by Cherry Kay
The dance was over before she knew it, and she joined Rick outside for a few minutes of quiet and fresh air. The night was warm and the stars sparkled brightly. It had been a while since she had noticed such a clear and warm night.
“I love the stars at night, too,” Rick said.
She didn’t realize he was watching her that intently and she felt a bit embarrassed.
“Yeah, it’s something I’ve always done.”
“Cool, me too.”
“Really?” Denise asked. She sensed a story.
“When I was a kid, I would wake up at like two in the morning without fail at least twice a week. I’ve never really been much of a deep sleeper. I just have too much energy. After a few hours, I’m ready to roll. So, when I was a kid, about twelve or so, I would climb out my window in the middle of the night and climb up the branches of this tree to the roof. Keep in mind I was usually only wearing a pair of undies, and I would lie down on the roof and stare up at the stars until I fell asleep again.”
“Wow, that’s interesting.”
“It’s kind of weird. You can say it, but it was something I did. I loved it up there when it was a warm night.”
“Did your parents ever find out you were doing that?” Denise asked.
“No, they never did. Somehow, after I fell asleep, I would wake up as soon as the first ray of sunshine started shining over the horizon and the signal of daybreak would wake me up.”
“I have a similar story,” Denise said. “I fell in love with the stars because my father loved to go fishing at night during the full moon. He would come into my room and wake me up at like one in the morning and we would go to the bank by the big lake near my house. There was a very special path that we would walk through the woods, and my dad knew the thing by heart. We would sit down with our fold up chairs on the bank of the lake and the cooler my dad brought. He would have beer and I would have soda, which I was hardly ever allowed to drink and we would fish until dawn sometimes.”
“That’s pretty sweet. Did you catch much?”
“That’s the weird part. We would always catch a bunch of fish that time of night. Any time we went there during the day we always came up empty-handed.”
“That’s crazy,” Rick said.
“Those are the things you remember though, about childhood. Those weird little memories are so important,” Denise said.
“I know. Those are the things that slowly over time make us who we eventually become,” Rick said.
Denise smiled. “I like that.”
“Good. Tell me if you like this.”
Rick suddenly leaned forward and kissed her gently on the lips. She wasn’t expecting it at all, but as soon as she realized it was going to happen she surrendered herself to it and embraced it. She knew that this was considered a big wrong in the eyes of her boss and if they found out she was possibly becoming romantically involved with the feature of a story before the story was published then she could be in some hot water. This just made her enjoy the kiss that much more.
As their lips parted, she broke down into a giggle and a grin. She hated herself at that moment because she could just see herself looking like a giggly schoolgirl, but she couldn’t help it if Rick Thompson brought that sort of thing out of her. He didn’t seem to mind as he smiled right back at her.
“Well, that was interesting,” Rick said pulling her close.
“Yeah, it definitely was,” Denise replied.
Chapter Three
“You kissed him!”
Denise rolled her eyes as she continued to pedal hard on the exercise bike. She was trying to keep her target heart rate in the zone, but her two best friends, Ali and Kelly, wouldn’t shut up and let her concentrate.
The two of them were totally in love with Rick Thompson and when they heard that she was actually going to get to interview him—to actually be in the man’s presence breathing the same air and possibly be in the same room—they had both been chomping at the bits to find out everything about the interview that they could.
They had arrived at the gym at 7:00 a.m. as they always did to start their workouts before they headed off to work. Ali was a law clerk and Kelly was a dental hygienist. The three of them had been best friends since college and they had graduated together. Ali and Denise had been roommates and Ali and Kelly had actually been friends since seventh grade when they lived next door to each other. They were still roommates, but that was all said to change as soon as one of them made up the brain they were sharing and decided that Zac Efron wasn’t showing up at their door anytime soon.
“It was no big deal. I shouldn’t have even told you,” Denise said. She started pedaling harder trying to use up enough wind that she wasn’t able to have this conversation.
Ali and Kelly were on the bikes right beside of her and they were hardly even pedaling. It was the same old story every time they worked out—Denise would work out hard no matter how much her friends tried to distract her, and the other two would leave without breaking a sweat.
“What do you mean nothing? That’s the most amazing thing I have ever heard!” Ali said.
“Drama Queen much?” Kelly asked. She turned her attention quickly back to Denise. “I want details!”
“What details? It was just a sweet little kiss,” Denise said.
“Oh, my God. That sounds so romantic!” Ali squealed.
“You two need to find men—now!” Denise said.
“It’s not like we aren’t trying,” Ali said.
“Yeah, but all the good guys are taken. You have just proved it,” Kelly added.
“A guy doesn’t have to be a rich celebrity to be a good guy,” Denise said.
“That shows how much you know about the current dating market. Any other guy in this town is boring. All they want to do is take you to the sports bar to watch a game and eat wings. If I’m gonna cram myself into a tight dress that’s two sizes too small so I look awesome, there is no way in hell I’m going to eat a bunch of wings and get bloated,” Kelly said. She made a disgusted face as she told the story as if she shouldn’t have to explain this to Denise.
“Oh, yeah, I see what you mean. Times are hard,” Denise laughed.
“So what were his lips like? Did he force any tongue? Did you let him?” Ali asked.
“My God, you guys are insane. It was a little peck. There was no tongue involved.”
Kelly looked at Ali and together they said,” But would you let him?”
Denise had to stop pedaling to laugh. These two were too entertaining to work out around. That was probably why she liked working out with them so much, besides the fact that them not working out while she did had resulted in her being in good shape and feeling way prettier than them. It was a fun little fantasy, with little truth. The truth was that Ali and Kelly both looked like models because they never ate anything that wasn’t in the lettuce family.
Denise wiped her brow with a towel and threw it at them.
“Now that isn’t nice,” a voice said pulling up on the bike a few down from Denise. She turned to see Dan sitting down and adjusting the workout levels he wanted on the bike. “I’m pretty sure that’s against gym etiquette.”
“Hey, Dan. Funny running into you here,” Denise said.
“Well, I do have to try to keep in shape. If I didn’t, then Rick would make me look really bad,” Dan said with a smile.
Kelly and Ali were looking at her with wide eyes that screamed for her to introduce them.
“Oh, Dan I want to introduce you to a few friends of mine. This is Kelly and Ali,” Denise said.
“Hey, ladies. It’s a pleasure,” Dan said as he began pedaling. He had adjusted the bike to the strongest setting so the pedals would be the most difficult to pedal. Denise occasionally went up as high as she could and it was definitely a double of cardio and strength training. After twenty minutes you were not able to walk straight.
“Hi, there. You look really familiar, Dan,” Kelly said.
“I’m
a soccer player. That is probably where you know me from,” Dan replied casually glancing sideways at Kelly. Denise could tell he had registered that Kelly and Ali were hot, but still he wasn’t expressing a lot of interest. Maybe he was just really focused on the workout ahead of him.
“So, don’t you have a really nice gym at the club house?” Denise asked.
“Yeah, but sometimes I like to get a bit of cardio in on off days. I’ve thought about getting a bike or a treadmill for home, but honestly, if it was there all the time, I would probably end up overtraining.”
“Why is that?”
“Because I have this thing where I love to work out. I’m always working to better myself and I spend way too much time at the club house training. If I had this stuff at home I’d be training almost around the clock. So when I go home I am just there relaxing in my sanctuary,” Dan said.
Denise had never realized what a workaholic Dan was. She wondered if Rick was the same way. Maybe he didn’t have to be. Dan might have not been kidding when he said he had to stay on top of his game just to compete with Rick.
“So, do you work out here every day?” Dan asked.
“We do. The three of us kind of made a pact to get together every day at this time and grind it out,” Kelly said.
“We sure do,” Ali added.
Denise had to laugh to herself at how obvious the two were being. She almost felt embarrassed for them.
“That’s great. It’s important to establish a routine. That is what keeps you motivated. Once you develop a habit then it becomes automatic.”
“Right you are,” Denise said.
Dan removed the sweat jersey he had been wearing and tossed it aside. He was starting to perspire and removing the jersey allowed the girls to take in Dan’s impressive physique. He was ripped and his muscles shone through the tank top he was wearing. And, for the first time, Denise noticed his strong thigh muscles pedaling furiously on the bike, gaining in momentum.
She found herself being incredibly turned on. What was it about a sexy guy doing sweaty work that she had always found so appealing? It wasn’t the sweat, but she thought it might have been the air of testosterone or the fact that a big man was doing manly things. She had to laugh at herself and her sick mind sometimes. She had toyed with the idea of writing a book one day just to express to the world exactly how sick in the head she was.
“So, Denise, I was going to call you later to ask you, but since we are both here, it saves me a phone call. Would you like to go to dinner tonight?” Dan asked.
“Oh, well I would love to, but I already have plans with Rick.”
Dan smiled. “Oh, okay. I understand. Well, let’s shoot for some time later in the week.”
“Sure, that sounds great,” Denise said.
Dan and Denise chatted off and on for the duration of the workout. She was surprised at how witty and funny the man could be and she found herself looking forward to seeing him when they did eventually go out, but she was also super excited about her date with Rick that night. Her friends Ali and Kelly occasionally chimed in with some questions and a few stories and anecdotes, which Denise found especially irritating, but they were both taking more than a passing fancy in her love life.
After her gym session was over Denise said goodbye to her friends and to Dan and headed off to work. She had wanted to be a journalist since she was a little girl. The news had always grabbed her and she found herself always wanting to know more about her favorite celebrities and stars. There was something mystical about them that most people just clamored for and she was no different that way, except Denise loved to prove to the world that celebrities were just people like everyone else. They had hopes, dreams, desires, and feelings all the same.
As she sat down at her desk and fired up her computer to begin the day, she found herself thinking about Rick and what it was about him that made him so special. She had interviewed a lot of famous people, even ones that she’d been extremely attracted to, but none of them had gotten under her skin the way that he had. It was different and she couldn’t explain it, but she was having a blast with it all.
Her boss had been after her to finish up the story about Rick; the deadline was looming close, so she knew that today was going to be a busy one. While all of her files on her PC loaded up, she went into the break room, poured a cup of coffee—loading it with cream and sugar—and sat back down ready to begin the day.
It was a good thing that her entire day would be spent working on the cover feature about Rick, because she probably wouldn’t have gotten anything else done that day because Rick was about all she could think of. Although, now Dan was starting to creep in there too. She was a bit put off about the possibility of juggling two guys. She had spent a lot more time with Rick and she did have a date with him that night, but it was far too early to say they were an item or to even say that they would eventually end up as an item.
Denise didn’t like to make plans that way or to jump to conclusions with the potential of a relationship. She was very much an easy come easy go type of girl and that had always been her strength in any relationship that she had. She never went totally gaga over a guy she had not been dating for long, especially when she had not even been on an actual date with the guy yet, but she discovered she was already envisioning some long term plans with Rick. It was so out of character for her, but it was kind of fun too. She wondered if this was how Ali and Kelly felt a lot of the time. She had to laugh at the whole thing.
She was surprised at how easily the entire story just flowed out of her when she started to write it up, and she discovered that she had to be extra careful to not allow any personal feelings to bleed into the article; it had to be completely subjective. But it was one of the easier articles she had written; all of it just poured out of her with little need for editing or rewrites. She usually spent the first part of the day before lunch writing and the afternoon after lunch rewriting and revising, but Denise had no trouble finishing the entire article that day—working through lunch, much to the delight of her editor when she submitted the assignment just before one o’clock. That way she was able to leave for the day at that time.
She left the office feeling satisfied at a job well done and looking forward to the evening that had been planned with Rick.
***
Denise was impressed.
After horseback riding, Rick had picked her up in his Jaguar Roadster and had taken her to one of the best restaurants in town—The Mirage. She had always wanted to eat there but it was of course just a bit out of her price range and Denise personally did not feel the need to pay fifty dollars for a bowl of soup, but Rick had decided to pull all the stops and treat her to an evening of royalty.
Rick looked amazing. He was dressed to kill in a knockout sports coat and slacks with a sexy, black, silk shirt underneath with the top button undone to show off just a hint of his sexy chest. She wanted to run her hands over the broad chest muscles and feel the bulging ripples beneath her fingers. Denise tried to shake the image from her mind so that she could remain calm, and in control of herself. This was proving difficult to do with a strong man like Rick by her side.
Rick ordered a bottle of Dom Perignon for starters, her favorite. While waiting for the champagne the waiter brought them some of the most amazing bread she had ever tasted, with a dipping sauce that the waiter mixed together for them at the table. Denise found it kind of fascinating to watch the process as the waiter sprinkled several different herbs and spices together on a plate before squirting a few shots of olive oil and a few shots of soy sauce into a small bowl. Then he stirred it up slowly, until the mixture changed color and resembled a marinade of some sort.
Denise dipped the bread, took a bite, and was instantly in Heaven. Rick was amused by her expression as the champagne arrived and the waiter poured them each a glass.
“So, how’s the article coming along?” Rick asked.
Denise almost couldn’t hear the words that were now floating in the
air. The overwhelming atmosphere of the restaurant and the taste overload on her taste buds of the most amazing food she had ever had was taking its toll on her. Her mind was swimming a bit and she quickly swallowed the mouthful of champagne she had been savoring so that she could answer him. She hoped that he did not notice how fascinated she was with everything. She did not want to make it seem like she was a kid at Disneyland or something, even though that was exactly what she felt like at the moment.
“It’s good. I finished the majority of it actually. I’m actually going to do a sidebar piece on your teammate Dan Richards. I thought that would be pretty interesting to kind of chronicle how he sort of passed the crown off to you and stepped aside.”
“That is an interesting idea; I’m not sure Dan will go for it though,” Rick said.
“He seemed interested when I suggested it to him.”
“Really? Wow, that’s surprising.”
“Why do you say that?”
“Well, Dan is a good friend and a great teammate, but I’ve always kind of felt that he was a little bitter about my success, which I never wanted that. I never wanted to just arrive on the scene and take over as some new hotshot. Even now I don’t promote anything like that. I just go out there and play as hard as I can. I’m not going to hold back to protect other people’s egos. It’s all about what is best for the team.”
“I absolutely agree. But you really think Dan is bitter? He didn’t really strike me that way,” Denise said.
“Yeah, he tries to hide it well, but I’m a pretty good observer of human nature and I can see him sneer at certain comments people will make about me, or when I make a good play at practice or something, and the coach will give me a high five. I can see it bothers him.”
“Well, that is pretty childish,” Denise said. She was having trouble believing that. She herself was also a good judge of people and she felt that Dan was just an all-around nice guy who was happy to do what he could for the team. He seemed happy for his friend. Although Rick did know him better than she did. She would have to surmise the information for herself when she finally had her interview with Dan, or their date—whichever happened first.