Chapter 5

The morning sun crept in through the floor to ceiling windows and even though Amanda knew she needed to get up and get back to the hotel, she buried her head under the pillow just aching for a little more sleep.  Instead she only lied awake and thought about him.  Funny how only a few days could change her life so drastically.  It was times like these she wished her mother was around to give her the advice she needed so much.

Of course she could never talk to her father about these sort of things.  She didn’t talk to him about much of anything besides the hotel and if he found out she had even the slightest bit of interest in some pop musician, well, he probably would have blown a hole through the roof.  Talking with him was definitely out of the question.

Finally deciding that it was no use laying around, she got up and put herself together as best she could, considering that she had no clean clothing with her.  The sun had barely peaked so she figured if she hurried back to the hotel and snuck in the back entrance, hopefully, no one would notice her.

With no traffic she was able to make it back in twenty minutes.  She pulled her car into the spot reserved just for her and quickly walked towards the garage elevator.  She was still a few feet away when she realized the small group of people in front of her.  It didn’t even take her a second to realize who it was.   In fact, she was just about to turn around and go back the other direction when she was caught.  But it wasn’t JC who had turned around and noticed her, it was Justin and he had looked back at Amanda with a charming grin, even for six o’clock in the morning when she was sure he hadn’t gotten any sleep the night before.

She was almost caught up as they boarded one of the elevators.  Amanda slowed down her pace a notch or two hoping it would be full and she could catch the next one, but Justin, the obviously polite guy that he was, held it for her.

Nervously she stepped into the somewhat crowded elevator that held not only Justin, but also Joey and JC, and a few others as well.  Amanda couldn’t bring herself to look at him.  He stood in the back and she in the front and that was just fine by her, although she would swear he was staring straight at her.  She’d bet money on that one.

This was the last thing she had wanted this morning.  She was a mess, she was tired, she was a little on the depressed side and now she was feeling guilty for the words that she had spoken to him before.  Surely after accusing him of such things, he would never speak to her again. 

And she wasn’t surprised that he hadn’t said one word as they rode silently up to the main floor of the hotel where everyone would have to catch another elevator to get to their rooms.  

“Man, I’m so tired.”  Joey spoke up.   “Can I sleep all day?”

“Yes, you can.”  One of the unfamiliar gentlemen replied.

“Good.”  

Justin looked over at Amanda for a second time and smiled.  He was either a very nice guy or he could sense Amanda’s uncomfortable ness.  She didn’t doubt either one.

When the doors finally opened, Amanda was the first one out and she didn’t even think about looking back.  She focused on the next elevator that was just a short trip down the hall.  As she stepped inside, alone, she breathed a sigh of relief.  But just when she thought her escape had been successful, a hand reached between the almost closed doors and opened them right back up again. 

In stepped a very calm JC – alone.  His mere presence nearly killed her.  His ever-so attractive, 100-percent male presence.  Oh how she ached to just reach out and grab him.

He leaned against the wall and slid one hand in his pocket, the other hovered above the panel of buttons on the wall.  “Which floor?”  He asked.

“Eighteen.”  Amanda answered, barely glancing at him from the corner of her eye.

“Do you hate me now?”  He asked.  “I’m really sorry for giving you the wrong idea.”

She couldn’t hold out, she buckled and gazed at him with tired eyes.  “I don’t hate anyone.”  She answered.  “Hate is a very strong word.”

“Okay, so you dislike me?”  He asked.

“No, I don’t dislike you, either.”

Only three more floors to go, she couldn’t wait to be home free, but as she glanced up at the digital reading, JC smacked the stop button.

“What are you doing?”  Amanda asked with panic.

“I’m not going to try anything, okay?  I just want to talk to you for a sec.” 

“You’re going to give security a heart attack.”  Amanda remarked.

“Yours or mine?”  He asked with the most devilish grin.  A grin that made her pulse race.  Oh, why was he torturing her this way?

“Both.”

“Well, I don’t know about yours, but mine have had it pretty easy lately.  They’re due for a little scare.”  That grin of his hadn’t vanished.  Instead it seemed to have grown contagious for Amanda could feel that she was now grinning as well.  She could not deny the fact that she liked him, even though she was trying really, really hard.  It was clear by the sparkle in his eyes that he knew, but that didn’t change the facts.   He had a girlfriend - a huge fact - and then there was that confusion as to why he was even interested.   That was the thing she didn’t understand most of all.  Men had never paid attention to her and now all of the sudden some huge celebrity was making a big fuss over her and she had no clue as to why.

“Okay, fine.”  Amanda reached for the button on the panel and started up the elevator again.  “You can talk to me, but not here.”

“Where?”

“I don’t care.”  Really, she knew there was a good chance they were being watched by security and that’s why she wanted to get out of the elevator.

“Did you want to follow me back to my room?”  He asked.  “And I don’t mean that in a sexual way – I swear.”

“I really do need a shower.”  She sighed.

“You know, I was wondering why you’re wearing the same clothes as yesterday, but I wasn’t about to ask.”  Now that was teasing and she could tell.  And, even though her first reaction was to roll her eyes smugly at his sarcasm, a tiny grin did sneak its way across her lips.

“Um, excuse me, so are you.”  She finally remarked, being sure to hide just how much she was enjoying his playfulness.

“Yes, but I have an excuse.  I worked all night and you know it.”  She did know that and for some odd reason it gave her a great deal of satisfaction.

The doors opened on floor eighteen and he looked at her questionably, “well?” 

“Fine.”   She agreed and hit the close button.  “So, where is your bodyguard anyway?”

“Probably waiting on my floor.”  He answered and then changed the subject quickly.  “You never told me why you haven’t changed clothes this morning?”

“Do you really think that’s any of your business?” 

“Ooh, sharp this morning, aren’t we?”

Amanda only responded with a wry grin.  The doors opened and JC had been exactly right because Mike was standing just inside the hall, waiting patiently with his arms crossed over his bulky chest.  She could only imagine what he was thinking.  “Now, what was that all about?”  The large man asked.

“What?”   JC asked innocently as Amanda followed behind him.

“It took you ten minutes to go up twenty-one floors.”  Mike spoke deeply.

“Hey man, you must be tired because you’re losin’ your mind.  It did not take ten minutes.”  JC argued and then looked back at Amanda to give her a devious wink. 

“Whatever.”  Mike shrugged.  

JC slowed his pace and let Mike walk in front, giving him the chance to stand next to Amanda.  “So, you were gonna tell me why you didn’t go home last night.”  He continued, glancing at her sideways.

“You’re not giving up on that, are you?”  She replied, looking straight ahead and not giving him the satisfaction that he was waiting for.

“Nope.”

“Maybe I just had a laundry crisis and that’s why I’m wearing the same outfit.”

“Yeah… I believe that one.”  He smirked and stopped as they came across his room.  “This is me.”  He said, pointing to the door.

“I’ll be going now since I see no crazy fans lurking in the hallway.”  Mike announced, giving Amanda the most inquiring look.  A look she wasn’t sure how to respond to, so she didn’t.

“Yeah, see ya later.”  JC told him and stuck his key in the lock.

“Your girlfriends not in there, is she?”  Amanda asked, her tone just a touch on the evil side.

“No, she’s not.”  He answered, shooting that attitude right back at her.  “Come on in.”  He told her as he opened the door.

Amanda stepped inside and noted that it looked pretty much the same as it had the day before.  Not too messy, but not exactly spotless either.  What she did realize right away is that it was absolutely freezing.

Apparently, he noticed too.  “Oops, guess I left the air conditioner on.”  He said, gazing at her with wide eyes before he trotted towards the controller to switch it off.  “Are you gonna charge me double now?”

“I should.”  She replied, plopping down into an empty arm chair.

“You want a blanket or a sweatshirt or something?”  He asked from behind.  She couldn’t exactly see what he was doing, but she was awful curious.

“No thanks.   It’s not that cold.”

“Okay, but don’t say I didn’t offer.”

Amanda sat quietly, her legs crossed and hands folded neatly in her lap, waiting for him to appear.   When he finally did, he had taken off his shoes and his hat and looked just a bit more comfortable as he plopped down on the sofa.  

“So, you wanna tell me why you freaked out on me yesterday?”  He asked out of the blue.  She had been waiting for that question.

“I did not freak out.”  She argued.  That was the only thing she could think of to say, even though, really, she had completely freaked out.

“Um, yes, you did.”

“Look, JC.   I really don’t understand your interest in me.”  Amanda admitted, watching as an amused look spread across his face.

“Do I make you nervous?”  Well, if she hadn’t been before, she definitely was now thanks to that bold question.

But of course she would never admit it. "No."

“I don’t?”  It was obvious he didn’t believe her.

“Why would you think that?” 

“Come on, I’m not an idiot.  I barely touched you yesterday and you accused me of just trying to get you – never mind, I don’t even want to say it.  That was a really not-nice thing to say.”

“If you’re trying to make me feel guilty, it’s working.”  She confessed.

“I’m not trying to make you feel guilty.  I just want to know why.”

She fidgeted in the chair, more than a little uncomfortable with the subject matter.  He was forcing her to talk to him and, well, that was the last thing she wanted to do.  Amanda was not good with confrontation – at all.

When she didn’t answer, he scooted across the couch so he was sitting just at the corner, which was fairly close to her chair.  He folded his arms over the armrest of the plushy sofa and rested his chin on top of them, staring at her with those dazzling blue eyes.  Finally after a minute, he spoke.  “I do need to get some sleep today, you know.  I don’t have forever.”

“Why do you care?”

“Do you always answer a question with a question?”  He asked, sitting up straight and pulling his legs up to rest on top of the coffee table.  He glanced down at his feet and then looked over at her with a boyish smirk.  “Should I not be doing that in front of you?”

Amanda only gazed at him from the tops of her lids.  It stunned her the way he could be so serious one minute and completely adorable the next.   Of course it was that adorable side that really got under her skin.  His boyish charm was really rubbing off on her.

“But seriously, you can talk to me.  Don’t be nervous around me.  I’m just a regular guy, I swear.”  He told her.

Oh, but that was so far from the truth.  He wasn’t just a regular guy.  He was a guy that made her feel a bunch of different things she had never felt before, and they were feelings that she really liked, but were also scared of just a little.  “It’s not that.”  She finally said.

“It’s not what?”

“You know, that whole celebrity thing.”

“Well, I didn’t think it was.  I mean, I don’t really look at myself that way.”  He was not making this easy for her at all.  He paused for a moment and then continued.  “So, I do make you nervous?”

“I guess, a little, sometimes.”  She mumbled.

“How old are you?”

That question was a little surprising.  She wasn’t sure where it had come from.  “How old do you think I am?  And don’t you know you’re never supposed to ask a woman her age?”

He chuckled before giving a response.  “That only counts for women who are older than 40.”

“Really?   Who made up that rule?”

“Would you stop dodging my questions and answer?  Jeez girl, you’re driving me freakin’ nuts.”

“Oh, I’m so sorry.  You’re the one that invited me here.”  She remarked.   “And, I’m 26 if you really must know.”

”Thank you.  Was that so hard?”

Amanda was becoming a little frustrated with his twenty questions, and even though she did enjoy being in his company, she was still confused and realized that she still needed that shower.   “You know, I should probably get going.   You obviously need your sleep and I still need to take a shower.”  She stood up.

“Amanda, wait.”  He said, standing up as well.

“What?”  

“You never told me what happened yesterday?”  His voice turned soft and was filled with a sincerity that made her want to explain, but how could she tell him the truth?  The truth that she had a huge crush on him and the feelings that had overwhelmed her when she felt his touch had scared the crap out of her because she had never felt anything like it before.

“I don’t know what happened.  I’m really sorry for the way I spoke to you, okay?”  She hoped that would be enough, that he wouldn’t want to know more.

“Can I see you again?”

“I don’t know.”  She sighed deeply and dropped her gaze to the beige carpet between their feet.

“I can tell that you’re a little unsure about this and all, but I genuinely like you, Amanda.  I enjoy being around you and I’d really like to spend more time with you.  I promise my intentions are nothing but harmless.”

Her sight returned to his and she could tell by his eyes that he was being truthful.  She’d sensed that he wanted to touch her, and God how she’d love to feel his arms around her, but she wasn’t that brave and was sure he wouldn’t dare try it after what happened the day before.  “Aren’t you leaving soon?”  She finally asked.

“Tomorrow.”  He answered.   “But I don’t have much to do today.   Just make an appearance at this charity event later and then I’m free after that.  We don’t have to stay in the hotel.  We could go somewhere else.”

Every bone in her body ached for her to say yes.  There were so many unanswered questions filtering through her brain, but her heart and soul would not let her forfeit this opportunity.  “Okay.”   She finally answered.

That boyish grin fell across his lips again and for a second or two she pondered over what it would be like for those lips to actually kiss her.  But that foolish thought didn’t last long as she pushed it away assertively.  “I’ll call you later?”  He asked.

“Sure.   I don’t think I’ll be working much today, but you can catch me in my apartment.”

“And where’s that?”  He asked curiously.

“On the eighteenth floor.” 

“You live here?”

“Yeah, so.”

“Boy, you don’t get out much, do you?”

“I do.”   She argued, but not very convincingly.

“Anyway,” he said.  “I’ll walk you out.”

Amanda walked towards the door with him following very close behind her, she could practically feel the warmth his body exuded as he stood behind her. 

They made it to the exit and she turned to say goodbye, but he spoke before she even had a chance.  “I’d give you a hug, but I’d hate for that violent side to come out.”  He smiled.  “So, how ‘bout a hand shake?”

Glancing down at his outstretched hand, she took in a deep breath.  “Sure.”  She complied and slid her palm against his, all those wonderful feelings shooting throughout her body once again.  She had never realized a handshake could be so sensual, but as he brushed his thumb over the top of her hand and then stroked her palm tenderly with his fingers as he pulled away – well – she felt positively tingly from head to toe. 

She blinked a few times, trying her best to shake out of the hazy fog he had just created around her.   But it was then that her lips fell into a stupor and she pretty much forgot how to speak.  “Well… um… yeah, I’ll talk to you later – I guess.”

He laughed quietly and gave her the most charming smile she had pretty much ever seen.  It really was crazy the things he made her feel inside.   You’d never believe that normally she was a very head strong person and not usually tongue-tied, at all.  Not around him, though.  Around him she was a complete idiot.

“Do I really make you that nervous?”  He asked softly, leaning in even closer, his breath beating across her skin.  “Just by touching your hand?”

He reached for it again, her eyes closing as he rubbed her palm with his thumb and all of those tiny little sparks danced through her for a second time. 

“You have really beautiful hands.”  He complimented her and instantly her eyes popped open.  His face was so close to hers, yet his eyes stared down at the hand he held so gently.

”Thanks.” 

There eyes met and she could have sworn he was going to kiss her, she prepared for it in every way possible, but instead he reached for the door handle beside her and smiled once more.  “So, I’ll call you before I leave and let you know about what time I’ll be back.”  He said.

“Okay.”   She replied.  “Get some rest."

“I plan on it, don’t worry.”  He opened the door and she stepped into the hallway, still a bit dazed and feeling just a little out of sorts.  “Enjoy that shower now.”  He grinned devilishly and Amanda couldn’t help but catch the flirty tone in his voice.  She might not have been very experienced, but she knew what she heard.  She was no dummy.

©2001 BrandyRae