Chapter Five, Night Brawl
Posted by DiF on Thursday, August 11, 2011
Title: Don’t Look Away: Chapter Five, Night Brawl
Rating: NC-17 [sex, language, violence, alcohol]
Summary: Pete & Cady spend a very eventful night out on the town.
Pulling out a bill from his wallet to pay for their meal made Pete feel far better than it probably should have. But after days of Cady paying for everything, he was finally able to take some responsibility. Granted it was for a mere sandwich, crisps, and soda, but it was something. However he also realized his fifty dollars was not going to go very far at all. He would have to call his management as soon as they returned home.
Returning from the restroom, Cady stopped next to Pete’s chair and kissed him quickly, “Ready to go, love?”
Watching the waitress set his change on the table, he nodded before quickly sectioning off some of it as a tip and shoving the rest into his wallet. He got to his feet and picked up his guitar and amp while Cady pushed the chair in and out of his way. She flashed him another smile before turning to lead him out of the diner. Their brief meal at the small restaurant in Greenwich had dissipated much of the hostility towards the altercation with Jimi, but Cady figured it was not going to be the last. It worried and bothered her, but she pushed it out of her mind. She had Pete and that was all that mattered. He even seemed happier right then than he had in awhile, something she attributed to the money in his pocket. She would have to see what she could do to keep it there, help him retain his sense of taking care of her.
“What do you think about going out tonight?” she asked as they strolled down the sidewalk towards SoHo.
“I... well I haven’t got much mon—”
“That’s okay,” Cady interjected. “You already have clothes worthy of wearing out. And I know of a couple of places with cheap, decent drinks where you can start to get to know people here in New York and maybe you’ll find someone you’ll really hit it off with and want to make music with.”
“Are they places you like to go?” he asked, following her around the corner.
“I haven’t spent much time in New York lately, so the vibe may have changed. We won’t really know until we try,” she responded. “Are you game?”
Pete smiled crookedly, “And if I’m not?”
“Then I suppose we can stay in and find something to do like sleep,” she replied with smirk.
“What if we do go out and don’t find a vibe that suits us?”
Cady stopped to fish her keys out of her purse before pushing the gate open and holding it for Pete, “Then we come home and reassess the night.”
He set the amp down on the steps and reached around her to steal the keys from her fingers, “Maybe I would just like to spend the night with you.”
She held the keys out of his reach, turning her back to the door to meet his eyes, “No matter what we do tonight, you will be spending it with me.”
Pete seized the opportunity and kissed her quickly, “I don’t know if I’m ready to fight off the rest of New York for you.”
Cady grinned, feeling around behind her for the lock to enter the building without turning around, “Pete, you already bested Jimi twice. I don’t think the rest of New York has a chance. Besides, I’m in love with you. I don’t care what anyone else says to me. You’re my man.”
Grinning he kissed her again, heard the door unlock, and slipped his arm around her waist so she didn’t tumble in, “I love it when you say that.”
“That you bested Jimi? That the rest of New York doesn’t have a chance?” she teased, taking a step backwards into the building.
“You know damn well what I mean,” he replied.
“Maybe,” she replied coyly and wiggled out of his embrace. “Don’t forget your amp on the stoop. You won’t be able to make much noise without it.”
“I think we made plenty of noise last night without it,” Pete remarked, though he picked it up regardless.
Walking backwards towards the large freight elevator, Cady smiled, “I think we can do better.”
“I thought you wanted to go out.”
“I thought you wanted to stay in,” she countered, her back bumping with the grate of the elevator.
Pete set down both the amp and the guitar. His arms went around Cady quickly, his fingers digging into the grate, effectively trapping her. She squealed but did not attempt to get away from him at all. Instead her arms circled his neck as his mouth crashed into hers. They kissed passionately, Pete pressing against her so much she was certain she would have marks on her back from the gate before long.
Feeling the rumble of an approaching elevator, Cady whimpered some and attempted to end the kiss. Pete didn’t understand what she was doing until the lift screeched to a halt right behind her. His arms quickly slid behind her and spun her away before whoever was in the lift began to open the gates. He never stopped kissing her.
Their building mate chuckled at the sight of the couple, which finally caused Pete to relinquish Cady. He scooped up his gear as she skipped into the lift, kept on the ground floor by their neighbor. She thanked the artist and pulled the grate down behind Pete before pressing her floor’s number. He set down his guitar and amp and reached for her once again.
Her fingers went to his lips, keeping him an arm’s length from kissing her again, “Temper it, my love. We’re almost home.”
“But, baby,” he whined.
The elevator shook to a halt.
“See?”
She quickly ducked out of his reach. Squealing she hurried down the hallway, struggling to retrieve her keys from her purse once more. Luckily Pete had the guitar and amp to contend with or Cady was certain he would have smashed her up against the door as he had the elevator. She managed to get the door open a moment before Pete reached and darted inside. Surprisingly he calmly set down the guitar and amp, closed and locked the door behind him, and then turned to her.
The white arm chair was between them, acting as more of a mental barrier than anything; both knew Pete could easily jump over it. Their eyes met and Cady instantly knew she was prey to his predator. Neither moved, but remained in frozen repose, waiting for the other to begin the chase. Any movement and it would begin.
Suddenly deciding she didn’t want to be chased all over her loft, Cady jumped forward onto the chair. With one foot on the back of the chair, she quickly shifted her weight, causing it to tip backwards. The action propelled her towards Pete who quickly opened his arms to catch her. Their bodies collided, the force throwing them to the ground with a loud thump. Not even waiting to see if she knocked the air out of him, Cady sought his mouth. One of his large hands flattened on her back, holding her close while they kissed. His other hand slid down her spine, reaching for the firm curve of her ass. His fingers slipped under her short skirt, a voice in the back of his head thinking he ought to thank her for wearing skirts often at some point, and his hand easily slid over her thigh, causing her to part her legs. Their mouths continued the passionate kiss until Pete’s fingers pushed aside her panties and delved into her sex from behind.
“Oh Pete,” she groaned, her fingers going to the row of small buttons on his shirt. “You should... you should... stop...”
He smiled, “Never.”
She gasped as his long finger slid into her, wiggling slightly, “Oh god, Pete.”
Cady’s forehead pressed to his shoulder, her fingers forgetting their task of undressing him as he continued to touch her. His other hand left her back to slip up under her sweater, already knowing she wore no bra from his caresses before they left earlier that day. He needed to feel her very flesh against his.
“Pete... stop...” she moaned. “I... need... I need...”
His hand pulled out of her sweater before it reached her breast to tilt her face back to his and he asked huskily, “What do you need, Cadence?”
“More than just your finger. I need this,” her hand slipped between them and groped him.
Pete smiled, “It’s yours, baby. Always yours.”
His fingers slowly pulled out of her body. Released from his pleasurable hold, Cady kissed his mouth quickly and pushed up. Her eyes remained locked on his, watching him suck her wetness from his digits, as she peeled her sweater off and tossed it aside. Pete’s hands instantly reached up and cupped her breasts, his thumbs chasing circles around her nipples. Her eyes closed briefly and she moaned before remembering her intentions. Struggling to focus, she unbuttoned his shirt and dragged her short nails down his chest towards his belt. She faltered in undressing him briefly when his fingers pinched both of her nipples, sending another shock through her body, released in a deep moan.
With Pete playing with her breasts, Cady pulled his erection out of his pants. Both of her hands circled it, her eyes locked with his. Gently her hands spiraled around his cock, pulling the moans from his lips as he had hers. As he pressed his head back against the hard floor, baring his Adam's apple in a moan, Cady could not resist and leaned down to kiss his throat. His hands left her breasts and both turned to her thighs, urging her to shift in perfect alignment with the very organ she still cradled in her hands. Her lips left his Adam's apple to meet his simultaneously as her hands shoved aside her panties and guided him into her. Their deep moans were quickly swallowed in their shared kiss.
Cady’s hands ran up Pete’s torso and she slowly pushed up and away from his kiss. Hands perched just below the shadow of his pecs, her eyes locked with his as she began to move upon him. His hands slipped under her skirt, cupping her ass as she rode him. She knew all the tricks to drive him insane: when to halt her gyration or to reverse directions, when to bounce quickly, when to grind slowly. Never before had he felt a lover so attuned to him. This was what he waited for all his life.
“Oh god, Pete,” she groaned, her hands leaving his chest to cup her own. “I’m gonna... I’m gonna.”
One hand slipped around her thighs to part her petals and flick her hard bud, “Cum for me, baby. Cum for me.”
“Oh fuuuuck,” she moaned, slamming her body down onto his as ripples of orgasm began to overtake her.
He continued to caress her clit while she barely moved on him, hoping to keep her idling right where she was so he could join her soon. Her hands released her breasts and she leaned back, one hand propping herself up on the floor, the other reaching behind to cup his testicles. With her body still throbbing around his and her hands touching him so perfectly, Pete’s fingers failed in their actions as his body tensed.
“C-caaady,” he moaned, his hands quickly reaching to pull her body down as tightly to his as possible as his orgasm shot from his body.
Her fingers halted their actions as she felt him tighten in her hand and she sat back up. Her eyes closed briefly so that she could focus on his pulsing within her body. She was certain she could feel ever hot pulse of his seed inside of her. Fluttering back open as his fingers released the pressure slightly upon her hips, something she was certain would leave a mark, Cady looked down to meet his gaze. She smiled and leaned in to kiss him. His hands left her hips fully to hold her in the kiss.
“Do you still want to go out tonight?” he asked in a whisper.
Her eyes sparkled as she looked into his, “Yes. Yes I do.”
Pete brushed her hair from her face, chuckled, and kissed her again, “Then let’s go out tonight, baby.”
After Pete played with his new toy for awhile and Cady cooked dinner, the couple parted to get ready for their night out in New York. Naturally Pete attempted to sneak into Cady’s shower after his own, something she insisted upon as she hadn’t yet decided what she was going to wear, but was thwarted by a locked bathroom door. He bummed about the flat for a bit, becoming more thoroughly acquainted with it and thinking once he got a bit more money he would purchase a number of things for Cady, including frames for her paintings.
That to him was the gold mine. She probably would never have shown him her stash, but as he had been left alone with little to do while she made herself more beautiful, Pete had found a stack of painted canvases tucked underneath her bed. It wasn’t like he had been inspecting the loft that closely. He had merely been walking by and kicked something under the bed and clearly had to investigate. And what a treasure he had found. The six large-scale canvasses he pulled out took his breath away and a quick glance confirmed there were more under the bed, in fact the entire area beneath the king-sized bed was filled with canvasses. The six in his hands were... he had to turn them over to make certain they weren’t authentic paintings by Renaissance masters, not that he could remember Michelangelo, Leonardo, or any of those painting realistic images of city life. The more he looked at them, the more he realized he recognized the cityscapes. The subject matter of each of those six paintings was London, his London. It made him a touch homesick but he was far more in awe than anything.
The bathroom door opened, but Pete was so lost in the world of the paintings he hadn’t noticed, at least not until her sweet scent rolled over the bed and caressed his senses. Not entirely sure if she would be comfortable with him seeing her paintings, after all they had been hidden under her bed, he quickly and silently returned them to their previous location and jumped up. Her eyes instantly snapped to him, her lips parting to question his actions no doubt. And perhaps she had. Pete was completely dumbfounded in the moment. Cady was a vision of... perfect beauty. Her long brown hair was parted on the left messily and swept across her forehead, pinned in place with two bobby pins crossed. The rest of it curled about her shoulders in big soft, curls, and Pete already itched to run his fingers through it. Large silver spirals dangled from her ears, catching the light ever so slightly as she stood mostly still for his inspection.
Her eyes were rimmed with dark kohl, her lips stained a pale glossy pink. Pete struggled to not leap forward and gather her in his arms to kiss her. His eyes continued down, needing to take in the whole package of his girlfriend, to truly understand how difficult the night would be as he fought off men wherever they went. At first glance she wore a simple mini-dress that skimmed mid-thigh, but Pete didn’t truly believe that and looked over the dress once more. It was mostly white, though a pink band ran over her shoulders and down the left side of the dress. His blue eyes followed the band more closely, just knowing there was more to it. Halting in the center of the dress, Pete smiled slightly upon noticing an eye-shaped cutout that offered a peek at a bit of her cleavage. Following the seam of pink and white down her body, his smile increased slightly. A slit up the front of the dress, which was a bit longer than he would have liked, bared a bit more of her thigh. It was not quite the sweet and innocent dress he thought it was at first glance. Following the slit down her leg, he was a bit surprised and perhaps a bit disappointed to see she didn’t wear boots. But as his eyes slid down her long legs to her white mary janes, his opinion changed. He liked seeing her legs.
“Baby, you... you... you are beautiful,” he breathed.
Cady smiled, “Thank you. Are you ready?”
Pete shook his head, looking down at the shirt he had pulled on after the shower, deciding it did not suit walking next to Cady, “Let me... let me just change my shirt.”
“Whatever you want, sweetie,” she chuckled, shaking her head.
As Pete disappeared into the walk-in closet to change his shirt, Cady found his wallet where he had left it on the bookcase earlier before his shower. She hadn’t actually thought of what she was about to do until she was in the shower herself, or she would have done it then when there was less risk of Pete catching her. However she hadn’t yet heard a hanger swing with his removing of a shirt, so she knew she had a minute or two. Quickly unfolding his billfold, she shoved a few small bills in with his, figuring he would notice the sudden appearance of a twenty, but not of a couple of fives and ones. Hearing a hanger clang into the wall, she quickly returned his wallet back to where she found it and silently stepped away from it, leaning on the back of the couch.
He stepped out of the closet. His eyes instantly found her and he smiled as he buttoned the small pearl buttons of his cuffs. Cady instantly grinned.
“Oh, Pete, that’s my favorite shirt,” she declared, pushing away from the couch.
“It is?” he tucked the blue silk shirt into his black slacks.
“Definitely,” Cady’s fingers reached up and fixed his collar. “It brings out your eyes.”
His eyes darted to hers, “It does?”
She shook her head and kissed him quickly, “For someone who went to art school longer than I did, you seem to have issues with color theory.”
“Do not,” he muttered sullenly.
Cady rolled her eyes and kissed him again, “Are you ready now, love?”
“What if we just stay in?”
“With you dressed so nicely? Oh no. I’m showing you off tonight,” she declared and turned away to pick up her purse.
Scooping his wallet off the bookcase, Pete slipped it into his pocket, again happy there was money within so he could pay for his woman that night, and followed her across the room. He caught up with her at the door and stole a kiss as she opened it. Hands clasped, the couple headed to the elevator after locking the door.
“You know,” he commented as the elevator began to move, “you’re not going to make this a very relaxing evening for me.”
“What do you mean?”
He kissed her quickly, “I’m going to have to fight men off all night.”
She grinned and touched his cheek lovingly, “I think you overestimate me, Pete. It won’t be quite the all night brawl you’re expecting.”
After about twenty minutes of silently listening to jazz, Cady was ready to leave the Village Vanguard. While it was one of the more popular jazz clubs in Greenwich and she did like jazz, it just wasn’t doing it for her that night. She wanted a little more life than sitting inside the nondescript club silently. She knew it was protocol in jazz clubs to really pay attention to the music, hence the crowd’s nearly complete silence, it just didn’t feel right that night. After wiggling in her chair a bit, Pete’s eyes left the stage to lit upon his girlfriend. Her eyes met his and she did not bother to suppress a bored sigh.
Smirking Pete leaned towards her, his hand cupping her cheek, and brushed his lips over hers before muttering, “Shall we slip out?”
Cady nodded silently.
He kissed her once more before pushing away from the table. Pulling his wallet out, he pulled out a few singles and left them on the table for their cocktail waitress and turned to pull Cady’s chair out. Silently they weaved through the small tables, making their way to the doors. Neither really cared that some of the regulars glared at them for leaving before the set was over. In all honesty Pete was enjoying the music and wouldn’t have left if it hadn’t been for Cady’s eyes.
“The music wasn’t bad,” Pete commented, his hand falling to the curve of her back once they began to walk down the street.
“No, not at all. But to be honest, jazz clubs in Harlem are far more energetic. I felt... oppressed in there tonight. I think it’s better to go there alone,” she stated.
“How so?”
“Well with you I wanted to lean over and talk about the music all night. But had I done that, everyone around us would have... well glared at us really hard. I doubt they would have roused from their seats and said or done anything,” Cady commented.
Pete laughed, “They were pretty sedate in there. Can you imagine that crowd at a Who concert?”
“I’m pretty sure you would beat them over their heads with your guitar, sweetie.”
He laughed more, “Quite possibly. Where are we headed now?”
“Village Gate. I don’t know what’s going on there tonight, but it’s likely to be far more lively than the Vanguard,” she answered.
“Good, good,” Pete nodded, his eyes flicking up to signs as they passed smaller coffeehouses and closed up shops. “I wouldn’t want you to fall asleep on our night out.”
“At least not until we’re home in bed, right?” she responded.
He stopped in the middle of the sidewalk, “Do you want to go home already?”
“Nope,” her hand reached for his. “We’re going to go discover that Greenwich really does not go to bed at ten!”
The scene in the Gate was vastly different. People mulled about the club, more than there were seats available for. A folksinger told stories from the stage at the back of the busy room. Drinks clinked in glasses. But most importantly people talked and laughed and generally seemed to be enjoying themselves. Pete instantly noticed Cady relax into the atmosphere.
“Drink?” he offered.
Cady nodded, “I’ll see if I can find us a table.”
Though he didn’t really want to be apart from her, he nodded, kissed her cheek, and headed up to the bar. As he approached, Pete began to panic. He hadn’t a clue what to order her. She drank wine at home with dinner, but that didn’t seem entirely appropriate with their locale. What had she drunk at the previous bar? It was a cocktail. But what? Fuck, he had no idea. He was fine with drinking just about anything, but what was he supposed to order for Cady?
“What can I get ye?” the bartender asked as his eyes landed on Pete.
“I don’t know,” he responded without thinking.
The man smirked, “Then maybe you should go back to Engla—”
“I know what I’ll have,” Pete interrupted. “It’s what to order my girlfriend that’s the issue.”
“Point ‘er out to me and I’ll figure it out,” he declared.
Turning about, his blue eyes scanned the crowd quickly, “The girl in white and pink over by—”
“Cady’s your girlfriend?” the bartender interjected.
Eyes returning to the man behind the bar, Pete replied, “Yes. Is that surprising?”
“Fuck yeah. I’ve been after her for—”
“I don’t want to hear about it. What does she drink?”
“Lately, amaretto sours.”
“Then one of those. And scotch on the rocks,” he declared.
The bartender nodded, though his eyes flicked to Cady once more, “You are one lucky son of a bitch, you know?”
“I do.”
Not wanting to discuss how much the bartender wanted his girlfriend any more, Pete turned his back to the bar and leaned on it while waiting for the drinks. His eyes wandered the crowd briefly, trying to figure out what kinds of people were there. Figuring most of them to be artists and poets, he felt a bit more at ease with Cady apparently frequenting the bar enough that the bartender knew her by name. That bothered him a great deal more than he was willing to admit. He knew she was something special, no one had to tell him that, but the fact others had been chasing her to no avail did not sit well with him.
And yet a part of him rationalized that while others had been after her, he had caught her. Or more precisely, she had caught him since she was the one who tracked him down. Perhaps the reason she had shunned the affections of this bartender and however many had been chasing her had been because of him? She had mentioned the other night that she had loved him since their initial kiss in London months before. Maybe he had absolutely nothing to worry about. She was with him. She chose him. Not the arse behind the bar. Him.
“That will be two dollars,” the bartender declared, drawing Pete’s attention back to him.
Pulling out his wallet as he turned around, he handed the man the money, stuffed his billfold away, and grabbed the two drinks. Carefully weaving through the crowd, he made his way over to Cady. Her eyes were fastened on the singer on stage, something that instantly made him jealous. But as he neared the table, she looked up, met his eyes, and smiled brightly at him. That simple act immediately brightened his soul and he kissed her mouth softly as he set down the drinks.
Shifting the empty chair next to her a bit closer, Pete sat down, “Enjoying the music?”
“It’s all right,” she replied. “I just get the feeling that I know him from somewhere.”
“Here perhaps? The bartender seemed to know you quite well,” he commented and reached for his drink.
She leaned forward to look around him to see who was bartending that night, “Oh god. I didn’t think he would be here tonight.”
“He seems to have a thing for you.”
“He shouldn’t. I’ve told him no a million times. And once Jimi punched him in the face,” Cady proclaimed, leaning back to block the bartender from her vision.
“He did?”
She nodded, reaching for her drink, “After asshole stalked me to the bathroom, Jimi stalked him right back out and punched him.”
“But you said you and Jimi weren’t together.”
“We weren’t,” Cady stated and sipped the drink. “Doesn’t mean he wasn’t protective of me. In any event, he should know better now.”
“We can go if you want,” Pete offered.
“No, we just got here. And we have drinks that my loving man bought to finish first,” she leaned over and kissed him deeply. “Did you tell him you were my boyfriend?”
“I mentioned something about that.”
“Good,” she kissed him again. “You’re drinking scotch.”
“I am.”
“I can taste it on your tongue,” she winked.
By then end of the first band’s set, Cady had moved out of her chair and into Pete’s lap. She giggled and made up silly stories for the various people in the club, whispering them in his ear. Despite himself and not really caring for the folksy music on stage, Pete was enjoying himself. What wasn’t there to enjoy? He had a beautiful woman in his lap making everyone in the club jealous, a drink in his hand, one already in his belly, and the music wasn’t horrible. Life in that very moment was good.
But then Cady’s silly stories fell silent and her smile disappeared.
“Baby?” he looked at her in concern.
“Can we go?”
“Sure, sure,” he set down his half empty glass. “What’s wrong, Cady?”
She shook her head and hurried out of his lap. Picking up her purse from the table, her hand quickly reached for Pete’s and practically pulled him out of his chair. Maintaining his balance, he kept up with her as she weaved through the crowd to the door. A few people attempted to talk to the couple as they were heading out, but Cady did not even bother to glance at them. Her intense blue eyes were focused on leaving the club. Her intense strides did not slow until they were outside and nearly a block away, but she did not stop.
“Cady, what’s wrong?” he asked, tugging on her hand to get her to stop. “What happened in the club that clearly I didn’t see?”
“There was a girl,” she stated without explaining.
“There were lots of girls in there,” Pete said cautiously.
“Well yes, it is a club,” Cady affirmed and started walking again.
“Cady,” he grabbed her wrist, pulling her to a halt, “what girl made you bolt?”
She shook her head.
“Come on, baby. Don’t shut me out,” he asked, reaching up to touch her cheek.
Cady leaned out of his reach, “Let’s just go somewhere else, okay?”
“Cady,” he didn’t release her wrist, “tell me something, please? So I can better cheer you up.”
“I’m fine.”
“Please, baby.”
Cady sighed, “A girl I went to art school with walked into that club. That’s all you need to know.”
“I... okay. Fine. You can tell me more later,” Pete gave in.
“Maybe,” she responded.
His eyes searched hers, though she tried to look away. The fact that some girl showing up at the club shook her so much, really bothered him. His Cady was supposed to be unflappable, able to withstand anything. He didn’t really know why he had already given her so much in that regard, but he did believe it. And some other girl was throwing her off. He needed to distract her, remind her how wonderful she was.
His other arm circled around her waist and pulled her close. Before she could mutter a word, Pete kissed her. Releasing her wrist, his hand caressed her cheek as his lips plied hers. She resisted, did not kiss him back, which instantly saddened Pete, but he did not relent. Slowly she came around and softened into his embrace.
“I love you, Cadence,” he muttered against her lips. “Never forget that.”
She nodded, her nose rubbing his, “I love you too, Pete.”
He kissed her briefly once more, “Shall we head home or do you have somewhere else in mind?”
Her eyes opened and looked directly into his, “Somewhere else in mind.”
This was where they should have gone all along. While Pete had been intrigued by the blues bar next door, Cady insisted they duck into the clapboard-covered The Bitter End instead. Not only was the music exactly the kind of music both liked, the atmosphere was spot on. Taking a note from the previous bar and turning up the volume made this early rock bar the place Pete would not mind spending a couple evenings a night at. He knew that the minute they walked through the door and it held true thirty minutes later when Cady had once more fully relaxed.
She had ditched the amaretto sours at the last bar and was drinking vodka on the rocks. While he didn’t argue against her selection, Pete wasn’t entirely sure what he would do with a drunk girlfriend. She seemed to hold her alcohol well, wasn’t gulping it in any event, so he pushed the thought aside. They chatted with people around them, Cady bragging about Pete’s musical abilities every now and then. It made him feel a touch uncomfortable but she would giggle and kiss him a moment later and chase away all of that negativity. They were both at ease, a bit buzzed, and making new friends. Pete felt like he was home.
“I’m going to...” Cady wiggled in his lap.
“What, baby?”
She kissed him quickly, “Go to the bathroom. When I get back, I want you to dance with me.”
“I would love to,” he grinned, stealing another kiss before she left his lap.
Cady pressed her lips to his ear, “Oh and Pete, I’m not wearing any panties.”
His eyes went wide and he reached for her. Expecting this, Cady stepped quickly out of his reach and disappeared into the crowd. If there had ever been a chance to pay any attention to The Stone Poneys on stage, her admission had completely squelched it. A million thoughts were racing through his mind and not a single one of them had anything to do with the talent on the stage. His girlfriend wasn’t wearing a bra or knickers. The bra he expected and had discovered earlier during a brief heavy petting session as she hadn’t worn one all day. But no knickers? Fuck, he needed to get her home immediately.
It had been an evil move on her part. She knew it had been. But his gaping mouth and wide eyes as she walked away had so been worth it. Perhaps if the last vodka hadn’t gone straight to her head, she wouldn’t have told him so abruptly. Nah, who was she kidding? The entire purpose of being without panties was to torture Pete. And she just knew it was going well. Peeing would help though, at least help her drunkenness. She would just drink water next, no more vodka.
After washing her hands, Cady was a bit saddened by the fact she left her purse at the table with her boyfriend. Now would have been the perfect time to refresh her lip gloss, especially since she was planning on kissing him again soon. Another woman stepped up in front of the mirror next to her, slathering red lipstick on her thin lips. Rolling her eyes, Cady turned away and headed towards the door.
“You’re Jimi’s girl, aren’t you?” the blond at the mirror asked.
“Uh, no,” Cady turned back around. “Never was. Certainly am not now.”
“Never were? That’s not how it sounds when he talks about it,” she stated.
Her head tilted slightly, “He talks about me?”
“Didn’t you live with him for months?”
“Yes.”
“So that means you’re the one he wrote all his songs for,” she stated, looking at Cady in the mirror. “He’s in love with you.”
“Funny way of showing it then,” she responded.
“Maybe because he was afraid to.”
“Uh huh. Not that it matters because I am with someone who does love and isn’t afraid to show it and I love him too,” Cady proclaimed.
“Honey, no one will love you like Jimi. Trust me. I’ve been with enough men to know that.”
She couldn’t help but laugh, “Love is so much more than sex. Pete is so much more than sex. Pete would never be in love with me and bring home whores like you instead. I certainly do not need nor want that kind of love.”
Before the girl could respond, Cady stepped out of the bathroom. Anger and frustration from the words spoken in the bathroom were killing her buzz. She was going to need another drink because of it and—
“Baby,” a deep voice spoke, chilling her spine and freezing her steps.
“Leave me alone, Jimi,” she responded without turning to face him.
“Come on, baby, you know we were meant to be—”
“No, we aren’t,” she turned to face him. “If we had been you wouldn’t have ignored me, you would have paid me the attention you paid all those other girls who sucked your dick. If we were meant to be, you would have fucking touched me when we lived together. But you didn’t. You didn’t kiss me, you didn’t touch me, you most certainly never fucked me. So don’t you dare say we belong together.”
“Baby, if that’s all you need, I can give you that,” he reached for her.
Cady pulled her arm back abruptly, her elbow slammed into the wall behind in an effort to evade him, “It’s too late, Jimi. I don’t want you. I don’t want to be your friend. I don’t want to kiss you. I most certainly do not want to have sex with you. I don’t even want to talk to you. I realize that now that I’m with Pete, there’s a good chance we are going to run into each other now and then, especially since I’m still living here in New York. But that does not mean we have to interact. I wish you would just pretend everything was like it was a month ago and ignore the very fact that I’m alive.”
“Well shit, baby, if it’s a month ago, then I’m going to do what is needed to keep you at my side,” he declared, stepping forward.
Her hand shot out, pressing against his chest in hopes of keeping him from coming closer, “Back off, Jimi.”
“Come on, baby,” he reached up and touched her hair. “You’re so pretty tonight. I almost forgot how pretty you are.”
“Don’t touch me,” she demanded.
Blatantly ignoring her command he leaned in and kissed her. Her knee instinctively came up, but Jimi had been anticipating that, his hand circling her thigh and quickly looping the leg about his waist. He kissed her hard, forcing his tongue into her mouth. She could taste the booze in his invasive kiss and reacted by biting down on his tongue. He snapped back, his hand flying back to strike her, but he froze. A moment later he was bodily removed from Cady. She did not have to see by whom to know Pete was behind her release.
She quickly jumped forward and grabbed Pete’s arm as he swung to punch Jimi, “No, baby, don’t!”
Jimi grinned, “See, Townshend, she wanted it.”
Cady released his arm, “Nevermind. Do it.”
He nodded once and punched the other guitarist quickly.
“Fuck!” Jimi shouted and moved to fight back.
Of course the commotion had not gone unnoticed and someone shouted “Fight!” The men got a few punches in before Cady pulled Pete back and someone else restrained Jimi. Kissing his ear, she whispered that they were leaving right then. He did not even hesitate, but nodded and grabbed her hand. The two of them rushed back to their table, grabbed Cady’s purse, and said a quick explanation-less goodbye to their new friends.
“Pete, he—”
“Are you okay?” he interrupted, turning to her once they were out of The Bitter End.
She nodded, “He... I didn’t want him to kiss me. I didn’t put my leg around his waist. I didn’t—”
“I know, baby,” Pete responded, touching her cheek softly. “I saw him head down the hall a couple of minutes after you and when neither of you appeared, I just knew he was harassing you. Sorry I was late.”
She shook her head and pressed her forehead to his, “You were just in time, Pete. Just in time.”
“Do you want to go home?”
She shook her head again, “No. No, don’t let him ruin our night out.”
“Are you sure? If we go home, I promise I will make up for it.”
“No. Let’s... let’s go one more place. There’s a new place just down the street I’ve heard things about. Can we try there? Please?”
“Anything you want,” he responded and kissed her quickly.
Crossing Thompson Street, they reached Kenny’s Castaways within five minutes. With a clapboard facade just like The Bitter End, Pete was both hopeful and fearful, instantly thinking the club could be as good as the one they just left, but could also be tempted just like the one they left. Would Jimi follow them there? Would they never have a place of respite in Greenwich or did they have to avoid that part of New York all together?
Stopping just outside the black door, Cady turned to Pete and kissed him quickly, “I love you, Pete.”
Her kiss and words quieted his internal debate, “I will never grow weary of hearing that.”
She smiled and kissed him again, “Let’s go salvage our night.”
Gasping Cady’s eyes darting to Pete, who calmly sipped his drink. She waited a bit impatiently for his response to the offer to play on stage with the band who was now just jamming away. Coolly he set down the glass with only ice remaining in it and looked to his girlfriend. Her eyes held his, her thoughts seemingly hanging onto the answer he had not yet given.
“Come on, Pete. Cady has been telling us about it all night long. Show us that your girlfriend isn’t blowing smoke up our asses,” the man to his right chided.
“Please, Pete,” she asked, batting her eyelashes.
“But I’m rather comfortable here with you in my lap, listening to them,” he motioned to the stage. “I don’t need to perform.”
Cady pouted, “Please.”
His eyes held hers, “You really want me to?”
She nodded vigorously, which made her head spin as she had drunk far too much since they arrived three hours before.
His fingers went to her chin to stop her nodding, “All right. I’ll play for you. But just for a short while.”
“Yippee!” she squealed and threw her arms around his neck, kissing him sloppily.
Chuckling, Pete eased her out of his lap and into his chair as he stood. Kissing her forehead quickly, he reached for the offered guitar and climbed up the few short steps onto the stage. After a brief check of the guitar’s tuning, his eyes flicked out over the bar. For as late as it was, the club was still half full. People in all shades of inebriation lingered about, a few even clearly passed out on their tables. The atmosphere reminded him of an updated pub back home, putting him at ease not only upon their arrival but as he took the stage. They didn’t really know who he was, but as Cady had repeatedly talked him up to anyone who would listen to her that night, they invited him on stage. For her he would perform. For her he would play. For her he would do anything.
Leaning back in the chair with her drink, Cady watched Pete get settled on stage with a borrowed guitar in a foreign land. She just knew the magic would shoot through him before long and everyone else would understand why she thought he was a genius. A dozen more people were about to become fans of her Pete, just like she was. As he began to play, she watched him transform from Pete her lover to Pete the performer. She loved how much he loved it. She would never, ever take that away from him. His soul was that of a musician, an artist. No one in the bar could deny that. No one.
Looking around the bar, Cady noticed how it had gotten awfully silent. People were focusing on Pete, whispering to each other. She just wanted to know what they were saying, but she was certain it was good, it couldn’t be anything but good. Her eyes connected with someone who had an air of authority and before long he was approaching her stage-side table.
“He has something, that one,” he remarked, sitting in a chair quickly vacated by one of her new friends.
“Oh yes. Pete is... yeah,” she replied, feeling a bit bad that her speech faculties were failing her while speaking with whoever the guy was.
“Does he have a band?”
“Yes, but they’re in England.”
“Oh?”
“He’s Pete Townshend of The Who,” Cady stated as if he should know.
Indeed he had heard of The Who, “The ones who played Monterey two weeks ago?”
She nodded and finished her drink.
“And he’s here in New York while they went back to London?”
Cady nodded again, “He’s with me.”
His eyes brightened, “Ah. Well why don’t you bring your boyfriend back tomorrow before we open at ten? I would like to talk to him.”
“Ten in the morning?”
He chuckled, “No, honey. I doubt I’ll get to sleep any earlier than you will. This kind of life does not begin until the sun goes down.”
“Oh,” she set her empty glass on the table.
His eyes flicked to her glass, “Did you guys start a tab?”
“It was hard to talk Pete into it. Can I pay it before he comes back?”
He shook his head, getting to his feet, “Tell him tonight’s tab is on me.”
“Who are you?”
“Pat Kenny. Welcome to my bar,” he grinned, winked at her, and walked away.
Leaning heavily on Pete, Cady slurred, “I am too walk to drunk.”
Pete laughed, “How are we going to get home then?”
“Wecanswim. Yourhomeissss along waysssss away,” she declared.
“My home is wherever you are,” he retorted, glancing around the street. “Cady, baby, I have no idea where we are. You took me all over the place tonight.”
“Car!” she pointed at the street.
Figuring she meant to hail a cab, Pete stopped near the edge of the sidewalk and looked for a yellow taxi. Hailing the first one he saw, he was ever grateful it pulled over. After helping Cady in and sliding in himself, Pete was once more at a loss as to where to direct the cab.
“Baby, where are we going?” he turned her face to him.
Her unfocused eyes met his briefly, “Greene and Spring.”
Pete looked to the driver, “Did you hear that?”
“Yessir.”
Cady cuddled up against Pete, her eyes quickly falling close. He adjust her slightly, figuring rousing her once they arrived at that intersection was going to be difficult and wanted to be able to slip out with her in his arms without much struggle. He only hoped that in her drunken state she had given the correct intersection.
As they were less than six long blocks from the intersection the couple reached there before long. Pete looked out the window at the buildings as the cab stopped. For a moment it was all a blur. There really were no landmarks near Cady’s building at all. But his eyes flitted to a man heading up to a gate, a man he recognized as the painter they held the door open for earlier.
“This is it,” he declared. “How much is the fare?”
“Five.”
Struggling to pull his wallet out while supporting Cady, he gave up and opened her purse instead and fished the money out of there. After paying their driver, Pete opened the door and ungracefully exited, keeping one arm around Cady and pulling her out. She was completely out and unable to stand. Slinging her purse over his shoulder, Pete quickly swept her up into his arms, one hooking underneath her knees, and carried her towards her building. Reaching the gate he realized there was no way he was going to be able to unlock the gate and door and all of that with his woman in his arms. Luckily the artist Pete originally spotted was at the door and glanced over his shoulder, seeing Pete and Cady.
“Oi! Looks like you and Cady had a bit of fun tonight,” he spoke, heading towards Pete to let them in.
“For the most part, yes,” Pete responded, stepping through the gate. “Thanks.”
“I’m James, by the way,” he stated, opening the door for the couple.
Stepping through sideways, he smiled slightly, “Pete.”
“Cady’s pretty remarkable,” he commented, closing the door behind them and heading over to the elevator to call it down to them. “We’re all indebted to her actually.”
“Why’s that?” Pete asked as he ducked into the elevator.
“Legally none of us are supposed to live here. SoHo is not zoned for residences,” James explained. “But you’ve seen Cady’s loft so you can imagine how great spaces like that are to artists like myself. And the rent is pretty damn cheap here.”
“What does that have to do with Cady?” he adjusted the passed out woman in his arms.
“Well,” James pressed the button for Cady’s floor, “she was looking for some place to live so her father bought this for her.”
“I’m aware that he bought her loft.”
“No, you don’t understand,” he looked to Pete as the elevator lurched into action. “He bought the whole damn building outright. There might be a couple of people who went in with him, I don’t know. But he owns the entire building. And he uses the second floor to store things. Rumors say he’s looking into converting the ground floor into shops or something of that sort. Only the third through fifth floors are rented out as artist studios and lofts, though the fifth floor hasn’t been opened up yet, which is why only four of us live here so far. I bet Cady moves up there once it is.”
“Her father owns the whole building?”
James nodded, “Yeah. That woman you hold in your arms is worth a pretty penny.”
“How... how do you know this? Cady made it out like she hides it from everyone,” Pete replied.
“Oh that’s true. That’s very true. No one else in the building knows what I know,” he stated as the lift shuddered to a stop. “I only know because I’m her cousin, though no one is supposed to know that either.”
Pete’s brows furrowed, his inebriated mind not quite processing what James had said, “You’re related?”
“Yeah. But don’t worry. I won’t tell her dad that you carried her in passed out drunk tonight. In fact as far as he’s concerned, you don’t exist until she decides to tell him,” he pulled the grate open. “You need help with the door?”
“If you could just get the keys out of her purse, I think I’ll be okay. Thanks.”
With keys to the flat held in fingers beginning to go numb from holding Cady, Pete headed down the hallway. Speaking with James had brought up far more questions than answers and he really wished he could verbalize them. Not that Cady was in any position to answer. They would have some discussing to do once she woke up later in the afternoon, he supposed. His little heiress was much more than she seemed to be and to be completely honest, Pete had no idea how to react to that.
“We home?” Cady muttered in his arms as he kicked the door open.
“Yes, baby, we’re home.”
“You so good to me,” she snuggled against his shoulder. “I love you.”
Laying her on the bed a minute later, he kissed her forehead, “I love you too, Cady. I love you too.”
Rating: NC-17 [sex, language, violence, alcohol]
Summary: Pete & Cady spend a very eventful night out on the town.
Pulling out a bill from his wallet to pay for their meal made Pete feel far better than it probably should have. But after days of Cady paying for everything, he was finally able to take some responsibility. Granted it was for a mere sandwich, crisps, and soda, but it was something. However he also realized his fifty dollars was not going to go very far at all. He would have to call his management as soon as they returned home.
Returning from the restroom, Cady stopped next to Pete’s chair and kissed him quickly, “Ready to go, love?”
Watching the waitress set his change on the table, he nodded before quickly sectioning off some of it as a tip and shoving the rest into his wallet. He got to his feet and picked up his guitar and amp while Cady pushed the chair in and out of his way. She flashed him another smile before turning to lead him out of the diner. Their brief meal at the small restaurant in Greenwich had dissipated much of the hostility towards the altercation with Jimi, but Cady figured it was not going to be the last. It worried and bothered her, but she pushed it out of her mind. She had Pete and that was all that mattered. He even seemed happier right then than he had in awhile, something she attributed to the money in his pocket. She would have to see what she could do to keep it there, help him retain his sense of taking care of her.
“What do you think about going out tonight?” she asked as they strolled down the sidewalk towards SoHo.
“I... well I haven’t got much mon—”
“That’s okay,” Cady interjected. “You already have clothes worthy of wearing out. And I know of a couple of places with cheap, decent drinks where you can start to get to know people here in New York and maybe you’ll find someone you’ll really hit it off with and want to make music with.”
“Are they places you like to go?” he asked, following her around the corner.
“I haven’t spent much time in New York lately, so the vibe may have changed. We won’t really know until we try,” she responded. “Are you game?”
Pete smiled crookedly, “And if I’m not?”
“Then I suppose we can stay in and find something to do like sleep,” she replied with smirk.
“What if we do go out and don’t find a vibe that suits us?”
Cady stopped to fish her keys out of her purse before pushing the gate open and holding it for Pete, “Then we come home and reassess the night.”
He set the amp down on the steps and reached around her to steal the keys from her fingers, “Maybe I would just like to spend the night with you.”
She held the keys out of his reach, turning her back to the door to meet his eyes, “No matter what we do tonight, you will be spending it with me.”
Pete seized the opportunity and kissed her quickly, “I don’t know if I’m ready to fight off the rest of New York for you.”
Cady grinned, feeling around behind her for the lock to enter the building without turning around, “Pete, you already bested Jimi twice. I don’t think the rest of New York has a chance. Besides, I’m in love with you. I don’t care what anyone else says to me. You’re my man.”
Grinning he kissed her again, heard the door unlock, and slipped his arm around her waist so she didn’t tumble in, “I love it when you say that.”
“That you bested Jimi? That the rest of New York doesn’t have a chance?” she teased, taking a step backwards into the building.
“You know damn well what I mean,” he replied.
“Maybe,” she replied coyly and wiggled out of his embrace. “Don’t forget your amp on the stoop. You won’t be able to make much noise without it.”
“I think we made plenty of noise last night without it,” Pete remarked, though he picked it up regardless.
Walking backwards towards the large freight elevator, Cady smiled, “I think we can do better.”
“I thought you wanted to go out.”
“I thought you wanted to stay in,” she countered, her back bumping with the grate of the elevator.
Pete set down both the amp and the guitar. His arms went around Cady quickly, his fingers digging into the grate, effectively trapping her. She squealed but did not attempt to get away from him at all. Instead her arms circled his neck as his mouth crashed into hers. They kissed passionately, Pete pressing against her so much she was certain she would have marks on her back from the gate before long.
Feeling the rumble of an approaching elevator, Cady whimpered some and attempted to end the kiss. Pete didn’t understand what she was doing until the lift screeched to a halt right behind her. His arms quickly slid behind her and spun her away before whoever was in the lift began to open the gates. He never stopped kissing her.
Their building mate chuckled at the sight of the couple, which finally caused Pete to relinquish Cady. He scooped up his gear as she skipped into the lift, kept on the ground floor by their neighbor. She thanked the artist and pulled the grate down behind Pete before pressing her floor’s number. He set down his guitar and amp and reached for her once again.
Her fingers went to his lips, keeping him an arm’s length from kissing her again, “Temper it, my love. We’re almost home.”
“But, baby,” he whined.
The elevator shook to a halt.
“See?”
She quickly ducked out of his reach. Squealing she hurried down the hallway, struggling to retrieve her keys from her purse once more. Luckily Pete had the guitar and amp to contend with or Cady was certain he would have smashed her up against the door as he had the elevator. She managed to get the door open a moment before Pete reached and darted inside. Surprisingly he calmly set down the guitar and amp, closed and locked the door behind him, and then turned to her.
The white arm chair was between them, acting as more of a mental barrier than anything; both knew Pete could easily jump over it. Their eyes met and Cady instantly knew she was prey to his predator. Neither moved, but remained in frozen repose, waiting for the other to begin the chase. Any movement and it would begin.
Suddenly deciding she didn’t want to be chased all over her loft, Cady jumped forward onto the chair. With one foot on the back of the chair, she quickly shifted her weight, causing it to tip backwards. The action propelled her towards Pete who quickly opened his arms to catch her. Their bodies collided, the force throwing them to the ground with a loud thump. Not even waiting to see if she knocked the air out of him, Cady sought his mouth. One of his large hands flattened on her back, holding her close while they kissed. His other hand slid down her spine, reaching for the firm curve of her ass. His fingers slipped under her short skirt, a voice in the back of his head thinking he ought to thank her for wearing skirts often at some point, and his hand easily slid over her thigh, causing her to part her legs. Their mouths continued the passionate kiss until Pete’s fingers pushed aside her panties and delved into her sex from behind.
“Oh Pete,” she groaned, her fingers going to the row of small buttons on his shirt. “You should... you should... stop...”
He smiled, “Never.”
She gasped as his long finger slid into her, wiggling slightly, “Oh god, Pete.”
Cady’s forehead pressed to his shoulder, her fingers forgetting their task of undressing him as he continued to touch her. His other hand left her back to slip up under her sweater, already knowing she wore no bra from his caresses before they left earlier that day. He needed to feel her very flesh against his.
“Pete... stop...” she moaned. “I... need... I need...”
His hand pulled out of her sweater before it reached her breast to tilt her face back to his and he asked huskily, “What do you need, Cadence?”
“More than just your finger. I need this,” her hand slipped between them and groped him.
Pete smiled, “It’s yours, baby. Always yours.”
His fingers slowly pulled out of her body. Released from his pleasurable hold, Cady kissed his mouth quickly and pushed up. Her eyes remained locked on his, watching him suck her wetness from his digits, as she peeled her sweater off and tossed it aside. Pete’s hands instantly reached up and cupped her breasts, his thumbs chasing circles around her nipples. Her eyes closed briefly and she moaned before remembering her intentions. Struggling to focus, she unbuttoned his shirt and dragged her short nails down his chest towards his belt. She faltered in undressing him briefly when his fingers pinched both of her nipples, sending another shock through her body, released in a deep moan.
With Pete playing with her breasts, Cady pulled his erection out of his pants. Both of her hands circled it, her eyes locked with his. Gently her hands spiraled around his cock, pulling the moans from his lips as he had hers. As he pressed his head back against the hard floor, baring his Adam's apple in a moan, Cady could not resist and leaned down to kiss his throat. His hands left her breasts and both turned to her thighs, urging her to shift in perfect alignment with the very organ she still cradled in her hands. Her lips left his Adam's apple to meet his simultaneously as her hands shoved aside her panties and guided him into her. Their deep moans were quickly swallowed in their shared kiss.
Cady’s hands ran up Pete’s torso and she slowly pushed up and away from his kiss. Hands perched just below the shadow of his pecs, her eyes locked with his as she began to move upon him. His hands slipped under her skirt, cupping her ass as she rode him. She knew all the tricks to drive him insane: when to halt her gyration or to reverse directions, when to bounce quickly, when to grind slowly. Never before had he felt a lover so attuned to him. This was what he waited for all his life.
“Oh god, Pete,” she groaned, her hands leaving his chest to cup her own. “I’m gonna... I’m gonna.”
One hand slipped around her thighs to part her petals and flick her hard bud, “Cum for me, baby. Cum for me.”
“Oh fuuuuck,” she moaned, slamming her body down onto his as ripples of orgasm began to overtake her.
He continued to caress her clit while she barely moved on him, hoping to keep her idling right where she was so he could join her soon. Her hands released her breasts and she leaned back, one hand propping herself up on the floor, the other reaching behind to cup his testicles. With her body still throbbing around his and her hands touching him so perfectly, Pete’s fingers failed in their actions as his body tensed.
“C-caaady,” he moaned, his hands quickly reaching to pull her body down as tightly to his as possible as his orgasm shot from his body.
Her fingers halted their actions as she felt him tighten in her hand and she sat back up. Her eyes closed briefly so that she could focus on his pulsing within her body. She was certain she could feel ever hot pulse of his seed inside of her. Fluttering back open as his fingers released the pressure slightly upon her hips, something she was certain would leave a mark, Cady looked down to meet his gaze. She smiled and leaned in to kiss him. His hands left her hips fully to hold her in the kiss.
“Do you still want to go out tonight?” he asked in a whisper.
Her eyes sparkled as she looked into his, “Yes. Yes I do.”
Pete brushed her hair from her face, chuckled, and kissed her again, “Then let’s go out tonight, baby.”
After Pete played with his new toy for awhile and Cady cooked dinner, the couple parted to get ready for their night out in New York. Naturally Pete attempted to sneak into Cady’s shower after his own, something she insisted upon as she hadn’t yet decided what she was going to wear, but was thwarted by a locked bathroom door. He bummed about the flat for a bit, becoming more thoroughly acquainted with it and thinking once he got a bit more money he would purchase a number of things for Cady, including frames for her paintings.
That to him was the gold mine. She probably would never have shown him her stash, but as he had been left alone with little to do while she made herself more beautiful, Pete had found a stack of painted canvases tucked underneath her bed. It wasn’t like he had been inspecting the loft that closely. He had merely been walking by and kicked something under the bed and clearly had to investigate. And what a treasure he had found. The six large-scale canvasses he pulled out took his breath away and a quick glance confirmed there were more under the bed, in fact the entire area beneath the king-sized bed was filled with canvasses. The six in his hands were... he had to turn them over to make certain they weren’t authentic paintings by Renaissance masters, not that he could remember Michelangelo, Leonardo, or any of those painting realistic images of city life. The more he looked at them, the more he realized he recognized the cityscapes. The subject matter of each of those six paintings was London, his London. It made him a touch homesick but he was far more in awe than anything.
The bathroom door opened, but Pete was so lost in the world of the paintings he hadn’t noticed, at least not until her sweet scent rolled over the bed and caressed his senses. Not entirely sure if she would be comfortable with him seeing her paintings, after all they had been hidden under her bed, he quickly and silently returned them to their previous location and jumped up. Her eyes instantly snapped to him, her lips parting to question his actions no doubt. And perhaps she had. Pete was completely dumbfounded in the moment. Cady was a vision of... perfect beauty. Her long brown hair was parted on the left messily and swept across her forehead, pinned in place with two bobby pins crossed. The rest of it curled about her shoulders in big soft, curls, and Pete already itched to run his fingers through it. Large silver spirals dangled from her ears, catching the light ever so slightly as she stood mostly still for his inspection.
Her eyes were rimmed with dark kohl, her lips stained a pale glossy pink. Pete struggled to not leap forward and gather her in his arms to kiss her. His eyes continued down, needing to take in the whole package of his girlfriend, to truly understand how difficult the night would be as he fought off men wherever they went. At first glance she wore a simple mini-dress that skimmed mid-thigh, but Pete didn’t truly believe that and looked over the dress once more. It was mostly white, though a pink band ran over her shoulders and down the left side of the dress. His blue eyes followed the band more closely, just knowing there was more to it. Halting in the center of the dress, Pete smiled slightly upon noticing an eye-shaped cutout that offered a peek at a bit of her cleavage. Following the seam of pink and white down her body, his smile increased slightly. A slit up the front of the dress, which was a bit longer than he would have liked, bared a bit more of her thigh. It was not quite the sweet and innocent dress he thought it was at first glance. Following the slit down her leg, he was a bit surprised and perhaps a bit disappointed to see she didn’t wear boots. But as his eyes slid down her long legs to her white mary janes, his opinion changed. He liked seeing her legs.
“Baby, you... you... you are beautiful,” he breathed.
Cady smiled, “Thank you. Are you ready?”
Pete shook his head, looking down at the shirt he had pulled on after the shower, deciding it did not suit walking next to Cady, “Let me... let me just change my shirt.”
“Whatever you want, sweetie,” she chuckled, shaking her head.
As Pete disappeared into the walk-in closet to change his shirt, Cady found his wallet where he had left it on the bookcase earlier before his shower. She hadn’t actually thought of what she was about to do until she was in the shower herself, or she would have done it then when there was less risk of Pete catching her. However she hadn’t yet heard a hanger swing with his removing of a shirt, so she knew she had a minute or two. Quickly unfolding his billfold, she shoved a few small bills in with his, figuring he would notice the sudden appearance of a twenty, but not of a couple of fives and ones. Hearing a hanger clang into the wall, she quickly returned his wallet back to where she found it and silently stepped away from it, leaning on the back of the couch.
He stepped out of the closet. His eyes instantly found her and he smiled as he buttoned the small pearl buttons of his cuffs. Cady instantly grinned.
“Oh, Pete, that’s my favorite shirt,” she declared, pushing away from the couch.
“It is?” he tucked the blue silk shirt into his black slacks.
“Definitely,” Cady’s fingers reached up and fixed his collar. “It brings out your eyes.”
His eyes darted to hers, “It does?”
She shook her head and kissed him quickly, “For someone who went to art school longer than I did, you seem to have issues with color theory.”
“Do not,” he muttered sullenly.
Cady rolled her eyes and kissed him again, “Are you ready now, love?”
“What if we just stay in?”
“With you dressed so nicely? Oh no. I’m showing you off tonight,” she declared and turned away to pick up her purse.
Scooping his wallet off the bookcase, Pete slipped it into his pocket, again happy there was money within so he could pay for his woman that night, and followed her across the room. He caught up with her at the door and stole a kiss as she opened it. Hands clasped, the couple headed to the elevator after locking the door.
“You know,” he commented as the elevator began to move, “you’re not going to make this a very relaxing evening for me.”
“What do you mean?”
He kissed her quickly, “I’m going to have to fight men off all night.”
She grinned and touched his cheek lovingly, “I think you overestimate me, Pete. It won’t be quite the all night brawl you’re expecting.”
After about twenty minutes of silently listening to jazz, Cady was ready to leave the Village Vanguard. While it was one of the more popular jazz clubs in Greenwich and she did like jazz, it just wasn’t doing it for her that night. She wanted a little more life than sitting inside the nondescript club silently. She knew it was protocol in jazz clubs to really pay attention to the music, hence the crowd’s nearly complete silence, it just didn’t feel right that night. After wiggling in her chair a bit, Pete’s eyes left the stage to lit upon his girlfriend. Her eyes met his and she did not bother to suppress a bored sigh.
Smirking Pete leaned towards her, his hand cupping her cheek, and brushed his lips over hers before muttering, “Shall we slip out?”
Cady nodded silently.
He kissed her once more before pushing away from the table. Pulling his wallet out, he pulled out a few singles and left them on the table for their cocktail waitress and turned to pull Cady’s chair out. Silently they weaved through the small tables, making their way to the doors. Neither really cared that some of the regulars glared at them for leaving before the set was over. In all honesty Pete was enjoying the music and wouldn’t have left if it hadn’t been for Cady’s eyes.
“The music wasn’t bad,” Pete commented, his hand falling to the curve of her back once they began to walk down the street.
“No, not at all. But to be honest, jazz clubs in Harlem are far more energetic. I felt... oppressed in there tonight. I think it’s better to go there alone,” she stated.
“How so?”
“Well with you I wanted to lean over and talk about the music all night. But had I done that, everyone around us would have... well glared at us really hard. I doubt they would have roused from their seats and said or done anything,” Cady commented.
Pete laughed, “They were pretty sedate in there. Can you imagine that crowd at a Who concert?”
“I’m pretty sure you would beat them over their heads with your guitar, sweetie.”
He laughed more, “Quite possibly. Where are we headed now?”
“Village Gate. I don’t know what’s going on there tonight, but it’s likely to be far more lively than the Vanguard,” she answered.
“Good, good,” Pete nodded, his eyes flicking up to signs as they passed smaller coffeehouses and closed up shops. “I wouldn’t want you to fall asleep on our night out.”
“At least not until we’re home in bed, right?” she responded.
He stopped in the middle of the sidewalk, “Do you want to go home already?”
“Nope,” her hand reached for his. “We’re going to go discover that Greenwich really does not go to bed at ten!”
The scene in the Gate was vastly different. People mulled about the club, more than there were seats available for. A folksinger told stories from the stage at the back of the busy room. Drinks clinked in glasses. But most importantly people talked and laughed and generally seemed to be enjoying themselves. Pete instantly noticed Cady relax into the atmosphere.
“Drink?” he offered.
Cady nodded, “I’ll see if I can find us a table.”
Though he didn’t really want to be apart from her, he nodded, kissed her cheek, and headed up to the bar. As he approached, Pete began to panic. He hadn’t a clue what to order her. She drank wine at home with dinner, but that didn’t seem entirely appropriate with their locale. What had she drunk at the previous bar? It was a cocktail. But what? Fuck, he had no idea. He was fine with drinking just about anything, but what was he supposed to order for Cady?
“What can I get ye?” the bartender asked as his eyes landed on Pete.
“I don’t know,” he responded without thinking.
The man smirked, “Then maybe you should go back to Engla—”
“I know what I’ll have,” Pete interrupted. “It’s what to order my girlfriend that’s the issue.”
“Point ‘er out to me and I’ll figure it out,” he declared.
Turning about, his blue eyes scanned the crowd quickly, “The girl in white and pink over by—”
“Cady’s your girlfriend?” the bartender interjected.
Eyes returning to the man behind the bar, Pete replied, “Yes. Is that surprising?”
“Fuck yeah. I’ve been after her for—”
“I don’t want to hear about it. What does she drink?”
“Lately, amaretto sours.”
“Then one of those. And scotch on the rocks,” he declared.
The bartender nodded, though his eyes flicked to Cady once more, “You are one lucky son of a bitch, you know?”
“I do.”
Not wanting to discuss how much the bartender wanted his girlfriend any more, Pete turned his back to the bar and leaned on it while waiting for the drinks. His eyes wandered the crowd briefly, trying to figure out what kinds of people were there. Figuring most of them to be artists and poets, he felt a bit more at ease with Cady apparently frequenting the bar enough that the bartender knew her by name. That bothered him a great deal more than he was willing to admit. He knew she was something special, no one had to tell him that, but the fact others had been chasing her to no avail did not sit well with him.
And yet a part of him rationalized that while others had been after her, he had caught her. Or more precisely, she had caught him since she was the one who tracked him down. Perhaps the reason she had shunned the affections of this bartender and however many had been chasing her had been because of him? She had mentioned the other night that she had loved him since their initial kiss in London months before. Maybe he had absolutely nothing to worry about. She was with him. She chose him. Not the arse behind the bar. Him.
“That will be two dollars,” the bartender declared, drawing Pete’s attention back to him.
Pulling out his wallet as he turned around, he handed the man the money, stuffed his billfold away, and grabbed the two drinks. Carefully weaving through the crowd, he made his way over to Cady. Her eyes were fastened on the singer on stage, something that instantly made him jealous. But as he neared the table, she looked up, met his eyes, and smiled brightly at him. That simple act immediately brightened his soul and he kissed her mouth softly as he set down the drinks.
Shifting the empty chair next to her a bit closer, Pete sat down, “Enjoying the music?”
“It’s all right,” she replied. “I just get the feeling that I know him from somewhere.”
“Here perhaps? The bartender seemed to know you quite well,” he commented and reached for his drink.
She leaned forward to look around him to see who was bartending that night, “Oh god. I didn’t think he would be here tonight.”
“He seems to have a thing for you.”
“He shouldn’t. I’ve told him no a million times. And once Jimi punched him in the face,” Cady proclaimed, leaning back to block the bartender from her vision.
“He did?”
She nodded, reaching for her drink, “After asshole stalked me to the bathroom, Jimi stalked him right back out and punched him.”
“But you said you and Jimi weren’t together.”
“We weren’t,” Cady stated and sipped the drink. “Doesn’t mean he wasn’t protective of me. In any event, he should know better now.”
“We can go if you want,” Pete offered.
“No, we just got here. And we have drinks that my loving man bought to finish first,” she leaned over and kissed him deeply. “Did you tell him you were my boyfriend?”
“I mentioned something about that.”
“Good,” she kissed him again. “You’re drinking scotch.”
“I am.”
“I can taste it on your tongue,” she winked.
By then end of the first band’s set, Cady had moved out of her chair and into Pete’s lap. She giggled and made up silly stories for the various people in the club, whispering them in his ear. Despite himself and not really caring for the folksy music on stage, Pete was enjoying himself. What wasn’t there to enjoy? He had a beautiful woman in his lap making everyone in the club jealous, a drink in his hand, one already in his belly, and the music wasn’t horrible. Life in that very moment was good.
But then Cady’s silly stories fell silent and her smile disappeared.
“Baby?” he looked at her in concern.
“Can we go?”
“Sure, sure,” he set down his half empty glass. “What’s wrong, Cady?”
She shook her head and hurried out of his lap. Picking up her purse from the table, her hand quickly reached for Pete’s and practically pulled him out of his chair. Maintaining his balance, he kept up with her as she weaved through the crowd to the door. A few people attempted to talk to the couple as they were heading out, but Cady did not even bother to glance at them. Her intense blue eyes were focused on leaving the club. Her intense strides did not slow until they were outside and nearly a block away, but she did not stop.
“Cady, what’s wrong?” he asked, tugging on her hand to get her to stop. “What happened in the club that clearly I didn’t see?”
“There was a girl,” she stated without explaining.
“There were lots of girls in there,” Pete said cautiously.
“Well yes, it is a club,” Cady affirmed and started walking again.
“Cady,” he grabbed her wrist, pulling her to a halt, “what girl made you bolt?”
She shook her head.
“Come on, baby. Don’t shut me out,” he asked, reaching up to touch her cheek.
Cady leaned out of his reach, “Let’s just go somewhere else, okay?”
“Cady,” he didn’t release her wrist, “tell me something, please? So I can better cheer you up.”
“I’m fine.”
“Please, baby.”
Cady sighed, “A girl I went to art school with walked into that club. That’s all you need to know.”
“I... okay. Fine. You can tell me more later,” Pete gave in.
“Maybe,” she responded.
His eyes searched hers, though she tried to look away. The fact that some girl showing up at the club shook her so much, really bothered him. His Cady was supposed to be unflappable, able to withstand anything. He didn’t really know why he had already given her so much in that regard, but he did believe it. And some other girl was throwing her off. He needed to distract her, remind her how wonderful she was.
His other arm circled around her waist and pulled her close. Before she could mutter a word, Pete kissed her. Releasing her wrist, his hand caressed her cheek as his lips plied hers. She resisted, did not kiss him back, which instantly saddened Pete, but he did not relent. Slowly she came around and softened into his embrace.
“I love you, Cadence,” he muttered against her lips. “Never forget that.”
She nodded, her nose rubbing his, “I love you too, Pete.”
He kissed her briefly once more, “Shall we head home or do you have somewhere else in mind?”
Her eyes opened and looked directly into his, “Somewhere else in mind.”
This was where they should have gone all along. While Pete had been intrigued by the blues bar next door, Cady insisted they duck into the clapboard-covered The Bitter End instead. Not only was the music exactly the kind of music both liked, the atmosphere was spot on. Taking a note from the previous bar and turning up the volume made this early rock bar the place Pete would not mind spending a couple evenings a night at. He knew that the minute they walked through the door and it held true thirty minutes later when Cady had once more fully relaxed.
She had ditched the amaretto sours at the last bar and was drinking vodka on the rocks. While he didn’t argue against her selection, Pete wasn’t entirely sure what he would do with a drunk girlfriend. She seemed to hold her alcohol well, wasn’t gulping it in any event, so he pushed the thought aside. They chatted with people around them, Cady bragging about Pete’s musical abilities every now and then. It made him feel a touch uncomfortable but she would giggle and kiss him a moment later and chase away all of that negativity. They were both at ease, a bit buzzed, and making new friends. Pete felt like he was home.
“I’m going to...” Cady wiggled in his lap.
“What, baby?”
She kissed him quickly, “Go to the bathroom. When I get back, I want you to dance with me.”
“I would love to,” he grinned, stealing another kiss before she left his lap.
Cady pressed her lips to his ear, “Oh and Pete, I’m not wearing any panties.”
His eyes went wide and he reached for her. Expecting this, Cady stepped quickly out of his reach and disappeared into the crowd. If there had ever been a chance to pay any attention to The Stone Poneys on stage, her admission had completely squelched it. A million thoughts were racing through his mind and not a single one of them had anything to do with the talent on the stage. His girlfriend wasn’t wearing a bra or knickers. The bra he expected and had discovered earlier during a brief heavy petting session as she hadn’t worn one all day. But no knickers? Fuck, he needed to get her home immediately.
It had been an evil move on her part. She knew it had been. But his gaping mouth and wide eyes as she walked away had so been worth it. Perhaps if the last vodka hadn’t gone straight to her head, she wouldn’t have told him so abruptly. Nah, who was she kidding? The entire purpose of being without panties was to torture Pete. And she just knew it was going well. Peeing would help though, at least help her drunkenness. She would just drink water next, no more vodka.
After washing her hands, Cady was a bit saddened by the fact she left her purse at the table with her boyfriend. Now would have been the perfect time to refresh her lip gloss, especially since she was planning on kissing him again soon. Another woman stepped up in front of the mirror next to her, slathering red lipstick on her thin lips. Rolling her eyes, Cady turned away and headed towards the door.
“You’re Jimi’s girl, aren’t you?” the blond at the mirror asked.
“Uh, no,” Cady turned back around. “Never was. Certainly am not now.”
“Never were? That’s not how it sounds when he talks about it,” she stated.
Her head tilted slightly, “He talks about me?”
“Didn’t you live with him for months?”
“Yes.”
“So that means you’re the one he wrote all his songs for,” she stated, looking at Cady in the mirror. “He’s in love with you.”
“Funny way of showing it then,” she responded.
“Maybe because he was afraid to.”
“Uh huh. Not that it matters because I am with someone who does love and isn’t afraid to show it and I love him too,” Cady proclaimed.
“Honey, no one will love you like Jimi. Trust me. I’ve been with enough men to know that.”
She couldn’t help but laugh, “Love is so much more than sex. Pete is so much more than sex. Pete would never be in love with me and bring home whores like you instead. I certainly do not need nor want that kind of love.”
Before the girl could respond, Cady stepped out of the bathroom. Anger and frustration from the words spoken in the bathroom were killing her buzz. She was going to need another drink because of it and—
“Baby,” a deep voice spoke, chilling her spine and freezing her steps.
“Leave me alone, Jimi,” she responded without turning to face him.
“Come on, baby, you know we were meant to be—”
“No, we aren’t,” she turned to face him. “If we had been you wouldn’t have ignored me, you would have paid me the attention you paid all those other girls who sucked your dick. If we were meant to be, you would have fucking touched me when we lived together. But you didn’t. You didn’t kiss me, you didn’t touch me, you most certainly never fucked me. So don’t you dare say we belong together.”
“Baby, if that’s all you need, I can give you that,” he reached for her.
Cady pulled her arm back abruptly, her elbow slammed into the wall behind in an effort to evade him, “It’s too late, Jimi. I don’t want you. I don’t want to be your friend. I don’t want to kiss you. I most certainly do not want to have sex with you. I don’t even want to talk to you. I realize that now that I’m with Pete, there’s a good chance we are going to run into each other now and then, especially since I’m still living here in New York. But that does not mean we have to interact. I wish you would just pretend everything was like it was a month ago and ignore the very fact that I’m alive.”
“Well shit, baby, if it’s a month ago, then I’m going to do what is needed to keep you at my side,” he declared, stepping forward.
Her hand shot out, pressing against his chest in hopes of keeping him from coming closer, “Back off, Jimi.”
“Come on, baby,” he reached up and touched her hair. “You’re so pretty tonight. I almost forgot how pretty you are.”
“Don’t touch me,” she demanded.
Blatantly ignoring her command he leaned in and kissed her. Her knee instinctively came up, but Jimi had been anticipating that, his hand circling her thigh and quickly looping the leg about his waist. He kissed her hard, forcing his tongue into her mouth. She could taste the booze in his invasive kiss and reacted by biting down on his tongue. He snapped back, his hand flying back to strike her, but he froze. A moment later he was bodily removed from Cady. She did not have to see by whom to know Pete was behind her release.
She quickly jumped forward and grabbed Pete’s arm as he swung to punch Jimi, “No, baby, don’t!”
Jimi grinned, “See, Townshend, she wanted it.”
Cady released his arm, “Nevermind. Do it.”
He nodded once and punched the other guitarist quickly.
“Fuck!” Jimi shouted and moved to fight back.
Of course the commotion had not gone unnoticed and someone shouted “Fight!” The men got a few punches in before Cady pulled Pete back and someone else restrained Jimi. Kissing his ear, she whispered that they were leaving right then. He did not even hesitate, but nodded and grabbed her hand. The two of them rushed back to their table, grabbed Cady’s purse, and said a quick explanation-less goodbye to their new friends.
“Pete, he—”
“Are you okay?” he interrupted, turning to her once they were out of The Bitter End.
She nodded, “He... I didn’t want him to kiss me. I didn’t put my leg around his waist. I didn’t—”
“I know, baby,” Pete responded, touching her cheek softly. “I saw him head down the hall a couple of minutes after you and when neither of you appeared, I just knew he was harassing you. Sorry I was late.”
She shook her head and pressed her forehead to his, “You were just in time, Pete. Just in time.”
“Do you want to go home?”
She shook her head again, “No. No, don’t let him ruin our night out.”
“Are you sure? If we go home, I promise I will make up for it.”
“No. Let’s... let’s go one more place. There’s a new place just down the street I’ve heard things about. Can we try there? Please?”
“Anything you want,” he responded and kissed her quickly.
Crossing Thompson Street, they reached Kenny’s Castaways within five minutes. With a clapboard facade just like The Bitter End, Pete was both hopeful and fearful, instantly thinking the club could be as good as the one they just left, but could also be tempted just like the one they left. Would Jimi follow them there? Would they never have a place of respite in Greenwich or did they have to avoid that part of New York all together?
Stopping just outside the black door, Cady turned to Pete and kissed him quickly, “I love you, Pete.”
Her kiss and words quieted his internal debate, “I will never grow weary of hearing that.”
She smiled and kissed him again, “Let’s go salvage our night.”
Gasping Cady’s eyes darting to Pete, who calmly sipped his drink. She waited a bit impatiently for his response to the offer to play on stage with the band who was now just jamming away. Coolly he set down the glass with only ice remaining in it and looked to his girlfriend. Her eyes held his, her thoughts seemingly hanging onto the answer he had not yet given.
“Come on, Pete. Cady has been telling us about it all night long. Show us that your girlfriend isn’t blowing smoke up our asses,” the man to his right chided.
“Please, Pete,” she asked, batting her eyelashes.
“But I’m rather comfortable here with you in my lap, listening to them,” he motioned to the stage. “I don’t need to perform.”
Cady pouted, “Please.”
His eyes held hers, “You really want me to?”
She nodded vigorously, which made her head spin as she had drunk far too much since they arrived three hours before.
His fingers went to her chin to stop her nodding, “All right. I’ll play for you. But just for a short while.”
“Yippee!” she squealed and threw her arms around his neck, kissing him sloppily.
Chuckling, Pete eased her out of his lap and into his chair as he stood. Kissing her forehead quickly, he reached for the offered guitar and climbed up the few short steps onto the stage. After a brief check of the guitar’s tuning, his eyes flicked out over the bar. For as late as it was, the club was still half full. People in all shades of inebriation lingered about, a few even clearly passed out on their tables. The atmosphere reminded him of an updated pub back home, putting him at ease not only upon their arrival but as he took the stage. They didn’t really know who he was, but as Cady had repeatedly talked him up to anyone who would listen to her that night, they invited him on stage. For her he would perform. For her he would play. For her he would do anything.
Leaning back in the chair with her drink, Cady watched Pete get settled on stage with a borrowed guitar in a foreign land. She just knew the magic would shoot through him before long and everyone else would understand why she thought he was a genius. A dozen more people were about to become fans of her Pete, just like she was. As he began to play, she watched him transform from Pete her lover to Pete the performer. She loved how much he loved it. She would never, ever take that away from him. His soul was that of a musician, an artist. No one in the bar could deny that. No one.
Looking around the bar, Cady noticed how it had gotten awfully silent. People were focusing on Pete, whispering to each other. She just wanted to know what they were saying, but she was certain it was good, it couldn’t be anything but good. Her eyes connected with someone who had an air of authority and before long he was approaching her stage-side table.
“He has something, that one,” he remarked, sitting in a chair quickly vacated by one of her new friends.
“Oh yes. Pete is... yeah,” she replied, feeling a bit bad that her speech faculties were failing her while speaking with whoever the guy was.
“Does he have a band?”
“Yes, but they’re in England.”
“Oh?”
“He’s Pete Townshend of The Who,” Cady stated as if he should know.
Indeed he had heard of The Who, “The ones who played Monterey two weeks ago?”
She nodded and finished her drink.
“And he’s here in New York while they went back to London?”
Cady nodded again, “He’s with me.”
His eyes brightened, “Ah. Well why don’t you bring your boyfriend back tomorrow before we open at ten? I would like to talk to him.”
“Ten in the morning?”
He chuckled, “No, honey. I doubt I’ll get to sleep any earlier than you will. This kind of life does not begin until the sun goes down.”
“Oh,” she set her empty glass on the table.
His eyes flicked to her glass, “Did you guys start a tab?”
“It was hard to talk Pete into it. Can I pay it before he comes back?”
He shook his head, getting to his feet, “Tell him tonight’s tab is on me.”
“Who are you?”
“Pat Kenny. Welcome to my bar,” he grinned, winked at her, and walked away.
Leaning heavily on Pete, Cady slurred, “I am too walk to drunk.”
Pete laughed, “How are we going to get home then?”
“Wecanswim. Yourhomeissss along waysssss away,” she declared.
“My home is wherever you are,” he retorted, glancing around the street. “Cady, baby, I have no idea where we are. You took me all over the place tonight.”
“Car!” she pointed at the street.
Figuring she meant to hail a cab, Pete stopped near the edge of the sidewalk and looked for a yellow taxi. Hailing the first one he saw, he was ever grateful it pulled over. After helping Cady in and sliding in himself, Pete was once more at a loss as to where to direct the cab.
“Baby, where are we going?” he turned her face to him.
Her unfocused eyes met his briefly, “Greene and Spring.”
Pete looked to the driver, “Did you hear that?”
“Yessir.”
Cady cuddled up against Pete, her eyes quickly falling close. He adjust her slightly, figuring rousing her once they arrived at that intersection was going to be difficult and wanted to be able to slip out with her in his arms without much struggle. He only hoped that in her drunken state she had given the correct intersection.
As they were less than six long blocks from the intersection the couple reached there before long. Pete looked out the window at the buildings as the cab stopped. For a moment it was all a blur. There really were no landmarks near Cady’s building at all. But his eyes flitted to a man heading up to a gate, a man he recognized as the painter they held the door open for earlier.
“This is it,” he declared. “How much is the fare?”
“Five.”
Struggling to pull his wallet out while supporting Cady, he gave up and opened her purse instead and fished the money out of there. After paying their driver, Pete opened the door and ungracefully exited, keeping one arm around Cady and pulling her out. She was completely out and unable to stand. Slinging her purse over his shoulder, Pete quickly swept her up into his arms, one hooking underneath her knees, and carried her towards her building. Reaching the gate he realized there was no way he was going to be able to unlock the gate and door and all of that with his woman in his arms. Luckily the artist Pete originally spotted was at the door and glanced over his shoulder, seeing Pete and Cady.
“Oi! Looks like you and Cady had a bit of fun tonight,” he spoke, heading towards Pete to let them in.
“For the most part, yes,” Pete responded, stepping through the gate. “Thanks.”
“I’m James, by the way,” he stated, opening the door for the couple.
Stepping through sideways, he smiled slightly, “Pete.”
“Cady’s pretty remarkable,” he commented, closing the door behind them and heading over to the elevator to call it down to them. “We’re all indebted to her actually.”
“Why’s that?” Pete asked as he ducked into the elevator.
“Legally none of us are supposed to live here. SoHo is not zoned for residences,” James explained. “But you’ve seen Cady’s loft so you can imagine how great spaces like that are to artists like myself. And the rent is pretty damn cheap here.”
“What does that have to do with Cady?” he adjusted the passed out woman in his arms.
“Well,” James pressed the button for Cady’s floor, “she was looking for some place to live so her father bought this for her.”
“I’m aware that he bought her loft.”
“No, you don’t understand,” he looked to Pete as the elevator lurched into action. “He bought the whole damn building outright. There might be a couple of people who went in with him, I don’t know. But he owns the entire building. And he uses the second floor to store things. Rumors say he’s looking into converting the ground floor into shops or something of that sort. Only the third through fifth floors are rented out as artist studios and lofts, though the fifth floor hasn’t been opened up yet, which is why only four of us live here so far. I bet Cady moves up there once it is.”
“Her father owns the whole building?”
James nodded, “Yeah. That woman you hold in your arms is worth a pretty penny.”
“How... how do you know this? Cady made it out like she hides it from everyone,” Pete replied.
“Oh that’s true. That’s very true. No one else in the building knows what I know,” he stated as the lift shuddered to a stop. “I only know because I’m her cousin, though no one is supposed to know that either.”
Pete’s brows furrowed, his inebriated mind not quite processing what James had said, “You’re related?”
“Yeah. But don’t worry. I won’t tell her dad that you carried her in passed out drunk tonight. In fact as far as he’s concerned, you don’t exist until she decides to tell him,” he pulled the grate open. “You need help with the door?”
“If you could just get the keys out of her purse, I think I’ll be okay. Thanks.”
With keys to the flat held in fingers beginning to go numb from holding Cady, Pete headed down the hallway. Speaking with James had brought up far more questions than answers and he really wished he could verbalize them. Not that Cady was in any position to answer. They would have some discussing to do once she woke up later in the afternoon, he supposed. His little heiress was much more than she seemed to be and to be completely honest, Pete had no idea how to react to that.
“We home?” Cady muttered in his arms as he kicked the door open.
“Yes, baby, we’re home.”
“You so good to me,” she snuggled against his shoulder. “I love you.”
Laying her on the bed a minute later, he kissed her forehead, “I love you too, Cady. I love you too.”
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