Chasing Circumstance (12 page)

“Damn!  Well, you could always come over to my place and walk around naked all you want.  I wouldn’t mind.”  He drank his shot and sat his glass on the table.  He then reached over and opened both of our beers.  “Clothing is always optional at my place.”  He winked at me.

“I’ll keep that in mind.”  Teasingly, I smiled at him.  “Now, help me go through these clothes.”  I pulled the box over in front of us and started piling more clothes on the coffee table.

“Yes, Boss Lady, what in particular are we looking for?”  He picked up one of the dresses I had dropped on the table.

“Well, sex sells, so we need sexy clothes.  This is for an online vintage clothing store called Vintage A La Vogue.  We’re just starting this project, so everything is in the concept stage at this point.”  I picked through some of the clothes as I spoke.

“I think the best way to know what is sexy and what isn’t is for you to put on a fashion show for me.  Come on, walk the cat walk.”  Chace tossed the dress he was holding at me.

“Don’t be silly.”  I threw the dress back at him.  “We don’t have time for games.”

“It’s not a game.  I’m being real.  What better way to know than to see them on someone?  Is your camera packed?  You try on the clothes, I’ll snap a few pictures and then we can look at them and decide what you should use.”  Chace really did have a good idea.  I gave in, grabbed the dress and went into my room to change.

“Here ya go.”  I handed him the camera as I came out of my room.  I had to get it out of one of the boxes.

“Okay, so turn around, do something.”  He laughed as he held the camera up to his eye and started taking pictures.  “That’s right, make love to the camera.”  He laughed even harder.

It didn’t take me long to get into what we were doing.  I couldn’t believe how natural I felt in front of the camera… Or maybe it was because I was with Chace, either way, we had fun.  I tried on almost everything that was sent to us, and he took photos of every outfit.  When we were finished, I changed back into my jeans and sweatshirt and joined him back on the couch.

“Here, let me upload these to my laptop so we can look at them on full screen.”  I took the camera from him, removed the SD card and put it into the slot on my laptop.  Within seconds, we were looking at the photos.

“You really are a natural beauty.”  Chace sat by my side looking at the pictures with me.  “Are you sure you’re not just saying that so you can see me naked again?”  We chose a few of the outfits and my work was completed.  I sent the photos to Jo via email, told her what we had just done and that these were the outfits I had chosen.  Picking up the bottle of vodka, I poured us each another shot.

“I could say the same about you trying to get me drunk and taking advantage of me.”  He drank his shot and smiled a sweet, sexy smile.

“I don’t have to get you drunk to do that.”  I giggled, leaned over and kissed him on the cheek.

“No, no you don’t.”  Chace’s face took on a serious expression.  “But I’m not in the habit of taking advantage of anyone.  I don’t have sex just to have sex.  I think it’s something special that only two people in a committed relationship should share.”  He sat his glass on the table.  “I know it’s old fashioned but it is how I feel.”

“Wow, there aren’t many men like you out there.  Hell, there aren’t many people like you around anymore.”  I sat my glass next to his and took his hand in mine.  “Thanks, Chace, thanks for being you and for the fun night.  We should heat up our food and eat before it gets too late.”  I stood up to put our food in the microwave.

“Sounds good.  Got any movies out?”  He stood up and walked over to my television.

“Just one.”  I pulled paper plates out from the bag he had brought and started putting our food on it.  He had brought over burgers, fries and a salad.  “This looks great.  Thanks for dinner.”

“The Notebook?  I don’t think I’ve ever seen it.”  He picked up the movie and stuck it in the DVD player.

I brought our plates out to the living room and sat on the couch next to him.  We ate in total silence as we watched the movie.  When we were done eating, Chace put his arm around me and pulled me over until I was lying on a pillow on his lap.

I woke to the fuzzy sound of the television.  The movie had finished and we had fallen asleep on the couch.  Chace looked so peaceful that I just couldn’t wake him.  Instead, I decided that I would write in my blog and then lie down on his lap again and sleep until morning.

“Dear You,

A peaceful heart dwells not in the shadows of past pains, but instead, rejoices in the sunshine of the present moment.  Though we cannot forget the lessons of where we were, we must not allow them to detour us from our present path.

Sometimes, when we find ourselves at a crossroad, the best thing we can do for ourselves is study the map before forging ahead.  The unknown can be a scary place, but if we prepare ourselves and know the road we want to take before setting out, we at least travel in a charted direction.

So tonight, dear readers, I leave you with this question…

Where is your map taking you?

~ Amia”

CHAPTER TWELVE

“Who’s ready to move?”  Jo used her key and let herself into my apartment.  “What the fuck?  Amia, wake up!” 

“Oh, hi, Jo.”  Stretching and yawning, I sat up on the couch.  “What time is it?”

“It’s time for you to explain what he’s doing here.”  She nodded toward Chace.

“He brought food over last night and helped me with the project you sent home with me.  Then we watched a movie and fell asleep.  It was all purely innocent.”  I shook Chace’s shoulder.  “Time to wake up sleepy head.”

“I am awake.  I was just listening to see what you two were talking about.”  Chace still laid there on the couch with his eyes closed and smiling.  “I figured if I pretended I was asleep, I would hear the two of you gossiping about me.”  He laughed a little.

“Well, sorry to disappoint you, but it’s time to get up.  The movers will be here soon.”  Jo walked into the kitchen and sat down the donuts and coffee she brought with her.  “I only brought two cups of coffee, so one of us is assed out.”

“I can make some.  I didn’t pack my coffee pot yet.”  I stood up and joined Jo in the kitchen.

“It’s alright.  I have to get going so I can finish packing for my trip.”  Chace stood up, adjusted his clothing and then joined us in the kitchen.  “Walk me to the door?  It was nice seeing you again, Jo.  We’ll all have to hang out at the bar when I get back.  I’m sure Amia will fill you in on the details.”  He winked at Jo.

“Nice seeing you again too, Chace.  Have fun on your trip, wherever that may be.”  She waved at him as he took me by the hand and half pulled me toward the door. 

“I had a nice time last night.”  Bending down a little, he kissed me sweetly on the lips.  “I’ll call you when I get back.  There won’t be any phone reception where we’ll be fishing.”

“I had a nice time too.  Thanks for all your help last night and for feeding me.”  I kissed him back.  “Have fun and I’ll see you when you get back.”  I watched him walk out the door and down the hallway until I couldn’t see him any longer.  Closing the door, I went back to the kitchen to get my coffee and donut.

We were chatting about the new campaign when the buzz of the intercom interrupted us.  “I’ll bet that’s the movers.”

“Oh goody!  Let them in, NOW!”  Jo clapped her hands together and jumped up like a horny housewife at a strip show.  “By the way, both guys are sexy but Chad is mine.”  She winked at me as I answered the intercom and buzzed them in.

“I hadn’t even thought about that.  I just want to get everything moved and done.”  Rolling my eyes at her, I went to the kitchen to finish packing.

“Make sure you forget something here and have Blake bring you back, so that Chad and I have time alone.”  Jo came into the kitchen and whispered in my ear.

There was a knock at my door.  “Sure, now let them in so they can do their job before you break one of them.”  I laughed again. 

Jo went to the door to open it for the movers.  “Well, hello again gentleman.  Please, come in.”  Jo opened the door wide and waved her arm toward me.

“Hello again, Miss Millian.”  One of the movers spoke to her.

“Hi, Chad, it’s so nice to see you again.”  She stepped close to him and ran her hand across his chest.  “All of you.”

“Now, now, don’t the two of you get started again.  We’re here to do a job.”  The other mover spoke up.

“I got a job for you.”  Jo laughed as she walked toward the kitchen.

“Blake, Chad?  This is Amia.  You’ll be following her orders today.”  They walked into the kitchen and Blake shook my hand.

“It’s nice to meet you, Amia.  Where would you like us to start?”  Blake smiled at me and then looked around.

“Just about everything is packed up.  I’ll leave it up to you.  Everything is going to Jo’s except the couch.  I was hoping that after we were done moving my things, I could talk you into coming back here and taking the couch to the charity shop down the street.”  I smiled back at Blake.  He was really tall and muscular.  Jo could have Chad if she wanted him.  My loins were screaming for Blake’s attention. 

“Sure thing, Pretty Lady.”  Blake’s smile was perfect.  He was at least six and a half feet tall with ice blue eyes and was muscular, bald, and covered in tattoos.  Yeah, he was sexy.

While Chad and Blake started loading my things into their truck, Jo and I finished packing my things and then sat on the couch talking about the new campaign.  Okay, we only pretended to talk about it.  Really, we were watching the guys work.

When they finished loading the truck, Jo gave them the spare keys to her place and told them we would meet them there in a little bit.  She helped me throw the remainder of my personal things into my car and clean up the apartment.  It wasn’t spotless, but it looked better then when I moved in.  I’m sure the superintendent would be pleased.  I closed and locked the door behind me before dropping off the keys with the manager.

Jo was waiting for me when I got downstairs.  She was in her car and I was going to follow her over to our place.  As I got in my car, I thought to myself, ‘I can’t believe I’m doing this.  Do people really have roommates at the age of forty?  Well, it’ll be fun nonetheless.’  I started my car, pulled out of my parking spot and followed Jo home.

Blake and Chad were already hauling in my things when we arrived.  We had stopped to pick up a pizza and some beer so we could feed them lunch.  They were working hard and deserved a break.

“Here ya go guys, lunch time!”  Jo raised the food and drink over her head as she walked up to the house.  “Hope you like pepperoni.”

“Sure do!  Thanks!”  Chad grabbed the pizza out of Jo’s hands and followed her into the living room. 

“Hungry?”  I walked over to Blake who was standing at the back of the moving truck.

“Yeah, a little, but I don’t want to drink if we have to go over and get your couch off the side walk and drop it at the second hand store.”  Blake was all sweaty and had taken his shirt off.  He truly was a magnificent specimen of a man.

“No one is forcing you to have a drink.  Come on, let’s go get some pizza.”  I grasped his arm and tugged him toward the front door.

We walked in and joined Chad and Jo in the living room.  Sitting on the floor around the coffee table, we passed around the pizza and joked with each other.

“When were the two of you going to get the couch?”  Jo asked after putting her pizza on a napkin to dab some of the grease off it and open her beer.

“When the truck is empty.  Um, I thought you didn’t drink beer.”  I nodded toward the bottle and raised an eyebrow.

“I do, just not all the time.”  She took a drink.  “Chad, how long do you think it’ll take you guys to finish unloading the truck?”

“Maybe another hour.  Why?”  He looked at Jo and opened his own beer.

“Well, I was hoping I could bribe you into helping me move my bed while they were gone.”  Jo traced the top of the beer bottle with her tongue and looked suggestively at Chad.

“No bribe necessary.”  Chad winked at her and continued to eat his pizza and drink his beer.

“You two don’t really think we’re oblivious to what you’re talking about, do you?”  I chuckled and then looked at Blake.  “I think I know where we’re not wanted.”

“Yeah, I kind of picked up on that hint as well.  Come on, Chad.  If you want to help move her bed, we need to get the rest of the truck unloaded.”  Blake shoved the last bite of his pizza into his mouth, stood up and went outside to finish unloading the truck.

“You’re so bold, Jo!”  I stood up to put the leftover pizza in the fridge with the rest of the beer. 

“It’s the only way I know how to be.  When I want something, I get it.  It’s just that simple.”  Jo followed me into the kitchen.  “I’m so happy you’re here, Amia!”  She threw away the used paper plates and hugged me.

“I am too.  Let’s go upstairs and see what the damage is.  It’s going to take me forever to unpack!  I was thinking, if it was okay with you, I would invite Isabella over to help and we could make a girl’s night out of it.”  I pulled Jo up the stairs by her hand.

“Of course it’s alright!  You don’t have to ask my permission to invite anyone over!  This is your home now too!”  We stepped through the door of the master suite in the loft and surveyed the chaos in front of us.

“Wow, we have our work cut out for us.  I think I’ll put some of this into storage.”  Everything I owned was being put in this room as the guys unpacked the truck.

“There’s no need for that.  I have plenty of room.  We’ll just combine everything as we go, and whatever you want to put in storage can go in the garage.”  Jo’s smile was so big that it covered half her face.  “It’s nice to know I won’t be coming home to an empty house anymore.”

“Thanks, Jo.  You know, I won’t be living here forever.”  I felt the need to remind her that this was only a temporary thing.  I didn’t want her to get used to it because that would make it harder for me to move on whenever that time came.

“I know, but I can enjoy it for now.  So, where shall we start?”  She walked over to my bed and began to pull the plastic the guys had wrapped around the mattress off of it.

“You can start by staying out of our way.”  Chad came into the room carrying a couple of boxes.

“Tsk, tsk... Don’t talk to me like that, Chad, I’m your boss.  You know how these things go.  It’s not the first time you’ve worked for me.”  Jo slapped Chad on the ass as she walked past him.  “Now hurry up so we can move my bed.”  She laughed loudly as she walked down the stairs.

“You’re gonna take that from her?”  I jokingly asked Chad as I left my room and walked down the stairs with him.

“Yep, but only because of what she gives me as a tip.”  He winked at me and laughed.

“Where’s Blake?”  Reaching the bottom of the stairs, I turned to look around.

“He’s setting the boxes on the back of the truck for me to haul in.  We’re almost done.  Just have to bring in your kitchen stuff.”  He stopped at the front door while he finished chatting with me.

“Great!  Would you please put those boxes in the kitchen?”  I nodded toward it.

“Sure, no problem, and that makes things easier.”  He went outside to bring in more boxes.

Jo and I went back up to my room to make my bed and start putting things away while the guys finished up.  I had never seen a room with glass walls before.  Curtains were a definite necessity, and we had just finished hanging the drapes she had bought me as a house warming gift when the guys yelled up that they were finished.  At least now I had a bed to sleep in and privacy.

The guys were standing in the living room waiting for us.  They looked tired but sexy as fuck!  Jo did a good thing by suggesting I hire them.

“Ready to go?”  Blake wiped the sweat from his brow.

“Yep!  Just let me get my purse.”  I grabbed it off the couch, threw it over my shoulder and walked to the front door.  “We’ll be gone for about an hour, make it worth it.”  I winked at Jo before walking outside with Blake.

“Your friend is something else.”  Blake shook his head as he opened the passenger side door of the truck for me.  “Watch your step.”  He held my waist as I stepped up into the cab.

“Yes she is, but I love her no matter.”  I looked down at him and smiled before he closed the door, walked over to the driver side of the truck and got in.  “You two seem so different.  How did you become friends?”  He put the key in the ignition, started the truck and pulled away from the curb.

“I work for her at Millian’s.  I have for years.  She hired me right out of college.”  I watched the traffic as we drove.  It felt a little odd sitting that high up in the truck.

“That’s cool.  So, do you have a boyfriend?  I thought maybe we could go get that beer you owe me after we drop off the couch.”  He looked at me and smiled before turning his eyes back to the road.

“No, no boyfriend… And, what do you mean the beer I owe you?”  I laughed a little flirty giggle in answer to him.

“Well, you offered me a beer earlier knowing I still had to drive, so I figure you owe me one now.”  He didn’t take his eyes off the road as he spoke to me.

“What’s the difference between then and now?  You’re still driving.”  Opening my purse, I took out my cell phone and pretended to be looking at it while I talked to Blake.  It helped to keep me distracted so I didn’t make a complete fool of myself.

“The difference is I’m done working for the day as soon as we drop off the couch.  Um, speaking of the couch, where is it?”  We had pulled up in front of my old place and the couch was nowhere to be seen.

“I guess someone took it.  Oh well, one less thing we have to do.  So, how about that beer?”  I turned and smiled at him while putting my phone back in my purse.

“Sure, I thought you would never ask.”  He laughed.  “There’s a bar right up the street.”

“No, let’s just pick up some beer and go sit somewhere quiet.”  I didn’t want anyone to see me at Brady’s and report back to Chace that I had been in there with some other guy.

“Okay, but it’s illegal to drink in public.”  He pulled away from the curb and headed toward the liquor store up the block.

“Why can’t we just sit in the back of the truck and drink?  Let’s just find a parking lot and… Wait!  I know the perfect spot!  I’ll be right back.  I’m going to run in and grab us something to drink, and we’ll head over there.”  I jumped down from the truck, went into the liquor store and grabbed a six pack of beer and a bottle of tequila.  When I walked back outside, Blake was waiting by the passenger side door and opened it as I approached.  “Let’s head over to Millian’s parking lot.  There’s no one there over the weekend, so it’s a safe place to just hang out.”