6 comments/  11159 views/  5 favorites

For The Life of You Ch. 01

By: BluMoonChild



Author's Note: This is an actual story, and a long one at that. I didn't start out with that intention, but that's the way it is. So, if you're looking for something that contains sex in the first paragraph, might I suggest you read something else? Thank you, thank you, thank you Transvers for all your support, your encouragement, and especially your patients.

*

SHE REALLY DIDN'T WANT TO BE THERE. She shivered a little and flipped up the collar on her heavy waist length winter coat to get some protection from the crisp February breeze that blew across the empty deck. She placed her hands on the railing and took a deep breath as she gazed at the stars that glittered brightly against the dark blue velvet night sky. The moon cast a haunting glow in streaks through the leafless branches of the woods and, for brief moment, she closed her eyes to bask in its cold light.

Just a little bit of peace and quiet, that's all she really wanted. Her dark eyebrows drew together in irritation as the bass, thumping from the music, filtered through the glass windows from the party going on inside the brightly lit house. She could hear laughter and syncopated screams from people getting down on the makeshift dance floor in the living room. The techno beat rooted itself in the back of her head and began to pound along with the music. God, she hated techno.

She sighed softly to herself, rolled her head around and tried to ease the tension that had crept into her shoulders. So much for peace. No chance of that happening at a party. She shivered again and slipped her hands into the pockets of her coat in search of her lighter and pack of cigarettes. It had been a long morning at work and a long evening that spilled over into an even longer night.

It was closing night of the show. A three month stint from start to finish. Two months of grueling rehearsals five nights a week and then a month long run of six performances a week. Then, because the show was such a hit, the director got the bright idea of having a double performance on closing night. Now the cast of forty-two plus the crew, significant others, friends and lovers were inside blowing off steam and letting it all hang out.

Normally she'd be in the middle of it all, shaking her groove thing, but she was tired and all she really wanted was to be at home in her comfy clothes and snuggled up in her bed watching a movie. Some how she had let Gerald talk her into coming to the party. She slipped a cigarette in between her thick lips, flicked the lighter and took a long pull. The smoke billowed out from between her slightly parted lips when she exhaled. She reached up and released the clip that held her long dark brown twists to let them fall down about her shoulders. She got a little relief from the pressure, but not much.

The music and sounds from the party suddenly grew loud when a door opened behind her and then was quickly muted as the door closed. Letting her know that her time of solitude was over. She willed herself not to tense up as she felt a hand slip around her waist to pull her close to a solid warm body and a pair of warm lips nuzzle her cheek. She flinched a little at the contact.

"It's a beautiful night," he said as he moved to take her lips in a kiss. "But what are you doing out here by yourself?" She turned her head slightly to avoid his mouth as she took a puff from her cigarette. She didn't mean to do it, not on purpose, anyway. But he mistook her move for something else. He let out a small exasperated breath. "You're mad about tomorrow aren't you?"

"Tomorrow?" The ash from her cigarette fell over the side of the deck as she tapped it and slid him a questioning look. It was going on somewhere around one in the morning and the only thing she was thinking about at the moment was her warm bed. What was tomorrow? She racked her brain trying to think of what was so important about the next day, but for the life of her she was drawing a blank. He slid his hand from her waist and began to rub the middle of her back.

"I'm leaving for New York," he looked at his watch. "In about five hours, and you're mad because I won't be able to spend tomorrow with you." He leaned in to kiss her cheek. "I'll only be gone a few days. If everything pans out I should be back by the weekend. I promise, I'll make it up to you when I get back."

"Gerald, this isn't the first time you've had to go out of town on business and it won't be the last." She shifted in his arms and took the last puff, then crushed the cigarette out under her high heeled boot. She looked around for a place to deposit the butt and found none, so she wrapped it in the cellophane from her cigarette pack and stuck it in her coat pocket. "It's no big major deal. I think I'll be able to live with out you for a few days." She said with an amused tone.

He pulled her closer to him. She was starting to feel a little uneasy with him being so close and she felt the muscles in her shoulders begin to tighten. She took a deep breath in through her nose, then slowly let it out, and she had to force herself to remain relaxed. That was until she felt his hand slide down to cup the firm curve of her bottom. Then she did stiffen up. She just couldn't get use to his touch. "Gerald, hand." He moved his hand quickly back to her waist.

"Sorry babe, it's just that I really wanted to make tomorrow special for you." She still wasn't understanding what the big deal was about tomorrow, but she wasn't going to ask. Obviously it was important to him. She leaned over and gave him a quick peck on the cheek.

"Don't worry about it. You said that you'd make it up to me. I know you will, and don't call me babe," she said lightly as she cupped the side of his face with her hand and used her thumb to rub away the stain of her lipstick from his cheek. She had no clue the signals she was throwing out. To her, she was just simply wiping away the lipstick on his face. But to Gerald, it was a sensual caress that said she wanted something else. His face lit up when she kissed him and he took it as a sign to go for more. He bent his head to take her lips with his but was interrupted when he heard the music pour out from the back door being opened.

"Blu Montgomery! What are you doing out there in the cold? The music's bumping and it's time to raise the roof to a respectable level. Get a move on girl!" To her relief, she looked over Gerald's shoulder to see her friend James sticking his shaggy blond head out into the cold. He was dressed in all black from his silk buttoned down long sleeve shirt that was un-tucked over a pair of sinfully tight leather pants down to a pair of thick soled work boots. He eyed the couple carefully as Blu gently extracted herself from Gerald's arms.

"The duties of a party Queen are never done," she said with a dramatic sigh and a rueful smile. She turned and started walking toward James and the party, then looked over her shoulder and flashed Gerald a smile. "Have a safe trip, and I'll see you when you get back." She let James take her hand and pull her into the house. James gave Gerald a jaunty wave along with a cocky smile as he closed the glass porch door, leaving Gerald to stand alone out on the deck in the cold.

"What was that all about?" He nodded his head toward Gerald out on the deck as he pulled her onto the makeshift dance floor. Blu just shook her head. She didn't want to talk about it. She just wanted to immerse herself in the music and forget the whole scene out on the deck. James just shrugged his shoulders and took it for what it was. Blu would tell him what was up when she was ready. Until then, it was time to get down and dance.

Cast members sat about and chit chatted about the events of the show while others danced. The alcohol was free flowing and spirits were high. Prince sang out for everyone to "get off" and Gerald watched through the window as James grasped Blu's hips, pull her backside against his crotch, and began to hump her thick globular bottom in time to the rhythmic beat of the music bumping from the speakers. She responded in kind by pushing back, rotating her hips, and then took two steps out, making like she was walking away, but with perfect timing, James reached out to slide his hand from her shoulder down to the crook of her elbow, grabbed it and pulled to spin her around and bring her back to him. Blu bent her knee and slid her leg up the outside of his thigh, effectively bringing the two of them crotch to crotch.

Gerald felt a twinge of jealously while he stood outside staring at them through the window. He saw the sexy smile on Blu's face as she leaned back and let James' strong hands support her as she stood on one leg and they moved in time with the music. Her long twists whipped wildly about as she swung her head back and forth. James leaned forward and flicked his tongue out to maneuver the tab of the zipper on her coat between his teeth. There were hoots and hollers from the rest of the cast as he slowly dragged the tab down and relieved of her coat.

Gerald clenched a fist as he watch James bury his face in between Blu's breasts. The turquoise blouse she wore wasn't cut very low, but James was an expert at unbuttoning clothing without a person noticing. Gerald's green eyes narrowed when he saw James reach out to cradle Blu's neck then his fingers trail down to pop the first button open and place a seductive kiss in the exposed cleavage. His creamy white skin was a sharp contrast as he buried his nose and lips in her milk chocolate brown valley, the sides of her breasts cradling his face.

Gerald took a step toward the door but stopped himself before he did what he knew would be a mistake. She wasn't one for making scenes. She wouldn't appreciate him going all cro-magnon and storming in the house to pull her away from James in front of the whole cast and crew. He didn't like the fact that she was all but having sex with James on the makeshift dance floor. That more than half the party was doing the same thing was regardless. Gerald was only seeing Blu.

He knew that Blu could handle herself with James, hell, she could handle herself with any man for that matter. She had Gerald panting after her for two years before she finally allowed him to touch her in other ways besides the customary hugs and kisses given in greetings and good-byes. But she never let him to touch her the way James was touching her now.

Gerald stuffed his fists in his coat turned and walked away. They were just dancing, having a good time, but she was having that good time with someone else. Not Gerald, and that didn't sit well with him. He clenched his jaw as he tried to ease the feeling of jealousy coiled in his stomach like a snake. He knew that they weren't exclusive. She had made that clear to him from the beginning, but he was still determined to make her his. He was Gerald Stratton, a successful business man. He learned long ago how to get what he wanted from people, he always got what he wanted, and he had his sights set on Blu. He'd spent quite a bit of time trying to get past her defenses and now that she'd finally let him in, well he wasn't about to let some pissant like James Worthington step in and take over.

Gerald was still irritated that he had to go to New York, but the business people were stalling on the rights to the show he wanted. So he had to go personally to wheel and deal. He had a feeling that it was going to cost him a pretty penny, but he was okay with that, she was worth it. He just didn't like the timing of it all. He shrugged his shoulders. That's all right. He'd send her something and when he got back he'd make up for tomorrow in spades. With that thought in mind, he began whistling to himself as he got into his silver Lexus RX11 and drove off toward his condo to get ready for his flight. Yes, things were definitely going go his way.

Inside the house people were rocking to the beat of the drums and working up a fine heated sweat in an almost primitive tribal dance. The air was heavy with the mixture of cigarette smoke and the scent of marijuana. There was an underlying current of sexual tension that was bouncing around from person to person. People were bumping and grinding on the dance floor, couples were sneaking off to get a little something-something. Some just didn't care and were blatantly displaying their affections for all to see.

James turned his head and slanted his gray eyes to look out the window. He saw how intensely Gerald had been watching them and smiled to himself when Gerald stalked away. Without missing a beat, James slowly pulled Blu up and let his lips play up her sternum, to the side of her neck and then nuzzled the sensitive spot just behind her ear. "He's gone," he said softly.

Blu let her leg drop from James' hip, her hands rested lightly on his shoulders as she steadied herself and smiled up at him gratefully and stepped back from him, effectively putting space between them. "Thank you, James." She bent over and scooped her coat up off the floor before someone danced on it and crushed her cigarettes.

For a brief moment James took the time to admire the fantastic view Blu unknowingly gave him. He let his eyes wonder up her high heeled black boots and curvy jean covered thighs. His gaze lingered on her bubble-licious booty and he noticed there were no panty lines. Which left him with the question of whether or not she had gone commando or if she was wearing a thong. He cocked his head to the side in thought then shrugged his shoulders. Either way his mouth watered, damn, she was hot. "Anything for you, babe," he said with a shrug and got a wolfish grin on his face. "And anything to stick it to good old Strap-on." He laughed at his nickname for Gerald.

Blu stood up and noticed half her blouse was undone showing her black lacy bra that barley covered her heavy breasts exposed to the entire room. She turned to look at James and shook her finger at him and quickly buttoned up her blouse. "Really James?" She admonished as she moved in the direction of what she thought might be the kitchen, weaving and side stepping people with ease. "The way you act some times, I forget that you're forty years old. You are just bad." James followed closely behind her. He wasn't sure if she was reprimanding him for unbuttoning her blouse or his quip remark about Gerald, but she was smiling so he didn't care.

Upon entering the kitchen, Blu spotted a pot of coffee surrounded by half eaten plates of food and bottles of alcohol sitting on a table. She threw her coat over the back of a chair and immediately started rummaging through the cupboards in search of a mug. She did a little dance when she found the right cupboard and scored a mug that she could barely wrap her tiny hands around.

James had selected a bottle of vodka from the table and was rinsing a used glass out in the sink while he watched Blu. She was bent over looking in the fridge for some cream and happily humming to herself. She twitched her legs excitedly when she scored again causing her bottom to jiggle deliciously. James groaned inwardly. "God, don't do that," he muttered under his breath. Blu looked over her shoulder as she back out from the fridge. "Don't do what?" Her oval shaped dark brown eyes were wide in question. James rolled his eyes, she honestly had no idea that her unintentional move was sexy as hell and such a turn on.

The music that drifted in from the living room changed to a disco beat and James changed the subject. "So, what were you and Gerald talking about out on the deck?" Blu shrugged her shoulders as she mixed the cream and sugar into her coffee. James poured the vodka into the now clean glass and leaned against the counter next to the sink and waited patiently. The way she stiffly stirred the spoon in her coffee told him that she wasn't quite ready to talk about what had transpired out on the deck.

Blu took the first sip of her coffee and closed her eyes as the hot creamy sweet liquid spilled over her tongue. She unconsciously smiled as she reveled in the taste. She dug around in her coat pocket for her lighter and cigarettes and was about to sit down at the kitchen table when she spotted an open space on the counter next to James.

"Scoot over," she said as she handed him her mug and hopped up on the counter and settled herself in. "I don't know," she mumbled around the cigarette she had slipped in her mouth. She lit it and then quickly braided her twists as the cigarette dangled between her lips. She tossed the finished braid over her shoulder, slid the fingers of her left hand around the cigarette as she took a hit and then exhaled heavily as she grabbed her mug from James. "He was going on about how sorry he was that he had to go to New York tomorrow," she looked at the clock on the wall it was going on quarter after two and corrected herself. "Today."

She cupped the mug in her hands, leaned over and snuggled her head on James' shoulder. She drummed the heels of her boots against the cupboard and hummed along with music for a moment and then sat up. "I mean, it's not like he doesn't go out of town on business all the time," she waved the hand the a held her cigarette through the air. "So what's the big deal about tomorrow, I mean today," she asked with an exasperated sigh.

James almost choked on the vodka he was sipping and gave Blu an incredulous look. "Um, maybe because today is Valentine's Day and maybe he wanted to spend it with you instead of having to go to New York to fight for the rights for a show? Did you think about that?"

Blu just blinked at James. Valentine's Day. It really hadn't occurred to her that that was what Gerald was all worked up about. James didn't notice that she'd remained silent as he went on about how Gerald probably had big plans for the two of them, especially because it was their first Valentine's together, or rather, not together. Her upper lip curled. "Ew."

"Did you just say 'ew'?!" James stopped in the middle of his lament. She nodded her head. "Yup, and I'll say it again in case you didn't understand the first time: Ew." This time she shuddered along with the word. She put her mug down, hopped off the counter and went in search of an ashtray.

"Okay, so it's Valentine's Day. So what? It's just another day in the month, only more expensive." She couldn't find an ashtray so she gently pushed James aside, turned the handle on the sink faucet, put out her cigarette under the running water and deposited the soggy butt in a nearby trash bag. James set his glass down and moved behind her to wrap his arms around her waist and brushed his lips against the side of her neck. Once again she had will herself not to stiffen up when he touched her.

"Come on babe, don't tell me you didn't have plans for him to come over tonight for a nice romantic evening filled with love and passion," he murmured as his hands moved up to rest just below her breasts. "You wearing some sexy silky thing clinging to that sinfully hot body of yours. Getting Gerald all worked up." He let his hands glide down to her waist and curled his finger around the belt loops of her jeans to pull her bottom against his front. He was playing with her. She knew that, well turn about was fair play. You want to play? Let's play.

"Give me the green light...Give me just one night...I'm ready to go right now..." The music floated through the open door of the kitchen. Blu arched her back a little and rocked her hips so that her bottom rubbed against his crotch. She could feel him beginning to harden against her backside through the material of each of their jeans and leather and she pressed back a little more firmly. They began to sway slowly on the off beat of the music that drifted around them.


For The Life of You Ch. 01



"First of all," she said quietly in his ear as she let her head fall back against his shoulder, her hands rested lightly over his. "Don't you ever spit venom on me like that. Using the L-word knowing that it makes me nauseous is just plain dirty." She nibbled along his jaw line. "Second of all, whether I have some sexy silky thing to wear is none of your damn business, and you will never know," she slowly extended her tongue and lightly licked the corner of his mouth.

James let out a soft growl, tightened his grip on her belt loops and pressed his hips forward to rub his swelling hard-on against her bottom. His fingers stretched out to caress her hip bones and his earlier question was answered. Ah-ha, commando. He turned his head and tried to claim her mouth but she tilted her face away so that his lips grazed her cheek and he ended up nipping at the edge of her jaw line. She let out a soft sensual laugh that caused goose bumps to ripple down his back and he drew in a sharp breath. She was getting to him.

She humped her bottom back at him and continued on, "third of all, don't call me babe. You know I don't like that. I let it go the first time around, out there in the living room," she lightly placed a hand on his thigh and gently stroked it, feeling the muscles dance beneath her palm in response to her touch. The tips of her fingers trailed across his upper thigh and then slipped behind her to cup the swollen orbs between his legs in the palm of her hand.

She messaged them gently at first, her fingers shifting around, manipulating him, molding him like a sculptor would mold clay. James let out a gasp and buried his face in the crook of her neck. His breath became short pants as he rocked against her hand. Silently pleading for her to shift her hand to his erection that was taking up what little room he had in his leather pants.

Somewhere off in the distance the party still raged on, the music shifted into a much slower, much more sensual beat, and Blu's rhythm changed along with it. The game was heating up, and Blu was just getting started. She played with his balls a little more and got as little gleam in her eye when she felt them tighten and draw up.

"I know that you just forgot your place with the festivities of tonight," her voice dropped to a seductive soft steely purr. "I won't let it go a second time." James suddenly stiffened up and his breath hissed through his teeth. Her hold on his balls didn't hurt him, but she gripped him tightly enough to let him know that he'd over stepped his boundaries in no uncertain terms.

She turned out of his arms, released her grip, leaned around him to pick up her coffee and calmly sat down at the kitchen table. She settled herself in the chair, slinging one arm over the back as she crossed her legs. She silently watched as James' hands clutched the edge of the sink and tried to gather himself. A small satisfying smile played across her full lips. He gave her an ugly look as he tried to get his breathing under control. God, she could be an evil little bitch when she wanted to be. But that was part of what he loved about her. The fact that she enjoyed this little cat and mouse game almost as much as he did.

She just arched an eyebrow and shrugged her shoulder then pointed at her cigarettes indicating that James was to bring them to her. Which he did. Not as quickly as she would have liked, but she let it go due to the fact that he was dealing with a hard-on. Blu took the cigarette he'd pulled out for her, placed it between her lips and waited for him to light it.

James' hand wasn't very steady, and it took two tries before he was able to get the lighter to flame. His skin burned when her fingers brushed against his to take her lighter from him. He looked and waited. As if in after thought, she nodded her head toward a chair that was on the opposite side of the table, silently giving him permission to sit.

James moved stiffly around the table and delicately sat down. "That was just dirty, Blu." She looked at him with wide innocent eyes while she puffed away. "So what, you're going to leave me hanging like this?" She still said nothing, but she had an evil little smile on her face, and the tip of her tongue slid out to run across the edge of her upper teeth. Again she arched an eyebrow and shrugged her shoulder. He couldn't believe that she was sitting there looking as beautiful as she pleased.

Unlike the other female cast members, Blu had scrubbed her face clean of all her stage makeup. She opted to simply wear some brown lipstick that was a couple shades darker than her skin and nothing more. Leaving her face completely bare, causing her full lips to stand out and draw more attention to her mouth that just begged to be sucked on. Simple, but effective, that was her style. She sat there at the table not flustered or bothered in the least. While he was shaking and his hard-on pressed painfully against the zipper of his pants. She continued to smoke her cigarette and sip her coffee in amused silence.

He let out a frustrated growl, turned out of his chair to grab his glass of vodka, and then shot Blu an evil look when he heard her giggle. It amazed him that she could blow hot and cold the way she did. One minute she was blazing like a towering inferno, setting everything around her on fire, and the next, she was as cold as the tip of an ice burg, leaving a person chilled to the bone. The game was over and there was no doubt who'd won. James needed to change the subject. He turned back to the sink and took a gulp of his vodka. "So, what's the deal with you and Gerald?" He asked again. "You weren't looking too comfortable out there before I came to your rescue." He heard Blu shift in her chair.

"I don't know," her smile turned to a frown and she unconsciously began turning the lighter in her hand. "I just wasn't feeling him tonight." James turned to look at her and took another swig of his drink, his eyes were drawn to her mouth. She was nibbling at her bottom lip, and looking oh, so sexy. He really wished that she'd stop doing things like that. She wasn't making his hard-on go away. He sat down at the table across from her again and took the cigarette from her hand to take a much needed hit. "You weren't feeling him?"

Blu shook her head and made a face. "He just seemed to be everywhere tonight. Back stage, in the dressing room, here at the party. Everywhere I turned, he was just there. It was starting to get on my nerves. That's why I was out on the deck. I needed some space."

James looked at her and then said slowly. "Okay, correct me if I'm wrong, but aren't you two dating?"

Blu gave a very un-lady like snort. "Not in my book. I'm not date material." She took the cigarette back from James and pulled the last puff from it before it hot boxed. She didn't feel like getting up so she handed it back to him and waved for him to put it out properly.

James stood at the sink. It was true. He'd known Blu since their junior year in college and he'd never really seen her date anyone exclusively. There was a time when he had thought that they would be together, but Blu had made it clear, one drunken night while they were cuddled on the couch, watching some sappy movie, that she cared for him, but only as a very close friend. Even though she broke it to him gently, it still took him awhile to get over it. Years down the road the two of them had developed an odd relationship. They were together, but not together. They'd shared each others beds on occasion, but they'd never slept together. And the sexual banter between them was just that, all fun and games, and James respected that.

Whenever they went out it was usually in a group setting after rehearsal or a show. Or if they went out for drinks she never sat still long enough to have an in depth one on one conversation. Especially if they were at his club, Virtuosity. No matter what she was doing, even if she was in the middle of a sentence, if a song came on that she liked, she simply handed over her drink and took off for the dance floor.

James had lost count how many times she'd done that to him. She'd try to be good and stay with him, but her leg would start twitching to the beat, and she'd look at him with her big brown eyes, pleading with him to forgive her. She'd flash him a huge smile when he'd roll his eyes and take her drink and let her go. She was a wild free spirit and didn't like to be tied down to anything. So it blew his mind when word spread through the dressing rooms that some of the cast members had seen Blu and Gerald eating at a restaurant alone together, on more than one occasion.

James' face turned serious and he leaned against the sink. "Did you, or did you not, go out to eat with Gerald on several occasions during the run of the show." He said it more as a statement than a question.

"Yes, and?" She nodded her head and shrugged her shoulders. James clasped his hands behind his back and began to circle around the table and Blu. "And during those times of eating out, was it just the two of you?" Again she nodded her head to the affirmative, his play on the words 'eating out' were not lost on her.

He raised an eyebrow. "No one else joined you?"

"No, it was just the two of us." Blu gave him a wary look. She knew where James was going with all of this, but there was no point in stopping him when he went into lawyer mode.

"I see," he said softly. He was moving in for the kill. "Did you once pay for any of the meals that you had with him?"

Blu rolled her eyes, but simply answered, "no." James stood behind her with his hands on the back of her chair and leaned over to whisper in her ear. "By most people's standards, babe, that constitutes dating," he teased.

Blu whirled around in her chair and before James could stop her she reached out to grab his left nipple through his shirt. He cried out in pain as she gave it a hard twist and then pushed him away. "Don't call me babe," she snapped. He knew it irritated her when he called her that, but he hadn't expected her to react quite that way.

"Shit Blu, that hurt," he grumbled as he rubbed his now tender nipple and sat back down at the table.

"Serves you right," she sniffed. "If you can't handle the game then you shouldn't play, especially against me," she pointed at him. "Now, if you're quite finished playing Little-Mister-Want-To-Be-Lawyer," her brown eyes flashed at him. "Let the record show: The meals that Gerald and I had together were pretty much strictly business. Not that it's any of your business."

She reached for her pack of cigarettes and frowned when she saw there was only one left. She made a disgusted noise and threw the pack back on the table. Damn it, she was going to have to make a stop before she went home, and that irritated her more than James grilling her about her 'dates' with Gerald. She continued on. "Not once did Gerald call me and ask if I would like to go out on a date with him. Not once did he pick me up from my house for said dinners. I always met him at the restaurants, where he wanted to eat. Did you get that part? Not where I would have liked to have eaten." She looked pointedly at James, she was on a roll.

"Now I do believe that when a gentleman wants to take a lady out on a date, he calls her up and asks her, picks her up in his car from her home at an agreed time, and then takes her to a place of her liking, that constitutes, by most people's standards, a date." She threw her hands up in the air. "I am not most people. And do you honestly think that I'm that shallow that I didn't offer to pay for my meals? You know I'm not cut like that. Every time I went to reach for my wallet he refused to let me pay for my half." She stopped her rant when James started laughing.

"And just what is so flipping funny?" Her cheeks were flushed with anger and her breasts were heaving up and down with each breath she drew in. A stray twist had fallen out of the braid and hung in her face, she angrily blew at it. She was a sight to behold. James laughed even harder.

"God, you are absolutely beautiful when you're angry." He reached across the table to take one of her clenched fists in his hands. "I know you are not most people," he said with a chuckle. "And I thank God for that, life would be way too dull if you were like most people."

She made a disgusted sound in her throat. "You, Sir, are an ass!" She declared with an amused tone and a twinkle in her eyes. "You just love to wind me up, don't you? You do know that in the real world I run a little coffee shop and I don't make enough money to pay you for that compliment, right?"

It was James' turn to raise an eyebrow and shrug a shoulder. "But it's true. You are so beautiful, it hurts to look at you sometimes." He reached out and let his fingers lightly brush her cheek.

Blu moved back and wrinkled her nose as she waved him off with her hand. "Yeah, whatever. You are so full of shit it's amazing that you can walk." She reached for her pack of cigarettes but then remembered that she only had one left and decided to wait until her drive home to smoke it.

James shook his head. He didn't understand how she couldn't know just how beautiful she truly was. Her face was unblemished and perfectly smooth but for a small crescent scar just below her left eye. She had a body that was a personal trainer's wet dream. Not an Anorexic Annie body, but a real woman's body with fantastic curves. But that was just the superficial part of her.

Everything Blu did she put her whole heart into it. Whether it was dancing on stage, working behind the sets, or running her coffee shop. She gave one hundred percent of herself. Just like when she blew up at him, she did it with a passion that turned him on like no other. They were just friends, he got that, but he couldn't help that his body reacted to hers. After all, he was only a man. And when she smiled, her face would light up like a Christmas tree. He'd seen strangers on the street stop and look twice at her when she smiled at them. But she never noticed.

"So," she sighed as she tangled her fingers with James'. "Gerald is probably thinking that we're now an item, huh?" She made a face.

"What's wrong with that?" James questioned.

"Nothing's wrong with that. It's just not what I want. Not with Gerald, anyway."

"What's wrong with Gerald? The man is extensively easy on the eyes." James started to tick off all of Gerald's qualities. "He stands six foot one, and is about one hundred and ninety-five some odd pounds of pure muscle. Well groomed dark brown hair and green eyes. His lips are lacking a little, but that's neither here nor there. He is a man of higher intelligence so you can actually hold a decent conversation with him. Plus, being the owner and head director of the Mirage Theatre, you know he's loaded. What's not to like about the man.?"

"Gee James," Blu said in a slight sarcastic tone. "If he's so perfect, why don't you date him then? And since when did you jump on the Gerald band wagon? I thought you were still pissed at him for giving the part of Tommy to Rex."

James barked out a laugh. "You know me, I like the hole, not the pole, and I am still pissed about that little twink getting Tommy. Everyone knows I can out sing and out dance Rex on a bad day, that part was mine."

Blu rolled her eyes. "Don't be evil James, you know vanity is the mother of all fuck ups. Besides you were off traipsing around Europe for the first three weeks of rehearsal." She threw her hands up. "Did you honestly think that Gerald was going to hold that part for you? I don't give a damn how good you are, no director in their right mind would have cast you. Get over it. And I don't care how good looking the man is or how loaded he is. Looks and money have never been my thing."

Blu was so busy going off on a tangent that she didn't notice James casually taking out the cigarette that she'd been saving for the ride home until he lit it up. She lunged across the table at him.

"You ass! That was my last cigarette!"

James started laughing as he stood up and shoved his chair back, putting himself out of her reach. Blu growled at him and started spitting all sorts of un-lady like obscenities as she rounded the table. They danced around as the fight for the last cigarette commenced. James' six foot slender frame against Blu's five foot five, one hundred and thirty power house pounds. He teased her by waving the cigarette above her head and laughed uproariously as she jumped to get it.

He didn't count on her jumping up and wrapping her legs around his waist and squeezing her thighs hard enough for him to lose his breath. Nor did he count on one of the half drunk back up singers to walk in right at that moment and bump into them. James was already somewhat off balance with Blu clinging to his front, but the unexpected push from behind caused him to stumble forward.

Blu hung onto James for dear life as they fell toward the kitchen table and then let out a loud sad groan as her luscious bottom sink into a piece of half eaten cake and then felt the icing on the cake splatter up her back as James landed on top of her. They stared at each other with their mouths open, and Michael sang out "I wanna rock with you...,"

"Oh my god," the tiny brunette back up singer kept saying over and over. She rushed around the kitchen trying to find a towel. "I'm so sorry! I was coming to get another drink. I didn't think anyone was in here. I didn't see you. Oh my god. I'm so sorry!" She babbled on.

It started out a small giggle deep in Blu's throat, but it bubbled up and she couldn't contain it so she just threw her head back and let the laughter go. Her eyes filled with tears and she had to swipe her hand across them because she couldn't see. She could hear James' shout of laughter join in with hers and she laughed even harder. Her body was shaking so hard that the table began to jiggle and the bottles of alcohol clinked together.

If anybody from the show had walked in right then, they would have thought she and James were having sex with the little brunette as a captive audience. Gossip in the theater world was worse than bored housewives and spread like wild fire. Blu could just hear them, "Gerald hadn't even gotten into his car and she was fucking James right there on the kitchen table!" For some odd reason, Blu found the thought to be hysterical, and that brought on another round of laughter.

Blu clung to James as he regained his footing and pulled her up from the table. She let her legs slide down his hips, her stomach muscles ached from laughing, and she leaned weakly against him as she looked teary eyed over her shoulder at the mess that was all over her backside. She turned and buried her face in James' chest and laughed some more. Oh, she was a mess and she should have been mad, anyone else would have been. But the whole picture was just too funny to her not to laugh.

"Oh, I am a hot mess." She let out a soggy giggle and sniffled.

"That you are." James agreed with a throaty chuckle. He held her gently in his arms and his lips nuzzled her forehead. The little brunette finally found a towel and was trying to clean up the mess on Blu's jeans, all the while apologizing profusely and looked like she was ready to cry. Blu finally grabbed the girl's hand and told her to stop.

"But your clothes are ruined and it's my fault," the girl sobbed and really did burst into tears. James leaned back against the counter, crossed his arms and let Blu handle the situation.

"Okay, first of all, stop with the boo-hooing. I don't handle crying very well." Blu said with a soft smile and a no nonsense tone as she wiped away the girl's tears. "Second, it was an accident. Accidents happen. It's not like you did it on purpose, right?" The girl shook her head and Blu continued on. "Third, my clothes aren't ruined. I only own wash and wear. If I can't take it out the dryer and put it on, I don't buy it."




For The Life of You Ch. 01



James watched silently as Blu consoled the cute little brunette and for a split second entertained the thought of Blu and the brunette doing a threesome. His eyes followed the trail of Blu's thumb as she gently brushed away a tear. The caress like move was turning him on and he was getting hard again. Not that his hard-on had gone completely away in the first place. He took a deep breath and reached down to adjust himself. Maybe wearing leather pants wasn't such a good idea.

Blu stepped back from the girl, grabbed her coat from the chair and headed for the back door. "On that note, people," she said as she tugged on her coat. "It's time for this Queen to turn into a pumpkin and call it a night."

James pushed away from the counter and grabbed Blu's hand before she could slip out the door. "Hey, what about?" He let the question hang in the air. Blu tilted her head, smiled at him and then looked over his shoulder at the tiny brunette who was looking down at her hands nervously clasped in front of her.

"I think Little Miss Cutie Patootie over there would be more than happy to suck your dick." She said as she reached down to give his hard-on a quick stroke. "She's been panting after you the entire run of the show. Not that you'd noticed. Good night, James." Blu giggled as she sailed out and closed the door on his shocked face. Served him right for doing the same thing to Gerald earlier. He didn't think she'd caught that.

She shook her head as she hurried through the cold morning air toward her Mini Cooper. Men can be so stupid sometimes. She started her car, pushed in the clutch and shifted into first gear. She mourned her last cigarette that was now floating in a drink on the table back in the kitchen thanks to James. Now she had to drive around and find a gas station that was open at this hour.



"HEY BABY PICK UP THE PHONE. Baby, baby pick up the phone!" There was a vibration and a persistent hip-hop song going off. "Hey, baby pick up the phone. Baby, baby pick up the phone!" Blu's pillow was vibrating under her ear and pulling her up from the depths of a deep sleep. She scrunched her eyes and tried to ignore the song. "Hey, baby pick up the phone. Baby, baby pick up the phone!" The more she tried to ignore it the louder it got, and it took her a minute to figure out that she'd gone to bed with her cell phone. She groaned out loud and fumbled around under the pillow trying to find the irritating thing. Without opening her eyes, she flipped it open and dragged it to her ear. "Somebody better be dead," she groggily muttered into the phone.

"Hey." Was the cheerful answer. "Hey," was her less than enthusiastic response. "What are you doing?" It was her niece Krista. With a groan, Blu rolled over onto her back and looked at the clock on her dresser. It said 8:32 am. Seriously?! After finally finding a gas station that was open and buying a pack of cigarettes, Blu hadn't crawled into bed and fallen asleep until well after four in the morning. Oh, she was irritated. "I was sleeping, why? What up?" "Coffee. Real Food Café. Twenty minutes." Krista said the only magic words that could get Blu to move and she sat straight up in bed. "I am so there!" She clicked the phone shut, threw back the bed covers and scrambled out of bed. She hated the fact that she was up at that un-holy hour on her first day off from work and a show in over three months, but coffee and breakfast at the Real Food Café was worth it.

She quickly brushed her teeth and braided her twists while she waited for the shower to warm up. She pushed aside the shower curtain and tested the running water before jumping in and making short work of washing herself up all the while singing her variation of John Denver's Sunshine on My Shoulders. "Coffee in the morning, makes me happy. Coffee at night, makes me sigh...,"

After toweling off, she dug through her dresser drawers, grabbed a camisole, threw on a pair of sweatpants, pulled a thick hoodie over her head and went in search of pair of stacked flip-flops. It was February and still way too cold to wear flip-flops, but she hated wearing shoes. Her whole take on the matter was as long as there was no snow on the ground she was flip-flop bound. Now she just had to find them. She snatched her phone off the bed, flipped it open and punched a number while she looked under her bed. Ha! She crawled out from under the bed and stood up triumphantly holding a black flip-flop in one hand. Found one. She took a sweeping glance around the room. Now where was the other one?

"Level Grounds, this is Jane." Blu pulled open the closet door and started shifting through shoes.

"Hey Jane, it's Blu." Her voice was slightly muffled as she shoved aside some clothes hanging up to get to the back of the closet. Her eyebrows drew together and the corner of her mouth pulled down in a frown. She sighed, no flip-flop here.

"Hey Boss Lady, what's up?" Blu winced at Jane's over cheery voice. To say that Jane was a lively person was the understatement of the century. She was more like a Pomeranian on crack, and Blu could just picture the girl bouncing back and forth behind the long counter, her poofy black pony tail swinging about, grinding beans and brewing coffee all the while chatting away on the phone. She was entirely too chipper this early in the morning.

Even though Blu was usually up at this hour on an ordinary day, she really wasn't a morning person and she had yet to have a drop of coffee to kick start the day. She silently groaned to herself, "Nothing much, just checking in." She said off handedly. "Has that order of Peruvian coffee beans come in yet?" She gave up trying to find the missing flip-flop in the bedroom closet and paced the floor for a minute before heading for the front closet. She didn't think it would be in there since she hardly ever used it, but who knew? Her flip-flops had a tendency to be tricky little bastards.

"No, not yet, and you're supposed to be taking the weekend off, not checking up on us." Jane replied in a reprimanding tone. "We got this, okay? No worries." Although Jane was hyperactive and somewhat on the ding bat side, she was very efficient as a manager and ran the coffee shop with an iron fist. Some times she was harder on the employees than Blu, but that's why she hired Jane in the first place. She knew that she could take a few days off, leave Jane in charge and come back to find the shop still intact.

Blu spied the other flip-flop peeking out from under the futon couch. Now how the heck did you get under there? "Well, if you're sure you've got everything under control, I guess I'll leave you to it. I'm just a phone call away." When Jane assured her for the third time that the coffee shop would be fine without her for two days, and for Blu to enjoy her weekend, she clicked the phone shut. She hopped around on one foot then the other putting on her flip-flops, then snatched her bag and keys off the kitchen counter and ran out the door.

As she backed out of her parking space her cell phone rang again and she flipped it open, cutting the ring tone off before it went into the second "Hey baby," "Yup?" "Hey." Blu rolled her eyes, but answered, "hey." "Pick me up." Krista demanded. "Bitch, what?! You wake me up at an uh-holy hour, invite me to breakfast, and you want me to pick you up?!" "My car won't start. Pick me up." Blu growled into the phone, "fine!" Then clicked it shut. She pushed in the clutch, shoved the stick into first and then blindly fished around in her bag for her cigarettes and lighter as she drove down the alley. She muttered to herself how it was too early for this shit as she lit up and pulled out onto the street.

Her niece was standing on the sidewalk in front of her house, dressed in a hoodie, sweat pants, and flip-flops. Her hands were shoved deep in the pockets of her hoodie as she shivered in the cold morning air. Blu only paused long enough for Krista to jump in the car before taking off down the road. She looked over and said, "Girl, it's a good thing you're my niece and I have to love you."

Krista Belding really wasn't Blu's niece per se, but the daughter of a good friend, and as the years went by Blu had somehow been given the title "Auntie, the cool one." Krista gave her a smirk. "Oh shut up, you love me anyway. Besides, I'm paying." Blu raised her eyebrows and gave the girl an odd look. It was rare that Krista picked up the bill for anything, so something had to be up. "Really? Bet that!"

Krista reached over, turned up the heat and then turned down the CD player that was blasting music. "So, who are we listening to this morning?" Krista always gauged Blu's moods by what music she was listening to at the time. The music had a salsa feel to it mixed with something else. Krista couldn't put her finger on what, but it was very mello sound.

Blu put her cigarette out in the car ashtray and then down shifted to turn a corner. "DLG." Krista raised an eyebrow in question. "It stands for Dark Latin Groove. It's an infusion of salsa, reggaeton and hip-hop. I was watching 'Dance With Me' a while back. You know that scene where Vanessa L. Williams and Chayanne go to the salsa club the first time? Well, DLG was performing and I liked the sound, so I Googled them and bought the album."

Blu was the Queen of impulse buying. It never ceased to amaze Krista when ever they went out. If Blu saw something that intrigued her, she'd buy it just to see what it was all about, regardless of the price. Krista almost spit out her coffee once when Blu told her she'd spent forty-five dollars on a CD that she had imported from Japan. Blu had heard just a snippet of a song at the end of a movie and just had to have it.

She shuddered when Krista made mention that it would be cheaper to download the music from iTunes. When it came to buying music Blu had to have to whole package, and even though iTunes was legal, she still considered downloading to be on the bootleg level.

Thus Blu had a very eclectic music library. Krista never really made too much of it, because she benefited from it whenever she was with Blu.

"Diggin' on the new hairstyle, by the by." Blu said mildly. "And that color looks really fierce with your skin tone."

Krista flipped down the visor to look at her reflection in the mirror. Her hair was cut in a pixie style. The front of her bangs curled slightly just below her eyebrows, the sides were long and fell gracefully along her jaw line and tapered up getting shorter as it faded up and duck tailed feathering up at the back. The rich dark auburn color made her peachy cream skin look even more pale than usual. She didn't look like death warmed over, but very striking. "Yeah? Ya like it? Leah got me in at the last minute yesterday." Her gray-green eyes took on a little devilish look. "I do look cute, don't I?" She said with a giggle.

Blu rolled her eyes. "Oh Lord, here we go. Don't get too big for your britches, little girl. I can still take you down." Krista wrinkled her nose. "Yeah, whatever." Blu made a popping noise with her tongue and waved her finger. "Be careful, now. Vanity is a motherfucker."

They were still laughing as they pulled into a parking space in front of the Real Food Café. The place was packed as usual, but they were able to get two seats up at the counter. Blu loved the place. It was a little diner that had a homey feel and decorated in the fifties style, but it wasn't tacky. And the food was to die for. Everything was made fresh right there and the menu had everything from vegetarian to heart attack on a plate. Old fashioned fried potatoes to Mediterranean to hummus. She and her niece had been eating there for at least a year and they still had yet to get through the whole menu. Not to mention all the deserts were made from scratch. She's only tried some of the cookies and that was only because she knew her hips would never forgive her if she tried the cakes, brownies, or pies.

The waitress came by to get their order as she placed water and coffee in front of them. Blu wiggled happily on her stool as she added cream and sugar. A man sitting on the stool next to her paused in his eating, his fork suspended in the air as he watched her stir the spoon in her coffee mug. She leaned forward and cautiously took a sip of the hot liquid. She let out a soft moan as the delicious concoction filled her mouth and began to warm her up. Unconsciously, she wiggled again and a tiny smile curled at the corners of her full lips and the tip of her tongue peeked out to stroke the edge of her upper teeth.

The man next to her shifted a little on his stool as he watched her out of the corner of his eye. Blu didn't realize just how sensual and erotic the rocking of her hips were. And the vibes she was unconsciously sending out were really affecting the stranger next to her. She was just plain ecstatic to have that cup of brew in her hands. She hummed to herself as she took another sip and bounced a little on the stool. There's nothing like a hot cup of coffee to start the day off right. She glanced over at the man next to her and gave him a little smile that said: This is better than presents at Christmas!

The man's face flushed a deep red at the guilt of having been caught staring with his mouth hanging open. He cleared his throat and quickly looked down at his plate of food. Then he, ever so nonchalantly, grabbed a paper napkin and spread it over his lap in hopes of hiding the slight bulge that had begun to rise in his jeans. And, once again, shifted on the stool.

Blu began to perk up a bit after a few sips of her coffee and the caffeine hit her bloodstream. It was just regular diner coffee, nothing like the gourmet beans at her coffee shop, but it would do in a pinch. She let out another small sigh of delight. The only thing that would have made everything perfect was if she could light up. That would have made her morning if she could've had a cigarette with her coffee. Unfortunately the diner was completely non-smoking but she figured she could deal.

Krista shook her head as she doctored her own coffee. "I've never seen someone get so excited over a cup of coffee." The man silently agreed and began to eat again. Blu straightened her back and raised her chin. "It is the nectar of the gods." She replied with an aristocratic tone and a haughty sniff, then cracked wicked grin. "So, what's up for you today?" She asked her niece.

"Nothing really." Came an absent reply. She sat and watched Krista stirring the coffee for a moment. Then Blu's eyes narrowed and she pursed her thick lips. "Mm-hmm. Looka here missy, you didn't wake me up at the butt crack of dawn just for shits and grins, so what's up?" Krista sighed. "Mom's been driving me nuts. She's been on my back about my half of the bills, this that and the other, blah, blah, blah. She's being a real bitch!" Krista shoved the coffee away from her and made a face. "I just had to get out of the house for awhile." She propped her elbow on the counter, cupped her chin in her hand and proceeded to pout like a little girl.

This was an on going argument between mother and daughter and Blu really didn't want to get caught in the middle, but at the same time she was getting tired of hearing it from both sides. She quietly sipped her coffee while she carefully thought about what to say. She put the mug down on the counter with a thunk and turned to her sulky niece.

"After you and David got married, you made the choice of staying with your mother while he's in Iraq instead of getting a place of your own. So quit your pissing and moaning about having to live by her rules. It's her house. Pony up and take it like a man." She gave Krista a withering look while she took a sip of her coffee. "You're twenty three years old, and being one of the most wanted events coordinators around, it's not like you don't have the money." The man sitting next to Blu wasn't trying to eavesdrop, he couldn't help but notice the change in her body language and he detected a slight accent in her voice that hadn't been there before.

Krista opened her mouth to argue, but Blu waved a hand at her, so she snapped her mouth shut and made a noise in her throat. She should have known better than to say anything, or try to get Blu to back her up. It just wasn't going to happen, so she sat and waited for Blu to have her say.

"The way I see, sistah-girl, you've got two choices. Continue to live with your mother and deal, or get your own place. Shit or get off the pot. Either way, you gets no sympathy from me. Moving on." Again she waved her hand in the air, letting Krista know that topic for discussion was over, and Krista knew better than to bring it up ever again.

Blu moved her coffee cup aside as the waitress placed her order of food in front of her. A big fluffy omelette stuffed with extra spinach, red and green peppers, and mushrooms. She groaned in delight as she took her first bite. "I think I just creamed in my panties. Oh wait, I'm not wearing any panties." Blu giggled as she heard the man sitting on the stool next to her choke his orange juice. He tried to make like it went down the wrong way, but she knew that he overheard what she'd said.

Her niece rolled her eyes as she dug into her veggie hash with extra cream cheese. "I can't take you anywhere, can I?" Blu winked at Krista. "Gotta love me. Besides, this is the closest I've come to a good orgasm in a long time." Again, the man choked, and Blu turned to pound him on his back, her eyes wide and innocent and her voice filled with concern when she asked if he was going to be alright. The man nodded his head as he threw down his napkin, grabbed his bill off the counter and hastily made his way to the cash register to pay for his breakfast. Krista gave her a bemused look. Blu raised her shoulders and spread open her hands, "what?" Krista just shook her head. "You are terrible, just terrible." Blu sat a little straighter, crossed her arms over her chest, and actually had the nerve to sound indignant. "Serves him right," she sniffed. "That's what he gets for dipping into other people's conversations. If he didn't want to know, he shouldn't have listened."

Krista poked her fork into her veggie hash, shoved it into her mouth and mumbled around her food. "Ha! You said that on purpose." Blu gave her a shocked look. "I have no idea what you're talking about."

Blu's cell phone went off in her pocket. She pulled it out and answered, "you got me." A smooth buttery voice answered, "Hey, girl." Krista gave Blu a curious look as she continued to eat. "It's Layla. Hey, what up?"

"What are you doing right now?"

"I am shoving a delicious veggie omelette down my throat," Blu replied in a sexy sultry voice and then held the phone away from her ear. "Bitch, with out me?" Blu let out a throaty chuckle as she brought the phone back to her ear. "Wasn't my idea, and I'm not footing the bill. Actually I'd probably still be asleep if Niecey hadn't dragged me out of bed and conned me into picking her up." She flinched a little when Krista punched her on her thigh and she stuck out her tongue.

"How soon are you going to be done?" Looking over at Krista she saw that she was half way through her veggie hash. "I'd say about another fifteen, twenty minutes. Why?" "You wanna go get your toes buttered?" Blu perked up. "Pedicure? Hells yeah!" She looked over at Krista who shook her head no, indicating that she had other plans. Blu had already blown her budget for the month, and she shouldn't have been even be considering the pedicure, but it had been two months since she had gotten her toes buttered. Fuck it. "I'll pick you up in twenty, catch ya." She clicked her phone shut.




For The Life of You Ch. 02



Author's Note: I just wanted to say thank you to everyone who voted, to everyone who left comments and sent me e-mails filled with encouragement. It really made me feel good. Thanks for all your support. Transverse, you rock!. I hope that you all enjoy Ch. 2. 


JUSTIN SAT HUNCHED over his office desk, staring at the spread sheet on the computer in front of him. He was tired. The fucking calculations weren't making any sense and this was the third time he'd entered the numbers. He was still trying to get used to this new computer program that his father's accountant had set up for him. Stupid computer programs. The whole thing was frustrating him to no end. He pushed his desk chair back and ran his fingers through his long black hair. He was about to scrap the whole thing and start over. He refused to let some computer get the best of him. 

His middle finger rested on the delete key and he was about to press it when something caught his eye. He leaned forward and squinted at the screen for a minute and quickly scanned the columns. There! He finally saw his mistake. He'd transposed two numbers in the wrong columns and that's what was throwing everything off. A small grin curled at the left corner of his mouth and his fingers flew across the keys as he made the adjustments. He punched the enter key and the numbers magically corrected themselves. Showing that he was doing almost ten grand better than expected. Yes! Kiss mine!

He raised his hand and flipped the computer screen the bird. Feeling very full of himself, he laced his fingers behind his head and slouched in his chair. He closed his eyes, took a deep breath and let it out in a satisfying huff. He could hear Chef barking out orders and the staff scrambling around trying to fulfill his demands. Pans being scrapped over burners, sizzling sounds of meat hitting hot oil and the scent of spices mixed together, the wonderful smells drifted through the open door of his office. 

For a moment Justin let himself drift back to the days when he was working in the kitchen. He missed the time when he was hovering over hot burners, flames shooting up from droplets of oil that would ignite as he added ingredients to different pans. Hopping back and forth from one side of the kitchen to the other. The rush he would get from being under the pressure of working two to three orders at a time. To finish one order and get on to the next. The satisfaction he would get when he saw the look of enjoyment on a customer's face after taking the first bite of something he created. 

Now, he was on the other side of the business. After five years of blood, sweat and tears, he was the owner of his own restaurant. And although he was very proud of his accomplishment, it also meant he had to sit at a desk and crunch numbers. Something he hated doing with a passion. 

He could have hired someone to do the paper work for him. His father's accountant had made that suggestion. And it's not like he didn't have the money to bring on a personal accountant. It was just that, even though it gave him headaches and had him pulling his hair at times, it was a part of his business and he didn't like anyone messing with it. But he did miss sweating over hot flames, wielding a knife and creating edible art on a plate. Instead, he was staring at a damn computer. 

He rubbed his eyes and felt the grainy burn of his contacts. They'd been in way too long and were beginning to dry out. There was nothing for it, he was going to have to wear his glasses tonight. Justin sighed and went back to work. He wasn't finished. He still had to get through ordering alcohol and beverages, make a list before going to the fresh food market in the morning, go over the schedule, and then re-check the menu for Monday. 

"Get it right! Don't make me plant my foot up your ass!" A loud voice boomed from just outside Justin's office door and he looked up from his computer to see a big burly man with dark red hair wearing a black chef's coat and a long white apron, striding in. 

"And why are you still here? You were supposed to be long gone an hour ago." The man stopped just at the edge of Justin's desk with his arms crossed over his barreled chest and a frown on his face. Not only did the man's body, but his entire nature seemed to fill the tiny office space and push everything around. 

If Justin hadn't known the man for as many years as he had, he probably would have crapped his pants. Seriously, the man stood six foot, four inches, and weighed close to two hundred and fifty pounds. He would have liked to have said that his weight was all muscle, but over the years, he'd developed somewhat of a belly from "taste testing" the rich foods he prepared. 

Compared to Justin's five foot, eleven inch, one hundred and sixty pound slim frame, the man was very intimidating and wasn't afraid to use his size to his advantage. As it was, Justin leaned back in his chair, rubbed his eyes and then swore under his breath from the burn of his mistake. "I'm just working on the finances and going over the schedule for next week, Chef." He squinted up at his friend. 

The scowl on the man's face deepened as he placed his beefy fists on the desk. It was hard to believe that those big bulky hands could handle a knife with such precision that he could turn a radish into a delicate rose bud. He leaned forward and got in Justin's face. 

"Bullshit! All of that could have waited until Monday and you know it. You're just looking for excuses to avoid going out tonight." He eased back a bit, rested one hip against Justin's desk and crossed his arms again. "You've done nothing besides work and go home for the past six months. Give it a rest, man."

It was true, Justin had been acting like a man on a mission from hell. He'd put every ounce of energy he had into building the restaurant from the ground up. From purchasing the lake front property, to designing the kitchen and the dinning room itself and then overseeing the construction of the building. Carefully nit picking the right waiters and kitchen staff. Even when he was at home, he spent hours changing and revising the menu. 

He slept when his head hit the pillow. Only to be up at the break of dawn to get down to the fresh food market to beat his competitors in getting the freshest fish, meats, and produce. He was always busy doing something for the restaurant. By the end of the day he would be exhausted, but he liked it that way. As long as he kept himself busy he didn't have time to think of other things, and that was just fine by him. 

"The restaurant is up and running and is a huge success," his friend continued on. "Stop the madness man, you're starting to drive me nuts being here all the time. Keep this up and you're going to die a lonely man with nothing to show but this place. There's more to life than this restaurant," he said quietly. 

Justin winced at that direct hit and shifted uncomfortably in his chair. He pushed his fingers through his hair, rolled his shoulders back and sighed. He knew that he'd been overdoing it of late, but he really didn't need his friend to point that out to him. "I'm not trying to avoid going out tonight. I just wanted to get a jump on things so I wouldn't have to deal with them on Monday," he said. It was a lame reason, but he was going to stick with it. 

"I wasn't going to say this, but I guess I have to pull out the big guns." The man gave a dramatic pause and eyed Justin. "I just got off the phone with your sister and she is pissed. Five'll get you ten, she's on her way. And if I don't get you out of here in the next ten minutes, my ass it going to be shit for grass and all hell is going to break loose." He griped. 

Justin started laughing at the pained and somewhat terrified look on his friend's face. Grateful for the subject change, he couldn't help but tease his friend. "Gavin MacLeod, don't tell me that a man of your size is afraid of my little sister."

"You're damn skippy I'm scared of her. And she ain't no little thing. She made the Devil cry and laughed while she was doing it. Little, my ass." Gavin pointed a thumb at himself. "I, for one, do not want to be on the receiving end of her temper," he said as he reached out to grab Justin by his arm and pulled him out of his chair. "So get your Asian ass up and out of here before the hellion comes through that door."

"Too late," came a cool voice from the door. "The hellion is here." Justin let out a groan and Gavin swore under his breath. He'd just gotten off the phone with her not five minutes ago. How in the hell did she get there so fast? She must have been talking on her cell phone en route. 

They both turned to see a tall statuesque, dark sable haired woman with snapping blue eyes standing in the doorway. Her hands were on her hips and her usually full lips were pressed thin with irritation. "Daisuke Justin Matsumoto." Justin cringed, she used his full name, and her voice had that tone that said he was in deep shit. Things did not look good. 

Gavin raised his hands in a way of surrender. "Mel, I tried," his voice was soft and he talked slow, like he was trying to sooth a savage beast that was about to go berserk. Justin shot him a dirty look at his sudden change in nature. Traitor. Gavin shrugged his shoulders as he edged his way to the door. Hey, he was no dummy, when it came to Justin's sister's temper, it was every man for himself. 

"I know you did, Gavin." She didn't take her eyes off Justin. "I'll take it from here." Having been dismissed, Gavin tried to make a hasty retreat. Mel didn't move from where she stood and Gavin had to suck in his stomach to skirt around her. He was not a religious man per se, but he made the sign of the cross over his chest behind her back and mouthed the words, "good luck," to Justin as he beat it out of the office. 

Justin took in the sight of his sister. Melissa Harding was a tall woman, standing five foot eight inches and weighed about one hundred and forty pounds. She was wearing a black high collared faux fur lined swing coat that fell open to reveal a low cut, but tasteful, red dress. Her dark sable hair, which usually hung in wild ringlets down to her waist, was pulled back into a tight braid, effectively showing off her high cheek bones and impossibly wide eyes. She wore a simple, but elegant, pair of silver hoop earrings and a matching thin necklace that graced her long neck. 

To look at Mel, no one would have ever guessed that she was the rough and tumble tomboy with scabby knees, who played tackle football with the neighborhood boys, and use to beat the crap out of Justin and his brother Rick on a daily basis while growing up. Nor would anyone have guessed that at the age of thirty two she was a mother of three children, ages three, five and seven. 

Mel reached behind her and slid the office door closed, muffling the sounds of the kitchen and Chef yelling at his staff. She still hadn't taken her eyes off Justin. He began to get a little nervous and had a flash back to when they were kids. Mel was sitting on him, punching him in the chest while yelling in his face for breaking one of her favorite toys. He rubbed his chest as if he could still feel the bruise. Then he saw her face shift from its cool mask to an impish little grin as she let out a small giggle. He let out a breath he hadn't realized he was holding.

"Why do you do that?"

Mel moved over to the desk, shoved some paper work aside and sat down. "Because I can," she said off handedly as she crossed her long legs and leaned back on her hands. "And because it's fun." She giggled again. Justin shook his head and sat back down in his chair.

"You do realize that you scare Gavin to death."

"That's what makes it so much fun." She brought her fingers up to her mouth to make like she was biting her nails in fear and spoke in a spooky voice. "Big bad Chef Gavin, the terror of the kitchen," she spread her fingers and wiggled them, "is scared of me." Mel burst into laughter and had a look of absolute joy on her face. 

Justin shook his head again and started to turn his chair back to face his computer but was stopped short. Mel had sharply planted a red high heeled foot between his legs just a hair's breadth away from his crotch and leaned forward.

"Oh no you don't, brother dear." Mel shook her head, her face turned serious and the look in her eyes, almost deadly. "We've got reservations for dinner at The Pub in an hour and a half and you still have to go home to get ready," she eyed his ragged t-shirt and jeans. "Because you are not going out looking like that."

Justin shifted back in his chair, putting what space he could between himself and Mel's foot. He wouldn't put it past her to crush his balls if she was of a mind to. "Come on Mel. Just let me finish this up. It'll take me about ten minutes and then I'll get ready." He pointed to a small closet on the far side of the office. "I've got a set of spare clothes. I'll just change here and meet you there." 

Mel pressed her foot forward and the pointed tip of her shoe brushed against the seam of his jeans. "Now see, here's the problem with that. You've probably been here since six this morning sweating in the kitchen before working on the computer," she leaned over and wrinkled her nose after taking a sniff. "You are in dire need of a shower. Plus, if I give you those ten minutes, you'll find something else to do and the next thing you know, you've missed our date." She tapped the tip of his nose with her finger.

"I know you too well, brother. It's been ages since you, Rick and I have gone out. It's Valentine's, I just dropped the kids off at my parents so I'm children free, and I want to spend this night with the two men I love the most." She pushed at Justin's chair and rolled him back as she slid off the desk to stand up. "Now," she smoothed her dress down her slim hips with her hands. "I know that you won't leave unless you're walking out the door with me, so get a move on."

"What if I said I didn't want to go?" The question hung in the air and Justin leaned back in his chair. He was being obstinate and he knew it. It wasn't that he didn't want to spend the evening having dinner and drinks with his brother and sister. He was all for that. 

He'd spent every waking moment getting his restaurant off the ground. But that also meant he hadn't seen much of his brother or Mel, other than the occasional phone call to let them know that yes, he was still alive. The last time he'd seen them was at the grand opening of the restaurant, and that was more than a month and a half ago. The business was doing so well that they were taking reservations almost a month in advance.

Justin did miss spending time with his family. He just didn't want their first time getting together to be on Valentine's Day. He didn't want to be forced to watch couples openly express their love for each other on the supposedly most romantic night of the year. He knew he wasn't up for that.

Nor did he want to have to sit and suffer through a meal, being a third wheel, watching while his brother and wife fawned over each other. It made him even more painfully aware of his failed marriage. Pouring everything he had into opening his restaurant helped keep the pain at bay, but on special nights like tonight, well there's was just no stopping the assault on his emotions.

"You have to let Kimiko go, Justin." Mel said softly. "She wasn't good to you, or good for you." Her dark eyebrows drew together in concern for her brother. It worried her that Justin had shut himself off from everyone and buried himself in his work. She knew that the only way to get him back, was to force him to go out. That's what tonight was really all about. She moved behind Justin, bent over to wrap her arms around his neck in a sisterly hug. 

"You did everything you could have possibly done, short of bending over backwards, to make your marriage work." She rested her cheek gently against his. 

"But it still wasn't good enough." He swallowed, his voice was rough. Justin blinked rapidly, his eyes burning and a muscle in his jaw twitched. 

"Not for her, no. Nothing in this world would be good enough for that woman. But that's her issue. Not yours. Don't own that. You can't undo what's been done." 

Although she said it quietly, there was a firm undertone to her voice. Mel was starting to get angry. She didn't have to mention to Justin that she never cared for his ex-wife. That went without saying. But because of her love for Justin, she had tolerated Kimiko and her spoiled ways. As far as Mel was concerned, it was Kimiko who wasn't good enough for Justin. 

Mel wasn't stupid by any means. She knew that she was part of the reason why Justin's marriage had failed. That a lot of the fights Justin and Kimiko had were because of Justin's feelings for Mel. They all knew that Justin had been in love with her since they were kids, but she'd chosen Rick over Justin. And even though it had hurt, Justin accepted her choice. 

It was Kimiko who kept harping on it. Not a day went by without Kimiko throwing it his face that Mel loved Rick more than she loved Justin. Hurting Justin even more. She took great pleasure in hurting him. For that alone, Mel would never forgive the little bitch. 

Mel was steadily getting more pissed and that wasn't good. The whole point of tonight's dinner was to get Justin out of this funk he'd been in and back into the real world. That wasn't going to happen if they continued to talk about his ex-wife. She needed to change the subject and fast. She released him from her hold and stood up. 

"I believe the question was: what if you didn't want to go." Mel sauntered over to the office door and slid it open. "In response to that, I have two words for you," she said cockily. "'Purple. Nurple.'" She gave him a look that dared Justin to argue with her.

Justin shuddered at the threat and remembered the Purple Nurples she used to give him when they were kids. On instinct, Justin crossed his hands over his chest to protect his sensitive nipples under his t-shirt. Then with a sigh he leaned over to shut down his computer and went to grab his coat from the closet. Justin knew there was no point in fighting. When it came to getting what she wanted, Mel was not above using physical force.

"You're cruel, Mel," he said as he pushed his hands through the arms of his coat. "You know that? You're just cruel."

Mel smiled at him sweetly and shoved Justin out into the kitchen. "Yes, yes I am, and that's why you love me. Chef!"

"Yes, ma'am!" Came an answer from across the kitchen. 

"Justin and I are leaving. The place is in your hands, don't burn it down." She ushered Justin through the kitchen and toward the dining room.

"Yes ma'am!" Gavin gave a mock salute to Mel behind her back. Mel raised her pointer finger in the air as she and Justin went through the kitchen door. "Don't think I didn't see that."

The kitchen staff broke into laughter as Gavin crossed himself again. "That woman is just plain spooky." He turned to his staff. "What the hell are you all standing around laughing at?" He barked. "Get back to work!" He clapped his hands sharply. "Peanut, that Salmon ain't going to cook itself, boy!" 

Mel and Justin walked out into the parking lot of the restaurant. Justin hunched his shoulders against the cold February air and quickly zipped up his coat as they moved towards their vehicles. Mel's Subaru was parked next to his beat up Land Rover. She unlocked the door and pulled it open, but paused to look at her watch before getting in.

"You've got a little over an hour to get yourself ready and meet Rick and I down at The Pub. I've got to go down to the police station and wrestle my husband away from his duties." She settled herself in her car. "I swear, the two of you are really making me work for this night." She put the key in the ignition and shot Justin a look. "Don't be late."




For The Life of You Ch. 02



"Yes, ma'am," Justin teased as she started her car. He quickly shut her door before she could say anything, but he caught the meaning of the look she gave him as she backed out of her parking space and took off to get her husband. 

Justin got into the Land Rover and sat for a moment while it warmed up for his drive home. While life for him hadn't been hard, it certainly hadn't been easy for him either. Complicated might have been a better word to describe his life. Starting with his parents.

He shook his head and tried not to let his thoughts take him back to the death of his parents. How Rick became his brother and then years later married Mel. If he did, then he wouldn't make it to The Pub on time, and Mel would kill him for being late. 

He glanced at his watch. It was just shortly after seven. He put the Land Rover in reverse and backed out of his parking space. If he hurried, he'd have just enough time to take a quick shower, throw on some decent, Mel approved clothes, and get to The Pub with a few minutes to spare. 

JUSTIN LET HIS EYES wonder around the smoked filled pub and was glad that he'd switched out his contacts for his glasses. This was one of the few eating establishments left in the city that still allowed smoking inside. He shook his head and wondered how he'd let Mel talk him into coming down to this place. Scratch that, there was no talking him into anything when it came to Mel getting what she wanted. 

He really didn't want to be there. It was crowded and noisy and he was getting irritated. This had to be the fourth time he was pressed into the bar as someone squeezed by him. All he wanted was a drink, but the bartender was busy pulling a Tom Cruise at the other end of the bar. He had glasses stacked up in the shape of a pyramid and was pouring a peach colored concoction from a shaker into them. A loud cheer rose up. 

"Happy Valentine's!" 

He was just about to give up when the tall, dark haired young man meandered his way down to him. There was a slight detectable sway to the bartenders hips as he stopped in front of Justin, placed his hands on the bar, looked him dead in the eye. "What can I get for you?" Justin backed up a bit, slightly unnerved by the bartender's self assuredness. He asked for a whiskey sour. 

The bartender looked him up and down for a second before giving him a slow smile and nodded his head. Justin's eyebrows drew together. Had he just been manscaped? He shook his head and watched as the bartender skillfully made his drink, took two more drink orders, and joked with someone who seemed to be a regular there. 

As he slid Justin's drink in front of him, the bartender looked toward the door. "Hey Blu!" Justin turned his head to see whom he was calling out to. There was a woman standing just inside the door peering around a huge bouquet of roses. The first thing he noticed about her was, that unlike the rest of the women in the pub on this particular night, she wasn't clothed in some shade of red or pink. She was wearing a short black leather coat, and under it, a silver silk blouse that crisscrossed in the front and tied off at the side of her curved waist.

Justin leaned back further so he could take in the whole picture of her. He could see that she was small, but not tiny. She maybe stood about five feet five inches. He let his eyes wonder. She wore a black skirt that clung to the curve of her hips and flowed gracefully down a pair of thick thighs and stopped just mid knee. He noticed that her milk chocolate brown legs were bare. Hm, no nylons. He liked that. He continued on down her legs to her feet and saw again, that unlike the rest of the women on this cold night, she dared to wear a pair of opened toed high heels that showed off her toes. He chuckled to himself and gave her a silent thumbs up on her protest against Valentine's Day. 

He could see her oval shaped eyes searching the crowd of people milling around. He realized that she was looking for someone specific. Probably her date. Justin was surprised to feel a little disappointed that she was looking for her man. He frowned to himself and picked up his drink. 

"They're in back by the dart boards." The bartender yelled out. 

For a split second, Justin forgot to breathe and almost dropped his drink. He placed the glass on the bar when he saw her smile. Sure, most women are beautiful when they smile, but with her, her whole face just, lit up. And the light seemed to spread through out her body, emitting this sizzling hum that made her glow. "Thanks, Nick!" She called back. In what seemed like slow motion, he watched as she raised her fingers and pressed them against her full lips and blow the bartender a kiss. 

He stared even more as she made her way through the crowd with the ease of a dancer. She got stuck in front of group of hearty partiers that blocked her way. She didn't say a word, she just shifted the vase filled flowers to her hip and lightly placed her finger tips on a man's shoulder. The man jolted as if she'd shocked him. He blushed, muttered an apology and clumsily moved to make room for her. She smiled a quiet 'thank you' as she slipped by.

She was just passing Justin when a waitress came through, struggling with a tray of food. The woman stepped to the left and into the tight space right next to him, and even though she hadn't touched him, Justin felt like he'd been zapped by an electrical current. He felt the hair on the back of his neck stand up and as the sensation zipped down his spine to bottom out in the base of his balls, he was immediately aroused. He felt his cock start to stiffen and press against the zipper of his dress slacks. He was surprised. Never had he'd had such an intense reaction to a woman before, not even to Mel.

He tried to remember when the last time he'd gotten laid. It couldn't have been more than a year, could it? No, the last time he'd had sex, it was with that investor's daughter. That spicy little Latina, what was her name? Marlena. Yeah, he'd met her at a dinner party, they'd been joking around, had a drink, or two. 

Next thing he knew it was morning. He woke up in bed with her, nude. The sheets were tangled around their legs and her equally naked body sprawled over his. Her head cozy on his chest, tangled dark hair covering her face, happily snoring. It was a very awkward moment when she woke up. Neither were drunk when they walked through the door to the hotel room. So they couldn't blame in on alcohol. 

She was engaged, and the wedding was a week away. She cried that this was the first time she'd ever done anything like that, and Justin believed her. They both agreed, that even though the sex was hot, and they'd never forget it, never should the two meet, ever again.

Justin lied to her father and said he'd found another investor. That was the last he'd seen of Marlena, and that was...Shit! It really had been over a year since he'd gotten laid. The restaurant kept him so busy that he only had time for a few stroke off sessions in the shower, or in bed when he was too boned up to sleep. That was it. He nodded his head to himself. He was sexually frustrated. That had to be the reason why he was reacting so strongly to that woman. 

The waitress passed and the woman moved on toward the back of the pub. Leaving traces of her scent behind, making his head spin a little. He tilted his head, drew in a breath, letting her fragrance fill his nostrils. It wasn't a flowery perfume. Nor was it heavy that he could taste it on the back of his tongue. It was light and sweet and only could be detected up close. Was that cinnamon? No, he knew his spices, that was cloves. She smelled like panned warmed cloves. 

He turned to track her moves through the crowd. He really couldn't help but stare. Dear god! His mouth dropped open when he caught a look at her backside. She had, what Mel called, a ba-dunka dunk booty. It was high, firm and oh, so luscious. The skirt she was wearing clung in such a way that he could see a subtle indentation separating one buttock from the other. 

The sight of that slight crease should have been tasteless and tacky, obscene even. But with her, it was hot. He could have happily run his hands over each cheek and never gotten tired of it. He watched the way her hips swayed as she weaved around a few more people. He wondered for a moment what her hips would feel like between his hands. Whoa, where the hell did that come from? 

There was something about her confident stride that turned him on. He just couldn't stop watching her. She was talking to a small blonde haired woman and shoving the flowers at her. He couldn't hear what they were saying to each other, but the woman's face was so animated. It fascinated him when he saw her frown and began digging around in her bag, searching for something on the bottom, and then pull out a pack of cigarettes. She was a smoker. That kind of surprised him. She didn't strike him as a smoker.  

 

 BLU STRUGGLED THROUGH the front door of the pub trying hard not to drop the flowers she was carrying. She shouldn't have been surprised, but still, she hadn't expected the place to be so packed. All the tables were full and it was pretty much standing room only. Her niece had called to cuss her out for being late and then complained that they couldn't find a seat. Well it was Valentine's Day after all, and The Pub had one of the best kitchens in the city. Good luck in trying to get a table with no reservation. 

She scanned the crowd in hopes of finding the familiar face of her niece. "Hey Blu!" She shifted the vase of flowers to look around to see who called her name. It was Nick one of her favorite bartenders. "They're in the back by the dart boards!" He shouted over the heads of people standing at the bar and pointed towards the back with one hand while he made a mixed drink with the other.

"Thanks, Nick!" She hollered back and blew him a quick kiss as she worked her way through the crowd. The flowers were getting heavy and made for an awkward burden. She had made it half way, only to be blocked by a group of people, who looked like they weren't going to move any time soon. She moved the vase of flowers to her hip. She reached out with her left hand to tap one of the men in the group on the shoulder and said, "excuse me." 

The air inside the pub was hot and dry, which caused static electricity to shoot out from her fingertips and zap the poor guy on the shoulder. Startled, both stared at each other in surprise from the shock. The man got lost in Blu's wide eyes. They were a tawny gold color which made a striking contrast against the chocolate brown tone of her skin. He was almost mesmerized and it took him a second to realize that he was in her way. He blushed and muttered a quick apology before moving aside. She smiled a 'thank you' and moved on. 

A waitress with a big tray of food was coming toward her and forced Blu to squeeze into a tight space between two men at the bar. She snapped her head back and her breath hissed through her clenched teeth as the flowers smacked her in her face. Her full lips thinned, she closed her eyes and counted to ten as she tried to get her temper under control. 

She'd promised Layla, awhile back, that she would try to keep her swearing to a minimum. But the flowers, the crowded pub, and the significance of this night was not helping her keep her promise. She bit down hard on her bottom lip to stop the flow of cuss words that were about to burst from her mouth. I can't wait to get rid of these fucking flowers! The waitress had made it to her destination and Blu headed to the back to find Krista.

She found her niece and friend standing at the far end of the pub looking very irritated.

"Ok, so, we were debating as to whether or not we should stay here, or go some place else." Krista raised her voice to be heard over the noise of the crowd and the music. Blu shot her a look. 

"First of all, it's Valentine's, anywhere you go it's going to be packed. Second of all, I said that I was only coming down to The Pub, and nowhere else. I'm trimmed, I'm dressed, I'm here, so I'm staying. What you two do, is totally up to you." 

Sometimes Blu felt that if she didn't put her foot down, her niece would walk all over her. Not that she didn't love Krista to death, but she truly was spoiled, and every great once in a while she needed to be put in her place. Tonight was one of those times. 

She felt an arm wrap around her neck, and a body press up against her from behind in a hug. "Hey, Blu." She turned her head to see who was hugging her. 

"Hey, Miss Kitty Kat." 

"Happy Valentine's, Blu." Kat said sweetly. 

"Bah-humbug, Kat." She replied just as sweetly, with a tight smile plastered on her face. 

"Well, maybe this will make your night sweeter." Kat said just as smoothly and held up a rock glass filled with an amber colored liquid. "An Amaretto sour with a shot of vodka and mega cherries."

Blu's face lit up with a smile. "This is why I love you so much, Kat." She sniffed and wipe a fake tear from the corner of her eye. "You always take such good care of me." She said as she shifted her floral burden. She'd been trying to figure out a way to dump the damn things and saw her perfect out. "Here," she said as she shoved the offensive arrangement at Kat and took the drink. "Trade you." 

"Oh, Blu," she breathed. "What beautiful roses." 

Blu just snorted. "If you say so," was her quip remark. 

Kat gave her a questioning look. "You don't want them?" 

Blu shook her head. "Nope." 

Kat raised an eyebrow, she was now curious at Blu's reaction to the flowers. "Did a man give them to you?" 

Blu looked away trying to avoid having to answer, but Krista and Enira were both looking at her wide eyed. She scrunched her lips. "Something like that." She finally muttered. 

"Oh, so there is a man in your life, and he sent you roses to show his love for you." Kat sang. 

Blu looked at Kat like she had just spit in her drink. "There is no man." She snapped. Damn it, she knew it was mistake bringing the stupid ass flowers down there, but she didn't want the things in her house either. She should have just gone with her first instinct and thrown them out. But she hadn't, and now she was getting grilled about the fucking things. Her temper was starting climb.

Krista, who was enjoying seeing Blu uncomfortable, finally piped up. "Blu doesn't like flowers." 

Enira looked at Blu like she'd grown two heads. "Why? I would absolutely love it if my husband sent me flowers as beautiful as these," she gushed and softly touched one of the rose petals. 

Now to give credit where credit was due, Enira was a sweet girl. But in Blu's opinion she was a cockeyed optimist and way too innocent for words. Plus, she never seemed to know when to shut up. Blu never did understand how she and Krista got to be such good friends, not that it really mattered. Enira prattled on about how unromantic her husband was and that Blu should be thanking her lucky stars that she had a man who was all about the romance, and had such expensive taste in gifts.

She should what? Thank her lucky stars? Who the fuck was this little girl to be telling her what she should be thanking? Blu's blood was boiling and the palm of her hand itched to slap some sense into the girl. She just had no patience for simple people, and Enira was simple at best. She contemplated for a moment on actually slapping Enria. Not on her face, but on the back of her head, just on principle alone. It wouldn't have cured the girl of her stupidity, but it sure would have made Blu feel better. 

Krista saw the dangerous look on Blu's face. She saw Blu's eyes narrow in thought. Krista smoothly stepped in front of Enira to save her friend's life. 

"See Enira," she said in a way of explanation. "To Blu, sending flowers says, and I quote: I am going to posses you until you whither away and die. End quote." Krista looked at Blu with a small impish grin. She just loved putting Blu on the spot. It was very rare that she could, so she was taking full advantage. "Did I get it right?"

Blu's temper went up another notch but she covered it well by putting her drink down on the bar and started digging through her bag looking for her cigarettes and lighter. 

Enira let out a small gasp, "Blu, that's just horrible." 

Blu put up a hand to stop the madness. "Look," she said as she lit up. "Can we not go there and just say we did?" 

Enira was about to argue, but Blu cut her off with a wave of her hand. "My reasoning's behind not liking flowers are just that, my reasoning's. Can we get off the subject now?" She blew out the smoke in a huff. 

"But-" Krista elbowed Enira to stop her. They'd succeeded in getting Blu out of the house, on this of all nights. If they kept messing with her, the end result would be Blu showing them her backside as she turned on her heel and walked out, and Krista didn't want that. 

JUSTIN PUSHED HIS glasses up the bridge of his nose, and stared at her mouth as her lips wrapped around the end of the cigarette. Her jaw worked to pull in the smoke before she tilted her head up and released the white cloud in a stream through her parted lips. He blinked. He never thought smoking was sexy, but damn, she made it sexy. 

He leaned over the bar as he felt himself get even more hard. His cheeks grew warm and he glanced around nervously, praying that no one would notice. His hand blindly reached for the rock glass in front of him. He took a huge gulp from his drink and immediately began to choke as the alcohol burned a path down his throat to simmer in his stomach. 

Justin eyed the drink and noticed that there was more whiskey in his glass than there was sour mix and looked over at the bartender through watery eyes. The bartender, she had called him Nick, was watching Justin closely. Shit! Had he seen Justin's reaction to the woman he'd called Blu? Justin hoped not. He felt a prickling heat rise in his cheeks as he flushed with embarrassment. 

Nick was leaning casually against the back counter, arms and legs crossed, he had a knowing smirk on his lips that spread into a small devilish grin. He glanced at the drink in Justin's hand and cocked an eyebrow as if to say, 'careful son, that first sip's a doozzie.' He looked at Justin like he was a tasty little morsel. And Justin could have sworn Nick had licked his lips before he pushed his six foot two lanky frame away from the back counter. 

"How's that working for you?" He had a shit eating grin on his face while he placed his hands on the bar and leaned forward. 

Again, Justin backed up a bit. Oh yeah, the bartender was definitely hitting on him. With Justin's classical Asian looks, getting hit on constantly was a cross he had to bear. Rick never failed to tease him about his 'pretty boy' looks. Especially with his long black hair.

Justin didn't care that Nick was gay, he'd been hit on by guys before. He actually took it as a compliment, even though men weren't his preference. It was something he was used to and it didn't bother him in the least. It was the fact that Nick had pushed into his personal space that made Justin uncomfortable. The whiskey still burned his throat and he didn't trust himself to speak, so he just raised his glass in a silent salute and merely nodded his head. 

"Hey Nick! I need three TRA's, two 'Bookas, and a Waterfall!"

With a small disappointing sigh, Nick sauntered away from Justin to make the drinks the other bartender yelled to him. With an impressive smoothness, he mixed the drinks, one after the other and passed them down the bar. Then he stacked six rock glasses filled with colorful alcohol and poured them out into six shot glasses, all at once without spilling a drop.




For The Life of You Ch. 02



"Justin." He looked over his shoulder and saw Mel wave at him from the booth they were sitting in. "Are you coming back any time soon?" 

"Yeah," he gave her a rueful smile and paid for his drink. His couldn't help but look to the other end of the bar, searching for her. He saw that she was sitting at a table with two other women who looked younger than her, but not by much. It was just the three of them. Good. 

The thought stopped him in his tracks. Why had he thought that? He shook his head and frowned as he turned to slide into booth across from his brother and his wife. Why did it relieve him to know that she didn't have a man with her? He wasn't in the market for a woman in his life. That was the last thing he needed right now. 

His divorce was final a year ago, but now he was in the middle of an ugly custody battle over his fifteen year old daughter, whom he hadn't seen in two years. She probably thought he didn't care about her, and he was sure that Kimiko used that to her advantage, but damn it, it was hard trying to get custody while he was in America and she was in Japan. 

"Fuck you!" 

Justin was almost knocked over as a woman pushed past him. He heard a shout of laughter coming from the end of the bar where she was sitting and his breath caught in his chest. She was turned his way and her face as aglow with laughter. For a split second he thought she was looking at him, but then he realized that she had been watching the woman that had stormed past him. He couldn't seem to tear his eyes away. She looked so sexy as she wiggled in her seat with delight. 

"WELL, REGARDLESS of what you think Ms. Blu, far be it from me to turn down such a gorgeous arrangement. So, I thank you." Kat was a beautiful woman inside and out. She always had a positive attitude no matter what was going on. She was smart, even tempered and always tried to look out for the best interests of everyone that came into her life, and that included Blu. 

She stepped around the bar and put the flowers on the back counter before looking back and took in Blu's newly purchased out fit. "And look at you, Ms. Thang. You're all dolled up this evening. Are you sure you don't hope to be meeting up with someone special?" 

Blu snorted and gave Kat a deadpan look. "Not on your young. Irish. Life." 

Kat had known Blu for a couple of years, but she'd noticed that whenever Blu came down to The Pub, she was usually by herself. Some times her friend James would join her, but Kat saw right away that there was nothing going on between them. 

Every great once in awhile, like tonight, she'd meet up with her niece Krista, but Kat had never seen Blu with a man other than James. It was none of her business, but being the ever romantic that she was, Kat hoped that tonight of all nights, Blu had a man waiting in the wings for her. 

At that moment, a table opened up and Krista and Enira moved to claim it before someone else did. 

"I know what you're thinking Kat," Blu said as she puffed on her cigarette and took a sip of her drink. "So stop it." She followed the girls to the table and settled in her chair. "My niece," she looked pointedly over at Krista. "And my friend Layla, have conspired against me to get me out of the house tonight." 

Krista looked at her, her eyes wide with innocence. "What?" 

Blu rolled her eyes. "Please, don't give me that innocent look. You forget, I taught you that. Breakfast, getting the fingers and toes buttered, shopping spree? Oh, and wait, what day is today? Valentine's" She wagged her finger. "Mama raised crazy, not stupid." She looked up a Kat with a twinkle in her eye. 

Krista sat a little straighter in her seat and said, "in our defense, we are all alone. David is in Iraq, and Enira's husband is in boot camp, you don't have a man-" 

Blu stabbed her cigarette out in the ashtray and broke in. "For a reason." 

Krista continued on as if she didn't hear her. "This is the one day, besides Christmas and New Year's, that one should not be alone." 

Blu threw her hands in the air and gave up. They had succeeded in getting her out of the house, so she might as well enjoy it. 

"Well, this is my table," Kat said. "So I'll make sure to take proper care of you." She tilted her blond head to the side. "Will we be having dinner tonight, or are you going to stick with your usual liquid diet?" She winked at Blu. 

Blu gave Kat a look, but ignored the last part of her question. "Actually we're going to eat first. Krista has only been here for cocktails and this is Enira's first time here. What do you suggest?" 

Kat giggled a little. "Oh, a newbie. Well, welcome to our humble establishment that we like to call, 'The Vortex'." 

Enira looked confused. "I thought this place was called 'The Pub'." Okay, so she wasn't exactly the brightest crayon in the Crayola box. 

Kat and Blu just smiled at each other. "Oh, it is dear," Kat said in amusement. "It is." 

Enira looked even more confused. Blu sighed. 

"It's a nickname. Meaning, that you only have the intentions of coming in here for a drink or two, but you're having so much fun that you forget about the time and the next thing you know you're closing the place down." Blu didn't mention how many times that had happened to her. 

"That pretty much sums it up in a nut shell." Kat said with a hearty laugh. She went on to rattle off a few suggestions from the menu. After they placed their order she took her leave with the promise of a quick return with drinks all around. 

Blu took off her coat and slung over the back of her chair. Then reached into her bag and pulled out her cigarettes. As she lit up, she sat back and listened as her niece and her friend happily argued about who had gone the longest with out sex. She wasn't about to tell them that she had them beat hands down. God, had it really been two years since she'd gotten laid? 

She remembered the young energetic puppy. He was barely twenty-three, and she really should have known better than to mess with someone so young. But he was just so adorable, the way he followed her around during rehearsal, stepping and fetching for her.

True, he was the assistant stage director and she was the choreographer, it was part of his job to get her what she needed. But he always put a little something extra in whatever he was doing for her. And truth be told, it was a bit of an ego stroke, that someone so young found her, at the age of thirty-eight, to be attractive. 

It had been fun playing with him and seeing how far he would go just to please her. She knew better, and yet she gave in. She could hear her surrogate father, Papa Ward's voice ringing in her head, "don't shit where you eat, girl." But she had ignored it when the young'un backed her up against the mirror in the women's dressing room and buried his face in between her breasts. It was all down hill from there. 

They were the only two people left in the theatre, and she had teased him mercilessly all through rehearsal. Dropping blatant sexual innuendos, lightly caressing his shoulder, switching her hips on purpose. She knew full well that he was staring at her backside when she walked away. 

She had a moment of weakness, when he slid his hand into her dance shorts and ran a finger between the slick folds of her lips. It didn't help that she was a sucker for guys with long hair. And his was long, thick and curly. 

"Don't shit where you eat, girl." It echoed in her head, bouncing around like a ping-pong ball. But damn it, she had an itch, and that puppy was more than happy to scratch it. Boy howdy did he scratch it. 

Going on Papa Ward's advice, she'd made it a rule not to get romantically or sexually involved with theatre people. Too much gossip and too much drama. There was always someone trying to claw their way to top using any means necessary to get there. And screwing around with the assistant stage director would have been the perfect ammunition. 

But she had broken the golden rule and that proved disastrous. He started calling her at all hours and leaving messages on her voice mail. The end all to be all was when he showed up at her coffee shop, and demanded, in front of her customers, to know why she was ignoring him. Very unprofessional.

She had to put him down. She'd told him if he didn't stop harassing her, that she would have him black listed. He tried to call her bluff, but the fact of the matter was, she'd been in the theatre business way longer than he, and she knew way too many important people in the business, people that could make or break his career, and he was just getting started. 

He ended up stomping out of Level Grounds with his tail tucked between his legs. Blu hated to fact she'd had to resort to such lengths to get rid of him, but there was nothing for it. It was a lesson painfully learned, and she hadn't broken the golden rule since. And she'd made sure never to do a show that he was stage managing. 

The boy was smart and had kept his mouth shut. The only person who knew the truth was James. And that was only because he'd caught the boy with his hand in the cookie jar, so to speak. James had dropped in for his routine coffee, fried potatoes and scrambled eggs on his way home from the club. And he saw the puppy leaving Blu's house in the wee hours of the morning, after she'd kicked him out of her bed. 

A few months later, the boy had gotten an opportunity that relocated him to New York and that was the end of it. But James never let Blu live that one down. Every great once in awhile she'd hear him whistling, "how much is that doggie in the window?" 

"I'M GOING TO have to invest in those rechargeable batteries." Krista was saying. 

Blu laughed at that, and it got her thinking about T.O.M. Her battery operated, Triple Orgasm Machine, hidden in the bottom drawer of her dresser. 

Just for shits and grins, Layla had hosted a Subtle Seduction party. Although Blu had been to a couple of parties and had even hosted one herself, at Krista's insistence, she'd never bought anything. In Blu's opinion, if there wasn't a man attached to it, what was the point?

The sales woman went through demonstrating different shapes, sizes, and colors of various dildos and vibrators. When she pulled out T.O.M., Layla began tapping excitedly on Blu's thigh, saying that was just what Blu needed. Blu rolled her eyes and said, "in the words of Marvin Gaye and Tammi Tarrell: ain't nothing like the real thing, baby." 

"The way his sizable shaft vibrates, rotates, and thrusts...," the lady was saying. Yo, what?! Blu's hand shot in the air. "Does he come in any color other than pink?" 

Layla fell back against the couch in hysterical laughter. 

The heavily made up, Subtle Seduction sales representative was thrown off by Blu's explosive question and gave a tentative answer. "Um, n-no," she shook her head. "Just pink." 

Tears were running down Layla's cheeks she was laughing so hard. She knew how much Blu hated the color pink. "But he thruts!" Layla pushed the pointer fingers of each hand upward to emphasize the word. She doubled over in another fit of laughter when Blu smacked her on her leg and called her a bitch. 

One hundred seventy-five dollars, and three days later, T.O.M was resting comfortably in the bottom of Blu's dresser drawer. The pink color not withstanding, Blu hated to admit it, but the few times they hooked up, he was worth every penny.

"DAVID'S NOT COMING home for another five months. No sex for five months. I don't know what I'm going to do with myself." Krista whined. Blu felt for her niece, but at the same time they'd brought it on themselves. Getting married as fast as they did.

"You two made the choice to get married a week before David had to leave for Iraq." Blu tapped her cigarette on the edge of the ashtray. "Knowing he wasn't going to be stateside for at least a year. Instead of going around saying good-bye to everyone, ya'll should've been screwing like jack rabbits."

Krista just pouted and sipped from her drink. Blu gave her a sympathetic look. Krista was young, and the thought of going without sex for more than twenty-four hours was like the end of the world to her. It was no big major deal to Blu. If she got it, she got it. If she didn't, she didn't. 

Now, that wasn't to say that it wouldn't have been nice to have an available partner on hand twenty-four seven. But that also meant being in a relationship. Someone always there every time she turned around. Someone always underfoot. No personal time to herself. Having to explain where she was going, when she was coming back, who was she hanging with. Blu shuddered at the thought. Nope, she was more than happy being single. No fuss, no muss.

"Do you have a web cam?" She looked at Krista.

"What?"

"I know that David's a computer junkie, so you've got to have a web cam, right?" Blu was starting to get a little irritated, but she wanted to help.

"Well, yeah." Krista said. "Before he left, David bought two web cams so we could see each other while we chatted online."

"Problem solved." Blu said in satisfaction.

Krista looked at Blu in confusion. "What do you mean, problem solved? David's still in Iraq and I'm here."

Blu closed her eyes and counted to ten. Dear god, give me strength. She took the last puff from her cigarette before putting it out in the ashtray. "Krista, you're my niece," she said slowly. "And I love you, but you've been hanging with Enira way too long." She looked over at Krista's friend and put up an apologetic hand. "No offense."

"Oh, that's okay. I like hanging with Krista," came the bright reply.

Blu just blinked. Wow. Really? Oh my fucking god. Somebody shoot me in my face! Blu let out a soft whistle and chose to ignore Enira after that last statement. She turned to Krista.

"Okay, let me break it down for you. You've got a web cam so you can see each other while you chat online." Blu waited for the light bulb over Krista's head to come on. It flickered, but remained dark. 

"Yes," Krista said slowly and looked at Blu like she was crazy. "I already told you that." Still no light.

Blu threw up her hands in frustration. "I'm talking about web cam sex, girl. You've got all those toys from the Subtle Seduction party, put them to good use. You know, we're just following ancient history, if I strip for you, will you strip for me?" 

Krista totally missed the Adam Ant reference, and Blu muttered something under her breath about aging herself. But the light bulb finally flickered bright. Blu laughed at the look on Krista's face when it dawned on her the use of the web cam.

"Girl, some days you really make me question your intelligence." Blu gave a rueful laugh and shook her head. "Mm-mm-mm, for someone so smart. You are so not my niece."

"Shut up!" Krista punched Blu on her thigh. "Just because I don't think like you, doesn't mean I'm stupid." 

Blu let that last statement go. It would have been way too easy, and where was the fun in that? "Pfft, nobody thinks like me."

Their food had arrived, and Blu's stomach growled when her plate of Tandoori chicken, rice, pickled vegetables, and two different dipping sauces was set in front of her. She hadn't realized how hungry she was and then remembered that last thing she'd eaten was the veggie omelette at the Real Food Café that morning. 

She rubbed her hands together and wiggled in her seat with delight. She pulled a piece of the chicken off the wooden skewer and dipped it in the green sauce first. She wrinkled her nose. She didn't care for the mint chutney, but she was all about the curry aioli sauce. 

Although Blu would have been happy to be in bed right at that moment, with her ice cream and movies. She was kind of glad that her niece and Layla had concocted their plan, and got her out of the house. Krista and Enira had decided to split a gourmet veggie pizza and where very animated as they chatted about ideas for Krista's first web cam sex experience. 

Blu was only half listening to what they were saying. She was more interested in her food than she was in her niece becoming David's personal porn star. She looked around the bar at the people milling around. She smiled and raised her glass to one of the regulars who called out to her. She saw a couple making out in one of the booths, the guy had his hand shoved down the front of her shirt and was groping her breast while her hand had disappeared under the table. Her jerking arm movement made no pretense that she was stroking his cock. Blu almost gagged on her chicken. God, she hated Valentine's Day. Get a room, for fuck's sake! 

Another couple was in the middle of a heated discussion. A moment later, the woman stood up, and even though Blu couldn't hear what they were saying over the noise in the bar, the woman's mouth clearly said the words, "fuck you!" She almost knocked some man, who's back was turned, on his ass as she stormed out. 

The boyfriend hastily dug into his pocket, threw a wad of cash on the table and raced out after his pissed off mate. Blu figured one of two things was going to happen: Either those two were going to have some hot and steamy make up monkey sex. Or the poor guy was going to go to bed with blue balls. Blu threw her head back and laughed out loud. Her niece gave her a curious look and she just shook her head. Oh, it was going to be an entertaining night.

MEL TURNED TO LEAN out from the high backed booth they were sitting in. She was curious to see what had caught her brother's attention. But all she could see were people milling around talking and drinking. Nothing too out of the ordinary, but something had made him stop, and she was bound and determined find out what that something was. "Justin, what's going on?" 

Her curious tone was what made Justin move, and he quickly slid into the booth. If it was one thing he knew about Mel, it was that if she thought, for even a second, that he had a slight interest in a female, she'd do her damnedest to find out everything about the woman and have them married with children before the rice hit the floor.

"Nothing's going on." His long hair fell in his face. He wished he'd tied it back, but Mel had talked him into leaving it down. He tried working up a bland look on his face as he pushed his hair back. "Just a couple having a fight. I don't think it's going to be a very happy Valentine's for them." He crossed his fingers under the table and prayed that the answer he had given her would be enough. 

"Really?" Her eyes narrowed in suspicion. "Seems to me that you were staring at something, or rather, someone awfully hard just now. And I don't think it was the couple that Cupid's arrow missed." She leaned out of the booth again to look in the general direction that had held Justin's interest.

Justin rested back against the booth and tried to look more casual than he felt. Damn, Mel was like a blood hound when it came to sniffing things out. He swirled the ice in his drink. He had to do something before she took it upon herself to get out of the booth and go investigate the someone she thought he was interested in.

"Nope." He said after taking a drink. "The few women in here that I'd be interested in seemed to be taken." He looked at her pointedly and saw her cheeks turn pink. It was an underhanded move on his part. He knew that, but desperate times called for desperate measures. And he was desperate. 

Mel set her jaw. She knew that he was playing dirty to hide something. Being the mother of three mischievous children, she could always tell when someone was trying to cover up the truth. There was one thing that Justin kept forgetting, and that was she could play just as dirty as he. She waited for Justin to lift his drink to his mouth.