Chapter 13 - " Tender Nectar"
(January 24, 2000)
It had been almost three weeks since that dance. Ugh, she didn't even like to think about it. The mere mention of Chris or dancing or music or…fly-fishing, brought back memories of that night. Memories she would be more than happy to forget. She wanted to close her eyes and have her mind completely clear when she opened them up. But that never happened. Chris had made sure of it.
The only thing she could see when she looked at him were his strong hands pressing her to him. She couldn't focus at work…or anywhere else for that matter. She was a mess, plain and simple. She hated it and cursed that day in the club repeatedly while trying to write up reports or organize statistics.
But at night is when she let her mind wander. At night was when she admitted, if only to herself, and sometimes not even that far, that she DIDN'T want to forget it. Her tongue wet her lips. The moment was perfect, beyond perfect. She tried hard to come up with another, slightly less clichéd adjective. The only thing she could come up was "magical" and frankly, that wasn't much better.
It was like he had read her mind. He knew exactly how to hold her, what to say to her. He knew how to look at her…right through her muddled brown eyes to see everything she was trying to hide. It was frazzling that he could do that to her, especially when she tried so hard to hold back and pretend like he had no effect on her. Well, that worked. Oh no, he knew he had an effect on her, and he knew EXACTLY what that effect was.
She couldn't do it, she couldn't take the way he looked at her, like he saw past all her defenses and denial right into her mind and her heart. Most people didn't know this, but Chris had long ago mastered the art of the "knowing smirk". It was an expression that adorned his face any time he saw her. So she did what any self-respecting woman in her position would have done.
She avoided him. At all costs.
Oh, now that was an interesting experience all on it's own. Chris wasn't stupid, and he knew her better than she could ever know herself. He had anticipated that move from her too. It was so frustrating; it was like she was playing some cat and mouse game with herself. If she faked left, he'd always be right. If she tried to run, he was always blocking her path…sometimes metaphorically and sometimes literally.
The cat corners the mouse.
It certainly applied in her situation. He was wearing her down, slowly at first, he knew better than to rush her. Then faster and faster as she became more susceptible to his advances. He didn't even have to try anymore, just a glimpse of him…hell, a glimpse of dark hair, Chris' or not, was enough to make her stomach do flip-flops
So for the last two and a half weeks, she had dodged him as much as possible. Her cell phone was conveniently left at home or turned off and only used for her to make calls, not receive them. She'd come home to his messages on her answering machine. Her desk was filled with memos from him. He'd creep up behind her and she wouldn't realize until a second before his breath touched her neck that he was there.
And that led up to where she was just then, in her car, fighting the endless New York traffic, to go to Jive studios. It had nothing to do with Chris however…this time it was about JC. He'd called her earlier that day and asked her to go to the studio. He had said he wanted to talk to her. She didn't know why, but she certainly wasn't going to turn down a chance to see him and find out what was going on.
He had been serious about wanting to stay away from her. Most of the time, he didn't inconvenience her or make her feel uncomfortable by being anywhere near her. She didn't have to go out of her way not to talk to him; she didn't have to think about it. Which was hard.
Because, although she knew she didn't feel for JC the way she did before, she still cared for and admired him greatly. It was like some sort of weird cycle. JC was avoiding her, she was avoiding Chris and Chris was…being Chris.
Sighing, she turned on the radio and tried to relax, ignoring the urge to blare her horn and tell the person in front of her to move the hell out of the way. There was always that one guy on the road that insisted on honking obnoxiously in the middle of a mile long traffic jam, like that would miraculously clear the road. As if the people in front of him would hear his horn and think, 'Oh right! I'm supposed to be MOVING now. Well, I tell ya, if it wasn't for that guy back there reminding me, we'd be here all day.' Annie HATED that guy. And she was about one stoplight away from becoming him.
Twenty minutes later, she arrived at her destination and got out of her car. She slammed her door shut with a satisfying thud and curved the impulse to kick it with her foot for the added pleasure. This baby's gotta get me home.
Making her way cautiously through the mammoth double doors of the building, she walked to the receptionist's desk. Giving her name, she asked where she could find JC. She was told that they should be in the cafeteria on their lunch break.
She thanked the woman and made the trek through the twists and turns of the huge building to finally find the cafeteria. As she entered, she immediately recognized the sound of Justin's loud laughter before even spotting him in the room. He was doubled over, his shoulders heaving uncontrollably, as he laughed at something Joey had said. They were seated at a table a few feet away, and she quickly walked over to them.
They saw her coming and gave her confused looks as she made her way to them. "Hey Annie, whatcha doin' in our neck of the woods?" Joey asked upon her arrival.
"Yeah," Justin said, joining the conversation, "Chris should be somewhere around here…"
"I'm not here for Chris," she interrupted.
"Then why are you here?" Justin queried.
"JC called me and asked me to come down," she answered.
"JC, really?" Joey said; sounding surprised.
"Yeah, he called me a few hours ago. I would have been here sooner, but all the damn traffic. I hate New York," she grumbled.
They nodded in understanding. Then Justin added, "I think JC said he was skipping lunch to work out some mixing…or something. But who really knows with him anyway?"
Annie looked uncomfortable; she began fidgeting with the sleeve of her shirt. "Ohh, okay. I guess I'll leave and come back then or something. I don't want to interrupt him when he's working…" The truth was, she didn't want to stick around there with Chris looming any more than she had to.
"No, don't do that," Annie turned to see Lance standing on her left. He smiled and continued, "He's really flowing right now, but he told me to tell you that you should just have lunch here and he'd be out in a little while."
Joey's ears perked up, "Does that mean we get a longer break?"
Lance nodded, "With JC doing all the work, as usual."
"Where's your better half?" Annie teased.
Lance grinned completely unashamed and unaffected by his friends' snickers. "She's tutoring Ray again."
Annie gave a wistful smile, "That is the most adorable child…" she said, thinking of seven year old Raymond Turner's dark-like-chocolate skin, matching eyes and thick black hair.
He nodded. "Steph adores him," then changing the subject, "Come on Annie, you can pick out anything you want to eat. It's all free."
She gave a small squeal, "Ohhh…free?"
The others laughed, "Yes free, compliments of Jive."
"Ohh…I think I'm gonna head over there then. That Caesar salad looks really good," she said, almost to herself before heading over there.
She moved quickly to the counter and began picking out items to eat. She was in the process of reaching for a Dr. Pepper when she felt the hair on the back of her neck rise. She knew he was near her, and the next moment, her suspicions were confirmed when she felt his lips against her ear.
"There's watermelon over there."
She froze. It was mostly done to stop the shiver that she just knew was going to make its way down her back. "Really?" She asked after she cleared her throat.
He took a step back, "Yeah, that's your favorite, right? Watermelon?"
Straightening up, she still didn't turn around as she collected her soda. "Actually, I prefer peaches."
He nodded, "Peaches come in a can, they were put there by a man, in a factory downtoooown."
She shot him a strange look when she finally turned around, her body trapped between his and the counter. Looking over his shoulder, she caught sight of Justin, Lance and Joey watching his display with fascination.
"Something like that Chris," she answered in a monotone, proud of her willpower as she turned to walk away. She took in a huge gulp of air that was almost a gasp when he slammed his hand up to the counter, next to her waist. He did it so fast and suddenly that the silverware sitting atop it rattled noisily. She moved slowly back until she faced him once again.
She saw his eyes twinkling with amusement and allowed herself a moment to revel in their gaiety before gritting her teeth. She WAS going to hold her own. She would NOT allow him the satisfaction of seeing her react as strongly as she wanted to.
However, a moment after she made the promise, she still couldn't stop her eyes from widening when took a step closer, gently placing his other hand against the counter on the other side of her body. She was trapped.
"Peaches? I didn't know you liked peaches," he murmured, letting himself openly stare at her flushed face. He was having far too much fun, but it was good for him to see that she felt the same way about him as he did about her. It gave him hope. At least the physical attraction was there.
"Well I do now. I am allowed to change my mind, right?" She asked sarcastically.
His eyes focused on the hollow of her throat and he lifted one hand off the counter to trace a finger down the length of it. He knew she wouldn't move. "Yeah," he agreed, nodding absently, never taking his eyes off her throat, "Things are allowed to change."
When had he become so bold and straightforward? It was all her, he reasoned. Before her, the way he got a female to notice him was with his wit. He called it 'laughing them into submission.' But that wouldn't work with Annie. She knew all his jokes, she helped him hone his flirting technique in high school. He had to be different with her. She was always so insecure. He had to show her he thought she was beautiful and warm and amazing. That part wasn't hard.
The hard part was getting her to realize how beautiful and warm and amazing she was. Getting her to realize that maybe she felt a little something for him.
The Cheshire grin spread languidly across his face when he saw the 'deer-in-headlights' look that donned her face at the obvious innuendo he had so casually tossed her way.
She was stunned, could think of absolutely nothing to say. Things are allowed to change. "I…umm…I guess…some things…maybe…"
His mind finally clicked to the part of this little scene that wasn't right. "What are you doing here Mary?"
She didn't hear him; she was too busy watching his mouth form the words. She swallowed thickly. Chris looked down and when he saw where her attention was focused, his lips twitched slightly. Well I was right about her having a thing for lips. He could have easily used that to make her squirm even more, but he really was interested in knowing what she was doing there. She most certainly wasn't there to see him. She was too busy avoiding him to do that.
He leaned down until their eyes connected. "Mary?" He said again.
"Hmmm?" Her voice was a velvet soft tone and he couldn't stop the grin that formed that time.
"What are you doing here?" He reiterated his earlier question.
She snapped out of her daze and her cheeks began burning a deep red that she couldn't hide and she knew he saw. DAMN him! "Oh, I'm here to see…"
As if on cue, there was a cough from behind them. Chris turned around and Annie slid away from his body. They both saw JC standing before them, arms folding over his chest, looking more than slightly annoyed.
Annie shrunk back. That was not a good look to start that conversation on.
"I…ahem…I'm here to talk to JC," she said, failing to notice the crestfallen expression on Chris' face.
"We'll only be a few minutes Chris," JC told him, "You can have her after that."
Chris' head shot up and he looked at JC curiously. Was there a double meaning to his words? If there was, his face didn't show it.
"No, we'll have to get back to work soon anyway. You gonna eat your food Mary?"
"No," Annie said, "I wasn't really hungry anyway. Just trying to take advantage of the hospitality of this here establishment," she joked and hit the counter with her palm for emphasis. Neither man smiled.
There was a definite tension in the room and she didn't know where it was stemming from. She decided to get out of there as fast as she could. "Are you ready JC?"
"Yeah, come on. Let's go." He walked out and Annie shot Chris an apologetic smile before following him out the door.
Annie paced the room. She didn't know what to say and she kept reminding herself that SHE didn't have to say anything. He was the one who asked to speak with her. However, when he still hadn't begun after a few minutes, she grew restless.
"JC…"
"Annie…"
They both sighed as they fell into silence once again. Finally, Annie raised her hand, as if asking to talk in front of the class. JC nodded his permission.
She took a deep breath and began. "JC, I don't understand what's going on here. I don't know what I did to make you angry with me, I really don't. I just want to know what I did or what I said so I can at least apologize. I owe you that much. I can truly say that I didn't mean harm in anything I ever said to you. And maybe I'm just over-exaggerating this whole thing. Maybe you just want to focus solely on the album and that's why…"
He cut her off, "You're not over-exaggerating."
Her mouth clammed shut at the bluntness of the remark. Finally, she opened it again, "I'm not?"
"No," he confirmed, "You're not."
"Well then, please tell me what's going on," Annie asked.
"The thing is…" he blew out his breath and ran a hand through his hair, "I don't know any other way to say this. I have feelings for you."
"Oh," she replied dumbly. She had no idea. He had never shown any kind of attachment toward her. Her eyebrows knit in confusion, "But why would you want to stop talking to me?"
"I didn't want to interfere," he answered.
"Interfere with what?" She asked. Realization dawned on her the second before the words rolled off his tongue.
"You and Chris."
"I see."
"SJ, the other guys, they were all telling me to back off," he continued.
"JC, they have NO right to tell you how to…"
"…live my life, I know. So that night I took you out to dinner to see where I stood. And when we got there, I mean, all you could do was talk about Chris. It's obvious that you really feel something for him."
Annie didn't insult his intelligence by denying it.
He went on, "So I decided I needed to back off. Stay away from you so that I didn't do anything stupid. Chris is my best friend, Annie. I'd never try to go after a woman he was in love with."
Her whole body went slack, "He's not in love with me JC. I don't know what's going on lately, but he's not in love with me."
He looked like he was going to say something, then closed his mouth at the last second and shrugged his shoulders. "Either way. You know what I mean."
"Do I?" She asked, "I don't understand one bit what Chris is trying to do. Whatever has caused this behavior in him is beyond me at this point."
JC offered her a weak grin at that, "You'll know. Trust me, I saw that glint in his eye, he's just getting warmed up with you."
His statement sent a tremor of excitement and anticipation down her spine despite herself. She let her mind dwell on the possibilities it contained before returning to the topic at hand. "JC, I understand what you're doing, but I don't want to have to ignore and avoid you." I'm already doing that with one NSYNC member… "But if that's what you want, I'll respect your wishes."
"No, that's just it. I realized how ridiculous I've been. I know that I could never…" he chose his words carefully, "…care for you the way Chris does. I think the reason I've met you…is to become your friend."
"Friend…" she tasted the word on her tongue. It felt right. "Friend," she repeated, a little stronger, "I think that would be great."
He smiled shyly at her, "I can't help but think that if I had figured it out sooner…maybe it wouldn't be this way."
She shook her head and placed a hand on his shoulder, "You can't decide when and with whom you decide to fall for. It doesn't work that way."
"Yeah, I know," his eyes were cast downward.
"Some day you'll find some great woman, and then you'll be like 'Annie who?'" She joked.
"Soon?" He asked hopefully, almost child-like.
She shrugged her shoulders as her heart ached, "But whenever you decide to play the field, I know a couple of million girls who would love to help you out."
He snorted laughter, "It only takes one."
"Well then, you've got great odds, don't you?"
She walked into her apartment and grinned. She felt great, like a weight had been lifted from her shoulders. She knew why JC was mad, they had resolved it.
Annie felt awful for having to put him through that, but she was glad it was over. They had come to an agreement to be friends. That sounded wonderful to her.
The whole world felt lighter now that one of her many problems had been solved. Now all that left of them were in the hands of one man. The phone rang and she scurried to it, forgetting, in her happiness, her decision to screen her calls.
"Pizza Hut, may I take your order?" She sang into her receiver.
"Yes, I'm looking for a woman…dark hair, kinda short, great body…goes by the name Mary."
Annie swallowed thickly, "Hey Chris."
"Hey yourself. You sound happy," he commented.
"I am," she smiled, her enthusiasm immediately returning.
"And why is that?" Chris asked.
"I had a very nice talk with JC," she answered.
There was a long pause on the other end. After what seemed like an endless amount of time, he spoke again, "JC, huh?"
"Yeah," her response was slow.
"Hey, do you want to have lunch with me tomorrow?" He asked suddenly.
"Is that why you called?" She questioned.
"It is now," he replied. Annie had no idea how to take that comment. "Have lunch with me tomorrow."
"I…I…" He hasn't even gotten warmed up with you yet. Again, a tingle of excitement flowed through her, and she wanted to accept on that alone. The rational part of her brain reigned, however, and stopped those thoughts short. "I have a lot of work to do tomorrow Chris."
"So I'll hire you an assistant," he countered.
"Chris…" she warned.
"I know, I know. You can do it by yourself. You can do EVERYTHING by yourself. How about this then…I'll bring the lunch to you. In your office," he suggested.
"I…don't know…"
His voice grew low, "You know you want to Mary. Just say yes. One word, only three letters. You can do it…"
Sighing, she resigned, "Augh! Fine! You can come to my office tomorrow. Noon."
She could hear his smile, "See you then."
Annie hung up the phone in a huff.
(the next morning)
Annie woke to the sound of her alarm clock. She rubbed her eyes slowly, stretched, and got out of bed to take a shower. She shaved her legs carefully and lathered on her pear body wash. She tried to convince herself that the reason she was using it had nothing to do with Chris' fondness for the smell.
Getting out of the shower, she did her daily hygiene rituals, put her robe on and went to her closet. She quickly looked past all her usual pantsuits and zeroed in on the dressier clothes in the back. She took out a few dark, ankle-lengthed skirts and laid them on her bed.
"Nothing wrong with wanting to get dressed up for work," she assured herself.
She chose a cream-colored shirt and a navy blue, sheer, slightly flowing skirt to go with it. She rationalized it each step of the way along with the tiny gold necklace she put on her neck and the bracelet and rings that followed.
"If I'm going to get all dressed, I might as well do my hair," she said aloud, while twisting her hair into an upsweep on the top of her head.
Slipping on her shoes, she glanced in the mirror. She looked elegant and most certainly over dressed for going into her stuffy office for hours on end.
"So I want to look nice today. It's a woman's prerogative."
(11:30 AM)
Annie was nervous. There were knots in her stomach and her hand was shaking. She tried reassuring herself that it was Chris, but somehow the thought of his name made her even more jumpy. It wasn't that she was afraid, she would never be afraid of Chris, she trusted him as much as her mother, maybe even more in some cases.
It was just that she got the feeling something was going to happen, and she didn't know what.
There was a knock on her door then and she nearly jumped out of her chair when she heard it. Putting a hand over her heart, she called out, "Come in."
The door slowly creaked open to reveal Chris. He was wearing a charcoal colored V-neck sweater and clean, dark jeans. His hair was kept in its usual spiky mass at the top of his head. Annie's breath caught in her throat. He looked beautiful.
In his hand was a bag of what Annie was assumed was their lunch.
"You're early," she said, shocked that he hadn't given her time to prepare.
"Yeah, well I was bored and I figured, why not?" He shrugged his shoulders, as if to prove his point.
"Why not?" Annie mimicked, more to herself than anyone else.
He sat on the chair on the other side of the desk. Lacing his fingers and placing them atop the desk, he leaned forward. "So how have you been lately Mary?"
"Alright," she answered rather awkwardly.
"Well I've been kind of confused. I haven't seen you a lot…since...well since that night in the club actually. You haven't been avoiding me, have you?" He asked, eyes dancing with mischief.
She knew she was and he knew she was. But she knew she'd deny it and he knew it too, because they both knew the next question if she answered with the truth. Why?
"N..no, I haven't been avoiding you," she stumbled to get the words out.
"Well that's good anyway," he answered nonchalantly. He moved forward so that he could take her hands in his. "I miss you when you're not around," he murmured gently.
Leave it to him to make me JELLO in the middle of my office. She ripped her hands out of his grasp and before she could stop it, she yelled, "Stop that!"
He grinned merrily, "Stop what?"
She wished immediately she could take it back. "Stop…you know!"
He shook his head, intent on not letting her off that easily, "I have NO idea what you're talking about."
"Ugh! Why do you have to be so difficult!" She screamed, getting more and more frustrated with each word she said.
"Mary, if you just tell me what you mean, maybe we can figure out what's going on," the amusement was clearly evident in his voice and Annie wanted to smack some sense into the gelled head of his.
"You have to stop…to stop…touching me!" She finally blurted out.
He looked like he was going to laugh. He bit his lip hard to hold it inside.
"Touching you?" He finally managed to get out, sounding mildly serious, "I've been touching you like that since we were kids! God Mary, how many years have you wanted to tell me this?" She was so caught up in her frustration and finally voicing her problems that she didn't notice the almost patronizing tone he used.
She shook her head, "Not years. Only a few weeks." It didn't even register what she admitted.
Instantly, a dark eyebrow was raised, "A few weeks? Re-allly?" His grin grew wider and he couldn't help but feel a little proud of himself.
"Yeah," she responded absently.
"About how many weeks, exactly?"
She looked at his strangely, "I don't know."
He persisted, "But if you were going to take an educated guess…how many would you say?"
"I DON'T…" it was then that it hit her. She had basically admitted having feelings for him for the last few weeks. When had she become that dense?
He leaned back in his chair and watched her face change to several different shades of red before picking one that looked somewhat like a ripe cherry tomato. "What's the matter Mary?"
"I…you can't…why are you…I mean…why do you keep…how come…oh God…"
"I don't think that was coherent."
"You have to stop doing that!"
"Doing what?"
"You know what I'm talking about Chris!" She exclaimed.
His posture was completely relaxed and he didn't even flinch when she yelled, "Well apparently you have to spell it out for me, 'cause I'm lost."
"Stop…stop…"
"Spit it out."
"Stop FLIRTING!" She screamed at the top of her lungs and threw her hands up in the air.
This time he did laugh, a low, resounding chuckle that made her thankful she was sitting down, because she knees were weak. She had never heard a sound like that come from Chris' mouth. It sounded so blatantly…she didn't know what, but she knew that wasn't the laugh of one friend to another.
"Chris, I mean it. Just stop," she said, her attempt to be firm.
"Since when am I flirting?" He asked. If he wanted her to figure this out, he was going to have to make her think.
She scoffed loudly and Chris grinned. "I know flirting when I see flirting and what you've been doing lately is most definitely flirting."
"Wow. Takes you 10 minutes to finally say it in the first place, and then you throw it out three times in one sentence. Impressive."
"Don't change the subject!" She yelled.
"I'm not," he defended himself, "The subject was flirting right? Well that's what I was talking about."
"But not how many times I say in a sentence, how many times you do it in a day."
"We were talking about how many times I say 'flirt' in a day? I don't really keep count…" he knew he was pissing her off.
"Chris!"
"Alright, alright. I'm sorry. Let's get back on topic. We were talking about how you were being affected by my flirting…"
"Right."
He grinned.
"Wrong! No! That's not what I said!"
"Uh-uh. Can't take it back now, sweetheart. That was some kind of Freudian type slip there," he commented.
"It wasn't a slip of anything…I got confused by that twisted logic of yours," she defended herself.
"Ohh kay. So you can honestly say nothing this past week has affected you?"
She was still for a moment before finally nodding her head. Liar.
"Well answer me this then. I have I been touching you any more than I have over the whole time we've been friends?"
She shook her head.
"Then why suddenly, in these last few weeks, are you uncomfortable with it?" He pressed.
There was a pause, "Because you've been deliberate about it this time…"
"Right," he nodded in agreement, "But if they were the same touches as before…then why is it NOW that they're a problem for you?" When she didn't offer an answer, he went on, "Or was it that dance?"
He saw her freeze and knew he hit a nerve. He had been hoping that he wasn't the only one kept awake at night by thoughts of that dance in the club. He could tell by her instantaneous reaction to his mentioning it that he wasn't.
"That's it, isn't it? You can't get the image of us on the dance floor out of your head. The lights, the music…"
"Chris, can we stop talking and eat please?" She asked.
Reluctantly, he nodded, "You brought it up, and truthfully, it's going to have to come out soon anyway."
"I want to eat," she replied.
"Alright," he agreed, "We eat."
He pulled out the bag which contained Caesar salad from the cafeteria at Jive, sodas from the cafeteria at Jive, fried chicken from the cafeteria at Jive…
"Wow, big pop star won't even shell out a few bucks for lunch…" she clicked her tongue.
His eyes widened innocently, "Yeah should I when there's all that stuff for free? And besides, I bought these…" from deep inside the bag he removed two perfect, round, plump peaches.
Annie eyed them before laughing lightly. "You don't forget ANYTHING, do you?"
"Nothing you say," he replied easily, before opening the baggy holding the chicken
They ate silently for 15 minutes. Chris had finished his chicken and salad and began in on his peach. The first bite he took sent dribbles of juice down his chin and onto his hand. Lifting the now sticky hand to his mouth, he licked the offending liquid off his hand. In the process, he looked up and noticed Annie's eyes transfixed on the hand now near his mouth.
Pulling it away slowly, he smiled, "See something you like?"
Turning away, she mentally cursed herself. Geez, can't you stop staring at him for five minutes?
When she ventured a look back at this seat a few moments later, she found he was no longer sitting there. "What the…"
She jumped when she saw that he had come around her desk and was now standing right above her, peach in hand.
She pivoted in her chair to face him. "What are you doing?"
It was the first time he really got a chance to look at her. "You're dressed up."
She felt herself blush, "Well, I was bored this morning."
"Uh-huh," he answered in a disbelieving tone. He picked up her hand and began fiddling with the rings she wore. "Hey, didn't I give this to you?"
She looked down at the ring in question and saw that he was right.
~*~Flashback~*~
It was her 21st birthday, and she and Chris were sitting quietly at the bar located down the black from her house.
"I got you a birthday gift," he said.
Reaching into his pocket, he retrieved the small black box. He handed it to her silently.
She looked at him curiously a moment before opening it. Inside was a simple gold ring. The band was thin, as that was all he could afford. The middle was shaped in a heart. It was small, but fit was perfect when she tried it on.
She stared at it a while longer until Chris cleared his throat. "You don't like it, do you? I had no idea what to get you on your 21st birthday and Molly said that every girl likes jewelry, so…I don't really have a lot of money, that was the only one I could afford. I can return it if you want."
She shushed him quickly and examined her hand. "I love it Chris," she finally said, "It's simple, like me."
He shook his head, "I know you don't wear jewelry. You're just trying to be nice. I'll take it back and you can buy something…"
"Chris! If you try and take it back you'll have to get through me first," she threatened, "I like it. I'll wear it when I want to think of you after you get rich and famous and you're touring the world"
"If that happens," he said.
She shook her head wildly, "Not 'if' Chris, 'when'. I know it."
~*~End Flashback~*~
He twisted the ring playfully around her middle finger and pulled it up to her knuckle, massaging the spot where it had rested before returning it there.
"Are you thinking about me, Mary?" He asked, obviously remembering that day perfectly, just as she had.
"I…don't have many rings. I picked a few this morning to throw on," she insisted.
He nodded, still holding her hand. His face took on a thoughtful expression and he tentatively took another bite out of his peach. After he swallowed, he looked down at her as she watched him with a confused look.
"You're right," he said finally, "These are sweet."
He then brought her hand to his lips and kissed it softly, "But you taste sweeter."
He turned her hand over and gently kissed her palm and then up, to the inside of her wrist. Her breath was getting shorter, but she managed to say, "Chris, what are you doing?"
"I'm seducing you," he answered, the words mumbled quietly into her skin as he placed another kiss on her arm, slightly higher up. Not stopping to gauge her reaction, he continued his agonizingly slow movement upward, not wanting to miss an inch of her skin. "You tell me to stop Annie, and I'll stop. Just say the words," another whisper of a kiss, "Say the words and this is over."
Annie opened her mouth, but no words came out. No words would form for her to utter. She didn't want him to stop. All she could feel, everything she was, was at that moment, concentrating on the way Chris' lips continued to brush against her arm.
They were soft and gentle and still wet from the peach he had been eating, causing her skin to become stickier and stickier, the higher he got. It was a small price to pay.
He reached the inside of her elbow and delivered three slow, pointed and gentle kisses to it.
One could hardly blame her for the sigh that escaped her lips and the way her eyes fluttered shut. She had never felt more alive than she did at that moment.
Silently, Chris stepped back, looking at her red face and listening to her unsteady breathing a moment before tugging her out of her chair and to her feet. The movement surprised her and her eyes flew open. When they did, she saw she was standing mere millimeters from Chris' face. Those lips.
Wrapping his arms around her waist, she was reminded of both the sensual dance they shared in the club that night and also the affectionate, loving one they'd had in that very spot, swaying to Ben E. King. The way he held her then was a combination of the two…full of care and compassion, but also incredibly sexy.
The combination was deadly.
He brushed a few loose tendrils of hair away from her face and behind her ear. "Your hair looks beautiful."
"I hoped you'd like it," she whispered back, uttering probably her first truthful words that entire conversation.
Her words were like jolt right into his heart. Leaning in, he began mimicking his movements from their dance, tracing her face slowly and deliberately. Soon, though, he pulled her closer and replaced his finger with his lips.
He let their foreheads bump gently before kissing the tip of her nose, each cheekbone, one earlobe, then the other. Kisses rained on each of her eyelids which had since fluttered shut just as her mouth dropped to slightly to gape at the intense feeling of his lips touching her to intimately.
He moved to her jaw then, one hand cupping her chin as if he was afraid she would pull away and he'd have to stop. If you only knew how far I am from pulling away… He started under her ear and worked his way down, the hand holding her chin tipping her face upward so he could reach without problem.
The kisses were feather light, not much more than breaths on her skin. If she didn't know better, she might have thought she was dreaming it. But it was real and those nearly non-existent touches of his lips to her were more potent and powerful than any kiss she had ever received.
He kept his pace slow, taking almost a full minute to finish one side of her jaw. He wanted to remember it forever. He wanted to know every pore, contour and line in her skin. Wanted it ingrained in his brain for when he was away from her on tour, or if she did the worst thing he could imagine and pushed him away right then. He hoped this contact was enough to keep him sane in the lonely, heart wrenching nights that were sure to follow that kind of rejection.
She was melting. Her whole head was swimming and at that moment she wouldn't have been able to tell up from down if asked to. When he turned her head slightly, she complied easily, longing to feel the touch of his lips again and missing them in their momentary absence.
He went as slowly on that side, allowing himself all the luxury and time to go at the speed he wanted. He heard her breathing become rather shallow and he grinned. It was good to know he wasn't the only one in this situation enjoying it. 'Cause God knows he was.
An evil glint appeared in his eyes and his mouth twitched into a smile as he spied the peach discarded on her desk. Reaching down, he slid his finger across it, gathering the juices on it. He noticed her eyes had since opened and were watching his actions curiously.
Delicately, he brought his now wet finger to her lips and spread the juice slowly from one corner of her mouth to the other, bottom lip, then top, then bottom again in the same slow pace he'd been moving the whole time. She resisted the urge to lick her lips and waited to see what he was going to do next.
He shifted until his mouth was next to her ear and whispered, "I think that this combination would be the sweetest thing I'd ever had. Would you mind if I tried it?"
Her throat constricted and her vocal cords refused to work, so she simply nodded her answer. Smiling, he moved to kiss her cheek and then the edge of her mouth. When his lips were a breath away from hers, she inhaled the smell of his cologne. He spoke then, his voice losing all the murmur and throatiness it had before, and he became Chris again. Her over-protective, ever watchful best friend; always looking out for her best interests.
"Are you sure?"