by Terry Towers
"When you've been married for over ten years, romance novels are all you have sweetie; you'll see," she warned, turning her back to Jessie as she greeted an approaching customer.
She's got me there, Jessie mused with a chuckle as she made her way to the freezer.
****
Dropping the third orange into the thin plastic produce bag, Jeff gave the bag a spin and knotted it, before lowering it into the grocery store hand basket with the few other items he'd picked up. He'd stopped at the grocery store as a quick detour home from the office. He noticed the blonde coffee shop girl, Jessie, also heading towards the checkouts but from the opposite direction. She was frantically texting into the phone in her hand, a basket of groceries swinging from her arm as she walked.
Although she still wore the brown uniform announcing her to be a hostess of the coffee shop down the street, she was minus the visor and her long golden blonde hair was now loose, falling halfway down her back. Visibly agitated, she frowned at the small screen and raked a hand through her silky locks.
Jeff slowed his pace to the checkouts, waiting to see which one she chose so he could fall in line behind her. He looked down at himself and frowned, he'd gone to the gym right after leaving the office and was still wearing the jogging pants and t-shirt he'd worn there. He hadn’t bothered to change partially due to the fact that he didn't want to be stopped by someone with an issue they were just dying to discuss. When he went to stores wearing plain clothing, then people were less inclined to recognize and stop him.
Sure it was his job to hear the concerns of the citizens, but sometimes he just wanted to go to buy some oranges and cereal without having to stop to have an hour long discussion on his current policies, or lack thereof. Sometimes, if just for a few hours it felt good to be plain old Jeff. Not Senator Morrow, just Jeff.
As he walked up behind Jessie, he watched in amusement and chuckled as she cussed and turned off the phone before slipping it into her little brown handbag. The sound of his snickering drew her attention so after setting her basket of groceries on the conveyer belt, she spun around to face him.
Her eyes, wandered up the length of his body beginning at his sneakers, but when her eyes met his, she gasped and her eyes widened. "Senator Morrow?"
He gave her a friendly smile, nodded and set his basket on the conveyer belt behind hers. "Jessie, from the coffee shop."
"Oh my God, I didn't recognize with you with clothes on!" she exclaimed, a little too loudly, drawing the attention of a number of people around them in other lines, along with the cashier and customer before them in their line.
Jeff didn't need a mirror to know his face must have lost every ounce of color it may have had. With the ease of a true politician he quickly wiped the look of shock from his expression and laughed it off.
"No! Oh my god!" Looking around them, she noticed several sets of eyes on her and Jeff. Immediately, a deep crimson hue began to grace her cheeks. "No, no. That came out wrong. Oh God! I've never seen him naked. He always has on really nice suits, and…"
Looking around them Jeff nodded to a number of onlookers and leaned over to her. "Not helping. Maybe you should just stop talking," he whispered, his tone was teasing, but he truly did want her to stop before she drew more attention to them.
"I'm so sorry," she whispered back, and handed the cashier a bill, though Jeff doubted she even knew what the total was. The change she was handed by the cashier was tossed into her purse, without her paying any attention to what it was.
"Don't worry about it. I knew what you meant."
She moved forward and began to gather her bags as the cashier rang his few items in. By the time she appeared to have both her embarrassment and her bags under control, he'd already paid and was picking up his own items.
"You just caught me by surprise is all..." she turned and moved away from the checkout, with Jeff following suit.
"Nothing to worry about," he assured her as he walked with her through the automatic doors and into the parking lot.
"You just always wear these beautiful suits and..." her bright blue eyes looked up into his grey ones, worry evident in them, "I hope that isn't going to cause you problems..."
Jeff couldn't stop the laughter that erupted from him. "I think it'll be fine. I've had worse said about me, I assure you of that."
His laughter helped relieve her anxiety and she gave him the cute, sexy smile she greeted him with every morning, the very smile he made a detour to stop by the coffee shop she worked at each morning just to see. The same smile that took his dick from a resting position to full awareness.
Damn it!
The flimsy material of his jogging pants did little to cover the growing bulge underneath them. He swiftly shifted the grocery bag he was carrying to block her view of his groin, if, on the off chance, her eyes should wander in that direction.
"Boyfriend problems?" he inquired. As soon as he said the words he wanted to kick himself and half-wished he could take them back. Looking down at her, roughly half a foot shorter than his six feet, he hoped she wasn't underage. He assumed that she wasn't since she worked the morning shift at the coffee house otherwise she'd be in school during the day. But still, she'd be maybe twenty - though he seriously doubted much older than that.
She shrugged. "Nah. Not really. I'm not seeing anyone at the moment."
They walked in silence for half a minute, giving Jeff a moment to decide if he was actually going to take a chance with her. The press had made all sorts of asinine remarks about him and the twenty-five year old model that he'd been dating and got dumped by. Dating a young woman from the coffee shop would give the press a field day, but he reasoned with himself that it was in his remit to mingle with a wide section of society. Anyway, he was hardly some geriatric politician. He was entitled to a simple date. It didn't have to make headline news; what harm could an innocent date do, right?
"This is me," Jessie announced, stopping and turning to face him as they reached a red Pontiac Sunfire.
Jeff eyed the beat-up little car, which gave him serious concerns its road-worthiness and frowned.
As if sensing his worry over the car, she smiled. "It's not much, but it's paid for. And - believe it or not - it works great."
Ummm, not, but he kept his comment to himself. Moving his eyes back to hers and seeing the pride she had in the little car, which he could safely assume she'd bought herself, two things hit him: how stunning she was, and how young and innocent she looked. Again, a voice in the back of his head told him to wish her well and walk away. It wasn’t worth jeopardizing his reputation, but he couldn't; his dick wouldn't allow it.
"If you're not busy tomorrow night, would you like to come over to my place for dinner?"
Surprise registered in Jessie's eyes as her mouth fell open; however, she quickly recovered from the initial shock and snapped it shut. "Ummm. Well, I... Are you asking me on a date?"
Jeff felt a fluttering in his stomach. Was he nervous? Yes, yes he was.
After what felt like an hour, but was close to the span of several seconds Jeff shook his head. "You know, I'm sorry. I shouldn't…"
"Well, that’s a shame," she said as her smile widened, "because I'd love to!"
Chapter 2
"He should be here any minute," Jessie informed her roommate Rebecca as she tugged at the side zipper of her black leather knee-high stiletto boot.
Reclining against the wall next to Jessie, Rebecca grinned down at her. "I know we always tease you about the chemistry you seem to have with the Senator, but none of us ever guessed anything would actually develop from it."
Jessie frowned and looked up at her dark-haired friend's amused face. "Nothing has developed. He's cooking me dinner. That's it."
Walking over to the full length mirror attached to the back of the bathroom door, with Rebecca in tow, Jessie examined herself. "How do I look?" Her critical eye started at her boots and moved up to her blue sundress which matched the blue in her eyes perfectly. The dress
fell to just above the knee and dipped low into her moderately-sized cleavage, hugging her figure in all the right places.
"You look great. You always look great."
Raking a hand through her long blonde locks she clicked her tongue against the roof of her mouth. "What about my hair? Up or down?" She gathered her hair into a loose bun and held it there with one hand eyeing herself in the mirror from all angles.
"Down," Rebecca replied without hesitation. "That way he can run his fingers through it just before he makes his move."
Laughing, Jessie swatted at her friend's arm as she let her hair fall loose again down her back. Would he make a move? How would it feel with his body pressed against hers? Would his kisses be soft and tender or hard and aggressive? She felt a shiver run through her just at the thought of him and the things she’d like to experience with him.
As much as she would like to hold onto Rebecca's optimism, she knew she had to be realistic. From what she'd read in the press Jeff usually dated models and 'richie-rich' socialite types; the fact he'd even asked her out was still quite surprising to her. Her figure, although nice by ‘regular’ people’s standards, was nothing close to that of a model. She was just the average girl next door - no more, no less.
A knock sounded at the door, halting her inspection. Turning to face Rebecca, she gave her friend a nervous smile.
As if reading her mind and understanding her concerns, Rebecca gave her a quick, reassuring hug. "You don't have to be a model or some prissy trust fund baby to be with him. He asked you to dinner because he likes you. Everyone at the restaurant can see it."
"Thanks Becca." She gave herself one last look in the mirror, nodded her approval and rushed to the door, flinging it open as he was about to knock a second time. Jessie stood silent for a moment, her eyes sweeping over him. The faded blue jeans he was wearing clung to his thick, powerful thighs and the black sweater which hung somewhat snugly, showed off his broad, muscular chest and lean torso.
He looked hotter than she'd ever seen him; the fact that he was wearing a simple ensemble of jeans and a sweater helped to ease her nervousness. Taking a step towards her, he gave her a quick hug, too quick for her liking, but in that half-minute of having her body pressed against his, she felt a rush of heat flow through her and a stirring between her thighs.
His cologne was a light, spicy musk smell to which she found herself longing to get closer. When he released her, she was surprised at the pang of disappointment she felt. Looking up into his eyes, she noticed a hunger simmering within them, a hunger he appeared to be fighting hard to conceal.
Although Rebecca was nowhere in sight, she could feel her friend’s eyes on her back.
"Ready to go?" Jeff asked, extending his arm to her.
With a wide smile forming on her glossed lips, Jessie nodded. She stepped out onto the porch, closing the door behind her and took his offered arm. They walked in silence to his black Mercedes in the driveway, which started up the nervousness within her once more.
"You look beautiful, by the way," Jeff said, opening the passenger door for her.
Jessie could feel the heat rush up into her cheeks. She'd always dated boys her own age and none seemed to have the respectfulness and class of Jeff. They had no interest in opening doors for the girls they dated, or being charming and the best compliment she could hope for was a comment on how hot her ass looked in those jeans, or how good her tits looked in that sweater.
Despite the flush she knew had crept up into her cheeks, she met his eyes. "Thank you, Senator Morrow."
Jeff cringed. "How about just calling me Jeff? Otherwise I'll feel compelled to start reciting my political manifesto and I assure you, you don't want that."
If her ivory skin hadn't been touched with a rosy glow before she was sure it was now. "Yes, I ummm." She stopped herself and let out of loud huff of air before words began to flow from her mouth that she'd rather keep under lock and key. "Jeff it is."
Once she was settled in the luxurious black leather seat, Jeff closed the door and made his way over to his side of the car. She took those few seconds to try and determine why she was so nervous. It made no sense. When he showed up each morning at the coffee shop she was relaxed and they had a nice easy, flirty exchange. Why had it changed, at least for her anyhow? Jeff, on the other hand, seemed unperturbed by the change in venue.
Slipping in beside her, he gave her that sweet, sexy smile that made her heart thump at an accelerated pace and started the car before shifting it into gear.
****
As Jeff stood at the kitchen counter chopping onions while Jessie worked at the peppers, he found himself concerned. He wasn't sure what had happened to change things between them from each morning when he spoke to her at the coffee shop to now, when she appeared to be a bundle of nerves around him. Something had changed, however, and he intended to get to the bottom of it.
"Is there something wrong? Was I being too forward by asking you over to my place for supper? We can put the food away and just go to a restaurant..."
Jessie dragged her focus from the peppers to his face and smiled; the sweet, easygoing smile that he looked forward to seeing each morning. "I'm sorry. Coming here is great. Your house is stunning." When he glanced over at her with his brow raised sceptically, her smile widened. She reached over to him and touched his bicep lightly, sending a bolt of electricity through him which headed directly to his cock.
Damn it! He'd just gotten his erection under control from seeing her and feeling her soft body against his, and now he was back to square one in that department. If just a simple touch could ignite him like it did, he could only imagine what it would be like with more intimate contact.
Shaking his head, he attempted to clear his mind of the way her breasts teased his eyes beneath the thin fabric of the bodice of her dress. "Can I ask you a question then?" Done with the onions he scraped them off the glass cutting board and into the sauté pan.
Jessie finished with the peppers and caught his gaze as she passed him the cutting board so he could add them to the mixture in the pan. "Sure."
With everything added to the pan, he placed the cover on and wiped his hands on the dishtowel before turning to face her. Crossing his arms over his chest, he eyed her as she waited for the question to come. "What is with the bout of sudden nerves?"
"Nerves? No, that's crazy." She turned so she was facing him straight on, grabbing the dishtowel he'd discarded to wipe her hands clean of the peppers.
Jeff sighed. "Do you know why I asked you over here tonight?"
As she shook her head her long golden locks swayed behind her. He resisted the intense urge to reach out and run his hand through her silken hair. He'd smelt her peach-scented shampoo when he'd given her a hug earlier and couldn't seem to get the smell from his mind. It seemed to beg him to draw her close to him, so he could graze the side of her long, elegant neck with his lips and tongue.
His cock hardened further, and he groaned inwardly.
"Well, would you believe me if I told you that I haven't been on a date that I've actually chosen for myself in over three years?"
She crinkled her nose up at him. "Come again?"
Laughing at her reaction, Jeff nodded. "Nope. Every relationship or date I've been on in the past three years has been a result of my advisor, Cathy. She strongly suggests the potential dates, with PR in mind and I've just been so busy that I simply go along with her."
He was pleased to see the tension within her relax slightly as she mulled over the information. "Hasn't there been anyone you've been interested in?"
"Nah. Not really."
"But the model?"
Jeff laughed. "A PR gimmick, though being dumped wasn't really part of the plan.”
Laughing with him, she nodded. "Well, then why ask me?" She chewed at her bottom lip, drawing his eyes to her lush lips and another urge to pull her into his arms hit him.
"Because you always treat me like any other man coming into the coffee shop an
d I like that feeling." She took a step towards him and settled her hip against the counter, crossing her arms over her breasts. "I like the idea of not caring about policies, or public image or any of the other bullshit that I deal with every day when I'm with a woman."
"So you're saying I'm an escape?"
An escape? He mulled the idea over and it seemed to fit. Yes, that was exactly what she was for him. An escape from the stresses of debating and decision making... she was a beautiful, young escape in a compact blonde package.
Without meaning to, and not even realizing he was doing it, he combed his fingers through her hair. The golden tresses, silkier than anything he'd ever felt before, slid from his fingers, strand by strand. Taking a step toward her, he closed the distance between them, so that the sweet smell of peaches assaulted his nostrils.
He threaded his fingers into her hair at the back of her head, urging her blue eyes up to meet his. When she looked up, the nervousness had gone from her eyes and instead was replaced with an urgent desire for him; her breathing shallow and rapid.
He stood looking down at her, debating if he should be bold enough to taste the gloss which shone on her lips - peach, to match her shampoo? As he wondered, she took the decision of whether to kiss her or not out of his hands.
Snaking her hands up his chest, she locked her fingers around his neck and pressed up against him, her groin brushing his hardened cock as her sizable breasts crushed up against his chest. Damn, if they don't taste like peaches, he found himself thinking as she brushed her lips across his. So good.
He slipped a hand around her waist, pulled her in tighter to him and she sighed against his lips. Her sigh, was just the motivation he needed to deepen the kiss. He nipped at her lower lip and when her lips parted slightly, his tongue slipped between them in search of hers.
Another shot of hot desire rushed through him, as their tongues touched for the first time. A low growl came from the back of his throat and he pulled her groin tighter against his, cupping her rear in his hands and pulling her tight against his cock, which was swollen and throbbed against the restrictive denim.
