Chapter 10 – Your Place Or Mine?
Stepping down the large stone steps in front of the grand building housing 'A.D Advertising' in downtown Tampa, Jen slipped the sunglasses that rested in the palm of her hand onto her face to shield her eyes from the blazing, mid afternoon sun. Her jade coloured pussy-bow blouse was tucked into a knee length black pencil skirt. The simple black 4" pumps on her feet clicked against the concrete as she hurried to get down the steps.
"You're late." Jen smirked at Stu who was leant against him truck, adorned in his black suit, arms crossed against his wide chest.
"I was in a meeting." Jen replied as Stu opened his arms, embracing her and pulling her tight against him.
"Poor excuse." He mumbled against her ear, pressing a kiss there then pulling back. He pulled the car door open, waiting for Jen to get in.
"I'll make it up to you." She said, squeezing his arm lightly then climbing into the car.
"I expect nothing less." Stu grinned, planting his lips on Jen's firmly before closing the door and moving around the car to get in the driver's seat. A possessiveness still lingered that hadn't left him for 3 months since their midnight adventure with Paul. Both Paul and Dean were on trial with drug trafficking charges. Jen had already given evidence in court and Stu was fast on another case, taking up most of his time.
Stu drove down to The Garden, asking Jen about her day, then telling her about his. Confidentiality was important in the FBI and though Stu would tell Jen as much as he could, she would always press him for more.
"What time do you have to be back at work?" Jen asked through a sigh. They both had busy schedules, and now Jen had taken on a lot more responsibility with her new job leaving them with less time to spend together.
"Tomorrow morning." Stu tried to hide his grin as he quickly glanced over at Jen, satisfied with the look of confusion on her face.
"You have the rest of today off?" Jen said, a little surprised that Stu hadn't told her.
"I managed to sweet talk Donahue into giving me the afternoon off." Stu stated as he expertly manoeuvred his way around the Tampa streets, most of which he knew like the back of his hand.
"Wow." Jen laughed. "I would have loved to have seen that."
"It wasn't pretty." Stu smirked, pulling his sunglasses from his jacket pocket, slipping them over his eyes as the warm Tampa sun beamed down on them. It wasn't long until they pulled up beside the sports bar, a few people milling around outside and eating their lunch on the tables dotted in front of the windows.
"I hope you're paying." Jen declared, jumping out of the truck and onto the sidewalk. "I'm starving."
"I still don't get why you don't get free meals."
"Stu!" Jen scolded, narrowing her eyes, pleading him to shut his mouth as they stepped into the building.
"What? Your best friend is the owner! That should give you some rights." Stu defended himself, immediately seeing Phil waving them over to a booth near the biggest TV in the room.
"Behave." Jen mumbled, squeezing Stu's hand lightly and following his lead through the room. Jen smiled as Karen noticed her, waving wildly like she hadn't seen her in months. Maybe it had been a few weeks, longer than they would usually go without having a catch up, partaking in gossip from the bar and its patrons.
"We thought you weren't coming." Karen grinned, not at all bothered by Jen rolling her eyes in response.
"I stood you up once." Jen slipped into the booth, Stu following after her. "And I thought you had forgiven me."
"I have." Karen shoved a menu in Jen's direction patiently waiting for her to take it. "Dinner is on the house, now shut up and pick something." Jen narrowed her eyes, she was used to Karen's direct approach to things, but something was different. Something she couldn't quite put her finger on. Her gaze slipped to the menu, then to Karen's hand.
"Are you guys engaged?" Jen yelled a little too loud, other patrons turned in their seats, frowning at her commotion. Jen grabbed Karen's hand, discarding the menu and pulling her closer to get a better look at the ring she had just caught sight of.
"A little louder Jen, I don't think anyone in the bar across the street heard you." Karen laughed, letting Jen inspect her engagement ring a little more closely.
"I'm so happy for you both! Congratulations." Jen really was happy, and Karen and Phil were perfect for each other. The way Phil had his arm around Karen, sneaking glances but Jen saw them. She glanced at Stu, now chatting away to Phil and Karen. Her mind was now consumed with thoughts of what her future with Stu was going to be. Her life had changed dramatically since her first laid eyes on Stu but it had changed for the better.
"Where are we going?" Jen asked whilst being dragged across to Stu's car from the sports bar. He stopped abruptly, turning around making her bump into him. Without another word being spoken, his hand cradled her face. Leaning down he pushed his lips against hers, a fierce kiss that left her gasping for breath.
"You'll find out." Stu grinned, opening the car door for Jen then holding his hand out for her to take.
"And there's no way I can make you tell me now?" Jen asked, glimmer of persuasion behind her eyes. Slipping her hand into Stu's she held back for a moment, testing his reaction.
"I interrogate people for a living, there's no way you'll crack me, sweetheart."
"Then we better get going." Jen kissed Stu on the lips then made herself comfy in his truck. Driving north from downtown Tampa, the short journey was filled with Jen telling Stu all about her plans for the company. Over the time she had been there, it had felt like a huge weight had been lifted from her shoulders, all thanks to Stu. Though she could have continued rambling on, Stu had pulled to a stop outside a gated community, rolling his window down to quickly type a number into the keypad to open the gates. Jen clamped her mouth shut, refraining from asking any questions just yet, but when he next stop the car she couldn't hold back any longer.
"Why are we here?" Jen asked looking up to the house they had stopped by. Stu had parked on the long curved driveway in front of the building, paved with ash coloured stone slabs.
"You like it?" Stu simply stated, offering nothing more than his short question.
"Stu..." Jen trailed off, raising her eyebrows in suspicion. Stu got out of the truck and Jen followed suit, hoping to get more answers sooner rather than later.
She watched as Stu shrugged his suit jacket off, throwing it onto the seat before locking the car. Unbuttoning his shirt sleeves and rolling them up to his elbows, Stu turned to Jen, his lips still curved into a smile. Jen looked up to the house, tall white pillars standing proud next to the front double doors, making the entrance seem grand. Jen couldn't help but wonder what the inside was like. "Is this your new house or something?"
"Maybe." Stu paused for a moment then continued. "I need to do something with the hefty rise and promotion I've been given."
Jen shot around, almost bumping straight into Stu who had moved to stand just behind her. "Congratulations." Throwing her arms around Stu's neck, Jen was on tip toes, squeezing the life out of her boyfriend. "Why didn't you tell me sooner?"
"I thought I should pick my moment." Stu took hold of Jen's hands, pulling them from his neck. His large hands still held onto hers, rubbing his thumbs across her silky skin.
"And pick it you did." Jen grinned, pushing her lips against Stu's, revelling in the excitement that poured from him. "This place is beautiful."
"There's the realtor now." Stu nodded towards the silver car approaching them, stopping behind the parked red truck. A middle aged man, dressed sharply in a grey suit stepped out of the car. He immediately acknowledged Stu, approaching them quickly with a firm brisk walk.
"Good afternoon, Mr Bennett." Jen stood back as the men engaged in a friendly but business like handshake, Stu obviously the stronger and bigger of the two. "Mrs Bennett."
"I'm not his wife." Jen blurted out, a little too quickly for Stu's liking.
"Oh I'm sorry, I just assumed." The furiously apologising realtor turned a shade of pale crimson, and as he was about to speak up again, Stu beat him to it.
"Do you mind if we have a look around?" Stu slipped his hand into Jens, his lips tilted into a smirk.
The realtor held the key out, giving it to Stu. "Sure, I'll be around so find me when you're done."
Stu tugged on Jen's hand, leading her towards the large wooden front doors. "You answered a little quick."
"Sorry." Jen smiled sheepishly. "It's not every day I'm referred to as your wife."
"It didn't sound too bad." The smirk never left Stu's face, but the smile dropped from Jen's. Her heart thumped rapidly against her chest, swallowing becoming hard and all because of a few little words. Stu turned to look back at her as they stepped into the bright spacious lobby of the house, and immediately she plastered a huge grin on her face. "Are you okay?"
"Never better, now are you going to show me around?" Jen glanced around, noticing there was no furniture in the place, just bare walls, plush carpets and wooden floors.
"Jen I mean it, you can talk to me."
"I know I can." Jen smiled, her hand leaving Stu's hand to grip onto his bicep, placing a soft kiss against his rough cheek to seal her words.
Stu, seemingly satisfied with Jen's answer, started walking her through the house, showing her everything from the kitchen and its marble topped counters to the spacious indoor pool. Stu's tour of the empty house ended at the bedroom. The walls were coated in a deep raspberry shade of red, contrasting with the mellow cream carpet. French windows opened onto a small balcony, though as small as the balcony was, the views from it were astonishing. A lush expanse of green filled her line of sight; trees and grass forming the landscape for miles.
"Wow, that's a pretty amazing view." Jen commented, taking steps towards the french doors that Stu had opened. Once she was in reach of him, he wrapped his arm around her waist, pulling her into his side. "Waking up to that every morning must be great."
"Waking up to you every morning would be even better."
"It's not often you pull out the cheesy lines." Jen laughed, resting her head against Stu's chest
"Make the most of it."
With a deep intake of breath, Jen looked up at Stu, curiosity lining her eyes. "Are you really thinking of buying this place?" Jen was just asking what was on her mind. It was such a big house for someone to live on their own. Without answering, Stu left Jen's side, taking long strides across the empty room, eyeing up what he could possibly do with the space. He stopped in front of a set of double doors, opening them and staring into what Jen had worked out to be a spacious closet.
"You think that's big enough?" Stu pondered, running his hand over his jaw. Jen moved across the room to stand close to Stu, her mind running, wondering just what had gotten into her boyfriend.
"For all your suits? I think so." Jen laughed, peeking inside the closet then turning back to Stu.
"What about for your clothes too?"
"What do you mean?" Jen asked cautiously, watching Stu take a step closer to her. "Stu?"
"Move in with me." Stu asked, his lips curving into a lazy smile. He didn't seem nervous, or scared about her reaction. Jen sensed it a mile off, his confidence radiating from him just like it always did. He knew her answer even before she did.
"I... Err.." Jen was speechless and overwhelmed. And though the shock of Stu's question rained over her mind, her heart had already chosen the answer.
"Just say yes." Jen watched as Stu's startling green eyes filled with hope. He moved closer to her, hands cradling her face, tilting her head so she couldn't look away from him. "Say you'll live here with me?"
Jen bit her lip trying to hide the smile creeping onto her face, her eyes glistening as she started into Stu's. "I love our new house."
The End
A/N – Thank you ResplendentAnarchist, DeansTrueGirl, xjojox, peeps8705, xFindTheEnigmaWithinx and ThatGirl54 for the lovely reviews. Hope you all enjoyed the short story, thank you for reading, adding to your favourites/alerts and reviewing :) Lou x