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Hunger is a funny thing, Zoe mused, no matter if it’s sexual hunger or the need for food. It doesn’t just creep up on you slowly but suddenly you realize you’re starving. She and C J had just spent almost an hour taking care of their sexual hunger, and now Zoe was starving for food but didn’t want to move from C J’s side. This morning with C J had felt less like sex and more like lovemaking. A distinction worth noting, Zoe thought, but she reminded herself not to get too caught up emotionally. It was hard to forget the way C J looked at her as he pulled her into his arms and started kissing her tenderly. Oh Zoe had felt the passion, pressed up against his body, and it had been hard for her to take things slowly. C J had luxuriated in deepening the tender kisses to ones that were long, probing and passionate. Add the touch of his hands on her body to this and Zoe had let him know she was ready for more. Not wishing to rush, she had gently caressed C J’s penis, noting how he had sighed at her touch and waited expectantly as she put him at the opening of her body. Then, as the next kiss deepened, Zoe had moved slowly and purposefully to ease him deep inside her. The emotions created by being so intimately connected to C J shocked Zoe and made her catch her breath. Opening her eyes and seeing pleasure on C J’s face, Zoe smiled, and neither one of them moved for several moments.
It didn’t take long for desire to overcome contentment. Zoe had started moving slowly at first, almost teasing C J to join. When he responded by slowly sliding his penis almost totally out of Zoe, she wrapped her leg around his back, using the pressure of her calf and foot to press his body to her while she slid right back to where she needed to be. Letting out a long breath, C J started to move more quickly. Zoe immediately arched her back, moving her hips to lengthen each thrust. The intensity of desire overtook them and their movements became furious and uncontrolled as they reached a climax that C J later said he was sure the maids down the hall had heard. Zoe had been amazed when she realized the deep throaty yell was coming from her; that had been a first. Now Zoe lay with her cheek on C J’s chest, still damp from the exertion. She felt happy right now. No matter what happened tomorrow or the next day, being here, feeling the warmth of C J’s body was a piece of life Zoe never wanted to forget. Perfection just as it was. She knew how easily the people you loved could be taken from you in a heartbeat.
“Hey, I’m starved. Let’s head to my apartment so I can get some less rumpled clothes to wear, and I’ll make us something to eat,” Zoe offered, her head propped on C J’s chest.
C J opened his eyes, looked at Zoe warily and said, “Can you cook?”
Zoe thumped C J’s chest in mock anger and rolled out of the bed. As she headed into the bathroom to get her clothes she said, “Have I disappointed you yet?”
“You make a good point,” C J said, sitting up and moving to place his feet on the floor.
C J heard water running when he neared the bathroom and was glad to see Zoe had opted for a quick bath, allowing him free run of the shower. Good thing, because languishing in the shower seemed to be a favorite pastime of theirs. Glancing up as he was toweling off, C J caught sight of Zoe in her business attire from last night. Boy, that was not her usual crisp tailored look.
“Is that stuff even dry?” he asked.
“Not really, but it’s going to have to do until I can get home and change,” she answered.
“I could go buy something,” C J said.
“Are you ashamed to be seen with me, C J Fairchild,” Zoe asked with a tinge of sarcasm.
“No, but I am worried about what your doorman is going to think about me. He already has me pegged as a stalker, remember,” C J answered, frowning.
“Did you bring a coat with you?” Zoe asked, a bit agitated.
“Yes but it got soaked last night,” C J answered.
“It will do,” Zoe answered. “Come on, let’s get moving. I’m really hungry.
C J couldn’t help but smile when they stepped out of the room, and the maid quickly averted her eyes as they passed her. “Told you she heard.”
Zoe acted as if she did not hear a word he was saying until the elevator door closed, and she burst out laughing. “We should stay at my place tonight.”
C J looked at Zoe with lifted eyebrows and smiled. “Deal.”
Zoe couldn’t help but feel many eyes on them as they walked through the lobby towards the exit. When they made it outside, she said, “Tonight we are definitely staying at my place.”
Luckily there were several taxis waiting at the hotel entrance. On the ride to her apartment Zoe pointed out restaurants and businesses of interest. C J had been to New York on several occasions for work but had always flown in, flown out and only stayed overnight when necessary. The city had never appealed to him. The people never seemed satisfied, and walking through the trash spilling onto the sidewalks was akin to being in a minefield. Looking at Zoe, C J smiled and decided the city would be bearable with her as his guide. Seeing it with Zoe was going to be an adventure.
Chapter Nine
“Hello, Henry,” Zoe said before her doorman could acknowledge their presence. “This is my friend, C J Fairchild, visiting from Houston.”
“Hello, Mr. Fairchild, glad to see you found Ms. Alden,” he said with no trace of welcome in his voice.
“It’s good to see you again, Henry, and thank you for all of your help yesterday,” C J said as pleasantly as he could choke out.
Once the elevator doors closed behind them, C J turned to Zoe and said, “What the hell is up with that guy?”
“Henry’s a good guy but a bit protective. I’ve known him for years and he was very fond of Jean,” Zoe said, “It’s unusual for me to bring a man to my apartment.”
“Well hell, maybe I should check into a new hotel and we can hide out there,” he said.
The elevator doors opened and C J saw they were facing apartment #700. Zoe exited left and headed down the hallway, which was dead quiet. C J was struck by the sterility of the white walls in the corridor and the fact that every door was the same color, white. It made C J think of a top security facility he had toured with its secluded compartments and the workers going about their tasks day-in and day-out with no change in their routines. About halfway down the hall on the right, Zoe stopped at #705 and pulled out her keys. Turning to C J, she said, “I’m glad you’re here. This is a big deal for me to have you stay with me.”
C J gave her a huge grin and said, “Well let’s get in. I’m starving.”
Entering the apartment, Zoe headed across the living room and into her bedroom, not at all worried C J would feel neglected. I can’t get out of these damp clothes soon enough, she was thinking as she tossed the borrowed coat onto the bed and began to unzip the creased skirt.
C J started to follow Zoe, but the moment he heard the scrape of a dresser drawer opening he decided to let her change in peace. Turning his head from left to right he was able to take in the layout of the kitchen and the connected living area. Zoe’s lifestyle and personality were evident in the apartment’s furnishings. The place wasn’t cluttered but C J saw items he knew were keepsakes from the different countries she had lived in or traveled to. Carved masks from Africa and figurines from the Far East were interspersed on shelving with books in several languages. He also noticed Zoe’s favorite place to sit; this was evident by the green throw haphazardly thrown on the seat of an oversized chair. No wonder—the view from this chair out her living room window captured his attention immediately, and C J was mesmerized to see Manhattan spread out below.
“I never imagined this clear a view existed here,” C J said, loud enough for Zoe to hear him in the other room.
“I will show you something better, but first, we eat,” Zoe said, walking into the room dressed in a pair of jeans and a loosely fitting sweater.
“Both things sound good, and I have to tell you that you look great in those jeans,” C J said as he walked up to the kitchen island, smiling. “Need help?”
Zoe, moving with purpose now, open
ed a drawer, pulling out forks and knives. She placed these on top of two plates with cloth napkins and said, “Please move that mail off of the table by the wall and set our places. Once you do that I’ll give you task number two.”
What seemed like a simple task was complicated by the fact that C J saw no place to put the mail, so he carried it to what looked like a small desk on the other side of the living room. As he turned, C J noticed a photo of Zoe and two men on the bookshelf, standing arm in arm in front of the Eiffel Tower. I wonder which man is Jean?
Zoe had just placed a large pot of water on the range to boil and was pulling food out of the refrigerator and setting it on the counter, when she turned to see C J looking at the photograph.
“Jean is the man on my right,” Zoe said, “and that’s his brother, Antoine, on my left.”
“You look very happy,” C J said soberly.
“Yes, I was happy then and I’m happy now,” Zoe said, pausing, “I’ll be even happier when you get that table set and start on this salad. You can chop tomatoes, I assume.”
“Do you prefer peeled and seeded in the French style?” C J asked smartly as he finished the table and headed back to the counter, which served as an island separating the rooms.
Zoe smiled and said, “Your choice since you are obviously skilled in the kitchen.”
C J sat on a stool and set about making the salad while Zoe diced pancetta and threw it into a pan on the stove. As the pancetta heated up and started to sizzle, its aroma wafted over to C J and he suddenly felt very hungry.
Zoe grabbed a crusty baguette off of the top of the refrigerator and poured some seasoned olive oil in a small bowl between them on the counter.
“This might not last long,” C J said pulling off a piece from the end of the baguette and dipping it into the oil. He offered it to Zoe and she leaned forward, taking a bite and closing her eyes in delight. C J finished the piece of bread and then started opening the wine while watching Zoe cook. This was obviously serious business for her, and he knew better than to disrupt her. Once she had the pasta in the boiling water, Zoe set up the eggs, cream and cheese to finish the spaghetti carbonara. She glanced up to see C J watching her intently, and she winked as she tucked her hair behind her ear and started transferring the hot pasta to the skillet and its contents.
At first they ate in total silence because they were both ravenous. Then conversation resumed with C J asking Zoe about some of the items she had collected. He enjoyed trying to guess their countries of origin and was on the mark for most of them. Zoe mentioned the shelf filled with Jean’s cameras but C J could tell she didn’t want to linger on that topic. When C J starting asking about some of the buildings he could see, Zoe brightened and stood up. Before he could ask what was going on she was refilling their wine glasses and walking toward the door to her apartment.
“Well come on, C J, I have something to show you,” Zoe said impatiently as she walked to the apartment’s front door.
“Where?” was all he could get out as Zoe was already halfway out the door.
C J got up and followed Zoe through the door and down the hall to the end of the corridor. Here she opened a door into a stairwell and headed up two levels. As they stepped out of the stairwell onto the roof, C J stopped, stunned at what he was seeing. They were in the midst of a rooftop garden sheltered by the upper floors of the adjoining building. C J lingered a moment to take in the fragrances and colors of the roses in their raised beds. Zoe turned to see if C J was following her and then walked toward a glider tucked between two large potted trees. Here the view of Manhattan was unimpeded by any glass but faint sounds of traffic and conversations still reached them. Zoe and C J both sat down, setting the glider in motion. She quickly moved next to C J and placed her legs across his lap as he put his arm around her shoulder. For the time it took them to finish their wine they sat in silence, happily absorbed in each other.
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C J kissed the top of Zoe’s head and noticed a tear roll down her cheek and land on her hand. He waited to see if she would say what was on her mind. Looking up at him, Zoe started to speak but changed her mind, not trusting her voice.
C J said it for her, “Jean created this didn’t he?”
Zoe cleared her throat. “It was his idea but the entire building pitched in to make the space, and now they work to maintain it. Jean called it our escape to sanity. He never liked this city very much.”
C J wanted to say he agreed with Jean but instead said, “I’m glad you’re sharing this with me. What a beautiful spot to pass time with someone you care about.”
Zoe and C J both realized what he had revealed with those words but neither one of them reacted immediately. C J waited for any kind of response from Zoe but she said nothing. Then she was quickly on her feet and smiling at him, saying, “Now that we are fed and rested let’s hit the streets and I’ll show you some of my neighborhood.”
C J stood and followed Zoe back to the stairs, leaving the tranquility of the garden behind. He started to think about his comment and Zoe’s lack of response but pushed it to the back of his mind as they entered her apartment. Zoe got busy putting any leftover food away and getting dishes into the dishwasher. C J quietly handed her their dishes from the table. When she looked up and flashed him a huge smile, the thought of Zoe not being in his life was unbearable. What am I prepared to do to make sure I never lose this woman? C J asked himself. Whatever it takes because I can’t imagine life being the same without her.
“Almost done here,” she said, turning to shut the refrigerator. “There’s a great bakery a few blocks over. Care to see what they have?”
“Sure,” C J said as he watched Zoe. He couldn’t help but feel she wanted out of the apartment.
For the next several hours they walked around Zoe’s neighborhood, and she pointed out her favorite grocer, they visited the bakery and then sat on a park bench and watched the joggers and people pushing strollers go by. Zoe felt more at ease on the streets, and she couldn’t explain to herself what had triggered her need to get out of the apartment today. She didn’t mind the fact that C J was there and he was seeing a glimpse of her life with Jean. Maybe her unease in the apartment had begun months ago and today made Zoe face that reality. Was it time to move on and truly begin a new life? If so, was Zoe ready to believe another man could be a part of her life, and was that man C J?
The look on C J’s face told Zoe he was wondering what she was thinking and feeling. His comment on the roof had been said truthfully, and Zoe thought C J had even surprised himself once it was out. This is totally uncharted water for him, and now I can’t figure out how far I wish to dive in myself. Don’t F this up, Zoe told herself.
Zoe tilted her head and looked at C J. Not sure if he had missed something she had said, C J lowered his head. Zoe took advantage of this and kissed him just long enough to show she cared too. C J smiled as he looked into her eyes and tightened the arm he had protectively around her shoulders.
Not wishing to sit any longer, Zoe turned to face C J and asked, “Are you up for a subway ride and then more walking? We can go to SoHo and then walk to a great Chinese restaurant I know. The duck is phenomenal and the greasy noodles are to die for.”
“Who could turn down greasy noodles?” C J answered, looking a bit skeptical.
“Hey, I was game for a crayfish boil,” Zoe reminded him.
“And that was the best crayfish boil you’ve ever been to,” C J answered, clearly thinking of the after-party activities.
Zoe and C J stood simultaneously, and he motioned with a wave of his hand for her to lead the way. As they headed out of the park and got ready to cross the street, Zoe’s hand found C J’s and she entwined her fingers with his. The subway ride was challenging. They had gotten on right as the Friday rush hour was starting. C J mentioned to Zoe they should have gotten a cab, and she reminded him that the traffic would have been worse. She was hoping the restaurant would not be too packed by the time they made the 20 minu
te walk from the subway station, but what did it matter? They were making their own schedule this evening.
Once they were walking street-side, Zoe asked C J what time he was leaving on Sunday and what he wished to do the next day. C J surprised her by saying he would like to head out to Long Island and see the ocean. SoHo took longer to walk through than Zoe expected, as C J was enjoying looking at the artwork in some of the galleries, and he also was sidetracked by a number of the finer menswear clothiers he had spotted. None of the businesses were still open or they were appointment only, so Zoe kept grabbing C J’s arm and playfully pulling him along the sidewalk. Note to self, Zoe thought: C J likes modern art and clothing.
Zoe stopped suddenly, and C J collided with her almost knocking her into a woman pulling a roller cart filled with groceries.
“Sorry I wasn’t paying attention and almost walked by the restaurant”, Zoe said, “I haven’t been here in ages but I still recognize that heavenly smell.”
After the Interview Page 10
