Cameron must have already gone upstairs, and Gabrielle and Braden were probably halfway to bed by that time. They were a very passionate couple, even for newlyweds. We stepped out into the November night and I pulled my thin coat around me more tightly. Adam must have noticed, because he put his arm around my shoulders and pulled me close to him. I looked up at him with surprise. “It’s cold and that jacket can’t be very warm,” he said in answer to my silent question.
“Thanks,” I mumbled and snuggled up against him closer. It didn’t help all that much, but Lord, he smelled good.
His car was only about another block away, and so we were out of the cold in minutes. We got in and he started the engine, letting it warm up for a minute. The Black Keyes started singing Lonely Boy, and he turned it down.
“What’s that perfume you’re wearing?” he asked, looking over at me.
“Coco Chanel. It’s one of the things I splurge on so that I can still feel like a girl.”
“You’re a girl. Trust me.” He glanced at me again and his eyes dropped to my body for just a second before he looked away. “What else do you splurge on?” he asked, as he pulled out into traffic. I became hyper aware of how close he was in the enclosed space of the car. Now that he had put his arm around me, all I could think of was how much I wanted him wrapped around me again.
“Not that much, some cute shoes, some pretty lingerie. Everything else goes to my books,” I answered, feeling distracted.
“Can I read the rest of them?”
“You actually want to?” I asked, surprised.
“I like good smut,” he said with a smile. Feeling emboldened by the praise, I decided to take a chance.
“If you meant it about giving me a ride, and you’re going to be at O’Malley’s on Friday, maybe I’ll take you up on it,” I said, casually. “I have to be there for the annual party for law librarians, and Jess and Gab asked me to hang out afterwards.”
I was doing my best to seem completely nonchalant, but meanwhile, my stomach felt like a tight bundle of nerves, and if my heart beat any harder, I was going to break a rib. I couldn’t remember the last time anyone had made me feel this way.
“A holiday party for law librarians. Sounds pretty wild,” he joked.
“Last year Bruce and I were almost comatose by the end. It doesn’t help that because it’s an officially sponsored event they won’t serve alcohol.”
“Why do they hold it in a pub then?” he asked, furrowing his brow.
“I can only assume it’s some kind of cruel joke,” I answered.
“Well, in answer to your question, yes, I’ll give you a ride. It’s my civic duty to keep a beaten up Ford Fiesta off the roadways.”
“I probably would have just taken the bus.”
“The bus? Why don’t you just wear a ‘mug me’ sign?”
“When I’m a famous …”
“Yeah, yeah. I know, Hemingway.”
Chapter Six
Soon he was parking. We went through the ritual of the sticking front door, the broken inner door. When we got inside, I saw M. Davis, the elderly man from the second floor, come down the stairs. He seemed like a sweet old guy. He looked at Adam and did a double take.
“Hey, I recognize you!” he said to Adam and came over to us like he had found an old friend. I thought maybe they knew each other socially or something.
“I recognize you too,” Adam answered, a smile slowly forming on his lips.
“Yeah, you weren’t the fella who was prosecutin’ me, but you were there with him. I’m Maximillian Davis!” He smiled at Adam, who was now grinning from ear to ear.
“Right, Mr. Davis! You were the gentleman who committed all the moving violations on your way to make a booty call.” I must have looked shocked, and Adam must have seen it in his peripheral vision, because he almost lost it.
“You do remember! My Viagra had kicked in, but I didn’t know how long I had!” I could see Adam struggling not to laugh, and I knew that he wanted desperately to look at me, but that he couldn’t do it without cracking up.
“Ms. Adler here, is close friends with your former lawyer.”
“Oh, I remember her! She was a cutie pie and, oh boy, she was feisty! I think that other prosecutor had a crush on her,” he said with a knowing smile. “Bet you guys get all the cute lady lawyers, huh?”
“Ms. Adler, also a lawyer,” Adam answered, practically overflowing with amusement as he implied that he was ‘getting’ me. I wanted to strangle him.
“Nice to meet you,” I said evenly. He finally turned to me and the ‘sweet’ old guy proceeded to check me out!
“The pleasure’s all mine, cupcake. If she’s as feisty as her friend, I’ll bet she keeps you busy,” he said, giving Adam a wink and an elbow.
“Oh yeah! She gives me a workout, man,” Adam said with a smirk and I glared.
“I need to get upstairs,” I growled through gritted teeth. “Now!”
“You know how it is when they’re in the mood,” Adam said, barely containing himself. I gave him a homicidal look and stalked off. He followed cheerfully.
“Have fun! Let me know if you need to borrow some Viagra!”
I fumed and stomped up the steps as the chuckles of my dirty old man neighbor disappeared in the distance. When we got to my apartment door, I unlocked it with a huff, threw it open and turned to Adam angrily.
“Will you get in here?!” I growled.
“I’d love to come in for a while, thanks,” he replied with a smile. As soon as he was inside I shut the door with a bang behind him, spun around, and faced him furiously.
“Do you have to imply to everyone in this building that we’re sleeping together?” I demanded, marching up to stand toe to toe with him and giving him my best irate glare.
“I didn’t say anything to the guy from the charm school, the Ninja or the Sopranos,” he answered defensively.
“You promised Donna that you wouldn’t make me holler too loudly,” I seethed.
“I’m sorry. I didn’t realize you valued her moral judgment so highly.” He didn’t look sorry. He looked extremely amused. Bastard!
“I just prefer that you not tell people who you just met that I give you a workout.”
“I’ve met him before.”
“Would you say that kind of stuff if we really were sleeping together?!”
“Thanks,” I mumbled and snuggled up against him closer. It didn’t help all that much, but Lord, he smelled good.
His car was only about another block away, and so we were out of the cold in minutes. We got in and he started the engine, letting it warm up for a minute. The Black Keyes started singing Lonely Boy, and he turned it down.
“What’s that perfume you’re wearing?” he asked, looking over at me.
“Coco Chanel. It’s one of the things I splurge on so that I can still feel like a girl.”
“You’re a girl. Trust me.” He glanced at me again and his eyes dropped to my body for just a second before he looked away. “What else do you splurge on?” he asked, as he pulled out into traffic. I became hyper aware of how close he was in the enclosed space of the car. Now that he had put his arm around me, all I could think of was how much I wanted him wrapped around me again.
“Not that much, some cute shoes, some pretty lingerie. Everything else goes to my books,” I answered, feeling distracted.
“Can I read the rest of them?”
“You actually want to?” I asked, surprised.
“I like good smut,” he said with a smile. Feeling emboldened by the praise, I decided to take a chance.
“If you meant it about giving me a ride, and you’re going to be at O’Malley’s on Friday, maybe I’ll take you up on it,” I said, casually. “I have to be there for the annual party for law librarians, and Jess and Gab asked me to hang out afterwards.”
I was doing my best to seem completely nonchalant, but meanwhile, my stomach felt like a tight bundle of nerves, and if my heart beat any harder, I was going to break a rib. I couldn’t remember the last time anyone had made me feel this way.
“A holiday party for law librarians. Sounds pretty wild,” he joked.
“Last year Bruce and I were almost comatose by the end. It doesn’t help that because it’s an officially sponsored event they won’t serve alcohol.”
“Why do they hold it in a pub then?” he asked, furrowing his brow.
“I can only assume it’s some kind of cruel joke,” I answered.
“Well, in answer to your question, yes, I’ll give you a ride. It’s my civic duty to keep a beaten up Ford Fiesta off the roadways.”
“I probably would have just taken the bus.”
“The bus? Why don’t you just wear a ‘mug me’ sign?”
“When I’m a famous …”
“Yeah, yeah. I know, Hemingway.”
Chapter Six
Soon he was parking. We went through the ritual of the sticking front door, the broken inner door. When we got inside, I saw M. Davis, the elderly man from the second floor, come down the stairs. He seemed like a sweet old guy. He looked at Adam and did a double take.
“Hey, I recognize you!” he said to Adam and came over to us like he had found an old friend. I thought maybe they knew each other socially or something.
“I recognize you too,” Adam answered, a smile slowly forming on his lips.
“Yeah, you weren’t the fella who was prosecutin’ me, but you were there with him. I’m Maximillian Davis!” He smiled at Adam, who was now grinning from ear to ear.
“Right, Mr. Davis! You were the gentleman who committed all the moving violations on your way to make a booty call.” I must have looked shocked, and Adam must have seen it in his peripheral vision, because he almost lost it.
“You do remember! My Viagra had kicked in, but I didn’t know how long I had!” I could see Adam struggling not to laugh, and I knew that he wanted desperately to look at me, but that he couldn’t do it without cracking up.
“Ms. Adler here, is close friends with your former lawyer.”
“Oh, I remember her! She was a cutie pie and, oh boy, she was feisty! I think that other prosecutor had a crush on her,” he said with a knowing smile. “Bet you guys get all the cute lady lawyers, huh?”
“Ms. Adler, also a lawyer,” Adam answered, practically overflowing with amusement as he implied that he was ‘getting’ me. I wanted to strangle him.
“Nice to meet you,” I said evenly. He finally turned to me and the ‘sweet’ old guy proceeded to check me out!
“The pleasure’s all mine, cupcake. If she’s as feisty as her friend, I’ll bet she keeps you busy,” he said, giving Adam a wink and an elbow.
“Oh yeah! She gives me a workout, man,” Adam said with a smirk and I glared.
“I need to get upstairs,” I growled through gritted teeth. “Now!”
“You know how it is when they’re in the mood,” Adam said, barely containing himself. I gave him a homicidal look and stalked off. He followed cheerfully.
“Have fun! Let me know if you need to borrow some Viagra!”
I fumed and stomped up the steps as the chuckles of my dirty old man neighbor disappeared in the distance. When we got to my apartment door, I unlocked it with a huff, threw it open and turned to Adam angrily.
“Will you get in here?!” I growled.
“I’d love to come in for a while, thanks,” he replied with a smile. As soon as he was inside I shut the door with a bang behind him, spun around, and faced him furiously.
“Do you have to imply to everyone in this building that we’re sleeping together?” I demanded, marching up to stand toe to toe with him and giving him my best irate glare.
“I didn’t say anything to the guy from the charm school, the Ninja or the Sopranos,” he answered defensively.
“You promised Donna that you wouldn’t make me holler too loudly,” I seethed.
“I’m sorry. I didn’t realize you valued her moral judgment so highly.” He didn’t look sorry. He looked extremely amused. Bastard!
“I just prefer that you not tell people who you just met that I give you a workout.”
“I’ve met him before.”
“Would you say that kind of stuff if we really were sleeping together?!”
