C.J. arrived home in plenty of time to prepare for her date with Matt. Wait a minute; did she just call it a date?
She chose not to look at it that way. Dinner and dancing was what was on the menu. They'd done the dinner many times before in all different kinds of eateries, from greasy diners to five star restaurants.
They'd gone dancing too, though only at formal events like weddings and charity events when neither of them could snag a date. Not like the kind of dancing people did when they frequented the Vibe.
Not even close.
After showering, she picked out the dress she'd be wearing, a blue frock she picked up at a boutique in Westwood. It had straps which accentuated her toned arms and clung to her curves after she slipped it on.
She had already put on a lacy strapless bra and bikini panties, scarlet in color. She felt a certain rush from wearing some naughty lingerie beneath a form fitting but rather demure dress. She wondered if she'd be able to send him home without him getting a peek at them.
It depended on what happened after they left the dance floor.
She kept her hair styled simply in curls around her face and then prepared to leave. Her phone rang and she wondered if it were Matt saying he had to cancel.
But it was Sonia with some last minute advice on her date.
"Be sure to wear that scarlet set you bought when we went shopping," she advised, "It's just sinful enough for a man like him to want to peel off on the dance floor."
C.J.'s ears burned at that image.
"Already wearing them," she said, "but they're staying on tonight."
Laughter greeted her.
"Yeah right, you know Matt will have his mind on getting them off of you."
C.J. sighed.
"Well it's not going to happen," she said, "I don't go to bed with a guy on the first date even if it's my best friend."
Actually, especially if it's her best friend.
If Matt wanted her naked then she would make him work for it. Not to play coy with him or his feelings but to make sure it was that she was ready to take that step with him.
"So you are going to tease him a little bit?"
"No…I'm going to tell him up front," C.J. said, "I just don't want rush into it with him. It's not my style."
Sonia snorted.
"Okay so you'll rappel down skyscrapers or jump into the middle of a harbor or…rescue him from a massage parlor but you hold back with a guy like him. Girl, you need some professional help."
C.J. didn't want to argue about it with Sonia. Matt would be picking her up in a few minutes. She'd at first wanted to meet him at the restaurant but he'd insisted on picking her up.
"Are you going to at least let him play with your girls?"
"My what..?"
Consternation laced Sonia's words.
"You know what I'm talking about," she said, "Good way to find out if Matt is a breast man."
Oh that, okay maybe she'd give him some leeway there because her girls as Sonia called them most likely liked the attention. But imagining Matt's hands on her like that, damn too early in the date would prove too unsettling.
Then the doorbell rang.
"Sonia, he's here I'll have to talk to you later."
"Details when you get back…"
C.J. ended the call and went to answer the door where she knew Matt would be waiting.
Matt had gotten ready after returning from an afternoon business meeting. He'd avoided phone messages from Randy about what happened at the massage parlor. After getting dressed, he headed to C.J.'s house to pick her up.
He hoped she'd taken his advice on her wardrobe because when they got on the dance floor, he didn't want much material between her skin and his hands.
When she opened the door, he wasn't disappointed because she wore a blue dress that satisfied all his tastes. She smiled at him and said she just needed to get her purse. He waited and she returned so that they could leave in his car.
She felt flutters in her stomach even though she and Matt had gone out so many times, as friends or as business partners. This however didn't qualify because she didn't usually sheathe her body in this type of dress nor did she spend a half hour picking out her lingerie.
But she allowed him to open car door before her and when he turned on some jazz before they took off, she just focused on its rhythm. The restaurant was a popular eating spot but had its cozy corners which were perfect for couples. He had made reservations for one of them out on the patio.
The night air felt warm enough to not need a cover for her dress and he'd slipped off his jacket.
"I love summer nights," she said, "A lot quieter than it's been all day."
He poured them both a glass of wine and she sipped hers thoughtfully. She loved the way it tingled in her throat going down and the relaxation settled in immediately. They both ordered pasta dishes and the atmosphere made the hectic nature of the day slip away.
"So you ever get back in touch with Randy?"
He grimaced as he scooped up more pasta on his fork.
"I'm trying to avoid him," Matt said, "There's nothing I can tell him that his team didn't learn during the raid."
"But you might need to testify later on at a hearing or trial."
He wiped his mouth.
"I hardly think it'll come to that," he said, "I think the owners of that illicit establishment will probably give it up inside a week."
"Probably, but you really should at least give a statement."
She enjoyed watching the reaction play out on his face and thought; surely he couldn't be all that upset about the raid. He'd been in tight situations before and always survived them, whether they were dangerous or just embarrassing.
It didn't take her long to figure out that it wasn't the raid so much as the man who led it.
Meaning Randy the man who had taken her dancing…she'd done a lot of slow moves with him at the Vibe and Matt knew it.
"So how long you really been seeing him?"
She sipped her wine casually.
"Oh you mean Randy?"
He nodded.
"Oh we've only been out a few times," she said, "Mostly doing what we're doing now…dining dancing."
"Nothing else?"
She knew what he meant, whether or not she'd been intimate with the vice cop. Surely he couldn't be too concerned about her relationship with Randy.
"Houston, it's really none of your business what I did with him," she said, "but the answer's no, we didn't sleep together."
She didn't know if he looked relieved or not.
"And I'm not having sex with you tonight," she said, "Just so you know."
He tilted his face looking at her.
"Okay…I think you made that clear," he said, "but there's plenty of room for other activities."
She bit her lip, unable to let that go.
"Meaning what?"
He arched a brow sipping his wine.
"We'll see won't we," he said, "but let's start off with some dancing."
After finishing up their dinner, they headed off to the Vibe where the music reverberated into the parking lot. A band played there tonight that neither of them had ever heard of but she went there for the atmosphere. Cozy without being cramped, and yet plenty of space for a woman to truly express herself with her partner…before intermission where they could go pick up some refreshment at the bar.
But first some dancing and she and Matt headed to the floor. She smiled at him as he took her in his arms.
"You sure you're up for this?"
He smiled as he placed his hands on her hips.
"Most definitely am up for something," he said, "but this'll be fun too."
She felt like rolling her eyes at him wondering why he acted this way with her. In its own way, it almost seemed as strange as his quest to have a child. Analyzing the situation became tougher when he started squeezing her, molding her closer to him. Her own hands fell around his neck before long as the music slowed down into hypnotic throbs.
"This is nice…"
She couldn't argue with that because the hardness of his muscles against her body made her mind go fuzzy, she decided to just stop thinking all together and concentrate on feeling.
"Yeah…"
He upped the ante when he brushed his mouth so softly against her lips, it felt like a breeze soft and warm. His stubble brushed against her skin in a way that made her shiver. No, it wasn't supposed to feel this good. If he applied anymore pressure against her mouth she…
As if he read her mind, his lips nipped her lower one, and then he poured on the intensity as the beat of the music quickened to match that of her heart. She really should stop him from doing this, their friendship rested on their willingness to keep some boundaries between them and they'd just breached a huge one. She reveled in tasting him as he ran his tongue along her lips, till they parted slightly.
"Houston…"
"What?"
They just looked at each other, after breaking their kiss but their faces remained about an inch or so apart.
"Why are we doing this?"
His answer came quickly.
"Because we both want it," he said, "I can feel how much you do."
She licked her lips carefully still tasting him on her mouth. Her breathing filled her ears as she tried to ground herself. She'd put herself in a dangerous position with him. But before she could decide what to do next, he kissed her again, and this time he went in for the kill.
Letting her know in no uncertain terms that he fully intended to possess her mouth, no hold barred. His hands caressed her lower back and then slid down to her palm her butt. That nearly made her jump but instead she just moved closer to him and then she really felt how aroused he was in another important area.
"Houston…"
"Don't worry…just keep dancing," he said, "I'm not going to make you do anything you don't want."
She nodded against him between slow, wet kisses. Meaning he kissed her slowly, as if to torture her and they made her feel wet. God, if he did this to her on the dance floor then she was really in trouble.
The music sounded in the background but all they focused on was each other, their bodies molded together and moving to the music. She felt the heat of pressing against him, and his mouth which left her lips and started leaving a trail of fiery kisses across her jaw line, her neck where it met her shoulder and an earlobe.
Her hands started exploring him as they moved to his chest, aching to remove his shirt though she'd never admit it. His hands remained on her butt but the way they played the fabric of her dress against her skin, on her upper thighs.
She knew what that meant. He wanted to get into her panties, even on the dance floor. Oh that sent flickers of heat through her at the thought but when her sense caught up, her body tensed against his suddenly. She knew he felt that.
"You want to take a break and go cool off?"
She looked at him, her hands still pressed against his chest.
"A drink might be nice," she said, "It's getting a little bit warm in here."
He smiled as he led her to the bar, a hand pressing into the small of her back. They had just reached the bar when they saw a crew of firemen rush in the club.
"What's going on here?"
Matt sighed.
"Fire marshal might be concerned about the size of this party."
They ordered their drinks and went to a nearby table, watching the dancers crowd the floor packed so tightly they couldn't see across the room.
"It got a little bit intense out there," she said, playing with her drink.
He rubbed his jaw line with a thumb.
"I had a great time," he said, "and I think you did too C.J.."
She sipped her drink not sure how to answer the challenge in his voice.
"Okay I did…but I meant it when I want to take it slowly."
He nodded.
"Nothing wrong with that," he said, "Maybe we should go someplace more comfortable and private and talk."
Say what, she thought not knowing if she heard him correctly.
"Houston you can't be serious."
He looked directly at her.
"I am…but we're not just going to talk."
She knew that too if they left the club together and he drove her home. But before she could say anything, the fire marshal directed other fire fighters to herd the people dancing to the exits.
"Ladies and gentlemen…this establishment is officially shut down," the marshal announced over the speaker system, "You have 10 minutes to vacate."
The crowd didn't erupt into dismay over the news but started heading to the exits in mass, with C.J. and Matt in their path. Damn, they didn't want to get trampled yet those leaving just wanted to get out of their quickly.
"How are we going to get out of here," she said.
And just then, Matt swooped her off of her feet and began carrying her through the milling lines of people towards the exit.
"Matt…"
He held her tightly to him as they left the club and she found her body relaxing in his embrace.