Howie pulled into Vanessa’s driveway and turned off the car.
“I had a great time today, Howie. Thanks for inviting me to come with you.”
Howie blushed –it was so easy to do that around girls. – He felt uncomfortable, unsure as to what he should say. He stared off into space, thinking.
“Howie?”
“Yeah?”
“Are you okay?”
“Yeah. Sorry, I was kinda spaced.”
“You space a lot, don’t you?”
“Sometimes.”
They laughed.
“So Vanessa –“
“Call me Nessa.”
“So, Nessa, what are you doing tomorrow?”
“Tomorrow, hmm, Idon’t know, lemme think - nothing.”
He smiled, “Do you wanna go with me to the movies?”
“That’d be great.”
He licked his lips for the thousandth time that night. She dug in her pocket and found her chapstick.
Handing it to him she said, “Here, I think this might help you with your nervous habit.”
“Thanks,” he said, taking it from her.
He didn’t put iton though. Instead, he leaned over to her and kissed her softly.
She put her arms around him and pulled him closer. They heard a knock on the driver’s side window. Howie broke away and turned to face Brad, who was patiently waiting for Howie to roll the window.
“What?”
“It’s getting late Howie. You’ve got a 6:00 photo shoot with Polly, a 9:00 interview with The Boxx for Caroline’s fund, and a 11:30 practice with Fatima.”
“All right, all right. Just let me say good bye to Nessa. “
He rolled up the window, annoyed with his schedule. “Where’d the time go?” he asked, looking at his watch. It was already 9:30 p.m.!
“I guess we had too much fun shopping.”
“You know what they say, ‘Time flies when you’re having fun.’ “
”It must.”
After a brief silence, she said, “So, what time are we going to the movies tomorrow?”
“I was thinking about 1:30 or 2:00, if that’s okay with you.”
“Yup, it’s a date, or whatever.”
“It’s a date,” he said, laughing.
Howie got out of the car and ran to Nessa’s side. He opened the door and helped her out of the car.
“Thanks.”
“It’s no problem.”
He walked her to the door. She caught her keys as Brad tossed them to her. She looked up at Howie. She reached up and kissed him again.
“Good night, Howie.”
“Night, I’ll call you when I get back to the hotel, if that’s all right with you.”
“That’s more than all right with me.”
She walked in the door hesitantly. Howie walked over to the car and climbed in.
He sighed and said to himself, “She’s such a great girl. I just don’t want to have to tell her that we leave in a week.”
He started the car and pulled away, waving to her.


Nick managed to pull Angie off the floor, but that’s as far as they got. He pulled her to him again, moaning softly. But he broke off the kiss.
“Do you think –“ he began.
“Shh…I don’t want to think right now.”
He looked puzzled. She threw her arms around him, pressed her lips to his and took exactly what she wanted.
She was afraid that she was walking off a very steep cliff. But she took the step with her eyes wide open. And he was with her, every step of the way. He free - fell with her all the way down the cliff’s edge.
“Angie-“
“Don’t say anything,” she whispered.
His arms locked tight around her waist as he pressed his lips to her throat. The pulse he found there matched his own.
He touched her hair first, watching his own fingers tangle and stroke. Then softly, a whispering touch, his lips on hers.
Unsteady, she braced herself on his chest. She didn’t want to be weak then. But as his lips roamed over her face, she trembled.
Very slowly, barely touching her, he slipped her shirt off. Watching her, he unbuttoned the button on her jeans and slid them off. When she reached out to him, he took her hands.

“No. just let me touch you.”

As if she were made of the most delicate glass, he swept his fingers over her skin. Helpless, she closed her eyes as his fingers brushed over her body.

Her head fell back, and a shuddering moan escaped her lips as he continued those lazy explorations with patient and surprisingly gentle hands.

Now she was falling fast and hard. But he was there to catch her. He was there to catch her when her knees gave away. He lifted her, cradling her in his arms, before laying her on the bed.

“Nobody,” she whispered, “has ever made love to me like this before.”
“I’m just getting started.”

He was true to his word. With a leisurely pace, he took her to places she’d never been.

Her hands were in his hair, pressing him closer as colors seemed to shatter behind her eyes.

Her body was on fire now, from the inside. The sparks shot through her, like little pinpoints of unspeakable pleasure as ancient as the stars.

He took the las article of clothing from her body, and she could do nothing but writhe under his hands, her breath sobbing in her lungs.

A million sensations hammered her, too fast, to many. She struggled to separate all these wonderful sensations, but they were one giant, wild maze without beginning or end. She called his name without realizing it.

She could only see his face, so close to hers – his eyes so intense. Her arms lifted to brush his shirt aside, and to touch him as he had touched her. She rode to him to press her lips against his chest and glide them up to his throat.

In an easy dance, she moved over him, needing to show him exactly what he had done to her.
With a murmuring sigh, he made them one. They moved together, deliciously slow. The sweetness brought tears to her eyes that he kissed away.

Gradually, the sweetness became heat. As pure passion misted her vision, she felt his fingers link with her own. Her name tumbled from his lips as she cried out in ecstacy.
They fell back together, exhausted.
Nick’s name was the last thing Angie said before falling into a deep and peaceful sleep.


------EARLIER------

Lori and Brian walked into his room and stopped dead in their tracks. It was totally trashed. Brian did a little mental math and figured that things hadn’t gone well with Nick and Angie. Sure enough, there was a note on the bed from Nick.

“What is it, Bri?”
“Nick. Things didn’t go exactly as planned with him and Angie, I’m guessing.”
“Yeah. Okay, let’s see if I can find you some clothes in this mess while you shower.”

He smiled at her and went into the bathroom. As soon as she heard the water running, she began to rummage through the clothes on the floor. After giving up on the floor, she went into the closet. She found a pair of khaki pants and a nice button up shirt for him to wear to the interview.

“It never hurts to look good,” she mumbled.
“Nope, it doesn’t,” Brian said at the door.
“Shit! You scared me!”
“Sorry,” he said, pulling her to him.

He leaned down to her and kissed her. Even though he was still wet, she put her arms around his waist. He kissed the tip of her nose. She reached up to him and brought her mouth to meet his. She pushed him back against the door, kissing him harder.

“I don’t want to got to this interview,” he mumbled against her mouth.
“You have to. You made a commitment.”
“Yeah.”

Lori kissed him one last time and backed away. Brian began to walk out into the room, but the towel he had wrapped around his waist had gotten caught on the doorknob. Before he could catch it, it fell to the floor. Lori’s eyes involuntarily traveled downward.

“Lori!”
“Sorry, Brian. Couldn’t resist,” she said, turning around.
He picked up the towel and re-wrapped it around his waist.
“I gotta go to the interview soon, do you want to come with me?”
“Yeah, that’d be cool.”
“Then go shower.”
“I don’t have any clothes.”
“Wear some of mine. You can fit into some of my wind pants.”

She walked to the bathroom and closed the door behind her. She took a quick 5 minute shower. When she got out, she wrapped a towel tightly around her. She opened the door a crack and stuck her head out, looking for Brian. She didn’t see him, so she walked into the room. She found his favorite wind pants and tee shirt with a note on top of them. It said:

Hey, Lori. Put these on and go to A.J. ’s room.
Luvya, Brian.


She threw on the clothes and walked across the hall to A.J. ‘s room She knocked on the door and Brian answered it.

“Is that Lori?” she heard A.J. say.
“Yeah. Later, Bone.”
“Later, B-Rok. See ya Lori!”

Brian closed the door behind him. They walked to the elevators together, not saying anything. Brian was still blushing.

Chapter 9