The Unidentified Redhead
Page 17

We settled into a table by the windows so we could watch the sunset, and after ordering our sushi and sake, I excused myself to run to the ladies room. I checked my reflection in the mirror, smoothing my hair, and noticed the flush in my face. Right before I had left the table Jack had mentioned what he planned to do to me later that night, and it was enough to get my blood pumping.
It may have involved his tongue.
I overheard two girls talking back and forth between the stalls, obviously discussing a celebrity that was dining here tonight.
“I saw him over by the window! Damn, he looks good. He is all dressed up.
Normally when I see him out he’s much grungier.”
“He is f**king hot is what he is. I wonder who he’s with?”
“Eh, some woman. It must be business related. Maybe it’s a meeting. That’s probably why he’s dressed up.”
The hairs on the back of my neck began to prickle. I had a pretty good idea who they were talking about and who “some woman” was. I ducked my head into my purse to hide my face, but as they exited the stalls, I took a quick look.
They were tall. They were beautiful. They were young. They stood at the counter, washing their hands and touching up their lip-gloss. I suddenly felt like a fool, an old fool. One of them, I’ll call her Stunning, caught my eye in the mirror, and she spun around.
“Oh! You’re the one who’s eating with Jack Hamilton, right?” she exclaimed.
The other one, Also Stunning, took me in, eyes flickering over me head to toe. Not being judged any kind of threat, she turned around as well, with a saccharine smile.
I looked at Stunning and said, “Yes, yes I am. Did you want me to relay a message to him?” I asked, remembering my manners and that Holly would not want me to start a brawl over her client in a ladies’ room.
“Oh no, we’ll maybe stop by the table later. Will you two be meeting long?
We were hoping he might want to grab a drink with us afterward,” Stunning answered, as Also Stunning smiled at the thought.
Breathe, Grace …
The fact that they had already dismissed me as competition pissed me off royally, but I kept my cool. “You know, I really don’t know how long, but you’re welcome to stop by the table. Jack always enjoys meeting his fans.” I took one last glance in the mirror and swiftly exited.
My heart was pounding as I made my way back to the table. This was ludicrous. What I was doing? The idea that this could work past a few manic sexy times—ludicrous. We were worlds apart, despite the connection that we truly had.
I was a thirty-something with a giant mortgage and a fledgling career. He was about to be a huge movie star that should be with girls like Stunning and Also Stunning back there. A thousand thoughts ran through my head in the thirty seconds it took me to walk back to our table, and all but one ran back out as soon as I saw him.
He stood up when I got to my chair and pul ed it out for me. His hand found the small of my back as he guided me into my seat, and then it rose up my spine and landed at the nape of my neck, his fingers tapering out to slide under the fabric, grazing the skin underneath. It was a sweet moment, more telling than a dozen red roses or a box of chocolates or anything else he could have done.
He wants you. Why, we don’t know. But he does. He wants his crazy girl, his Nuts Girl.
I caught the eye of Also Stunning as the pair walked back through the bar. I couldn’t help but plant a soft kiss on his fingertips as they moved from the back of my neck to my cheek. His hand finally settled over my own on the tabletop, clasping my fingers with his in clear view of everyone in the restaurant.
I saw her nudge Stunning, and the two of them stared at our entwined hands. I could not stop the slight smirk that flitted across my face as their eyes narrowed at me. Jack was oblivious to all of this, as most men are in the ways of snide womanly behavior.
I sipped my sake, sucked my edamame, and in spite of the slight confidence boost the smirk had given me, tried to ignore the quiet but persistent alarm bells that had begun to ring in my head.
After dinner, I dropped Jack off at his car, agreeing to meet him at Holly’s as soon as he picked up a few things from his apartment. There was no discussion about him spending the night. It was just silently agreed upon that neither one of us would be sleeping alone any time soon.
I pulled into Holly’s driveway, thinking about what had happened right before we left the restaurant. We’d had a wonderful time. On two occasions girls approached the table, and they were so young it was sweet to watch Jack interact with them. Thankfully, the Whores stayed away. I think they knew better.
We were standing by the valet stand, waiting for the car to be pulled around, and Jack held my hand while I naughtily kissed his neck. That’s when I saw flashes. There was a photographer—and he had gotten it all. I immediately dropped his hand, trying to melt away into the background. He smiled for the camera a few times and then the person backed off. I looked guiltily at him as the valet brought my car to the front, and Jack walked around to open the passenger side for me.
“Don’t worry about it. No harm done,” he whispered, getting me tucked in before tipping the valet, taking the keys and pulling away from the restaurant.
“Oh man, that’s not good. I know Holly is going to kill me.”
“Grace, if I’m not concerned, why should you be? Maybe soon you’ll be the identified redhead,” he teased. I smiled, but I knew she was not going to be pleased if that picture showed up anywhere.
Thirty minutes later, I let myself in the backdoor, hearing her call out my name from the living room. She was curled up on the couch watching the news.
“Hey, asshead. How was dinner?”
“It was good.”
“Where’s Jack? No orgy tonight?”
“He’s stopping by his place to pick up a few things and then he’ll be along.” I smiled, grabbing a piece of the brownie that she was munching on.
“So we have a few minutes to talk?” she asked.
“Yeah, what’s up?”
“Well, remember the meeting with the producers for that musical you auditioned for a few weeks ago? The one that’s still being workshopped? They want to see you again.”
“Seriously? That’s great! When is it?”
“Tomorrow, so I wouldn’t recommend any screaming tonight. Besides, I can’t take another night like last night.”
“That’s OK. I can’t either.” I smiled, thinking of how much I’d enjoyed myself, then shook my head to clear it and started up the stairs.
“Will you send him up when he gets here?” I called over my shoulder.
“Yes’m.”
As I headed upstairs, my thoughts moved from my Brit to the meeting tomorrow. This musical was very exciting, exactly what I would love to be doing.
‘My Brit?’ When did you start calling him your Brit?
Shhhh …
I changed into my white Polo button down, yawning. I was still tired from last night. I slipped between the sheets and was already starting on the last story in the series when I heard Jack coming up the stairs. I smiled in anticipation of seeing him again, and when he opened the door to my bedroom, his smile mirrored my own.
“Hey,” I said.
“Hey, yourself,” he answered, bringing a duffle bag and a guitar case into the room with him.
“What, are you moving in?” I asked, shocked at the size of his bag.
“No, Nuts Girl. I just brought what I needed, and I usually play my guitar at night, unless I am otherwise engaged that is.” He smirked at me . “A little late-night reading?” he joked, nodding at my reading material.
“Hey, we went through this already. I will no longer apologize for this. This series is amazing, and your candy ass should be glad you got cast,” I countered, snuggling deeper into the bed and reopening my magazine.
Jack putzed for a few minutes, rummaging through his bag, plugging in his iPod, plugging in his phone, plugging in his laptop. Guys have so much gear.
He seemed very comfortable here already, and I equally loved and hated how much I liked seeing that. He went into the bathroom and I could hear the water running. He was taking a quick shower before bed. I kept on reading.
Just as Joshua was coming out of the bathroom in 1920s New York to seduce Ruby the Ziegfield Girl, Jack came out of my bathroom. I looked up quickly and then had to look again to truly appreciate what was coming toward me.
Jack’s hair was wet and yet still artfully tousled … how did he do that? He was clean-shaven, wearing black boxer-briefs and a grin. His strawberry blond happy trail was calling out to me.
“Did I tell you, by the way, that I love your glasses?” he asked, nodding to the frames that I was peering over to get a more unobstructed view of him.
“Thanks, um, thanks … hi,” I stammered, once again speechless and idiotic at the sight of his semi-nakedness.
“I brought you something,” he said, digging through his duffle and then climbing into his side of the bed.
Isn’t it a little early to start assigning sides?
Shush.
“Oh, yeah? What’s that?” I asked.
He slipped under the covers with his laptop and turned to me. “Shut your eyes,” he instructed. I did what I was told. When I opened them, he had placed a new bag of Chex Mix in my hands.
“Yes! Can we have some now?”
“You can have anything you want, Gracie.” He smiled, brushing my hair back from my face and kissing me lightly on the tip of my nose.
A few minutes later, we had settled into a companionable silence. There was a pile of my discarded Melba toasts on the bed between us, next to a pile of Wheat Chex that he had selflessly given up to me. He answered emails as I read.
It was nice. I read for a little while longer and when I could feel my eyes getting droopy, I set my book on the nightstand and snuggled down under the covers. I watched Jack type for a moment and then I turned on the TV. I found Lifetime just in time for my favorite theme song, which I quickly began to sing along to.
“What the hell is this?” he asked, looking up from his laptop.
“Oh, come on, you don’t know the Golden Girls?”
“Should I?”
“Oh, they’re the best! I fall asleep to the Golden Gs almost every night!” I answered happily, burrowing under the covers next to him. He watched in spite of himself, being drawn into it against his will. Finally, he gave up the fight and shut down his laptop. He turned off the light on the nightstand as well and cuddled up to me.
We lay, watching Dorothy, Rose, Blanche and Sophia, giggling every once in awhile. He seemed to be a Rose fan. I would have pegged him for Sophia.
He was lying with his head on my breast, arms lazily around me while I played with his hair. When the show was over, I clicked the remote and the room fell into darkness.
“Good show, right?” I asked.
“Hmm, I don’t know if I would go that far,” he said, his fingers finding their way to the top button on my shirt.
“Hey, mister, I have a huge audition tomorrow. I’ll probably have to sing.
I can’t be screaming tonight,” I warned, already growing warm as he started in on the second button.
“Grace, it’s not my fault if you can’t control your volume. Exercise a little self restraint, for pity’s sake.”
“Right. Not possible with you.”
I relaxed into it though, as he began kissing lower with each button he popped.
“Grace?”
“Hmmm?”
“Are you wearing anything underneath this shirt?”
“What do you think?” I teased. He undid the last button and spread my shirt out.
I was bare beneath.
“Fantastic,” he breathed at the sight of me.
His mouth immediately went to work on my left nipple, his hand coming up to knead my right breast. I moaned in spite of myself.
“Hey, quiet down there, mouthy,” he chided, one hand dipping down lower, nudging my legs apart.
“If you do that, I’m not sure how quiet I can be,” I begged, feeling myself getting more excited by the second. I tried to distract him by turning his face up toward mine, but the boy was already on the move.
“Grace, I’ll make you a promise,” he said, peering back up at me, his chin resting on my tummy.
“Yes?” I asked, my voice cracking.
“If you can keep your voice down, I’ll promise you that I’ll only make you come once, and trust me when I say that once will be enough,” he enticed, rubbing circles over my Hamilton Brand.
“And if I can’t keep it down?” I asked naughtily. I really did need to get some sleep, but now he had piqued my interest.
“Then al bets are off, and I’l ravage you like I did last night. Al . Night. Long.” Hell.
Grace, you have one of the most important meetings of your life tomorrow. You cannot lose your voice.
But he said he would ravage me. And having been ravaged by Mr. Hamilton before, I was anxious to ride this roller coaster again.
Grace, grow up. Let the man get you off once. It will be spectacular, obviously, and then you can get some sleep.
But I didn’t know if I could keep my voice down. I tended to lose all control when his mouth was involved.
For fuck’s sake, Grace, grow up. Bite down on a leather belt or something.
He was watching my inner monologue with great fascination, chuckling at me.
“Well, Crazy? What’s it going to be?” he inquired, while hooking my right leg over his shoulder. He leaned his head toward me, licking his lips, watching for my answer. I was shivering.
Orgasm #1 or Orgasm #2? To be fair Orgasm #2 would probably quickly be fol owed by Orgasms #3-13 and beyond … and no voice tomorrow. Oh, God, this was impossible. He was blowing on me now, his breath making me pant heavily.