Coffee in Common (24 page)

"I don't know," Liz said. "Jenna's right. Straight guys usually just shuffle around."

"Yah," said Gloria, joining in the teasing. "Look at Chuck and Jamal."

"He is
not
gay." Jillian had started to blush.

"How do you know?" demanded Holly.

Her blush deepened. "Because I could feel that he's not when we're dancing close."

"Oh yes!" Jenna cried loudly. "Jilli's gonna have a bruised thigh from bumping into wood all night!"

Even the women in the stalls started whooping with laughter as Jillian, mortified, hid her face in her hands.

A few minutes later, as she was pulling down her pantyhose, Jillian realized it had been a very long time since she'd felt this happy. Her friends liked Paul, he seemed kind and generous and funny and he was a good dancer. Not the best she'd ever met, but good. Good enough that with time they could be great together. She would teach him.

But not tonight.

Tonight, she just wanted to be with him, move with him, feel his arms and hands holding her, guiding her across the floor. A part of her wished they hadn't run into her friends, but another part was happy to be showing him off. She thought about what Jenna said and glanced down at her thigh, immediately feeling foolish for doing so.

Then she closed her eyes and formed a mental picture of Paul. She could see him clearly, almost as if he were standing in front of her. In her mind, he smiled at her. A naughty thought came unbidden and she gave in to it. Her mental image removed his jacket and loosened, then pulled off his tie. Slowly, he released the buttons of his shirt and slipped it off. The image then kicked off his shoes, unbuckled his belt and reached for his zipper.

Jillian could feel the heat rising in her face. Even alone, in a bathroom stall, a mere daydream could ruffle her.

A loud knock on the stall door jarred her out of her reverie. "Come on, girl," Jenna said. "The band will be back any minute and I want my dance with coffee guy before you tire him out. Maybe I can get a bruised thigh, too."

Half a minute later Jillian flung open the door to the stall, her eyes blazing.

Jenna saw the fury on her face and backed away. "Hey, I'm sorry. I was only kidding. You know me, Jilli. Sometimes my mouth…" She stopped when she realized her friend was struggling to keep a straight face.

Jillian quickly lost the battle and burst out laughing as did Liz, who had observed the whole thing.

Still chuckling, she told Jenna, "That was for embarrassing me before." She looked around. "Where's Holly and Gloria?"

"Back at the table."

"Shoot. Well, come here." She moved to the corner of the room. "I have to tell you what happened.

"Remember Patrick, the guy I was dating?"

"The control freak?" Liz asked.

Jillian nodded. "Well he called me today for a date and I told him I was going out with you guys and then after dinner Paul and I are on this carriage ride and…"

"He took you on a carriage ride?" Jenna asked, a mixture of admiration and jealously on her face.

Again she nodded. "Listen! Anyway, we're on the ride and all of a sudden Patrick sees us."

She gave her friends a blow-by-blow description of the whole incident.

"No way!" Liz exclaimed. "That asshole could've really hurt you. And Paul really defended you like that?"

"I'm telling you, one second Patrick's paw is crushing my arm and the next thing I know Paul has his other arm behind his back, Patrick is wincing in pain, and he lets me go. I was so scared but so excited, too, to have this guy fighting for me like that." Her eyes widened and brightened and her voice softened. "He was, I don't know, so manly I guess, I was getting…you know…watching him."

"Hell, I'd be getting hot, too, if some guy did that for me," Jenna gushed. Liz agreed.

"There's something about him," Jillian said wistfully. "Something special. He keeps surprising me."

"There sure is," Liz said. "He drops piles of dough on you, does all this romantic stuff, and then kicks a bully's ass to boot! I wish someone would surprise me like that!"

Jillian and Jenna laughed, but then Jenna's expression turned serious. "You really do like this guy, don't you? I mean, you know,
like
like?"

"I do," Jillian whispered, and the realization startled her. She really did. The feeling she'd been having all night that something inside her had changed suddenly coalesced into a word. She shook her head.

It couldn't be, not after one date, a date that isn't even over yet.

She shook her head again and banished it all from her mind. It was time to get back out there.

The band was taking the stage as the girls paraded across the dance floor to their table. Had they really been in there that long?

As he led her onto the dance floor, Paul asked, "Is everything okay? I was about to ask Holly and Gloria to check on you guys."

"I'm sorry, I'm fine. I just, well…"

What could she say? That they'd been talking about him? That she'd told her friends how hot he made her feel? That she'd been sitting on the toilet undressing him in her mind? Then again…

"I was sort of caught up in this fantasy I was having in there, mentally undressing you and…"

He laughed. "Okay, I get it. Girl stuff I don't need to know about. You could have just said that."

She laughed, too.

Daddy was right. It's always best to tell the truth. Or some version of it.

The band started the set with
The Girl From Ipanema
and seconds later, Paul was leading her effortlessly through the slow-quick-quick steps of the bossa-nova. As she floated in his arms, she caught bits of him singing the words softly, under his breath, and it made her feel special to think she inspired him so.

When the song ended and the band began the intro to Chris De Burgh's
Lady in Red,
Jillian felt a tap on her shoulder. "I do believe I was promised a dance, and what song could be more appropriate than this one, so I'm cutting in."

Jillian gave Jenna a look that said
don't get too carried away
as she stepped away from Paul.

She walked back to the table while behind her, Jenna moved into Paul's arms. She joked a bit with him at first, but then moved close and rested her head on his chest. Paul wasn't sure what to make of it. He kept his own head upright and hoped Jillian wouldn't think he'd initiated the closeness.

He needn't have worried. Jillian had taken a seat facing away from the dance floor. She knew her friend would not be Miss Prim and Proper as she danced with Paul and if Jillian didn't see it she could pretend it didn't happen.

When the song ended, Liz replaced Jenna, who returned to the table and sat next to Jillian. She leaned close and said, "I am
so
frickin' jealous."

Jillian followed a quizzical look with, "What do you mean?"

Guilt clouded Jenna's face. "You can hate me if you want, but I tested him. Look at the way I'm dressed, and I flirted and plastered myself against him when we were dancing and got nothing. Not even one of those twitches you mentioned." She sounded depressed. "Either I'm losing it, which I'm not, or that boy is so into you it's frightening."

Rather than feeling upset, Jillian found she was elated. "Really? Did you really…"

"I'm telling you, I was all over him and he just stood there and politely danced with me. He didn't even rest his head on mine." She looked contrite. "I really am sorry, but I had to do it. I had to find out if…you know. Liz told me what you said about shaving your legs and, well, I don't want you to get hurt again." She sighed. "Why can't Roy be into me like that?"

Jillian couldn't believe two hours had passed when the band indicated the next song would their last of the night. Once the girls had their turns with him, she and Paul spent every remaining minute on the dance floor.

The two guitar players moved their microphones to the center of the stage.

"Thank you all for coming tonight. I'm Jasmine, next to me is Erik, Mickey is on keyboards, Kent is on drums, and we're
Now & Then
. We're here every Thursday though Sunday night and we hope we'll see you again real soon."

She glanced at Erik who said, "We'd like to leave you tonight with an oldie, one of our favorites by Luther Vandross. It's for all you lovers out there."

Jillian smiled.
Wouldn't it be funny if they played…

Her smile widened as she remembered how she reacted to the song two days ago.
This has to be a good sign!

Her eyes met Paul's as she stepped between his outstretched hands and laced her fingers around the back of his neck. Then she softly sighed as his strong arms slipped around her waist to pull her close.

All the night's fancy dance steps were forgotten as they clung to each other, gently swaying to the music, their feet barely moving enough to turn them in place. Their moments in the limo and in the carriage had been special, but this far eclipsed both.

As the song wound down, and the final notes faded, they both knew the moment had come. They stopped moving and held fast, each waiting for the other to make the first move. Finally, Jillian felt Paul's hand drift to her chin and tenderly encourage her. She allowed him to raise her head until their eyes met. His eyes asked permission and hers gave it. The rest of the room faded away as, slowly, he began to move his lips toward hers.

A huge crash startled them and they literally jumped apart, stunned, as if awakened from a dream.

Everyone in the room had turned toward the bar where a waitress had stumbled, sending a tray of empty glasses crashing to the floor.

They watched the commotion for a few seconds before laughing.

"Can you believe that?" Jillian said.

"I know. Talk about bad timing."

Each knew the moment had passed, and each was content to wait for the next one.

SATURDAY, MAY 8

1:15 AM

When they settled into the limousine after saying goodbye to her friends, Gary lowered the partition and asked, "Where to?"

"That depends on Jillian." Paul turned to her and asked with a grin, "Have you had your fill of me yet or can you stand a little more tonight?"

More? He planned more? What could he have planned at one-fifteen in the morning? Some after-hours club?

Her curiosity piqued, she returned his grin with a warm smile. "I think I might be able to endure a little bit more of your company."

"Great!" Then to Gary, "You know where to go."

Jillian watched the partition rise as the limo started moving. "Where
are
we going at this hour?"

"‘Well, I am partial to food. After that, surprise me,'" he said, an octave higher than normal.

"I did say that, didn't I?"

"Yes, ma'am."

"And you're holding me to it?

"Yes, ma'am"

"Even if I pout, like this, and ask really,
really
nice, like this?"

"Yes, ma'am"

"You beast, making a poor girl suffer."

"Sorry, ma'am."

They chuckled at the exchange, then her voice softened.

"In case I forget to tell you later, Paul, I've had a very nice time tonight."

"Me, too. This night has been so much better than I ever expected. And I was expecting a lot!"

Jillian thought about that. Paul had created a magnificent evening for them. A fabulous dinner in the most romantic restaurant in Boston, a romantic carriage ride, and then charming her friends and dancing. Any one of those would have made for a wonderful evening. He had really gone all-out to impress her.

But he's been going all out ever since we met. Sure, he fumbled some that first morning, but since then, he's been funny, and attentive, and sweet, and forgiving, and generous, and very romantic. Especially tonight. And it's like he can sense my moods. Like now. I smile at him and he just smiles back, like he knows I need some quiet time to think. Does he know it's because I'm thinking about him? Is he thinking about me? Is it really possible he could have known the first time he saw me? But how? That stuff only happens in books and movies. But he knows things about me…knows without even knowing he knows. Damn, I'm making this sound like the Twilight Zone. Calm down, girl. Think of something else.

Her bathroom fantasy popped back into her head and Jillian felt herself growing warm all over. She looked away, not wanting her eyes to betray her thoughts.

I wonder what kind of lover he'll be. Will he be as tender, caring, and attentive in bed as he is out. And passionate. I can sense the passion inside him. I can see it in his eyes sometimes. And I felt it this morning and when we were dancing. Oh no, I'm starting to blush again. What if he notices? But he won't care. He wants me. But do his heart and soul want me as much as his body does?

She met his eyes again, and smiled, suddenly unconcerned about her warm cheeks.

I wonder what kind of kisser he is. He has nice lips. I hope he's not all slobbery or too aggressive or not aggressive enough. Kissing's important. Is kissing important to him, too? Or is it just something he does on the way to getting laid? No, he's been waiting for the right moment, too. I know he wanted to kiss me in the restaurant and in the carriage and when we were dancing but he never made the move until…damn that stupid waitress! That was the perfect moment. But she broke the spell. Even if we'd kissed and it was great, that's all it would have been. The magic would have been gone. Oh! He wants the magic, too!

The insight made her appreciate him even more.

The phone rang and Paul grabbed it "Hello. … Excellent. … I guess that would be a good idea. Are you sure you … Okay then. Thank you.

"We're almost there, but it'll be another few minutes. Gary's going to check things out."