***Jennifer***
Jennifer came into the penthouse, made some arrangements, and changed clothes. For a few hours, she organized her clothes and a few other things, and then decided to relax for the rest of the evening.
In the wee hours, she woke up and showered and dressed, and then headed out, bright and early, bags in tow.
***Jonathan***
Jonathan woke up when his alarm went off, and rolled over and grabbed the phone and called Jennifer, like he had every morning since he'd been back in LA.
No answer.
Figuring she was just in the shower, he got up and took one himself.
By the time he remembered to call her back, it was lunchtime.
His afternoon was pretty packed with meetings and before he knew it, he was heading home.
***Jennifer***
Jennifer had landed in LA and couldn't wait to surprise Jonathan. She took a cab to his house, and grabbed her bag and headed for the doorbell.
She noticed he had one of those fancy new intercom doorbells.
"Come on in, we're in the kitchen", came over the intercom.
She opened the door, and came inside, leaving her bag by the front door.
She walked through the living room, and into the kitchen and found Max at the sink with his back to her.
She walked over and kissed his cheek.
He turned around in shock.
"Miss Edwards! Gosh, I'm glad to see you! Mr. H. didn't tell me you was coming".
"Well, he thinks I'm coming Friday. He has no idea that I'm here today".
"Well, the joke is gonna be on him, that's for sure! You look great!"
"Thanks, Max. You look pretty great yourself".
"Can I get you anything?"
"Not a thing".
They chatted for a bit, and then Max told her he was headed to a poker game.
"My yearly poker extravaganza starts today".
"What's that?"
"Well, it's a poker tournament where you play round the clock, no stops till only one person is left standing, and that person is crowned the champion. There's 12 of us that play, and we only get together and do this once a year, and today is the day. Jonathan has a poker game coming here tonight, just the regular local pals, so when you rang the bell, that's who I thought you was".
"Oh, I see".
"Now look. Tell him I made the regular snacks, and they are in the fridge. If that's not enough, there are several frozen pizzas in the oven, plus they can always call out for some heroes or whatever".
"Great, I'll be sure to let him know".
He came over and kissed her cheek.
"I hate to leave you as soon as you got here, but I'll probably bottom out and be home sooner than I'd like".
"Don't worry about it, it's ok. I understand".
"How long you staying this time?"
"Well, I was supposed to go home Sunday, but Jonathan and I are going to have to talk about that".
"Well, I'm glad you're here. I'll see you when I get back".
"Have fun, and good luck, Max".
Just then, the phone rang.
Max picked it up.
"Hart residence. Hey Mr. H."
Jennifer shook her head, telling Max not to tell him she was there.
"oh, you're on your way home now? Wonderful. I was just heading out. Yeah, I made everything. It's all here. Ok, have a good time".
He hung up.
"He should be home in about 20 minutes".
"Wonderful".
Max headed out, leaving Jennifer alone to surprise Jonathan.
As soon as she heard the garage door open, she got into position.
He came inside a few minutes later, and was in the kitchen.
She came up behind him and then hopped up on the counter next to him.
"Surprise!"
"Hey! What are you doing here?"
He picked her up off the counter and kissed her and swung her around.
"Well, there were some developments and I decided to come on out."
"I'm so glad you did".
He gave her several kisses and then one long, romantic kiss that made her toes curl and gave her butterflies.
She started undoing his tie, and then his shirt.
"I just couldn't wait any longer to see you".
"I know the feeling".
He pulled her into his arms and backed them up against a wall as he kissed her.
The phone rang, interrupting them.
She kissed his neck and chest while he was talking.
"Hello….hey Bill…I'm glad you called. Something's come up, and there's no game tonight…. Tell the others. Yes, I'm serious. Anyone who shows up over here at my house… I'll break both their legs. I'll see you guys at the game next month…yes I'm serious….no you don't get to know why".
He hung up and furiously kissed her, ravaging her mouth with his tongue.
In a moment of complete spontaneity, he picked her up and carried her to the bedroom, as they both left a trail of clothes along the way.
He set her down next to the bed and unzipped her dress, letting it fall to the floor.
She finished unbuttoning his dress shirt, and he shrugged it off his shoulders.
She worked on his belt while he worked on unfastening her bra.
When they were both unclothed, he laid her down on the bed and climbed on top of her.
He began planting kisses over every inch of her body, in strategic places. She was definitely not shy in telling him how she felt about it.
He made it his mission to make her tremble and shiver and moan with delight.
By the time he buried himself inside of her, she was practically delirious with passion.
"Oh Jonathan…Oh yes…."
"Oh baby…..oh baby…."
They climaxed together, and kissed passionately as they calmed down.
She settled on his chest with just the sheet draping over their bodies.
"That was so incredibly fantastic".
"Couldn't have been better".
She gave his neck some light kisses and played with his chest hair some.
"So, are you ready to tell me about how you got to come out here two days early?"
"Well, a couple of times a year, they make us do this thing called professional development. And yesterday was our latest session. So, even though I could have spent that day doing a million other things, I went because it was mandatory. And I admit, I wasn't in to it. But I got in to it. The speaker was a lady who is a professional organizer. And she kept saying "If it doesn't bring you joy, it's time to make a change". And that's when it hit me-working for the Times was my dream job, and it's been a great 5 years, but it just doesn't bring me joy like it used to. Add in the fact that I don't have a home of my own, I have a boyfriend on the opposite coast and my father spends more time across the pond than on this side of it, and I realized that if the paper isn't bringing me joy, it's time to cut it loose. So, I did. I turned in my notice, packed up my desk and left".
"Jennifer, that was your dream job".
"Yes, it was. And because of you, I had it, and now it's time for a new dream. Now, I can write stories that I approve of, instead of having to get them approved by someone else. And if you want me to, I can spend more time on this coast with you".
"Of course, I want you to spend more time with me. That's icing on the cake. And I would never presume to tell you what job you should keep or let go of-I did that once before and it cost us some valuable time. I just want you to be happy, that's all".
"I will be, once I get settled and start writing again".
"Was Max surprised to see you?"
"Oh yes. He thought I was one of your poker buddies, so when I rang the doorbell, he used the intercom and told me to come on in. So, I walked in and snuck up behind him, and kissed him on the cheek. And I swear, his eyes grew to the size of dinner plates".
Jonathan chuckled.
"And I think he liked very much that he got to see me before you did. He did tell me that you were going to be very surprised when you saw me".
"He was right".
Jonathan rolled on his side and started kissing Jennifer again.
"How about a massage, gorgeous?"
"Oh, what a great idea".
"Cool. Can you make sure and get my shoulder blades, they are really tight?"
"Jonathan!"
"I'm kidding, I'm kidding".
He settled on top of her and kissed her neck some while she scratched his back and ran her fingers through his hair.
"In my wildest and most outlandish fantasies, I never in a million years thought tonight was going to end up like this. But I'm so thankful it has".
"Me too. This night with you is marginally better than playing poker with the guys".
"Well, how good of me to live up to your high expectations".
"You didn't just live up to them, you exceeded them, darling."
"Oh? Scored a 4 out of 10, did I?"
"Oh no. 4's too low. You're at least a 5".
"Well, thank you for the extra point".
"You're welcome".
They were both chuckling as they kissed for a few minutes.
He made love to her again, and then they got up and put on their robes and headed to the kitchen for a snack.
"You know, no pressure, but we could do this every day if you lived out here".
"No pressure, huh?"
"Nope, none at all".
He picked her up and set her on the counter and fed her a grape.
"Well, did I convince you?"
"Convince me? To move out here with you?"
"Yes. That grape was a special grape. It was loaded with lots of subliminal messages, and it had all my best ones".
She started laughing.
"You are insane, you know that? You're absolutely crazy".
"About you".
They shared a deeply passionate kiss for a few minutes.
"Good, because the feeling's mutual".
He picked up the phone, and dialed a special number, and then hung up, without speaking.
"What are you doing?"
"Transferring the calls from the penthouse to here".
He dipped a strawberry in powdered sugar, fed it to her and then kissed the powdered sugar off her lips.
"So?"
"Jonathan, do I have to decide right this minute?"
"No, but the suspense is killing me".
"Well, let's look at the options. Option 1, I keep staying in your penthouse, I write freelance out of New York, and I see you, when you come to town".
"Just like things are right now".
"Yes. Option 2 is I go back to New York, ship my things in storage out here, ship my clothes at your house out here, and move out here and find work out here".
"I'm team option 2".
"I kind of figured".
They decided to take their snacks to bed.
Jennifer slipped on a nightshirt, and they climbed in bed and snuggled up.
Jonathan turned on the tv, and flipped the channel to the national news channel.
This just in-a major corruption ring has been uncovered in New York. Thanks to an article written by Jennifer Edwards, a reporter for The New York Times, shown here with her as yet to be confirmed boyfriend Jonathan Hart, it has been discovered that several prominent local, national and even international businessmen and politicians are involved in a scheme to defraud middle-class families. It all revolves around the ongoing sale of copper. Those involved include New York state Senator Dan Combs and his wife, as well as prominent Manhattan real estate agent Ross McCauley and his wife, and the editor of The New York Times Chris Wilcox and his wife, and also international businessman Elliott Manning. Mr. Manning's direct role in the scheme is unclear, as he was not mentioned in the report. Investigators believe that he is responsible for paying off appraisers and surveyors to declare fit properties unfit and unfit properties fit. The Manhattan District Attorney said in part "Without the efforts of Jennifer Edwards none of this information would have been brought to light. All of the defendants in this case can expect that we will seek the maximum punishment possible". Each of the named defendants have been arrested and charged with obstruction, fraud, money laundering, and conspiracy. Calls to Jennifer Edwards were not returned.
"Oh my gosh!"
"Darling, I'm so sorry they mentioned you. They had no right to invade your privacy like that".
"Never mind that. I'm talking about the fact that they are alleging that Elliott paid off surveyors. The land that the hotel was built on-he came to me and tried to buy it. I rejected his bid the first time, for being too low. I rejected it the second time because I had someone who was interested and I felt it was only right I gave them first dibs since they expressed interest first. I wonder if he paid the surveyor to tell me the land was fit for building when it wasn't".
"It's possible. Anything is possible where Elliott is concerned".
Just then, Jonathan's phone started ringing like crazy.
For the next hour, Jennifer fielded interview requests, and gave statements, and then finally, it started to die down.
Her last call was a little longer than normal.
"Ok, well I'll be back in New York Sunday night. Can we meet sometime Monday to discuss things? Perfect. 3 p.m. at Interim. I'll see you there. Thank you, so much".
She hung up and passed the phone back to him.
"Who are you meeting?"
"Someone about a job offer. They are based out of New York, but I don't have to be".
"That's the best news I've heard all night".
"Darling, I'm sorry the report about my story breaking eclipsed our romantic evening".
"Eclipsed it? Don't be silly. If anything, it made it ten times better. I'm so proud of you, Jennifer. You overcame every obstacle and still got the article published."
The phone rang again, just as she leaned over and kissed him.
"Hello? Yes, she's right here".
He passed the phone to her.
"Hello? Hi. Well, that's very kind of you. I see. Well, I can't promise you that I will agree to that, but I can promise you that I'll think about it. Can you give me the terms? Uh huh. Oh. Ok, well I'm out of town at the moment, and I won't be back for a few days. I promise you, you'll know my decision by next week. Thank you".
She hung up and leaned over and kissed Jonathan again.
"And who was that?"
"The head of the Times, the one you and I met with the other day. He was offering me my old job back, and offering to run the story".
"And?"
"And he literally didn't raise my salary at all, not even by a penny. He gave me no other bonuses or incentives, so screw it. I might take a week to tell him, but my mind is made up. I'm not going back to work for him".
"I love it when you're feisty".
He leaned over and kissed her cheek.
Jonathan finally called and kicked all their phone calls to his answering service, and then turned out the lights.
He wrapped his arms around her and held her.
"I love you, and I'm so glad you're here."
"Even with the million phone calls that you are getting because of me?"
"Even with the million calls, and even if all the press in the world was camped out on the lawn. I love you, and that's never going to change".
They chatted till she fell asleep on his chest.
"Goodnight, I love you".