First Time
Chapter Two: Keeper Of My Secrets
(Author's note: Wow! I've just been getting so many compliments lately on all my stories... just wanted to say yet again- Thanks! And so... onto Jude and Tommy's very romantic evening...)
Chapter Two: Keeper Of My Secrets
Several hours later, Jude emerged from her shower and wrapped herself in a plush terrycloth robe. Pulsating waves of excitement and nerves coursed through her body, as she considered the night ahead of her. She knew it would be different; she had never been to a man's apartment on a date before. Moreover, she had never even visited Tommy's home, ever.
Smoothing vanilla-scented lotion onto her body, she smiled. As always, Jude knew what Tommy wanted. His desire was obvious and she knew tonight he would make a real move on her. He would never pressure her, but she knew his hopes. Realizing this only fueled her own fantasies. She wanted him with equal ferocity and was ready to be with him.
Reaching into her purse, she removing the packet of tiny pills, carefully swallowing the right one. Obtaining them just over a month ago had been a personal and instinctive decision made in conjunction with their growing closeness; deep down she had known even then where this relationship was destined, even before their confessions that fateful night in the studio.
"I love you, Jude Harrison..."
"I love you, Tommy Quincy..."
"No running away this time..." he promised.
"I can't" she promised back.
"I love you too much. I need you..."
"I need you, too." she thought now "And I can't wait any longer... There's no reason to..."
She focused now on the important job of dressing herself for their date. Carefully, she blow-dried her long auburn hair, styling it so it fell into the long thick waves she knew Tommy loved. She then turned to the outfit lying on her bed, painstakingly chosen after hours reviewing with her friend Kat every possible option. But she was now confident of her selection.
She dressed quickly, easily slipping the red silk scoop-necked top over her head, then sliding into the low-rise, slim fitting jeans. Catching a glimpse of herself in the full-length mirror, she smiled again.
"Sexy enough for him." she purred contentedly.
Sitting back down at her dressing table, she applied just a light amount of makeup and ran her brush through her hair one final time. A few squirts of "Beautiful" perfume and she was ready.
Jude then checked the time, now 6:45
Scooping up her purse and car keys, she glided out the door.
Inside his sleek penthouse apartment, Tommy puttered around, adding just a few more special touches to the decor. Red roses, Jude's favorite flower were strategically placed in crystal vases throughout, as were small candles in matching crystal holders. He took the bottle of Spanish white wine from the refrigerator, and placed it on the already-set dining room table. The ingredients for their dinner were arrayed carefully in his very modern kitchen. Everything was ready. All he needed now was her.
As always, she was just that little bit late. He smiled, enjoying the anticipation. Finally, at 7:10 his buzzer rang.
"Yes" he answered.
"Mr. Quincy... Miss Harrison is here. I sent her straight up just like you asked me to." his doorman assured him.
"Thanks, Sam" Tommy responded.
Eagerly, he listened for the familiar rattle of his floor's private elevator; it soon sounded. Next, he heard light footsteps in the hall.
Jude approached the door of Penthouse B and rang the bell. Carefully, Tommy allowed just a few minutes to elapse before he answered it. However, any pretense of casualness evaporated the second he saw her.
"Hello, sweetheart." he said, unable to hide his longing.
"Hello, handsome." she responded, using the same tone of voice.
Tommy took Jude's hand and gently, but quickly pulled her inside. Staring deeply into her eyes, he smiled.
"What?" she replied, coyly.
"You know damm well what. You. Insanely gorgeous." he intoned huskily, sliding his hands around her slender waist.
"You think?" she teased, batting her eyelashes and reaching automatically for his shoulders.
"Don't tease me, girl. You know what happens then..." he breathed, bringing her closer to him.
"Show me..." she whispered, just a split second before his lips touched hers. His tongue traced the outline of her mouth, beckoning it open, then slipping easily inside, probing and exploring. Jude reciprocated his gently intense passion, easily matching it with her own. It still amazed her that she could stir such powerful feelings in anyone, let alone the incredibly handsome, suave, sophisticated man she had secretly wanted for years.
Their kiss ended, and they both drew back, but kept their eyes locked on each other. Jude reached for Tommy's hand, caressing his knuckles with her fingers.
"So? This place looks fabulous! Are you going to show me around?" she asked.
"Absolutely." he grinned back. "Right this way..."
He escorted her down the hall, leading her into a very spacious living room. Jude looked around, carefully taking it all in.
Her eyes sparkled knowingly.
"What?" Tommy asking, catching her expression.
"Your apartment. It looks exactly the way I pictured it..." she laughed, indicating the black leather couches, clear glass tables, the fireplace, large flat screen TV and of course, the newest, highest quality sound system.
"I only want the best." he answered, looking meaningfully at her.
"Mmm" she mumbled, taking a few steps forward. Willingly, Tommy moved along with her.
"Now this I really like..." Jude added, standing next to him in front of the large windows, watching the sun set.
"Amazing view..." she sighed.
"Like I said, only the best..." Tommy proclaimed confidently, again taking her in his arms and pulling her close to him. Happily, they stood there together, watching the night emerge.
"Do you spend a lot of time in here?" Jude asked him.
"Yeah, I guess you could say that I do. At least, when I'm home. And you know what crazy hours I work..."
"Yeah, I guess I do know something about that..." she said, looking up at him.
"No one knows that better than you, Jude. No one knows me better... I'm really happy you came tonight. I really wanted this. I have for a very long time..." he confessed
"Me too..."
"Just you and me... all alone..."
"Perfect" she added softly, before he silenced her with yet another wave of kisses, these even deeper and more passionate than those they shared before. Drawing apart, she trembled; he seemed as weak and shaky as she felt.
"So? Are you cooking or what?" she questioned.
"Yeah... I'll show you."
He walked her through a modern, but comfortable dining room. Jude took in the elegant china dishes, the flowers on the table, all illuminated softly by glowing candles.
"All this... is for me?" she breathed, overwhelmed.
"There's no one else here." he said playfully.
"There's no one else I want." he thought.
"I love it." she whispered, her voice as always commanding his full attention.
A few more steps took them into the kitchen.
"Ok. You sit here." Tommy instructed, indicating a stool at the kitchen counter. Reaching for the wine bottle, he poured some into the two glasses already waiting there.
"Here you go... I think you'll like this. A Spanish Cava. Should go perfectly with dinner... But first..." Tommy said dramatically, raising his glass.
"To you, Miss Harrison. To your CD, music's next great thing... And..." he paused.
"To us..." he finished softly.
"I like that last part best..." she whispered, taking a small sip of wine.
"Delicious..." she breathed.
Tommy tasted the wine, but got a far more heady feeling when he looked at her. She was just too irresistible. Every word she spoke, every look she gave him touched him so deeply inside. Somehow, she had gotten under his skin far closer than he had ever allowed anyone before. For the first time, it didn't scare him, so strong was his love for and trust in her. Her song expressed it all so perfectly.
"Only today... I am unafraid... Take my breath away...".
Placing his glass back down on the counter, he necessarily directed his attention from the warmth of her face to the now-sizzling pan on the stove. Expertly, he stirred the contents and added a few more spices to the aromatic mixture.
Jude sat at the counter, sipping her wine and watching him work.
"Smells fabulous! Now, are you going to tell me what it is?"
"Paella" he smirked confidently.
"I love that!" she replied, delighted.
"I know." he replied with his trademark cockiness.
"I just can't believe you know how to cook that..."
"Yeah, well... I've actually never done it before... But it's not so hard... the recipe's pretty easy to follow, so..." he admitted.
"Full of surprises tonight, aren't you Quincy?"
"Yes... And we're not done yet..." he insinuated meaningfully.
"Can't wait..." she promised, as he walked closer to her.
Tommy bent over and lightly brushed her lips with his, tasting the fruitiness of the wine on them; it mingled with the natural sweetness of their kiss.
Pulling away, he reached for the pan.
"You go and sit down. I don't want this to get cold..."
Twenty minutes later, they finished eating. Jude leaned back and smiled at Tommy.
"Wonderful"
"Yeah, well... I know what you like..." he jibed.
"You think?" she threw teasingly back at him.
"Oh, yeah..." he growled.
"Good. So, then where's that CD you promised me?"
"Hmm? Let me see if I can remember..."
Jude pouted playfully and looked at him wide-eyed; her expression made him smile.
"It's in the living room. You go sit down there. I just want to put this stuff away." he replied, indicating the dishes on the table.
"Can I help?"
"Absolutely not. You're my guest. Go." he urged softly.
Jude did what he asked, retreating to the stylish living room. Curious, she scanned his crowded wall unit, looking for her CD. She couldn't find it among his large collections of music and also movies; she had never known anyone with more DVD's than Tommy possessed.
Her eyes traveled upwards to a higher shelf and she noticed a very thick book, with a cloth cover. She carefully reached for it, needing to use both hands to lift the heavy volume down. Cradling it in her arms, she sat down on the couch, placing the book on the table in front of her.
Jude flipped the cover open and smiled. She had found Tommy's photo album. The first pictures were of him as a baby, some shots taken of him alone and some with his parents. He was completely adorable. Jude carefully studied the beautiful fair-haired woman and the handsome man who looked just like Tommy; the parents he never mentioned once in all the years she'd known him. So absorbed was she that she didn't even hear him enter the room.
"Jude..." he said, clearly shocked, but not sounding upset.
She quickly glanced up, a slightly guilty look on her face.
"I was just... looking at these..." she stammered nervously.
Tommy remained silent.
"I don't have to... I'm sorry... I'll put them back..." she offered.
Quickly and easily, he made a decision.
"No." he told her.
"No?"
"You want to see them. Then I want you to. Cause if we're going to be together, you should know about my family." he told her, sliding down next to her, and slipping his left arm around her shoulders.
Instinctively, she leaned closer to him.
"It's that bad..." she deduced from the pain in his eyes.
"She always knows." he thought.
"Yeah." he confirmed. "But not all of it... Let me tell you everything..."
"I need to." he thought.
Jude's voice broke the silence.
"So? These are your parents?"
"Yes. James and Sarah Quincy..."
"Your mother's beautiful.."
"Yes. She was."
Jude nodded, remembering the publicity when this famous member of Boyz Attack lost his mother in a car accident.
"Tell me about her..."
"She played the piano and sang... Wrote her own music too... She taught me... I loved it."
"And your father?"
"He was a doctor. Expected me to be one too... needless to say he was disappointed..." Tommy answered, his voice stiff.
Jude felt his pain and turned the pages; watching him grow up. She saw pictures of him with his grandparents, in nursery school, then in elementary school, singing on a stage.
"First grade. Class play." he told her proudly.
"You were so cute..."
"My first solo... that's what really started it. I loved it... loved performing. I wanted more... so did my mother. She started looking for chances for me... commercials... local theater... anything. She took me to auditions... She really wanted me to be happy..."
"Because that made her happy..." Jude commented perceptively.
"Yeah..."
"But your father didn't like it..."
"It didn't bother him so much at first. He was always busy... didn't have that much time for me... Besides, he just thought it was a phase... That I'd grow out of it... Didn't think I'd get too many jobs..."
"But you did..." Jude beamed at him, looking at the next pages. Pictures of him performing crammed the book.
"Les Miserables" she commented, pointing to one shot of him working in community theater.
"Gavroche... yeah."
Her eyebrows shot up when she saw who was with him in the next picture.
"That's not..."
"Chaz? Yeah, it is. We met doing that play... We took turns performing that part... he was so competitive... we hated at each other at first... "
Jude nodded, understandingly. Having met Chaz, she'd seen that side of him.
"Surprisingly, we did eventually become friends..." Tommy continued.
Jude continued turning the pages that chronicled her boyfriend's life. His mother's image continued to dominate the book. Sarah Quincy's pride in and love for her handsome, talented son was clearly apparent in every picture. In contrast, James Quincy was conspicuously absent.
Lacing her fingers through his, she met his eyes.
"What?" he asked.
"I don't see your father in any of these pictures..." she said carefully.
"No. He wasn't around much..." Tommy answered, pain leaking into his voice.
"It's okay. You don't have to talk about it, if you don't want to..." Jude swiftly assured him.
"But... I do want to..." he told her.
"N ever before... Only with you..." he thought.
"He worked a lot then... When he wasn't, he drank. A lot. He saw other women too..." Tommy began bitterly.
"I know what that's like." Jude empathized, remembering how she felt discovering her own father's affair.
"That must have really hurt you..."
"Damm right it did!" Tommy exploded.
"What else happened? There's more, isn't there?" she gently prodded.
"Yes... He hit her, us. All the time... Eventually, he killed her..."
"How? I always thought she died in a car accident..." Jude asked, perplexed.
"He was drunk... He drove..." he said flatly.
"No..." Jude's horrified voice drifted off.
"He was bringing her to one of my concerts. In Montreal. And you know the crazy part? He never came to any of my shows before... Didn't want me in Boyz Attack at all! Thought it was a weak, sissy, stupid thing for me to want to do... he punched my jaw the night I left..."
"See if they want you now, with your pretty face all messed up! Just try to sing now!" James Quincy had mercilessly taunted him.
"Tommy" Jude said, putting her arms around him in support.
"Hey, it's not like he hadn't done it before... I was just so glad to go away... to get away. To join the band... But that was what killed her..."
"You don't... blame yourself..."
"No. Not anymore..." Tommy answered, thinking of his struggle then not to.
"Now, I just blame him."
"Seems right to me." Jude agreed.
"Anyway... I was very angry with him... For a long time."
"And you still are?"
"No. Not really. I just don't think about it anymore. I don't see him anymore. I've moved on."
"I see."
"Especially now. I have other, more important things to think about..." Tommy's voice intoned softly, staring meaningfully into Jude's azure blue orbs.
"I'm just glad you told me."
"Me too, Jude... I've never told all that to anyone before... So, now you know all my secrets..."
"All of them?"
"Well... maybe not quite all..." he insinuated, bringing his face towards hers.
"Not yet, anyway..." she whispered, in the instant before their lips met.
His kiss was soft at first, a light, almost ticklish sensation. Slowly, teasingly, he deepened it, aching with a passion stronger and more insistent than any he'd even known before. Overwhelmed with ravenous hunger and powerful emotions, he slid down on the couch, pulling her whole body directly on top of his, his mouth continuing to devour hers.
Jude shifted slightly in his strong arms, moving her hands from his shoulders to the back of his neck. Her fingers buried themselves in his hair as their kisses became even hotter and more demanding. She felt his own fingertips gently massaging her back over the thin silk of her top, moving slowly downwards from her shoulders, sliding towards her waist. His hands came to a sudden stop, resting on her bare skin, just beneath the hem of her shirt.
Tommy moaned softly as he stroked her soft skin. For the first time ever, with anyone he was beyond thought and almost beyond restraint. His trademark reserve and characteristic control had completely vanished.
"Jude..." he whispered, his voice raw with need.
"Yes..." she said breathless with desire.
"Tell me... what you want..."
Jude smiled, luxuriating in the sensation of his body so tightly against hers. She felt his tension, his longing in every inch of him; her feelings mirrored his. More than anything, she knew how much he loved her then . She loved him just as much. If she wanted to, she couldn't have refused him then. But she didn't want to.
Her palm rested atop his cheek as she returned her mouth to his.
"Make love to me, Tommy..." she whispered throatily between fiery kisses.
Gently, he broke the kiss and sat up, pulling her along with him. Taking her hands, he then stood up, Jude naturally following him. She stood besides him, smiling sexily and invitingly.
Slowly, tantalizingly, they moved down the hallway, towards his bedroom.
(Author's note: Ok... perhaps I'm evil for ending this chapter here. Perhaps this wasn't what people expected... But as Tommy said in my last story, their "first time" should mean something very special... And it's about more than their first time making love, but Tommy's first time really opening up and trusting someone...(not to mention his first time cooking paella!). So, that's my logic. Hope you liked it! Anyway... I promise... the "hot stuff" is coming up in the next chapter... that is, if people still want to see it... hee-hee... let me know...)
dorothy