows the room was cloaked in twilight. Before he realized it, he was drifting off to sleep thinking of a future with Francesca in it.
He looked like an invitation, Francesca thought as she gazed down at the slumbering JC. She had called to him on her return. Obviously the man could sleep through a bomb blast. She chopped and sliced vegetables for dinner before checking on him once more — still snoozing. She took a shower and he remained comatose. Her poor baby must be exhausted.
“JC?” She sat on the bed and touched his shoulder. Damn! He didn’t wake but another part of his anatomy had. With his robe falling open, it was all too evident. “JC.”
He gave a little moan and said her name in a throaty purr.
That did it! Dinner was going to be delayed. She shimmied down until they were face to face then proceeded to place nibbling kisses on his face, neck and ears.
“Gypsy...” JC sighed, slowly awake. “What are you doing?”
“You were lying here looking totally fuckable...”
He gave her a drowsy smile. “Then fuck me.”
“That’s the plan.”
Somewhere in the back of his mind he knew he should be protesting though the reason escaped him at the moment. With her soft hands pushing the robe from his body, he was pretty sure he didn’t care. She had fantastic hands, warm, caressing, talented. She was touching and stroking all the right places... he groaned when she cupped his sac and gave it a gentle squeeze.
“Baby, the only thing better is your mouth...”
“Mmm... We have to talk about that.”
Talk... Talk! That was it! They were supposed to have dinner, hang out and talk, not have sex. His sleep-hazed mind had finally engaged. “Gypsy, c’mere.” Putting his hands on her shoulders, he urged her to lie beside him. “Damn! You nearly made me forget.”
“It doesn’t matter.”
“It does. We are more than sex. Francesca, I want to prove that to you.”
“I know we are, JC. You have nothing to prove.”
He had to smile; her eyes were so earnest and warm. “It’s great you know that. We’re on the same page. But I still want to hold off until we do some talking and decide what we’re gonna do.”
“You’re lying here naked, hard and totally fuckable and you want me to wait?”
Chuckling he asked, “Is that an impossibility?”
“No. Just mighty uncomfortable for you.”
“I’ll survive. If I got fucked every time I got a woody I don’t think I’d get much else done.”
“And it’d be worn to a nub,” she teased as she crossed her arms on his chest to rest upon them. He did have amazing control for a male; she’d give him that. “I suppose you want me to go make dinner now.”
“We can order in — or we can still go out,” JC offered.
“No, all I have to do is heat up the wok. It won’t take but twenty minutes tops.”
JC couldn’t help smiling. Even after three weeks apart they were naturally comfortable with one another — and that was after only three days' acquaintance! They had this rare cosmic connection he couldn’t explain — almost as if they had been together in past lives or something. There were no other words for it. Francesca made him happy. Sliding his fingers through her hair, he spoke. “You gotta be feeling this too, Gypsy.”
Francesca didn’t pretend ignorance. “I just don’t know what to do about it.”
“We’ll do the work and we’ll be happy.”
“You make it sound so simple.”
“Not simple — doable.”