Chapter 6

Her nerves had kicked in double-time as she strode down the hallway on his floor.   Just as she was almost to room 2707, she heard two giggly girls coming around the corner and decided to keep walking instead of stopping at his door.  Once they were out of sight she turned around and walked back.

By now a good ten minutes had passed since she had left the first time, she hoped she wouldn’t be disturbing his rest.  Taking a deep breath, she knocked as hard as she could and then stood still, listening to the sound of her heart racing inside her chest. 

When he didn’t answer, she knocked for a second time and felt just a little bit guilty about it, but finally the door opened and she nearly collapsed at the sight of him.  He was shirtless, wearing a pair of striped pajama bottoms and talking on his cell phone – and Amanda felt like a complete goof because she suddenly forgot the whole reason why she was there.   Luckily her memory returned after a second or two.

But it was obvious by the look on his face that he definitely wasn’t disappointed to see her.  He smiled and waved her inside, then shut the door quickly.  “Okay, mom.  I promise I’ll call you tomorrow...  Yes, I am going to sleep right now…  I know.”   After an “I love you, too” and another “I’ll talk to you tomorrow,” he finally hung up.

He grinned widely at Amanda as he tilted his head just barely to one side.  “Couldn’t stay away?”  He asked her playfully.

“Sorry to bug you.”  She said.  “It’s just, uh, I forgot to give you my phone number.”

“You’re right, you did.  Good thing you came back.”

“Yeah, sorry.”  She apologized one more time.

JC let out a soft smirk and then shook his head subtly back and forth.  Both of his hands reached out to her, landing firmly on her shoulders.  “Loosen up, Amanda.”  He told her as he shook her gently.  After a few seconds, he let go and picked up his phone again.  “Okay, shoot.”  He said.

Amanda was so out of it because he had just touched her again, not to mention the fact that his bare chest was only a few inches away and looking very nice to say the least, that she just about forgot her own phone number.  “Huh?”

“You’re number.  I’m ready.”

God, she felt like an idiot.  “Oh, right.” She finally remembered and spouted off the seven digits.

“Okay, we’re going to work on that.”  He told her, sliding his phone back onto the table after punching her number into the keypad. 

“On what?”  She asked.

“That nervousness of yours.”  He placed a hand on her shoulder.  “As much as I’d love for you to stay, I must sleep now.  I promised my mom and everything.”  He explained.  All Amanda could really think about was the warmth of his hand against her. 

“I know, I’m sorry.”

“Would you quit apologizing.”  He told her, a tiny bit of frustration lingering in his voice.

“Okay.”  She said timidly.   “Sorry.”

“Uh.”  He sighed and moved his hand just down her back to nudge her forward a step.  “Come on.”  He told her.   “I’m not trying kick you out, really, but you should go now.”

The haze finally clearing somewhat, she began thinking like her normal self again.  “Right, and I still haven’t taken a shower.”

“And trust me, you need one.”  He teased, but Amanda wasn’t used to that kind of teasing and the look on her face must have been a little unpleasant.  “But don’t worry, you’re still cute as hell.”  He added.  “Now, I will call you later.  Promise.”

“Okay, bye.”  She said, reaching for the door.  He grabbed onto it above her head as she opened it slowly until his strength took over and opened it all the way. 

“See ya later.”  He called out to her quietly as she stepped into the hallway.

“Bye.”  She said once more and he shut the door. 

That had been crazy.  Amanda realized that she was definitely getting in over her head on this one, but it didn’t matter because there was no way she was going to give up this opportunity, regardless of the impractical circumstances.  For once in her life she was going to take a chance and not be so afraid.  This was it and she was ready.

“Okay, that girl is making me crazy.”  JC spoke to himself as he wandered towards the bed.  “She has no idea.  That’s the funny thing.  She has no idea whatsoever.”  He shook his head with incomprehension as he slid under the covers.  “I have to sleep now.”  He told himself quietly.  “No thoughts of Amanda, just sleep.”  Yeah right.   He could try his best, but that was nearly impossible.  The girl had invaded his thoughts one hundred percent and she had no knowledge of that fact at all.

Amanda was either very naive, putting up a really good front or not very familiar when it came to the opposite sex.  He was hoping it wasn’t just a good front because he really liked that genuine innocence about her.  Regardless, he was eager to discover the truth.  In fact, he was anxious to discover a lot of things about her.

Maybe he had fibbed just a little when he said his intentions were nothing but harmless.  They were, sort of.  He didn’t intend on hurting her, but he did want her in the worst way.  More than that, he ached for her.  It seemed she had woken up all of those parts of him that had been sleeping for the past few months.  Yes, now his whole body was alive and kicking, and leaving him somewhat frustrated – sexually.

But he wasn’t about to push her.  He didn’t want to rush things with Amanda.  He had almost scared her away once, he wasn’t going to do it again.

The girl was twenty-six years old, but emotionally she seemed much younger.  He was pretty sure that when it came to business she acted very much her age, but it was obvious that she was more than a little shy when it came to personal relations.  He wondered if that had anything to do with her mother’s passing.   But then again, that had only been three years before, which would have made Amanda twenty-three at the time and definitely old enough to have had her share of boyfriends.  He didn’t get it at all, but he was bound to figure it out.

After that much needed shower, Amanda felt much more like herself.  Since she had decided to sort of take the day off, she lounged around her apartment in her only pair of jeans and a t-shirt.  But it wasn’t long before she decided she’d better get up and do some cleaning just in case JC happened to end up there later on.  She doubted that, but it was better to be safe than sorry.  He’d probably have her meet him at his place again.

Really, she didn’t know what to think about the whole idea.   The only thing she knew for sure is that she was very excited about it.

He liked her.  It was so blatantly obvious that she would have had to been blind not to notice.  The thought alone made her all giddy and excited.  No one had ever acted that way with her before.  No one. 

Amanda had just finished vacuuming when her phone rang.  Her heart skipped a beat as she realized there was a possibility that it was him.  True, it was only 10:30 in the morning and he was more than likely asleep, but there was that slim chance that he couldn’t sleep and just had to hear her voice. Okay, so she was reaching, but she couldn’t deny the fact that it had crossed her mind.

After two rings she answered, “hello?”

“Amanda, are you okay?  I’ve been worried about you.” To her somewhat disappointment, it was Marcy.

“Yeah, I’m fine.  Why wouldn’t I be?”

“Okay, maybe you’ve forgotten what happened yesterday with that sexy pop star?  Come on, now.   You can talk to me.  It’s okay.”

Amanda slid the receiver away from her mouth and giggled softly.   Oh, how was she supposed to explain this one?   “Thanks, Marcy.  But I assure you that everything is fine now, I am fine now.   I promise.”

“You sound funny.”  Marcy remarked.  “Wait a minute… I think I’ve got it figured out.  You like him don’t you?”

“What are you talking about?”  Amanda asked, plopping down on to her sofa.

“You’ve got something going on with him.  Did you see him again?”

“Marcy, what are you talking about?”  Amanda was trying her best not to divulge any information.  Not that she didn’t trust Marcy, but she wasn’t quite ready to talk about it, yet.

“Don’t play dumb with me, little miss.  I’m coming up there.” 

“Excuse me, maybe I don’t want company right now.”   Amanda said.

“Too bad.  I’ll be there in ten.”  And without another word, Marcy hung up.

“Oh, I can’t believer her.”  Amanda sighed to herself.  She knew when Marcy got there she would end up spilling the beans.  As much as she wanted to keep it under wraps, she was also dying to tell somebody.  Of course Marcy would keep it a secret, so she was safe.  Plus, Amanda didn’t really have too many girlfriends.  Marcy would have to do.

Ten minutes, exactly, passed before Marcy knocked on Amanda’s front door.  The woman looked down-right flustered as she stepped inside Amanda’s three bedroom condo.  “You’re wearing jeans.”  The first words to escape her mouth.

“Yes.  I’m taking the day off.”

“You never take a day off.”  Marcy remarked, a little out of breath.

“Did you jog up here, or what?”  Amanda asked as the two sat down in the living room.

“Sort of.  So, you wanna tell me what’s going on?”

“With what?” 

“With what?”  She repeated with a roll of her hazel colored eyes.  “With that fine ass man that keeps following you around.  That’s what.”

“He’s not following me.” 

“Look, Amanda.  I know we’ve only known each other for a little over a year, but I’d like to consider us friends, right?”

“Yes.”  Amanda agreed.

“Well, I can help you.  I can give you advice.  I’ve got lots of experience, okay?  You NEED some help, trust me.”

“Why do you say that?  How do you know that I haven’t had lots of experience, too?” 

“Please, girl.”  Marcy remarked.  “When was the last time you had sex?”

That question just about shocked the crap out of her innocent self and nearly knocked her right off the couch.  It left her astonished, speechless, and a little embarrassed because to answer it she’d have to admit that her last time, was never.

 “You’ve never been with a man, have you?”  Marcy finally asked after Amanda had failed to give her an answer.

“I don’t see how that’s any of your business.”   Amanda finally perked up.

“Look, it’s nothing to be ashamed of and I’m not trying to be nosey.  I just want to help you out, that’s all.”

“Okay, so maybe I’m not all that experienced.”  She finally admitted in a bit of a mumble.

“I’m gonna get right past the envy I feel you right now, because you don’t know how many times I’ve wished I could have mine back – my virginity that is.”  Amanda only looked at Marcy oddly, not sure exactly what the heck she was talking about.  Why would anyone want to take it back?  “Oh, and this hunk of a man is dying to help you out.  I am so jealous.”  Marcy continued.

“Marcy, you lost me.”  Amanda finally spoke up.

“Sorry, I was rambling.  Anyway, I’m not trying to put you down or anything, but did you plan on becoming a nun or something?”

“No, of course not.” 

“Are you saving yourself for marriage?”  It was obvious that Marcy just didn’t get it.  Amanda had never been given the opportunity, that’s why her innocence was still intact.

“No, not really.”

“You’ve had boyfriends, right?”  Marcy’s entire face had scrunched into the center of her head.   She was squinting and almost looking to be in some sort of pain because of Amanda’s inexperience.

“Just one, in college, but he wasn't very in to me.”  

Marcy took in a deep breath and slowly exhaled.  “Okay.  Boy, I was so right on the money on this one it’s scary.  I’m scaring myself.  This is too good.”

“What are you talking about?”  Amanda was now thoroughly confused thanks to the way Marcy had been carrying on.

“First thing, you have to loosen up.”  Marcy said.

“Funny, that’s what he told me this morning.”  Oops, that had slipped.  Without thinking Amanda slapped a hand over her mouth, wishing to scoop those words right back inside.

A complete look of shock fell over Marcy’s face.  “You saw him this morning?”

“Well, yeah.  We kinda ran into each other on the way in.”

“You kinda ran into each other on the way in?  Please, explain.”

“You know, I don’t really want to talk about it.  It’s kinda personal.” 

Marcy wasn’t buying it.  She glared at Amanda from the tops of her eyes with a look of pure irritation.   “You’re not gonna tell me?”

“Well, it’s not really that big of deal”  That was a lie, it was a huge deal to Amanda.  “He’s gonna call me later and we might hang out.”

“Oh, he SO wants you.” 

“I really don’t think it’s anything like that.”   Amanda remarked.  “He does have a girlfriend, you know.”

“Yeah, but he doesn’t like her or did you not notice that when they were shopping together the other day.” 

“Don’t be silly.  Of course he likes her.”  Amanda could only wish that Marcy was right, but that was the last thing she wanted to think about at the moment.  She’d much rather forget about that little tid bit.  

“It doesn’t matter, anyway.  So what are you going to wear?”  Marcy asked.

“When?” 

“Tonight, when you hang out or whatever.”

“I don’t know.”  That thought hadn’t even crossed her frazzled mind.  Besides the one pair of jeans she was wearing and a couple of sun dresses, which were out of season for late September, all she owned were business suits.

“Well, you better think of something besides all those stuffy suits you wear.”

“You know what?  You’re making a way bigger deal out of this than it is.  You’re acting like it’s a date.  It’s not.”  Amanda was beginning to get a little frustrated with all this planning and talking.  “Don’t you have a store to run?”

“Well, I can take a hint.”  Marcy stood up.  “You know where I am if you change your mind.”

“Thank you, I’ll remember that.”  Amanda told her and saw her to the door.  She had grown more than a little frustrated by Marcy's nosiness and insistence on helping her out.  That was not what she needed at the moment.

Immediately she fell back into her cleaning routine, hoping that the time would pass quickly.

Of course, it didn’t.  It moved at a snails' pace.  By one in the afternoon her condominium was spotless.  She had also re-alphabetized her CD collection, checked her e-mail at least a dozen times and ordered some books from one of her favorite web sites.    The realization stumbled upon her that without her job, she had no life whatsoever.  It was truly depressing.

By two o’clock, her energy had run out and she laid down to take a short nap.  Something she rarely did, but that little bit of sleep she had gotten the night before just wasn’t enough and she wanted to be fully alert when spending time with him.

It wasn’t too surprising that her dreams were filled with visions of JC.  Visions of him in very desirable situations.  In ways she didn’t even know she knew about.  Well, maybe she was just kidding herself with that thought.  But one thing she did know for sure, as she groggily woke from her nap, was that she wanted nothing more than to go back to sleep and continue with those delightful dreams.

But she didn’t.  She sat up, stretched and glanced at the hanging clock on the wall.  It was just after three p.m. and JC could possibly be calling her at anytime.  If he had fallen asleep by seven that would have given him a full eight hours of sleep.  That seemed like an average amount of sleep.  Of course, his job was so strenuous he probably needed more than the average amount. 

Just as she finally coaxed herself to get off the sofa and get moving again, there was a knock on her front door.  Immediately she thought of Marcy.  Oh, if she was back Amanda was going to scream.  She liked Marcy, she really did, but she wasn’t exactly keen on the idea of blabbing her whole life story to the girl.  Not today, anyway.   Besides, she didn’t want to share those precious moments she had spent with JC.  She wanted to keep them all to herself.

Completely expecting to see either her flighty friend or Ron, who would no-doubt be coming up to check on her because she had taken the day off, she was flabbergasted to find a very awake and well-put together JC standing in her doorway.

Flashbacks of those wonderful dreams snuck into her thoughts just like he had snuck up on her the day before in the dress shop – very quickly.  “JC.”  She said with surprise.  “Come in.”

“Hi.”  He grinned and waved at someone down the hall – Mike, she figured – then stepped inside her tidy apartment.  “Nice place.”  He said, glancing around the living room.

If you asked Amanda it was pretty plain and boring, especially compared to what he was probably used to, but it was hers nonetheless.  The walls were fairly bare, she only had a couple of pieces of art that her father had bought for her sometime back.  Amanda had considered them sympathy gifts because she had received them just shortly after her mother had passed away.  As if expensive artwork would make the pain go away.  There were no family pictures displayed.  Those were kept in a more private place, her bedroom.  “Thanks.  I thought you were gonna call.”

“Yeah, well… I decided to stop by instead.  I hope that’s okay.” 

“Of course.  Have a seat.”  She remarked, motioning towards the sofa she had just been sleeping so soundly on.  “Would you like something to drink?”

“Sure.  Whatever you’ve got is fine.”  He answered, still looking around as he sat down on the couch.

As Amanda pulled open her stainless steel refrigerator, she was reminded by her reflection that she had been wearing probably the last thing on earth she had ever wanted him to see her in – old, faded jeans and a t-shirt.  And it wasn’t even a nice t-shirt, it was yellow and a little dingy if you asked her.

Trying to forget about her clothing, she walked back to the living room with two glasses of lemonade and a curious smile across her face.  “So, did you sleep well?”  She asked as she took a seat on the opposite end of the sofa.  Amanda didn’t own a loveseat or even a recliner chair, only that couch.  It was either sit there or on the floor, which she did debate on for about half a second. 

“Yeah, pretty good actually.”  He answered after taking a sip of his drink.

“What about you?  What’d you do all day?”

Oh, dream about you… She could not wipe those images from her head no matter how hard she tried.  Then, of course, there was the memory of him standing shirtless a mere foot away from her.  She was getting flushed just thinking about it.  “Not a whole lot.  I did some cleaning and just hung around the house basically.”

“So, did you still wanna do something later?”  He asked, fingering the rim of his glass as he rested it on top of his knee.

“Yeah, sure.”  She answered just as cell phone chirped in his pocket. 

He grunted, set his lemonade on the coffee table, stood and took the call.

Amanda watched as he paced around her living room, stopping at the bookshelf while he talked on the phone.  His tone seemed a little irritated and it sounded like whoever was on the other end was discussing something work related.  He stopped at her CD collection and then turned to look back at her with a sly grin.  She wasn’t sure exactly what it meant, but when he looked at her that way it made her whole body turn numb. 

She tried not to stare, but with his back to her it was safe.   He looked absolutely amazing in just a casual pair of jeans and a white t-shirt that had some sort of writing on the front.  She couldn’t remember what exactly it had said because she was too busy concentrating on the rest of him.  He was wearing another hat today.  This one reminded her of something she might see on a trucker or something, although it wasn’t dirty or dingy.  It was new looking, just like everything else he wore.

And then there was the faint scent of his cologne.  She was beginning to recognize that wonderful scent.  Forever she would think of him when she smelled it because it would always be associated with him. 

Finally he ended his call and turned to her from across the room.   “You read a lot?”  He asked.

“Can’t you tell?”  She grinned.  She only had a huge floor to ceiling bookcase filled with a variety of different hard bound and paper backs, mainly hard bound.

“I do, too.”  He said, returning towards the sofa with both hands resting in his pockets.  “You have quite the eclectic CD collection.” 

“I like all types of music.”  She replied as he took his seat, this time much closer than before.  Just the thought that he was sitting on the very next cushion made her heart beat faster – a lot faster.

“I didn’t see any of our music.”  A devilish grin smoothed across his lips as he raised one eye brow just slightly higher than the other.

Amanda’s eyes instantly grew wide.  She had never even thought about that!  She hoped he wasn’t insulted.  “I… Uh… It’s not that, uh-“

Finally he interrupted.  “It’s okay.  You don’t have to explain.  I forgive you.”  He smiled and gave her knee a quick pat. 

There was that touch again.  That electrifying touch.  That touch that made her completely dumbfounded, and it seemed to be kicking in already because she had absolutely no idea what it was she had wanted to say.  But, God, how she loved the way it felt when he touched her.

JC was enjoying this way too much.  The look that came over her face when he touched her amused him to the fullest.  It was a combination of surprise and enjoyment.  He loved the way her words got all jumbled, and especially because it wasn’t his pop status that did it to her, it was just plain ol’ him.  There was a difference that he could plainly recognize.  Girls got tongue-tied around him all the time, but Amanda hadn’t been that way initially and she was used to being around people like him.  It was part of her job.  He made her nervous, and even though he wanted her to feel comfortable around him, it also struck him as completely adorable.  “So, here’s the plan.”  He told her.   “I’m leaving in about an hour and a half.”  He said, looking down at his sports watch.  “I should be back no later than 9:00.  Is that too late for you?”

“No, huh uh.”  Amanda replied, her pretty green eyes glued to him attentively.  That alone made him smile.

“I’ll try and get back before that, but I doubt it.  They’re probably going to try and talk me into going to something else afterward, but I won’t.  I promise.”

“If you have something else you have to do, I understand.”   She said.

“No, I don’t.  You already said that we could do something before I left, so it’s too late.  You can’t back out now.”  Taking in a breath, he twisted his torso sideways and rested one arm on the back of the sofa.

“Oh, I wasn’t going to.” 

“Good.”  He was also enjoying the fact that he seemed to have complete control over her.  Not that he was a controlling person, but she seemed so… he couldn’t even put a word to it.  All he knew was that she was letting him call all the shots.  He had some weird desire to show her the world and she almost gave the impression that she’d let him.  Almost.   He had seen that feisty side of her and was sure it would come back in an instant if necessary.

“So, what are we going to do?”  She asked curiously.  “I mean, did you have something in mind?”

Oh, did he… But that wouldn’t be happening, that’s for sure.  She would have to ask that question.  “I don’t know.  You live here, what’s there to do?”

“You know…” Her eyes dropped into her lap as she twirled her thumbs together.  “I don’t really get out that much.  I’ve pretty much devoted my whole life to this hotel.”

That thought really bothered him.  She was letting her whole life pass by and why?  Because her father wanted her to stay put, that’s why.  She hadn’t said so much, but just from that one meeting he summed it up right away.  If anyone seemed controlling, it was Jonathan Ballard.  “Amanda, you’re missing out on a lot just staying at this hotel all the time.   We barely know each other, but it’s pretty obvious to me and I hate to see you live like that.”

She looked at him as if he had summed up her whole life in a nutshell.  “You’re so right, and I know that.  I guess I’m just a homebody.”

He smiled genuinely.  “So I am.  When I actually can be.”  Tenderly he reached for her hand and held it softly in between his own.  “But not leaving here and devoting your whole life to this place, it just doesn’t seem healthy.”

Amanda looked away, but she let him keep her hand.  He studied her slender fingers, slowly tracing his own between hers.  With a sharp turn, she snapped her head back and stared at him with those pale green eyes of hers.  A thick piece of her auburn hair fell in front of her face and she used her free hand to push it aside.

“What happened to that girl that I saw playing the piano the other night?”  He asked, rubbing his thumbs into her palm.

“She’s still here.”  Amanda answered softly.

“I really like that girl.”

“Do you really like this girl?” 

He smiled widely as she slipped her hand from his grasp.   “Maybe.”  He said teasingly.

But he could tell by her expression that she wasn’t used to being teased that way.  “Oh.”

“I’m just playin’ with you.  Of course I do.”  He assured her.   “Don’t take everything so seriously, okay?  I wouldn’t be here if I didn’t like you.”  JC looked down at his watch and realized that he had to get going.  He didn’t want to leave.  He didn’t want to attend some stupid charity event.  He didn’t feel like getting all dressed up.  He just wanted to stay and get to know her.

“You have to go?”  Amanda asked, realizing that he was paying close attention to the time.

“I do.  But, I promise, we are going to finish this later.”  He assured her.

“Finish what?”

“This conversation and how come you never leave.”  He stood up, and held one hand out to guide her off the sofa.

She let him help her to her feet and stood just in front of him.  “JC?”  

“Yeah?”

“I know this is really none of my business, but…” She paused and then continued, “you know, never mind.”  She decided, waving the thought away with her hand.

Oh, but his curiosity was sparked.  There was no way he could leave without her finishing whatever it was she was going to say.  “What?  Tell me.”

“It’s just your…”

“My what?  Look...”  He said, placing both hands on her shoulders.  “You don’t have to be so shy around me.  You can ask me whatever.”

He watched as she took in a deep breath of air.  “It’s just your girlfriend.  Does she know that you’re spending time with me?  I mean, would she approve of that?  I don’t want to come in between your guys’ relationship.”

He nodded his head with understanding and rubbed one hand down his chin.  “Don’t worry about that.  I’m a nice guy, I promise.  My relationship with Jessie is very confusing right now.  I used to love her, I really did, but now it’s just – I don’t even know what it is.  Oh, here I am dishing out all my problems on you.”

“It’s okay.”

Knowing he really did need to leave, he glanced down at his watch one more time.  “I really do have to go.”

“I know.  I’ll see you later.”  She walked him to the door and he turned to face her one last time.

“We’ll just meet here?”  He asked.

“Sure, that’s fine.”  She agreed.

“I’ll call you on my way.”  Not thinking twice, he stepped forward and wrapped his arms around her, holding her in an embrace that seemed to last ten times longer than he had intended.  But the feeling of her soft curves against him sent his whole body into a dance of excitement inside.  Not to mention the clean scent of her perfume as it permeated it’s way into his nostrils.   Once he had held on, it was hard to let go, but after a brief minute, he managed to step away.

The look on her face was absolutely inviting, or maybe he just imagined it to be.  Either way, he wanted to stay.  He definitely wanted to stay, but instead he reached for the handle and opened the door.

“Bye.”  She spoke softly.

“See you tonight.”  He smiled and waved, noticing that Mike was just heading his direction.  What was it about her that got to him so badly?  He couldn’t figure it out, but there was no way he could deny it.  The feeling was too strong to ignore.