The Director (Hollywood Nights) (17 page)

She wandered back to the kitchen
and opened the refrigerator to discover fresh groceries inside. He must have
had his housekeeper or a friend pick up some things. She pulled out a cheese
stick and then headed to the cabinets to explore what was shelved where. He
seemed to eat healthy, except for one cupboard that had all the good stuff.

The kitchen was chef quality, all
of the appliances and accessories were top of the line. She located two glasses
and filled one with water. She was standing at the counter with the rest of the
cheese stick sticking out of her mouth and the glass in her hand when he
returned. He looked at her, still a bit unsure, and gave a tentative smile.

“Sorry.” She removed the cheese
stick. “I needed a snack.”

“I wasn’t sure if Bailey had a
chance to get my fridge stocked.” He brought the bags to the table and she
poured another glass of water. He made himself busy getting the containers out
and the food set up. Shay knew she had to be the one to deal with this. He
would spend a week in awkward anticipation wondering if she was okay or not. A
few things she had learned on the trip included his constant concern for her
wellbeing and happiness.
 

“Hey,” she said after setting the
glasses and the remaining cheese on the table. She placed a hand on his back
and he stopped fussing with the food. “Look at me.”

His big blue eyes stormed with
emotion as he fixed his gaze on her. She reached up and stroked his cheek and
the regrowth of beard. Both hands cupped his face and pulled until he leaned
forward and she kissed him. He had been eating cinnamon again. The spicy tingle
on her tongue always added a little bit more to the kiss. For her part, it was
filled with every ounce of energy she had to put into showing him she was okay.
She understood why he had the picture. She didn’t have to compete with a dead
girl. She knew he loved her.

His arms wrapped around her and
squeezed tighter than usual. She never felt safer than in his arms. She ended
the kiss slowly, reluctantly, and he looked at her with complete adoration. She
said, “The safest place I have ever been is right here.”

“New York?” He quirked a brow.

“No silly.” She smiled and then
hugged him, her head on his chest. “Here, with you, your arms around me. I feel
safe. I feel like I belong. I...do you smoke?”

Shay pushed back and looked up at
him. He looked guilty as hell. “Since when?”

He cleared his throat and said,
“Off and on for years. I started again at the end of my last assignment. I’ve
been trying to quit since I met you.”

“You’ve been smoking this whole
time?” She was still a bit shocked by the revelation. How could she spend so
much time with him and not know this? It explained the cinnamon mints he ate
constantly. She didn’t mind the taste of cinnamon in his mouth; in fact, she
enjoyed that about kissing him.

He shrugged, nodded.

She wasn’t mad at him, just
surprised. She imagined there would be more surprises to come now that they couldn’t
retreat to different living spaces. “Well. If you want to quit, I’ll figure out
some way to help. I know giving up a habit can be difficult. I gave up
compulsive shopping…this year...mostly.”

She took a seat and he followed
her lead. She started eating and finally looked at him again. He was looking at
her. His head propped on one hand, elbow on the table. He looked at her as
though he didn’t think there was a comparison. She said, “What?”

“I’ve been smoking a lot less
since I met you. I’ve gone whole days without it. I wanted to quit before we
got here, but…”

“It’s okay,” she smiled. It
really was okay. She didn’t like that he hid it from her, but if he was trying
to quit she understood his embarrassment and struggle. “I uh, haven’t exactly
curbed my addiction either. I…bought…things to bring with me.”

“Things?” he asked and then
started eating.

“Items…clothing…” She cleared her
throat, “Things I could only wear in front of you.”

“And that’s a problem?” He really
didn’t understand. Shopping wasn’t just shopping. One item was
never
enough.

“Jed, I spent fifteen hundred
dollars on lingerie and adult toys,” she admitted. It was as if a weight had
been lifted from her shoulders. It shocked the hell out of him, but he seemed
more interested in what she had bought than how much it cost.

“You did pack it, right?”

“Yes,” she groaned. “I did.”

“Maybe you could start smoking
and I could start buying you naughty things,” he grinned. “A compromise.”

“No,” she said and shook her
head. Just because his revelation came with a chemical addiction everyone was
aware of, didn’t make hers any less. Shopping released endorphins, made her
high, or calmed her down. Only later, it made her miserable because she always
spent too much. “I need to learn control. I was doing well, but I got so
excited about coming here. I wanted to have something special to commemorate
this journey. Then I was getting anxious that nothing I found was good enough,
and the next thing I knew…poof, the sane shopper was gone and compulsive
shopper was back. I did take half of it back.”

“So then the bill went down, not
so bad.” He praised her.

Shay laughed, “That was the total
after I returned half of it.”

She looked at him as his brow
furrowed in thought before he asked, “For underwear? Panties, bras, that kind
of stuff?”

She nodded. “And a few other
things too.”

“Okay, so it is settled. I need
to quit smoking, and you need to show me everything you bought and soon.”

“Maybe tomorrow if you’re good. I
need my luggage. Should we go get it?” She looked at the plate and thought that
she might also need to know where the nearest gym was. Certainly eating with
Jed was going to add a few pounds if she didn’t watch it.

“It’s coming,” he said
confidently. They spent the rest of dinner avoiding conversation about awkward
things. He told her about some of the local places he was anxious to take her
and a renewed sense of excitement about being in the city resumed.

“I need a shower,” she sighed.

“I’ll clean this up,” he said as
he stood. “Go.”

He leaned over and kissed her on
the forehead.

***

She was in the shower when Mario
brought up the luggage from the vehicle. It stacked pretty high and symbolized
the change bearing down on him. He could now understand his little brother’s
trepidation. This step with Shay was at once natural and terrifying.

Jed was so tempted to search for
the bag with all of the naughty pieces he forced himself to leave the luggage
alone and instead joined her in the shower.

           
“Still adjusting to the time zone
changes?” he asked. She had revealed a bit of a shopping compulsion. It made
sense. She had more clothes and accessories than any one person could wear in
two years. The SUV was packed. He had one duffle bag. Of course, he had shipped
the rest of his stuff back to New York prior to traveling to California from
his last assignment. He had convinced her to ship things too. They brought the
essentials. Looking at the naked woman next to him he estimated that she was
now pretty damn essential to him. The thought of traveling without her just
didn’t sit right.

           
“I think so,” she turned to face
him. Her green eyes were soft, tired. It had been a long drive and then an
emotional first evening. “I think I have an idea.”

           
“Do tell.”

           
“Well,” she said and slipped her
hand down his chest. She had his undivided attention. “I was thinking that
anytime you wanted to smoke, you should just tell me and I will do something
that will take your mind off of it. I will provide a distraction.”

           
“Like what?”

           
She slipped her hand around the base
of his erection and Jed knew he had never been so excited about quitting
anything before in his life than he was about quitting smoking.

           
“Like this,” she said and then moved
to her knees as she consumed him.

           
“That seems like a fair trade,” he
said as he inhaled sharply. He let her remind him of how amazing her mouth was.
How every time she touched him he craved more of her. Then he slid his hands
down to her face and gently pulled her away from his dick. She frowned. “I
don’t need a cigarette right now, I need you.”

           
They were out of the shower and
somewhat dried off when he lifted her up and carried her to his bed, their bed.
He slid down her body to taste her, to press his fingers into her and watch her
as she writhed at his command. He made her come twice, and then he crawled up
her body and pushed deep into her warmth with one long, hard thrust. He was
home.

Chapter
13

Maybe it was because they were
both busy during the trip that she hadn’t noticed the lack of boundaries when
it came to some things. Maybe it was because he wanted to fool around this
morning, but she was too excited about getting out into the city. Either way,
she wasn’t prepared when Jed opened the door and walked right in. She had just
pulled her panties down and sat on the commode. He went to the vanity and began
searching through the drawer for something. Her bladder was going to bust yet
she could not pee with him standing there.

“Jed!”

“Mmm?” he grunted.

“I need to pee,” she said and
clenched her thighs together.

“So pee,” he said and then
followed it with an, “Ah ha! Found it.”

“You have to leave before my
bladder explodes inside of me,” she pleaded.

He had the nerve to say to her,
“That’s kinda gross, babe.”

She watched him exit the
bathroom, but he didn’t shut the door. She started to think back and realized
that he never shut the bathroom door. She had arranged her time around his,
made the most of rest stops, and breaks throughout the trip. Now, she was
living with him. There was no way to avoid sharing the bathroom unless she only
used the guest room or half bath in the hall.

She wanted to let it rest, but
couldn’t. They were walking down the street and he was telling her about their
neighborhood. Once they had a break in conversation and had walked a few paces
she asked, “Wouldn’t it bother you if I walked in while you were peeing?”

“I’m a man. I have to stand in
public places and piss in front of strangers all the time. Why would it bother
me to do it in front of you?” he explained casually. Then surprised her with, “I’m
sure Frankie has seen you in the bathroom.”

Well hell, she couldn’t argue
with that. “It’s different.”

He grunted then changed the
subject. “I love this bookstore.”

Later…

           
“Frankie.” Shay realized how her
voice sounded the moment Frankie responded.

           
“Are you all right?” she asked.

           
“Yes,” Shay sighed. “I hate to
bother you with this but I don’t know what to do.”

           
“Do about what?”

           
“You were living as an adult, single
woman for years before moving in with Jonas, right?” She heard Frankie agree.
“Well, how did you approach some…boundaries…in certain spaces…”

           
Frankie began laughing so hard Shay
almost regretted calling her in the first place.

           
“It’s the bathroom isn’t it?”
Frankie finally settled enough to speak.

“Yes! How did you know?” Shay
asked. Jed would be returning any minute now. He left earlier to meet his
assistant, Bailey. Thanks to the three hour time difference she had to wait for
a decent hour to call Frankie.

“Oh, God. You have no idea! It’s
all of them. They never shut the door. None of them. I guess it started when
they were little. Their mom didn’t hire a nanny so she would leave the door
open so she could hear them. Eventually it was just no big deal. She had three
kids so she told them, it’s natural, everyone does it, and they shouldn’t be
ashamed of their body.
 
When they got
older they had their own rooms and their own bathrooms. Jonas had never lived
with anyone outside of his family before I moved in. Neither had Janice. I’m
sure Jed is the same. I had to have a talk with Jonas. Buddy had to have the
talk with Janice. They don’t always close the door, but they know if the door
is closed not to open it. I’ve gotten used to it. It doesn’t bother me to pee
anymore, but there are times when privacy is just not an option.”

The door began to open. “Thanks,
Frankie. I gotta go.”

“Babe?” Jed called as he stepped
inside. Behind him was a petite, adorable young woman with a white-blonde pixie
haircut spiked almost into a Mohawk, wearing black khaki knee-length shorts,
black high-heels, and a bright orange blouse. Shay forced her immediate jealous
reaction to subside as she placed a smile on her face and tried not to worry
that compared to Bailey; she looked like a fat cow.
 
Jed at least pulled her up for a brief kiss
and a hug. He kept his arm around her as he said, “This is Bailey.”

           
“Hi,” Shay extended a hand. Bailey
shook it. Her little fingers firm despite her size. “It is nice to meet you.
I’m…”

           
“Shay. I know. Likewise,” Bailey
said as she let her hand go and studied her. Shay knew instantly the woman had
been putting in her time waiting for Jed to snap out of it and reengage life.
Unfortunately for Bailey, that wasn’t going to be with her. “So. We’ve met. Now
what?”