Chapter Thirty-eight, Sleeping Arrangements
Posted by DiF on Saturday, August 13, 2011
Title: Midnight Shift: Chapter Thirty-eight, Sleeping Arrangements
Rating: R [smoking, sexual situations]
Summary: Summer gets Cameron up in the morning. Jimmy decides how to spend his last few days in London. Summer and Cameron tie up the night with smiles.
Leaving the master bedroom, Summer glanced around the living room of the penthouse suite. Though she was glad Cameron finally decided to sleep in the other bedroom instead of the couch, she worried that he was still in bed. She paused briefly to ring for breakfast room service before heading over to his door. Without thought, she pushed the door open, shushed her dog that slept at the foot of Cameron’s bed, and stepped into the smaller bedroom. Cameron lay on his back, breathing loudly but steadily.
Biting her bottom lip slightly, she skipped over to his bed and quickly jumped on. Cameron’s eyes opened, but before he could figure out what happened, the young woman straddled him. She captured his hands and pinned them over his head by his wrists. His dark eyes looked up at her and he wiggled slightly in hopes of adjusting his body away from hers.
Summer however felt precisely the morning arousal he was attempting to hide. Grinning, she tightened her legs on either side of his and ground her body against his. Unable to help it, Cameron groaned. She leaned down and kissed his nose loudly.
“Good morning, handsome,” she muttered, grinding a bit more.
“Summer…”
She released his wrists and sat fully up, sinking her weight down on him even more. His hands instantly slapped down on her bare thighs. Squeezing tightly, his fingertips left marks on her light skin. She smiled devilishly down at him and continued to move, completely ignoring his hands. Cameron moaned, his body twitching naturally. Despite his cerebral reservations against what she was doing, his body eagerly reacted to her gyrations. He wanted nothing more than to tear away the blanket separating their bodies, especially since he was aware that all the blond woman wore was the tee shirt covering her perky breasts.
“Summer,” he moaned again.
Winking at him, she leaned down and kissed his mouth quickly. His hands quickly left her legs and circled around her waist. Though he fought himself in kissing her, Cameron knew she could not move if he held her tightly to him. That might buy him a few moments to calm both of them down before it became more heated.
Suddenly Queenie perked up and ran from the room, yapping. Summer smiled, quickly pulled away, slipped off the bed, and turned to look at him. Cameron stared at her, seemingly for an hour, trying to calm his body. Instead, his eyes focused on the curve of her small breasts. He licked his lips; his thoughts circling around sucking on her nipples. She winked at him quickly and hurried from the room. Groaning, his hand slipped under the covers, his mind unable to process the bits and pieces of conversation floating into his room.
“Cameron? Do you want cream in your coffee?” she called from the other room.
“Uhhhnnnnhhhhh,” he grunted ferally, pressing his sputtering cock up against his stomach.
Summer leaned into the room, her eyes on his face, smiled, and repeated her question, “Cream?”
“Uh… yeah,” he breathed.
“Okay. Get cleaned up and join me for breakfast,” she winked and left his room again.
Joining the young woman a few minutes later, Cameron sat awkwardly in the chair across from her. He picked up his coffee cup and sipped, avoiding meeting her eyes. Setting the cup down, he lifted the silver dome off his breakfast and smiled slightly, finding French Toast on his plate. He silently began to eat, too afraid to look up at Summer. Eyeing him, she bit her bottom lip and stretched out her leg until her toes touched his shin. Cameron gasped, his eyes shooting up to her.
“Good morning, sunshine,” she chirped, dropped her foot, and turned to her breakfast.
“Summer, you shouldn’t have… you shouldn’t have done that.”
“Done what?” her eyes met his, blinking innocently.
Cameron set his fork down, “Oh don’t you dare play innocent, Summer. You just woke me up by dry humping me.”
“You didn’t like it?” she pouted.
“Of course I did. You felt how much I did,” he retorted. “But it’s not right. Youshouldn’t have done it.”
“But why? If you liked it, there’s no reason to not do it.”
“Oh I can think of one.”
“What?”
He held up his hand, flicking up a finger to represent each word as he said, “Jimmy Page.”
She rolled her eyes and gathered up her breakfast dishes, “He’s not here.”
“Just because he’s not here, doesn’t mean you can do whatever you want. You are his girlfriend.”
“A lot of other girls have claimed that before too,” she pointed out, standing. “And who’s to say he’s not fooling around with girls in London right now.”
“Summer…”
“Jimmy doesn’t own me. No one does,” Summer declared as she carried her dishes to the service cart near the door.
“Okay,” he said cautiously, “then what are we going to do?”
She returned to the table, stopping next to him and looking down into his eyes, “Relax, Cameron. Just let nature take its course.”
“But–”
“Relax. You don’t need to plan out and worry about every little thing in life. Just do what comes naturally to you.”
“But–”
“I’m going to take a shower now, so we can go to the zoo again. If the phone rings, answer it,” Summer declared before turning towards her bedroom.
Cameron watched the young woman head into the master bedroom. His mind was battling with his body and soul. For perhaps one of the first times in his life, at least recently, he did not know how to handle Summer. He could not deny that she was cute, sexy, free-spirited, kind, and full of life and so many other positive things. However, he knew if they allowed things to progress past friendship, Jimmy would never forgive him and never allow him to be around her again. That seemed too great to risk.
However, as soon as he decided this, Summer tempted him. She stopped just inside her door, left it wide open, and removed the long tee shirt she slept in. His mouth fell open, as she stood there completely nude for what seemed like an eternity before disappearing from his sight, into her bathroom. He swallowed and forced his eyes away from the open door, back down to his breakfast plate. He had absolutely no appetite for food any more.
“Goddammit,” he muttered under his breath, glancing at the open door once more.
Before he could find some way to silence whatever Summer awakened in him when she woke him, the phone rang. His heart instantly pounded, his eyes focusing on the device. There was no doubt in his mind who was calling. He was not certain he could talk to Jimmy in his current state, but he also could not just let the phone ring.
Jumping up, Cameron snatched the phone from the base, “Hello?”
“Oh, excuse me. I must have the wrong room.”
“Jimmy? Is this Jimmy Page?” Cameron’s voice wavered slightly.
“It is. Who is this?” he responded coolly.
“Cameron Crowe. If you’re looking for Summer, she’s in the shower right now.”
“I see. You have not taken advantage of my girlfriend’s friendliness, have you?”
“No! No, of course not. I sleep in the other room while she sleeps in… You have nothing to worry about, Mr. Page.”
“We shall see. Tell Summer I will ring her again this evening.”
“Of course. I’m sure she’ll–”
Before he could finish his sentence, Cameron heard Jimmy hang up. Sighing, he returned the phone to the base, gathered up his breakfast dishes, and headed to shower himself. He had a feeling he was fighting a war on two sides now – and he had no idea who was going to win.
Waking late in the day, as expected following a concert, Jimmy stretched and instantly reached for the phone. He had meant to call Summer before going to bed the night before, but when he reached his new hotel, the hour was much too late. Therefore, an early morning call seemed the appropriate reaction. It did not occur to him at all that his Californian princess would not be waiting by the phone for his call.
Yet she did not answer after ten rings.
Sighing, he hung up the phone and headed into the bathroom. He quickly showered and snorted a little bit of pick-me-up. Wrapped in a towel, he returned to the phone and reached to ring Summer again. Before he could pick it up, the device began to ring on its own.
“Hello, Summer?”
“Jimmy.”
His smile instantly disappeared, “Oh, hello, Charlotte.”
“When are you coming home?”
“I do not intend to,” he responded without emotion, sitting down and lighting a cigarette.
“Do you not want to see your daughter?”
“You can bring her here.”
She paused for a moment, “I shall be there in time for tea.”
“Splendid,” he responded drolly.
“We’ll see you soon.”
Hanging up the phone, Jimmy sighed. He truly did not care to entertain his former flame and young child. However, he realized he did have responsibility to both and would make efforts for such. With some hesitation, he got dressed and ordered up tea service. He did not know what his four-year old daughter would prefer, so he ordered a varied selection.
Returning to the phone, he rang Summer again. He hung up once more with a frown on his face. It bothered him that she was not answering, though he supposed it was better than her sitting around lonely, waiting for his call. He only hoped that she was okay. If something happened to her because he was…
A knock at the door interrupted his thoughts. Getting to his feet again, he crossed over to the door and opened it. Sighing, he let the door fall completely open and paced back to the sofa, saying nothing. The broody singer stalked into the room, closing the door behind him. He headed over to the sofa and stared down at Jimmy.
“Did you invite Maureen last night?”
“No,” he responded, lighting another cigarette.
“Why was she bloody there?”
“Like I know – or care. She is your wife.”
He sighed, sitting in the armchair next to the sofa, “Who never received the separation papers.”
“Pity.”
“Did you have anything to do with that?”
Jimmy smirked, rolling his eyes, “I don’t bloody care if you are married to Maureen or not. It is your business, not mine.”
“Then why did she not get the papers?”
He shrugged, saying nothing.
“This is ridiculous.”
“Perhaps you need a different lawyer.”
He sighed, “You were right to not marry Charlotte. Least you can just walk away from her.”
Jimmy said nothing but shifted uncomfortably.
“Have you spoken with Summer?”
He remained silent.
“Okay then,” he stood back up. “I suppose I’ll be leaving then, find me a new lawyer.”
“Why don’t you just go and talk to your woman, Percy?” he suggested.
He ran his hands through his hair, “It’s not that easy.”
“Sure it’s not.”
“It’s not.”
“The only one who is making this difficult is you, Percy.”
Before he could respond, another knock sounded at the door. With little thought, Robert paced over and opened the door. He instantly flashed a smile at the young blond woman with a child on her hip. Stepping to the side, he motioned them in, waved goodbye to Jimmy, and headed out of the room.
“Daddy!” the young girl squealed and ran towards him.
Jimmy quickly put out his cigarette and opened his arms for her. His arms circled the young girl and pulled her into his lap. Scarlet hugged and kissed him, before quickly launching into happy little kid stories. Her mother closed the door and slipped onto the chair Robert vacated a few minutes prior. Charlotte smiled as the child and her father conversed.
“She misses you,” Charlotte commented softly once the child fell silent and just cuddled her father.
“So it seems,” he commented, softly stroking the girl’s hair.
“Come home, Jimmy.”
“I can’t do that.”
“Why not?
He sighed, “Because I am only here for a few days and still very much in the lifestyle.”
“The others go home to their families,” Charlotte pointed out.
“I am not really a family man…”
“Jimmy, please,” she asked softly. “It is only a few days. Your daughter needs you. I need you. I don’t even care about your American girlfriends. Just come home.”
“I…”
“Please.”
“Daddy,” the little girl tugged on Jimmy’s shirt, “you tell me bedtime stories tonight?”
Jimmy looked down at the young girl and sighed again, “Yes. Daddy will tell you bedtime stories tonight.”
Slipping into his side of the booth after to skipping off to the bathroom, Summer kissed his cheek. He quickly flushed and buried his nose in the menu. She sighed and sat with her back against the booth. Her fingers idly drummed on the table and she puffed at a strand of hair hanging over her eyes.
The waitress approached the table and looked at the two teenagers. She shifted her weight and tapped her pen on her notebook, waiting for one of them to say something. Summer’s large blue eyes flicked up to the other woman and she quickly ordered two sodas before requesting a bit more time with the menu. Rolling her eyes, the woman slipped her order book back into her apron and headed away.
Summer quickly elbowed Cameron, “What is your problem? You’ve been weird all day.”
“How am I supposed to act? Am I supposed to pretend that nothing happened?”
She stared at him, “What are you talking about?”
“Don’t you even,” he responded.
“What?” she blinked innocently.
Cameron leaned over to her and whispered, “You dry-humped me this morning.”
She shrugged, “I wanted to be certain you were awake.”
“You are not serious.”
“Will you just relax? We can talk about it later when we get back to the hotel.”
“But–”
She quickly leaned over and kissed him, interrupting his words, “Just relax. And pick what I’m having for dinner at the waitress is coming back.”
Midway through their meal, Cameron relaxed enough with Summer sitting next to him to begin to joke and laugh. She teased him and he teased right back. Without pause, she ordered a dessert and moved a bit closer to him, pressing her thigh to his. He casually draped his arm on the back of the booth, not even considering its implications.
With a giggle, Summer offered Cameron a bite of her chocolate cake. As the spoon neared his mouth, she moved it back. Twice more she pulled it back before slipping the cake into his mouth. She allowed him three bites of the dessert, keeping the rest of it for herself.
“That wasn’t fair,” he muttered, his eyes locked with hers.
“What?” her eyes sparkled.
“Just giving me a taste and nothing more.”
She grinned brightly, “Too bad for you.”
“Summer–”
Her hand covered his mouth, “Hold that thought. I gotta pee.”
He chuckled as she shifted out of the booth and hurried back to the public restroom. Pulling out his wallet, he paid the bill and left a decent tip. Cameron drained the rest of the soda from his cup and slid out of the booth, heading to intersect Summer. Slipping behind her, he looped his arm around her waist, causing her to gasp and then giggle. With his arm wrapped around her, he guided her out of the restaurant and into the New York night.
They wandered the streets for a while, stopping to purchase a hot dog and then later ice cream. When Summer requested a pretzel as well, he teased her that she would double in size at that rate. Her smile instantly disappeared and she sat down on an empty bench. Confused, Cameron sat beside her as she covered her face and began to cry.
“Summer?” his hand gently touched her thigh.
She wiggled her leg, freeing it from his touch, “D-don’t.”
“Summer?” he repeated, but removed his hand.
“I’m f-fat,” she muttered.
“No no no. You’re beautiful, Summer. You are the most beautiful girl I have ever known,” Cameron assured her.
“But you s-said…”
His arm circled around her shoulders despite her previous indication of not wanting to be touched, pulling her close, “I was just teasing, sweetie. You’re beautiful. You’re just eating a lot tonight. But that’s okay. We’ve done a lot of walking today. And you are… you know, pregnant.”
She sighed, nuzzling him, “I’m sorry. I just…”
“It’s okay,” he kissed the top of her head.
“Cameron…”
“It’s nearly midnight. Let’s go back to the hotel and get some rest.”
“I… okay.”
With his arm around her, Cameron guided her down the street. Whispering jokes and funny stories, Cameron brought a smile back to her face before they reached the hotel. She grinned as they entered the building, paying no attention to the front desk agents. When one recognized the young pair, they both called out, making the two stop.
“Miss Davis-Dylan? A Mr. Page has been calling you all day… and evening.”
“Oh,” she responded, noticing Cameron’s hand squeezed hers a bit tighter. “Did he leave any messages?”
“Just one,” he held out a slip of paper.
Summer pulled Cameron over to the desk and accepted the piece of paper. She did not glance at it, but instead pulled her friend over to the elevator. With a smile, she greeted the elevator attendant and led Cameron in. As the lift headed to the penthouse suite, Summer lifted the note up so that Cameron could read it over her shoulder as she pretended to read it.
“Huh. Jimmy has returned to his house and wants you to call him there,” Cameron stated casually after reading the note.
She lowered the note and dropped it into her large handbag, “We’ll call him in the morning.”
“You sure?” he asked as the elevator doors opened.
“Thank you,” Summer smiled at the attendant before stepping out, her hand still holding Cameron’s. “I wouldn’t want to wake his daughter or anything. We’ll call in the morning.”
“If you say so,” he pulled his hand free from hers in order to unlock the hotel door.
Stepping into the suite, Summer greeted her puppy before heading directly to her bathroom. Cameron re-locked the door and headed into his room, slipping on his sleep shirt and pants. He pulled a root beer from the mini-fridge and sat on the sofa, expecting Summer had not gone directly to bed. A minute later, with her hair released from its braid and falling about her shoulders in waves, Summer walked over to Cameron. She plucked the bottle from his fingers, took a drink, and set it on the coffee table. Saying nothing, she slightly pulled up the oversized cotton shirt she had changed into and straddled his lap.
She draped her arms over his shoulders and boldly looked into his eyes, “Thank you.”
He awkwardly settled his arms on her hips, “For?”
“Being such a good friend today. I had a lot of fun. From the zoo to dinner to just wandering about New York with you. It was a good day.”
“I’m… glad.”
“And… I’m sorry about this morning. I don’t know what came over me. I shouldn’t have done that… without permission. We’re just… friends.”
“I… it’s okay,” he muttered softly.
“I’m so lucky to have you,” she declared and quickly kissed his nose.
“Summer…”
Her hand left his shoulder to cover her yawn, “I’m going to go to bed now. Good night, Cameron. Sleep tight.”
Her lips quickly touched his before she got up and headed to her room. Cameron watched her every movement, his mind fighting his body’s natural reaction to her. He took a deep breath and reached for his root beer. It was just teenage hormones. That was all.
At least he was going to keep telling himself that – until he believed.
Rating: R [smoking, sexual situations]
Summary: Summer gets Cameron up in the morning. Jimmy decides how to spend his last few days in London. Summer and Cameron tie up the night with smiles.
Leaving the master bedroom, Summer glanced around the living room of the penthouse suite. Though she was glad Cameron finally decided to sleep in the other bedroom instead of the couch, she worried that he was still in bed. She paused briefly to ring for breakfast room service before heading over to his door. Without thought, she pushed the door open, shushed her dog that slept at the foot of Cameron’s bed, and stepped into the smaller bedroom. Cameron lay on his back, breathing loudly but steadily.
Biting her bottom lip slightly, she skipped over to his bed and quickly jumped on. Cameron’s eyes opened, but before he could figure out what happened, the young woman straddled him. She captured his hands and pinned them over his head by his wrists. His dark eyes looked up at her and he wiggled slightly in hopes of adjusting his body away from hers.
Summer however felt precisely the morning arousal he was attempting to hide. Grinning, she tightened her legs on either side of his and ground her body against his. Unable to help it, Cameron groaned. She leaned down and kissed his nose loudly.
“Good morning, handsome,” she muttered, grinding a bit more.
“Summer…”
She released his wrists and sat fully up, sinking her weight down on him even more. His hands instantly slapped down on her bare thighs. Squeezing tightly, his fingertips left marks on her light skin. She smiled devilishly down at him and continued to move, completely ignoring his hands. Cameron moaned, his body twitching naturally. Despite his cerebral reservations against what she was doing, his body eagerly reacted to her gyrations. He wanted nothing more than to tear away the blanket separating their bodies, especially since he was aware that all the blond woman wore was the tee shirt covering her perky breasts.
“Summer,” he moaned again.
Winking at him, she leaned down and kissed his mouth quickly. His hands quickly left her legs and circled around her waist. Though he fought himself in kissing her, Cameron knew she could not move if he held her tightly to him. That might buy him a few moments to calm both of them down before it became more heated.
Suddenly Queenie perked up and ran from the room, yapping. Summer smiled, quickly pulled away, slipped off the bed, and turned to look at him. Cameron stared at her, seemingly for an hour, trying to calm his body. Instead, his eyes focused on the curve of her small breasts. He licked his lips; his thoughts circling around sucking on her nipples. She winked at him quickly and hurried from the room. Groaning, his hand slipped under the covers, his mind unable to process the bits and pieces of conversation floating into his room.
“Cameron? Do you want cream in your coffee?” she called from the other room.
“Uhhhnnnnhhhhh,” he grunted ferally, pressing his sputtering cock up against his stomach.
Summer leaned into the room, her eyes on his face, smiled, and repeated her question, “Cream?”
“Uh… yeah,” he breathed.
“Okay. Get cleaned up and join me for breakfast,” she winked and left his room again.
Joining the young woman a few minutes later, Cameron sat awkwardly in the chair across from her. He picked up his coffee cup and sipped, avoiding meeting her eyes. Setting the cup down, he lifted the silver dome off his breakfast and smiled slightly, finding French Toast on his plate. He silently began to eat, too afraid to look up at Summer. Eyeing him, she bit her bottom lip and stretched out her leg until her toes touched his shin. Cameron gasped, his eyes shooting up to her.
“Good morning, sunshine,” she chirped, dropped her foot, and turned to her breakfast.
“Summer, you shouldn’t have… you shouldn’t have done that.”
“Done what?” her eyes met his, blinking innocently.
Cameron set his fork down, “Oh don’t you dare play innocent, Summer. You just woke me up by dry humping me.”
“You didn’t like it?” she pouted.
“Of course I did. You felt how much I did,” he retorted. “But it’s not right. Youshouldn’t have done it.”
“But why? If you liked it, there’s no reason to not do it.”
“Oh I can think of one.”
“What?”
He held up his hand, flicking up a finger to represent each word as he said, “Jimmy Page.”
She rolled her eyes and gathered up her breakfast dishes, “He’s not here.”
“Just because he’s not here, doesn’t mean you can do whatever you want. You are his girlfriend.”
“A lot of other girls have claimed that before too,” she pointed out, standing. “And who’s to say he’s not fooling around with girls in London right now.”
“Summer…”
“Jimmy doesn’t own me. No one does,” Summer declared as she carried her dishes to the service cart near the door.
“Okay,” he said cautiously, “then what are we going to do?”
She returned to the table, stopping next to him and looking down into his eyes, “Relax, Cameron. Just let nature take its course.”
“But–”
“Relax. You don’t need to plan out and worry about every little thing in life. Just do what comes naturally to you.”
“But–”
“I’m going to take a shower now, so we can go to the zoo again. If the phone rings, answer it,” Summer declared before turning towards her bedroom.
Cameron watched the young woman head into the master bedroom. His mind was battling with his body and soul. For perhaps one of the first times in his life, at least recently, he did not know how to handle Summer. He could not deny that she was cute, sexy, free-spirited, kind, and full of life and so many other positive things. However, he knew if they allowed things to progress past friendship, Jimmy would never forgive him and never allow him to be around her again. That seemed too great to risk.
However, as soon as he decided this, Summer tempted him. She stopped just inside her door, left it wide open, and removed the long tee shirt she slept in. His mouth fell open, as she stood there completely nude for what seemed like an eternity before disappearing from his sight, into her bathroom. He swallowed and forced his eyes away from the open door, back down to his breakfast plate. He had absolutely no appetite for food any more.
“Goddammit,” he muttered under his breath, glancing at the open door once more.
Before he could find some way to silence whatever Summer awakened in him when she woke him, the phone rang. His heart instantly pounded, his eyes focusing on the device. There was no doubt in his mind who was calling. He was not certain he could talk to Jimmy in his current state, but he also could not just let the phone ring.
Jumping up, Cameron snatched the phone from the base, “Hello?”
“Oh, excuse me. I must have the wrong room.”
“Jimmy? Is this Jimmy Page?” Cameron’s voice wavered slightly.
“It is. Who is this?” he responded coolly.
“Cameron Crowe. If you’re looking for Summer, she’s in the shower right now.”
“I see. You have not taken advantage of my girlfriend’s friendliness, have you?”
“No! No, of course not. I sleep in the other room while she sleeps in… You have nothing to worry about, Mr. Page.”
“We shall see. Tell Summer I will ring her again this evening.”
“Of course. I’m sure she’ll–”
Before he could finish his sentence, Cameron heard Jimmy hang up. Sighing, he returned the phone to the base, gathered up his breakfast dishes, and headed to shower himself. He had a feeling he was fighting a war on two sides now – and he had no idea who was going to win.
Waking late in the day, as expected following a concert, Jimmy stretched and instantly reached for the phone. He had meant to call Summer before going to bed the night before, but when he reached his new hotel, the hour was much too late. Therefore, an early morning call seemed the appropriate reaction. It did not occur to him at all that his Californian princess would not be waiting by the phone for his call.
Yet she did not answer after ten rings.
Sighing, he hung up the phone and headed into the bathroom. He quickly showered and snorted a little bit of pick-me-up. Wrapped in a towel, he returned to the phone and reached to ring Summer again. Before he could pick it up, the device began to ring on its own.
“Hello, Summer?”
“Jimmy.”
His smile instantly disappeared, “Oh, hello, Charlotte.”
“When are you coming home?”
“I do not intend to,” he responded without emotion, sitting down and lighting a cigarette.
“Do you not want to see your daughter?”
“You can bring her here.”
She paused for a moment, “I shall be there in time for tea.”
“Splendid,” he responded drolly.
“We’ll see you soon.”
Hanging up the phone, Jimmy sighed. He truly did not care to entertain his former flame and young child. However, he realized he did have responsibility to both and would make efforts for such. With some hesitation, he got dressed and ordered up tea service. He did not know what his four-year old daughter would prefer, so he ordered a varied selection.
Returning to the phone, he rang Summer again. He hung up once more with a frown on his face. It bothered him that she was not answering, though he supposed it was better than her sitting around lonely, waiting for his call. He only hoped that she was okay. If something happened to her because he was…
A knock at the door interrupted his thoughts. Getting to his feet again, he crossed over to the door and opened it. Sighing, he let the door fall completely open and paced back to the sofa, saying nothing. The broody singer stalked into the room, closing the door behind him. He headed over to the sofa and stared down at Jimmy.
“Did you invite Maureen last night?”
“No,” he responded, lighting another cigarette.
“Why was she bloody there?”
“Like I know – or care. She is your wife.”
He sighed, sitting in the armchair next to the sofa, “Who never received the separation papers.”
“Pity.”
“Did you have anything to do with that?”
Jimmy smirked, rolling his eyes, “I don’t bloody care if you are married to Maureen or not. It is your business, not mine.”
“Then why did she not get the papers?”
He shrugged, saying nothing.
“This is ridiculous.”
“Perhaps you need a different lawyer.”
He sighed, “You were right to not marry Charlotte. Least you can just walk away from her.”
Jimmy said nothing but shifted uncomfortably.
“Have you spoken with Summer?”
He remained silent.
“Okay then,” he stood back up. “I suppose I’ll be leaving then, find me a new lawyer.”
“Why don’t you just go and talk to your woman, Percy?” he suggested.
He ran his hands through his hair, “It’s not that easy.”
“Sure it’s not.”
“It’s not.”
“The only one who is making this difficult is you, Percy.”
Before he could respond, another knock sounded at the door. With little thought, Robert paced over and opened the door. He instantly flashed a smile at the young blond woman with a child on her hip. Stepping to the side, he motioned them in, waved goodbye to Jimmy, and headed out of the room.
“Daddy!” the young girl squealed and ran towards him.
Jimmy quickly put out his cigarette and opened his arms for her. His arms circled the young girl and pulled her into his lap. Scarlet hugged and kissed him, before quickly launching into happy little kid stories. Her mother closed the door and slipped onto the chair Robert vacated a few minutes prior. Charlotte smiled as the child and her father conversed.
“She misses you,” Charlotte commented softly once the child fell silent and just cuddled her father.
“So it seems,” he commented, softly stroking the girl’s hair.
“Come home, Jimmy.”
“I can’t do that.”
“Why not?
He sighed, “Because I am only here for a few days and still very much in the lifestyle.”
“The others go home to their families,” Charlotte pointed out.
“I am not really a family man…”
“Jimmy, please,” she asked softly. “It is only a few days. Your daughter needs you. I need you. I don’t even care about your American girlfriends. Just come home.”
“I…”
“Please.”
“Daddy,” the little girl tugged on Jimmy’s shirt, “you tell me bedtime stories tonight?”
Jimmy looked down at the young girl and sighed again, “Yes. Daddy will tell you bedtime stories tonight.”
Slipping into his side of the booth after to skipping off to the bathroom, Summer kissed his cheek. He quickly flushed and buried his nose in the menu. She sighed and sat with her back against the booth. Her fingers idly drummed on the table and she puffed at a strand of hair hanging over her eyes.
The waitress approached the table and looked at the two teenagers. She shifted her weight and tapped her pen on her notebook, waiting for one of them to say something. Summer’s large blue eyes flicked up to the other woman and she quickly ordered two sodas before requesting a bit more time with the menu. Rolling her eyes, the woman slipped her order book back into her apron and headed away.
Summer quickly elbowed Cameron, “What is your problem? You’ve been weird all day.”
“How am I supposed to act? Am I supposed to pretend that nothing happened?”
She stared at him, “What are you talking about?”
“Don’t you even,” he responded.
“What?” she blinked innocently.
Cameron leaned over to her and whispered, “You dry-humped me this morning.”
She shrugged, “I wanted to be certain you were awake.”
“You are not serious.”
“Will you just relax? We can talk about it later when we get back to the hotel.”
“But–”
She quickly leaned over and kissed him, interrupting his words, “Just relax. And pick what I’m having for dinner at the waitress is coming back.”
Midway through their meal, Cameron relaxed enough with Summer sitting next to him to begin to joke and laugh. She teased him and he teased right back. Without pause, she ordered a dessert and moved a bit closer to him, pressing her thigh to his. He casually draped his arm on the back of the booth, not even considering its implications.
With a giggle, Summer offered Cameron a bite of her chocolate cake. As the spoon neared his mouth, she moved it back. Twice more she pulled it back before slipping the cake into his mouth. She allowed him three bites of the dessert, keeping the rest of it for herself.
“That wasn’t fair,” he muttered, his eyes locked with hers.
“What?” her eyes sparkled.
“Just giving me a taste and nothing more.”
She grinned brightly, “Too bad for you.”
“Summer–”
Her hand covered his mouth, “Hold that thought. I gotta pee.”
He chuckled as she shifted out of the booth and hurried back to the public restroom. Pulling out his wallet, he paid the bill and left a decent tip. Cameron drained the rest of the soda from his cup and slid out of the booth, heading to intersect Summer. Slipping behind her, he looped his arm around her waist, causing her to gasp and then giggle. With his arm wrapped around her, he guided her out of the restaurant and into the New York night.
They wandered the streets for a while, stopping to purchase a hot dog and then later ice cream. When Summer requested a pretzel as well, he teased her that she would double in size at that rate. Her smile instantly disappeared and she sat down on an empty bench. Confused, Cameron sat beside her as she covered her face and began to cry.
“Summer?” his hand gently touched her thigh.
She wiggled her leg, freeing it from his touch, “D-don’t.”
“Summer?” he repeated, but removed his hand.
“I’m f-fat,” she muttered.
“No no no. You’re beautiful, Summer. You are the most beautiful girl I have ever known,” Cameron assured her.
“But you s-said…”
His arm circled around her shoulders despite her previous indication of not wanting to be touched, pulling her close, “I was just teasing, sweetie. You’re beautiful. You’re just eating a lot tonight. But that’s okay. We’ve done a lot of walking today. And you are… you know, pregnant.”
She sighed, nuzzling him, “I’m sorry. I just…”
“It’s okay,” he kissed the top of her head.
“Cameron…”
“It’s nearly midnight. Let’s go back to the hotel and get some rest.”
“I… okay.”
With his arm around her, Cameron guided her down the street. Whispering jokes and funny stories, Cameron brought a smile back to her face before they reached the hotel. She grinned as they entered the building, paying no attention to the front desk agents. When one recognized the young pair, they both called out, making the two stop.
“Miss Davis-Dylan? A Mr. Page has been calling you all day… and evening.”
“Oh,” she responded, noticing Cameron’s hand squeezed hers a bit tighter. “Did he leave any messages?”
“Just one,” he held out a slip of paper.
Summer pulled Cameron over to the desk and accepted the piece of paper. She did not glance at it, but instead pulled her friend over to the elevator. With a smile, she greeted the elevator attendant and led Cameron in. As the lift headed to the penthouse suite, Summer lifted the note up so that Cameron could read it over her shoulder as she pretended to read it.
“Huh. Jimmy has returned to his house and wants you to call him there,” Cameron stated casually after reading the note.
She lowered the note and dropped it into her large handbag, “We’ll call him in the morning.”
“You sure?” he asked as the elevator doors opened.
“Thank you,” Summer smiled at the attendant before stepping out, her hand still holding Cameron’s. “I wouldn’t want to wake his daughter or anything. We’ll call in the morning.”
“If you say so,” he pulled his hand free from hers in order to unlock the hotel door.
Stepping into the suite, Summer greeted her puppy before heading directly to her bathroom. Cameron re-locked the door and headed into his room, slipping on his sleep shirt and pants. He pulled a root beer from the mini-fridge and sat on the sofa, expecting Summer had not gone directly to bed. A minute later, with her hair released from its braid and falling about her shoulders in waves, Summer walked over to Cameron. She plucked the bottle from his fingers, took a drink, and set it on the coffee table. Saying nothing, she slightly pulled up the oversized cotton shirt she had changed into and straddled his lap.
She draped her arms over his shoulders and boldly looked into his eyes, “Thank you.”
He awkwardly settled his arms on her hips, “For?”
“Being such a good friend today. I had a lot of fun. From the zoo to dinner to just wandering about New York with you. It was a good day.”
“I’m… glad.”
“And… I’m sorry about this morning. I don’t know what came over me. I shouldn’t have done that… without permission. We’re just… friends.”
“I… it’s okay,” he muttered softly.
“I’m so lucky to have you,” she declared and quickly kissed his nose.
“Summer…”
Her hand left his shoulder to cover her yawn, “I’m going to go to bed now. Good night, Cameron. Sleep tight.”
Her lips quickly touched his before she got up and headed to her room. Cameron watched her every movement, his mind fighting his body’s natural reaction to her. He took a deep breath and reached for his root beer. It was just teenage hormones. That was all.
At least he was going to keep telling himself that – until he believed.
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