Title: Chance Encounters
Author: Rebecca // webmisstress@downeydomain.com
Feedback: Pwease?!?!
URL: http://becca.downeydomain.com
Notes: Okay, this is my *FIRST* fic ever so
be kind! It's a RDJ/Other fic but since they don't
have a celebrity section I'm posting it here in Ally.
Enjoy!!
This was horribly boring. I had been at the Emmy
awards ceremony for almost 2 hours now, listening to
actors rattling off amazingly stupid patter and more
actors give startlingly dry and dreadfully tedious
speeches that I had stopped listening to about 40
minutes ago. I was beginning to get antsy, shifting
around in my seat and digging in my purse.
I was currently beginning to regret accepting the
ticket Elizabeth had offered me. Liz was an interior
designer who had done most of the decorating for the
awards. I, being her friend from way back and helper
for the week, had worked with seating charts and
floral arrangements - not to mention making backstage
a variable hotel suite. A couple nights ago while
setting up backstage as the crew went out for dinner,
she brought up the idea of me going with her.
~~~~~~~~~
"Well?"
"Well what, Liz?"
"God, your memory sucks. Do you want to come with me
to the awards? I have that extra ticket since Nathan
decided he needed 'space' this week. Besides, we're
buds, I want you to walk down the red carpet with me."
I picked the last chunk of my beef and broccoli from
its little white box and glanced over at her. "It sure
sounds like a revenge plot to me. You know, the old
'sorry but I gave your ticket away already' trick."
Liz gave me a death stare worthy of any actress
nominated for the event we were discussing, and
sighed. "No you dork, I just want you to go. You know,
my best friend and temporary assistant, to join me.
It'll be a great time Katie. We could go shopping for
a dress for you, maybe a few odds and ends like shoes
and a new purse…"
Her words trailed off as she looked me up and down
appraisingly. My wardrobe happened to be the bane of
her existence. She was constantly trying to get me to
go shopping with her for more refined clothes which,
according to her, would showcase my looks and convey
my outgoing nature. Of course I thought this was the
biggest pile of crap I'd scene since the first
Jurassic Park movie. I was a web page designer who
specialized in e-commerce. I never felt the need to
buy up-to-the-minute clothes just to wear them around
the house since that was my workplace.
The only time I ever saw the inside of an employer's
building was when I would dress-up and run in for a
personal meeting. That was only twice a month at most
though since the phone and video conferencing worked
pretty well. Working out of my apartment was a good
deal for me, so naturally I was seldom out of my
neighborhood any more then once or twice a week. My
assumption was; why buy new, stylish clothes when all
they'd do was hang in my closet taking up space and
using up what little was left in my savings account –
I did have that new sleigh bed to save up for. To me,
Liz's complaints held no merit.
"Babe, I don't have a clue what you're talking about.
I'm sure I can find something at home." I saw the look
of pain cross her face out of the corner of my eye as
she visualized me showing up in an outdated pleated
black skirt and a blue sweater set. Maybe I had baited
her enough. "Okay, you win, I'll go to the awards.
I'll even get a new dress, but you have to pay for
half of it."
She exuded pure delight. Finally, her ugly duckling
would wear Gucci and Prada! Liz gave me the ticket and
we made shopping plans for the next day.
To keep the nightmare short, I will just say that we
were at almost eight different stores and I had three
sales women in tears before we came upon a dark blue
silk gown.
The agitated attendant considered it "Understated yet
elegant. It's as close as you're going to get to what
you're asking for without pilfering a dress from Julia
Robert's closet."
It was also eight hundred dollars; thank God Liz was
paying for half of it. If not, I would have had to
wave good-bye to my sleigh bed.
So that was the story behind how I came to be seated
here at the Shrine amidst a variable ocean of stars. I
was practically gaping, was that Calista Flockhart?
Could that possibly be the back of Mel Gibson's head?
I was feeling so important in my new dress with my
exquisite, styled hair curled and pulled atop my head.
The jewelry Liz had loaned me gave me the feeling of
being a princess, not the mention how tall and
graceful these shoes made me. But regrettably, the
warm glow of my new outfit only lasted through the
first half hour, then I began to squirm and wilt. I
felt the need to get up and run away as fast as
possible in these shoes from the camera man in the
isle who kept looking down my dress with every pass.
Suddenly I heard a soft nose from somewhere behind me,
and as I turned my head to see what had happened, a
small silver missile hit me in the cheek and fell in
my lap. I shook my head and picked up the object. It
was a piece of chewed gum balled up inside its
wrapper!
Looking around the auditorium I searched out who could
have launched it. There were practically no kids in
the room, most having either fallen asleep or been
taken home by their parents.
Then I saw my bomber.
He was sitting two rows behind me and about nine seats
to my left. We locked eyes, and then I realized it was
Robert Downey Jr.
Now don't get me wrong, I'm not stupid. I mean sure I
watch Ally McBeal, and I saw Two Girls and a Guy once
with a friend of mine who had an obsession with
Heather Graham. I knew who he was and I was adequately
awed, but I was still taken a back from the fact he
threw something at me.
"Are you ok?" he mouthed the words behind a hand. I
nodded in response and held up the trophy. He smirked
and made a football goal with his hands.
"You want this?" I mouthed, waving the chunk of wax
paper and gum. He nodded and repeated the gesture. I
pulled back and was about to release it when the award
for some best supporting actor thing was given to him,
and the announcer called his name. Our contact
shattered and I watched and clapped as he walked up to
take his award.
During his acceptance speech, I could see him looking
out over the crowd as if in search of someone. It
couldn't be me, could it? I waved my right hand a
little and he saw me and smiled in my direction.
For whatever reason, Liz decided to leave at that
exact moment – I think the camera man was getting to
her, too. Slipping my shoes back on and slinking to
the back of the auditorium, I was moderately certain
that my chance encounter with the actor was through.
Little did I know what was to come.
~~~~~~~~~
This can't be happening! I was wondering around Pom
Pom Furniture in a complete rage. I knew when I
started shopping here that most pieces were one of a
kind. I also realized that celebrities shopped here, I
did after all hear about the store on the E! network.
But I had never counted on this!
"Are you all right or do you always walk around stores
muttering to yourself?" came a voice from behind me.
I whirled around to see my gum bomber himself standing
only two feet away from me, a smile on his lips that
was so charismatic it made me want to push him down
onto the nearest couch and take advantage of him.
"Oh! Hi, it's you," I babbled as he inched closer, "Do
you remember me?"
Another grin crossed his face as he answered, "Yes, I
suppose I do. You're the woman I smacked with the gum,
right?"
I replied as he had with a slight blush on my cheeks,
and I would have gotten him back if the presenter
hadn't saved him by calling his name.
"I suppose I'm just lucky."
"Did you know it was me, from the awards, when you
spoke to me just now?" I inquired, my resentment over
the bed beginning to fade.
"Not really. I just saw someone who was walking around
a pretty trendy furniture store muttering to
them-selves, seemingly very irritated. Thought you
might need some help."
I attempted to smile. "Well, they sold the bed I had
been saving up for to Kate Hudson or something. Just
irked me a little."
"Oh really? That's horrible Miss, I'm sorry, I don't
think I caught your name."
"Probably because I never said it. I'm Katherine,
Katherine Crain."
We shook hands as he replied to me, "Well Katherine,
would you like to get some lunch? I'm starving, and I
know a spot not to far from here that's got a great
lunch menu. I'll pay." He smiled again and I had to
repress the strong urge once again to push him down
onto that couch.
"Oh, free lunch with an award winning actor? Lead on
Mr. Downey."
~~~~~~~~~
We were sitting in a charming booth out of the way. He
suggested I try their house burger; apparently, the
fries that came with it were incredible. When the
waiter left with our orders, he deemed it time to
strike up a conversation. "So, tell me about
yourself."
"Well, I'm twenty-three, from Minnesota. I graduated
from the U of M just over a year ago in graphic design
and now I live out here and design those web pages
that every studio has for movies now."
"Anything else?" he asked with a curious look.
"Such as?"
"Are you married, single. A hermit, nun, any pets,
siblings, stuff like that."
"Oh, well, I'm not seeing anyone right now. I don't go
out much, but I wouldn't consider myself a hermit, per
say. I went to Catholic school growing up so nuns
scare me, I have a dog and am an only child. Now your
turn."
~~~~~~~~~
We chatted long into the afternoon, almost past five
or so, until the waiter asked us to leave so they
could get ready for the dinner crowd. He offered to
drive me home and I happily accepted. I had taken the
bus here so I had no other way of getting back.
We pulled up and I noticed a light on in my apartment,
meaning Liz had stopped over. As I was exiting the
car, he grabbed onto my arm and pulled me back down.
"Would it be possible to see you again sometime?"
Once again, I was in total shock. He wanted to see me
again? "Um, sure, when?"
"How about tomorrow?"
"I'd enjoy that." I said with what I hoped was a
flirty smile.
"I'll stop by around eight?"
"That sounds great, I'll make dinner."
I sensed there was something else he wanted to say, so
I stayed in the passenger side seat waiting for him to
continue. I started to feel self-conscious as I
realized he was staring at me, maybe I had read him
wrong and he was waiting for me to leave.
"Katie."
I turned towards him and was about to answer "what?"
when he caught me full on the lips. It was a timid
kiss, he seemed to be testing the waters. I could feel
the goose bumps start the rise on my skin; his lips
were so warm and oh so very soft. As he pulled back
away from me, my mind was reeling. As I opened my
eyes, which I hadn't realized I had even closed, I
gazed into his deep brown eyes.
When he finally broke the silence, he spoke in a soft
husky tone. "Katie, I lied before when I told you I
didn't mean to hit you at the awards. I had been
trying to get your attention all night long. I thought
you were beautiful and I wanted to meet you. I'd waved
and tried a bunch of stuff, but the only place that
got me was a couple guys thinking I was insane. But I
had to do something to get you to notice me." He had a
soft smile playing his lips and a dreamy look in his
eyes as he recalled the night last week. "So I spit my
gum into it's wrapped and tossed it at you."
"Not very romantic or sanitary, but it worked, didn't
it?" I placed the hand I was using for balance against
his cheek. He instinctively placed his over mine,
securing my palm onto his face. I was extremely
tempted to do something about both of our apparent
desires, but held off. After all, the top on his car
was down and, knowing Liz, she was peeking through the
curtains. He was gazing at me in a hesitant sort of
way.
"I've never been so drawn to stranger before. I have
no idea how I found you again and I feel more then a
little frightened about it all."
"Why?" I asked him, our noses almost touching as my
eyes wondered over his face, taking in the mask mixed
emotions.
"I've always been in control of relationships, until I
get close enough to the woman. And both times that's
happened I've gotten hurt. You totally floored me and
I don't have a clue as to why." He once again moved to
kiss me and this time there was more hunger and less
shyness.
This man electrified me, and I could tell it was the
same for him, but what was I thinking? We had just
met, apart from our brief encounter at the awards, and
he was already kissing me as if we've been together
for months. I have clue what compelled me to do what I
did next, but thank God at least some part of my brain
was working while the rest was on sensory overdrive.
I pulled away from him and closed my eyes; if I looked
at him I knew he could easily talk me into throwing my
determination down the tubes.
"My place tomorrow night, eight o'clock, dinner."
Robert nodded and smiled understandingly. "I'll be
here."
I got out of the car and shut the door. Turning
around, I leaned down onto the open window and I asked
him to bring some wine.
"Red or white?"
"You pick."
"Both!" he called out as the car pulled out of it's
space.
I stood out there and waved until he disappeared
around the corner. Just then I heard a screech from
behind me. I didn't turn around fast enough to see Liz
hurl herself at me, knocking me to the ground.
"Holy shit! Was that who I think it was?" Liz
practically yelled as she continued to sit on my
stomach.
Shoving her off me and onto the ground I replied.
"Well, that depends on who you think it is. If you
think it was Robert Downey Jr. then you are totally
correct!"
"Oh my God! How the hell did you end up making out in
a car with the extremely fuckable Robert Downey Jr.?"
Helping Liz off the grass, I pulled her towards the
apartment building. "It's a long story that I'll
clarify later, but for now I need your help. He's
coming over tomorrow night for dinner."
Sitting in my apartment I explained to her the events
of my extremely unbelievable day and she was stunned
out of her leather Prada boots. She decided that we
were going to go shopping tomorrow so I would look
great for my important dinner. This was the first time
I can remember ever willingly agreeing with her, and I
had to admit as I lit the candles and gave myself a
once over, I did look good! I had on a spaghetti strap
little black dress from Vera Wang and matching heels,
with a strand of faux pearls.
I examined the room – candles were lit, music was
playing, the table was set, and Liz was still sitting
on the couch!
"Liz! It's four minutes to eight! You have to leave,
like, now!" I knew I was over reacting but I think it
was justified in my current position.
Slowly standing and adjusting her skirt, Liz replied.
"Shit Katie, you are totally spazzing out. He's a man
therefore it's his nature to be late, everything will
be fine."
"Are you sure? I mean, what if he doesn't like my
pasta? Or what if he thinks this is all too romantic
or…" My breathing started to become irregular and
that's when I finally realized how scared I was about
this. A multi-award winning actor was coming over to
my apartment and would be here any minute. I was
utterly unprepared for it emotionally.
"Kat, you'll be fine. But, if I don't leave right now,
I'm going to miss Nathan's call." Liz hugged me and
then went out the door and down the hall toward the
elevator.
At eight exactly the buzzer rang and I switched on the
intercom as if I didn't know that the object of
hundreds of women's fantasies waited downstairs for me
to let him in. "Yes?"
"Ma'am? I've got a delivery here for Katherine Crain;
wine, roses and an actor?"
I switched it back on and said, "Come on up, I've been
waiting."
~~~~~~~~~
Pushing the button for the ground floor, I waited.
God, did Katie realize what was going to happen? She
was having dinner with a super hot actor that would
probably end with some sex.
"If I wasn't so totally in love with the jack ass, I'd
dump Nathan and go after that yummy hunk of meat
myself." I mumbled as the elevator doors opened.
As always, I walked straight down the middle of the
hallway, head down digging in my purse for my car
keys. That is, I was doing everything as always until
I walked into something very large.
"God, watch where you're going you bas…" I chose that
moment to look up into a pair of brown eyes I'd know
anywhere. "Oh! I'm, uh, so sorry, I didn't mean…"
"You didn't mean what, calling me a bastard?" the look
of wholesome mirth on his face told me he was getting
a kick out of this, but the logical side of my mind
had shut down.
"You're, um, you're you!"
"Yes, I believe I do happen to be myself. And you
would be Elizabeth, right?"
Holy Jesus, Mary, Joseph and all the saints, he knew
my name! "Uh, yea, um, yes. I'm Liz." I'm sure I
looked like a total dork with the goofy grin I knew
was plastered to my face.
"Well, it's nice to meet you. I'm sure we'll see each
other again." With that, he headed down the hall to
the still open elevator door.
~~~~~~~~~
Although it took longer then I had expected, about
three minutes later there was a knock on the door. I
swung it open only to be greeted with a bouquet of
long stemmed roses, the promised red and white wines,
and of course, one very sexy actor.
He kissed me softly as I shut and locked the door,
then turned to take the bottles and set one to chill.
Robert smelled of aftershave and his hair was still a
little wet from a shower. He was wearing a light blue
collarless dress shirt, black pantsuit and matching
jacket. I wondered if I could even last through
dinner.
Pouring the wine, I questioned, "What took you so
long?"
"Your friend ran into me down in the hallway." He
chuckled, "Nice woman, easily flustered though."
"Yeah, that sounds like Liz."
As I came back from the kitchen with two glasses of
the red, he got up from the couch and met me halfway
across the room, accepting the glass I offered. I
moved towards the table where I had set out dinner
with him following and was about to sit down when he
seized my wrist and twisted me to face him. We shared
yet another one of those breathtaking kisses, then I
stopped him and questioned, "Dinner?"
I allowed a seductive smile to wash onto my face as he
leaned in, sucked on my lower lip, and then placed
small kisses along my throat. "It can wait," he
whispered.
"Next time I'll just order in some Chinese." I
commented referring to the angel hair pasta covered in
a broccoli and cheese sauce that was obviously going
to go cold.
A wide grin crossed his face. He swept me up into his
arms and literally carried me to the open door of my
bedroom, walked in and closed it with his foot.
~~~~ The End ~~~~
Author: Rebecca // webmisstress@downeydomain.com
Feedback: Pwease?!?!
URL: http://becca.downeydomain.com
Notes: Okay, this is my *FIRST* fic ever so
be kind! It's a RDJ/Other fic but since they don't
have a celebrity section I'm posting it here in Ally.
Enjoy!!
This was horribly boring. I had been at the Emmy
awards ceremony for almost 2 hours now, listening to
actors rattling off amazingly stupid patter and more
actors give startlingly dry and dreadfully tedious
speeches that I had stopped listening to about 40
minutes ago. I was beginning to get antsy, shifting
around in my seat and digging in my purse.
I was currently beginning to regret accepting the
ticket Elizabeth had offered me. Liz was an interior
designer who had done most of the decorating for the
awards. I, being her friend from way back and helper
for the week, had worked with seating charts and
floral arrangements - not to mention making backstage
a variable hotel suite. A couple nights ago while
setting up backstage as the crew went out for dinner,
she brought up the idea of me going with her.
~~~~~~~~~
"Well?"
"Well what, Liz?"
"God, your memory sucks. Do you want to come with me
to the awards? I have that extra ticket since Nathan
decided he needed 'space' this week. Besides, we're
buds, I want you to walk down the red carpet with me."
I picked the last chunk of my beef and broccoli from
its little white box and glanced over at her. "It sure
sounds like a revenge plot to me. You know, the old
'sorry but I gave your ticket away already' trick."
Liz gave me a death stare worthy of any actress
nominated for the event we were discussing, and
sighed. "No you dork, I just want you to go. You know,
my best friend and temporary assistant, to join me.
It'll be a great time Katie. We could go shopping for
a dress for you, maybe a few odds and ends like shoes
and a new purse…"
Her words trailed off as she looked me up and down
appraisingly. My wardrobe happened to be the bane of
her existence. She was constantly trying to get me to
go shopping with her for more refined clothes which,
according to her, would showcase my looks and convey
my outgoing nature. Of course I thought this was the
biggest pile of crap I'd scene since the first
Jurassic Park movie. I was a web page designer who
specialized in e-commerce. I never felt the need to
buy up-to-the-minute clothes just to wear them around
the house since that was my workplace.
The only time I ever saw the inside of an employer's
building was when I would dress-up and run in for a
personal meeting. That was only twice a month at most
though since the phone and video conferencing worked
pretty well. Working out of my apartment was a good
deal for me, so naturally I was seldom out of my
neighborhood any more then once or twice a week. My
assumption was; why buy new, stylish clothes when all
they'd do was hang in my closet taking up space and
using up what little was left in my savings account –
I did have that new sleigh bed to save up for. To me,
Liz's complaints held no merit.
"Babe, I don't have a clue what you're talking about.
I'm sure I can find something at home." I saw the look
of pain cross her face out of the corner of my eye as
she visualized me showing up in an outdated pleated
black skirt and a blue sweater set. Maybe I had baited
her enough. "Okay, you win, I'll go to the awards.
I'll even get a new dress, but you have to pay for
half of it."
She exuded pure delight. Finally, her ugly duckling
would wear Gucci and Prada! Liz gave me the ticket and
we made shopping plans for the next day.
To keep the nightmare short, I will just say that we
were at almost eight different stores and I had three
sales women in tears before we came upon a dark blue
silk gown.
The agitated attendant considered it "Understated yet
elegant. It's as close as you're going to get to what
you're asking for without pilfering a dress from Julia
Robert's closet."
It was also eight hundred dollars; thank God Liz was
paying for half of it. If not, I would have had to
wave good-bye to my sleigh bed.
So that was the story behind how I came to be seated
here at the Shrine amidst a variable ocean of stars. I
was practically gaping, was that Calista Flockhart?
Could that possibly be the back of Mel Gibson's head?
I was feeling so important in my new dress with my
exquisite, styled hair curled and pulled atop my head.
The jewelry Liz had loaned me gave me the feeling of
being a princess, not the mention how tall and
graceful these shoes made me. But regrettably, the
warm glow of my new outfit only lasted through the
first half hour, then I began to squirm and wilt. I
felt the need to get up and run away as fast as
possible in these shoes from the camera man in the
isle who kept looking down my dress with every pass.
Suddenly I heard a soft nose from somewhere behind me,
and as I turned my head to see what had happened, a
small silver missile hit me in the cheek and fell in
my lap. I shook my head and picked up the object. It
was a piece of chewed gum balled up inside its
wrapper!
Looking around the auditorium I searched out who could
have launched it. There were practically no kids in
the room, most having either fallen asleep or been
taken home by their parents.
Then I saw my bomber.
He was sitting two rows behind me and about nine seats
to my left. We locked eyes, and then I realized it was
Robert Downey Jr.
Now don't get me wrong, I'm not stupid. I mean sure I
watch Ally McBeal, and I saw Two Girls and a Guy once
with a friend of mine who had an obsession with
Heather Graham. I knew who he was and I was adequately
awed, but I was still taken a back from the fact he
threw something at me.
"Are you ok?" he mouthed the words behind a hand. I
nodded in response and held up the trophy. He smirked
and made a football goal with his hands.
"You want this?" I mouthed, waving the chunk of wax
paper and gum. He nodded and repeated the gesture. I
pulled back and was about to release it when the award
for some best supporting actor thing was given to him,
and the announcer called his name. Our contact
shattered and I watched and clapped as he walked up to
take his award.
During his acceptance speech, I could see him looking
out over the crowd as if in search of someone. It
couldn't be me, could it? I waved my right hand a
little and he saw me and smiled in my direction.
For whatever reason, Liz decided to leave at that
exact moment – I think the camera man was getting to
her, too. Slipping my shoes back on and slinking to
the back of the auditorium, I was moderately certain
that my chance encounter with the actor was through.
Little did I know what was to come.
~~~~~~~~~
This can't be happening! I was wondering around Pom
Pom Furniture in a complete rage. I knew when I
started shopping here that most pieces were one of a
kind. I also realized that celebrities shopped here, I
did after all hear about the store on the E! network.
But I had never counted on this!
"Are you all right or do you always walk around stores
muttering to yourself?" came a voice from behind me.
I whirled around to see my gum bomber himself standing
only two feet away from me, a smile on his lips that
was so charismatic it made me want to push him down
onto the nearest couch and take advantage of him.
"Oh! Hi, it's you," I babbled as he inched closer, "Do
you remember me?"
Another grin crossed his face as he answered, "Yes, I
suppose I do. You're the woman I smacked with the gum,
right?"
I replied as he had with a slight blush on my cheeks,
and I would have gotten him back if the presenter
hadn't saved him by calling his name.
"I suppose I'm just lucky."
"Did you know it was me, from the awards, when you
spoke to me just now?" I inquired, my resentment over
the bed beginning to fade.
"Not really. I just saw someone who was walking around
a pretty trendy furniture store muttering to
them-selves, seemingly very irritated. Thought you
might need some help."
I attempted to smile. "Well, they sold the bed I had
been saving up for to Kate Hudson or something. Just
irked me a little."
"Oh really? That's horrible Miss, I'm sorry, I don't
think I caught your name."
"Probably because I never said it. I'm Katherine,
Katherine Crain."
We shook hands as he replied to me, "Well Katherine,
would you like to get some lunch? I'm starving, and I
know a spot not to far from here that's got a great
lunch menu. I'll pay." He smiled again and I had to
repress the strong urge once again to push him down
onto that couch.
"Oh, free lunch with an award winning actor? Lead on
Mr. Downey."
~~~~~~~~~
We were sitting in a charming booth out of the way. He
suggested I try their house burger; apparently, the
fries that came with it were incredible. When the
waiter left with our orders, he deemed it time to
strike up a conversation. "So, tell me about
yourself."
"Well, I'm twenty-three, from Minnesota. I graduated
from the U of M just over a year ago in graphic design
and now I live out here and design those web pages
that every studio has for movies now."
"Anything else?" he asked with a curious look.
"Such as?"
"Are you married, single. A hermit, nun, any pets,
siblings, stuff like that."
"Oh, well, I'm not seeing anyone right now. I don't go
out much, but I wouldn't consider myself a hermit, per
say. I went to Catholic school growing up so nuns
scare me, I have a dog and am an only child. Now your
turn."
~~~~~~~~~
We chatted long into the afternoon, almost past five
or so, until the waiter asked us to leave so they
could get ready for the dinner crowd. He offered to
drive me home and I happily accepted. I had taken the
bus here so I had no other way of getting back.
We pulled up and I noticed a light on in my apartment,
meaning Liz had stopped over. As I was exiting the
car, he grabbed onto my arm and pulled me back down.
"Would it be possible to see you again sometime?"
Once again, I was in total shock. He wanted to see me
again? "Um, sure, when?"
"How about tomorrow?"
"I'd enjoy that." I said with what I hoped was a
flirty smile.
"I'll stop by around eight?"
"That sounds great, I'll make dinner."
I sensed there was something else he wanted to say, so
I stayed in the passenger side seat waiting for him to
continue. I started to feel self-conscious as I
realized he was staring at me, maybe I had read him
wrong and he was waiting for me to leave.
"Katie."
I turned towards him and was about to answer "what?"
when he caught me full on the lips. It was a timid
kiss, he seemed to be testing the waters. I could feel
the goose bumps start the rise on my skin; his lips
were so warm and oh so very soft. As he pulled back
away from me, my mind was reeling. As I opened my
eyes, which I hadn't realized I had even closed, I
gazed into his deep brown eyes.
When he finally broke the silence, he spoke in a soft
husky tone. "Katie, I lied before when I told you I
didn't mean to hit you at the awards. I had been
trying to get your attention all night long. I thought
you were beautiful and I wanted to meet you. I'd waved
and tried a bunch of stuff, but the only place that
got me was a couple guys thinking I was insane. But I
had to do something to get you to notice me." He had a
soft smile playing his lips and a dreamy look in his
eyes as he recalled the night last week. "So I spit my
gum into it's wrapped and tossed it at you."
"Not very romantic or sanitary, but it worked, didn't
it?" I placed the hand I was using for balance against
his cheek. He instinctively placed his over mine,
securing my palm onto his face. I was extremely
tempted to do something about both of our apparent
desires, but held off. After all, the top on his car
was down and, knowing Liz, she was peeking through the
curtains. He was gazing at me in a hesitant sort of
way.
"I've never been so drawn to stranger before. I have
no idea how I found you again and I feel more then a
little frightened about it all."
"Why?" I asked him, our noses almost touching as my
eyes wondered over his face, taking in the mask mixed
emotions.
"I've always been in control of relationships, until I
get close enough to the woman. And both times that's
happened I've gotten hurt. You totally floored me and
I don't have a clue as to why." He once again moved to
kiss me and this time there was more hunger and less
shyness.
This man electrified me, and I could tell it was the
same for him, but what was I thinking? We had just
met, apart from our brief encounter at the awards, and
he was already kissing me as if we've been together
for months. I have clue what compelled me to do what I
did next, but thank God at least some part of my brain
was working while the rest was on sensory overdrive.
I pulled away from him and closed my eyes; if I looked
at him I knew he could easily talk me into throwing my
determination down the tubes.
"My place tomorrow night, eight o'clock, dinner."
Robert nodded and smiled understandingly. "I'll be
here."
I got out of the car and shut the door. Turning
around, I leaned down onto the open window and I asked
him to bring some wine.
"Red or white?"
"You pick."
"Both!" he called out as the car pulled out of it's
space.
I stood out there and waved until he disappeared
around the corner. Just then I heard a screech from
behind me. I didn't turn around fast enough to see Liz
hurl herself at me, knocking me to the ground.
"Holy shit! Was that who I think it was?" Liz
practically yelled as she continued to sit on my
stomach.
Shoving her off me and onto the ground I replied.
"Well, that depends on who you think it is. If you
think it was Robert Downey Jr. then you are totally
correct!"
"Oh my God! How the hell did you end up making out in
a car with the extremely fuckable Robert Downey Jr.?"
Helping Liz off the grass, I pulled her towards the
apartment building. "It's a long story that I'll
clarify later, but for now I need your help. He's
coming over tomorrow night for dinner."
Sitting in my apartment I explained to her the events
of my extremely unbelievable day and she was stunned
out of her leather Prada boots. She decided that we
were going to go shopping tomorrow so I would look
great for my important dinner. This was the first time
I can remember ever willingly agreeing with her, and I
had to admit as I lit the candles and gave myself a
once over, I did look good! I had on a spaghetti strap
little black dress from Vera Wang and matching heels,
with a strand of faux pearls.
I examined the room – candles were lit, music was
playing, the table was set, and Liz was still sitting
on the couch!
"Liz! It's four minutes to eight! You have to leave,
like, now!" I knew I was over reacting but I think it
was justified in my current position.
Slowly standing and adjusting her skirt, Liz replied.
"Shit Katie, you are totally spazzing out. He's a man
therefore it's his nature to be late, everything will
be fine."
"Are you sure? I mean, what if he doesn't like my
pasta? Or what if he thinks this is all too romantic
or…" My breathing started to become irregular and
that's when I finally realized how scared I was about
this. A multi-award winning actor was coming over to
my apartment and would be here any minute. I was
utterly unprepared for it emotionally.
"Kat, you'll be fine. But, if I don't leave right now,
I'm going to miss Nathan's call." Liz hugged me and
then went out the door and down the hall toward the
elevator.
At eight exactly the buzzer rang and I switched on the
intercom as if I didn't know that the object of
hundreds of women's fantasies waited downstairs for me
to let him in. "Yes?"
"Ma'am? I've got a delivery here for Katherine Crain;
wine, roses and an actor?"
I switched it back on and said, "Come on up, I've been
waiting."
~~~~~~~~~
Pushing the button for the ground floor, I waited.
God, did Katie realize what was going to happen? She
was having dinner with a super hot actor that would
probably end with some sex.
"If I wasn't so totally in love with the jack ass, I'd
dump Nathan and go after that yummy hunk of meat
myself." I mumbled as the elevator doors opened.
As always, I walked straight down the middle of the
hallway, head down digging in my purse for my car
keys. That is, I was doing everything as always until
I walked into something very large.
"God, watch where you're going you bas…" I chose that
moment to look up into a pair of brown eyes I'd know
anywhere. "Oh! I'm, uh, so sorry, I didn't mean…"
"You didn't mean what, calling me a bastard?" the look
of wholesome mirth on his face told me he was getting
a kick out of this, but the logical side of my mind
had shut down.
"You're, um, you're you!"
"Yes, I believe I do happen to be myself. And you
would be Elizabeth, right?"
Holy Jesus, Mary, Joseph and all the saints, he knew
my name! "Uh, yea, um, yes. I'm Liz." I'm sure I
looked like a total dork with the goofy grin I knew
was plastered to my face.
"Well, it's nice to meet you. I'm sure we'll see each
other again." With that, he headed down the hall to
the still open elevator door.
~~~~~~~~~
Although it took longer then I had expected, about
three minutes later there was a knock on the door. I
swung it open only to be greeted with a bouquet of
long stemmed roses, the promised red and white wines,
and of course, one very sexy actor.
He kissed me softly as I shut and locked the door,
then turned to take the bottles and set one to chill.
Robert smelled of aftershave and his hair was still a
little wet from a shower. He was wearing a light blue
collarless dress shirt, black pantsuit and matching
jacket. I wondered if I could even last through
dinner.
Pouring the wine, I questioned, "What took you so
long?"
"Your friend ran into me down in the hallway." He
chuckled, "Nice woman, easily flustered though."
"Yeah, that sounds like Liz."
As I came back from the kitchen with two glasses of
the red, he got up from the couch and met me halfway
across the room, accepting the glass I offered. I
moved towards the table where I had set out dinner
with him following and was about to sit down when he
seized my wrist and twisted me to face him. We shared
yet another one of those breathtaking kisses, then I
stopped him and questioned, "Dinner?"
I allowed a seductive smile to wash onto my face as he
leaned in, sucked on my lower lip, and then placed
small kisses along my throat. "It can wait," he
whispered.
"Next time I'll just order in some Chinese." I
commented referring to the angel hair pasta covered in
a broccoli and cheese sauce that was obviously going
to go cold.
A wide grin crossed his face. He swept me up into his
arms and literally carried me to the open door of my
bedroom, walked in and closed it with his foot.
~~~~ The End ~~~~