Текст книги "The Unidentified Redhead"

Автор книги: Alice Clayton

сообщить о нарушении

Текущая страница: 18 (всего у книги 19 страниц)

Chapter Twenty-Five

Breakfast was quick. Jack made Holly and I oatmeal while I made coffee and she sliced up bananas for our bowls. We talked hurriedly about last minute plans. I would be leaving my car at Holly's. We figured it would be better to have it somewhere that someone actually lived. The two of them would check on my house about every other week or so. There were still a few pieces being delivered, but between Jack and Holly, they had it covered.

I actually offered Jack the use of my car while I was gone and he laughed, telling me he "quite enjoyed" his broken little car and, "now that the Car Snob will be away, I'll be pleased to drive it again."

Jack and I beat a hasty trip upstairs after breakfast, determined to sneak in as much time alone as we could before we needed to leave for LAX. My flight was at one and we figured on leaving for the airport around ten.

It was already eight-thirty.

We headed straight for the shower, dropping our clothes as we walked through the room, efficient and expedient in our undressing. I laughed at the seriousness with which we approached this, our final shower.

"It's like Dead Man Showering," I quipped, as he plodded across the room in only his boxers, clothes strewn messily about. I was no better. I was wriggling out of my bra so fast it was like someone was holding a gun to my head.

"It does have a certain finality to it, doesn't it?" He chuckled wryly, watching me as I struggled to get the last clasp. "Can I please help you with that?" He sighed, the sound turning into a full on belly laugh as I contorted myself this way and that, trying desperately to get out of it.

"Smartass," I said, poking his ribs as he approached me. He stood behind me as I held my hair up and when it was finally off, his hands slipped lower to my waist, hooking his fingers through the band of my panties and beginning to slide them over my hips.

"I don't recall asking you to help with those, Sweet Nuts," I scolded, my breath beginning to catch in my throat.

"I don't recall asking for your opinion on this matter, Nuts Girl," he growled in my ear as the panties went down. He threw them over my shoulder and I watched them soar through the air.

"Shower?" I asked.

"Yeah. Let's get wet," he teased, pushing me towards the bathroom.

"Too late," I stated, feeling the entire lower half of my body beginning to warm as his hands began to explore.

"Is that a fact?" he asked, spinning me around and walking me backwards into the bathroom.

"Oh, like you're not totally turned on. I can see that you are, George," I murmured, letting my eyes peek at Mr. Hamilton Jr. poking at his boxers. My hands came up to his shoulders and I ran them down the length of his arms, while his snaked around my waist, pulling me to him.

"And why the hell do you still have these on?" I asked, snapping the band on his boxers.

"You tell me, Crazy," he said, reaching past me to turn on the shower.

"I'm on it," I answered, removing the offending boxers in the time it would take you to say Hamiltonian-Wake-Up-Call.

We scrambled in, the water covering us as we lathered quickly. He washed my hair, letting the water run down my body, covering me in bubbles. He, of course, held my boobies while I washed his hair…for balance. He truly never tired of playing with them. I honestly think if he had his own pair, I might never hear from him again. Luckily, I never tired of him playing with them, either. He had me moaning within seconds, and then groaning a minute later. He was taking my washing up very seriously this morning, and there was not a place on my body he didn't attend to. He brought me to three quick intense orgasms and before I knew it, we were out of the shower and on the floor of the bathroom, with me on top, riding him in a frenzy. We were getting water all over the floor as we tried to stay on the bathmat.

In the end, neither of us cared that we strayed off the bathmat.

We fucked frantically, laughing when he knocked over the tower of toiletries with his foot while baby powder and tampons rained down on us. We laughed when the squeak of his ass against the marble became almost louder than my groaning. And we really laughed when we came together, tension and giggles giving way to satisfaction.

I rolled off him, landing squarely on my flat iron. I yelped, and when he tried to roll after me, he hit his head squarely on the toilet.

I looked around at the state of the bathroom—the open shower door, the Always with Wings and mascara strewn about the floor, the flat iron under my bum and Jack Hamilton rubbing his head where he had bonked it on the bowl.

I laughed and laughed until tears streamed down my face, my naked body jiggling in places that I knew couldn't look good. And I didn't care.

"I…love you…so…much…" I choked out, wiping my face off with a piece of toilet paper from behind me.

"I love you too, Gracie…Always," he deadpanned, holding up a maxi pad.

I started into a fresh round of laughter, holding my stomach, it hurt so much. He crawled over to me, knocking bottles left and right with his knees and kissed me square on the lips.

"You're crazy, but you're my Crazy. I love it." He stood, helped me up, and then walked out into the bedroom, flexing his buns for me.

"We need to get a move on, it's getting late," he said over his shoulder. I glanced at the clock on the counter and saw that it was already nine-fifteen.

Shit.

He stuck his head back in the bathroom and winked. "You're the greatest, Grace, the greatest."

I smirked at him and then began to get dressed.

***

9:57 a.m.

I stood with Holly in the driveway while Jack put my suitcases in my car. He was driving me to the airport and then he'd bring my car back to her house. I fought down the lump in my throat. I could tell she had one, as well.

"So, you have everything, right?" she checked. "Neil is going to call you tonight to check in. You have a meeting with him on Thursday after you get settled into the hotel, right?"

"Yes ma'am, I'm meeting him Thursday."

"And you have your cell charger, right? You call my ass the minute you land. Do you have money for a cab into the city? It will be about forty-five dollars…don't let them charge you more than that."

"I got it, Mom. I've been there before, you know, probably more often than you." I laughed at her mother-henning.

"I know, I know, asshead. I guess that's it," she said, pressing her lips tightly together.

"OK, dillweed. I'll call you when I land. Bye," I said, hugging her quickly.

She didn't say anything, just nodded her head and wrapped her arms around me, hugging me back just as hard.

She pulled away from me and disappeared into the house. Holly always hated goodbyes. I turned to Jack, a little teary, and he reached for my hand.

"You ready to go?" he asked quietly.

"Yep, let's do this," I answered, wiping away the few tears that had escaped and climbing into my car. This time I let him drive.

It was one of the few mornings ever in the history of L.A. with little traffic, and all too soon, we were pulling into LAX. He insisted on parking and walking me in, even though I wanted him to just let me out at the curbside check-in. My stomach had been in knots ever since the floor of the bathroom, and I knew now how hard it was going to be to say goodbye to him. We parked underground and I swear you have never seen anyone take so long to remove luggage from the trunk as him. We held hands, walking at a turtle's pace towards the ticket counter and he waited patiently as I punched in my frequent flyer number, bringing up my itinerary. I was pleased to see I'd gotten an upgrade and would be in seat 3D, a window seat.

"Sheridan?" the counter agent called, and we moved forward to check my bags. Jack placed them on the scale and we stood, waiting for her to wrap the tags around the handle.

"OK, you're checking two bags through to La Guardia, right?" she asked.

"Yes," I answered, surprised at my own voice. It was rough and my throat felt like sandpaper. One look at Jack and I could see he was starting to feel it, too. His eyes were overcast, the green almost blue.

She gave me my ticket and pointed me towards the correct security checkpoint that would take me to my terminal. Jack slung my carry-on bag over his shoulder and we walked away slowly, holding hands again. Right before we got to where we'd have to be separated, he pulled me over to the wall, almost hidden behind a vending machine. He set my bag down and I kept my eyes on the floor. I literally couldn't bear to look at him.

"Grace? Come on, look at me," he chided softly, his fingers slipping under my chin and lifting my face up.

The tears that had been building all day finally broke and I clutched him to me fiercely.

"Dammit, George, I'm going to miss you so much!" I cried, pulling him to me as tightly as I dared.

"I know, Gracie, me too," he choked back, not crying, but sounding like he could.

I breathed in his sweet scent, S'mores and Hamilton, and I began to kiss every part of his warm skin that was exposed. His neck, his ears, his temples, his forehead, the little part of his chest that was exposed by his open collar, his cheeks, his nose, his eyelids and finally his mouth, that was eager for my own. His hands swept across my back and my hips, his beautiful fingers spanning my waist almost completely.

I held on as tightly as I could, trying to express with sheer force how much I was going to miss him and how much my heart was now breaking to leave him.

"Grace? I just want you to know, well, how glad I am that I met you. I can't imagine my life without your crazy, sexy, beautiful ass in it now," he whispered in my ear, bringing a fresh wave of tears and smiles at the same time from me.

"God, you're amazing. I'm so lucky," I whispered back, clutching at him still tighter. He was now kissing my neck with a sense of urgency, burying his face in my hair and breathing deeply.

His lips found mine again and we kissed until we were both breathless, his cheeks wet now from my tears, and then he hugged me tightly again.

"I should go," I whispered into his neck, my hands buried in his hair.

"Yes, you should," he whispered back, beginning to let go.

I backed away, swinging my bag up over my shoulder and taking my boarding pass from his hip pocket.

"Call me when you land?" he asked, his eyes sad, but hopeful.

"Promise," I answered, scratching his head one last time. He closed his eyes like a puppy, leaning into it. I was close enough, still, that I could feel the warmth of him through my shirt.

"I love you, sweet girl." He smiled, opening his eyes and leaning down for one more kiss.

"I love you too, Jack." I smiled back as his lips left mine.

I walked away, getting in line. I gave the TSA officer my ID and boarding pass and then fell in behind everyone else. I couldn't look behind me.

"Hey, Crazy!" I heard, and I turned around smiling along with the other thirty people in line.

"Yes, Sweet Nuts?" I yelled back, to the general amusement of all around me.

"Knock their fucking socks off!" he yelled.

I laughed and then lifted my hand in a goodbye. With one more sexy half grin, he walked away, disappearing into the crowd. I was still smiling when I turned back to the line. The woman in front of me smiled.

"Boyfriend?" she asked.

"Boyfriend…hmm…yes. That was my boyfriend," I answered, rolling the word around on my tongue.

Sex God, Wonder Tongue, Mr. Multiple…but boyfriend sounds good, too.

"He's cute. And that accent! Jeez, it's hot, if you don't mind my saying." She laughed.

"I don't mind…and you have no idea how hot it is." I smiled again, thinking of my boyfriend. I wiped the tears away and headed for my gate.

***

Once I was on the plane and settled into my seat, the tears came back. I sat quietly sniffling, watching everyone else file on towards the back of the plane. The flight attendant had already offered me a cocktail, but I wasn't quite ready for that yet.

One of the reasons I felt so sad was that I didn't know when I would see him again. I could be in New York indefinitely—three months, a year. It was all dependent upon how well the show did and the kind of backing it received. I knew Jack would be out to visit, and I knew that, at some point, I'd be able to get back out to L.A., but the idea of not knowing when, that's what was making it so difficult for me. Not to mention that I hadn't slept alone in weeks and I knew that tonight, when the lights went out and I didn't have the Brit scrambling under the covers after me, searching out my boobies with his hot little hands, I'd miss him something fierce.

I thought of his sweet face, looking as lost as I had ever seen him as I walked away from him today. I saw the same sadness in his eyes that was in mine, and even though I realized that men and women felt things very differently, I knew he would miss me. I thought of his smile and how happy I made him when I did something as simple as scratching his head and my insides actually ached.

What would he do if he was here now and I was crying? I smiled immediately, thinking of how quickly he would have me pressed tightly to him, making me laugh through my tears, or simply letting me cry it out. I would do the same for him. All I wanted to do was take care of him and have him take care of me. We needed each other equally. I knew that now.

God, I realized that I should have gone shopping for him before I left. He would eat nothing but freaking fast food for the next three months if no one got involved.

But that was enough sad sackery. I needed a distraction.

I pulled out a magazine and I laughed ruefully when I saw that the Brit was featured in an article about faces to watch. Yeah, no kidding.

***

Somewhere over Utah…

I put the magazine down after rereading the pages with my Brit several hundred times. The flight attendant nodded towards the article I was clutching to my chest as she handed me my Bloody Mary.

"Did you read the article about Jack Hamilton? I could get arrested for the thoughts I have about that kid." She grinned as she took in my surprised face.

I blushed, and grinned back. "He's a tall drink of water, that's for sure," I giggled.

"God, yes. I can't tell you how much I'm looking forward to his new film," she confided, leaning on the seat and making the guy next to me roll his eyes. He'd already attempted to engage me in conversation, which I had quickly thwarted. Now I was ready to talk, but about a heartthrob? I'm sure he thought I was nuts.

Mmm, someone I loved called me Nuts Girl.

"Yeah, it looks really good. I love me some Super Sexy Scientist Guy."

"You must be talking about Jack Hamilton," I heard a voice say from behind me and the woman in 4D had popped her head over my seat to participate.

"Ha! Everyone I know adores that kid," the flight attendant squealed.

"Oh, my goodness," 4D started, "did you see his last movie? I almost died when he was in that towel…gah!"

"Yeah, he's pretty to look at," the flight attendant sighed, and all three of us began to giggle like school girls.

"He really is…" I added, smiling to myself as the other women continued to fawn over the man who had hit his head on my toilet bowl only hours before.

***

When the plane finally landed, I was exhausted. It had been an emotional day, I'd gotten no sleep the night before and plane rides were always tiring, especially when you take advantage and imbibe the free Bloody Marys.

I grabbed my bags off the carousel and made my way towards the line of cabs into the city. When it was my turn, I gave the driver the address of the W hotel, then checked my messages and smiled as I listened to Holly instructing me to call her as soon as I reached my hotel. I couldn't help but call Jack, and was a little saddened by the fact that I just got his voicemail.

"Hey, love, I'm in a cab heading into the city now. Wanted to call and let you know I made it here safe and sound. And I even met a few fans of yours on the plane! I told her I fucked you repeatedly and often. They seemed oddly shocked by that. Kidding. Well, call me when you get this, I don't care how late. I want to talk to you before I go to sleep. I love you, and would you believe I miss you already, George? OK, bye."

I sank back in the seat and watched as the neighborhood of Queens quickly gave way. We crossed the bridge and as I saw the lights of the city, I began to smile uncontrollably.

It was after nine and the sky was fully dark. Everything was lit up, and the way the city looked as we crossed the river was magical. Absolutely magical.

We drove through the concrete canyons, across town, and then made our way through midtown. Hundreds of people were out, crossing the streets, sitting at cafes, pouring in and out of doorways.

There was a pulse to this city, and after leaving the laid back charm that was Southern California, my brain was hungry for the fuss and the muss of Manhattan. It was hot and steamy and even though it was nighttime, it was still thick and humid. I pulled my hair up off my neck immediately and shrugged out of my cardigan.

We raced along, the driver slamming the brakes on every block or so, honking back at other cabs and at the pedestrians crowding the streets. Even though many left in late summer, there were still tons of people and my eyes drank in the masses.

Every time I was here, my heart beat a little faster. And this time was no different.

As we pulled in front of the W, the bellman came out to help with my bags and I was soon whisked inside. While I was checking in, I felt a tap on my shoulder and I turned.

It was Michael.

"Hey! What are you doing here?" I exclaimed, hugging him.

"Holly told me when you were getting in, so I thought I'd stop by and buy you your first drink in New York. You're not too tired, are you? Shit, I should've given you time to settle in." He grimaced as he pulled back. He was dressed casually like me, loose khakis, gray t-shirt, Converse. His hair was quite curly in the humidity and framed his dark brown eyes.

"No, no I would love that! I'm tired, but really it's not even seven to me. Let me drop off my bags and then we can grab a drink. Do you mind if we have it here?" I said, gesturing to the gorgeous lobby bar.

"That sounds like a plan. Lemme help you," he said, grabbing my bags and leading me towards the elevator.

My room was on seventeen, high enough to have a great view. And since it was the W, my room was tricked out. We were setting everything down when my phone rang. I flopped across the bed to grab it and when I saw it was Jack, I smiled hugely.

"Hey, Johnny Bite Down! How are you?" I asked.

"Hey, yourself. How was your flight?"

"It was good. Long…but good," I sighed.

"Sounds like me…long and good." He chuckled.

"Ha ha, very funny. I miss you already, you know," I said, dropping my voice a little.

"I know. I miss you, too. I'm sorry I missed your call earlier. Is it too early for phone sex?" He laughed.

Michael stuck his head out from the closet where he had been putting my bags away. "Hey, Grace, do you want this one in the bathroom?" he asked.

"Yeah, that's fine, thanks," I called out. "So, phone sex, can it wait until later tonight? I want to be able to give you my full attention," I continued.

"Who was that?" he asked, his voice curious.

"Oh, Michael was here at the hotel when I got here and we were just about to go grab a drink after I get settled in," I answered.

"Are you in your room?" he inquired, his voice still curious, but with a slight edge to it.

"Yep, he helped me get my bags up here and then we're heading back down to the bar," I answered, rolling my eyes.

"Uh huh," he muttered.

How cute, he was a little jealous.

"Oh, Sweet Nuts, I really wish I could see your face right now, along with other parts." I laughed, and he loosened up.

"Well, I'll tell you what. You go have your drink and then call me later. I'm heading out soon, too. I'm actually doing an open mike tonight."

"You are! Wow, I really wish I was there for that," I said, chewing on my lip. I knew he did those from time to time, it just had never happened while we were together. I would kill to see him sing on a stage, just him and his guitar. I thought of all the mornings he had played me my own action soundtrack while I got ready, and I smiled.

"I wish you were too, love. I'll speak to you soon then, yes?" he said softly.

"Yes, I love you, George," I cooed.

"I love you, too, Gracie."

And with that, we hung up. I sat on the bed for a moment and then Michael came back in. He sat down next to me. "I thought his name was Jack…"

"What?" I asked, coming out of my haze.

"You called him George…I thought his name was Jack," he said again, looking puzzled. I gazed back at my old friend, a look of puzzlement on his kind face.

"It is Jack. The George is a long story. Let's go get that drink." I smiled.

Taking a deep breath, I pushed myself off the bed and headed out of the room with Michael close on my heels. As the door swung shut behind us, I saw the lights of New York twinkling beyond the window.

I was here and it was time for me to shine.

The End