(Now) James: The Challenge

A short bonus with James's perspective.
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I was insanely irritated that I got stuck at work late that night.  Jordan fucked up a security consult and of course he was out of town, so I got to clean up the mess.  When I finally finished, I looked at my watch.  A little after 12.  I was near Liv's house, but it was awfully late.  I didn't want to wake her up if she was sleeping, but I wanted to see her.  I decided I'd try.

I didn't think she was going to answer, but she picked up just as the 4th ring started.

"Hey," I said.  "I know it's late, but I'm finally done.  I'm near your neighborhood so I thought I'd call to see if you were still awake.  Since you are, can I swing by?"  I was already starting my car, ready to head over to her place.

"No," she replied.  "I'm sorry."

"Busy?" I joked.  Maybe she had been sleeping.  I probably shouldn't have called.

"No.  But you're wonderful, and you deserve better than a girl that's in love with someone else." 

"I deserve..." I repeated, confused.  "What?"

"I'm sorry," she said again.  There was finality in her tone.

"Liv--" I tried to interrupt before she hung up. 

"Goodnight, James." And then the line went dead.

I sat in my car for a few seconds, staring at my phone.  Then I shook my head and pulled onto the street to head home.  I wasn't shocked by this, but I guess I didn't think it would happen like this.  I'd been expecting things to wrap up soon ever since Kinsley's birthday.  Any idiot should have been able to feel the sexual tension between Olivia and Brody.  He didn't even try to hide it, even though she was clearly fighting it.  Between that, her initial reluctance to go out with me at all, and what had happened with Jordan, I was honestly surprised that we had made it this long.

Thinking about Jordan increased my irritation.  Even after growing up with him and watching the alcohol try to eat him alive, I was seriously shocked to walk down that bar hallway and see him holding Liv against the wall.  Maybe I shouldn't have been.  I don't know.  And maybe I should have done more about it, but Liv seemed hell bent on brushing it off.  I got no information from Jordan.  He just acted like it wasn't a big deal and he didn't do anything wrong.  I knew that that meant nothing, but Liv never brought it up again, so I just left it alone.  Still, I don't blame her if what happened contributed to her decision.

Really though, I can't even be mad.  I was never expecting anything serious with Liv.  In fact, I went out with her for the first time for all the wrong reasons.  I initially asked her out because I thought she was hot and she seemed really down to earth.  When she turned me down, I just wanted to go out with her more.  I've always been hooked by challenges.  I think it's what makes me enjoy my career so much.  When she turned me down, she turned into a challenge.

I wasn't expecting to run into her again so soon, much less twice.  After she had turned me down for the third time, I proposed that she meet me for one drink, and if she chose to leave after the one drink, I'd never ask her out again.  I knew she wouldn't be able to resist the chance to get me to back off.  So really, we both went out for the wrong reasons that first time.

I'm not sure what I expected, but I definitely wasn't expecting to have such a good time.  She was brilliant and funny in her own subdued way, and when she told me she'd go out with me again, I was a little surprised that I wasn't completely uninterested now that the challenge was gone.  I definitely wanted to go out with her again, but it's not like I was looking for a commitment.

When we went on our first actual date, I was a little surprised by how obviously nervous she was.  It was a far cry from the confident girl that had told me the terms of our first meeting and chewed me out for buying her drinks.  It was endearing, even if it threw me for a bit of a loop.  It also added to her mystery, which sucked me in.

Through the first few times we hung out, I couldn't get a good read on her, because at times she seemed into me, and other times she was completely distracted.  After seeing her interact with Brody at Kinsley's party, I understood why.  And to be fair, she warned me.  I just didn't listen.

I think Jordan expected me to be incredulous or upset when he called me Sunday morning to inform me that he had run into Liv and Brody while he was doing a security consult at a bar.  Or in his words, "That hot girl you were boning and some arrogant fuckhead."  I wouldn't call Brody an arrogant fuckhead (though that is surprisingly eloquent for Jordan), but I knew exactly who he meant.  It took everything I had not to laugh when he told me that the "arrogant fuckhead" had punched him in the face.

Of course, he wouldn't tell me why--he just made it seem like Brody took issue with his presence and punched him out of the blue.  I was certain that wasn't even close to what had happened.  I felt bad for the owners of the club.  It's not usually good news when your security consultant nearly gets knocked out, even if he deserved it.  When he texted me the picture later, I was glad I didn't have to hold back my laughter.  Two black eyes and his nose was definitely broken.  Especially impressive given the fact that Jordan probably has close to 6 inches on Brody.  I guess the arrogant fuckhead knows how to throw a punch. 

I also wasn't surprised when Liv called me on Sunday.  I guessed that she wouldn't be the type to just leave someone hanging.  Since I wasn't upset, I hoped my joke about the situation would put her a little more at ease, because I also figured she was probably pretty nervous.  It seemed to confuse her, but she talked to me easily enough.

I was actually more interested in hearing about Brody punching Jordan, but I let her get through her "It's not you, it's the other guy," speech before asking about it.  When she told me what had happened, I groaned.  What an asshole.   I hated having to apologize for Jordan's behavior, because I hated that Liv had to see the worst side of him, and more than once.  And honestly, I felt guilty that Brody had managed to do what I should have done the first time.  I was impressed that Brody would stand up to someone Jordan's size and it further confirmed what I had sensed at Kinsley's party.  Not that Brody was a small guy, by any means--Jordan was just that big.  Liv deserved someone that would put himself on the line for her, not someone who was still afraid of his big brother. 

We ended up talking for nearly 20 minutes.  She still sounded bewildered when we hung up, but I figured it would wear off by the next time we saw each other, assuming that Kinsley and Damien continued seeing each other.  I wondered how Brody would act around me now.  Hopefully there wouldn't be any issues there.  I decided I'd just try to be careful to not run into them until a couple weeks had gone by, just in case. 

Confessions

It started raining Friday afternoon while I was finishing up my paperwork.  I stared out my window into the cold, gray precipitation.  I was still trying to decide what to do about James.  I was pretty sure that I just needed to end things with him, but I was still second-guessing myself.  Brody had called me again on Thursday night, and then this morning as well.   I was starting to find the regular calls comforting, even though I declined them all.

The rain was coming down even harder as I drove home.  I showered and dried my hair and was surveying my closet with a knot in my stomach when my phone rang.  It was James.

"Olivia, hey.  I'm stuck at work.  I had a crisis come up and I have to take care of it.  It'll probably take me several hours, so unfortunately I have to cancel tonight.  I'm really sorry."  His voice was apologetic and sincere. 

The knot in my stomach loosened a little.  I could delay my decision even more.  "That's okay," I answered.  "I mean, it sucks, but I understand."

"Thanks," he said warmly.  "I'll call you if I get done sooner than I think I will, okay?"  I agreed and we hung up.  I pulled on yoga pants and a t-shirt and grabbed my Kindle.  I curled up in bed and read until I fell asleep, avoiding the one thing I should have been figuring out.

I was startled awake by my phone ringing.  I was hopeful as I picked it up.  When I saw it was James, I felt let down.  With some surprise, I realized I was disappointed it wasn't Brody.  I debated not answering, but I finally knew what I had to do.

"Hey," James said.  "I know it's late, but I'm finally done.  I'm near your neighborhood so I thought I'd call to see if you were still awake.  Since you are, can I swing by?"

"No," I said simply.  "I'm sorry."

"Busy?" he teased, with a laugh.

"No.  But you're wonderful, and you deserve better than a girl that's in love with someone else."

"I deserve..." he trailed off, confused, but with a slight edge to his voice.  "What?"

"I'm sorry," I said again.

"Liv--"

"Goodnight, James."  I hung up.  I waited for a minute to make sure he wouldn't call back.  He didn't. 

I looked at the clock.  12:21am.  I stood up, grabbed my purse, and left.  I backed my car out of my garage into the driving rain.  I was halfway to Brody's house before I even became fully aware of what I was doing.  I hoped he was home.  What if he wasn't?  What if there were other people there?  But by this point, it was too late to go back.  I pulled into his driveway at 12:47, and it was raining so hard I could hardly see the house.  Taking a deep breath, I sprinted from my car to his front door.

I stood on the front step in the cold rain and pushed the doorbell.  I waited, starting to shiver.  I was about to give up and go back to my car when I saw a light go on.  A second later, Brody opened the door, hair tousled and wearing a pair of basketball shorts and nothing else.  He gaped at me for a second before pulling me inside.  "Jesus, Liv, you're soaked.  Are you crazy?  Why--"  He stopped suddenly, looking at me carefully.   He reached out as if to touch me, but stopped short, his hand wavering in mid-air for a second before dropping back to his side.  "Olivia...are you okay?"

"Actually, I've never been better," I said, taking a step towards him.  We were now just inches apart.  He didn't move, and I slipped my arms around his neck.  "I'm in love with you," I said quietly, my eyes locked with his.  Surprise flashed on his face, but I didn't give him a chance to respond.  I pulled his head down to mine and kissed him. 

He kissed me back for several seconds before pulling away.  He studied my face for a long moment, tenderly stroking my cheek, then my jaw.  But that was the end of the tenderness.  He yanked my soaked shirt over my head and rolled my yoga pants down.  After pushing his shorts off, he grabbed me by the back of the legs and lifted me out of the wet puddle of pants at my feet.  He carried me over to the couch, where he sat with me on his lap.  He kissed me hard, reaching behind my back to unhook my bra.  He pulled it off roughly while nipping aggressively at my earlobe.  Brody repositioned me on his lap and pulled me down onto him.  I moaned as he thrust hard into me, holding my hips still with his hands.  It seemed like less than a minute until I cried out and shuddered, digging my nails into his arms.

He flipped me onto my back, and suddenly his urgency was gone.  He paused, kissing me softly and pushing my tangled, dripping hair out of my face.  He moved slowly, kissing my lips, my cheeks, my neck, my shoulder.  He watched my face, no longer in a hurry to finish, as though he was scared that when we were done I'd leave and never look back.  I reached up, burying my fingers in his hair.  I pulled his face back to mine and kissed him hard, moving my hips to match his movements.  He slid a hand between us, pressing his thumb against me.  I gasped and came again, arching my back and pressing my face against his arm.  He followed quickly, groaning and collapsing on top of me, breathing hard.

I began to shiver again, and he snapped out of his daze, feeling my cold, clammy skin.  "You're freezing, Liv," he said, the first words either of us had spoken since my confession.  He stood up and quickly pulled on his shorts.  He picked me up and carried me towards the stairs.  I laid my wet head against his chest and shivered, too drained and cold to do much else.  He carried me through his room to the bathroom and turned on the shower.  Grabbing a towel out of the small closet, he said, "I'll hang this here for you and try to find you something to wear."  He hung the towel on the rack and stepped out of the bathroom.

Steam was already starting to collect as I stepped into the shower.  I shuddered as the hot water hit my cold body, but quickly relaxed into the spray.  I rinsed my hair and let the water beat down onto my neck.  I stayed there for several minutes before turning off the water and reaching for the towel.  I wrapped it around myself and stepped out of the shower.  Brody appeared in the doorway with clothes in his hand.  "I found the smallest stuff I could, but I'm sure it's still too big," he said, holding out a t-shirt, sweatshirt, and shorts to me.  As he walked out of the bathroom, he said over his shoulder, "There should be a new toothbrush in the top right drawer if you want."

I dried off and dressed.  Everything was huge on me, but it was dry and warm and smelled like him.  I found a toothbrush and his comb in the drawer and brushed my teeth and pulled the comb quickly through my disastrously tangled hair before twisting it up into a bun on top of my head.  I hung the towel carefully on the rack to dry and regarded myself in the mirror.  Satisfied, I turned off the light and walked out into Brody's bedroom.

He had a light on next to his bed, and he was leaning against the headboard, watching me.  He held out a bottle of water when I was close enough.  I took it gratefully and drank.  After I put the cap back on and set it back down, he reached out to me and caught me around the waist.  He pulled me down into bed next to him, and pulled the blankets up.  I settled against him, my back against his chest, as he wrapped his arms around me.  I was finally warm.

"That was so dumb," he said gently.  "Why didn't you just call me?"

"I didn't want you to tell me not to come," I said, my voice muffled by the pillow.

"I would never tell you that," he responded quietly.  He tightened his arms around me. 

I was almost asleep when he spoke again, softly.  "Liv?"

"Mmmm," I managed, drunk with fatigue.

"I'm in love with you too."

"I know," I murmured back, before drifting into sleep.

Guess Who's Back?

On Thursday, I looked forward to happy hour for the first time in awhile.  I felt like it wouldn't be awkward and I could enjoy myself.  I was actually getting used to my constantly busy work schedule too. 

I spotted Lauren right away.  I sat down next to her and Kinsley, and a few minutes later, Brody came back from the bar and sat in the empty chair across from me.  He smiled and turned to Alex.  I was talking to Lauren when she suddenly interrupted with, "shit!"  I looked at her curiously.  "Savannah," she said, motioning with her head.

I turned, and sure enough, Savannah was flouncing over.  She was always flouncing.  She squealed and hugged Brody, who was trying to keep the irritation off his face.  She sat next to him and launched into conversation with him about Miami.  Lauren made a face at me.  Well, there goes my shot at a non-awkward happy hour.  And my dreams of never having to deal with Savannah again.

I went up to the bar for a drink, and in a familiar gesture, Brody appeared next to me, sliding one arm around my waist while handing the bartender money for my drink.  I stiffened a little and he took a half step back, but didn't take his hand off my waist.  I turned and looked at him questioningly. 

"Normal, right?" he asked with a cocky smirk. Well, his attitude was certainly back to normal.

"Not quite what I had in mind," I said, but I didn't move, and neither did he. Finally, his smirk turned into a genuine smile and he shifted, keeping just the lightest pressure on my lower back with his hand.

"So, catch me up then," he said.  "How is work?  Did Lynn come visit?"

"Work is...the same.  They hired two, but then another one quit, so I'm back to working crazy hours.  I'm almost starting to get used to it," I said.  "But a lot of my coworkers are really unhappy so it's tense around the office.  I need to get out of there when my 6 months are up."

"That sucks.  People's attitudes can really make or break a place," he said sympathetically.  "And Lynn?"

"Lynn came.  It was awesome.  Kinsley loved her, and she loved Kinsley.  Obviously Lauren knows her already.  We had a blast."  As I talked, I thought again about how Brody should have been there to meet her.  Pushing this thought out of my head, I spoke quickly as we started back to the table, "So, you're back, and your company is really yours, so now what?"

"Now we grow," he responded matter-of-factly.  "Our marketing person was technically one of my dad's employees, so he tried to pull him when I bought out, but the guy didn't want to go to Miami so he quit.  I've got my attorneys working on getting him out of his non-compete so he can stay with me, which is what he and I both want.  For now, I'll be starting interviews to build him a new team so we can pull in more clients.  I want to open more offices at some point, too."  His face lit up as he talked, and it was obvious he was really excited about his plans for the company and being in charge of it on his own. 

"Sounds like a lot of work, but it seems like you've put a lot of thought into it," I said.

"I've been thinking about it for a long time," he confessed.  "I just didn't think I'd be able to buy him out so soon.  So it's pretty much what I've always been working toward."  By this point, we had reached the table and sat down together.  Lauren and Kinsley were giving me puzzled looks, but I ignored them and focused on our conversation.  We talked for several more minutes until Alex called to Brody from the other end of the table.  Brody nodded at him and then looked back at me apologetically.

"I'm going to go see what he wants," he said.  "But it was nice to catch up."

"It was," I agreed.  "This is the normal I had in mind."  He grinned and stood up.  I moved back over by Lauren and Kinsley. 

"What was that about?"  Kinsley asked, looking at me curiously.

I shrugged.  "We were catching up.  We're working on being normal."

"Normal," Lauren repeated dubiously.

"Isn't 'normal' for guys, like, tearing off each others' clothes constantly?" Kinsley asked.  I sighed.  This wasn't going anywhere.  "Can you be normal?" she followed up.

"We're going to try," I said firmly.  But I was wondering the same thing.


On Friday, James and I decided to try for an actual date again.   Dinner went well, and we joked that it went so well that someone was bound to end up with food poisoning.  As we were sitting in a dark corner booth at a bar around the corner from the restaurant, James said, "So, I'm on this recreational kickball team, and we have a really big game in the morning.  We're a co-ed team, and we have to have a certain number of women or else we have to forfeit, and we're one short for tomorrow.  Don't suppose you'd want to play?"

"I love kickball!" I said excitedly.  "I'll definitely play."

"Does that mean you're good?  Because if you can actually contribute and not just be a body to fill a roster spot, that's even better."

"Well, it's been awhile since I've played, and I'm terrible in the field, but I can kick and run," I responded.

"Good, we don't even need you in the field.  It'll be perfect!" he said with a grin.


I rolled out of bed the next morning and was bent over pawing through the clothes on my closet floor when James put his hands on my hips from behind.

"Well, good morning," I said with a laugh.

"Quickie for good luck?" he asked, holding my hips against him.  I stood up and turned around.  He grinned at me, wearing nothing but a pair of basketball shorts.

"You know," I responded, sliding my hands across his hard abs, "I've read that having sex before athletic competitions decreases athletic performance for men."

"I'm pretty sure that being horny and distracted by the beautiful woman on the team decreases performance even more," he said, before bending his head down to kiss my neck.

"Hmm, it's possible," I considered, while sliding my fingers under the waistband of his shorts.

He grabbed me and threw me over his shoulder.  "A chance I'm willing to take," he declared, tossing me onto the bed.


The kickball game was awesome.  It was so much fun to play.  The best part was my first turn kicking.  The other team clearly underestimated me and weren't paying much attention when I booted the ball right between the shortstop and third baseman.  It bounced past the outfielder, who tripped while trying to grab it, and I made it to third before I had to stop.  I got home on the next person's kick.  We ended up winning the game by 3 runs.

After, we went out to lunch with the team.  One of James's teammates requested I play with them every week.  "You're way better than Kelsey," he said.  "She can't run to save her life."  After lunch, we went back to my house.  Post-shower, I heaved myself onto the couch.

"I don't think I'll be able to get out of bed tomorrow," I groaned.  "I thought I was in good shape, but apparently I am not even close to in good kickball shape."

James laughed.  "Thanks for playing, we couldn't have played without you.  And you did awesome.  I'm pretty sure you'll be the official backup now."

"It was fun!" I said.  "I had a great time, even if I feel like I got hit by a bus now." 

"Are you going to be able to make it game night?" he teased.  This evening I was going to Kendra and Christian's house to play Cards Against Humanity, while James had dinner with his dad and brother.  I definitely wasn't interested in seeing Jordan again. 

"I'm not worried about getting there.  I'm worried about sitting there for a few hours, having a few drinks, and losing all use of my legs!" I said, before dissolving into laughter.

"I should go," James said about an hour later.  I lifted my head from his lap where I'd been half asleep while he stroked my hair and massaged my scalp.  He helped me sit up, and I yawned.  When I stood, I wobbled for a second before gaining my balance.  "You're kind of a disaster," he said with a laugh.

"I won't argue with that," I agreed.  At the door he leaned down to kiss me.  When he left, I fought the urge to collapse back onto the couch and I went to get ready for game night.

New Normal

Remember when I said no more bonus posts for awhile? Well, I'm clearly not a lady of my word. I'm probably going to regret this because I now have to write a post to insert into an already completed storyline so Thanksgiving doesn't happen before Thanksgiving, but I really want to thank you guys for your loyalty and readership. And the best way to do that is to ply you with bonus posts ;) enjoy!
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It wasn't long before the birthday girl was no longer functional.  I wanted to take her home, but a few people wanted to stay.  We had enough people that wanted to go that James could take us and there would still be enough room in Brody's car for Christian to drive everyone else later, so James, me, Kinsley, Damien, and Kevin left.  When we pulled up to Kinsley's house, I offered to help Damien get her inside and to bed, and he gratefully accepted.  He pulled her along the walk and up the stairs to her house.  She stumbled occasionally but mostly was barely plodding along.

James took Kevin home, promising to come back for Damien and I.  Damien sat Kinsley down carefully on the bed, and then stepped out while I tugged Kinsley's clothes off and yanked a tank top over her head and shorts on her.  She was about as cooperative as a doll, even though she talked my ear off the entire time.  Damien came back in with a bottle of water and instructed her to drink, which she did.  20 minutes later when James came back to get us, Kinsley was a little more lucid and was already bemoaning the fact that she was going to be miserable the next day.  Damien said goodnight to Kinsley, smoothed her hair away from her face, and kissed her on the cheek before going downstairs.  I was about to follow when I heard Kinsley's voice.

"Liv, he kissed me tonight.  He's a good kisser."

"Well, that's an excellent birthday present, then," I responded with a chuckle.

"Should I be upset that he isn't staying?" she asked, her words slow with alcohol and drowsiness.

I sat down on the edge of the bed.  "No way, you goon.  You should be glad.  He doesn't want the first time you hook up to be when you're drunk, and you don't want him to see you in the morning when you're barfing."

She laughed sleepily.  "Good call.  Thanks for everything, Liv."

"You're welcome.  Where's your extra key?  I'll lock the door and drop it off tomorrow."

"Junk drawer.  Next to the fridge."  I said goodnight and went downstairs.  It took several minutes of digging in the junk drawer and swearing to find the right key.  We left and I locked the door.  James brought Damien home, then looked at me.

"My place or yours?" he asked with a devious grin.

"Whose is closer to Kendra's house to get my car tomorrow?" I asked.  Practical.

"Mine.  Let's go."  He drove us to his place, which turned out to be a small but well-kept condo.  "This is why I'm looking for a new place," he said, gesturing around.  "It was fine when I was in my 20s and a cop working 60 hours a week, but now it would be nice to have some space."

"Do you have a bed?  That's all I care about at this moment," I said, raising one eyebrow.

"What if I didn't?  We'd have to make do without one...like this, maybe."  He crossed the room in 3 steps and kissed me hard.  He backed me up to the kitchen table and lifted me up to sit on it.  He pulled away long enough to pull my shirt over my head.  "I've been thinking about this since we kissed in the car," he said huskily near my ear.  He bit my earlobe gently as he unhooked and removed my bra.  I leaned back so I could pull his shirt and belt off.  He lowered his head to my chest, his tongue flicking against a nipple as I undid his pants and slid them down his legs.

I stroked him as he kissed along my collarbone and up my neck.  He fumbled with my jeans, then pushed my hand away from his hardness.  "You're distracting me," he objected, finally getting my jeans unbuttoned and unzipped.  I leaned back onto my elbows and lifted my hips so he could pull them off and he did, roughly.  He didn't bother taking off my thong, just slipped his fingers under it to stroke me.  I moaned and arched back against the table.  When the pressure of his fingers stopped, I looked up.  He pulled a box of condoms out of a drawer and quickly rolled one on.  He stepped back to me and pushed my underwear to the side, pushing into me with one hard thrust.  I gasped and laid back, wrapping my legs around his hips.

He held my hips firmly and thrust hard against me, making the table rock back and forth.  I moaned and dug my heels into his ass, gripping the side of the table.  He paused and leaned forward.  His hands slipped under my back and he pulled me into a sitting position.  I wrapped my arms around his neck and he slid his hands under my butt, lifting me to a different angle and keeping the hard edge of the table from digging into me.  The new angle was amazing and I soon cried out, locking my legs tightly around his hips and pressing my face hard into his neck.  He drove into me 3 more times before groaning and leaning into the edge of the table.  He put one hand against the table to steady himself, and dropped his forehead onto my shoulder, breathing hard.  After several seconds, he lifted his head and kissed my shoulder, my collarbone, the base of my neck.  He lifted his face to mine and kissed me, slowly now.  I ran my fingernails down his spine and he shivered.

"Well, I guess we didn't need a bed after all," I said softly.

He laughed.  "Nope," he agreed.  "But now I do need a bed, I'm beat."  I nodded against his chest.  He lifted me carefully off the table and handed me my pants.  I pulled them and my shirt on while James pulled his jeans up and buttoned them.  He took my hand and led me upstairs.  He showed me the bathroom and gave me a toothbrush.  I brushed my teeth and washed my makeup off.  When I came out, he asked if I wanted something to wear to bed.

"Do I need something to wear to bed?" I asked with a smirk.  He laughed and shook his head.  I pulled my clothes back off and slid into his bed.  He went into the bathroom.

I was close to sleep when he slid in next to me.  He scooted close and pulled me against him so my back was pressed against his chest.  "Ow!" I yelped in surprise.  My shoulder blade was tender and it hurt when it pressed against James's chest.  He flipped the light on next to his bed and pulled back the blanket. 

"Huh," he said, surprise in his voice.  "Looks like the table got you good.  You have a bruise."  He ran his fingers lightly across the spot.

"Well that wouldn't have happened in a bed," I pointed out, laughing.  "Hanging out with you is proving to be awfully dangerous."

"Sorry," he murmured in my ear, wrapping his arm around me again, not quite as tightly.  "I couldn't help myself.  The bed was so far away and I didn't want to wait."

"It was worth it," I declared.  "I do have one question though.  Why the hell do you have condoms in your kitchen drawer?"

He laughed.  "I just bought them earlier today.  I was running late so I just threw them in the drawer, figuring I'd grab them when we got back here.  Good thing I did too, because it wouldn't have been as much fun to have to run upstairs to grab one in the middle of that."

"Maybe you have ESP," I joked.  I shifted so I could lean into his chest without putting pressure on my tender shoulder blade and sighed happily. 

"Maybe," James said into my hair.  I yawned.  "Goodnight, beautiful," he said softly.  

That statement, combined with my sleepy, post-sex stupor, made me briefly think I was laying in bed with Brody, not James.  Before I could think too much about it though, I was asleep.

I was woken up by James's fingers trailing across my stomach and hips, and his lips against the back of my neck.  Without even opening my eyes, I arched against him, inviting his hand lower.

"I thought you'd never wake up," he whispered gruffly, his fingers moving against me.

20 minutes later, I was laying with my head on his chest while he ran his fingertips up and down my spine.  My eyelids were drooping heavily and I finally gave in and just shut my eyes again. I slept about another hour, and woke when James gently shifted.

"Sorry," he said apologetically.  "I'm starving."

We ended up stopping for breakfast before getting my car.  Then, after we got my car, we ended up going back to James's house, where we spent the entire day on his couch, watching terrible horror movies.  It was an excellent day and I didn't leave until after 7.


On Monday morning, I dragged myself out of bed.  I was tired, but I felt ready to face the week.  I had a busy day, and it went fast.  Charlotte popped into my office around 4 and asked if I wanted to go out for drinks after work.  6 of us went, and we went back to the same bar around the corner we had gone to the first time we all went out.

I had finished my first drink and was walking up to the bar for a soda when I heard someone say my name.  I looked around and spotted Brody walking towards me.  He hugged me automatically and I let him.

"I've been to this place twice, and both times I've run into you," I mused.  "That's sort of weird.  Especially with how big this city is."

"Told you, this is the best bar in the area," he replied with a breezy shrug.  "You guys get Kins home okay on Saturday?"

"Yeah, once we got her in the house she was fine.  We kept her up long enough to drink some water, and she said she only wanted to die for a couple hours in the morning.  Could have been worse!"

"I thought for sure she'd want to die all day, so I'm impressed," he responded with a laugh.  Then his face grew serious.  "James seems like a good guy," he said carefully.

"You said that on Saturday," I replied.  "And he is."  Brody nodded.

"Good," he said firmly.  "Look, Liv.  I just want things to be normal.  Can we shoot for that?"

"I'd like that," I replied.

He reached out as if to touch my arm, but stopped.  Then he decided to go for it, and lightly touched my upper arm before sliding his fingers down to my forearm.  The touch made me want to throw my arms around him but I stayed put and forced a neutral smile onto my face.  Normal, ha.  Something to work for, I guess.

Happy Birthday, Kinsley!

If you missed Saturday's bonus post, scroll down to learn a little more about James and Jordan.  Thanks for the suggestions to do their story!
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On Saturday I got to Kendra's house around lunch time to help prep food and set up.  People were planning to start coming over around 4.  Lauren was already there when I got there, and we got to work quickly.  Kinsley arrived a short time later and we took a break to give her her gifts from us.

"You guys!" she exclaimed after opening them.  "You shouldn't have done this, you're already throwing me this awesome party."  She hugged us and we opened a bottle of wine to drink while we worked.

"What time is James coming?" Lauren asked, as we chopped up fruit.

"He said probably about 5 or 6.  He was going to call when he was on his way," I said.

"Is it going to be weird?  With Brody here?"

"Obviously," I said, rolling my eyes.  The truth was that I was seriously anxious about it and regretted inviting James.  I hoped that Brody wouldn't do anything stupid and I hoped that I'd be able to pay attention to James and not be distracted by Brody or my anxiety about the situation the whole time.

We were setting food out just after 4 when Alex's voice rang out through the backyard.  "Happy birthday, Kins!" he called.  The next few people to arrive were people I vaguely recognized from Brody's barbecue, which felt like forever ago.  And then, at nearly 4:30, I saw a familiar dark haired person moving across the yard.  My stomach flip flopped as Brody stopped to hug Kinsley, who was playing a game of drinking bean bags with Alex, Christian, and Kendra.  They spoke briefly, then Kinsley turned and pointed over to where Lauren and I were sitting.  Brody kissed her on the cheek and then made his way over in our direction.

"Stop freaking out," Lauren muttered to me.

"I'm not freaking out," I lied.  She raised her eyebrows at me skeptically and was just about to argue when Brody stepped into earshot.

"Ladies," he said with a smile.  "Quite the party you guys have managed to put together.  I'm pretty sure there's enough food here to feed the entire state."  He sat in a chair opposite me and I nodded awkwardly.  Luckily, Lauren saved me by cracking a joke, then asking him about Miami.  As he talked, I was able to relax a little, and even engaged in the conversation with them.

At about quarter after 5, my phone vibrated.  It was a text from James, telling me that he and Damien would be there in 10 minutes.  I walked over to get another drink.  When I turned around, Brody was there.

"Hi," I said, not knowing what else to say. 

He smiled.  "You look good.  You also look nervous.  Don't worry, I'm not going to be an asshole to your new boyfriend."

"He's not my--" I started without thinking, then stopped abruptly.  Brody looked at me curiously but I didn't finish the sentence.

"Well, whoever he is, I'll behave."  The corners of his lips were twitching, like he was trying not to laugh at me.  His ability to read my thoughts on my face was really quite impressive.

"Okay.  Um, thanks...I guess," I muttered.

"Damien!!" Kinsley squealed from behind me.  Drunk Kinsley had come out to play already.  Should be a fun night.  Then I realized that Damien meant James, and I spun around.  There he was.  My stomach did flips again, and I glanced briefly back at Brody before walking to meet James.  Kinsley was already there, hugging Damien.

"Hey," I said, almost shyly.  He looped an arm around my waist, pulling me to him and kissing my cheek.

"Hi," he said back, smiling.   We walked over to where Lauren was still sitting.  Brody had joined her again, and they looked deep in conversation.  They stopped abruptly as we approached.  Brody stood up and shook Damien's hand, introducing himself.  He turned to James, and extended his hand as I introduced them.  Brody's eyes flitted briefly to the yellowing bruise on my arm before he smiled tightly at James.  He then excused himself to get some food.

"Are you hungry?" I asked James.  "There's a ton of food."

"Yeah, we can get some in awhile," he said.  His eyes were studying my face. 

"What?" I asked curiously.

"Brody is the ex, right?" he asked.  I nodded nervously.  "Makes sense.  I could tell by the way he looked at you."  I waited for him to say more, but he changed the subject and asked Kinsley how the party was so far. 

The rest of the cook out portion of the day went smoothly.  I found myself less distracted by Brody than I worried I would be.  He stuck to playing lawn games with Alex and Christian and Kevin, and I stayed away from the area.  I enjoyed James's company, and he was super attentive and sweet.  Around 8, Kinsley started clamoring to go out to the bars.  James offered to drive, and Christian offered to drive Brody's car, which fit the most people.  We had enough people for both vehicles so we quickly split into cars and went to the first bar Kinsley had requested.

When we got there, James dropped off the passengers in front of the bar and went to find a place to park.  I stayed in the car with him.  He found a spot a block away and turned off the car.  He turned to me and smiled.

"Are you having fun?" I asked anxiously.  "I know it can be weird when you don't know people in a group, and there are a lot of people, and a lot of them are really drunk.  Drunk people you don't know can be really annoying.  And thanks for driving."  He laughed and I stopped talking.

"You're awfully cute when you ramble nervously," he teased me gently.  I blushed.  "Your friends are great," he continued, reassuringly.  "And you are beautiful."  He leaned over and kissed me.  Heat spread from my lips through my body as I remembered Wednesday night.  He pulled back slightly so our lips were just barely touching, and ran his fingers through my hair.  I leaned into his kiss, gripping his shirt in one fist, my other hand resting on his thigh.  I wished the center console wasn't in between us.

After a minute, he pulled back.  "Well, we'd better cut that out before I decide we should skip out on the rest of this evening and just go back to my house," he said, running his hand over his short hair.  I leaned back against the door, resting my head against the cool window.

"That doesn't seem like a bad idea," I said with a grin. 

"Kinsley would kill you, and Damien would kill me.  We'd better head in."

I leaned towards him again and pulled him back to me for one more kiss.  Then I moved back reluctantly.  "Alright," I agreed.

As we walked from the car, he took my hand, sliding his fingers between mine.  When we walked in, it took a minute to spot our group.  Lauren waved me and I waved back, and we headed to the bar.  I got a 7&7 and James got a Coke, since he was driving.  As we approached the group, Alex called out, "Hard time finding a parking spot?" and several people laughed.  My faced got hot again, and I caught Brody's eye.  I looked away quickly, but not before seeing a flicker of hurt.

When James went to the bathroom, Brody walked up to me and steered me slightly away from the group.  "You look happy," he said, with a touch of bitterness.  He was drunk, and I hoped he'd stick by his promise to not make a scene.

"I am, I guess," I said uneasily.

"How old is he?" Brody asked.

"34," I responded. 

"I thought probably around that.  He seems like a good guy."  I was surprised by the sincerity of this admission.  I felt another flash of anxiety when James came back.  He settled his hand on my lower back gently and flashed a smile at Brody.  Brody studied him and for a second the three of us just stood there, Brody and James looking at each other and me looking Brody, willing him to not say anything stupid.  Finally Brody said, "Take care of her," and turned on his heel and walked away.

"That was weird," I muttered.

"You are aware of the fact that he is still completely in love with you, right?" James asked.  I opened my mouth, then shut it again.  I shook my head.

"He was never in love with me," I protested. "We didn't date that long."

"He is, though.  Why did you stop dating?"

"He moved to Miami for two months.  He didn't know if it was going to be temporary or permanent," I replied. 

James looked at me carefully.  "Is Brody the reason you were 'not doing the dating thing' when we met?" he asked.  I nodded miserably.  This was not a conversation I wanted to be having at all, much less here and now.  I expected the evening to come crashing down around me, and I looked down at the floor.  Instead, James pulled me close to him.

"Okay," he said simply.  He kissed me lightly on the lips.  I looked at him in surprise.

"You're not mad?" I asked him.

He laughed.  "Mad about what?  That man is clearly in love with you, and for all I know, you might be in love with him, but right now you're here with me, so I have nothing to be mad about."  I racked my brain, trying to decide if any guy I'd ever dated, or even known, would have reacted to this situation like that.  I came up blank, so I just stared at him in amazement.  I couldn't think of anything to say, so I kissed him. 

Jumping Through Hoops

It wasn't until I got to work that I realized that I had left my phone at home.  I honestly had no idea where it even was.  My best guess was the couch somewhere.  Oh well.  I made it through the day with only minimal distraction from thinking about the night before.  One of the perks of being busy--you don't have long to think about everything else.  Lauren had made me promise to come to happy hour for last minute planning for Kinsley's birthday, so after work I dutifully drove to the bar.

When I walked in, I saw their table right away and headed towards it.  Suddenly,  my heart jumped into my throat.  Brody was sitting there.  I didn't know he was going to be back already.  Or here, tonight.  I changed my path and made a beeline to the bar.  I was going to need a drink for this.  He caught my eye right before I turned towards the bar.  Shit.

While I was waiting for my drink, Brody approached me.  "Liv," he said tentatively.  "Can we talk?"  I nodded, and when my drink came, Brody led me to an empty table in a deserted corner of the bar.  I set my drink down and let him embrace me tightly.  I breathed in deeply, his scent rousing feelings that I wasn't ready to feel.  Mountains.  He still smells like mountains.  I squeezed my eyes shut tightly for a second before I pulled back. 

We sat.  "So," I asked, before I could stop myself.  "Are you back to pack or back for good?"  He cringed slightly at me throwing his words from two months ago back in his face.   I meant it as a joke, but it came out sounding childish and confrontational. 

"For good," he said, looking at me carefully.  My heart jumped at the words, and I just stared at him for a second.

"I'm sorry," I apologized, after I had processed what he had said.  "That was not how I meant it to come out." I wasn't really sure what else to say, so I said nothing. 

He nodded.  "Liv, I know that you're upset, and you're probably surprised to see me.  I get it.  But please hear me out, okay?" he asked.  I nodded, running my finger along the side seam of my pants to try to distract and calm myself.  He took a deep breath and continued.  "My dad's people weren't pleased with the boss's son waltzing in and taking over, but once they got used to me, I actually really enjoyed the position.  It felt right, it felt natural.  I was good at it."  I was confused.  If it felt right, why was he here?  He saw my confusion and nodded.  "Miami isn't home anymore.  I remembered how much I hated being in the same state as my dad."  He paused.  "And you're not there."

I didn't say anything.  He sighed and went on.  "I didn't want to be under my dad's thumb anymore, and I knew he'd resent me coming back here.  So I bought out my branch.  I used the bonus I got from the 60 days I was there, my share of the stock, and some money I'd been saving, and I made him an offer he tried to refuse, but in the end he couldn't.  My company is really mine now.  My dad isn't my boss anymore, and he can't make me do anything I don't want to do."  He stared at me, almost desperately.

I paused, trying to figure out what to say.  I made eye contact briefly, but couldn't maintain it and quickly looked down.  "Brody," I started, my voice shaky.  I breathed in and tried again.  "Brody, I need you to know that I've been kind of seeing someone."  The words came out haltingly, even with my best effort to steady my voice.

"I know," he said softly.  "Lauren told me."  I silently thanked Lauren.  At least he was prepared.  He tilted my chin up so my eyes met his.  "Can I change that?" he asked.  My skin hummed with electricity where he touched me. 

I was silent for a long moment.  Then I said, "He jumped through a lot of hoops for me.  He deserves a real chance.  I'm sorry."

He dropped his gaze.  As he lowered his eyes, they fell on the fading, hand-shaped bruise around my forearm.  He reached for my arm, and tilted it towards him, holding it gently by the elbow and wrist.  He inspected it, and I watched the muscles in his jaw and neck tighten.  "He didn't do this to you, did he?" he asked, the fury in his voice barely controlled.  He looked up at me again, and I was surprised at the intensity of the anger in his eyes.  I shook my head quickly.

"No," I said, my voice breaking slightly.  "Actually, it's because of him that nothing worse happened."  Brody looked back at the bruise, and touched his fingertips gently to it. 

"Well, I guess if I ever meet him I'll have to thank him for that," he said, releasing my arm.  "Who was it?"

"Some really drunk guy at a bar," I responded.  I didn't think it was a good idea to say that the really drunk guy was James's brother.  He nodded, and I continued, "I, um, should go see Lauren and Kinsley.  I promised to talk to them today about Saturday."  Without waiting for him to reply, I stood.  He stopped me with a hand on my arm.

"Is he coming?  On Saturday?" Brody asked.

"Maybe, I'm not sure," I responded.

"So...is it serious?" he asked tentatively.

I paused, considering how to answer.  "I'm not sure what it is," I said, honestly.  "It's only been a few weeks.  But like I said, he's jumped through a lot of hoops.  I haven't been an easy person to date lately."  Brody nodded but didn't speak, so I turned to go.  I had taken two steps away when he spoke again.

"Liv."  Something about his tone compelled me to turn.  "I jumped through hoops for you too.  And I'll do it again, as many times as I need to."  His green eyes bored into mine, and I just stood there, our eyes locked, for several seconds.  Then I turned quickly and walked over to the table where the rest of the group was sitting. 

Lauren jumped up as I approached and met me several steps from the table.  "I texted you, I tried to warn you," she said, breathlessly.

"My phone is at home somewhere, I was running late this morning and forgot it," I said miserably.  Then I looked at her.  "Thank you.  For trying to warn me, and for warning him about James.  That conversation could have gone much less smoothly."  She looked at me sympathetically.

"You'll have to tell me about it later," she said, squeezing my hand.  "He's coming back."  We walked to the table and sat, and Lauren stuck me between her and Kendra.  We talked about Saturday.  Kinsley asked if James was coming and I said I invited him but needed to call him with details.  She said Damien was coming, which would probably help my cause with James.  I managed to avoid any more awkward conversations with Brody, and left after about an hour and a half.

I found my phone on the couch when I got home and called James.  I gave him the party details, and he said he had plans with friends Saturday morning but that he'd try to stop by at some point during the cook out, otherwise he'd meet us out.  I felt weird talking to him after my conversation with Brody.  Brody, shit.

"Hey, um, I just wanted to let you know that my...a guy I used to date will be there.  Just so you know," I told him.

"Well, you met my brother, I think I can handle meeting an ex," he joked.

We said goodnight, and I went to bed. 

The Grand Tour

I didn't sleep well, even though I was exhausted.  I tossed and turned, and when I finally fell asleep, I slept fitfully, waking a lot.  I hadn't realized just how shaken up I still was until after James left.  In the morning, I felt restless even though I hadn't slept.  I called Kinsley to ask if she wanted to go to the gym.  She suggested we go for a walk instead, and I met her halfway between our houses an hour later.

As we walked around the neighborhood, I filled her in on what happened the night before.  I felt shaky and anxious again just recounting it.  She was horrified.  "That is so scary, Liv!" she exclaimed.  "Good thing James went looking for you.  All sorts of awful things could have happened."  She looked at my arm, where an ugly, vaguely hand-shaped bruise now resided.  "And he works for that guy?" she asked incredulously.  I nodded.

"Hopefully he won't do anything stupid, or he might not work for him for long," I said grimly.

"Stupid?  Defending your honor isn't stupid," she replied haughtily.  I rolled my eyes.  "Are you going to see him again?"

"He's coming over on Wednesday," I reported.  Kinsley gave me a funny look.  "It's not his fault his brother is a horrible person," I said defensively.  "I like James.  It's not like I invited his brother too.  And anyway, you were the one that wanted me to go out with him in the first place!"

"That was before his brother assaulted you," Kinsley said.

"Tell me about your dinner with Damien," I said, changing the subject.  She launched into a dramatic retelling of their date, her face lit up.  I grinned.  It was nice to see her so happy.

"He hasn't kissed me yet, though.  Is that normal, do you think?  I haven't gone on more than one actual date with the same person for a long time."

"I think it's fine.  He seems like he might be a slow mover," I assured her. 

"I can handle that," Kinsley said confidently.  "It's weird and different, but it's kind of nice."  I laughed.

We walked for over an hour, enjoying the beautiful day.  The temperature was perfect.   When I got home, I showered and headed to the grocery store to get stuff to make dinner on Wednesday.

I worked long days Monday and Tuesday, and basically got up, got ready, worked, came home, ate, and fell into bed both days.   I didn't leave myself enough time to think, and I was so tired when I got home that I managed to get some sleep, though I did wake up panicking from nightmares about Jordan once each night.

The long days were worth it because I managed to get out of work by 4:30 on Wednesday.  I went home and quickly prepped dinner stuff and put everything in the oven.  I jumped in the shower and got dressed, then ran down to check on the food.  It looked good, so I went back up to finish getting ready.  James was coming over at 7:00 and I wanted things to be as close to done as possible.  I was already hungry.

The doorbell rang at 6:59 and I laughed at his punctuality.  I opened the door and invited him in. 

"It smells amazing in here," he said, looking appreciatively towards the kitchen,  "and it looks good too," he said, turning his gaze back to me and smiling.

"Thanks, I hope it tastes good!"  James raised an eyebrow.  "Um, dinner, I mean..." I clarified awkwardly, my face heating up, which made James laugh.  "Wine, beer, whiskey, or something else?" I asked, quickly.

"Smells like a classy dinner, so I'll go with a classy drink," he said.  "Wine would be great."  I poured two glasses and handed one to him.

"Food will be done in about 10 minutes," I said, sitting on the arm of the chair closest to the kitchen.  "It's roasted chicken and buffalo mac and cheese.  I usually put the chicken in the mac and cheese and make buffalo chicken mac and cheese, but it's not a terribly complete meal that way, so I tried it separately this time.  Hopefully it doesn't suck!"

10 minutes later, I found out that it definitely didn't suck.  It was delicious, and James was impressed.  "I had no idea you could cook," he said.  "I regret to inform you that it's not a talent I possess, so I'm unable to return the favor.  However, I am excellent at ordering take out."  We both laughed.

After dinner, I put the plates in the sink and we walked out to the living room.  We found a movie and put in on, and we sat down.  James put his arm around my shoulders and pulled me against him, and I rested my hand on his thigh and my head on his shoulder.  He began to run one finger lightly up and down my upper arm, raising goosebumps.

About halfway through the movie, I took our wineglasses into the kitchen.  I grabbed two bottles of water from the fridge and turned to walk back out to the living room.  I was startled to see James leaning against the door frame. 

"Hi," I said.  "Did I take too long?" I cocked an eyebrow.

"You did.  I missed you.  So I followed you."  He walked over to me and took the bottles out of my hands.  He set them down on the table, then tucked a wayward piece of hair behind my ear.  I leaned my face against his hand and his fingers gently stroked the tender skin behind my ear.  I slipped my arms around his waist and closed my eyes, enjoying the feeling of his fingertips on my skin. Then his lips were on mine.  I kissed him back and slid my hands under his shirt, my hands exploring the muscles of his lower back.  His free hand looped around my waist, pulling me closer to him.  We stood there for a long time, kissing and allowing our hands to explore.

When he began to undo my bra, I pulled away, breathless.  "Sorry," he said.  "I got a little carried away."

"Don't be, I was just going to see if you, um, wanted a tour of the upstairs of the house," I said, with a mischievous grin.

"Lead on," he said, matching my grin.  I walked up the stairs in front of him, narrating the "tour."

"These are the stairs.  There are 12 stairs total," I said in a monotone voice.

"Fascinating," James replied.

"This is the guest room, but guests can't really stay in it because it's full of my crap.  Here is a linen closet.  It's full of towels.  And here is my bedroom.  There's a bathroom through that door.  It has a really small closet."  James nodded, still grinning.  "And this is the bed," I concluded, turning back to him.

"Looks like a nice bed," he said in a low voice, stepping towards me.  "But I think I need a hands-on demonstration."  He tugged off my shirt and unhooked my bra, sliding it down my arms.  He pulled his own shirt off, and I ran my hands over the hard muscles of his chest and stomach.  He was already working on the button and zipper of my jeans and soon had them around my ankles.  I sat down on the edge of the bed and kicked them away, my eyes still on James's bare chest.

He sat next to me and kissed me hard, and I laid back and pulled him with me.  He trailed a hand up my arm and across my shoulder, then down my chest, his fingers grazing my breast.  His hand continued down my stomach and trailed lightly across my underwear.  I moaned and shifted my hips, trying to get his hand where I wanted it.  He slid my underwear off and knelt on the floor in front of me, pulling them off my feet.  He grabbed me by the legs and pulled me closer to the edge of the bed before lowering his head between my legs.  I gasped and pressed my heels into his back, arching against his mouth.  He put one arm firmly across my hips to keep them still, and teased my body with his tongue.

He got me close, then pulled away.  He slid a finger into me and I moaned.  He brought his tongue back to me and my orgasm was almost instant.  He still had one arm anchoring my hips firmly in place, so I locked my legs around his back and shuddered.  He didn't stop though, and I gripped his arm and the blanket next to me when a second orgasm wracked my body. 

I was still dazed and breathing hard when he asked for a condom.  I pointed in the general direction of my nightstand and heard him rustling around.  He must have found one because I heard the package rip open.  He pulled me up so I was laying completely on the bed and moved on top of me.  I reached down, stroking him before he pushed into me.  I guided him into me and he pushed in slowly, leaning down to kiss my neck.  I brought my hips up to meet him, and he began moving on top of me.

It lacked the frenetic electricity that had driven sex with Brody, but he certainly knew what he was doing.  When we were finished, I was still out of breath and completely spent.  He pulled me against his chest, our sweaty skin sticking together slightly.

"I've been waiting to do that since I first saw you," he said, his voice husky, then he kissed the back of my neck.  I involuntarily arched back against him, sucking in a sharp breath.  "Ohh, look what I found," he said with a soft chuckle.  He pressed his lips back against the same spot, then grazed his teeth lightly over it.  I moaned softly.  He worked his lips and tongue against my neck and shoulder, sliding a hand up to massage my breast.

When round 2 ended, I was reasonably certain I would never be able to move again.  I was sweaty, my hair was tangled, and my skin was so sensitive that I had to shift away from James.  We laid there with our fingers intertwined until I drifted into sleep.

I woke up in the middle of the night, shivering.  I realized I was still sprawled across the bed where I had fallen asleep after having sex with James.  I rolled over and was about to sit up to find a blanket when James pulled one up over us.  He curled his body around mine, and I fell easily back to sleep. 

The next time I woke up, sun was streaming in around my curtains.  I sat bolt upright, searching for my phone.  "Shit, shit, shit," I muttered, realizing my phone was downstairs.  I squinted at the clock across the room.  It was 7:05.  I relaxed a little, knowing at least that I wasn't late, but I needed to get up.  James sat up next to me, looking a little disoriented. 

"What time is it?" he asked groggily.

"A little after 7, I need to get moving.  Do you need a shower?"

"No, I don't have to be to work until 9, so I'm okay.  I'll shower at home," he replied.  I nodded and hurried into the bathroom.  I showered quickly, and pulled my hair into a bun, still wet.  I frowned at it in the mirror, but I didn't have time to dry it.  When I came out to get dressed, James was gone.  Weird.  He could have at least waited to say goodbye, I thought, my stomach dropping a little.  I didn't have time to worry about it though, and I quickly finished getting ready for work.

As I was coming down the stairs, my front door opened and James stepped in.  "Breakfast," he said, holding up a bag and a coffee cup.

"My hero!" I said with a laugh.  "I thought you left."

"I would never," he replied, kissing me gently.  He handed me the bag, and I pulled out a bagel.  I spread some cream cheese on it quickly and threw it on a paper plate.  He walked out the door with me, and once I had my stuff in my car he handed me the coffee.  I stuck it in my cup holder and kissed him.

"Thank you, it was really thoughtful of you to grab breakfast," I said.

"You're welcome.  I told you I'm excellent at getting takeout," he said with a laugh.  "Can I see you again soon?  Saturday?" 

"Saturday is Kinsley's birthday.  You could come if you wanted, though.  I can call you tonight with the details and you can let me know."

"Sounds good," he replied.  "I'll talk to you then.  Have a good day."  He kissed me again, and I went to work.

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Sadly, this will likely be the last bonus for awhile, so enjoy it :) don't worry though, you'll still get the three posts a week for sure!
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I debated most of the day Thursday whether or not to go to happy hour.  I finally decided to at least stop by and say hi.  I hadn't had a chance to talk to Kinsley, and I wanted to hear how her date with Damien went.

As usual, I was the last one there.  I snuck a chair in between Kinsley and Alex and turned to her.  "Well?  Tell me about your date!" I said.

"Hello to you too," Kinsley replied with a laugh.  "It was good.  We went out to dinner and then just wandered around downtown a little.  It was really laid back and he's pretty much the nicest guy I've ever known, much less gone out with.  It was kind of weird, but nice."

"Yay!" I squealed, earning me a side-eye from Alex.  "Oh, knock it off," I said to him.  He laughed and went back to talking to Christian.  "Are you guys going out again?" I asked, turning back to Kinsley.

"Actually, he asked me to that comedy show on Saturday.  He said you and James were going, right?"

"Yeah, we are.  I'm glad he asked you!  James told me he was planning on it but that was before you guys had even gone out the one time, so I didn't want to say anything, just in case," I said.

"Just in case she got really drunk and was obnoxious and blew it?" Lauren broke in from Kinsley's other side.

"Except I didn't blow it.  How many weeks until I live it down?" I asked.

"Try 'months'," she responded, making a smug face at me.

"Girl, I love you, but sometimes I want to smash your face," I joked.  Luckily, I have a pretty high tolerance for people poking at me, and I was used to Lauren doing it regularly.

We moved on to quizzing Lauren about her love life, and she confessed to making out with a coworker while out for drinks after work.   "I would totally hook up with him," she admitted, "but he seems to actually take that stupid 'no fraternization' policy seriously."

"Is he a supervisor?" I asked.

"Yeah, not in my department though.  He still seems like a rule follower."

"How much of a rule follower can he be if he made out with you after work?" Kinsley quipped.  We worked on talking Lauren out of trying to hook up with him for awhile.  When it became obvious we were banging our heads against a wall, I decided it was as good a time as any for me to go home. 

On Friday my last two clients cancelled and I got out blissfully early, even after completing all my paperwork.  I ended up having Cassie over for dinner.  She was job searching because her headhunter friend informed her she was being vastly under-compensated.  She had known her pay was low and benefits not the best but hearing it from someone who knew the field was the kick she needed to start looking.  She stayed until I managed to yawn her out as well.  I fell into bed, excited for the next day.

I slept in on Saturday and it was awesome.  I met Kinsley at the gym, and we did a little lifting and then I went to a yoga class.  I made it home around 4, with a ton of time to kill before I had to start getting ready, so I cleaned.  Just in case...

At 5:30, I got in the shower.  I was wiggling into my skinniest of skinny jeans when my phone pinged.  It was a picture text from John.  I was surprised.  I hadn't heard from John since he was out here and we had dinner.  I opened the message and saw two tiny baby goats.  It said, "These little guys were just born last week, and I thought you'd enjoy them."  His parents had a farm, and the baby goats had always been my favorite.  The message was perfectly friendly without any weirdness.  I was relieved and quickly texted him back.

I finished getting ready.  I straightened my hair and decided to do a little bit of a dramatic eye.  Satisfied with the results, I looked at my phone.  No response from John.  It was 7:30, and James was supposed to be picking me up at 7:45.  I am chronically early, and I swear I hate it most when I have to sit for 15 minutes waiting for someone to pick me up.  Especially for a date.  I sat on my couch, flipping mindlessly through TV channels and wondering if my sky high heels were a poor choice.  Luckily, I didn't have to wait long.  The doorbell rang at 7:40.  Another early bird.

I pulled open the door with a smile.  "Hi," I greeted James, who looked perfectly sexy in a casual button down and dark jeans.  His eyes widened just a little when he saw me, and he smiled back.

"Wow, hi.  You look good."  He kissed me on the cheek.  "Sorry, I know I'm a little early, but you look ready."

"I am, I'm always early," I said with a nervous laugh.  Seriously?  Am I really going to do the nerves again?  I felt jittery and unsettled.  I took a deep breath and we walked out.

This time, at least, I managed to relax gradually throughout dinner--without the help of alcohol.  I had one glass of wine and drank it slowly, determined to not have a repeat of last time.  As I relaxed, we were able to move into the easy conversation that came so naturally during our non-date times.  That helped me relax even more, and by the time we were walking down the block to go to the comedy show, I felt much more like myself.

James grabbed my hand as we walked, and I stepped a little closer to him.  I was glad I went with the sky high heels, or hand holding would have been a challenge.  He had to be at least 6'1" and our arms didn't match up at all.  It was worth the little bit of extra effort, though.

When we arrived, we were shown to a table near the front.  Kinsley and Damien were already there.  We ordered drinks and chatted with them while we waited.  We had about a half hour before the show started, so we had a little time to kill.

About 5 minutes before 10, Kinsley and I went to the bathroom.  When we came back, I saw a new glass of wine sitting on the table in my spot.  I raised my eyebrows at James.  "Looking for trouble?" I asked him.

"You seem perfectly sober to me," he said with a shrug.

"Oh, trust me," Kinsley said, nodding sagely.  "It starts that way.  The drunkeness comes on fast."   I didn't have a chance for a rebuttal, because the show started.

James and Damien's friend was good.  I actually liked him better than the main act, who relied a little too much on racist and sexist jokes for my taste.  Regardless, the show was fun and I was surprised to see it was close to midnight when it ended.  We stayed in our seats, letting everyone else file out.  Charlie, the comedian, found our table, and James and Damien both stood to hug him.  We congratulated him on a good show.

"Thanks for coming guys, it means a lot.  Do you want to go downstairs for a drink before you take off?  It's been so long."

James looked at me.  "Sounds good to me!" I said, not quite ready to go home.  Kinsley and Damien agreed as well.  They went to find us a table while James and I went to grab a round of drinks for everyone.  We were waiting for the drinks when someone slung an arm around James's shoulder.  "What's up, little brother?" he boomed in a very loud, very drunk sounding voice.

James turned in surprise.  "Jordan," he said evenly.  "What a surprise."

"Hey, I came out to support Charlie.  He was my friend too, at one point."  His attention turned to me.  "Who's this pretty little thing?" he asked, his eyes traveling slowly down my body, pausing at my chest and my hips before continuing on their way.  When he hit my feet, his gaze made its way back up, pausing again at hips and chest.

I felt dirty just being the subject of his lecherous gaze, and it was all I could do not to cringe as his eyes met mine and he smiled hungrily.   I was seriously uncomfortable, and I shifted subtly closer to James.  James, either sensing my movement or feeling uncomfortable himself, slid a protective arm around my waist and pulled me closer still.  "This," he said coolly, "is my date, Olivia."  He turned towards me.  "Olivia, this is Jordan, my brother."  I studied his face as James introduced us.  He looked remarkably like James, but there was something cold and hard about the lines of Jordan's features.

"Nice to meet you, Olivia.  Now, how did my boring little brother get a girl like you to go out in public with him?"

I held his stare.  "Actually, you should really be asking me how I got your brother to go out in public with me," I retorted smoothly.  I felt James chuckle next to me.

"Well, if you get bored with him and want the real deal, you should give me a call," he said, smiling.  But the smile didn't reach his eyes, and his eyes weren't on my face.

"Cut it out, Jordan," James said.  "We should get back with the drinks."  Jordan eyed up the drinks that were sitting on the bar waiting for us, and grabbed the Jack and Coke that James had ordered for Charlie.  He took a long drink, then smirked.

"What's wrong little brother?  Worried I'll steal another of your girls?  Don't worry, this one doesn't seem too interested.  Too bad, the things I would do--"

"Don't talk about her like that," James said firmly.  "I'm not dealing with this shit."  He turned back to the bar and ordered another Jack and Coke.  He shifted so I was between the bar and him, away from Jordan's salacious stare.  The bartender, clearly annoyed, took his time.  Jordan leaned up against the bar next to us, but he didn't say anything.  When the drink came, James threw down a $100.  "Sorry for the trouble," he said to the bartender.  We grabbed the drinks and walked to find Kinsley, Damien, and Charlie.  Thankfully, Jordan didn't follow.

"The bar is awfully slow tonight," Damien commented, as we set down the drinks.

"Not really.  We ran into my brother," James replied shortly.  Turning to me, he said quietly, "I'm sorry, he was way out of line."  I shrugged and squeezed his hand.  He slipped an arm around me and I relaxed a little again.  

Charlie left about an hour later.  I got up to go to the bathroom.  Kinsley was leaning close to Damien, deep in conversation, so I didn't even bother asking her to go with me.  When I got to the bathroom, the women's bathroom door was open and an employee with a mop was cursing in the doorway.  I stopped, and she looked up at me.  "Sorry," she apologized.  "It's flooded.  If you go out and to the left, then all the way to the back, there's a little hallway and there's a staff bathroom back there you can use." I thanked her and followed her instructions back to the other bathroom.

The bathroom was down a dimly lit, narrow hallway in the very back corner of the bar.  I felt a little creeped out just being back there, because it was so poorly lit and super quiet.  But the bathroom was clean, empty, and not flooded, so I wasn't going to complain.  As I was washing my hands, I felt my phone vibrate in my pocket.  I pulled it out as I was walking out the bathroom door.  It was John, texting back.  I was opening the text when I became aware of a body in front of me.  I looked up to see Jordan standing in the middle of the hallway, blocking my way.

I sucked in a sharp breath, suddenly anxious.  He was standing comfortably, arms at his sides, wavering slightly and smiling that hungry smile.   I had noticed his size earlier--he was even a couple inches taller than James, and definitely burlier--but now he looked positively gigantic.  I took a deep breath and lifted my chin.  Heart pounding, I stepped forward.  "Excuse me," I said coldly, moving to the left.  He leaned against that wall, his eyes traveling my body again.

"Leaving so soon?" he asked, flashing an easy grin.  A very familiar easy grin.

"Yes.  Please get out of my way," I repeated.

"That just doesn't sound like much fun to me," he slurred.  He was really drunk.  And I was getting really nervous.  There was literally no one back in this corner of the bar, and I had no idea how likely someone was to come back here. I clenched my fists to keep my hands from shaking and stared him down, not speaking.

"Feisty little thing, aren't you?" he asked, moving a step closer to me.  "I like 'em feisty."  It took all my strength to not step back.  I held his gaze, even while my stomach turned back flips.  He took another step forward and now I could smell the stale whiskey on his breath.

"You need to move," I said loudly.  I stepped quickly back to the right and attempted to slip past him, but he grabbed me tightly around the forearm and backed me up against the wall, slamming my arm hard into the cold concrete behind me.  Tears of pain sprung to my eyes, but I blinked them back, swallowing hard.  He held my throbbing arm so tightly in his huge hand that I felt like the bones in my forearm were grinding together.  His other hand slid across my hip before settling at my waist.  He smiled expectantly and leaned down towards me.

"Now what?" he asked, leering at me.  I was close to panic at this point.  I tried to lean away but I was already up against the wall.  His thumb slipped beneath the hem of my shirt and brushed lightly across the bare skin above the waistband of my jeans before hooking underneath it and sliding along my hip bone, grazing the top of my underwear.  I felt a wave of nausea and gritted my teeth.

"Now you've had your fun, and you will get out of my way," I said defiantly, willing my legs to stop shaking.

"Oh, my fun is just starting," he replied.  His thumb, still hooked under my waistband, was moving towards the button of my jeans when a heavy hand came down on his shoulder.

"Let go of her," came James's voice.  Even without being able to see his face, I could tell he was barely controlling his fury.

"Little bro!  Came to watch the fun?" Jordan asked, not taking his eyes off me.

James ignored that.  "Let her go before I break your fucking neck," he growled.

"Don't be so dramatic, I was just talking to her," Jordan said, letting go of my arm and allowing his hand to fall from my hip.

"Get the fuck out of here," James instructed.  Jordan rolled his eyes but moved to the side.  James walked to me, his eyes scanning me to make sure I was okay.  Jordan was behind James now, but James wasn't looking at him.  When Jordan didn't leave, James said, "Go!" and started to turn.  Jordan turned and meandered down the hall.

"Damn it, Liv, I'm sorry.  Did he hurt you?"  He took my arm gently.  I hadn't realized I had been holding it close to my body protectively.  Even in the dim light of the hallway there was a swollen, red mark where Jordan had grabbed it, and my arm trembled in his hands.  "Shit," James breathed, running his hand over his short hair.  "Let's go."  He took my other hand and led me back through the bar.  "Kinsley and Damien left a few minutes ago," he explained once we got out to the sidewalk.

We walked to his car.  My legs were trembling and James seemed like a coil of nervous energy.  When we finally got into his car, he rested his forehead against the steering wheel for a second before turning to me.  "I am so sorry," he said, miserably.

"I thought you said you and your brother got along better now." I said wryly, breathing deeply to try to slow my pulse.

He started the car.  "We do.  You should have seen us before.  And when he's drunk, all bets are off."  He pulled carefully into traffic and continued, "When I walked into that hallway and saw him there, I was ready to rip his head clean off.  I can't believe he would do that.  He hasn't acted like that in a long time.  I feel terrible."

"James," I said gently, "It's not your fault.  I'm awfully glad you appeared when you did, though.  Why did you come down there?"

"I knew Jordan was probably wandering around somewhere so I figured I'd meet you over there and we'd go, since Damien and Kinsley were leaving anyway.  I got over the bathroom and saw that the women's was clearly not usable and the employee directed me back there."  He kept glancing over at me with worry.  I was still shaky but my heart rate was slowly returning to normal.

He pulled into my driveway and turned off the engine.  He looked over at me.  I forced a smile and said, "Well, so far we're 0 for 2 on actual dates."

He laughed, his face relaxing a bit.  "Maybe we should stick to casually hanging out.  Those two have gone well."

"Tell you what, how about you come over on Wednesday again?" I suggested.  "I'll cook dinner, I won't drink too much, and we won't invite your brother."  I continued to make jokes, trying to avoid showing James just how freaked out I was.

"Sounds like a plan," he said, smiling warmly at me.  He opened his car door and I got out too.  We walked up to my door.  He was watching me with concern again.  I unlocked the door and stepped in, motioning to him to follow.  "Can I see your arm again?" he asked.  I obediently held out my arm, and he tilted it towards the light.  The red was fading, being replaced by darkening bruises, and my knuckles were bruised and scraped where they had hit the wall.  The muscles in his neck and jaw tightened and he looked up at me.  His eyes were intense and stormy.

I stepped closer to him and rested my hands against his sides, my fingers sliding over the hard muscles hidden by his shirt.  He slid his hands up my arms, his shirt straining slightly across his shoulders.  "I'm fine," I reassured him.  "And I had fun for 98% of the date, which is good.  I'm just a little shaken up.  Please stop looking at me like I'm fragile and going to break." 

"I'm sorry," he said.  "I'm just mad at myself for letting anything happen, and furious at him for it.  I'm glad you're okay.  You're impressively calm about it."

"'Good in a crisis' is pretty much a therapist requirement," I joked, still trying to relieve the tension.  He chuckled.  I stepped in even closer and slipped my hands up to his shoulders.  I stroked the back of his neck with my fingertips and he shut his eyes briefly.  When he opened them, they were still flashing with intensity, but of a different sort.  He dipped his head down to mine and kissed me.  After the events of the last hour, I kissed him almost desperately, wanting something reassuringly normal.  When the kiss ended, I was disappointed.  I sighed and leaned against him, and he wrapped his arms around me.

"Do you want me to stay?" he asked, looking down.  "I mean, not like that, but..."

 "Thank you, but I'm okay," I replied firmly, even though I felt anything but okay.

"Okay, so....Wednesday?" he asked.

"Wednesday," I confirmed, my voice muffled against his chest.  I leaned back and tilted my head up, and he kissed me once more. 

"Good night," he said reluctantly, after he'd pulled away.  "Call me if you need anything."

"Good night James.  Thank you," I replied.  He smiled and left. 

I sat down on the couch and exhaled, feeling like I was breathing for the first time since I walked out of the bathroom at the bar.  Thinking about it made the shakiness come back, and I got up to get some water.  As I walked into the kitchen, I realized how tired I was.  I took a quick drink and then headed up to bed, but I only made it halfway up the stairs before the tears that I'd been fighting finally spilled over. I sat down heavily on the stairs and cried.

Damage Control

 When Cassie knocked on my door the next day, I was laying on my couch in a pathetic, hungover heap.  I dragged myself to the door to let her in, then flopped back down on the couch.  Cassie sat down in the chair across from it and regarded me suspiciously.  "Are you moping again?" she asked.

"Hungover," I grumbled.

"Ohh! What'd you have, like 4 drinks?" she teased.  My low alcohol tolerance was practically famous.

"Five."

"Oh man, you must really be hurting," she cackled.  "Wait, didn't you go out with James last night?" I nodded miserably.  "Oh no, please don't tell me you got drunk and talked about Brody."

"Not quite that bad.  I bitched about work for 45 minutes."

"Almost as bad!" she exclaimed.

"I know," I moaned, burying my head in my pillow.  "But I was so nervous and stressed out, I could barely even look at him.  I was a disaster."

"What did he do?" she asked.

"He was great.  He listened to me bitch, he gave me a few 'That sucks' and 'wow, really?'s and then he brought me home.  I was so drunk I couldn't even get my seatbelt off.  He made sure I got inside okay, kissed me on the cheek, and left.  He didn't mention a second date.  Probably a good thing," I sighed.

"And that's why you can't have nice things," she said, shaking her head.

I was about to reply when my phone starting ringing.  I cringed at the high pitched tones and fished it out from under me.  "Shit, it's him!" I said in amazement.  I turned wild eyes on Cassie.  "What do I do?!"

"Answer it, you idiot," she replied.

"And then what?" I asked frantically.

"Tell him the truth?  I don't know, just answer it!"

"Hello?" I said, answering.

"Hi, how are you feeling today?" His voice was warm and sounded slightly amused.

"Hungover and embarrassed," I said, my face heating up just thinking about the night before.

He laughed gently.  "I had a feeling you'd be at least one of those."

"I am really, really sorry.  I was ridiculous.  I was just really nervous, and I do stupid things when I'm nervous, like drink too much.  And talk about work for 45 minutes."  I was starting to ramble, and Cassie was shaking her head, so I stopped.

"Like I said last night, it happens to the best of us.  At least I know what you're like when you're drunk now," he teased.

"Lucky you," I grumbled sarcastically.

"Well, I hope your injured pride will be okay, because I was calling to ask you if you wanted to go out again."

"Really?" I asked incredulously, before I could stop myself.

He laughed.  "Yes, really.  I didn't think it would be productive to ask last night.  If you're free next Saturday, I have a friend who is opening a comedy show and I was hoping you'd join me for it.  Damien was talking about asking your friend Kinsley, too."

"That sounds like fun," I said.  "I'm pretty sure I'm free next Saturday, hold on a sec."  I looked at Cassie who was shaking her head in amazement.  I put my hand over the phone and whispered, "Do we have anything going on next Saturday?"

"Yeah," she whispered back.  "You're going on a second date, somehow!"

I took my hand off the phone.  "Saturday is good.  What were you thinking?"

"Well, the show starts at 10, so I thought maybe you and I could get dinner together before, and then we could meet Damien and Kinsley there if they go.  There are a few good restaurants near the club, so maybe 8 for dinner?"

"That sounds perfect," I responded.  We said goodbye and hung up.  Cassie was still shaking her head.

"You are the only person I know that can get so drunk they complain about work for 45 minutes and can't get their seatbelt off on a first date and still land a second," she said.  "It's a good thing you're pretty and smart, because you're completely socially inept sometimes!"

"Thanks," I said, rolling my eyes.

On Sunday morning, I met Kinsley, Lauren, and Kendra for brunch.  Kinsley reported that she was going out with Damien on Tuesday.  I wasn't sure if he'd asked her about the comedy show (or if he was going to) so I didn't mention that to her.  I told them about my horrible date, and they all laughed at me, except Kendra, who sympathetically patted my shoulder.  They were also shocked when I told them that James had called me the next day to ask me for a second date.  I felt embarrassed again just
talking to them about it, and quickly changed the subject back to Kinsley and Damien.

Kinsley seemed really excited for their date, but confessed that she was worried he was too good for her.  We all told her she was ridiculous, of course.  Lauren was especially helpful, saying, "Don't worry, Kins.  As long as you don't get drunk and complain for 45 minutes, you're one up on Olivia!"  I glared and they laughed, but I soon gave in and laughed with them. 

Talk soon turned to Kinsley's upcoming birthday.  It was coming up in two weeks, and we were working on some plans.  Kendra had offered to host a cook out in the afternoon and evening and her and Christian's house, and then we planned to head out on the town after that. 

I spent the rest of the day getting my house cleaned and getting prepped for my work week.  I had a crazy week facing me again, and I was dreading it.  Hopefully getting some work done ahead of time would help, but I was definitely counting down the days until I could start looking for something new.



I was just pulling into my garage on Wednesday when my phone rang.  I wasn't able to park and fish my phone out in time to answer.  I looked at the missed call and saw it was James.  I called back.  Maybe he had changed his mind and didn't want to see me again after all.

"Hey!  I was just leaving you a voicemail," he said when he answered.

"Hi, what's up?" I asked curiously, a little nervous.

"Well, I'm finishing up some work and I'm in your neighborhood.  I was wondering if you wanted to hang out for a little bit.  I'd like to see you, but I know you have a busy week and you're probably tired, so if you say no, I promise you won't hurt my feelings."

"That afraid of rejection that you have to throw in a disclaimer?" I joked, feeling more at ease.

He laughed.  "No way.  I'm so sure that you'll say yes that I threw that in just to tempt fate."

"So, I should say 'no' to spite you then, huh?" I teased back.  This was the friendly banter that had come so easily during the not-date.  Where was it on Friday?

"You could say no, but then you'd miss out on seeing me," he pointed out.

"Got me there," I responded, laughing.  "I'd love to see you.  Do you just want to come over here?"  He responded that that worked, and I asked if I could have a little time to shower and change, since I just got home and the air conditioning was broken at work.

"How long do you need?" he asked.

"Can you give me 20 minutes?  And just so you know, I'm absolutely putting on yoga pants, so don't expect much of anything good to look at."

"20 minutes is perfect, but have you seen yoga pants?  I think I'll have plenty to look at," he responded, chuckling.

I hurried inside to shower and was in and out of it in 5 minutes.  I pulled my hair up into a bun and put a little light makeup on.  I would let him see me in yoga pants and a gray v-neck t-shirt but no way was he getting to see me without makeup on before we even went on a second date.

I was sitting on the couch for about 2 minutes when the doorbell rang.  I opened it and allowed myself to briefly enjoy the sight of James in a suit on my front porch.  I let him in and he hugged me.

"Now I really feel under-dressed," I said, motioning to his suit. 

His eyes slid from my face down my body and back up.  "I think you look amazing," he said with his characteristic easy, perfect smile.  I blushed and muttered a thank you.  Then he took off his jacket and tossed it over the back of one of my chairs.  "Better?" he asked.  

"Much," I said with an approving nod.  "Do you want something to drink?  Water, Coke, tea, coffee?  Otherwise I have wine and whiskey, but don't worry, I'm not drinking."  I said it with a smile so he knew I was joking.

He laughed.  "Whiskey?  Really?"

"Why does everyone say that?" I exclaimed.  "It's good whiskey too!"

He shook his head, smiling.  "Water is great, actually."

I brought him a bottle and sat next to him.  "Have you eaten?  I'm starving.  We could order something."

He agreed and we settled on pizza, because pizza is always the best choice.  I handed him the TV remote and instructed him to find something while I called in the order.  He found a Big Bang Theory marathon and put it on.

When I got off the phone, he asked about my week.  "Oh, as good as can be expected," I said quickly, before asking him about his week.  He talked a little about work and house hunting.  Then I asked him about his brother, and how it was working for him.

"We get along better now.  And since he handles one aspect and I handle another, it's more working with him than for him, though I guess he is technically my boss."

"You get along better now?" I asked.  "So does that mean you didn't used to?"  He explained that they were pretty close in age growing up and were both really competitive, so they were constantly competing for everything.

"He's a total womanizer, too," James continued, "and he can charm the pants off of women more easily than anyone else I know, though I'm not sure how.  I don't find him particularly charming, especially when he's drinking.  We have thrown punches over that before."  He was telling me about the time he gave his brother a black eye two days before prom when the doorbell rang.  James jumped up and beat me to the door, paying the pizza delivery person before I could even open my mouth.

"You didn't have to do that," I said.  "I would have paid."

"Be quiet and eat your pizza," he said with a grin. 

We ate in comfortable silence, at least until I spilled my glass of water all over the couch.  James looked at me and cracked up, and I followed soon after.  I made it to the kitchen for a towel, and soaked up the water as best as I could.  I stood there looking at the wet cushion and shaking my head while James continued to laugh.  I tossed the wet towel into the laundry room and walked back to the living room, where he had managed to collect himself.  "Too bad, I guess you'll just have to sit a little closer," he said with a flirty smirk.

"I don't know, I might prefer sitting in the spilled water," I said, cocking an eyebrow.  He reached for my waist to pull me down next to him but I twisted away, laughing.  I grabbed our empty plates and took them into the kitchen to avoid any more casualties, and when I came back into the living room, he was waiting for me.  He grabbed me around the waist and spun me around, pinning my back to his chest and wrapping his arms around me.

"Now you don't have much of a choice where you sit," he teased, his voice low.  I felt the now-familiar flutter in my stomach from being so close to him.  I wiggled, testing his grip, though I wasn't completely sure I wanted to be out of it.  I felt his biceps flex against my shoulders as he tightened his hold around me just a little. 

"I seem to be entirely at your mercy, sir," I conceded with a grin. 

"So you'll come willingly?" he asked.

"I suppose I don't have a choice," I replied.

He laughed.  "That doesn't sound terribly willing," he said, loosening his grip and nudging me towards the couch.  I pulled the soaked cushion off and tossed it on the floor.

"Otherwise, I will likely forget and sit on it before it dries," I explained in response to James's raised eyebrow.  "I'm a disaster even when I'm sober."  He laughed as he sat back down and I sat next to him.  He slipped his arm around me and I relaxed against him.  It felt comfortable, and I was glad he had come over so we could spend a little time together in a low-pressure situation.  Maybe I wouldn't make a fool out of myself on Saturday.

When I starting yawning every couple minutes and sagging further against him, he stretched and said, "I think I'd better let you get some sleep."  I nodded and we stood.  At the door, he turned to me.  "Thank you for taking me up on my sort-of crazy request to come over at the spur of the moment.  I was having a hard time waiting until Saturday to see you again."

"I tend to have that effect on people," I replied, grinning.   Wow, his cockiness was starting to rub off on me.  He laughed.  "Seriously though, thank you for the pizza and the company.  I had fun."  He hugged me, then kissed my cheek.  He paused after the kiss, with his lips still just barely touching my cheek, as if he was considering actually kissing me, but then he pulled back.

"Goodnight, Olivia," he said, but he made no move towards the door.   I looked up at him, considering my options for a second, then stepped closer to him.  He put his hand on my waist and said, "Has anyone ever told you that you could get a priest to rob a bank for you by looking at him like that?"

"Could I get a gorgeous guy standing in my living room to kiss me by looking at him like this?" I asked, my eyes locked on his.

In response, he leaned down and touched his lips gently to mine.  I slid my hands up his arms, letting them rest just below his shoulders.  He pulled away briefly, then took a half step closer to me, slipped one hand behind my neck, and kissed me again.  My lips parted and this kiss was longer, deeper, more intense. 

"Will that work?" he asked softly, when the kiss ended.  I nodded, slightly breathless.  "Good," he said, running his thumb along my cheekbone.  "I'll see you on Saturday."

I smiled.  "I'm looking forward to it."