Chapter 22

As it turned out, Jess didn't faint to the point of losing consciousness, just pitched forward as her watery legs gave out and caused her to half-fall, half-kneel. Fortunately before her knees could hit the pavement Stacy was at her side, gripping her right elbow in one hand and holding on to her belt with the other. "Ooops, you don't wanna do that. Up ya go," he urged as he helped pull her back to a standing position. Once she was (relatively) steadily on her feet again, he gingerly released his hold and stepped back a couple of feet. He's probably afraid I'm going to ralph on his shoes, Jess thought a bit drunkenly as she brought her hands to her spinning head. She realized Stacy was trying to talk to her. "Umm, sorry, what did you just say?" she asked him, trying not to slur.

"I was just wondering where you were going," Stacy repeated. "Do you live walking distance from here? Please don't tell me you were about to drive somewhere 'cause you're in no fit state," he cautioned. Jess caught the note of sincerity in his voice and was a bit touched, although the need to stay upright and not drool beat out more advanced abilities such as showing gratitude or making well-formed replies.

"I live uh…sorta walking distance from here," she explained. Wentzle was right, she mused, it is hard to think of things when you're stoned. Like your home address, for one. For a moment a new wave of panic brushed by her as she realized she wasn't entirely sure where her home was. In her confused state Red Dog's street looked a little like her best friend's street back in her old hometown and she started to think that her house was four blocks away to the east, but she knew that wasn't right, either.

It wasn't too dark for Stacy to see the obviously confused look on her face. His own features went from puzzlement to understanding as he realized he was talking to a girl who was very far from sober at the moment. He immediately went into chivalry mode: "Hey, can I give you a ride home? No offense but you look pretty wasted. You shouldn't be walking around here alone."

Jess almost shook her head to refuse, but had to admit that she'd be pretty stupid to turn down a genuine offer of help. And what the hell, I'm pretty sure I can trust him to get me home in one piece, she thought hopefully. "Yeah, that would be cool," she agreed.

"Ok, just let me go back to the party and tell some people goodbye…" Upon taking a closer look at Jess, Stacy reconsidered. "On second thought, forget 'em. I just got there anyway. Let's go." He guided her a little farther down the block to a cream-colored squareback Volvo. Jess thought it had curtains covering the back windows but couldn't be sure in the dim light. Stacy unlocked the passenger door for her and helped her in, then let himself into the driver's side and settled behind the wheel, digging out his keys and fumbling for the ignition. Jess realized she was sitting on something square and uncomfortable. Digging delicately beneath her backside, she pulled out a cassette tape box and squinted at it. She could sort of make out the words "Songs for Camille" on the label followed by a list of titles, all written in a slightly sloping and crabbed hand, but before she could read further Stacy noticed what she was doing. "Oh, I'll get that out of your way for you," he offered as he diplomatically took the little plastic box from her fingers and tossed it into the backseat. Before he started the car he turned to face Jess. "Hey, you do remember me, right?"

"Yeah, of course," she replied as smoothly as possible. "Led Zep and the Allmans. Sure, I remember." God, her head felt like one of those desk globes being endlessly spun by some bored little kid. Please let me sober up before I say or – god forbid – do something really stupid.

"Ok, good. Just makin' sure." Stacy cranked the ignition and reached for the stereo, his hand lingering over the power button as he looked at Jess again. "Music ok, or is that going to bother you?"

"Long as it's not opera or squeaky violins," Jess answered truthfully. Anything too high pitched would make her puke for sure. Stacy shot her a little grin and turned on the stereo. The mellow sounds of the Allman Brothers Live at the Fillmore East came gliding out of the speakers. "'zat ok?" he asked politely. Jess merely nodded her confirmation.

The Volvo remained at the curb. "Umm sorry, but where am I taking you?" Stacy queried patiently.

Jess had been sitting half-sagged against the doorframe, already losing herself in the music. At Stacy's question she sat up straighter. "Oh! Umm, let me think. I'm kinda turned around here, sorry."

Stacy gave an understanding chuckle. "It's cool, take your time. How 'bout you tell me where you live and I'll figure out how to get there?"

"Ok. You know this area pretty well?"

"Born and raised here," Stacy declared proudly. "So the street is…?" Jess told him the intersection. "Gotcha. Yeah, that's not too far to drive but I wouldn't want to walk it, at least not at night." He pulled away from the curb and headed north at the first intersection. As he drove Stacy took occasional glances at Jess, who had her eyes open but somewhat unfocused on the middle distance beyond the windshield. He idly wondered what she'd taken, but since she was acting gravely ill or on the verge of an overdose he wasn't overly worried. A thought did occur to him, though, as he turned onto Centinela: "Hey, not to be nosy, but do you live with anyone who might not be cool with you coming home…y'know…"

Jess laughed weakly. "All messed up?" It was a good question, actually. She glanced at her watch – 10:10. Damn, I was only there for just over an hour? Jess was amazed at how much had happened in such a short space of time – and how much she had consumed in that same short space. I really don't need to make a habit of that, she thought warily.

The lights of an all-night diner came into view. "Hey, you wanna stop and get something to eat? It might help," Stacy suggested.

Now that he mentioned it, Jess did feel a little hungry. She'd barely eaten all day, too excited about the party and seeing Wentzle to have much of an appetite. Wentzle…she shook her head angrily.

"So you don't wanna stop?" Stacy asked, disappointment in his voice.

"What? Oh, no! I mean yeah! I mean, sure, let's stop. Sorry, I was just thinking about…someone," she explained. Stacy quickly made a left into the restaurant parking lot and pulled into an empty space near the front door. "Well, you can talk about it over a late dinner, if you want," he offered gallantly as he exited the car. Jess began to fumble for the handle, but a second later Stacy was opening the door for her. She managed a smile of thanks as she got out, still feeling wobbly but a little less out-of-control dizzy.

They walked together into the mostly empty diner, Stacy's hand resting lightly beneath her right elbow in case she fell again. They sank into opposite sides of a booth and the waitress came by and deposited menus in front of them. Jess was expecting glasses of ice water as well, but remembered that there was none to be had unless requested due to the growing drought.

"Man, I don't know about you but I'm starving," Stacy declared as he scanned the menu. "I've been running around all day and haven't had a chance to eat one proper meal."

"I hear ya," Jess agreed, opening her own menu and looking over the choices.

When the waitress came back Stacy ordered a thick hamburger done medium rare along with fries. Jess decided on breakfast food, which caused Stacy to raise one light-colored eyebrow at her, but he kept mum.

"I know, it's drunk food. But hey, I'm drunk!" she declared almost proudly, to Stacy's instant mirth.

"So what did I miss back at the party?" he asked once he'd stopped chuckling.

Past caring about discretion or decorum at this point, Jess started to tell him the major highlights as they waited for their food – who was there, what they drank and smoke, and what they said. She did remember to tell him how highly PC had spoken of his surfing ability, which made Stacy both beam with pride and blush at the same time. "That's awesome to hear. Paul's a great surfer himself," Stacy mumbled modestly as the waitress set their orders down on the table.

As they ate Jess continued her tale, even mentioning Kathy's bad news about Wentzle and Jay's boorish behavior afterward. "I pretended I was going to be sick and got the hell out of there," Jess explained. "And that's why I was leaving there so fast. Hey, where were you, anyway?" I swear I didn't see you around there at all until you caught up to me outside."

"I had only just gotten there like ten minutes before you came out," Stacy told her. "I like to stand outside at parties. It's usually too smoky and noisy inside. I much prefer some fresh air," he confessed.

Jess wasn't sure if the Los Angeles air could really be classified as "fresh" but had to agree with the general sentiment. "Yeah, I got really claustrophobic in there. It felt so good to get outside and away from that place."

"So did you think I was Jay or something when I was walking up behind you?" Stacy asked with a slightly embarrassed expression.

"Yeah, I did! And I was sooo relieved it was you and not him," Jess admitted.

"I bet you were." Stacy met her eyes briefly and gave her a little smile before digging into his fries. "You can have some if you want," he said as he indicated his plate.

"Thanks, but I got enough here," Jess politely replied, taking another bite of pancake. She reached for the syrup and poured more on, collecting the sticky liquid that ran down the side of the pourer on her fingertip and then licking it clean unabashedly. With any other Dogtown guy she'd worry about seeming flirty, but she knew Stacy wouldn't misinterpret her action as an excuse to trot out his base instincts.

They ate in silence for a minute, then Stacy said, "That's really shitty about Wentzle. I didn't think he was like that, but I really don't know him that well, either."

"Yeah, it was pretty shitty, but I'm ok about it now. I'm definitely not hung up on Wentzle," she assured him, not wanting to sound neurotic. And as she uttered the words she realized they were true. Kathy was right, nothing significant had happened between them and there was no reason to stay bent out of shape over it. Yeah, all was definitely cool.

"Good to hear it," Stacy replied as he took a gulp of his soft drink. "And for the record, I'm not hung up on my girlfriend. I mean ex-girlfriend," he corrected himself.

"Oh? First big romance from a long time ago?" Jess inquired lightly.

Stacy's eyebrows flicked up then settled back again as the corners of his mouth turned down a bit. "No, more like second big romance. And we've been officially broken up for oh, about…" He broke off to look at his watch "…four hours, now."

Jess couldn't stop her eyebrows from flying up in surprise. "Wait, do you mean the girl who was with you at the pool last weekend?"

Stacy just nodded. "Yeah," he replied a little sadly despite his assurances that he was okay about the situation. "Things had been in a rut with us, pretty much. She kinda wanted one thing and I wanted another," he explained vaguely. "So today we had a serious talk and mutually decided to break it off."

"Geez, I'm sorry to hear that," Jess said with sincerity. Although she had certainly fancied Stacy ever since she laid eyes on the him, he and Camille had made a cute couple. She never imagined that it would be over like that, no matter what Camille had said about feeling frustrated and left out of Stacy's activities. Jess thought maybe they would work things out somehow. She surreptitiously watched Stacy eating for a moment and decided he did seem pretty ok, at least on the outside. He was definitely a Zen kinda guy, she privately reflected. I may not know him that well, but I do know that.

A few minutes later they were both finished eating, their respective plates pushed away from them and their drink glasses empty. When the waitress came over to ask if they wanted anything more, Stacy merely requested the check. After the waitress brought it to them Jess began digging in her pockets for the five dollar bill she was sure he had on her, but Stacy stopped her with an airy wave of his hand. "I got it, don't worry."

"You sure?" Jess automatically asked. "I mean, I'm a liberated lady who doesn't mind paying her way." She was starting to recover enough to joke again, she realized in relief.

Stacy gave a short burst of laughter, plucked the check from the tabletop and stood up. "Ready to go?"

After they paid and hit the respective restrooms (Jess was pleased that she walked out of the ladies' room at the same time Stacy left the mens'. Nothing bothered her quite like masculine teasing at how long women took in the bathroom), they headed back out to the car. Jess was feeling distinctly better, but still a little muddle-headed, which was probably from that hash, she ruminated as she settled back into the Volvo's passenger seat.

Stacy hopped behind the wheel and started the car. "You ready to go home yet, or do you need more time?" he asked, ever the gentleman.

Jess contemplated her choice for a minute. Her mom had set her curfew for a generous one am since Jess didn't have school tomorrow. The clock on the dash read 11. Why go back now when she had another two hours of freedom? "Welll, I kinda don't want to go back yet, but I'm definitely not going back to that party," Jess informed Stacy. "I mean, you can take me home and go back to Red Dog's if you want to," she added quickly, not wanting to hijack the poor guy's evening entirely.

"I really don't want to go back there either, sounds like it was a little too intense for my liking," Stacy told her. He leaned over the steering wheel, rested his chin on his hands and drummed his fingers against the top of the wheel as he made a moue of contemplation. "I don't really wanna go home either. That's a total drag right now," he confessed, winning an understanding smile from Jess.

"Well, it's up to you. You're the driver," she told him with a little laugh.

"Yeah, so drive, driver, drive," Stacy jibed. "But where to? Hmm." As he thought of options he leaned forward again and tilted his head up to look out of the windshield at the night sky, which was pretty well obscured by the bright streetlights around the parking lot. An idea seemed to come to him then, lighting his features up with hope.

"Hey, don't take this the wrong way, but would you like to just go for a drive? I know a great place to sit and look at the city lights. Have you had a chance to do that since you moved here?"

Jess admitted that she had not yet had the opportunity to view LA from above at night.

"So ya wanna go check it out?" Stacy queried, his hand over the gearshift, ready to put the car in reverse.

"Sure, why not?" Jess quipped.

"Awesome. You'll be blown away by this view. It's unreal," Stacy enthused as he put the car in motion, pulling out of the lot and turning back onto Centinela in the direction they had come from. A few minutes later the Allman Brothers tape ran out. "What do you wanna hear next?" Stacy asked.

"Oh, I don't know. Whatever you want to hear, I guess," Jess diplomatically replied.

"Well, the tapes are on your side. Go ahead and pick something," Stacy directed.

Jess found his cassette carrying case and pored over the contents for a minute, settling on one that simply read 'Various Driving Songs'. She held it up for him to see. "How about this, since we're uh, driving?" Jess wisecracked.

"Yeah, ok. I'm not really sure what's on that one anymore." Stacy took the tape from her and popped it into the dash. After a few seconds the intro to Steely Dan's "Do It Again" was pouring out of the speakers. "Ah, an oldie but a goodie," Stacy quipped, causing Jess to laugh aloud.

"This isn't that old," she teased.

"Uhh, when did that come out, like '72? That's pretty old," Stacy teased back as Jess shook her head in amusement and looked out of the passenger window. She thought they might be heading towards the mountains where her mom's supervisor lived and wondered what her mom ended up doing tonight. I hope mom's not worried about me because she I'm in trustworthy hands now. She pushed the thought out of her head and struck up a conversation with Stacy about school that lasted until he turned right off the larger boulevard and started navigating smaller roads that got higher and more winding as they went on.

"So where are we now?" she asked curiously.

"In the Santa Monica Mountains. Over Brentwood, specifically," he explained as he steered around a sharp bend. Here and there Jess saw lighted driveways that led off to unseen but presumably grand houses. She wondered how much a house up here cost. Must be a ton, probably a few hundred grand, she speculated. Maybe even half a mil.

After another five minutes of driving and climbing ever higher, Stacy made a sudden turnoff onto a tiny dirt road that led almost straight upward toward the night sky. He had to put the Volvo in low gear to make the ascent, pulling a little face as though it would help propel the car up the hill. Just before they got to the apex Stacy told Jess to close her eyes. She giggled, knowing why, but complied. She felt the car level out, then slowly come to a halt. Stacy put it into park and shut off the engine, stopping "All the Young Dudes" in the middle of its' anthemic chorus.

Jess could hear the smile in Stacy's voice as he instructed her to open her eyes. She did so and immediately her jaw dropped at the sight of thousands of bright lights swimming almost endlessly in the distance far below. "Wow, that is totally hypnotic," she breathed, unable to take her eyes off the vista. Although he must have seen it countless times, Stacy seemed similarly entranced.

They sat in silence for a couple of minutes, just gazing at the city. Then Stacy said, "You wanna get out and take a better look?"

"All right." This time Jess let herself out, giving a visible shudder as the chilly night wind swept past her, working itself easily through the sheer material of her top. Naturally Stacy the Gentleman Skater noticed and offered to lend her his jacket. At first she declined, not wanting him to give up his dark blue windbreaker for her comfort, but he explained that he always kept an extra jacket in the back of his car, "because you never know when you'll need one," he wisely explained. When he went to the Volvo to retrieve the garment, he also rolled down the windows and started the music up again.

"Now we have a soundtrack," he quipped as he handed the jacket to Jess. She gratefully slipped it on and turned back to face the city. Once again, silence descended for a few minutes as the two of them leaned against the hood of Stacy's car. When the Mott the Hoople song ended, a song that Jess didn't immediately recognize started up. It was very country-rock sounding, with a chorus about "White Line Fever." Jess kinda dug it straight away, it was soulful and honest. "Who is this playing?" she asked.

"The Flying Burrito Brothers," Stacy explained. "Ever heard of them?"

"I think so, not sure," Jess replied, a bit abashed to be caught out. Oh well, you can't know 'em all, she thought.

Then without warning a bout of hash-induced paranoia suddenly gripped Jess, causing her to jump up and do a quick scan of the area. Did anyone else from Dogtown know about this spot? What if someone drove by and saw her with Stacy and told everyone? Sure, they were much more likely to have been spotted at the diner but that could be explained away. This, on the other hand, was totally indefensible. Nervously she shoved her hands into the front pocket of Stacy's windbreaker and began pacing near the edge of the drop-off, her gaze fixed on the swimming lights in the valley below. Behind her, Stacy shifted his lanky frame off the bumper and came to stand near her, concern suffusing his handsome face. "Hey, something wrong?"

Jess shook her head, keeping her eyes averted from his. "No! Well, kind of…I mean – I'm not supposed to talk to you!" she blurted out, then went scarlet.

Stacy gaped at her, aghast. "Huhhh? What do you mean? Who said that? Camille?"

"No, she was cool with me," Jess hastened to reassure him. "Just some girls who hang around the Zephyr shop and the Hill and stuff. They told me you were off limits the first time I met them and well…I think they meant it." At the completely surprised look on Stacy's face suppressed a giggle and hastily added, "Well, they certainly sounded convincing and being new here, I didn't want to make too many waves…uhh, you know."

"Yeah." Stacy shook his head but at the same time gave a little laugh that was so infectious that Jess joined in, already abashed by her little display of anxiety. How silly of her to be worried about those stupid girls! They were partying down by the beach and she was safe up here. Nobody was watching from the bushes – or at least nobody who gave a damn who she and Stacy were and what they were doing there. She visibly began to relax and returned to her perch on the hood. Stacy settled back in at her side, the steady wind kicking up the ends of his hair and obscuring his jawline. As he reached up to smooth it back he turned his head to give her a little reassuring smile, which she automatically returned before looking away again.

After a few moments of silence, Stacy spoke up, his voice soft but reassuring: "Jess, you know you're free to talk to me or anyone you want to, ok?"

Still looking down, Jess only nodded. "Jess." Stacy spoke her name again and she lifted her head to meet his gaze, the orangey streetlight striking aqua sparks from his eyes. "I mean it. Don't listen to what anybody else says. Nobody owns you…or me, either. Seriously, any time you want to talk to me, you talk to me. Got it?"

Her heart beginning to puddle in her ribcage, Jess could only nod mutely again at first, but then her unbridled tongue stepped in and carried the moment away: "So can we only talk or what?" As soon as it was out she unthinkingly clapped one hand to her mouth and stared at the ground, waiting for Stacy's outraged reaction to her boldness. But he merely laughed again in that inimitable way, then shrugged as he raised his eyebrows a bit and as glibly as possible replied: "I dunno, umm…we don't just have to…well…" It was hard to tell in the dim light, but he seemed to be blushing. Jess resisted the urge to giggle at his discomfiture, but found it impossible to keep her own composure. Her shoulders began to shake as mirth overtook her. In response to that a slow grin spread across Stacy's face as he looked at his own feet and rocked back and forth on the hood of the Volvo, hugging himself as he contemplated the situation. From inside the car the tape player kicked over to the other side and began playing the lush strains of John Lennon's "#9 Dream." The wailing slide guitar in the opening notes came drifting out of the open windows to envelop them where they sat, followed in a few measures by Lennon's languid vocals:

"So long, long ago. Was it in a dream? Was it just a dream?…"

"Sorry," Jess whispered when her giggling had subsided, but Stacy just shrugged and smiled again as he continued studying his blue Vans, wriggling his toes inside them briefly as he tried to hide his anxiety. Jess was at a loss for words now, but badly needed to fill the silence that had descended. "Umm, Stacy, I'm really sorr-"

Stacy cut her off by leaning across the hood of the car and catching her chin gently between his thumb and index finger. "Hey, there's nothing to be sorry about." And with that he leaned in to her and briefly brushed her lips with his, not quite a kiss, more like a soft touching to test the waters.

"It seemed so very real, it seemed to real to me…"

And the waters were more than fine. As he leaned away to gauge her reaction, she followed, bringing her mouth back to his, showing him through action that she approved of his move. Reassured, Stacy leaned back toward her and they kissed properly this time, mouths closed but lingering together for several long seconds. Jess brought her hands up to his shoulders and caressed them through his jacket as he wrapped his arms around her torso to pull her even closer. The kiss ended and Jess pressed her face against his neck and hair and closed her eyes as she dreamily inhaled his warm, clean scent, a mix of Pacific Ocean, Breck and Tide. Then she felt him nudge his chin against her cheekbone, silently urging her to tilt her face upward and let him kiss her more. She willingly obliged.

"Dream, dream away. Magic in the air. There's magic in the air…"

He resumed by placing a gentle kiss first on her forehead, then each one of her eyelids, then the tip of her nose – making her giggle again – then finally reached her mouth once more. By this point Jess' heart was slamming so hard she was sure he could feel it through his layers of clothing. When she placed her hands against his chest she found his was doing the same. Their kisses grew longer and more intense but he still kept his mouth closed, enjoying the moment as it was, not wanting to push Jess to the next step yet. He kissed her upper lip, then gently nibbled her full lower lip for a moment. The little guttural sound she made deep within her chest nearly sent him over the edge. Instinctively she parted her lips, offering him entry, and he couldn't refuse. Slowly, carefully, he ran the tip of his tongue along the ridge of her upper teeth, then pressed inwards to gently explore the soft interior of her mouth. He's even better at frenching than Wentz was, Jess thought to herself, then pushed all thought of the other guy out of her mind. In response to Stacy's mellow yet thoroughly stimulating style, she allowed her tongue to roam into his mouth, taking their making out to the next level.

"Music touching my soul, something warm, sudden cold. The spirit dance was unfolding…

Stacy gave a little moan of pleasure as he teased the tip of her tongue with his, then let Jess draw it fully into her mouth as they pressed even closer on the hood of the car, legs entangled, torsos fully in contact, with his hands in her hair as it came undone from her leather barrette and her hands caressing his back and triceps. In one smooth move Jess plucked the hair clip from her wavy tresses and stowed it in a back pocket of her jeans, never once letting her mouth lose contact with his. Shortly afterward, Stacy pulled his jacket off and casually tossed it farther back on the hood, also without looking to see what he was doing. His arms were almost fever-hot, as Jess discovered as she slowly dragged her fingers up his biceps, then down over his triceps, caressing them as they jutted slightly beneath his warm skin. As they continued to kiss, he slid his hands down to trace her jawline, then pulled her hair back and bent down to tease the side of her neck with a series of little bites. It felt delightful but also tickled somewhat, and Jess threw her head back to laugh with pleasure as Stacy reached her collarbone.

He pulled back to regard her for a moment. "You like that, huh?" he quipped with one of his little laughs.

"Mmm. Well, see for yourself," Jess replied mischievously, then brought her mouth to his warm neck and proceeded to nip and lick with gusto until Stacy threw his head back and roared, "Ohhh, God! Ok, uncle!"

Jess collapsed against his chest in giggles. "See?"

Stacy cracked up as well. "Yeah, guess that was dirty pool, huh?"

The spell broken for the moment, they pulled away from each other and leaned back on the hood to look up at the night sky. Jess gave a little shiver of sympathy as Stacy wrapped his arms around himself and lightly rubbed his biceps. "You want to put your jacket back on?"

He gave a quick shake of his head. "Nah, I'm ok. But maybe we should get back in the car and get out of this wind for a few minutes," he suggested. Jess agreed, wondering if he'd choose the front seat or the back, and if it were the latter, how far he'd want to take things. At this point she was so worked up that she was almost ready to go all the way right there and now.

"C'mon," Stacy gently urged as he took her hand and led her to the passenger side and helped her back in the car. When he returned to his side, fetching his jacket from the hood along the way, he turned to face Jess and reached out to gently caress her hair again.

"You wanna stay a little longer, or do you want to go?" he asked her, no hint of pressure or urgency in his voice.

Jess really didn't need to think about that one. A glance at the clock told her curfew was still over an hour away and at this point she wasn't ready to end the fun. I'm way too worked up right now to stop cold, she told herself, then for the hell of it, she told Stacy the same thing. He laughed with relief. "To tell the truth, I'm havin' too much fun to stop just yet, too," he admitted. "But," he added slyly as he surveyed the car's interior, "the front seat may not be very accommodating for makin' out. So ah, you wanna maybe move to the, ah…" his voice trailed off with slight discomfit as he inclined his head toward the backseat.

Jess turned her head to check out the area in question, but the curtains made it too dark to see. That was obviously one of the major reasons to have them, she mused. For a moment she was at a loss about what to do. She didn't think Stacy would take things too far, but how much farther did she really want to go at this point anyway? If she let him take her into the backseat, would be still be content with just kissing? Guess there was only one way to find out, she decided. I'm going to trust him.

"Sure, let's go," she replied at last, making Stacy break out in a wide smile, which he quickly covered by leaning forward and kissing her deeply once more. Then he leaned back a bit and gestured toward the pitch black backseat, indicating that she should climb over the gap between the front seats. "After you, my lady."