Chapter 7
"Okay. . . so I don't think that you need me to paint here to be successful. The food itself will make this place famous. Joey smiled as she took another bite of her smoked salmon.
Pacey watched her, smiling, "I thought that I was the reason that it would be famous." He grinned.
"You? You're famous?" Joey's eyes sparkled as she joked with him.
Pacey nodded soberly, "That's what I'm told." He took a bite of his own food, an elaborate Bouillabaisse. The chefs at the restaurant were perfecting their fish dishes, so 'seafood was on the menu', as Pacey had told Joey earlier. "So, you said something earlier about a nephew, so obviously you have a sister. . .brother. . .?" He prompted.
Joey smiled at him ahs she swallowed a sip of her ice water. "A sister. She has two kids, a ten year old boy, Alex, and a 4 year old girl, Jenna, with one on the way. She and her husband, Bodie live in California."
"Give her my congratulations on the new arrival."
She smiled, and shook her head, trying to imagine what her sister would say if she knew that she was being discussed with Pacey Witter.
"What?"
Joey laughed lightly, "Nothing, it's just that Bessie, She's a. . ." She searched for a word broad enough to encompass her sisters. . ..feelings towards him.
"A. . .a fan?" Pacey shook his head, too, trying to figure out what Joey was trying to say.
"Fan is too small a word. . . Obsession is too small a word." She laughed again.
"Ah." Pacey smiled in understanding.
"Yea. . . She'd probably die right now if she knew that I was talking about her to you."
"So, what about the rest of your family?"
Joey looked up at him as he said it, pain and panic flickering in her eyes.
"Are you okay?" Pacey asked, sensing, more that seeing her distress.
"Uh, Yea. It's just. . ." Joey shook her head, unable to think of what to say.
"I'm sorry, I asked about your family and. . . You really don't need to answer."
Joey shook her head self-consciously, "It's okay. Uh, my mom died, when I was twelve from breast cancer, and. . . My dad is currently on parole. I don't really talk to him much."
Pacey nodded, reaching over and clasping her hand in his, "I'm sorry about your mother. It must have been horrible."
She nodded soberly, a sad smile flirting with her lips, "It was. But, I had Bessie, she was amazing. I don't know what I would have dome without her."
"I'm glad that she was there for you."
Joey smiled at him, "So, what about you? Your family?"
"Well. . . I have three sisters, and a brother. All older than me. I was the runt of the pack." He smiled and shook his head as he saw Joeys look of disbelief as her eyes raked what she could see of his body. "My father was the Chief of Police up until two years ago when he retired. My mother, a stay at home mom, then when I moved out, she started to work at the bank that she worked at before she got married." He paused to sip at his ice water, "My brother, Doug, is now the Police Chief, he's married. My sisters are Happily Married with kids, and my youngest sister, Gretchen, who is only three years older than me was recently married, and is pregnant with her second child. She also admires your work." Pacey smiled.
"Tell her that I'm glad she likes my work, and that I say congratulations on the new arrival." She smiled as she echoed his earlier words.
"I will." Pacey paused and watched Joey for a moment as she took a small bite of her salmon.
Joey looked up at him, sensing his gaze, she swallowed, "What?"
He shook his head, and smiled softy in response, "Nothing." Again, he paused, "Go out with me."
She raised an autocratic eyebrow, "Was that a statement, or a question?"
Pacey tilted his head, "A question?"
Joey smiled, "Good answer."
"What would have happened if it was a statement?"
She grinned, "You would have had to work much harder for me to say yes, of course."
"So you'll come to dinner with me? As in a date dinner. Because we did the whole 'dinner meeting' thing last night--"
"And look how well that turned out." Joey broke in with a smile. "Are you nervous, Pacey?"
"Uhh, a bit."
"Why?" She was honestly puzzled.
"Because, this time, you could have easily said no."
*~**~*~**~*
"This place is amazing."
"So, are you inspired?"
"Inspired? I'm so far past 'inspired', that I'm almost at euphoric." Joey looked around the room, and grinned.
Pacey studied her face, noting the smile, and the way her eyes danced while scanning every inch of the walls, and ceiling. "So, what do you see for this room?"
"A forest."
He frowned, looking at the bare white walls, "A forest?"
Joey looked his slightly puzzled frown and shook her head, smiling. "Evergreen walls," she began to explain. "With paintings of the deep forests, dark, with a lot of greens, and rich browns. . .very earthy. Maybe a few live plants in the corners. And where the walls meet, a simple line of a rich copper-gold. With the same color vines in the top corners."
Pacey squinted, attempting to visualize as clearly as she did, her description. He shook his head, "It sounds amazing."
Grinning impishly, she replied, "And it'll look amazing, too." She took out a pen that she had stuck in her hair, and started scribbling on a blank piece of paper.
After another hour of touring, squinting, and scribbling, Pacey looked at his watch. "Damn, I have a meeting with my agent in an hour. Do you need more time here?" He looked at Joey and she shook her head, and closed her notebook, shoving it into her purse.
"No, I saw what I needed to. And have the basic color schemes written down for each room. We can go over the bathrooms later, although, I think it would be best if you do a basic black and white thing in there. Since I did peek into them earlier, I saw the checkered tiles, white counters and the black sinks with the silver faucets, I think that's what would go on anyway. So it would be black wall, and maybe a bit of silver and white drawings on the walls. . ." She shook her head, and grimaced, "Sorry, details later."
"That sounded perfect, actually."
"Well, of course it sounded perfect. Nothing I do isn't perfect." She grinned at him, and stuck her tongue out.
He narrowed his eyes, and grabbed her around the waist, pulling her to him. She gasped, and the hand that was holding her mammoth purse went lax, sending the purple cow print to the floor. "Don't stick out that tongue unless you plan on using it." He growled, his mouth hovering over her.
Looking at him through lowered lashes, and purple hair that had somehow come out of her messy bun, she bit her lip, "Who says that I don't?" She grinned recklessly up at him, and pushed herself up to nip playfully at his lips. Feeling his silent groan against her lips, she traced the seam of his lips with the tip of her tongue before boldly plunging it onto the dark recess of his mouth.
Pressing herself closer to him, she felt the strength and passion radiate from him in equal measures, as he crushed her to him, and responded to her kiss hotly. His tongue dueled with hers, both fighting for dominance, both not wanting to back down to the other.
After a moment, Joey pulled away, gasping. Pacey trailed kisses over her neck, and paused at the pulse point at the base of her throat. She sighed, and shook her head, attempting to clear the fog that was invading her brain. "Pacey." She gasped out when he lightly nipped at where her neck met her shoulder. "Mmm. . . Pace." She heard him mumble something into her neck, "Pace. . . you need to get ready for your meeting."
Reluctantly, Pacey pulled his head back, and she almost burst out laughing at the childish pout that had taken residence on his face. She moved up slightly, and kissed him softly. "It's not the end of the world."
Pacey grumbled good naturedly, and let go of her waist. "Okay, and I'll tell you now, that the only reason that I'm letting you go right now, is that, if I miss one more appointment with Rick, he'll have my head."
"And it's such a pretty head, too." She laughed, and lightly side stepped him when he went to grab her again. She blithely bent down to retrieve her purse from the floor, and sprinted out of the room, still laughing.
*~**~*~**~*
Thanks for reading this far, Please, tell me what you think!
~Jayde
"Okay. . . so I don't think that you need me to paint here to be successful. The food itself will make this place famous. Joey smiled as she took another bite of her smoked salmon.
Pacey watched her, smiling, "I thought that I was the reason that it would be famous." He grinned.
"You? You're famous?" Joey's eyes sparkled as she joked with him.
Pacey nodded soberly, "That's what I'm told." He took a bite of his own food, an elaborate Bouillabaisse. The chefs at the restaurant were perfecting their fish dishes, so 'seafood was on the menu', as Pacey had told Joey earlier. "So, you said something earlier about a nephew, so obviously you have a sister. . .brother. . .?" He prompted.
Joey smiled at him ahs she swallowed a sip of her ice water. "A sister. She has two kids, a ten year old boy, Alex, and a 4 year old girl, Jenna, with one on the way. She and her husband, Bodie live in California."
"Give her my congratulations on the new arrival."
She smiled, and shook her head, trying to imagine what her sister would say if she knew that she was being discussed with Pacey Witter.
"What?"
Joey laughed lightly, "Nothing, it's just that Bessie, She's a. . ." She searched for a word broad enough to encompass her sisters. . ..feelings towards him.
"A. . .a fan?" Pacey shook his head, too, trying to figure out what Joey was trying to say.
"Fan is too small a word. . . Obsession is too small a word." She laughed again.
"Ah." Pacey smiled in understanding.
"Yea. . . She'd probably die right now if she knew that I was talking about her to you."
"So, what about the rest of your family?"
Joey looked up at him as he said it, pain and panic flickering in her eyes.
"Are you okay?" Pacey asked, sensing, more that seeing her distress.
"Uh, Yea. It's just. . ." Joey shook her head, unable to think of what to say.
"I'm sorry, I asked about your family and. . . You really don't need to answer."
Joey shook her head self-consciously, "It's okay. Uh, my mom died, when I was twelve from breast cancer, and. . . My dad is currently on parole. I don't really talk to him much."
Pacey nodded, reaching over and clasping her hand in his, "I'm sorry about your mother. It must have been horrible."
She nodded soberly, a sad smile flirting with her lips, "It was. But, I had Bessie, she was amazing. I don't know what I would have dome without her."
"I'm glad that she was there for you."
Joey smiled at him, "So, what about you? Your family?"
"Well. . . I have three sisters, and a brother. All older than me. I was the runt of the pack." He smiled and shook his head as he saw Joeys look of disbelief as her eyes raked what she could see of his body. "My father was the Chief of Police up until two years ago when he retired. My mother, a stay at home mom, then when I moved out, she started to work at the bank that she worked at before she got married." He paused to sip at his ice water, "My brother, Doug, is now the Police Chief, he's married. My sisters are Happily Married with kids, and my youngest sister, Gretchen, who is only three years older than me was recently married, and is pregnant with her second child. She also admires your work." Pacey smiled.
"Tell her that I'm glad she likes my work, and that I say congratulations on the new arrival." She smiled as she echoed his earlier words.
"I will." Pacey paused and watched Joey for a moment as she took a small bite of her salmon.
Joey looked up at him, sensing his gaze, she swallowed, "What?"
He shook his head, and smiled softy in response, "Nothing." Again, he paused, "Go out with me."
She raised an autocratic eyebrow, "Was that a statement, or a question?"
Pacey tilted his head, "A question?"
Joey smiled, "Good answer."
"What would have happened if it was a statement?"
She grinned, "You would have had to work much harder for me to say yes, of course."
"So you'll come to dinner with me? As in a date dinner. Because we did the whole 'dinner meeting' thing last night--"
"And look how well that turned out." Joey broke in with a smile. "Are you nervous, Pacey?"
"Uhh, a bit."
"Why?" She was honestly puzzled.
"Because, this time, you could have easily said no."
*~**~*~**~*
"This place is amazing."
"So, are you inspired?"
"Inspired? I'm so far past 'inspired', that I'm almost at euphoric." Joey looked around the room, and grinned.
Pacey studied her face, noting the smile, and the way her eyes danced while scanning every inch of the walls, and ceiling. "So, what do you see for this room?"
"A forest."
He frowned, looking at the bare white walls, "A forest?"
Joey looked his slightly puzzled frown and shook her head, smiling. "Evergreen walls," she began to explain. "With paintings of the deep forests, dark, with a lot of greens, and rich browns. . .very earthy. Maybe a few live plants in the corners. And where the walls meet, a simple line of a rich copper-gold. With the same color vines in the top corners."
Pacey squinted, attempting to visualize as clearly as she did, her description. He shook his head, "It sounds amazing."
Grinning impishly, she replied, "And it'll look amazing, too." She took out a pen that she had stuck in her hair, and started scribbling on a blank piece of paper.
After another hour of touring, squinting, and scribbling, Pacey looked at his watch. "Damn, I have a meeting with my agent in an hour. Do you need more time here?" He looked at Joey and she shook her head, and closed her notebook, shoving it into her purse.
"No, I saw what I needed to. And have the basic color schemes written down for each room. We can go over the bathrooms later, although, I think it would be best if you do a basic black and white thing in there. Since I did peek into them earlier, I saw the checkered tiles, white counters and the black sinks with the silver faucets, I think that's what would go on anyway. So it would be black wall, and maybe a bit of silver and white drawings on the walls. . ." She shook her head, and grimaced, "Sorry, details later."
"That sounded perfect, actually."
"Well, of course it sounded perfect. Nothing I do isn't perfect." She grinned at him, and stuck her tongue out.
He narrowed his eyes, and grabbed her around the waist, pulling her to him. She gasped, and the hand that was holding her mammoth purse went lax, sending the purple cow print to the floor. "Don't stick out that tongue unless you plan on using it." He growled, his mouth hovering over her.
Looking at him through lowered lashes, and purple hair that had somehow come out of her messy bun, she bit her lip, "Who says that I don't?" She grinned recklessly up at him, and pushed herself up to nip playfully at his lips. Feeling his silent groan against her lips, she traced the seam of his lips with the tip of her tongue before boldly plunging it onto the dark recess of his mouth.
Pressing herself closer to him, she felt the strength and passion radiate from him in equal measures, as he crushed her to him, and responded to her kiss hotly. His tongue dueled with hers, both fighting for dominance, both not wanting to back down to the other.
After a moment, Joey pulled away, gasping. Pacey trailed kisses over her neck, and paused at the pulse point at the base of her throat. She sighed, and shook her head, attempting to clear the fog that was invading her brain. "Pacey." She gasped out when he lightly nipped at where her neck met her shoulder. "Mmm. . . Pace." She heard him mumble something into her neck, "Pace. . . you need to get ready for your meeting."
Reluctantly, Pacey pulled his head back, and she almost burst out laughing at the childish pout that had taken residence on his face. She moved up slightly, and kissed him softly. "It's not the end of the world."
Pacey grumbled good naturedly, and let go of her waist. "Okay, and I'll tell you now, that the only reason that I'm letting you go right now, is that, if I miss one more appointment with Rick, he'll have my head."
"And it's such a pretty head, too." She laughed, and lightly side stepped him when he went to grab her again. She blithely bent down to retrieve her purse from the floor, and sprinted out of the room, still laughing.
*~**~*~**~*
Thanks for reading this far, Please, tell me what you think!
~Jayde