by Roy Street
“Well, be sure to watch next week, because that’s when they kill me off.”
“They got rid of you?”
“Yeah, I was sent off into the sunset with a drug overdose.”
“Damn. Whatchya gonna do now?”
“I have until Wednesday to decide if I want take an offer to do another show, which means moving to L.A., or go back to the dance company. Or neither. It’s a tough call.”
Coty exchanged a glance with Aiden. The man knew him like a book and had to be guessing how painful this was for him. The fact that she was considering a move to the west coast had at first put him in a slight panic.
But when he’d asked her if she figured they’d ever see each other again if she went, Jenna had said, “You seem to be quite mobile in your work. Why don’t you come with me?”
Which of course sent him over the moon. And proved to Aiden that she did want him just for who he was. He wished he could tell this to Coty now, so his caring friend wouldn’t worry.
He got the chance when Jenna excused herself to the bathroom.
“Good to hear that,” Coty said. “Anyone who has eyes can see the love between you two.”
“That’s something I wanted to talk to you about. I haven’t been able to say it to her. I… do you think Wendy will forgive me for loving someone new?”
Coty leaned forward, fixing a fatherly gaze on Aiden. “I guarantee Wendy is looking down at you right now from up in the stars and finally smiling because you’re not alone anymore.”
**
It was dusk when they reached the B&B. Jenna watched the headlights from Aiden’s car break against the embankment of freshly plowed snow lining the driveway.
“Leave it to Parker,” she said as the car rolled onto the black top surface. “Always reliable.” She turned to Aiden in the driver’s seat as he unfastened his seat belt. “Don’t you love the snow?”
“More than you can imagine.”
“Why is that?” she asked her lips slowly closing in on his.
“There’s all kinds of fun stuff to do,” he replied, his lips meeting hers for a tender kiss.
She smiled. “You mean like sledding, or skiing or building a snowman?”
“Among other things.”
“Such as?”
“First let’s go inside. I’ll tell you then.”
“I’ll heat up some soup.” Jenna sprang from the car and started to lope her way up the walk toward the front door when she felt a light whap on her back. She turned and saw Aiden crouched on one knee scooping snow into his hands. “As I was about to say, it’s also great for…”
Jenna countered with a looper that caught Aiden flush on the cheek of his grinning face. A fuzzy white burst of soft fine powder signaled a clean hit.
They giggled like third graders as Aiden retaliated by lofting a feeble powder puffer that fell apart in mid air. Jenna’s next shot held together, but Aiden deftly stepped to the side and watched it sail by.
Their frolic led to cupped hands desperately shoveling flurries of loose snow at each other at close range. Aiden dropped down and wrapped his arms around Jenna’s legs, flopping her down safely onto the soft blanket of snow.
Laughing uncontrollably, she wrestled and rolled with him, her arms and legs entwined with his. Soon they were hugging and kissing in a wintry world of white.
The snow had stopped a while ago and the night had turned clear. Looking up at the starry sky, Jenna said, “Isn’t it beautiful?”
“You’re beautiful.” Aiden said. He kissed her, stroked her cheek with his gloved hand, and then hovered over her, gazing into her face. “There’s something I have to say to you. Jenna Richardson, I’m in love with you.”
She looked up into his brilliant emerald eyes, his handsome face the one she thought of first thing in the morning and before she slept each night, and realized she felt the same. Jenna was truly and deeply in love with this man. “Oh, Aiden. I love you, too.”
Sober now, they got to their feet and strolled arm in arm toward the door, stopping at intervals to kiss and hold each other. Jenna had never felt such contentment.
“Let’s celebrate,” Aiden said. “How about tomorrow? I know a fancy place where we can go in New York City. Well leave early. You can wear the dress Lexi made for you.”
“Ooh. Will there be lots of people there?”
“Oh yeah.”
“How ironic. Tomorrow is when I was supposed to wear the dress for that K.Z. Knight premiere.”
“You’re kidding.”
“Nope. Funny how things work out. I’d much rather be just with you.”
Chapter Twenty-Two
Jenna turned around examining herself in the full-length three-way mirror, one of the main reasons she’d decided to get ready in her mother’s bedroom. An ornate woodwork layout of closets lining the wall had been installed by Parker, the good son who could remodel or fix absolutely anything. It included a corner section of three panels each comprised of a floor to ceiling mirror.
“What do you think, Mom? I look okay?”
“You look fabulous, sweetheart. Lexi outdid herself with this dress. It fits you to a tee. It’s stylish, yet the lace makes it so feminine.”
The metallic blue sheath that hugged Jenna’s slim curves had a second layer of sheer lace. She felt like a kid getting ready for a prom or something, especially since her mother was being so attentive.
At first when Jenna told her mother she was involved with Aiden, Lauren Richardson did her usual, complaining that he was some low income nobody and that Jenna had muffed it with the kind of man she should she really have, Sean Risk.
After all the tears and processing she’d been going through over her childhood fears and sadness, Jenna was in no mood to humor her mother’s harsh judgment. She lit into her and made it clear what she really thought of Sean and his kind. As a final statement she told her mother she was in love with Aiden. “So don’t you dare say another word against him. He’s a good man. Like Daddy was.”
At that her mother crumpled. Jenna comforted her and for the first time they talked about the past. And Jenna got a glimpse of Lauren not just as her mother, but also as a woman. They talked about expectations and failings, hopes and dreams. And about being in love.
“It’s nearly five. I better get out in the lounge where I told Aiden to meet me.”
Running a brush once more through her long hair that hung loose tonight, Jenna gave her mother a quick hug and gathered her coat. Even though she never made it to the big movie premiere, this would be a special night. And right now Jenna didn’t care if the only people to check her out were Aiden and the waiter. This was to be their night.
She’d never seen him in anything but jeans, and he looked great now standing there in the B&B’s lounge in a trim charcoal gray suit. But he was pacing. And seemed more nervous than she’d ever seen him.
“Hey, guy. You need a few chewy brownies to settle you down.”
Aiden stood there in silence looking at her. Slowly he shook his head. “Spectacular.”
Jenna beamed with pride. The evening was already off to a magical start.
“Shall we,” he said. He helped her slide into her black wool coat. Once out the door, they followed a shoveled path to the driveway and got inside Aiden’s Volt.
Jenna sat back prepared to relax and make the most of the long ride. “It’s about five o’clock. Which I would assume gives us plenty of time. No need to worry about hitting the rush.”
“You can definitely forget about the rush.” Aiden maintained a respectable pace as he headed due East toward the city along the Middle Road. Finally, he veered to the left at a fork and headed due south. Makes sense Jenna thought. No doubt he wants to avoid the L.I.E. Always a good idea at this hour.
But then the journey took an interesting turn.
Aiden headed onto a small road and pushed onward like a man who knew where he was going. The road led to a wide rural expanse of land. In the distance Jenna could see a
small farmhouse.
“Is this a short cut or something?” she asked.
“You might call it that.”
A minute or so later he brought the Chevy to a stop next to a large field. “Okay this is it.”
Jenna stared at him incredulous. “Aiden, what are we doing here?”
“We’re on our way to dinner.”
“Here? In a field? Are you okay?”
He smiled and nodded. “I’m good.”
The growing concern in her eyes was stymied by the sound of an engine getting louder by the second.
“Perfect timing,” Aiden said.
A small black helicopter set down directly across from where they were parked. The man inside the cockpit waved as the craft landed squarely on the ground.
Aiden sprang from the car and ran to the passenger’s side to hold Jenna’s door. “That’s our ride.”
It suddenly dawned on Jenna. Everybody knew about the helicopter service that shuttled East Enders to and from Manhattan each day. But such a luxurious service was generally something only available to those with bucks. She was touched, but at the same time a tad concerned. “Aiden, this is wonderful of you, but surely you can’t afford this.”
“Surely I can.”
The door popped open, and the two of them boarded the plane and planted their buns into the super comfortable seats of the toasty cabin. Moments later they were sailing upward and gazing down on a patchwork of farms and fields covered by yesterday’s snow.
“You shouldn’t have,” Jenna said to Aiden resting her head against his shoulder.
“Hey, don’t want to be late. Now, stop worrying and enjoy it.”
The forty-minute trip seemed more like ten to Jenna. She and Aiden snuggled the whole way, sharing ideas about the fun things they’d like to do some day. Together.
The moment the helicopter arrived at the landing strip along the East River in Manhattan, Jenna and Aiden were met by a white limousine. A driver stood there holding the door as the two of them climbed in the back.
“I can’t believe this,” Jenna said, giddy, but dumbfounded. “Your credit cards are going to moan.”
Aiden smiled and said once more, “Stop it, my little worrier.”
The car sped up FDR Drive, turned left on Forty-Second, and rolled straight into midtown.
“I forgot to ask you,” Jenna said, what restaurant are we going to?”
“Not sure where they’re taking us. But I can promise you this, it’s top of the line.”
“Okay. Now I really am confused. Where who is taking us?”
“Not to worry. That happens later. First we have to make a little stop.”
The car slowed up and turned west on Fifty-Fourth Street. As the limo moved slowly up the street, Jenna noticed a long stream of cars and news vans lining the curb.
“All this commotion. Wonder what’s going on?” She peeked up Fifty-Fourth from the window and saw the movie theater’s famous gold marquis with the signature written above it that said, Ziegfeld. “Wait a minute. This is where the Aftermath premiere is being held. Aiden, where are you taking me?”
“To dinner. But I thought first you might want to see this movie.”
“We’re heading for the premiere. Don’t you know it’s not possible? You need an invitation. Aiden, you’re so sweet to want to do this for me. But they won’t let us in. Don’t even try. I don’t want to see either of us embarrassed.”
He wrapped his arm around her and kissed her cheek. “Nobody’s going to insult us. Believe me.”
As the limo pulled over to the curb amid a throng of screaming fans and paparazzi, through the tinted glass Jenna saw Sean Risk with his arm draped around a young nubile blonde standing on the red carpet. They were busy sucking up the limelight along with other members of the cast of Aftermath. Their coats were off as they posed like it was July beneath the heat lamps of the marquis.
“I can’t go out there, Aiden. Please tell the driver to move on. Let’s just go eat. We can have a great time somewhere else. Just the two of us. Please, take me out of here before they see me.”
“But I want them to see you. You’re my date. Remember?”
Jenna knew Aiden was odd. And stubborn. But this was too much. “Aiden, why are we…”
“Because I wanted to treat you to something special.”
“Oh, Aiden, I love you so much. And I know you mean well. It’s just that we don’t belong here.”
“Wrong about that, Jenna. We certainly do belong here.”
The limo pulled over. A stocky man with silver hair and wearing what looked like an ultra-expensive Italian suit opened the limo’s rear door. He spoke with a thick Brooklyn accent. “You showed. I was getting nervous.”
“Told you I would.” Aiden turned to her. “Jenna, I’d like you to meet my agent Michael Nubell.”
The man extended his hand to her. Jenna was so confused. “Michael, what makes you think they’ll let us in?”
“Funny girl.” Michael laughed. “You’re the big news everybody’s waiting for and you gotta pull my chain.”
Big news? What’s he talking about? She took his hand and stepped onto the sidewalk.
Aiden followed her, placing his arm around her back. He leaned his head close to her ear, saying, “Jenna, promise not to be angry with me. But there’s something I haven’t told you.”
At that point Michael signaled to a woman with a mic, and she turned to the crowds. “It’s the moment we’ve all been waiting for, everybody. Introducing Mr. K. Z. Knight!”
A burst of applause erupted. Aiden waved to the crowd. Jenna’s jaw dropped, but she quickly closed it, knowing it would make her look horrible in all the photos that were being snapped of them.
In a state of shock and elation, she gaped at Aiden. “Oh, no. It can’t be.”
“Oh yeah. It can. And it is.” With a devilish grin he urged her toward the theater.
**
Jenna awoke in the middle of the night in Aiden’s arms. They lay in a huge bed in a luxurious suite at the Marriott Marquis a few blocks from the movie theater. She’d had a wonderful time at the premiere and dinner afterward. Sean Risk stared in a quandary when he saw her on the arm of the famous author.
How strange that her sweet Aiden was K.Z. Knight.
But once they were alone, Jenna confronted him. “You’ve been lying to me about who you are all along.”
“I’m sorry. Not lying, just avoiding telling you. I just wanted you to get to know me for who I am. To see if you’d like me even if I couldn’t compete with the kind of men you usually dated.”
“How ridiculous,” she said. “First I think you’re a government operative. Then I find out you’re a writer. Only to discover which writer. All these twists and turns. Sounds like one of your books.” But a part of her understand, considering her own dysfunctional past.
Still, she made him pay for it by forcing him to make love to her again and again. His low, sexy moans in her ear, his sparkling green eyes riveted on her, his all-encompassing intensity taking her higher and higher. Aiden filled her hungry soul with something mysterious and wonderful that she’d never had before.
Afterward, as they lay in each other’s arms, Jenna said, “Last night made me realize I want to go back to my dance.”
Aiden smiled. “I was hoping you’d decide that, but I wasn’t about to say so.”
“You didn’t need to say anything. When I’m with you I feel complete. Maybe it’s because you’re so confident when the chips are down. Or maybe it’s just the way you love me. But I’m myself when I am with you. Like going home. It’s as if we’ve known each other throughout eternity. You make me want to dance.”
Aiden kissed her. Then he sprang from the bed and dug through his overnight bag.
When he returned he said, “Since we’ve known each other throughout eternity, maybe it’s time we tried this.” He handed her a small blue velvet box. “I love you more than I can say. Will you be my wife?”
Jenna opened the box and saw a beautiful band of gold inset with cut diamonds and emeralds set among a finely engraved design of stars. “I would follow you across the Milky Way.”
“Is that a yes?”
“You bet it is, my love.”
About the Authors
Alicia & Roy Street are Daphne du Maurier Award winning authors writing in collaboration as well as on solo projects. A compulsive reader of every genre, Alicia spent many years as a dancer, choreographer and teacher. Roy has a background in visual arts, standup comedy and theater.
Visit Alicia at - http://aliciastreet-roystreet.com/
Facebook - www.facebook.com/AliciaAndRoyStreet
Twitter - http://twitter.com/AliciaStreet1
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