The concepts, if not the people , in this chapter are original, to the best of my knowledge. If Rodeo Drive shops actually do have some kind of cross-promotional package , like the one mentioned, I plead ignorance...not trademark infringement
With the arrival of the last guests, Damian led Emily to the middle of the gathering to give a birthday toast. "I've been with Emily for months now, thanks to our brilliant friends, and I've learned one thing about her above all else. She can't get enough kissing. I do my best, but we're separated so much because she doesn't live here. So I'm callin' for one-time reinforcements. Emmy, it's your birthday and we all love you. There's a magic word that will allow anyone to kiss you, any way they want until someone says the cut-off word."
Emily stared at him stunned. It wasn't a joke?
"I'll get things started," Damian said, grabbing her for a long kiss that had the audience applauding. "Now, go play," he told her, giving her a pat on the rear and a little push into the crowd.
Feeling very exposed, Emily made her way to the safe haven that was Alex. "Hi, pal," she said. Alex put his hands on either side of her face. There seemed to be a small group of young men closing around her. Alex gave her a quick kiss on her lips and said "Happy Birthday, Emily." A couple of those who had been circling walked away.
"Is this for real?" she asked, still surprised.
Alex grinned and nodded. "So what do you think my chances are of being nominated for an Emmy?"
She was relieved to have a real conversation. "You have a real chance," she said. "You were so great. Who was better?"
She felt a tap on her shoulder. She turned and saw Bryce. He lifted her high above his head. "Sexy beast," she said playfully, calling him the nickname she'd given him within hours of their first meeting.
He looked up at her smiling, pretty face and slowly lowered her to kiss her…a small peck at first but repeated numerous times and finishing with a long kiss with his arms wrapped tightly around her.
Damian hadn't taken his eyes off of Emily since concluding his toast. He'd expected Bryce to push the envelope and saw that he did.
Bryce wanted to leave Emily with a little time to think about that kiss—he sure as hell would. "Happy birthday, Emily," he said, trying to regain his normal voice.
Thanks, Bryce," she said, a little breathlessly.
Grinning in satisfaction, he walked away from her.
Emily took the closest chair. Was Damian crazy?
He leaned over her. "Are you having fun?"
She nodded.
"Good," Damian said. "It's fun to watch you. If this kills me though, it'd be interesting to hear what the witnesses tell the ME," he finished with a little kiss on her neck and sauntered away.
She looked after him quizzically. What an odd thing to say.
She took a few more kisses then Marissa and Naya approached. "So if you had won, I guess they would have cast you as my cousin or sister or something," Naya said. Emily was eager to talk to them. "That or maybe a girlfriend for you," she said, "but Marissa called dibs on that," she said, alluding to the redhead's statement that if she won she'd "take" Santana.
Naya smiled impishly. "Well we shouldn't disappoint anybody." She gave Emily a kiss; Marissa gave Emily a kiss. Most of the eyes in the room were trained on the trio. For good measure Naya and Marissa kissed. The three of them laughed together then walked to the bar area for drinks.
They seemed to be a man magnet, as several approached and took the opportunity to kiss Emily in varying degrees of intensity.
She looked for Damian and saw him speaking to Heather. She tried to continue talking to Naya and Marissa around the kissing interruptions. She began to hope someone would say the cut-off word. Had she reached her kiss saturation point?
Heather walked up to her and gave her a hug. "Happy birthday, Emily," she said.
Emily wondered why she felt a sense of relief at that…maybe because she had the feeling that Damian had sent Heather to rescue her. She caught his eye and gave him a loving smile. He acknowledged her by raising his cup and winking.
Emily realized she wanted to be with him, no one else. She walked to his side of the room and wrapped her arms around his waist. "Say the magic word," she said, half sultry, half pleading.
Damian chuckled as he put his arms around her. "But this is the time for you to be kissing other people."
"It's my birthday and I can kiss who I want," she said petulantly.
He looked into her eyes. "And you want to kiss me?"
She moved her arms around his neck. "Yes, you beautiful Irishman, I do," she said, rising up on her toes so she could lightly kiss the side of his face and neck.
"I love you," he whispered to her.
"Close enough," she said, bringing his head down for his lips to meet hers. His were unquestionably the best in the room. And after the last couple of hours, she should know.
"I have something for you," he said, holding out an envelope with the numeral 2 on it.
She was still holding on to him and didn't want to let go. "Open it for me."
The envelope contained a gift certificate for something called Rodeo Drive.
"You bought me a street?" she asked drily.
Heather walked by and saw the certificate and gasped. "You got a Rodeo Drive?"
"What is it?" asked Emily, having relinquished one arm from around Damian so that she could look at the certificate, if not understand it.
Heather looked slightly aggrieved. "You're such a New Yorker," she said. "It's the best thing. It's a line of credit for the shops on Rodeo Drive. A limo picks you up for a day of shopping and a fabulous lunch and private showings and…Damn, Damian, I want one. Maybe if I kiss you…" she said, moving closer to him.
"I'd rather share my present than my man," Emily said. "Why don't you come shopping with me and we leave Damian out of it?"
The girls chatted as they made their plans. Damian, standing there still in Emily's grasp, was elated. It was the first time that she had been possessive or spoken about him like that to someone. He wondered if she knew how happy she'd just made him.
Heather walked away and Emily turned her attention back to him. "If it was your plan to make me compare you to everyone else so I'd appreciate you more, it worked."
He blinked in surprise. "I hadn't thought of that but if that's what's happened, this has been as much of a present for me as for you."
He bent to kiss her. From their left a voice with an Irish accent said, "Hey, Damo, I though we were all going to get to kiss her, not watch you with her. I came all the way here for this?"
Damian grinned. "Guess I need to send you back out there," he told Emily.
"He did not come from Ireland just to kiss me," she argued.
He looked down at her. "No, but he'll be disappointed if he doesn't get to."
She leaned against him. "I just want to stay with you now. I'll let you play with my zipper," she offered enticingly.
He chuckled, hoping she'd feel it in his stomach muscles since she was pressed against him.
"One last time, Love," he said. "Attention, everyone, I've given Emmy a Rodeo Drive for her birthday present and the women here seem to be impressed. So…just warning you guys that there's a new standard for gifts. Luckily, a lot of you don't have girlfriends, so you don't have to worry about it," he said, rubbing it in.
Some men in the crowd groaned.
"Go see him first, Hot Lips," he whispered.
"Be careful what you wish for…." Emily mumbled as she began mingling and kissing again.
She hurried over when she saw McKynleigh sitting on a sofa alone. "When did you get here, Micki? I didn't see you."
McKynleigh grinned. "About an hour ago. You were kissing somebody."
Emily groaned as she flopped down next to her friend. "I'm exhausted," she said.
"Haven't you enjoyed this?"
Emily shrugged. "Some of it I have but some has been really uncomfortable. The only person I want to kiss now though is Damian."
"That's sweet," said McKynleigh with an understanding smile. Did you tell him that?"
Emily frowned. "Yes, but he said the damn magic word anyway."
McKynleigh laughed. "Nothing like a double dose to emphasize a point."
"I guess. Thanks for not kissing me," Emily said, leaning against the taller girl's shoulder.
McKynleigh saw a heavily-inebriated actor staggering toward them, leering at Emily. She said, "I'm going to now and it's the biggest favor I've ever done for you."
The actor sat down and put his arm on the top of the sofa, just over Emily's head.
McKynleigh gave her a light kiss on the cheek. "Happy birthday, Emily," she said loudly.
The actor frowned.
Damian called for the assembly's attention again. "The party bus is here so if everyone's finished kissing Emily, say good night to her and get outta here."
She went to join him at the door for good-byes and thank yous.
Mattheus asked, "Did you figure out the code?"
Emily nodded. "The cut-off was Happy Birthday, Emily."
"What about the magic word?"
She thought about the weird conversations she'd heard that night—about awards nominations and medical examiners and country singers and Damian's free use of his nickname for her that no one else called her. Standing in his embrace, she smiled and blushed, "Emmy."
The inebriated, disgruntled actor, standing at the end of the line, was jealous of the couple's obvious happiness with each other. He knew the sore subject that could be mentioned to ruin that.
"You two look great together," he said when he reached them. "I wouldn't have guessed you're five years older than he is."
Damn you where you stand, Damian directed his silent curse at the actor. He could feel it in her—the stiffening, the forced laughter, the gauntlets and breastplate. Emily had just donned her armor over her Kevlar coating.
