The next day we spent nursing Aiden's hangover. It was funny to me how quickly we reverted back to our college days when we would nurse our hangovers with tubs of ice cream and bottles of aspirin. I didn't need the aspirin as much as Aiden did, but I did participate in emptying two tubs of ice cream with her.
We didn't talk about Danny. I was still feeling conflicted about the whole thing and talking about it usually makes it worse for me. I was pretty sure I'd see him again anyway, and there was no use in agonizing over things before anything had actually happened.
Monday morning I drove Aiden to work and hit the streets of New York to do some serious shopping. We met up for lunch at a little café and sat outside on the patio. We ordered and I kept avoiding the glare Aiden was giving me.
"So?" she finally asked.
"So what?"
"Aren't you going to ask me if he talked about you?" I could tell it was eating her up and quite frankly, I was enjoying it.
"No."
"What? Why not?"
"Because I don't want to know."
"You do too, you're just being difficult."
"God, Aiden, I feel like I'm in high school."
"Come on, play along!"
I sighed. I knew I could only ignore my own curiosity for so long. "Fine. I'll play. Did he talk about me?" I asked grudgingly.
"Yes!"
"Well, that's nice."
"Arrggh!" Aiden growled at me.
"Fine, fine! All I want to know is if he thought I was a good kisser."
Her face burst into a huge smile. "Did he ever!"
The way she said that made me uncomfortable. "Don't tell me he does details," I said.
She laughed. "No, just got this goofy grin on his face every time I mentioned your name."
"And that means he thinks I'm a good kisser?"
"Sure it does."
"You are so weird."
"Precisely why you love me so much."
I shook my head. "Okay, did he actually 'say' anything about me or did he just grin goofily the whole day?"
"No, he said stuff."
"Like what?"
"Like, 'Your friend's car is really hot,' which is obviously a guy way of saying that you're hot."
"Mm-hmm. I see. You've forgot that guys function at the lowest common denominator, haven't you? If he said my car's hot, he probably just means my car is hot."
"You know, I think this break up with Jake has made you really bitter."
"Oh, you're just getting that now?"
"Stop being a bitch."
"Sorry." She was right of course. I was acting more bitter than usual. I had no interest in pretending to be a teenybopper anymore. I know she wanted me to get all worked up about this, but I just couldn't. I mean, he was a gorgeous, interesting guy who was a good kisser, but I just couldn't…trust him, I guess. Better to set myself up for another heartbreak than get all excited over something that's not even happening yet.
"Was that all he said?" asked, trying to placate my friend.
She sighed, forced to admit that maybe my way was better. "Pretty much. I was pretty ripped off. I tried so hard to weasel things out of him but nothing worked."
"Good," I said. This information actually improved my mood a little.
"Why?"
"Because it means he didn't lie to me."
"What do you mean?" she wanted to know.
I just smiled. Maybe he really did like me after all. "Nothing. Just a joke we had going the other day. You had to be there."
She narrowed her eyes at me. I knew she didn't believe me, but I was glad she decided not to push it. I changed the subject and we managed to avoid talking about Danny for the rest of our meal.
After lunch, Aiden insisted that I come back with her to the lab. "We just moved to new digs – it's so cool, you have to see it," she told me.
I didn't buy it, but I agreed.
The labs were nearly on the top floor of a stunning all-glass building. I liked it. I totally could have worked there.
CSI had hardly moved in – there were boxes everywhere and I could see that many of the techs were stressed over not being able to find anything. I saw Mac giving a few of them instructions and I couldn't help but grin. He looked very Marine-like. He saw me and gave me a nod and a smile. I gave him a small salute and saw him chuckle, acknowledging my gentle mocking.
Aiden gave me the grand tour and I couldn't help but think of her as a kid showing off their classroom to a parent.
Naturally, the last room she took me to happened to be where Danny was working. He had his glasses on his forehead and he was peering into a microscope. He looked up when we walked through the door, smirk firmly in place.
"How was lunch, ladies?" he asked in his thick New York accent. He replaced his glasses and peeled off his rubber gloves.
"It was good. We had panini," Aiden told him, peering in the microscope herself. "Is this dog hair?" she asked.
"Cocker spaniel," he said.
Aiden chuckled. "Now how did that get there?"
"Don't know. Have to ask Mr. Jameson that," he said. I had no idea what they were talking about, so I just stood in the doorway feeling like an idiot.
"Have you eaten yet?" Aiden asked him.
"No, I was kinda hoping I could convince Siobhan to go for lunch with me too," he said.
"Sure – just don't expect me to eat anything else."
"Nah, I'd never expect anything from you," he said, unbuttoning his white lab coat. My mind slipped to very dirty places and I had to scramble to try to regain control of my recently overactive libido.
"Ah, you're just sucking up so I'll take you for another ride in my car," I said as coolly as I could manage.
He gave me a mischievous smile and a shake of his head. "I lost interest in the car a while ago," he said.
Aiden's eyebrows shot straight up. That was what she'd been fishing for all day. I felt an instant rush of blood to the head and gripped a nearby table to prevent my knees from giving out.
"Shall we?" he asked me, offering the crook of his arm. I took it, inhaling his cologne. I glanced over my shoulder and rolled my eyes at Aiden who was giving me the thumbs up.
Danny and I walked to Central Park, where he bought a hot dog and a can of cola.
"Watch me get mustard all over myself now," he joked. "That'll make you want me more."
I laughed as he made a big show out of eating the hot dog as carefully as he could. I was holding his drink so I took a sip from it. I was feeling kind of nervous and giddy.
"You're not sick, are you?" he asked me. "Cuz Mac'll kill me if I get sick."
I raised an eyebrow at him. "You didn't seem too concerned about that the other night."
He swallowed the last of his hot dog, wiped his mouth and leaned in and kissed me before taking the can from me.
"Kissing eliminates germs," he explained.
I licked my lips. "Is that so?" I asked, trying to prevent my voice from wavering.
He just nodded and took a long drink from the cola. "Had you wanted any more?" he asked, offering me the can.
I shook my head. "No, thanks."
We found a path and started walking through the park. "So, are you enjoying your vacation so far?" he eventually asked.
"Yeah. Got to spend some girl time with my best friend, sang karaoke, made out with a hot guy, did some shopping – it's been good."
He laughed and put an arm around my shoulder. My first reaction was that I shouldn't let him do that. Jake would get mad. And then I thought – enough about stupid Jake already.
"Well, I feel it's my duty to help you in the healing process of getting over what's-his-nuts."
"Your duty, huh? Is that what this is all about?"
"It's a tough job, but someone's gotta do it," he teased me.
"Ah-ha. Well at least give me something about yourself so that I won't feel like a jerk at the end of all this."
"What, me being hot isn't enough?"
"I have too big a guilt complex – I need to feel like I'm giving back something to this…whatever this is."
"You don't have to give anything back. I'm pretty satisfied with what I've got so far."
"Yes I do."
"Why?"
"Because I like you."
He smiled at me and we sat down on a park bench. "You want me to give you the whole vulnerable thing so you at least feel like you know me before I convince you to sleep with me?"
I nodded. "Yeah, pretty much."
"Eh, that's not really my shtick."
"Yeah, right. I bet you pull the 'tortured soul' card on all your conquests."
"Okay, okay. I do yank that one out once in a while. I just don't think I could in this case."
"Why not?"
"Because you're asking me for it."
"So?"
"So you're just too – honest and, I don't know. It would feel forced at this point."
"You're telling me you're content to be my gigolo for the rest of my vacation here?"
"Pretty much, yeah."
"And here I thought you liked me."
He threw his head back and laughed. "God, you're fun. I mean, Aiden told me you were a riot, but really – I just love this."
I rolled my eyes. "I'm glad I amuse you."
"Oh, what's this?" he asked, taking my chin in his hand, forcing me to look at him. "Are you pouting?"
I pulled my head away from him. "No."
"Yes, you are," he said, squeezing my side, tickling me.
"Ah!" I squealed, and was instantly embarrassed. "I am not!"
"Yes, you are," he said, stealing a kiss from me. "But you shouldn't."
"Why not?"
"Because it makes me want to make out with you."
I licked my lips and stole my kiss back. "How do you know that's not what I want?"
"If that's what you want, you should've just said so," he said, grinning and kissing me to within what felt like an inch of my life. I had to pull away from him at one point because I was afraid I might just take him right there in the park.
"Couldn't we get arrested for this?" I said, breathless.
"What?"
"Public lewdness."
"Nah, it's okay. I was flashing my badge around the whole time," he told me, kissing my neck.
"Don't you have to get back to work?" I asked, trying to think of any excuse to save whatever remaining dignity I had left.
He gave me a coy look. "Now I'm making you uncomfortable?"
"I do have some interesting quirks, but exhibitionism isn't one of them," I laughed.
"Fair enough," he said, helping me up off the bench. "Will you let me take you for dinner so that I can inquire more into these 'interesting quirks' of yours?"
"Maybe," I told him. "But if you're supposed to be my gigolo, does that mean I have to pay for everything?"
He chuckled. "I'll tell you what; I promise I'll tell you more about me to alleviate your guilt if you promise you'll stop thinking so much."
I gave him a grudging smile. "Fine, it's a deal."
"Excellent. Walk me back to work?"
We strolled back through the park and into the brilliant glass building. We were halfway up to the CSI labs when he pushed the elevator's stop button and me up against one of the walls.
"You're terrible," I murmured against his mouth.
"I can't help it – you're way too sexy for your own good," he murmured back.
This raw, naked aggression was almost more than I could handle. I had never met a guy who could get me worked up so completely and so fast before. My senses were utterly overloaded and it was all I could do to keep myself from ravishing him right then and there.
"Say my name," he whispered.
"Danny," I managed, with much less hesitation than before.
He pulled away from me with a very evil grin and started the elevator again.
"You have a very bad habit of leaving me unsatisfied," I told him, trying to catch my breath.
"It's all part of the plan," he told me.
"Are you ever gonna let me in on that plan?" I asked, straightening my clothes.
"Eventually." The elevator door started to open on the CSI labs and he kissed me lightly before anyone could see us. "I'll call you about dinner," he said with a wink and a wave after he walked out.
"You better," I said as the doors closed on me again. I pressed the button for the lobby and sighed heavily as I tried to convince my hormones to stop raging.