Author's Note: I'm not sure how well this story will be received. This is something that's been brewing for months. My other story takes precedence over this, so depending on ratings and reviews, I'll probably be slow to update. Let me know what you all think. -Reese
I stood at the foot of the bed where he laid, tangled in my burgundy 300 thread count sheets. His glasses were on the table along with his phone. The phone that I had so often cursed for taking him from me had not even made a sound all night, thank the lord almighty. It was so rare that Danny Messer ever got a night off. I was glad he chose to spend it in bed with me.
I am Catarina Naples, but I go by Cat. Some people call me Rina or Rini, but that is only a select few. I am 26 years old and I work as a freelance financial broker with several different big shots down on Wall Street. I lived in Michigan until I was 17, when I moved to New York. This city has been my home since the day I stepped off the plane. This city also brought me to Danny Messer.
Last night when Danny had arrived at the door to my loft in Gramercy Park with a bottle of merlot and a lone white rose, I was already in the middle of making dinner. I have to admit though; my chicken piccata wasn't half as good as the taste his mouth on mine after three very long weeks. What Danny and I had was casual, easy and effortless. I was a no-nonsense kind of girl looking for some fun, and he was a little Guido from Staten Island looking for someone to understand him. Messer was good in bed- no, phenomenal in bed. We rarely ever made it to the bed though.
The second he was over the threshold, his bags were on the floor and my back was up against the inside of the door. His hands raced over every curve of my body, as if trying to trigger long forgotten memories. I nibbled on his neck as he lifted my hips to carry me, my legs wrapping instinctively around him as I ripped off his shirt. We were naked and heated by the time we stumbled into bed. Needless to say, I burned the lemon meringue in the oven.
Sometime around seven a.m., after a night full of lazy sex and dinner in bed, I untangled myself from Danny's limbs. I left him in bed and dressed for a walk down the street. I stopped into a local mom and pop grocer three blocks away. I picked out some eggs and the breakfast sausage I knew Danny liked, along with some fresh fruit. I grabbed orange juice and pancake mix and paid for my items. Then I was off to make my sexy Detective breakfast in bed.
When everything was done, I left the two plates of food in the oven to stay warm while I went to take a shower. I was rinsing the conditioner out of my hair when the stream of water was cut off. I turned to see Danny grinning sleepily at me.
"Messer, you're blocking the water. How am I supposed to get clean?" I scolded him as stern as I could without giggling, poking him in his well-defined chest.
"Maybe I like you dirty, Naples." He countered as his arms came around me. I traced my fingertips up his muscled arms. He looked damn good naked. He looked good clothed too, but I preferred him naked. The water ran cold as our blood boiled, our mouths and limbs intertwined. Have I mentioned how fantastic Danny is in bed? Not just in bed, but in the shower, on the floor, up against the wall, on the couch- shit, even in the car. The man was just fabulous.
"Whoa, Danny, baby, slow down." I tried to break the kiss but he wasn't having that.
"Slow down? What for?" Danny drawled out in his thick Staten Island accent. "Nah, sweetheart, we're gonna speed this up." He growled into my ear as he lifted my legs and wrapped them around him, slipping his erection into me. Fuck if my water bill wasn't going to be through the roof this month, but damn, it was so worth it.
When we finally made it back to the kitchen, it was already 9:30. I pulled the plates out of the oven while Danny grabbed the orange juice and fruit bowl from the fridge and two cups from the cupboard. We sat on my oversized black couch to eat. I turned on the TV to my favorite morning news station while Danny took the first bite into the sausage. He let out a low moan. I glanced over at him as I bit into my own.
"Baby, you know the right way to my heart. This sausage is perfect. It's just like my Nona made when I was a kid."
"Anything for you, Danny" I smiled as I threw my ankles across his knees. We ate the rest of our breakfasts talking about insignificant things. We caught up on the past few weeks, talking about our jobs, our families, the weather, and the economy. We were just glad to be in each other's company, uninterrupted for once. He helped me with the dishes when we finished, cleaning the pots and pans from last night while I scrubbed the countertops.
"So, Catarina," He started in a tone that clearly meant he was up to no good, "Would you like to go down to SoHo and maybe do some shopping? I was thinking that since today's my day off, we could spend some time together."
"Well, Daniel," I countered. If he was going to use my full name, then I was going to do it right back. "I would love to. Can we get lunch at La Mela?" I asked. He laughed and said sure. We got ready and were downstairs hailing a cab by quarter after 10. We walked through SoHo for a few hours, stopping at stores like Solstice, Uniqlo, H&M, MAC, and Ed Hardy. He bought me a pair of Diesel sunglasses and a tulip bulb at Dean & Deluca's to plant on my terrace. We were just sitting down at La Mela Italian Ristorante in Little Italy around 2:30 when his phone rang. He glanced at the screen then up at me, a sorrowful expression in his eyes.
"But it's your day off!" I whined.
"Babe, I'm sorry, I gotta answer this." He answered the phone. "Danny Messer. Hey Stella. No, I'm not in downtown. Nah, Cat and I are at La Mela. Yeah, yeah, get off my back, Bonasera. Alright, I'll swing by and pick it up later. Thanks. Yeah, tomorrow night? Sure, I can cover. Can you take my day shift then? Ahh, Stella baby, you rock my world. Ok, thanks. See ya tomorrow." Danny hung up the phone and took a swig of his beer. "That was Stella. She said hi."
I laughed. "I heard. What was that about?"
"Uh, I left my gym bag in Mac's office. Then she asked to switch shifts tomorrow." He bit into a piece of bread while I gawked at him.
"You don't have to leave?" I asked in disbelief. No way, I get him for a whole 24 hours? Had Hell frozen over?
"Nope. I'm all yours tonight baby." He grinned into his longneck. I smiled.
"That's great Danny. Hey, I have two tickets to 'In the Heights' tonight, you want to go with me?"
"Alright."
"Really?" I was surprised he was so willing to go to the theatre with me.
"Yeah sure, I'll go. I don't get out much. That's the one that just won all those awards?"
"Yep. I got the tickets as a gift from a client who has connections with the producers."
"Stella and Lindsay have been talking about that. Mac saw it too, and they all loved it. Stella said it was the best musical she'd seen in years. I've been curious to see what all the fuss is about." He explained as the waiter set down our meals.
"Well, then, it's settled. Dinner before or after the show?" I asked.
"Cat, this is New York. Dinner before wouldn't be dinner. It'd be a late lunch." He joked.
"Oh, that is very true. Ok, dinner after." I laughed. We finished up lunch and hailed a taxi for downtown. We stopped at the crime lab so Danny could run up and get his stuff. I was waiting in the lobby, checking my messages, when the elevator doors opened and Mac stepped off. He saw me and grinned.
"Mac Taylor, well if it hasn't been forever since I've seen you!" I said as I hugged him.
"Cat Naples, is that you? It has been too long. Where does Danny hide you these days?" He said with some humor as he released me.
"Oh, you know, here and there. How are you?"
"I'm good. You?" He asked.
"Never been better!"
"Good. Is Danny upstairs? He left some things in my office."
"Yeah, that's what he went to get."
"Alright good." There was a honking just outside the glass doors as a black truck pulled up. "I'd love to talk more, but Hawkes is waiting for me in the Avalanche."
"Ok, tell Sheldon I said hello."
"Will do. Tell Danny I'll see him tomorrow." He gave me a quick hug before walking out the doors. I waved to Dr. Hawkes in the truck and he smiled and waved back. I watched the truck disappear before I felt like someone was watching me. I turned back to the lobby, scanning the room before my eyes rested on a man reading the New York Times. His eyes were trained on me over the top of the newspaper. I was about to go over and ask the guy what his problem was when Danny stepped off the elevator. The man's newspaper quickly came up to cover his eyes as Danny wrapped his arm around my waist.
"Alright, babe, we can go." He said as he kissed my temple. I was still watching the man.
"Danny, do you notice anything weird about that guy in the corner? The one reading the Times? I feel like he's watching me." I said softly into his ear. He turned to look at the guy, who lowered the paper slightly before dramatically turning the page and hiding his face again.
"Do you recognize him?" He asked. I shook my head.
"No, not at all."
"Well then, let's get out of here. Come on." We left the lobby and waited for a cab. As we got into our cab, I glanced back at the building to see the same guy watching us from the steps. His cold grey eyes were focused on me as he took a hit from a cigarette. Now I knew I wasn't being paranoid.
When the goofy looking cabbie dropped us off at Danny's apartment, I was still feeling uneasy. I didn't want to upset Danny, so I chose not to tell him about the guy on the steps. Besides, I'm a big girl, I can handle myself. We laid down on the couch together to cuddle and watched a couple of TiVo-ed episodes of Dirty Jobs and stand-up comedy. I must have fallen asleep because I was kissed awake by Danny's amazing lips. I let out a little moan and he smiled. God that man looked like heaven when he smiled.
"Come on babe, we gotta head to your place if you wanna get ready for the show." He mumbled as he trailed light kisses down my neck.
"Ok, are you just gonna grab some clothes and get ready at my place?" I asked, wrapping my arms around his neck as he came up to meet my eyes.
"If you want. Or we could make this an official date and I can pick you up?" He wiggled his eyebrows. I sighed.
"Danny, I don't want to be alone."
"What? Why?"
"I mean- I don't want to be away from you." I answered quickly, not wanting him to get concerned. His eyes narrowed at me.
"I don't buy that, but I'm not gonna push it. Let me go grab a duffel and throw my stuff in. We'll take my car so I can stay the night."
"Thanks babe." I said softly.
"No problem sweetheart." He kissed my forehead and got up to get his stuff. He came back out three minutes later and we left. We got to my loft 20 minutes later and jumped in the shower together, washing off the thin film of dirt and sweat from our day out and about. We got out and dried off, Danny getting dressed in the bathroom while I stood in my towel searching for something to wear. It was July. It might still be humid tonight. I settled on a black halter dress that came to mid thigh. I had a blue sweater with intricate lace detailing for if I got cold. I grabbed my favorite pair of blue heels, a pair of Manolo Blahniks I had bought right after the Sex and the City movie come out. They were very similar to Carrie's unworn pair at the end of the movie. Danny came out of the bathroom all dressed and looking good in black slacks and a blue-grey button up. He had a silver tie on, and his jacket draped over his arm.
"Damn, I think I'm overdressed. Can I go in my towel too?" He grinned as he pressed himself up to me. I swatted him away.
"Smart ass. Go wait in the living room." I told him as I shooed him from my bedroom. I went into the bathroom to do my hair and makeup. Fifteen minutes later, I came out and posed against the door frame. Danny whistled and I sashayed my way over to him, dropping myself to the floor first, then pressing my body against his on the return up. I felt a little poke in my lower torso from his excitement and grinned as he just gaped at me.
"You wanna make it to this show?" I nodded. "Then I advise you wait until after to do that again. Cat, you look damn hot."
"Thanks, Dan." I did a spin to show him the full outfit. He inhaled sharply.
"Alright, come on, we gotta go now if we wanna make it there on time." He grabbed his jacket and my purse and pulled me out of the apartment. I laughed and pulled my keys from the bag, locking my door as he waited by the elevator.
"What's the problem, baby?" I asked. He glanced at me. The elevator doors opened and we got on.
"I'm trying not to rip that dress off you and take you where you stand." He gushed. I stepped closer to him, pinning him against the wall. I looked into his eyes, level with mine because of my four inch heels. I slid my hand down his chest and over the growing bulge in his pants, cupping him through the fabric as I leaned in to bite his earlobe. "Catarina, what are you trying to do to me?" He said breathily.
"Nothing" I replied innocently as I stepped away from him, releasing him just as the doors to the ground floor opened up. "Come on babe, we're going to be late." I chipped.
He glared at me, his mouth tightening. "Woman" he said through his teeth "You will be the damn death of me." He grabbed the back of my elbow and led me out to the street. I could already tell this was going to be a good night.